Form 485APOS New York Life Investment
As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 12, 2025
Securities Act File No. 333-183489
Investment Company Act File No. 811-22739
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM N-1A
| REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933 | ☐ |
| Pre-Effective Amendment No. | ☐ |
| Post-Effective Amendment No. 134 | ☒ |
| and/or | |
| REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940 | ☐ |
| Amendment No. 140 | ☒ |
NEW YORK LIFE INVESTMENTS ACTIVE ETF TRUST
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)
51 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10010
(Address of Principal Executive Office)
Registrant’s Telephone Number, including Area Code: (888) 474-7725
Matthew V. Curtin, Esq.
New York Life Investment Management LLC
51 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10010
It is proposed that this filing will become effective (check appropriate box):
| ☐ | Immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b) of Rule 485. |
| ☐ | On (date) pursuant to paragraph (b) of Rule 485. |
| ☐ | 60 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(1) of Rule 485. |
| ☐ | On (date) pursuant to paragraph (a) of Rule 485. |
| ☐ | 75 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of Rule 485. |
| ☒ | On March 17, 2026, pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of Rule 485. |
If appropriate, check the following box:
| ☐ | This post-effective amendment designates a new effective date for a previously filed post-effective amendment. |
The information in this Prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the Registration Statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) is effective. This Prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any state where the offer or sale is not permitted.
Preliminary Prospectus
Subject to Completion, dated December 12, 2025
[ ], 2026
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New York Life Investments Active ETF Trust
Prospectus
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NYLI International Small-Mid Cap Equity 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
| 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 Fund: |
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Name |
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CUSIP |
Symbol |
Exchange |
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| NYLI International Small-Mid Cap Equity ETF | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | |||||
| The Fund is an exchange-traded fund (“ETF”). This means that shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange (the “Exchange”) and trade at market prices. The market price for the Fund’s shares may be different from its net asset value per share (the “NAV”). The Fund has a CUSIP number and an exchange trading symbol. |
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Table of Contents
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Summary Information
NYLI International Small-Mid Cap Equity ETF
Investment Objective
The NYLI International Small-Mid Cap Equity ETF (the “Fund”) seeks long-term growth of capital.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund (“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 | ||
| Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment): |
|||
| Management Fee | [ ] | % | |
| Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees | 0.00 | % | |
| Other Expenses(a) |
[ ] |
% | |
| Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | [ ] | % | |
| Expense Waiver/Reimbursement(b) |
[ ] |
% | |
| Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Waiver/Reimbursement |
[ ] |
% | |
| (a) | The Fund has not yet commenced operations, and Other Expenses are based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year. |
| (b) | New York Life Investment Management LLC (“New York Life Investments” or “Advisor”) has contractually agreed to waive or reduce its management fee and/or reimburse expenses of the Fund in an amount that limits “Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses” (exclusive of interest, taxes, brokerage commissions, dividend payments on short sales, acquired fund fees and expenses, other expenditures which are capitalized in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and other extraordinary expenses not incurred in the ordinary course of the Fund’s business) to not more than [ ]% of the average daily net assets of the Fund. The agreement will remain in effect permanently unless terminated by the Board of Trustees of the Fund. |
Example. This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then 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 |
| $[ ] | $[ ] |
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when 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. This rate excludes the value of the portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of in-kind creations or redemptions of the Shares. The Fund is newly organized, and as of the date of this Prospectus, has not yet commenced operations.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund invests primarily in equity securities issued by non-U.S. small- and mid-capitalization companies. The Fund typically holds between 100–125 equity securities, is actively managed, and does not seek to track an index. The equity securities held by the Fund may include common stock, preferred securities, convertible securities, depositary receipts (including American Depositary Receipts (ADRs)). The Fund may invest in real estate investment Trusts (“REITs”) and may invest up to 10% of its assets in initial public offerings (IPOs). The Fund’s investments may be denominated in U.S. and foreign currencies.
Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes) in equity securities of small- and mid-capitalization companies. The Fund’s subadvisor, Ausbil Investment Management Limited (“Ausbil” or the “Subadvisor”), defines small- and mid-capitalization securities to be securities that are included in the MSCI World Ex-USA SMID Cap Index. As of [ ], the market capitalization range of the MSCI World Ex-USA SMID Cap Index was $[ ] to $[ ]. Under normal market conditions, the Fund will invest in at least three countries and at least 40% of its net assets in non-U.S. countries.
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Investment Process
The Subadvisor’s investment process begins with a top-down assessment, analyzing macroeconomic trends, regional dynamics, and sectoral opportunities to identify areas with the highest potential for outperformance. Then the Subadvisor performs fundamental stock analysis focusing on such things as quality of management, business models, financial strength, earnings growth potential and valuation metrics. Ultimately, the Subadvisor invests in those companies that it believes will provide an opportunity for achieving superior portfolio risk adjusted returns over the long term.
Under normal market conditions, the Subadvisor employs a sell discipline pursuant to which it may sell some or all its position in a stock when a stock becomes fully valued, the fundamental business prospects are deteriorating, or the position exceeds limits set by the Subadvisor.
Principal Risks
As with all investments, there are certain risks of investing in the Fund. The Fund’s Shares will change in value and you could lose money by investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund does not represent a complete investment program. An investment in the Fund is not a bank deposit and it is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency, the Advisor or any of its affiliates. You should consider carefully the following risks before 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.
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.
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.
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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.
Geographic Concentration Risk
The Fund may invest a substantial amount of its assets in securities of issuers located in a single country or geographic region. As a result, any changes to the regulatory, political, social or economic conditions in such country or geographic region will generally have greater impact on the Fund than such changes would have on a more geographically diversified fund and may result in increased volatility and greater losses. This risk may be especially pronounced to the extent the Fund invests in countries and regions experiencing, or likely to experience, security concerns, war, threats of war, terrorism, economic uncertainty and natural disasters.
| • | Europe Concentration Risk. Most developed countries in Western Europe are members of the European Union (“EU”), and many are also members of the European Monetary Union (“EMU”), which requires compliance with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits and debt levels. Unemployment in certain European nations is historically high and several countries face significant debt problems. These conditions can significantly affect every country in Europe. The euro is the official currency of the EU and, accordingly, the Fund’s investment in European securities may lead to significant exposure to the euro and events affecting it. A significant decline in the value of the euro, or the exit of a country from the EU or EMU, may produce unpredictable effects on trade and commerce generally and could lead to increased volatility in financial markets worldwide. Political or economic disruptions in European countries, even in countries in which the Fund is not invested, may adversely affect security values and thus the Fund’s holdings. In particular, the Fund’s investments in the United Kingdom and other European countries may be significantly impacted by the decision of the United Kingdom to leave the EU. The United Kingdom’s departure may negatively impact the EU and Europe as a whole by causing volatility within the EU, triggering prolonged economic downturns in certain European countries or sparking additional member states to contemplate departing the EU (thereby leading to political instability in the region). |
| • | Japan Concentration Risk. Economic growth in Japan is heavily dependent on international trade, government support, and consistent government policy. Slowdowns in the economies of key trading partners such as the United States, China and countries in Southeast Asia, or disruptions to trade caused by trade tariffs, other protectionist measures, and competition from emerging economies, could have a negative impact on the Japanese economy as a whole. The Japanese economy has in the past been negatively affected by, among other factors, government intervention and protectionism and an unstable financial services sector. While the Japanese economy has recently emerged from a prolonged economic downturn, some of these factors, as well as other adverse political developments, increases in government debt, changes to fiscal, monetary or trade policies or other events, such as natural disasters, could have a negative impact on Japanese securities. Japan’s economic prospects may be affected by the political and military situations of its near neighbors, notably North and South Korea, China and Russia. In addition, Japan’s labor market is adapting to an aging workforce, declining population, and demand for increased labor mobility. These demographic shifts and fundamental structural changes to the labor markets may negatively impact Japan’s economic competitiveness. |
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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.
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 Capitalization Deviation Risk
There can be no assurance that the securities held by the Fund will stay within the Fund’s intended market capitalization range. As a result, the Fund may be exposed to additional risk or investors may not be given the opportunity to invest fully in a certain market capitalization range.
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.
New Fund Risk
As a new fund, there can be no assurance that the Fund will grow to or maintain an economically viable size. Like other new funds, large inflows and outflows may impact the Fund’s market exposure for limited periods of time. This impact may be positive or negative, depending on the direction of market movement during the period affected.
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).
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.
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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.
Smaller Companies Risk
Small- and/or 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, 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, when market quotations are not readily available, are deemed unreliable or not representative of an investment’s fair value, investments are valued using fair value pricing as determined in good faith by the Advisor pursuant to policies relating to the valuation of such assets. In many instances, when fair valuing an investment, the Advisor will utilize valuations provided by a third-party pricing service provider. These pricing service providers typically utilize a range of market-based inputs and assumptions when valuing an investment. These valuations involve subjectivity and different market participants may assign different prices to the same investment. This risk is especially acute for investments that trade in low volume or volatile markets, are impacted by market disruption events or are subject to a trading halt. Valuing the Fund’s investments using fair value pricing 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.
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Performance Information
As of the date of this Prospectus, the Fund has not commenced operations and therefore does not report its performance information. The Fund’s performance current to the most recent month-end is available by calling 1-888-474-7725 or by visiting newyorklifeinvestments.com/etf.
Investment Advisor and Subadvisor
New York Life Investment Management LLC is the investment advisor to the Fund.
Ausbil Investment Management Limited 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 Fund’s Portfolio Manager |
| Simon Wood, Portfolio Manager | Since Fund’s Inception |
| Tobias Bucks, Portfolio Manager | 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.
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.
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The Trust is an investment company consisting of a number of separate investment portfolios that are structured as exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”). Each share of the Fund represents an ownership interest in the securities and other instruments comprising the Fund’s portfolio. Unlike shares of a mutual fund, which can be bought and redeemed from the issuing fund by all shareholders at a price based on net asset value (“NAV”), shares of an ETF (such as the Fund) are listed on a national securities exchange and trade in the secondary market at market prices that change throughout the day, and may differ from the Fund’s NAV.
New York Life Investment Management LLC (“New York Life Investments” or “Advisor”) is the investment advisor to the Fund. Ausbil Investment Management Limited serves as the subadvisor and is referred herein as “Subadvisor.”
Information about the Fund’s investment objective, principal investment strategies, investment practices and principal risks appears in the summary section for the Fund at the beginning of the Prospectus. The information below describes in greater detail the principal and other investments, investment practices and risks pertinent to the Fund. Not all investments/strategies of the Fund may be described in this Prospectus.
Description of the Principal Strategies of the Fund
The Fund is an actively managed ETF and thus does not seek to replicate the performance of a specific index. Instead, the Fund uses an active investment strategy to meet its investment objective. The Subadvisor, subject to the oversight of the Advisor and Board, has discretion on a daily basis to manage the Fund’s portfolio in accordance with the Fund’s investment objective and investment policies. Consequently, investors should not expect the Fund’s returns to track the returns of any index or market for any period of time.
The Fund has a distinct investment objective and policies. Except as otherwise stated in this Prospectus or the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information (the “SAI”), the investment objective and policies of the Fund are non-fundamental and may be changed by the Board of Trustees of the Trust (the “Board”) without shareholder approval. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s objective will be achieved.
In accordance with Rule 35d-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “1940 Act”), the Fund has adopted a policy that it will, under normal circumstances, invest at least 80% of the value of its assets (net assets plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes) in investments of the type suggested by the Fund’s name. This policy is “non-fundamental,” which means that it may be changed without the vote of a majority of the Fund’s outstanding shares as defined in the 1940 Act. The Fund will provide the Fund’s shareholders with at least 60 days’ prior notice of any changes in the Fund’s non-fundamental investment policy with respect to investments of the type suggested by its name:
The NYLI International Small-Mid Cap Equity ETF has adopted a policy that it will, under normal circumstances, invest at least 80% of the value of its assets (net assets plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes) in equity securities of small- and mid-capitalization companies.
For purposes of this policy, the Subadvisor considers an issuer to be a small- or mid-capitalization company if it is included in the MSCI World Ex-USA SMID Cap Index at the time of purchase.
Under normal market conditions, the Fund will invest in at least three countries and at least 40% of its net assets in non-U.S. countries.
The Advisor or Subadvisor determines “domicile” of an issuer by using data provided by an unaffiliated third-party data service, which, in turn, uses the following criteria to determine a company’s domicile:
| • | the country where the company is incorporated; |
| • | the country where the company is headquartered; |
| • | the country where the company has a majority of its operations; |
| • | the country where the company generates the largest proportion of its sales; and |
| • | the country where the company’s shares are traded in the most liquid manner. |
Unless otherwise indicated, all of the percentage limitations applicable to the Fund apply only at the time of an acquisition or encumbrance of securities or assets of the Fund, except that any borrowings by the Fund that exceeds applicable limitations must be reduced to meet such limitations within the period required by the 1940 Act. Therefore, a change in the percentage that results from a relative change in values or from a change in the Fund’s assets will not be considered a violation of the Fund’s policies or restrictions and the Fund’s future investments will be made in a manner that will bring the Fund into compliance with the applicable requirement. “Value” for the purposes of all investment restrictions shall mean the value used in determining the Fund’s NAV.
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To the extent the Advisor or Subadvisor makes investments on behalf of the Fund that is regulated by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission, it intends to do so in accordance with Rule 4.5 under the Commodity Exchange Act (“CEA”). The Advisor has filed a notice of eligibility for exclusion from the definition of the term “commodity pool operator” in accordance with Rule 4.5 and is therefore not subject to registration as a commodity pool operator under the CEA.
The Fund’s portfolio holdings will be disclosed on the Trust’s website newyorklifeinvestments.com/etf daily after the close of trading on a national securities exchange (the “Exchange”) and prior to the opening of trading on the Exchange the following day.
Additional Investment Strategies
Borrowing Money
The Fund may borrow money from a bank as permitted by the 1940 Act or the rules thereunder, or by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) or other regulatory agency with authority over the Fund, but only for temporary or emergency purposes. The 1940 Act presently allows a fund to borrow from any bank (including pledging, mortgaging or hypothecating assets) in an amount up to 33 1/3% of its total assets (not including temporary borrowings not in excess of 5% of its total assets).
Temporary Defensive Positions
In times of unusual or adverse market, economic or political conditions or abnormal circumstances (such as large cash inflows or anticipated large redemptions), the Fund may, for temporary defensive purposes (which may be for a prolonged period), invest outside the scope of its principal investment strategies. Under such conditions, the Fund may not invest in accordance with its investment objective or principal investment strategies and, as a result, there is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. Under such 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.
Securities Lending
The Fund may lend its portfolio securities. A securities lending program allows the Fund to receive a portion of the income generated by lending its securities and investing the respective collateral. In connection with such loans, the Fund receives liquid collateral equal to at least 102% (105% for foreign securities) of the value of the portfolio securities being lent. This collateral is marked to market on each trading day.
Additional Information About Risks
The principal risks of investing in the Fund are described below, which may result in a loss of your investment. As indicated in the table below, not all of these risks are principal risks of investing in the Fund. The Fund may be subject to risks to different degrees. The fact that a particular risk is not identified as a principal risk for the Fund does not mean that the Fund is prohibited from investing in securities or investments that give rise to that risk. There can be no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.
Investors should be aware that in light of the current uncertainty, volatility and state of economies, financial markets, and labor and health conditions around the world, the risks below are heightened significantly compared to normal conditions and therefore may subject the Fund’s investments and a shareholder’s investment in the Fund to reduced yield and/or income and sudden and substantial losses. The fact that a particular risk below is not specifically identified as being heightened under current conditions does not mean that the risk is not greater than under normal conditions. Additional information about the investment practices of the Fund and risks pertinent to these practices is included in the SAI. The following information regarding principal investment strategies and risks is provided in alphabetical order and not necessarily in order of importance.
|
X Principal Risk • Additional Risk |
NYLI International Small-Mid Cap Equity ETF |
| Authorized Participant Concentration Risk | X |
| Convertible Securities Risk | X |
| Currency Risk | X |
| Cyber Security Risk | X |
| Depositary Receipts Risk | X |
| Equity Securities Risk | X |
| Foreign Securities Risk | X |
| Foreign Securities Valuation Risk | X |
|
Geographic Concentration Risk The following are sub-risks to this Risk: |
X |
| *Europe Concentration Risk | X |
| *Japan Concentration Risk | X |
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|
X Principal Risk • Additional Risk |
NYLI International Small-Mid Cap Equity ETF |
| Initial Public Offering (“IPO”) Risk | X |
| Issuer Risk | X |
| Large Investments Risk | • |
| Liquidity Risk | X |
| Market Capitalization Deviation Risk | X |
| Market Disruption Risk and Recent Market Events | • |
| Market Risk | X |
| New Fund Risk | X |
| Operational Risk | X |
| Portfolio Management Risk | X |
| Preferred Securities Risk | X |
| Real Estate Companies Risk | X |
| Secondary Market Trading Risk | X |
| Securities Lending Risk | • |
| Smaller Companies Risk | X |
| Trading Price Risk | X |
| U.S. Tax Risk | • |
| Valuation Risk | X |
Authorized Participant Concentration Risk
Only 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 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 create or redeem Creation Units, 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
Convertible securities are bonds, debentures, notes, preferred stocks or other securities that may be converted or exchanged (by the holder or by the issuer, depending on the terms of the securities) into shares of the underlying common stock (or cash or securities of equivalent value) at a stated exchange ratio. If a convertible security held by the Fund is called for redemption or conversion, the Fund could be required to tender it for redemption, convert it into the underlying equity security or sell it to a third party, which may have an adverse effect on the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective. The market values of convertible securities tend to decline as interest rates increase. However, a convertible security’s market value also tends to reflect the market price of the equity security of the issuing company, particularly when the price of the equity security is greater than the convertible security’s conversion price (i.e., the predetermined price or exchange ratio at which the convertible security can be converted or exchanged for the underlying equity security). Convertible securities are also exposed to the risk that an issuer will be unable to meet its obligation to make dividend or principal payments when due as a result of changing financial or market conditions. Convertible debt securities generally offer lower interest or dividend yields than non-convertible debt securities of similar credit quality because of their potential for capital appreciation. Moreover, there can be no assurance that convertible securities will provide current income prior to conversion because the issuers of the convertible securities may default on their obligations. If the convertible security has a conversion or call feature that allows the issuer to redeem the security before the conversion date, the potential for capital appreciation may be diminished. In the event that convertible securities are not optional but mandatory based upon the price of the underlying common stock, the Fund may be subject to additional exposure to loss of income in situations where it would prefer to hold debt.
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 national debt levels and trade deficits, changes in balances of payments and trade, domestic and foreign interest and inflation rates, global or regional political, economic or financial events, monetary policies of governments, actual or potential government intervention and global energy prices. Political instability, the possibility of government intervention and restrictive or opaque business and investment policies may also reduce the value of a country’s currency. Government monetary policies and the buying or selling of currency by a country’s government may also influence exchange rates. As a result, the Fund’s investments in foreign currency denominated securities may reduce the return of the Fund. Because the Fund’s NAV is determined on the basis of U.S. dollars, the Fund’s NAV may decrease if the value of the non-U.S. currency to which the Fund has exposure depreciates in value relative to the U.S. dollar. This may occur even if the value of the underlying non-U.S. securities increases. Conversely, the Fund’s NAV may increase if the value of a non-U.S. currency appreciates relative to the U.S. dollar.
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Cyber Security Risk
The Fund is susceptible to operational risks through breaches in cyber security. A breach in cyber security refers to both intentional and unintentional events that may cause the Fund to lose proprietary information, suffer data corruption or lose operational capacity. Such events could cause the Fund to incur regulatory penalties, reputational damage, additional compliance costs associated with corrective measures and/or financial loss. These risks typically are not covered by insurance. In general, cyber incidents can result from deliberate attacks or unintentional events. Cyber incidents include, but are not limited to, gaining unauthorized access to digital systems (e.g., through “hacking” or malicious software coding) for purposes of misappropriating assets or sensitive information, corrupting data or causing operational disruption. Cyber attacks may also be carried out in a manner that does not require gaining unauthorized access, such as causing denial-of-service attacks on websites (i.e., efforts to make network services unavailable to intended users). Cyber security failures by or breaches of the systems of security issuers, the Advisor, distributor and other service providers (including, but not limited to, subadvisors, index providers, fund accountants, custodians, transfer agents and administrators), market makers, Authorized Participants or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests, have the ability to cause disruptions and impact business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses, interference with the Fund’s ability to calculate its NAV, disclosure of confidential trading information, impediments to trading, submission of erroneous trades or erroneous creation or redemption orders, the inability of the Fund or its service providers to transact business, violations of applicable privacy and other laws, regulatory fines and other penalties, reputational damage, reimbursement or other compensation costs, or additional compliance costs. Substantial costs may be incurred by the Fund in order to resolve or prevent cyber incidents in the future. While the Fund has established business continuity plans in the event of, and risk management systems to prevent, such cyber attacks, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems, including the possibility that certain risks have not been identified and that prevention and remediation efforts will not be successful. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cyber security plans and systems put in place by service providers to the Fund, issuers in which the Fund invests, Authorized Participants or market makers. There is no guarantee that such preventative efforts will succeed, and the Fund and its shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result.
Depositary Receipts Risk
The Fund may invest in listed and liquid depositary receipts. Depositary receipts may be less liquid than the underlying shares in their primary trading market. To the extent the value of a depositary receipt held by the Fund fails to track that of the underlying security, the use of the depositary receipt may result in tracking error. 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 because such restrictions may limit the ability to convert the equity shares into depositary receipts and vice versa. Such restrictions may cause the equity shares of the underlying issuer to trade at a discount or premium to the market price of the depositary receipts.
Equity Securities Risk
The value of equity securities held by the Fund may fall due to general market and economic conditions, perceptions regarding the industries in which the issuers of securities held by the Fund participate or factors relating to specific companies in which the Fund invests. For example, an adverse event, such as an unfavorable earnings report, may depress the value of equity securities of an issuer held by the Fund; the price of common stock of an issuer may be particularly sensitive to general movements in the stock market; or a drop in the stock market may depress the price of most or all of the common stocks and other equity securities held by the Fund. In addition, common stock of an issuer in the Fund’s portfolio may decline in price if the issuer fails to make anticipated dividend payments because, among other reasons, the issuer of the security experiences a decline in its financial condition. Holders of an issuer’s common stock may also 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 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, custody, 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. Non-U.S. transaction costs, such as brokerage commissions and custody costs, may be higher than in the United States. In some non-U.S. markets, custody arrangements for securities provide significantly less protection than custody arrangements in U.S. markets. Prevailing clearing custody and trade settlement practices (e.g., the requirement to pay for securities prior to receipt) could similarly expose the Fund to credit and other risks it does not have in the United States with respect to participating brokers, custodians, clearing banks or other clearing agents, escrow agents and issuers. The less developed a country’s securities market is, the greater the likelihood of clearing, custody and trade settlement problems. In addition, the Fund may not receive shareholder communications or be permitted to vote the securities it holds, as the issuers may be under no legal obligation to distribute them.
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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.
Geographic Concentration Risk
The Fund may invest a substantial amount of its assets in securities of issuers located in a single country or geographic region. As a result, any changes to the regulatory, political, social or economic conditions in such country or geographic region will generally have greater impact on the Fund than such changes would have on a more geographically diversified fund and may result in increased volatility and greater losses. This risk may be especially pronounced to the extent the Fund invests in countries and regions experiencing, or likely to experience, security concerns, war, threats of war, terrorism, economic uncertainty and natural disasters.
| • | Europe Concentration Risk |
Most developed countries in Western Europe are members of the EU, and many are also members of the EMU, which requires compliance with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits and debt levels. Unemployment in certain European nations is historically high and several countries face significant debt problems. These conditions can significantly affect every country in Europe. The euro is the official currency of the EU and, accordingly, the Fund’s investment in European securities may lead to significant exposure to the euro and events affecting it. A significant decline in the value of the euro, or the exit of a country from the EU or EMU, may produce unpredictable effects on trade and commerce generally and could lead to increased volatility in financial markets worldwide. Political or economic disruptions in European countries, even in countries in which the Fund is not invested, may adversely affect security values and thus the Fund’s holdings. The national politics of countries in the EU have been unpredictable and subject to influence by varying political groups and ideologies. The governments of EU countries may be subject to change and such countries may experience social and political unrest. Unanticipated or sudden political or social developments may result in sudden and significant investment losses. In particular, the Fund’s investments in the United Kingdom subject the Fund to additional risks. In a 2016 referendum, the United Kingdom voted to withdraw from the EU. After years of negotiations between the United Kingdom and the EU, a withdrawal agreement was reached whereby the United Kingdom formally left the EU. As one of the largest economies among EU members, the implications of the United Kingdom’s withdrawal are difficult to predict. Trade between the United Kingdom and the EU is highly integrated through supply chains and trade in services, as well as through multinational companies. The United Kingdom’s departure may negatively impact the EU and Europe as a whole by causing volatility within the EU, triggering prolonged economic downturns in certain European countries or sparking additional member states to contemplate departing the EU (thereby leading to political instability in the region).
| • | Japan Concentration Risk |
The Fund’s performance may be particularly affected by social, political and economic conditions within Japan and to be more volatile than the performance of more geographically diversified funds. Since the year 2000, Japan’s economic growth rate has remained relatively low, and it may remain low in the future. Japan’s economy is characterized by government intervention and protectionism, an unstable financial services sector, and relatively high unemployment. Economic growth is heavily dependent on international trade, government support of the financial services sector and other troubled sectors, and consistent government policy. The United States is Japan’s largest single trading partner, but close to half of Japan’s trade is conducted with developing nations, almost all of which are in Southeast Asia. Slowdowns in the United States, China and countries in Southeast Asia, or disruptions to trade caused by trade tariffs, other protectionist measures, and competition from emerging economies, could have a negative impact on Japan. Exposure to China, in terms of both imports and exports, has been increasing in recent years. Japan’s economic prospects may be also affected by the political and military situations of its near neighbors, notably North and South Korea, China and Russia. In addition, Japan’s labor market is adapting to an aging workforce, declining population, and demand for increased labor mobility. These demographic shifts and fundamental structural changes to the labor markets may negatively impact Japan’s economic competitiveness. Japan’s geography also subjects it to an increased risk of natural disasters, such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, typhoons and tsunamis, all of which could negatively impact the Fund’s investments.
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.
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Issuer Risk
The performance of the Fund depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. Any issuer of these securities may perform poorly, causing the value of its securities to decline. Poor performance may be caused by poor management decisions, competitive pressures, changes in technology, expiration of patent protection, disruptions in supply, labor problems or shortages, corporate restructurings, fraudulent disclosures, credit deterioration of the issuer or other factors. Issuers may, in times of distress or at their own discretion, decide to reduce or eliminate dividends, which may also cause their stock prices to decline. An issuer may also be subject to risks associated with the countries, states and regions in which the issuer resides, invests, sells products or otherwise conducts operations.
Large Investments Risk
From time to time, the Fund may receive large purchase or redemption orders from affiliated or unaffiliated funds or other investors. In addition, any third-party investor, investment advisor affiliate, authorized participant, lead market maker or other entity may make a large investment in the Fund and hold its investment for any number of reasons, including to facilitate the Fund’s commencement of operations or to facilitate the Fund’s achieving a specified size or scale. There can be no assurance that any large shareholder would not sell or redeem its investment at any given time, either in a single transaction or over time. These large transactions, and particularly redemptions, could have adverse effects on the Fund, including: (i) negative impacts to performance if the Fund were required to sell securities, invest cash or hold significant cash at times when it otherwise would not do so; (ii) wider price spreads or greater premiums/discounts that could materialize as a result of lower secondary market volume of shares; and (iii) negative federal income tax consequences if this activity accelerated the realization of capital gains.
Liquidity Risk
Liquidity risk exists when particular investments are difficult to purchase or sell. To the extent the Fund invests in illiquid securities or securities that become less liquid, such investments may have a negative effect on the returns of the Fund because the Fund may be unable to sell the illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price. Securities with substantial market and/or credit risk may be especially susceptible to liquidity risk. Liquidity risk may be the result of, among other things, an investment being subject to restrictions on resale, trading over-the-counter or in limited volume, or lacking an active trading market. Liquid investments may become illiquid or less liquid after purchase by the Fund, particularly during periods of market turmoil or economic uncertainty. Illiquid and relatively less liquid investments may be harder to value, especially in changing markets. If the Fund is forced to sell underlying investments at reduced prices or under unfavorable conditions to meet redemption requests or for other cash needs, the Fund may suffer a loss. This may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or under other circumstances where redemptions from the Fund may be higher than normal. It may also be the case that other market participants may be attempting to liquidate similar holdings at the same time as the Fund, causing increased supply in the market and contributing to liquidity risk and downward pricing pressure. There can be no assurance that a security that is deemed to be liquid when purchased will continue to be liquid or as long as it is held by the Fund.
Market Capitalization Deviation Risk
There can be no assurance that the securities held by the Fund will stay within the Fund’s intended market capitalization range. As a result, the Fund may be exposed to additional risk or investors may not be given the opportunity to invest fully in a certain market capitalization range.
Market Disruption Risk and Recent Market Events
Geopolitical and other events, including war, terrorism, economic uncertainty, trade disputes, public health crises (such as the spread of infectious diseases, pandemics and epidemics) 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. For example, pandemic spread of the novel coronavirus disease known as COVID-19 and the ensuing policies enacted by governments and central banks caused significant volatility and great uncertainty in global financial markets, negatively impacting global growth prospects. Market disruptions such as these 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.
Market Risk
The value of the Fund’s investments may fluctuate and/or decline because of changes in the markets in which the Fund invests, which could cause the Fund to underperform other funds with similar investment objectives and strategies. Security markets are volatile and may decline significantly in response to adverse issuer, regulatory, political, or economic developments. Different sectors of the market and different security types may react differently to such developments. Changes in these markets may be rapid and unpredictable. Fluctuations in the markets generally or in a specific industry or sector may impact the securities in which the Fund invests. From time to time, markets may experience periods of stress for potentially prolonged periods that may result in: (i) increased market volatility; (ii) reduced market liquidity; and (iii) increased redemptions of the Fund’s shares. Such conditions may add significantly to the risk of volatility in the net asset value of the Fund’s shares and the market prices at which shares of the Fund trade on a securities exchange. During periods of market stress shares of the Fund may also experience significantly wider “bid/ask” spreads and premiums and discounts between the Fund’s net asset value and market price.
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Market changes may impact equity and fixed income securities in different and, at times, conflicting manners. The Fund potentially will be prevented from executing investment decisions at an advantageous time or price as a result of any domestic or global market disruptions, particularly disruptions causing heightened market volatility and reduced market liquidity, as well as increased or changing regulations or market closures. Thus, investments that the Subadvisor believes represent an attractive opportunity or in which the Fund seeks to obtain exposure may be unavailable entirely or in the specific quantities sought by the Subadvisor and the Fund may need to obtain the exposure through less advantageous or indirect investments or forgo the investment at the time. Securities and investments held by the Fund may be susceptible to declines in value, including declines in value that are not believed to be representative of the issuer’s value or fundamentals, due to investor reactions to such events.
Political and diplomatic events within the United States and abroad, such as the U.S. budget and deficit reduction plans, protectionist measures, trade tensions central bank policy and government intervention in the economy, has in the past resulted, and may in the future result, in developments that present additional risks to the Fund’s investments and operations. Geopolitical and other events, such as war, acts of terrorism, natural disasters, the spread of infectious illnesses, epidemics and pandemics, environmental and other public health issues, recessions or other events, and governments’ reactions to such events, may lead to increased market volatility and instability in world economies and markets generally and may have adverse effects on the performance of the Fund and its investments. Additional and/or prolonged geopolitical or other events may affect investor and consumer confidence and may adversely impact financial markets and the broader economy, perhaps suddenly and to a significant degree. Any such market, economic and other disruptions could also prevent the Fund from executing its investment strategies and processes in a timely manner.
An investment in the Fund is not a deposit in a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. When you sell your Shares, they could be worth less than what you paid for them.
New Fund Risk
As a new fund, there can be no assurance that the Fund will grow to or maintain an economically viable size. Like other new funds, large inflows and outflows may impact the Fund’s market exposure for limited periods of time. This impact may be positive or negative, depending on the direction of market movement during the period affected.
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. There can be no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective(s). In addition, the Fund may not achieve its investment objective if the portfolio managers take temporary positions in response to unusual or adverse market, economic or political conditions, or other unusual or abnormal circumstances.
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. Preferred securities often include provisions that permit the issuer, at its discretion, to defer distributions for a stated period without any adverse consequences to the issuer. If the Fund owns a preferred security that is deferring its distributions, the Fund may be required to report income for federal income tax purposes although it has not yet received such income in cash. 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 elect a number of directors to the issuer’s board of director. Generally, once the issuer pays all the arrearages, the preferred security holders no longer have voting rights. In certain circumstances, an issuer of preferred securities may redeem the securities prior to a specified date. For instance, for certain types of preferred securities, a redemption may be triggered by a change in federal income tax or securities laws or a change in regulatory trademark. As with redemption provisions of debt securities, a special redemption by the issuer may negatively impact the return of the preferred security held by the Fund. Preferred securities may also be substantially less liquid than other securities, including common stock.
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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; concentration in a limited number of properties, geographic regions or property types; and low quality and/or conflicted management. In addition, 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. Companies in the real estate sector or in sectors that affect the performance of companies in the real estate sector (such as banking or financial institutions) may be subject to extensive government regulation, which may change unexpectedly and significantly impact the value of the Fund’s investments. Changing interest rates and credit quality requirements for borrowers and tenants may also affect the cash flow of companies that invest in real estate, and their ability to meet capital needs. Additionally, such companies may utilize leverage, which increases investment risk and the potential for more volatility in the Fund’s returns. A REIT’s failure to abide by U.S. federal tax requirements may cause it to be subject to federal income taxation, which would tend to impair the value of the REIT and change the characterization of the REIT’s distributions. The U.S. federal tax requirement that a REIT distribute substantially all of its net income to its shareholders may result in the REIT having insufficient capital for future expenditures.
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.
Securities Lending Risk
Securities lending involves the risk that the Fund may lose money in the event that the borrower fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund also could lose money in the event of a decline in the value of the collateral provided for loaned securities or in the event that the borrower fails to provide additional collateral as needed to ensure the loan is fully collateralized. The Fund may also not experience the returns expected with the investment of cash collateral. Furthermore, as with other extensions of credit, the Fund could lose its rights in the collateral should the borrower fail financially. The loaned portfolio securities may not be available to the Fund on a timely basis and the Fund may therefore lose the opportunity to sell the securities at a desirable price. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund.
Smaller Companies Risk
Small- and/or 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 as a result of several factors, including narrower markets for their goods and/or services, more limited managerial and financial resources, limited product lines, services, markets, financial resources or are dependent on a small management group. Because these stocks may not be well known to the investing public, do not have significant institutional ownership and are followed by relatively few security analysts, there will normally be less publicly available information concerning these securities compared to what is available for the securities of larger companies. Adverse publicity and investor perceptions, whether or not based on fundamental analysis, can decrease the value and liquidity of securities held by the Fund, resulting in more volatile performance. Accordingly, such companies are generally subject to greater market risk 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, the bid/ask spread can increase significantly. At those times, the 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.
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U.S. Tax Risk
To qualify for the favorable U.S. federal income tax treatment for regulated investment companies, the Fund must satisfy certain income, asset diversification and distribution requirements. If for any taxable year, the Fund does not qualify as a regulated investment company, all of its taxable income (including its net capital gain) for that year would be subject to tax at regular corporate rates without any deduction for distributions to its shareholders, and such distributions would be taxable to the Fund’s shareholders as dividend income to the extent of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits. The tax treatment of the Fund’s transactions involving derivatives, if any, may be unclear for purposes of determining the Fund’s tax status. To the extent that the Fund engages in transactions in financial instruments, including, but not limited to, options, futures contracts, hedging transactions, forward contracts and swap contracts, the Fund will be subject to special tax rules (which may include mark-to-market, constructive sale, wash sale and short sale rules), the effect of which may be to accelerate income to the Fund, defer losses to the Fund, cause adjustments in the holding periods of the Fund’s securities, convert long-term capital gains into short-term capital gains or convert short-term capital losses into long-term capital losses. These rules could, therefore, affect the amount, timing and character of distributions to the Fund’s shareholders. The Fund’s use of such transactions may result in the Fund realizing more short-term capital gains and ordinary income, in each case subject to U.S. federal income tax at higher ordinary income tax rates, than it would if it did not engage in such transactions.
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, when market quotations are not readily available, are deemed unreliable or not representative of an investment’s fair value, investments are valued using fair value pricing as determined in good faith by the Advisor pursuant to policies relating to the valuation of such assets. In many instances, when fair valuing an investment, the Advisor will utilize valuations provided by a third-party pricing service provider. These pricing service providers typically utilize a range of market-based inputs and assumptions when valuing an investment. These valuations involve subjectivity and different market participants may assign different prices to the same investment. This risk is especially acute for investments that trade in low volume or volatile markets, are impacted by market disruption events or are subject to a trading halt. Valuing the Fund’s investments using fair value pricing 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. In addition, the value of the securities or other assets in the Fund’s portfolio may change on days or during time periods when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund’s Shares. Authorized Participants who purchase or redeem Shares on days when the Fund is holding fair-valued securities may receive fewer or more shares, or lower or higher redemption proceeds, than they would have received had the Fund not fair-valued securities or used a different valuation methodology. The Fund’s ability to value investments may be impacted by technological issues or errors by pricing services or other third-party service providers.
Buying and Selling Shares in the Secondary Market
Most investors will buy and sell Shares of the Fund in secondary market (“Secondary Market”) transactions through brokers. Shares of the Fund will be listed for trading on the Secondary Market on the [ ] (“[ ]”). Shares can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like other publicly-traded shares. Unless imposed by your broker or dealer, there is no minimum dollar amount you must invest and no minimum number of Shares you must buy in the Secondary Market. When buying or selling Shares through a broker, you will incur customary brokerage commissions and charges, and you may pay some or all of the spread between the bid and the offered price in the Secondary Market on each leg of a round trip (purchase and sale) transaction. In addition, because transactions in the Secondary Market occur at market prices, you may pay more than NAV when you buy Shares and receive less than NAV when you sell those Shares.
Share prices are reported in dollars and cents per Share. For information about buying and selling Shares in the Secondary Market, please contact your broker or dealer.
Book Entry
Shares of the Fund are held in book-entry form and no stock certificates are issued. DTC, through its nominee Cede & Co., is the record owner of all outstanding Shares.
Investors owning Shares are beneficial owners as shown on the records of DTC or its participants. DTC serves as the securities depository for all Shares. Participants in DTC include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and other institutions that directly or indirectly maintain a custodial relationship with DTC. As a beneficial owner of Shares, you are not entitled to receive physical delivery of stock certificates or to have Shares registered in your name, and you are not considered a registered owner of Shares. Therefore, to exercise any right as an owner of Shares, you must rely upon the procedures of DTC and its participants.
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These procedures are the same as those that apply to any securities that you hold in book entry or “street name” form for any publicly-traded company. Specifically, in the case of a shareholder meeting of the Fund, DTC assigns applicable Cede & Co. voting rights to its participants that have Shares credited to their accounts on the record date, issues an omnibus proxy and forwards the omnibus proxy to the Fund. The omnibus proxy transfers the voting authority from Cede & Co. to the DTC participant. This gives the DTC participant through whom you own Shares (namely, your broker, dealer, bank, trust company or other nominee) authority to vote the shares, and, in turn, the DTC participant is obligated to follow the voting instructions you provide.
The Board is responsible for the general supervision of the Fund. The Board appoints officers who are responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Fund.
Investment Advisor
New York Life Investment Management LLC is the Fund’s Advisor (“Advisor”) and is located at 51 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10010. The Advisor, a Delaware limited liability company, commenced operations in April 2000, and is an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of New York Life Insurance Company. As of [ ], 2025, the Advisor and its affiliates managed approximately $[ ] billion in assets.
The Advisor has overall responsibility for the general management and administration of the Trust. The Advisor provides an investment program for the Fund. The Advisor has delegated certain advisory duties with regard to the Fund (including management of all of the Fund’s assets) to the Fund’s subadvisor. The Advisor has also arranged for custody, fund administration, transfer agency and all other non-distribution related services necessary for the Fund to operate.
As compensation for its services and its assumption of certain expenses, the Fund, pays the Advisor a management fee equal to a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets that is calculated daily and paid monthly, as follows:
|
Fund Name |
Management Fee |
| NYLI International Small-Mid Cap Equity ETF | [ ]% |
The Advisor may voluntarily waive any portion of its advisory fee from time to time, and may discontinue or modify any such voluntary limitations in the future at its discretion.
The Advisor serves as investment advisor to the Fund pursuant to an Investment Advisory Agreement (the “Advisory Agreement”) and the Subadvisor serves as investment subadvisor to the Fund pursuant to an Investment Subadvisory Agreement (the “Subadvisory Agreement”). The Advisory Agreement and the Subadvisory Agreement, for the Subadvisor, were approved by the Independent Trustees of the Trust. A discussion regarding the basis for the Board’s approval of the Advisory Agreement and the Subadvisory Agreement will be available in the Fund’s Form N-CSR for the fiscal period ended [_____], 2026.
Section 15(a) of the 1940 Act requires that all contracts pursuant to which persons serve as investment advisors to investment companies be approved by shareholders. As interpreted, this requirement also applies to the appointment of a subadvisor to the Fund. The Advisor and the Trust have obtained an exemptive order (the “Order”) from the SEC permitting the Advisor, on behalf of the Fund and subject to the approval of the Board, including a majority of the Independent Trustees, to hire or terminate affiliated or unaffiliated subadvisors and to modify any existing or future subadvisory agreement with a subadvisor without shareholder approval. This authority is subject to certain conditions. The Fund will notify shareholders and provide them with certain information required by the Order within 90 days of hiring a new subadvisor. The Order also grants the Advisor and Trust relief with respect to the disclosure of the advisory fees paid to individual subadvisors in various documents filed with the SEC and provided to shareholders. Pursuant to the Order, the Fund may disclose the aggregate fees payable to the Advisor and wholly owned subadvisors and the aggregate fees payable to unaffiliated subadvisors and subadvisors affiliated with the Advisor, other than wholly-owned subadvisors. The Fund’s sole shareholder has approved the use of the Order.
Expense Limitation Agreement
The Advisor has contractually agreed to waive or reduce its management fee and/or reimburse expenses of the Fund in an amount that limits “Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses” (excluding interest, taxes, brokerage commissions, dividend payments on short sales, acquired fund fees and expenses, other expenditures which are capitalized in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, other extraordinary expenses not incurred in the ordinary course of the Fund’s business, and amounts, if any, payable pursuant to a plan adopted in accordance with Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act) to not more than the average daily net assets of the Fund as set forth in the table below. The agreement will remain in effect permanently unless terminated by the Board.
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|
Fund Name |
Total Annual
Fund Operating Expenses |
| NYLI International Small-Mid Cap Equity ETF | [ ]% |
Subadvisor
Under the supervision of the Advisor, the Subadvisor is responsible for making the specific decisions about the following: (i) buying, selling and holding securities; (ii) selecting brokers and brokerage firms to trade for them; (iii) maintaining accurate records; and, if possible, (iv) negotiating favorable commissions and fees with the brokers and brokerage firms. For these services, the Subadvisor is paid a monthly fee by the Advisor out of the Advisor’s management fee, not the Fund. See the SAI for additional information about fees. To the extent that the Advisor has agreed to waive its management fee or reimburse expenses, the Subadvisor has agreed to waive or reimburse its fee proportionately. The basis for the Board’s approval of the Subadvisory Agreement is available in the Trust’s Annual Report to shareholders.
Pursuant to the Subadvisory Agreement with the Advisor, Ausbil Investment Management Limited (“Ausbil”) serves as the subadvisor to the Fund. Ausbil is located at 225 George Street, Sydney, New South Wales 2000, Australia and was incorporated in 1997. It has been registered as an investment advisor with the SEC since 2020. Ausbil is an indirect majority-owned subsidiary of New York Life. As of [ ], 2025, Ausbil had approximately $[ ] billion in assets under management.
Portfolio Management
The following section provides biographical information about the Fund’s portfolio managers. Additional information about the portfolio managers’ compensation, other accounts managed, and ownership of the Fund is available in the SAI.
Ausbil’s Portfolio Managers:
Simon Wood
Mr Wood has served as portfolio manager of the NYLI International Smal-Mid Cap Equity ETF since its inception and joined Ausbil in 2017. Mr Wood has been in the financial industry since [ ] and in his tenure with Ausbil, he has gained extensive research, analysis, and portfolio management experience evaluating listed securities spanning developed markets across the globe. Simon is focused on global small-mid-cap companies and his responsibilities at Ausbil include strategy and portfolio construction, research, analysis, and portfolio management. Simon has a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Accounting and Finance from [ ], is a Global Chartered Management Accountant and is a CFA® charterholder.
Tobias Bucks
Mr Bucks has served as portfolio manager of the NYLI International Small-Mid Cap Equity ETF since its inception and joined Ausbil in 2017. Mr Bucks has been in the financial industry since [ ] and in his tenure with Ausbil, he has gained extensive research, analysis, and portfolio management experience evaluating listed securities spanning developed markets across the globe. Mr Bucks is focused on global small-mid-cap companies and his responsibilities at Ausbil include strategy and portfolio construction, research, analysis, and portfolio management. Mr Bucks Tobias has an MA (Hons) in Social Anthropology from the University of Edinburgh.
Fund Administrator, Custodian, Transfer Agent and Securities Lending Agent
The Bank of New York Mellon (“BNY Mellon”), located at 240 Greenwich Street, New York, New York 10286, serves as the Fund’s Administrator, Custodian, Transfer Agent and Securities Lending Agent. BNY Mellon is the principal operating subsidiary of The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation.
Under the Fund Administration and Accounting Agreement (the “Administration Agreement”), BNY Mellon serves as Administrator for the Fund. Under the Administration Agreement, BNY Mellon provides necessary administrative, legal, tax, accounting services, and financial reporting for the maintenance and operations of the Trust. In addition, BNY Mellon makes available the office space, equipment, personnel and facilities required to provide such services.
BNY Mellon supervises the overall administration of the Trust, including, among other responsibilities, assisting in the preparation and filing of documents required for compliance by the Fund with applicable laws and regulations and arranging for the maintenance of books and records of the Fund. BNY Mellon provides persons satisfactory to the Board to serve as officers of the Trust.
Distributor
ALPS Distributors, Inc. (“ALPS” or the “Distributor”), located at 1290 Broadway, Suite 1000, Denver, Colorado 80203, serves as the Distributor of Creation Units for the Fund on an agency basis. The Distributor does not maintain a Secondary Market in the Fund’s Shares. NYLIFE Distributors LLC has entered into a Services Agreement with ALPS to market the Fund.
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, located at 300 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10017, serves as the independent registered public accounting firm for the Trust.
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Legal Counsel
Chapman and Cutler LLP, located at 1717 Rhode Island Avenue, Washington, D.C. 20036, serves as counsel to the Trust and the Fund.
The Board has not adopted policies and procedures with respect to frequent purchases and redemptions of Shares by Fund shareholders (“market timing”). In determining not to adopt market timing policies and procedures, the Board evaluated the risks posed by market timing activities, including dilution, disruption of portfolio management, increases in the Fund’s trading costs and the realization of capital gains. The Board ultimately determined that due to an ETF’s creation/redemption mechanism, whereby Fund Shares can only be purchased and redeemed directly from the Fund in Creation Units by Authorized Participants, and that the vast majority of trading in Fund Shares occurs on the Secondary Market and does not involve the Fund directly, it is unlikely those trades would cause many of the harmful effects of market timing. Accordingly, the Board determined that it is not necessary to adopt market timing policies and procedures.
The Board has adopted a Distribution and Service Plan pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act. In accordance with its Rule 12b-1 plan, the Fund is authorized to pay an amount up to 0.25% of its average daily net assets each year to finance activities primarily intended to result in the sale of Creation Units of the Fund or the provision of investor services. No Rule 12b-1 fees are currently paid by the Fund and there are no plans to impose these fees. However, in the event Rule 12b-1 fees are charged in the future, they will be paid out of the Fund’s assets, and over time these fees will increase the cost of your investment and they may cost you more than certain other types of sales charges.
The Advisor and its affiliates may, out of their own resources, pay amounts (“Payments”) to third-parties for distribution or marketing services on behalf of the Fund. The making of these payments could create a conflict of interest for a financial intermediary receiving such payments. The Advisor may make Payments for such third-parties to organize or participate in activities that are designed to make registered representatives, other professionals and individual investors more knowledgeable about ETFs, including ETFs advised by the Advisor, or for other activities, such as participation in marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and reporting systems (“Education Costs”). The Advisor also may make Payments to third-parties to help defray costs typically covered by a trading commission, such as certain printing, publishing and mailing costs or materials relating to the marketing of services related to exchange-traded products (such as commission-free trading platforms) or exchange-traded products in general (“Administrative Costs”).
Determination of Net Asset Value (NAV)
The NAV of the Shares for the Fund is equal to the Fund’s total assets minus its total liabilities divided by the total number of Shares outstanding. Interest and investment income on the Fund’s assets accrue daily and are included in the Fund’s total assets. Expenses and fees (including investment advisory, management, administration and distribution fees, if any) accrue daily and are included in the Fund’s total liabilities. The NAV that is published is rounded to the nearest cent; however, for purposes of determining the price of Creation Units, the NAV is calculated to five decimal places. The NAV is calculated by the Administrator and Custodian and determined each day the [ ] is open for trading (“Business Day”) as of the close of regular trading on the [ ] (ordinarily 4:00 p.m. Eastern time).
The Fund typically values fixed-income portfolio securities using last available bid prices or current market quotations provided by dealers or prices (including evaluated prices) supplied by the Fund’s approved independent third-party pricing services. Pricing services may use matrix pricing or valuation models that utilize certain inputs and assumptions to derive values. Pricing services generally value fixed-income securities assuming orderly transactions of an institutional round lot size, but the Fund may hold or transact in such securities in smaller odd lot sizes. Odd lots often trade at different prices that may be above or below the price at which the pricing service has valued the security. An amortized cost method of valuation may be used with respect to debt obligations with sixty days or less remaining to maturity unless the Advisor determines in good faith that such method does not represent fair value.
Generally, trading in U.S. government securities, money market instruments and certain fixed-income securities is substantially completed each day at various times prior to the close of business on the NYSE. The values of such securities used in computing the NAV of the Fund are determined as of such times.
Equity securities are generally valued at the closing price of the security on the security’s primary exchange. The primary exchanges for the Fund’s foreign equity securities may close for trading at various times prior to close of regular trading on the Exchange, and the value of such securities used in computing the Fund’s NAV are generally determined as of such times. The Fund’s foreign securities may trade on weekends or other days when Shares do not trade. Consequently, the value of portfolio securities of the Fund may change on days when Shares of the Fund cannot be purchased or sold.
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When market quotations or prices are not readily available or are deemed unreliable or not representative of an investment’s fair value, investments are valued using fair value pricing as determined in good faith by the Advisor. The Trust’s Valuation Procedures state that, subject to the oversight of the Board and unless otherwise noted, the responsibility for the day-to-day valuation of portfolio assets (including fair value measurements for the Fund’s assets and liabilities) rests with the Advisor. The Advisor may conclude that a market quotation is not readily available or is unreliable if a security or other asset or liability does not have a price source due to its lack of liquidity or other reason, if a market quotation differs significantly from recent price quotations or otherwise no longer appears to reflect fair value, where the security or other asset or liability is thinly traded, or if the trading market on which a security is listed is suspended or closed and no appropriate alternative trading market is available.
The frequency with which the Fund’s investments are valued using fair value pricing is primarily a function of the types of securities and other assets in which the Fund invests pursuant to its investment objective, strategies and limitations. If the Fund invests in other open-end management investment companies registered under the 1940 Act, such investments are generally valued using the investment company’s NAV per share or public offering price. Those companies may also use fair value pricing under some circumstances.
Valuing the Fund’s investments using fair value pricing results in using prices for those investments that may differ from current market valuations. Accordingly, fair value pricing could result in a difference between the prices used to calculate NAV and the prices used to determine the Fund’s indicative intra-day value (“IIV”), which could result in the market prices for Shares deviating from NAV.
Information regarding the extent and frequency with which market prices of Shares have tracked the Fund’s NAV for the most recently completed calendar year and the quarters since that year is available without charge on the Fund’s website at newyorklifeinvestments.com/etf.
Dividends, Distributions and Taxes
Net Investment Income and Capital Gains
As the Fund shareholder, you are entitled to your share of the Fund’s distributions of net investment income and net realized capital gains on its investments. The Fund pays out substantially all of its net earnings to its shareholders as “distributions.”
The Fund typically earns dividends from stocks and interest from debt securities, which typically are passed along, net of expenses, to the Fund’s shareholders as dividends from net investment income. The Fund realizes capital gains or losses whenever it sells securities. Net capital gains typically are passed along to shareholders as “capital gain distributions.”
Net investment income and net capital gains typically are distributed to shareholders at least annually. Dividends may be declared and paid more frequently to comply with the distribution requirements of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). In addition, the Fund may make distributions that represent a return of capital for tax purposes and thus will generally not be taxable to you. A return of capital, although not initially taxable to you, will result in a reduction in the basis in your Shares and subsequently could result in you having to pay higher taxes in the future when you sell or redeem Shares, even if you sell or redeem the Shares at a loss from your original investment.
Distributions in cash may be reinvested automatically in additional Shares of the Fund only if the broker through which you purchased Shares makes such option available. Distributions which are reinvested nevertheless will be subject to U.S. federal income tax to the same extent as if such distributions had not been reinvested.
U.S. Federal Income Taxation
The following is a summary of certain U.S. federal income tax considerations applicable to an investment in Shares of the Fund. The summary is based on the Code, U.S. Treasury Department regulations promulgated thereunder, and judicial and administrative interpretations thereof, all as in effect on the date of this Prospectus and all of which are subject to change, possibly with retroactive effect. In addition, this summary assumes that each shareholder of the Fund holds Shares as capital assets within the meaning of the Code and does not hold Shares in connection with a trade or business. This summary does not address all potential U.S. federal income tax considerations possibly applicable to an investment in Shares of the Fund, and does not address the consequences to the Fund’s shareholders subject to special tax rules, including, but not limited to, partnerships and the partners therein, tax-exempt shareholders, regulated investment companies (“RICs”), real estate investment trusts (“REITs”), real estate mortgage investment conduits (“REMICs”), those who hold Shares through an IRA, 401(k) plan or other tax-advantaged account, and, except to the extent discussed below, “non-U.S. shareholders” (as defined below). This discussion does not discuss any aspect of U.S. state, local, estate, and gift, or non-U.S., tax law. Furthermore, this discussion is not intended or written to be legal or tax advice to any particular shareholder in the Fund or other person and is not intended or written to be used or relied on, and cannot be used or relied on, by any such person for the purpose of avoiding any U.S. federal tax penalties that may be imposed on such person. Prospective Fund shareholders are urged to consult their own tax advisors with respect to the specific U.S. federal, state and local, and non-U.S., tax consequences of investing in Shares, based on their particular circumstances.
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The Fund has not requested and will not request an advance ruling from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) as to the U.S. federal income tax matters described below. The IRS could adopt positions contrary to those discussed below and such positions could be sustained. Prospective investors should consult their own tax advisors with regard to the U.S. federal tax consequences of the purchase, ownership and disposition of Shares, as well as the tax consequences arising under the laws of any state, locality, non-U.S. country or other taxing jurisdiction. The following information supplements, and should be read in conjunction with, the section in the SAI entitled “U.S. Federal Income Taxation.”
Tax Treatment of the Fund
The Fund intends to continue to qualify and elect to be treated as a RIC under the Code. To qualify and remain eligible for the special tax treatment accorded to RICs, the Fund must meet certain annual income and quarterly asset diversification requirements and must distribute annually at least 90% of the sum of (i) its “investment company taxable income” (which includes dividends, interest and net short-term capital gains) and (ii) its net tax-exempt interest income, if any.
As a RIC, the Fund generally will not be required to pay corporate-level U.S. federal income taxes on any ordinary income or capital gains that it distributes to its shareholders. If the Fund fails to qualify as a RIC for any year (subject to certain curative measures allowed by the Code), the Fund will be subject to regular corporate-level U.S. federal income tax in that year on all of its taxable income, regardless of whether the Fund makes any distributions to its shareholders. In addition, in such case, distributions will be taxable to the Fund’s shareholders generally as ordinary dividends to the extent of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits. The remainder of this discussion assumes that the Fund will qualify for the special tax treatment accorded to RICs.
The Fund generally will be subject to a 4% excise tax on certain undistributed income if the Fund does not distribute to its shareholders in each calendar year an amount at least equal to the sum of 98% of its ordinary income for the calendar year (taking into account certain deferrals and elections), 98.2% of its capital gain net income (adjusted for certain ordinary losses) for the twelve months ended October 31 of such year (or later if the Fund is permitted to elect and so elects), plus 100% of any undistributed amounts from prior years. For these purposes, the Fund will be treated as having distributed any amount on which it has been subject to U.S. corporate income tax for the taxable year ending within the calendar year. The Fund intends to make distributions necessary to avoid this 4% excise tax, although there can be no assurance that it will be able to do so.
The Fund may be required to recognize taxable income in advance of receiving the related cash payment. For example, if the Fund invests in original issue discount obligations (such as zero coupon debt instruments or debt instruments with payment-in-kind interest), the Fund will be required to include in income each year a portion of the original issue discount that accrues over the term of the obligation, even if the related cash payment is not received by the Fund until a later year. Under the “wash sale” rules, the Fund may not be able to deduct currently a loss on a disposition of a portfolio security. As a result, the Fund may be required to make an annual income distribution for a year greater than the total cash actually received during that year. Such distribution may be made from the existing cash assets of the Fund or cash generated from selling portfolio securities. The Fund may realize gains or losses from such sales, in which event its shareholders may receive a larger capital gain distribution than they would in the absence of such transactions.
Tax Treatment of Fund Shareholders
Taxation of U.S. Shareholders
The following is a summary of certain U.S. federal income tax consequences of the purchase, ownership and disposition of Shares applicable to “U.S. shareholders.” For purposes of this discussion, a “U.S. shareholder” is a beneficial owner of Shares who, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, is (i) an individual who is a citizen or resident of the U.S.; (ii) a corporation (or an entity treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes) created or organized in the U.S. or under the laws of the U.S., or of any state thereof, or the District of Columbia; (iii) an estate, the income of which is includable in gross income for U.S. federal income tax purposes regardless of its source; or (iv) a trust, if (1) a U.S. court is able to exercise primary supervision over the administration of such trust and one or more U.S. persons have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust, or (2) the trust has a valid election in place to be treated as a U.S. person.
Fund Distributions. In general, taxable Fund distributions are subject to U.S. federal income tax when paid, regardless of whether they consist of cash or property, and regardless of whether they are re-invested in Shares. However, any Fund distribution declared in October, November or December of any calendar year and payable to shareholders of record on a specified date during such month will be deemed to have been received by each Fund shareholder on December 31 of such calendar year, provided such dividend is actually paid during January of the following calendar year.
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Distributions of the Fund’s taxable net investment income (except, as discussed below, qualified dividend income, if any) and net short-term capital gains in excess of net long-term capital losses (collectively referred to as “ordinary income dividends”) are taxable as ordinary income to the extent of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits. Some portion of the ordinary income distributions that are attributable to dividends received by the Fund from shares in certain real estate investment trusts may be designated by the Fund as eligible for a deduction for qualified business income, provided certain holding period requirements are satisfied. To the extent designated as capital gain dividends by the Fund, distributions of the Fund’s net long-term capital gains in excess of net short-term capital losses (“net capital gain”) are taxable at long-term capital gain tax rates to the extent of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits, regardless of the Fund shareholder’s holding period in the Fund’s Shares. Distributions of qualified dividend income are, to the extent of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits, taxed to certain non-corporate Fund shareholders at the rates generally applicable to long-term capital gain, provided that the Fund shareholders meet certain holding period and other requirements with respect to the distributing Fund’s Shares and the distributing Fund meets certain holding period and other requirements with respect to its dividend-paying stocks. For this purpose, “qualified dividend income” generally means income from dividends received by the Fund from U.S. corporations and qualified non-U.S. corporations. Distributions with respect to shares in real estate investment trusts are qualifying dividends only in limited circumstances. Substitute payments received on Shares that are lent out will be ineligible for being reported as qualified dividend income. If the Fund pays a dividend that would be “qualified dividend income” for individuals, corporate shareholders may be entitled to a dividends received deduction.
An election may be available to you to defer recognition of the gain attributable to a capital gain dividend if you make certain qualifying investments within a limited time. You should talk to your tax advisor about the availability of this deferral election and its requirements.
The Fund intends to distribute its net capital gain at least annually. However, by providing written notice to its shareholders no later than 60 days after its year-end, the Fund may elect to retain some or all of its net capital gain and designate the retained amount as a “deemed distribution.” In that event, the Fund pays U.S. federal income tax on the retained net capital gain, and the Fund’s shareholder recognizes a proportionate share of the Fund’s undistributed net capital gain. In addition, the Fund shareholder can claim a tax credit or refund for the shareholder’s proportionate share of the Fund’s U.S. federal income taxes paid on the undistributed net capital gain and increase the shareholder’s tax basis in the Shares by an amount equal to the shareholder’s proportionate share of the Fund’s undistributed net capital gain, reduced by the amount of the shareholder’s tax credit or refund.
Distributions in excess of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits will, as to each shareholder, be treated as a tax-free return of capital to the extent of the shareholder’s tax basis in its Shares of the Fund, and generally as capital gain thereafter. Any such distribution will reduce the shareholder’s tax basis in the Shares, and thus will increase the shareholder’s capital gain, or decrease the capital loss, recognized upon a sale or exchange of Shares.
In addition, individuals with adjusted gross incomes above certain threshold amounts (and certain trusts and estates) generally are subject to a 3.8% Medicare tax on “net investment income” in addition to otherwise applicable U.S. federal income tax. “Net investment income” generally will include taxable dividends (including capital gain dividends) received from the Fund and net gains from the redemption or other disposition of Shares. Please consult your tax advisor regarding this tax.
Investors considering buying Shares just prior to a distribution should be aware that, although the price of the Shares purchased at such time may reflect the forthcoming distribution, such distribution nevertheless may be taxable (as opposed to a non-taxable return of capital).
Sales or Exchange of Shares. Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale or exchange of Shares (including an exchange of Shares of the Fund for Shares of another Fund) generally is treated as a long-term gain or loss if the Shares have been held for more than one year. Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale or exchange of Shares held for one year or less generally is treated as a short-term gain or loss, except that any capital loss on the sale or exchange of Shares held for six months or less, to the extent not disallowed as discussed in the next sentence, is treated as long-term capital loss to the extent that capital gain dividends were paid (or deemed to be paid) with respect to the Shares. Furthermore, a loss realized by a shareholder on the sale or exchange of Shares of the Fund with respect to which exempt-interest dividends have been paid may, to the extent of such exempt-interest dividends, be disallowed if such Shares have been held by the shareholder for six months or less at the time of their disposition. An election may be available to you to defer recognition of capital gain if you make certain qualifying investments within a limited time. You should talk to your tax advisor about the availability of this deferral election and its requirements.
Creation Unit Issues and Redemptions. On an issue of Shares of the Fund as part of a Creation Unit where the creation is conducted in-kind, an Authorized Participant generally recognizes capital gain or loss equal to the difference between (i) the fair market value (at issue) of the issued Shares (plus any cash received by the Authorized Participant as part of the issue) and (ii) the Authorized Participant’s aggregate basis in the exchanged securities (plus any cash paid by the Authorized Participant as part of the issue). On a redemption of Shares as part of a Creation Unit where the redemption is conducted in-kind, an Authorized Participant generally recognizes capital gain or loss equal to the difference between (i) the fair market value (at redemption) of the securities received (plus any cash received by the Authorized Participant as part of the redemption) and (ii) the Authorized Participant’s basis in the redeemed Shares (plus any cash paid by the Authorized Participant as part of the redemption). However, the IRS may assert, under the “wash sale” rules or on the basis that there has been no significant change in the Authorized Participant’s economic position, that any loss on creation or redemption of Creation Units cannot be deducted currently.
In general, any capital gain or loss recognized upon the issue or redemption of Shares (as components of a Creation Unit) is treated either as long-term capital gain or loss, if the deposited securities (in the case of an issue) or the Shares (in the case of a redemption) have been held for more than one year, or otherwise as short-term capital gain or loss. However, any capital loss on a redemption of Shares held for six months or less, to the extent not disallowed as discussed in the next sentence, is treated as long-term capital loss to the extent that capital gain dividends were paid (or deemed to be paid) with respect to such Shares. Furthermore, a loss realized on the redemption of Shares of the Fund with respect to which exempt-interest dividends have been paid may, to the extent of such exempt-interest dividends, be disallowed if such Shares have been held for six months or less at the time of their disposition.
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Taxation of Non-U.S. Shareholders
The following is a summary of certain U.S. federal income tax consequences of the purchase, ownership and disposition of Shares applicable to “non-U.S. shareholders.” For purposes of this discussion, a “non-U.S. shareholder” is a beneficial owner of Shares that is not a U.S. shareholder (as defined above) and is not an entity or arrangement treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes. The following discussion is based on current law and is for general information only. It addresses only selected, and not all, aspects of U.S. federal income taxation applicable to non-U.S. shareholders.
With respect to non-U.S. shareholders of the Fund, the Fund’s ordinary income dividends generally will be subject to U.S. federal withholding tax at a rate of 30% (or at a lower rate established under an applicable tax treaty), subject to certain exceptions for “interest-related dividends” and “short-term capital gain dividends” discussed below. The Fund will not pay any additional amounts to shareholders in respect of any amounts withheld. U.S. federal withholding tax generally will not apply to any gain realized by a non-U.S. shareholder in respect of the Fund’s net capital gain. Special rules (not discussed herein) apply with respect to dividends of the Fund that are attributable to gain from the sale or exchange of “U.S. real property interests.”
In general, all “interest-related dividends” and “short-term capital gain dividends” (each defined below) will not be subject to U.S. federal withholding tax, provided that, among other requirements, the non-U.S. shareholder furnished the Fund with a completed IRS Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E, as applicable, (or acceptable substitute documentation) establishing the non-U.S. shareholder’s non-U.S. status and the Fund does not have actual knowledge or reason to know that the non-U.S. shareholder would be subject to such withholding tax if the non-U.S. shareholder were to receive the related amounts directly rather than as dividends from the Fund. “Interest-related dividends” generally means dividends designated by the Fund as attributable to the Fund’s U.S.-source interest income, other than certain contingent interest and interest from obligations of a corporation or partnership in which the Fund is at least a 10% shareholder, reduced by expenses that are allocable to such income. “Short-term capital gain dividends” generally means dividends designated by the Fund as attributable to the excess of the Fund’s net short-term capital gain over its net long-term capital loss. Depending on its circumstances, the Fund may treat such dividends, in whole or in part, as ineligible for these exemptions from withholding.
Amounts paid to or recognized by a non-U.S. affiliate that are excluded from tax under the portfolio interest, capital gains dividends, short-term capital gains or tax-exempt interest dividend exceptions or applicable treaties, may be taken into consideration in determining whether a corporation is an “applicable corporation” subject to a 15% minimum tax on adjusted financial statement income.
In general, subject to certain exceptions, non-U.S. shareholders will not be subject to U.S. federal income or withholding tax in respect of a sale or other disposition of Shares of the Fund.
To claim a credit or refund for any Fund-level taxes on any undistributed net capital gain (as discussed above) or any taxes collected through back-up withholding (discussed below), a non-U.S. shareholder must obtain a U.S. taxpayer identification number and file a U.S. federal income tax return even if the non-U.S. shareholder would not otherwise be required to do so.
Back-Up Withholding
The Fund (or a financial intermediary such as a broker through which a shareholder holds Shares in the Fund) may be required to report certain information on the Fund shareholder to the IRS and withhold U.S. federal income tax (“backup withholding”) at a current rate of 24% from taxable distributions and redemption or sale proceeds payable to the Fund shareholder if (i) the Fund shareholder fails to provide the Fund with a correct taxpayer identification number or make required certifications, or if the IRS notifies the Fund that the Fund shareholder is otherwise subject to backup withholding, and (ii) the Fund shareholder is not otherwise exempt from backup withholding. Non-U.S. shareholders can qualify for exemption from backup withholding by submitting a properly completed IRS Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E. Backup withholding is not an additional tax and any amount withheld may be credited against the Fund shareholder’s U.S. federal income tax liability.
Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act
The U.S. Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (“FATCA”) generally imposes a 30% withholding tax on “withholdable payments” (defined below) made to (i) a “foreign financial institution” (“FFI”), unless the FFI enters into an agreement with the IRS to provide information regarding certain of its direct and indirect U.S. account holders and satisfy certain due diligence and other specified requirements, and (ii) a “non-financial foreign entity” (“NFFE”) unless such NFFE provides certain information about its direct and indirect “substantial U.S. owners” to the withholding agent or certifies that it has no such U.S. owners. The beneficial owner of a “withholdable payment” may be eligible for a refund or credit of the withheld tax. The U.S. government also has entered into intergovernmental agreements with other jurisdictions to provide an alternative, and generally easier, approach for FFIs to comply with FATCA. If the shareholder is a tax resident in a jurisdiction that has entered into an intergovernmental agreement with the U.S. government, the shareholder will be required to provide information about the shareholder’s classification and compliance with the intergovernmental agreement.
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“Withholdable payments” generally include, among other items, U.S.-source interest and dividends, and gross proceeds from the sale or disposition of property of a type that can produce U.S.-source interest or dividends. However, proposed regulations may eliminate the requirements to withhold on payments of gross proceeds from dispositions.
The Fund or a shareholder’s broker may be required to impose a 30% withholding tax on withholdable payments to a shareholder if the shareholder fails to provide the Fund with the information, certifications or documentation required under FATCA, including information, certification or documentation necessary for the Fund to determine if the shareholder is a non-U.S. shareholder or a U.S. shareholder and, if it is a non-U.S. shareholder, if the non-U.S. shareholder has “substantial U.S. owners” and/or is in compliance with (or meets an exception from) FATCA requirements. The Fund will not pay any additional amounts to shareholders in respect of any amounts withheld. The Fund may disclose any shareholder information, certifications or documentation to the IRS or other parties as necessary to comply with FATCA.
The requirements of, and exceptions from, FATCA are complex. All prospective shareholders are urged to consult their own tax advisor regarding the potential application of FATCA with respect to their own situation.
For a more detailed tax discussion regarding an investment in the Fund, please see the section of the SAI entitled “U.S. Federal Income Taxation.”
The Trust, Advisor, the Subadvisor and the Distributor have each adopted a code of ethics under Rule 17j-1 of the 1940 Act that is designed to prevent affiliated persons of the Trust, the Advisor, the Subadvisor and the Distributor from engaging in deceptive, manipulative or fraudulent activities in connection with securities held or to be acquired by the Fund (which may also be held by persons subject to a code). There can be no assurance that the codes will be effective in preventing such activities. The codes permit personnel subject to them to invest in securities, including securities that may be held or purchased by the Fund. The codes are on file with the SEC and are available to the public.
Fund Website and Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings
The Fund’s portfolio holdings are available on the Fund’s website at newyorklifeinvestments.com/etf. A description of the Fund’s policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of the Fund’s portfolio securities is available in the SAI, which is also available on the Fund’s website.
The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by the [ ]. The [ ] makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of Shares or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally or in the Fund particularly or the ability of the Fund to achieve its objectives. The [ ] has no obligation or liability in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the Fund.
For purposes of the 1940 Act, the Fund is treated as registered investment companies, and the acquisition of shares by other registered investment companies and companies relying on Sections 3(c)(1) and 3(c)(7) of the 1940 Act are subject to the restrictions of Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act and the related rules and interpretations.
Financial highlights are not presented for the Fund since the Fund has not commenced operations.
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New York Life Investments Active ETF Trust PROSPECTUS | [ ], 2026
FOR MORE INFORMATION If you would like more information about the Trust, the Fund and the Shares, the following documents are available free upon request:
Annual/Semi-Annual Reports and Form N-CSR Additional information about the Fund’s investments is available in the Fund’s annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders and in Form N-CSR (once available). In the Fund’s annual report, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund’s performance during the last fiscal year. In Form N-CSR, you will find the Fund’s annual and semi-annual financial statements.
Statement of Additional Information Additional information about the Fund and its policies is also available in the Fund’s SAI. The SAI is incorporated by reference into this Prospectus (and is legally considered part of this Prospectus). The Fund’s SAI, annual and semi-annual reports (once available), and other information such as the Fund’s financial statements, are available free upon request by calling New York Life Investments at 1-888-474-7725. You can also access and download the SAI, annual and semi-annual reports (once available), and other information such as the Fund’s financial statements, from dfinview.com/NYLIM.
To obtain other information and for shareholder inquiries: By telephone: 1-888-474-7725
You may review and obtain copies of Fund documents (including the SAI) by visiting the SEC’s public reference room in Washington, D.C. You may also obtain copies of Fund documents, after paying a duplicating fee, by writing to the SEC’s Public Reference Section, Washington, D.C. 20549-0102 or by electronic request to: [email protected]. Information on the operation of the public reference room may be obtained by calling the SEC at (202) 551-8090.
No person is authorized to give any information or to make any representations about the Fund and its Shares not contained in this Prospectus and you should not rely on any other information. Read and keep the Prospectus for future reference.
Dealers effecting transactions in the Fund’s Shares, whether or not participating in this distribution, may be generally required to deliver a Prospectus. This is in addition to any obligation dealers have to deliver a Prospectus when acting as underwriters.
“New York Life Investments” is both a service mark, and the common trade name, of certain investment advisors affiliated with New York Life Insurance Company. Securities distributed by NYLIFE Distributors LLC, 30 Hudson Street, Jersey City, NJ 07302, Member FINRA/SIPC.
The Trust’s investment company registration number is 811-22739.
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[ ]

The information in this Statement of Additional Information is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the Registration Statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) is effective. This Statement of Additional Information is not an offer to sell these securities and is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any state where the offer or sale is not permitted.
Preliminary Statement of Additional Information
Subject to Completion, dated December 12, 2025
STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
NEW YORK LIFE INVESTMENTS ACTIVE ETF TRUST
51 MADISON AVENUE
NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10010
PHONE: (888) 474-7725
[ ], 2026
This Statement of Additional Information (this “SAI”) is not a prospectus. It should be read in conjunction with and is incorporated by reference into the prospectus dated [ ], 2026, as it may be revised from time to time (the “Prospectus”), for the fund listed below (the “Fund”), a series of the New York Life Investments Active ETF Trust (the “Trust”).
Fund Name
| NYLI International Small-Mid Cap Equity ETF ([ ]) |
The Prospectus and the Fund’s Annual Report or Semi-Annual Report may be obtained without charge, by writing to the Trust, c/o Marketing Department, 51 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10010, by calling (888) 474-7725, or by visiting dfinview.com/NYLIM. Shares of the Fund are principally listed on a national securities exchange, the [ ] (“[ ]” or the “Exchange”).
Capitalized terms used but not defined herein have the same meaning as in the Prospectus, unless otherwise noted.
No person has been authorized to give any information or to make any representations other than those contained in this SAI and the Prospectus and, if given or made, such information or representations may not be relied upon as having been authorized by the Trust. The SAI does not constitute an offer to sell securities.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE TRUST AND THE FUND
The Trust was organized as a Delaware statutory trust on January 30, 2008 and is authorized to have multiple segregated series or portfolios. On August 28, 2024, the Trust changed its name from IndexIQ Active ETF Trust to New York Life Investments Active ETF Trust. The Trust is an open-end management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). The Trust currently consists of a number of separate investment portfolios, of which [ ] are in operation.
Other portfolios may be added to the Trust in the future. The shares of the Fund are referred to herein as “Shares.” The offering of Shares is registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”).
The Fund is managed by New York Life Investment Management LLC (“New York Life Investments” or “Advisor”). New York Life Investments is located at 51 Madison Avenue, New York New York 10010. New York Life Investments is a Delaware limited liability company, which commenced operations in April 2000, and is an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of New York Life Insurance Company.
The Fund is subadvised by Ausbil Investment Management Limited (“Ausbil” or the “Subadvisor”).
Exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), such as the Fund, do not sell or redeem individual Shares of the fund. Instead, financial entities known as “Authorized Participants” (which are discussed in greater detail below) have contractual arrangements with the Fund or the Distributor to purchase and redeem Fund Shares directly with the Fund in large blocks of Shares known as “Creation Units.” An Authorized Participant that purchases a Creation Unit of Fund Shares deposits with the Fund a “basket” of securities (“Deposit Securities”), cash (“Cash Component”) and/or other assets identified by the Fund that day, and then receives the Creation Unit of Fund Shares in return for those assets. The redemption process is the reverse of the purchase process: the Authorized Participant redeems a Creation Unit of Fund Shares for a basket of securities, cash and/or other assets. The basket is generally representative of the Fund’s portfolio, and together with a cash balancing amount, it is equal to the net asset value (“NAV”) of the Fund Shares comprising the Creation Unit. Pursuant to Rule 6c-11 of the 1940 Act, the Fund may utilize baskets that are not representative of the Fund’s portfolio.
If the Fund presently creates and redeems Shares in-kind, the Trust reserves the right to offer a “cash” option for creations and redemptions of Shares.
The Trust’s Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust (the “Declaration”) provides that by virtue of becoming a shareholder of the Trust, each shareholder is bound by the provisions of the Declaration. The Declaration provides a detailed process for the bringing of derivative actions by shareholders. Prior to bringing a derivative action, a written demand by the complaining shareholder must first be made on the Board of Trustees of the Trust (the “Trustees” or the “Board”). The Declaration details conditions that must be met with respect to the demand, including the requirement that 10% of the outstanding Shares of the Fund who are eligible to bring such derivative action under the Delaware Statutory Trust Act join in the demand for the Trustees to commence such derivative action. There may be questions regarding the enforceability of this provision based on certain interpretations of the Securities Act of 1933 Act, as amended (the “1933 Act”), the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “1934 Act”) and the 1940 Act.
Additionally, the Declaration provides that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware, to the extent there is subject matter jurisdiction in such court for the claims asserted or, if not, then in the Superior Court of the State of Delaware shall be the exclusive forum in which certain types of litigation may be brought, which may require shareholders to have to bring an action in an inconvenient or less favorable forum. There may be questions regarding the enforceability of this provision because the 1933 Act, the 1934 Act and the 1940 Act allow claims to be brought in state and federal courts. The Declaration provides that shareholders waive any and all right to trial by jury in any claim, suit, action or proceeding.
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There can be no assurance that the Fund will be able to maintain the listing of its Shares on the Exchange. The Exchange will consider the suspension of trading and delisting of the Shares of the Fund from listing if: (i) the Fund does not comply with the Exchange’s continuous listing standards; or (ii) such other event shall occur or condition exist that, in the opinion of the Exchange, makes further trading on the Exchange inadvisable. The Exchange will remove the Shares of the Fund from listing and trading upon termination of the Fund.
As in the case of other stocks traded on the Exchange, brokers’ commissions on transactions will be based on commission rates negotiated by an investor and his or her broker.
The Trust reserves the right to adjust the price levels of the Shares in the future to maintain convenient trading ranges for investors. Any adjustments would be accomplished through stock splits or reverse stock splits, which would have no effect on the net assets of the Fund.
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES
Investment Objectives
The Fund has a distinct investment objective and policies that are distinct from the other series of the Trust. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s objective will be achieved.
All investment objectives and investment policies not specifically designated as fundamental may be changed without shareholder approval. Additional information about the Fund, its policies, and the investment instruments it may hold, is provided below.
The Fund’s share prices will fluctuate with market and economic conditions. The Fund should not be relied upon as a complete investment program.
Diversification Status
The Fund’s diversification status for purposes of the 1940 Act is set forth below:
| Fund | Diversification Status |
| NYLI International Small-Mid Cap Mid Equity ETF | Diversified |
Investment Restrictions
The investment restrictions set forth below as fundamental policies cannot be changed with respect to the Fund without the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. The investment objective of the Fund and all other investment policies or practices of the Fund are considered by the Trust not to be fundamental and accordingly may be changed without shareholder approval. For purposes of the 1940 Act, a “majority of the outstanding voting securities” means the lesser of the vote of (i) 67% or more of the Shares of the Fund present at a meeting, if the holders of more than 50% of the outstanding Shares of the Fund are present or represented by proxy, or (ii) more than 50% of the Shares of the Fund.
As a matter of fundamental policy, the Fund:
| A. | May not invest 25% or more of its total assets in the securities of one or more issuers conducting their principal business activities in the same industry or group of industries. The Fund will not invest 25% or more of its total assets in investment companies that have a policy to invest 25% or more of their total assets in issuers conducting their principal business activities in the same industry or group of industries. This limitation does not apply to investments in securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities, or shares of investment companies. |
| B. | May borrow money, to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, as such may be interpreted or modified by regulatory authorities having jurisdiction, from time to time. |
| C. | May make loans as permitted under the 1940 Act, as such may be interpreted or modified by regulatory authorities having jurisdiction, from time to time. |
| D. | May act as an underwriter of securities within the meaning of the 1933 Act, to the extent permitted under the Securities Act, as such may be interpreted or modified by regulatory authorities having jurisdiction, from time to time. |
| E. | May purchase or sell real estate or any interest therein to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act, as such may be interpreted or modified by regulatory authorities having jurisdiction, from time to time. |
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| F. | May not purchase physical commodities or contracts regarding physical commodities, except as permitted under the 1940 Act and other applicable laws, rules and regulations, as such may be interpreted or modified by regulatory authorities having jurisdiction, from time to time. |
| G. | May issue senior securities, to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, as such may be interpreted or modified by regulatory authorities having jurisdiction, from time to time. |
Unless otherwise indicated, all of the percentage limitations above and in the investment restrictions recited in the Prospectus apply only at the time of an acquisition or encumbrance of securities or assets of the Fund, except that any borrowings by the Fund that exceed applicable limitations must be reduced to meet such limitations within the period required by the 1940 Act. Therefore, a change in the percentage that results from a relative change in values or from a change in the Fund’s assets will not be considered a violation of the Fund’s policies or restrictions. “Value” for the purposes of all investment restrictions shall mean the value used in determining the Fund’s NAV.
Additional Information Regarding Investment Restrictions
Below is additional information regarding the Fund’s investment restrictions. This information is in addition to, rather than part of, the fundamental investment restrictions themselves.
Concentration. Although the 1940 Act does not define what constitutes “concentration” in an industry or group of industries, the staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) takes the position that any fund that invests more than 25% of its total assets in a particular industry or group of industries (other than securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities) is deemed to be “concentrated” in that industry or group of industries.
For purposes of the Fund’s industry concentration policy, the Advisor or the Subadvisor may analyze the characteristics of a particular issuer and instrument and may assign an industry classification consistent with those characteristics. The Advisor or Subadvisor may, but need not, consider industry classifications provided by third parties.
With respect to the Fund’s fundamental investment restriction B, asset coverage of at least 300% (as defined in the 1940 Act), inclusive of any amounts borrowed, must be maintained at all times.
The Fund may, notwithstanding any other fundamental investment restriction or policy, invest some or all of its assets in a single ETF, open-end investment company or series thereof with substantially the same fundamental investment objective, restrictions and policies as the Fund.
INVESTMENT STRATEGIES AND RISKS
Subject to the limitations set forth herein and in the Prospectus, the Advisor or Subadvisor to the Fund may, in its discretion, at any time, employ any of the following practices, techniques or instruments for the Fund. Furthermore, it is possible that certain types of financial instruments or investment techniques described herein may not be available, permissible, economically feasible, or effective for their intended purposes in all markets and under all conditions. Certain practices, techniques, or instruments may not be principal activities of the Fund but, to the extent employed, could from time to time have a material impact on the Fund’s performance.
Unless otherwise indicated above, the Fund may engage in the following investment practices or techniques, subject to the specific limits described in the Prospectus or elsewhere in this SAI. Unless otherwise stated in the Prospectus, investment techniques are discretionary. That means the Advisor or the Subadvisor may elect to engage or not engage in the various techniques at its sole discretion. Investors should not assume that any particular discretionary investment technique or strategy will be employed at all times, or ever employed.
The loss of money is a risk of investing in the Fund. The Fund is not intended to constitute a balanced or complete investment program and the NAV per Share of the Fund will fluctuate based on the value of the securities held by the Fund. The Fund is subject to the risks and considerations associated with investing in ETFs generally as well as additional risks and restrictions discussed herein.
General
Investment in the Fund should be made with an understanding that the value of the portfolio of securities held by the Fund may fluctuate in accordance with changes in the financial condition of the issuers of the portfolio securities, the value of common stocks generally and other factors.
Asset-Backed Securities
To the extent permitted by its investment objective and policies, the Fund may invest in asset-backed securities. 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 loans, consumer loans or mortgages and leases of property. Asset-backed securities may include collateralized debt obligations, collateralized bond obligations, and collateralized loan obligations and other similarly structured vehicles. The risks of an investment in asset-backed securities depend largely on the type of collateral securities and the class of the instrument in which the Fund invests. Enforcing rights against such collateral in events of default may be difficult or insufficient. These securities may have a structure that makes their reaction to interest rate changes and other factors difficult to predict, making their value highly volatile.
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Borrowing
The Fund may borrow money to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act, or otherwise limited herein, as such may be interpreted or modified by regulatory authorities having jurisdiction, from time to time. This borrowing may be unsecured. The 1940 Act precludes the Fund from borrowing if, as a result of such borrowing, the total amount of all money borrowed by the Fund exceeds 33 1/3% of the value of its total assets (that is, total assets including borrowings, less liabilities exclusive of borrowings) at the time of such borrowings. This means that the 1940 Act requires the Fund to maintain continuous asset coverage of 300% of the amount borrowed. If the 300% asset coverage should decline as a result of market fluctuations or other reasons, the Fund may be required to sell some of its portfolio holdings within three days to reduce the debt and restore the 300% asset coverage, or for other reasons to cover a borrowing transaction, even though it may be disadvantageous from an investment standpoint to sell securities at that time, and could cause the Fund to be unable to meet certain requirements for qualification as a regulated investment company under the Internal Revenue Code.
Borrowing tends to exaggerate the effect on the Fund’s NAV per share of any changes in the market value of the Fund’s portfolio securities. Money borrowed will be subject to interest costs, which may or may not be recovered by earnings on the securities purchased. The Fund also may be required to maintain minimum average balances in connection with a borrowing or to pay a commitment or other fee to maintain a line of credit. Either of these requirements would increase the cost of borrowing over the stated interest rate.
Cash Equivalents
To the extent permitted by its investment objective and policies, the Fund may invest in cash equivalents. Cash equivalents include U.S. government securities, CDs, bank time deposits, bankers’ acceptances, repurchase agreements and commercial paper. Cash equivalents may include short-term fixed-income securities issued by private and governmental institutions. Repurchase agreements may be considered cash equivalents if the collateral pledged is an obligation of the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities.
Convertible Securities
To the extent permitted by its investment objective and policies, the Fund may invest in securities convertible into common stock or the cash value of a single equity security or a basket or index of equity securities. Such investments may be made, for example, if the Advisor or Subadvisor believes that a company’s convertible securities are undervalued in the market. Convertible securities eligible for inclusion in the Fund’s portfolio include convertible bonds, convertible preferred stocks, warrants or notes or other instruments that may be exchanged for cash payable in an amount that is linked to the value of a particular security, basket of securities, index or indices of securities or currencies.
Convertible debt securities, until converted, have the same general characteristics as other fixed-income securities insofar as they generally provide a stable stream of income with generally higher yields than those of equity securities of the same or similar issuers. By permitting the holder to exchange the investment for common stock or the cash value of a security or a basket or index of securities, convertible securities may also enable the investor to benefit from increases in the market price of the underlying securities. Therefore, convertible securities generally offer lower interest or dividend yields than non-convertible securities of similar quality.
As with all fixed-income securities, the market value of convertible debt securities tends to decline as interest rates increase and, conversely, tends to increase as interest rates decline. The unique feature of the convertible security is that as the market price of the underlying common stock declines, a convertible security tends to trade increasingly on a yield basis, and so may not experience market value declines to the same extent as the underlying common stock. When the market price of the underlying common stock increases, the price of a convertible security increasingly reflects the value of the underlying common stock and may rise accordingly. While no securities investment is without some risk, investments in convertible securities generally entail less risk than investments in the common stock of the same issuer. At any given time, investment value is dependent upon such factors as the general level of interest rates, the yield of similar nonconvertible securities, the financial strength of the issuer and the seniority of the security in the issuer’s capital structure.
Holders of fixed-income securities (including convertible securities) have a claim on the assets of the issuer prior to the holders of common stock in case of liquidation. However, convertible securities are typically subordinated to similar non-convertible securities of the same issuer. Accordingly, convertible securities have unique investment characteristics because: (1) they have relatively high yields as compared to common stocks; (2) they have defensive characteristics since they provide a fixed return even if the market price of the underlying common stock declines; and (3) they provide the potential for capital appreciation if the market price of the underlying common stock increases.
A convertible security may be subject to redemption at the option of the issuer at a price established in the charter provision or indenture pursuant to which the convertible security is issued. If a convertible security held by the Fund is called for redemption, the Fund will be required to surrender the security for redemption, convert it into the underlying common stock or cash or sell it to a third party.
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Contingent convertible securities (“CoCos”) have no stated maturity, have fully discretionary coupons and are typically issued in the form of subordinated debt instruments. CoCos generally either convert into equity or have their principal written down upon the occurrence of certain triggering events (“triggers”) linked to regulatory capital thresholds or regulatory actions relating to the issuer’s continued viability. As a result, an investment by the Fund in CoCos is subject to the risk that coupon (i.e., interest) payments may be cancelled by the issuer or a regulatory authority in order to help the issuer absorb losses. An investment by the Fund in CoCos is also subject to the risk that, in the event of the liquidation, dissolution or winding-up of an issuer prior to a trigger event, the Fund’s rights and claims will generally rank junior to the claims of holders of the issuer’s other debt obligations. In addition, if CoCos held by the Fund are converted into the issuer’s underlying equity securities following a trigger event, the Fund’s holding may be further subordinated due to the conversion from a debt to equity instrument.
Corporate Bonds
To the extent permitted by its investment objective and policies, the Fund may invest in corporate bonds. A corporate bond is an interest-bearing security issued by a U.S. or non-U.S. company. The issuer of a bond has a contractual obligation to pay interest at a stated rate on specific dates and to repay principal (the bond’s face value) periodically or on a specified maturity date. Bonds generally are used by corporations and governments 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 corporation, the corporation’s performance and perceptions of the corporation 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.
An issuer may have the right to redeem or “call” a bond before maturity, in which case the Fund may have to reinvest the proceeds at lower market rates. Similarly, the Fund may have to reinvest interest income or payments received when bonds mature, sometimes at lower market rates. Most bonds bear interest income at a “coupon” rate that is fixed for the life of the bond. The value of a fixed-rate bond usually rises when market interest rates fall, and falls when market interest rates rise. Accordingly, a fixed-rate bond’s yield (income as a percent of the bond’s current value) may differ from its coupon rate as its value rises or falls. When an investor purchases a fixed-rate bond at a price that is greater than its face value, the investor is purchasing the bond at a premium. Conversely, when an investor purchases a fixed-rate bond at a price that is less than its face value, the investor is purchasing the bond at a discount. Fixed-rate bonds that are purchased at a discount pay less current income than securities with comparable yields that are purchased at face value, with the result that prices for such fixed-rate securities can be more volatile than prices for such securities that are purchased at face value. Other types of bonds bear interest at an interest rate that is adjusted periodically. Interest rates on “floating rate” or “variable rate” bonds may be higher or lower than current market rates for fixed-rate bonds of comparable quality with similar final maturities. Because of their adjustable interest rates, the value of “floating rate” or “variable rate” bonds fluctuates much less in response to market interest rate movements than the value of fixed-rate bonds, but their value may decline if their interest rates do not rise as much, or as quickly, as interest rates in general. The Fund may treat some of these bonds as having a shorter maturity for purposes of calculating the weighted average maturity of its investment portfolio. Generally, prices of higher quality issues tend to fluctuate less with changes in market interest rates than prices of lower quality issues and prices of longer maturity issues tend to fluctuate more than prices of shorter maturity issues. Bonds may be senior or subordinated obligations. Senior obligations generally have the first claim on a corporation’s earnings and assets and, in the event of liquidation, are paid before subordinated obligations. Bonds may be unsecured (backed only by the issuer’s general creditworthiness) or secured (backed by specified collateral).
The value of the debt securities generally will fluctuate depending on a number of factors, including, among others, changes in the perceived creditworthiness of the issuers of those securities, movements in interest rates, and the maturity of the debt security. Generally, a rise in interest rates will reduce the value of fixed-income securities, and a decline in interest rates will increase the value of fixed-income securities. Longer-term debt securities generally pay higher interest rates than do shorter-term debt securities but also may experience greater price volatility as interest rates change.
Cyber Security and Disruptions in Operations
With the increasing use of the Internet and technology, including cloud-based technology, in connection with the Fund’s operations, the Fund may be more susceptible to greater operational and information security risks resulting from breaches in cyber security. Cyber incidents can result from unintentional events (such as an inadvertent release of confidential information) or deliberate attacks (such as cyber extortion) by insiders or third-parties, including cyber criminals, competitors, nation-states and “hacktivists,” and can be perpetrated by a variety of complex means, including the use of stolen access credentials, malware or other computer viruses, ransomware, phishing, structured query language injection attacks, and distributed denial of service attacks, among other means. Recent geopolitical tensions may have increased the scale and sophistication of deliberate cyber attacks and other disruptions, particularly from nation-states or entities with nation-state backing. Cyber incidents may result in actual or potential adverse consequences for critical information and communications technology, or systems and networks that are vital to the Fund’s or its service providers’ operations, or otherwise impair Fund or service provider operations. In addition, a cyber security breach may cause disruptions and impact the Fund’s business operations, which could potentially result in financial losses, inability to determine the Fund’s NAV including over an extended period, impediments to trading, the inability of shareholders to transact business, violation of applicable law, regulatory penalties and/or fines, compliance and other costs. The Fund and its shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result. Further, substantial costs may be incurred in order to prevent future cyber incidents.
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In addition, because the Fund works closely with third-party service providers (e.g., custodians), cyber security breaches at such third-party service providers or trading counterparties may subject the Fund’s shareholders to the same risks associated with direct cyber security breaches. Further, cyber security breaches at an issuer of securities in which the Fund invests may similarly negatively impact the Fund’s shareholders because of a decrease in the value of these securities. These incidents could result in adverse consequences for such issuers, and may cause the Fund’s investment in such securities to lose value.
The use of cloud-based service providers and the integration of artificial intelligence in systems and operations could heighten or change these risks. In addition, work-from-home arrangements by the Fund, the Advisor or their service providers could increase all of the above risks, create additional data and information accessibility concerns, and make the Fund, the Advisor or their service providers susceptible to operational disruptions, any of which could adversely impact their operations.
While the Fund has established risk management systems and business continuity policies designed to reduce the risks associated with cyber security breaches and other operational disruptions, there can be no assurances that such measures will be successful particularly since the Fund does not control the cyber security and operational systems of issuers or third-party service providers, and certain security breaches may not be detected. The Fund and its shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result of any security breaches or operational disruptions and may bear certain costs tied to such events.
Debt Securities
To the extent that the Fund invests in debt securities, it will be subject to certain risks. Debt securities may have fixed, variable or floating (including inverse floating) rates of interest. The value of the debt securities held by the Fund generally will fluctuate depending on a number of factors, including, among others, changes in the perceived creditworthiness of the issuers of those securities, movements in interest rates, the maturities of the Fund’s investments and changes in values of the currencies in which the Fund’s investments are denominated relative to the U.S. dollar. Generally, a rise in interest rates will reduce the value of fixed-income securities held by the Fund and a decline in interest rates will increase the value of fixed-income securities held by the Fund. Longer term debt securities generally pay higher interest rates than do shorter term debt securities but also may experience greater price volatility as interest rates change.
The Fund’s investments in U.S. dollar- or foreign currency-denominated corporate debt securities of domestic or foreign issuers are limited to corporate debt securities (corporate bonds, debentures, notes and other similar corporate debt instruments) which meet the credit quality and maturity criteria set forth for the Fund. The rate of return or return of principal on some debt obligations may be linked to indices or stock prices or indexed to the level of exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and foreign currency or currencies. Differing yields on corporate fixed- income securities of the same maturity are a function of several factors, including the relative financial strength of the issuers. Higher yields are generally available from securities in the lower rating categories.
Corporate debt securities may bear fixed, contingent or variable rates of interest and may involve equity features, such as conversion or exchange rights or warrants for the acquisition of stock of the same or a different issuer, participations based on revenues, sales or profits or the purchase of common stock in a unit transaction (where corporate debt securities and common stock are offered as a unit).
Since shares of the Fund represent an investment in securities with fluctuating market prices, the value of shares of the Fund will vary as the aggregate value of the Fund’s portfolio securities increases or decreases. The value of lower-rated debt securities that the Fund purchases may fluctuate more than the value of higher-rated debt securities, thus potentially increasing the volatility of the Fund’s NAV per share. Lower-rated debt securities generally carry greater risk that the issuer will default or be delinquent on the payment of interest and principal. Lower-rated fixed-income securities generally tend to reflect short-term corporate and market developments to a greater extent than higher-rated securities that react primarily to fluctuations in the general level of interest rates. Changes in the value of securities subsequent to their acquisition will not affect cash income or yields to maturity to the Fund but will be reflected in the NAV of the Fund’s shares.
The ratings of fixed-income securities by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization (“NRSRO”) are a generally accepted barometer of credit risk. They are, however, subject to certain limitations from an investor’s standpoint. The rating of an issuer is heavily weighted by past developments and does not necessarily reflect future conditions. There is frequently a lag between the time a rating is assigned and the time it is updated. In addition, there may be varying degrees of difference in credit risk of securities in each rating category.
When and if available, debt securities may be purchased at a discount from face value. From time to time, the Fund may purchase securities not paying interest or dividends at the time acquired if, in the opinion of the Advisor or Subadvisor, such securities have the potential for future income (or capital appreciation, if any).
Depositary Receipts
Types of depositary receipts in which the Fund may invest, to the extent permitted by its investment objective and policies, include American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”), European Depositary Receipts (“EDRs”) and Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”). Generally, ADRs, in registered form, are designed for use in U.S. securities markets and are receipts that are traded in the U.S. evidencing ownership of the underlying foreign securities and denominated in U.S. dollars. EDRs and GDRs are receipts issued by a non-U.S. financial institution evidencing ownership of underlying foreign or U.S. securities and usually are denominated in foreign currencies. EDRs and GDRs may not be denominated in the same currency as the securities they represent. Generally, EDRs and GDRs are designed for use in the foreign securities markets.
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To the extent the Fund invests in ADRs, such ADRs will be listed on a national securities exchange. To the extent the Fund invests in GDRs or EDRs, such GDRs and EDRs will be listed on a foreign exchange. The Fund will not invest in any unlisted depositary receipt or any depositary receipt for which pricing information is not readily available. Generally, all depositary receipts must be sponsored. The Fund, however, may invest in unsponsored depositary receipts under certain limited circumstances. A non-sponsored depository may not provide the same shareholder information that a sponsored depository is required to provide under its contractual arrangement with the issuer. Therefore, there may be less information available regarding such issuers and there may not be a correlation between such information and the market value of the depositary receipts.
There is no guarantee that a financial institution will continue to sponsor depositary receipts, or that the depositary receipts will continue to trade on an exchange, either of which could adversely affect the liquidity, availability and pricing of the depositary receipt. Changes in foreign currency exchange rates will affect the value of depositary receipts and, therefore, may affect the value of the Fund’s portfolio.
Derivatives Risk
To the extent permitted by its investment objective and policies, the Fund may invest in derivatives. The use of derivatives presents risks different from, and possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in traditional securities. The use of derivatives can lead to losses because of adverse movements in the price or value of the underlying asset, index or rate, which may be magnified by certain features of the derivatives. Additionally, when the Fund invests in certain derivative securities, including, but not limited to, when-issued securities, forward commitments, futures contracts and interest rate swaps, the Fund is effectively leveraging its investments, which could result in exaggerated changes in the net asset value of the Fund’s shares and can result in losses that exceed the amount originally invested. The success of the Advisor’s or Subadvisor’s derivatives strategies will depend on its ability to assess and predict the impact of market or economic developments on the underlying asset, index or rate and the derivative itself, without the benefit of observing the performance of the derivative under all possible market conditions. Liquidity risk could also exist when a security cannot be purchased or sold at the time desired or cannot be purchased or sold without adversely affecting the price.
Derivative Instruments – General Discussion
The Fund may use derivative instruments, to the extent permitted by its investment objective and policies, including, but not limited to, hedging, managing risk or equitizing cash while maintaining liquidity. Derivative instruments are commonly defined to include securities or contracts whose value depends on (or “derives” from) the value of one or more other assets, such as securities, currencies or commodities. These “other assets” are commonly referred to as “underlying assets.”
Hedging. The Fund may use derivative instruments to protect against possible adverse changes in the market value of securities held in, or anticipated to be held in, its portfolio. Derivatives may also be used by the Fund to “lock-in” realized but unrecognized gains in the value of portfolio securities. Hedging strategies, if successful, can reduce the risk of loss by wholly or partially offsetting the negative effect of unfavorable price movements in the investments being hedged. However, hedging strategies can also reduce the opportunity for gain by offsetting the positive effect of favorable price movements in the hedged investments.
Managing Risk. The Fund may also use derivative instruments to manage the risks of its assets. Risk management strategies include, but are not limited to, facilitating the sale of portfolio securities, managing the effective maturity or duration of debt obligations held, establishing a position in the derivatives markets as a substitute for buying or selling certain securities or creating or altering exposure to certain asset classes, such as equity, debt and foreign securities. The use of derivative instruments may provide a less expensive, more expedient or more specifically focused way for the Fund to invest than “traditional” securities (i.e., stocks or bonds) would.
Equitization. The Fund may also use derivative instruments to maintain exposure to the market, while maintaining liquidity to meet expected redemptions or pending investment in securities. The use of derivative instruments for this purpose may result in losses to the Fund and may not achieve the intended results. The use of derivative instruments may not provide the same type of exposure as is provided by the Fund’s other portfolio investments.
Managed Futures. The Fund may take long and short positions in futures contracts in order to gain exposure to certain global markets. Additionally, the Fund may invest in an investment vehicle that employs a managed futures strategy. The success of a managed futures strategy will depend in part on the Advisor, Subadvisor or underlying investment vehicle’s ability to correctly predict price movements, and such predictions may prove incorrect. The use of a managed futures strategy may not achieve its intended results and may result in losses to the Fund.
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Exchange or OTC Derivatives. Derivative instruments may be exchange-traded or traded in over-the-counter (“OTC”) transactions between private parties. Exchange-traded derivatives include certain standardized options, futures and swap contracts. Exchange-traded contracts are generally liquid. The exchange clearinghouse is the counterparty of every exchange-traded contract. Thus, each holder of an exchange-traded contract bears the credit risk of the clearinghouse (and has the benefit of its financial strength) rather than that of a particular counterparty. OTC derivatives are contracts between the holder and another party to the transaction (usually a securities dealer or a bank), but not any exchange clearinghouse. OTC transactions are subject to additional risks, such as the credit risk of the counterparty to the instrument, and are less liquid than exchange-traded derivatives since they often can only be closed out with the other party to the transaction. Currently, some, but not all, swap transactions are subject to central clearing and exchange-trading. Swap transactions that are not exchange-traded and/or centrally cleared are less liquid than centrally cleared and exchange- traded instruments. Eventually, it is expected that many additional swaps will be centrally cleared and exchange-traded. Although these changes are expected to decrease the counterparty risk involved in bilaterally negotiated contracts because they interpose the central clearinghouse as the counterparty to each participant’s swap, exchange-trading and clearing do not eliminate counterparty credit risk or make swap transactions risk-free. The Fund is subject to the credit risk of any clearinghouse or clearing member through which it holds its cleared derivatives position. Credit risk of market participants with respect to derivatives that are centrally cleared is concentrated in relatively few clearinghouses and clearing members. At this time, it is not clear how an insolvency proceeding of a clearinghouse would be conducted and what impact an insolvency of a clearinghouse would have on the financial system. In the event of the insolvency of a clearinghouse, the Fund might experience a loss of funds deposited through its clearing member as margin with the clearinghouse, a loss of unrealized profits on its open positions, and the loss of funds owed to it as realized profits on closed positions. Such an insolvency might also cause a substantial delay before the Fund could obtain the return of funds owed to it by a clearing member who was a member of such clearinghouse. In the event of the bankruptcy of a clearing member, the Fund might be limited to recovering only a pro-rate share of all available funds segregated on behalf of the clearing member’s customers for a relevant account class.
Derivative instruments involve risks and special considerations as described below.
Leverage and Market Risk. The primary risk of derivatives is the same as the risk of the underlying assets; namely, that the value of the underlying asset may go up or down. Adverse movements in the value of an underlying asset can expose the Fund to losses. Derivative instruments may include elements of leverage and, accordingly, the fluctuation of the value of the derivative instrument in relation to the underlying asset may be magnified. The successful use of derivative instruments depends upon a variety of factors, particularly the Advisor’s or Subadvisor’s ability to anticipate movements of the securities and currencies markets, which requires different skills than anticipating changes in the prices of individual securities. There can be no assurance that any particular strategy adopted will succeed. A decision to engage in a derivative transaction will reflect the Advisor’s or Subadvisor’s judgment that the derivative transaction will provide value to the Fund and its shareholders and is consistent with the Fund’s objectives, investment limitations and operating policies. In making such a judgment, the Advisor or Subadvisor will analyze the benefits and risks of the derivative transaction and weigh them in the context of the Fund’s entire portfolio and investment objective. In order to manage leverage and market risk, the Advisor or Subadvisor will monitor the Fund against its notional derivatives exposure or value-at-risk (“VaR”) leverage limit, as applicable.
Credit Risk. The Fund will be subject to the risk that a loss may be sustained as a result of the failure of a counterparty to comply with the terms of a derivative instrument. The counterparty risk for exchange-traded derivative instruments is generally less than for privately-negotiated or OTC derivative instruments, since generally a clearing agency, which is the issuer or counterparty to each exchange-traded instrument, provides a guarantee of performance. For privately-negotiated instruments, including certain currency forward contracts, there is no similar clearing agency guarantee. In all transactions, the Fund will bear the risk that the counterparty will default, and this could result in a loss of the expected benefit of the derivative transaction and possibly other losses to the Fund. The Fund will enter into transactions in derivative instruments only with counterparties that the Advisor or Subadvisor reasonably believes are capable of performing under the contract.
Correlation Risk. When a derivative transaction is used to completely hedge another position, changes in the market value of the combined position (the derivative instrument plus the position being hedged) can result from an imperfect correlation between the price movements of the two instruments. With a perfect hedge, the value of the combined position remains unchanged for any change in the price of the underlying asset. With an imperfect hedge, the value of the derivative instrument and its hedge are not perfectly correlated. Correlation risk is the risk that there might be imperfect correlation, or even no correlation, between price movements of a derivative instrument and price movements of investments being hedged. For example, if the value of a derivative instrument used in a short hedge (such as writing a call option, buying a put option or selling a futures contract) increased by less than the decline in value of the hedged investments, the hedge would not be perfectly correlated. Such a lack of correlation might occur due to factors unrelated to the value of the investments being hedged, such as speculative or other pressures on the markets in which these instruments are traded. The effectiveness of hedges using instruments on indices will depend, in part, on the degree of correlation between price movements in the index and price movements in the investments being hedged.
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Market and Fund Liquidity Risk. Derivatives are also subject to the risk that they cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without the sale or disposition significantly changing the market value of the derivative. Generally, exchange-traded contracts are very liquid because the exchange clearinghouse is the counterparty of every contract and prices and volumes are posted on the exchange. OTC transactions are less liquid than exchange-traded derivatives since they often can only be closed out with the other party to the transaction. The Fund might be required by applicable regulatory requirements to make margin payments when it takes positions in derivative instruments involving obligations to third parties (i.e., instruments other than purchased options). If the Fund is unable to close out its positions in such instruments, it might be required to continue to maintain such assets or accounts or make such payments until the position expires, matures or is closed out. The requirements might impair the Fund’s ability to sell a portfolio security or make an investment at a time when it would otherwise be favorable to do so, or require that the Fund sell a portfolio security at a disadvantageous time. The Fund’s ability to sell or close out a position in an instrument prior to expiration or maturity depends on the existence of a liquid secondary market or, in the absence of such a market, the ability and willingness of the counterparty to enter into a transaction closing out the position. Therefore, there is no assurance that any derivatives position can be sold or closed out at a time and price that is favorable to the Fund. The Advisor or Subadvisor will also monitor the Fund’s obligations to satisfy calls for margin payments and make settlement payments under its derivatives transactions and confirms that the Fund will have sufficient liquid assets available to satisfy such obligations as they become due.
Operational and Legal Risk. Operational risk generally refers to the risk related to potential operational issues, including documentation issues, settlement issues, systems failures, inadequate controls and human error. The Advisor or Subadvisor will monitor the Fund for operational issues. Legal risk is the risk of loss caused by the legal unenforceability of a party’s obligations under the derivative. While a party seeking price certainty agrees to surrender the potential upside in exchange for downside protection, the party taking the risk is looking for a positive payoff. Despite this voluntary assumption of risk, a counterparty that has lost money in a derivative transaction may try to avoid payment by exploiting various legal uncertainties about certain derivative products.
Systemic or “Interconnection” Risk. Interconnection risk is the risk that a disruption in the financial markets will cause difficulties for all market participants. In other words, a disruption in one market will spill over into other markets, perhaps creating a chain reaction. Much of the OTC derivatives market takes place among the OTC dealers themselves, thus creating a large interconnected web of financial obligations. This interconnectedness raises the possibility that a default by one large dealer could create losses for other dealers and destabilize the entire market for OTC derivative instruments.
Tax Risk. The Fund’s transactions in derivatives (such as options, swaps and other similar financial contracts) will be subject to special tax rules, the effect of which may be to accelerate income to the Fund, defer losses to the Fund, cause adjustments in the holding periods of the Fund’s securities and/or convert short-term capital losses into long-term capital losses. These rules could therefore affect the amount, timing and character of distributions to shareholders.
Derivatives Regulatory Matters
The Fund, as well as the issuers of the securities and other instruments in which the Fund may invest, are subject to considerable regulation and the risks associated with adverse changes in law and regulation governing their operations. For example, regulatory authorities in the United States or other countries may prohibit or restrict the ability of the Fund to fully implement its investment strategy, either generally or with respect to certain industries or countries. In addition, regulatory authorities are in the process of adopting and implementing regulations governing derivatives markets, the ultimate impact of which remains unclear and may adversely affect, among other things, the availability, value or performance of derivatives.
Each of the exchanges and other trading facilitates on which options are traded has established limitations on the maximum number of put or call options on a given underlying security that may be written by a single investor or group of investors acting in concert, regardless of whether the options are written on different exchanges or through one or more brokers. These position limits may restrict the number of listed options which the Fund may write. Option positions of all investment companies advised by the Advisor or Subadvisor are combined for purposes of these limits. An exchange may order the liquidation of positions found to be in excess of these limits and may impose certain other sanctions or restrictions. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) and various exchanges have rules limiting the maximum net long or short positions which any person or group may own, hold or control in any given futures contract or option on such futures contract, and in some very limited cases, swap contracts. The Advisor or Subadvisor will need to consider whether the exposure created under these contracts might exceed the applicable limits in managing the Fund, and the limits may constrain the ability of the Fund to use such contracts.
The Fund’s trading of derivatives and other transactions that create future payment or delivery obligations (except reverse repurchase agreements and similar financing transactions) is subject to a “limited derivatives users” exception that imposes a limit on notional derivatives exposure or subject to a value-at-risk (“VaR”) leverage limit and certain derivatives risk management program and reporting requirements. When the Fund trades reverse repurchase agreements or similar financing transactions, including certain tender option bonds, it needs to aggregate the amount of indebtedness associated with the reverse repurchase agreements or similar financing transactions with the aggregate amount of any other senior securities representing indebtedness when calculating the Fund’s asset coverage ratio or treat all such transactions as derivatives transactions. Reverse repurchase agreements or similar financing transactions aggregated with other indebtedness do not need to be included in the calculation of whether the Fund satisfies the limited derivatives users exception, but for funds subject to the VaR testing requirement, reverse repurchase agreements and similar financing transactions must be included for purposes of such testing whether treated as derivatives transactions or not. The SEC issued guidance in connection with the final rule regarding the use of securities lending collateral that may limit the Fund’s securities lending activities. These requirements may limit the ability of the Fund to use derivatives, short sales and reverse repurchase agreements and similar financing transactions as part of its investment strategies. These requirements may increase the cost of the Fund’s investments and cost of doing business, which could adversely affect investors. The Advisor or Subadvisor cannot predict the effects of these regulations on the Fund. The Advisor or Subadvisor intends to monitor developments and seek to manage the Fund in a manner consistent with achieving the Fund’s investment objectives, but there can be no assurance that it will be successful in doing so.
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Distressed Securities
To the extent permitted by its investment objective and policies, the Fund may invest in securities, claims and obligations of U.S. and non-U.S. issuers which are experiencing significant financial or business difficulties (including companies involved in bankruptcy or other reorganization and liquidation proceedings). The Fund may purchase distressed securities and instruments of all kinds, subject to tax considerations, including equity and debt instruments and, in particular, loans, loan participations, claims held by trade or other creditors, bonds, notes, non-performing and sub-performing mortgage loans, beneficial interests in liquidating trusts or other similar types of trusts, fee interests and financial interests in real estate, partnership interests and similar financial instruments, executory contracts and participations therein, many of which are not publicly traded and which may involve a substantial degree of risk.
Investments in distressed securities are subject to substantial risks in addition to the risks of investing in other types of high yield securities. Distressed securities are speculative and involve substantial risk that principal will not be repaid. Generally, the Fund will not receive interest payments on such securities and may incur costs to protect its investment. In addition, the Fund’s ability to sell distressed securities and any securities received in exchange for such securities may be restricted and the secondary market on which distressed company securities are traded may be less liquid than the market for higher grade securities.
In particular, defaulted obligations might be repaid, if at all, only after lengthy workout or bankruptcy proceedings, during which the issuer might not make any interest or other payments. The amount of any recovery may be adversely affected by the relative priority of the Fund’s investment in the issuer’s capital structure. The ability to enforce obligations may be adversely affected by actions or omissions of predecessors in interest that give rise to counterclaims or defenses, including causes of action for equitable subordination or debt recharacterization. In addition, such investments, collateral securing such investments, and payments made in respect of such investments may be challenged as fraudulent conveyances or to be subject to avoidance as preferences under certain circumstances.
Investments in distressed securities inherently have more credit risk than do investments in similar securities and instruments of non-distressed companies, and the degree of risk associated with any particular distressed securities may be difficult or impossible for the Advisor or the Subadvisor to determine within reasonable standards of predictability. The level of analytical sophistication, both financial and legal, necessary for successful investment in distressed securities is unusually high.
If the evaluation of the eventual recovery value of a defaulted instrument by the Advisor or Subadvisor should prove incorrect, the Fund may lose a substantial portion or all of its investment, or it may be required to accept cash or instruments with a value less than the Fund’s original investment.
Investments in financially distressed companies domiciled outside the United States involve additional risks. Bankruptcy law and creditor reorganization processes may differ substantially from those in the United States, resulting in greater uncertainty as to the rights of creditors, the enforceability of such rights, reorganization timing and the classification, seniority and treatment of claims. In certain developing countries, although bankruptcy laws have been enacted, the process for reorganization remains highly uncertain.
Emerging Market Countries
To the extent permitted by its investment objective and policies, the Fund may invest in securities of issuers located in emerging countries. The risks of foreign investment are heightened when the issuer is located in an emerging country. Emerging countries are generally located in the Asia and Pacific regions, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Central and South America and Africa. The securities markets of emerging countries are less liquid, are especially subject to greater price volatility, have smaller market capitalizations, have less government regulation and are not subject to as extensive and frequent accounting, financial and other reporting requirements as the securities markets of more developed countries. Further, investment in certain emerging countries involves risk of loss resulting from problems in share registration and custody and substantial economic and political disruptions. These risks are not normally associated with investment in more developed countries. Foreign investment in the securities markets of certain emerging countries is restricted or controlled to varying degrees which may limit investment in such countries or increase the administrative costs of such investments. The small size and inexperience of the securities markets in certain emerging countries and the limited volume of trading in securities in those countries may make the Fund’s investments in such countries less liquid and more volatile than investments in countries with more developed securities markets.
Many emerging countries have experienced currency devaluations and substantial (and, in some cases, extremely high) rates of inflation. Other emerging countries have experienced economic recessions. These circumstances have had a negative effect on the economies and securities markets of such emerging countries. The Fund’s use of foreign currency management techniques in emerging countries may be limited. The Advisor or Subadvisor anticipates that a significant portion of the Fund’s currency exposure in emerging countries may not be covered by these techniques.
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Many emerging countries are subject to a substantial degree of economic, political and social instability. Investing in emerging countries involves greater risk of loss due to expropriation, nationalization, confiscation of assets and property or the imposition of restrictions on foreign investments and on repatriation of capital invested. This instability may result from, among other things, the following: (i) authoritarian governments or military involvement in political and economic decision making, including changes or attempted changes in governments through extraconstitutional means; (ii) popular unrest associated with demands for improved political, economic or social conditions; (iii) internal insurgencies; (iv) hostile relations with neighboring countries; (v) ethnic, religious and racial disaffection or conflict; and (vi) the absence of developed legal structures governing foreign private investments and private property. Such economic, political and social instability could disrupt the principal financial markets in which the Fund may invest and adversely affect the value of the Fund’s assets.
Issuers and securities markets in emerging market countries are not subject to as extensive and frequent accounting, financial and other reporting requirements or as comprehensive government regulations as are issuers and securities markets in the U.S. The Fund’s investment in emerging countries may also be subject to withholding or other taxes, which may be significant and may reduce the return from an investment in such countries to the Fund.
Equity Securities
Common Stock. Common stock represents an equity or ownership interest in an issuer. Common stock typically entitles the owner to vote on the election of directors and other important matters as well as to receive dividends on such stock. Common stock is issued by companies principally to raise cash for business purposes and represents a residual interest in the issuing company. The Fund participates in the success or failure of any company in which it holds stock. The prices of equity securities change in response to many factors, including the historical and prospective earnings of the issuer, the value of its assets, general economic conditions, interest rates, investor perceptions and market liquidity. In the event an issuer is liquidated or declares bankruptcy, the claims of owners of bonds, other debt holders, and owners of preferred stock take precedence over the claims of those who own common stock.
Growth Stock. To the extent permitted by its investment objective and policies, the Fund may invest in equity securities of companies that the Fund’s Advisor or Subadvisor believes will experience relatively rapid earnings growth. Such “growth stocks” typically trade at higher multiples of current earnings than other securities. Therefore, the values of growth stocks may be more sensitive to changes in current or expected earnings than the values of other securities.
Large-Cap Stock. Although stocks issued by larger companies tend to have less overall volatility than stocks issued by smaller companies, larger companies may not be able to attain the high growth rates of successful smaller companies, especially during strong economic periods. In addition, larger companies may be less capable of responding quickly to competitive challenges and industry changes, and may suffer sharper price declines as a result of earnings disappointments. During a period when the performance of stocks issued by larger companies falls behind other types of investments, such as smaller capitalized companies, the Fund’s investments in large-cap issuers may be more likely to adversely affect its performance relative to funds investing in smaller cap companies.
Mid-Cap Stock. Stock prices of mid-capitalization companies may be more volatile than those of large-capitalization companies, therefore impacting the value of the Fund’s investment in mid-capitalization companies. Stock prices of mid-capitalization companies are also more vulnerable than those of large-capitalization companies to adverse business or economic developments, and the stocks of mid-capitalization companies may be less liquid, making it more difficult for the Fund to buy and sell them. In addition, mid-capitalization companies generally have less diverse product lines than large-capitalization companies and are more susceptible to adverse developments related to their products.
Small Cap Stock. Stock prices of small-capitalization companies may be more volatile than those of larger companies and therefore the Fund’s share price may be more volatile than those of funds that invest a larger percentage of their assets in stocks issued by large- capitalization or mid-capitalization companies. Stock prices of small-capitalization companies are generally more vulnerable than those of large-capitalization or mid-capitalization companies to adverse business and economic developments. The stocks of small-capitalization companies may be thinly traded, making it difficult for the Fund to buy and sell them. In addition, small-capitalization companies are typically less financially stable than larger, more established companies and may depend on a small number of essential personnel, making them more vulnerable to loss of personnel. Small-capitalization companies also normally have less diverse product lines than those of large-capitalization companies and are more susceptible to adverse developments concerning their products.
Preferred Stock. To the extent permitted by its investment objective and policies, the Fund may invest in preferred stock. Preferred stock represents an equity or ownership interest in an issuer. Preferred stock normally pays dividends at a specified rate and has precedence over common stock in the event the issuer is liquidated or declares bankruptcy. However, in the event an issuer is liquidated or declares bankruptcy, the claims of owners of bonds take precedence over the claims of those who own preferred and common stock. Preferred stock, unlike common stock, often has a stated dividend rate payable from the issuer’s earnings. Preferred stock dividends may be cumulative or noncumulative, participating or auction rate. “Cumulative” dividend provisions require all or a portion of prior unpaid dividends to be paid before dividends can be paid to the issuer’s common stock. “Participating” preferred stock may be entitled to a dividend exceeding the stated dividend in certain cases. In some cases, preferred stock dividends are not paid at a stated rate and may vary depending on an issuer’s financial performance. If interest rates rise, the fixed dividend on preferred stocks may be less attractive, causing the price of such stocks to decline.
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Preferred stock may have mandatory sinking fund provisions, as well as provisions allowing the stock to be called or redeemed, which can limit the benefit of a decline in interest rates. Preferred stock is subject to many of the risks to which common stock and debt securities are subject. In addition, a company’s preferred securities generally pay dividends only after the company makes required payments to holders of its bonds and other debt. For this reason, the value of preferred securities will usually react more strongly than bonds and other debt to actual or perceived changes in the company’s financial condition or prospects. Preferred securities of smaller companies may be more vulnerable to adverse developments than preferred securities of larger companies.
Value Stock. To the extent permitted by its investment objective and policies, the Fund may invest in companies that may not be expected to experience significant earnings growth, but whose securities the Fund’s Advisor or Subadvisor believes are selling at a price lower than their true value. Companies that issue such “value stocks” may have experienced adverse business developments or may be subject to special risks that have caused their securities to be out of favor. The principal risk of investing in value stocks is that they may never reach what the Fund’s Advisor or Subadvisor believes is their full value or that they may go down in value. If the Fund’s Advisor or Subadvisor assessment of a company’s prospects is wrong, or if the market does not recognize the value of the company, the price of that company’s stocks may decline or may not approach the value that the Fund’s Advisor or Subadvisor anticipates.
Foreign Government and Supranational Entity Securities
To the extent permitted by its investment objective and policies, the Fund may invest in debt securities or obligations of foreign governments, agencies and supranational organizations (“Sovereign Debt”). The Fund’s portfolio may include government securities of a number of foreign countries or, depending upon market conditions, those of a single country. Investments in Sovereign Debt can involve greater risks than investing in U.S. government securities. The issuer of the debt or the governmental authorities that control the repayment of the debt may be unable or unwilling to repay principal or interest when due in accordance with the terms of such debt, and the Fund may have limited legal recourse in the event of default.
The Advisor’s or Subadvisor’s determination that a particular country should be considered stable depends on its evaluation of political and economic developments affecting the country as well as recent experience in the markets for government securities of the country. The Advisor or Subadvisor does not believe that the credit risk inherent in the Sovereign Debt of such stable foreign governments is significantly greater than that of U.S. government securities. The percentage of the Fund’s assets invested in foreign government securities will vary depending on the relative yields of such securities, the economies of the countries in which the investments are made and such countries’ financial markets, the interest rate climate of such countries and the relationship of such countries’ currencies to the U.S. dollar. Currency is judged on the basis of fundamental economic criteria (e.g., relative inflation levels and trends, growth rate forecasts, balance of payments status and economic policies) as well as technical and political data.
Debt securities of “quasi-governmental entities” are issued by entities owned by either a national, state or equivalent government or are obligations of a political unit that is not backed by the national government’s full faith and credit and general taxing powers. Examples of quasi-governmental issuers include, among others, the Province of Ontario and the City of Stockholm. The Fund’s portfolio may also include debt securities denominated in European Currency Units of an issuer in a country in which the Fund may invest. A European Currency Unit represents specified amounts of the currencies of certain member states of the European Union.
A “supranational entity” is an entity established or financially supported by the governments of several countries to promote reconstruction, economic development or trade. Examples of supranational entities include the World Bank (International Bank for Reconstruction and Development), the European Investment Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the African Development Bank and the European Coal and Steel Community. Typically, the governmental members, or “stockholders,” make initial capital contributions to the supranational entity and may be committed to make additional contributions if the supranational entity is unable to repay its borrowings. There is no guarantee that one or more stockholders of a supranational entity will continue to make any necessary additional capital contributions or otherwise provide continued financial backing to the supranational entity. If such contributions or financial backing are not made, the entity may be unable to pay interest or repay principal on its debt securities. As a result, the Fund might lose money on such investments. In addition, if the securities of a supranational entity are denominated in a foreign currency, the obligations also will bear the risks of foreign currency investments. Securities issued by supranational entities may (or may not) constitute foreign securities for purposes of the Fund depending on a number of factors, including the countries that are members of the entity, the location of the primary office of the entity, the obligations of the members, the markets in which the securities trade, and whether, and to what extent, the performance of the securities is tied closely to the political or economic developments of a particular country or geographic region.
The occurrence of political, social or diplomatic changes in one or more of the countries issuing Sovereign Debt could adversely affect the Fund’s investments. Political changes or a deterioration of a country’s domestic economy or balance of trade may affect the willingness of countries to service their Sovereign Debt. While the Advisor or Subadvisor intend to manage the Fund’s portfolio in a manner that will minimize the exposure to such risks, there can be no assurance that adverse political changes will not cause the Fund to suffer a loss of interest or principal on any of its holdings.
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Foreign Securities
To the extent permitted by its investment objective and policies, the Fund may invest in foreign securities. Foreign investments involve special risks that are not typically associated with U.S. dollar-denominated or quoted securities of U.S. issuers. Foreign investments may be affected by changes in currency rates, changes in foreign or U.S. laws or restrictions applicable to such investments and changes in exchange control regulations (e.g., currency blockage). A decline in the exchange rate of the currency (i.e., weakening of the currency against the U.S. dollar) in which a portfolio security is quoted or denominated relative to the U.S. dollar would reduce the value of the portfolio security.
Brokerage commissions, custodial services and other costs relating to investment in international securities markets generally are more expensive than in the U.S. In addition, clearance and settlement procedures may be different in foreign countries and, in certain markets, such procedures have been unable to keep pace with the volume of securities transactions, thus making it difficult to conduct such transactions.
There is generally less government supervision and regulation of foreign securities exchanges, brokers, dealers and listed and unlisted companies than in the U.S., and the legal remedies for investors may be more limited than the remedies available in the U.S. Foreign issuers are not generally subject to uniform accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards comparable to those applicable to U.S. issuers. Since foreign issuers generally are not subject to uniform accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, practices and requirements comparable to those applicable to U.S. companies, there may be less publicly available information about a foreign company than about a U.S. company. There may be less publicly available information about a foreign issuer than about a U.S. issuer. In addition, there is generally less government regulation of foreign markets, companies and securities dealers than in the U.S. and the legal remedies for investors may be more limited than the remedies available in the U.S.
Foreign securities markets may have substantially less volume than U.S. securities markets and securities of many foreign issuers are less liquid and more volatile than securities of comparable domestic issuers. Furthermore, with respect to certain foreign countries, there is a possibility of nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, imposition of withholding or other taxes on dividend or interest payments (or, in some cases, capital gains distributions), limitations on the removal of funds or other assets from such countries, and risks of political or social instability or diplomatic developments which could adversely affect investments in those countries.
Investments in foreign securities may offer potential benefits not available from investments solely in U.S. dollar-denominated or quoted securities of domestic issuers. Such benefits may include the opportunity to invest in foreign issuers that appear to offer the opportunity for potential long-term growth of capital and income, the opportunity to invest in foreign countries with economic policies or business cycles different from those of the U.S. and the opportunity to take advantage of foreign stock markets that do not necessarily move in a manner parallel to U.S. markets.
Foreign Currency Forward Exchange Contracts
To the extent permitted by its investment objective and policies, the Fund may invest in foreign currency forward exchange contracts. A foreign currency forward exchange contract (a “forward contract”) involves an obligation to purchase or sell a specific currency at a future date, which may be any fixed number of days (usually less than one year) from the contract date, at a price set at the time of the contract. These contracts may be used to gain exposure to a particular currency or to hedge against the risk of loss due to changing currency exchange rates.
Forward contracts to purchase or sell a foreign currency may also be used by the Fund in anticipation of future purchases (or in settlement of such purchases) or sales of securities denominated in foreign currency, even if the specific investments have not yet been selected. Forward currency contracts may also be used to exchange one currency for another, including to repatriate foreign currency. A forward contract generally has no deposit requirement and no commissions are charged at any stage for trades. Although foreign exchange dealers do not charge a fee for conversion, they do realize a profit based on the difference (the spread) between the price at which they are buying and selling various currencies. Although these contracts are intended, when used for hedging purposes, to minimize the risk of loss due to a decline in the value of the hedged currencies, they also tend to limit any potential gain which might result should the value of such currencies increase.
Foreign currency transactions in which the Fund may engage, to the extent permitted by its investment objective and policies, include foreign currency forward contracts, currency exchange transactions on a spot (i.e., cash) basis, put and call options on foreign currencies and foreign exchange futures contracts. The Fund also may use foreign currency transactions to increase exposure to a foreign currency or to shift exposure to foreign currency fluctuations from one country to another.
To the extent that the Fund invests in foreign securities, it may enter into foreign currency forward contracts in order to increase its return by trading in foreign currencies and/or protect against uncertainty in the level of future foreign currency exchange rates. The Fund may also enter into contracts to purchase foreign currencies to protect against an anticipated rise in the U.S. dollar price of securities it intends to purchase and may enter into contracts to sell foreign currencies to protect against the decline in value of its foreign currency-denominated portfolio securities due to a decline in the value of the foreign currencies against the U.S. dollar. In addition, the Fund may use one currency (or a basket of currencies) to hedge against adverse changes in the value of another currency (or a basket of currencies) when exchange rates between the two currencies are correlated.
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Normally, consideration of fair value exchange rates will be incorporated in a longer-term investment decision made with regard to overall diversification strategies. However, the Advisor or Subadvisor believe that it is important to have the flexibility to enter into such forward contracts when they determine that the best interest of the Fund will be served by entering into such a contract. Set forth below are examples of some circumstances in which the Fund might employ a foreign currency transaction. When the Fund enters into, or anticipates entering into, a contract for the purchase or sale of a security denominated in a foreign currency, it may desire to “lock in” the U.S. dollar price of the security. By entering into a forward contract for the purchase or sale, for a fixed amount of U.S. dollars, of the amount of foreign currency involved in the underlying security transaction, the Fund will be able to insulate itself from a possible loss resulting from a change in the relationship between the U.S. dollar and the subject foreign currency during the period between the date on which the security is purchased or sold and the date on which payment is made or received, although the Fund would also forego any gain it might have realized had rates moved in the opposite direction. This technique is sometimes referred to as a “settlement” hedge or “transaction” hedge.
At the consummation of the forward contract, the Fund may either make delivery of the foreign currency or terminate its contractual obligation to deliver the foreign currency by purchasing an offsetting contract obligating it to purchase at the same maturity date the same amount of such foreign currency. If the Fund chooses to make delivery of the foreign currency, it may be required to obtain such currency for delivery through the sale of portfolio securities denominated in such currency or through conversion of other assets of the Fund into such currency. If the Fund engages in an offsetting transaction, the Fund will realize a gain or a loss to the extent that there has been a change in forward contract prices. Closing purchase transactions with respect to forward contracts are usually effected with the currency trader who is a party to the original forward contract. The Fund will only enter into such a forward contract if it is expected that there will be a liquid market in which to close out the contract. However, there can be no assurance that a liquid market will exist in which to close a forward contract, in which case the Fund may suffer a loss.
When the Fund has sold a foreign currency, a similar process would be followed at the consummation of the forward contract. Of course, the Fund is not required to enter into such transactions with regard to its foreign currency-denominated securities and will not do so unless deemed appropriate by the Advisor or Subadvisor.
While the Fund may enter into forward contracts to reduce currency exchange risks, changes in currency exchange rates may result in poorer overall performance for the Fund than if it had not engaged in such transactions. Exchange rate movements can be large, depending on the currency, and can last for extended periods of time, affecting the value of the Fund’s assets. Moreover, there may be an imperfect correlation between the Fund’s portfolio holdings of securities denominated in a particular currency and forward contracts entered into by the Fund. Such imperfect correlation may prevent the Fund from achieving the intended hedge or expose the Fund to the risk of currency exchange loss.
The Fund cannot assure that their use of currency management will always be successful. Successful use of currency management strategies will depend on the Advisor’s or Subadvisor’s skill in analyzing currency values. Currency management strategies may substantially change the Fund’s investment exposure to changes in currency exchange rates and could result in losses to the Fund if currencies do not perform as the Advisor or Subadvisor anticipates. For example, if a currency’s value rose at a time when the Advisor or Subadvisor had hedged the Fund by selling that currency in exchange for dollars, the Fund would not participate in the currency’s appreciation. If the Advisor or Subadvisor hedges currency exposure through proxy hedges, the Fund could realize currency losses from both the hedge and the security position if the two currencies do not move in tandem. Similarly, if the Advisor or Subadvisor increases the Fund’s exposure to a foreign currency and that currency’s value declines, the Fund will realize a loss. There is no assurance that the Advisor’s or Subadvisor’s use of currency management strategies will be advantageous to the Fund or that it will hedge at appropriate times. The forecasting of currency market movement is extremely difficult, and whether any hedging strategy will be successful is highly uncertain. Moreover, it is impossible to forecast with precision the market value of portfolio securities at the expiration of a foreign currency forward contract. Accordingly, the Fund may be required to buy or sell additional currency on the spot market (and bear the expense of such transaction) if the Advisor or Subadvisor predictions regarding the movement of foreign currency or securities markets prove inaccurate. In addition, the use of cross-hedging transactions may involve special risks, and may leave the Fund in a less advantageous position than if such a hedge had not been established. Because foreign currency forward contracts are privately negotiated transactions, there can be no assurance that the Fund will have flexibility to roll-over a foreign currency forward contract upon its expiration if it desires to do so. Additionally, these contracts are subject to counterparty risks as there can be no assurance that the other party to the contract will perform its services thereunder. Certain foreign currency forwards may eventually be exchange-traded and cleared. Although these changes are expected to decrease the credit risk and liquidity risk involved in bilaterally negotiated contracts, exchange-trading and clearing would not make the contracts risk-free. The Fund may hold a portion of its assets in bank deposits denominated in foreign currencies, so as to facilitate investment in foreign securities as well as protect against currency fluctuations and the need to convert such assets into U.S. dollars (thereby also reducing transaction costs). To the extent these monies are converted back into U.S. dollars, the value of the assets so maintained will be affected favorably or unfavorably by changes in foreign currency exchange rates and exchange control regulations.
Futures Contracts and Options on Futures Contracts
To the extent permitted by its investment objective and policies, the Fund may purchase and sell futures contracts and may also purchase and write call and put options on futures contracts. The Fund may purchase and sell futures contracts based on various securities, securities indices, foreign currencies and other financial instruments and indices. The Fund may also enter into closing purchase and sale transactions with respect to such contracts and options. The Advisor, with respect to the Fund, has claimed an exclusion from the definition of the term “commodity pool operator” under the Commodity Exchange Act and, therefore, is not subject to registration or regulation as a pool operator under that Act with respect to the Fund.
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Futures contracts entered into by the Fund have historically been traded on U.S. exchanges or boards of trade that are licensed and regulated by the CFTC or, with respect to certain funds, on foreign exchanges. More recently, certain futures may also be traded either over-the-counter or on trading facilities such as degrees by the CFTC. Also, certain single stock futures and narrow based security index futures may be traded either over-the-counter or on trading facilities such as contract markets, derivatives transaction execution facilities and electronic trading facilities that are licensed and/or regulated to varying degrees by both the CFTC and the SEC, or on foreign exchanges.
Neither the CFTC, the National Futures Association, the SEC nor any domestic exchange regulates activities of any foreign exchange or boards of trade, including the execution, delivery and clearing of transactions, or has the power to compel enforcement of the rules of a foreign exchange or board of trade or any applicable foreign law. This is true even if the exchange is formally linked to a domestic market so that a position taken on the market may be liquidated by a transaction on another market. Moreover, such laws or regulations will vary depending on the foreign country in which the foreign futures or foreign options transaction occurs. For these reasons, the Fund’s investments in foreign futures or foreign options transactions may not be provided the same protections in respect of transactions on U.S. exchanges. In particular, persons who trade foreign futures or foreign options contracts may not be afforded certain of the protective measures provided by the Commodity Exchange Act, the CFTC’s regulations and the rules of the National Futures Association and any domestic exchange, including the right to use reparations proceedings before the CFTC and arbitration proceedings provided by the National Futures Association or any domestic futures exchange. Similarly, those persons may not have the protection of the U.S. securities laws.
Futures Contracts. A futures contract may generally be described as an agreement between two parties to buy and sell particular financial instruments for an agreed price during a designated month (or to deliver the final cash settlement price, in the case of a contract relating to an index or otherwise not calling for physical delivery at the end of trading in the contract).
Positions taken in the futures market are not normally held to maturity, but are instead liquidated through offsetting transactions which may result in a profit or a loss. While the Fund will usually liquidate futures contracts on securities or currency in this manner, the Fund may instead make or take delivery of the underlying securities or currency whenever it appears economically advantageous for the Fund to do so. A clearing corporation associated with the exchange on which futures are traded guarantees that, if still open, the sale or purchase will be performed on the settlement date.
Hedging Strategies. Hedging, by use of futures contracts, seeks to establish with more certainty than would otherwise be possible the effective price, rate of return or currency exchange rate on portfolio securities or securities that the Fund owns or proposes to acquire. The Fund may, for example, take a “short” position in the futures market by selling futures contracts to seek to hedge against an anticipated rise in interest rates or a decline in market prices or foreign currency rates that would adversely affect the dollar value of the Fund’s portfolio securities. Similarly, the Fund may sell futures contracts on a currency in which its portfolio securities are quoted or denominated, or sell futures contracts on one currency to seek to hedge against fluctuations in the value of securities quoted or denominated in a different currency if there is an established historical pattern of correlation between the two currencies. When hedging of this character is successful, any depreciation in the value of portfolio securities will be substantially offset by appreciation in the value of the futures position. On the other hand, any unanticipated appreciation in the value of the Fund’s portfolio securities would be substantially offset by a decline in the value of the futures position.
Options on Futures Contracts. The acquisition of put and call options on futures contracts will give the Fund the right (but not the obligation), for a specified price, to sell or to purchase, respectively, the underlying futures contract at any time during the option period. As the purchaser of an option on a futures contract, the Fund obtains the benefit of the futures position if prices move in a favorable direction but limits its risk of loss in the event of an unfavorable price movement to the loss of the premium and transaction costs.
The writing of a call option on a futures contract generates a premium which may partially offset a decline in the value of the Fund’s assets. By writing a call option, the Fund becomes obligated, in exchange for the premium, to sell a futures contract if the option is exercised, which may have a value higher than the exercise price. The writing of a put option on a futures contract generates a premium, which may partially offset an increase in the price of securities that the Fund intends to purchase. However, the Fund becomes obligated (upon the exercise of the option) to purchase a futures contract if the option is exercised, which may have a value lower than the exercise price. Thus, the loss incurred by the Fund in writing options on futures is potentially unlimited and may exceed the amount of the premium received. The Fund will incur transaction costs in connection with the writing of options on futures.
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There are several risks associated with the use of futures contracts and options on futures contracts as hedging techniques, including market price, interest rate, leverage, liquidity, counterparty, operational and legal risks. There can be no assurance that hedging strategies using futures will be successful. A purchase or sale of a futures contract may result in losses in excess of the amount invested in the futures contract, which in some cases may be unlimited. There can be no guarantee that there will be a correlation between price movements in the hedging vehicle and in the Fund’s assets being hedged, even if the hedging vehicle closely correlates with the Fund’s investments, such as with stock index futures contracts. If the price of a futures contract changes more than the price of the securities, assets or currencies, the Fund will experience either a loss or a gain on the futures contracts that will not be completely offset by changes in the price of the securities, assets or currencies that are the subject of the hedge. An incorrect correlation could result in a loss on both the hedged securities, assets or currencies and the hedging vehicle so that the portfolio return might have been better had hedging not been attempted. It is not possible to hedge fully or perfectly against currency fluctuations affecting the value of securities denominated in foreign currencies because the value of such securities is likely to fluctuate as a result of independent factors not related to currency fluctuations. In addition, there are significant differences between the securities and futures markets that could result in an imperfect correlation between the markets, causing a given hedge not to achieve its objectives. The degree of imperfection of correlation depends on circumstances such as variations in speculative market demand for futures and options on securities, including technical influences in futures trading and options, and differences between the financial instruments being hedged and the instruments underlying the standard contracts available for trading in such respects as interest rate levels, maturities and creditworthiness of issuers. A decision as to whether, when and how to hedge involves the exercise of skill and judgment, and even a well-conceived hedge may be unsuccessful to some degree because of market behavior or unexpected interest rate trends. It is also possible that, when the Fund has sold stock index futures to hedge its portfolio against a decline in the market, the market may advance while the value of the particular securities held in the Fund’s portfolio might decline. If this were to occur, the Fund would incur a loss on the futures contracts and also experience a decline in the value of its portfolio securities.
Futures exchanges may limit the amount of fluctuation permitted in certain futures contract prices during a single trading day. The daily limit establishes the maximum amount that the price of a futures contract may vary either up or down from the previous day’s settlement price at the end of the current trading session. Once the daily limit has been reached in a futures contract subject to the limit, no more trades may be made on that day at a price beyond that limit. The daily limit governs only price movements during a particular trading day and therefore does not limit potential losses because the limit may work to prevent the liquidation of unfavorable positions. For example, futures prices have occasionally moved to the daily limit for several consecutive trading days with little or no trading, thereby preventing prompt liquidation of positions and subjecting some holders of futures contracts to substantial losses.
There can be no assurance that a liquid market will exist at a time when the Fund seeks to close out a futures contract or a futures option position. If no liquid market exists, the Fund would remain obligated to meet margin requirements until the position is closed.
Also, in the event of the bankruptcy or insolvency of a futures commission merchant that holds margin on behalf of the Fund, the Fund may not be entitled to the return of all the margin owed to the Fund, potentially resulting in a loss.
In addition to the risks that apply to all options transactions, there are several special risks relating to options on futures contracts. Although the Fund generally will purchase only those options and futures contracts for which there appears to be an active market, there is no assurance that a liquid market on an exchange will exist for any particular option or futures contract at any particular time. In the event no such market exists for particular options, it might not be possible to effect closing transactions in such options with the result that the Fund would have to exercise options it has purchased in order to realize any profit and would be less able to limit its exposure to losses on options it has written.
Illiquid Securities
Illiquid securities may include securities subject to contractual or other restrictions on resale and other instruments that lack readily available markets, as determined in accordance with SEC staff guidance. The liquidity of a security relates to the ability to readily dispose of the security and the price to be obtained upon disposition of the security, which may be lower than the price that would be obtained for a comparable, more liquid security. Illiquid securities may trade at a discount to comparable, more liquid securities and the Fund may not be able to dispose of illiquid securities in a timely fashion or at their expected prices.
Inflation/Deflation Risk
The Fund’s investments may be subject to inflation risk, which is the risk that the real value (i.e., nominal price of the asset adjusted for inflation) of assets or income from investments will be less in the future because inflation decreases the purchasing power and value of money (i.e., as inflation increases, the real value of the Fund’s assets can decline). Inflation rates may change frequently and significantly as a result of various factors, including unexpected shifts in the domestic or global economy and changes in monetary or economic policies (or expectations that these policies may change). The Fund’s investments may not keep pace with inflation, which would adversely affect the real value of Fund shareholders’ investment in the Fund. This risk is greater for fixed-income instruments with longer maturities.
Deflation risk is the risk that prices throughout the economy decline over time. Deflation may have an adverse effect on the creditworthiness of issuers and may make issuer default more likely, which may result in a decline in the value of the Fund’s assets.
Initial Public Offerings
Initial public offerings (“IPOs”) of securities occur when a company first offers its securities to the public. Although companies can be any age or size at the time of their IPO, they are often smaller and have limited operating histories, which may involve a greater potential for the value of their securities to be impaired following the IPO.
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Investors in IPOs can be adversely affected by substantial dilution in the value of their shares, by the issuance of additional shares and by concentration of control in existing management and principal shareholders. In addition, all of the factors that affect stock market performance may have a greater impact on the shares of IPO companies.
The price of a company’s securities may be highly unstable at the time of its IPO and for a period thereafter due to market psychology prevailing at the time of the IPO, the absence of a prior public market, the small number of shares available and limited availability of investor information. As a result of this or other factors, the Fund’s Advisor or Subadvisor might decide to sell a security issued through an IPO more quickly than it would otherwise, which may result in a significant gain or loss and greater transaction costs to the Fund. Any gains from shares held for one year or less may be treated as short-term gains, and be taxable as ordinary income to the Fund’s shareholders. In addition, IPO securities may be subject to varying patterns of trading volume and may, at times, be difficult to sell without an unfavorable impact on prevailing prices.
The effect of an IPO investment can have a magnified impact on the Fund’s performance if the Fund’s asset base is small. Consequently, IPOs may constitute a significant portion of the Fund’s returns particularly when the Fund is small. Since the number of securities issued in an IPO is limited, it is likely that IPO securities will represent a small component of the Fund’s assets as it increases in size and therefore have a more limited effect on the Fund’s performance.
There can be no assurance that IPOs will continue to be available for the Fund to purchase. The number or quality of IPOs available for purchase by the Fund may vary, decrease or entirely disappear. In some cases, the Fund may not be able to purchase IPOs at the offering price, but may have to purchase the shares in the after-market at a price greatly exceeding the offering price, making it more difficult for the Fund to realize a profit.
Lending of Portfolio Securities
To the extent permitted by its investment objective and policies, the Fund may lend portfolio securities constituting up to 33-1/3% of its total assets (as permitted by the 1940 Act). Under present regulatory policies, such loans may be made to institutions, such as brokers or dealers, pursuant to agreements requiring the loans to be continuously secured by collateral in cash, securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or one of its agencies or instrumentalities, irrevocable bank letters of credit (upon consent of the Board) or any combination thereof, marked to market daily, at least equal to the market value of the securities loaned. Cash received as collateral for securities lending transactions may be invested in liquid, short-term investments approved by the Advisor or Subadvisor.
Investing the collateral subjects the Fund to risks, and the Fund will be responsible for any loss that may result from its investment of the borrowed collateral. As with other extensions of credit, there are risks of delay in recovery of, or even loss of rights in, the collateral should the borrower of the securities fail financially or breach its agreement with the Fund. The Fund also bears the risk that the borrower may fail to return the securities in a timely manner or at all, either because the borrower fails financially or for other reasons, such as the financial failure of the securities lending agent. The Fund could experience delays and costs in recovering the loaned securities or in gaining access to and liquidating the collateral, which could result in actual financial loss and which could interfere with portfolio management decisions or the exercise of ownership rights in the loaned securities.
While securities are on loan, the Fund is subject to: the risk that the borrower may default on the loan and that the collateral could be inadequate in the event the borrower defaults; the risk that the earnings on any cash collateral invested may not be sufficient to pay fees incurred in connection with the loan; the risk that the principal value of any cash collateral invested may decline and may not be sufficient to pay back the borrower for amount of the collateral posted; the risk that the borrower may use the loaned securities to cover a short sale which may place downward pressure on the market prices of the loaned securities; the risk that return of loaned securities could be delayed and could interfere with portfolio management decisions; and the risk that any efforts to recall the securities for purposes of voting may not be effective. The Fund will have the right to terminate a loan at any time and recall the loaned securities within the normal and customary settlement time for securities transactions.
For the duration of a loan, the Fund will continue to receive the equivalent of the interest or dividends paid by the issuer on the securities loaned and will also receive compensation from investment of the collateral. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund.
The Fund will generally not have the right to vote securities during the existence of the loan, but the Advisor or Subadvisor may call the loan to exercise the Fund’s voting or consent rights on material matters affecting the Fund’s investment in such loaned securities.
Loans will be made only to firms deemed creditworthy, and when the consideration which can be earned from securities loans is deemed to justify the attendant risk. The creditworthiness of a borrower will be considered in determining whether to lend portfolio securities and will be monitored during the period of the loan. It is intended that the value of securities loaned by the Fund will not exceed one-third of the value of the Fund’s total assets (including the loan collateral). Loan collateral (including any investment of the collateral) is not subject to the percentage limitations stated elsewhere in this SAI or the Prospectus regarding investing in fixed-income securities and cash equivalents.
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Market Disruption Risk and Recent Market Events
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.
Recent market disruption events include the pandemic spread of the novel coronavirus known as COVID-19, and the significant restrictions, market volatility, decreased economic and other activity and increased government activity that it has caused. While vaccines have been developed, there is no guarantee that vaccines will be effective against emerging future variants of the disease. As this global pandemic illustrated, such events may affect certain geographic regions, countries, sectors and industries more significantly than others.
Ongoing armed conflicts between Russia and Ukraine in Europe and among Israel, Hamas and other militant groups in the Middle East, have caused and could continue to cause significant market disruptions and volatility within the markets in Russia, Europe, the Middle East and the United States. The hostilities and resulting sanctions have and could continue to have a significant impact on the Fund’s investments as well as Fund performance and liquidity. The economies of the United States and its trading partners, as well as the financial markets generally, may be adversely impacted by trade disputes and other matters. Further, large corporations and U.S. and foreign governmental entities may divest interests or otherwise curtail business dealings in these countries. These events may result in a loss of liquidity and value of these countries’ securities and, in some cases, a complete inability to trade or settle trades in such securities.
Changing interest rate environments (whether downward or upward) impact the various sectors of the economy in different ways. For example, low interest rate environments tend to be a positive factor for the equity markets, whereas high interest rate environments tend to apply downward pressure on earnings and stock prices. Likewise, during periods when interest rates are increasing (rather than stagnant in a high or low interest rate environment), the price of fixed income investments tend to fall as investors begin to seek higher-yielding investments. During rising interest rate environments, the Fund may be adversely affected, especially those Fund that are more susceptible to interest rate risk (e.g., those funds that hold fixed income investments or that invest in equity securities of issuers who are adversely affected by rising interest rates). As a means to fight inflation, which remains at elevated levels, the Federal Reserve and certain foreign central banks have raised interest rates and may continue to do so. U.S. regulators have proposed several changes to market and issuer regulations which would directly impact the Fund, and any regulatory changes could adversely impact the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment strategies or make certain investments.
Recent and potential future bank failures could result in disruption to the broader banking industry or markets generally and reduce confidence in financial institutions and the economy as a whole, which may also heighten market volatility and reduce liquidity. Events in the financial sector may result in reduced liquidity in the credit, fixed-income and other financial markets and an unusually high degree of volatility in the financial markets, both domestically and internationally. Certain isolated events in a financial market may also result in systemic adverse consequences across broader segments of the financial markets (domestically, regionally, or globally) in unanticipated or unforeseen ways. Such events may result from unregulated markets, systemic risk, natural market forces, bad actors, or other unforeseen scenarios.
Master Limited Partnerships (“MLPs”)
To the extent permitted by its investment objective and policies, the Fund may invest in certain companies that are structured as MLPs in which ownership interests are publicly traded. MLPs often own several properties or businesses (or directly own interests) that are related to real estate development and oil and gas industries, but they also may finance motion pictures, research and development and other projects. Generally, an MLP is operated under the supervision of one or more managing general partners. Limited partners (like the Fund when it invests in an MLP) are not involved in the day-to-day management of the partnership. They are allocated income and capital gains associated with the partnership project in accordance with the terms established in the partnership agreement. The risks of investing in an MLP are generally those inherent in investing in a partnership as opposed to a corporation. For example, state law governing partnerships is often less restrictive than state law governing corporations. Accordingly, there may be less protections afforded investors in an MLP than investors in a corporation. Additional risks involved with investing in an MLP are risks associated with the specific industry or industries in which the partnership invests, such as the risks of investing in real estate, or oil and gas industries.
MLPs are generally not subject to tax at the partnership level. Rather, each partner is allocated a share of the MLP’s income, gains, losses, deductions and expenses. A change in current tax law, or a change in the underlying business of a given MLP could result in the MLP being treated as a corporation for U.S. federal tax purposes, which would result in such MLP being subject to U.S. federal income tax on its taxable income. Such treatment also would have the effect of reducing the amount of cash available for distribution by the affected MLP. Thus, if any MLP owned by the Fund were treated as a corporation for U.S. federal tax purposes, such treatment could result in a reduction in the value of the Fund’s investment in such MLP.
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Merger, Reorganization or Liquidation of the Fund
The Board may determine to merge or reorganize the Fund, or to close and liquidate the Fund at any time, which may have adverse consequences for shareholders. In the event of the liquidation of the Fund, shareholders who remain in the Fund will receive a liquidating distribution equal to their proportionate interest in the Fund. A liquidating distribution may be a taxable event to shareholders who hold their shares in a non-tax advantage account resulting in a gain or loss for tax purposes. In addition, shareholders who hold shares of the Fund may receive a final distribution of net income and capital gains earned by the Fund and not previously distributed prior to liquidation. A shareholder may receive an amount in liquidation less than the shareholder’s original investment. Shareholders should consult their tax advisor regarding the tax treatment of the liquidation.
Money Market Instruments
To the extent permitted by its investment objective and policies, the Fund may invest a portion of its assets in high-quality money market instruments on an ongoing basis, when it would be more efficient or less expensive for the Fund to do so, or as collateral for financial instruments, for liquidity purposes, or to earn interest. The instruments in which the Fund may invest include: (1) short-term obligations issued by the U.S. government; (2) negotiable certificates of deposit (“CDs”), fixed time deposits and bankers’ acceptances of U.S. and foreign banks and similar institutions; (3) commercial paper; (4) repurchase agreements; and (5) money market mutual funds. CDs are short-term negotiable obligations of commercial banks. Time deposits are non-negotiable deposits maintained in banking institutions for specified periods of time at stated interest rates. Banker’s acceptances are time drafts drawn on commercial banks by borrowers, usually in connection with international transactions.
Options
The Fund may use options for any purpose consistent with its investment objective, such as to seek to hedge or manage risk, or to seek to increase total return. An option is a contract in which the “holder” (the buyer) pays a certain amount (the “premium”) to the “writer” (the seller) to obtain the right, but not the obligation, to buy from the writer (in a “call”) or sell to the writer (in a “put”) a specific asset at an agreed upon price (the “strike price” or “exercise price”) at or before a certain time (the “expiration date”). The holder pays the premium at inception and has no further financial obligation. The holder of an option will benefit from favorable movements in the price of the underlying asset but is not exposed to corresponding losses due to adverse movements in the value of the underlying asset. The writer of an option will receive fees or premiums but is exposed to losses due to changes in the value of the underlying asset. The Fund may purchase (buy) or write (sell) put and call options on assets, such as securities, currencies and indices of debt and equity securities (“underlying assets”) and enter into closing transactions with respect to such options to terminate an existing position. See “Derivative Instruments -- General Discussion” for more information.
If the Fund’s Advisor or Subadvisor judges market conditions incorrectly or employs a strategy that does not correlate well with the Fund’s investments, these techniques could result in a loss, regardless of whether the intent was to reduce risk or increase return. These techniques may increase the volatility of the Fund’s NAV per share and may involve a small investment of cash relative to the magnitude of the risk assumed. In addition, these techniques could result in a loss if the counterparty to the transaction does not perform as promised. Writing (selling) options involves greater risk than purchasing options because the seller is exposed to the extent of the actual price movement in the underlying security rather than only the loss of the premium payment paid, as would be the case with purchasing options. Purchasing and writing (selling) put and call options are highly specialized activities and entail greater than ordinary investment risks.
Private Investments in Public Equity
The Fund may purchase equity securities in a private placement that are issued by issuers who have outstanding, publicly-traded equity securities of the same class (“private investments in public equity” or “PIPES”). Shares in PIPES generally are not registered with the SEC until after a certain time period from the date the private sale is completed. This restricted period can last many months. Until the public registration process is completed, PIPES are restricted as to resale and the Fund cannot freely trade the securities. Generally, such restrictions cause the PIPES to be illiquid during this time. PIPES may contain provisions that the issuer will pay specified financial penalties to the holder if the issuer does not publicly register the restricted equity securities within a specified period of time, but there is no assurance that the restricted equity securities will be publicly registered, or that the registration will remain in effect.
Real Estate Companies and Real Estate Investment Trusts (“REITs”)
Investments in equity securities of issuers that are principally engaged in the real estate industry are subject to certain risks associated with ownership of real estate and with the real estate industry in general. These risks include, among others: possible declines in the value of real estate, risks related to general and local economic conditions; possible lack of availability of mortgage funds or other limitations on access to capital; overbuilding; risks associated with leverage, market illiquidity, extended vacancies of properties, increase in competition, property taxes, capital expenditures and operating expenses, changes in zoning laws or other governmental regulation; costs resulting from the clean-up of, and liability to third parties for damages resulting from environmental problems, tenants bankruptcies or other credit problems, casualty or condemnation losses, uninsured damages from floods, earthquakes or other natural disasters, limitations on and variations in rents, including decreases in market rates for rents; investment in developments that are not completed or that are subject to delays in completion; and changes in interest rates. To the extent that assets underlying the Fund’s investments are concentrated geographically, by property type on in certain other respects, the Fund may be subject to certain of the foregoing risks to a greater extent. Investments by the Fund in securities of issuers providing mortgage servicing will be subject to the risks associated with refinancing and their impact on servicing rights. The Fund’s investment in real estate companies is particularly sensitive to economic downturns.
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In addition, if the Fund receives rental income or income from the disposition of real property acquired as result of a default on securities the Fund owns, the receipt of such income may adversely affect the Fund’s ability to qualify as a regulated investment company because of certain income source requirements applicable to regulated investment companies under the Internal Revenue Code.
To the extent permitted by its investment objective and policies, the Fund may invest in REITs. REITs are pooled investment vehicles that invest primarily in either real estate or real estate related loans. A REIT will not incur any entity level taxation on income distributed to its shareholders or unitholders if it complies with certain requirements under the Internal Revenue Code, including a requirement to distribute at least 90% of its taxable income for each taxable year. Generally, REITs can be classified as equity REITs, mortgage REITs or hybrid REITs. Equity REITs invest a majority of their assets directly in real property and derive their income primarily from rents and capital gains from appreciation realized through property sales. Equity REITs are further categorized according to the types of real estate securities they own, e.g., apartment properties, retail shopping centers, office and industrial properties, hotels, health-care facilities, manufactured housing and mixed-property types. Mortgage REITs invest a majority of their assets in real estate mortgages and derive their income primarily from income payments. Hybrid REITs combine the characteristics of both equity and mortgage REITs.
The Fund will not invest in real estate directly, but only in securities issued by real estate companies. However, to the extent that the Fund invests in REITs, the Fund is also subject to the risks associated with the direct ownership of real estate, including but not limited to: declines in the value of real estate; risks related to general and local economic conditions; possible lack of availability of mortgage funds; overbuilding; extended vacancies of properties; increased competition; increases in property taxes and operating expenses; changes in zoning laws; losses due to costs resulting from the clean-up of environmental problems; liability to third parties for damages resulting from environmental problems; casualty or condemnation losses; limitations on rents; changes in neighborhood values and the appeal of properties to tenants; and changes in interest rates. Thus, the value of the Fund’s shares may change at different rates compared to the value of shares of a mutual fund with investments in a mix of different industries.
REITs are dependent upon management skills and generally may not be diversified. REITs are also subject to heavy cash flow dependency, defaults by borrowers and self-liquidation. In addition, REITs could possibly fail to qualify for special tax treatment under the Internal Revenue Code, or to maintain their exemptions from registration under the 1940 Act. The above factors may also adversely affect a borrower’s or a lessee’s ability to meet its obligations to the REIT. In the event of a default by a borrower or lessee, the REIT may experience delays in enforcing its rights as a mortgagee or lessor and may incur substantial costs associated with protecting its investments. In addition, even the larger REITs in the industry tend to be small to medium-sized companies in relation to the equity markets as a whole. Accordingly, REIT shares can be more volatile than — and at times will perform differently from — larger capitalization stocks such as those found in the Dow Jones Industrial Average.
Some REITs may have limited diversification and may be subject to risks inherent to investments in a limited number of properties, in a narrow geographic area, or in a single property type. Equity REITs may be affected by changes in underlying property values. Mortgage REITs may be affected by the quality of the credit extended. REITs also involve risks such as refinancing, interest rate fluctuations, changes in property values, general or specific economic risk on the real estate industry, dependency on management skills and other risks similar to small company investing. Although the Fund is not allowed to invest in real estate directly, it may acquire real estate as a result of a default on the REIT securities it owns. The Fund, therefore, may be subject to certain risks associated with the direct ownership of real estate including difficulties in valuing and trading real estate, declines in the value of real estate, risks related to general and local economic conditions, adverse changes in the climate for real estate, environmental liability risks, increases in property taxes and operating expenses, changes in zoning laws, casualty or condemnation losses, limitation on rents, changes in neighborhood values, the appeal of properties to tenants and increases in interest rates.
In addition, because smaller-capitalization stocks are typically less liquid than larger capitalization stocks, REIT shares may sometimes experience greater share-price fluctuations than the stocks of larger companies.
Repurchase Agreements
To the extent permitted by its investment objective and policies, the Fund may invest in repurchase agreements. A repurchase agreement, which provides a means for the Fund to earn income on uninvested cash for periods as short as overnight, is an arrangement under which the purchaser (i.e., the Fund) purchases a security, usually in the form of a debt obligation (the “Obligation”) and the seller agrees, at the time of sale, to repurchase the Obligation at a specified time and price. Repurchase agreements with foreign banks may be available with respect to government securities of the particular foreign jurisdiction. The custody of the Obligation will be maintained by a custodian appointed by the Fund. The Fund attempts to assure that the value of the purchased securities, including any accrued interest, will at all times exceed the value of the repurchase agreement. The repurchase price may be higher than the purchase price, the difference being income to the Fund, or the purchase and repurchase prices may be the same, with interest at a stated rate due to the Fund together with the repurchase price upon repurchase. In either case, the income to the Fund is unrelated to the interest rate on the Obligation subject to the repurchase agreement.
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In the event of the commencement of bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings with respect to the seller of the Obligation before repurchase of the Obligation under a repurchase agreement, the Fund may encounter delays and incur costs before being able to sell the security. Delays may involve loss of interest or decline in price of the Obligation. If the court characterizes the transaction as a loan and the Fund has not perfected a security interest in the Obligation, the Fund may be required to return the Obligation to the seller’s estate and be treated as an unsecured creditor of the seller. As an unsecured creditor, the Fund would be at risk of losing some or all of the principal and income involved in the transaction. Apart from the risk of bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings, there is also the risk that the seller may fail to repurchase the security. In the event of the bankruptcy of the seller or the failure of the seller to repurchase the securities as agreed, the Fund could suffer losses, including loss of interest on or principal of the security and costs associated with delay and enforcement of the repurchase agreement. In addition, if the market value of the Obligation subject to the repurchase agreement becomes less than the repurchase price (including accrued interest), the Fund will direct the seller of the Obligation to deliver additional securities so that the market value of all securities subject to the repurchase agreement equals or exceeds the repurchase price.
For purposes of the 1940 Act, a repurchase agreement has been deemed to be a loan from the Fund to the seller of the Obligation. It is not clear whether a court would consider the Obligation purchased by the Fund subject to a repurchase agreement as being owned by the Fund or as being collateral for a loan by the Fund to the seller.
Restricted Securities – Rule 144A Securities and Section 4(a)(2) Commercial Paper
Restricted securities have no ready market and are subject to legal restrictions on their sale (other than those eligible for resale pursuant to Rule 144A under Section 4(a)(2) of the 1933 Act determined to be liquid pursuant to guidelines adopted by the Board). Difficulty in selling securities may result in a loss or be costly to the Fund. Restricted securities generally can be sold only in privately negotiated transactions, pursuant to an exemption from registration under the 1933 Act, or in a registered public offering. Where registration is required, the holder of an unregistered security may be obligated to pay all or part of the registration expense and a considerable period may elapse between the time it decides to seek registration and the time when a holder can sell a security under an effective registration statement. If, during such a period, adverse market conditions were to develop, the holder of a restricted security (e.g., the Fund) might obtain a less favorable price than prevailed when it decided to seek registration of the security.
Certain securities may only be sold subject to limitations imposed under federal securities laws. Among others, two categories of such securities are (1) restricted securities that may be sold only to certain types of purchasers pursuant to the limitations of Rule 144A under the 1933 Act (“Rule 144A securities”) and (2) commercial debt securities that are not sold in a public offering and therefore exempt from registration under Section 4(a)(2) of the 1933 Act (“4(a)(2) commercial paper”). The resale limitations on these types of securities may affect their liquidity.
Risk of Investing in the U.S.
The Fund may have significant exposure to U.S. issuers. A decrease in imports or exports, changes in trade regulations, tariffs or the threat of tariffs, and/or an economic recession in the U.S. may have a material adverse effect on the U.S. economy and the securities listed on U.S. exchanges. Proposed and adopted policy and legislative changes in the U.S. are changing many aspects of financial and other regulation and may have a significant effect on the U.S. markets generally, as well as the value of certain securities. In addition, a continued rise in the U.S. public debt level or U.S. austerity measures may adversely affect U.S. economic growth and the securities to which the Fund has exposure.
Short Sales Risk
Short sales are transactions in which the Fund sells a security it does not own to obtain an inverse exposure to that security. To complete such a transaction, the Fund must borrow the security to make delivery to the buyer. The Fund then is obligated to replace the security borrowed by purchasing it at the market price at the time of replacement. The price at such time may be more or less than the price at which the security was sold by the Fund. Until the security is replaced, the Fund is required to pay to the lender amounts equal to any dividend which accrues during the period of the loan. To borrow the security, the Fund also may be required to pay a premium, which would increase the cost of the security sold. There will also be other costs associated with short sales.
The Fund will incur a loss as a result of the short sale if the price of the security increases between the date of the short sale and the date on which the Fund replaces the borrowed security. The Fund will realize a gain if the security declines in price between those dates. This result is the opposite of what one would expect from a cash purchase of a long position in a security. The amount of any gain will be decreased, and the amount of any loss increased, by the amount of any premium or amounts in lieu of interest the Fund may be required to pay in connection with a short sale, and will be also decreased by any transaction or other costs.
Until the Fund replaces a borrowed security in connection with a short sale, the Fund will (a) identify cash or liquid assets at such a level that such assets plus any amount deposited with the broker as collateral will equal the current value of the security sold short or (b) otherwise cover its short position in accordance with applicable law.
There is no guarantee that the Fund will be able to close out a short position at any particular time or at an acceptable price. During the time that the Fund is short a security, it is subject to the risk that the lender of the security will terminate the loan at a time when the Fund is unable to borrow the same security from another lender. If that occurs, the Fund may be “bought in” at the price required to purchase the security needed to close out the short position, which may be a disadvantageous price.
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Swap Agreements
To the extent permitted by its investment objective and policies, the Fund may invest in swap agreements. Swap agreements are two party contracts entered into primarily by institutional investors for periods ranging from a few days to more than one year. In a standard “swap” transaction, two parties agree to exchange the returns, differentials in rates of return or some other amount earned or realized on particular predetermined investments or instruments, which may be adjusted for an interest factor. The gross returns to be exchanged or “swapped” between the parties are calculated with respect to a “notional amount,” i.e., the return on or increase in value of a particular dollar amount invested at a particular interest rate, in a particular foreign currency, or in a “basket” of securities representing a particular index. The “notional amount” of the swap agreement is only a fictive basis on which to calculate the obligations that the parties to a swap agreement have agreed to exchange. An equity swap is a two-party contract that generally obligates one party to pay the positive return and the other party to pay the negative return on a specified reference security, basket of securities, security index or index component (“asset”) during the period of the swap. The payments based on the reference asset may be adjusted for transaction costs, interest payments, the amount of dividends paid on the referenced asset or other economic factors.
Swap agreements will tend to shift the Fund’s investment exposure from one type of investment to another. For example, if the Fund agreed to pay fixed rates in exchange for floating rates while holding fixed-rate bonds, the swap would tend to decrease the Fund’s exposure to long-term interest rates. Depending on how they are used, swap agreements may increase or decrease the overall volatility of the Fund’s investments and its share price and yield. The most significant factor in the performance of swap agreements is the change in the specific interest rate, currency, or other factors that determine the amounts of payments due to and from the Fund. If a swap agreement calls for payments by the Fund, the Fund must be prepared to make such payments when due.
Whether the Fund’s use of swap agreements will be successful in furthering its investment objective will depend on the Advisor’s or Subadvisor’s ability to correctly predict whether certain types of investments are likely to produce greater returns than other investments. Because, among other reasons, swaps are two party contracts and may have terms of greater than seven days, swap agreements may be classified as illiquid investments. Moreover, the Fund bears the risk of loss of the amount expected to be received under a swap agreement in the event of the default or bankruptcy of a swap agreement counterparty. The Advisor or Subadvisor will cause the Fund to enter into swap agreements only with counterparties that would be eligible for consideration as repurchase agreement counterparties under the Fund’s repurchase agreement guidelines. Certain restrictions imposed on the Fund by the Internal Revenue Code may limit the Fund’s ability to use swap agreements. The Fund may be able to eliminate its exposure under a swap agreement either by assignment or other disposition, or by entering into an offsetting swap agreement with the same party or a similarly creditworthy party. It is possible that developments in the swaps market, including potential government regulation, could adversely affect the Fund’s ability to terminate existing swap agreements or to realize amounts to be received under such agreements.
Certain standardized swaps are currently subject to mandatory central clearing. Central clearing is expected to decrease counterparty risk compared to bilateral swaps because central clearing interposes the central clearinghouse as the counterparty to each participant’s swap. CFTC regulations require that a clearing member segregate all funds received from customers with respect to cleared swap transactions from the clearing member’s proprietary assets. However, all funds and other property received by a clearing member from its cleared swaps customers with respect to cleared derivatives are generally held by the clearing member on a commingled basis in an omnibus account by account class, and the clearing member may invest those funds in certain instruments.
CFTC regulations require that the clearing member notify the clearinghouse of the initial margin provided by the clearing member to the clearinghouse that is attributable to each customer. If the clearing member does not accurately report the Fund’s initial margin, the Fund is subject to the risk that a clearinghouse will use the assets attributable to it in the clearinghouse’s omnibus account to satisfy payment obligations a defaulting customer of the clearing member has to the clearinghouse.
Clearinghouses (and in many cases clearing members) have broad rights to increase margin requirements for existing transactions or to terminate those transactions at any time. In addition, if a clearing member does not comply with the applicable regulations or its agreement with the Fund, or in the event of fraud or misappropriation of customer assets by a clearing member, the Fund could have only an unsecured creditor claim in an insolvency of the clearing member with respect to the margin held by the clearing member. Separately, under the trade execution requirement, swap transactions subject to the clearing requirement must be traded on either a Designated Contract Market (DCM) or Swap Execution Facility (SEF) unless no DCM or SEF “makes the swap available to trade.” A DCM is a board of trade (i.e., an organized exchange or trading facility) that has been licensed by the CFTC. An SEF is a trading facility that provides certain minimum trading functionality to facilitate the execution of swaps between persons and is not a DCM. Swap transactions subject to the trade execution requirement must be executed on an SEF either through an order book or a request-for-quote system operated in conjunction with an order book. The trade execution requirement is expected to decrease illiquidity risk and increase pre-trade price transparency because prices and volumes are posted on the exchange. However, central clearing and the trade execution requirement do not eliminate counterparty risk or illiquidity risk entirely. In addition, depending on the size of the Fund and other factors, the margin required under the rules of a clearinghouse and by a clearing member may be in excess of the collateral required to be posted by the Fund to support its obligations under a similar bilateral swap thus requiring the Fund to incur increased expenses to access the same types of swaps. Certain other swap agreements can be individually negotiated and structured to include exposure to a variety of different types of investments or market factors.
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Whether the Fund’s use of swap agreements will be successful in furthering its investment objective will depend on the Advisor or Subadvisor’s ability to predict whether certain types of investments are likely to produce greater returns than other investments. Moreover, the Fund bears the risk of loss of the amount expected to be received under a swap agreement in the event of the default or bankruptcy of a swap agreement counterparty. The Fund will enter into swap agreements only with counterparties that meet certain standards of creditworthiness. Certain restrictions imposed by the Internal Revenue Code may limit the Fund’s ability to use swap agreements. It is possible that developments in the swaps market, including additional government regulation, could adversely affect the Fund’s ability to terminate existing swap agreements or to realize amounts to be received under such agreements.
Total Return Swaps. Total return swaps give the Fund the right to receive the appreciation in the value of a specified security, index or other instrument in return for a fee paid to the counterparty, which will typically be an agreed upon interest rate. Total return swaps can also be used to replicate an exposure to a short position in an asset class where the Fund has the right to receive the depreciation in value of a specified security, index or other instrument (“inverse swaps”). If the underlying asset in a total return swap declines in value (or increases in value, if an inverse swap) over the term of the swap, the Fund may also be required to pay the dollar value of that decline (or increase, if an inverse swap) to the counterparty.
Total return swaps are considered illiquid by the Fund. Consequently, the Fund will segregate liquid assets, which may include securities, cash or cash equivalents, to cover the Fund’s daily marked-to-market net obligations under outstanding swap agreements. This segregation of assets may limit the Fund’s investment flexibility, as well as its ability to meet redemption requests or other current obligations.
The number of counterparties may vary over time. During periods of credit market turmoil or when the aggregate swap notional amount needed by the Fund is relatively small given the level of the Fund’s net assets, the Fund may have only one or a few counterparties. In such circumstances, the Fund will be exposed to greater counterparty risk. Moreover, the Fund may be unable to enter into any total return swap on terms that make economic sense (e.g., they may be too costly). To the extent that the Fund is unable to enter into any total return swaps, it may not be able to meet its investment objective. If the Fund is unable to enter into total return swaps, it may engage in other types of derivative transactions, although the added costs and lower correlation of these other derivatives may adversely affect the Fund’s ability to meet its investment objective.
Credit Default Swaps. To the extent consistent with its investment objectives and subject to the Fund’s general limitations on investing in swap agreements, the Fund may invest in credit default swaps, including credit default swap index products (sometimes referred to as CDX index). Credit default swaps are contracts whereby one party, the protection “buyer,” makes periodic payments to a counterparty, the protection “seller,” in exchange for the right to receive from the seller a payment equal to the par (or other agreed-upon value (the “value”)) of a particular debt obligation (the “referenced debt obligation”) in the event of a default by the issuer of that debt obligation. A credit default swap may use one or more securities that are not currently held by the Fund as referenced debt obligations. The Fund may be either the buyer or the seller in the transaction. When used for hedging purposes, the Fund would be the buyer of a credit default swap contract. In that case, the Fund would be entitled to receive the value of a referenced debt obligation from the seller in the event of a default by a third party, such as a U.S. or non-U.S. issuer, on the debt obligation. In return, the Fund would pay to the seller a periodic stream of payments over the term of the contract provided that no event of default has occurred. If no default occurs, the Fund would have spent the stream of payments and received no benefit from the contract. Credit default swaps involve the risk that, in the event that the Advisor or Subadvisor incorrectly evaluates the creditworthiness of the issuer on which the swap is based, the investment may expire worthless and would generate income only in the event of an actual default by the issuer of the underlying obligation (as opposed to a credit downgrade or other indication of financial instability). They also involve credit risk that the seller may fail to satisfy its payment obligations to the Fund in the event of a default.
When the Fund is the seller of a credit default swap contract, it receives the stream of payments but is obligated to pay upon default of the referenced debt obligation. As the seller, the Fund would effectively add leverage to its portfolio because, in addition to its total assets, the Fund would be subject to investment exposure on the notional amount of the swap.
In addition to the risks applicable to derivatives generally, credit default swaps involve special risks because they are difficult to value, are highly susceptible to liquidity and credit risk, and generally pay a return to the party that has paid the premium only in the event of an actual default by the issuer of the underlying obligation (as opposed to a credit downgrade or other indication of financial difficulty).
The Fund may also invest in a CDX index, which is an equally-weighted credit default swap index that is designed to track a representative segment of the credit default swap market (e.g., investment grade, high volatility, below investment grade or emerging markets) and provides an investor with exposure to specific “baskets” of issuers of certain debt instruments. CDX index products potentially allow an investor to obtain the same investment exposure as an investor who invests in an individual credit default swap, with an increased level of diversification. Generally, the value of the CDX index will fluctuate in response to changes in the perceived creditworthiness or default experience of the basket of issuers of debt instruments to which the CDX index provides exposure. An investor’s investment in a tranche of a CDX index provides customized exposure to certain segments of the CDX index’s potential loss distribution. The lowest or riskiest tranche, known as the equity tranche, has exposure to the first losses experienced by the basket. The mezzanine and senior tranches are higher in the capital structure but may also be exposed to losses in value. Investment in a CDX index is susceptible to liquidity risk, along with credit risk, counterparty risk and others risks associated with an investment in a credit default swaps, as discussed above. However, certain of these indices are subject to mandatory central clearing and exchange trading, which may reduce counterparty credit risk and increase liquidity compared to other credit default swap or CDX index transactions.
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Temporary Defensive Positions
In times of unusual or adverse purchase or redemption activity, or market, economic or political conditions, for temporary defensive purposes, the Fund may invest outside the scope of its principal investment focus. Under these or other conditions, the Fund may not invest in accordance with its investment objective or investment strategies, including substantially reducing or eliminating its short positions, and, as a result, there is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. Under these or other conditions, the Fund may, in the discretion of the Advisor or Subadvisor, invest without limit in cash, cash equivalents and/or other fixed-income securities. These include, but are not limited to: short-term obligations issued or guaranteed as to interest and principal by the U.S. government or any agency or instrumentality thereof (including obligations of banks CDs, bankers’ acceptances and time deposits) and obligations of other banks or S&Ls if such obligations are federally insured; commercial paper, investment grade corporate debt securities or money market instruments, for this purpose including U.S. government securities having remaining maturities of one year or less; and other debt instruments not specifically described above if such instruments are deemed by the Advisor or Subadvisor to be of comparable high quality and liquidity.
Underlying Fund Risk
The Fund may pursue its investment objective by investing in securities of other exchange-traded funds or exchange-traded investment products (“ETPs”). To the extent it invests in ETPs, the Fund’s investment performance, depends on the investment performance of the ETPs in which it invests. An investment in the Fund is subject to the risks associated with the ETPs in which the Fund invests. The Fund will indirectly pay a proportional share of the asset-based fees of the ETPs in which it invests. In addition, at times the segments of the market represented by the ETPs may be out of favor and underperform other segments.
U.S. Government Securities
To the extent permitted by its investment objective and policies, the Fund may invest in U.S. Government securities. Securities issued or guaranteed by the United States government or its agencies or instrumentalities include various U.S. Treasury securities, which differ only in their interest rates, maturities and times of issuance. U.S. Treasury bills have initial maturities of one year or less; U.S. Treasury notes have initial maturities of one to ten years; and U.S. Treasury bonds generally have initial maturities of greater than ten years. Some obligations issued or guaranteed by U.S. government agencies and instrumentalities, such as GNMA pass-through certificates, are supported by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Treasury. Other securities, such as those of the Federal Home Loan Banks, are supported by the right of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury. Additionally, other securities, such as those issued by FNMA, are supported by the discretionary authority of the U.S. government to purchase certain obligations of the agency or instrumentality, while others, such as those issued by the Student Loan Marketing Association, are supported only by the credit of the agency or instrumentality. U.S. government securities also include government-guaranteed mortgage-backed securities. The U.S. government securities in which the Fund may invest may pay fixed, floating, variable or adjustable interest rates.
While the U.S. government provides financial support to such U.S. government-sponsored agencies or instrumentalities, no assurance can be given that it will always do so, and it is not so obligated by law. Because the U.S. government is not obligated by law to provide support to an instrumentality it sponsors, the Fund will invest in obligations issued by such an instrumentality only if the Advisor or Subadvisor determines that the credit risk with respect to the instrumentality does not make its securities unsuitable for investment by the Fund.
Any controversy or ongoing uncertainty regarding the status of negotiations in the U.S. Congress to increase the statutory debt ceiling may impact the market value of U.S. government debt securities held by the Fund. If the U.S. Congress is unable to negotiate an adjustment to the statutory debt ceiling, there is also the risk that the U.S. government may default on payments on certain U.S. government securities, including those held by the Fund, which could have a material negative impact on the Fund.
U.S. government securities do not generally involve the credit risks associated with other types of interest bearing securities. As a result, the yields available from U.S. government securities are generally lower than the yields available from other interest bearing securities. Like other fixed- income securities, the values of U.S. government securities change as interest rates fluctuate. When interest rates decline, the values of U.S. government securities can be expected to increase, and when interest rates rise, the values of U.S. government securities can be expected to decrease.
U.S. Tax Risk
The Fund’s investments and investment strategies, including transactions in options and futures contracts, may be subject to special and complex federal income tax provisions, the effect of which may be, among other things: (1) to disallow, suspend, defer or otherwise limit the allowance of certain losses or deductions; (2) to accelerate income to the Fund; (3) to convert long-term capital gain, which is currently subject to lower tax rates, into short-term capital gain or ordinary income, which are currently subject to higher tax rates; (4) to convert an ordinary loss or a deduction into a capital loss (the deductibility of which is more limited); (5) to treat dividends that would otherwise constitute qualified dividend income as non-qualified dividend income; and (6) to produce income that will not qualify as good income under the gross income requirements that must be met for the Fund to qualify as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code. While it may not always be successful in doing so, the Fund will seek to avoid or minimize any adverse tax consequences that could arise from such investment practices.
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Warrants and Rights
To the extent that the Fund invests in equity securities, the Fund may purchase or otherwise receive warrants or rights. The holder of a warrant or right generally has the right to purchase a given number of shares of a particular issuer at a specified price until expiration of the warrant or right. Such investments can provide a greater potential for profit or loss than an equivalent investment in the underlying security. For example, warrants are speculative investments that pay no dividends and confer no rights other than a purchase option and the prices of warrants do not necessarily move in tandem with the prices of the underlying securities. If a warrant or right is not exercised by the date of its expiration, the Fund will lose its entire investment in such warrant or right. In addition, the terms of warrants or rights may limit the Fund’s ability to exercise the warrants or rights at such time, or in such quantities, as the Fund would otherwise wish.
Board Responsibilities. The business of the Trust is managed under the direction of the Board. The Board has considered and approved contracts, as described herein, under which certain companies provide essential management and administrative services to the Trust. The day-to-day business of the Trust, including the day-to-day management of risk, is performed by the service providers of the Trust, such as the Advisor, Subadvisor, Distributor and Administrator. The Board is responsible for overseeing the Trust’s service providers and, thus, has oversight responsibility with respect to the risk management performed by those service providers. Risk management seeks to identify and eliminate or mitigate the potential effects of risks such as events or circumstances that could have material adverse effects on the business, operations, shareholder services, investment performance or reputation of the Trust or the Fund. The Board’s role in risk management oversight begins before the inception of an investment portfolio, at which time the Advisor and the Subadvisor present the Board with information concerning the investment objectives, strategies and risks of their applicable investment portfolio. Additionally, the Advisor and the Subadvisor provide the Board with an overview of, among other things, the respective firm’s investment philosophy, brokerage practices and compliance infrastructure. Thereafter, the Board oversees the risk management of the investment portfolio’s operations, in part, by requesting periodic reports from and otherwise communicating with various personnel of the service providers, including the Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer and the independent registered public accounting firm of the Trust. The Board and, with respect to identified risks that relate to its scope of expertise, the Audit Committee of the Board oversee efforts by management and service providers to manage risks to which the Fund may be exposed.
Under the overall supervision of the Board and the Audit Committee (discussed in more detail below), the service providers to the Trust employ a variety of processes, procedures and controls to identify risks relevant to the operations of the Trust and the Fund to lessen the probability of their occurrence and/or to mitigate the effects of such events or circumstances if they do occur. Each service provider is responsible for one or more discrete aspects of the Trust’s business and, consequently, for managing the risks associated with that activity.
The Board is responsible for overseeing the nature, extent and quality of the services provided to the Fund by the Advisor and the Subadvisor and receives information about those services at its regular meetings. In addition, on at least an annual basis, in connection with its consideration of whether to renew the Advisory Agreement with the Advisor and the Subadvisory Agreement with the Subadvisor, the Board receives detailed information from the Advisor and the Subadvisor. Among other things, the Board regularly considers each of the Advisor’s and Subadvisor’s adherence to the Fund’s investment restrictions and compliance with various policies and procedures of the Trust and with applicable securities regulations. The Board also reviews information about the Fund’s performance and investments.
The Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer meets regularly with the Board to review and discuss compliance and other issues. At least annually, the Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer provides the Board with a report reviewing the adequacy and effectiveness of the Trust’s policies and procedures and those of its service providers, including the Advisor and the Subadvisor. The report addresses the operation of the policies and procedures of the Trust and each service provider since the date of the last report; material changes to the policies and procedures since the date of the last report; any recommendations for material changes to the policies and procedures; and material compliance matters since the date of the last report.
The Board receives reports from the Trust’s service providers regarding operational risks, portfolio valuation and other matters. Annually, the independent registered public accounting firm reviews with the Audit Committee its audit of the financial statements of the Fund, focusing on major areas of risk encountered by the Trust and noting any significant deficiencies or material weaknesses in the Trust’s internal controls.
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The Board recognizes that not all risks that may affect the Fund can be identified, that it may not be practical or cost-effective to eliminate or mitigate certain risks, that it may be necessary to bear certain risks (such as investment-related risks) to achieve the Fund’s goals, and that the processes, procedures and controls employed to address certain risks may be limited in their effectiveness. Moreover, despite the periodic reports the Board receives and the Board’s discussions with the service providers to the Trust, it may not be made aware of all of the relevant information of a particular risk. Most of the Trust’s investment management and business affairs are carried out by or through the Advisor and other service providers, each of which has an independent interest in risk management but whose policies and the methods by which one or more risk management functions are carried out may differ from the Trust’s and each other’s in the setting of priorities, the resources available or the effectiveness of relevant controls. As a result of the foregoing and other factors, the Board’s risk management oversight is subject to substantial limitations.
Additionally, as required by Rule 22e-4 under the 1940 Act, the Trust has implemented a written liquidity risk management program and related procedures (“Liquidity Program”) that are reasonably designed to assess and manage the Fund’s “liquidity risk” (defined by the SEC as the risk that the Fund could not meet requests to redeem shares issued by the Fund without significant dilution of remaining investors’ interests in the Fund). The Liquidity Program is reasonably designed to assess and manage the Fund’s liquidity risk. The Board, including a majority of the Independent Trustees, approved the designation of New York Life Investments as the Liquidity Program’s Administrator. The Board will review, no less frequently than annually, a written report prepared by the Liquidity Program’s Administrator that addresses the operation of the Liquidity Program and assesses its adequacy and effectiveness of implementation.
The Board also benefits from other risk management resources and functions within New York Life, such as its risk management personnel and internal auditor department. The Board recognizes that it is not possible to identify all of the risks that may affect the Fund or to develop processes and controls to mitigate or eliminate all risks and their possible effects, and that it may be necessary to bear certain risks (such as investment risks) to achieve the Fund’s investment objectives. The Board may, at any time and in its discretion, change the manner in which it conducts risk oversight.
Members of the Board and Officers of the Trust. Set forth below are the names, years of birth, position with the Trust, term of office, portfolios supervised and the principal occupations and other directorships for a minimum of the last five years of each of the persons currently serving as members of the Board and as Executive Officers of the Trust. Also included below is the term of office for each of the Executive Officers of the Trust. The members of the Board serve as Trustees for the life of the Trust or until retirement, removal, or their office is terminated pursuant to the Trust’s Declaration of Trust.
Paul D. Schaeffer, an Independent Trustee (as defined below), is Chair of the Board. Four of the Trustees, Mr. Schaeffer, Lofton Holder, Michael A. Pignataro and Michelle A. Kinch, and their immediate family members have no affiliation or business connection with the Advisor, the Subadvisor or the Distributor or any of their affiliated persons and do not own any stock or other securities issued by the Advisor, the Subadvisor or the Distributor. These Trustees are not “interested persons” of the Trust and are referred to herein as “Independent Trustees.” Kirk C. Lehneis (the “Interested Trustee”) is an interested person of the Trust as that term is defined under Section 2(a)(19) of the 1940 Act because of his affiliation with the Advisor.
There is an Audit Committee and a Nominating Committee of the Board, each of which is chaired by an Independent Trustee and comprised solely of Independent Trustees. The chair for each committee is responsible for running the committee meeting, formulating agendas for those meetings, and coordinating with management to serve as a liaison between the Independent Trustees and management on matters within the scope of the responsibilities of such committee as set forth in its Board-approved charter. The Board has determined that this leadership structure is appropriate given the specific characteristics and circumstances of the Fund. The Board made this determination in consideration of, among other things, the fact that the Independent Trustees constitute a majority of the Board, the assets under management of the Fund, the number of portfolios overseen by the Board and the total number of trustees on the Board.
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| Independent Trustees | |||||
| Name and Year of Birth(1) |
Position(s) Held with Trust |
Term of Office and Length of Time Served(2) |
Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years |
Number of Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen by Trustee(3) |
Other Directorships Held by Trustee During Past 5 Years |
|
Lofton Holder,
1964
|
Trustee | Since June 2022 | Retired; formerly, Managing Partner and Co-Founder, Pine Street Alternative Asset Management (2011 to 2019). | [ ] | Board Member, Golub Capital BDC, Inc., Golub Capital BDC 3, Inc., and Golub Capital Direct Lending Corporation (each, a business development company) (since 2021); Board Member, Manning & Napier (investment manager) (since 2021). |
|
Michael A. Pignataro,
1959
|
Trustee | Since April 2015 | Retired; formerly, Director, Credit Suisse Asset Management (2001 to 2012); and Chief Financial Officer, Credit Suisse Funds (1996 to 2013). | [ ] | The New Ireland Fund, Inc. (closed-end fund) (2015 to 2023). |
|
Paul D. Schaeffer,
1951
|
Trustee
Chair of the Board
|
Since April 2015
Since March 2023
|
President, ASP (dba Aspiring Solution Partners) (financial services consulting) (since 2013); Consultant and Executive Advisor, Aquiline Capital Partners LLC (private equity investment) (since 2014). | [ ] | None. |
|
Michelle A. Kinch,
1975
|
Trustee | Since June 2022 | Assistant Professor of Business Administration, Dartmouth College Tuck School of Business (since 2023); Visiting Scholar, Harvard Business School (2022 to 2024); Visiting Assistant Professor of Operations Management, Boston University Questrom School of Business (2020 to 2023); Business researcher and consultant, self-employed (2013 to 2020). | [ ] | Pathstone (investment advisory firm offering comprehensive family office services) (2022 to 2023). |
| Interested Trustee | |||||
|
Kirk C. Lehneis,
1974(4)
|
Trustee and President |
Since January 2018
|
Chief Operating Officer and Senior Managing Director (since 2016) and Head of US Retail (since April 2024), New York Life Investment Management LLC; Chief Executive Officer, IndexIQ Advisors LLC (2018 to 2024); Chairman of the Board, NYLIM Service Company LLC (since 2017); President, NYLI MacKay DefinedTerm Muni Opportunities Fund, New York Life Investments Funds, New York Life Investments Funds Trust, and New York Life Investments VP Funds Trust (since 2017); President, NYLI CBRE Global Infrastructure Megatrends Term Fund (since 2021) and NYLI MacKay Muni Income Opportunities Fund (since 2024). | [ ] | None. |
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| Officers | |||
| Name and Year of Birth(1) |
Position(s) Held with Trust | Term of Office and Length of Time Served(2) |
Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years |
|
Jack R. Benintende,
1964
|
Vice President | Since March 2023 | Managing Director, New York Life Investment Management LLC (since 2007); Chief Operating Officer, IndexIQ Advisors LLC (2023 to 2024); Treasurer and Principal Financial and Accounting Officer, The New York Life Investments Funds (since 2007), New York Life Investments Funds Trust (since 2009), NYLI MacKay Muni Income Opportunities Fund (since 2024), NYLI CBRE Global Infrastructure Megatrends Term Fund (since 2021), NYLI MacKay DefinedTerm Muni Opportunities Fund (since 2011) and New York Life Investments VP Funds Trust (since 2007). |
|
Adefolahan Oyefeso,
1974
|
Treasurer, Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer | Since April 2018 | Director of Operations & Finance, New York Life Investment Management LLC (since 2015). |
|
Matthew V. Curtin,
1982
|
Secretary and Chief Legal Officer | Since June 2015 | Associate General Counsel, New York Life Insurance Company (since 2015); Chief Legal Officer, IndexIQ Advisors LLC (2015 to 2024). |
|
Kevin M. Gleason,
1966
|
Chief Compliance Officer | Since June 2022 | Chief Compliance Officer, New York Life Investments ETF Trust and New York Life Investments Active ETF Trust, The New York Life Investments Funds, New York Life Investments Funds Trust, NYLI MacKay DefinedTerm Muni Opportunities Fund, NYLI CBRE Global Infrastructure Megatrends Term Fund and New York Life Investments VP Funds Trust (since 2022); Senior Vice President, Voya Investment Management, LLC and Chief Compliance Officer, Voya Family of Funds (2012 to 2022). |
| (1) | The address of each Trustee or officer is c/o New York Life Investment Management LLC, 51 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10010. |
| (2) | Trustees and Officers serve until their successors are duly elected and qualified. |
| (3) | As of the date of this SAI, the Fund is part of a complex of funds (the “NYLI ETF Group of Funds”), which consists of all of the portfolios in the Trust and all of the portfolios in the New York Life Investments ETF Trust. |
| (4) | Mr. Lehneis is an “interested person” of the Trust (as that term is defined in the 1940 Act) because of his affiliations with the Advisor. |
The Board met five times during the fiscal year ended April 30, 2025.
Description of Standing Board Committees
Audit Committee. The principal responsibilities of the Audit Committee are the appointment, compensation and oversight of the Trust’s independent auditors, including the resolution of disagreements regarding financial reporting between Trust management and such independent auditors. The Audit Committee’s responsibilities include, without limitation, to (i) oversee the accounting and financial reporting processes of the Trust and its internal control over financial reporting and, as the Committee deems appropriate, to inquire into the internal control over financial reporting of certain third-party service providers; (ii) oversee the quality and integrity of the Fund’s financial statements and the independent audits thereof; (iii) oversee, or, as appropriate, assist Board oversight of, the Trust’s compliance with legal and regulatory requirements that relate to the Trust’s accounting and financial reporting, internal control over financial reporting and independent audits; (iv) approve prior to appointment the engagement of the Trust’s independent auditors and, in connection therewith, to review and evaluate the qualifications, independence and performance of the Trust’s independent auditors; (v) oversee the Trust’s policies and practices regarding the valuation of investments and computation of the Fund’s net asset value; and (vi) act as a liaison between the Trust’s independent auditors and the full Board. The Board has adopted a written charter for the Audit Committee. All of the Independent Trustees serve on the Trust’s Audit Committee. During the fiscal year ended April 30, 2025, the Audit Committee met three times.
Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee has been established to: (i) assist the Board in matters involving mutual fund governance and industry practices; (ii) select and nominate candidates for appointment or election to serve as Trustees who are not “interested persons” of the Trust or its Advisor or distributor (as defined by the 1940 Act); and (iii) advise the Board of Trustees on ways to improve its effectiveness. All of the Independent Trustees serve on the Nominating Committee. As stated above, each Trustee holds office for an indefinite term until the occurrence of certain events. In filling Board vacancies, the Nominating Committee will consider nominees recommended by shareholders. Nominee recommendations should be submitted to the Trust at its mailing address stated in the Fund’s Prospectus and should be directed to the attention of the New York Life Investments Active ETF Trust Nominating Committee. During the fiscal year ended April 30, 2025, the Nominating Committee met one time.
Individual Trustee Qualifications
The Trust has concluded that each of the Trustees should serve on the Board because of their ability to review and understand information about the Trust and the Fund provided to them by management, to identify and request other information they may deem relevant to the performance of their duties, to question management and other service providers regarding material factors bearing on the management and administration of the Fund, and to exercise their business judgment in a manner that serves the best interests of the Fund’s shareholders. The Trust has concluded that each of the Trustees should serve as a Trustee based on their own experience, qualifications, attributes and skills as described below.
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The Trust has concluded that Mr. Holder should serve as Trustee of the Trust because of his experience in senior executive roles in the financial services industry and, in particular, as co-founder and managing partner of Pine Street Alternative Asset Management LLC.
The Trust has concluded that Mr. Pignataro should serve as Trustee of the Trust and as an audit committee financial expert because of the experience he has gained as a businessman and, in particular, his prior service in the financial services industry as a Director of Credit Suisse Asset Management and Chief Financial Officer of the Credit Suisse Funds.
The Trust has concluded that Mr. Schaeffer should serve as Trustee of the Trust because of his experience in the financial services industry, including his experience as a director of and service provider to investment companies.
The Trust has concluded that Ms. Kinch should serve as Trustee of the Trust because of the experience she has gained as an academic and researcher in the fields of business and operations and technology management and her extensive experience in the financial services industry as a consultant and executive.
The Trust has concluded that Mr. Lehneis should serve as Trustee of the Trust because of the experience he has gained as President of The New York Life Investments Funds, Chief Operating Officer of New York Life Investments, his prior experience as Chief Executive Officer of IndexIQ Advisors LLC, and his knowledge of and experience in the financial services industry.
Trustees’ Ownership of Shares
Listed below for each Trustee is the dollar range of securities in the Trust beneficially owned together with the aggregate dollar range of equity securities in all registered investment companies overseen by each Trustee that are in the same family of investment companies as the Trust, as of December 31, 2025.
| Name of Trustee | Dollar Range of Equity Securities in the Fund |
Aggregate Dollar Range of Equity Securities in All Registered Investment Companies Overseen by Trustees in Family of Investment Companies(1) |
| Lofton Holder | [ ] | [ ] |
| Michael A. Pignataro | [ ] | [ ] |
| Paul D. Schaeffer | [ ] | [ ] |
| Michelle A. Kinch | [ ] | [ ] |
| Kirk C. Lehneis(2) | [ ] | [ ] |
| (1) | Includes the NYLI ETF Group of Funds, which consists of all of the portfolios in the Trust and all of the portfolios in the New York Life Investments ETF Trust. |
| (2) | Mr. Lehneis is an “interested person” of the Trust (as that term is defined in the 1940 Act) because of his affiliations with the Advisor. |
As of [_____], 2026, the Independent Trustees of the Trust and their immediate family members did not own beneficially or of record any class of securities of an investment advisor or principal underwriter of the Fund or any person directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by or under common control with an investment advisor or principal underwriter of the Fund.
As of [_____], 2026, the officers and Trustees, in the aggregate, owned less than 1% of the Shares of the Fund.
Board Compensation
Effective January 1, 2025, each Independent Trustee receives from the Fund Complex, either directly or indirectly, an annual retainer of $85,000. Prior to January 1, 2025, each Independent Trustee received from the Fund Complex, either directly or indirectly, an annual retainer of $75,000. As Chair of the Board, Mr. Schaeffer receives an annual fee of $35,000; as Chair of the Audit Committee, Mr. Pignataro receives an annual fee of $10,000; and as Chair of the Nominating Committee, Ms. Kinch receives an annual fee of $10,000. In addition, the Independent Trustees are reimbursed for all reasonable travel expenses relating to their attendance at the Board Meetings. The following table sets forth certain information with respect to the compensation of each Trustee for the fiscal year ended April 30, [ ]:
31
| Name and Position | Pension or Retirement Benefits Accrued as Part of Trust Expenses / Estimated Annual Benefits Upon Retirement |
Total Compensation from Trust and Fund Complex Paid to Trustees(1) |
| Lofton Holder, Trustee | [ ] | [ ] |
| Michael A. Pignataro, Trustee | [ ] | [ ] |
| Paul D. Schaeffer, Trustee | [ ] | [ ] |
| Michelle A. Kinch, Trustee | [ ] | [ ] |
| Kirk C. Lehneis, Trustee, President and Principal Executive Officer(2) | None | None |
| (1) | Includes the NYLI ETF Group of Funds, which consists of all of the portfolios in the Trust and all of the portfolios in the New York Life Investments ETF Trust. |
| (2) | Mr. Lehneis is an “interested person” of the Trust (as that term is defined in the 1940 Act) because of his affiliations with the Advisor. |
Code of Ethics
The Trust, its Advisor, Subadvisor and principal underwriter have each adopted a code of ethics under Rule 17j-1 of the 1940 Act that permits personnel subject to their particular codes of ethics to invest in securities, including securities that may be purchased or held by the Fund.
It is the policy of the Fund that proxies received by the Fund are voted in the best interests of the Fund’s shareholders. For purposes of this Policy, the best interests of shareholders means the shareholders’ best economic interest over the long-term (e.g., the common interest that all shareholders have in seeing the value of a common investment increase over time). The Board has delegated responsibility for decisions regarding proxy voting for securities held by each series of the Trust to the Advisor. Where the Fund has retained the services of the Subadvisor to provide day-to-day portfolio management for the Fund, the Advisor may delegate proxy-voting authority to the Subadvisor, provided that, as specified in the Advisor’s Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures, the Subadvisor has demonstrated that its proxy voting policies and procedures are consistent with the Advisor’s Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures or are otherwise implemented in the best interests of the Advisor’s clients and appear to comply with governing regulations. The Fund may revoke all or part of this delegation (to the Advisor and/or the Subadvisor as applicable) at any time by a vote of the Board. The Advisor has delegated proxy-voting authority to the Fund’s Subadvisor. In the event that the Advisor revokes the delegation of proxy voting responsibility of the Subadvisor, the Advisor will assume full responsibility for ensuring that proxies are voted in the best interests of its shareholders. A summary of the Fund’s Subadvisor’s proxy voting policies and procedures is listed below:
Ausbil
Ausbil has adopted Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures and implemented Ausbil’s Proxy Voting Policy which is designed to make sure that where clients have delegated proxy-voting authority to Ausbil, proxies are voted in the best interests of such clients without regard to the interests of Ausbil or related parties. Ausbil currently uses Institutional Shareholder Services, Inc. (“ISS”) to assist in voting client securities under standard or client-specific guidelines. For purposes of the Policy, the “best interests of clients” means, unless otherwise specified by the client, the clients’ best economic interests over the long term – that is, the common interest that all clients share in seeing the value of a common investment increase over time. Ausbil has adopted standard proxy voting guidelines, and standard guidelines will vary based on client type and/or investment strategy (e.g., sustainability voting guidelines).
For those clients who have given us voting authority, we instruct the client’s custodian to send all ballots to ISS and we instruct ISS which guidelines to follow. Ausbil votes proxies in accordance with the applicable standard voting guidelines unless Ausbil agrees with the client to apply custom guidelines. Ausbil will document all the voting decisions and conflicts of interest.
The Trust is required to disclose annually the Fund’s complete proxy voting record on Form N-PX covering the period July 1 through June 30 and file it with the SEC no later than August 31 of each year. The Fund’s most recent Form N-PX will be available at no charge upon request by calling toll-free 1-888-474-7725, by visiting dfinview.com/NYLIM or the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.
CONTROL PERSONS AND PRINCIPAL HOLDERS OF SECURITIES
As of the date of this SAI, the Fund has not yet commenced operations and information is not presented for the Fund.
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The following information supplements and should be read in conjunction with the section in the Prospectus entitled “Management.”
Investment Advisor
New York Life Investment Management LLC, the Advisor, serves as investment advisor to the Fund and has overall responsibility for the general management and administration of the Trust, pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement between the Trust and the Advisor (the “Advisory Agreement”). Under the Advisory Agreement, the Advisor, subject to supervision by the Board, provides an investment program for the Fund and is responsible for the retention of subadvisors to manage the investment of the Fund’s assets in conformity with the stated investment objective and principal investment strategies, and subject to the investment policies, of the Fund if the Advisor does not provide these services directly. The Advisor is responsible for the supervision of the Subadvisor and its management of the investment portfolio of the Fund. The Advisor also arranges for the provision of distribution, subadvisory, transfer agency, custody, administration and all other services necessary for the Fund to operate.
Section 15(a) of the 1940 Act requires that all contracts pursuant to which persons serve as investment advisors to investment companies be approved by shareholders. As interpreted, this requirement also applies to the appointment of a subadvisor to the Fund. The Advisor and the Trust have obtained an exemptive order (the “Order”) from the SEC permitting the Advisor, on behalf of the Fund and subject to the approval of the Board, including a majority of the Independent Trustees, to hire or terminate affiliated or unaffiliated subadvisors and to modify any existing or future subadvisory agreement with a subadvisor without shareholder approval. This authority is subject to certain conditions. The Fund will notify shareholders and provide them with certain information required by the Order within 90 days of hiring a new subadvisor. The Order also grants the Advisor and Trust relief with respect to the disclosure of the advisory fees paid to individual subadvisors in various documents filed with the SEC and provided to shareholders. Pursuant to the Order, the Fund may disclose the aggregate fees payable to the Advisor and wholly owned subadvisors and the aggregate fees payable to unaffiliated subadvisors and subadvisors affiliated with the Advisor, other than wholly-owned subadvisors. The Fund’s sole shareholder has approved the use of the Order.
The Advisory Agreement will remain in effect with respect to the Fund from year to year provided such continuance is specifically approved at least annually by (i) the vote of a majority of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities or a majority of the Trustees of the Trust, and (ii) the vote of a majority of the Independent Trustees of the Trust, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval.
In addition to providing advisory services, under the Advisory Agreement, the Advisor also: (i) supervises all non-advisory operations of the Fund; (ii) provides personnel to perform such executive, administrative and clerical services as are reasonably necessary to provide effective administration of the Fund; (iii) arranges for (a) the preparation of all required tax returns, (b) the preparation and submission of reports to existing shareholders, (c) the periodic updating of prospectuses and statements of additional information and (d) the preparation of reports to be filed with the SEC and other regulatory authorities; (iv) maintains the records of the Fund; and (v) provides office space and all necessary office equipment and services.
The Advisory Agreement will terminate automatically if assigned (as defined in the 1940 Act). The Advisory Agreement is also terminable with respect to the Fund at any time without penalty by the Board of Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund on 60 days’ written notice to the Advisor or by the Advisor on 60 days’ written notice to the Trust.
Pursuant to the Advisory Agreement, the Advisor is entitled to receive a fee, payable monthly, at the annual rate for the Fund, based on a percentage of its average daily net assets, as follows:
| Fund Name | Management Fee |
| NYLI International Small-Mid Cap Equity ETF | [ ]% |
Expense Limitation Agreement
The Advisor has entered into an Expense Limitation Agreement (“Expense Limitation Agreement”) with the Fund under which it has agreed to waive or reduce its fees and to assume other expenses of the Fund in an amount that limits “Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses” (excluding interest, taxes, brokerage commissions, dividend payments on short sales, acquired fund fees and expenses, other expenditures which are capitalized in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, other extraordinary expenses not incurred in the ordinary course of the Fund’s business, and amounts, if any, payable pursuant to a plan adopted in accordance with Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act) to not more than the percentage of the average daily net assets of the Fund as set forth below. The Expense Limitation Agreement will remain in effect permanently unless terminated by the Board of Trustees of the Fund.
| Fund Name | Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Waiver/Reimbursement |
| NYLI International Small-Mid Cap Equity ETF | [ ]% |
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Subadvisor
Ausbil Investment Management Limited
Ausbil Investment Management Limited (“Ausbil” or the “Subadvisor”) is located at 225 George Street, Sydney, New South Wales 2000, Australia and serves as investment subadvisor to the Fund, pursuant to the Investment Subadvisory Agreement between the Advisor and Ausbil (the “Subadvisory Agreement”). As of [ ], 2025, Ausbil managed approximately $[ ] billion in assets.
Pursuant to the Subadvisory Agreement, Ausbil is entitled to receive a fee from the Advisor, payable monthly, at the annual rate based on a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets as follows:
| Fund Name | Subadvisory Fee |
| NYLI International Small-Mid Cap Equity ETF | [ ]% |
The Subadvisor is responsible for placing purchase and sale orders and shall make investment decisions for the Fund, subject to supervision by the Advisor and the Board of Trustees of the Trust. For their services, the Subadvisor is compensated by the Advisor. The Subadvisory Agreement will continue in effect with respect to the Fund from year to year provided such continuance is specifically approved at least annually by (i) the vote of a majority of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities or a majority of the Trustees of the Trust, and (ii) the vote of a majority of the Independent Trustees of the Trust, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval. The Subadvisory Agreement provides that the Subadvisor shall not be liable to the Fund for any error of judgment by the Subadvisor or for any loss sustained by the Fund except in the case of the Subadvisor’s willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of duty. To the extent that the Advisor has agreed to waive its Advisory Fee or reimburse expenses, the Subadvisor has voluntarily agreed to waive or reimburse its fee proportionately.
The Subadvisory Agreement will terminate automatically if assigned (as defined in the 1940 Act). The Subadvisory Agreement is also terminable with respect to the Fund at any time without penalty by the Board of Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund on 60 days’ written notice to the Subadvisor or by the Subadvisor on 60 days’ written notice to the Advisor.
Portfolio Managers
The Subadvisor acts as portfolio manager for the Fund. Subject to supervision by the Advisor and the Board, the Subadvisor supervises and manages the investment portfolios of the Fund and directs the purchase and sale of the Fund’s investment securities. The Subadvisor utilizes a team of investment professionals acting together to manage the assets of the Fund. The portfolio management team meets regularly to review portfolio holdings and to discuss purchase and sale activity. The portfolio management team adjusts holdings in the applicable portfolio as they deem appropriate in the pursuit of the Fund’s investment objective.
The portfolio managers listed below are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund:
| Simon Wood, Portfolio Manager |
| Tobias Bucks, Portfolio Manager |
Other Accounts Managed
The Fund’s portfolio managers also have responsibility for the day-to-day management of accounts other than the Fund. Except as otherwise indicated, information regarding these other accounts, as of [ ], is set forth below.
| Portfolio Manager |
NUMBER OF OTHER ACCOUNTS MANAGED AND ASSETS BY ACCOUNT TYPE |
NUMBER OF ACCOUNTS AND ASSETS FOR WHICH THE ADVISORY FEE IS BASED ON PERFORMANCE | ||||
|
Registered Investment Company ($mm) |
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles ($mm) |
Other Accounts ($mm) |
Registered Investment Company ($mm) |
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles ($mm) |
Other Accounts ($mm) | |
| Simon Wood | [ ]/$[ ] | [ ]/$[ ] | [ ]/$[ ] | [ ]/$[ ] | [ ]/$[ ] | [ ]/$[ ] |
| Tobias Bucks | [ ]/$[ ] | [ ]/$[ ] | [ ]/$[ ] | [ ]/$[ ] | [ ]/$[ ] | [ ]/$[ ] |
Material Conflicts of Interest
Ausbil does not favor the interests of one client over another and has adopted a Best Execution and Trade Allocation Policy designed so that all client accounts will be treated fairly and reasonably and no one client account will receive, over time, preferential treatment, in execution or allocation.
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Ausbil maintains independently managed investment teams, which from time-to-time may compete with each other for the same investment opportunities and/or take opposing positions. Ausbil may engage in transactions and investment strategies for certain clients that differ from the transactions and strategies executed on behalf of other clients. At times, if two or more of Ausbil’s investment teams jointly manage the assets of a single client portfolio (“Crossover Mandate”). In such instances, the asset allocation decisions will be discussed amongst the various investment teams, but the day-to-day investment decision-making process will typically be made independently by each team for the portion of the Crossover Mandate that team is responsible for managing. Orders within an investment team are typically aggregated to reduce transaction costs. Orders are typically not aggregated across investment teams even though there may be orders by separate investment teams to execute the same instrument on the same trading day; provided, however, that orders for the same instrument are typically aggregated across investment teams that are supported by a shared trading desk.
Ausbil is not precluded from investing in instruments of a company held in another client account, even if such positions may be adverse to one another. These investments can create conflicts of interest. In order to address the potential for such a conflict of interest, Ausbil has designed and implemented procedures that it believes are reasonably designed to ensure that all clients are treated fairly, and to prevent these kinds of conflicts from influencing the allocation of investment opportunities among clients.
Ausbil engages in transactions and investment strategies for certain clients that differ from the transactions and strategies executed on behalf of other clients, including clients that have retained the services of the same investment team. Ausbil may make investments for certain clients that it concludes are inappropriate for other clients. For instance, clients within one investment strategy may take short positions in the debt or equity instruments of certain issuers, while at the same time those instruments or other instruments of that issuer are acquired or held long by clients in another investment strategy, or within the same strategy, and vice versa.
Additionally, Ausbil’s investment strategies are available through a variety of investment products, including, without limitation, separately managed accounts, private funds, mutual funds and ETFs. Given the different structures of these products, certain clients are subject to terms and conditions that are materially different or more advantageous than available under different products. For example, mutual funds offer investors the ability to redeem from the fund daily, while private funds offer less frequent liquidity. Similarly, a client with a separately managed account may have more transparency regarding the positions held in its account than would be available to an investor in a collective investment vehicle. Further, separately managed account clients have the ability to terminate their investment management agreement with little or no notice (subject to the terms of the investment advisory agreement or similar agreement).
Ausbil seeks to tailor its investment advisory services to meet each client’s investment objective, constraints and investment guidelines.
Ausbil permits its personnel, including portfolio managers, to engage in personal securities transactions, including buying or selling securities that it has recommended to, or purchased or sold on behalf of, clients. These transactions raise potential conflicts of interest, including when they involve securities owned or considered for purchase or sale by or on behalf of a client account. Ausbil has implemented a Personal Dealing Policy and adopted a Code of Ethics to guide its personnel in identifying and managing potential conflicts of interest. Ausbil’s services to each client are not exclusive. Managing multiple client accounts can create potential conflicts regarding the allocation of time and resources. Although Ausbil strives to identify and mitigate conflicts of interest, and seeks to treat its clients in a fair manner consistent with its fiduciary duties, there may be times when conflicts of interest are not resolved in a manner favorable to a specific client.
Compensation for the Portfolio Managers
Salaries are set by reference to a range of factors, taking into account each individual’s seniority and responsibilities and the market rate of pay for the relevant position. Annual salaries are set at competitive levels to attract and maintain the best professional talent. Variable or incentive compensation, both cash bonus and deferred awards, are an important component of total compensation for portfolio managers at Ausbil. Incentive compensation received by portfolio managers is generally based on both quantitative and qualitative factors. The quantitative factors include, but are not limited to: (i) investment performance; (ii) assets under management; and (iii) revenues and profitability. The qualitative factors may include, among others: leadership, adherence to the firm’s policies and procedures, and contribution to the firm’s goals and objectives.
Ausbil maintains an equity share plan for those employees who qualify whereby awards vest and pay out after several years, to attract, retain, motivate and reward key personnel. Portfolio managers that participate in the equity share plan share in the results and success of the firm as the value of award tracks the share price of Ausbil. This approach helps to instill a strong sense of commitment towards the overall success of the firm.
Ausbil maintains an employee benefit program, including non-health insurance, education reimbursement, and participation in the Australian Superannuation system — a defined contribution plan for all of its employees regardless of their job title, responsibilities or seniority.
Ownership of Securities
As of the date of this SAI, the portfolio managers did not own shares of the Fund.
Fund Administrator, Custodian, Transfer Agent and Securities Lending Agent
The Bank of New York Mellon (“BNY Mellon”) serves as the Fund’s administrator, custodian, transfer agent and securities lending agent. BNY Mellon’s principal address is 240 Greenwich Street, New York, New York 10286. BNY Mellon is the principal operating subsidiary of The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation. Under the Fund Administration and Accounting Agreement, BNY Mellon provides necessary administrative, legal, tax, accounting services, and financial reporting for the maintenance and operations of the Trust and the Fund. In addition, BNY Mellon makes available the office space, equipment, personnel and facilities required to provide such services.
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BNY Mellon supervises the overall administration of the Trust and the Fund, including, among other responsibilities, assisting in the preparation and filing of documents required for compliance by the Fund with applicable laws and regulations and arranging for the maintenance of books and records of the Fund. BNY Mellon provides persons satisfactory to the Board to serve as officers of the Trust.
BNY Mellon serves as custodian of the Fund’s assets (the “Custodian”). Under the Custody Agreement with the Trust, BNY Mellon maintains in separate accounts cash, securities and other assets of the Trust and the Fund, keeps all necessary accounts and records, and provides other services. BNY Mellon is required, upon order of the Trust, to deliver securities held by BNY Mellon and to make payments for securities purchased by the Trust for the Fund. Under the Custody Agreement, BNY Mellon is also authorized to appoint certain foreign custodians or foreign custody managers for Fund investments outside the U.S.
The Custodian has agreed to (1) make receipts and disbursements of money on behalf of the Fund; (2) collect and receive all income and other payments and distributions on account of the Fund’s portfolio investments; (3) respond to correspondence from Fund shareholders and others relating to its duties; and (4) make periodic reports to the Fund concerning the Fund’s operations. The Custodian does not exercise any supervisory function over the purchase and sale of securities.
BNY Mellon serves as transfer agent and dividend paying agent for the Fund (the “Transfer Agent”). The Transfer Agent has agreed to (1) issue and redeem Shares of the Fund; (2) make dividend and other distributions to shareholders of the Fund; (3) respond to correspondence by Fund shareholders and others relating to its duties; (4) maintain shareholder accounts; and (5) make periodic reports to the Fund.
As compensation for the foregoing services, BNY Mellon receives certain out-of-pocket costs, transaction fees and asset- based fees, which are accrued daily and paid monthly by the Trust.
As of the date of this SAI, the Fund has not commenced operations and, therefore, has not yet paid any administration, custody or transfer agent fees.
Securities Lending
BNY Mellon also serves as the Trust’s securities lending agent pursuant to a Securities Lending Authorization Agreement. As compensation for providing securities lending services, BNY Mellon receives a portion of the income earned by the Fund on collateral investments in connection with the lending program.
Pursuant to an agreement between the Trust, on behalf of the Fund, and BNY Mellon, the Fund may lend their portfolio securities to certain qualified borrowers. As securities lending agent for the Fund, BNY Mellon administers the Fund’s securities lending program. The services provided to the Fund by BNY Mellon with respect to the Fund’s securities lending activities during the most recent fiscal year included, among other things: locating approved borrowers and arranging loans; collecting fees and rebates due to the Fund from a borrower; monitoring daily the value of the loaned securities and collateral and marking to market the daily value of securities on loan; collecting and maintaining necessary collateral; managing cash collateral, which may include investing the cash collateral in approved investment pools; managing qualified dividends; negotiating loan terms; recordkeeping and account servicing; monitoring dividend activity and proxy votes relating to loaned securities; and arranging for return of loaned securities to the Fund at loan termination.
As of the date of this SAI, the Fund has not commenced operations and, as a result, has not earned income or incurred costs or expenses associated with such activities.
Distributor
ALPS Distributors, Inc. (“ALPS” or the “Distributor”), is located at 1290 Broadway, Suite 1000, Denver, Colorado 80203. The Distributor is a broker-dealer registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”). NYLIFE Distributors LLC has entered into a Services Agreement with ALPS to market the Fund.
Shares will be continuously offered for sale by the Trust through the Distributor only in whole Creation Units, as described in the section of this SAI entitled “Purchase and Redemption of Creation Units.” The Distributor also acts as an agent for the Trust. The Distributor will deliver a prospectus to authorized participants purchasing Shares in Creation Units and will maintain records of both orders placed with it and confirmations of acceptance furnished by it. The Distributor has no role in determining the investment policies of the Fund or which securities are to be purchased or sold by the Advisor.
As compensation for the foregoing services, the Distributor receives certain out-of-pocket costs and per Fund flat fees, which are accrued daily and paid monthly by the Advisor.
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The Board of Trustees has adopted a Distribution and Service Plan pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act. In accordance with its Distribution and Service Plan, the Fund is authorized to pay an amount up to 0.25% of its average daily net assets each year to finance activities primarily intended to result in the sale of Creation Units of the Fund or the provision of investor services. No Rule 12b-1 fees are currently paid by the Fund and there are no plans to impose these fees. However, in the event Rule 12b-1 fees are charged in the future, they will be paid out of the Fund’s assets, and over time these fees will increase the cost of your investment and they may cost you more than certain other types of sales charges.
Under the Service and Distribution Plan, and as required by Rule 12b-1, the Trustees will receive and review after the end of each calendar quarter a written report provided by the Distributor of the amounts expended under the Plan, if any, and the purpose for which such expenditures were made.
The Advisor and its affiliates may, out of their own resources, pay amounts to third parties for distribution or marketing services on behalf of the Fund. The making of these payments could create a conflict of interest for a financial intermediary receiving such payments.
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, located at 300 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10017, serves as the independent registered public accounting firm to the Trust. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP will perform the annual audit of the Fund’s financial statements.
Legal Counsel
Chapman and Cutler LLP, located at 1717 Rhode Island Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036, serves as legal counsel to the Trust and the Fund.
PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS AND BROKERAGE
Subject to the general supervision by the Board, the Advisor and the Subadvisor are responsible for decisions to buy and sell securities for the Fund, the selection of brokers and dealers to effect the transactions, which may be affiliates of the Advisor or the Subadvisor, and the negotiation of brokerage commissions. The Fund may execute brokerage or other agency transactions through registered broker-dealers who receive compensation for their services in conformity with the 1940 Act, the Exchange Act, and the rules and regulations thereunder. Compensation may also be paid in connection with riskless principal transactions (on Nasdaq or over-the-counter securities and securities listed on an exchange) and agency Nasdaq or over-the-counter transactions executed with an electronic communications network or an alternative trading system.
The Fund will give primary consideration to obtaining the most favorable prices and efficient executions of transactions in implementing trading policy. Consistent with this policy, when securities transactions are traded on an exchange, the Fund’s policy will be to pay commissions which are considered fair and reasonable without necessarily determining that the lowest possible commissions are paid in all circumstances. The Advisor and Subadvisor believe that a requirement always to seek the lowest possible commission cost could impede effective portfolio management and preclude the Fund from obtaining a high-quality of brokerage services. In seeking to determine the reasonableness of brokerage commissions paid in any transaction, the Advisor or the Subadvisor will rely upon its experience and knowledge regarding commissions generally charged by various brokers and on its judgment in evaluating the brokerage and research services received from the broker effecting the transaction. Such determinations will be necessarily subjective and imprecise, as in most cases an exact dollar value for those services is not ascertainable.
The Advisor and Subadvisor do not consider sales of Shares by broker-dealers as a factor in the selection of broker-dealers to execute portfolio transactions.
On occasions when the Advisor or the Subadvisor deems the purchase or sale of a security to be in the best interests of the Fund as well as its other customers (including any other fund or other investment company or advisory account for which the Advisor or Subadvisor acts as investment advisor or investment subadvisor), the Advisor or Subadvisor, to the extent permitted by applicable laws and regulations, may aggregate the securities to be sold or purchased for the Fund with those to be sold or purchased for such other customers in order to obtain the best net price and most favorable execution under the circumstances. In such event, allocation of the securities so purchased or sold, as well as the expenses incurred in the transaction, will be made by the Advisor or Subadvisor in the manner it considers to be equitable and consistent with its fiduciary obligations to the Fund and such other customers. In some instances, this procedure may adversely affect the price and size of the position obtainable for the Fund.
The Fund’s portfolio turnover rate is calculated by dividing the lesser of sales or purchases of portfolio securities by the average monthly value of the Fund’s portfolio securities. For purposes of this calculation, portfolio securities will exclude purchases and sales of debt securities having maturity at the date of purchase of one year or less.
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The turnover rate for the Fund will vary from year-to-year and depending on market conditions, turnover could be greater in periods of unusual market movement and volatility. A higher turnover rate generally would result in greater brokerage commissions, or other transactional expenses which must be borne, directly or indirectly, by the Fund and, ultimately, by the Fund’s shareholders. High portfolio turnover may result in increased brokerage commissions and in the realization of a substantial increase in net short-term capital gains by the Fund which, when distributed to non-tax-exempt shareholders, will be treated as dividends (ordinary income).
DISCLOSURE OF PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS
Portfolio Disclosure Policy
The Trust has adopted a Portfolio Holdings Policy (the “Policy”) designed to govern the disclosure of Fund portfolio holdings and the use of material nonpublic information about Fund holdings. The Policy applies to all officers, employees and agents of the Fund, including the Advisor and the Subadvisor. The Policy together with other policies of the Trust and Advisor and Subadvisor, is designed to protect the confidentiality of portfolio holdings information and to prevent the selective disclosure of non-public information concerning the Fund, which is consistent with applicable legal requirements and otherwise in the best interests of the Fund.
As an ETF, information about the Fund’s portfolio holdings is made available on a daily basis in accordance with the provisions of any Order of the SEC applicable to the Exchange and other applicable SEC regulations, orders and no-action relief. Such information typically reflects all or a portion of the Fund’s anticipated portfolio holdings as of the next Business Day (as defined in the section entitled “Purchase and Redemption of Creation Units”). This information is used in connection with the creation and redemption process and is disseminated on a daily basis through the facilities of the Exchange, the National Securities Clearing Corporation (the “NSCC”) and/or third party service providers.
The Fund will disclose on the Fund’s website newyorklifeinvestments.com/etf at the start of each Business Day the identities and quantities of the securities and other assets held by the Fund that will form the basis of the Fund’s calculation of its NAV on that Business Day. The portfolio holdings so disclosed will be based on information as of the close of business on the prior Business Day and/or trades that have been completed prior to the opening of business on that Business Day and that are expected to settle on the Business Day. Online disclosure of such holdings is publicly available at no charge.
Daily access to the Fund’s portfolio holdings is permitted to personnel of the Advisor, the Subadvisor and the Distributor and the Fund’s administrator, custodian and accountant and other agents or service providers of the Trust who have need of such information in connection with the ordinary course of their respective duties to the Fund. Generally, all officers, employees and agents of the Fund, including the Advisor and the Subadvisor who have access to non-public information regarding the Fund’s portfolio holdings information are restricted in their uses of such information pursuant to information barriers and personal trading restrictions. The Subadvisor, its agents and its employees regularly have access to portfolio holdings information and, as such, the Subadvisor is contractually obligated to keep portfolio holdings information confidential.
Non-public portfolio holdings information is provided pursuant to a confidentiality agreement. All confidentiality agreements entered into for the receipt of non-public portfolio holdings information must provide that: (i) the Fund’s non-public portfolio holdings information is the confidential property of the Fund and may not be used for any purpose except as expressly provided; (ii) the recipient of the non-public portfolio holdings information (a) agrees to limit access to the information to its employees and agents who are subject to a duty to keep and treat such information as confidential and (b) will implement appropriate monitoring procedures; and (iii) upon written request from the Advisor or the Fund, the recipient of the non-public portfolio holdings information shall promptly return or destroy the information. In lieu of the separate confidentiality agreements described above, the Fund may rely on the confidentiality provisions of existing agreements provided the Advisor has determined that such provisions adequately protect the Fund against disclosure or misuse of non-public holdings information.
No person is authorized to disclose the Fund’s portfolio holdings or other investment positions except in accordance with the Policy. The Trust’s Board reviews the implementation of the Policy on a periodic basis. The Fund’s Chief Compliance Officer may authorize disclosure of portfolio holdings.
The Fund will disclose its complete portfolio holdings schedule in public filings with the SEC on a quarterly basis, based on the Fund’s fiscal year, within sixty (60) days of the end of the quarter, and will provide that information to shareholders, as required by federal securities laws and regulations thereunder.
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONCERNING SHARES
Organization and Description of Shares of Beneficial Interest
The Trust is a Delaware statutory trust and registered investment company. The Trust was organized on January 30, 2008, and has authorized capital of an unlimited number of shares of beneficial interest of no par value which may be issued in more than one class or series.
Under Delaware law, the Trust is not required to hold an annual shareholders meeting if the 1940 Act does not require such a meeting. Generally, there will not be annual meetings of Trust shareholders. If requested by shareholders of at least 10% of the outstanding Shares of the Trust, the Trust will call a meeting of the Trust’s shareholders for the purpose of voting upon the question of removal of a Trustee and will assist in communications with other Trust shareholders. Shareholders holding two-thirds of Shares outstanding may remove Trustees from office by votes cast at a meeting of Trust shareholders or by written consent.
When issued, Shares are fully paid, non-assessable, redeemable and freely transferable; provided, however, that Shares may not be redeemed individually, but only in Creation Units. The Shares do not have preemptive rights or cumulative voting rights, and none of the Shares have any preference to conversion, exchange, dividends, retirements, liquidation, redemption or any other feature. Shares have equal voting rights, except that, if the Trust creates additional funds, only Shares of that fund may be entitled to vote on a matter affecting that particular fund. Trust shareholders are entitled to require the Trust to redeem Creation Units if such shareholders are Authorized Participants. The Declaration of Trust confers upon the Board the power, by resolution, to alter the number of Shares constituting a Creation Unit or to specify that Shares of the Trust may be individually redeemable. The Trust reserves the right to adjust the stock prices of Shares to maintain convenient trading ranges for investors. Any such adjustments would be accomplished through stock splits or reverse stock splits which would have no effect on the net assets of the Fund.
The Trust’s Declaration of Trust disclaims liability of the shareholders or the officers of the Trust for acts or obligations of the Trust which are binding only on the assets and property of the Trust. The Declaration of Trust provides for indemnification by the Trust for all loss and expense of the Fund’s shareholders held personally liable for the obligations of the Trust. The risk of a Trust’s shareholder incurring financial loss on account of shareholder liability is limited to circumstances in which the Fund itself would not be able to meet the Trust’s obligations and this risk should be considered remote. If the Fund does not grow to a size to permit it to be economically viable, the Fund may cease operations. In such an event, shareholders may be required to liquidate or transfer their Shares at an inopportune time and shareholders may lose money on their investment.
Book-Entry-Only System
The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) acts as securities depository for the Shares. Shares of the Fund are represented by securities registered in the name of DTC or its nominee, Cede & Co., and deposited with, or on behalf of, DTC. Except as provided below, certificates will not be issued for Shares.
DTC, a limited purpose trust company, was created to hold securities of its participants (“DTC Participants”) and to facilitate the clearance and settlement of securities transactions among the DTC Participants in such securities through electronic book-entry changes in accounts of the DTC Participants, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of securities certificates. DTC Participants include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and certain other organizations, some of whom (and/or their representatives) own DTC. More specifically, DTC is owned by a number of its DTC Participants and by the NYSE and FINRA. Access to the DTC system is also available to others such as banks, brokers, dealers and trust companies, that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a DTC Participant, either directly or indirectly (“Indirect Participants”).
Beneficial ownership of Shares is limited to DTC Participants, Indirect Participants and persons holding interests through DTC Participants and Indirect Participants. Ownership of beneficial interests in Shares (owners of such beneficial interests are referred to herein as “Beneficial Owners”) is shown on, and the transfer of ownership is effected only through, records maintained by DTC (with respect to DTC Participants) and on the records of DTC Participants (with respect to Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners that are not DTC Participants). Beneficial Owners will receive from or through the DTC Participant a written confirmation relating to their purchase and sale of Shares. The laws of some jurisdictions may require that certain purchasers of securities take physical delivery of such securities in definitive form. Such laws may impair the ability of certain investors to acquire beneficial interests in Shares of the Fund.
Conveyance of all notices, statements and other communications to Beneficial Owners is effected as follows. DTC will make available to the Trust upon request and for a fee to be charged to the Trust a listing of the Shares of the Fund held by each DTC Participant. The Trust shall inquire of each such DTC Participant as to the number of Beneficial Owners holding Shares, directly or indirectly, through such DTC Participant. The Trust shall provide each such DTC Participant with copies of such notice, statement or other communication, in such form, number and at such place as such DTC Participant may reasonably request, in order that such notice, statement or communication may be transmitted by such DTC Participant, directly or indirectly, to such Beneficial Owners. In addition, the Trust shall pay to each such DTC Participants a fair and reasonable amount as reimbursement for the expenses attendant to such transmittal, all subject to applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.
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Distributions of Shares shall be made to DTC or its nominee, Cede & Co., as the registered holder of all Shares. DTC or its nominee, upon receipt of any such distributions, shall immediately credit DTC Participants’ accounts with payments in amounts proportionate to their respective beneficial interests in Shares of the Fund as shown on the records of DTC or its nominee. Payments by DTC Participants to Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners of Shares held through such DTC Participants will be governed by standing instructions and customary practices, as is now the case with securities held for the accounts of customers in bearer form or registered in a “street name,” and will be the responsibility of such DTC Participants.
The Trust has no responsibility or liability for any aspect of the records relating to or notices to Beneficial Owners, or payments made on account of beneficial ownership interests in such Shares, or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records relating to such beneficial ownership interests, or for any other aspect of the relationship between DTC and the DTC Participants or the relationship between such DTC Participants and the Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners owning through such DTC Participants.
DTC may decide to discontinue providing its service with respect to Shares at any time by giving reasonable notice to the Trust and discharging its responsibilities with respect thereto under applicable law. Under such circumstances, the Trust shall take action to find a replacement for DTC to perform its functions at a comparable cost.
PURCHASE AND REDEMPTION OF CREATION UNITS
General
The Trust issues and sells Shares of the Fund only to Authorized Participants, which are members or participants of any clearing agency registered with the SEC and which have a written agreement with the Trust or any Trust service provider that allows an Authorized Participant to place orders for the purchase and redemption of Creation Units. Creation Units are the specified number of Fund Shares that the Trust will issue to (or redeem from) an Authorized Participant in exchange for the deposit (or delivery) of a basket of securities, assets or other positions. Creation Units may be purchased and redeemed by Authorized Participants on a continuous basis on any Business Day (as defined below) through the Distributor at the Shares’ NAV next determined after receipt of an order in proper form. In its discretion, the Trust reserves the right to increase or decrease the number of the Fund’s Shares that constitute a Creation Unit.
A Business Day with respect to the Fund is, generally, any day that the Exchange is open for business, although as communicated by the Trust or the Distributor, the Fund may be closed on days when the principal markets for the Fund’s portfolio holdings are closed.
The specific terms and procedures governing purchase and redemption transactions in Creation Units by Authorized Participants are contained in the agreement between the Distributor and each Authorized Participant, and which is subject to acceptance by the Transfer Agent, including any annex thereto, any order form developed for use by the Distributor with Authorized Participants to purchase or redeem Creation Units, and any related communication provided to Authorized Participants by the Distributor, the Transfer Agent, the Advisor, or the Trust (together, the “Authorized Participant Agreement”). More specifically, the Authorized Participant Agreement sets forth the detailed procedures by which the Authorized Participant may purchase or redeem Creation Units of Shares (i) through the Continuous Net Settlement (“CNS”) clearing processes of NSCC, as such processes have been enhanced to effect purchases and redemptions of Creation Units, sometimes called the “CNS Clearing Process,” or (ii) outside the CNS Clearing Process (i.e., through the manual process of the DTC, sometimes called the “DTC Process”).
Purchases and Redemptions
The consideration for purchase of a Creation Unit generally consists of a designated basket of a securities, assets (including cash) or other positions that are representative of the Fund’s portfolio (the “Purchase Basket”), and an amount of cash to account for any difference between the value of the Purchase Basket and the net asset value of a Creation Unit, sometimes called a cash balancing amount. The Fund also may accept a Purchase Basket that is composed of: (i) a non-representative selection of portfolio holdings, or (ii) a representative Purchase Basket that is different from the initial Purchase Basket published for use in transactions on the same Business Day.
The proceeds from the redemption of a Creation Unit generally consist of a designated basket of securities, assets (including cash) or other positions that are representative of the Fund’s portfolio (the “Redemption Basket”), and an amount of cash to account for any difference between the value of the Redemption Basket and the net asset value of a Creation Unit, sometimes called a cash balancing amount. The Fund also may deliver a Redemption Basket that is composed of: (i) a non-representative selection of portfolio holdings, or (ii) a representative Redemption Basket that is different from the initial Redemption Basket used in transactions on the same Business Day.
Purchase Baskets and Redemption Baskets will be communicated to Authorized Participants prior to the opening of the trading of Shares on each Business Day by either the Distributor, the Transfer Agent, the Trust or the Advisor.
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Acceptance of Purchase Orders for Creation Units
The Trust reserves the right to reject or revoke a purchase order for Creation Units transmitted to it by the Distributor, for any legally permissible reason, if: (1) the order is not in proper form; (2) the investor(s), upon obtaining the Shares ordered, would own 80% or more of the currently outstanding Shares of the Fund; (3) payment of any cash amount due as part of the Purchase Basket or any cash balancing amount has not been made by the Authorized Participant by the contractual settlement date; (4) the securities and other assets delivered do not conform to the identity and number of Shares specified by the applicable Purchase Basket; (5) acceptance of the Purchase Basket would be unlawful or have an adverse effect on the Fund or its shareholders (e.g., jeopardize the Fund’s tax status); or (6) there exist circumstances outside the reasonable control of the Trust, the Custodian, the Distributor and the Advisor that make it for all practical purposes impossible to process orders for the purchase of Creation Units. Examples of such circumstances include acts of God; public service or utility problems; earthquakes; fires; floods; wars; civil or military disturbances; terrorism; sabotage; epidemics; riots; interruptions; extreme weather conditions; power outages resulting in telephone, telecopy, internet, or computer failures; accidents; labor disputes; market conditions or activities causing trading halts; systems failures involving computer or other information systems affecting the Trust, the Advisor, the Distributor, DTC, NSCC, the Custodian or sub-custodian or any other participant in the creation process and similar extraordinary events.
The Trust, the Custodian, any sub-custodian and the Distributor are under no duty, however, to give notification of any defects or irregularities in the delivery of securities, assets or other positions comprising a Purchase Basket nor shall any of them incur any liability for the failure to give any such notification. All questions as to the validity, form, eligibility and acceptance of any Purchase Order shall be determined by the Trust and the Trust’s determination shall be final and binding.
Settlement of Purchase Orders for Creation Units
Creation Units typically are issued on a “T+1 basis” (that is, one Business Day after trade date).
However, the Fund reserves the right to settle Creation Unit transactions on a basis other than T+1 in order to accommodate foreign market holiday schedules, to account for different treatment among foreign and U.S. markets of dividend record dates and ex-dividend dates (that is, the last day the holder of a security can sell the security and still receive dividends payable on the security), and in certain other circumstances.
The Distributor and the Trust will issue Creation Units to Authorized Participant notwithstanding the fact that the corresponding components of a Purchase Basket have not been received in part or in whole, in reliance on the undertaking of the Authorized Participant to deliver the missing components as soon as possible, which undertaking shall be secured by such Authorized Participant’s delivery and maintenance of collateral having a value equal to 110% of the value of the Purchase Basket, which value the Trust may change from time to time.
Acceptance of Redemption Orders for Creation Units
The Trust reserves the right to reject or revoke a redemption order for Creation Units transmitted to it by the Distributor if: (1) the order is not in proper form; (2) the requisite number of Shares of the Fund are not delivered by the DTC cutoff time, as required in the Authorized Participant Agreement; (3) during the period when the Redemption Order is placed, the Exchange is closed or trading on the Exchange is suspended or restricted; (4) during the period when the Redemption Order is placed, an emergency exists as a result of which disposal of the Shares of the Fund’s portfolio securities or determination of its net asset value is not reasonably practicable; or (5) in such other circumstance as is permitted by the SEC.
Settlement of Redemption Orders for Creation Units
Redemption of Creation Units typically settle on a “T+1 basis” (that is one Business Day after trade date).
However, the Fund reserves the right to settle Redemption Orders for Creation Unit transactions on a basis other than T+1 in order to accommodate foreign market holiday schedules, to account for different treatment among foreign and U.S. markets of dividend record dates and ex-dividend dates (that is the last day the holder of a security can sell the security and still receive dividends payable on the security), and in certain other circumstances.
Transaction Fees for Creation Unit Purchases and Redemptions
Authorized Participants will be required to pay to the Fund’s Custodian, as set forth in the Authorized Participant Agreement, a fixed transaction fee (the “Fixed Transaction Fee”) to offset the transfer and other costs associated with the bundling and unbundling of securities and other assets that form Purchase Baskets and Redemption Baskets. Authorized Participants also will be required to pay the Trust a variable transaction fee (the “Variable Transaction Fee”) for purchases of Creation Units effected outside the CNS Clearing Process or effected any part in cash, to offset the Trust’s brokerage and other transaction costs associated with using cash to purchase or sell, as applicable, Fund securities and other assets.
The Advisor may waive the Fixed Transaction Fee or Variable Transaction Fee. When determining whether to waive the Fixed Transaction Fee or Variable Transaction Fee, the Advisor considers a number of factors including, but not limited to, whether waiving the Fixed Transaction Fee or Variable Transaction Fee will: facilitate the initial launch of the Fund; reduce the cost of portfolio rebalancing; improve the quality of the secondary trading market for the Fund’s Shares and not result in the Fund bearing additional costs or expenses as a result of the waiver.
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The method by which Creation Units are created and traded may raise certain issues under applicable securities laws. Because new Creation Units are issued and sold by the Trust on an ongoing basis, at any point a “distribution,” as such term is used in the Securities Act, may occur. Broker-dealers and other persons are cautioned that some activities on their part may, depending on the circumstances, result in their being deemed participants in a distribution in a manner which could render them statutory underwriters and subject them to the prospectus delivery and liability provisions of the Securities Act.
For example, a broker-dealer firm or its client may be deemed a statutory underwriter if it takes Creation Units after placing an order with the Distributor, breaks them down into constituent Shares, and sells such Shares directly to customers, or if it chooses to couple the creation of a supply of new Shares with an active selling effort involving solicitation of secondary market demand for Shares. A determination of whether one is an underwriter for purposes of the Securities Act must take into account all the facts and circumstances pertaining to the activities of the broker-dealer or its client in the particular case, and the examples mentioned above should not be considered a complete description of all the activities that could lead to a categorization as an underwriter.
Broker-dealers who are not “underwriters” but are participating in a distribution (as contrasted to ordinary secondary trading transactions), and thus dealing with Shares that are part of an “unsold allotment” within the meaning of Section 4(3)(C) of the Securities Act, would be unable to take advantage of the prospectus-delivery exemption provided by Section 4(3) of the Securities Act. This is because the prospectus delivery exemption in Section 4(3) of the Securities Act is not available in respect of such transactions as a result of Section 24(d) of the 1940 Act. As a result, broker-dealer firms should note that dealers who are not underwriters but are participating in a distribution (as contrasted with ordinary secondary market transactions) and thus dealing with the Shares that are part of an over-allotment within the meaning of Section 4(3) (A) of the Securities Act would be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(3) of the Securities Act. Firms that incur a prospectus delivery obligation with respect to Shares are reminded that, under Rule 153 of the Securities Act, a prospectus delivery obligation under Section 5(b)(2) of the Securities Act owed to an exchange member in connection with a sale on the Exchange is satisfied by the fact that the prospectus is available at the Exchange upon request. The prospectus delivery mechanism provided in Rule 153 is only available with respect to transactions on an exchange.
DETERMINATION OF NET ASSET VALUE
The following information supplements and should be read in conjunction with the section in the Prospectus entitled “Determination of Net Asset Value (NAV).”
The NAV per Share for the Fund is computed by dividing the value of the net assets of the Fund (i.e., the value of its total assets less total liabilities) by the total number of Shares outstanding, rounded to the nearest cent. Expenses and fees, including the management fee, are accrued daily and taken into account for purposes of determining NAV. The NAV of the Fund is determined as of the close of the regular trading session on the Exchange (ordinarily 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) on each day that the Exchange is open.
Any assets or liabilities denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar are converted into U.S. dollars at the current market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more sources. In computing the Fund’s NAV, the Fund’s portfolio securities are valued based on market quotations. When market quotations are not readily available for a portfolio security the Fund must use such security’s fair value as determined in good faith in accordance with the Trust’s Valuation Procedures which are approved by the Board.
The Fund typically values fixed-income portfolio securities using last available bid prices or current market quotations provided by dealers or prices (including evaluated prices) supplied by the Fund’s approved independent third-party pricing services. Pricing services may use matrix pricing or valuation models that utilize certain inputs and assumptions to derive values. Pricing services generally value fixed-income securities assuming orderly transactions of an institutional round lot size, but the Fund may hold or transact in such securities in smaller odd lot sizes. Odd lots often trade at different prices that may be above or below the price at which the pricing service has valued the security. An amortized cost method of valuation may be used with respect to debt obligations with sixty (60) days or less remaining to maturity unless the Advisor determines in good faith that such method does not represent fair value.
The value of the Fund’s portfolio securities is based on such securities’ closing price on local markets, when available. If a portfolio security’s market price is not readily available or does not otherwise accurately reflect the fair value of such security, the portfolio security will be valued by another method that the Advisor believes will better reflect fair value in accordance with the Trust’s valuation policies and procedures approved by the Board. The Fund may use fair value pricing in a variety of circumstances, including but not limited to, situations when the value of the Fund’s portfolio security has been materially affected by events occurring after the close of the market on which such security is principally traded (such as a corporate action or other news that may materially affect the price of such security) or trading in such security has been suspended or halted. Accordingly, the Fund’s NAV may reflect certain portfolio securities’ fair values rather than their market prices. Fair value pricing involves subjective judgments and it is possible that a fair value determination for a portfolio security is materially different than the value that could be realized upon the sale of such security.
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General Policies
The following information supplements and should be read in conjunction with the section in the Prospectus entitled “Dividends, Distributions and Taxes.”
Dividends from net investment income are declared and paid at least annually by the Fund. Distributions of net realized capital gains, if any, generally are declared and paid once a year. The Trust may make distributions on a more frequent basis for the Fund to comply with the distribution requirements of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), in all events in a manner consistent with the provisions of the 1940 Act. In addition, the Trust may distribute at least annually amounts representing the full dividend yield on the underlying portfolio securities of the Fund, net of expenses of the Fund, as if the Fund owned such underlying portfolio securities for the entire dividend period in which case some portion of each distribution may result in a return of capital for tax purposes for certain shareholders.
Dividends and other distributions on Shares are distributed, as described below, on a pro rata basis to Beneficial Owners of such Shares. Dividend payments are made through DTC Participants and Indirect Participants to Beneficial Owners then of record with proceeds received from the Trust. The Trust may make additional distributions to the extent necessary (i) to distribute the entire annual “investment company taxable income” of the Trust, plus any net capital gains and (ii) to avoid imposition of the excise tax imposed by Section 4982 of the Code. Management of the Trust reserves the right to declare special dividends if, in its reasonable discretion, such action is necessary or advisable to preserve the status of the Fund as a “regulated investment company” under the Code or to avoid imposition of income or excise taxes on undistributed income.
Dividend Reinvestment Service
No reinvestment service is provided by the Trust. Broker-dealers may make available the DTC book-entry Dividend Reinvestment Service for use by Beneficial Owners of the Fund through DTC Participants for reinvestment of their dividend distributions. If this service is used, dividend distributions of both income and realized gains will be automatically reinvested in additional whole Shares of the Fund. Beneficial Owners should contact their broker to determine the availability and costs of the service and the details of participation therein. Brokers may require Beneficial Owners to adhere to specific procedures and timetables.
Set forth below is a discussion of certain U.S. federal income tax considerations affecting the Fund and the purchase, ownership and disposition of Shares. It is based upon the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), U.S. Treasury Department regulations promulgated thereunder, judicial authorities, and administrative rulings and practices, all as in effect as of the date of this SAI and all of which are subject to change, possibly with retroactive effect. The following information supplements and should be read in conjunction with the section in the Prospectus entitled “Dividends, Distributions and Taxes.”
Except to the extent discussed below, this summary assumes that the Fund’s shareholders hold Shares as capital assets within the meaning of the Code, and do not hold Shares in connection with a trade or business. This summary does not address all potential U.S. federal income tax considerations possibly applicable to an investment in Shares, and does not address the tax consequences to Fund shareholders subject to special tax rules, including, but not limited to, partnerships and the partners therein, regulated investment companies (“RICs”), real estate investment trusts (“REITs”), real estate mortgage investment conduits (“REMICs”), tax-exempt shareholders, those who hold Shares through an IRA, 401(k) plan or other tax-advantaged account, and, except to the extent discussed below, non-U.S. shareholders. This discussion does not discuss any aspect of U.S. state, local, estate, and gift, or non-U.S., tax law. This discussion is not intended or written to be legal or tax advice to any shareholder in the Fund or other person and is not intended or written to be used or relied on, and cannot be used or relied on, by any such person for the purpose of avoiding any U.S. federal tax penalties that may be imposed on such person. Prospective Fund shareholders are urged to consult their own tax advisor with respect to the specific U.S. federal, state, and local, and non-U.S., tax consequences of investing in Shares based on their particular circumstances.
The Fund has not requested and will not request an advance ruling from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) as to the U.S. federal income tax matters described below. The IRS could adopt positions contrary to those discussed below and such positions could be sustained. Prospective investors should consult their own tax advisor with regard to the U.S. federal tax consequences of the purchase, ownership and disposition of Shares, as well as the tax consequences arising under the laws of any state, non-U.S. country or other taxing jurisdiction.
Tax Treatment of the Fund
In General. The Fund intends to qualify and elect to be treated as a RIC under the Code. As a RIC, the Fund generally will not be required to pay corporate-level U.S. federal income taxes on any ordinary income or capital gains that it distributes to its shareholders.
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To qualify and remain eligible for the special tax treatment accorded to RICs, the Fund must meet certain income, asset and distribution requirements, described in more detail below. Specifically, the Fund must (i) derive at least 90% of its gross income in each taxable year from dividends, interest, payments with respect to securities loans, gains from the sale or other disposition of stock, securities or foreign currencies, other income (including, but not limited to, gains from options, futures or forward contracts) derived with respect to its business of investing in such stock, securities or currencies and net income derived from interests in qualified publicly traded partnerships (“QPTPs”) (i.e., partnerships that are traded on an established securities market or readily tradable on a secondary market, other than partnerships that derive at least 90% of their income from interest, dividends, and other qualifying RIC income described above), and (ii) diversify its holdings so that, at the end of each quarter of the Fund’s taxable year, (a) at least 50% of the value of the Fund’s assets is represented by cash, securities of other RICs, U.S. government securities and other securities, with such other securities limited, in respect of any one issuer, to an amount not greater in value than 5% of the Fund’s total assets and not greater than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer, and (b) not more than 25% of the value of its assets is invested in the securities (other than U.S. government securities or securities of other RICs) of any one issuer, any two or more issuers of which 20% or more of the voting stock of each such issuer is held by the Fund and that are determined to be engaged in the same or similar trades or businesses or related trades or businesses or in the securities of one or more QPTPs. Furthermore, the Fund must distribute annually at least 90% of the sum of (i) its “investment company taxable income” (which includes dividends, interest and net short-term capital gains) and (ii) its net tax-exempt interest income, if any.
Failure to Maintain RIC Status. If the Fund fails to qualify as a RIC for any year (subject to certain curative measures allowed by the Code), the Fund will be subject to regular corporate-level U.S. federal income tax in that year on all of its taxable income, regardless of whether the Fund makes any distributions to its shareholders. In addition, in such case, distributions will be taxable to the Fund’s shareholders generally as ordinary dividends to the extent of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits, possibly eligible for (i) in the case of an individual Fund shareholder, treatment as a qualified dividend (as discussed below) subject to tax at preferential long-term capital gains rates or (ii) in the case of a corporate Fund shareholder, a dividends-received deduction. The remainder of this discussion assumes that the Fund will qualify for the special tax treatment accorded to RICs.
Excise Tax. The Fund will be subject to a 4% excise tax on certain undistributed income generally if the Fund does not distribute to its shareholders in each calendar year an amount at least equal to the sum of 98% of its ordinary income for the calendar year, 98.2% of its capital gain net income for the twelve months ended October 31 of such year, plus 100% of any undistributed amounts from prior years. For these purposes, the Fund will be treated as having distributed any amount on which it has been subject to U.S. corporate income tax for the taxable year ending within such calendar year. The Fund intends to make distributions necessary to avoid this 4% excise tax, although there can be no assurance that it will be able to do so.
Phantom Income. With respect to some or all of its investments, the Fund may be required to recognize taxable income in advance of receiving the related cash payment. For example, under the “wash sale” rules, the Fund may not be able to deduct currently a loss on a disposition of a portfolio security. As a result, the Fund may be required to make an annual income distribution greater than the total cash actually received during the year. Such distribution may be made from the existing cash assets of the Fund or cash generated from selling portfolio securities. The Fund may realize gains or losses from such sales, in which event the Fund’s shareholders may receive a larger capital gain distribution than they would in the absence of such transactions. (see “Certain Debt Instruments”).
Certain Debt Instruments. Some of the debt securities (with a fixed maturity date of more than one year from the date of issuance) that may be acquired by the Fund (such as zero coupon debt instruments or debt instruments with payment in-kind interest) may be treated as debt securities that are issued originally at a discount. Generally, the amount of original issue discount is treated as interest income and is included in income over the term of the debt security, even though payment of that amount is not received until a later time, usually when the debt security matures.
If the Fund acquires debt securities (with a fixed maturity date of more than one year from the date of issuance) in the secondary market, such debt securities may be treated as having market discount. Generally, any gain recognized on the disposition of, and any partial payment of principal on, a debt security having market discount is treated as ordinary income to the extent the gain, or principal payment, does not exceed the “accrued market discount” on such debt security. Market discount generally accrues in equal daily installments. The Fund may make one or more of the elections applicable to debt securities having market discount, which could affect the character and timing of recognition of income.
Some debt securities (with a fixed maturity date of one year or less from the date of issuance) that may be acquired by the Fund may be treated as having acquisition discount, or original issue discount in the case of certain types of debt securities. Generally, the Fund will be required to include the acquisition discount, or original issue discount, in income over the term of the debt security, even though payment of that amount is not received until a later time, usually when the debt security matures. The Fund may make one or more of the elections applicable to debt securities having acquisition discount, or original issue discount, which could affect the character and timing of recognition of income.
The Fund may invest a portion of its net assets in below investment grade instruments. Investments in these types of instruments may present special tax issues for the Fund. U.S. federal income tax rules are not entirely clear about issues such as when the Fund may cease to accrue interest, OID or market discount, when and to what extent deductions may be taken for bad debts or worthless instruments, how payments received on obligations in default should be allocated between principal and income and whether exchanges of debt obligations in a bankruptcy or workout context are taxable.
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PFIC Investments. The Fund may purchase shares in a non-U.S. corporation treated as a “passive foreign investment company” (“PFIC”) for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As a result, the Fund may be subject to increased U.S. federal income tax (plus charges in the nature of interest on previously-deferred income taxes on the PFIC’s income) on any “excess distributions” made on, or gain from a sale (or other disposition) of, the PFIC shares even if the Fund distributes such income to its shareholders.
In lieu of the increased income tax and deferred tax interest charges on excess distributions on, and dispositions of, a PFIC’s shares, the Fund can elect to treat the underlying PFIC as a “qualified electing fund,” provided that the PFIC agrees to provide the Fund with certain information on an annual basis. With a “qualified electing fund” election in place, the Fund must include in its income each year its share (whether distributed or not) of the ordinary earnings and net capital gain of the PFIC.
In the alternative, the Fund can elect, under certain conditions, to mark-to-market at the end of each taxable year its PFIC shares. The Fund would recognize as ordinary income any increase in the value of the PFIC shares and as an ordinary loss (up to any prior net income resulting from the mark-to-market election) any decrease in the value of the PFIC shares.
With a “mark-to-market” or “qualified electing fund” election in place on a PFIC, the Fund might be required to recognize in a year income in excess of the sum of the actual distributions received by it on the PFIC shares and the proceeds from its dispositions of the PFIC’s shares. Any such income generally would be subject to the RIC distribution requirements and would be taken into account for purposes of the 4% excise tax (described above).
Section 1256 Contracts. The Fund’s investments in so-called “Section 1256 contracts,” such as certain futures contracts, most non-U.S. currency forward contracts traded in the interbank market and options on most stock indices, are subject to special tax rules. Section 1256 contracts held by the Fund at the end of its taxable year are required to be marked to their market value, and any unrealized gain or loss on those positions will be included in the Fund’s income as if each position had been sold for its fair market value at the end of the taxable year. The resulting gain or loss will be combined with any gain or loss realized by the Fund from positions in Section 1256 contracts closed during the taxable year. Provided such positions were held as capital assets and were not part of a “hedging transaction” or a “straddle,” 60% of the resulting net gain or loss will be treated as long-term gain or loss, and 40% of such net gain or loss will be treated as short-term capital gain or loss, regardless of the period of time the positions were actually held by the Fund. In addition, the Fund may be required to defer the recognition of losses on certain Section 1256 contracts to the extent of any unrecognized gains on related positions held by the Fund. Income from Section 1256 contracts generally would be subject to the RIC distribution requirements and would be taken into account for purposes of the 4% excise tax (described above).
Swaps. As a result of entering into swap contracts, the Fund may make or receive periodic net payments. The Fund also may make or receive a payment when a swap is terminated prior to maturity through an assignment of the swap or other closing transaction. Periodic net payments generally will constitute ordinary income or deductions, while termination of a swap generally will result in capital gain or loss (which will be a long-term capital gain or loss if the Fund has been a party to the swap for more than one year). With respect to certain types of swaps, the Fund may be required to currently recognize income or loss with respect to future payments on such swaps or may elect under certain circumstances to mark such swaps to market annually for tax purposes as ordinary income or loss. The tax treatment of many types of credit default swaps is uncertain.
Short Sales. In general, gain or loss on a short sale is recognized when the Fund closes the sale by delivering the borrowed property to the lender, not when the borrowed property is sold. If, however, the Fund already owns property that is identical to the kind it borrows and sells pursuant to a short sale “against the box,” and such pre-existing ownership position has appreciated (i.e., the fair market value exceeds the Fund’s tax basis), the Fund may be required to recognize such gain at the time the borrowed stock is sold. Any gain or loss realized upon closing out a short sale generally is considered as capital gain or loss to the extent that the property used to close the short sale constitutes a capital asset in the Fund’s hands. Except with respect to certain situations where the property used by the Fund to close a short sale has a long-term holding period on the date of the short sale, special rules generally would treat the gains on short sales as short-term capital gains. These rules also may terminate the running of the holding period of “substantially identical property” held by the Fund. Moreover, a loss on a short sale will be treated as long-term capital loss if, on the date of the short sale, “substantially identical property” has been held by the Fund for more than one year. In general, the Fund will not be permitted to deduct payments made to reimburse the lender of securities for dividends paid on borrowed stock if the short sale is closed on or before the 45th day after the short sale is entered into.
Foreign Currency Transactions. Gains or losses attributable to fluctuations in exchange rates between the time the Fund accrues income, expenses or other items denominated in a foreign currency and the time the Fund actually collects or pays such items are generally treated as ordinary income or loss. Similarly, gains or losses on foreign currency forward contracts, certain foreign currency options and futures contracts and the disposition of debt securities denominated in a foreign currency, to the extent attributable to fluctuations in exchange rates between the acquisition and disposition dates, generally are also treated as ordinary income or loss, unless the Fund were to elect otherwise where such an election is permitted.
Non-U.S. Investments. Dividends, interest and proceeds from the direct or indirect sale of non-U.S. securities may be subject to non-U.S. withholding tax and other taxes, including financial transaction taxes. Even if the Fund is entitled to seek a refund in respect of such taxes, it may not have sufficient information to do so or may choose not to do so. Tax treaties between certain countries and the
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U.S. may reduce or eliminate such taxes in some cases. Non-U.S. taxes paid by the Fund will reduce the return from the Fund’s investments.
Special or Uncertain Tax Consequences. The Fund’s investment or other activities could be subject to special and complex tax rules that may produce differing tax consequences, such as disallowing or limiting the use of losses or deductions, causing the recognition of income or gain without a corresponding receipt of cash, affecting the time as to when a purchase or sale of stock or securities is deemed to occur or altering the characterization of certain complex financial transactions.
The Fund may engage in investment or other activities the treatment of which may not be clear or may be subject to recharacterization by the IRS. In particular, the tax treatment of certain swaps and other derivatives and income from foreign currency transactions is unclear for purposes of determining the Fund’s status as a RIC. If a final determination on the tax treatment of the Fund’s investment or other activities differs from the Fund’s original expectations, the final determination could adversely affect the Fund’s status as a RIC or the timing or character of income recognized by the Fund, requiring the Fund to purchase or sell assets, alter its portfolio or take other action in order to comply with the final determination.
Tax Treatment of Fund Shareholders
Taxation of U.S. Shareholders
The following is a summary of certain U.S. federal income tax consequences of the purchase, ownership and disposition of Shares applicable to “U.S. shareholders.” For purposes of this discussion, a “U.S. shareholder” is a beneficial owner of Shares who, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, is (i) an individual who is a citizen or resident of the U.S.; (ii) a corporation (or an entity treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes) created or organized in the U.S. or under the laws of the U.S., or of any state thereof, or the District of Columbia; (iii) an estate, the income of which is includable in gross income for U.S. federal income tax purposes regardless of its source; or (iv) a trust, if (a) a U.S. court is able to exercise primary supervision over the administration of such trust and one or more U.S. persons have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust, or (b) the trust has a valid election in place to be treated as a U.S. person.
Fund Distributions. In general, Fund distributions are subject to U.S. federal income tax when paid, regardless of whether they consist of cash or property and regardless of whether they are reinvested in Shares. However, any Fund distribution declared in October, November or December of any calendar year and payable to shareholders of record on a specified date during such month will be deemed to have been received by each Fund shareholder on December 31 of such calendar year, provided such dividend is actually paid during January of the following calendar year.
Distributions of the Fund’s net investment income and the Fund’s net short-term capital gains in excess of net long-term capital losses (collectively referred to as “ordinary income dividends”) are taxable as ordinary income to the extent of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits (subject to an exception for distributions of “qualified dividend income,” as discussed below). Corporate shareholders of the Fund may be eligible to take a dividends-received deduction with respect to some of such distributions, provided the distributions are attributable to dividends received by the Fund on stock of U.S. corporations with respect to which the Fund meets certain holding period and other requirements. Some portion of the ordinary income distributions that are attributable to dividends received by the Fund from shares in certain real estate investment trusts may be designated by the Fund as eligible for a deduction for qualified business income, provided certain holding period requirements are satisfied. To the extent designated as “capital gain dividends” by the Fund, distributions of the Fund’s net long-term capital gains in excess of net short-term capital losses (“net capital gain”) are taxable at long-term capital gain tax rates to the extent of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits, regardless of the Fund shareholder’s holding period in the Fund’s Shares. Such dividends will not be eligible for a dividends-received deduction by corporate shareholders.
An election may be available to you to defer recognition of the gain attributable to a capital gain dividend if you make certain qualifying investments within a limited time. You should talk to your tax advisor about the availability of this deferral election and its requirements.
Distributions of “qualified dividend income” (defined below) are taxed to certain non-corporate shareholders at the reduced rates applicable to long-term capital gain to the extent of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits, provided that the Fund shareholders meet certain holding period and other requirements with respect to the distributing Fund’s Shares and the distributing Fund meets certain holding period and other requirements with respect to the dividend-paying stocks. Dividends subject to these special rules, however, are not actually treated as capital gains and, thus, are not included in the computation of a non-corporate shareholder’s net capital gain and generally cannot be used to offset capital losses. The portion of distributions that the Fund may report as qualified dividend income generally is limited to the amount of qualified dividend income received by the Fund, but if for the Fund’s taxable year 95% or more of the Fund’s gross income (exclusive of net capital gain from sales of stock and securities) consists of qualified dividend income, all distributions of such income for that taxable year may be reported as qualified dividend income. For this purpose, “qualified dividend income” generally means income from dividends received by the Fund from U.S. corporations and qualified non-U.S. corporations. Income from dividends received by the Fund from a REIT or another RIC generally is qualified dividend income only to the extent that the dividend distributions are made out of qualified dividend income received by such REIT or other RIC. Given its investment strategies, the Fund does not anticipate that a significant portion of its distributions will be eligible for qualifying dividend treatment.
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To the extent that the Fund makes a distribution of income received by the Fund in lieu of dividends with respect to securities on loan pursuant to a securities lending transaction, such income will not constitute qualified dividend income to individual shareholders and will not be eligible for the dividends-received deduction for corporate shareholders.
Distributions in excess of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits will, as to each shareholder, be treated as a tax-free return of capital to the extent of the shareholder’s tax basis in its Shares of the Fund, and as a capital gain thereafter (assuming the shareholder holds its Shares of the Fund as capital assets).
The Fund intends to distribute its net capital gain at least annually. However, by providing written notice to its shareholders no later than 60 days after its year-end, the Fund may elect to retain some or all of its net capital gain and designate the retained amount as a “deemed distribution.” In that event, the Fund pays U.S. federal income tax on the retained net capital gain, and the Fund shareholder recognizes a proportionate share of the Fund’s undistributed net capital gain. In addition, the Fund shareholder can claim a tax credit or refund for the shareholder’s proportionate share of the Fund’s U.S. federal income taxes paid on the undistributed net capital gain and increase the shareholder’s tax basis in the Shares by an amount equal to the shareholder’s proportionate share of the Fund’s undistributed net capital gain, reduced by the amount of the shareholder’s tax credit or refund. Organizations or persons not subject to U.S. federal income tax on such net capital gain may be entitled to a refund of their pro rata share of such taxes paid by the Fund upon timely filing appropriate returns or claims for refund with the IRS.
With respect to non-corporate Fund shareholders (i.e., individuals, trusts and estates), ordinary income and short-term capital gain are taxed at a current maximum rate of 37% and long-term capital gain is generally taxed at a current maximum rate of 20%. If you are an individual, the maximum marginal stated federal tax rate for net capital gain is generally 20% (15% or 0% for taxpayers with taxable incomes below certain thresholds). Some capital gains, including some portion of your capital gain dividends may be taxed at a higher maximum stated tax rate. In addition, capital gain received from assets held for more than one year that is considered “unrecaptured section 1250 gain” (which may be the case, for example, with some capital gains attributable to equity interests in real estate investment trusts or master limited partnerships holding real estate) is taxed at a maximum marginal stated federal tax rate of 25%. In the case of capital gain dividends, the determination of which portion of the capital gain dividend, if any, is subject to the 25% tax rate, will be made based on rules prescribed by the U.S. Treasury. Corporate shareholders are taxed at a current maximum rate of 21% on their income and gain.
In addition, high-income individuals (and certain trusts and estates) generally will be subject to a 3.8% Medicare tax on “net investment income,” in addition to otherwise applicable U.S. federal income tax. “Net investment income” generally will include taxable dividends (including capital gain dividends) received from the Fund and net gains from the redemption or other disposition of Shares. Please consult your tax advisor regarding this tax.
If the Fund is a qualified fund of funds or more than 50% of the Fund’s total assets at the end of a taxable year consist of non-U.S. stock or securities, the Fund may elect to “pass through” to its shareholders certain non-U.S. income taxes paid by the Fund. This means that each shareholder will be required to (i) include in gross income, even though not actually received, the shareholder’s pro rata share of the Fund’s non-U.S. income taxes, and (ii) either take a corresponding deduction (in calculating U.S. federal taxable income) or credit (in calculating U.S. federal income tax), subject to certain limitations.
Investors considering buying Shares just prior to a distribution should be aware that, although the price of the Shares purchased at such time may reflect the forthcoming distribution, such distribution nevertheless may be taxable (as opposed to a non-taxable return of capital).
REIT/REMIC Investments. The Fund may invest in REITs owning residual interests in REMICs. Certain income from a REIT that is attributable to a REMIC residual interest (known as “excess inclusion” income) is allocated to the Fund’s shareholders in proportion to the dividends received from the Fund, producing the same income tax consequences as if the Fund’s shareholders directly received the excess inclusion income. In general, the taxable income of any holder of a residual interest cannot be less than the excess interest inclusion. For example, excess inclusion income (i) cannot be offset by net operating losses (subject to a limited exception for certain thrift institutions), (ii) constitutes “unrelated business taxable income” to certain entities (such as a qualified pension plan, an individual retirement account, a 401(k) plan, a Keogh plan or other tax-exempt entity), and (iii) in the case of a non-U.S. shareholder, does not qualify for any withholding tax reduction or exemption. In addition, if at any time during any taxable year certain types of entities own Shares, the Fund will be subject to a tax equal to the product of (i) the excess inclusion income allocable to such entities and (ii) the highest U.S. federal income tax rate imposed on corporations (currently 21%). The Fund also is subject to information reporting with respect to any excess inclusion income.
Sales or Exchanges of Shares. Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale or exchange of Shares generally is treated as a long-term gain or loss if the Shares have been held for more than one year. Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale or exchange of Shares held for one year or less generally is treated as a short-term gain or loss, except that any capital loss on the sale of Shares held for six months or less is treated as long-term capital loss to the extent that capital gain dividends were paid (or deemed to be paid) with respect to such Shares. All or a portion of any loss realized upon a sale or exchange of Shares will be disallowed under the “wash sale” rules if substantially identical shares are purchased (through reinvestment of dividends or otherwise) within a 61-day period beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after the date of disposition of the Shares. In such a case, the basis of the newly purchased shares will be adjusted to reflect the disallowed loss.
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An election may be available to you to defer recognition of capital gain if you make certain qualifying investments within a limited time. You should talk to your tax advisor about the availability of this deferral election and its requirements.
Legislation passed by Congress requires reporting to the IRS and to taxpayers of adjusted cost basis information for “covered securities,” which generally include shares of a RIC acquired on or after January 1, 2012. Shareholders should contact their brokers to obtain information with respect to the available cost basis reporting methods and available elections for their accounts.
Creation Unit Issues and Redemptions. On an issue of Shares as part of a Creation Unit, made by means of an in-kind deposit, an Authorized Participant recognizes capital gain or loss (assuming the Authorized Participant does not hold the securities as inventory) equal to the difference between (i) the fair market value (at issue) of the issued Shares (plus any cash received by the Authorized Participant as part of the issue) and (ii) the Authorized Participant’s aggregate basis in the exchanged securities (plus any cash paid by the Authorized Participant as part of the issue). On a redemption of Shares as part of a Creation Unit where the redemption is conducted in-kind by a payment of Fund Securities, an Authorized Participant recognizes capital gain or loss (assuming the Authorized Participant does not hold the securities as inventory) equal to the difference between (i) the fair market value (at redemption) of the securities received (plus any cash received by the Authorized Participant as part of the redemption) and (ii) the Authorized Participant’s basis in the redeemed Shares (plus any cash paid by the Authorized Participant as part of the redemption). However, the IRS may assert, under the “wash sale” rules or on the basis that there has been no significant change in the Authorized Participant’s economic position, that any loss on an issue or redemption of Creation Units cannot be deducted currently.
In general, any capital gain or loss recognized upon the issue or redemption of Shares (as components of a Creation Unit) is treated either as long-term capital gain or loss, if the deposited securities (in the case of an issue) or the Shares (in the case of a redemption) have been held for more than one year, or otherwise as short-term capital gain or loss. However, any capital loss on a redemption of Shares held for six months or less is treated as long-term capital loss to the extent that capital gain dividends were paid (or deemed to be paid) with respect to such Shares.
Reportable Transactions. If the Fund shareholder recognizes a loss with respect to Shares of $2 million or more (for an individual Fund shareholder) or $10 million or more (for a corporate shareholder) in any single taxable year (or a greater loss over a combination of years), the Fund shareholder may be required file a disclosure statement with the IRS. Significant penalties may be imposed upon the failure to comply with these reporting rules. Shareholders should consult their tax advisor to determine the applicability of these rules in light of their individual circumstances.
Taxation of Non-U.S. Shareholders
The following is a summary of certain U.S. federal income tax consequences of the purchase, ownership and disposition of Shares applicable to “non-U.S. shareholders.” For purposes of this discussion, a “non-U.S. shareholder” is a beneficial owner of Shares that is not a U.S. shareholder (as defined above) and is not an entity or arrangement treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes. The following discussion is based on current law and is for general information only. It addresses only selected, and not all, aspects of U.S. federal income taxation.
Dividends. With respect to non-U.S. shareholders of the Fund, the Fund’s ordinary income dividends generally will be subject to U.S. federal withholding tax at a rate of 30% (or at a lower rate established under an applicable tax treaty). However, ordinary income dividends that are “interest-related dividends” or “short-term capital gain dividends” (each as defined below) and capital gain dividends generally will not be subject to U.S. federal withholding (or income) tax, provided that the non-U.S. shareholder furnishes the Fund with a completed IRS Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E, as applicable, (or acceptable substitute documentation) establishing the non-U.S. shareholder’s non-U.S. status and the Fund does not have actual knowledge or reason to know that the non-U.S. shareholder would be subject to such withholding tax if the non-U.S. shareholder were to receive the related amounts directly rather than as dividends from the Fund. “Interest-related dividends” generally means dividends designated by the Fund as attributable to the Fund’s U.S.-source interest income, other than certain contingent interest and interest from obligations of a corporation or partnership in which the Fund is at least a 10% shareholder, reduced by expenses that are allocable to such income. “Short-term capital gain dividends” generally means dividends designated by the Fund as attributable to the excess of the Fund’s net short-term capital gain over its net long-term capital loss. Depending on its circumstances, the Fund may treat such dividends, in whole or in part, as ineligible for these exemptions from withholding.
Amounts paid to or recognized by a non-U.S. affiliate that are excluded from tax under the portfolio interest, capital gains dividends, short-term capital gains or tax-exempt interest dividend exceptions or applicable treaties may be taken into consideration in determining whether a corporation is an “applicable corporation” subject to a 15% minimum tax on adjusted financial statement income.
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Notwithstanding the foregoing, special rules apply in certain cases, including as described below. For example, in cases where dividend income from a non-U.S. shareholder’s investment in the Fund is effectively connected with a trade or business of the non-U.S. shareholder conducted in the U.S., the non-U.S. shareholder generally will be exempt from withholding tax but will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at the graduated rates applicable to U.S. shareholders. Such income generally must be reported on a U.S. federal income tax return. Furthermore, such income also may be subject to the 30% branch profits tax in the case of a non-U.S. shareholder that is a corporation. In addition, if a non-U.S. shareholder is an individual who is present in the U.S. for 183 days or more during the taxable year and has a “tax home” in the U.S., any gain incurred by such shareholder with respect to his or her capital gain dividends and short-term capital gain dividends would be subject to a 30% U.S. federal income tax (which, in the case of short-term capital gain dividends, may, in certain instances, be withheld at source by the Fund). Lastly, special rules apply with respect to dividends that are subject to the Foreign Investment in Real Property Act (“FIRPTA”), discussed below (see “Investments in U.S. Real Property”).
Sales of Fund Shares. Under current law, gain on a sale or exchange of Shares generally will be exempt from U.S. federal income tax (including withholding at the source) unless (i) the non-U.S. shareholder is an individual who was physically present in the U.S. for 183 days or more during the taxable year and has a “tax home” in the U.S., in which case the non-U.S. shareholder would incur a 30% U.S. federal income tax on his/her capital gain, (ii) the gain is effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business conducted by the non-U.S. shareholder (in which case the non-U.S. shareholder generally would be taxable on such gain at the same graduated rates applicable to U.S. shareholders, would be required to file a U.S. federal income tax return and, in the case of a corporate non-U.S. shareholder, may also be subject to the 30% branch profits tax), or (iii) the gain is subject to FIRPTA, as discussed below (see “Investments in U.S. Real Property”).
Credits or Refunds. To claim a credit or refund for any Fund-level taxes on any undistributed long-term capital gains (as discussed above) or any taxes collected through withholding, a non-U.S. Fund shareholder must obtain a U.S. taxpayer identification number and file a U.S. federal income tax return even if the non-U.S. Fund shareholder would not otherwise be required to do so.
Investments in U.S. Real Property. Subject to the exemptions described below, a non-U.S. shareholder generally will be subject to U.S. federal income tax under FIRPTA on any gain from the sale or exchange of Shares if the Fund is a “U.S. real property holding corporation” (as defined below) at any time during the shorter of the period during which the non-U.S. shareholder held such Shares and the five-year period ending on the date of the disposition of those Shares. Any such gain will be taxed in the same manner as for income that is effectively connected with a trade or business of the non-U.S. shareholder conducted in the U.S. and in certain cases will be collected through withholding at the source in an amount equal to 15% of the sales proceeds. The Fund will be a “U.S. real property holding corporation” if the fair market value of its “U.S. real property interests” (“USRPIs”) (which includes shares of U.S. real property holding corporations and certain participating debt securities) equals or exceeds 50% of the fair market value of such interests plus its interests in real property located outside the U.S. plus any other assets used or held for use in a business.
An exemption from FIRPTA applies if either (i) the class of Shares disposed of by the non-U.S. shareholder is regularly traded on an established securities market (as determined for U.S. federal income tax purposes) and the non-U.S. shareholder did not actually or constructively hold more than 5% of such class of Shares at any time during the five-year period prior to the disposition, or (ii) the Fund is a “domestically-controlled RIC.” A “domestically-controlled RIC” is any RIC in which at all times during the relevant testing period 50% or more in value of the RIC’s stock is owned by U.S. persons.
Furthermore, special rules apply under FIRPTA in respect of distributions attributable to gains from USRPIs. In general, if the Fund is a U.S. real property holding corporation (taking certain special rules into account), distributions by the Fund attributable to gains from USRPIs will be treated as income effectively connected with a trade or business within the U.S., subject generally to tax at the same graduated rates applicable to U.S. shareholders and, in the case of a corporation that is a non-U.S. shareholder, a “branch profits” tax at a rate of 30% (or other applicable lower treaty rate). Such distributions will be subject to U.S. federal withholding tax and generally will give rise to an obligation on the part of the non-U.S. shareholder to file a U.S. federal income tax return.
Even if the Fund is treated as a U.S. real property holding corporation, distributions on the Fund’s Shares will not be treated, under the rule described above, as income effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business in the case of a non-U.S. shareholder that owns (for the applicable period) 5% or less (by class) of Shares and such class is regularly traded on an established securities market for U.S. federal income tax purposes (but such distribution will be treated as ordinary dividends, which may be subject to U.S. tax and withholding). Non-U.S. shareholders that engage in certain “wash sale” and/or substitute dividend payment transactions the effect of which is to avoid the receipt of distributions from the Fund that would be treated as gain effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business will be treated as having received such distributions.
All shareholders of the Fund should consult their tax advisor regarding the application of the rules described above.
Back-Up Withholding
The Fund (or a financial intermediary such as a broker through which a shareholder holds Shares in the Fund) may be required to report certain information on the Fund shareholder to the IRS and withhold U.S. federal income tax (“backup withholding”) at a 24% rate from taxable distributions and redemption or sale proceeds payable to the Fund shareholder if (i) the Fund shareholder fails to provide the Fund with a correct taxpayer identification number or make required certifications, or if the IRS notifies the Fund that the Fund shareholder is otherwise subject to backup withholding, and (ii) the Fund shareholder is not otherwise exempt from backup withholding. Non-U.S. shareholders can qualify for exemption from backup withholding by submitting a properly completed IRS Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E. Backup withholding is not an additional tax and any amount withheld may be credited against the Fund shareholder’s U.S. federal income tax liability.
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Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act
The U.S. Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (“FATCA”) generally imposes a 30% withholding tax on “withholdable payments” (defined below) made to (i) a “foreign financial institution” (“FFI”), unless the FFI enters into an agreement with the IRS to provide information regarding certain of its direct and indirect U.S. account holders and satisfies certain due diligence and other specified requirements, and (ii) a “non-financial foreign entity” (“NFFE”) unless such NFFE provides certain information to the withholding agent about certain of its direct and indirect “substantial U.S. owners” or certifies that it has no such U.S. owners. The beneficial owner of a “withholdable payment” may be eligible for a refund or credit of the withheld tax. The U.S. government also has entered into several intergovernmental agreements with other jurisdictions to provide an alternative, and generally easier, approach for FFIs to comply with FATCA. If the shareholder is a tax resident in a jurisdiction that has entered into an intergovernmental agreement with the U.S. government, the shareholder will be required to provide information about the shareholder’s classification and compliance with the intergovernmental agreement.
“Withholdable payments” generally include, among other items, (i) U.S.-source interest and dividends, and (ii) gross proceeds from the sale or disposition of property of a type that can produce U.S.-source interest or dividends. Proposed regulations may eliminate the requirement to withhold on gross proceeds.
The Fund may be required to impose a 30% withholding tax on withholdable payments to a shareholder if the shareholder fails to provide the Fund with the information, certifications or documentation required under FATCA, including information, certification or documentation necessary for the Fund to determine if the shareholder is a non-U.S. shareholder or a U.S. shareholder and, if it is a non-U.S. shareholder, if the non-U.S. shareholder has “substantial U.S. owners” and/or is in compliance with (or meets an exception from) FATCA requirements. The Fund will not pay any additional amounts to shareholders in respect of any amounts withheld. The Fund may disclose any shareholder information, certifications or documentation to the IRS or other parties as necessary to comply with FATCA.
The requirements of, and exceptions from, FATCA are complex. All prospective shareholders are urged to consult their own tax advisor regarding the potential application of FATCA with respect to their own situation.
Section 351
The Trust, on behalf of the Fund, has the right to reject an order for a purchase of Shares of the Fund if the purchaser (or any group of purchasers) would, upon obtaining the Shares so ordered, own 80% or more of the outstanding Shares of the Fund and if, pursuant to Section 351 of the Code, the Fund would have a basis in the Deposit Securities different from the market value of such securities on the date of deposit. The Trust also has the right to require information necessary to determine beneficial share ownership for purposes of the 80% determination.
The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by the Exchange. The Exchange makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of Shares or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally or in the Fund particularly or the ability of the Fund to achieve its objective. The Exchange has no obligation or liability in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the Fund.
For purposes of the 1940 Act, the Fund is a registered investment company, and the acquisition of Shares by other registered investment companies and companies relying on exemption from registration as investment companies under Sections 3(c)(1) or 3(c)(7) of the 1940 Act are subject to the restrictions of Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act and the related rules and interpretations.
Shareholder inquiries may be made by writing to the Trust, c/o New York Life Investment Management LLC, 51 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10010.
As of the date of this SAI, the Fund had not yet commenced operations.
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New York Life Investments Active ETF Trust
Part C – Other Information
| Item 28. | Exhibits |
| (a) | Declaration of Trust |
| (1) | Second Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust (“Trust Instrument”) of the Registrant.(6) |
| (b) | Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Registrant.(6) |
| (c) | Instruments Defining Rights of Security Holders – Articles 4, 7, 8 and 9 of the Trust Instrument, incorporated by reference in Exhibit 28(a) above.(6) |
| (d) | Investment Advisory Agreements |
| (1) | Amended and Restated Investment Advisory Agreement dated August 28, 2024, between Registrant and New York Life Investment Management LLC (“Advisor”).(6) |
| (a) | Amendment to Amended and Restated Investment Advisory Agreement dated ___________, 2026, between Registrant and Advisor.(11) |
| (2) | Amended and Restated Subadvisory Agreement dated August 28, 2024, between Advisor and MacKay Shields LLC.(6) |
| (a) | Amendment to Amended and Restated Subadvisory Agreement dated December 11, 2025, between Advisor and MacKay Shields LLC.(10) |
| (3) | Amended and Restated Subadvisory Agreement dated August 28, 2024, between Advisor and Winslow Capital Management, LLC.(6) |
| (4) | Amended and Restated Subadvisory Agreement dated August 28, 2024, between Advisor and CBRE Investment Management Listed Real Assets LLC.(9) |
| (5) | Subadvisory Agreement dated ___________, 2026, between Advisor and Ausbil Investment Management Limited.(11) |
| (e) | Underwriting Agreements |
| (1) | Distribution Agreement dated April 16, 2018, between Registrant and ALPS Distributors, Inc.(2) |
| (a) | Amendment 11 to Distribution Agreement dated August 28, 2024, between Registrant and ALPS Distributors, Inc.(6) |
| (b) | Amendment to Distribution Agreement effective ___________, 2026, between Registrant and ALPS Distributors, Inc.(11) |
| (2) | Form of Authorized Participant Agreement.(6) |
| (f) | Not Applicable. |
| (g) | Custody Agreements |
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| (1) | Custody Agreement dated November 18, 2013, between Registrant and The Bank of New York Mellon.(1) |
| a) | Amendment to Custody Agreement dated August 28, 2024, between Registrant and The Bank of New York Mellon.(6) |
| (b) | Amendment to Amended Custody Agreement dated ___________, 2026, between Registrant and The Bank of New York Mellon.(11) |
| (h) | Other Material Agreements |
| (1) | Fund Administration and Accounting Agreement dated November 18, 2013, between Registrant and The Bank of New York Mellon.(1) |
| (a) | Investment Company Reporting Modernization Services Amendment to Fund Administration and Accounting Agreement dated June 14, 2018, between Registrant and The Bank of New York Mellon.(3) |
| (b) | Amendment to Fund Administration and Accounting Agreement dated April 12, 2024, between Registrant and The Bank of New York Mellon.(5) |
| (c) | Amendment to Fund Administration and Accounting Agreement dated August 28, 2024, between Registrant and The Bank of New York Mellon.(6) |
| (d) | Amendment to Amended Fund Administration and Accounting Agreement dated ___________, 2026, between Registrant and The Bank of New York Mellon.(11) |
| (2) | Transfer Agency and Service Agreement dated January 26, 2009, between Registrant and The Bank of New York Mellon.(1) |
| (a) | Amendment to Transfer Agency and Service Agreement dated August 28, 2024, between Registrant and The Bank of New York Mellon.(6) |
| (b) | Amendment to Amended Transfer Agency and Service Agreement dated ___________, 2026, between Registrant and The Bank of New York Mellon.(11) |
| (3) | Amended and Restated Expense Limitation Agreement dated August 28, 2024, between Registrant and Advisor.(6) |
| (a) | Amendment to Amended and Restated Expense Limitation Agreement dated ___________, 2026, between Registrant and Advisor.(11) |
| (4) | Amended and Restated Securities Lending Authorization Agreement dated June 14, 2023, between Registrant and The Bank of New York Mellon.(4) |
| (a) | Amendment to Amended and Restated Securities Lending Authorization Agreement effective August 28, 2024, between Registrant and The Bank of New York Mellon.(6) |
| (5) | Form of Fund of Funds Investment Agreement.(6) |
| (i) | Opinion and Consent of Chapman & Cutler LLP.(11) |
| (j) | Not applicable. |
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| (k) | Not applicable. |
| (l) | Not applicable. |
| (m) | Distribution and Service Plan.(6) |
| (n) | Not applicable. |
| (o) | Reserved. |
| (p) | Code of Ethics |
| (1) | Code of Ethics of Advisor, MacKay Shields LLC and Registrant.(9) |
| (2) | Code of Ethics of Winslow Capital Management, LLC.(9) |
| (3) | Code of Ethics of CBRE Investment Management Listed Real Assets LLC.(9) |
| (4) | Code of Ethics of ALPS Distributors, Inc.(7) |
| (5) | Code of Ethics of Ausbil Investment Management Limited.(11) |
| (q) | Powers of Attorney executed by Lofton Holder, Kirk C. Lehneis, Michael A. Pignataro, Paul D. Schaeffer and Michelle A. Kinch.(6) |
| (1) | Previously filed as part of Pre-Effective Amendment No. 3 to the Registration Statement, filed November 21, 2013. |
| (2) | Previously filed as part of Post-Effective Amendment No. 18 to the Registration Statement filed on August 29, 2018. |
| (3) | Previously filed as part of Post-Effective Amendment No. 102 to the Registration Statement filed on April 26, 2023. |
| (4) | Previously filed as part of Post-Effective Amendment No. 108 to the Registration Statement filed on August 28, 2023. |
| (5) | Previously filed as part of Post-Effective Amendment No. 119 to the Registration Statement filed on May 7, 2024. |
| (6) | Previously filed as part of Post-Effective Amendment No. 121 to the Registration Statement filed on August 26, 2024. |
| (7) | Previously filed as part of Post-Effective Amendment No. 124 to the Registration Statement filed on December 3, 2024. |
| (8) | Previously filed as part of Post-Effective Amendment No. 130 to the Registration Statement filed on April 17, 2025. |
| (9) | Previously filed as part of Post-Effective Amendment No. 131 to the Registration Statement filed on August 26, 2025. |
| (10) | Previously filed as part of Post-Effective Amendment No. 133 to the Registration Statement filed on December 12, 2025. |
| (11) | To be filed by amendment. |
| Item 29. | Persons Controlled By or Under Common Control with Registrant |
Not Applicable.
| Item 30. | Indemnification |
Reference is made to Article Eight of the Registrant’s Declaration of Trust, which is incorporated by reference herein. The general effect of the indemnification available to an officer or trustee may be to reduce the circumstances under which the officer or trustee is required to bear the economic burden of liabilities and expenses related to actions taken by the individual in his or her capacity as an officer or trustee.
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The Registrant (sometimes referred to as the “Trust”) is organized as a Delaware statutory trust and is operated pursuant to a Declaration of Trust that permits the Registrant to indemnify every person who is, or has been, a trustee, officer, employee or agent of the Trust, including persons who serve at the request of the Trust as directors, trustees, officers, employees or agents of another organization in which the Trust has an interest as a shareholder, creditor or otherwise (each, a “Covered Person”). Each Covered Person is indemnified by the Trust to the fullest extent permitted by law against liability and against all expenses reasonably incurred or paid by him or her in connection with any claim, action, suit or proceeding in which he or she becomes involved as a party or otherwise by virtue of his or her being or having been such a director, trustee, officer, employee or agent and against amounts paid or incurred by him in settlement thereof. This indemnification is subject to the following conditions:
No indemnification is provided to a Covered Person:
(a) For a liability to the Trust or its shareholders arising out of a final adjudication by the court or other body before which the proceeding was brought that the Covered Person engaged in willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of his or her office;
(b) With respect to any matter as to which the Covered Person has been finally adjudicated not to have acted in good faith in the reasonable belief that his or her action was in the best interests of the Trust; or
(c) In the event of a settlement or other disposition not involving a final adjudication (as provided in paragraph (a) or (b) above) and resulting in a payment by a Covered Person, unless there has been either a determination that such Covered Person did not engage in willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of his or her office or position by the court or other body approving the settlement or other disposition, or a reasonable determination, based on a review of readily available facts (as opposed to a full trial-type inquiry), that he or she did not engage in such conduct, such determination being made by: (i) a vote of a majority of the Disinterested Trustees (as such term is defined in Section 8.5.5 of the Declaration of Trust) acting on the matter (provided that a majority of Disinterested Trustees then in office act on the matter); or (ii) a written opinion of independent legal counsel.
The rights of indemnification under the Declaration of Trust may be insured against by policies maintained by the Trust are severable; will not affect any other rights to which any Covered Person is entitled; will continue as to a person who has ceased to be a Covered Person; and will inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of such a person. Nothing contained in the Declaration of Trust will affect any rights to indemnification to which Trust personnel other than Covered Persons may be entitled by contract or otherwise under law.
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Expenses of preparation and presentation of a defense to any claim, action, suit or proceeding subject to a claim for indemnification under Section 8.5 of the Declaration of Trust will be advanced by the Trust prior to final disposition thereof upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of the recipient to repay such amount if it is ultimately determined that he or she is not entitled to indemnification under Section 8.5 of the Declaration of Trust, provided that either:
(a) Such undertaking is secured by a surety bond or some other appropriate security or the Trust is insured against losses arising out of any such advances; or
(b) A majority of the Disinterested Trustees acting on the matter (provided that a majority of the Disinterested Trustees then in office act on the matter) or independent legal counsel in a written opinion determines, based upon a review of the readily available facts (as opposed to the facts available upon a full trial), that there is reason to believe that the recipient ultimately will be found entitled to indemnification.
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to trustees, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant by the Registrant pursuant to the Declaration of Trust or otherwise, the Registrant is aware that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission, such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act, and therefore, is unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by trustees, officers or controlling persons of the Registrant in connection with the successful defense of any act, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such trustees, officers or controlling persons in connection with the shares being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issues.
| Item 31. | Business and Other Connections of the Investment Adviser |
The description of the Investment Advisor is found under the caption “Service Providers—Investment Advisor” in the Prospectus and under the caption “Management Services—Investment Advisor” in the Statement of Additional Information constituting Parts A and B, respectively, of this Registration Statement, which are incorporated by reference herein. The Investment Advisor provides investment advisory services to other persons or entities other than the Registrant.
| Item 32. | Principal Underwriter |
| (a) | ALPS Distributors, Inc. acts as the distributor for the Registrant and the following investment companies: |
1290 Funds
1WS Credit Income Fund
Aberdeen Income Credit Strategies Fund
abrdn ETFs
abrdn Funds
abrdn Global Premier Properties Fund
abrdn Income Credit Strategies Fund
Accordant ODCE Index Fund
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Alpha Alternative Assets Fund
ALPS Series Trust
Alternative Credit Income Fund
Apollo Diversified Credit Fund
Apollo Diversified Real Estate Fund
AQR Funds
Axonic Alternative Income Fund
Axonic Funds
BBH Trust
Bluerock High Income Institutional Credit Fund
Bluerock Total Income+ Real Estate Fund
Bridge Builder Trust
Cambria ETF Trust
CION Ares Diversified Credit Fund
CION Grosvenor Infrastructure Fund
Columbia ETF Trust
Columbia ETF Trust I
Columbia ETF Trust II
Columbia Seligman Premium Technology Growth Fund, Inc.
CRM Mutual Fund Trust
DBX ETF Trust
Diameter Dynamic Credit Fund
Eagle Point Defensive Income Trust
Eagle Point Enhanced Income Trust
EA Series Trust (Cambria Series)
ETF Series Solutions (Vident Series)
Financial Investors Trust
Firsthand Funds
FS Credit Income Fund
FS Credit Opportunities Corp.
FS MVP Private Markets Fund
Gemcorp Commodities Alternative Products Fund
Goehring & Rozencwajg Investment Funds
Goldman Sachs ETF Trust
Goldman Sachs ETF Trust II
Graniteshares ETF Trust
Hartford Funds Exchange-Traded Trust
Heartland Group, Inc.
Investment Managers Series Trust II (AXS-Advised Funds)
Investment Managers Series Trust II (Alternative Access-Advised Fund)
Janus Detroit Street Trust
Lattice Strategies Trust
Litman Gregory Funds Trust
Longleaf Partners Funds Trust
Manager Directed Portfolios (Spyglass Growth Fund)
Meridian Fund, Inc.
Natixis ETF Trust
Natixis ETF Trust II
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New York Life Investments Active ETF Trust
New York Life Investments ETF Trust
Opportunistic Credit Interval Fund
PRIMECAP Odyssey Funds
Principal Exchange-Traded Funds
RiverNorth Funds
RiverNorth Opportunities Fund, Inc.
RiverNorth/DoubleLine Strategic Opportunity Fund, Inc.
RiverNorth Opportunistic Municipal Income Fund, Inc.
RiverNorth Managed Duration Municipal Income Fund, Inc.
RiverNorth Flexible Municipal Income Fund, Inc.
RiverNorth Capital and Income Fund, Inc.
RiverNorth Flexible Municipal Income Fund II, Inc.
RiverNorth Managed Duration Municipal Income Fund II, Inc.
SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF Trust
SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust
SPDR S&P MidCap 400 ETF Trust
Sphinx Opportunity Fund II
Sprott Funds Trust
The Arbitrage Funds
Themes ETF Trust
Tidal Trust II (Cambria Series)
Thornburg ETF Trust
Thrivent ETF Trust
Trust for Professional Managers (PT Asset Management Series)
USCF ETF Trust
USVC Venture Capital Access Fund
Valkyrie ETF Trust II
Wasatch Funds
Wilmington Funds
X-Square Balanced Fund
X-Square Series Trust
| (b) | To the best of Registrant’s knowledge, the directors and executive officers of ALPS Distributors, Inc., are as follows: |
| Name* | Position with Underwriter | Positions with Fund |
| Stephen J. Kyllo | President, Chief Operating Officer, Director, Chief Compliance Officer | None |
| Brian Schell** | Vice President &Treasurer | None |
| Eric Parsons | Vice President, Controller and Assistant Treasurer | None |
| Jason White*** | Secretary | None |
| Richard C. Noyes | Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Assistant Secretary | None |
| Eric Theroff^ | Assistant Secretary | None |
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| Adam Girard^^ | Tax Officer | None |
| Liza Price | Vice President, Managing Counsel | None |
| Jed Stahl | Vice President, Managing Counsel | None |
| Terence Digan | Vice President | None |
| James Stegall | Vice President | None |
| Hilary Quinn | Vice President | None |
| * | Except as otherwise noted, the principal business address for each of the above directors and executive officers is 1290 Broadway, Suite 1000, Denver, Colorado 80203. |
| ** | The principal business address for Mr. Schell is 100 South Wacker Drive, 19th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606. |
| *** | The principal business address for Mr. White is 4 Times Square, New York, NY 10036. |
| ^ | The principal business address for Mr. Theroff is 1055 Broadway Boulevard, Kansas City, MO 64105. |
| ^^ | The principal business address for Mr. Girard is 80 Lamberton Road, Windsor, CT 06095. |
| (c) | Not Applicable. |
| Item 33. | Location of Accounts and Records |
All accounts, books and other documents required by Section 31(a) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and the rules thereunder are maintained at:
New York Life Investment Management LLC
51 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10010
The Bank of New York Mellon
240 Greenwich Street
New York, NY 10286
ALPS Distributors, Inc.
1290 Broadway, Suite 1000
Denver, CO 80203
| Item 34. | Management Services |
Not Applicable.
| Item 35. | Undertakings |
Not Applicable.
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Signatures
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) and the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, the Registrant has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, duly authorized, in the City of New York, and State of New York, on December 12, 2025.
| New York Life Investments Active ETF Trust | ||
| By: | /s/ Kirk C. Lehneis | |
| Kirk C. Lehneis | ||
| President | ||
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act, this Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and on the date indicated:
| Name | Title | Date | ||
| Lofton Holder* | Trustee | December 12, 2025 | ||
| Lofton Holder | ||||
| Michael A. Pignataro* | Trustee | December 12, 2025 | ||
| Michael A. Pignataro | ||||
| Paul D. Schaeffer* | Trustee | December 12, 2025 | ||
| Paul D. Schaeffer | ||||
| Michelle A. Kinch* | Trustee | December 12, 2025 | ||
| Michelle A. Kinch | ||||
| /s/ Kirk C. Lehneis | Trustee, President and Principal | December 12, 2025 | ||
| Kirk C. Lehneis | Executive Officer | |||
| /s/ Adefolahan Oyefeso | Treasurer, Principal Financial Officer, | December 12, 2025 | ||
| Adefolahan Oyefeso | and Principal Accounting Officer | |||
| /s/ Matthew V. Curtin | December 12, 2025 | |||
| Matthew V. Curtin, Attorney-in-fact* |
* Pursuant to Powers of Attorney previously filed as an Exhibit and incorporated by reference herein.
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