0001137360 2012-12-31 2012-12-31 0001137360 cik0001137360:S000033466_11Member cik0001137360:S000033466Member 2012-12-31 2012-12-31 0001137360 cik0001137360:S000033466_11Member cik0001137360:S000033466Member cik0001137360:C000102898Member 2012-12-31 2012-12-31 xbrli:pure iso4217:USD "Other expenses" are based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year. "Acquired fund fees and expenses" include fees and expenses incurred indirectly by the Fund as a result of investments in other investment companies, including business development companies ("BDCs"). Because acquired fund fees and expenses are not borne directly by the Fund, they will not be reflected in the expense information in the Fund's financial statements and the information presented in the table will differ from that presented in the Fund's financial highlights included in the Fund's reports to shareholders, when available. Van Eck Associates Corporation (the "Adviser") has agreed to waive fees and/or pay Fund expenses to the extent necessary to prevent the operating expenses of the Fund (excluding acquired fund fees and expenses, interest expense, offering costs, trading expenses, taxes and extraordinary expenses) from exceeding 0.40% of the Fund's average daily net assets per year until at least September 1, 2014. During such time, the expense limitation is expected to continue until the Fund's Board of Trustees acts to discontinue all or a portion of such expense limitation. MARKET VECTORS ETF TRUST 485BPOS false 0001137360 2012-12-31 2013-02-07 2013-02-07 2013-02-07 Market Vectors BDC Income ETF Fund Fees and Expenses This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund (“Shares”). 0.0000 0.0040 0.0012 0.0716 0.0768 -0.0012 0.0756 ~ http://vaneck.com/20130207/role/ScheduleShareholderFees20001 column dei_LegalEntityAxis compact cik0001137360_S000033466Member row primary compact * ~ ~ http://vaneck.com/20130207/role/ScheduleAnnualFundOperatingExpenses20002 column dei_LegalEntityAxis compact cik0001137360_S000033466Member row primary compact * ~ 2014-09-01 Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) "Acquired fund fees and expenses" include fees and expenses incurred indirectly by the Fund as a result of investments in other investment companies, including business development companies ("BDCs"). Because acquired fund fees and expenses are not borne directly by the Fund, they will not be reflected in the expense information in the Fund's financial statements and the information presented in the table will differ from that presented in the Fund's financial highlights included in the Fund's reports to shareholders, when available. "Other expenses" are based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year. This example does not take into account brokerage commissions that you pay when purchasing or selling Shares of the Fund. Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment) Expense Example This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. This example does not take into account brokerage commissions that you pay when purchasing or selling Shares of the Fund. 746 3529 ~ http://vaneck.com/20130207/role/ScheduleExpenseExample20003 column dei_LegalEntityAxis compact cik0001137360_S000033466Member row primary compact * ~ The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% annual return and that the Fund's operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be: Investment Objective Market Vectors BDC Income ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to replicate as closely as possible, before fees and expenses, the price and yield performance of the Market Vectors US Business Development Companies Index (the “Index”). Principal Investment Strategies The Fund normally invests at least 80% of its total assets in securities that comprise the Fund’s benchmark index. The Index, which is the Fund’s benchmark index, is comprised of BDCs. To be eligible for the Index and qualify as a BDC, a company must be organized under the laws of, and have its principal place of business in, the United States, be registered with the SEC and have elected to be regulated as a BDC under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). BDCs are vehicles whose principal business is to invest in, lend capital to or provide services to privately-held companies or thinly traded U.S. public companies. Small-capitalization companies are eligible for inclusion in the Index. As of December 31, 2012, the Index included 25 securities of companies with a market capitalization range of between approximately $102.3 million to $4.3 billion and a weighted average market capitalization of $1.8 billion. This 80% investment policy is non-fundamental and may be changed without shareholder approval upon 60 days’ prior written notice to shareholders. The 1940 Act places limits on the percentage of the total outstanding stock of a BDC that may be owned by the Fund; however, exemptive relief from the SEC applicable to the Fund permits it to invest in BDCs in excess of this limitation if certain conditions are met (the “Exemptive Relief”). The Fund, using a “passive” or indexing investment approach, attempts to approximate the investment performance of the Index by investing in a portfolio of securities that generally replicates the Index. The Adviser expects that, over time, the correlation between the Fund’s performance before fees and expenses and that of the Index will be 95% or better. A figure of 100% would indicate perfect correlation. The Fund will concentrate its investments in a particular industry or group of industries to the extent that the Index concentrates in an industry or group of industries. As of the date of this Prospectus, the Index is concentrated in the financial services sector. The Fund will concentrate its investments in a particular industry or group of industries to the extent that the Index concentrates in an industry or group of industries. As of the date of this Prospectus, the Index is concentrated in the financial services sector. Performance The Fund has not yet commenced operations and therefore does not have a performance history. Once available, the Fund’s performance information will be accessible on the Fund’s website at www.marketvectorsetfs.com. The Fund has not yet commenced operations and therefore does not have a performance history. www.marketvectorsetfs.com Portfolio Turnover The Fund will pay transaction costs, such as commissions, when it purchases and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover will cause the Fund to incur additional transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, may affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund is newly organized, no portfolio turnover figures are available. Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund Investors in the Fund should be willing to accept a high degree of volatility in the price of the Fund’s Shares and the possibility of significant losses. An investment in the Fund involves a substantial degree of risk. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit with a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. Therefore, you should consider carefully the following risks before investing in the Fund. Risk of Investing in BDCs. BDCs generally invest in less mature private companies or thinly traded U.S. public companies which involve greater risk than well-established publicly-traded companies. While the BDCs that comprise the Index are expected to generate income in the form of dividends, certain BDCs during certain periods of time may not generate such income. The Fund will indirectly bear its proportionate share of any management and other operating expenses and of any performance-based or incentive fees charged by the BDCs in which it invests, in addition to the expenses paid by the Fund. The 1940 Act imposes certain constraints upon the operations of a BDC. For example, BDCs are required to invest at least 70% of their total assets primarily in securities of private companies or thinly traded U.S. public companies, cash, cash equivalents, U.S. government securities and high quality debt investments that mature in one year or less. Generally, little public information exists for private and thinly traded companies in which a BDC may invest and there is a risk that investors may not be able to make a fully informed evaluation of a BDC and its portfolio of investments. With respect to investments in debt instruments, there is a risk that the issuers of such instruments may default on their payments or declare bankruptcy. Many debt investments in which a BDC may invest will not be rated by a credit rating agency and will be below investment grade quality. These investments are commonly referred to as “junk bonds” and have predominantly speculative characteristics with respect to an issuer’s capacity to make payments of interest and principal. Although lower grade securities are higher yielding, they are also characterized by high risk. In addition, the secondary market for lower grade securities may be less liquid than that of higher rated securities. Additionally, a BDC may only incur indebtedness in amounts such that the BDC’s coverage ratio of total assets to total senior securities equals at least 200% after such incurrence. These limitations on asset mix and leverage may affect the way that the BDC raises capital. BDCs compete with other entities for the types of investments they make, and such entities are not necessarily subject to the same investment constraints as BDCs. To comply with provisions of the 1940 Act and the Exemptive Relief, the Adviser may be required to vote BDC shares in the same general proportion as shares held by other shareholders of the BDC. To qualify and remain eligible for the special tax treatment accorded to regulated investment companies and their shareholders under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Internal Revenue Code”), the BDCs in which the Fund invests must meet certain source-of-income, asset diversification and annual distribution requirements. If a BDC in which the Fund invests fails to qualify as a regulated investment company, such BDC would be liable for federal, and possibly state, corporate taxes on its taxable income and gains. Such failure by a BDC could substantially reduce the BDC’s net assets and the amount of income available for distribution to the Fund, which would in turn decrease the total return of the Fund in respect of such investment. Risk of Investment Restrictions. The Fund is subject to the conditions set forth in the Exemptive Relief and certain additional provisions of the 1940 Act that limit the amount that the Fund and its affiliates, in the aggregate, can invest in the outstanding voting securities of any one BDC. The Fund and its affiliates may not acquire “control” of a BDC, which is presumed once ownership of a BDC’s outstanding voting securities exceeds 25%. This limitation could inhibit the Fund’s ability to purchase one or more BDCs in the Index in the proportions represented in the Index. In these circumstances, the Fund would be required to use sampling techniques, which could increase the risk of tracking error. Risk of Investing in the Financial Services Sector. The financial services sector includes companies engaged in banking, commercial and consumer finance, investment banking, brokerage, asset management, custody or insurance. Because as currently constituted the Index is concentrated in the financial services sector, the Fund will be sensitive to changes in, and its performance may depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the financial services sector. Companies in the financial services sector may be subject to extensive government regulation that affects the scope of their activities, the prices they can charge and the amount of capital they must maintain. The profitability of companies in the financial services sector may be adversely affected by increases in interest rates and by loan losses, which usually increase in economic downturns. In addition, the financial services sector is undergoing numerous changes, including continuing consolidations, development of new products and structures and changes to its regulatory framework. Furthermore, increased government involvement in the financial services sector, including measures such as taking ownership positions in financial institutions, could result in a dilution of the Fund’s investments in financial institutions. Recent developments in the credit markets have caused companies operating in the financial services sector to incur large losses, experience declines in the value of their assets and even cease operations. Risk of Investing in Small- and Medium-Capitalization Companies. Small- and medium-capitalization companies may be more volatile and more likely than large-capitalization companies to have narrower product lines, fewer financial resources, less management depth and experience and less competitive strength. Returns on investments in securities of small-capitalization and medium-capitalization companies could trail the returns on investments in securities of large-capitalization companies. Issuer-Specific Changes Risk. The value of an individual security or particular type of security can be more volatile than the market as a whole and can perform differently from the value of the market as a whole. The value of securities of smaller issuers can be more volatile than that of larger issuers. Equity Securities Risk. The value of the equity securities held by the Fund may fall due to general market and economic conditions, perceptions regarding the markets in which the issuers of securities held by the Fund participate, or factors relating to specific issuers in which the Fund invests. Equity securities are subordinated to preferred securities and debt in a company’s capital structure with respect to priority in right to a share of corporate income, and therefore will be subject to greater dividend risk than preferred securities or debt instruments. In addition, while broad market measures of equity securities have historically generated higher average returns than fixed income securities, equity securities have also experienced significantly more volatility in those returns. Market Risk. The prices of the securities in the Fund are subject to the risk associated with investing in the securities market, including general economic conditions and sudden and unpredictable drops in value. An investment in the Fund may lose money. Index Tracking Risk. The Fund’s return may not match the return of the Index for a number of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs a number of operating expenses not applicable to the Index and incurs costs associated with buying and selling securities, especially when rebalancing the Fund’s securities holdings to reflect changes in the composition of the Index. Because the Fund bears the costs and risks associated with buying and selling securities while such costs are not factored in to the return of the Index, the Fund’s return may deviate significantly from the return of the Index. The Fund is expected to value certain of its investments based on fair value prices. To the extent the Fund calculates its NAV based on fair value prices and the value of the Index is based on securities’ closing prices (i.e., the value of the Index is not based on fair value prices), the Fund’s ability to track the Index may be adversely affected. Premium/Discount Risk. Disruptions to creations and redemptions, the existence of extreme market volatility or potential lack of an active trading market for Shares may result in Shares trading at a significant premium or discount to NAV. If a shareholder purchases Shares at a time when the market price is at a premium to the NAV or sells Shares at a time when the market price is at a discount to the NAV, the shareholder may sustain losses. Replication Management Risk. An investment in the Fund involves risks similar to those of investing in any fund of equity securities traded on an exchange, such as market fluctuations caused by such factors as economic and political developments, changes in interest rates and perceived trends in security prices. However, because the Fund is not “actively” managed, unless a specific security is removed from the Index, the Fund generally would not sell a security because the security’s issuer was in financial trouble. Therefore, the Fund’s performance could be lower than funds that may actively shift their portfolio assets to take advantage of market opportunities or to lessen the impact of a market decline or a decline in the value of one or more issuers. Concentration Risk. The Fund’s assets will be concentrated in a particular sector or sectors or industry or group of industries to the extent the Index concentrates in a particular sector or sectors or industry or group of industries. Based on the current composition of the Index, the Fund’s assets are concentrated in the financial services sector; therefore, the Fund will be subject to the risk that economic, political or other conditions that have a negative effect on that sector will negatively impact the Fund to a greater extent than if the Fund’s assets were invested in a wider variety of sectors or industries. An investment in the Fund may lose money. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit with a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.