485APOS 1 v309931_485apos.htm 485APOS

 

As filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

on April 20, 2012

Securities Act File No. 333-151713
Investment Company Act File No. 811-22209

 

 

U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D. C. 20549

 

FORM N-1A

 

Registration Statement Under The Securities Act Of 1933 þ

 

Pre-Effective Amendment No. ________ q

 

Post-Effective Amendment No. 67 þ

 

and/or

 

Registration Statement Under The Investment Company Act Of 1940 þ

 

Amendment No. 70 þ

(Check appropriate box or boxes)

 

Global X Funds

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

399 Park Avenue, 32nd Floor
New York, NY 10022
(Address of Principal Executive Office)

 

Registrant’s Telephone Number, including Area Code:  (212) 644-6440

 

Bruno del Ama

Global X Management Company LLC

399 Park Avenue, 32nd Floor
New York, NY 10022
(Name and Address of Agent for Service)

With a copy to:

Daphne Tippens Chisolm, Esq.

Law Offices of DT Chisolm, P.C.

A Member Firm of The 1940 Act Law Group

11508 H-236 Providence Road

Charlotte, NC 28277

 

It is proposed that this filing will become effective (check appropriate box)

q immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b)

q on (date) pursuant to paragraph (b)

q 60 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)

q on (date) pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)

þ 75 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(2)

q on (date) pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of rule 485.

 

If appropriate, check the following box:

q 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. The Trust may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This Prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

 

Subject to Completion
Preliminary Prospectus dated [ ], 2012

 

 

 

 

Global X Risk Parity ETF  

NYSE Arca, Inc: [ ]

 

 

 

Prospectus

 

[ ], 2012

 

 

The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy of this Prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

Shares in a Fund are not guaranteed or insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) or any other agency of the U.S. Government, nor are shares deposits or obligations of any bank. Such shares in a Fund involve investment risks, including the loss of principal.

 

 
 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

FUND SUMMARY 1
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUND’S STRATEGIES AND RISKS 9
PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS INFORMATION 19
FUND MANAGEMENT 19
DISTRIBUTOR 20
BUYING AND SELLING FUND SHARES 20
FREQUENT TRADING 21
DISTRIBUTION AND SERVICE PLAN 22
DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS 22
TAXES 22
DETERMINATION OF NET ASSET VALUE 26
PREMIUM/DISCOUNT INFORMATION 28
INFORMATION REGARDING THE INDEX AND THE INDEX PROVIDER 28
OTHER SERVICE PROVIDERS 29
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS 29
OTHER INFORMATION 29

 

 

 
 

FUND SUMMARY

 

Global X Risk Parity ETF

 

Ticker: [ ] Exchange: NYSE Arca, Inc.

 

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

 

The Global X Risk Parity ETF (“Fund”) seeks to provide investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the FXcube Risk Parity Index (“Underlying Index”).

 

FEES AND EXPENSES

 

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You will also incur usual and customary brokerage commission when buying and selling Shares.

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment):

 

Management Fees: [  ]
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees: None
Other Expenses:1 [  ]
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses:2 [  ]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses: [  ]

 

Example: The following 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 customary brokerage commissions that you pay when purchasing or selling Shares of the Fund in the secondary market. 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 the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:

 

One Year Three 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. The Fund had not yet commenced investment operations as of the most recent fiscal year end. Thus, no portfolio turnover rate is provided for the Fund.

 

 

 

 

1 "Other Expenses" reflect estimated expenses for the Fund's first fiscal year.

 

2 “Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses” sets forth the Fund’s pro rata portion of the cumulative expenses charged by the exchange traded funds (“ETFs”) in which the Fund invests. These expenses are estimates for the current fiscal year. The actual Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses will vary with changes in the allocations of the Fund’s assets.

 

 

 

1
 

 

 

PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES

 

The Fund will invest at least 80% of its total assets in the securities of the Underlying Index and in ADRs and GDRs based on the securities in the Underlying Index. The Fund also may invest up to 20% of its total assets in derivatives such as futures contracts, options on future contracts, options and swaps, as well as cash, cash equivalents, other investment companies, and securities not included in the Underlying Index but which the Adviser believes will assist the Fund in tracking the performance of its Underlying Index. The Fund’s 80% investment policy is non-fundamental and requires 60 days’ prior written notice to shareholders before it can be changed.

 

The Underlying Index seeks to preserve and increase its value, over the long term, through risk balancing across asset classes. The Underlying Index consists of multiple asset classes which may include bonds, equities, commodities, currencies and real estate. Exposure may include global developed and emerging markets.

 

In allocating assets among asset classes, the Underlying Index follows a “risk parity” approach. The “risk parity” approach to asset allocation seeks to balance the allocation of risk across asset classes (as measured by volatility) when building the Underlying Index. This means that lower risk asset classes (such as global fixed income and inflation-linked government bonds) will generally have higher notional allocations than higher risk asset classes (such as global developed and emerging market equities). The Underlying Index rebalances [ ] as it aims to keep the risk contribution of each asset in the portfolio equal.

 

The Fund may gain exposure to different asset classes by investing in many different types of instruments including, but not limited to, equity securities, equity futures, currency forwards, commodity futures, swaps on commodity futures, bond futures, swaps on bond futures, cash corporate and government bonds, including inflation protected government bonds, cash and cash equivalents. The Fund may also invest in U.S. and foreign exchange traded vehicles, including exchange traded funds (“ETFs”), exchange traded commodities (“ETCs”) or exchange traded notes (“ETNs”) through which the Fund can participate in the performance of one or more asset classes.

 

The Underlying Index and the Fund may have leveraged exposure to one or more asset classes. The 1940 Act and the rules and interpretations thereunder impose certain limitations on the Fund’s ability to use leverage. While the Fund normally does not engage in borrowing, leverage may be created when the Fund engages in futures contracts, forward contracts, swaps and certain other derivative instruments. Leveraging tends to magnify, sometimes significantly, the effect of any increase or decrease in the Fund’s exposure to an asset class and may cause the Fund’s NAV to be volatile.

 

2
 

 

The Underlying Index is sponsored by an organization (“Index Provider”) that is independent of the Fund and Global X Management Company LLC, the investment adviser for the Fund (“Adviser”).   The Fund’s Index Provider is FXcube Strategies, LLC. The Underlying Index is calculated and maintained by Structured Solutions AG.

 

The Adviser will use a “passive” or indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not try to “beat” the Underlying Index and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued.

 

Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Underlying Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by keeping portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies.

 

The Fund uses a representative sampling strategy with respect to the Underlying Index. “Representative sampling” is an indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to the Underlying Index in terms of key risk factors, performance attributes and other characteristics. The Fund may or may not hold all of the securities in the Underlying Index.

 

Correlation: Correlation is the extent to which the values of different types of investments move in tandem with one another in response to changing economic and market conditions. An index is a theoretical financial calculation, while the Fund is an actual investment portfolio. The performance of the Fund and the Underlying Index may vary somewhat due to transaction costs, asset valuations, foreign currency valuations, market impact, corporate actions (such as mergers and spin-offs), legal restrictions or limitations, illiquid or unavailable securities, and timing variances.

 

The Adviser expects that, over time, the correlation between the Fund’s performance and that of the Underlying Index, before fees and expenses, will exceed 95%. A correlation percentage of 100% would indicate perfect correlation. If the Fund uses a replication strategy, it can be expected to have greater correlation to the Underlying Index than if it uses a representative sampling strategy.

 

SUMMARY OF PRINCIPAL RISKS

 

As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments. The Fund is subject to the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund's net asset value ("NAV"), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective, as well as other risks that are described in greater detail in the Additional Information About the Fund’s Strategies and Risks section of the Prospectus and in the Statement of Additional Information ("SAI").

 

Asset Class Risk: Securities in the Underlying Index or in the Fund's portfolio may underperform in comparison to the general securities markets or other asset classes. Even if the Underlying Index seeks to preserve and increase its value over the long term, it is subject to the risk of suffering substantial short-term declines from time to time, which would also result in substantial losses for the Fund.

 

3
 

 

 

Commodities Regulatory Risk: In August, 2011, the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) announced that it would stop issuing private letter rulings authorizing favorable tax treatment for funds that invest indirectly in commodities or derivatives based upon commodities. This suspension of guidance by the IRS means that the tax treatment of such investments is now subject to some uncertainty. In addition, the CFTC has proposed regulations which would limit the use of commodity interests by pooled investment vehicles, such as the Fund. Any changes in tax guidance or regulations could affect the Fund’s ability to qualify as a RIC or to pursue its investment program as described in this prospectus. If that occurs, the Board will consider an appropriate course of action.

 

Counterparty Risk: Counterparty risk is the risk that a counterparty to a swap contract or other similar investment instrument may default on its payment obligation to the Fund. Such a default may cause the value of an investment in the Fund to decrease.

 

Credit Risk: Credit risk refers to the possibility that the issuer of the security will not be able to make principal and interest payments when due. Changes in an issuer’s credit rating or the market’s perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness may also affect the value of the Fund’s investment in that issuer. Securities rated in the four highest categories by the rating agencies are considered investment grade but they may also have some speculative characteristics. Investment grade ratings do not guarantee that bonds will not lose value.

 

Currency Risk: The Fund may invest in foreign currencies and securities denominated in foreign currencies. Because the Fund's NAV is determined in U.S. dollars, the Fund's NAV could decline if a foreign currency depreciates against the U.S. dollar.

 

Derivatives Risk: The Fund may invest in certain types of derivatives contracts to help the Fund track its Underlying Index. Derivatives can be more sensitive to changes in interest rates or to sudden fluctuations in market prices than conventional securities, which can result in greater losses for the Fund.

 

Foreign Security Risk: Investments in the securities of foreign issuers (including investments in ADRs and GDRs) are subject to the risks associated with investing in those foreign markets, such as heightened risks of inflation or nationalization. In addition, securities of foreign issuers may lose value due to political, economic and geographic events affecting a foreign issuer or market. During periods of social, political or economic instability in a country or region, the value of a foreign security traded on United States’ exchanges, nonetheless, could be affected by, among other things, increasing price volatility, illiquidity, or the closure of the primary market on which the security underlying the ADR or GDR is traded. You may lose money due to political, economic and geographic events affecting a foreign issuer or market.

 

Forward and Futures Contract Risk: The primary risks associated with the use of forward and futures contracts are (a) the imperfect correlation between the change in market value of the instruments held by the Fund and the price of the forward or futures contract; (b) the possible lack of a liquid secondary market for a forward or futures contract and the resulting inability to close a forward or futures contract when desired; (c) the possibility that the counterparty will default in the performance of its obligations; and (d) the possibility that, if the Fund has insufficient cash, the Fund may have to sell securities from its portfolio to meet daily variation margin requirements, and the Fund may have to sell securities at a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so.

 

4
 

 

 

Interest Rate Risk: Interest rate risk is the risk that prices of fixed income securities generally increase when interest rates decline and decrease when interest rates increase. The Fund may lose money if short term or long term interest rates rise sharply.

 

Leverage Risk: While the Fund normally does not engage in borrowing, leverage may be created when the Fund engages in futures contracts, forward contracts, swaps and certain other derivative instruments. As a result, the Fund may be exposed to the risks of leverage, which may be considered a speculative investment technique. Leverage magnifies the potential for gain and loss on amounts invested and therefore increase the risks associated with investing in our Fund. If the value of the Fund’s assets increases, then leveraging would cause the Fund's NAV to increase more sharply than it would have had the Fund not leveraged. Conversely, if the value of the Fund’s assets decreases, leveraging would cause the Fund's NAV to decline more sharply than it otherwise would have had the Fund not leveraged. In addition, the costs associated with the Fund’s borrowings, including any increase in the management fee payable to the Adviser will be borne by Fund shareholders.

 

Market Trading Risk: The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including the potential lack of an active market for Shares, losses from trading in secondary markets, and disruption in the creation/redemption process of the Fund. Any of these factors may lead to the Shares trading at a premium or discount to the Fund’s NAV.

 

Non-Diversification Risk: The Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund’s performance may depend on the performance of a small number of issuers.

 

Passive Investment Risk: The Fund is not actively managed and the Adviser does not attempt to take defensive positions in declining markets.

 

Passive Foreign Investment Company Risk: Some Fund holdings may be characterized as “passive foreign investment companies” (PFICs) for U.S. tax purposes. Because the application of the PFIC rules may affect, among other things, the character of gains and the amount of gain or loss and the timing of the recognition of income with respect to PFIC shares, and may subject the Fund itself to tax on certain income from PFIC shares, the amount that must be distributed to shareholders and will be taxed to shareholders as ordinary income or long-term capital gain may be increased or decreased substantially as compared to a fund that did not invest in PFIC shares.

 

Risk Related to Investing in Equity Securities: Equity securities are subject to changes in value and their values may be more volatile than other asset classes. Prices of the securities held by the Fund could fluctuate sometimes rapidly and unexpectedly. These fluctuations may cause the price of a security to decline for short- or long-term periods and cause the security to be worth less than it was worth when purchased by the Fund. These fluctuations may be due to general market and economic conditions, perceptions regarding the industries in which the companies issuing the securities participate or the issuing company’s particular circumstances. Equity securities in the Underlying Index or the Fund's portfolio may underperform in comparison to the general U.S. equity securities market.

 

5
 

 

 

Risk Related to Investing in Foreign Currency: The Fund may invest in foreign currencies, which are subject to risks, which include changes in the debt level and trade deficit of the country issuing the foreign currency; inflation rates of the United States and the country issuing the foreign currency; investors’ expectations concerning inflation rates; interest rates of the United States and the country issuing the foreign currency; investors’ expectations concerning interest rates; investment and trading activities of mutual funds, hedge funds and currency funds; and global or regional political, economic or financial events and situations.

 

Risk Related to Investing in International Stocks: The Fund’s investments in foreign stocks can be riskier than U.S. stock investments. The prices of foreign stocks and the prices of U.S. stocks have, at times, moved in opposite directions. In addition, world events—such as political upheaval, financial troubles, or natural disasters—could adversely affect the value of securities issued by companies in foreign countries or regions. Stocks of companies located in emerging markets will be substantially more volatile, and substantially less liquid, than the stocks of companies located in more developed foreign markets.

 

Risk Related to Investing in Real Estate Stocks: Real estate stocks and Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) are particularly vulnerable to decline in the event of deflationary economic conditions, and are subject to interest rate risk, leverage risk, property risk and management risk. REITs tend to be small- or mid-capitalization stocks and there is the possibility that returns from REITs may trail returns from the overall stock market.

 

Risk Related to Investing in Bonds: Investments in debt securities are generally affected by changes in prevailing interest rates and the creditworthiness of the issuer. Prices of debt securities fall when prevailing interest rates rise. The Fund’s yield on investments in debt securities will fluctuate as the securities in the Fund are rebalanced and reinvested in securities with different interest rates. Investments in bonds are also subject to credit risk. Credit risk is the risk that an issuer of debt securities will be unable to pay principal and interest when due, or that the value of the security will suffer because investors believe the issuer is less able to make required principal and interest payments. This is broadly gauged by the credit ratings of the debt securities in which the Fund invests. However, credit ratings are only the opinions of the rating agencies issuing them, do not purport to reflect the risk of fluctuations in market value and are not absolute guarantees as to the payment of interest and the repayment of principal.

 

Risk Related to Investing in Inflation-Linked Bonds: The Fund may invest in inflation-linked bonds, which are income-generating instruments whose interest and principal payments are adjusted for inflation – a sustained increase in prices that erodes the purchasing power of money. The inflation adjustment, which is typically applied monthly to the principal of the bond, follows a designated inflation index, such as the consumer price index. Because of this inflation adjustment feature, inflation-protected bonds typically have lower yields than conventional fixed-rate bonds.

 

6
 

 

 

Risk Related to Investing in Gold: The Fund may invest in gold ETFs and/or ETCs. Gold generates no interest or dividends, and the return from investments in gold will be derived solely from the price gains or losses from the commodity. Gold may also be significantly affected by developments in the gold mining industry and prices of gold may fluctuate sharply over short periods of time.

 

Risk Related to Investing in Commodities: The Fund may invest in commodity ETFs and/or ETCs. Exposure to commodities may subject the Fund to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. The value of commodities may be affected by changes in overall market movements, commodity index volatility, changes in interest rates, or sectors affecting a particular industry or commodity, such as drought, floods, weather, embargoes, tariffs and international economic, political and regulatory developments.

 

Risk Related to Investing in ETFs: The Fund may hold ETFs to gain exposure to certain asset classes. As a result, the Fund may be subject to the same risks as the underlying ETFs. While the risks of owning shares of an underlying ETF generally reflect the risks of owning the underlying securities the ETF is designed to track, lack of liquidity in an underlying ETF can result in its value being more volatile than the underlying portfolio securities. An ETF may trade at a premium or discount to its net asset value. The Fund will indirectly bear its pro rata share of the fees and expenses incurred by an ETF it invests in, including advisory fees, and will pay brokerage commissions in connection with the purchase and sale of shares of ETFs. ETFs that invest in commodities may be, or may become, subject to regulatory trading limits that could hurt the value of their securities and could affect the Fund’s ability to pursue its investment program as described in this prospectus. Additionally, some ETFs are not registered under the Investment Company of 1940 Act and therefore, are not subject to the regulatory scheme and investor protections of the Investment Company Act of 1940.

 

Risk Related to Investing in ETCs: The Fund may hold ETCs to gain exposure to gold and commodities. As a result, the Fund may be subject to the same risks as the underlying ETCs. While the risks of owning shares of an underlying ETC generally reflect the risks of owning the underlying commodities the ETC is designed to track, lack of liquidity in an underlying ETC can result in its value being more volatile than the underlying portfolio securities. The Fund will pay brokerage commissions in connection with the purchase and sale of shares of ETCs. ETCs that invest in commodities may be, or may become, subject to regulatory trading limits that could hurt the value of their securities and could affect the Fund’s ability to pursue its investment program as described in this prospectus. Additionally, ETCs are not registered under the Investment Company of 1940 Act and therefore, are not subject to the regulatory scheme and investor protections of the Investment Company Act of 1940.

 

Tracking Error Risk: The performance of the Fund may diverge from the performance of the Underlying Index. Because the Fund employs a representative sampling strategy, the Fund may experience tracking error to a greater extent than a fund that seeks to replicate an index.

 

Valuation Risk: The value of the securities in the Fund's portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund's Shares.

 

7
 

 

 

Volatility Risk: The Fund may have investments that appreciate or decrease significantly in value over short periods of time. This may cause the Fund’s net asset value per share to experience significant appreciations or decreases in value over short periods of time.

 

PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

 

The Fund does not have a full calendar year of performance. Thus, no bar chart or Average Annual Total Returns table is included for the Fund.

 

FUND MANAGEMENT

 

Investment Adviser: Global X Management Company LLC.

 

Portfolio Managers: The professionals primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund are Bruno del Ama and Jose C. Gonzalez (“Portfolio Managers”). Mr. del Ama, who is the Chief Executive Officer of the Adviser, and Mr. Gonzalez, who is the Chief Operating Officer of the Adviser, have been Portfolio Managers of the Fund since inception.

 

PURCHASE AND SALE OF FUND SHARES

 

Shares will be listed and traded at market prices on an exchange. Shares may only be purchased and sold on the exchange through a broker-dealer. The price of Shares is based on market price, and because exchange-traded fund Shares trade at market prices rather than at NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (a premium) or less than NAV (a discount). Only Authorized Participants who have entered into agreements with the Fund’s distributor, SEI Investments Distribution Co. ("Distributor"), may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. The Fund will only issue or redeem Shares that have been aggregated into blocks of 50,000 Shares or multiples thereof ("Creation Units"). The Fund will issue or redeem Creation Units in return for a basket of cash and/or securities that the Fund specifies each Business Day.

 

TAX INFORMATION

 

The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxable to you as ordinary income or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account ("IRA").

 

PAYMENTS TO BROKER-DEALERS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES

 

The Adviser and its related companies may pay broker/dealers or other financial intermediaries (such as a bank) for the sale of the Fund’s Shares and related services. These payments create a conflict of interest by influencing your broker/dealer or other intermediary or its employees or associated persons to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your financial adviser or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

 

 

8
 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUND’S STRATEGIES AND RISKS

 

ADDITIONAL STRATEGIES

 

In addition to the investment strategies discussed above under Fund Summary—Principal Investment Strategies, the Fund may use the following investment strategies:

 

Derivative Instruments, Cash or Stocks not included in the Underlying Index: The Fund may invest up to 20% of its assets in (i) certain futures, options and swap contracts (which may be leveraged and are considered derivatives), (ii) cash and cash equivalents and (iii) stocks not included in the Underlying Index that the Adviser believes will help the Fund track the Underlying Index.

 

Leverage: The Underlying Index and the Fund may have leveraged exposure to one or more asset classes. The 1940 Act and the rules and interpretations thereunder impose certain limitations on the Fund’s ability to use leverage. While the Fund normally does not engage in borrowing, leverage may be created when the Fund engages in futures contracts, forward contracts, swaps and certain other derivative instruments. Leveraging tends to magnify, sometimes significantly, the effect of any increase or decrease in the Fund’s exposure to an asset class and may cause the Fund’s NAV to be volatile.

 

Investment Companies: The Fund may invest up to 5% of its assets in any single investment company and up to 10% of its assets in all other investment companies in the aggregate. However, the Fund cannot hold more than 3% of the total outstanding voting stock of any single investment company. When a Fund invests in another investment company, it bears a proportionate share of expenses charged by the investment company in which it invests. Investments by the Fund in other investment companies, including ETFs, will be subject to the limitations of the 1940 Act except as permitted by SEC orders.

 

Securities Lending: The Fund may lend its portfolio securities. In connection with such loans, the Fund receives liquid collateral equal to at least 102% of the value of domestic equity securities and ADRs and 105% of the value of the foreign equity securities (other than ADRs) being lent. This collateral is marked-to-market on a daily basis.

 

ADDITIONAL RISKS

 

The Fund is subject to the risks described below. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s NAV, trading price, yield, total return and/or its ability to meet its objectives.

 

Asset Class Risk

 

The returns from the types of securities in which the Fund invests may under-perform returns from the various general securities markets or different asset classes. The securities in the Underlying Indexes may under-perform fixed-income investments and stock market investments that track other markets, segments and sectors. Different types of securities tend to go through cycles of out-performance and under-performance in comparison to the general securities markets. Even if the Underlying Index seeks to preserve and increase its value over the long term, it is subject to the risk of suffering substantial short-term declines from time to time, which would also result in substantial losses for the Fund.

 

9
 

 

 

Commodities Regulatory Risk

 

In August, 2011, the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) announced that it would stop issuing private letter rulings authorizing favorable tax treatment for funds that invest indirectly in commodities or derivatives based upon commodities. The IRS has previously issued a number of private letter rulings to funds in this area, concluding that such investments generate “qualifying income” for Regulated Investment Company (“RIC”) qualification purposes. It is unclear how long this suspension will last. This suspension of guidance by the IRS means that the tax treatment of such investments is now subject to some uncertainty. Furthermore, a Senate panel is reviewing these IRS rulings that let mutual funds exceed limits on commodity investments without facing associated tax penalties. The Senate's Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations is considering whether the private letter rulings inadvertently increased commodity speculation. The chairman of that Senate subcommittee is pushing to make the moratorium permanent, meaning that funds would be limited significantly in their ability to invest in commodities, directly or indirectly. Any changes in tax guidance could affect the Fund’s ability to qualify as a RIC, which could cause the Fund to become subject to federal income tax for that year on all or part of its taxable income and recognized gains, even on amounts distributed to its shareholders.

 

In addition, the CFTC has proposed regulations which would limit the use of commodity interests by pooled investment vehicles, such as the Fund. If adopted, these regulations could affect the Fund’s ability to pursue its investment program as described in this prospectus. If that occurs, the Board will consider an appropriate course of action.

 

Counterparty Risk

 

Counterparty risk is the risk that a counterparty to a swap contract or other similar investment instrument may default on its payment obligation to the Fund. Such a default may cause the value of an investment in the Fund to decrease.

 

Credit Risk

 

Credit risk is the risk that the issuer of the security will not be able to make principal and interest payments when due. Changes in an issuer’s credit rating or the market’s perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness may also affect the value of the Fund’s investment in that issuer. Securities rated in the four highest categories by the rating agencies are considered investment grade but they may also have some speculative characteristics. Investment grade ratings do not guarantee that bonds will not lose value.

 

Currency Risk

 

Currency risk is the potential for price fluctuations in the dollar value of foreign securities because of changing currency exchange rates. Because the Fund’s NAV is determined on the basis of U.S. dollars, you may lose money if the local currency of a foreign market depreciates against the U.S. dollar, even if the local currency value of the Fund’s holdings goes up.

 

10
 

 

 

Derivatives Risk

 

Derivatives risk is the risk that loss may result from the Fund’s investments in derivative instruments such as options, futures and swap contracts, which may be leveraged. Investments in leveraged instruments may result in losses exceeding the amounts invested. The Fund may use these instruments to help the Fund track its Underlying Index. Compared to conventional securities, derivatives can be more sensitive to changes in interest rates or to sudden fluctuations in market prices and thus the Fund’s losses may be greater if it invests in derivatives than if it invests only in conventional securities.

 

Foreign Security Risk

 

The Fund’s assets may be invested within the equity and fixed income markets of countries outside of the U.S. These markets are subject to special risks associated with foreign investment including, but not limited to: lower levels of liquidity and market efficiency; greater securities price volatility; exchange rate fluctuations and exchange controls; less availability of public information about issuers; limitations on foreign ownership of securities; imposition of withholding or other taxes; imposition of restrictions on the expatriation of the assets of the Fund; higher transaction and custody costs and delays in settlement procedures; difficulties in enforcing contractual obligations; lower levels of regulation of the securities market; and weaker accounting, disclosure and reporting requirements. Shareholder rights under the laws of some foreign countries may not be as favorable as U.S. laws. Thus, a shareholder may have more difficulty in asserting its rights or enforcing a judgment against a foreign company than a shareholder of a comparable U.S. company. Investment of more than 25% of the Fund’s total assets in securities located in one country or region will subject the Fund to increased country or region risk with respect to that country or region.

 

Forward and Futures Contract Risk

 

The primary risks associated with the use of forward and futures contracts are (a) the imperfect correlation between the change in market value of the instruments held by the Fund and the price of the forward or futures contract; (b) the possible lack of a liquid secondary market for a forward or futures contract and the resulting inability to close a forward or futures contract when desired; (c) the possibility that the counterparty will default in the performance of its obligations; and (d) the possibility that, if the Fund has insufficient cash, the Fund may have to sell securities from its portfolio to meet daily variation margin requirements, and the Fund may have to sell securities at a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so.

 

Interest Rate Risk

 

Interest rate risk is the risk that prices of fixed income securities generally increase when interest rates decline and decrease when interest rates increase. The Fund may lose money if short term or long term interest rates rise sharply.

 

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Leverage Risk

 

While the Fund normally does not engage in borrowing, leverage may be created when the Fund engages in futures contracts, forward contracts, swaps and certain other derivative instruments. As a result, the Fund may be exposed to the risks of leverage, which may be considered a speculative investment technique. Leverage magnifies the potential for gain and loss on amounts invested and therefore increase the risks associated with investing in our Fund. If the value of the Fund’s assets increases, then leveraging would cause the Fund's NAV to increase more sharply than it would have had the Fund not leveraged. Conversely, if the value of the Fund’s assets decreases, leveraging would cause the Fund's NAV to decline more sharply than it otherwise would have had the Fund not leveraged. In addition, the costs associated with the Fund’s borrowings, including any increase in the management fee payable to the Adviser will be borne by Fund shareholders.

 

Market Trading Risks

 

Absence of Active Market

 

Although Shares are or will be listed for trading on a U.S. exchange and may be listed on certain foreign exchanges, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such Shares will develop or be maintained.

 

Lack of Market Liquidity

 

Secondary market trading in Shares may be halted by an exchange because of market conditions or for other reasons. In addition, trading in Shares is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to “circuit breaker” rules. There can be no assurance that the requirements necessary to maintain the listing of Shares will continue to be met or will remain unchanged.

 

Risks of Secondary Listings

 

The Fund’s Shares may be listed or traded on U.S. and non-U.S. exchanges other than the U.S. exchange where the Fund’s primary listing is maintained. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s Shares will continue to trade on any such exchange or in any market or that the Fund’s Shares will continue to meet the requirements for listing or trading on any exchange or in any market. The Fund’s Shares may be less actively traded in certain markets than others, and investors are subject to the execution and settlement risks and market standards of the market where they or their broker direct their trades for execution. Certain information available to investors who trade Shares on a U.S. stock exchange during regular U.S. market hours may not be available to investors who trade in other markets, which may result in secondary market prices in such markets being less efficient.

 

Secondary Market Trading Risk

 

Shares of the Fund may trade in the secondary market on days when the Fund does not accept orders to purchase or redeem Shares. On such days, Shares may trade in the secondary market with more significant premiums or discounts than might be experienced on days when the Fund accepts purchase and redemption orders.

 

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Secondary market trading in Shares may be halted by a stock exchange because of market conditions or other reasons. In addition, trading in Fund Shares on a stock exchange or in any market may be subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to "circuit breaker" rules on the stock exchange or market. There can be no assurance that the requirements necessary to maintain the listing or trading of Fund Shares will continue to be met or will remain unchanged.

 

Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV

 

Shares of the Fund may trade at, above or below their NAV. The per share NAV of the Fund will fluctuate with changes in the market value of such Fund’s holdings. The trading prices of Shares will fluctuate in accordance with changes in its NAV as well as market supply and demand. The trading prices of the Fund’s Shares may deviate significantly from NAV during periods of market volatility. Any of these factions may lead to the Fund's Shares trading at a premium or discount to NAV. While the creation/redemption feature is designed to make it likely that Shares normally will trade close to the Fund’s NAV, exchange prices are not expected to correlate exactly with the Fund’s NAV due to timing reasons as well as market supply and demand factors. In addition, disruptions to creations and redemptions or the existence of extreme market volatility may result in trading prices that differ significantly from NAV. If a shareholder purchases at a time when the market price is at a premium to the NAV or sells at a time when the market price is at a discount to the NAV, the shareholder may sustain losses.

 

Since foreign exchanges may be open on days when the Fund does not price Shares, the value of the securities in the Fund’s portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell Shares.

 

Costs of Buying or Selling Fund Shares

 

Buying or selling Fund Shares involves two types of costs that apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling Shares of a Fund through a broker, you will likely incur a brokerage commission or other charges imposed by brokers as determined by that broker. In addition, you may incur the cost of the "spread" - that is, the difference between what professional investors are willing to pay for Fund Shares (the "bid" price) and the market price at which they are willing to sell Fund Shares (the "ask" price). Because of the costs inherent in buying or selling Fund Shares, frequent trading may detract significantly from investment results and an investment in Fund Shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.

 

Non-Diversification Risk

 

The Fund is classified as “non-diversified.” This means that the Fund may invest most of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of companies. As a result, the Fund may be more susceptible to the risks associated with these particular companies, or to a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence affecting these companies.

 

Passive Foreign Investment Company Risk

 

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Some Fund holdings may be characterized as “passive foreign investment companies” (PFICs) for U.S. tax purposes. In general, a foreign corporation is classified as a PFIC for a taxable year if at least one-half of its assets constitute investment-type assets or 75% or more of its gross income is investment-type income. If the Fund receives a so-called “excess distribution” with respect to PFIC stock, the Fund itself may be subject to tax on a portion of the excess distribution, whether or not the corresponding income is distributed by the Fund to stockholders. In general, under the PFIC rules, an excess distribution is treated as having been realized ratably over the period during which the Fund held the PFIC stock. The Fund itself will be subject to tax on the portion, if any, of an excess distribution that is so allocated to prior taxable years and an interest factor will be added to the tax, as if the tax had been payable in such prior taxable years. Certain distributions from a PFIC as well as gain from the sale of PFIC stock are treated as excess distributions. Excess distributions are characterized as ordinary income even though, absent application of the PFIC rules, certain excess distributions might have been classified as capital gain.

 

The Fund may be eligible to elect alternative tax treatment with respect to PFIC stock. Under an election that currently is available in some circumstances, the Fund generally would be required to include in its gross income its share of the earnings of a PFIC on a current basis, regardless of whether distributions are received from the PFIC in a given year. If this election were made, the special rules, discussed above, relating to the taxation of excess distributions, would not apply. Alternatively, another election may be available that would involve marking to market a Fund’s PFIC shares at the end of each taxable year (and on certain other dates prescribed in the Internal Revenue Code), with the result that unrealized gains are treated as though they were realized and reported as ordinary income. Any mark-to-market losses and any loss from an actual disposition of PFIC shares would be deductible as ordinary losses to the extent of any net mark-to-market gains included in income with respect to such shares in prior years. If this election were made, tax at the Fund level under the PFIC rules would generally be eliminated, but the Fund could, in limited circumstances, incur nondeductible interest charges. A Fund’s intention to qualify annually as a regulated investment company may limit its elections with respect to PFIC shares.

 

Because the application of the PFIC rules may affect, among other things, the character of gains and the amount of gain or loss and the timing of the recognition of income with respect to PFIC shares, and may subject the Fund itself to tax on certain income from PFIC shares, the amount that must be distributed to shareholders and will be taxed to shareholders as ordinary income or long-term capital gain may be increased or decreased substantially as compared to a fund that did not invest in PFIC shares.

 

Passive Investment Risk

 

The Fund is not actively managed and may be affected by a general decline in market segments relating to the Underlying Index. The Fund invests in securities included in, or representative of, the Underlying Index regardless of their investment merits. The Adviser does not attempt to take defensive positions in declining markets.

 

Risk Related to Investing in Equity Securities

 

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Equity securities are subject to changes in value and their values may be more volatile than other asset classes. Prices of the securities held by the Fund could fluctuate sometimes rapidly and unexpectedly. These fluctuations may cause the price of a security to decline for short- or long-term periods and cause the security to be worth less than it was worth when purchased by the Fund. These fluctuations may be due to general market and economic conditions, perceptions regarding the industries in which the companies issuing the securities participate or the issuing company’s particular circumstances. Equity securities in the Underlying Index or in the Fund's portfolio may underperform in comparison to the general U.S. equity securities market.

 

Risk Related to Investing in Foreign Currency

 

The Fund may invest in foreign currencies, which are subject to risks, which include changes in the debt level and trade deficit of the country issuing the foreign currency; inflation rates of the United States and the country issuing the foreign currency; investors’ expectations concerning inflation rates; interest rates of the United States and the country issuing the foreign currency; investors’ expectations concerning interest rates; investment and trading activities of mutual funds, hedge funds and currency funds; and global or regional political, economic or financial events and situations.

 

In addition, a foreign currency in which the Fund invests may not maintain its long-term value in terms of purchasing power in the future. When the price of a foreign currency in which the Fund invests declines, it may have an adverse impact on the Fund.

 

Foreign exchange rates are influenced by the factors identified above and may also be influenced by: changing supply and demand for a particular currency; monetary policies of governments (including exchange control programs, restrictions on local exchanges or markets and limitations on foreign investment in a country or on investment by residents of a country in other countries); changes in balances of payments and trade; trade restrictions; and currency devaluations and revaluations. Also, governments from time to time intervene in the currency markets, directly and by regulation, in order to influence prices directly. These events and actions are unpredictable. The resulting volatility in the USD/foreign currency exchange rate could materially and adversely affect the performance of the Fund.

 

Risk Related to Investing in International Stocks

 

The Fund’s investments in foreign stocks can be riskier than U.S. stock investments. The prices of foreign stocks and the prices of U.S. stocks have, at times, moved in opposite directions. In addition, world events—such as political upheaval, financial troubles, or natural disasters—could adversely affect the value of securities issued by companies in foreign countries or regions. Stocks of companies located in emerging markets will be substantially more volatile, and substantially less liquid, than the stocks of companies located in more developed foreign markets.

 

Risk Related to Investing in Real Estate Stocks

 

Real estate stocks and Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) are particularly vulnerable to decline in the event of deflationary economic conditions, and are subject to interest rate risk, leverage risk, property risk and management risk. REITs tend to be small- or mid-capitalization stocks and there is the possibility that returns from REITs may trail returns from the overall stock market. Historically, REITs have performed quite differently from the overall market. REITs are subject to interest rate risks (especially Mortgage REITs) and the risk of default by lessees or borrowers. An Equity REIT may be affected by changes in the value of the underlying properties owned by the REIT. A Mortgage REIT may be affected by the ability of the issuers of its portfolio mortgages to repay their obligations. REITs whose underlying assets are concentrated in properties used by a particular industry are also subject to risks associated with such industry. REITs may have limited financial resources, their securities may trade less frequently and in a limited volume, and their securities may be subject to more abrupt or erratic price movements than larger company securities.

 

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Risk Related to Investing in Bonds

 

Investments in debt securities are generally affected by changes in prevailing interest rates and the creditworthiness of the issuer. Prices of debt securities fall when prevailing interest rates rise. The Fund’s yield on investments in debt securities will fluctuate as the securities in the Fund are rebalanced and reinvested in securities with different interest rates. Investments in bonds are also subject to credit risk. Credit risk is the risk that an issuer of debt securities will be unable to pay principal and interest when due, or that the value of the security will suffer because investors believe the issuer is less able to make required principal and interest payments. This is broadly gauged by the credit ratings of the debt securities in which the Fund invests. However, credit ratings are only the opinions of the rating agencies issuing them, do not purport to reflect the risk of fluctuations in market value and are not absolute guarantees as to the payment of interest and the repayment of principal.

 

Risk Related to Investing in Inflation-Linked Bonds

 

The Fund may invest in inflation-linked bonds, which are income-generating instruments whose interest and principal payments are adjusted for inflation – a sustained increase in prices that erodes the purchasing power of money. The inflation adjustment, which is typically applied monthly to the principal of the bond, follows a designated inflation index, such as the consumer price index. Because of this inflation adjustment feature, inflation-protected bonds typically have lower yields than conventional fixed-rate bonds.

 

Risk Related to Investing in Gold

 

The Fund may invest in gold ETFs and/or ETCs. Gold generates no interest or dividends, and the return from investments in gold will be derived solely from the price gains or losses from the commodity. Gold may also be significantly affected by developments in the gold mining industry, and the price of gold may fluctuate sharply over short periods of time due to changes in inflation or expectations regarding inflation in various countries, the availability of supplies, changes in industrial and commercial demand, sales by governments, central banks or international agencies, investment speculation and monetary and other economic policies of various governments.

 

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In addition, because the majority of the world’s supply of gold is concentrated in a few countries, the Fund’s investments may be particularly susceptible to political, economic and environmental conditions and events in those countries.

 

Risk Related to Investing in Commodities

 

The Fund may invest in commodity ETFs and/or ETCs. Exposure to commodities may subject the Fund to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. The value of commodities may be affected by changes in overall market movements, commodity index volatility, changes in interest rates, or sectors affecting a particular industry or commodity, such as drought, floods, weather, embargoes, tariffs and international economic, political and regulatory developments.

 

Risk Related to Investing in Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs)

 

The Fund may hold ETFs to gain exposure to certain asset classes. As a result, the Fund may be subject to the same risks as the underlying ETFs. While the risks of owning shares of an underlying ETF generally reflect the risks of owning the underlying securities the ETF is designed to track, lack of liquidity in an underlying ETF can result in its value being more volatile than the underlying portfolio securities. An ETF may trade at a premium or discount to its net asset value. In addition, certain of the underlying ETFs may hold common portfolio positions, thereby reducing the diversification benefits of an asset allocation style.

 

When the Fund invests in ETFs or other investment companies, the Fund bears a proportionate share of expenses charged by the investment company in which it invests. A complete list of each underlying ETF can be found daily on the Trust’s website. Each investor should review the complete description of the principal risks of each underlying ETF prior to investing in the Fund.

 

Risk Related to Investing in Exchange Traded Commodities (ETCs)

 

The Fund may hold ETCs to gain exposure to gold and commodities. ETCs are secured, undated, limited recourse debt securities listed on certain foreign exchanges that are designed to track underlying commodities. The issuer is a special purpose vehicle established for the purpose of investing in the underlying metal which forms the assets underlying the ETC securities.

 

Gold ETCs are backed by physical allocated gold and have an effective entitlement to the physical gold. A security holder has the right, at any time, to require the redemption of all or any of its securities for gold. As a result, the Fund is subject to the same risks as the underlying gold.

 

Commodities ETCs reflect the performance of an index of commodity future contracts. Rolling futures contracts in these indexes can lead to positive or negative roll return and thus investors in the Index may receive lower returns based on futures contracts’ prices than those of the underlying spot commodity price. Commodity ETCs can be backed by swaps, which introduce counterparty risk to the swap issuer. Swap exposures are generally collateralized with cash, gold or other financial securities, which incorporates market risk should the value of the collateral decline following a counterparty default of the swap issuer.

 

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Lack of liquidity in an underlying ETC can result in its value being more volatile than the underlying metal. The ETC price accrues daily the management expenses of the ETC. An ETC may trade at a premium or discount to its net asset value.

 

Tax Status

 

The Fund intends to pay dividends each taxable year to enable it to continue to satisfy the distribution requirements necessary to qualify for treatment as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of chapter 1 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (“Code”) (“RIC”). Under the Code, the Fund may not earn more than 10% of its annual gross income from gains resulting from selling precious metals. This could make it more difficult for the Fund to qualify as a RIC. If a Portfolio were to distribute to its shareholders less than the minimum amount required for any year, the Fund would become subject to federal income tax for that year on all of its taxable income and recognized gains, even those distributed to its shareholders.

 

Tracking Error Risk

 

The Fund may not fully replicate its Underlying 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 Underlying Index and raising cash to meet redemptions or deploying cash in connection with newly created Creation Units (defined herein). Because the Fund bears the costs and risks associated with buying and selling securities while such costs and risks are not factored into the return of the Underlying Index, the Fund’s performance may deviate significantly from the performance of the Underlying Index.

 

In addition, the Fund may hold securities not included in its Underlying Index, or may not invest in them in the exact proportions they represent of the Index, due among other things to legal restrictions or limitations imposed by the government of a particular country or a lack of liquidity on stock exchanges in which such securities trade. Therefore, the Fund is subject to management risk. That is, the Adviser’s investment strategy, the implementation of which is subject to a number of constraints, may not produce the intended results. The ability of the Adviser to successfully implement the Fund’s investment strategies will influence the Fund’s performance significantly.

 

The Fund is expected to value some or all of its investments based on fair value prices. To the extent the Fund calculates its net asset value (“NAV”) based on fair value prices and the value of the Index is based on securities’ closing prices on local foreign markets (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.

 

Valuation Risk

 

Because non-U.S. exchanges may be open on days when the Fund does not price its Shares, the value of the securities in the Fund's portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund's Shares.

 

Volatility Risk

 

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The Fund may have investments that appreciate or decrease significantly in value over short periods of time. This may cause the Fund’s net asset value per share to experience significant appreciations or decreases in value over short periods of time.

 

PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS INFORMATION

 

A description of the Trust’s policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of the Fund’s portfolio securities is available in the Fund’s combined Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”). The largest holdings of the Fund can be found at www.globalxfunds.com and Fund Fact sheets provide information regarding the Fund’s top holdings and may be requested by calling 1-888-GX-Fund-1 (1-888-493-8631).

 

FUND MANAGEMENT

 

Investment Adviser

 

Global X Management Company LLC serves as the Adviser and the administrator for the Fund. Subject to the supervision of the Board of Trustees, the Adviser is responsible for managing the investment activities of the Fund and the Fund’s business affairs and other administrative matters. The Adviser has been an investment adviser since 2008. The Adviser is a Delaware limited liability company with its principal offices located at 399 Park Avenue, 32nd floor, New York, New York 10022.

 

Pursuant to the Supervision and Administration Agreement and subject to the general supervision of the Board of Trustees of the Trust, the Adviser provides or causes to be furnished, all supervisory, administrative and other services reasonably necessary for the operation of the Fund and also bears the costs of various third-party services required by the Fund, including audit, certain custodial, portfolio accounting, legal, transfer agency and printing costs. The Supervision and Administration Agreement also requires the Adviser to provide investment advisory services to the Fund pursuant to an Investment Advisory Agreement.

 

The Fund pays the Adviser a fee (“Management Fee”) in return for providing investment advisory, supervisory and administrative services under an all-in fee structure. During the fiscal year ended October 31, 2011, the Fund was not operational. The Management Fee for the Fund is at an annual rate (stated as a percentage of the average daily net assets of the Fund) of [ ].

 

In addition, the Fund bears other fees and expenses that are not covered by the Supervision and Administration Agreement, which may vary and will affect the total ratio of the Fund, such as taxes, brokerage fees, commissions and other transaction expenses, interest and extraordinary expenses (such as litigation and indemnification expenses). The Adviser may earn a profit on the Management Fee paid by the Fund. Also, the Adviser, and not Fund shareholders, would benefit from any price decreases in third-party services, including decreases resulting from an increase in net assets.

 

The Trust, the Adviser and the Distributor each have adopted a code of ethics, (“Code”) as required by applicable law, which is designed to prevent affiliated persons of the Trust, the Adviser, 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.

 

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Approval of Advisory Agreement

 

A discussion regarding the basis for the Board of Trustees’ approval of the Supervision and Administration Agreement and the related Investment Advisory Agreement for the Fund will be available in the Fund’s first annual or semi-annual report to shareholders.

 

Portfolio Management

 

The portfolio managers who are currently responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio are Bruno del Ama and Jose Gonzalez.

 

Bruno del Ama: Bruno del Ama has been Chief Executive Officer of the Adviser since March 2008. Prior to joining the Adviser, Mr. del Ama was a director at Radian Asset Assurance from 2004 to 2008. Mr. del Ama received a Masters in Business Administration from the Wharton Business School.

 

Jose Gonzalez: Jose Gonzalez has been Chief Operating Officer of the Adviser since March 2008. Mr. Gonzalez is also a registered representative of GWM Group, Inc. (“GWM”), a registered broker-dealer and an affiliate of the Adviser. Mr. Gonzalez has been affiliated with GWM since 2006.

 

The SAI provides additional information about the portfolio managers’ compensation structure, other accounts managed by the portfolio managers, and the portfolio manager’s ownership of securities of the Fund.

 

DISTRIBUTOR

 

SEI Investments Distribution Co. distributes Creation Units for the Fund on an agency basis. The Distributor does not maintain a secondary market in Shares. The Distributor has no role in determining the policies of the Fund or the securities that are purchased or sold by the Fund. The Distributor’s principal address is One Freedom Valley Drive Oaks, PA 19456. The Distributor is not affiliated with the Adviser.

 

BUYING AND SELLING FUND SHARES

 

Shares of the Fund trade on the listing exchange and elsewhere during the trading day. Shares can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like other Shares of publicly traded securities. There is no minimum investment for purchases made on the listing exchange. When buying or selling Shares through a broker, you will incur customary brokerage commissions and charges. In addition, you will also incur the cost of the “spread,” which is the difference between what professional investors are willing to pay for Shares (the “bid” price) and the price at which they are willing to sell Shares (the “ask” price). The commission is frequently a fixed amount and may be a significant proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell small amounts of Shares. The spread with respect to Shares varies over time based on the Fund’s trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the Fund has a lot of trading volume and market liquidity and higher if the Fund has little trading volume and market liquidity. Because of the costs of buying and selling Shares, frequent trading may reduce investment return.

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Shares of the Fund may be acquired or redeemed directly from the Fund only in Creation Units or multiples thereof, as discussed in the Creations and Redemptions section in the SAI. Once created, Shares generally trade in the secondary market in amounts less than a Creation Unit.

 

Shares of the Fund trade under the trading symbols listed for the Fund in the Fund Summaries section of the Prospectus.

 

The Fund that is available for purchase is listed on an exchange. The exchange is open for trading Monday through Friday and is closed on weekends and the following holidays, as observed: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.

 

Book Entry

 

Shares of the Fund are held in book-entry form, which means that no stock certificates are issued. The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) or its nominee, is the record owner of all outstanding Shares and is recognized as the owner of all Shares for all purposes.

 

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 include DTC, 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 rights as an owner of Shares, you must rely upon the procedures of DTC and its participants. These procedures are the same as those that apply to any securities that you hold in book entry or “street name” form.

 

FREQUENT TRADING

 

Unlike frequent trading of shares of a traditional open-end mutual funds (i.e., not exchange-traded shares), frequent trading of Shares on the secondary market does not disrupt portfolio management, increase the Fund’s trading costs, lead to realization of capitalization gains, or otherwise harm Fund shareholders because these trades does not involve the Fund directly. A few institutional investors are authorized to purchase and redeem each Shares directly with the Fund. When these trades are effected in-kind (i.e., for securities, and not for cash), they do not cause any of the harmful effects (noted above) that may result from frequent cash trades. Moreover, the Fund imposes transaction fees on in-kind purchases and redemptions of the Fund to cover the custodial and other costs incurred by the Fund in effecting in-kind trades. These fees increase if an investor substitutes cash in part or in whole for securities, reflecting the fact that the Fund’s trading costs increase in those circumstances. For these reasons, the Board of Trustees has determined that it is not necessary to adopt policies and procedures to detect and deter frequent trading and market-timing in Shares of the Fund.

 

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DISTRIBUTION AND SERVICE PLAN

 

The Board of Trustees of the Trust has adopted a distribution and services plan (“Plan”) pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act. Under the Plan, the Fund is authorized to pay distribution fees in connection with the sale and distribution of its Shares and pay service fees in connection with the provision of ongoing services to shareholders of each class and the maintenance of shareholder accounts in an amount up to 0.25% of its average daily net assets each year.

 

No Rule 12b-1 fees are currently paid by the Fund, and there are no current plans to impose these fees. However, in the event Rule 12b-1 fees are charged in the future, because these fees are paid out of the Fund’s assets on an ongoing basis, these fees will increase the cost of your investment in the Fund. By purchasing Shares subject to distribution fees and service fees, you may pay more over time than you would by purchasing Shares with other types of sales charge arrangements. Long-term shareholders may pay more than the economic equivalent of the maximum front-end sales charge permitted by the rules of FINRA. The net income attributable to Shares will be reduced by the amount of distribution fees and service fees and other expenses of the Fund.

 

DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS

 

Dividends from net investment income, including any net foreign currency gains, generally are declared and paid at least annually and any net realized securities gains are distributed at least annually. To improve tracking error or comply with the distribution requirements of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, dividends may be declared and paid more frequently than annually for the Fund.

 

Dividends and other distributions on Shares are distributed on a pro rata basis to beneficial owners of such Shares. Dividend payments are made through DTC participants to beneficial owners then of record with proceeds received from the Fund. Dividends and securities gains distributions are distributed in U.S. dollars and cannot be automatically reinvested in additional Shares.

 

No dividend reinvestment service is provided by the Trust. Broker-dealers may make available the DTC book-entry Dividend Reinvestment Service for use by beneficial owners of the Fund for reinvestment of their dividend distributions. Beneficial owners should contact their broker to determine the availability and costs of the service and the details of participation therein. Brokers may require beneficial owners to adhere to specific procedures and timetables. If this service is available and used, dividend distributions of both income and realized gains will be automatically reinvested in additional whole Shares purchased in the secondary market.

 

TAXES

 

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The following is a summary of certain tax considerations that may be relevant to an investor in the Fund. Except where otherwise indicated, the discussion relates to investors who are individual United States citizens or residents and is based on current tax law. You should consult your tax advisor for further information regarding federal, state, local and/or foreign tax consequences relevant to your specific situation.

 

Distributions. The Fund receives income generally in the form of dividends and interest on its investments. This income, less expenses, incurred in the operation of such Fund, constitutes the Fund’s net investment income from which dividends may be paid to you. The Fund intends to qualify as a regulated investment company for federal tax purposes, and to distribute to shareholders all or substantially all of its net investment income and net capital gain each year. Except as otherwise noted below, you will generally be subject to federal income tax on the Fund’s distributions to you. For federal income tax purposes, Fund distributions attributable to short-term capital gains and net investment income are taxable to you as ordinary income. Distributions attributable to net capital gains (the excess of net long-term capital gains over net short-term capital losses) of a Fund generally are taxable to you as long-term capital gains. This is true no matter how long you own your Shares or whether you take distributions in cash of additional Shares. The maximum long-term capital gain rate applicable to individuals is 15%.

 

Distributions of “qualifying dividends” will also generally be taxable to you at long-term capital gain rates through 2012, as long as certain requirements are met. In general, if 95% or more of the gross income of a Fund (other than net capital gain) consists of dividends received from domestic corporations or “qualified” foreign corporations (“qualifying dividends”), then all distributions paid by a Fund to individual shareholders will be treated as qualifying dividends. But if less than 95% of the gross income of a Fund (other than net capital gain) consists of qualifying dividends, then distributions paid by such Fund to individual shareholders will be qualifying dividends only to the extent they are derived from qualifying dividends earned by such Fund. For the lower rates to apply, you must have owned your Shares for at least 61 days during the 121-day period beginning on the date that is 60 days before such Fund’s ex-dividend date (and such Fund will need to have met a similar holding period requirement with respect to the Shares of the corporation paying the qualifying dividend). The amount of the Fund’s distributions that qualify for this favorable treatment may be reduced as a result of such Fund’s securities lending activities (if any), a high portfolio turnover rate or investments in debt securities or “non-qualified” foreign corporations. In addition, whether distributions received from foreign corporations are qualifying dividends will depend on several factors including the country of residence of the corporation making the distribution. Accordingly, distributions from many of the Fund’s holdings may not be qualifying dividends.

 

A portion of distributions paid by a Fund to shareholders who are corporations may also qualify for the dividends-received deduction for corporations, subject to certain holding period requirements and debt financing limitations. The amount of the dividends qualifying for this deduction may, however, be reduced as a result of such Fund’s securities lending activities, by a high portfolio turnover rate or by investments in debt securities or foreign corporations. All dividends (including the deducted portion) must be included in a corporation’s alternative minimum taxable income calculations.

 

23
 

 

 

Distributions from a Fund will generally be taxable to you in the year in which they are paid, with one exception. Dividends and distributions declared by a Fund in October, November or December and paid in January of the following year are taxed as though they were paid on December 31.

 

You should note that if you buy Shares of a Fund shortly before it makes a distribution, the distribution will be fully taxable to you even though, as an economic matter, it simply represents a return of a portion of your investment. This adverse tax result is known as “buying into a dividend.”

 

You will be informed of the amount of your ordinary income dividends, qualifying dividend income and capital gains distributions at the time they are paid, and will advise you of the tax status for federal income tax purposes shortly after the close of each calendar year. If you have not held Shares for a full year, a Fund may designate and distribute to you, as ordinary income or capital gain, a percentage of income that is not equal to the actual amount of such income earned during the period of your investment in such Fund.

 

The Fund’s investments in partnerships, including in Qualified Publicly Traded Partnerships, may result in such Fund being subject to state, local or foreign income, franchise or withholding tax liabilities.

 

Excise Tax Distribution Requirements. Under the Code, a nondeductible excise tax of 4% is imposed on the excess of a RIC’s “required distribution” for the calendar year ending within the RIC’s taxable year over the “distributed amount” for such calendar year. The term “required distribution” means the sum of (a) 98% of ordinary income (generally net investment income) for the calendar year, (b) 98% of capital gain (both long-term and short-term) for the one-year period ending on October 31 (or December 31, if such Fund so elects), and (c) the sum of any untaxed, undistributed net investment income and net capital gains of the RIC for prior periods. The term “distributed amount” generally means the sum of (a) amounts actually distributed by such Fund from its current year’s ordinary income and capital gain net income and (b) any amount on which such Fund pays income tax for the taxable year ending in the calendar year. Although such Fund intends to distribute its net investment income and net capital gains so as to avoid excise tax liability, such Fund may determine that it is in the interest of shareholders to distribute a lesser amount. The Fund intends to declare and pay these amounts in December (or in January which must be treated by you as received in December) to avoid these excise taxes, but can give no assurances that its distributions will be sufficient to eliminate all such taxes.

 

Foreign Currencies. Under the Code, gains or losses attributable to fluctuations in exchange rates which occur between the time a Fund accrues interest or other receivables or accrues expenses or other liabilities denominated in a foreign currency and the time such Fund actually collects such receivables or pays such liabilities are treated as ordinary income or ordinary loss. Similarly, gains or losses from the disposition of foreign currencies, from the disposition of debt securities denominated in a foreign currency, or from the disposition of a forward foreign currency contract which are attributable to fluctuations in the value of the foreign currency between the date of acquisition of the asset and the date of disposition also are treated as ordinary income or loss. These gains or losses, referred to under the Code as “section 988” gains or losses, increase or decrease the amount of such Fund’s investment company taxable income available to be distributed to its shareholders as ordinary income, rather than increasing or decreasing the amount of such Fund’s net capital gain.

24
 

 

 

 

Foreign Taxes. The Fund will be subject to foreign withholding taxes with respect to certain dividends or interest received from sources in foreign countries. If at the close of the taxable year more than 50% in value of the Fund’s assets consists of stock in foreign corporations, such Fund will be eligible to make an election to treat a proportionate amount of those taxes as constituting a distribution to each shareholder, which would allow you either (subject to certain limitations) (1) to credit that proportionate amount of taxes against U.S. Federal income tax liability as a foreign tax credit or (2) to take that amount as an itemized deduction. If a Fund is not eligible or chooses not to make this election it will be entitled to deduct such taxes in computing the amounts it is required to distribute.

 

Sales and Exchanges. The sale of Shares is a taxable event on which a gain or loss may be recognized. The amount of gain or loss is based on the difference between your tax basis in Shares and the amount you receive for them upon disposition. Generally, you will recognize long-term capital gain or loss if you have held your Shares for over one-year at the time you sell or exchange them. Gains and losses on Shares held for one-year or less will generally constitute short-term capital gains, except that a loss on Shares held six months or less will be re-characterized as a long-term capital loss to the extent of any long-term capital gains distributions that you have received on the Shares. A loss realized on a sale or exchange of Shares may be disallowed under the so-called “wash sale” rules to the extent the Shares disposed of are replaced with other Shares of that same Fund within a period of 61 days beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after the Shares are disposed of, such as pursuant to a dividend reinvestment in Shares of a Fund. If disallowed, the loss will be reflected in an adjustment to the basis of the Shares acquired.

 

IRAs and Other Tax-Qualified Plans. The one major exception to the preceding tax principles is that distributions on, and sales, exchanges and redemptions of, Shares held in an IRA or other tax-qualified plan will not be currently taxable unless the Shares were purchased with borrowed funds.

 

Backup Withholding. The Fund will be required in certain cases to withhold and remit to the U.S. Treasury the applicable back up withholding rate of the dividends and gross sales proceeds paid to any shareholder (i) who had provided either an incorrect tax identification number or no number at all, (ii) who is subject to backup withholding by the Internal Revenue Service, or (iii) who has failed to certify to a Fund, when required to do so, that he or she is not subject to backup withholding or is an “exempt recipient.”

 

U.S. Tax Treatment of Foreign Shareholders. A foreign shareholder generally will not be subject to U.S. withholding tax in respect of proceeds from, or gain on, the redemption of Shares or in respect of capital gain dividends (i.e., dividends attributable to long-term capital gains of a Fund) unless, in the case of a shareholder who is a non-resident alien individual, the shareholder is present in the United States for 183 days or more during the taxable year and certain other conditions are met. Foreign shareholders generally will be subject to U.S. withholding tax at a rate of 30% (or a lower treaty rate, if applicable) on distributions by such Fund of net investment income, other ordinary income, and the excess, if any, of net short-term capital gain over net long-term capital loss for the year, unless the distributions are effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business of the shareholder. Foreign shareholders should consult their tax advisors regarding the U.S. and foreign tax consequences of investing in the Fund.

 

25
 

 

 

Cost Basis Reporting. As of January 1, 2012, federal law requires that mutual fund companies report their shareholders' cost basis, gain/loss, and holding period to the Internal Revenue Service on the Fund’s shareholders’ Consolidated Form 1099s when “covered” securities are sold. Covered securities are any regulated investment company and/or dividend reinvestment plan shares acquired on or after January 1, 2012.

 

Prior to January 1, 2012, the Fund will choose a standing (default) tax lot identification method for all shareholders. A tax lot identification method is the way the Fund will determine which specific shares are deemed to be sold when there are multiple purchases on different dates at differing net asset values, and the entire position is not sold at one time. The Fund’s standing tax lot identification method is the method covered shares will be reported on your Consolidated Form 1099 if you do not select a specific tax lot identification method. You may choose a method different than the Fund’s standing method and will be able to do so at the time of your purchase or upon the sale of covered shares. Please refer to the appropriate Internal Revenue Service regulations or consult your tax advisor with regard to your personal circumstances. Prior to January 1, 2012, the Fund's shareholders will be notified as to which default tax lot identification method the Fund will use.

 

General Disclaimer. For those securities defined as "covered" under current Internal Revenue Service cost basis tax reporting regulations, the Fund is responsible for maintaining accurate cost basis and tax lot information for tax reporting purposes. The Fund is not responsible for the reliability or accuracy of the information for those securities that are not "covered." The Fund and its service providers do not provide tax advice. You should consult independent sources, which may include a tax professional, with respect to any decisions you may make with respect to choosing a tax lot identification method.

 

State and Local Taxes. You may also be subject to state and local taxes on income and gain attributable to your ownership of Shares. State income taxes may not apply, however, to the portions of the Fund’s distributions, if any, that are attributable to interest earned by a Fund on U.S. government securities. You should consult your tax advisor regarding the tax status of distributions in your state and locality.

 

Consult Your Tax Professional. Your investment in a Fund could have additional tax consequences. You should consult your tax professional for information regarding all tax consequences applicable to your investments in a Fund. More tax information relating to the Fund is also provided in the Statement of Additional Information. This short summary is not intended as a substitute for careful tax planning.

 

DETERMINATION OF NET ASSET VALUE

 

The Fund calculates its NAV generally once daily Monday through Friday generally as of the regularly scheduled close of business of the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) (normally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time) on each day that the NYSE is open for business, based on prices at the time of closing, provided that any assets or liabilities denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar shall be translated into U.S. dollars at the prevailing market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more major banks or dealers that make a two-way market in such currencies (or a data service provider based on quotations received from such banks or dealers). The NAV of the Fund is calculated by dividing the value of the net assets of such Fund (i.e., the value of its total assets less total liabilities) by the total number of outstanding Shares, generally rounded to the nearest cent.

26
 

 

 

In calculating the Fund’s NAV, the Fund’s investments are generally valued using market valuations. A market valuation generally means a valuation (i) obtained from an exchange, a pricing service, or a major market maker (or dealer), (ii) based on a price quotation or other equivalent indication of value supplied by an exchange, a pricing service, or a major market maker (or dealer), or (iii) based on amortized cost. In the case of shares of funds that are not traded on an exchange, a market valuation means such Fund’s published NAV per share. A Fund may use various pricing services or discontinue the use of any pricing service. A price obtained from a pricing service based on such pricing service’s valuation matrix may be considered a market valuation.

 

In the event that current market valuations are not readily available or such valuations do not reflect current market values, the affected investments will be valued using fair value pricing pursuant to the pricing policy and procedures approved by the Fund’s Board of Trustees. 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.

 

Investments that may be valued using fair value pricing include, but are not limited to: (i) an unlisted security related to corporate actions; (ii) a restricted security (i.e., one that may not be publicly sold without registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”)); (iii) a security whose trading has been suspended or which has been de-listed from its primary trading exchange; (iv) a security that is thinly traded; (v) a security in default or bankruptcy proceedings for which there is no current market quotation; (vi) a security affected by currency controls or restrictions; and (vii) a security affected by a significant event (i.e., an event that occurs after the close of the markets on which the security is traded but before the time as of which the Fund’s NAV is computed and that may materially affect the value of the Fund’s investments). Examples of events that may be “significant events” are government actions, natural disasters, armed conflict, acts of terrorism, and significant market fluctuations.

 

Valuing the Fund’s investments using fair value pricing will result in using prices for those investments that may differ from current market valuations. Use of fair value prices and certain current market valuations could result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund’s net asset value and the prices used by the Fund’s Underlying Index, which, in turn, could result in a difference between the Fund’s performance and the performance of the Fund’s Underlying Index.

 

Because foreign markets may be open on different days than the days during which a shareholder may purchase Shares, the value of the Fund’s investments may change on days when shareholders are not able to purchase Shares. Additionally, due to varying holiday schedules redemption requests made on certain dates may result in a settlement period exceeding seven calendar days. A list of the holiday schedules of the foreign exchanges of the Fund’s Underlying Indexes, as well as the dates on which a settlement period would exceed seven calendar days in 2012 is contained in the SAI.

27
 

 

 

The value of assets denominated in foreign currencies is converted into U.S. dollars using exchange rates deemed appropriate by the Adviser as investment adviser. Any use of a different rate from the rates used by each Index Provider may adversely affect the Fund’s ability to track its Underlying Index.

 

PREMIUM/DISCOUNT INFORMATION

 

Information regarding how often the Shares of the Fund traded on the listing exchange at a price above (i.e., at a premium) or below (i.e., at a discount) the net asset value of the Fund during the past four calendar quarters can be found at www.globalxfunds.com.

 

INFORMATION REGARDING THE INDEX AND THE INDEX PROVIDER

 

FXcube Risk Parity Index

 

The FXcube Risk Parity Index seeks to preserve and increase its value, over the long term, through risk balancing across asset classes. The Underlying Index consists of multiple asset classes which may include bonds, equities, commodities, currencies and real estate. Exposure may include global developed and emerging markets.

 

In allocating assets among asset classes, the Underlying Index follows a “risk parity” approach. The “risk parity” approach to asset allocation seeks to balance the allocation of risk across asset classes (as measured by volatility) when building the Underlying Index. This means that lower risk asset classes (such as global fixed income and inflation-linked government bonds) will generally have higher notional allocations than higher risk asset classes (such as global developed and emerging market equities). The Underlying Index rebalances [ ] as it aims to keep the risk contribution of each asset in the portfolio equal.

 

The Underlying Index may include U.S. and foreign exchange traded vehicles, including exchange traded funds (ETFs), exchange traded commodities (ETCs) or exchange traded notes (ETNs). The Underlying Index may have leveraged exposure to one or more asset classes.

 

The Index Provider is FXcube Strategies, LLC, an index provider specialized in the alternative space. FXcube Strategies, LLC does not sponsor, endorse or promote the Fund and is not in any way connected to it and does not accept any liability in relation to its issue, operation and trading.

 

The FXcube Risk Parity Index is calculated and maintained by Structured Solutions AG. Structured Solutions AG does not sponsor, endorse or promote the Fund and is not in any way connected to it and does not accept any liability in relation to its issue, operation and trading.

 

28
 

 

 

OTHER SERVICE PROVIDERS

 

SEI Investments Global Funds Services is the sub-administrator for the Fund.

 

Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. is the custodian and transfer agent for the Fund.

 

Dechert LLP serves as legal counsel to the Independent Trustees of the Fund.

 

Ernst & Young LLP serves as the Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm. The independent registered public accounting firm is responsible for auditing the annual financial statements of the Fund.

 

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

 

Because the Fund had not commenced operations as of the October 31, 2011 fiscal year end, financial highlights are not yet available.

 

OTHER INFORMATION

 

The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by the listing exchange. The listing 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 their objectives. The listing exchange has no obligation or liability in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the Fund.

 

For purposes of the 1940 Act, Shares are issued by a registered investment company and purchases of such Shares by investment companies and companies relying on Section 3(c)(1) or 3(c)(7) of the 1940 Act are subject to the restrictions set forth in Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act, except as permitted by an exemptive order that permits registered investment companies to invest in Shares beyond the limits in Section 12(d)(1)(A), subject to certain terms and conditions, including that the registered investment company and companies relying on Section 3(c)(1) or 3(c)(7) of the 1940 Act enter into an agreement with the Trust regarding the terms of the investment.

 

The Trust has obtained an SEC order permitting registered investment companies to invest in Shares as described above. One such condition stated in the order is that registered investment companies relying on the order must enter into a written agreement with the Trust.

 

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 Fund on an ongoing basis, a “distribution,” as such term is used in the Securities Act, may occur at any point. Broker dealers and other persons are cautioned that some activities on their part may, depending on the circumstances, result in their being deemed participants in a distribution in a manner which could render them statutory underwriters and subject them to the prospectus delivery 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.

 

29
 

 

 

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 overallotment 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 NYSE Arca is satisfied by the fact that the prospectus is available at NYSE Arca upon request. The prospectus delivery mechanism provided in Rule 153 is only available with respect to transactions on an exchange.

 

30
 

 

 

For more information visit our website at or

 

call 1-888-GXFund-1 (1-888-493-8631)

 

www.globalxfunds.com

 

 

Investment Adviser

Global X Management Company LLC

399 Park Avenue, 32nd floor

New York, NY 10022

 

 

Distributor

SEI Investments Distribution Co.

One Freedom Valley Drive

Oaks, PA 19456

 

 

Custodian and Transfer Agent

Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.

40 Water Street

Boston, MA 02109

 

 

Sub-Administrator

SEI Investments Global Funds Services

One Freedom Valley Drive

Oaks, PA 19456

 

 

Legal Counsel to the Independent Trustees

Dechert LLP

1775 I Street

Washington, DC 20006-2401

 

 

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

Ernst & Young LLP

2005 Market Street, Suite 700

Philadelphia, PA 19103

 
31
 

A Statement of Additional Information dated [ ], which contains more details about the Fund, is incorporated by reference in its entirety into this Prospectus, which means that it is legally part of this Prospectus.

 

Additional information about the Fund that has commenced operations and its investments will be available in its annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders when available. The annual report will explain the market conditions and investment strategies affecting the Fund’s performance during its last fiscal year.

 

You can ask questions or obtain a free copy of the Fund’s shareholder report or the Statement of Additional Information by calling 1-888-GXFund-1 (1-888-493-8631). Free copies of the Fund’s shareholder report (once available) and the Statement of Additional Information are available from our website at www.globalxfunds.com.

 

Information about the Fund, including its reports and the Statement of Additional Information, has been filed with the SEC. It can be reviewed and copied at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, DC or on the EDGAR database on the SEC’s internet site (http://www.sec.gov). Information on the operation of the SEC’s Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling the SEC at 1-202-551-8090. You can also request copies of these materials, upon payment of a duplicating fee, by electronic request at the SEC’s e-mail address (publicinfo@sec.gov) or by writing the Public Reference section of the SEC, 100 F Street N.E., Room 1580, Washington, DC 20549-1520.

 

PROSPECTUS

 

Distributor

 

SEI Investments Distribution Co.

One Freedom Valley Drive

Oaks, PA 19456

 

[ ], 2012

 

 

Investment Company Act File No.: 811-22209

 

 

32
 

 

 

The information in this Statement of Additional Information is not complete and may be changed. The Trust may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This Statement of Additional Information is not an offer to sell these securities and is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

 

 

 

Preliminary Statement of Additional Information

 

Subject to Completion

 

 

 

 

Statement of Additional Information

 

 

 

 

 

Dated [ ], 2012

 

 

 

 

 

 

This Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) is not a prospectus. It should be read in conjunction with the current Prospectus (“Prospectus”) for the Global X Risk Parity ETF [ ] (“Fund”) of Global X Funds (“Trust”) as such Prospectus may be revised or supplemented from time to time:

 

The Prospectus for the Fund is dated [ ], 2012. Capitalized terms used herein that are not defined have the same meaning as in the Prospectus, unless otherwise noted. A copy of the Prospectus may be obtained without charge by writing to SEI Investments Global Funds Services, One Freedom Valley Drive Oaks, PA 19456, calling 1-888-GXFund-1 (1-888-493-8631) or visiting www.globalxfunds.com. The principal U.S. national stock exchange on which the Fund is listed is [ ].

 

 

 
 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE TRUST AND its FUNDs 2
ADDITIONAL INVESTMENT INFORMATION 4
EXCHANGE LISTING AND TRADING 4
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE, STRATEGIES AND RISKS 5
INFORMATION REGARDING THE INDEXES AND THE INDEX PROVIDERS 16
INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS 16
CONTINUOUS OFFERING 18
PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS 18
MANAGEMENT OF THE TRUST 19
BOARD OF TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS 19
STANDING BOARD COMMITTEES 23
TRUSTEE OWNERSHIP OF FUND SHARES 24
TRUSTEE OWNERSHIP OF SECURITIES OF THE ADVISER AND RELATED COMPANIES 24
TRUSTEE COMPENSATION 24
CODE OF ETHICS 25
PORTFOLIO MANAGERS 26
BROKERAGE TRANSACTIONS 27
PROXY VOTING 28
SUB-ADMINISTRATOR 28
DISTRIBUTOR 28
CUSTODIAN AND TRANSFER AGENT 29
DESCRIPTION OF SHARES 29
BOOK-ENTRY ONLY SYSTEM 32
PURCHASE AND REDEMPTION OF CREATION UNITS 33
CREATION UNIT AGGREGATIONS 33
PURCHASE AND ISSUANCE OF CREATION UNIT AGGREGATIONS 33
REDEMPTION OF CREATION UNITS 36
TAXES 39
FEDERAL - GENERAL INFORMATION 39
BACK-UP WITHHOLDING 41

 

2
 

SECTIONS 351 AND 362 41
QUALIFIED DIVIDEND INCOME 42
CORPORATE DIVIDENDS RECEIVED DEDUCTION 42
NET CAPITAL LOSS CARRYFORWARDS 42
EXCESS INCLUSION INCOME 42
TAXATION OF INCOME FROM CERTAIN FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS AND PFICS 43
SALES OF SHARES 47
OTHER TAXES 47
FOREIGN TAXES 47
TAXATION OF NON-U.S. SHAREHOLDERS 48
REPORTING 48
NET ASSET VALUE 49
DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS 50
GENERAL POLICIES 50
DIVIDEND REINVESTMENT SERVICE 50
OTHER INFORMATION 50
CONTROL PERSONS AND PRINCIPAL HOLDERS OF SECURITIES 50
COUNSEL 50
INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM 50
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 51
APPENDIX A A-1
APPENDIX B B-1

 

 

 

3
 

 

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE TRUST AND its FUNDs

 

The Trust currently consists of 84 investment portfolios. The Trust was formed as a Delaware Statutory Trust on March 6, 2008 and is authorized to have multiple series or portfolios. The Trust is an open-end management investment company, registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (“1940 Act”). The offering of the Trust’s shares is registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (“Securities Act”). This SAI relates only to the Global X Risk Parity ETF [ ]. The Fund is “non-diversified” and, as such, the Fund’s investments are not required to meet certain diversification requirements under the 1940 Act.

 

The investment objective of the Fund is to provide investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of a specified benchmark index (“Underlying Index”). The Fund’s investment objective and Underlying Index may be changed without shareholder approval. Shareholders will be given 60 days’ prior notice of any change of the Fund’s investment objective. If the Adviser changes the Underlying Index, the name of the Fund may be changed as well. The Fund is managed by Global X Management Company LLC (“Adviser”).

 

The Fund offers and issue shares at its net asset value per share (“NAV”) only in aggregations of a specified number of shares (each, a “Creation Unit” or a “Creation Unit Aggregation”), generally in exchange for a basket of equity and fixed income securities included in its Underlying Index (“Deposit Securities”), together with the deposit of a specified cash payment (“Cash Component”). The shares of the Fund are, or will be, listed and expected to be traded on the NYSE Arca (“Exchange”).

 

Shares trade in the secondary market and elsewhere at market prices that may be at, above or below NAV. Shares are redeemable only in Creation Unit Aggregations and, generally, in exchange for portfolio securities and a Cash Component. Creation Units typically are a specified number of shares. The number of shares per Creation Unit of the Fund are as follows:

 

 

 Fund

Number of Shares per Creation Unit
Global X Risk Parity ETF  [ ]

 

The Trust reserves the right to offer a “cash” option for creations and redemptions of shares. Shares may be issued in advance of receipt of Deposit Securities subject to various conditions including a requirement to maintain on deposit with the Trust cash equal to 110% of the market value of the missing Deposit Securities. The required amount of deposit may be changed by the Adviser from time to time. See the Purchase and Redemption of Creation Units section of this SAI for further discussion. In each instance of such cash creations or redemptions, transaction fees may be imposed that will be in addition to the transaction fees associated with in-kind creations or redemptions. In all cases, such conditions and fees will be limited in accordance with the requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) applicable to management investment companies offering redeemable securities.

 

ADDITIONAL INVESTMENT INFORMATION

 

EXCHANGE LISTING AND TRADING

 

A discussion of exchange listing and trading matters associated with an investment in the Fund is contained in the Prospectus. The discussion below supplements, and should be read in conjunction with, that section of the Prospectus.

 

Shares of the Fund are listed for trading on the Exchange and trade throughout the day on the Exchange and other secondary markets. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of shares of any Fund will continue to be met. The Exchange may, but is not required to, remove the shares of the Fund from its listing if (1) following the initial twelve-month period beginning upon the commencement of trading of the Fund, there are fewer than fifty (50) record and/or beneficial holders of the Fund for thirty (30) or more consecutive trading days, (2) the value off the Underlying Index on which the Fund is based is no longer calculated or available, (3) the “indicative optimized portfolio value” (“IOPV”) of the Fund is no longer calculated or available, or (4) any other event shall occur or condition exist that, in the opinion of the Exchange, makes further dealings on the Exchange inadvisable. The Exchange will remove the shares of the Fund from listing and trading upon termination of the Fund.

 

4
 

As in the case of other publicly-traded securities, brokers’ commissions on transactions will be based on negotiated commission rates at customary levels.

 

In order to provide additional information regarding the indicative value of shares of the Fund, the Exchange disseminates every fifteen seconds, through the facilities of the Consolidated Tape Association, an updated IOPV for the Fund as calculated by an information provider or a market data vendor. The Trust is not involved in or responsible for any aspect of the calculation or dissemination of the IOPVs, and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the IOPVs.

 

An IOPV has a securities value component and a cash component. The equity securities values included in an IOPV are the values of the Deposit Securities for the applicable Fund. While the IOPV reflects the current market value of the Deposit Securities required to be deposited in connection with the purchase of a Creation Unit Aggregation, it does not necessarily reflect the precise composition of the current portfolio of securities held by the applicable Fund at a particular point in time because the current portfolio of the Fund may include securities that are not a part of the Deposit Securities. Therefore, the Fund’s IOPV disseminated during the Exchange trading hours should not be viewed as a real time update of the Fund’s NAV, which is calculated only once a day.

 

In addition to the securities component described in the preceding paragraph, the IOPV for the Fund includes a cash component consisting of estimated accrued dividends and other income, less expenses. If applicable, each IOPV also reflects changes in currency exchange rates between the U.S. Dollar and the applicable foreign currency.

 

The Trust reserves the right to adjust the share prices of the Fund 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 applicable Fund.

 

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE, STRATEGIES AND RISKS

 

The Fund seeks to achieve its objective by investing primarily in fixed income and equity securities issued by companies that comprise the relevant Underlying Index and through transactions that provide substantially similar exposure to securities in the Underlying Index. The Fund operates as an index fund and will not be actively managed. Adverse performance of a security in the Fund’s portfolio will ordinarily not result in the elimination of the security from the Fund’s portfolio. The Fund invests at least 80% of its total assets in the securities of its Underlying Index and in American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”), and Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”) (collectively “Depositary Receipts”) based on the securities in its Underlying Index. The Fund may also invest up to 20% of its assets in certain futures, options and swap contracts, cash and cash equivalents, as well as in stocks not included in its Underlying Index but which the Adviser believes will help the Fund track its Underlying Index.

 

The Global X Risk Parity ETF uses a representative sampling strategy with respect to the Underlying Index. “Representative sampling” is an indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to the Underlying Index in terms of key risk factors, performance attributes and other characteristics. These include country weightings, market capitalization and other financial characteristics of securities. The Fund may or may not hold all of the securities in the Underlying Index.

 

The Fund has adopted a non-fundamental investment policy in accordance with Rule 35d-1 under the 1940 Act to invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of the value of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in securities of the Fund’s Underlying Index and in Depositary Receipts based on securities in the Underlying Index. The Fund also has adopted a non-fundamental policy to invest at least 80% of its total assets in securities suggested by its name. The Fund has also adopted a policy to provide its shareholders with at least 60 days’ prior written notice of any change in such policy. If, subsequent to an investment, the 80% requirement is no longer met, the Fund’s future investments will be made in a manner that will bring the Fund into compliance with this policy.

 

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The following supplements the information contained in the Prospectus concerning the investment objectives and policies of the Fund.

 

BONDS. The Fund invests a substantial portion of its assets in U.S. dollar-denominated bonds. A bond is an interest-bearing security issued by company, governmental unit or a non-U.S. entity. 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.

 

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 as 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 the 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 a liquidation, are paid before subordinated obligations. Bonds may be unsecured (backed only by the issuer’s general creditworthiness) or secured (backed by specific collateral).

 

DEPOSITARY RECEIPTS. The Fund will normally invest at least 80% of its total assets in the securities of its Underlying Index and in Depositary Receipts based on the securities in its Underlying Index. ADRs are receipts that are traded in the United States evidencing ownership of the underlying foreign securities and are denominated in U.S. dollars. 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. GDRs may not be denominated in the same currency as the securities they represent. Generally, GDRs are designed for use in the foreign securities markets.

 

To the extent the Fund invests in ADRs, such ADRs will be listed on a national securities exchange. To the extent a Fund invests in GDRs, such GDRs will be listed on a foreign exchange. A 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 depositary 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.

 

NON-DIVERSIFICATION RISK. Non-diversification risk is the risk that a non-diversified fund may be more susceptible to adverse financial, economic or other developments affecting any single issuer, and more susceptible to greater losses because of these developments. The Fund is classified as “non-diversified” for purposes of the 1940 Act. A “non-diversified” classification means that the Fund is not limited by the 1940 Act with regard to the percentage of its assets that may be invested in the securities of a single issuer. The securities of a particular issuer may dominate the Underlying Index of such a Fund and, consequently, the Fund’s investment portfolio. The Fund may also concentrate its investments in a particular industry or group of industries, as noted in the description of the Fund. The securities of issuers in particular industries may dominate the Underlying Index of such a Fund and, consequently, the Fund’s investment portfolio. This may adversely affect its performance or subject the Fund’s shares to greater price volatility than that experienced by less concentrated investment companies.

 

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The Fund intends to maintain the required level of diversification and otherwise conduct its operations so as to qualify as a “regulated investment company” for purposes of the Internal Revenue Code (the “IRC”), and to relieve the Fund of any liability for federal income tax to the extent that its earnings are distributed to shareholders. Compliance with the diversification requirements of the IRC may limit the investment flexibility of certain Funds and may make it less likely that such Funds will meet their investment objectives.

 

SHORT-TERM INSTRUMENTS AND TEMPORARY INVESTMENTS. To the extent consistent with its investment policies, the Fund may invest in short-term instruments, including money market instruments, on an ongoing basis to provide liquidity or for other reasons. Money market instruments are generally short-term investments that may include but are not limited to: (i) shares of money market funds; (ii) obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities (including government-sponsored enterprises); (iii) negotiable certificates of deposit (“CDs”), bankers’ acceptances, fixed time deposits, bank notes and other obligations of U.S. and foreign banks (including foreign branches) and similar institutions; (iv) commercial paper rated at the date of purchase “Prime-1” by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”), “A-1” by Standard & Poor’s Rating Service (“S&P”) or, if unrated, of comparable quality as determined by the Adviser; (v) non-convertible corporate debt securities (e.g., bonds and debentures) with remaining maturities at the date of purchase of not more than 397 days and that satisfy the rating requirements set forth in Rule 2a-7 under the 1940 Act; (vi) repurchase agreements; and (vii) short-term U.S. dollar-denominated obligations of foreign banks (including U.S. branches) that, in the opinion of the Adviser, are of comparable quality to obligations of U.S. banks which may be purchased by the Fund. Any of these instruments may be purchased on a current or a forward-settled basis.

 

Time deposits are non-negotiable deposits maintained in banking institutions for specified periods of time at stated interest rates. Bankers’ acceptances are time drafts drawn on commercial banks by borrowers, usually in connection with international transactions. Commercial paper represents short-term unsecured promissory notes issued in bearer form by banks or bank holding companies, corporations and finance companies. Certificates of deposit are negotiable certificates issued against funds deposited in a commercial bank for a definite period of time and earning a specified return. Bankers’ acceptances are negotiable drafts or bills of exchange, normally drawn by an importer or exporter to pay for specific merchandise, which are “accepted” by a bank, meaning, in effect, that the bank unconditionally agrees to pay the face value of the instrument on maturity. Fixed time deposits are bank obligations payable at a stated maturity date and bearing interest at a fixed rate. Fixed time deposits may be withdrawn on demand by the investor, but may be subject to early withdrawal penalties that vary depending upon market conditions and the remaining maturity of the obligation. There are no contractual restrictions on the right to transfer a beneficial interest in a fixed time deposit to a third party. Bank notes generally rank junior to deposit liabilities of banks and pari passu with other senior, unsecured obligations of the bank. Bank notes are classified as “other borrowings” on a bank’s balance sheet, while deposit notes and certificates of deposit are classified as deposits. Bank notes are not insured by the FDIC or any other insurer. Congress has temporarily increased FDIC deposit insurance on deposit notes from $100,000 to $250,000 per depositor through December 31, 2013.

 

The Fund may invest a portion of its assets in the obligations of foreign banks and foreign branches of domestic banks. Such obligations include Eurodollar Certificates of Deposit (“ECDs”), which are U.S. dollar-denominated certificates of deposit issued by offices of foreign and domestic banks located outside the United States; Eurodollar Time Deposits (“ETDs”), which are U.S. dollar-denominated deposits in a foreign branch of a U.S. bank or a foreign bank; Canadian Time Deposits (“CTDs”), which are essentially the same as ETDs except they are issued by Canadian offices of major Canadian banks; Schedule Bs, which are obligations issued by Canadian branches of foreign or domestic banks; Yankee Certificates of Deposit (“Yankee CDs”), which are U.S. dollar-denominated certificates of deposit issued by a U.S. branch of a foreign bank and held in the United States; and Yankee Bankers’ Acceptances (“Yankee BAs”), which are U.S. dollar-denominated bankers’ acceptances issued by a U.S. branch of a foreign bank and held in the United States.

 

Commercial paper purchased by the Fund may include asset-backed commercial paper. Asset-backed commercial paper is issued by a special purpose entity that is organized to issue the commercial paper and to purchase trade receivables or other financial assets. The credit quality of asset-backed commercial paper depends primarily on the quality of these assets and the level of any additional credit support.

 

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EQUITY SWAPS, TOTAL RATE OF RETURN SWAPS AND CURRENCY SWAPS. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its total assets in swap contracts.

 

The Fund may enter into equity swap contracts to invest in a market without owning or taking physical custody of securities in circumstances in which direct investment is restricted for legal reasons or is otherwise impracticable. These instruments are privately negotiated over-the-counter derivative products. A great deal of flexibility is possible in the way these instruments are structured. The counterparty to an equity swap contract will typically be a bank, investment banking firm or broker/dealer. Equity swap contracts may be structured in different ways. For example, a counterparty may agree to pay the Fund the amount, if any, by which the notional amount of the equity swap contract would have increased in value had it been invested in particular stocks (or an index of stocks), plus the dividends that would have been received on those stocks. In these cases, the Fund may agree to pay to the counterparty the amount, if any, by which that notional amount would have decreased in value had it been invested in the stocks. Therefore, the return to the Fund on any equity swap contract should be the gain or loss on the notional amount plus dividends on the stocks less the interest paid by the Fund on the notional amount. In other cases, the counterparty and the Fund may each agree to pay the other the difference between the relative investment performances that would have been achieved if the notional amount of the equity swap contract had been invested in different stocks (or indices of stocks).

 

Total rate of return swaps are contracts that obligate a party to pay or receive interest in exchange for the payment by the other party of the total return generated by a security, a basket of securities, an index or an index component. The Fund also may enter into currency swaps, which involve the exchange of the rights of the Fund and another party to make or receive payments in specific currencies. Currency swaps involve the exchange of rights of the Fund and another party to make or receive payments in specific currencies.

 

Some transactions are entered into on a net basis, i.e., the two payment streams are netted out, with the Fund receiving or paying, as the case may be, only the net amount of the two payments. The Fund will enter into equity swaps only on a net basis. Payments may be made at the conclusion of an equity swap contract or periodically during its term. Equity swaps do not involve the delivery of securities or other underlying assets. Accordingly, the risk of loss with respect to equity swaps is limited to the net amount of payments that such Fund is contractually obligated to make. If the other party to an equity swap, or any other swap entered into on a net basis, defaults, the Fund’s risk of loss consists of the net amount of payments that such Fund is contractually entitled to receive, if any. In contrast, other transactions may involve the payment of the gross amount owed. For example, currency swaps usually involve the delivery of the entire principal amount of one designated currency in exchange for the other designated currency. Therefore, the entire principal value of a currency swap is subject to the risk that the other party to the swap will default on its contractual delivery obligations. To the extent that the amount payable by the Fund under a swap is covered by segregated cash or liquid assets, the Fund and the Adviser believe that transactions do not constitute senior securities under the 1940 Act and, accordingly, will not treat them as being subject to the Fund’s borrowing restrictions.

 

The Fund will not enter into any swap transactions unless the unsecured commercial paper, senior debt or claims-paying ability of the other party is rated either A, or A-1 or better by S&P, or Fitch Ratings (“Fitch”); or A or Prime-1 or better by Moody’s, or has received a comparable rating from another organization that is recognized as a nationally recognized statistical rating organization (“NRSRO”) or, if unrated by such rating organization, is determined to be of comparable quality by the Adviser. If there is a default by the other party to such a transaction, the Fund will have contractual remedies pursuant to the agreements related to the transaction. Such contractual remedies, however, may be subject to bankruptcy and insolvency laws that may affect such Fund’s rights as a creditor (e.g., the Fund may not receive the net amount of payments that it contractually is entitled to receive). The swap market has grown substantially in recent years with a large number of banks and investment banking firms acting both as principals and as agents utilizing standardized swap documentation. As a result, the swap market has become relatively liquid in comparison with markets for other similar instruments which are traded in the interbank market.

 

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The use of equity, total rate of return and currency swaps is a highly specialized activity which involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions.

 

EXCHANGE TRADED COMMODITIES (ETCs). The Fund may hold ETCs to gain exposure to gold and commodities. As a result, the Fund is subject to the same risks as the underlying ETCs. While the risks of owning shares of an underlying ETC generally reflect the risks of owning the underlying commodities the ETC is designed to track, lack of liquidity in an underlying ETC can result in its value being more volatile than the underlying portfolio securities. The Fund will pay brokerage commissions in connection with the purchase and sale of shares of ETCs. ETCs that invest in commodities may be, or may become, subject to regulatory trading limits that could hurt the value of their securities and could affect the Fund’s ability to pursue its investment program as described in this prospectus. Additionally, ETCs are not registered under the Investment Company of 1940 Act and therefore, are not subject to the regulatory scheme and investor protections of the Investment Company Act of 1940.

 

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS (ETFs). The Fund may hold ETFs to gain exposure to certain asset classes. As a result, the Fund is subject to the same risks as the underlying ETFs. While the risks of owning shares of an underlying ETF generally reflect the risks of owning the underlying securities the ETF is designed to track, lack of liquidity in an underlying ETF can result in its value being more volatile than the underlying portfolio securities. An ETF may trade at a premium or discount to its net asset value.

 

The Fund will indirectly bear its pro rata share of the fees and expenses incurred by an ETF it invests in, including advisory fees, and will pay brokerage commissions in connection with the purchase and sale of shares of ETFs. ETFs that invest in commodities may be, or may become, subject to regulatory trading limits that could hurt the value of their securities and could affect the Fund’s ability to pursue its investment program as described in this prospectus. Additionally, some ETFs are not registered under the Investment Company of 1940 Act and therefore, are not subject to the regulatory scheme and investor protections of the Investment Company Act of 1940.

 

FOREIGN CURRENCY TRANSACTIONS. To the extent consistent with its investment policies, the Fund may invest in forward foreign currency exchange contracts and foreign currency futures contracts. No Fund, however, expects to engage in currency transactions for speculative purposes or for the purpose of hedging against declines in the value of the Fund’s assets that are denominated in a foreign currency. The Fund may enter into forward foreign currency exchange contracts and foreign currency futures contracts to facilitate local settlements or to protect against currency exposure in connection with its distributions to shareholders.

 

Foreign currency exchange contracts involve an obligation to purchase or sell a specified currency on a future date at a price set at the time of the contract. Forward currency contracts do not eliminate fluctuations in the values of portfolio securities but rather allow the Fund to establish a rate of exchange for a future point in time. Foreign currency futures contracts involve an obligation to deliver or acquire the specified amount of a specific currency, at a specified price and at a specified future time. Such futures contracts may be settled on a net cash payment basis rather than by the sale and delivery of the underlying currency. The Fund may incur costs in connection with forward foreign currency exchange and futures contracts and conversions of foreign currencies and U.S. dollars.

 

Liquid assets equal to the amount of the Fund’s assets that could be required to consummate forward contracts will be segregated except to the extent the contracts are otherwise “covered.” The segregated assets will be valued at market or fair value. If the market or fair value of such assets declines, additional liquid assets will be segregated daily so that the value of the segregated assets will equal the amount of such commitments by the Fund. A forward contract to sell a foreign currency is “covered” if the Fund owns the currency (or securities denominated in the currency) underlying the contract, or holds a forward contract (or call option) permitting the Fund to buy the same currency at a price that is (i) no higher than the Fund’s price to sell the currency or (ii) greater than the Fund’s price to sell the currency provided the Fund segregates liquid assets in the amount of the difference. A forward contract to buy a foreign currency is “covered” if the Fund holds a forward contract (or call option) permitting the Fund to sell the same currency at a price that is (i) as high as or higher than the Fund’s price to buy the currency or (ii) lower than the Fund’s price to buy the currency provided the Fund segregates liquid assets in the amount of the difference.

 

FOREIGN INVESTMENTS - GENERAL. To the extent consistent with its investment policies, the Fund may invest in foreign securities. Investment in foreign securities involves special risks. These include market risk, interest rate risk and the risks of investing in securities of foreign issuers and of companies whose securities are principally traded outside the United States on foreign exchanges or foreign over-the-counter markets and in investments denominated in foreign currencies. Market risk involves the possibility that stock prices will decline over short or even extended periods. The stock markets tend to be cyclical, with periods of generally rising prices and periods of generally declining prices. These cycles will affect the value of the Fund to the extent that it invests in foreign stocks. In addition, the performance of investments in securities denominated in a foreign currency will depend on the strength of the foreign currency against the U.S. dollar and the interest rate environment in the country issuing the currency. Absent other events which could otherwise affect the value of a foreign security (such as a change in the political climate or an issuer’s credit quality), appreciation in the value of the foreign currency generally can be expected to increase the value of a foreign currency-denominated security in terms of U.S. dollars. A rise in foreign interest rates or decline in the value of the foreign currency relative to the U.S. dollar generally can be expected to depress the value of a foreign currency-denominated security.

 

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There are other risks and costs involved in investing in foreign securities, which are in addition to the usual risks inherent in domestic investments. Investment in foreign securities involves higher costs than investment in U.S. securities, including higher transaction and custody costs as well as the imposition of additional taxes by foreign governments. Foreign investments also involve risks associated with the level of currency exchange rates, less complete financial information about the issuers, less market liquidity, more market volatility and political instability. Future political and economic developments, the possible imposition of withholding taxes on dividend income, the possible seizure or nationalization of foreign holdings, the possible establishment of exchange controls, or the adoption of other governmental restrictions might adversely affect an investment in foreign securities. Additionally, foreign banks and foreign branches of domestic banks are subject to less stringent reserve requirements, and to different accounting, auditing and recordkeeping requirements. Also, the legal remedies for investors may be more limited than the remedies available in the U.S.

 

Although the Fund may invest in securities denominated in foreign currencies, its portfolio securities and other assets are valued in U.S. dollars. Currency exchange rates may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time causing, together with other factors, the Fund’s NAV to fluctuate as well. Currency exchange rates can be affected unpredictably by the intervention or the failure to intervene by U.S. or foreign governments or central banks, or by currency controls or political developments in the U.S. or abroad. To the extent that the Fund’s total assets, adjusted to reflect the Fund’s net position after giving effect to currency transactions, are denominated in the currencies of foreign countries, the Fund will be more susceptible to the risk of adverse economic and political developments within those countries.

 

Issuers of foreign securities may also suffer from social, political and economic instability. Such instability can lead to illiquidity or price volatility in foreign securities traded on affected markets. Foreign issuers may be subject to the risk that during certain periods the liquidity of securities of a particular issuer or industry, or all the securities within a particular region, will be adversely affected by economic, market or political events, or adverse investor perceptions, which may cause temporary or permanent devaluation of the relevant securities. In addition, if a market for a foreign security closes as a result of such instability, it may be more difficult to obtain accurate independently-sourced prices for securities traded on these markets and may be difficult to value the effected foreign securities for extended periods of time.

 

The Fund also is subject to the possible imposition of exchange control regulations or freezes on the convertibility of currency. In addition, through the use of forward currency exchange contracts with other instruments, any net currency positions of the Fund may expose them to risks independent of their securities positions.

 

The Fund will be subject to foreign withholding taxes with respect to certain dividends or interest received from sources in foreign countries. To the extent such taxes are not offset by credits or deductions allowed to investors under U.S. federal income tax law, they may reduce the net return to the shareholders.

 

The costs attributable to investing abroad usually are higher than investments in domestic securities for several reasons, such as the higher cost of investment research, higher costs of custody of foreign securities, higher commissions paid on comparable transactions on foreign markets and additional costs arising from delays in settlements of transactions involving foreign securities.

 

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Foreign markets also have different clearance and settlement procedures, and in certain markets there have been times when settlements have been unable to keep pace with the volume of securities transactions, making it difficult to conduct such transactions. Such delays in settlement could result in temporary periods when a portion of the assets of a Fund remain un-invested and no return is earned on such assets. The inability of a Fund to make intended security purchases or sales due to settlement problems could result either in losses to a Fund due to subsequent declines in value of the portfolio securities or, if a Fund has entered into a contract to sell the securities, could result in possible liability to the purchaser.

 

FUTURES CONTRACTS AND RELATED OPTIONS. To the extent consistent with its investment policies, the Fund may invest up to 20% of its total assets (minus any percent of Fund assets invested in other derivatives) in U.S. or foreign futures contracts and may purchase and sell call and put options on futures contracts. These futures contracts and options will be used to simulate full investment in the respective Underlying Index, to facilitate trading or to reduce transaction costs. The Fund will only enter into futures contracts and options on futures contracts that are traded on a U.S. or foreign exchange. The Fund will not use futures or options for speculative purposes.

 

The Trust, on behalf of 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. The Fund will engage in transactions in futures contracts and related options only to the extent such transactions are consistent with the requirement of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (“Code”) for maintaining its qualifications as regulated investment companies for federal income tax purposes.

 

Participation in foreign futures and foreign options transactions involves the execution and clearing of trades on or subject to the rules of a foreign board of trade. Neither the National Futures Association (“NFA”) nor any domestic exchange regulates activities of any foreign boards of trade, including the execution, delivery and clearing of transactions, or has the power to compel enforcement of the rules of a foreign 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, 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 Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s (“CFTC”) regulations and the rules of the NFA and any domestic exchange, including the right to use reparations proceedings before the CFTC and arbitration proceedings provided them by the NFA or any domestic futures exchange. In particular, the Fund’s investments in foreign futures or foreign options transactions may not be provided the same protections in respect of transactions on United States futures exchanges. In addition, the price of any foreign futures or foreign options contract may be affected by any variance in the foreign exchange rate between the time an order is placed and the time it is liquidated, offset or exercised.

 

In connection with the Fund’s position in a futures contract or related option, the Fund will segregate liquid assets or will otherwise cover its position in accordance with applicable SEC requirements.

 

For a further description of futures contracts and related options, see Appendix B to this SAI.

 

GOLD. The Fund invests in gold ETFs and/or ETCs. Gold is a commodity that generates no interest or dividends, and the return from investments in gold will be derived solely from the price gains or losses from the commodity. Investing in commodity-linked instruments such as ETFs or ETCs may subject the Fund to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. Gold may also be significantly affected by developments in the gold mining industry, and the price of gold may fluctuate sharply over short periods of time due to changes in inflation or expectations regarding inflation in various countries, the availability of supplies, changes in industrial and commercial demand, gold sales by governments, central banks or international agencies, investment speculation and monetary and other economic policies of various governments.

 

In addition, because the majority of the world’s supply of gold is concentrated in a few countries, the Fund’s investments may be particularly susceptible to political, economic and environmental conditions and events in those countries.

 

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Government Intervention in Financial Markets. Recent instability in the financial markets has led the U.S. Government, other governments and financial and prudential regulators to take a number of unprecedented actions designed to support certain financial institutions and segments of the financial markets that have experienced extreme volatility, and in some cases a lack of liquidity. Most significantly, the U.S. Government has enacted a broad-reaching new regulatory framework over the financial services industry and consumer credit markets, the potential impact of which on the value of securities held by a Fund is unknown. Federal, state, and other governments, their regulatory agencies, or self-regulatory organizations may take actions that affect the regulation of the instruments in which the Fund invests, or the issuers of such instruments, in ways that are unforeseeable. Legislation or regulation may also change the way in which the Fund itself is regulated. Such legislation or regulation could limit or preclude the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective.

 

Governments or their agencies may also acquire distressed assets from financial institutions and acquire ownership interests in those institutions. The implications of government ownership and disposition of these assets are unclear, and such a program may have positive or negative effects on the liquidity, valuation and performance of the Fund’s portfolio holdings. Furthermore, volatile financial markets can expose the Fund to greater market and liquidity risk and potential difficulty in valuing portfolio instruments held by the Fund. The Fund has established procedures to assess the liquidity of portfolio holdings and to value instruments for which market prices may not be readily available. The Adviser will monitor developments and seek to manage the Fund in a manner consistent with achieving the Fund’s investment objective, but there can be no assurance that it will be successful in doing so.

 

The value of a Fund’s holdings is also generally subject to the risk of future local, national, or global economic disturbances based on unknown weaknesses in the markets in which a Fund invests. In the event of such a disturbance, issuers of securities held by a Fund may experience significant declines in the value of their assets and even cease operations, or may receive government assistance accompanied by increased restrictions on their business operations or other government intervention. In addition, it is not certain that the U.S. Government will intervene in response to a future market disturbance and the effect of any such future intervention cannot be predicted. It is difficult for issuers to prepare for the impact of future financial downturns, although companies can seek to identify and manage future uncertainties through risk management programs.

 

ILLIQUID OR RESTRICTED SECURITIES. To the extent consistent with its investment policies, the Fund may invest up to 15% of its net assets in securities that are illiquid. The Fund may purchase commercial paper issued pursuant to Section 4(2) of the Securities Act and securities that are not registered under the Securities Act but can be sold to “qualified institutional buyers” in accordance with Rule 144A under the Securities Act. These securities will not be considered illiquid so long as the Adviser determines, under guidelines approved by the Trust’s Board of Trustees that an adequate trading market exists. This practice could increase the level of illiquidity during any period that qualified institutional buyers become uninterested in purchasing these securities.

 

INFLATION-PROTECTED SECURITIES. The Fund invests in inflation-protected public obligations of the U.S. Treasury, commonly known as “TIPS.” TIPS are a type of U.S. government obligation issued by the U.S. Treasury that are designed to provide inflation protection to investors. TIPS are income-generating instruments whose interest and principal payments are adjusted for inflation – a sustained increase in prices that erodes the purchasing power of money. The inflation adjustment, which is typically applied monthly to the principal of the bond, follows a designated inflation index, such as the consumer price index. A fixed-coupon rate is applied to the inflation-adjusted principal so that as inflation rises, both the principal value and the interest payments increase. This can provide investors with a hedge against inflation, as it helps preserve the purchasing power of an investment. Because of this inflation adjustment feature, inflation-protected bonds typically have lower yields than conventional fixed-rate bonds.

 

INVESTMENT COMPANIES. To the extent consistent with its investment policies, the Fund may invest in the securities of other investment companies. Such investments will be limited so that, as determined after a purchase is made, either: (a) not more than 3% of the total outstanding stock of such investment company will be owned by a Fund, the Trust as a whole and its affiliated persons (as defined in the 1940 Act); or (b) (i) not more than 5% of the value of the total assets of the Fund will be invested in the securities of any one investment company, (ii) not more than 10% of the value of its total assets will be invested in the aggregate securities of investment companies as a group and (iii) not more than 3% of the outstanding voting stock of any one investment company will be owned by the Fund. Investments by the Fund in other investment companies, including exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), will be subject to the limitations of the 1940 Act except as permitted by SEC orders. The Fund may rely on SEC orders that permit them to invest in certain ETFs beyond the limits contained in the 1940 Act, subject to certain terms and conditions. Generally, these terms and conditions require the Board to approve policies and procedures relating to certain of the Fund’s investments in ETFs. These policies and procedures require, among other things, that (i) the Adviser conduct The Fund’s investment in ETFs without regard to any consideration received by the Fund or any of its affiliated persons and (ii) the Adviser certify to the Board quarterly that it has not received any consideration in connection with an investment by the Fund in an ETF, or if it has, the amount and purpose of the consideration will be reported to the Board and an equivalent amount of advisory fees shall be waived by the Adviser.

 

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Certain investment companies whose securities are purchased by the Fund may not be obligated to redeem such securities in an amount exceeding 1% of the investment company’s total outstanding securities during any period of less than 30 days. Therefore, such securities that exceed this amount may be illiquid.

 

If required by the 1940 Act, the Fund expects to vote the shares of other investment companies that are held by it in the same proportion as the vote of all other holders of such securities.

 

LEVERAGE. The Fund may (i) invest up to 20% of its total assets in certain futures, options and swap contracts or other derivatives, and (ii) borrow money at fiscal quarter ends to maintain the required level of diversification to qualify as a "regulated investment company" for purposes of the Internal Revenue Code. As a result, the fund may be exposed to the risks of leverage, which may be considered a speculative investment technique. Leverage magnifies the potential for gain and loss on amounts invested and therefore increase the risks associated with investing in our Fund. If the value of the Fund's assets increases, then leveraging would cause the Fund's net asset value to increase more sharply than it would have had the Fund not leveraged. Conversely, if the value of the Fund's assets decreases, leveraging would cause the Fund's net asset value to decline more sharply than it otherwise would have had the Fund not leveraged. The Fund may incur additional expenses in connection with borrowings.

 

New Fund Risks. The Fund is a new fund, with no operating history, which may result in additional risks for investors in the Fund. There can be no assurance that the Fund will grow to or maintain an economically viable size, in which case the Board of Trustees may determine to liquidate the Fund. While shareholder interests will be the paramount consideration, the timing of any liquidation may not be favorable to certain individual shareholders.

 

OPTIONS. To the extent consistent with its investment policies, the Fund may invest up to 20% of net assets (minus any percent of Fund assets invested in other derivatives) in put options and buy call options and write covered call and secured put options. Such options may relate to particular securities, foreign and domestic stock indices, financial instruments, foreign currencies or the yield differential between two securities (“yield curve options”) and may or may not be listed on a domestic or foreign securities exchange or issued by the Options Clearing Corporation. A call option for a particular security or currency gives the purchaser of the option the right to buy, and a writer the obligation to sell, the underlying security at the stated exercise price prior to the expiration of the option, regardless of the market price of the security or currency. The premium paid to the writer is in consideration for undertaking the obligation under the option contract. A put option for a particular security or currency gives the purchaser the right to sell the security or currency at the stated exercise price to the expiration date of the option, regardless of the market price of the security or currency. In contrast to an option on a particular security, an option on an index provides the holder with the right to make or receive a cash settlement upon exercise of the option. The amount of this settlement will be equal to the difference between the closing price of the index at the time of exercise and the exercise price of the option expressed in dollars, times a specified multiple.

 

Options trading is a highly specialized activity, which entails greater than ordinary investment risk. Options on particular securities may be more volatile than the underlying instruments and, therefore, on a percentage basis, an investment in options may be subject to greater fluctuation than an investment in the underlying instruments themselves.

 

The Fund will write call options only if they are “covered.” In the case of a call option on a security or currency, the option is “covered” if the Fund owns the security or currency underlying the call or has an absolute and immediate right to acquire that security without additional cash consideration (or, if additional cash consideration is required, liquid assets in such amount are segregated) upon conversion or exchange of other securities held by it. For a call option on an index, the option is covered if the Fund maintains with its custodian a portfolio of securities substantially replicating the index, or liquid assets equal to the contract value. A call option also is covered if the Fund holds a call on the same security, currency or index as the call written where the exercise price of the call held is (i) equal to or less than the exercise price of the call written, or (ii) greater than the exercise price of the call written provided the Fund segregates liquid assets in the amount of the difference.

 

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All put options written by the Fund would be covered, which means that such Fund will segregate cash or liquid assets with a value at least equal to the exercise price of the put option or will use the other methods described in the next sentence. A put option also is covered if the Fund holds a put option on the same security or currency as the option written where the exercise price of the option held is (i) equal to or higher than the exercise price of the option written, or (ii) less than the exercise price of the option written provided the Fund segregates liquid assets in the amount of the difference.

 

With respect to yield curve options, a call (or put) option is covered if the Fund holds another call (or put) option on the spread between the same two securities and segregates liquid assets sufficient to cover the Fund’s net liability under the two options. Therefore, the Fund’s liability for such a covered option generally is limited to the difference between the amount of the Fund’s liability under the option written by the Fund less the value of the option held by the Fund. Yield curve options also may be covered in such other manner as may be in accordance with the requirements of the counterparty with which the option is traded and applicable laws and regulations.

 

The Fund’s obligation to sell subject to a covered call option written by it, or to purchase a security or currency subject to a secured put option written by it, may be terminated prior to the expiration date of the option by the Fund’s execution of a closing purchase transaction, which is effected by purchasing on an exchange an option of the same series (i.e., same underlying security or currency, exercise price and expiration date) as the option previously written. Such a purchase does not result in the ownership of an option. A closing purchase transaction will ordinarily be effected to realize a profit on an outstanding option, to prevent an underlying instrument from being called, to permit the sale of the underlying security or currency or to permit the writing of a new option containing different terms on such underlying security. The cost of such a liquidation purchase plus transaction costs may be greater than the premium received upon the original option, in which event the Fund will have incurred a loss in the transaction. There is no assurance that a liquid secondary market will exist for any particular option. An option writer, unable to effect a closing purchase transaction, will not be able to sell the underlying security or currency (in the case of a covered call option) or liquidate the segregated assets (in the case of a secured put option) until the option expires or the optioned security or currency is delivered upon exercise with the result that the writer in such circumstances will be subject to the risk of market decline or appreciation in the instrument during such period.

 

When the Fund purchases an option, the premium paid by it is recorded as an asset of the Fund. When the Fund writes an option, an amount equal to the net premium (the premium less the commission) received by the Fund is included in the liability section of the Fund’s statement of assets and liabilities as a deferred credit. The amount of this asset or deferred credit will be subsequently marked-to-market to reflect the current value of the option purchased or written. The current value of the traded option is the last sale price or, in the absence of a sale, the current bid price. If an option purchased by the Fund expires unexercised, the Fund realizes a loss equal to the premium paid. If the Fund enters into a closing sale transaction on an option purchased by it, the Fund will realize a gain if the premium received by the Fund on the closing transaction is more than the premium paid to purchase the option, or a loss if it is less. If an option written by the Fund expires on the stipulated expiration date or if the Fund enters into a closing purchase transaction, it will realize a gain (or loss if the cost of a closing purchase transaction exceeds the net premium received when the option is sold) and the deferred credit related to such option will be eliminated. If an option written by the Fund is exercised, the proceeds of the sale will be increased by the net premium originally received and the Fund will realize a gain or loss.

 

There are several risks associated with transactions in certain options. For example, there are significant differences between the securities, currency and options markets that could result in an imperfect correlation between these markets, causing a given transaction not to achieve its objectives. In addition, a liquid secondary market for particular options, whether traded over-the-counter or on an exchange, may be absent for reasons which include the following: there may be insufficient trading interest in certain options; restrictions may be imposed by an exchange on opening transactions or closing transactions or both; trading halts, suspensions or other restrictions may be imposed with respect to particular classes or series of options or underlying securities or currencies; unusual or unforeseen circumstances may interrupt normal operations on an exchange; the facilities of an exchange or the Options Clearing Corporation may not at all times be adequate to handle current trading value; or one or more exchanges could, for economic or other reasons, decide or be compelled at some future date to discontinue the trading of options (or a particular class or series of options), in which event the secondary market on that exchange (or in that class or series of options) would cease to exist, although outstanding options that had been issued by the Options Clearing Corporation as a result of trades on that exchange would continue to be exercisable in accordance with their terms.

 

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REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS. To the extent consistent with its investment policies, the Fund may agree to purchase portfolio securities from financial institutions subject to the seller’s agreement to repurchase them at a mutually agreed upon date and price (“repurchase agreements”). Repurchase agreements are considered to be loans under the 1940 Act. Although the securities subject to a repurchase agreement may bear maturities exceeding one year, settlement for the repurchase agreement will never be more than one year after the Fund’s acquisition of the securities and normally will be within a shorter period of time. Securities subject to repurchase agreements normally are held either by the Trust’s custodian or sub-custodian (if any), or in the Federal Reserve/Treasury Book-Entry System. The seller under a repurchase agreement will be required to maintain the value of the securities subject to the agreement in an amount exceeding the repurchase price (including accrued interest). Default by the seller would, however, expose the Fund to possible loss because of adverse market action or delay in connection with the disposition of the underlying obligations. In addition, in the event of a bankruptcy, the Fund could suffer additional losses if a court determines that the Fund’s interest in the collateral is unenforceable.

 

REVERSE REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS. To the extent consistent with its investment policies, the Fund may borrow funds by selling portfolio securities to financial institutions such as banks and broker/dealers and agreeing to repurchase them at a mutually specified date and price (“reverse repurchase agreements”). The Fund may use the proceeds of reverse repurchase agreements to purchase other securities either maturing, or under an agreement to resell, on a date simultaneous with or prior to the expiration of the reverse repurchase agreement. Reverse repurchase agreements are considered to be borrowings under the 1940 Act. Reverse repurchase agreements involve the risk that the market value of the securities sold by the Fund may decline below the repurchase price. The Fund will pay interest on amounts obtained pursuant to a reverse repurchase agreement. While reverse repurchase agreements are outstanding, The Fund will segregate liquid assets in an amount at least equal to the market value of the securities, plus accrued interest, subject to the agreement.

 

SECURITIES LENDING. Collateral for loans of portfolio securities made by the Fund may consist of cash, cash equivalents, securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or its agencies or irrevocable bank letters of credit (or any combination thereof). The borrower of securities will be required to maintain the market value of the collateral at not less than the market value of the loaned securities, and such value will be monitored on a daily basis. When the Fund lends its securities, it continues to receive payments equal to the dividends and interest paid on the securities loaned and simultaneously may earn interest on the investment of the cash collateral. Investing the collateral subjects it to market depreciation or appreciation, and the Fund is responsible for any loss that may result from its investment in borrowed collateral. 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. Although voting rights, or rights to consent, attendant to securities on loan pass to the borrower, such loans may be called so that the securities may be voted by the Fund if a material event affecting the investment is to occur. As with other extensions of credit there are risks of delay in recovering, or even loss of rights in, the collateral should the borrower of the securities fail financially.

 

TRACKING VARIANCE. As discussed in the Prospectus, the Fund is subject to the risk of tracking variance. Tracking variance may result from share purchases and redemptions, transaction costs, expenses and other factors. Share purchases and redemptions may necessitate the purchase and sale of securities by the Fund and the resulting transaction costs which may be substantial because of the number and the characteristics of the securities held. In addition, transaction costs are incurred because sales of securities received in connection with spin-offs and other corporate reorganizations are made to conform the Fund’s holdings to its investment objective. Tracking variance also may occur due to factors such as the size of the Fund, the maintenance of a cash reserve pending investment or to meet expected redemptions, changes made in the Fund’s designated index or the manner in which the index is calculated or because the indexing and investment approach of the Adviser does not produce the intended goal of the Fund. Tracking variance is monitored by the Adviser at least quarterly. In the event the performance of the Fund is not comparable to the performance of its designated index, the Board of Trustees will evaluate the reasons for the deviation and the availability of corrective measures.

 

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WARRANTS. To the extent consistent with its investment policies, the Fund may purchase warrants and similar rights, which are privileges issued by corporations enabling the owners to subscribe to and purchase a specified number of shares of the corporation at a specified price during a specified period of time. The prices of warrants do not necessarily correlate with the prices of the underlying shares. The purchase of warrants involves the risk that the Fund could lose the purchase value of a warrant if the right to subscribe to additional shares is not exercised prior to the warrant’s expiration. Also, the purchase of warrants involves the risk that the effective price paid for the warrant added to the subscription price of the related security may exceed the value of the subscribed security’s market price such as when there is no movement in the level of the underlying security.

 

INFORMATION REGARDING THE INDEX AND THE INDEX PROVIDER

 

FXcube Risk Parity Index

 

The FXcube Risk Parity Index seeks to preserve and increase its value, over the long term, through risk balancing across asset classes. The Underlying Index consists of multiple asset classes which may include bonds, equities, commodities, currencies and real estate. Exposure may include global developed and emerging markets.

 

In allocating assets among asset classes, the Underlying Index follows a “risk parity” approach. The “risk parity” approach to asset allocation seeks to balance the allocation of risk across asset classes (as measured by volatility) when building the Underlying Index. This means that lower risk asset classes (such as global fixed income and inflation-linked government bonds) will generally have higher notional allocations than higher risk asset classes (such as global developed and emerging market equities). The Underlying Index rebalances [ ] as it aims to keep the risk contribution of each asset in the portfolio equal.

 

The Underlying Index may include U.S. and foreign exchange traded vehicles, including exchange traded funds (ETFs), exchange traded commodities (ETCs) or exchange traded notes (ETNs). The Underlying Index may have leveraged exposure to one or more asset classes.

 

The Index Provider is FXcube Strategies, LLC, an index provider specialized in the alternative space. FXcube Strategies, LLC does not sponsor, endorse or promote the Fund and is not in any way connected to it and does not accept any liability in relation to its issue, operation and trading.

 

The FXcube Risk Parity Index is calculated and maintained by Structured Solutions AG. Structured Solutions AG does not sponsor, endorse or promote the Fund and is not in any way connected to it and does not accept any liability in relation to its issue, operation and trading.

 

INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS

 

The Fund is subject to the investment policies enumerated in this section, which may be changed with respect to a particular Fund only by a vote of the holders of a majority of such Fund’s outstanding shares.

 

The Fund:

 

1.May not issue any senior security, except as permitted under the 1940 Act, and as interpreted or modified by regulatory authority having jurisdiction, from time to time;

 

2.May not borrow money, except as permitted under the 1940 Act, and as interpreted or modified by regulatory authority having jurisdiction, from time to time;

 

3.May not act as an underwriter of securities within the meaning of the Securities Act, except as permitted under the Securities Act, and as interpreted or modified by regulatory authority having jurisdiction, from time to time. Among other things, to the extent that the Fund may be deemed to be an underwriter within the meaning of the Securities Act, this would permit the Fund to act as an underwriter of securities in connection with the purchase and sale of its portfolio securities in the ordinary course of pursuing its investment objective, investment policies and investment program;

 

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4.May not purchase or sell real estate or any interests therein, except as permitted under the 1940 Act, and as interpreted or modified by regulatory authority having jurisdiction, from time to time. Notwithstanding this limitation, the Fund may, among other things: (i) acquire or lease office space for its own use; (ii) invest in securities of issuers that invest in real estate or interests therein; (iii) invest in mortgage-related securities and other securities that are secured by real estate or interests therein; or (iv) hold and sell real estate acquired by the Fund as a result of the ownership of securities;

 

5.May not purchase physical commodities or contracts relating to physical commodities, except as permitted under the 1940 Act, and as interpreted or modified by regulatory authority having jurisdiction, from time to time;

 

6.May not make loans, except as permitted under the 1940 Act, and as interpreted or modified by regulatory authority having jurisdiction, from time to time;

 

7.May not “concentrate” its investments in a particular industry or group of industries: (I) except that the Fund will concentrate to approximately the same extent that its Underlying Index concentrates in the securities of such particular industry or group of industries; and (II) except as permitted under the 1940 Act, and as interpreted or modified by regulatory authority having jurisdiction from time to time, provided that, without limiting the generality of the foregoing: (a) this limitation will not apply to the Fund’s investments in: (i) securities of other investment companies; (ii) securities issued or guaranteed as to principal and/or interest by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities; (iii) repurchase agreements (collateralized by the instruments described in clause (ii)) or (iv) securities of state or municipal governments and their political subdivisions are not considered to be issued by Members of any industry; (b) wholly-owned finance companies will be considered to be in the industries of their parents if their activities are primarily related to the financing activities of the parents; and (c) utilities will be divided according to their services, for example, gas, gas transmission, electric and gas, electric and telephone will each be considered a separate industry.

 

Notwithstanding these fundamental investment restrictions, the Fund may purchase securities of other investment companies to the full extent permitted under Section 12 or any other provision of the 1940 Act (or any successor provision thereto) or under any regulation or order of the SEC.

 

If a percentage limitation is satisfied at the time of investment, a later increase or decrease in such percentage resulting from a change in the value of the Fund’s investments will not constitute a violation of such limitation, except that any borrowing by the Fund that exceeds the fundamental investment limitations stated above must be reduced to meet such limitations within the period required by the 1940 Act (currently three days). In addition, if the Fund’s holdings of illiquid securities exceed 15% of net assets because of changes in the value of the Fund’s investments, the Fund will take action to reduce its holdings of illiquid securities within a time frame deemed to be in the best interest of the Fund. Otherwise, the Fund may continue to hold a security even though it causes the Fund to exceed a percentage limitation because of fluctuation in the value of the Fund’s assets.

 

Any Investment Restriction which involves a maximum percentage (other than the restriction set forth above in Investment Restriction No. 2) will not be considered violated unless an excess over the percentage occurs immediately after, and is caused by, an acquisition or encumbrance of securities or assets of the Fund. The 1940 Act requires that if the asset coverage for borrowings at any time falls below the limits under the 1940 Act described in Investment Restriction No. 2, the Fund will, within three days thereafter (not including Sundays and holidays), reduce the amount of its borrowings to an extent that the net asset coverage of such borrowings shall conform to such limits.

 

CURRENT 1940 ACT LIMITATIONS

 

BORROWING. Investment companies may not borrow money, except that an investment company may borrow money in an amount not exceeding 33 1/3% of its total assets (including the amount borrowed) less liabilities (other than borrowings).

 

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LOANS. Investment companies may not lend any security or make any other loan if, as a result, more than 33 1/3% of its total assets would be lent to other parties, but this limitation does not apply to purchases of debt securities or to repurchase agreements, or to acquisitions of loans, loan participations or other forms of debt instruments.

 

CONCENTRATION. For purposes of calculating concentration percentages, investment companies investing in (a) affiliated investment companies are required to look through to the holdings of the affiliated investment companies and include the holdings in calculations of concentration percentages, and (ii) unaffiliated investment companies are required to include the holdings of the unaffiliated investment companies to the extent that they are concentrated in calculations of concentration percentages. In addition, revenue bonds are characterized by the industry in which the revenue is used.

 

CONTINUOUS OFFERING

 

The method by which Creation Unit Aggregations of shares are created and traded may raise certain issues under applicable securities laws. Because new Creation Unit Aggregations of shares are issued and sold by the Fund 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 requirement and liability provisions of the Securities Act.

 

For example, a broker-dealer firm or its client may be deemed a statutory underwriter if it takes Creation Unit Aggregations 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-dealer firms should also note that dealers who are not “underwriters” but are effecting transactions in shares, whether or not participating in the distribution of shares, generally are required to deliver a prospectus. This is because the prospectus delivery exemption in Section 4(3) of the Securities Act is not available in respect of such transactions as a result of Section 24(d) of the 1940 Act. Firms that incur a prospectus delivery obligation with respect to shares of the Fund are reminded that, pursuant to Rule 153 under 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.

 

PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS

 

Policy On Disclosure Of Portfolio Holdings

 

The Board of Trustees of the Trust has adopted a policy on disclosure of portfolio holdings, which it believes is in the best interest of The Fund’s shareholders. The policy is designed to: (i) protect the confidentiality of The Fund’s non-public portfolio holdings information, (ii) prevent the selective disclosure of such information, and (iii) ensure compliance by Adviser and the Fund with the federal securities laws, including the 1940 Act and the rules promulgated thereunder and general principles of fiduciary duty. The Fund’ portfolio holdings, or information derived from The Fund’s portfolio holdings, may, in the Adviser’s discretion, be made available to third parties if such disclosure has been included in the Fund’s public filings with the SEC or is disclosed on the Fund’s publicly accessible Website, ii) such disclosure is determined by the Chief Compliance Officer (“CCO”) to be in the best interests of Fund shareholders and consistent with applicable law; (iii) such disclosure information is made equally available to anyone requesting it; and (iv) the Adviser determines that the disclosure does not present the risk of such information being used to trade against the Fund.

 

Each business day portfolio holdings information will be provided to the Transfer Agent or other agent for dissemination through the facilities of the National Securities Clearing Corporation (“NSCC”) and/or other fee based subscription services to NSCC members and/or subscribers to those other fee based subscription services, including Authorized Participants, (defined below) and to entities that publish and/or analyze such information in connection with the process of purchasing or redeeming Creation Units or trading shares of the Fund in the secondary market. Information with respect to the Fund’s portfolio holdings is also disseminated daily on The Fund’s website.

 

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The Distributor may also make available portfolio holdings information to other institutional market participants and entities that provide information services. This information typically reflects the Fund’s anticipated holdings on the following business day. “Authorized Participants” are generally large institutional investors that have been authorized by the Distributor to purchase and redeem large blocks of shares (known as Creation Units) pursuant to legal requirements, including the exemptive order granted by the SEC, to which the Fund offer and redeem shares (“Global X Order”). Other than portfolio holdings information made available in connection with the creation/redemption process, as discussed above, portfolio holdings information that is not filed with the SEC or posted on the publicly available Website may be provided to third parties only in limited circumstances, as described above.

 

Disclosure to providers of auditing, custody, proxy voting and other similar services for the Fund, as well as rating and ranking organizations, will generally be permitted; however, information may be disclosed to other third parties (including, without limitation, individuals, institutional investors, and Authorized Participants that sell shares of the Fund) only upon approval by the CCO. The recipients who may receive non-public portfolio holdings information are as follows: the Adviser and its affiliates, the Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm, The Fund’s distributor, administrator and custodian, The Fund’s legal counsel, The Fund’s financial printer and The Fund’s proxy voting service. These entities are obligated to keep such information confidential. Third-party providers of custodial or accounting services to the Fund may release non-public portfolio holdings information of the Fund only with the permission of the CCO.

 

Portfolio holdings will be disclosed through required filings with the SEC. The Fund files its portfolio holdings with the SEC for each fiscal quarter on Form N-CSR (with respect to each annual period and semiannual period) and Form N-Q (with respect to the first and third quarters of the Fund’s fiscal year). Shareholders may obtain the Fund’s Forms N-CSR and N-Q filings on the SEC’s Website at sec.gov. In addition, The Fund’s Forms N-CSR and N-Q filings may be reviewed and copied at the SEC’s public reference room in Washington, DC. You may call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for information about the SEC’s Website or the operation of the public reference room.

 

Under the policy, the Board is to receive information, on a quarterly basis, regarding any other disclosures of non-public portfolio holdings information that were permitted during the preceding quarter.

 

MANAGEMENT OF THE TRUST

 

BOARD OF TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS

 

The Trust is governed by its Board of Trustees. The Board is responsible for and oversees the overall management and operations of the Trust and the Fund, which includes the general oversight and review of the Fund’s investment activities, in accordance with federal law, Delaware law and the stated policies and restrictions of the Fund. (For purposes of this discussion and that in the sections below, the term “Funds” means the Fund that has commenced operations.) The Board appoints and oversees the Trust’s officers and service providers, including the Adviser, who is responsible for the management of the day-to-day operations of the Fund based on the Fund’s investment policies and restrictions as well as certain agreements reviewed and approved by the Board. In carrying out these responsibilities, the Board regularly interacts with and receives reports from the senior personnel of the Trust’s service providers and the Trust’s CCO. The Board also is assisted by the Trust’s independent auditor (who reports directly to the Trust’s Audit Committee), independent counsel to the Independent Trustees (as defined below), separate counsel to the Trust and other experts as appropriate, all of whom are selected by the Board.

 

BOARD STRUCTURE AND RELATED MATTERS. Board members who are not “interested persons” of the Fund, as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the 1940 Act (“Independent Trustees”), constitute 75 percent of the Board. Kartik Kiran Shah, an Independent Trustee, serves as Independent Chairman of the Board. The Independent Chairman’s responsibilities include facilitating communication among the Independent Trustees as well as communication between the Independent Trustees and management of the Trust. The Independent Chairman assumes such other duties and performs such activities as he deems necessary or appropriate or which the Board may, from time to time, determine should be handled by the Independent Chairman. The Board considers leadership by an Independent Chairman and the fact that 75 percent of the Board is composed of Independent Trustees to be integral to promoting effective independent oversight of The Fund’s operations and meaningful representation of shareholders’ interests.

 

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The Trustees discharge their responsibilities collectively as a Board, as well as through Board committees, each of which operates pursuant to a charter and procedures approved by the Board that delineate the specific responsibilities of that committee. The Board has established two standing committees: an Audit Committee and a Corporate Governance, Nomination and Compensation Committee. Currently, each of the Independent Trustee serves on each of these committees.

 

The Board periodically evaluates its structure and composition as well as various aspects of its operations. The Board believes that its leadership structure, including its Independent Chairman position and its committees, is appropriate for the Trust in light of, among other factors, the asset size and nature of the Fund, the number of Funds overseen by the Board, the arrangements for the conduct of The Fund’s operations, the number of Trustees, and the Board’s responsibilities. On an annual basis, the Board conducts a self-evaluation process that, among other things, considers (i) whether the Board and its committees are functioning effectively, (ii) given the size and composition of the Board and each if its committees, whether the Trustees are able to effectively oversee the number of Funds in the complex and (iii) whether the mix of skills, perspectives, qualifications, attributes, education, and relevant experience of the Trustees enhances the Board’s effectiveness.

 

There are no specific required qualifications for Board membership. The Board believes that different perspectives, viewpoints, professional experience, education and the individual qualities of each of the Board members represent a diversity of experiences and a variety of complementary skills. The Trustees believe that this allows the Board, as a whole, to oversee the business of the Trust (and of the Fund) in a manner consistent with the best interests of the Fund’s shareholders. However, this discussion shouldn’t be understood to mean that any of the Trustees is an “expert” within the meaning of the federal securities laws.

 

The Board of Trustees met [ ] times during the fiscal period ended [ ]. The Board may hold special meetings, as needed, either in person or by telephone, to address matters arising between regular meetings.

 

The Trustees are identified in the table below, which provides information as to their principal business occupations held during the last five years and certain other information. As of [ ] each of the Trustees oversees [ ] Funds. Each Trustee serves until his or her death, resignation or removal and replacement. The address for all Trustees and officers is c/o Global X Funds, 399 Park Avenue, 32nd floor, New York, New York 10022. Mr. del Ama is considered an interested Trustee due to his affiliation with the Adviser. The Board believes that having an interested person on the Board helps to bring corporate and financial viewpoints that are critical elements in the Board’s decision-making process.

 

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Independent Trustees

 

Name, Address

(Year of Birth)

Position(s) Held

with Funds

Principal Occupation(s) During

the Past 5 Years

Number of Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen by Directors

Other Directorships Held

by Trustees during the Past 5 Years

   

Sanjay Ram Bharwani

(1974)

Trustee (since 2008) CEO of Risk Advisors Inc. (since 2007) (consulting firm); Chief Information Officer, M. Safra & Co (2004-2006) (hedge fund). 83 None.

Scott R. Chichester1

(1970)

 

Trustee (since 2008) CFO, Sterling Seal & Supply Inc. (since 2011), Director, President & Treasurer, Bayview Acquisition Corp (since 2010); CPA, Penda Aiken Inc. (2009-2011) (consultant); Founder and President, DirectPay USA LLC (since 2006) (payroll company); Chief Financial Officer, Ong Corporation (2002-2010) (technology company); and Proprietor, Scott R. Chichester CPA (since 2001) (CPA firm).  83 Director of Bayview Acquisition Corp (since 2010).

Kartik Kiran Shah

(1977)

Trustee (since 2008) Independent Consultant, Self-Employed (since 2011) (non-financial services); Director, Wireless Generation (2008-2011) (software); Manager, Amgen (2003-2006) (biotechnology firm). 83 None.
           

Interested Trustee/Officers

 

Name, Address

(Year of Birth)

Position(s) Held

with Funds

Principal Occupation(s) During

the Past 5 Years

Other Directorships Held

by Trustees During the Past 5 Years

Bruno del Ama

(1976)

Trustee (since 2008), President and Chief Executive Officer (since 2008) Chief Executive Officer and Chief Compliance Officer, Global X Management Company LLC (since 2008); Head of Global Structured Products Operations at Radian Asset Assurance (2004-2008) (financial services firm). None.

Jose C. Gonzalez

(1976)

Chief Compliance Officer and Chief Financial Officer (since 2008) Chief Operating Officer, Global X Management Company (since 2008); Founder and President of GWM Group, Inc. (since 2006) (broker-dealer firm). None.

Daphne Tippens Chisolm

(1969)

Secretary (since 2012) General Counsel, Global X Management Company (since 2011); Founder and President of DT Chisolm Law, P.C. (since 2009) (law firm); Counsel, Dechert (2007-2009) (law firm) None.

Dianne M. Sulzbach

(1977)

Assistant Secretary (since 2011) Counsel at SEI Investments (since 2010); Associate at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP (2006-2010). None.

Peter Rodriguez

(1962)

Assistant Treasurer (since 2011) Fund Accounting Director of the Administrator (since 2011); Mutual Fund Trading Director, SEI Global Trust Company (2009-2011);  Asset Data Services Director at the Administrator (2006-2009). None.

 

 


1Mr. Chichester is currently married to a sister of Mr. del Ama’s wife. While an “immediate family member” (as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the 1940 Act) of Mr. del Ama would be considered an Interested Person, Mr. Chichester is not considered an immediate family member for this purpose. Although this fact was taken into consideration in determining whether Mr. Chichester should be considered to be an Independent Trustee for purposes of the Section 2(a)(19) of the 1940 Act, it was determined that this relationship was not one that should disqualify Mr. Chichester from serving as an Independent Trustee of the Trust.

 

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In addition to the information set forth in the table above, each Trustee possesses other relevant skills, perspectives, qualifications, attributes, education, and relevant experience. The following provides additional information about certain qualifications and experience of each of the Trustees.

 

Sanjay Ram Bharwani:  Mr. Bharwani has experience in capital markets, technology, risk management and security valuation, having served as Chief Information Officer of a multi-strategy hedge fund; experience at a capital markets consultancy for emerging markets; and experience at a risk solutions provider. Mr. Bharwani received his MBA from the Wharton Business School.

 

Scott R. Chichester:  Mr. Chichester, CPA, has experience in accounting and finance, having served as CEO of a payroll business; experience as CFO of a technology start-up; experience as an accountant at a bulge bracket investment bank; experience as an auditor at a Big Four accounting firm.

 

Kartik Kiran Shah:  Mr. Shah has experience in organizational design, strategic planning, financial analysis and product development, having served as a senior manager in an education software and consulting business; manager of corporate strategy at a biotechnology company; and as consultant with a major management consulting firm. Mr. Shah received his MBA from the Harvard Business School.

 

Bruno del Ama:  Mr. del Ama has experience in the investment management industry, including organizational experience as chief executive officer of the Fund service provider; experience as a manager at a bond insurance company; experience as a management consultant. Mr. del Ama received his MBA from the Wharton Business School.

 

RISK OVERSIGHT. The Fund is subject to a variety of risks, including (but not limited to) investment risk, financial risk, compliance risk, and operational risk. Consistent with its responsibility for oversight of the Trust and the Fund, the Board oversees the management of the Trust’s risk management structure by the Adviser. The Adviser, as part of its responsibilities for the day-to-day management and operations of the Fund, is responsible for the day-to-day risk management of the Trust and the Fund. The Adviser seeks to address the day-to-day risk management of the Fund by relying on various procedures, compliance programs, controls and other risk oversight mechanism as well as the assistance of the Trust’s sub-administrator. The Board, in the exercise of its reasonable business judgment, also separately considers potential risks that may impact the individual Funds. The Board performs its oversight of the risk management structure of the Trust and the Fund directly and, as to certain matters, through its committees (described below). The following provides an overview of the principal aspects of the Board’s oversight of the risk management structure of the Trust and the Fund. The discussion below is not intended to be a complete description of the Board’s oversight of risk management structure of the Trust and the Fund.

 

The Board recognizes that it is not possible to identity all of the risks that may affect the Fund nor is it practical to develop processes and controls to eliminate or mitigate their occurrence or effects. Moreover, the Board understands that (i) it may be necessary to bear certain risks to achieve the Fund’s investment objective and (ii) the processes, procedures and controls employed to address certain risks may be limited in their effectiveness.

 

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Moreover, reports received by the Board as to risk management matters are typically summaries of the relevant information. As a result, the Board’s risk management oversight is subject to substantial limitations.

 

However, the Board has adopted, and periodically reviews, policies and procedures that are designed to address certain of risks to the Trust and the Fund.  In addition, under the general oversight of the Board, the Adviser and the Trust’s other service providers have themselves adopted a variety of processes, policies, procedures and controls designed to address particular risks.  Different processes, policies, procedures and controls are employed with respect to different types of risks.  Further, the Adviser oversees and regularly monitors the investments, operations and compliance of The Fund’s investments.

 

In addition, the Board oversees the management of the Trust’s risk management structure by the Adviser through its review of regular reports, presentations and other information from officers of the Trust and other persons.  Senior officers of the Trust, including the Trust’s CCO, regularly report to the Board on a range of matters, including those relating to risk management. In this regard, the Board periodically receives reports regarding the Trust’s service providers, either directly or through the CCO. On at least a quarterly basis, the Independent Trustees meet with the CCO to discuss matters relating to the Trust’s compliance program and, in accordance with Rule 38a-1 under the 1940 Act, the Board receives at least annually a written report from the CCO regarding the effectiveness of the Trust’s compliance program. In connection with the CCO’s annual Rule 38a-1 compliance report to the Board, the Independent Trustees meet with the CCO in executive session to discuss the Trust’s compliance program.

 

Further, the Board regularly receives reports from the Adviser with respect to The Fund’s investments and securities trading and, as necessary, any fair valuation determinations made by the Advisers with respect to certain investments held by the Fund.  As required by law, within two years of the initial approval by the Board of the advisory agreement for the Fund, the Board will be asked to consider the approval of the Investment Advisory Agreement for that Fund. In connection with that process, independent counsel to the Independent Trustees will request on behalf of the Independent Trustees that certain necessary and appropriate information be provided by the Adviser to the Independent Trustees in connection with that consideration and approval process. In addition, the Board members receive reports, presentations and other information from the Adviser regarding the Fund. If applicable, in connection with the Board’s consideration of any distribution plan of the Fund under Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act, the Board receives reports from the Adviser and other service providers.

 

Senior officers of the Trust and Adviser also report regularly to the Board on valuation matters, internal controls and accounting and financial reporting policies and practices.  In addition, the Audit Committee receives information on internal controls and financial reporting with respect to the Fund matters from the Trust’s independent registered public accounting firm.

 

STANDING BOARD COMMITTEES

 

The Board of Trustees currently has two standing committees: an Audit Committee and a Corporate Governance, Nomination and Compensation Committee. Currently, each Independent Trustee serves on each of these committees.

 

AUDIT COMMITTEE. The purposes of the Audit Committee are to assist the Board of Trustees in (1) its oversight of the Trust’s accounting and financial reporting principles and policies and related controls and procedures maintained by or on behalf of the Trust; (2) its oversight of the Trust’s financial statements and the independent audit thereof; (3) selecting, evaluating and, where deemed appropriate, replacing the independent registered public accounting firm (or nominating the independent registered public accounting firm to be proposed for shareholder approval in any proxy statement); and (4) evaluating the independence of the independent registered public accounting firm. During the fiscal period ended [ ], the Audit Committee held [ ] meetings.

 

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE, NOMINATION AND COMPENSATION COMMITTEE. The purposes of the Corporate Governance, Nomination and Compensation Committee are, among other things, to assist the Board of Trustees in (1) its assessment of the adequacy of the Board’s adherence to industry corporate governance best practices; (2) periodic evaluation of the operation of the Trust and meetings with management of the Trust concerning the Trust’s operations and the policies and procedures application to the Fund; (3) review, consideration and recommendation to the full Board regarding Independent Trustee compensation; (4) its identification and evaluation of potential candidates to fill a vacancy on the Board; and (5) selection from among potential candidates of a nominee to be presented to the full Board for its consideration. The Corporate Governance, Nomination and Compensation Committee will not consider shareholders’ nominees. During the fiscal period ended [ ], the Corporate Governance, Nomination and Compensation Committee held [ ] meetings.

 

23
 

TRUSTEE OWNERSHIP OF FUND SHARES

 

As of December 31, 2011, the officers and Trustees of the Trust, in the aggregate, owned [ ]% of the Shares of the Fund.

 

TRUSTEE OWNERSHIP OF SECURITIES OF THE ADVISER AND RELATED COMPANIES

 

As of December 31, 2011, [ ] Independent Trustee (or any of his immediate family members) owned beneficially or of record securities of any Trust investment adviser, its principal underwriter, or any person directly or indirectly, controlling, controlled by or under common control with any Trust investment adviser or principal underwriter.

 

No Independent Trustee or immediate family member has during the two most recently completed calendar years had: (i) any material interest, direct or indirect, in any transaction or series of similar transactions, in which the amount involved exceeds $120,000; (ii) any securities interest in the principal underwriter of the Trust or the investment adviser or their affiliates (other than the Trust); or (iii) any direct or indirect relationship of any nature, in which the amount involved exceeds $120,000, with:

 

·the Fund;

 

·an officer of the Fund;

 

·an investment company, or person that would be an investment company but for the exclusions provided by Sections 3(c)(1) and 3(c)(7) of the 1940 Act, having the same investment adviser or principal underwriter as the Fund or having an investment adviser or principal underwriter that directly or indirectly controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with the investment adviser or principal underwriter of the Fund;

 

·an officer or an investment company, or a person that would be an investment company but for the exclusions provided by Sections 3(c)(1) and 3(c)(7) of the 1940 Act, having the same investment adviser or principal underwriter as the Fund or having an investment adviser or principal underwriter that directly or indirectly controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with the investment adviser or principal underwriter of the Fund;

 

·the investment adviser or principal underwriter of the Fund;

 

·an officer of the investment adviser or principal underwriter of the Fund;

 

·a person directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the investment adviser or principal underwriter of the Fund; or

 

·an officer of a person directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the investment adviser or principal underwriter of the Fund.

 

 

TRUSTEE COMPENSATION

 

The Interested Trustee is not compensated by the Trust. All of the Independent Trustees are reimbursed for their travel expenses and other reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with attending Board meetings (these other expenses are subject to Board review to ensure that they are not excessive). The Trust does not accrue pension or retirement benefits as part of The Fund’s expenses, and Trustees are not entitled to benefits upon retirement from the Board of Trustees. The Trust’s officers receive no compensation directly from the Trust.

 

The compensation shown in this chart is for the fiscal period ended [ ].

 

24
 

Name of Independent Trustee Aggregate Compensation from Funds Pension or Retirement Benefits Accrued as Part of Funds Expenses Total Compensation from Trust
       
Sanjay Ram Bharwani $[  ] $[  ] $[  ]
Scott R. Chichester $[  ] $[  ] $[  ]
Kartik Kiran Shah $[  ] $[  ] $[  ]

 

 

CODE OF ETHICS

 

The Trust, the Adviser, and the Distributor each have adopted a code of ethics, as required by applicable law, which is designed to prevent affiliated persons of the Trust, the Adviser, 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 of ethics). There can be no assurance that the codes of ethics 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.

 

INVESTMENT ADVISER. The Adviser, Global X Management Company LLC, serves as investment manager to the Fund pursuant to an Investment Advisory Agreement between the Trust and the Adviser. It is registered as an investment adviser with the SEC and is located at 399 Park Avenue, 32nd Floor New York, NY 10022. Bruno del Ama and Jose C. Gonzalez each own more than 25% of the outstanding shares of the Adviser, which was organized in Delaware on March 28, 2008 as a limited liability company.

 

Pursuant to a Supervision and Administration Agreement between the Trust and the Adviser, the Adviser oversees the operation of the Fund, provides or causes to be furnished the advisory, supervisory, administrative, distribution, transfer agency, custody and all other services necessary for the Fund to operate, and exercises day-to-day oversight over The Fund’s service providers. Under the Supervision and Administration Agreement, the Adviser also bears all the fees and expenses incurred in connection with its obligations under the Supervision and Administration Agreement, including, but not limited to, the costs of various third-party services required by the Fund, including audit, certain custody, portfolio accounting, legal, transfer agency and printing costs except those fees and expenses specifically assumed by the Trust on behalf of the Fund.

 

Under the Investment Advisory Agreement between the Trust and the Adviser, the Adviser is responsible for the management of the investment portfolio of the Fund. The ability of the Adviser to successfully implement the Fund's investment strategies will influence the Fund's performance significantly.

 

The Fund pays the Adviser a fee (“Management Fee”) for the advisory, supervisory, administrative and other services it requires under an all-in fee structure. The Fund pays (or will pay, for Funds that have not yet commenced operations) a monthly Management Fee to the Adviser at annual rates set forth in the table below (stated as a percentage of the Fund’s respective average daily net assets).

 

 

 

 Fund

Management Fee
Global X Risk Parity ETF  [  ]

 

The Fund also bears certain other expenses, which are specifically excluded from being covered under the Management Fee and the Supervision and Administration Agreement (“Excluded Expenses”) and may vary and will affect the total level of expenses paid by the Fund. Such Excluded Expenses include taxes, brokerage fees, commissions and other transaction expenses, interest and extraordinary expenses (such as litigation and indemnification expenses). Certain Funds also bear asset-based custodial fees not covered by the Supervision and Administration Agreement.

 

25
 

The Adviser and its affiliates deal, trade and invest for their own accounts in the types of securities in which the Fund also may invest. The Adviser does not use inside information in making investment decisions on behalf of the Fund.

 

Each of the Supervision and Administration Agreement and the related Investment Advisory Agreement remains in effect for two (2) years from its effective date and thereafter continues in effect for as long as its continuance is specifically approved at least annually, by (1) the Board of Trustees of the Trust, or by the vote of a majority (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the outstanding shares of the Fund, and (ii) by the vote of a majority of the Trustees of the Trust who are not parties to the Investment Advisory Agreement or interested persons of the Adviser, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval. Each of the Supervision and Administration Agreement and the related Investment Advisory Agreement provides that it may be terminated at any time without the payment of any penalty, by the Board of Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of The Fund’s shareholders, on 60 calendar days written notice to the Adviser, and by the Adviser on the same notice to the Trust and that it shall be automatically terminated if it is assigned.

 

Each of the Supervision and Administration Agreement and the related he Investment Advisory Agreement provides that the Adviser shall not be liable to the Fund or its shareholders for anything other than willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of its obligations or duties. The Investment Advisory Agreement also provides that the Adviser may engage in other businesses, devote time and attention to any other business whether of a similar or dissimilar nature, and render investment advisory services to others.

 

PORTFOLIO MANAGERS

 

Bruno del Ama and Jose C. Gonzalez are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s investments.

 

Portfolio Manager’s Compensation

 

The Adviser believes that its compensation program is competitively positioned to attract and retain high-caliber investment professionals. Portfolio managers receive a salary and are eligible to receive an annual bonus. The portfolio manager’s salary compensation is designed to be competitive with the marketplace and reflect the portfolio manager’s relative experience and contribution to the Fund. Base salary compensation is reviewed and adjusted annually to reflect increases in the cost of living and market rates. The annual incentive bonus opportunity provides cash bonuses based upon the Fund’s performance and individual contributions. As shareholders of the Adviser, Bruno del Ama and Jose C. Gonzalez also may benefit economically from any profits generated by the Adviser.

 

Other Accounts Managed by Portfolio Manager

 

It is anticipated that the portfolio manager will be responsible for multiple investment accounts, including other investment companies registered under the 1940 Act. As a general matter, certain conflicts of interest may arise in connection with the portfolio manager’s management of the Fund’s investments, on the one hand, and the investments of other accounts for which the portfolio manager is responsible, on the other. For example, it is possible that the various accounts managed could have different investment strategies that, at times, might conflict with one another to the possible detriment of the Fund. Alternatively, to the extent that the same investment opportunities might be desirable for more than one account, possible conflicts could arise in determining how to allocate them. Other potential conflicts might include conflicts created by specific portfolio manager compensation arrangements and conflicts relating to selection of brokers or dealers to execute the Fund’s trades. The Adviser has structured the portfolio manager’s compensation in a manner, and the Fund and the Adviser have adopted policies, procedures and a code of ethics, reasonably designed to safeguard the Fund from being negatively affected as a result of any such conflicts that may arise.

 

26
 

As of October 31, 2011, Bruno del Ama and Jose Gonzalez were responsible for the management of the following accounts:

 

Name of Portfolio Manager

Other Accounts Managed

(As of October 31, 2011)

Accounts with respect to which the advisory fee is based on the performance of the account
Category of Account Number of Accounts in Category Total Assets in Accounts in Category Number of Accounts in Category Total Assets in Accounts in Category
Bruno del Ama Registered investment companies [   ] [   ] [   ] [   ]
  Other pooled investment vehicles [   ] [   ] [   ] [   ]
  Other accounts [   ] [   ] [   ] [   ]
Jose C. Gonzalez Registered investment companies [   ] [   ] [   ] [   ]
  Other pooled investment vehicles [   ] [   ] [   ] [   ]
  Other accounts [   ] [   ] [   ] [   ]

 

 

Although the Fund in the Trust that are managed by Messrs. del Ama and Gonzalez may have different investment strategies, each has an investment objective of seeking to replicate, before fees and expenses, its respective underlying index. The Adviser does not believe that management of the various accounts presents a material conflict of interest for Messrs. del Ama and Gonzalez or the Adviser.

 

Disclosure of Securities Ownership

 

As of the date of this Statement of Additional Information, the Fund’s portfolio managers did not beneficially own any shares of the Fund.

 

BROKERAGE TRANSACTIONS

 

The policy of the Trust regarding purchases and sales of securities is that primary consideration will be given to obtaining the most favorable prices and efficient executions of transactions. Consistent with this policy, when securities transactions are effected on a stock exchange, the Trust’s policy is to pay commissions that are considered fair and reasonable without necessarily determining that the lowest possible commissions are paid in all circumstances. In seeking to determine the reasonableness of brokerage commissions paid in any transaction, the Adviser relies upon its experience and knowledge regarding commissions generally charged by various brokers and in various jurisdictions. The Adviser effects transactions for the Fund with those brokers and dealers that the Adviser believes provide the most favorable prices and are capable of providing the most efficient and best execution of trades. The primary consideration of the Adviser is to seek prompt execution of orders at the most favorable net price. The sale of Shares by a broker-dealer is not a factor in the selection of broker-dealers. The Adviser and its affiliates do not currently participate in any soft dollar transactions, although the Adviser relies on Section 28(e) of the 1934 Act in effecting or executing transactions for the Fund. Accordingly, in selecting broker-dealers to execute a particular transaction, the Adviser may consider the brokerage and research services (as those terms are defined in Section 28(e) of the 1934 Act) provided to the Fund and/or other accounts over which the Adviser or its affiliates exercise investment discretion. The Adviser may cause the Fund to pay a broker-dealer that furnishes brokerage and research services a higher commission than that which might be charged by another broker-dealer for effecting the same transaction, provided that the Adviser determines in good faith that such commission is reasonable in relation the value of the brokerage and research services provided by such broker-dealer, viewed in terms of either the particular transaction or the overall responsibilities of the Adviser to the Fund. Such brokerage and research services might consist of reports and statistics on specific companies or industries or broad overviews of the securities markets and the economy. Shareholders of the Fund should understand that the services provided by such brokers may be useful to the Adviser in connection with its services to other clients.

 

The Adviser assumes general supervision over placing orders on behalf of the Fund for the purchase or sale of portfolio securities. If purchases or sales of portfolio securities by the Fund are considered at or about the same time, transactions in such securities are allocated among the Fund in a manner deemed equitable to the Fund by the Adviser. Bundling or bunching transactions for the Fund is intended to result in better prices for portfolio securities and lower brokerage commissions, which should be beneficial to the Fund.

 

27
 

PROXY VOTING

 

The Fund has delegated proxy voting responsibilities to the Adviser, subject to the Boards of Trustees’ oversight. In delegating proxy responsibilities, the Board has directed that proxies be voted consistent with The Fund’s and its shareholders' best interests and in compliance with all applicable proxy voting rules and regulations. The Adviser has adopted proxy voting policies and guidelines for this purpose ("Proxy Voting Policies") and the Adviser has engaged a third party proxy solicitation firm which is responsible for the actual voting of all proxies in a timely manner, while the CCO is responsible for monitoring the effectiveness of the Proxy Voting Policies. The Proxy Voting Policies have been adopted by the Trust as the policies and procedures that the Adviser will use when voting proxies on behalf of the Fund.

 

I. General Policy

 

The Proxy Voting Policies address, among other things, material conflicts of interest that may arise between the interests of the Fund and the interests of the Adviser. The Proxy Voting Policies will ensure that all issues brought to shareholders are analyzed in light of the Adviser’s fiduciary responsibilities.

 

In voting to elect board nominees for uncontested seats, the following factors will be taken into account: (i) whether majority of the company’s directors are independent; (ii) whether key board committees are entirely composed of independent directors; (iii) excessive board memberships and professional time commitments to effectively serve the company’s board; and (iv) the attendance record of incumbent directors at board and committee meetings.

 

Equity compensation plans will also be reviewed on a case-by-case basis based upon their specific features. For example, stock option plans will be evaluated using criteria such as: (i) whether the plan is performance-based; (ii) dilution to existing shareholders; (iii) the cost of the plan; (iv) whether discounted options are allowed under the plan; (v) whether the plan authorizes the re-pricing of options or reload options without shareholder approval; and (vi) the equity overhang of all plans. Similarly, employee stock purchase plans generally will be supported under the guidelines upon consideration of factors such as (i) whether the plan sets forth adequate limits on share issuance; (ii) whether participation limits are defined; and (iii) whether discounts to employees exceed a threshold amount.

 

The Proxy Voting Policies provide for review and vote on shareholder proposals on a case-by-case basis. In accordance with this approach, these guidelines support a shareholder proposal upon the compelling showing that it has a substantial economic impact on shareholder value. As such, proposals that request that the company report on environmental, labor or human rights issues are only supported when such concerns pose a substantial risk to shareholder value.

 

II. Record of Proxy Voting

 

Information on how the Fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the most recent 12 month period ended [ ] is available (1) without charge, upon request, by calling 1-888-843-7824 and (2) on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

 

SUB-ADMINISTRATOR

 

SEI Investments Global Fund Services (“SEIGFS”), located at One Freedom Valley Drive Oaks, PA 19456, serves as Sub-Administrator to the Fund. As sub-administrator, SEIGFS provides the Fund with all required general administrative services, including, without limitation, office space, equipment, and personnel; clerical and general back office services; bookkeeping, internal accounting and secretarial services; the calculation of NAV; and the preparation and filing of all reports, registration statements, proxy statements and all other materials required to be filed or furnished by the Fund under federal and state securities laws. As compensation for these services, the sub-Administrator receives certain out-of-pocket costs, transaction fees and asset-based fees which are accrued daily and paid monthly by the Adviser from its fees.

 

DISTRIBUTOR

 

The Trust has entered into a Distribution Agreement under which SEI Investments Distribution Co. (“SIDCO”), with principal offices at One Freedom Valley Drive Oaks, PA 19456, as agent, receives orders to create and redeem shares in Creation Unit Aggregations and transmits such orders to the Trust’s Custodian and Transfer Agent. The Distributor has no obligation to sell any specific quantity of Fund shares. SIDCO bears the following costs and expenses relating to the distribution of shares: (i) the costs of processing and maintaining records of creations of Creation Units; (ii) all costs of maintaining the records required of a registered broker/dealer; (iii) the expenses of maintaining its registration or qualification as a dealer or broker under federal or state laws; (iv) filing fees; and (v) all other expenses incurred in connection with the distribution services as contemplated in the Distribution Agreement. No compensation is payable by the Trust to SIDCO for such distribution services. The Distribution Agreement provides that the Trust will indemnify SIDCO against certain liabilities relating to untrue statements or omissions of material fact except those resulting from the reliance on information furnished to the Trust by SIDCO, or those resulting from the willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence of SIDCO, or SIDCO’s reckless disregard of its duties and obligations under the Distribution Agreement. The Distributor, its affiliates and officers have no role in determining the investment policies or which securities are to be purchased or sold by the Trust or the Fund. The Distributor is not affiliated with the Trust, the Adviser or any stock exchange.

 

28
 

Additionally, the Adviser or its affiliates may, from time to time, and from its own resources, pay, defray or absorb costs relating to distribution, including payments out of its own resources to the Distributor or to otherwise promote the sale of shares.

 

CUSTODIAN AND TRANSFER AGENT

 

Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. (“BBH”), located at 40 Water Street, Boston, MA 02109, serves as Custodian of Funds’ assets. The custodian relationship is managed through SEIGFS. As Custodian, BBH 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 shareholders, security brokers and others relating to its duties; and (4) make periodic reports to the Fund concerning the Fund’s operations. BBH does not exercise any supervisory function over the purchase and sale of securities. As compensation for these services, the Custodian receives certain out-of-pocket costs, transaction fees and asset-based fees which are accrued daily and paid monthly by the Adviser from its fees.

 

As Transfer Agent, BBH 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 Funds shareholders and others relating to its duties; (4) maintain shareholder accounts, and (5) make periodic reports to the Fund. As compensation for these services, the Transfer Agent receives certain out-of-pocket costs, transaction fees and asset-based fees which are accrued daily and paid monthly by the Adviser from its fees.

 

DESCRIPTION OF SHARES

 

The Declaration of Trust of the Trust (“Declaration”) permits the Trust’s Board of Trustees to issue an unlimited number of full and fractional shares of beneficial interest of one or more separate series representing interests in one or more investment portfolios. The Trustees or Trust may create additional series and each series may be divided into classes.

 

Under the terms of the Declaration, each share of the Fund has a par value of $0.0001, which represents a proportionate interest in the particular Fund with each other share of its class in the same Fund and is entitled to such dividends and distributions out of the income belonging to the Fund as are authorized by the Trustees and declared by the Trust. Upon any liquidation of the Fund, shareholders of each class of the Fund are entitled to share pro rata in the net assets belonging to that class available for distribution. Shares do not have any preemptive or conversion rights. The right of redemption is described in the Prospectus. In addition, pursuant to the terms of the 1940 Act, the right of a shareholder to redeem shares and the date of payment by the Fund may be suspended for more than seven days (i) for any period during which the New York Stock Exchange is closed, other than the customary weekends or holidays, or trading in the markets the Fund normally utilizes is closed or is restricted as determined by the SEC, (ii) during any emergency, as determined by the SEC, as a result of which it is not reasonably practicable for the Fund to dispose of instruments owned by it or fairly to determine the value of its net assets, or (iii) for such other period as the SEC may by order permit for the protection of the shareholders of the Fund. The Trust also may suspend or postpone the recording of the transfer of its shares upon the occurrence of any of the foregoing conditions. In addition, shares of the Fund are redeemable at the unilateral option of the Trust. The Declaration permits the Board to alter the number of shares constituting a Creation Unit or to specify that shares of beneficial interest of the Trust may be individually redeemable. Shares when issued as described in the Prospectus are validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable. In the interests of economy and convenience, certificates representing shares of the Fund are not issued.

 

29
 

Following the creation of the initial Creation Unit Aggregation(s) of the Fund and immediately prior to the commencement of trading in such Fund’s shares, a holder of shares may be a “control person” of the Fund, as defined in the 1940 Act. The Fund cannot predict the length of time for which one or more shareholders may remain a control person of the Fund.

 

The proceeds received by the Fund for each issue or sale of its shares, and all net investment income, realized and unrealized gain and proceeds thereof, subject only to the rights of creditors of that Fund, will be specifically allocated to and constitute the underlying assets of that Fund. The underlying assets of the Fund will be segregated on the books of account, and will be charged with the liabilities in respect to that Fund and with a share of the general liabilities of the Trust. Expenses with respect to the Fund normally are allocated in proportion to the NAV of the respective Fund except where allocations of direct expenses can otherwise be fairly made.

 

Shareholders are entitled to one vote for each full share held and proportionate fractional votes for fractional shares held. The Fund and other funds of the Trust entitled to vote on a matter will vote in the aggregate and not by Fund, except as required by law or when the matter to be voted on affects only the interests of shareholders of a particular Fund or class.

 

Rule 18f-2 under the 1940 Act provides that any matter required by the provisions of the 1940 Act or applicable state law, or otherwise, to be submitted to the holders of the outstanding voting securities of an investment company such as the Trust shall not be deemed to have been effectively acted upon unless approved by the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of each investment portfolio affected by such matter. Rule 18f-2 further provides that an investment portfolio shall be deemed to be affected by a matter unless the interests of each investment portfolio in the matter are substantially identical or the matter does not affect any interest of the investment portfolio. Under the Rule, the approval of an Investment Advisory Agreement, a distribution plan subject to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act or any change in the fundamental investment policy would be effectively acted upon with respect to an investment portfolio only if approved by a majority of the outstanding shares of such investment portfolio. However, the Rule also provides that the ratification of the appointment of independent accountants, the approval of principal underwriting contracts and the election of Trustees are exempt from the separate voting requirements stated above.

 

The Trust is not required to hold annual meetings of shareholders and does not intend to hold such meetings. In the event that a meeting of shareholders is held, each share of the Trust will be entitled, as determined by the Trustees without the vote or consent of shareholders to one vote for each share represented by such shares on all matters presented to shareholders, including the election of Trustees (this method of voting being referred to as “dollar-based voting”). However, to the extent required by the 1940 Act or otherwise determined by the Trustees, series and classes of the Trust will vote separately from each other. Shareholders of the Trust do not have cumulative voting rights in the election of Trustees and, accordingly, the holders of more than 50% of the aggregate voting power of the Trust may elect all of the Trustees, irrespective of the vote of the other shareholders. Meetings of shareholders of the Trust, or any series or class thereof, may be called by the Trustees, the President or Secretary of the Trust or upon the written request of holders of at least a majority of the shares entitled to vote at such meeting. The shareholders of the Trust will have voting rights only with respect to the limited number of matters specified in the Declaration and such other matters as the Trustees may determine or may be required by law.

 

The Declaration authorizes the Trustees, without shareholder approval (except as stated in the next paragraph), to cause the Trust, or any series thereof, to merge or consolidate with any corporation, association, trust or other organization or sell or exchange all or substantially all of the property belonging to the Trust, or any series thereof. In addition, the Trustees, without shareholder approval, may adopt a “master-feeder” structure by investing substantially all of the assets of a series of the Trust in the securities of another open-end investment company or pooled portfolio.

 

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The Declaration also authorizes the Trustees, in connection with the termination or other reorganization of the Trust or any series or class by way of merger, consolidation, the sale of all or substantially all of the assets, or otherwise, to classify the shareholders of any class into one or more separate groups and to provide for the different treatment of shares held by the different groups, provided that such termination or reorganization is approved by a majority of the outstanding voting securities (as defined in the 1940 Act) of each group of shareholders that are so classified.

 

The Declaration permits the Trustees to amend the Declaration without a shareholder vote. However, shareholders of the Trust have the right to vote on any amendment: (i) that would adversely affect the voting rights of shareholders specified in the Declaration; (ii) that is required by law to be approved by shareholders; (iii) to the amendment section of the Declaration; or (iv) that the Trustees determine to submit to shareholders.

 

The Declaration permits the termination of the Trust or of any series or class of the Trust: (i) by a majority of the affected shareholders at a meeting of shareholders of the Trust, series or class; or (ii) by a majority of the Trustees without shareholder approval if the Trustees determine that such action is in the best interest of the Trust or its shareholders. The factors and events that the Trustees may take into account in making such determination include: (i) the inability of the Trust or any series or class to maintain its assets at an appropriate size; (ii) changes in laws or regulations governing the Trust, or any series or class thereof, or affecting assets of the type in which it invests; or (iii) economic developments or trends having a significant adverse impact on their business or operations.

 

In the event of a termination of the Trust or the Fund, the Board, in its sole discretion, could determine to permit the shares to be redeemable in aggregations smaller than Creation Unit Aggregations or to be individually redeemable. In such circumstance, the Trust may make redemptions in-kind, for cash, or for a combination of cash or securities.

 

The Declaration provides that the Trustees will not be liable to any person other than the Trust or a shareholder and that a Trustee will not be liable for any act as a Trustee. Additionally, subject to applicable federal law, no person who is or who has been a Trustee or officer of the Trust shall be liable to the Trust or to any shareholder for money damages except for liability resulting from (a) actual receipt of an improper benefit or profit in money, property or services or (b) active and deliberate dishonesty established by a final judgment and which is material to the cause of action. However, nothing in the Declaration protects a Trustee against any liability to which he or she would otherwise be subject by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of his or her office. The Declaration provides for indemnification of Trustees and officers of the Trust unless the indemnitee is liable to the Trust or any shareholder by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of such person’s office.

 

The Declaration provides that each shareholder, by virtue of becoming such, will be held to have expressly assented and agreed to the terms of the Declaration.

 

The Declaration provides that a shareholder of the Trust may bring a derivative action on behalf of the Trust only if the following conditions are met: (i) the shareholder was a shareholder at the time of the action complained of; (ii) the shareholder was a shareholder at the time demand is made; (iii) the shareholder must make demand to the Trustees before commencing at derivative action on behalf of the Trust; (iv) any shareholders that hold at least 10% of the outstanding shares of the Trust (or 10% of the outstanding shares of the series or class to which such action relates) must join in the request for the Trustees to commence such action; and (v) the Trustees must be afforded a reasonable amount of time to consider such shareholder request and to investigate the basis of such claim. The Declaration also provides that no person, other than the Trustees, who is not a shareholder of a particular series or class shall be entitled to bring any derivative action, suit or other proceeding on behalf of or with respect to such series or class. The Trustees will be entitled to retain counsel or other advisers in considering the merits of the request and will require an undertaking by the shareholders making such request to reimburse the Trust for the expense of any such advisers in the event that the Trustees determine not to bring such action.

 

The term “majority of the outstanding shares” of either the Trust or a particular Fund or investment portfolio means, with respect to the approval of an Investment Advisory Agreement, a distribution plan or a change in the Fundamental investment policy, the vote of the lesser of (i) 67% or more of the shares of the Trust or such Fund or portfolio present at a meeting, if the holders of more than 50% of the outstanding shares of the Trust or such Fund or portfolio are present or represented by proxy, or (ii) more than 50% of the outstanding shares of the Trust or such Fund or portfolio.

 

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BOOK-ENTRY ONLY SYSTEM

 

The following information supplements and should be read in conjunction with the Shareholder Information section in the Prospectus. The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) Acts as Securities Depository for the Shares of the Trust. Shares of the Fund are represented by securities registered in the name of DTC or its nominee and deposited with, or on behalf of, DTC.

 

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 a subsidiary of the Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation (“DTCC”), which is owned by its member firms including international broker/dealers, correspondent and clearing banks, mutual fund companies and investment banks. 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 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.

 

Beneficial Owners of shares are not entitled to have shares registered in their names, will not receive or be entitled to receive physical delivery of certificates in definitive form and are not considered the registered holder thereof. Accordingly, each Beneficial Owner must rely on the procedures of DTC, the DTC Participant and any Indirect Participant through which such Beneficial Owner holds its interests, to exercise any rights of a holder of shares. The Trust understands that under existing industry practice, in the event the Trust requests any action of holders of shares, or a Beneficial Owner desires to take any action that DTC, as the record owner of all outstanding shares, is entitled to take, DTC would authorize the DTC Participants to take such action and that the DTC Participants would authorize the Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners acting through such DTC Participants to take such action and would otherwise act upon the instructions of Beneficial Owners owning through them. As described above, the Trust recognizes DTC or its nominee as the owner of all shares for all purposes.

 

Conveyance of all notices, statements and other communications to Beneficial Owners is effected as follows. Pursuant to the Depositary Agreement between the Trust and DTC, DTC is required to make available to the Trust upon request and for a fee to be charged to the Trust a listing of the share holdings of each DTC Participant. The Trust shall inquire of each such DTC Participant as to the number of Beneficial Owners holding shares of the Fund, 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 Participant a fair and reasonable amount as reimbursement for the expenses attendant to such transmittal, all subject to applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.

 

Share distributions shall be made to DTC or its nominee, Cede & Co., as the registered holder of all shares of the Trust. DTC or its nominee, upon receipt of any such distributions, shall credit immediately DTC Participants’ accounts with payments in amounts proportionate to their respective beneficial interests in shares 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 aspects 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.

 

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DTC may determine to discontinue providing its service with respect to shares of the Trust 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 either to find a replacement for DTC to perform its functions at a comparable cost or, if such a replacement is unavailable, to issue and deliver printed certificates representing ownership of shares, unless the Trust makes other arrangements with respect thereto satisfactory to the Exchange on which shares are listed.

 

PURCHASE AND REDEMPTION OF CREATION UNITS

 

CREATION UNIT AGGREGATIONS

 

The Trust issues and sells shares of the Fund only in Creation Unit Aggregations. The Board reserves the right to declare a split or a consolidation in the number of shares outstanding of any Fund of the Trust, and to make a corresponding change in the number of shares constituting a Creation Unit, in the event that the per share price in the secondary market rises (or declines) to an amount that falls outside the range deemed desirable by the Board.

 

PURCHASE AND ISSUANCE OF CREATION UNIT AGGREGATIONS

 

General. The Trust issues and sells shares of the Fund only in Creation Units on a continuous basis through the Distributor, without a sales load, at the Fund’s NAV next determined after receipt, on any Business Day (as defined herein), of an order in proper form.

 

A “Business Day” with respect to the Fund is any day on which the NYSE is open for business. As of the date of this SAI, the NYSE observes the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.

 

Portfolio Deposit. The consideration for purchase of a Creation Unit of shares of the Fund generally consists of the in-kind deposit of a designated portfolio of equity securities (the “Deposit Securities”) constituting an optimized representation of the Fund’s Underlying Index and an amount of cash in U.S. dollars computed as described below (the “Cash Component”). Together, the Deposit Securities and the Cash Component constitute the “Portfolio Deposit,” which represents the minimum initial and subsequent investment amount for a Creation Unit of the Fund. The Cash Component is an amount equal to the Balancing Amount (as defined below). The “Balancing Amount” is an amount equal to the difference between (x) the net asset value (per Creation Unit) of the Fund and (y) the “Deposit Amount” which is the market value (per Creation Unit) of the Deposit Securities. The Balancing Amount serves the function of compensating for any differences between the net asset value per Creation Unit and the Deposit Amount. If the Balancing Amount is a positive number (i.e., the net asset value per Creation Unit is more than the Deposit Amount), the Authorized Participant will deliver the Balancing Amount. If the Balancing Amount is a negative number (i.e., the net asset value per Creation Unit is less than the Deposit Amount), the Authorized Participant will receive the Balancing Amount. Payment of any stamp duty or other similar fees and expenses payable upon transfer of beneficial ownership of the Deposit Securities shall be the sole responsibility of the Authorized Participant that purchased the Creation Unit. The Authorized Participant must ensure that all Deposit Securities properly denote change in beneficial ownership.

 

The Adviser makes available through the National Securities Clearing Corporation (“NSCC”) on each Business Day, prior to the opening of business on the Exchange (currently 9:30 a.m., Eastern Time), the list of the names and the required number of shares of each Deposit Security to be included in the current Portfolio Deposit (based on information at the end of the previous Business Day) for the Fund. Such Portfolio Securities are applicable, subject to any adjustments as described below, to purchases of Creation Units of a given Fund until such time as the next-announced Deposit Securities composition is made available.

 

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The identity and number of shares of the Deposit Securities required for a Portfolio Deposit for the Fund changes pursuant to changes in the composition of the Fund’s Portfolio and as rebalancing adjustments and corporate action events are reflected from time to time by the Adviser with a view to the investment objective of the Fund. The composition of the Deposit Securities may also change in response to adjustments to the weighting or composition of the securities constituting the Underlying Index.

 

In addition, the Trust reserves the right to permit or require the substitution of an amount of cash (that is a “cash in lieu” amount) to be added to the Cash Component to replace any Deposit Security which may not be available in sufficient quantity for delivery or that may not be eligible for transfer through the systems of DTC or the Clearing Process (discussed below) or for other similar reasons. The Trust also reserves the right to permit or require a “cash in lieu” amount where the delivery of Deposit Securities by the Authorized Participant (as described below) would be restricted under the securities laws or where delivery of Deposit Securities to the Authorized Participant would result in the disposition of Deposit Securities by the Authorized Participant becoming restricted under the securities laws, and in certain other situations. The adjustments described above will reflect changes, known to the Adviser on the date of announcement to be in effect by the time of delivery of the Portfolio Deposit, in the composition of the Underlying Index, or resulting from stock splits and other corporate actions.

 

In addition to the list of names and numbers of securities constituting the current Deposit Securities of a Portfolio Deposit, on each Business Day, the Cash Component effective through and including the previous Business Day, per outstanding Creation Unit of the Fund, will be made available.

 

Role of the Authorized Participant. Creation Units of shares may be purchased only by or through a DTC Participant that has entered into an Authorized Participant Agreement with the Distributor (an Authorized Participant). Such Authorized Participant will agree pursuant to the terms of such Authorized Participant Agreement on behalf of itself or any investor on whose behalf it will act, as the case may be, to certain conditions, including that such Authorized Participant will make available in advance of each purchase of Creation Units an amount of cash sufficient to pay the Cash Component, once the net asset value of a Creation Unit is next determined after receipt of the purchase order in proper form, together with the transaction fee described below. The Authorized Participant may require the investor to enter into an agreement with such Authorized Participant with respect to certain matters, including payment of the Cash Component. Investors who are not Authorized Participants must make appropriate arrangements with an Authorized Participant. Investors should be aware that their particular broker may not be a DTC Participant or may not have executed an Authorized Participant Agreement, and that therefore orders to purchase Creation Units may have to be placed by the investor’s broker through an Authorized Participant. As a result, purchase orders placed through an Authorized Participant may result in additional charges to such investor. The Trust does not expect to enter into an Authorized Participant Agreement with more than a small number of DTC Participants that have international capabilities. A list of the current Authorized Participants may be obtained from the Distributor.

 

Purchase Order. To initiate an order for a Creation Unit of shares of the Fund, the Authorized Participant must submit to the Distributor an irrevocable order to purchase shares of the Fund. With respect to the Fund, the Distributor will notify the Adviser and the Custodian of such order. The Custodian will then provide such information to the appropriate local sub-custodian(s). The Custodian shall cause the appropriate local sub-custodian(s) of the Fund to maintain an account into which the Authorized Participant shall deliver, on behalf of itself or the party on whose behalf it is acting, the securities included in the designated Portfolio Deposit (or the cash value of all or a part of such securities, in the case of a permitted or required cash purchase or “cash in lieu” amount), with any appropriate adjustments as advised by the Trust. Deposit Securities must be delivered to an account maintained at the applicable local sub-custodian. Those placing orders to purchase Creation Units through an Authorized Participant should allow sufficient time to permit proper submission of the purchase order to the Distributor by the Cut-Off Time (as defined below) on such Business Day.

 

The Authorized Participant must also make available on or before the contractual settlement date, by means satisfactory to the Trust, immediately available or same day funds in U.S. dollars estimated by the Trust to be sufficient to pay the Cash Component next determined after acceptance of the purchase order, together with the applicable purchase transaction fee. Any excess funds will be returned following settlement of the issue of the Creation Unit. Those placing orders should ascertain the applicable deadline for cash transfers by contacting the operations department of the broker or depositary institution effectuating the transfer of the Cash Component. This deadline is likely to be significantly earlier than the closing time of the regular trading session on the Exchange.

 

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Investors should be aware that an Authorized Participant may require orders for purchases of shares placed with it to be in the particular form required by the individual Authorized Participant.

 

Timing of Submission of Purchase Orders. An Authorized Participant must submit an irrevocable purchase order no later than the earlier of (i) 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time or (ii) the closing time of the trading session on the relevant Fund’s Exchange, on any Business Day in order to receive that Business Day’s NAV.

 

Acceptance of Purchase Order. Subject to the conditions that (i) an irrevocable purchase order has been submitted by the Authorized Participant (either on its own or another investor’s behalf) and (ii) arrangements satisfactory to the Trust are in place for payment of the Cash Component and any other cash amounts which may be due, the Trust will accept the order, subject to its right (and the right of the Distributor and the Adviser) to reject any order until acceptance.

 

Once the Trust has accepted an order, upon next determination of the NAV of the shares, the Trust will confirm the issuance of a Creation Unit of the Fund, against receipt of payment, at such NAV. The Distributor will then transmit a confirmation of acceptance to the Authorized Participant that placed the order.

 

The Trust reserves the absolute right to reject or revoke acceptance of a purchase order transmitted to it by the Distributor in respect of any Fund if (a) the order is not in proper form; (b) the investor(s), upon obtaining the shares ordered, would own 80% or more of the currently outstanding shares of any Fund; (c) the Deposit Securities delivered do not conform to the identify and number of shares disseminated through the facilities of the NSCC for that date by the Adviser, as described above; (d) acceptance of the Deposit Securities would have certain adverse tax consequences to the Fund; (e) the acceptance of the Portfolio Deposit would, in the opinion of counsel, be unlawful; (f) the acceptance of the Portfolio Deposit would otherwise, in the discretion of the Trust or the Adviser, have an adverse effect on the Trust or the rights of beneficial owners; or (g) in the event that circumstances outside the control of the Trust, the Distributor and the Adviser make it for all practical purposes impossible to process purchase orders. Examples of such circumstances include acts of God; public service or utility problems resulting in telephone, telecopy or computer failures; fires, floods or extreme weather conditions; market conditions or activities causing trading halts; systems failures involving computer or other informational systems affecting the Trust, the Distributor, DTC, NSCC, the Adviser, The Fund’s Custodian, a sub-custodian or any other participant in the creation process; and similar extraordinary events. The Trust shall notify a prospective purchaser and/or the Authorized Participant acting on behalf of such person of its rejection of the order of such person. The Trust, the Fund’s Custodian, any sub-custodian and the Distributor are under no duty, however, to give notification of any defects or irregularities in the delivery of Portfolio Deposits nor shall either of them incur any liability for the failure to give any such notification.

 

Issuance of a Creation Unit. Except as provided herein, a Creation Unit of shares of the Fund will not be issued until the transfer of good title to the Trust of the Deposit Securities and the payment of the Cash Component have been completed. When the applicable local sub-custodian(s) have confirmed to the Custodian that the required securities included in the Portfolio Deposit (or the cash value thereof) have been delivered to the account of the applicable local sub-custodian or sub-custodians, the Distributor and the Adviser shall be notified of such delivery, and the Trust will issue, and cause the delivery of the Creation Unit. Creation Units typically are issued on a “T+3 basis” (that is three Business Days after trade date). However, as discussed in Appendix A, the Fund reserves the right to settle Creation Unit transactions on a basis other than T+3 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.

 

To the extent contemplated by an Authorized Participant’s agreement with the Distributor, the Trust will issue Creation Units to such Authorized Participant notwithstanding the fact that the corresponding Portfolio Deposits have not been received in part or in whole, in reliance on the undertaking of the Authorized Participant to deliver the missing Deposit Securities 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%, which the Adviser may change from time to time, of the value of the missing Deposit Securities in accordance with the Trust’s then-effective procedures. Such collateral must be delivered no later than 2:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on the contractual settlement date. The only collateral that is acceptable to the Trust is cash in U.S. Dollars or an irrevocable letter of credit in form, and drawn on a bank, that is satisfactory to the Trust. The cash collateral posted by the Authorized Participant may be invested at the risk of the Authorized Participant, and income, if any, on invested cash collateral will be paid to that Authorized Participant. Information concerning the Trust’s current procedures for collateralization of missing Deposit Securities is available from the Distributor. The Authorized Participant Agreement will permit the Trust to buy the missing Deposit Securities at any time and will subject the Authorized Participant to liability for any shortfall between the cost to the Trust of purchasing such securities and the cash collateral or the amount that may be drawn under any letter of credit.

 

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In certain cases, Authorized Participants will create and redeem Creation Units on the same trade date. In these instances, the Trust reserves the right to settle these transactions on a net basis. All questions as to the number of shares of each security in the Deposit Securities and the validity, form, eligibility and acceptance for deposit of any securities to be delivered shall be determined by the Trust, and the Trust’s determination shall be final and binding.

 

Cash Purchase Method. When cash purchases of Creation Units are available or specified for the Fund, they will be effected in essentially the same manner as in-kind purchases thereof. In addition, the Trust may in its discretion make Creation Units of any of the other funds available for purchase and redemption in U.S. dollars. In the case of a cash purchase, the investor must pay the cash equivalent of the Deposit Securities it would otherwise be required to provide through an in-kind purchase, plus the same Cash Component required to be paid by an in-kind purchaser. In addition, to offset the Trust’s brokerage and other transaction costs associated with using the cash to purchase the requisite Deposit Securities, the investor will be required to pay a fixed purchase transaction fee, plus an additional variable charge for cash purchases, which is expressed as a percentage of the value of the Deposit Securities. The transaction fees for in-kind and cash purchases of Creation Units are described below.

 

Purchase Transaction Fee. A fixed purchase transaction fee payable to the Custodian is imposed on each creation transaction regardless of the number of Creation Units purchased in the transaction. Purchasers of Creation Units for cash are required to pay an additional variable charge to compensate the relevant Fund for brokerage and market impact expenses relating to investing in portfolios securities. Where the Trust permits an in-kind purchaser to substitute cash in lieu of depositing a portion of the Deposit Securities, the purchaser will be assessed the additional variable charge for cash purchases on the “cash in lieu” portion of its investment. Purchasers of Creation Units are responsible for the costs of transferring the securities constituting the Deposit Securities to the account of the Trust. Investors who use the services of a broker, or other such intermediary may be charged a fee for such services. The purchase transaction fees for in-kind purchases and cash purchases (when available) are listed in the table below. This table is subject to revision from time to time.

 

 Fund

 Fee for In-Kind and Cash Purchases

Maximum Additional Variable Charge for Cash Purchases*
Global X Risk Parity ETF  [  ] 3%

_____________

* As a percentage of the value of the amount invested.

 

REDEMPTION OF CREATION UNITS

 

Shares of the Fund may be redeemed only in Creation Units at their NAV next determined after receipt of a redemption request in proper form by the Distributor. The Trust will not redeem shares in amounts less than Creation Units. Beneficial owners also may sell shares in the secondary market, but must accumulate enough shares to constitute a Creation Unit in order to have such shares redeemed by the Trust. There can be no assurance, however, that there will be sufficient liquidity in the public trading market at any time to permit assembly of a Creation Unit. Investors should expect to incur brokerage and other costs in connection with assembling a sufficient number of shares to constitute a redeemable Creation Unit.

 

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With respect to the Fund the Adviser makes available through the NSCC prior to the opening of business on the Exchange (currently 9:30 a.m., Eastern Time) on each Business Day, the identity and number of shares that will be applicable (subject to possible amendment or correction) to redemption requests received in proper form (as defined below) on that day (“Portfolio Securities”). Portfolio Securities received on redemption may not be identical to Deposit Securities that are applicable to creation of Creation Units. Unless cash redemptions are available or specified for the Fund, the redemption proceeds for a Creation Unit generally consist of Portfolio Securities on the Business Day of the request for redemption, plus cash in an amount equal to the difference between the NAV of the shares being redeemed, as next determined after a receipt of a request in proper form, and the value of the Portfolio Securities, less the redemption transaction fee described below. The redemption transaction fee described below is deducted from such redemption proceeds.

 

A fixed redemption transaction fee payable to the Custodian is imposed on each redemption transaction. Redemptions of Creation Units for cash are required to pay an additional variable charge to compensate the relevant Fund for brokerage and market impact expenses relating to disposing of portfolio securities. The redemption transaction fee for redemptions in kind and for cash and the additional variable charge for cash redemptions (when cash redemptions are available or specified) are listed in the table below. Investors will also bear the costs of transferring the Portfolio Deposit from the Trust to their account or on their order. Investors who use the services of a broker or other such intermediary may be charged a fee for such services.

 

 Fund

 Fee for In-Kind and Cash Redemptions

Maximum Additional Variable Charge for Cash Redemptions*
Global X Risk Parity ETF  [  ] 2%

_____________

* As a percentage of the value of the amount invested.

 

Redemption requests in respect of Creation Units must be submitted to the Distributor by or through an Authorized Participant. Investors other than Authorized Participants are responsible for making arrangements for a redemption request through an Authorized Participant. An Authorized Participant must submit an irrevocable redemption request no later than the earlier of (i) 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time or (ii) the closing time of the trading session on the relevant Fund’s Exchange, on any Business Day in order to receive that Business Day’s NAV.

 

The Distributor will provide a list of current Authorized Participants upon request. The Authorized Participant must transmit the request for redemption, in the form required by the Trust, to the Distributor in accordance with procedures set forth in the Authorized Participant Agreement. Investors should be aware that their particular broker may not have executed an Authorized Participant Agreement, and that, therefore, requests to redeem Creation Units may have to be placed by the investor’s broker through an Authorized Participant who has executed an Authorized Participant Agreement. At any given time there will be only a limited number of broker-dealers that have executed an Authorized Participant Agreement. Investors making a redemption request should be aware that such request must be in the form specified by such Authorized Participant. Investors making a request to redeem Creation Units should allow sufficient time to permit proper submission of the request by an Authorized Participant and transfer of the shares to the Trust’s Transfer Agent; such investors should allow for the additional time that may be required to effect redemptions through their banks, brokers or other financial intermediaries if such intermediaries are not Authorized Participants.

 

Orders to redeem Creation Unit Aggregations of funds based on foreign indexes must be delivered through an Authorized Participant that has executed an Authorized Participant Agreement. Investors other than Authorized Participants are responsible for making arrangements for a redemption request to be made through an Authorized Participant. An order to redeem Creation Unit Aggregations of the Fund is deemed received by the Trust on the Business Day if: (i) such order is received by the Fund’s Distributor not later than the closing time of the applicable Exchange on the applicable Business Day; (ii) such order is accompanied or followed by the requisite number of shares of the Fund specified in such order, which delivery must be made through DTC to the Fund’s Custodian no later than 10:00 a.m., Eastern Time, on the next Business Day following the day the order was transmitted; and (iii) all other procedures set forth in the Authorized Participant Agreement are properly followed. Deliveries of Fund securities to redeeming investors generally will be made within three Business Days. Due to the schedule of holidays in certain countries, however, the delivery of in-kind redemption proceeds for the Fund may take longer than three Business Days after the day on which the redemption request is received in proper form. In such cases, the local market settlement procedures will not commence until the end of the local holiday periods as described in Appendix A.

 

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A redemption request is considered to be in “proper form” if (i) an Authorized Participant has transferred or caused to be transferred to the Trust’s Transfer Agent the Creation Unit of shares being redeemed through the book-entry system of DTC so as to be effective by the Exchange closing time on any Business Day and (ii) a request in form satisfactory to the Trust is received by the Distributor from the Authorized Participant on behalf of itself or another redeeming investor within the time periods specified above. If the Transfer Agent does not receive the investor’s shares through DTC’s facilities by 10:00 a.m., Eastern Time, on the Business Day next following the day that the redemption request is received, the redemption request shall be rejected. Investors should be aware that the deadline for such transfers of shares through the DTC system may be significantly earlier than the close of business on the Exchange. Those making redemption requests should ascertain the deadline applicable to transfers of shares through the DTC system by contacting the operations department of the broker or depositary institution effecting the transfer of the shares.

 

Upon receiving a redemption request, the Distributor shall notify the Trust and the Trust’s Transfer Agent of such redemption request. The tender of an investor’s shares for redemption and the distribution of the cash redemption payment in respect of Creation Units redeemed will be effected through DTC and the relevant Authorized Participant to the beneficial owner thereof as recorded on the book-entry system of DTC or the DTC Participant through which such investor holds, as the case may be, or by such other means specified by the Authorized Participant submitting the redemption request.

 

In connection with taking delivery of shares of Portfolio Securities upon redemption of shares of the Fund, a redeeming Beneficial Owner, or Authorized Participant acting on behalf of such Beneficial Owner, must maintain appropriate security arrangements with a qualified broker-dealer, bank or other custody providers in each jurisdiction in which any of the Portfolio Securities are customarily traded, to which account such Portfolio Securities will be delivered.

 

Deliveries of redemption proceeds by the Fund generally will be made within three Business Days (that is “T+3”). However, as discussed in Appendix A, the Fund reserves the right to settle redemption transactions and deliver redemption proceeds on a basis other than T+3 to accommodate foreign market holiday schedules, to account for different treatment among foreign and U.S. markets of dividend record dates and dividend ex-dates (that is the last date the holder of a security can sell the security and still receive dividends payable on the security sold), and in certain other circumstances. For each country relating to the Fund, Appendix A hereto identifies the instances where more than seven days would be needed to deliver redemption proceeds. Pursuant to an order of the SEC, in respect of the Fund, the Trust will make delivery of in-kind redemption proceeds within the number of days stated in Appendix A to be the maximum number of days necessary to deliver redemption proceeds.

 

If neither the redeeming Beneficial Owner nor the Authorized Participant acting on behalf of such redeeming Beneficial Owner has appropriate arrangements to take delivery of the portfolio securities in the applicable jurisdiction and it is not possible to make other such arrangements, or if it is not possible to effect deliveries of the Portfolio Securities in such jurisdiction, the Trust may in its discretion redeem such shares in cash, and the redeeming Beneficial Owner will be required to receive its redemption proceeds in cash. In addition, an investor may request a redemption in cash that the Trust may, in its sole discretion, permit. In either case, the investor will receive a cash payment equal to the net asset value of its shares based on the NAV of shares of the relevant Fund next determined after the redemption request is received in proper form (minus a redemption transaction fee and additional variable charge for cash redemptions specified above, to offset the Trust’s brokerage and other transaction costs associated with the disposition of Portfolio Securities). The Trust may also, in its sole discretion, upon request of a shareholder, provide such redeemer a portfolio of securities that differ from the exact composition of the Portfolio Securities but does not differ in NAV. Redemptions of shares for Deposit Securities will be subject to compliance with applicable U.S. federal and state securities laws and the Fund (whether or not it otherwise permits cash redemptions) reserves the right to redeem Creation Units for cash to the extent that the Fund could not lawfully deliver specific Deposit Securities upon redemptions or could not do so without first registering the Deposit Securities under such laws.

 

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In the event that cash redemptions are permitted or required by the Trust, proceeds will be paid to the Authorized Participant redeeming shares on behalf of the redeeming investor as soon as practicable after the date of redemption (within seven calendar days thereafter, except for the instances listed in Appendix A hereto where more than seven calendar days would be needed).

 

To the extent contemplated by an Authorized Participant’s agreement with the Distributor, in the event the Authorized Participant that has submitted a redemption request in proper form is unable to transfer all or part of the Creation Units to be redeemed to the Trust, at or prior to 10:00 a.m., Eastern Time, on the Business Day after the date of submission of such redemption request, the Distributor will nonetheless accept the redemption request in reliance on the undertaking by the Authorized Participant to deliver the missing shares as soon as possible. Such undertaking shall be secured by the Authorized Participant’s delivery and maintenance of collateral consisting of cash having a value equal to 110%, which the Adviser may change from time to time, of the value of the missing shares in accordance with the Trust’s then-effective procedures. The only collateral that is acceptable to the Trust is cash in U.S. dollars or an irrevocable letter of credit in form, and drawn on a bank, that is satisfactory to the Trust. The Trust’s current procedures for collateralization of missing shares require, among other things, that any cash collateral shall be held by the Trust’s Custodian, and that the fees of the Custodian and any sub-custodians in respect of the delivery, maintenance and redelivery of the cash collateral shall be payable by the Authorized Participant. The cash collateral posted by the Authorized Participant may be invested at the risk of the Authorized Participant, and income, if any, on invested cash collateral will be paid to that Authorized Participant. The Authorized Participant Agreement permits the Trust to purchase the missing shares or acquire the portfolio securities and the Cash Component underlying such shares at any time and subjects the Authorized Participant to liability for any shortfall between the cost to the Trust of purchasing such shares, Portfolio Securities or Cash Component and the cash collateral or the amount that may be drawn under any letter of credit.

 

Because the portfolio securities of the Fund may trade on the relevant exchange(s) on days that the Exchange is closed or are otherwise not Business Days for such Fund, shareholders may not be able to redeem their shares of such Fund, or to purchase or sell shares of such Fund on the Exchange, on days when the NAV of such Fund could be significantly affected by events in the relevant foreign markets.

 

The right of redemption may be suspended or the date of payment postponed with respect to any Fund (1) for any period during which the New York Stock Exchange is closed (other than customary weekend and holiday closings); (2) for any period during which trading on the New York Stock Exchange is suspended or restricted; (3) for any period during which 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 (4) in such other circumstance as is permitted by the SEC.

 

TAXES

 

The following summarizes certain additional tax considerations generally affecting the Fund and their shareholders that are not described in the Prospectus. No attempt is made to present a detailed explanation of the tax treatment of the Fund or its shareholders, and the discussions here and in the Prospectus are not intended as a substitute for careful tax planning. Potential investors should consult their tax advisers with specific reference to their own tax situations.

 

The discussions of the federal tax consequences in the Prospectus and this SAI are based on the Code and the regulations, rulings and decision under it, as in effect on the date of this SAI. Future legislative or administrative changes or court decisions may significantly change the statements included herein, and any such changes or decisions may have a retroactive effect with respect to the transactions contemplated herein. This discussion does not address all aspects of U.S. federal income taxation that may be relevant to shareholders in light of their particular circumstances or to shareholders subject to special treatment under U.S. federal income tax laws (e.g., certain financial institutions, insurance companies, dealers in stock or securities, tax-exempt organizations, persons who have entered into hedging transactions with respect to shares of the Fund, persons who borrow in order to acquire shares, and certain foreign taxpayers).

 

FEDERAL - GENERAL INFORMATION

 

The Fund intends to qualify as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) under Subchapter M of Subtitle A, Chapter 1, of the Code. As a regulated investment company, the Fund generally will be exempt from federal income tax on its net investment income and realized capital gains that it distributes to shareholders, provided that it distributes an amount equal to at least the sum of 90% of its tax-exempt income and 90% of its investment company taxable income (net investment income and the excess of net short-term capital gain over net long-term capital loss), if any, for the year (the “Distribution Requirement”) and satisfies certain other requirements of the Code that are described below. The Fund intends to make sufficient distributions or deemed distributions each year to avoid liability for corporate income tax. If the Fund were to fail to make sufficient distributions, it could be liable for corporate income tax and for excise tax in respect of the shortfall or, if the shortfall is large enough, such Fund could be disqualified as a regulated investment company.

 

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In addition to satisfaction of the Distribution Requirement, the Fund must derive with respect to a taxable year at least 90% of its gross income from dividends, interest, certain payments with respect to securities loans and gains from the sale or other disposition of stock or securities or foreign currencies, or from other income derived with respect to its business of investing in such stock, securities, or currencies or net income derived from an interest in a qualified publicly traded partnership. Beginning in 2011, if a RIC fails this 90% source-of-income test it is no longer subject to a 35% penalty as long as such failure was due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect. Instead, the amount of the penalty for non-compliance is the amount by which the non-qualifying income exceeds one-ninth of the qualifying gross income.

 

Also, at the close of each quarter of its taxable year, at least 50% of the value of the Fund’s assets must consist of cash and cash items, U.S. government securities, securities of other regulated investment companies and securities of other issuers (as to which the Fund does not hold more than 5% of the value of its total assets in securities of such issuer and as to which the Fund does not hold more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities (including equity securities of a qualified publicly traded partnership) of such issuer), and no more than 25% of the value of the Fund’s total assets may be invested in the securities of (i) any one issuer (other than U.S. government securities and securities of other regulated investment companies), (ii) two or more issuers which such Fund controls and which are engaged in the same or similar trades or businesses or (iii) one or more qualified publicly traded partnerships. The Fund intends to comply with these requirements.

 

Beginning in 2011, if a RIC fails this asset-diversification test, such RIC, in addition to other cure provisions previously permitted, has a 6-month period to correct any failure without incurring a penalty if such failure is “de minimis,” meaning that the failure does not exceed the lesser of 1% of the RIC’s assets, or $10 million. Such cure right is similar to that previously and currently permitted for a REIT.

 

Similarly, beginning in 2011, if a RIC fails this asset-diversification test and the failure is not de minimis, a RIC can cure failure if: (a) the RIC files with the Treasury Department a description of each asset that causes the RIC to fail the diversification tests; (b) the failure is due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect; and (c) the failure is cured within six months (or such other period specified by the Treasury). In such cases, a tax is imposed on the RIC equal to the greater of: (a) $50,000 or (b) an amount determined by multiplying the highest rate of tax (currently 35%) by the amount of net income generated during the period of diversification test failure by the assets that caused the RIC to fail the diversification test.

 

If for any taxable year any Fund does not qualify as a regulated investment company, all of its taxable income will be subject to tax at regular corporate rates without any deduction for distributions to shareholders. In such event, the shareholders would recognize dividend income on distributions to the extent of such Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits.

 

The Code imposes a nondeductible 4% excise tax on regulated investment companies that fail to currently distribute an amount equal to specified percentages of their ordinary taxable income and capital gain net income (excess of capital gains over capital losses). The Fund intends to make sufficient distributions or deemed distributions of its ordinary taxable income and capital gain net income each calendar year to avoid liability for this excise tax.

 

The Fund intends to distribute annually to its shareholders all or substantially all of its investment company taxable income, and any net realized long-term capital gains in excess of net realized short-term capital losses (including any capital loss carryovers). However, if the Fund retains for investment an amount equal to all or a portion of its net long-term capital gains in excess of its net short-term capital losses (including any capital loss carryovers), it will be subject to a corporate tax (currently at a maximum rate of 35%) on the amount retained. In that event, the Fund may designate such retained amounts as undistributed capital gains in a notice to its shareholders who (a) will be required to include in income for U.S. federal income tax purposes, as long-term capital gains, their proportionate shares of the undistributed amount, (b) will be entitled to credit their proportionate shares of the tax paid by the Fund on the undistributed amount against their U.S. federal income tax liabilities, if any, and to claim refunds to the extent their credits exceed their liabilities, if any, and (c) will be entitled to increase their tax basis, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, in their shares by an amount equal to the difference between the amount of undistributed capital gains included in the shareholder’s income and the tax deemed paid by the shareholder. Organizations or persons not subject to U.S. federal income tax on such capital gains will be entitled to a refund of their pro rata share of such taxes paid by such Fund upon filing appropriate returns or claims for refund with the Internal Revenue Service.

 

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Distributions of net realized long-term capital gains, if any, that the Fund designates as capital gains dividends are taxable as long-term capital gains, whether paid in cash or in shares and regardless of how long a shareholder has held shares of such Fund. All other dividends of the Fund (including dividends from short-term capital gains) from its current and accumulated earnings and profits (“regular dividends”) are generally subject to tax as ordinary income except as described below for qualified dividends.

 

If an individual, trust or estate receives a regular dividend or qualified dividends qualifying for the long-term capital gains rates and such dividend constitutes an “extraordinary dividend,” and the individual subsequently recognizes a loss on the sale or exchange of stock in respect of which the extraordinary dividend was paid, then the loss will be long-term capital loss to the extent of such extraordinary dividend. An “extraordinary dividend” on common stock for this purpose is generally a dividend (i) in an amount greater than or equal to 10% of the taxpayer’s tax basis (or trading value) in a share of stock, aggregating dividends with ex-dividend dates within an 85-day period or (ii) in an amount greater than 20% of the taxpayer’s tax basis (or trading value) in a share of stock, aggregating dividends with ex-dividend dates within a 365-day period.

 

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 a shareholder’s basis in his shares of such Fund, and as a capital gain thereafter (if the shareholder holds his shares of such Fund as capital assets). Shareholders receiving dividends or distributions in the form of additional shares should be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as receiving a distribution in an amount equal to the amount of money that the shareholders receiving cash dividends or distributions will receive, and should have a cost basis in the shares received equal to such amount. Dividends paid by the Fund that are attributable to dividends received by the Fund from domestic corporations may qualify for the federal dividends-received deduction for corporations.

 

Investors considering buying shares just prior to a dividend or capital gain distribution should be aware that, although the price of shares just purchased at that time may reflect the amount of the forthcoming distribution, such dividend or distribution may nevertheless be taxable to them. If the Fund is the holder of record of any stock on the record date for any dividends payable with respect to such stock, such dividends will be included in such Fund’s gross income not as of the date received but as of the later of (a) the date such stock became ex-dividend with respect to such dividends (that is, the date on which a buyer of the stock would not be entitled to receive the declared, but unpaid, dividends) or (b) the date such Fund acquired such stock. Accordingly, to satisfy its income distribution requirements, the Fund may be required to pay dividends based on anticipated earnings, and shareholders may receive dividends in an earlier year than would otherwise be the case.

 

BACK-UP WITHHOLDING

 

In certain cases, the Fund will be required to withhold at the applicable withholding rate, and remit to the U.S. Treasury such amounts withheld from any distributions paid to a shareholder who: (1) has failed to provide a correct taxpayer identification number; (2) is subject to backup withholding by the Internal Revenue Service; (3) has failed to certify to the Fund that such shareholder is not subject to backup withholding; or (4) has not certified that such shareholder is a U.S. person (including a U.S. resident alien).

 

SECTIONS 351 AND 362

 

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 group of purchasers) would, upon obtaining the shares so ordered, own 80% or more of the outstanding shares of a given Fund and if, pursuant to Sections 351 and 362 of the Code, that Fund would have a basis in the securities different from the market value of such securities on the date of deposit. If the Fund’s basis in such securities on the date of deposit was less than market value on such date, such Fund, upon disposition of the securities, would recognize more taxable gain or less taxable loss than if its basis in the securities had been equal to market value. It is not anticipated that the Trust will exercise the right of rejection except in a case where the Trust determines that accepting the order could result in material adverse tax consequences to the Fund or its shareholders. The Trust also has the right to require information necessary to determine deemed and beneficial share ownership for purposes of the 80% determination.

 

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QUALIFIED DIVIDEND INCOME

 

Distributions by the Fund of investment company taxable income (excluding any short-term capital gains) whether received in cash or shares will be taxable either as ordinary income or as qualified dividend income, eligible for the reduced maximum rate to individuals of 15% to the extent the Fund receives qualified dividend income on the securities it holds and such Fund designates the distribution as qualified dividend income. Qualified dividend income is, in general, dividend income from taxable domestic corporations and certain foreign corporations (e.g., foreign corporations incorporated in a possession of the United States or in certain countries with a comprehensive tax treaty with the United States, or the stock of which is readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States). A dividend will not be treated as qualified dividend income to the extent that (i) the shareholder has not held the shares on which the dividend was paid for more than 60 days during the 121-day period that begins on the date that is 60 days before the date on which the shares become ex dividend with respect to such dividend (and the Fund also satisfies those holding period requirements with respect to the securities it holds that paid the dividends distributed to the shareholder), (ii) the shareholder is under an obligation (whether pursuant to a short sale or otherwise) to make related payments with respect to substantially similar or related property, or (iii) the shareholder elects to treat such dividend as investment income under section 163(d)(4)(B) of the Code. Absent further legislation, the maximum 15% rate on qualified dividend income will not apply to dividends received in taxable years beginning after December 31, 2012. Distributions by the Fund of its net short-term capital gains will be taxable as ordinary income. Capital gain distributions consisting of the Fund’s net capital gains will be taxable as long-term capital gains.

 

CORPORATE DIVIDENDS RECEIVED DEDUCTION

 

The Fund’s dividends that are paid to its corporate shareholders and are attributable to qualifying dividends it received from U.S. domestic corporations may be eligible, in the hands of such shareholders, for the corporate dividends received deduction, subject to certain holding period requirements and debt financing limitations.

 

NET CAPITAL LOSS CARRYFORWARDS

 

To the extent that the Fund has capital loss carryforwards from prior tax years, those carryforwards will reduce the net capital gains that can support the Fund’s distribution of capital gain dividends. If the Fund uses net capital losses incurred in taxable years beginning on or before December 22, 2010 (pre-2011 losses), those carryforwards will not reduce the Fund’s current earnings and profits, as losses incurred in later years will. As a result, if that Fund then makes distributions of capital gains recognized during the current year in excess of net capital gains (as reduced by carryforwards), the portion of the excess equal to pre-2011 losses factoring into net capital gain will be taxable as an ordinary dividend distribution, even though that distributed excess amount would not have been subject to tax if retained by the Fund. Capital loss carryforwards are reduced to the extent they offset current-year net realized capital gains, whether the Fund retains or distributes such gains. Beginning in 2011, a RIC is permitted to carry forward net capital losses indefinitely and may allow losses to retain their original character (as short or as long-term). For net capital losses recognized prior to such date, such losses are permitted to be carried forward up to 8 years and are characterized as short-term. These capital loss carryforwards may be utilized in future years to offset net realized capital gains of the Fund, if any, prior to distributing such gains to shareholders.

 

EXCESS INCLUSION INCOME

 

Certain types of income received by the Fund from real estate investment Trusts (“REITs”), real estate mortgage investment conduits (“REMICs”), taxable mortgage pools or other investments may cause the Fund to designate some or all of its distributions as “excess inclusion income.” To Fund shareholders such excess inclusion income may (1) constitute taxable income, as “unrelated business taxable income” (“UBTI”) for those shareholders who would otherwise be tax-exempt such as individual retirement accounts, 401(k) accounts, Keogh plans, pension plans and certain charitable entities; (2) as UBTI cause a charitable remainder Trust to be subject to a 100% excise tax on its UBTI; (3) not be offset against net operating losses for tax purposes; (4) not be eligible for reduced U.S. withholding for non-U.S. shareholders even from tax treaty countries; and (5) cause the Fund to be subject to tax if certain “disqualified organizations” as defined by the Code are Fund shareholders.

 

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TAXATION OF INCOME FROM CERTAIN FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS AND PFICS

 

The tax principles applicable to transactions in financial instruments and futures contracts and options that may be engaged in by the Fund including the effect of fluctuations in the value of foreign currencies, and investments in passive foreign investment companies (“PFICs”), are complex and, in some cases, uncertain. Such transactions and investments may cause the Fund to recognize taxable income prior to the receipt of cash, thereby requiring such Fund to liquidate other positions, or to borrow money, so as to make sufficient distributions to shareholders to avoid corporate-level tax. Moreover, some or all of the taxable income recognized may be ordinary income or short-term capital gain, so that the distributions may be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income.

 

In addition, in the case of any shares of a PFIC in which the Fund invests, such Fund may be liable for corporate-level tax on any ultimate gain or distributions on the shares if such Fund fails to make an election to recognize income annually during the period of its ownership of the shares.

 

Options, Futures, Forward Contracts, Swap Agreements, Hedges, Straddles and Other Transactions. In general, option premiums received by the Fund are not immediately included in the income of the Fund. Instead, the premiums are recognized (i) when the option contract expires, (ii) the option is exercised by the holder, or (iii) the Fund transfers or otherwise terminates the option (e.g., through a closing transaction). If a call option written by the Fund is exercised and the Fund sells or delivers the underlying stock, the Fund generally will recognize capital gain or loss equal to (a) sum of the strike price and the option premium received by the Fund minus (b) the Fund’s basis in the stock. Such gain or loss generally will be short-term or long-term depending upon the holding period of the underlying stock. If securities are purchased by the Fund pursuant to the exercise of a put option written by it, the Fund generally will subtract the premium received for purposes of computing its cost basis in the securities purchased. The gain or loss that may arise in respect of any termination of the Fund’s obligation under an option other than through the exercise of the option will be short-term gain or loss, depending on whether the premium income received by the Fund is greater or less than the amount paid by the Fund (if any) in terminating the transaction. Thus, for example, if an option written by the Fund expires unexercised, the Fund generally will recognize short-term gain equal to the premium received.

 

Certain covered call writing activities of the Fund may trigger the U.S. federal income tax straddle rules of Section 1092 of the Internal Revenue Code, requiring that losses be deferred and holding periods be tolled on offsetting positions in options and stocks deemed to constitute substantially similar or related property. Options on single stocks that are not “deep in the money” may constitute qualified covered calls, which generally are not subject to the straddle rules; the holding period on stock underlying qualified covered calls that are “in the money” although not “deep in the money” will be suspended during the period that such calls are outstanding. Thus, the straddle rules and the rules governing qualified covered calls could cause gains that would otherwise constitute long-term capital gains to be treated as short-term capital gains, and distributions that would otherwise constitute “qualified dividend income” or qualify for the dividends-received deduction to fail to satisfy the holding period requirements and therefore to be taxed as ordinary income or fail to qualify for the 70% dividends-received deduction, as the case may be.

 

The tax treatment of certain futures contracts entered into by the Fund as well as listed non-equity options written or purchased by the Fund on U.S. exchanges (including options on futures contracts, equity indices and debt securities) will be governed by section 1256 of the Internal Revenue Code (“Section 1256 Contracts”). Gains or losses on Section 1256 Contracts generally are considered 60% long-term and 40% short-term capital gains or losses (“60/40”), although certain foreign currency gains and losses from such contracts may be treated as ordinary in character. Also, Section 1256 Contracts held by the Fund at the end of each taxable year (and, for purposes of the 4% excise tax, on certain other dates as prescribed under the Internal Revenue Code) are “marked to market” with the result that unrealized gains or losses are treated as though they were realized and the resulting gain or loss is treated as ordinary or 60/40 gain or loss, as applicable.

 

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In addition to the special rules described above in respect of futures and options transactions, the Fund’s transactions in other derivative instruments (e.g., forward contracts and swap agreements) as well as any of its other hedging, short sale or similar transactions, may be subject to one or more special tax rules (e.g., notional principal contract, straddle, constructive sale, wash sale and short sale rules). These rules may affect whether gains and losses recognized by the Fund are treated as ordinary or capital or as short-term or long-term, accelerate the recognition of income or gains to the Fund, defer losses to the Fund, and cause adjustments in the holding periods of the Fund’s securities. These rules could therefore affect the amount, timing and/or character of distributions to shareholders. Because these and other tax rules applicable to these types of transactions are in some cases uncertain under current law, an adverse determination or future guidance by the IRS with respect to these rules (which determination or guidance may be retroactive) may affect whether the Fund has made sufficient distributions, and otherwise satisfied the relevant requirements, to maintain its qualification as a regulated investment company and avoid the Fund-level tax. The Fund will monitor its transactions, will make appropriate tax elections and will make appropriate entries in its books and records in order to mitigate the effect of these rules.

 

Certain of the Fund’s investments in derivative instruments and foreign currency-denominated instruments, and any of the Fund’s transactions in foreign currencies and hedging activities, are likely to produce a difference between the Fund’s book income and the sum of its taxable income and net tax-exempt income (if any). If there is a difference between the Fund’s book income and the sum of its taxable income and net tax-exempt income (if any), the Fund may be required to distribute amounts in excess of its book income or a portion of Fund distributions may be treated as a return of capital to shareholders. If the Fund’s book income exceeds the sum of its taxable income (including realized capital gains) and net tax-exempt income (if any), the distribution (if any) of such excess generally will be treated as (i) a dividend to the extent of the Fund’s remaining earnings and profits (including earnings and profits arising from tax-exempt income), (ii) thereafter, as a return of capital to the extent of the recipient’s basis in the shares, and (iii) thereafter, as gain from the sale or exchange of a capital asset. If the Fund’s book income is less than the sum of its taxable income and net tax-exempt income (if any), the Fund could be required to make distributions exceeding book income to qualify as a regulated investment company that is accorded special tax treatment.

 

Commodities. In August, 2011, the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) announced that it would stop issuing private letter rulings authorizing favorable tax treatment for funds that invest indirectly in commodities or derivatives based upon commodities. The IRS has previously issued a number of private letter rulings to funds in this area, concluding that such investments generate “qualifying income” for RIC qualification purposes. It is unclear how long this suspension will last. The IRS has not indicated that any previously issued rulings in this area will be affected by this suspension This suspension of guidance by the IRS means that the tax treatment of such investments is now subject to some uncertainty.


Original Issue Discount, Pay-In-Kind Securities, Market Discount and Commodity-Linked Notes. Some debt obligations with a fixed maturity date of more than one year from the date of issuance (and zero-coupon debt obligations with a fixed maturity date of more than one year from the date of issuance) that may be acquired by the Fund may be treated as debt obligations that are issued originally at a discount. Generally, the amount of the original issue discount (“OID”) is treated as interest income and is included in the Fund’s taxable income (and required to be distributed by the Fund) over the term of the debt obligation, even though payment of that amount is not received until a later time, upon partial or full repayment or disposition of the debt security.

 

Some debt obligations (with a fixed maturity date of more than one year from the date of issuance) that may be acquired by the Fund in the secondary market may be treated as having “market discount.” Very generally, market discount is the excess of the stated redemption price of a debt obligation (or in the case of an obligations issued with OID, its “revised issue price”) over the purchase price of such obligation. Generally, any gain recognized on the disposition of, and any partial payment of principal on, a debt obligation 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 obligation. Alternatively, the Fund may elect to accrue market discount currently, in which case the Fund will be required to include the accrued market discount in the Fund’s income (as ordinary income) and thus distribute it over the term of the debt security, even though payment of that amount is not received until a later time, upon partial or full repayment or disposition of the debt security. The rate at which the market discount accrues, and thus is included in the Fund’s income, will depend upon which of the permitted accrual methods the Fund elects. In the case of higher-risk securities, the amount of market discount may be unclear. See “Higher-Risk Securities.”

 

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Some debt obligations (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” (very generally, the excess of the stated redemption price over the purchase price), or OID in the case of certain types of debt obligations. The Fund will be required to include the acquisition discount, or OID, in income (as ordinary income) over the term of the debt obligation, even though payment of that amount is not received until a later time, upon partial or full repayment or disposition of the debt security. The Fund may make one or more of the elections applicable to debt obligations having acquisition discount, or OID, which could affect the character and timing of recognition of income.

 

In addition, payment-in-kind securities will, and commodity-linked notes may, give rise to income that is required to be distributed and is taxable even though the Fund holding the security receives no interest payment in cash on the security during the year.

 

If the Fund holds the foregoing kinds of securities, it may be required to pay out as an income distribution each year an amount that is greater than the total amount of cash interest the Fund actually received. Such distributions may be made from the cash assets of the Fund or by liquidation of portfolio securities, if necessary (including when it is not advantageous to do so). The Fund may realize gains or losses from such liquidations. In the event the Fund realizes net capital gains from such transactions, its shareholders may receive a larger capital gain distribution than they would in the absence of such transactions.

 

Higher-Risk Securities. To the extent such investments are permissible for the Fund, the Fund may invest in debt obligations that are in the lowest rating categories or are unrated, including debt obligations of issuers not currently paying interest or who are in default. Investments in debt obligations that are at risk of or in default present special tax issues for the Fund. 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 securities and how payments received on obligations in default should be allocated between principal and income. In limited circumstances, it may also not be clear whether the Fund should recognize market discount on a debt obligation, and if so, what amount of market discount the Fund should recognize. These and other related issues will be addressed by the Fund when, as and if it invests in such securities, in order to seek to ensure that it distributes sufficient income to preserve its status as a regulated investment company and does not become subject to U.S. federal income or excise tax.

 

Issuer Deductibility of Interest. A portion of the interest paid or accrued on certain high yield discount obligations owned by the Fund may not be deductible to (and thus, may affect the cash flow of) the issuer. If a portion of the interest paid or accrued on certain high yield discount obligations is not deductible, that portion will be treated as a dividend for purposes of the corporate dividends-received deduction. In such cases, if the issuer of the high yield discount obligations is a domestic corporation, dividend payments by the Fund may be eligible for the dividends-received deduction to the extent of the deemed dividend portion of such accrued interest.

 

Interest paid on debt obligations owned by the Fund, if any, that are considered for U.S. tax purposes to be payable in the equity of the issuer or a related party will not be deductible to the issuer, possibly affecting the cash flow of the issuer.

 

Tax-Exempt Shareholders. A tax-exempt shareholder could recognize UBTI by virtue of its investment in the Fund if shares in the Fund constitute debt-financed property in the hands of the tax-exempt shareholder within the meaning of Internal Revenue Code Section 514(b). Furthermore, a tax-exempt shareholder may recognize UBTI if the Fund recognizes “excess inclusion income” derived from direct or indirect investments in residual interests in REMICs or equity interests in TMPs if the amount of such income recognized by the Fund exceeds the Fund’s investment company taxable income (after taking into account deductions for dividends paid by the Fund).

 

In addition, special tax consequences apply to charitable remainder trusts (“CRTs”) that invest in regulated investment companies that invest directly or indirectly in residual interests in REMICs or equity interests in TMPs. Under legislation enacted in December 2006, a CRT (as defined in section 664 of the Internal Revenue Code) that realizes any UBTI for a taxable year, must pay an excise tax annually of an amount equal to such UBTI. Under IRS guidance issued in October 2006, a CRT will not recognize UBTI solely as a result of investing in the Fund that recognizes “excess inclusion income.” Rather, if at any time during any taxable year a CRT (or one of certain other tax-exempt shareholders, such as the United States, a state or political subdivision, or an agency or instrumentality thereof, and certain energy cooperatives) is a record holder of a share in the Fund that recognizes “excess inclusion income,” then the regulated investment company will be subject to a tax on that portion of its “excess inclusion income” for the taxable year that is allocable to such shareholders, at the highest federal corporate income tax rate. The extent to which this IRS guidance remains applicable in light of the December 2006 legislation is unclear. To the extent permitted under the 1940 Act, the Fund may elect to specially allocate any such tax to the applicable CRT, or other shareholder, and thus reduce such shareholder’s distributions for the year by the amount of the tax that relates to such shareholder’s interest in the Fund. The Fund has not yet determined whether such an election will be made. CRTs and other tax-exempt investors are urged to consult their tax advisers concerning the consequences of investing in the Fund.

 

45
 

Passive Foreign Investment Companies. A passive foreign investment company (“PFIC”) is any foreign corporation: (i) 75% or more of the gross income of which for the taxable year is passive income, or (ii) the average percentage of the assets of which (generally by value, but by adjusted tax basis in certain cases) that produce or are held for the production of passive income is at least 50%. Generally, passive income for this purpose means dividends, interest (including income equivalent to interest), royalties, rents, annuities, the excess of gains over losses from certain property transactions and commodities transactions, and foreign currency gains. Passive income for this purpose does not include rents and royalties received by the foreign corporation from active business and certain income received from related persons.

 

Equity investments by the Fund in certain PFICs could potentially subject the Fund to a U.S. federal income tax or other charge (including interest charges) on the distributions received from the PFIC or on proceeds received from the disposition of shares in the PFIC. This tax cannot be eliminated by making distributions to Fund shareholders. However, the Fund may elect to avoid the imposition of that tax. For example, if the Fund is in a position to and elects to treat a PFIC as a “qualified electing fund” (i.e., make a “QEF election”), the Fund will be required to include its share of the PFIC s income and net capital gains annually, regardless of whether it receives any distribution from the PFIC. Alternatively, the Fund may make an election to mark the gains (and to a limited extent losses) in its PFIC holdings “to the market” as though it had sold and repurchased its holdings in those PFICs on the last day of the Fund’s taxable year. Such gains and losses are treated as ordinary income and loss. The QEF and mark-to-market elections may accelerate the recognition of income (without the receipt of cash) and increase the amount required to be distributed by the Fund to avoid taxation. Making either of these elections therefore may require the Fund to liquidate other investments (including when it is not advantageous to do so) to meet its distribution requirement, which also may accelerate the recognition of gain and affect the Fund’s total return. Dividends paid by PFICs will not be eligible to be treated as “qualified dividend income.”

 

Because it is not always possible to identify a foreign corporation as a PFIC, the Fund may incur the tax and interest charges described above in some instances.

 

Foreign Currency Transactions. The Fund’s transactions in foreign currencies, foreign currency-denominated debt obligations and certain foreign currency options, futures contracts and forward contracts (and similar instruments) may give rise to ordinary income or loss to the extent such income or loss results from fluctuations in the value of the foreign currency concerned. Any such net gains could require a larger dividend toward the end of the calendar year. Any such net losses will generally reduce and potentially require the re-characterization of prior ordinary income distributions. Such ordinary income treatment may accelerate Fund distributions to shareholders and increase the distributions taxed to shareholders as ordinary income. Any net ordinary losses so created cannot be carried forward by the Fund to offset income or gains earned in subsequent taxable years.

 

Shareholder Reporting Obligations With Respect to Foreign Financial Assets.

 

Certain individuals (and, if provided in future guidance, certain domestic entities) must disclose annually their interests in “specified foreign financial assets” on IRS Form 8938, which must be attached to their U.S. federal income tax returns for taxable years beginning after March 18, 2010. The IRS has not yet released a copy of the Form 8938 and has suspended the requirement to attach Form 8938 for any taxable year for which an income tax return is filed before the release of Form 8938. Following Form 8938’s release, individuals will be required to attach to their next income tax return required to be filed with the IRS a Form 8938 for each taxable year for which the filing of Form 8938 was suspended. Until the IRS provides more details regarding this reporting requirement, including in Form 8938 itself and related Treasury regulations, it remains unclear under what circumstances, if any, a shareholder’s (indirect) interest in the Funds’ “specified foreign financial assets,” if any, will be required to be reported on this Form 8938.

 

46
 

Other Reporting and Withholding Requirements.

 

Rules enacted in March 2010 require the reporting to the IRS of direct and indirect ownership of foreign financial accounts and foreign entities by U.S. persons. Failure to provide this required information can result in a 30% withholding tax on certain payments (“withholdable payments”) made after December 31, 2012. Specifically, withholdable payments subject to this 30% withholding tax include payments of U.S.-source dividends and interest made on or after January 1, 2014, and payments of gross proceeds from the sale or other disposal of property that can produce U.S.-source dividends or interest made on or after January 1, 2015.

 

The IRS has issued only very preliminary guidance with respect to these new rules; their scope remains unclear and potentially subject to material change. Very generally, it is possible that distributions made by the Fund after the dates noted above (or such later dates as may be provided in future guidance) to a shareholder, including a distribution in redemption of shares and a distribution of income or gains otherwise exempt from withholding under the rules applicable to non-U.S. shareholders described above (e.g., Capital Gain Dividends, Short-Term Capital Gain Dividends and interest-related dividends, as described above) will be subject to the new 30% withholding requirement. Payments to a foreign shareholder that is a “foreign financial institution” will generally be subject to withholding, unless such shareholder enters into a timely agreement with the IRS. Payments to shareholders that are U.S. persons or foreign individuals will generally not be subject to withholding, so long as such shareholders provide the Fund with such certifications or other documentation, including, to the extent required, with regard to such shareholders’ direct and indirect owners, as the Fund requires to comply with the new rules. Persons investing in the Fund through an intermediary should contact their intermediary regarding the application of the new reporting and withholding regime to their investments in the Fund.

 

Shareholders are urged to consult a tax advisor regarding this new reporting and withholding regime, in light of their particular circumstances.

 

SALES OF SHARES

 

Upon the sale or exchange of his shares, a shareholder will realize a taxable gain or loss equal to the difference between the amount realized and his basis in his shares. A redemption of shares by the Fund will be treated as a sale for this purpose. Such gain or loss will be treated as capital gain or loss if the shares are capital assets in the shareholder’s hands, and will be long-term capital gain or loss if the shares are held for more than one year and short-term capital gain or loss if the shares are held for one year or less. Any loss realized on a sale or exchange will be disallowed to the extent the shares disposed of are replaced, including replacement through the reinvesting of dividends and capital gains distributions in the Fund, within a 61-day period beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after the disposition of the shares. In such a case, the basis of the shares acquired will be increased to reflect the disallowed loss. Any loss realized by a shareholder on the sale of the Fund share held by the shareholder for six months or less will be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a long-term capital loss to the extent of any distributions or deemed distributions of long-term capital gains received by the shareholder with respect to such share.

 

OTHER TAXES

 

Dividends, distributions and redemption proceeds may also be subject to additional state, local and foreign taxes depending on each shareholder’s particular situation.

 

FOREIGN TAXES

 

It is expected that certain income of the Fund will be subject to foreign withholding taxes and other taxes imposed by countries in which the Fund invest. If the Fund is liable for foreign income taxes, including such withholding taxes, such Fund may meet the requirements of the Code for “passing through” to its shareholders the foreign taxes paid, but there can be no assurance that the Fund will be able to do so. Under the Code, if more than 50% of the value of the Fund’s total assets at the close of the taxable year consists of stock or securities of foreign corporations, such Fund may file an election with the Internal Revenue Service to “pass through” to the Fund’s shareholders the amount of foreign income taxes paid by the Fund. The Fund expects to be able to make this election, though no assurance can be given that they will be able to do so. Pursuant to this election, a shareholder (a) will include in gross income (in addition to taxable dividends actually received) the shareholder’s pro rata share of the foreign income taxes paid by the Fund; (b) will treat the shareholder’s pro rata share of such foreign income taxes as having been paid by the shareholder; and (c) may, subject to certain limitations, be entitled either to deduct the shareholder’s pro rata share of such foreign income taxes in computing the shareholder’s taxable income or to use it as a foreign tax credit against U.S. income taxes. Shortly after any year for which the Fund makes such a pass-through election, the Fund will report to its shareholders, in writing, the amount per share of such foreign tax that must be included in each shareholder’s gross income and the amount which will be available for deduction or credit.

 

47
 

If the Fund does not make the election, any foreign taxes paid or accrued will represent an expense to such Fund, which will reduce its net investment income. Absent this election, shareholders will not be able to claim either a credit or deduction for their pro rata shares of such taxes paid by the Fund, nor will shareholders be required to treat their pro rata shares of such taxes as amounts distributed to them.

 

The rules governing foreign tax credits are complex and, therefore, shareholders should consult their own tax Advisors regarding the availability of foreign tax credits in their particular circumstances.

 

TAXATION OF NON-U.S. SHAREHOLDERS

 

Dividends paid by the Fund to non-U.S. shareholders are generally subject to withholding tax at a 30% rate or a reduced rate specified by an applicable income tax treaty to the extent derived from investment income and short-term capital gains. In order to obtain a reduced rate of withholding, a non-U.S. shareholder will be required to provide an IRS Form W-8BEN certifying its entitlement to benefits under a treaty. The withholding tax does not apply to regular dividends paid to a non-U.S. shareholder who provides a Form W-8ECI, certifying that the dividends are effectively connected with the non-U.S. shareholder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States. Instead, the effectively connected dividends will be subject to regular U.S. income tax as if the non-U.S. shareholder were a U.S. shareholder. A non-U.S. corporation receiving effectively connected dividends may also be subject to additional “branch profits tax” imposed at a rate of 30% (or lower treaty rate). A non-U.S. shareholder who fails to provide an IRS Form W-8BEN or other applicable form may be subject to backup withholding at the appropriate rate.

 

In general, United States federal withholding tax will not apply to any gain or income realized by a non-U.S. shareholder in respect of any distributions of net long-term capital gains over net short-term capital losses, exempt-interest dividends, or upon the sale or other disposition of shares of the Fund.

 

For foreign shareholders of the Fund a distribution attributable to such Fund’s sale of a real estate investment trust or other U.S. real property holding company will be treated as real property gain subject to 35% withholding tax if 50% or more of the value of such Fund’s assets are invested in real estate investment trusts and other U.S. real property holding corporations and if the foreign shareholder has held more than 5% of a class of stock at any time during the one-year period ending on the date of the distribution. A distribution from the Fund will be treated as attributable to a U.S. real property interest only if such distribution is attributable to a distribution received by such Fund from a real estate investment trust. Restrictions apply regarding wash sales and substitute payment transactions.

 

COST BASIS REPORTING

 

As of January 1, 2012, federal law requires that mutual fund companies report their shareholders' cost basis, gain/loss, and holding period to the Internal Revenue Service on the Fund’s shareholders’ Consolidated Form 1099s when “covered” securities are sold. Covered securities are any regulated investment company and/or dividend reinvestment plan shares acquired on or after January 1, 2012.

 

48
 

Prior to January 1, 2012, the Fund will choose a standing (default) tax lot identification method for all shareholders. A tax lot identification method is the way the Fund will determine which specific shares are deemed to be sold when there are multiple purchases on different dates at differing net asset values, and the entire position is not sold at one time. The Fund’s standing tax lot identification method is the method covered shares will be reported on your Consolidated Form 1099 if you do not select a specific tax lot identification method. You may choose a method different than the Fund’s standing method and will be able to do so at the time of your purchase or upon the sale of covered shares. Please refer to the appropriate Internal Revenue Service regulations or consult your tax advisor with regard to your personal circumstances. Prior to January 1, 2012, the Fund's shareholders will be notified as to which default tax lot identification method the Fund will use.

 

For those securities defined as "covered" under current Internal Revenue Service cost basis tax reporting regulations, the Fund is responsible for maintaining accurate cost basis and tax lot information for tax reporting purposes. The Fund is not responsible for the reliability or accuracy of the information for those securities that are not "covered." The Fund and its service providers do not provide tax advice. You should consult independent sources, which may include a tax professional, with respect to any decisions you may make with respect to choosing a tax lot identification method.

 

REPORTING

 

If a shareholder recognizes a loss with respect to the Fund’s shares of $2 million or more for an individual shareholder or $10 million or more for a corporate shareholder, the shareholder may be required to file with the Internal Revenue Service a disclosure statement on Form 8886. Direct shareholders of portfolio securities are in many cases exempted from this reporting requirement, but under current guidance, shareholders of a regulated investment company are not exempted. The fact that a loss is reportable under these regulations does not affect the legal determination of whether the taxpayer’s treatment of the loss is proper. Shareholders should consult their tax Advisors to determine the applicability of these regulations in light of their individual circumstances. Under recently enacted legislation, certain tax-exempt entities and their managers may be subject to excise tax if they are parties to certain reportable transactions.

 

The foregoing discussion is a summary only and is not intended as a substitute for careful tax planning. Purchasers of shares should consult their own tax advisers as to the tax consequences of investing in such shares, including under state, local and foreign tax laws. Finally, the foregoing discussion is based on applicable provisions of the Code, regulations, judicial authority and administrative interpretations in effect on the date of this SAI. Changes in applicable authority could materially affect the conclusions discussed above, and such changes often occur.

 

NET ASSET VALUE

 

The NAV for the Fund is calculated by deducting all of the Fund’s liabilities (including accrued expenses) from the total value of its assets (including the securities held by the Fund plus any cash or other assets, including interest and dividends accrued but not yet received) and dividing the result by the number of shares outstanding, and generally rounded to the nearest cent, although the Fund reserves the right to calculate its NAV to more than two decimal places. The NAV for the Fund will generally be determined by SEIGFS once daily Monday through Friday generally as of the regularly scheduled close of business of the NYSE (normally 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time) on each day that the NYSE is open for trading, based on prices at the time of closing, provided that (a) any assets or liabilities denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar shall be translated into U.S. dollars at the prevailing market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more major banks or dealers that makes a two-way market in such currencies (or a data service provider based on quotations received from such banks or dealers); and (b) U.S. fixed-income assets may be valued as of the announced closing time for trading in fixed-income instruments on any day that the Bond Market Association announces an early closing time.

 

In calculating the Fund’s NAV, the Fund’s investments are generally valued using market valuations. In the event that current market valuations are not readily available or such valuations do not reflect current market values, the affected investments will be valued using fair value pricing pursuant to the pricing policy and procedures approved by the Board of Trustees. A market valuation generally means a valuation (i) obtained from an exchange, a pricing service, or a major market maker (or dealer), (ii) based on a price quotation or other equivalent indication of value supplied by an exchange, a pricing service, or a major market maker (or dealer) or (iii) based on amortized cost. In the case of shares of funds that are not traded on an exchange, a market valuation means such fund’s published net asset value per share. SEIGFS may use various pricing services or discontinue the use of any pricing service. A price obtained from a pricing service based on such pricing service’s valuation matrix may be considered a market valuation.

 

49
 

The value of assets denominated in foreign currencies is converted into U.S. dollars using exchange rates deemed appropriate by the Adviser as investment adviser. Any use of fair value prices, current market valuations or exchange rates different from the prices and rates used by the Index Providers may adversely affect the Fund’s ability to track its underlying index.

 

DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS

 

GENERAL POLICIES

 

Dividends from net investment income, including any net foreign currency gains, are declared and paid at least annually and any net realized securities gains are distributed at least annually. To improve tracking error or comply with the distribution requirements of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, dividends may be declared and paid more frequently than annually for certain Funds. Dividends and securities gains distributions are distributed in U.S. dollars and cannot be automatically reinvested in additional shares of the Fund. The Trust reserves the right to declare special distributions if, in its reasonable discretion, such action is necessary or advisable to preserve the status of the Fund as a registered investment company (“RIC”) or to avoid imposition of income or excise taxes on undistributed income.

 

Dividends and other distributions of shares are distributed on a pro rata basis to Beneficial Owners of such shares. Dividend payments are made through DTC Participants and Indirect Participants to Beneficial Owners then of record with proceeds received from the Fund.

 

DIVIDEND REINVESTMENT SERVICE

 

No dividend 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 Funds for reinvestment of their dividend distributions. Beneficial Owners should contact their broker to determine the availability and costs of the service and the details of participation therein. Brokers may require Beneficial Owners to adhere to specific procedures and timetables. If this service is available and used, dividend distributions of both income and realized gains will be automatically reinvested in additional whole shares of the same Fund purchased in the secondary market.

 

OTHER INFORMATION

 

 

COUNSEL

 

Dechert LLP, with offices at 1775 I Street Washington, DC 20006-2401, is counsel to the Independent Trustees of the Fund.

 

INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

 

Ernst & Young LLP serves as the independent registered public accounting firm of the Trust, audits The Fund’s financial statements and may perform other services.

 

SECURITIES LENDING AGENT

 

Citibank, N.A. (“Citi”) acts as the securities lending agent for the Trust. In its capacity as securities lending agent, Citi, among other things, enters into and maintains securities loan agreements with borrowers, negotiates fees with borrowers, delivers securities to borrowers, receives collateral from borrowers in connection with each loan, holds and safekeeps the collateral on behalf of the Trust portfolios and invests the cash collateral in accordance with the Adviser's instructions. The securities lending agents will receive fees from each Fund and such fee will be calculated on, and deducted from, that Fund's securities lending revenues.

 

50
 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

 

The Prospectus and this SAI do not contain all the information included in the Registration Statement filed with the SEC under the Securities Act with respect to the securities offered by the Trust’s Prospectus. Certain portions of the Registration Statement have been omitted from the Prospectus and this SAI pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC. The Registration Statement, including the exhibits filed therewith, may be examined at the office of the SEC in Washington, D.C.

 

Statements contained in the Prospectus or in this SAI as to the contents of any contract or other documents referred to are not necessarily complete, and in each instance reference is made to the copy of such contract or other document filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement of which the Prospectus and this SAI form a part, each such statement being qualified in all respects by such reference.

 

51
 

APPENDIX A

 

The Fund generally intends to effect deliveries of Creation Units and portfolio securities on a basis of “T” plus three business days. The Fund may effect deliveries of Creation Units and portfolio securities on a basis other than T plus three in order to accommodate local holiday schedules, to account for different treatment among foreign and U.S. markets of dividend record dates and ex-dividend dates, or under certain other circumstances. The ability of the Trust to effect in-kind creations and redemptions within three business days of receipt of an order in good form is subject, among other things, to the condition that, within the time period from the date of the order to the date of delivery of the securities, there are no days that are holidays in the applicable foreign market. For every occurrence of one or more intervening holidays in the applicable foreign market that are not holidays observed in the U.S. equity market, the redemption settlement cycle will be extended by the number of such intervening holidays. In addition to holidays, other unforeseeable closings in a foreign market due to emergencies may also prevent the Trust from delivering securities within the normal settlement period.

 

The securities delivery cycles currently practicable for transferring portfolio securities to redeeming investors, coupled with foreign market holiday schedules, will require a delivery process longer than seven calendar days in certain circumstances.

 

The holidays applicable to the Fund during such periods are listed below, as are instances where more than seven days will be needed to deliver redemption proceeds. Although certain holidays may occur on different dates in subsequent years, the number of days required to deliver redemption proceeds in any given year is not expected to exceed the maximum number of days listed below for the Fund. The proclamation of new holidays, the treatment by market participants of certain days as “informal holidays” (e.g., days on which no or limited securities transactions occur, as a result of substantially shortened trading hours), the elimination of existing holidays, or changes in local securities delivery practices, could affect the information set forth herein at some time in the future.

 

The dates of the Regular Holidays in calendar year 2012 are:

 

Argentina:

January 6 April 5 May 25 December 25  
January 9 April 6 June 17 December 31  
March 24 April 8 October 15    
April 2 May 1 December 24    

 

Australia:

January 2 April 6 June 6 October 1  
January 26 April 25 June 11 November 6  
March 5 May 7 August 6 December 25  
March 12 May 21 August 15 December 31  

 

Austria:

January 6 May 17 October 26 December 26  
April 6 May 28 November 1 December 31  
April 9 June 7 December 24    
May 1 August 15 December 25    

 

Belgium:

April 6 May 18 December 25    
April 9 May 28 December 26    
May 1 August 15      
May 17 November 1      

 

Brazil:

January 20 April 6 October 12 December 24  
January 25 May 1 November 2 December 25  
February 20 July 9 November 15 December 31  
February 21 September 7 November 20    

 

A-1
 

 

Canada:

January 2 May 21 September 3 December 26  
January 3 June 25 October 8    
February 20 July 2 November 12    
April 6 August 6 December 25    

 

Chile:

April 6 July 2 October 15    
May 1 August 15 November 1    
May 21 September 18 December 25    
June 4 September 19 December 31    

 

China:

January 2 January 27 May 3 October 1 November 12
January 16 January 30 May 4 October 2 November 22
January 23 January 31 May 7 October 3 December 25
January 24 February 20 May 28 October 4  
January 25 May 1 July 4 October 5  
January 26 May 2 September 3 October 8  

 

Colombia:

January 9 May 21 July 20 November 5  
March 19 June 11 August 7 November 12  
April 5 June 18 August 20 December 25  
April 6 July 2 October 15 December 31  

 

Czech Republic:

April 9 July 6 December 26    
May 1 September 28 December 31    
May 8 December 24      
July 5 December 25      

 

Denmark:

January 1 May 4 December 24    
April 5 May 17 December 25    
April 6 May 18 December 26    
April 9 June 5      

 

Egypt:

January 1 May 1 August 20 November 15  
April 15 July 1 August 21    
April 16 July 23 October 25    
April 25 August 19 October 28    

 

Finland:

January 6 May 17 December 25    
April 6 June 22 December 26    
April 9 December 6 December 31    
May 1 December 24      

 

France:

April 6 May 17 December 26    
April 9 August 15      
May 1 November 1      
May 8 December 25      

 

A-2
 

Germany:

January 6 May 1 August 15 December 25  
February 20 May 17 October 3 December 26  
April 6 May 28 November 1 December 31  
April 9 June 7 December 24    

 

Greece:

January 6 April 13 August 15    
February 27 April 16 December 25    
April 6 May 1 December 26    
April 9 June 4      

 

Hong Kong:

January 2 April 6 October 1 December 25  
January 23 April 9 October 2 December 26  
January 24 May 1 October 23 December 31  
April 4 July 2 December 24    

 

Hungary:

March 15 May 1 October 23 December 25  
March 16 May 28 November 1 December 26  
April 9 August 20 November 2 December 31  
April 30 October 22 December 24    

 

India:

January 26 April 4 July 2 September 19 November 13
February 20 April 6 August 15 September 29 November 15
March 8 April 14 August 18 October 2 November 28
March 23 May 1 August 20 October 24 December 25
April 2 June 30 August 22 October 27  

 

Indonesia:

January 23 May 17 August 21 October 26 December 25
February 6 June 18 August 22 November 15 December 26
March 23 August 17 August 23 November 16 December 31
April 6 August 20 August 24 December 24  

 

Ireland:

January 2 May 1 October 29 December 27  
March 19 May 7 December 24    
April 6 June 4 December 25    
April 9 August 6 December 26    

 

Israel:

March 8 April 26 September 16 September 26 October 8
April 12 April 27 September 17 September 30  
April 13 May 27 September 18 October 1  
April 25 July 29 September 25 October 7  

 

 

A-3
 

Italy:

January 6 May 1 December 24    
April 6 June 29 December 25    
April 9 August 15 December 26    
April 25 November 1 December 31    

 

Japan:

January 2 April 30 July 16 November 3  
January 3 May 3 September 17 December 24  
January 9 May 4 October 8 December 31  
March 20 May 5 November 23    

 

Malaysia:

January 2 February 6 May 31 August 31 December 25
January 23 May 1 June 2 October 26  
January 24 May 7 August 20 November 13  
February 1 May 30 August 21 November 15  

 

Mexico:

February 6 April 6 November 20    
March 19 May 1 December 12    
March 21 November 2 December 25    
April 5 November 19      

 

Netherlands:

April 6 May 1 December 25    
April 9 May 17 December 26    
April 30 May 28      

 

New Zealand:

January 2 April 9 December 25    
January 3 April 25 December 26    
January 30 June 4      
April 6 October 22      

 

Norway:

January 1 April 8 May 27    
April 1 April 9 May 28    
April 5 May 1 December 25    
April 6 May 17 December 26    

 

Peru:

April 5 August 30 December 25    
April 6 October 8 December 31    
May 1 November 1      
June 29 December 24      


Philippines:

April 5 June 12 November 2 December 31  
April 6 August 20 November 30    
April 9 August 21 December 24    
May 1 November 1 December 25    

 

Poland:

April 6 June 7 December 26    
April 9 August 15      
May 1 November 1      
May 3 December 26      

 

A-4
 

Portugal:

February 21 May 1 October 5 December 26  
April 6 June 7 November 1    
April 9 June 13 December 24    
April 25 August 15 December 25    

 

Russia:

January 2 January 6 March 8 May 9 December 31
January 3 January 9 March 9 June 11  
January 4 February 23 April 30 June 12  
January 5 February 24 May 1 November 5  

 

Singapore:

January 2 May 5 October 26    
January 23 May 7 November 13    
April 6 August 9 December 25    
May 1 August 20      

 

South Africa:

January 2 April 27 December 17    
March 21 May 1 December 25    
April 6 August 9 December 26    
April 9 September 24      

 

South Korea:

January 23 April 11 June 6 October 3 December 31
January 24 April 12 July 17 December 19  
March 1 May 1 August 15 December 20  
April 5 May 28 October 1 December 25  

 

Spain:

January 6 April 9 August 15 December 6  
March 20 May 1 October 12 December 25  
April 5 May 2 November 1 December 26  
April 6 May 15 November 9    

 

Sweden:

January 6 May 17 December 25    
April 6 June 6 December 26    
April 9 June 22 December 31    
May 1 December 24      

 

Switzerland:

January 2 April 9 June 7 September 6 December 26
January 6 May 1 June 29 November 1 December 31
March 19 May 17 August 1 December 24  
April 6 May 28 August 15 December 25  

 

Taiwan:

January 19 January 25 May 1    
January 20 January 26 October 10    
January 23 February 28      
January 24 April 4      

 

A-5
 

Thailand:

January 2 April 16 August 3 December 10  
March 8 May 1 August 13 December 31  
April 6 May 7 October 23    
April 13 June 4 December 5    

 

Turkey:

April 23 October 25      
August 20 October 26      
August 21 October 28      
August 30 October 29      

 

United Kingdom:

January 2 May 28      
April 6 August 27      
April 9 December 25      
May 7 December 26      

 

 

The dates of the Regular Holidays in calendar year 2013 are:

 

Argentina:

January 1 April 1 June 16 October 12  
March 24 April 2 June 17 October 19  
March 28 May 1 July 9 December 18  
March 29 May 25 August 19 December 25  

 

Australia:

January 1 March 29 May 20 August 14 December 25
January 28 April 1 June 3 September 30 December 26
March 4 April 25 June 10 October 7  
March 11 May 6 August 5 November 5  

 

Austria:

January 1 May 9 November 1 December 31  
March 29 May 20 December 24    
April 1 May 30 December 25    
May 1 August 15 December 26    

 

Belgium:

January 1 May 9 November 1    
March 29 May 10 November 11    
April 1 May 20 December 25    
May 1 August 15 December 26    

 

Brazil:

January 1 March 29 November 15 December 31  
January 25 May 1 November 20    
February 11 May 30 December 24    
February 12 July 9 December 25    

 

Canada:

January 1 May 20 September 2 December 26  
January 2 June 24 October 14    
February 18 July 1 November 11    
March 29 August 5 December 25    

 

A-6
 

Chile:

January 1 May 27 November 1    
March 29 August 15 December 25    
May 1 September 18 December 31    
May 21 September 19      

 

China:

January 1 February 12 May 1 July 4 October 3 November 28
January 21 February 13 May 2 September 2 October 4 December 25
February 7 February 14 May 3 September 30 October 7  
February 8 February 15 May 6 October 1 October 14  
February 11 February 18 May 7 October 12 November 11  

 

Colombia:

January 1 March 29 June 10 October 14 December 31
January 7 May 1 July 1 November 4  
March 25 May 13 August 7 November 11  
March 28 June 3 August 19 December 25  

 

Czech Republic:

January 1 May 9 December 25    
March 29 June 21 December 26    
April 1 December 6 December 31    
May 1 December 24      

 

Denmark:

January 1 April 26 December 24    
March 28 May 9 December 25    
March 29 May 19 December 26    
April 1 June 5 December 31    

 

Egypt:

January 1 May 1 July 23 October 6 November 4
January 7 May 5 August 7 October 14 November 5
January 24 May 6 August 8 October 15  
April 25 July 1 August 11 October 16  

 

Finland:

January 1 May 9 December 25    
March 29 June 21 December 26    
April 1 December 6 December 31    
May 1 December 24      

 

France:

January 1 May 8 December 25    
March 29 May 9 December 26    
April 1 August 15      
May 1 November 1      

 

Germany:

January 1 May 1 August 15 December 25  
February 11 May 9 October 3 December 26  
March 29 May 20 November 1 December 31  
April 1 May 30 December 24    

 

A-7
 

Greece:

January 1 April 1 June 24 December 26  
March 18 May 1 August 15    
March 25 May 3 October 28    
March 29 May 6 December 25    

 

Hong Kong:

January 1 April 1 June 12 October 14 December 31
February 11 April 4 July 1 December 24  
February 12 May 1 September 20 December 25  
March 29 May 17 October 1 December 26  

 

Hungary:

January 1 May 20 November 1    
March 15 August 19 December 24    
April 1 August 20 December 25    
May 1 October 23 December 26    

 

India:

January 25 April 11 May 25 August 15 October 16 December 25
January 26 April 19 June 29 August 22 November 4  
March 27 April 20 July 1 September 9 November 5  
March 29 April 23 August 9 September 30 November 14  
April 1 May 1 August 10 October 2 November 15  

 

Indonesia:

January 1 April 11 August 8 October 15 December 25
January 25 May 9 August 9 November 4 December 26
March 12 June 7 August 12 November 5 December 30
March 29 August 7 August 13 December 24 December 31

 

Ireland:

January 1 May 1 October 28 December 27  
March 18 May 6 December 24    
March 29 June 3 December 25    
April 1 August 5 December 26    

 

Israel:

February 24 April 1 May 15 September 6 September 25
March 25 April 14 July 16 September 13 September 26
March 26 April 15 September 4 September 18  
March 31 May 14 September 5 September 19  

 

Italy:

January 1 May 1 December 25    
March 29 August 15 December 26    
April 1 November 1 December 31    
April 25 December 24      

 

Japan:

January 1 February 11 May 6 October 14  
January 2 March 20 July 15 November 4  
January 3 April 29 September 16 December 23  
January 14 May 3 September 23 December 31  

 

A-8
 

Malaysia:

January 1 February 12 May 30 August 8 November 4
January 24 May 1 May 31 August 9 November 5
February 1 May 24 June 1 August 31 December 25
February 11 May 25 August 7 October 15  

 

Mexico:

January 1 March 21 September 16 December 25  
February 4 March 28 November 18    
February 5 March 29 November 20    
March 18 May 1 December 12    

 

Netherlands:

January 1 April 30 May 20    
March 29 May 1 December 25    
April 1 May 9 December 26    

 

New Zealand:

January 1 February 6 June 3    
January 2 March 29 October 28    
January 21 April 1 December 25    
January 28 April 25 December 26    

 

Norway:

January 1 May 1 November 9    
March 28 May 1 December 25    
March 29 May 17 December 26    
April 1 May 20      

 

Peru:

January 1 July 29 December 24    
March 28 August 30 December 25    
March 29 October 8 December 31    
May 1 November 1      


Philippines:

January 1 April 8 August 8 December 24  
February 25 May 1 August 9 December 25  
March 28 May 13 August 21 December 30  
March 29 June 12 November 1 December 31  

 

Poland:

January 1 May 3 November 11    
March 29 May 30 December 25    
April 1 August 15 December 26    
May 1 November 1      

 

Portugal:

January 1 April 25 June 13 December 25  
February 12 May 1 August 15 December 26  
March 29 May 30 November 1    
April 1 June 10 December 24    

 

Russia:

January 1 January 7 March 8 June 12  
January 2 January 8 May 1 November 4  
January 3 January 9 May 9    
January 4 February 25 May 10    

 

A-9
 

Singapore:

January 1 May 1 August 9 December 25  
February 11 May 24 October 15    
February 12 May 25 November 2    
March 29 August 8 November 4    

 

South Africa:

January 1 May 1 December 16    
March 21 June 17 December 25    
March 29 August 9 December 26    
April 1 September 24      

 

South Korea:

January 1 May 1 August 15 October 3  
February 11 May 17 September 18 December 25  
March 1 June 6 September 19 December 31  
April 5 July 17 September 20    

 

Spain:

January 1 March 29 May 15 December 25  
January 7 April 1 August 15 December 26  
March 19 May 1 November 1    
March 28 May 2 December 6    

 

Sweden:

January 1 May 9 December 25    
March 29 June 6 December 26    
April 1 June 21 December 31    
May 1 December 24      

 

Switzerland:

January 1 April 1 May 30 November 1 December 31
January 2 May 1 August 1 December 24  
March 19 May 9 August 15 December 25  
March 29 May 20 September 5 December 26  

 

Taiwan:

January 1 February 12 April 4 October 10  
February 7 February 13 May 1    
February 8 February 14 June 12    
February 11 February 28 September 19    

 

Thailand:

January 1 April 16 July 1 December 5  
February 25 May 1 July 23 December 10  
April 8 May 6 August 12 December 31  
April 15 May 27 October 23    

 

Turkey:

January 1 August 9 October 16 October 29  
April 23 August 30 October 17    
August 7 October 14 October 18    
August 8 October 15 October 28    

 

A-10
 

United Kingdom:

January 1 May 27      
March 29 August 26      
April 1 December 25      
May 6 December 26      

 

 

Redemption: The longest redemption cycle for the Fund is a function of the longest redemption cycle among the countries whose stocks compromise the Fund.

 

In the calendar year 2012, the dates of regular holidays affecting the following securities markets present the worst-case redemption cycle for the Fund as follows:

 

 

Austria:

 

Redemption

Request Date

Redemption

Settlement Date

 

Settlement Period

12/19/2012 12/27/2012 8
12/20/2012 12/28/2012 8
12/21/2012 1/1/2013 11

 

China:

 

Redemption

Request Date

Redemption

Settlement Date

 

Settlement Period

1/18/2012 2/1/2012 14
1/19/2012 2/2/2012 14
1/20/2012 2/3/2012 14
4/26/2012 5/8/2012 12
4/27/2012 5/9/2012 12
4/30/2012 5/10/2012 10
9/26/2012 10/9/2012 13
9/27/2012 10/10/2012 13
9/28/2012 10/11/2012 13

 

 

The Czech Republic:

 

Redemption

Request Date

Redemption

Settlement Date

 

Settlement Period

12/19/2012 12/27/2012 8
12/20/2012 12/28/2012 8
12/21/2012 1/1/2013 11

 

 

 

 

Egypt:

 

Redemption

Request Date

Redemption

Settlement Date

 

Settlement Period

8/14/2012 8/22/2012 8
8/15/2012 8/23/2012 8
8/16/2012 8/24/2012 8

 

A-11
 

Finland:

 

Redemption

Request Date

Redemption

Settlement Date

 

Settlement Period

12/19/2012 12/27/2012 8
12/20/2012 12/28/2012 8
12/21/2012 1/1/2013 11

 

Hungary:

 

Redemption

Request Date

Redemption

Settlement Date

 

Settlement Period

12/19/2012 12/27/2012 8
12/20/2012 12/28/2012 8
12/21/2012 1/1/2013 11

 

Indonesia:

 

Redemption

Request Date

Redemption

Settlement Date

 

Settlement Period

8/14/2012 8/27/2012 13
8/15/2012 8/28/2012 13
8/16/2012 8/29/2012 13
12/19/2012 12/27/2012 8
12/20/2012 12/28/2012 8
12/21/2012 1/1/2013 11

 

Ireland:

 

Redemption

Request Date

Redemption

Settlement Date

 

Settlement Period

12/19/2012 12/28/2012 9
12/20/2012 12/31/2012 11
12/21/2012 1/1/2013 11

 

Italy:

 

Redemption

Request Date

Redemption

Settlement Date

 

Settlement Period

12/19/2012 12/27/2012 8
12/20/2012 12/28/2012 8
12/21/2012 1/1/2013 11

 

 

 

 

 

Philippines:

 

Redemption

Request Date

Redemption

Settlement Date

 

Settlement Period

4/2/2012 4/10/2012 8
4/3/2012 4/11/2012 8
4/4/2012 4/12/2012 8

 

A-12
 

Portugal:

 

Redemption

Request Date

Redemption

Settlement Date

 

Settlement Period

12/19/2012 12/27/2012 8
12/20/2012 12/28/2012 8
12/21/2012 12/31/2012 10

 

South Africa:

 

Redemption

Request Date

Redemption

Settlement Date

 

Settlement Period

3/14/2012 3/22/2012 8
3/15/2012 3/23/2012 8
3/16/2012 3/26/2012 10
3/19/2012 3/27/2012 8
3/20/2012 3/28/2012 8
3/30/2012 4/10/2012 11
4/2/2012 4/11/2012 9
4/3/2012 4/12/2012 9
4/4/2012 4/13/2012 9
4/5/2012 4/16/2012 11
4/20/2012 4/30/2012 10
4/23/2012 5/2/2012 9
4/24/2012 5/3/2012 9
4/25/2012 5/4/2012 9
4/26/2012 5/7/2012 11
4/30/2012 5/8/2012 8
8/2/2012 8/10/2012 8
8/3/2012 8/13/2012 10
8/6/2012 8/14/2012 8
8/7/2012 8/15/2012 8
8/8/2012 8/16/2012 8
9/17/2012 9/25/2012 8
9/18/2012 9/26/2012 8
9/19/2012 9/27/2012 8
9/20/2012 9/28/2012 8
9/21/2012 10/1/2012 10
12/10/2012 12/18/2012 8
12/11/2012 12/19/2012 8
12/12/2012 12/20/2012 8
12/14/2012 12/24/2012 8
12/13/2012 12/21/2012 10
12/14/2012 12/24/2012 9
12/19/2012 12/27/2012 9
12/20/2012 12/28/2012 11
12/21/2012 1/1/2013 11
12/24/2012 1/2/2013 9

 

Spain:

 

Redemption

Request Date

Redemption

Settlement Date

 

Settlement Period

4/2/2012 4/10/2012 8
4/3/2012 4/11/2012 8
4/4/2012 4/12/2012 8

 

A-13
 

Sweden:

 

Redemption

Request Date

Redemption

Settlement Date

 

Settlement Period

12/19/2012 12/27/2012 8
12/20/2012 12/28/2012 8
12/21/2012 12/31/2012 10

 

Switzerland:

 

Redemption

Request Date

Redemption

Settlement Date

 

Settlement Period

12/19/2012 12/27/2012 8
12/20/2012 12/28/2012 8
12/21/2012 12/31/2012 10

 

Taiwan:

 

Redemption

Request Date

Redemption

Settlement Date

 

Settlement Period

1/17/2012 1/27/2012 10
1/18/2012 1/30/2012 12

 

 

In the calendar year 2013, the dates of regular holidays affecting the following securities markets present the worst-case redemption cycle for a Fund as follows:

 

 

Austria:

 

Redemption

Request Date

Redemption

Settlement Date

 

Settlement Period

12/19/2013 12/27/2013 8
12/20/2013 12/30/2013 10
12/23/2013 1/2/2014 10

 

 

China:

 

Redemption

Request Date

Redemption

Settlement Date

 

Settlement Period

2/4/2013 2/19/2013 15
2/4/2013 2/20/2013 15
2/4/2013 2/21/2013 15
4/26/2013 5/8/2013 12
4/29/2013 5/9/2013 10
4/30/2013 5/10/2013 10
9/25/2013 10/8/2013 13
9/26/2013 10/9/2013 13
9/27/2013 10/10/2013 13

 

 

A-14
 

The Czech Republic:

 

Redemption

Request Date

Redemption

Settlement Date

 

Settlement Period

12/19/2013 12/27/2013 8
12/20/2013 12/30/2013 10
12/23/2013 1/2/2014 10

 

Egypt:

 

Redemption

Request Date

Redemption

Settlement Date

 

Settlement Period

10/8/2013 10/17/2013 9
10/9/2013 10/18/2013 9
10/10/2013 10/21/2013 11
10/29/2013 11/6/2013 8
10/30/2013 11/7/2013 8
10/31/2013 11/8/2013 8

Finland:

 

Redemption

Request Date

Redemption

Settlement Date

 

Settlement Period

12/19/2013 12/27/2013 8
12/20/2013 12/30/2013 10
12/23/2013 1/2/2014 10

 

Germany:

 

Redemption

Request Date

Redemption

Settlement Date

 

Settlement Period

12/19/2013 12/27/2013 8
12/20/2013 12/30/2013 10
12/23/2013 1/2/2014 10

Hungary:

 

Redemption

Request Date

Redemption

Settlement Date

 

Settlement Period

12/19/2013 12/27/2013 8
12/20/2013 12/30/2013 10
12/23/2013 12/31/2013 8

 

Indonesia:

 

Redemption

Request Date

Redemption

Settlement Date

 

Settlement Period

8/2/2013 8/14/2013 12
8/5/2013 8/15/2013 10
8/6/2013 8/16/2013 10
12/19/2013 12/27/2013 8
12/20/2013 1/2/2014 13
12/23/2013 1/3/2014 11

 

A-15
 

Ireland:

 

Redemption

Request Date

Redemption

Settlement Date

 

Settlement Period

12/19/2013 12/30/2013 11
12/20/2013 12/31/2013 11
12/23/2013 1/2/2014 10

 

Italy:

 

Redemption

Request Date

Redemption

Settlement Date

 

Settlement Period

12/19/2013 12/27/2013 8
12/20/2013 12/30/2013 10
12/23/2013 1/2/2014 10

 

 

Malaysia:

 

Redemption

Request Date

Redemption

Settlement Date

 

Settlement Period

8/2/2013 8/12/2013 10
8/5/2013 8/13/2013 8
8/6/2013 8/14/2013 8

 

Philippines:

 

Redemption

Request Date

Redemption

Settlement Date

 

Settlement Period

12/23/2013 1/2/2014 10

 

Portugal:

 

Redemption

Request Date

Redemption

Settlement Date

 

Settlement Period

12/19/2013 12/27/2013 8
12/20/2013 12/30/2013 10
12/23/2013 12/31/2013 8

 

South Africa:

 

Redemption

Request Date

Redemption

Settlement Date

 

Settlement Period

3/14/2013 3/22/2013 8
3/15/2013 3/25/2013 10
3/18/2013 3/26/2013 8
3/19/2013 3/27/2013 8
3/20/2013 3/28/2013 8
3/22/2013 4/2/2013 11
3/25/2013 4/3/2013 8
3/26/2013 4/4/2013 8
3/27/2013 4/5/2013 8
3/28/2013 4/8/2013 11
4/24/2013 5/2/2013 8

 

A-16
 

4/25/2013 5/3/2013 8
4/26/2013 5/6/2013 10
4/29/2013 5/7/2013 8
4/30/2013 5/8/2013 8
6/10/2013 6/18/2013 8
6/11/2013 6/19/2013 8
6/12/2013 6/20/2013 8
6/13/2013 6/21/2013 8
6/14/2013 6/24/2013 10
8/2/2013 8/12/2013 10
8/5/2013 8/13/2013 8
8/6/2013 8/14/2013 8
8/7/2013 8/15/2013 8
8/8/2013 8/16/2013 8
9/17/2013 9/25/2013 8
9/18/2013 9/26/2013 8
9/19/2013 9/27/2013 8
9/20/2013 9/30/2013 10
9/23/2013 10/1/2013 8
12/11/2013 12/19/2013 8
12/12/2013 12/20/2013 8
12/13/2013 12/23/2013 10
12/18/2013 12/27/2013 9
12/19/2013 12/30/2013 11
12/20/2013 12/31/2013 11
12/23/2013 1/2/2014 10
12/24/2013 1/3/2014 10

 

Spain:

 

Redemption

Request Date

Redemption

Settlement Date

 

Settlement Period

3/25/2013 4/2/2013 8
3/26/2013 4/3/2013 8
3/27/2013 4/4/2013 8

 

Sweden:

 

Redemption

Request Date

Redemption

Settlement Date

 

Settlement Period

12/19/2013 12/27/2013 8
12/20/2013 12/30/2013 10
12/23/2013 1/2/2014 10

 

Switzerland:

 

Redemption

Request Date

Redemption

Settlement Date

 

Settlement Period

12/19/2013 12/27/2013 8
12/20/2013 12/30/2013 10
12/23/2013 1/2/2014 10

 

A-17
 

Taiwan:

 

Redemption

Request Date

Redemption

Settlement Date

 

Settlement Period

2/5/2013 2/15/2013 10
2/6/2013 2/18/2013 12

 

Turkey:

 

Redemption

Request Date

Redemption

Settlement Date

 

Settlement Period

10/10/2013 10/21/2013 11
10/11/2013 10/22/2013 11

A-18
 

APPENDIX B

 

As stated in the Prospectus, the Fund may enter into certain futures transactions. Some of these transactions are described in this Appendix. The Fund may also enter into other futures transactions or other securities and instruments that are available in the markets from time to time.

 

I. Index and Security Futures Contracts

 

A stock index assigns relative values to the stocks included in the index, which fluctuates with changes in the market values of the stocks included. Some stock index futures contracts are based on broad market indices, such as the S&P 500 or the New York Stock Exchange Composite Index. In contrast, certain futures contracts relate to narrower market indices, such as the S&P 100® or indexes based on an industry or market segment, such as oil and gas stocks. Since 2001, trading has been permitted in futures based on a single stock and on narrow-based security indices (as defined in the Commodity Futures Modernization Act of 2000) (together “security futures”; broader-based index futures are referred to as “index futures”). Some futures contracts are traded on organized exchanges regulated by the CFTC. These exchanges may be either designated by the CFTC as a contract market or registered with the CFTC as a Derivatives Transaction Execution Facility (DTEF). Transactions on such exchanges are cleared through a clearing corporation, which guarantees the performance of the parties to each contract. Futures contracts also may be traded on electronic trading facilities or over-the-counter. These various trading facilities are licensed and/or regulated by varying degrees by the CFTC. The Fund may also engage in transactions in foreign stock index futures.

 

II. Futures Contracts on Foreign Currencies

 

A futures contract on foreign currency creates a binding obligation on one party to deliver, and a corresponding obligation on another party to accept delivery of, a stated quantity of foreign currency for an amount fixed in U.S. dollars. Foreign currency futures may be used by the Fund to help the Fund track the price and yield performance of its Underlying Index.

 

III. Margin Payments

 

Unlike purchases or sales of portfolio securities, no price is paid or received by the Fund upon the purchase or sale of a futures contract. Initially, the Fund will be required to deposit with the broker or in a segregated account with a custodian or sub-custodian an amount of liquid assets, known as initial margin, based on the value of the contract. The nature of initial margin in futures transactions is different from that of margin in security transactions in that futures contract margin does not involve the borrowing of funds by the customer to finance the transactions. Rather, the initial margin is in the nature of a performance bond or good faith deposit on the contract, which is returned to the Fund upon termination of the futures contract assuming all contractual obligations have been satisfied. Subsequent payments, called variation margin, to and from the broker, will be made on a daily basis as the price of the underlying instruments fluctuates making the long and short positions in the futures contract more or less valuable, a process known as “marking-to-market.” For example, when the Fund has purchased a futures contract and the price of the contract has risen in response to a rise in the underlying instruments, that position will have increased in value and the Fund will be entitled to receive from the broker a variation margin payment equal to that increase in value. Conversely, where the Fund has purchased a futures contract and the price of the future contract has declined in response to a decrease in the underlying instruments, the position would be less valuable and the Fund would be required to make a variation margin payment to the broker. Prior to expiration of the futures contract, the Adviser may elect to close the position by taking an opposite position, subject to the availability of a secondary market, which will operate to terminate the Fund’s position in the futures contract. A final determination of variation margin is then made, additional cash is required to be paid by or released to the Fund, and the Fund realizes a loss or gain.

 

B-1
 

IV. Risks of Transactions in Futures Contracts

 

There are several risks in connection with the use of futures by the Fund, even for futures that are used for hedging (non-speculative) purposes. One risk arises because of the imperfect correlation between movements in the price of the futures and movements in the price of the instruments which are the subject of the hedge. The price of the future may move more than or less than the price of the instruments being hedged. If the price of the futures moves less than the price of the instruments which are the subject of the hedge, the hedge will not be fully effective but, if the price of the instruments being hedged has moved in an unfavorable direction, the Fund would be in a better position than if it had not hedged at all. If the price of the instruments being hedged has moved in a favorable direction, this advantage will be partially offset by the loss on the futures. If the price of the futures moves more than the price of the hedged instruments, the Fund involved will experience either a loss or gain on the futures which will not be completely offset by movements in the price of the instruments that are the subject of the hedge. To compensate for the imperfect correlation of movements in the price of instruments being hedged and movements in the price of futures contracts, the Fund may buy or sell futures contracts in a greater dollar amount than the dollar amount of instruments being hedged if the volatility over a particular time period of the prices of such instruments has been greater than the volatility over such time period of the futures, or if otherwise deemed to be appropriate by the Adviser. Conversely, the Fund may buy or sell fewer futures contracts if the volatility over a particular time period of the prices of the instruments being hedged is less than the volatility over such time period of the futures contract being used, or if otherwise deemed to be appropriate by the Adviser.

 

In addition to the possibility that there may be an imperfect correlation, or no correlation at all, between movements in the futures and the instruments being hedged, the price of futures may not correlate perfectly with movement in the cash market due to certain market distortions. Rather than meeting additional margin deposit requirements, investors may close futures contracts through off-setting transactions which could distort the normal relationship between the cash and futures markets. Second, with respect to financial futures contracts, the liquidity of the futures market depends on participants entering into off-setting transactions rather than making or taking delivery. To the extent participants decide to make or take delivery, liquidity in the futures market could be reduced thus producing distortions. Third, from the point of view of speculators, the deposit requirements in the futures market are less onerous than margin requirements in the securities market. Therefore, increased participation by speculators in the futures market may also cause temporary price distortions. Due to the possibility of price distortion in the futures market, and because of the imperfect correlation between the movements in the cash market and movements in the price of futures, a correct forecast of general market trends or interest rate movements by the Adviser may still not result in a successful hedging transaction over a short time frame.

 

In general, positions in futures may be closed out only on an exchange, board of trade or other trading facility, which provides a secondary market for such futures. Although the Fund intend to purchase or sell futures only on trading facilities where there appear to be active secondary markets, there is no assurance that a liquid secondary market on any trading facility will exist for any particular contract or at any particular time. In such an event, it may not be possible to close a futures investment position, and in the event of adverse price movements, the Fund would continue to be required to make daily cash payments of variation margin. However, in the event futures contracts have been used to hedge portfolio securities, such securities will not be sold until the futures contract can be terminated. In such circumstances, an increase in the price of the securities, if any, may partially or completely offset losses on the futures contract. However, as described above, there is no guarantee that the price of the securities will in fact correlate with the price movements in the futures contract and thus provide an offset on a futures contract.

 

Further, it should be noted that the liquidity of a secondary market in a futures contract may be adversely affected by “daily price fluctuation limits” established by commodity exchanges which limit the amount of fluctuation in a futures contract price during a single trading day. Once the daily limit has been reached in the contract, no trades may be entered into at a price beyond the limit, thus preventing the liquidation of open futures positions. The trading of futures contracts is also subject to the risk of trading halts, suspensions, exchange or clearing house equipment failures, government intervention, insolvency of a brokerage firm or clearing house or other disruptions of normal trading activity, which could at times make it difficult or impossible to liquidate existing positions or to recover excess variation margin payments.

 

B-2
 

Successful use of futures by the Fund is also subject to the Adviser’s ability to predict correctly movements in the direction of the market. In addition, in such situations, if the Fund has insufficient cash, it may have to sell securities to meet daily variation margin requirements. Such sales of securities may be, but will not necessarily be, at increased prices which reflect the rising market. The Fund may have to sell securities at a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so.

 

Futures purchased or sold by the Fund (and related options) may be traded on foreign exchanges. Participation in foreign futures and foreign options transactions involves the execution and clearing of trades on or subject to the rules of a foreign board of trade. Neither the National Futures Association nor any domestic exchange regulates activities of any foreign boards of trade, including the execution, delivery and clearing of transactions, or has the power to compel enforcement of the rules of a foreign 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, customers 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 regulations and the rules of the National Futures Association and any domestic exchange or other trading facility (including the right to use reparations proceedings before the CFTC and arbitration proceedings provided by the National Futures Association or any domestic futures exchange), nor the protective measures provided by the Securities and Exchange Commission’s rules relating to security futures. In particular, the investments of the Fund in foreign futures, or foreign options transactions may not be provided the same protections in respect to transactions on United States futures trading facilities. In addition, the price of any foreign futures or foreign options contract may be affected by any variance in the foreign exchange rate between the time an order is placed and the time it is liquidated, offset or exercised.

 

V. Options on Futures Contracts

 

The Fund may purchase and write options on the futures contracts described above. A futures option gives the holder, in return for the premium paid, the right to buy (call) from or sell (put) to the writer of the option of a futures contract at a specified price at any time during the period of the option. Upon exercise, the writer of the option is obligated to pay the difference between the cash value of the futures contract and the exercise price. Like the buyer or seller of a futures contract, the holder, or writer, of an option has the right to terminate its position prior to the scheduled expiration of the option by selling, or purchasing an option of the same series, at which time the person entering into the closing transaction will realize a gain or loss. The Fund will be required to deposit initial margin and variation margin with respect to put and call options on futures contracts written by it pursuant to brokers’ requirements similar to those described above. Net option premiums received will be included as initial margin deposits.

 

Investments in futures options involve some of the same considerations that are involved in connection with investments in futures contracts (for example, the existence of a liquid secondary market). See “Risks of Transactions in Futures Contracts” above. In addition, the purchase or sale of an option also entails the risk that changes in the value of the underlying futures contract will not correspond to changes in the value of the option purchased. Depending on the pricing of the option compared to either the futures contract upon which it is based, or upon the price of the securities being hedged, an option may or may not be less risky than ownership of the futures contract or such securities. In general, the market prices of options can be expected to be more volatile than the market prices on the underlying futures contract. Compared to the purchase or sale of futures contracts, however, the purchase of call or put options on futures contracts may frequently involve less potential risk to the Fund because the maximum amount at risk is the premium paid for the options (plus transaction costs). The writing of an option on a futures contract involves risks similar to those risks relating to the sale of futures contracts.

 

B-3
 

 

VI. Other Matters

 

The Fund intend to comply with the regulations of the CFTC exempting it from registration as a “Commodity Pool Operator.” The Fund is operated by persons who have claimed an exclusion from the definition of the term “Commodity Pool Operator” under the Commodity Exchange Act and, therefore, are not subject to registration or regulations as a pool operator under such Act. Accounting for futures contracts will be in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.

 

 

B-4
 

 

 

 

PART C

OTHER INFORMATION

 

Item 23. Exhibits

 

         
(a)   (1)   Certificate of Trust dated as of March 6, 2008. 1/
     
    (2)   Declaration of Trust. 2/
     
    (3)   Amended and Restated Schedule A to the Declaration of Trust dated December 5, 2008. 5/
         
    (4)   Amended and Restated Schedule A to the Declaration of Trust dated September 18, 2009. 6/
         
    (5)   Amended and Restated Schedule A to the Declaration of Trust dated April 6, 2010. 8/
         
    (6)   Amended and Restated Schedule A to the Declaration of Trust dated June 9, 2010. 9/
         
    (7)   Amended and Restated Schedule A to the Declaration of Trust dated August 27, 2010. 11/
         
    (8)   Amended and Restated Schedule A to the Declaration of Trust dated November 17, 2010. 13/
         
    (9)   Amended and Restated Schedule A to the Declaration of Trust dated February 25, 2011. 15/
         
    (10)   Amended and Restated Schedule A to the Declaration of Trust dated May 11, 2011. 16/
         
    (11)   Amended and Restated Schedule A to the Declaration of Trust dated August 19, 2011. 17/
         
    (12)   Amended and Restated Schedule A to the Declaration of Trust dated November 11, 2011. 18/
         
    (13)   Amended and Restated Schedule A to the Declaration of Trust dated ______________, 2012.*
         
(b)       By-Laws of the Registrant. 2/
     
(c)       Not Applicable.
     
(d)   (1)   Form of Investment Advisory Agreement. 2/
     
    (2)   Amended and Restated Exhibit A to the Investment Advisory Agreement.5/
         
    (3)   Amended and Restated Exhibit A to the Investment Advisory Agreement.6/
         
    (4)   Amended and Restated Exhibit A to the Investment Advisory Agreement.8/
         
    (5)   Amended and Restated Exhibit A to the Investment Advisory Agreement.9/
         
    (6)   Amended and Restated Exhibit A to the Investment Advisory Agreement.11/
         
    (7)   Amended and Restated Exhibit A to the Investment Advisory Agreement. 13/
         
    (8)   Amended and Restated Exhibit A to the Investment Advisory Agreement. 15/
         
    (9)   Amended and Restated Exhibit A to the Investment Advisory Agreement. 16/
         
    (10)   Amended and Restated Exhibit A to the Investment Advisory Agreement. 17/
         
    (11)   Amended and Restated Exhibit A to the Investment Advisory Agreement. 18/
         
    (12)   Amended and Restated Exhibit A to the Investment Advisory Agreement.*
         
(e)   (1)   Form of Distribution Agreement. 2/
         
    (2)   Form of Amendment to the Distribution Agreement. 6/

 

 
 

 

 

    (3)   Amendment to the Distribution Agreement. 8/
     
    (4)   Amendment to the Distribution Agreement. 9/
         
    (5)   Amendment to the Distribution Agreement. 11/
     
(f)       Not Applicable.
     
(g)   (1)   Form of Custodian Agreement. 2/
         
    (2)   Form of Amendment to the Custodian Agreement. 6/
     
    (3)   Amendment to the Custodian Agreement. 8/
     
    (4)   Amendment to the Custodian Agreement. 9/
     
    (5)   Amendment to the Custodian Agreement. 11/
     
    (6)   Amendment to the Custodian Agreement. 13/
     
    (7)   Amendment to the Custodian Agreement. 15/
         
    (8)   Amendment to the Custodian Agreement. 16/
         
    (9)   Amendment to the Custodian Agreement. 17/
         
    (10)   Amendment to the Custodian Agreement. 18/
         
    (11)   Amendment to the Custodian Agreement. 19/
         
    (12)   Amendment to the Custodian Agreement.*
         
(h)   (1)   Form of Transfer Agent Services Agreement. 2/
     
    (2)   Amendment to the Transfer Agent Services Agreement. 6/
         
    (3)   Amendment to the Transfer Agent Services Agreement. 8/
         
    (4)   Amendment to the Transfer Agent Services Agreement.9/
         
    (5)   Amendment to the Transfer Agent Services Agreement.11/
         
    (6)   Amendment to the Transfer Agent Services Agreement.13/
         
    (7)   Amendment to the Transfer Agent Services Agreement.15/
         
    (8)   Amendment to the Transfer Agent Services Agreement.16/
         
    (9)   Amendment to the Transfer Agent Services Agreement.17/
         
    (10)   Amendment to the Transfer Agent Services Agreement.18/
         
    (11)   Amendment to the Transfer Agent Services Agreement.19/
         
    (12)   Amendment to the Transfer Agent Services Agreement.*
         
    (12)   Form of Administration Agreement. 2/
     
    (13)   Form of Supervision and Administration Agreement. 3/
         
    (14)   Amended and Restated Schedule A dated December 5, 2008 to the Supervision and Administration Agreement. 5/

 

 
 

 

    (15)   Amended and Restated Schedule A dated September 18, 2009 to the Supervision and Administration Agreement.6/
         
    (16)   Amended and Restated Schedule A dated February 26, 2010 to the Supervision and Administration Agreement.7/
         
    (17)   Amended and Restated Schedule A dated April 6, 2010 to the Supervision and Administration Agreement.8/
         
    (18)   Amended and Restated Schedule A dated June 9, 2010 to the Supervision and Administration Agreement.9/
         
    (19)   Amended and Restated Schedule A dated August 27, 2010 to the Supervision and Administration Agreement.11/
         
    (20)   Amended and Restated Schedule A dated November 17, 2010 to the Supervision and Administration Agreement.13/
         
    (21)   Amended and Restated Schedule A dated February 25, 2011 to the Supervision and Administration Agreement.15/
         
    (22)   Amended and Restated Schedule A dated May 11, 2011 to the Supervision and Administration Agreement.16/
         
    (23)   Amended and Restated Schedule A dated August 19, 2011 to the Supervision and Administration Agreement.17/
         
    (24)   Amended and Restated Schedule A dated November 11, 2011 to the Supervision and Administration Agreement.18/
         
    (25)   Amended and Restated Schedule A dated February 24, 2012 to the Supervision and Administration Agreement.19/
         
    (26)   Amended and Restated Supervision and Administration Agreement. 21/
         
    (27)   Form of Sub-Administration Agreement.6/
         
    (28)   Amendment to the Sub-Administration Agreement.8/
         
    (29)   Form of Sub-License Agreement. 3/
         
(i)   (1)   Opinion and Consent of Fund Counsel. *
         
(j)   (1)   Consent of Ernst & Young, LLP. 20/
    (2)    Consent of Sanville & Company. 20/
         
(k)       Not applicable
     
(l)       Initial Capital Agreement. 3/
         
(m)   (1)   Form of Distribution and Service Plan. 3/
         
    (2)   Amended and Restated Schedule A to the Distribution and Service Plan. 6/
     
    (3)   Amended and Restated Schedule A to the Distribution and Service Plan. 9/
     
    (4)   Amended and Restated Schedule A to the Distribution and Service Plan. 11/
     
    (5)   Amended and Restated Schedule A to the Distribution and Service Plan. 13/

 

 
 

 

    (6)   Amended and Restated Schedule A to the Distribution and Service Plan. 15/
         
    (7)   Amended and Restated Schedule A to the Distribution and Service Plan. 16/
         
    (8)   Amended and Restated Schedule A to the Distribution and Service Plan. 17/
         
    (9)   Amended and Restated Schedule A to the Distribution and Service Plan. 18/
         
    (10)   Amended and Restated Schedule A to the Distribution and Service Plan.*
     
(n)       Not applicable
     
(o)       Not applicable
     
(p)   (1)   Code of Ethics of Global X Funds and Global X Management Company LLC. 5/
     
    (2)   Code of Ethics of Distributor. 5/
     
(q)       Power of Attorney. 3/
     
(r)   (1)   Form of Index Sub-License Agreement. 3/
     
    (2)   Amendment and Restated Schedules A and B to the Index Sub-License Agreement. 8/
     
    (3)   Amendment and Restated Schedules A and B to the Index Sub-License Agreement. 9/
     
(s)       Form of Authorized Participation Agreement. 3/
     

*/ To be filed by Amendment.

1/ Incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s initial Registration Statement, SEC File No. 333-151713, filed June 17, 2008.

2/ Incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Pre-effective Amendment #1, SEC File No. 333-151713, filed August 15, 2008.

3/ Incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Pre-effective Amendment #1, SEC File No. 333-151713, filed October 27, 2008.

4/ Incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Pre-effective Amendment #1, SEC File No. 333-151713, filed November 3, 2008.

5/ Incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-effective Amendment #2, SEC File No. 333-151713, filed January 20, 2009.

6/ Incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-effective Amendment #4, SEC File No. 333-151713, filed November 16, 2009.

7/ Incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-effective Amendment #7, SEC File No. 333-151713, filed February 26, 2010.

8/ Incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-effective Amendment #9, SEC File No. 333-151713, filed April 16, 2010

9/ Incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-effective Amendment #11, SEC File No. 333-151713, filed June 16, 2010

10/ Incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-effective Amendment #13, SEC File No. 333-151713, filed July 16, 2010

11/ Incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-effective Amendment #15, SEC File No. 333-151713, filed October 27, 2010

12/ Incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-effective Amendment #19, SEC File No. 333-151713, filed December 30, 2010

13/ Incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-effective Amendment #20, SEC File No. 333-151713, filed January 10, 2011

14/ Incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-effective Amendment #21, SEC File No. 333-151713, filed January 26, 2011

 

 
 

 

15/ Incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-effective Amendment #31, SEC File No. 333-151713, filed May 3, 2011

16/ Incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-effective Amendment #32, SEC File No. 333-151713, filed May 11, 2011

17/ Incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-effective Amendment #41, SEC File No. 333-151713, filed September 20, 2011

18/ Incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-effective Amendment #52, SEC File No. 333-151713, filed November 22, 2011.

19/ Incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-effective Amendment #59, SEC File No. 333-151713, filed Feburary 3, 2012.

20/ Incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-effective Amendment #62, SEC File No. 333-151713, filed Feburary 23, 2012.

21/ Incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-effective Amendment #66, SEC File No. 333-151713, filed April 17, 2012.

 

Item 24. Persons Controlled by or Under Common Control with the Fund

 

None.

 

Item 25. Indemnification

 

Section 3 of Article VII of the Registrant’s Declaration of Trust filed as Exhibit (a)(2) to the Registrant’s Registration Statement provides that, subject to the exceptions and limitations contained in the By-Laws, each Trustee or officer of the Registrant (“Covered Person”) shall be indemnified by the Registrant to the fullest extent permitted by law against liability and against all expenses reasonably incurred or paid by him in connection with the defense of any proceeding in which he or she becomes involved as a party or otherwise by virtue of being or having been a Trustee or officer of the Trust and against amounts paid or incurred by him or her in the settlement thereof; and that expenses in connection with the defense of any proceeding of the character described above shall be advanced by the Trust to the Covered Person from time to time prior to final disposition of such proceeding to the fullest extent permitted by law. No indemnification shall be provided hereunder to a Covered Person who shall have been adjudicated by a court or body before which the proceeding was brought (i) to be liable to the Registrant or its shareholders by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of his office or (ii) not to have acted in good faith in the reasonable belief that his action was in the best interest of the Registrant.

 

The Registrant’s financial obligations arising from the indemnification provided herein or in the By-Laws may be insured by policies maintained by the Registrant, shall be severable, shall not be exclusive of or affect any other rights to which any Covered Person may now or hereafter be entitled, shall continue as to a person who has ceased to be a Covered Person as to acts or omissions as a Covered Person and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of such a person. Nothing contained herein shall affect any rights to indemnification to which Registrant’s personnel, other than Covered Persons, and other persons may be entitled by contract or otherwise under law.

 

Expenses in connection with the defense of any proceeding of the character described in paragraph (a) of Section 3 may be advanced by the Registrant (or its series) from time to time prior to final disposition of the proceeding upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of such Covered Person that such amount will be paid over by him to the Registrant (or series) if it is ultimately determined that he is not entitled to indemnification under Section 3; provided, however, that either (i) such Covered Person shall have provided appropriate security for such undertaking, (ii) the Registrant is insured against losses arising out of any such advance payments, or (iii) either a majority of the Trustees who are neither “interested persons” of the Registrant nor parties to the matter, or independent legal counsel in a written opinion, shall have determined, based upon a review of readily available facts (as opposed to a trial-type inquiry or full investigation), that there is reason to believe that such Covered Person will be found entitled to indemnification under Section 3.

 

 
 

 

Section 2 of Article VII of the Registrant’s By-Laws filed as Exhibit (b) to the Registrant’s Registration Statement further provides that, with respect to indemnification of the Trustees and officers, the Registrant shall, subject to certain exceptions and limitations, indemnify its Trustees and officers to the fullest extent consistent with state law and the 1940 Act. Without limitation of the foregoing, the Registrant shall indemnify each person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any proceedings, by reason of alleged acts or omissions within the scope of his or her service as a Trustee or officer of the Registrant, against judgments, fines, penalties, settlements and reasonable expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually incurred by him or her in connection with such proceeding to the maximum extent consistent with state law and the 1940 Act. The Registrant may, to the fullest extent consistent with law, indemnify each person who is serving or has served at the request of the Registrant as a director, officer, partner, trustee, employee, agent or fiduciary of another domestic or foreign corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust, other enterprise or employee benefit plan (“Other Position”) and who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any proceeding by reason of alleged acts or omissions while acting within the scope of his or her service in such Other Position, against judgments, fines, settlements and reasonable expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually incurred by him or her in connection with such proceeding to the maximum extent consistent with state law and the 1940 Act. The indemnification and other rights provided by Article VII shall continue as to a person who has ceased to be a Trustee or officer of the Registrant. In no event will any revision, amendment or change to the By-Laws affect in any manner the rights of any Trustee or officer of the Trust to receive indemnification by the Trust against all liabilities and expenses reasonably incurred or paid by the Trustee or officer in connection with any proceeding in which the Trustee or officer becomes involved as a party or otherwise by virtue of being or having been a Trustee or officer of the Trust (including any amount paid or incurred by the Trustee or officer in the settlement of such proceeding) with respect to any act or omission of such Trustee or officer that occurred or is alleged to have occurred prior to the time such revision, amendment or change to the By-Laws is made.

 

Insofar as indemnification for liability arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to Trustees, officers and controlling persons of Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the 1940 Act, and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a trustee, officer or controlling person of Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such trustee, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, 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 1940 Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

 

Section 7 of Article III of the Registrant’s Declaration of Trust, filed as Exhibit (a)(2) to the Registrant’s Registration Statement, also provides for the indemnification of shareholders of the Registrant. Section 7 states as follows:

 

If any Shareholder or former Shareholder of any Series shall be held to be personally liable solely by reason of a claim or demand relating to such Person being or having been a Shareholder, and not because of such Person’s acts or omissions, the Shareholder or former Shareholder (or such Person’s heirs, executors, administrators, or other legal representatives or in the case of a corporation or other entity, its corporate or other general successor) shall be entitled to be held harmless from and indemnified against all loss and expense arising from such claim or demand, but only out of the assets held with respect to the particular Series of Shares of which such Person is or was a Shareholder and from or in relation to which such liability arose. The Trust, on behalf of the applicable Series, may, at its option, assume the defense of any such claim made against such Shareholder. Neither the Trust nor the applicable Series shall be responsible for satisfying any obligation arising from such a claim that has been settled by the Shareholder without the prior written notice to, and consent of, the Trust.

 

 
 

  

Item 26. Business and Other Connections of the Investment Adviser

 

Global X Management Company LLC serves as investment adviser to the Funds and provides investment supervisory services. Information as to the officers and directors of Global X Management Company LLC is included in its Form ADV last filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC File No. 801-69093) and is incorporated herein by reference.

 

Set forth below is a list of officers and directors of Global X Management Company LLC, together with information as to any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature engaged in by such officers and directors during the past two years.

 

 

Name and Position Principal Business(es) During the Last Two Fiscal Years
Bruno del Ama, Chief Executive Officer Chief Executive Officer and Chief Compliance Officer, Global X Management Company LLC (since 2008)
Jose C. Gonzalez, Principal Chief Operating Officer, Global X Management Company LLC (since 2008); Founder and President of GWM Group, Inc. (since 2006)

 

Item 27. Principal Underwriters

 

(a) Registrant's distributor, SEI Investments Distribution Co. serves as underwriter for the following registered investment companies.

 

SEI Daily Income Trust July 15, 1982
SEI Liquid Asset Trust November 29, 1982
SEI Tax Exempt Trust December 3, 1982
SEI Institutional Managed Trust January 22, 1987
SEI Institutional International Trust August 30, 1988
The Advisors' Inner Circle Fund November 14, 1991
The Advisors' Inner Circle Fund II January 28, 1993
Bishop Street Funds January 27, 1995
SEI Asset Allocation Trust April 1, 1996
SEI Institutional Investments Trust June 14, 1996
CNI Charter Funds April 1, 1999
iShares Inc. January 28, 2000
iShares Trust April 25, 2000
Causeway Capital Management Trust September 20, 2001
BlackRock Funds III (f/k/a Barclays Global Investors Funds) March 31, 2003
ProShares Trust November 14, 2005
Community Reinvestment Act Qualified Investment Fund January 8, 2007
SEI Alpha Strategy Portfolios, LP June 29, 2007
TD Asset Management USA Funds July 25, 2007
SEI Structured Credit Fund, LP July 31, 2007
Wilshire Mutual Funds, Inc. July 12, 2008
Wilshire Variable Insurance Trust July 12, 2008
Global X Funds October 24, 2008
ProShares Trust II November 17, 2008
Exchanged Traded Concepts Trust (f/k/a FaithShares Trust) August 7, 2009
Schwab Strategic Trust October 12, 2009
iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Small Cap Index Fund, Inc. June 16, 2010
iShares MSCI Russia Capped Index Fund, Inc. June 16, 2010
RiverPark Funds September 8, 2010
Adviser Managed Trust Fund December 10, 2010
Huntington Strategy Shares July 26, 2011

 

 
 

 

(b) The following officers of SEI Investments Distribution Co. hold the following positions with the Registrant. Unless otherwise noted, the business address of each officer is One Freedom Valley Drive, Oaks, PA 19456.

 

Name   Position with Underwriter   Position with Registrant
William M. Doran                    Director   None
Edward D. Loughlin     Director   None
Wayne M. Withrow     Director   None
Kevin P. Barr           President & Chief Executive Officer                            None
Maxine J. Chou            Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operations
Officer & Treasurer                        
  None
Karen E. LaTourette        Chief Compliance Officer, Anti-Money
Laundering Officer & Assistant Secretary             
  None
John C. Munch             General Counsel & Secretary                                   None
Mark J. Held          Senior Vice President                                         None
Lori L. White           Vice President & Assistant Secretary                          None
John P. Coary            Vice President & Assistant Secretary                          None
John J. Cronin           Vice President                                                None
Robert M. Silvestri       Vice President                                               

None 

 

Item 28. Location of Accounts and Records

 

All accounts, books, and other documents required to be maintained by Section 31(a) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and the rules promulgated thereunder are maintained at the offices of the: (a) Registrant; (b) Investment Adviser; (c) Principal Underwriter; (d) Administrator/Transfer Agent and (e) Custodian. The address of each is as follows:

(a)Registrant

Global X Funds

399 Park Avenue, 32nd Floor

New York, NY 10022

 

(b)Investment Adviser

Global X Management Company LLC

399 Park Avenue, 32nd Floor

New York, NY 10022

 

(c)Principal Underwriter

SEI Investments Distribution Co.

One Freedom Valley Drive

Oaks, PA 19456.

 

 
 

 

(d)Sub-Administrator

SEI Investments Global Funds Services

One Freedom Valley Drive

Oaks, PA 19456.

 

(e)Custodian and Transfer Agent

Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.

40 Water Street

Boston, MA 02109

 

Item 29. Management Services

 

Not Applicable.

 

Item 30. Undertakings

 

Not Applicable.

 

 
 

 

SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, the Registrant has duly caused this Post-Effective Amendment No. 67 to the Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, duly authorized, in the City and State of New York on the 20th day of April, 2012.

 

Global X Funds
 
By: /s/ Bruno del Ama
      President
 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and on the date indicated.

 

Name   Title   Date
         
/s/ Bruno del Ama   President (Principal Executive Officer) and Trustee   April 20, 2012
Bruno del Ama        
/s/ Jose C. Gonzalez   Chief Operating Officer, Treasurer (Principal Financial Officer) and Principal Accounting Officer   April 20, 2012
Jose C. Gonzalez        
         
*        
Sanjay Ram Bharwani   Trustee   April 20, 2012
         
*        
Scott R. Chichester   Trustee   April 20, 2012
         
*        
Kartik Kiran Shah   Trustee   April 20, 2012

 

*/s/ Bruno del Ama

Attorney-In-Fact, pursuant to power of attorney