485APOS 1 d795621d485apos.htm SPDR SERIES TRUST SPDR SERIES TRUST
Table of Contents

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 17, 2019

Securities Act File No. 333-57793

Investment Company Act of 1940 File No. 811-08839

 

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

FORM N-1A

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

     THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933  
   Pre-Effective Amendment No.  
   Post-Effective Amendment No. 215  

and/or

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

   THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940   
   Amendment No. 217   

 

 

SPDR® SERIES TRUST

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

 

 

One Iron Street

Boston, Massachusetts 02210

(Address of Principal Executive Offices)

Registrant’s Telephone Number: (617) 664-1465

 

 

Sean O’Malley, Esq.

Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel

c/o SSGA Funds Management, Inc.

One Iron Street

Boston, Massachusetts 02210

(Name and Address of Agent for Service)

 

 

Copies to:

W. John McGuire, Esq.

Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP

1111 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20004

 

 

It is proposed that this filing will become effective:

 

immediately upon filing pursuant to Rule 485, paragraph (b)

on _________________ pursuant to Rule 485, paragraph (b)

60 days after filing pursuant to Rule 485, paragraph (a)(1)

on _________________ pursuant to Rule 485, paragraph (a)(1)

75 days after filing pursuant to Rule 485, paragraph (a)(2)

on _________________ pursuant to Rule 485, paragraph (a)(2)

this post-effective amendment designates a new effective date for a previously filed post-effective amendment.

 

 

 


Table of Contents
SUBJECT TO COMPLETION. THE INFORMATION IN THIS PROSPECTUS IS NOT COMPLETE AND MAY BE CHANGED. THIS PROSPECTUS IS NOT AN OFFER TO SELL THESE SECURITIES AND IT IS NOT SOLICITING AN OFFER TO BUY THESE SECURITIES IN ANY STATE WHERE THE OFFER OR SALE IS NOT PERMITTED.
Prospectus
[             , 2019]
SPDR® Series Trust    
SPDR Bloomberg SASB Corporate Bond ESG Select ETF (RBND)
SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap Dividend Yield ESG Select ETF (RDVD)
SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap ESG Select ETF (RLRG)
SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap Growth ESG Select ETF (RGRO)
SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap Value ESG Select ETF (RVAL)
Principal U.S. Listing Exchange: NYSE Arca, Inc.
Beginning on January 1, 2021, as permitted by regulations adopted by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, paper copies of a Fund's annual and semi- annual shareholder reports will no longer be sent by mail, unless you specifically request paper copies of the reports from the Fund (or from your financial intermediary, such as a broker-dealer or bank). Instead, the reports will be made available on a Fund's website (www.spdrs.com), and you will be notified by mail each time a report is posted, and provided with a website link to access the report. If you already elected to receive reports electronically, you will not be affected by this change and you need not take any action. You may elect to receive shareholder reports and other communications by contacting your financial intermediary.
You may elect to receive all future reports in paper free of charge. If you invest through a financial intermediary, you can contact your financial intermediary to request that you continue to receive paper copies of your shareholder reports. Your election to receive reports in paper will apply to all funds held in your account.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this Prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense. Shares in the Funds are not guaranteed or insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other agency of the U.S. Government, nor are shares deposits or obligations of any bank. It is possible to lose money by investing in the Funds.

 


 

Fund Summaries
SPDR® Bloomberg SASB Corporate Bond ESG Select ETF
Investment Objective
The SPDR Bloomberg SASB Corporate Bond ESG Select ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to provide investment results that, before fees and expenses, correspond generally to the total return performance of an index that tracks investment grade corporate bonds issued by companies that exhibit certain environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) characteristics.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund (“Fund Shares”). This table and the Example below reflect the expenses of the Fund and do not reflect brokerage commissions you may pay on purchases and sales of Fund 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 expenses1 [ ]%
Total annual Fund operating expenses [ ]%
1 “Other expenses” are based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year.
Example:
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated, and then sell all of your Fund 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:
Year 1 Year 3
$[ ] $[ ]
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 Fund 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's portfolio turnover rate has been omitted because the Fund had not commenced investment operations as of the date of this Prospectus.
The Fund's Principal Investment Strategy
In seeking to track the performance of the Bloomberg SASB US Corporate ESG Ex-Controversies Select Index (the “Index”), the Fund employs a sampling strategy, which means that the Fund is not required to purchase all of the securities represented in the Index. Instead, the Fund may purchase a subset of the securities in the Index in an effort to hold a portfolio of securities with generally the same risk and return characteristics of the Index. The quantity of holdings in the Fund will be based on a number of factors, including asset size of the Fund. Based on its analysis of these factors, SSGA Funds Management, Inc. (“SSGA FM” or the “Adviser”), the investment adviser to the Fund, either may invest the Fund's assets in a subset of securities in the Index or may invest the Fund's assets in substantially all of the securities represented in the Index in approximately the same proportions as the Index, as determined by the Adviser to be in the best interest of the Fund in pursuing its objective.
Under normal market conditions, the Fund generally invests substantially all, but at least 80%, of its total assets in the securities comprising the Index or in securities that the Adviser determines have economic characteristics that are substantially identical to the economic characteristics of the securities that comprise the Index. In addition, in seeking
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to track the Index, the Fund may invest in debt securities that are not included in the Index, cash and cash equivalents or money market instruments, such as repurchase agreements and money market funds (including money market funds advised by the Adviser).  In seeking to track the Index, the Fund's assets will generally be concentrated in an industry or group of industries to the extent the Index concentrates in a particular industry or group of industries. The Fund may use derivatives, including credit default swaps and credit default index swaps, to obtain investment exposure that the Adviser expects to correlate closely with the Index, or a portion of the Index, and in managing cash flows.
The Index is designed to measure the performance of investment grade corporate bonds issued by companies that exhibit certain environmental, social and governance characteristics, while also exhibiting risk and return characteristics that are comparable to those of the Bloomberg Barclays US Corporate Index (the “Parent Index”). The Parent Index represents publicly issued, investment grade, fixed-rate, taxable, U.S. dollar-denominated corporate bonds issued by U.S. and non-U.S. industrial, utility, and financial institutions that have a remaining maturity of greater than or equal to 1 year and have $300 million or more of par amount outstanding.
The Index incorporates ESG criteria to both score and screen each security within the Parent Index. The scoring system that is utilized by the Index, the “Responsibility” or “R-FactorTM” score, was developed by State Street Global Advisors. The R-FactorTM score measures the performance of a company's business operations and governance as related to financially material ESG challenges facing the issuer's industry. The R-FactorTM score draws on a number of data sources (collectively, “Third Party Providers”) that provide data metrics on a variety of ESG topics. As of the date of this Prospectus, the Third Party Providers include Sustainalytics, ISS-ESG (formerly, Oekom Research), Vigeo-EIRIS, and ISS-Governance; however, these are subject to change. The R-FactorTM scoring process comprises two underlying components, an ESG component and a corporate governance component. The ESG component is based on the framework published by the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (“SASB”), which attempts to identify ESG issues that are financially material to an issuer based on its industry classification. The ESG component of the R-FactorTM score is determined using only those metrics from the Third Party Providers that specifically address such issues. The corporate governance component of the score is generated using region-specific corporate governance codes developed by investors or regulators that describe minimum corporate governance expectations of a particular region. The governance codes typically address topics such as shareholder rights, board independence and executive compensation. The corporate governance component uses data provided by ISS-Governance to assign a corporate governance score to each issuer according to these governance codes.
To construct the Index, the Parent Index is first screened to remove issuers involved in, and/or which derive significant revenue (as determined by the Index Provider (as defined below)) from, certain practices, industries or product lines, including: Extreme Event Controversies, Controversial Weapons, UN Global Compact Violations, Civilian Firearms, Thermal Coal Extraction and Tobacco. The Index Provider incorporates data sourced from Sustainalytics for applying the screen. The remaining securities are then further screened to remove all companies without an R-FactorTM score. All remaining constituents are considered the investable universe. The final portfolio of securities in the Index is then constructed utilizing an optimizer that deploys a quantitative process to select constituents and their weights to maximize the Index's overall R-FactorTM score while also maintaining risk-return characteristics similar to the Parent Index. [As of September 30, 2019, a significant portion of the Fund comprised companies in the financial, industrial and utilities sectors, although this may change from time to time.] As of [September 30, 2019], the Index comprised [  ] securities.
The Index is rebalanced on the last business day of each month.
The Index is sponsored by Bloomberg Index Services Limited (the “Index Provider”), which is not affiliated with the Fund or the Adviser. The Index Provider determines the composition of the Index, relative weightings of the securities in the Index and publishes information regarding the market value of the Index.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund
As with all investments, there are certain risks of investing in the Fund. Fund Shares will change in value, and you could lose money by investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
Counterparty Risk: The Fund will be subject to credit risk with respect to the counterparties with which the Fund enters into derivatives contracts, repurchase agreements, reverse repurchase agreements, and other transactions. If a counterparty fails to meet its contractual obligations, the Fund may be unable to terminate or realize any gain on the investment or transaction, or to recover collateral posted to the counterparty, resulting in a loss to the Fund. If the Fund holds collateral posted by its counterparty, it may be delayed or prevented from realizing on the collateral in the event of a bankruptcy or insolvency proceeding relating to the counterparty.
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Debt Securities Risk: The values of debt securities may increase or decrease as a result of the following: market fluctuations, increases in interest rates, actual or perceived inability or unwillingness of issuers, guarantors or liquidity providers to make scheduled principal or interest payments or illiquidity in debt securities markets; the risk of low rates of return due to reinvestment of securities during periods of falling interest rates or repayment by issuers with higher coupon or interest rates; and/or the risk of low income due to falling interest rates. To the extent that interest rates rise, certain underlying obligations may be paid off substantially slower than originally anticipated and the value of those securities may fall sharply. A rising interest rate environment may cause the value of the Fund's fixed income securities to decrease, an adverse impact on the liquidity of the Fund's fixed income securities, and increased volatility of the fixed income markets. If the principal on a debt obligation is prepaid before expected, the prepayments of principal may have to be reinvested in obligations paying interest at lower rates. During periods of falling interest rates, the income received by the Fund may decline. Changes in interest rates will likely have a greater effect on the values of debt securities of longer durations. Returns on investments in debt securities could trail the returns on other investment options, including investments in equity securities.
Derivatives Risk: Derivative transactions can create investment leverage and may have significant volatility. It is possible that a derivative transaction will result in a much greater loss than the principal amount invested, and the Fund may not be able to close out a derivative transaction at a favorable time or price. The counterparty to a derivatives contract may be unable or unwilling to make timely settlement payments, return the Fund's margin, or otherwise honor its obligations. A derivatives transaction may not behave in the manner anticipated by the Adviser or may not have the effect on the Fund anticipated by the Adviser.
ESG Investing Risk: The Index's incorporation of ESG considerations in its methodology may cause the Fund to make different investments than funds that do not incorporate such considerations in their strategy or investment processes. Under certain economic conditions, this could cause the Fund's investment performance to be worse than funds that do not incorporate such considerations. The Index's incorporation of ESG considerations may affect the Fund's exposure to certain sectors and/or types of investments, and may adversely impact the Fund's performance depending on whether such sectors or investments are in or out of favor in the market.
Financial Sector Risk: Financial services companies are subject to extensive governmental regulation which may limit both the amounts and types of loans and other financial commitments they can make, the interest rates and fees they can charge, the scope of their activities, the prices they can charge and the amount of capital they must maintain. Profitability is largely dependent on the availability and cost of capital funds and can fluctuate significantly when interest rates change or due to increased competition. In addition, deterioration of the credit markets generally may cause an adverse impact in a broad range of markets, including U.S. and international credit and interbank money markets generally, thereby affecting a wide range of financial institutions and markets. Certain events in the financial sector may cause an unusually high degree of volatility in the financial markets, both domestic and foreign, and cause certain financial services companies to incur large losses. Securities of financial services companies may experience a dramatic decline in value when such companies experience substantial declines in the valuations of their assets, take action to raise capital (such as the issuance of debt or equity securities), or cease operations. Credit losses resulting from financial difficulties of borrowers and financial losses associated with investment activities can negatively impact the sector. Insurance companies may be subject to severe price competition. Adverse economic, business or political developments could adversely affect financial institutions engaged in mortgage finance or other lending or investing activities directly or indirectly connected to the value of real estate.
Fluctuation of Net Asset Value, Share Premiums and Discounts Risk: As with all exchange-traded funds, Fund Shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The trading prices of Fund Shares in the secondary market may differ from the Fund's daily net asset value per share and there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the net asset value per share (premium) or less than the net asset value per share (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility or periods of steep market declines.
Income Risk: The Fund's income may decline due to falling interest rates or other factors. Issuers of securities held by the Fund may call or redeem the securities during periods of falling interest rates, and the Fund would likely be required to reinvest in securities paying lower interest rates. If an obligation held by the Fund is prepaid, the Fund may have to reinvest the prepayment in other obligations paying income at lower rates.
Indexing Strategy/Index Tracking Risk: The Fund is managed with an indexing investment strategy, attempting to track the performance of an unmanaged index of securities, regardless of the current or projected performance of the Index or of the actual securities comprising the Index. This differs from an actively-managed fund, which typically seeks to outperform a benchmark index. As a result, the Fund's performance may be less favorable than
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that of a portfolio managed using an active investment strategy. The structure and composition of the Index will affect the performance, volatility, and risk of the Index and, consequently, the performance, volatility, and risk of the Fund. When there are changes made to the component securities of the Index and the Fund in turn makes similar changes to its portfolio, any transaction costs and market exposure arising from such portfolio changes will be borne directly by the Fund and its shareholders. The Fund may recognize gains as a result of rebalancing or reconstituting its securities holdings to reflect changes in the securities included in the Index. The Fund also may be required to distribute any such gains to its shareholders to avoid adverse federal income tax consequences. While the Adviser seeks to track the performance of the Index (i.e., achieve a high degree of correlation with the Index), the Fund's return may not match the return of the Index. The Fund incurs a number of operating expenses not applicable to the Index, and incurs costs in buying and selling securities. In addition, the Fund may not be fully invested at times, generally as a result of cash flows into or out of the Fund or reserves of cash held by the Fund to meet redemptions. The Adviser may attempt to replicate the Index return by investing in fewer than all of the securities in the Index, or in some securities not included in the Index, potentially increasing the risk of divergence between the Fund's return and that of the Index.
Industrial Sector Risk: Industrial companies are affected by supply and demand both for their specific product or service and for industrial sector products in general. Government regulation, world events, exchange rates and economic conditions, technological developments and liabilities for environmental damage and general civil liabilities will likewise affect the performance of these companies. Aerospace and defense companies, a component of the industrial sector, can be significantly affected by government spending policies because companies involved in this industry rely, to a significant extent, on U.S. and foreign government demand for their products and services. Thus, the financial condition of, and investor interest in, aerospace and defense companies are heavily influenced by governmental defense spending policies which are typically under pressure from efforts to control the U.S. (and other) government budgets. Transportation securities, a component of the industrial sector, are cyclical and have occasional sharp price movements which may result from changes in the economy, fuel prices, labor agreements and insurance costs.
Liquidity Risk: Lack of a ready market or restrictions on resale may limit the ability of the Fund to sell a security at an advantageous time or price or at all. Illiquid securities may trade at a discount from comparable, more liquid investments and may be subject to wide fluctuations in market value. Illiquidity of the Fund's holdings may limit the ability of the Fund to obtain cash to meet redemptions on a timely basis. In addition, the Fund, due to limitations on investments in any illiquid securities and/or the difficulty in purchasing and selling such investments, may be unable to achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain market or sector.
Market Risk: The Fund's investments are subject to changes in general economic conditions, and general market fluctuations and the risks inherent in investment in securities markets. Investment markets can be volatile and prices of investments can change substantially due to various factors including, but not limited to, economic growth or recession, changes in interest rates, changes in the actual or perceived creditworthiness of issuers, and general market liquidity. The Fund is subject to the risk that geopolitical events will disrupt securities markets and adversely affect global economies and markets.
Non-Diversification Risk: As a “non-diversified” fund, the Fund may hold a smaller number of portfolio securities than many other funds. To the extent the Fund invests in a relatively small number of issuers, a decline in the market value of a particular security held by the Fund may affect its value more than if it invested in a larger number of issuers. The value of Fund Shares may be more volatile than the values of shares of more diversified funds. [The Fund may become diversified for periods of time solely as a result of changes in the composition of the Index (e.g., changes in weightings of one or more component securities).]
Non-U.S. Securities Risk: Non-U.S. securities (including depositary receipts) are subject to political, regulatory, and economic risks not present in domestic investments. There may be less information publicly available about a non-U.S. entity than about a U.S. entity, and many non-U.S. entities are not subject to accounting, auditing, legal and financial report standards comparable to those in the United States. Further, such entities and/or their securities may be subject to risks associated with currency controls; expropriation; changes in tax policy; greater market volatility; differing securities market structures; higher transaction costs; and various administrative difficulties, such as delays in clearing and settling portfolio transactions or in receiving payment of dividends. To the extent underlying securities held by the Fund trade on foreign exchanges that are closed when the exchange on which the Fund's shares trade is open, there may be deviations between the current price of an underlying security and the last quoted price for the underlying security on the closed foreign market. These deviations could result in the Fund experiencing premiums or discounts greater than those of ETFs that invest in domestic securities. Securities traded on foreign markets may be less liquid (harder to sell) than securities traded domestically. Foreign governments may impose restrictions on the repatriation of capital to the U.S. In addition, to
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the extent that the Fund buys securities denominated in a foreign currency, there are special risks such as changes in currency exchange rates and the risk that a foreign government could regulate foreign exchange transactions. In addition, to the extent investments are made in a limited number of countries, events in those countries will have a more significant impact on the Fund. Investments in depositary receipts may be less liquid and more volatile than the underlying shares in their primary trading market.
Utilities Sector Risk: Utility companies are affected by supply and demand, operating costs, government regulation, environmental factors, liabilities for environmental damage and general civil liabilities, and rate caps or rate changes. Although rate changes of a utility usually fluctuate in approximate correlation with financing costs, due to political and regulatory factors rate changes ordinarily occur only following a delay after the changes in financing costs. This factor will tend to favorably affect a regulated utility company's earnings and dividends in times of decreasing costs, but conversely, will tend to adversely affect earnings and dividends when costs are rising. The value of regulated utility debt securities (and, to a lesser extent, equity securities) may tend to have an inverse relationship to the movement of interest rates. Certain utility companies have experienced full or partial deregulation in recent years. These utility companies are frequently more similar to industrial companies in that they are subject to greater competition and have been permitted by regulators to diversify outside of their original geographic regions and their traditional lines of business. These opportunities may permit certain utility companies to earn more than their traditional regulated rates of return. Some companies, however, may be forced to defend their core business and may be less profitable. In addition, natural disasters, terrorist attacks, government intervention or other factors may render a utility company's equipment unusable or obsolete and negatively impact profitability.
Among the risks that may affect utility companies are the following: risks of increases in fuel and other operating costs; the high cost of borrowing to finance capital construction during inflationary periods; restrictions on operations and increased costs and delays associated with compliance with environmental and nuclear safety regulations; and the difficulties involved in obtaining natural gas for resale or fuel for generating electricity at reasonable prices. Other risks include those related to the construction and operation of nuclear power plants, the effects of energy conservation and the effects of regulatory changes.
Valuation Risk: Some portfolio holdings, potentially a large portion of the Fund's investment portfolio, may be valued on the basis of factors other than market quotations. This may occur more often in times of market turmoil or reduced liquidity. There are multiple methods that can be used to value a portfolio holding when market quotations are not readily available. The value established for any portfolio holding at a point in time might differ from what would be produced using a different methodology or if it had been priced using market quotations. Portfolio holdings that are valued using techniques other than market quotations, including “fair valued” securities, may be subject to greater fluctuation in their valuations from one day to the next than if market quotations were used. In addition, there is no assurance that the Fund could sell or close out a portfolio position for the value established for it at any time, and it is possible that the Fund would incur a loss because a portfolio position is sold or closed out at a discount to the valuation established by the Fund at that time. Investors who purchase or redeem Fund Shares on days when the Fund is holding fair-valued investments may receive fewer or more shares or lower or higher redemption proceeds than they would have received if the Fund had not fair-valued the holding(s) or had used a different valuation methodology.
Fund Performance
The Fund had not commenced operations as of the date of this Prospectus. Once the Fund has completed a full calendar year of operations, a bar chart and table will be included that will provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing the variability of the Fund's returns based on net assets and comparing the Fund's performance to the Index. When available, updated performance information may be obtained by calling 1-866-787-2257 or visiting the Fund's website: https://www.spdrs.com.
Portfolio Management
Investment Adviser
SSGA FM serves as the investment adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers
The professionals primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund are Christopher DiStefano, Frank Miethe and Michael Brunell.
Christopher DiStefano is a Vice President of the Adviser and a Portfolio Manager in the Fixed Income Beta Solutions Group. He joined the Adviser in 2010.
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Frank Miethe, CFA, is a Vice President of the Adviser and a Portfolio Manager in the Fixed Income Beta Solutions Group. He joined the Adviser in 2010.
Michael Brunell, CFA, is a Vice President of the Adviser and a Senior Portfolio Manager in the Fixed Income Beta Solutions Group. He joined the Adviser in 1997.
Purchase and Sale Information
The Fund will issue (or redeem) Fund Shares to certain institutional investors (typically market makers or other broker-dealers) only in large blocks of 50,000 Fund Shares known as “Creation Units.” Creation Unit transactions are conducted in exchange for the deposit or delivery of a designated portfolio of in-kind securities and/or cash constituting a substantial replication, or a representation, of the securities included in the Fund's benchmark index at the net asset value (“NAV”) next determined after receipt of an order in proper form. Creation Unit transactions may be made on any day that the New York Stock Exchange is open for business.
Individual Fund Shares may only be purchased and sold on the NYSE Arca, Inc., other national securities exchanges, electronic crossing networks and other alternative trading systems through your broker-dealer at market prices. Because Fund Shares trade at market prices rather than at NAV, Fund Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).
Tax Information
The Fund's distributions are expected to be taxed as ordinary income and/or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-advantaged arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or individual retirement account. Any withdrawals made from such tax-advantaged arrangement may be taxable to you.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase Fund Shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Adviser or its affiliates may pay the financial intermediary for certain activities related to the Fund, including educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and reporting systems, or other services related to the sale or promotion of the Fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary's website for more information.
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SPDR® Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap Dividend Yield ESG Select ETF
Investment Objective
The SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap Dividend Yield ESG Select ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to provide investment results that, before fees and expenses, correspond generally to the total return performance of an index that tracks stocks of U.S. large capitalization companies that yield high dividends and exhibit certain environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) characteristics.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund (“Fund Shares”). This table and the Example below reflect the expenses of the Fund and do not reflect brokerage commissions you may pay on purchases and sales of Fund 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 expenses1 [ ]%
Total annual Fund operating expenses [ ]%
1 “Other expenses” are based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year.
Example:
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated, and then sell all of your Fund 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:
Year 1 Year 3
$[ ] $[ ]
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 Fund 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's portfolio turnover rate has been omitted because the Fund had not commenced investment operations as of the date of this Prospectus.
The Fund's Principal Investment Strategy
In seeking to track the performance of the Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap Dividend Yield ESG Ex-Controversies Select Index (the “Index”), the Fund employs a sampling strategy, which means that the Fund is not required to purchase all of the securities represented in the Index. Instead, the Fund may purchase a subset of the securities in the Index in an effort to hold a portfolio of securities with generally the same risk and return characteristics of the Index. The quantity of holdings in the Fund will be based on a number of factors, including asset size of the Fund. Based on its analysis of these factors, SSGA Funds Management, Inc. (“SSGA FM” or the “Adviser”), the investment adviser to the Fund, either may invest the Fund's assets in a subset of securities in the Index or may invest the Fund's assets in substantially all of the securities represented in the Index in approximately the same proportions as the Index, as determined by the Adviser to be in the best interest of the Fund in pursuing its objective.
Under normal market conditions, the Fund generally invests substantially all, but at least 80%, of its total assets in the securities comprising the Index. In addition, in seeking to track the Index, the Fund may invest in equity securities that are not included in the Index, cash and cash equivalents or money market instruments, such as repurchase agreements and money market funds (including money market funds advised by the Adviser).  In seeking to track the
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Index, the Fund's assets will generally be concentrated in an industry or group of industries to the extent the Index concentrates in a particular industry or group of industries. Futures contracts may be used by the Fund in seeking performance that corresponds to the Index and in managing cash flows.
The Index is designed to measure the performance of high dividend yielding U.S. large capitalization companies that exhibit certain environmental, social and governance characteristics, while also exhibiting risk and return characteristics that are comparable to those of the Bloomberg US Large Cap Dividend Yield Index (the “Parent Index”). The Parent Index includes the 100 securities with the highest dividend yields, excluding REITs, screened from the 500 most highly-capitalized U.S. companies.
The Index incorporates ESG criteria to both score and screen each security within the Parent Index. The scoring system that is utilized by the Index, the “Responsibility” or “R-FactorTM” score, was developed by State Street Global Advisors. The R-FactorTM score measures the performance of a company's business operations and governance as related to financially material ESG challenges facing the issuer's industry. The R-FactorTM score draws on a number of data sources (collectively, “Third Party Providers”) that provide data metrics on a variety of ESG topics. As of the date of this Prospectus, the Third Party Providers include Sustainalytics, ISS-ESG (formerly, Oekom Research), Vigeo-EIRIS, and ISS-Governance; however, these are subject to change. The R-FactorTM scoring process comprises two underlying components, an ESG component and a corporate governance component. The ESG component is based on the framework published by the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (“SASB”), which attempts to identify ESG issues that are financially material to an issuer based on its industry classification. The ESG component of the R-FactorTM score is determined using only those metrics from the Third Party Providers that specifically address such issues. The corporate governance component of the score is generated using region-specific corporate governance codes developed by investors or regulators that describe minimum corporate governance expectations of a particular region. The governance codes typically address topics such as shareholder rights, board independence and executive compensation. The corporate governance component uses data provided by ISS-Governance to assign a corporate governance score to each issuer according to these governance codes.
To construct the Index, the Parent Index is first screened to remove issuers involved in, and/or which derive significant revenue (as determined by the Index Provider (as defined below)) from, certain practices, industries or product lines, including: Extreme Event Controversies, Controversial Weapons, UN Global Compact Violations, Civilian Firearms, Thermal Coal Extraction and Tobacco. The Index Provider incorporates data sourced from Sustainalytics for applying the screen. The remaining securities are then further screened to remove all companies without an R-FactorTM score. All remaining constituents are considered the investable universe. The final portfolio of securities in the Index is then constructed utilizing an optimizer that deploys a quantitative process that selects securities and their corresponding weight to maximize the Index's overall R-FactorTM score while also maintaining risk-return characteristics similar to the Parent Index. [As of September 30, 2019, a significant portion of the Fund comprised companies in the [  ] sector, although this may change from time to time.] As of [September 30, 2019], the Index comprised [  ] securities.
The Index selects securities in March and September and supplemental share updates are completed in June and December on the second Friday of each month. Rebalancing of the Index is quarterly, on the first Monday of January, April, July and October.
The Index is sponsored by Bloomberg Index Services Limited (the “Index Provider”), which is not affiliated with the Fund or the Adviser. The Index Provider determines the composition of the Index, relative weightings of the securities in the Index and publishes information regarding the market value of the Index.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund
As with all investments, there are certain risks of investing in the Fund. Fund Shares will change in value, and you could lose money by investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
Counterparty Risk: The Fund will be subject to credit risk with respect to the counterparties with which the Fund enters into derivatives contracts, repurchase agreements, reverse repurchase agreements, and other transactions. If a counterparty fails to meet its contractual obligations, the Fund may be unable to terminate or realize any gain on the investment or transaction, or to recover collateral posted to the counterparty, resulting in a loss to the Fund. If the Fund holds collateral posted by its counterparty, it may be delayed or prevented from realizing on the collateral in the event of a bankruptcy or insolvency proceeding relating to the counterparty.
Derivatives Risk: Derivative transactions can create investment leverage and may have significant volatility. It is possible that a derivative transaction will result in a much greater loss than the principal amount invested, and the Fund may not be able to close out a derivative transaction at a favorable time or price. The counterparty to a derivatives contract may be unable or unwilling to make timely settlement payments, return the Fund's margin, or
8

 

otherwise honor its obligations. A derivatives transaction may not behave in the manner anticipated by the Adviser or may not have the effect on the Fund anticipated by the Adviser.
Dividend Paying Securities Risk: Securities that pay dividends, as a group, can fall out of favor with the market, causing such companies to underperform companies that do not pay dividends. In addition, changes in the dividend policies of the companies held by the Fund or the capital resources available for such company's dividend payments may adversely affect the Fund.
Equity Investing Risk: The market prices of equity securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. The value of a security may decline for a number of reasons that may directly relate to the issuer and also may decline due to general industry or market conditions that are not specifically related to a particular company. In addition, equity markets tend to move in cycles, which may cause stock prices to fall over short or extended periods of time.
ESG Investing Risk: The Index's incorporation of ESG considerations in its methodology may cause the Fund to make different investments than funds that do not incorporate such considerations in their strategy or investment processes. Under certain economic conditions, this could cause the Fund's investment performance to be worse than funds that do not incorporate such considerations. The Index's incorporation of ESG considerations may affect the Fund's exposure to certain sectors and/or types of investments, and may adversely impact the Fund's performance depending on whether such sectors or investments are in or out of favor in the market.
Fluctuation of Net Asset Value, Share Premiums and Discounts Risk: As with all exchange-traded funds, Fund Shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The trading prices of Fund Shares in the secondary market may differ from the Fund's daily net asset value per share and there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the net asset value per share (premium) or less than the net asset value per share (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility or periods of steep market declines.
Indexing Strategy/Index Tracking Risk: The Fund is managed with an indexing investment strategy, attempting to track the performance of an unmanaged index of securities, regardless of the current or projected performance of the Index or of the actual securities comprising the Index. This differs from an actively-managed fund, which typically seeks to outperform a benchmark index. As a result, the Fund's performance may be less favorable than that of a portfolio managed using an active investment strategy. The structure and composition of the Index will affect the performance, volatility, and risk of the Index and, consequently, the performance, volatility, and risk of the Fund. When there are changes made to the component securities of the Index and the Fund in turn makes similar changes to its portfolio, any transaction costs and market exposure arising from such portfolio changes will be borne directly by the Fund and its shareholders. The Fund may recognize gains as a result of rebalancing or reconstituting its securities holdings to reflect changes in the securities included in the Index. The Fund also may be required to distribute any such gains to its shareholders to avoid adverse federal income tax consequences. While the Adviser seeks to track the performance of the Index (i.e., achieve a high degree of correlation with the Index), the Fund's return may not match the return of the Index. The Fund incurs a number of operating expenses not applicable to the Index, and incurs costs in buying and selling securities. In addition, the Fund may not be fully invested at times, generally as a result of cash flows into or out of the Fund or reserves of cash held by the Fund to meet redemptions. The Adviser may attempt to replicate the Index return by investing in fewer than all of the securities in the Index, or in some securities not included in the Index, potentially increasing the risk of divergence between the Fund's return and that of the Index.
Large-Capitalization Securities Risk: Returns on investments in securities of large companies could trail the returns on investments in securities of smaller and mid-sized companies. Larger companies may be unable to respond as quickly as smaller and mid-sized companies to competitive challenges or to changes in business, product, financial, or other market conditions. Larger companies may not be able to maintain growth at the high rates that may be achieved by well-managed smaller and mid-sized companies.
Liquidity Risk: Lack of a ready market or restrictions on resale may limit the ability of the Fund to sell a security at an advantageous time or price or at all. Illiquid securities may trade at a discount from comparable, more liquid investments and may be subject to wide fluctuations in market value. Illiquidity of the Fund's holdings may limit the ability of the Fund to obtain cash to meet redemptions on a timely basis. In addition, the Fund, due to limitations on investments in any illiquid securities and/or the difficulty in purchasing and selling such investments, may be unable to achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain market or sector.
Market Risk: The Fund's investments are subject to changes in general economic conditions, and general market fluctuations and the risks inherent in investment in securities markets. Investment markets can be volatile and prices of investments can change substantially due to various factors including, but not limited to, economic
9

 

growth or recession, changes in interest rates, changes in the actual or perceived creditworthiness of issuers, and general market liquidity. The Fund is subject to the risk that geopolitical events will disrupt securities markets and adversely affect global economies and markets.
Non-Diversification Risk: As a “non-diversified” fund, the Fund may hold a smaller number of portfolio securities than many other funds. To the extent the Fund invests in a relatively small number of issuers, a decline in the market value of a particular security held by the Fund may affect its value more than if it invested in a larger number of issuers. The value of Fund Shares may be more volatile than the values of shares of more diversified funds. [The Fund may become diversified for periods of time solely as a result of changes in the composition of the Index (e.g., changes in weightings of one or more component securities).]
Fund Performance
The Fund had not commenced operations as of the date of this Prospectus. Once the Fund has completed a full calendar year of operations, a bar chart and table will be included that will provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing the variability of the Fund's returns based on net assets and comparing the Fund's performance to the Index. When available, updated performance information may be obtained by calling 1-866-787-2257 or visiting the Fund's website: https://www.spdrs.com.
Portfolio Management
Investment Adviser
SSGA FM serves as the investment adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers
The professionals primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund are Michael Feehily, Karl Schneider and Emiliano Rabinovich.
Michael Feehily, CFA, is a Senior Managing Director of the Adviser and the Head of Global Equity Beta Solutions in the Americas. He worked at the Adviser from 1997 to 2006 and rejoined in 2010.
Karl Schneider, CAIA, is a Managing Director of the Adviser and Deputy Head of Global Equity Beta Solutions in the Americas. He joined the Adviser in 1997.
Emiliano Rabinovich, CFA, is a Vice President of the Adviser and a Senior Portfolio Manager in the Global Equity Beta Solutions Group. He joined the Adviser in 2006.
Purchase and Sale Information
The Fund will issue (or redeem) Fund Shares to certain institutional investors (typically market makers or other broker-dealers) only in large blocks of 10,000 Fund Shares known as “Creation Units.” Creation Unit transactions are conducted in exchange for the deposit or delivery of a designated portfolio of in-kind securities and/or cash constituting a substantial replication, or a representation, of the securities included in the Fund's benchmark index at the net asset value (“NAV”) next determined after receipt of an order in proper form. Creation Unit transactions may be made on any day that the New York Stock Exchange is open for business.
Individual Fund Shares may only be purchased and sold on the NYSE Arca, Inc., other national securities exchanges, electronic crossing networks and other alternative trading systems through your broker-dealer at market prices. Because Fund Shares trade at market prices rather than at NAV, Fund Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).
Tax Information
The Fund's distributions are expected to be taxed as ordinary income, qualified dividend income and/or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-advantaged arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or individual retirement account. Any withdrawals made from such tax-advantaged arrangement may be taxable to you.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase Fund Shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Adviser or its affiliates may pay the financial intermediary for certain activities related to the Fund, including educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and reporting systems, or other services related to the sale or promotion of the Fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary's website for more information.
10

 

SPDR® Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap ESG Select ETF
Investment Objective
The SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap ESG Select ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to provide investment results that, before fees and expenses, correspond generally to the total return performance of an index that tracks stocks of U.S. large capitalization companies that exhibit certain environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) characteristics.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund (“Fund Shares”). This table and the Example below reflect the expenses of the Fund and do not reflect brokerage commissions you may pay on purchases and sales of Fund 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 expenses1 [ ]%
Total annual Fund operating expenses [ ]%
1 “Other expenses” are based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year.
Example:
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated, and then sell all of your Fund 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:
Year 1 Year 3
$[ ] $[ ]
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 Fund 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's portfolio turnover rate has been omitted because the Fund had not commenced investment operations as of the date of this Prospectus.
The Fund's Principal Investment Strategy
In seeking to track the performance of the Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap ESG Ex-Controversies Select Index (the “Index”), the Fund employs a sampling strategy, which means that the Fund is not required to purchase all of the securities represented in the Index. Instead, the Fund may purchase a subset of the securities in the Index in an effort to hold a portfolio of securities with generally the same risk and return characteristics of the Index. The quantity of holdings in the Fund will be based on a number of factors, including asset size of the Fund. Based on its analysis of these factors, SSGA Funds Management, Inc. (“SSGA FM” or the “Adviser”), the investment adviser to the Fund, either may invest the Fund's assets in a subset of securities in the Index or may invest the Fund's assets in substantially all of the securities represented in the Index in approximately the same proportions as the Index, as determined by the Adviser to be in the best interest of the Fund in pursuing its objective.
Under normal market conditions, the Fund generally invests substantially all, but at least 80%, of its total assets in the securities comprising the Index. In addition, in seeking to track the Index, the Fund may invest in equity securities that are not included in the Index, cash and cash equivalents or money market instruments, such as repurchase agreements and money market funds (including money market funds advised by the Adviser).  In seeking to track the
11

 

Index, the Fund's assets will generally be concentrated in an industry or group of industries to the extent the Index concentrates in a particular industry or group of industries. Futures contracts may be used by the Fund in seeking performance that corresponds to the Index and in managing cash flows.
The Index is designed to measure the performance of U.S. large capitalization companies that exhibit certain environmental, social and governance characteristics, while also exhibiting risk and return characteristics that are comparable to those of the Bloomberg U.S. Large Cap Index (the “Parent Index”). The Parent Index represents the 500 most highly-capitalized U.S. companies.
The Index incorporates ESG criteria to both score and screen each security within the Parent Index. The scoring system that is utilized by the Index, the “Responsibility” or “R-FactorTM” score, was developed by State Street Global Advisors. The R-FactorTM score measures the performance of a company's business operations and governance as related to financially material ESG challenges facing the issuer's industry. The R-FactorTM score draws on a number of data sources (collectively, “Third Party Providers”) that provide data metrics on a variety of ESG topics. As of the date of this Prospectus, the Third Party Providers include Sustainalytics, ISS-ESG (formerly, Oekom Research), Vigeo-EIRIS, and ISS-Governance; however, these are subject to change. The R-FactorTM scoring process comprises two underlying components, an ESG component and a corporate governance component. The ESG component is based on the framework published by the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (“SASB”), which attempts to identify ESG issues that are financially material to an issuer based on its industry classification. The ESG component of the R-FactorTM score is determined using only those metrics from the Third Party Providers that specifically address such issues. The corporate governance component of the score is generated using region-specific corporate governance codes developed by investors or regulators that describe minimum corporate governance expectations of a particular region. The governance codes typically address topics such as shareholder rights, board independence and executive compensation. The corporate governance component uses data provided by ISS-Governance to assign a corporate governance score to each issuer according to these governance codes.
To construct the Index, the Parent Index is first screened to remove issuers involved in, and/or which derive significant revenue (as determined by the Index Provider (as defined below)) from, certain practices, industries or product lines, including: Extreme Event Controversies, Controversial Weapons, UN Global Compact Violations, Civilian Firearms, Thermal Coal Extraction and Tobacco. The Index Provider incorporates data sourced from Sustainalytics for applying the screen. The remaining securities are then further screened to remove all companies without an R-FactorTM score. All remaining constituents are considered the investable universe. The final portfolio of securities in the Index is then constructed utilizing an optimizer that deploys a quantitative process that selects securities and their corresponding weight to maximize the Index's overall R-FactorTM score while also maintaining risk-return characteristics similar to the Parent Index. [As of September 30, 2019, a significant portion of the Fund comprised companies in the [  ] sector, although this may change from time to time.] As of [September 30, 2019], the Index comprised [  ] securities.
The Index selects securities in March and September and supplemental share updates are completed in June and December on the second Friday of each month. Rebalancing of the Index is quarterly, on the first Monday of January, April, July and October.
The Index is sponsored by Bloomberg Index Services Limited (the “Index Provider”), which is not affiliated with the Fund or the Adviser. The Index Provider determines the composition of the Index, relative weightings of the securities in the Index and publishes information regarding the market value of the Index.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund
As with all investments, there are certain risks of investing in the Fund. Fund Shares will change in value, and you could lose money by investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
Counterparty Risk: The Fund will be subject to credit risk with respect to the counterparties with which the Fund enters into derivatives contracts, repurchase agreements, reverse repurchase agreements, and other transactions. If a counterparty fails to meet its contractual obligations, the Fund may be unable to terminate or realize any gain on the investment or transaction, or to recover collateral posted to the counterparty, resulting in a loss to the Fund. If the Fund holds collateral posted by its counterparty, it may be delayed or prevented from realizing on the collateral in the event of a bankruptcy or insolvency proceeding relating to the counterparty.
Derivatives Risk: Derivative transactions can create investment leverage and may have significant volatility. It is possible that a derivative transaction will result in a much greater loss than the principal amount invested, and the Fund may not be able to close out a derivative transaction at a favorable time or price. The counterparty to a derivatives contract may be unable or unwilling to make timely settlement payments, return the Fund's margin, or
12

 

otherwise honor its obligations. A derivatives transaction may not behave in the manner anticipated by the Adviser or may not have the effect on the Fund anticipated by the Adviser.
Equity Investing Risk: The market prices of equity securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. The value of a security may decline for a number of reasons that may directly relate to the issuer and also may decline due to general industry or market conditions that are not specifically related to a particular company. In addition, equity markets tend to move in cycles, which may cause stock prices to fall over short or extended periods of time.
ESG Investing Risk: The Index's incorporation of ESG considerations in its methodology may cause the Fund to make different investments than funds that do not incorporate such considerations in their strategy or investment processes. Under certain economic conditions, this could cause the Fund's investment performance to be worse than funds that do not incorporate such considerations. The Index's incorporation of ESG considerations may affect the Fund's exposure to certain sectors and/or types of investments, and may adversely impact the Fund's performance depending on whether such sectors or investments are in or out of favor in the market.
Fluctuation of Net Asset Value, Share Premiums and Discounts Risk: As with all exchange-traded funds, Fund Shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The trading prices of Fund Shares in the secondary market may differ from the Fund's daily net asset value per share and there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the net asset value per share (premium) or less than the net asset value per share (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility or periods of steep market declines.
Indexing Strategy/Index Tracking Risk: The Fund is managed with an indexing investment strategy, attempting to track the performance of an unmanaged index of securities, regardless of the current or projected performance of the Index or of the actual securities comprising the Index. This differs from an actively-managed fund, which typically seeks to outperform a benchmark index. As a result, the Fund's performance may be less favorable than that of a portfolio managed using an active investment strategy. The structure and composition of the Index will affect the performance, volatility, and risk of the Index and, consequently, the performance, volatility, and risk of the Fund. When there are changes made to the component securities of the Index and the Fund in turn makes similar changes to its portfolio, any transaction costs and market exposure arising from such portfolio changes will be borne directly by the Fund and its shareholders. The Fund may recognize gains as a result of rebalancing or reconstituting its securities holdings to reflect changes in the securities included in the Index. The Fund also may be required to distribute any such gains to its shareholders to avoid adverse federal income tax consequences. While the Adviser seeks to track the performance of the Index (i.e., achieve a high degree of correlation with the Index), the Fund's return may not match the return of the Index. The Fund incurs a number of operating expenses not applicable to the Index, and incurs costs in buying and selling securities. In addition, the Fund may not be fully invested at times, generally as a result of cash flows into or out of the Fund or reserves of cash held by the Fund to meet redemptions. The Adviser may attempt to replicate the Index return by investing in fewer than all of the securities in the Index, or in some securities not included in the Index, potentially increasing the risk of divergence between the Fund's return and that of the Index.
Large-Capitalization Securities Risk: Returns on investments in securities of large companies could trail the returns on investments in securities of smaller and mid-sized companies. Larger companies may be unable to respond as quickly as smaller and mid-sized companies to competitive challenges or to changes in business, product, financial, or other market conditions. Larger companies may not be able to maintain growth at the high rates that may be achieved by well-managed smaller and mid-sized companies.
Liquidity Risk: Lack of a ready market or restrictions on resale may limit the ability of the Fund to sell a security at an advantageous time or price or at all. Illiquid securities may trade at a discount from comparable, more liquid investments and may be subject to wide fluctuations in market value. Illiquidity of the Fund's holdings may limit the ability of the Fund to obtain cash to meet redemptions on a timely basis. In addition, the Fund, due to limitations on investments in any illiquid securities and/or the difficulty in purchasing and selling such investments, may be unable to achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain market or sector.
Market Risk: The Fund's investments are subject to changes in general economic conditions, and general market fluctuations and the risks inherent in investment in securities markets. Investment markets can be volatile and prices of investments can change substantially due to various factors including, but not limited to, economic growth or recession, changes in interest rates, changes in the actual or perceived creditworthiness of issuers, and general market liquidity. The Fund is subject to the risk that geopolitical events will disrupt securities markets and adversely affect global economies and markets.
13

 

Non-Diversification Risk: As a “non-diversified” fund, the Fund may hold a smaller number of portfolio securities than many other funds. To the extent the Fund invests in a relatively small number of issuers, a decline in the market value of a particular security held by the Fund may affect its value more than if it invested in a larger number of issuers. The value of Fund Shares may be more volatile than the values of shares of more diversified funds. [The Fund may become diversified for periods of time solely as a result of changes in the composition of the Index (e.g., changes in weightings of one or more component securities).]
Fund Performance
The Fund had not commenced operations as of the date of this Prospectus. Once the Fund has completed a full calendar year of operations, a bar chart and table will be included that will provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing the variability of the Fund's returns based on net assets and comparing the Fund's performance to the Index. When available, updated performance information may be obtained by calling 1-866-787-2257 or visiting the Fund's website: https://www.spdrs.com.
Portfolio Management
Investment Adviser
SSGA FM serves as the investment adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers
The professionals primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund are Michael Feehily, Karl Schneider and Emiliano Rabinovich.
Michael Feehily, CFA, is a Senior Managing Director of the Adviser and the Head of Global Equity Beta Solutions in the Americas. He worked at the Adviser from 1997 to 2006 and rejoined in 2010.
Karl Schneider, CAIA, is a Managing Director of the Adviser and Deputy Head of Global Equity Beta Solutions in the Americas. He joined the Adviser in 1997.
Emiliano Rabinovich, CFA, is a Vice President of the Adviser and a Senior Portfolio Manager in the Global Equity Beta Solutions Group. He joined the Adviser in 2006.
Purchase and Sale Information
The Fund will issue (or redeem) Fund Shares to certain institutional investors (typically market makers or other broker-dealers) only in large blocks of 10,000 Fund Shares known as “Creation Units.” Creation Unit transactions are conducted in exchange for the deposit or delivery of a designated portfolio of in-kind securities and/or cash constituting a substantial replication, or a representation, of the securities included in the Fund's benchmark index at the net asset value (“NAV”) next determined after receipt of an order in proper form. Creation Unit transactions may be made on any day that the New York Stock Exchange is open for business.
Individual Fund Shares may only be purchased and sold on the NYSE Arca, Inc., other national securities exchanges, electronic crossing networks and other alternative trading systems through your broker-dealer at market prices. Because Fund Shares trade at market prices rather than at NAV, Fund Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).
Tax Information
The Fund's distributions are expected to be taxed as ordinary income, qualified dividend income and/or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-advantaged arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or individual retirement account. Any withdrawals made from such tax-advantaged arrangement may be taxable to you.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase Fund Shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Adviser or its affiliates may pay the financial intermediary for certain activities related to the Fund, including educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and reporting systems, or other services related to the sale or promotion of the Fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary's website for more information.
14

 

SPDR® Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap Growth ESG Select ETF
Investment Objective
The SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap Growth ESG Select ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to provide investment results that, before fees and expenses, correspond generally to the total return performance of an index that tracks stocks of U.S. large capitalization companies that exhibit growth and certain environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) characteristics.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund (“Fund Shares”). This table and the Example below reflect the expenses of the Fund and do not reflect brokerage commissions you may pay on purchases and sales of Fund 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 expenses1 [ ]%
Total annual Fund operating expenses [ ]%
1 “Other expenses” are based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year.
Example:
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated, and then sell all of your Fund 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:
Year 1 Year 3
$[ ] $[ ]
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 Fund 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's portfolio turnover rate has been omitted because the Fund had not commenced investment operations as of the date of this Prospectus.
The Fund's Principal Investment Strategy
In seeking to track the performance of the Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap Growth ESG Ex-Controversies Select Index (the “Index”), the Fund employs a sampling strategy, which means that the Fund is not required to purchase all of the securities represented in the Index. Instead, the Fund may purchase a subset of the securities in the Index in an effort to hold a portfolio of securities with generally the same risk and return characteristics of the Index. The quantity of holdings in the Fund will be based on a number of factors, including asset size of the Fund. Based on its analysis of these factors, SSGA Funds Management, Inc. (“SSGA FM” or the “Adviser”), the investment adviser to the Fund, either may invest the Fund's assets in a subset of securities in the Index or may invest the Fund's assets in substantially all of the securities represented in the Index in approximately the same proportions as the Index, as determined by the Adviser to be in the best interest of the Fund in pursuing its objective.
Under normal market conditions, the Fund generally invests substantially all, but at least 80%, of its total assets in the securities comprising the Index. In addition, in seeking to track the Index, the Fund may invest in equity securities that are not included in the Index, cash and cash equivalents or money market instruments, such as repurchase agreements and money market funds (including money market funds advised by the Adviser).  In seeking to track the
15

 

Index, the Fund's assets will generally be concentrated in an industry or group of industries to the extent the Index concentrates in a particular industry or group of industries. Futures contracts may be used by the Fund in seeking performance that corresponds to the Index and in managing cash flows.
The Index is designed to measure the performance of U.S. large capitalization companies that exhibit growth and certain environmental, social and governance characteristics, while also exhibiting risk and return characteristics that are comparable to those of the Bloomberg U.S. Large Cap Growth Index (the “Parent Index”). The Parent Index includes securities that exhibit the strongest growth characteristics screened from the 500 most highly-capitalized U.S. companies. Growth characteristics are based on the following factors: growth in sales, growth in net income and long-term growth.
The Index incorporates ESG criteria to both score and screen each security within the Parent Index. The scoring system that is utilized by the Index, the “Responsibility” or “R-FactorTM” score, was developed by State Street Global Advisors. The R-FactorTM score measures the performance of a company's business operations and governance as related to financially material ESG challenges facing the issuer's industry. The R-FactorTM score draws on a number of data sources (collectively, “Third Party Providers”) that provide data metrics on a variety of ESG topics. As of the date of this Prospectus, the Third Party Providers include Sustainalytics, ISS-ESG (formerly, Oekom Research), Vigeo-EIRIS, and ISS-Governance; however, these are subject to change. The R-FactorTM scoring process comprises two underlying components, an ESG component and a corporate governance component. The ESG component is based on the framework published by the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (“SASB”), which attempts to identify ESG issues that are financially material to an issuer based on its industry classification. The ESG component of the R-FactorTM score is determined using only those metrics from the Third Party Providers that specifically address such issues. The corporate governance component of the score is generated using region-specific corporate governance codes developed by investors or regulators that describe minimum corporate governance expectations of a particular region. The governance codes typically address topics such as shareholder rights, board independence and executive compensation. The corporate governance component uses data provided by ISS-Governance to assign a corporate governance score to each issuer according to these governance codes.
To construct the Index, the Parent Index is first screened to remove issuers involved in, and/or which derive significant revenue (as determined by the Index Provider (as defined below)) from, certain practices, industries or product lines, including: Extreme Event Controversies, Controversial Weapons, UN Global Compact Violations, Civilian Firearms, Thermal Coal Extraction and Tobacco. The Index Provider incorporates data sourced from Sustainalytics for applying the screen. The remaining securities are then further screened to remove all companies without an R-FactorTM score. All remaining constituents are considered the investable universe. The final portfolio of securities in the Index is then constructed utilizing an optimizer that deploys a quantitative process that selects securities and their corresponding weight to maximize the Index's overall R-FactorTM score while also maintaining risk-return characteristics similar to the Parent Index. [As of September 30, 2019, a significant portion of the Fund comprised companies in the [  ] sector, although this may change from time to time.] As of [September 30, 2019], the Index comprised [  ] securities.
The Index selects securities in March and September and supplemental share updates are completed in June and December on the second Friday of each month. Rebalancing of the Index is quarterly, on the first Monday of January, April, July and October.
The Index is sponsored by Bloomberg Index Services Limited (the “Index Provider”), which is not affiliated with the Fund or the Adviser. The Index Provider determines the composition of the Index, relative weightings of the securities in the Index and publishes information regarding the market value of the Index.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund
As with all investments, there are certain risks of investing in the Fund. Fund Shares will change in value, and you could lose money by investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
Counterparty Risk: The Fund will be subject to credit risk with respect to the counterparties with which the Fund enters into derivatives contracts, repurchase agreements, reverse repurchase agreements, and other transactions. If a counterparty fails to meet its contractual obligations, the Fund may be unable to terminate or realize any gain on the investment or transaction, or to recover collateral posted to the counterparty, resulting in a loss to the Fund. If the Fund holds collateral posted by its counterparty, it may be delayed or prevented from realizing on the collateral in the event of a bankruptcy or insolvency proceeding relating to the counterparty.
Derivatives Risk: Derivative transactions can create investment leverage and may have significant volatility. It is possible that a derivative transaction will result in a much greater loss than the principal amount invested, and the Fund may not be able to close out a derivative transaction at a favorable time or price. The counterparty to a
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derivatives contract may be unable or unwilling to make timely settlement payments, return the Fund's margin, or otherwise honor its obligations. A derivatives transaction may not behave in the manner anticipated by the Adviser or may not have the effect on the Fund anticipated by the Adviser.
Equity Investing Risk: The market prices of equity securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. The value of a security may decline for a number of reasons that may directly relate to the issuer and also may decline due to general industry or market conditions that are not specifically related to a particular company. In addition, equity markets tend to move in cycles, which may cause stock prices to fall over short or extended periods of time.
ESG Investing Risk: The Index's incorporation of ESG considerations in its methodology may cause the Fund to make different investments than funds that do not incorporate such considerations in their strategy or investment processes. Under certain economic conditions, this could cause the Fund's investment performance to be worse than funds that do not incorporate such considerations. The Index's incorporation of ESG considerations may affect the Fund's exposure to certain sectors and/or types of investments, and may adversely impact the Fund's performance depending on whether such sectors or investments are in or out of favor in the market.
Fluctuation of Net Asset Value, Share Premiums and Discounts Risk: As with all exchange-traded funds, Fund Shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The trading prices of Fund Shares in the secondary market may differ from the Fund's daily net asset value per share and there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the net asset value per share (premium) or less than the net asset value per share (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility or periods of steep market declines.
Growth Stock Risk: The prices of growth stocks may be based largely on expectations of future earnings, and their prices can decline rapidly and significantly in reaction to negative news. Growth stocks may underperform value stocks and stocks in other broad style categories (and the stock market as a whole) over any period of time and may shift in and out of favor with investors generally, sometimes rapidly, depending on changes in market, economic, and other factors.
Indexing Strategy/Index Tracking Risk: The Fund is managed with an indexing investment strategy, attempting to track the performance of an unmanaged index of securities, regardless of the current or projected performance of the Index or of the actual securities comprising the Index. This differs from an actively-managed fund, which typically seeks to outperform a benchmark index. As a result, the Fund's performance may be less favorable than that of a portfolio managed using an active investment strategy. The structure and composition of the Index will affect the performance, volatility, and risk of the Index and, consequently, the performance, volatility, and risk of the Fund. When there are changes made to the component securities of the Index and the Fund in turn makes similar changes to its portfolio, any transaction costs and market exposure arising from such portfolio changes will be borne directly by the Fund and its shareholders. The Fund may recognize gains as a result of rebalancing or reconstituting its securities holdings to reflect changes in the securities included in the Index. The Fund also may be required to distribute any such gains to its shareholders to avoid adverse federal income tax consequences. While the Adviser seeks to track the performance of the Index (i.e., achieve a high degree of correlation with the Index), the Fund's return may not match the return of the Index. The Fund incurs a number of operating expenses not applicable to the Index, and incurs costs in buying and selling securities. In addition, the Fund may not be fully invested at times, generally as a result of cash flows into or out of the Fund or reserves of cash held by the Fund to meet redemptions. The Adviser may attempt to replicate the Index return by investing in fewer than all of the securities in the Index, or in some securities not included in the Index, potentially increasing the risk of divergence between the Fund's return and that of the Index.
Large-Capitalization Securities Risk: Returns on investments in securities of large companies could trail the returns on investments in securities of smaller and mid-sized companies. Larger companies may be unable to respond as quickly as smaller and mid-sized companies to competitive challenges or to changes in business, product, financial, or other market conditions. Larger companies may not be able to maintain growth at the high rates that may be achieved by well-managed smaller and mid-sized companies.
Liquidity Risk: Lack of a ready market or restrictions on resale may limit the ability of the Fund to sell a security at an advantageous time or price or at all. Illiquid securities may trade at a discount from comparable, more liquid investments and may be subject to wide fluctuations in market value. Illiquidity of the Fund's holdings may limit the ability of the Fund to obtain cash to meet redemptions on a timely basis. In addition, the Fund, due to limitations on investments in any illiquid securities and/or the difficulty in purchasing and selling such investments, may be unable to achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain market or sector.
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Market Risk: The Fund's investments are subject to changes in general economic conditions, and general market fluctuations and the risks inherent in investment in securities markets. Investment markets can be volatile and prices of investments can change substantially due to various factors including, but not limited to, economic growth or recession, changes in interest rates, changes in the actual or perceived creditworthiness of issuers, and general market liquidity. The Fund is subject to the risk that geopolitical events will disrupt securities markets and adversely affect global economies and markets.
Non-Diversification Risk: As a “non-diversified” fund, the Fund may hold a smaller number of portfolio securities than many other funds. To the extent the Fund invests in a relatively small number of issuers, a decline in the market value of a particular security held by the Fund may affect its value more than if it invested in a larger number of issuers. The value of Fund Shares may be more volatile than the values of shares of more diversified funds. [The Fund may become diversified for periods of time solely as a result of changes in the composition of the Index (e.g., changes in weightings of one or more component securities).]
Fund Performance
The Fund had not commenced operations as of the date of this Prospectus. Once the Fund has completed a full calendar year of operations, a bar chart and table will be included that will provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing the variability of the Fund's returns based on net assets and comparing the Fund's performance to the Index. When available, updated performance information may be obtained by calling 1-866-787-2257 or visiting the Fund's website: https://www.spdrs.com.
Portfolio Management
Investment Adviser
SSGA FM serves as the investment adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers
The professionals primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund are Michael Feehily, Karl Schneider and Olga Winner.
Michael Feehily, CFA, is a Senior Managing Director of the Adviser and the Head of Global Equity Beta Solutions in the Americas. He worked at the Adviser from 1997 to 2006 and rejoined in 2010.
Karl Schneider, CAIA, is a Managing Director of the Adviser and Deputy Head of Global Equity Beta Solutions in the Americas. He joined the Adviser in 1997.
Olga Winner, CFA, is a Vice President of the Adviser and a Senior Portfolio Manager in the Global Equity Beta Solutions Group. She joined the Adviser in 2007.
Purchase and Sale Information
The Fund will issue (or redeem) Fund Shares to certain institutional investors (typically market makers or other broker-dealers) only in large blocks of 10,000 Fund Shares known as “Creation Units.” Creation Unit transactions are conducted in exchange for the deposit or delivery of a designated portfolio of in-kind securities and/or cash constituting a substantial replication, or a representation, of the securities included in the Fund's benchmark index at the net asset value (“NAV”) next determined after receipt of an order in proper form. Creation Unit transactions may be made on any day that the New York Stock Exchange is open for business.
Individual Fund Shares may only be purchased and sold on the NYSE Arca, Inc., other national securities exchanges, electronic crossing networks and other alternative trading systems through your broker-dealer at market prices. Because Fund Shares trade at market prices rather than at NAV, Fund Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).
Tax Information
The Fund's distributions are expected to be taxed as ordinary income, qualified dividend income and/or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-advantaged arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or individual retirement account. Any withdrawals made from such tax-advantaged arrangement may be taxable to you.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase Fund Shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Adviser or its affiliates may pay the financial intermediary for certain activities related to the Fund, including educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and reporting systems, or other services related to
18

 

the sale or promotion of the Fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary's website for more information.
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SPDR® Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap Value ESG Select ETF
Investment Objective
The SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap Value ESG Select ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to provide investment results that, before fees and expenses, correspond generally to the total return performance of an index that tracks stocks of U.S. large capitalization companies that exhibit value and certain environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) characteristics.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund (“Fund Shares”). This table and the Example below reflect the expenses of the Fund and do not reflect brokerage commissions you may pay on purchases and sales of Fund 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 expenses1 [ ]%
Total annual Fund operating expenses [ ]%
1 “Other expenses” are based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year.
Example:
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated, and then sell all of your Fund 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:
Year 1 Year 3
$[ ] $[ ]
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 Fund 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's portfolio turnover rate has been omitted because the Fund had not commenced investment operations as of the date of this Prospectus.
The Fund's Principal Investment Strategy
In seeking to track the performance of the Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap Value ESG Ex-Controversies Select Index (the “Index”), the Fund employs a sampling strategy, which means that the Fund is not required to purchase all of the securities represented in the Index. Instead, the Fund may purchase a subset of the securities in the Index in an effort to hold a portfolio of securities with generally the same risk and return characteristics of the Index. The quantity of holdings in the Fund will be based on a number of factors, including asset size of the Fund. Based on its analysis of these factors, SSGA Funds Management, Inc. (“SSGA FM” or the “Adviser”), the investment adviser to the Fund, either may invest the Fund's assets in a subset of securities in the Index or may invest the Fund's assets in substantially all of the securities represented in the Index in approximately the same proportions as the Index, as determined by the Adviser to be in the best interest of the Fund in pursuing its objective.
Under normal market conditions, the Fund generally invests substantially all, but at least 80%, of its total assets in the securities comprising the Index. In addition, in seeking to track the Index, the Fund may invest in equity securities that are not included in the Index, cash and cash equivalents or money market instruments, such as repurchase agreements and money market funds (including money market funds advised by the Adviser).  In seeking to track the
20

 

Index, the Fund's assets will generally be concentrated in an industry or group of industries to the extent the Index concentrates in a particular industry or group of industries. Futures contracts may be used by the Fund in seeking performance that corresponds to the Index and in managing cash flows.
The Index is designed to measure the performance of U.S. large capitalization companies that exhibit value and certain environmental, social and governance characteristics, while also exhibiting risk and return characteristics that are comparable to those of the Bloomberg U.S. Large Cap Value Index (the “Parent Index”). The Parent Index includes securities that exhibit the strongest value characteristics screened from the 500 most highly-capitalized U.S. companies. Value characteristics are based on the following factors: 1) earnings yield, which includes earnings to price, cash flow to price and forward earnings to price ratios, 2) valuation, as determined by book to price and sales to price ratios, and 3) dividend yield, as determined by dividend to price ratio.
The Index incorporates ESG criteria to both score and screen each security within the Parent Index. The scoring system that is utilized by the Index, the “Responsibility” or “R-FactorTM” score, was developed by State Street Global Advisors. The R-FactorTM score measures the performance of a company's business operations and governance as related to financially material ESG challenges facing the issuer's industry. The R-FactorTM score draws on a number of data sources (collectively, “Third Party Providers”) that provide data metrics on a variety of ESG topics. As of the date of this Prospectus, the Third Party Providers include Sustainalytics, ISS-ESG (formerly, Oekom Research), Vigeo-EIRIS, and ISS-Governance; however, these are subject to change. The R-FactorTM scoring process comprises two underlying components, an ESG component and a corporate governance component. The ESG component is based on the framework published by the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (“SASB”), which attempts to identify ESG issues that are financially material to an issuer based on its industry classification. The ESG component of the R-FactorTM score is determined using only those metrics from the Third Party Providers that specifically address such issues. The corporate governance component of the score is generated using region-specific corporate governance codes developed by investors or regulators that describe minimum corporate governance expectations of a particular region. The governance codes typically address topics such as shareholder rights, board independence and executive compensation. The corporate governance component uses data provided by ISS-Governance to assign a corporate governance score to each issuer according to these governance codes.
To construct the Index, the Parent Index is first screened to remove issuers involved in, and/or which derive significant revenue (as determined by the Index Provider (as defined below)) from, certain practices, industries or product lines, including: Extreme Event Controversies, Controversial Weapons, UN Global Compact Violations, Civilian Firearms, Thermal Coal Extraction and Tobacco. The Index Provider incorporates data sourced from Sustainalytics for applying the screen. The remaining securities are then further screened to remove all companies without an R-FactorTM score. All remaining constituents are considered the investable universe. The final portfolio of securities in the Index is then constructed utilizing an optimizer that deploys a quantitative process that selects securities and their corresponding weight to maximize the Index's overall R-FactorTM score while also maintaining risk-return characteristics similar to the Parent Index. [As of September 30, 2019, a significant portion of the Fund comprised companies in the [  ] sector, although this may change from time to time.] As of [September 30, 2019], the Index comprised [  ] securities.
The Index selects securities in March and September and supplemental share updates are completed in June and December on the second Friday of each month. Rebalancing of the Index is quarterly, on the first Monday of January, April, July and October.
The Index is sponsored by Bloomberg Index Services Limited (the “Index Provider”), which is not affiliated with the Fund or the Adviser. The Index Provider determines the composition of the Index, relative weightings of the securities in the Index and publishes information regarding the market value of the Index.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund
As with all investments, there are certain risks of investing in the Fund. Fund Shares will change in value, and you could lose money by investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
Counterparty Risk: The Fund will be subject to credit risk with respect to the counterparties with which the Fund enters into derivatives contracts, repurchase agreements, reverse repurchase agreements, and other transactions. If a counterparty fails to meet its contractual obligations, the Fund may be unable to terminate or realize any gain on the investment or transaction, or to recover collateral posted to the counterparty, resulting in a loss to the Fund. If the Fund holds collateral posted by its counterparty, it may be delayed or prevented from realizing on the collateral in the event of a bankruptcy or insolvency proceeding relating to the counterparty.
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Derivatives Risk: Derivative transactions can create investment leverage and may have significant volatility. It is possible that a derivative transaction will result in a much greater loss than the principal amount invested, and the Fund may not be able to close out a derivative transaction at a favorable time or price. The counterparty to a derivatives contract may be unable or unwilling to make timely settlement payments, return the Fund's margin, or otherwise honor its obligations. A derivatives transaction may not behave in the manner anticipated by the Adviser or may not have the effect on the Fund anticipated by the Adviser.
Equity Investing Risk: The market prices of equity securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. The value of a security may decline for a number of reasons that may directly relate to the issuer and also may decline due to general industry or market conditions that are not specifically related to a particular company. In addition, equity markets tend to move in cycles, which may cause stock prices to fall over short or extended periods of time.
ESG Investing Risk: The Index's incorporation of ESG considerations in its methodology may cause the Fund to make different investments than funds that do not incorporate such considerations in their strategy or investment processes. Under certain economic conditions, this could cause the Fund's investment performance to be worse than funds that do not incorporate such considerations. The Index's incorporation of ESG considerations may affect the Fund's exposure to certain sectors and/or types of investments, and may adversely impact the Fund's performance depending on whether such sectors or investments are in or out of favor in the market.
Fluctuation of Net Asset Value, Share Premiums and Discounts Risk: As with all exchange-traded funds, Fund Shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The trading prices of Fund Shares in the secondary market may differ from the Fund's daily net asset value per share and there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the net asset value per share (premium) or less than the net asset value per share (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility or periods of steep market declines.
Indexing Strategy/Index Tracking Risk: The Fund is managed with an indexing investment strategy, attempting to track the performance of an unmanaged index of securities, regardless of the current or projected performance of the Index or of the actual securities comprising the Index. This differs from an actively-managed fund, which typically seeks to outperform a benchmark index. As a result, the Fund's performance may be less favorable than that of a portfolio managed using an active investment strategy. The structure and composition of the Index will affect the performance, volatility, and risk of the Index and, consequently, the performance, volatility, and risk of the Fund. When there are changes made to the component securities of the Index and the Fund in turn makes similar changes to its portfolio, any transaction costs and market exposure arising from such portfolio changes will be borne directly by the Fund and its shareholders. The Fund may recognize gains as a result of rebalancing or reconstituting its securities holdings to reflect changes in the securities included in the Index. The Fund also may be required to distribute any such gains to its shareholders to avoid adverse federal income tax consequences. While the Adviser seeks to track the performance of the Index (i.e., achieve a high degree of correlation with the Index), the Fund's return may not match the return of the Index. The Fund incurs a number of operating expenses not applicable to the Index, and incurs costs in buying and selling securities. In addition, the Fund may not be fully invested at times, generally as a result of cash flows into or out of the Fund or reserves of cash held by the Fund to meet redemptions. The Adviser may attempt to replicate the Index return by investing in fewer than all of the securities in the Index, or in some securities not included in the Index, potentially increasing the risk of divergence between the Fund's return and that of the Index.
Large-Capitalization Securities Risk: Returns on investments in securities of large companies could trail the returns on investments in securities of smaller and mid-sized companies. Larger companies may be unable to respond as quickly as smaller and mid-sized companies to competitive challenges or to changes in business, product, financial, or other market conditions. Larger companies may not be able to maintain growth at the high rates that may be achieved by well-managed smaller and mid-sized companies.
Liquidity Risk: Lack of a ready market or restrictions on resale may limit the ability of the Fund to sell a security at an advantageous time or price or at all. Illiquid securities may trade at a discount from comparable, more liquid investments and may be subject to wide fluctuations in market value. Illiquidity of the Fund's holdings may limit the ability of the Fund to obtain cash to meet redemptions on a timely basis. In addition, the Fund, due to limitations on investments in any illiquid securities and/or the difficulty in purchasing and selling such investments, may be unable to achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain market or sector.
Market Risk: The Fund's investments are subject to changes in general economic conditions, and general market fluctuations and the risks inherent in investment in securities markets. Investment markets can be volatile and prices of investments can change substantially due to various factors including, but not limited to, economic
22

 

growth or recession, changes in interest rates, changes in the actual or perceived creditworthiness of issuers, and general market liquidity. The Fund is subject to the risk that geopolitical events will disrupt securities markets and adversely affect global economies and markets.
Non-Diversification Risk: As a “non-diversified” fund, the Fund may hold a smaller number of portfolio securities than many other funds. To the extent the Fund invests in a relatively small number of issuers, a decline in the market value of a particular security held by the Fund may affect its value more than if it invested in a larger number of issuers. The value of Fund Shares may be more volatile than the values of shares of more diversified funds. [The Fund may become diversified for periods of time solely as a result of changes in the composition of the Index (e.g., changes in weightings of one or more component securities).]
Value Stock Risk: A “value” style of investing is subject to the risk that the returns on “value” equity securities are less than returns on other styles of investing or the overall stock market. Value stocks present the risk that they may decline in price or never reach their expected full market value because the market fails to recognize a stock's intrinsic worth.
Fund Performance
The Fund had not commenced operations as of the date of this Prospectus. Once the Fund has completed a full calendar year of operations, a bar chart and table will be included that will provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing the variability of the Fund's returns based on net assets and comparing the Fund's performance to the Index. When available, updated performance information may be obtained by calling 1-866-787-2257 or visiting the Fund's website: https://www.spdrs.com.
Portfolio Management
Investment Adviser
SSGA FM serves as the investment adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers
The professionals primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund are Michael Feehily, Karl Schneider and Lisa Hobart.
Michael Feehily, CFA, is a Senior Managing Director of the Adviser and the Head of Global Equity Beta Solutions in the Americas. He worked at the Adviser from 1997 to 2006 and rejoined in 2010.
Karl Schneider, CAIA, is a Managing Director of the Adviser and Deputy Head of Global Equity Beta Solutions in the Americas. He joined the Adviser in 1997.
Lisa Hobart is a Vice President of the Adviser and a Portfolio Manager in the Global Equity Beta Solutions Group. She joined the Adviser in 2006.
Purchase and Sale Information
The Fund will issue (or redeem) Fund Shares to certain institutional investors (typically market makers or other broker-dealers) only in large blocks of 10,000 Fund Shares known as “Creation Units.” Creation Unit transactions are conducted in exchange for the deposit or delivery of a designated portfolio of in-kind securities and/or cash constituting a substantial replication, or a representation, of the securities included in the Fund's benchmark index at the net asset value (“NAV”) next determined after receipt of an order in proper form. Creation Unit transactions may be made on any day that the New York Stock Exchange is open for business.
Individual Fund Shares may only be purchased and sold on the NYSE Arca, Inc., other national securities exchanges, electronic crossing networks and other alternative trading systems through your broker-dealer at market prices. Because Fund Shares trade at market prices rather than at NAV, Fund Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).
Tax Information
The Fund's distributions are expected to be taxed as ordinary income, qualified dividend income and/or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-advantaged arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or individual retirement account. Any withdrawals made from such tax-advantaged arrangement may be taxable to you.
23

 

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase Fund Shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Adviser or its affiliates may pay the financial intermediary for certain activities related to the Fund, including educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and reporting systems, or other services related to the sale or promotion of the Fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary's website for more information.
24

 

Additional Strategies Information
Principal Strategies
General. Please see each Fund's “The Fund's Principal Investment Strategy” section under “Fund Summaries” above for a complete discussion of each Fund's principal investment strategies. A Fund may invest in various types of securities and engage in various investment techniques which are not the principal focus of the Fund and therefore are not described in this Prospectus. These securities, techniques and practices, together with their risks, are described in the Statement of Additional Information (the “SAI”), which you may obtain free of charge by contacting shareholder services (see the back cover of this Prospectus for the address and phone number).
The Adviser seeks to track the performance of each Fund's Index as closely as possible (i.e., obtain a high degree of correlation with the Index). A number of factors may affect a Fund's ability to achieve a high degree of correlation with its Index, and there can be no guarantee that a Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation. For example, a Fund may not be able to achieve a high degree of correlation with its Index when there are practical difficulties or substantial costs involved in compiling a portfolio of securities to follow the Index, when a security in the Index becomes temporarily illiquid, unavailable or less liquid, or legal restrictions exist that prohibit the Fund from investing in a security in the Index.
The Adviser will utilize a sampling strategy in managing the Funds. Sampling means that the Adviser uses quantitative analysis to select securities, including securities in the Index, outside of the Index and derivatives that have a similar investment profile as the relevant Index in terms of key risk factors, performance attributes and other economic characteristics. These include industry weightings, market capitalization, and other financial characteristics of securities. The quantity of holdings in a Fund will be based on a number of factors, including asset size of the Fund. In addition, from time to time, securities are added to or removed from each Index. The Adviser may sell securities that are represented in an Index, or purchase securities that are not yet represented in an Index, in anticipation of their removal from or addition to an Index. Further, the Adviser may choose to overweight securities in an Index, purchase or sell securities not in an Index, or utilize various combinations of other available techniques, in seeking to track an Index.
Each Fund, as described in the SAI, has adopted a non-fundamental investment policy to invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of borrowings for investment purposes, in investments suggested by its name, measured at the time of investment. A Fund will provide shareholders with at least 60 days' notice prior to any change in this non-fundamental 80% investment policy. The Board of Trustees of the Trust (the “Board”) may change a Fund's investment strategy, Index and other policies without shareholder approval, except as otherwise indicated in this Prospectus or in the SAI. The Board may also change a Fund's investment objective without shareholder approval.
Non-Principal Strategies
Certain Other Investments. Each Fund may invest in structured notes (notes on which the amount of principal repayment and interest payments are based on the movement of one or more specified factors such as the movement of a particular security or index), swaps, options and futures contracts. Swaps, options and futures contracts and structured notes may be used by a Fund in seeking performance that corresponds to its Index and in managing cash flows.
Temporary Defensive Positions. In certain situations or market conditions, a Fund may temporarily depart from its normal investment policies and strategies, provided that the alternative is consistent with the Fund's investment objective and is in the best interest of the Fund. For example, a Fund may make larger than normal investments in derivatives to maintain exposure to its Index if it is unable to invest directly in a component security.
Borrowing Money. Each Fund may borrow money from a bank as permitted by the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (“1940 Act”), or other governing statute, by the Rules thereunder, or by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) or other regulatory agency with authority over the Fund, but only for temporary or emergency purposes. Each Fund may also invest in reverse repurchase agreements, which are considered borrowings under the 1940 Act. Although the 1940 Act presently allows a Fund to borrow from any bank (including pledging, mortgaging or hypothecating assets) in an amount up to 33 1/3% of its total assets (not including temporary borrowings not in excess of 5% of its total assets), and there is no percentage limit on Fund assets that can be used in connection with reverse repurchase agreements, under normal circumstances any borrowings by a Fund will not exceed 10% of the Fund's total assets.
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Lending of Securities. Each Fund may lend its portfolio securities in an amount not to exceed 40% of the value of its net assets via a securities lending program through its securities lending agent, State Street Bank and Trust Company (“State Street” or the “Lending Agent”), to brokers, dealers and other financial institutions desiring to borrow securities to complete transactions and for other purposes. A securities lending program allows a Fund to receive a portion of the income generated by lending its securities and investing the respective collateral. A Fund will receive collateral for each loaned security which is at least equal to the market value of that security, marked to market each trading day. In the securities lending program, the borrower generally has the right to vote the loaned securities; however, a Fund may call loans to vote proxies if a material issue affecting the Fund's economic interest in the investment is to be voted upon. Security loans may be terminated at any time by a Fund.
Additional Risk Information
The following section provides additional information regarding certain of the principal risks identified under “Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund” in each Fund Summary along with additional risk information. Risk information is applicable to all Funds unless otherwise noted.
Principal Risks
The tables below identify the principal risks of investing in each Fund.
Fund Name SPDR Bloomberg SASB Corporate Bond ESG Select ETF SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap Dividend Yield ESG Select ETF SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap ESG Select ETF SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap Growth ESG Select ETF SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap Value ESG Select ETF
Call/Prepayment Risk X        
Counterparty Risk X X X X X
Credit Risk X        
Debt Securities Risk X        
Derivatives Risk X X X X X
Dividend Paying Securities Risk   X      
Equity Investing Risk   X X X X
ESG Investing Risk X X X X X
Extension Risk X        
Financial Sector Risk X        
Fluctuation of Net Asset Value, Share Premiums and Discounts Risk X X X X X
Growth Stock Risk       X  
Income Risk X        
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Fund Name SPDR Bloomberg SASB Corporate Bond ESG Select ETF SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap Dividend Yield ESG Select ETF SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap ESG Select ETF SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap Growth ESG Select ETF SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap Value ESG Select ETF
Indexing Strategy/Index Tracking Risk X X X X X
Industrial Sector Risk X        
Interest Rate Risk X        
Large-Capitalization Securities Risk   X X X X
Liquidity Risk X X X X X
Market Risk X X X X X
Non-Diversification Risk X X X X X
Non-U.S. Securities Risk X        
Utilities Sector Risk X        
Valuation Risk X        
Value Stock Risk         X
Call/Prepayment Risk. Call/prepayment risk is the risk that an issuer will exercise its right to pay principal on an obligation held by a Fund earlier than expected or required. This may occur, for example, when there is a decline in interest rates, and an issuer of bonds or preferred stock redeems the bonds or stock in order to replace them with obligations on which it is required to pay a lower interest or dividend rate. It may also occur when there is an unanticipated increase in the rate at which mortgages or other receivables underlying mortgage- or asset-backed securities held by a Fund are prepaid. In any such case, a Fund may be forced to invest the prepaid amounts in lower-yielding investments, resulting in a decline in the Fund's income.
Counterparty Risk. A Fund will be subject to credit risk with respect to the counterparties with which the Fund enters into derivatives contracts and other transactions such as repurchase agreements or reverse repurchase agreements. A Fund's ability to profit from these types of investments and transactions will depend on the willingness and ability of its counterparty to perform its obligations. If a counterparty fails to meet its contractual obligations, a Fund may be unable to terminate or realize any gain on the investment or transaction, resulting in a loss to the Fund. A Fund may experience significant delays in obtaining any recovery in an insolvency, bankruptcy, or other reorganization proceeding involving its counterparty (including recovery of any collateral posted by it) and may obtain only a limited recovery or may obtain no recovery in such circumstances. If a Fund holds collateral posted by its counterparty, it may be delayed or prevented from realizing on the collateral in the event of a bankruptcy or insolvency proceeding relating to the counterparty. Under applicable law or contractual provisions, including if a Fund enters into an investment or transaction with a financial institution and such financial institution (or an affiliate of the financial institution)
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experiences financial difficulties, then the Fund may in certain situations be prevented or delayed from exercising its rights to terminate the investment or transaction, or to realize on any collateral and may result in the suspension of payment and delivery obligations of the parties under such investment or transactions or in another institution being substituted for that financial institution without the consent of the Fund. Further, a Fund may be subject to “bail-in” risk under applicable law whereby, if required by the financial institution's authority, the financial institution's liabilities could be written down, eliminated or converted into equity or an alternative instrument of ownership. A bail-in of a financial institution may result in a reduction in value of some or all of its securities and, if a Fund holds such securities or has entered into a transaction with such a financial security when a bail-in occurs, the Fund may also be similarly impacted.
Credit Risk. Credit risk is the risk that an issuer, guarantor or liquidity provider of a fixed-income security held by a Fund may be unable or unwilling, or may be perceived (whether by market participants, ratings agencies, pricing services or otherwise) as unable or unwilling, to make timely principal and/or interest payments, or to otherwise honor its obligations. It includes the risk that the security will be downgraded by a credit rating agency; generally, lower credit quality issuers present higher credit risks. An actual or perceived decline in creditworthiness of an issuer of a fixed-income security held by a Fund may result in a decrease in the value of the security. It is possible that the ability of an issuer to meet its obligations will decline substantially during the period when a Fund owns securities of the issuer or that the issuer will default on its obligations or that the obligations of the issuer will be limited or restructured.
The credit rating assigned to any particular investment does not necessarily reflect the issuer's current financial condition and does not reflect an assessment of an investment's volatility or liquidity. Securities rated in the lowest category of investment-grade are considered to have speculative characteristics. If a security held by a Fund loses its rating or its rating is downgraded, the Fund may nonetheless continue to hold the security in the discretion of the Adviser. In the case of asset-backed or mortgage-related securities, changes in the actual or perceived ability of the obligors on the underlying assets or mortgages to make payments of interest and/or principal may affect the values of those securities.
Debt Securities Risk. The values of debt securities may increase or decrease as a result of the following: market fluctuations, increases in interest rates, actual or perceived inability or unwillingness of issuers, guarantors or liquidity providers to make scheduled principal or interest payments or illiquidity in debt securities markets; the risk of low rates of return due to reinvestment of securities during periods of falling interest rates or repayment by issuers with higher coupon or interest rates; and/or the risk of low income due to falling interest rates. To the extent that interest rates rise, certain underlying obligations may be paid off substantially slower than originally anticipated and the value of those securities may fall sharply. A rising interest rate environment may cause the value of a Fund's fixed income securities to decrease, a decline in a Fund's income and yield, an adverse impact on the liquidity of a Fund's fixed income securities, and increased volatility of the fixed income markets. If the principal on a debt obligation is prepaid before expected, the prepayments of principal may have to be reinvested in obligations paying interest at lower rates. During periods of falling interest rates, the income received by a Fund may decline. Changes in interest rates will likely have a greater effect on the values of debt securities of longer durations. Returns on investments in debt securities could trail the returns on other investment options, including investments in equity securities.
Derivatives Risk. A derivative is a financial contract the value of which depends on, or is derived from, the value of an underlying asset, interest rate, or index. Derivative transactions typically involve leverage and may have significant volatility. It is possible that a derivative transaction will result in a loss greater than the principal amount invested, and a Fund may not be able to close out a derivative transaction at a favorable time or price. Risks associated with derivative instruments include potential changes in value in response to interest rate changes or other market developments or as a result of the counterparty's credit quality; the potential for the derivative transaction not to have the effect the Adviser anticipated or a different or less favorable effect than the Adviser anticipated; the failure of the counterparty to the derivative transaction to perform its obligations under the transaction or to settle a trade; possible mispricing or improper valuation of the derivative instrument; imperfect correlation in the value of a derivative with the asset, rate, or index underlying the derivative; the risk that a Fund may be required to post collateral or margin with its counterparty, and will not be able to recover the collateral or margin in the event of the counterparty's insolvency or bankruptcy; the risk that a Fund will experience losses on its derivatives investments and on its other portfolio investments, even when the derivatives investments may be intended in part or entirely to hedge those portfolio investments; the risks specific to the asset underlying the derivative instrument; lack of liquidity for the derivative
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instrument, including without limitation absence of a secondary trading market; the potential for reduced returns to a Fund due to losses on the transaction and an increase in volatility; the potential for the derivative transaction to have the effect of accelerating the recognition of gain; and legal risks arising from the documentation relating to the derivative transaction.
Dividend Paying Securities Risk. Securities that pay dividends, as a group, can fall out of favor with the market, causing such companies to underperform companies that do not pay dividends. In addition, changes in the dividend policies of the companies held by a Fund or the capital resources available for such company's dividend payments may adversely affect the Fund.
Equity Investing Risk. The market prices of equity securities owned by a Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. The value of a security may decline for a number of reasons that may directly relate to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage, non-compliance with regulatory requirements, and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services. The values of equity securities also may decline due to general industry or market conditions that are not specifically related to a particular company, such as real or perceived adverse economic conditions, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates, or adverse investor sentiment generally. In addition, equity markets tend to move in cycles, which may cause stock prices to fall over short or extended periods of time.
ESG Investing Risk. An Index's incorporation of environmental, social and/or governance considerations in its methodology may cause a Fund to make different investments than funds that do not incorporate such considerations in their investment strategy or processes. An Index's incorporation of ESG considerations may affect a Fund's exposure to certain sectors and/or types of investments, and may adversely impact a Fund's performance depending on whether such sectors or investments are in or out of favor in the market. In addition, a Fund's investments in certain companies may be susceptible to various factors that may impact their businesses or operations, including costs associated with government budgetary constraints that impact publicly funded projects and clean energy initiatives, the effects of general economic conditions throughout the world, increased competition from other providers of services, unfavorable tax laws or accounting policies and high leverage. Each Index methodology incorporates ESG criteria based on the data provided by third parties. A Fund may invest in companies that do not reflect the beliefs and values of any particular investor.
Extension Risk. During periods of rising interest rates, the average life of certain types of securities may be extended because of slower-than-expected principal payments. This may increase the period of time during which an investment earns a below-market interest rate, increase the security's duration and reduce the value of the security. Extension risk may be heightened during periods of adverse economic conditions generally, as payment rates decline due to higher unemployment levels and other factors.
Financial Sector Risk. Financial services companies are subject to extensive governmental regulation which may limit both the amounts and types of loans and other financial commitments they can make, the interest rates and fees they can charge, the scope of their activities, the prices they can charge and the amount of capital they must maintain. Profitability is largely dependent on the availability and cost of capital funds and can fluctuate significantly when interest rates change or due to increased competition. In addition, deterioration of the credit markets generally may cause an adverse impact in a broad range of markets, including U.S. and international credit and interbank money markets generally, thereby affecting a wide range of financial institutions and markets. Certain events in the financial sector may cause an unusually high degree of volatility in the financial markets, both domestic and foreign, and cause certain financial services companies to incur large losses. Securities of financial services companies may experience a dramatic decline in value when such companies experience substantial declines in the valuations of their assets, take action to raise capital (such as the issuance of debt or equity securities), or cease operations. Credit losses resulting from financial difficulties of borrowers and financial losses associated with investment activities can negatively impact the sector. Insurance companies may be subject to severe price competition. Adverse economic, business or political developments could adversely affect financial institutions engaged in mortgage finance or other lending or investing activities directly or indirectly connected to the value of real estate.
Fluctuation of Net Asset Value, Share Premiums and Discounts Risk. The net asset value of Fund Shares will generally fluctuate with changes in the market value of a Fund's securities holdings. The market prices of Fund Shares will generally fluctuate in accordance with changes in a Fund's net asset value and supply and demand of Fund Shares on the Exchange. It cannot be predicted whether Fund Shares will trade below, at or above their net asset value. Price
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differences may be due, in large part, to the fact that supply and demand forces at work in the secondary trading market for Fund Shares will be closely related to, but not identical to, the same forces influencing the prices of the securities of an Index trading individually or in the aggregate at any point in time. The market prices of Fund Shares may deviate significantly from the net asset value of Fund Shares during periods of market volatility. However, given that Fund Shares can be created and redeemed in Creation Units (unlike shares of many closed-end funds, which frequently trade at appreciable discounts from, and sometimes at premiums to, their net asset value), the Adviser believes that large discounts or premiums to the net asset value of Fund Shares should not be sustained over long periods. While the creation/redemption feature is designed to make it likely that Fund Shares normally will trade close to a Fund's net asset value, disruptions to creations and redemptions or market volatility may result in trading prices that differ significantly from the Fund's net asset value. If an investor purchases Fund Shares at a time when the market price is at a premium to the net asset value of Fund Shares or sells at a time when the market price is at a discount to the net asset value of Fund Shares, then the investor may sustain losses.
Growth Stock Risk. The prices of growth stocks may be based largely on expectations of future earnings, and their prices can decline rapidly and significantly in reaction to negative news about such factors as earnings, revenues, the economy, political developments, or other news. Growth stocks may underperform value stocks and stocks in other broad style categories (and the stock market as a whole) over any period of time and may shift in and out of favor with investors generally, sometimes rapidly, depending on changes in market, economic, and other factors. As a result, at times when it holds substantial investments in growth stocks, a Fund may underperform other investment funds that invest more broadly or that favor different investment styles. Because growth companies typically reinvest their earnings, growth stocks typically do not pay dividends at levels associated with other types of stocks, if at all.
Income Risk. A Fund's income may decline due to falling interest rates or other factors. Issuers of securities held by a Fund may call or redeem the securities during periods of falling interest rates, and the Fund would likely be required to reinvest in securities paying lower interest rates. If an obligation held by a Fund is prepaid, the Fund may have to reinvest the prepayment in other obligations paying income at lower rates. A reduction in the income earned by a Fund may limit the Fund's ability to achieve its objective.
Indexing Strategy/Index Tracking Risk. Each Fund is managed with an indexing investment strategy, attempting to track the performance of an unmanaged index of securities. Each Fund will seek to replicate Index returns, regardless of the current or projected performance of the Index or of the actual securities comprising the Index. This differs from an actively-managed fund, which typically seeks to outperform a benchmark index. Each Fund generally will buy and will not sell a security included in the Index as long as the security is part of the Index regardless of any sudden or material decline in value or foreseeable material decline in value of the security, even though the Adviser may make a different investment decision for other actively managed accounts or portfolios that hold the security. As a result, a Fund's performance may be less favorable than that of a portfolio managed using an active investment strategy. The structure and composition of the Index will affect the performance, volatility, and risk of the Index (in absolute terms and by comparison with other indices) and, consequently, the performance, volatility, and risk of a Fund. While the Adviser seeks to track the performance of the Index (i.e., achieve a high degree of correlation with the Index), a Fund's return may not match the return of the Index for a number of reasons. For example, the return on the sample of securities purchased by a Fund (or the return on securities not included in the Index) to replicate the performance of the Index may not correlate precisely with the return of the Index. Each Fund incurs a number of operating expenses not applicable to the Index, and incurs costs in buying and selling securities. In addition, a Fund may not be fully invested at times, either as a result of cash flows into or out of the Fund or reserves of cash held by the Fund to meet redemptions. The Adviser may attempt to replicate the Index return by investing in fewer than all of the securities in the Index, or in some securities not included in the Index, potentially increasing the risk of divergence between a Fund's return and that of the Index. Changes in the composition of the Index and regulatory requirements also may impact a Fund's ability to match the return of the Index. The Adviser may apply one or more “screens” or investment techniques to refine or limit the number or types of issuers included in the Index in which a Fund may invest. Application of such screens or techniques may result in investment performance below that of the Index and may not produce results expected by the Adviser. Index tracking risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions.
Pursuant to each Index methodology, a security may be removed from an Index in the event that it does not comply with the eligibility requirements of the Index. As a result, a Fund may be forced to sell securities at inopportune times and/or unfavorable prices due to these changes in the Index components. When there are changes made to the
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component securities of an Index and the corresponding Fund in turn makes similar changes to its portfolio to attempt to increase the correlation between the Fund's portfolio and the Index, any transaction costs and market exposure arising from such portfolio changes will be borne directly by the Fund and its shareholders. Unscheduled changes to an Index may expose the corresponding Fund to additional tracking error risk. A Fund may recognize gains as a result of rebalancing or reconstituting its securities holdings to reflect changes in the securities included in the corresponding Index. A Fund also may be required to distribute any such gains to its shareholders to avoid adverse federal income tax consequences.
Industrial Sector Risk. Industrial companies are affected by supply and demand both for their specific product or service and for industrial sector products in general. Government regulation, world events, exchange rates and economic conditions, technological developments and liabilities for environmental damage and general civil liabilities will likewise affect the performance of these companies. Aerospace and defense companies, a component of the industrial sector, can be significantly affected by government spending policies because companies involved in this industry rely, to a significant extent, on U.S. and foreign government demand for their products and services. Thus, the financial condition of, and investor interest in, aerospace and defense companies are heavily influenced by governmental defense spending policies which are typically under pressure from efforts to control the U.S. (and other) government budgets. Transportation securities, a component of the industrial sector, are cyclical and have occasional sharp price movements which may result from changes in the economy, fuel prices, labor agreements and insurance costs.
Interest Rate Risk. Interest rate risk is the risk that the securities held by a Fund will decline in value because of increases in market interest rates. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates. Debt securities with longer durations tend to be more sensitive to changes in interest rates, usually making them more volatile than debt securities with shorter durations. For example, the value of a security with a duration of five years would be expected to decrease by 5% for every 1% increase in interest rates. Falling interest rates also create the potential for a decline in a Fund's income and yield. Interest-only and principal-only securities are especially sensitive to interest rate changes, which can affect not only their prices but can also change the income flows and repayment assumptions about those investments. Variable and floating rate securities also generally increase or decrease in value in response to changes in interest rates, although generally to a lesser degree than fixed-rate securities. A substantial increase in interest rates may also have an adverse impact on the liquidity of a security, especially those with longer durations. Interest rate changes can be sudden and unpredictable, and are influenced by a number of factors, including government policy, monetary policy, inflation expectations, perceptions of risk, and supply and demand for bonds. Changes in government or central bank policy, including changes in tax policy or changes in a central bank's implementation of specific policy goals, may have a substantial impact on interest rates. This could lead to heightened levels of interest rate, volatility and liquidity risks for the fixed income markets generally and could have a substantial and immediate effect on the values of a Fund's investments. There can be no guarantee that any particular government or central bank policy will be continued, discontinued or changed, nor that any such policy will have the desired effect on interest rates.
Large-Capitalization Securities Risk. Securities issued by large-capitalization companies may present risks not present in smaller companies. For example, larger companies may be unable to respond as quickly as smaller and mid-sized companies to competitive challenges or to changes in business, product, financial, or other market conditions. Larger companies may not be able to maintain growth at the high rates that may be achieved by well-managed smaller and mid-sized companies, especially during strong economic periods. Returns on investments in securities of large companies could trail the returns on investments in securities of smaller and mid-sized companies.
Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk is the risk that a Fund may not be able to dispose of securities or close out derivatives transactions readily at a favorable time or prices (or at all) or at prices approximating those at which a Fund currently values them. For example, certain investments may be subject to restrictions on resale, may trade in the over-the-counter market or in limited volume, or may not have an active trading market. Illiquid securities may trade at a discount from comparable, more liquid investments and may be subject to wide fluctuations in market value. It may be difficult for a Fund to value illiquid securities accurately. The market for certain investments may become illiquid under adverse market or economic conditions independent of any specific adverse changes in the conditions of a
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particular issuer. Disposal of illiquid securities may entail registration expenses and other transaction costs that are higher than those for liquid securities. A Fund may seek to borrow money to meet its obligations (including among other things redemption obligations) if it is unable to dispose of illiquid investments, resulting in borrowing expenses and possible leveraging of the Fund.
Market Risk. Market prices of investments held by a Fund will go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. A Fund's investments are subject to changes in general economic conditions, general market fluctuations and the risks inherent in investment in securities markets. Investment markets can be volatile and prices of investments can change substantially due to various factors including, but not limited to, economic growth or recession, changes in interest rates, changes in actual or perceived creditworthiness of issuers and general market liquidity. Even if general economic conditions do not change, the value of an investment in a Fund could decline if the particular industries, sectors or companies in which the Fund invests do not perform well or are adversely affected by events. Further, legal, political, regulatory and tax changes also may cause fluctuations in markets and securities prices.
Non-Diversification Risk. As a “non-diversified” fund, each Fund may hold a smaller number of portfolio securities than many other funds. To the extent a Fund invests in a relatively small number of issuers, a decline in the market value of a particular security held by the Fund may affect its value more than if it invested in a larger number of issuers. The value of Fund Shares may be more volatile than the values of shares of more diversified funds. [A Fund may become diversified for periods of time solely as a result of changes in the composition of the corresponding Index (e.g., changes in weightings of one or more component securities).]
Non-U.S. Securities Risk. Investments in securities of non-U.S. issuers (including depositary receipts) entail risks not typically associated with investing in securities of U.S. issuers. Similar risks may apply to securities traded on a U.S. securities exchange that are issued by entities with significant exposure to non-U.S. countries. In certain countries, legal remedies available to investors may be more limited than those available with regard to U.S. investments. Because non-U.S. securities are typically denominated and traded in currencies other than the U.S. dollar, the value of a Fund's assets, to the extent they are non-U.S. dollar denominated, may be affected favorably or unfavorably by currency exchange rates, exchange control regulations, and restrictions or prohibitions on the repatriation of non-U.S. currencies. To the extent underlying securities held by a Fund trade on foreign exchanges that are closed when the exchange on which the Fund's shares trade is open, there may be deviations between the current price of an underlying security and the last quoted price for the underlying security on the closed foreign market. These deviations could result in a Fund experiencing premiums or discounts greater than those of ETFs that invest in domestic securities. Income and gains with respect to investments in certain countries may be subject to withholding and other taxes. There may be less information publicly available about a non-U.S. entity than about a U.S. entity, and many non-U.S. entities are not subject to accounting, auditing, and financial reporting standards, regulatory framework and practices comparable to those in the United States. The securities of some non-U.S. entities are less liquid and at times more volatile than securities of comparable U.S. entities, and could become subject to sanctions or embargoes that adversely affect a Fund's investment. Non-U.S. transaction costs, such as brokerage commissions and custody costs may be higher than in the U.S. In addition, there may be a possibility of nationalization or expropriation of assets, imposition of currency exchange controls, confiscatory taxation, and diplomatic developments that could adversely affect the values of a Fund's investments in certain non-U.S. countries. Investments in securities of non-U.S. issuers also are subject to foreign political and economic risk not associated with U.S. investments, meaning that political events (civil unrest, national elections, changes in political conditions and foreign relations, imposition of exchange controls and repatriation restrictions), social and economic events (labor strikes, rising inflation) and natural disasters occurring in a country where a Fund invests could cause the Fund's investments in that country to experience gains or losses.
Utilities Sector Risk. Utility companies are affected by supply and demand, operating costs, government regulation, environmental factors, liabilities for environmental damage and general civil liabilities, and rate caps or rate changes. Although rate changes of a utility usually fluctuate in approximate correlation with financing costs, due to political and regulatory factors, rate changes ordinarily occur only following a delay after the changes in financing costs. This factor will tend to favorably affect a regulated utility company's earnings and dividends in times of decreasing costs, but conversely, will tend to adversely affect earnings and dividends when costs are rising. The value of regulated utility debt securities (and, to a lesser extent, equity securities) may tend to have an inverse relationship to the movement of interest rates. Certain utility companies have experienced full or partial deregulation in recent years. These utility companies are frequently more similar to industrial companies in that they are subject to greater competition and have
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been permitted by regulators to diversify outside of their original geographic regions and their traditional lines of business. These opportunities may permit certain utility companies to earn more than their traditional regulated rates of return. Some companies, however, may be forced to defend their core business and may be less profitable. In addition, natural disasters, terrorist attacks, government intervention or other factors may render a utility company's equipment unusable or obsolete and negatively impact profitability.
Among the risks that may affect utility companies are the following: risks of increases in fuel and other operating costs; the high cost of borrowing to finance capital construction during inflationary periods; restrictions on operations and increased costs and delays associated with compliance with environmental and nuclear safety regulations; and the difficulties involved in obtaining natural gas for resale or fuel for generating electricity at reasonable prices. Other risks include those related to the construction and operation of nuclear power plants, the effects of energy conservation and the effects of regulatory changes.
Valuation Risk. Some portfolio holdings, potentially a large portion of a Fund's investment portfolio, may be valued on the basis of factors other than market quotations. This may occur more often in times of market turmoil or reduced liquidity. There are multiple methods that can be used to value a portfolio holding when market quotations are not readily available. The value established for any portfolio holding at a point in time might differ from what would be produced using a different methodology or if it had been priced using market quotations. Portfolio holdings that are valued using techniques other than market quotations, including “fair valued” securities, may be subject to greater fluctuation in their valuations from one day to the next than if market quotations were used. Technological issues or other service disruption issues involving third-party service providers may cause a Fund to value its investments incorrectly. In addition, there is no assurance that a Fund could sell or close out a portfolio position for the value established for it at any time, and it is possible that a Fund would incur a loss because a portfolio position is sold or closed out at a discount to the valuation established by a Fund at that time. Investors who purchase or redeem Fund Shares on days when a Fund is holding fair-valued investments may receive fewer or more shares or lower or higher redemption proceeds than they would have received if a Fund had not fair-valued the holding(s) or had used a different valuation methodology.
Value Stock Risk. Value stocks present the risk that they may decline in price or never reach their expected full market value because the market fails to recognize the stock's intrinsic worth. Value stocks may underperform growth stocks and stocks in other broad style categories (and the stock market as a whole) over any period of time and may shift in and out of favor with investors generally, sometimes rapidly, depending on changes in market, economic, and other factors. As a result, at times when it holds substantial investments in value stocks a Fund may underperform other investment portfolios that invest more broadly or that favor different investment styles.
Non-Principal Risks
Authorized Participants, Market Makers and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. A Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants (“APs”), which are responsible for the creation and redemption activity for a Fund. In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, Fund Shares may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.
Conflicts of Interest Risk. An investment in a Fund will be subject to a number of actual or potential conflicts of interest. For example, the Adviser or its affiliates may provide services to a Fund, such as securities lending agency services, custodial, administrative, bookkeeping, and accounting services, transfer agency and shareholder servicing, securities brokerage services, and other services for which the Fund would compensate the Adviser and/or such affiliates. The Funds may invest in other pooled investment vehicles sponsored, managed, or otherwise affiliated with the Adviser. There is no assurance that the rates at which a Fund pays fees or expenses to the Adviser or its affiliates, or the terms on which it enters into transactions with the Adviser or its affiliates will be the most favorable available in the market generally or as favorable as the rates the Adviser makes available to other clients. Because of its financial interest, the Adviser will have an incentive to enter into transactions or arrangements on behalf of a Fund with itself or its affiliates in circumstances where it might not have done so in the absence of that interest, provided that the Adviser will comply with applicable regulatory requirements.
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The Adviser and its affiliates serve as investment adviser to other clients and may make investment decisions that may be different from those that will be made by the Adviser on behalf of the Funds. For example, the Adviser may provide asset allocation advice to some clients that may include a recommendation to invest in or redeem from particular issuers while not providing that same recommendation to all clients invested in the same or similar issuers. The Adviser may (subject to applicable law) be simultaneously seeking to purchase (or sell) investments for a Fund and to sell (or purchase) the same investment for accounts, funds, or structured products for which it serves as asset manager, or for other clients or affiliates. The Adviser and its affiliates may invest for clients in various securities that are senior, pari passu or junior to, or have interests different from or adverse to, the securities that are owned by a Fund. The Adviser or its affiliates, in connection with its other business activities, may acquire material nonpublic confidential information that may restrict the Adviser from purchasing securities or selling securities for itself or its clients (including the Funds) or otherwise using such information for the benefit of its clients or itself.
The foregoing does not purport to be a comprehensive list or complete explanation of all potential conflicts of interests which may affect a Fund. A Fund may encounter circumstances, or enter into transactions, in which conflicts of interest that are not listed or discussed above may arise.
Costs of Buying and Selling Shares. Investors buying or selling Fund Shares in the secondary market will pay brokerage commissions or other charges imposed by brokers, as determined by that broker. Brokerage commissions are often a fixed amount and may be a significant proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell relatively small amounts of Fund Shares. In addition, secondary market investors will also incur the cost of the difference between the price that an investor is willing to pay for Fund Shares (the “bid” price) and the price at which an investor is willing to sell Fund Shares (the “ask” price). This difference in bid and ask prices is often referred to as the “spread” or “bid/ask spread.” The bid/ask spread varies over time for Fund Shares based on trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if Fund Shares have more trading volume and market liquidity and higher if Fund Shares have little trading volume and market liquidity. Further, increased market volatility may cause increased bid/ask spreads. Due to the costs of buying or selling Fund Shares, including bid/ask spreads, frequent trading of Fund Shares may significantly reduce investment results and an investment in Fund Shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.
Cybersecurity Risk. With the increased use of technologies such as the Internet and the dependence on computer systems to perform business and operational functions, funds (such as the Funds) and their service providers (including the Adviser) may be prone to operational and information security risks resulting from cyber-attacks and/or technological malfunctions. In general, cyber-attacks are deliberate, but unintentional events may have similar effects. Cyber-attacks include, among others, stealing or corrupting data maintained online or digitally, preventing legitimate users from accessing information or services on a website, releasing confidential information without authorization, and causing operational disruption. Successful cyber-attacks against, or security breakdowns of, a Fund, the Adviser or a custodian, transfer agent, or other affiliated or third-party service provider may adversely affect a Fund or its shareholders. For instance, cyber-attacks or technical malfunctions may interfere with the processing of shareholder or other transactions, affect a Fund's ability to calculate its NAV, cause the release of private shareholder information or confidential Fund information, impede trading, cause reputational damage, and subject a Fund to regulatory fines, penalties or financial losses, reimbursement or other compensation costs, and additional compliance costs. Cyber-attacks or technical malfunctions may render records of Fund assets and transactions, shareholder ownership of Fund Shares, and other data integral to the functioning of a Fund inaccessible or inaccurate or incomplete. A Fund may also incur substantial costs for cybersecurity risk management in order to prevent cyber incidents in the future. A Fund and its shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result. While the Adviser has established business continuity plans and systems designed to minimize the risk of cyber-attacks through the use of technology, processes and controls, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems, including the possibility that certain risks have not been identified given the evolving nature of this threat. Each Fund relies on third-party service providers for many of its day-to-day operations, and will be subject to the risk that the protections and protocols implemented by those service providers will be ineffective to protect the Fund from cyber-attack. The Adviser does not control the cybersecurity plans and systems put in place by third-party service providers, and such third-party service providers may have limited indemnification obligations to the Adviser or the Funds. Similar types of cybersecurity risks or technical malfunctions also are present for issuers of securities in which each Fund invests, which could result in material adverse consequences for such issuers, and may cause a Fund's investment in such securities to lose value.
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Index Construction Risk. A security included in an Index may not exhibit the characteristic or provide the specific exposure for which it was selected and consequently a Fund's holdings may not exhibit returns consistent with that characteristic or exposure.
Index Licensing Risk. It is possible that the license under which the Adviser or a Fund is permitted to replicate or otherwise use an Index will be terminated or may be disputed, impaired or cease to remain in effect. In such a case, the Adviser may be required to replace the Index with another index which it considers to be appropriate in light of the investment strategy of a Fund. The use of any such substitute index may have an adverse impact on a Fund's performance. In the event that the Adviser is unable to identify a suitable replacement for the relevant Index, it may determine to terminate a Fund.
Money Market Risk. An investment in a money market fund is not a deposit of any bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the FDIC or any other government agency. Certain money market funds seek to preserve the value of their shares at $1.00 per share, although there can be no assurance that they will do so, and it is possible to lose money by investing in such a money market fund. A major or unexpected increase in interest rates or a decline in the credit quality of an issuer or entity providing credit support, an inactive trading market for money market instruments, or adverse market, economic, industry, political, regulatory, geopolitical, and other conditions could cause the share price of such a money market fund to fall below $1.00. It is possible that such a money market fund will issue and redeem shares at $1.00 per share at times when the fair value of the money market fund's portfolio per share is more or less than $1.00. None of State Street Corporation, State Street Bank and Trust Company (“State Street”), State Street Global Advisors, Inc. (“SSGA”), SSGA FM or their affiliates (“State Street Entities”) guarantee the value of an investment in a money market fund at $1.00 per share. Investors should have no expectation of capital support to a money market fund from State Street Entities. Other money market funds price and transact at a “floating” NAV that will fluctuate along with changes in the market-based value of fund assets. Shares sold utilizing a floating NAV may be worth more or less than their original purchase price. Recent changes in the regulation of money market funds may affect the operations and structures of money market funds. A money market fund may be permitted or required to impose redemption fees or to impose limitations on redemptions during periods of high illiquidity in the markets for the investments held by it.
Portfolio Turnover Risk. A Fund may engage in frequent trading of its portfolio securities. Fund turnover generally involves a number of direct and indirect costs and expenses to a Fund, including, for example, brokerage commissions, dealer mark-ups and bid/asked spreads, and transaction costs on the sale of securities and reinvestment in other securities. The costs related to increased portfolio turnover have the effect of reducing a Fund's investment return, and the sale of securities by the Fund may result in the realization of taxable capital gains, including short-term capital gains.
Securities Lending Risk. Each Fund may lend portfolio securities in an amount not to exceed 40% of the value of its net assets. For these purposes, net assets shall exclude the value of all assets received as collateral for the loan. Such loans may be terminated at any time. Any such loans must be continuously secured by collateral maintained on a current basis in an amount at least equal to the market value of the securities loaned by a Fund, marked to market each trading day. In a loan transaction, as compensation for lending its securities, a Fund will receive a portion of the dividends or interest accrued on the securities held as collateral or, in the case of cash collateral, a portion of the income from the investment of such cash. In addition, a Fund will receive the amount of all dividends, interest and other distributions on the loaned securities. However, the borrower has the right to vote the loaned securities. A Fund will call loans to vote proxies if a material issue affecting the investment is to be voted upon. Efforts to recall such securities promptly may be unsuccessful, especially for foreign securities or thinly traded securities, and may involve expenses to a Fund. Securities lending involves the risk that the Fund may lose money because the borrower of the loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. Should the borrower of the securities fail financially, a Fund may experience delays in recovering the securities or exercising its rights in the collateral. Loans are made only to borrowers that are deemed by the securities lending agent to be of good financial standing. In a loan transaction, a Fund will also bear the risk of any decline in value of securities provided as collateral or acquired with cash collateral. Each Fund will attempt to minimize this risk by limiting the investment of cash collateral to high quality instruments of short maturity either directly on behalf of the lending Fund or through one or more joint accounts or funds, which may include those managed by the Adviser. To the extent the collateral provided or investments made with cash collateral differ from securities included in an Index, such collateral or investments may have a greater risk
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of loss than the securities included in the Index. In addition, a Fund will be subject to the risk that any income generated by lending its securities or reinvesting cash collateral is lower than any fees the Fund has agreed to pay a borrower. The Adviser will take into account the tax impact to shareholders of substitute payments for dividends when overseeing a Fund's securities lending activity.
Trading Issues. Although Fund Shares are listed for trading on the Exchange and may be listed or traded on U.S. and non-U.S. stock exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for the Fund Shares will develop or be maintained. Trading in Fund Shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Fund Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in Fund Shares on the Exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to Exchange “circuit breaker” rules. Similar to the shares of operating companies listed on a stock exchange, Fund Shares may be sold short and are therefore subject to the risk of increased volatility in the trading price of the Fund's shares. While each Fund expects that the ability of Authorized Participants to create and redeem Fund Shares at net asset value should be effective in reducing any such volatility, there is no guarantee that it will eliminate the volatility associated with such short sales. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of a Fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged or that Fund Shares will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange.
Management
Investment Adviser
SSGA FM serves as the investment adviser to each Fund and, subject to the oversight of the Board, is responsible for the investment management of each Fund. The Adviser provides an investment management program for each Fund and manages the investment of each Fund's assets. The Adviser is a wholly-owned subsidiary of State Street Global Advisors, Inc., which itself is a wholly-owned subsidiary of State Street Corporation. The Adviser is registered with the SEC under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended. The Adviser and certain other affiliates of State Street Corporation make up SSGA. SSGA is one of the world's largest institutional money managers and the investment management arm of State Street Corporation. As of [September 30, 2019], the Adviser managed approximately $[     ] billion in assets and SSGA managed approximately $[    ] trillion in assets. The Adviser's principal business address is One Iron Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02210.
For the services provided to each Fund under the Investment Advisory Agreement, each Fund expects to pay the Adviser the annual fee based on a percentage of each Fund's average daily net assets as set forth below:
SPDR Bloomberg SASB Corporate Bond ESG Select ETF
SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap Dividend Yield ESG Select ETF
SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap ESG Select ETF
SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap Growth ESG Select ETF
SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap Value ESG Select ETF
[X.XX]%
[X.XX]%
[X.XX]%
[X.XX]%
[X.XX]%
From time to time, the Adviser may waive all or a portion of its management fee. The Adviser pays all expenses of each Fund other than the management fee, brokerage expenses, taxes, interest, fees and expenses of the Independent Trustees (including any Trustee's counsel fees), litigation expenses, acquired fund fees and expenses and other extraordinary expenses.
A summary of the factors considered by the Board in connection with the initial approval of the Investment Advisory Agreement for the Funds will be available in the Funds' [semi-annual report for the period ended December 31, 2019].
SSGA FM, as the investment adviser for the Funds, may hire one or more sub-advisers to oversee the day-to-day investment activities of the Funds. The sub-advisers are subject to oversight by the Adviser. The Adviser and SPDR Series Trust (the “Trust”) have received an exemptive order from the SEC that permits the Adviser, with the approval of the Independent Trustees of the Trust, to retain and amend existing sub-advisory agreements with unaffiliated investment sub-advisers for the Funds without submitting the sub-advisory agreement to a vote of the Fund's shareholders. The Trust will notify shareholders in the event of any change in the identity of such sub-adviser or sub-advisers. The Adviser has ultimate responsibility for the investment performance of the Funds due to its responsibility to oversee each sub-adviser and recommend their hiring, termination and replacement. The Adviser is not required to disclose fees paid to any unaffiliated sub-adviser retained pursuant to the order.
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Portfolio Managers.
The Adviser manages the Funds using a team of investment professionals. The team approach is used to create an environment that encourages the flow of investment ideas. The portfolio managers within each team work together in a cohesive manner to develop and enhance techniques that drive the investment process for the respective investment strategy. This approach requires portfolio managers to share a variety of responsibilities including investment strategy and analysis while retaining responsibility for the implementation of the strategy within any particular portfolio. The approach also enables the team to draw upon the resources of other groups within SSGA. Each portfolio management team is overseen by the SSGA Investment Committee.
The table below identifies the professionals primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of each Fund:
Portfolio Management Team Fund
Christopher DiStefano, Michael Brunell and Frank Miethe

SPDR Bloomberg SASB Corporate Bond ESG Select ETF
Michael Feehily, Karl Schneider and Emiliano Rabinovich

SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap Dividend Yield ESG Select ETF, SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap ESG Select ETF
Michael Feehily, Karl Schneider and Olga Winner

SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap Growth ESG Select ETF
Michael Feehily, Karl Schneider and Lisa Hobart

SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap Value ESG Select ETF
Michael Brunell, CFA, is a Vice President of SSGA and the Adviser and a senior member of the Fixed Income portfolio management team. In his current role as part of the Fixed Income Beta Solutions Group, he heads the credit sector team and is responsible for developing, managing, and supporting various types of funds against a variety of conventional and custom bond index strategies. He was a member of the group that launched the first SPDR fixed income ETFs in 2007 and a long-time manager of SSGA's U.S. high yield and convertible ETF products. Prior to joining the investment team in 2004, Mr. Brunell had been responsible for managing the U.S. Fixed Income Operations Group at SSGA. Previous to that he had been a member of the Mutual Fund Custody division of State Street where he was focused on the accounting and the valuation of various domestic and international equity and bond portfolios. Mr. Brunell earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Saint Michael's College and a Master of Science in Finance from the Carroll School of Management at Boston College. Additionally he earned the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation and is a member of the CFA Institute and CFA Society Boston, Inc.
Christopher DiStefano is a Vice President of SSGA and the Adviser and a Portfolio Manager in the Fixed Income Beta Solutions Group within the Fixed Income, Cash and Currency Team. He is responsible for managing several funds and ETFs within the convertible bond, investment grade credit, and smart beta sectors and strategies. Prior to his current role, Mr. DiStefano was a member of the Global Graduate Rotational Program at SSGA, a two year cross-functional program engineered to provide candidates with a diverse skill set and a broad perspective. Before joining SSGA in 2010, Mr. DiStefano worked as an engineer within the real estate development and transportation industries. Mr. DiStefano holds a Master of Business Administration from the Carroll School of Management at Boston College, and a Master of Science and Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Illinois and Union College, respectively.
Michael Feehily, CFA, is a Senior Managing Director of SSGA and the Adviser and the Head of Global Equity Beta Solutions in the Americas. He is also a member of the Senior Leadership Team and is a voting member on the firm's Trade Management Oversight Committee and the North America Product Committee. Mr. Feehily rejoined SSGA in 2010 after spending four years in State Street Global Markets, LLC, where he helped to build the Global Exposure Solutions business. This group created and managed portfolios that were designed to meet the short-term market exposure needs of institutional clients. Prior to this, Mr. Feehily had been Head of the U.S. Passive Equity Team within SSGA, which he originally joined in 1997. He began his career at State Street within the Global Services division in 1992. Mr. Feehily received a Bachelor of Science from Babson College in Finance, Investments, and Economics. He received a Master of Business Administration in Finance from Bentley College and also earned the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation. Mr. Feehily is a member of the CFA Institute and CFA Society Boston, Inc. He is also a former member of the Russell Index Client Advisory Board.
Lisa Hobart is a Vice President of SSGA and the Adviser and a Portfolio Manager in the Global Equity Beta Solutions Group. Ms. Hobart is currently responsible for managing various equity index funds, with both domestic and international strategies. Ms. Hobart joined State Street Bank London in 2000 and moved to SSGA as a senior portfolio
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analyst in 2006. During her career at SSGA, Lisa has managed the Investment Operations team, supporting passive, enhanced and active equity strategies. Ms. Hobart graduated from Leeds University with a Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) in Economics and Management. She holds the Investment Management Certificate.
Frank Miethe, CFA, is a Vice President of SSGA and the Adviser and a Portfolio Manager in the Fixed Income Beta Solutions Group. Mr. Miethe joined SSGA in 2010 and has been part of the portfolio management team since 2013. He is currently responsible for managing several funds and ETFs within the investment grade credit sector. Prior to his role at SSGA, Mr. Miethe worked at State Street Corporation as a fund accountant and a client operations associate. He received his Bachelor's degree from Western New England University and a Master of Business Administration from Suffolk University. He has earned the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation and is a member of the CFA Institute and CFA Society Boston, Inc.
Emiliano Rabinovich, CFA, is a Vice President of SSGA and the Adviser and a Senior Portfolio Manager in the Global Equity Beta Solutions Group. Within this group, he is the strategy leader for their Smart Beta and ESG products. Mr. Rabinovich currently manages a varied mix of funds that include both traditional indexing and a variety of alternative beta mandates. Also, he manages several local and global strategies and fund structures, which include separate accounts, commingled funds and mutual funds. Mr. Rabinovich joined SSGA in Montreal in 2006, where he was the Head of the Global Equity Beta Solutions Group in Canada. He has been working in the investment management field since 2003. Mr. Rabinovich holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Buenos Aires and a Master of Arts in Economics from the University of CEMA. He has also earned the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation and is a member of CFA Society Boston, Inc.
Karl Schneider, CAIA, is a Managing Director of SSGA and the Adviser and Deputy Head of Global Equity Beta Solutions (GEBS) in the Americas, where he also serves as a Senior Portfolio Manager for a number of the group's passive equity portfolios. Previously within GEBS, he served as a portfolio manager and product specialist for U.S. equity strategies and synthetic beta strategies, including commodities, buy/write, and hedge fund replication. He is also a member of the S&P Dow Jones U.S. Equities Index Advisory Panel. Prior to joining the GEBS group, Mr. Schneider worked as a portfolio manager in SSGA's Currency Management Group, managing both active currency selection and traditional passive hedging overlay portfolios. He joined SSGA in 1997. Mr. Schneider holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance and Investments from Babson College and a Master of Science in Finance from the Carroll School of Management at Boston College. He has earned the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) designation and is a member of the CAIA Association.
Olga Winner, CFA, is a Vice President of SSGA and the Adviser and a Senior Portfolio Manager in the Global Equity Beta Solutions Group. She is responsible for the management of several domestic, international developed and emerging market strategies, including separate accounts, commingled funds, mutual funds and ETFs. Additionally, Ms. Winner manages hedged and futures overlay strategies. Prior to joining SSGA, Ms. Winner worked as an acquisitions associate at Boston Capital Partners, a real estate investment firm, analyzing investment opportunities. She holds a Master of Business Administration and a Master of Science in Finance from the Carroll School of Management at Boston College and a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Massachusetts. She also earned the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation and is a member of CFA Society Boston, Inc.
Additional information about the portfolio managers' compensation, other accounts managed by the portfolio managers, and the portfolio managers' ownership of the Funds is available in the SAI.
Administrator, Sub-Administrator, Custodian and Transfer Agent. The Adviser serves as Administrator for each Fund. State Street, part of State Street Corporation, is the Sub-Administrator for each Fund and the Custodian for each Fund's assets, and serves as Transfer Agent to each Fund.
Lending Agent. State Street is the securities lending agent for the Trust. For its services, the lending agent would typically receive a portion of the net investment income, if any, earned on the collateral for the securities loaned.
Distributor. State Street Global Advisors Funds Distributors, LLC (“SSGA FD” or the “Distributor”), serves as the Funds' distributor pursuant to the Distribution Agreement between SSGA FD and the Trust. The Distributor will not distribute Fund Shares in less than Creation Units, and it does not maintain a secondary market in Fund Shares. The Distributor may enter into selected dealer agreements with other broker-dealers or other qualified financial institutions for the sale of Creation Units of Fund Shares.
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Additional Information. The Board oversees generally the operations of the Funds and the Trust. The Trust enters into contractual arrangements with various parties, including among others the Funds' investment adviser, custodian, transfer agent, and accountants, who provide services to the Funds. Shareholders are not parties to any such contractual arrangements or intended beneficiaries of those contractual arrangements, and those contractual arrangements are not intended to create in any shareholder any right to enforce them directly against the service providers or to seek any remedy under them directly against the service providers.
This Prospectus provides information concerning the Trust and the Funds that you should consider in determining whether to purchase Fund Shares. Neither this Prospectus nor the related SAI is intended, or should be read, to be or give rise to an agreement or contract between the Trust or the Funds and any investor, or to give rise to any rights in any shareholder or other person other than any rights under federal or state law that may not be waived.
Index/Trademark Licenses/Disclaimers
The Index Provider is not affiliated with the Trust, the Adviser, the Funds' Administrator, Sub-Administrator, Custodian, Transfer Agent, SSGA FD or any of their respective affiliates. The Adviser (“Licensee”) has entered into a license agreement with the Index Provider pursuant to which the Adviser pays a fee to use the Indices. The Adviser is sub-licensing rights to the Indices to the Funds at no charge.
BLOOMBERG® is a trademark and service mark of Bloomberg Finance L.P. BARCLAYS® is a trademark and service mark of Barclays Bank Plc, used under license. Bloomberg Finance L.P. and its affiliates, including Bloomberg Index Services Limited (“BISL”) (collectively, “Bloomberg”), or Bloomberg's licensors own all proprietary rights in the Bloomberg SASB US Corporate ESG Ex-Controversies Select Index, Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap Dividend Yield ESG Ex-Controversies Select Index, Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap ESG Ex-Controversies Select Index, Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap Growth ESG Ex-Controversies Select Index and Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap Value ESG Ex-Controversies Select Index (collectively, the “Bloomberg Barclays Indices”).
The Bloomberg Barclays Indices are licensed for use by State Street Global Advisors (the “Licensee”) and its affiliates with respect to the SPDR Bloomberg SASB Corporate Bond ESG Select ETF, SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap Dividend Yield ESG Select ETF, SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap ESG Select ETF, SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap Growth ESG Select ETF and SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap Value ESG Select ETF (collectively, the “Products”).
Neither Barclays Bank Plc, Barclays Capital Inc., nor any affiliate (collectively “Barclays”) nor Bloomberg is the issuer or producer of the Products. The only relationship of Bloomberg and Barclays with the Licensee in respect of the Bloomberg Barclays Indices is the licensing of the Bloomberg Barclays Indices, which are determined, composed and calculated by BISL, or any successor thereto, without regard to the Licensee or the Products or the owners of the Products. In that capacity, neither Bloomberg nor Barclays has any responsibilities, obligations or duties to investors in the Products. Licensee may execute transaction(s) with Barclays on behalf of the Products.
Absent a separate relationship or arrangement with Bloomberg or Barclays, investors neither acquire any interest in the Bloomberg Barclays Indices nor enter into any relationship of any kind whatsoever with Bloomberg or Barclays upon making an investment in the Products. The Products are not sponsored by Bloomberg or Barclays or endorsed, sold or marketed by Bloomberg or Barclays in their capacity as index provider and/or licensor of the Bloomberg Barclays Indices. In that capacity, neither Bloomberg nor Barclays (i) makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, regarding the advisability of investing in the Products or the advisability of investing in securities generally or the ability of the Bloomberg Barclays Indices to track corresponding or relative market performance, (ii) has passed on the legality or suitability of the Products with respect to any person or entity, (iii) is responsible for or has participated in the determination of the timing of, prices at, or quantities of the Products to be issued, (iv) has any obligation to take the needs of the Licensee or the owners of the Products or any other third party into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the Bloomberg Barclays Indices, or (v) has any obligation or liability in connection with administration, marketing or trading of the Products.
The licensing agreement between Bloomberg and Barclays is solely for the benefit of Bloomberg and Barclays and not for the benefit of the owners of the Products, investors or other third parties. In addition, the licensing agreement between Licensee and Bloomberg is solely for the benefit of Licensee and Bloomberg and not for the benefit of the owners of the Products, investors or other third parties.
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NEITHER BLOOMBERG NOR BARCLAYS SHALL HAVE ANY LIABILITY TO THE LICENSEE, INVESTORS OR OTHER THIRD PARTIES FOR THE QUALITY, ACCURACY AND/OR COMPLETENESS OF THE BLOOMBERG BARCLAYS INDICES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN OR FOR INTERRUPTIONS IN THE DELIVERY OF THE BLOOMBERG BARCLAYS INDICES. NEITHER BLOOMBERG NOR BARCLAYS MAKES ANY WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED BY THE LICENSEE, THE INVESTORS OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY FROM THE USE OF THE BLOOMBERG BARCLAYS INDICES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. NEITHER BLOOMBERG NOR BARCLAYS MAKES ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, AND EACH HEREBY EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR USE WITH RESPECT TO THE BLOOMBERG BARCLAYS INDICES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. BLOOMBERG RESERVES THE RIGHT TO CHANGE THE METHODS OF CALCULATION OR PUBLICATION, OR TO CEASE THE CALCULATION OR PUBLICATION OF THE BLOOMBERG BARCLAYS INDICES, AND NEITHER BLOOMBERG NOR BARCLAYS SHALL BE LIABLE FOR ANY MISCALCULATION OF OR ANY INCORRECT, DELAYED OR INTERRUPTED PUBLICATION WITH RESPECT TO ANY OF THE BLOOMBERG BARCLAYS INDICES. NEITHER BLOOMBERG NOR BARCLAYS SHALL BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY SPECIAL, INDIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, OR ANY LOST PROFITS, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH, RESULTING FROM THE USE OF THE BLOOMBERG BARCLAYS INDICES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN OR WITH RESPECT TO THE PRODUCTS.
None of the information supplied by Bloomberg or Barclays and used in this publication may be reproduced in any manner without the prior written permission of both Bloomberg and Barclays Capital, the investment banking division of Barclays Bank PLC. Barclays Bank PLC is registered in England No. 1026167, registered office 1 Churchill Place London E14 5HP.
SPDR Trademark. The “SPDR” trademark is used under license from Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC (“S&P”), a division of S&P Global. No Fund offered by the Trust or its affiliates is sponsored, endorsed, sold or marketed by S&P or its affiliates. S&P makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of any Fund or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally or in the Funds particularly or the ability of the Index on which the Funds are based to track general stock market performance. S&P is not responsible for and has not participated in any determination or calculation made with respect to issuance or redemption of Fund Shares. S&P has no obligation or liability in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the Funds.
WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OF THE FOREGOING, IN NO EVENT SHALL S&P HAVE ANY LIABILITY FOR ANY SPECIAL, PUNITIVE, INDIRECT, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, LOST PROFITS), EVEN IF NOTIFIED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
Additional Purchase and Sale Information
Each Fund issues and redeems Fund Shares in large blocks of Fund Shares known as Creation Units. The number of Fund Shares required for a Creation Unit is stated in each Fund's “Purchase and Sale of Information” section above. Only an AP may purchase or redeem Creation Units directly with a Fund, in accordance with the procedures described in the SAI. Except when aggregated in Creation Units, Shares are not redeemable by the Funds. The prices at which creations and redemptions occur are based on the next calculation of NAV after a creation or redemption order is received in acceptable form under the authorized participant agreement. The net asset value of a Fund is calculated by State Street and determined as of the close of the regular trading session on the New York Stock Exchange (ordinarily 4:00 p.m. Eastern time) on each day that such exchange is open.
An AP may purchase a Creation Unit of a Fund on any business day in exchange for the delivery of a designated portfolio of in-kind securities and/or cash approximating the holdings of the Fund. An AP may redeem a Creation Unit of a Fund on any business day. Redemption proceeds for a Creation Unit will consist of portfolio securities and/or cash. This method is used during both normal and stressed market conditions. Cash used for redemptions will be raised from the sale of portfolio assets or may come from existing holdings of cash or cash equivalents. When purchasing or redeeming Creation Units, APs are also required to pay a fixed purchase or redemption transaction fee as well as any applicable additional variable charge, as described in the SAI.
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Under normal circumstances, each Fund will pay out redemption proceeds to a redeeming AP within two days after the AP's redemption request is received, in accordance with the process set forth in the Funds' SAI and in the agreement between the AP and the Distributor. However, each Fund reserves the right, including under stressed market conditions, to take up to seven days after the receipt of a redemption request to pay an AP, as permitted by the 1940 Act, and, in certain circumstances, up to fifteen days with respect to foreign securities as permitted by an SEC exemptive order.
Fund Shares are listed for secondary trading on the Exchange and individual Fund Shares may only be purchased and sold in the secondary market through a broker-dealer. The secondary markets are closed on weekends and also are generally closed on the following holidays: New Year's Day, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day (observed), Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. The Exchange may close early on the business day before certain holidays and on the day after Thanksgiving Day. Exchange holiday schedules are subject to change without notice. If you buy or sell Fund Shares in the secondary market, you will pay the secondary market price for Fund Shares. In addition, you may incur customary brokerage commissions and charges and may pay some or all of the spread between the bid and the offered price in the secondary market on each leg of a round trip (purchase and sale) transaction.
The trading prices of Fund Shares will fluctuate continuously throughout trading hours based on market supply and demand rather than the relevant Fund's net asset value, which is calculated at the end of each business day. Fund Shares will trade on the Exchange at prices that may be above (i.e., at a premium) or below (i.e., at a discount), to varying degrees, the daily net asset value of Fund Shares. The trading prices of Fund Shares may deviate significantly from the relevant Fund's net asset value during periods of market volatility. Given, however, that Fund Shares can be issued and redeemed daily in Creation Units, the Adviser believes that large discounts and premiums to net asset value should not be sustained over long periods. Information showing the number of days the market price of Fund Shares was greater than the relevant Fund's net asset value and the number of days it was less than the relevant Fund's net asset value (i.e., premium or discount) for various time periods is available by visiting the Funds' website at https://www.spdrs.com.
The Exchange will disseminate, every fifteen seconds during the regular trading day, an indicative optimized portfolio value (“IOPV”) relating to each Fund. The IOPV calculations are estimates of the value of each Fund's net asset value per Fund Share. Premiums and discounts between the IOPV and the market price may occur. This should not be viewed as a “real-time” update of the net asset value per Fund Share. The IOPV is based on the current market value of the published basket of portfolio securities and/or cash required to be deposited in exchange for a Creation Unit and does not necessarily reflect the precise composition of a Fund's actual portfolio at a particular point in time. Moreover, the IOPV is generally determined by using current market quotations and/or price quotations obtained from broker-dealers and other market intermediaries and valuations based on current market rates. The IOPV may not be calculated in the same manner as the NAV, which (i) is computed only once a day, (ii) unlike the calculation of the IOPV, takes into account Fund expenses, and (iii) may be subject, in accordance with the requirements of the 1940 Act, to fair valuation at different prices than those used in the calculations of the IOPV. When applicable, the IOPV price is based on quotes and closing prices from the securities' local market converted into U.S. dollars at the current currency rates and may not reflect events that occur subsequent to the local market's close. Therefore, the IOPV may not reflect the best possible valuation of a Fund's current portfolio. Neither the Funds nor the Adviser or any of their affiliates are involved in, or responsible for, the calculation or dissemination of such IOPVs and make no warranty as to their accuracy.
The Funds do not impose any restrictions on the frequency of purchases and redemptions; however, the Funds reserve the right to reject or limit purchases at any time as described in the SAI. When considering that no restriction or policy was necessary, the Board evaluated the risks posed by market timing activities, such as whether frequent purchases and redemptions would interfere with the efficient implementation of a Fund's investment strategy, or whether they would cause a Fund to experience increased transaction costs. The Board considered that, unlike traditional mutual funds, Fund Shares are issued and redeemed only in large quantities of shares known as Creation Units, available only from a Fund directly, and that most trading in a Fund occurs on the Exchange at prevailing market prices and does not involve the Fund directly. Given this structure, the Board determined that it is unlikely that (a) market timing would be attempted by a Fund's shareholders or (b) any attempts to market time a Fund by shareholders would result in negative impact to the Fund or its shareholders.
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Distributions
Dividends and Capital Gains. As a Fund shareholder, you are entitled to your share of the applicable Fund's income and net realized gains on its investments. Each Fund pays out substantially all of its net earnings to its shareholders as “distributions.”
Each Fund may earn income dividends from stocks, interest from debt securities and, if participating, securities lending income. These amounts, net of expenses and taxes (if applicable), are passed along to Fund shareholders as “income dividend distributions.” Each Fund will generally realize short-term capital gains or losses whenever it sells or exchanges assets held for one year or less. Net short-term capital gains will generally be treated as ordinary income when distributed to shareholders. Each Fund will generally realize long-term capital gains or losses whenever it sells or exchanges assets held for more than one year. Net capital gains (the excess of a Fund's net long-term capital gains over its net short-term capital losses) are distributed to shareholders as “capital gain distributions.”
Income dividend distributions, if any, are generally distributed to shareholders monthly for the SPDR Bloomberg SASB Corporate Bond ESG Select ETF and quarterly for the SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap Dividend Yield ESG Select ETF, SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap ESG Select ETF, SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap Growth ESG Select ETF and SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap Value ESG Select ETF, but may vary significantly from period to period.
Net capital gains for each Fund are distributed at least annually. Dividends may be declared and paid more frequently or at any other time to improve Index tracking or to comply with the distribution requirements of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). A portion of each distribution may result in a return of capital. You will be notified regarding the portion of the distribution which represents a return of capital.
Distributions in cash may be reinvested automatically in additional whole Fund Shares only if the broker through whom you purchased Fund Shares makes such option available. Distributions which are reinvested will nevertheless be taxable to the same extent as if such distributions had not been reinvested.
Portfolio Holdings Disclosure
The Funds' portfolio holdings disclosure policy is described in the SAI. In addition, the identities and quantities of the securities held by each Fund are disclosed on the Funds' website.
Additional Tax Information
The following discussion is a summary of some important U.S. federal tax considerations generally applicable to an investment in a Fund. Your investment in a Fund may have other tax implications. Please consult your tax advisor about federal, state, local, foreign or other tax laws applicable to you. Investors, including non-U.S. investors, may wish to consult the SAI tax section for additional disclosure.
Taxes on Distributions. In general, your distributions are subject to federal income tax when they are paid, whether you take them in cash or reinvest them in a Fund. The income dividends and short-term capital gains distributions you receive from a Fund will be taxed as either ordinary income or qualified dividend income. Subject to certain limitations, dividends that are reported by a Fund as qualified dividend income are taxable to noncorporate shareholders at rates of up to 20%. Any distributions of a Fund's net capital gains are taxable as long-term capital gain regardless of how long you have owned Fund Shares. Long-term capital gains are generally taxed to noncorporate shareholders at rates of up to 20%. Distributions in excess of a Fund's current and accumulated earnings and profits are treated as a tax-free return of capital to the extent of your basis in the applicable Fund's shares, and, in general, as capital gain thereafter.
In general, dividends may be reported by a Fund as qualified dividend income if they are attributable to qualified dividend income received by the Fund, which, in general, includes dividend income from taxable U.S. corporations and certain foreign corporations (i.e., certain foreign corporations incorporated in a possession of the United States or in certain countries with a comprehensive tax treaty with the United States, and certain other foreign corporations if the stock with respect to which the dividend is paid is readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States), provided that the Fund satisfies certain holding period requirements in respect of the stock of such corporations and has not hedged its position in the stock in certain ways. A dividend generally will not be treated as qualified dividend income if the dividend is received with respect to any share of stock held by a Fund for fewer than 61 days during the 121-day period beginning at the date which is 60 days before the date on which such share
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becomes ex-dividend with respect to such dividend or, in the case of certain preferred stock, for fewer than 91 days during the 181-day period beginning 90 days before such date. These holding period requirements will also apply to your ownership of Fund Shares. Holding periods may be suspended for these purposes for stock that is hedged. Additionally, income derived in connection with a Fund's securities lending activities will not be treated as qualified dividend income.
U.S. individuals with income exceeding specified thresholds are subject to a 3.8% Medicare contribution tax on all or a portion of their “net investment income,” which includes taxable interest, dividends and certain capital gains (generally including capital gain distributions and capital gains realized upon the sale of Fund Shares). This 3.8% tax also applies to all or a portion of the undistributed net investment income of certain shareholders that are estates and trusts.
Certain tax-exempt educational institutions will be subject to a 1.4% tax on net investment income. For these purposes, certain dividends and capital gain distributions, and certain gains from the disposition of Fund Shares (among other categories of income), are generally taken into account in computing a shareholder's net investment income.
If a Fund redeems Creation Units in cash, it may bear additional costs and recognize more capital gains than it would if it redeems Creation Units in-kind.
If you lend your Fund Shares pursuant to securities lending arrangements you may lose the ability to treat Fund dividends (paid while the Fund Shares are held by the borrower) as qualified dividend income. You should consult your financial intermediary or tax advisor to discuss your particular circumstances.
Distributions paid in January, but declared by a Fund in October, November or December of the previous year, payable to shareholders of record in such a month, may be taxable to you in the calendar year in which they were declared. The Funds will inform you of the amount of your ordinary income dividends, qualified dividend income and capital gain distributions shortly after the close of each calendar year.
A distribution will reduce a Fund's net asset value per Fund Share and may be taxable to you as ordinary income or capital gain even though, from an investment standpoint, the distribution may constitute a return of capital.
Derivatives and Other Complex Securities. A Fund may invest in complex securities. These investments may be subject to numerous special and complex rules. These rules could affect whether gains and losses recognized by a Fund are treated as ordinary income or capital gain, accelerate the recognition of income to a Fund and/or defer a Fund's ability to recognize losses. In turn, these rules may affect the amount, timing or character of the income distributed to you by a Fund. You should consult your personal tax advisor regarding the application of these rules.
Foreign Income Taxes. Investment income received by a Fund from sources within foreign countries may be subject to foreign income taxes withheld at the source. The United States has entered into tax treaties with many foreign countries which may entitle a Fund to a reduced rate of such taxes or exemption from taxes on such income. It is impossible to determine the effective rate of foreign tax for a Fund in advance since the amount of the assets to be invested within various countries is not known. If more than 50% of the total assets of a Fund at the close of its taxable year consist of certain foreign stocks or securities, the Fund may elect to “pass through” to you certain foreign income taxes (including withholding taxes) paid by the Fund. If a Fund in which you hold Fund Shares makes such an election, you will be considered to have received as an additional dividend your share of such foreign taxes, but you may be entitled to either a corresponding tax deduction in calculating your taxable income, or, subject to certain limitations, a credit in calculating your federal income tax. No deduction for such taxes will be permitted to individuals in computing their alternative minimum tax liability. If a Fund does not so elect, the Fund will be entitled to claim a deduction for certain foreign taxes incurred by the Fund. Under certain circumstances, if a Fund receives a refund of foreign taxes paid in respect of a prior year, the value of Fund Shares could be reduced or any foreign tax credits or deductions passed through to shareholders in respect of the Fund's foreign taxes for the current year could be reduced.
Taxes on Exchange-Listed Share Sales. Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Fund Shares is generally treated as long-term capital gain or loss if Fund Shares have been held for more than one year and as short-term capital gain or loss if Fund Shares have been held for one year or less, except that any capital loss on the sale of Fund Shares held for six months or less is treated as long-term capital loss to the extent that capital gain dividends were paid with respect to the Fund Shares.
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Taxes on Creations and Redemptions of Creation Units. A person who exchanges securities for Creation Units generally will recognize a gain or loss. The gain or loss will be equal to the difference between the market value of the Creation Units at the time and the exchanger's aggregate basis in the securities surrendered plus any cash paid for the Creation Units. A person who exchanges Creation Units for securities will generally recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the exchanger's basis in the Creation Units and the aggregate market value of the securities and the amount of cash received. The Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”), however, may assert that a loss realized upon an exchange of securities for Creation Units cannot be deducted currently under the rules governing “wash sales,” or on the basis that there has been no significant change in economic position. Persons exchanging securities should consult their own tax advisor with respect to whether wash sale rules apply and when a loss might be deductible.
Under current federal tax laws, any capital gain or loss realized upon a redemption (or creation) of Creation Units is generally treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the applicable Fund Shares (or securities surrendered) have been held for more than one year and as a short-term capital gain or loss if the applicable Fund Shares (or securities surrendered) have been held for one year or less.
If you create or redeem Creation Units, you will be sent a confirmation statement showing how many Fund Shares you purchased or sold and at what price.
The Trust, on behalf of each Fund, has the right to reject an order for Creation Units if the purchaser (or a group of purchasers) would, upon obtaining the Fund Shares so ordered, own 80% or more of the outstanding shares of the applicable Fund and if, pursuant to Section 351 of the Code, the applicable Fund would have a basis in the securities different from the market value of the securities on the date of deposit.  The Trust also has the right to require information necessary to determine beneficial share ownership for purposes of the 80% determination.  If the Trust does issue Creation Units to a purchaser (or a group of purchasers) that would, upon obtaining the Fund Shares so ordered, own 80% or more of the outstanding shares of the applicable Fund, the purchaser (or group of purchasers) will not recognize gain or loss upon the exchange of securities for Creation Units.
Investments In Certain Foreign Corporations. A Fund may invest in foreign entities classified as passive foreign investment companies or “PFICs” or controlled foreign corporations or “CFCs” under the Code. PFIC and CFC investments are subject to complex rules that may under certain circumstances adversely affect a Fund. Accordingly, investors should consult their own tax advisors and carefully consider the tax consequences of PFIC and CFC investments by a Fund before making an investment in the Fund. Fund dividends attributable to dividends received from PFICs generally will not be treated as qualified dividend income. Additional information pertaining to the potential tax consequences to the Funds, and to the shareholders, from the Funds' potential investment in PFICs and CFCs can be found in the SAI.
Non-U.S. Investors. Ordinary income dividends paid by a Fund to shareholders who are non-resident aliens or foreign entities will generally be subject to a 30% U.S. withholding tax (other than distributions reported by the Fund as interest-related dividends and short-term capital gain dividends), unless a lower treaty rate applies or unless such income is effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business. In general, a Fund may report interest-related dividends to the extent of its net income derived from U.S. source interest, and a Fund may report short-term capital gain dividends to the extent its net short-term capital gain for the taxable year exceeds its net long-term capital loss. Gains on the sale of Fund Shares and dividends that are, in each case, effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business within the U.S. will generally be subject to U.S. federal net income taxation at regular income tax rates. Non-U.S. shareholders that own, directly or indirectly, more than 5% of a Fund's shares are urged to consult their own tax advisors concerning special tax rules that may apply to their investment.
Unless certain non-U.S. entities that hold Fund Shares comply with IRS requirements that will generally require them to report information regarding U.S. persons investing in, or holding accounts with, such entities, a 30% withholding tax may apply to distributions payable to such entities. A non-U.S. shareholder may be exempt from the withholding described in this paragraph under an applicable intergovernmental agreement between the U.S. and a foreign government, provided that the shareholder and the applicable foreign government comply with the terms of such agreement.
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Backup Withholding. A Fund will be required in certain cases to withhold (as “backup withholding”) on amounts payable to any shareholder who (1) has provided the Fund either an incorrect tax identification number or no number at all, (2) is subject to backup withholding by the IRS for failure to properly report payments of interest or dividends, (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). The backup withholding rate is currently 24%. Backup withholding will not be applied to payments that have been subject to the 30% withholding tax on shareholders who are neither citizens nor permanent residents of the United States.
Other Tax Issues. A Fund may be subject to tax in certain states where the Fund does business (or is treated as doing business as a result of its investments). Furthermore, in those states which have income tax laws, the tax treatment of the Funds and of Fund shareholders with respect to distributions by the Funds may differ from federal tax treatment.
The foregoing discussion summarizes some of the consequences under current federal income tax law of an investment in the Funds. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. Consult your personal tax advisor about the potential tax consequences of an investment in the Funds under all applicable tax laws.
General Information
The Trust was organized as a Massachusetts business trust on June 12, 1998. If shareholders of any Fund are required to vote on any matters, shareholders are entitled to one vote for each Fund Share they own. Annual meetings of shareholders will not be held except as required by the 1940 Act and other applicable law. See the SAI for more information concerning the Trust's form of organization.
Management and Organization
Each Fund is a separate, non-diversified series of the Trust, which is an open-end registered management investment company.
For purposes of the 1940 Act, Fund Shares are issued by the respective series of the Trust and the acquisition of Fund Shares by investment companies is subject to the restrictions of Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act.
The Trust has received exemptive relief from Section 12(d)(1) to allow registered investment companies to invest in the Funds beyond the limits set forth in Section 12(d)(1), subject to certain terms and conditions as set forth in an SEC exemptive order issued to the Trust, including that such investment companies enter into an agreement with the Trust.
From time to time, a Fund may advertise yield and total return figures. Yield is a historical measure of dividend income, and total return is a measure of past dividend income (assuming that it has been reinvested) plus capital appreciation. Neither yield nor total return should be used to predict the future performance of a Fund.
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP serves as counsel to the Trust, including the Funds. [         ] serves as the independent registered public accounting firm and will audit the Funds' financial statements annually.
Premium/Discount Information
Each Fund had not commenced operations prior to the date of this Prospectus and therefore does not have information regarding how often Fund Shares traded on the 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 calendar year. When available, such information will be provided at https://www.spdrs.com.
Financial Highlights
Each Fund had not commenced operations prior to the date of this Prospectus and, therefore, does not have financial information.
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Where to Learn More About the Funds
This Prospectus does not contain all the information included in the Registration Statement filed with the SEC with respect to Fund Shares. The SAI, which has been filed with the SEC, provides more information about the Funds. The Prospectus and SAI may be supplemented from time to time. The SAI is incorporated herein by reference (i.e., it is legally part of this Prospectus). These materials may be obtained without charge, upon request, by writing to the Distributor, State Street Global Advisors Funds Distributors, LLC, One Iron Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02210, by visiting the Funds' website at https://www.spdrs.com or by calling the following number:
Investor Information: 1-866-787-2257
The Registration Statement, including this Prospectus, the SAI, and the exhibits as well as any shareholder reports may be reviewed on the EDGAR Database on the SEC's website (http://www.sec.gov). You may also obtain copies of this and other information, after paying a duplicating fee, by electronic request at the following E-mail address: publicinfo@sec.gov.
Shareholder inquiries may be directed to the Funds in writing to State Street Global Advisors Funds Distributors, LLC, One Iron Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02210, or by calling the Investor Information number listed above.
No person has been authorized to give any information or to make any representations other than those contained in this Prospectus in connection with the offer of Fund Shares, and, if given or made, the information or representations must not be relied upon as having been authorized by the Trust or the Funds. Neither the delivery of this Prospectus nor any sale of Fund Shares shall under any circumstance imply that the information contained herein is correct as of any date after the date of this Prospectus.
Dealers effecting transactions in Fund Shares, whether or not participating in this distribution, are generally required to deliver a Prospectus. This is in addition to any obligation of dealers to deliver a Prospectus when acting as underwriters.
[         ] The Trust's Investment Company Act Number is 811-08839.


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SUBJECT TO COMPLETION. THE INFORMATION IN THIS STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION IS NOT COMPLETE AND MAY BE CHANGED. THIS STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION IS NOT AN OFFER TO SELL THESE SECURITIES AND IT IS NOT SOLICITING AN OFFER TO BUY THESE SECURITIES IN ANY STATE WHERE THE OFFER OR SALE IS NOT PERMITTED.

SPDR® SERIES TRUST (THE “TRUST”)

STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Dated [                , 2019]

This Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) is not a prospectus. With respect to each of the Trust’s series listed below, this SAI should be read in conjunction with the prospectus dated [                , 2019], as may be revised from time to time (“Prospectus”).

 

ETF

   TICKER  

SPDR Bloomberg SASB Corporate Bond ESG Select ETF

     RBND  

SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap Dividend Yield ESG Select ETF

     RDVD  

SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap ESG Select ETF

     RLRG  

SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap Growth ESG Select ETF

     RGRO  

SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap Value ESG Select ETF

     RVAL  

Principal U.S. Listing Exchange for each ETF: NYSE Arca, Inc.

Capitalized terms used herein that are not defined have the same meaning as in the Prospectus, unless otherwise noted. Copies of the Prospectus may be obtained without charge by writing to State Street Global Advisors Funds Distributors, LLC, the Trust’s principal underwriter (referred to herein as “Distributor” or “Principal Underwriter”), One Iron Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02210, by visiting the Trust’s website at www.spdrs.com or by calling 1-866-787-2257. The Funds had not commenced operations as of the date of this SAI and therefore did not have any financial information to report for the Trust’s June 30, 2019 fiscal year end.

 

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

     PAGE  

General Description of the Trust

     3  

Investment Policies

     3  

Special Considerations and Risks

     15  

Investment Restrictions

     18  

Exchange Listing and Trading

     19  

Management of the Trust

     19  

Investment Advisory and Other Services

     28  

Brokerage Transactions

     32  

Book Entry Only System

     33  

Control Persons and Principal Holders of Securities

     34  

Purchase and Redemption of Creation Units

     35  

Determination of Net Asset Value

     40  

Dividends and Distributions

     41  

Taxes

     41  

Capital Stock and Shareholder Reports

     47  

Counsel and Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

     48  

Local Market Holiday Schedules

     48  

Financial Statements

     57  

Appendix A – Trust’s Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures

     A-1  

Appendix B – Adviser’s Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures

     B-1  

Appendix C – Ratings of Debt Instruments

     C-1  

 

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GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE TRUST

The Trust is an open-end management investment company, registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), consisting of multiple investment series, including the SPDR Bloomberg SASB Corporate Bond ESG Select ETF, SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap Dividend Yield ESG Select ETF, SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap ESG Select ETF, SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap Growth ESG Select ETF and SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap Value ESG Select ETF (each, a “Fund” and collectively, the “Funds”). The Trust was organized as a Massachusetts business trust on June 12, 1998. The offering of each Fund’s shares (“Fund Shares”) is registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). The investment objective of each Fund is to provide investment results that, before fees and expenses, correspond generally to the total return performance of a specified market index (each an “Index” and together the “Indexes”). SSGA Funds Management, Inc. (“SSGA FM” or the “Adviser”) serves as the investment adviser for each Fund, as further described herein.

Each Fund offers and issues Fund Shares at their net asset value (sometimes referred to herein as “NAV”) only in aggregations of a specified number of Fund Shares (each, a “Creation Unit”). Each Fund generally offers and issues Fund Shares either in exchange for (i) a basket of securities included in its Index (“Deposit Securities”) together with the deposit of a specified cash payment (“Cash Component”) or (ii) a cash payment equal in value to the Deposit Securities (“Deposit Cash”) together with the Cash Component. The primary consideration accepted by a Fund (i.e., Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash) is set forth under “Purchase and Redemption of Creation Units” later in this SAI. The Trust reserves the right to permit or require the substitution of a “cash in lieu” amount to be added to the Cash Component to replace any Deposit Security and reserves the right to permit or require the substitution of Deposit Securities in lieu of Deposit Cash (subject to applicable legal requirements). The Fund Shares have been approved for listing and secondary trading on a national securities exchange (the “Exchange”). The Fund Shares will trade on the Exchange at market prices. These prices may differ from the Fund Shares’ net asset values. The Fund Shares are also redeemable only in Creation Unit aggregations, and generally in exchange for either (i) portfolio securities and a specified cash payment or (ii) cash (subject to applicable legal requirements). A Creation Unit of each Fund consists of 10,000 Fund Shares, except that a Creation Unit of the SPDR Bloomberg SASB Corporate Bond ESG Select ETF consists of 50,000 Shares, as set forth in the Prospectus.

Fund 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 at least equal to a specified percentage of the market value of the missing Deposit Securities as set forth in the Participant Agreement (as defined below). See “Purchase and Redemption of Creation Units.” The Trust may impose a transaction fee for each creation or redemption. In all cases, such fees will be limited in accordance with the requirements of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) applicable to management investment companies offering redeemable securities. In addition to the fixed creation or redemption transaction fee, an additional transaction fee of up to three times the fixed creation or redemption transaction fee and/or an additional variable charge may apply.

INVESTMENT POLICIES

Each Fund may invest in the following types of investments, consistent with its investment strategies and objective. Please see the Prospectus for additional information regarding each Fund’s principal investment strategies.

DIVERSIFICATION STATUS

Each Fund is classified as a non-diversified investment company under the 1940 Act. A “non-diversified” classification means that a 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. This means that a Fund may invest a greater portion of its assets in the securities of a single issuer than a diversified fund. The securities of a particular issuer may constitute a greater portion of an Index of a Fund and, therefore, the securities may constitute a greater portion of a Fund’s portfolio. This may have an adverse effect on a Fund’s performance or subject a Fund’s Shares to greater price volatility than more diversified investment companies.

[Each Fund seeks to track the performance of its respective Index. The composition of each Index may fluctuate between non-diversified and diversified solely due to changes in weightings of one or more Index components. As a result, a Fund’s diversification status also may fluctuate between non-diversified and diversified depending on the composition of, and to the same extent as, its respective Index. To the extent a Fund becomes diversified and subsequently returns to a non-diversified state due solely to changes in the composition of the respective Index, the Fund will not seek shareholder approval if and when the Fund shifts from diversified to non-diversified.

Although each Fund is non-diversified for purposes of the 1940 Act, each Fund intends to maintain the required level of diversification and otherwise conduct its operations so as to qualify as a “regulated investment company” (“RIC”) for purposes of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Internal Revenue Code”), and to relieve each Fund of any liability for federal income tax to the extent that its earnings are distributed to shareholders. Compliance with

 

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the diversification requirements of the Internal Revenue Code may severely limit the investment flexibility of a Fund and may make it less likely that a Fund will meet its investment objective.]

ASSET-BACKED AND COMMERCIAL MORTGAGE-BACKED SECURITIES

Asset-backed securities are securities backed by installment contracts, credit-card receivables or other assets. Commercial mortgage-backed securities are securities backed by commercial real estate properties. Both asset-backed and commercial mortgage-backed securities represent interests in “pools” of assets in which payments of both interest and principal on the securities are made on a regular basis. The payments are, in effect, “passed through” to the holder of the securities (net of any fees paid to the issuer or guarantor of the securities). The average life of asset-backed and commercial mortgage-backed securities varies with the maturities of the underlying instruments and, as a result of prepayments, can often be less than the original maturity of the assets underlying the securities. For this and other reasons, an asset-backed and commercial mortgage-backed security’s stated maturity may be shortened, and the security’s total return may be difficult to predict precisely.

BONDS

A bond is an interest-bearing security issued by a company, governmental unit or, in some cases, 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; provided, however, a zero coupon bond pays no interest to its holder during its life. The value of a zero coupon bond to a Fund consists of the difference between such bond’s face value at the time of maturity and the price for which it was acquired, which may be an amount significantly less than its face value (sometimes referred to as a “deep discount” price).

An issuer may have the right to redeem or “call” a bond before maturity, in which case the investor may have to reinvest the proceeds 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. Fixed rate bonds generally are also subject to inflation risk, which is the risk that the value of the bond or income from the bond will be worth less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money. This could mean that, as inflation increases, the “real” value of the assets of a Fund holding fixed rate bonds can decline, as can the value of the Fund’s distributions. Other types of bonds bear income at an interest rate that is adjusted periodically. 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. A Fund may treat some of these bonds as having a shorter maturity for purposes of calculating the weighted average maturity of its investment portfolio. Bonds may be senior or subordinated obligations. Senior obligations generally have the first claim on a corporation’s earnings and assets and, in the event of liquidation, are paid before subordinated obligations. Bonds may be unsecured (backed only by the issuer’s general creditworthiness) or secured (also backed by specified collateral).

The investment return of corporate bonds reflects interest on the bond and changes in the market value of the bond. The market value of a corporate bond may be affected by the credit rating of the corporation, the corporation’s performance and perceptions of the corporation in the market place. There is a risk that the issuers of the securities may not be able to meet their obligations on interest or principal payments at the time called for by such a security.

COMMERCIAL PAPER

Commercial paper consists of short-term, promissory notes issued by banks, corporations and other entities to finance short-term credit needs. These securities generally are discounted but sometimes may be interest bearing.

COMMON STOCK

Risks inherent in investing in equity securities include the risk that the financial condition of issuers may become impaired or that the general condition of the stock market may deteriorate (either of which may cause a decrease in the value of a Fund’s portfolio securities and therefore a decrease in the value of Shares of the Fund). Common stock is susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and to volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence and perceptions change. These investor perceptions are based on various and unpredictable factors, including expectations regarding government, economic, monetary and fiscal policies; inflation and interest rates; economic expansion or contraction; and global or regional political, economic or banking crises.

CONCENTRATION

Each Fund will concentrate its investments in securities of issuers in the same industry as may be necessary to approximate the composition of the Fund’s underlying Index. The securities of issuers in particular industries may dominate the benchmark Index of a

 

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Fund and consequently a Fund’s investment portfolio. This may adversely affect a Fund’s performance or subject its Shares to greater price volatility than that experienced by less concentrated investment companies. The Trust’s general policy is to exclude securities of the U.S. government and its agencies or instrumentalities when measuring industry concentration.

In pursuing its objective, each Fund may hold the securities of a single issuer in an amount exceeding 10% of the market value of the outstanding securities of the issuer, subject to restrictions imposed by the Internal Revenue Code. In particular, as a Fund’s size grows and its assets increase, it will be more likely to hold more than 10% of the securities of a single issuer if the issuer has a relatively small public float as compared to other components in its benchmark Index.

CONVERTIBLE SECURITIES

Convertible securities are bonds, debentures, notes, preferred stocks or other securities that may be converted or exchanged (by the holder or by the issuer) into shares of the underlying common stock (or cash or securities of equivalent value) at a stated exchange ratio. A convertible security may also be called for redemption or conversion by the issuer after a particular date and under certain circumstances (including a specified price) established upon issue. If a convertible security held by a Fund is called for redemption or conversion, the Fund could be required to tender it for redemption, convert it into the underlying common stock, or sell it to a third party.

Convertible securities generally have less potential for gain or loss than common stock. Convertible securities generally provide yields higher than the underlying common stock, but generally lower than comparable non-convertible securities. Because of this higher yield, convertible securities generally sell at a price above their “conversion value,” which is the current market value of the stock to be received upon conversion. The difference between this conversion value and the price of convertible securities will vary over time depending on changes in the value of the underlying common stock and interest rates. When the underlying common stock declines in value, convertible securities will tend not to decline to the same extent because of the interest or dividend payments and the repayment of principal at maturity for certain types of convertible securities. However, securities that are convertible other than at the option of the holder generally do not limit the potential for loss to the same extent as securities convertible at the option of the holder. When the underlying common stock rises in value, the value of convertible securities may also be expected to increase. At the same time, however, the difference between the market value of convertible securities and their conversion value will narrow, which means that the value of convertible securities will generally not increase to the same extent as the value of the underlying common stocks. Because convertible securities may also be interest-rate sensitive, their value may increase as interest rates fall and decrease as interest rates rise. Convertible securities are also subject to credit risk, and are often lower-quality securities.

FOREIGN CURRENCY TRANSACTIONS

Each Fund may conduct foreign currency transactions on a spot (i.e., cash) or forward basis (i.e., by entering into forward contracts to purchase or sell foreign currencies). Although foreign exchange dealers generally do not charge a fee for such conversions, they do realize a profit based on the difference between the prices at which they are buying and selling various currencies. Thus, a dealer may offer to sell a foreign currency at one rate, while offering a lesser rate of exchange should the counterparty desire to resell that currency to the dealer. Forward contracts are customized transactions that generally require a specific amount of a currency to be delivered at a specific exchange rate on a specific date or range of dates in the future, although the Funds may also enter into non-

 

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deliverable currency forward contracts (“NDFs”) that contractually require the netting of the parties’ liabilities. Forwards, including NDFs, can have substantial price volatility. While foreign currency transactions on a spot and forward basis are exempt from the definition of “swap” under the Commodity Exchange Act (“CEA”), NDFs are not, and, thus, are subject to the jurisdiction of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”). Forward contracts are generally traded in an interbank market directly between currency traders (usually large commercial banks) and their customers. The parties to a forward contract may agree to offset or terminate the contract before its maturity, or may hold the contract to maturity and complete the contemplated currency exchange. In the event that the parties to a forward contract agree to offset or terminate the contract before its maturity, the contract is no longer exempt from the definition of “swap” under the CEA and shall be treated as a swap. At the discretion of the Adviser, the Funds may enter into forward currency exchange contracts for hedging purposes to help reduce the risks and volatility caused by changes in foreign currency exchange rates, or to gain exposure to certain currencies in an effort to track the composition of the applicable Index. When used for hedging purposes, they tend to limit any potential gain that may be realized if the value of a Fund’s foreign holdings increases because of currency fluctuations.

FUTURES CONTRACTS, OPTIONS AND SWAP AGREEMENTS

Each Fund may invest up to 20% of its assets in derivatives, including exchange-traded futures on Treasuries or Eurodollars, U.S. exchange-traded or OTC put and call options contracts and exchange-traded or OTC swap transactions (including NDFs, interest rate swaps, total return swaps, excess return swaps, and credit default swaps). A Fund will segregate cash and/or appropriate liquid assets if required to do so by SEC or CFTC regulation or interpretation.

Recent legislation calls for new regulation of the derivatives markets. The extent and impact of the regulation is not yet fully known and may not be for some time. New regulations could adversely affect the value, availability and performance of certain derivative instruments, may make them more costly, and may limit or restrict their use by the Funds.

Futures contracts generally provide for the future sale by one party and purchase by another party of a specified commodity or security at a specified future time and at a specified price. Index futures contracts are settled daily with a payment by one party to the other of a cash amount based on the difference between the level of the index specified in the contract from one day to the next. A futures contract on an index is an agreement pursuant to which two parties agree to take or make delivery of an amount of cash equal to the difference between the value of the index at the close of the last trading day of the contract and the price at which the index contract originally was written. Although the value of an index might be a function of the value of certain specified securities, physical delivery of these securities is not always made. A public market exists in futures contracts covering a number of indexes, as well as financial instruments, including, without limitation: U.S. Treasury bonds; U.S. Treasury notes; GNMA Certificates; three-month U.S. Treasury bills; 90-day commercial paper; bank certificates of deposit; Eurodollar certificates of deposit; the Australian Dollar; the Canadian Dollar; the British Pound; the Japanese Yen; the Swiss Franc; the Mexican Peso; and certain multinational currencies, such as the Euro. It is expected that other futures contracts will be developed and traded in the future. Futures contracts are standardized as to maturity date and underlying instrument and are traded on futures exchanges.

The Funds may purchase and write (sell) call and put options on futures. Options on futures give the holder the right, in return for the premium paid, to assume a long position (call) or short position (put) in a futures contract at a specified exercise price upon expiration of, or at any time during the period of, the option. Upon exercise of a call option, the holder acquires a long position in the futures contract and the writer is assigned the opposite short position. In the case of a put option, the opposite is true.

A Fund is required to make a good faith margin deposit in cash or U.S. government securities (or other eligible collateral) with a broker or custodian to initiate and maintain open positions in futures contracts. A margin deposit is intended to assure completion of the contract (delivery or acceptance of the underlying commodity or payment of the cash settlement amount) if it is not terminated prior to the specified delivery date. Brokers may establish deposit requirements which are higher than the exchange minimums. Futures contracts are customarily purchased and sold on margin deposits which may range upward from less than 5% of the value of the contract being traded.

After a futures contract position is opened, the value of the contract is marked to market daily. If the futures contract price changes to the extent that the margin on deposit does not satisfy price changes, additional payments will be required. Conversely, change in the contract value may reduce the required margin, resulting in a repayment of excess margin to the contract holder. Variation margin payments are made to and from the futures broker for as long as the contract remains open. In such case, a Fund would expect to earn interest income on its margin deposits. Although some futures contracts call for making or taking delivery of the underlying commodity, generally these obligations are closed out prior to delivery by offsetting purchases or sales of matching futures contracts (involving the same exchange, underlying security or index and delivery month). If an offsetting purchase price is less than the original sale price, the Fund realizes a capital gain, or if it is more, the Fund realizes a capital loss. Conversely, if an offsetting sale price is more than the original purchase price, the Fund realizes a capital gain, or if it is less, the Fund realizes a capital loss. The transaction costs also must be included in these calculations.

 

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Regulation Under the Commodity Exchange Act. Each Fund intends to use commodity interests, such as futures, swaps and options on futures in accordance with Rule 4.5 of the CEA. A Fund may use exchange-traded futures and options on futures, together with positions in cash and money market instruments, to simulate full investment in its underlying Index. Exchange-traded futures and options on futures contracts may not be currently available for an Index. Under such circumstances, the Adviser may seek to utilize other instruments that it believes to be correlated to the applicable Index components or a subset of the components. The Trust has filed a notice of eligibility for exclusion from the definition of the term “commodity pool operator” in accordance with Rule 4.5 so that it is not subject to registration or regulation as a commodity pool operator under the CEA.

Restrictions on Trading in Commodity Interests. With respect to the Funds, the Trust has claimed an exclusion from registration as a commodity pool operator under the CEA pursuant to CFTC Rule 4.5 and, therefore, is not subject to the registration and regulatory requirements of the CEA. Each Fund reserves the right to engage in transactions involving futures, options thereon and swaps to the extent allowed by the CFTC regulations in effect from time to time and in accordance with a Fund’s policies. Each Fund would take steps to prevent its futures positions from “leveraging” its securities holdings. When it has a long futures position, it will maintain with its custodian bank assets substantially identical to those underlying the contract or cash and equivalents (or a combination of the foregoing) having a value equal to the net obligation of the Fund under the contract (less the value of any margin deposits in connection with the position). When it has a short futures position, it will maintain with its custodian bank assets substantially identical to those underlying the contract or cash and equivalents (or a combination of the foregoing) having a value equal to the net obligation of the Fund under the contract (less the value of any margin deposits in connection with the position).

Options. A Fund may purchase and sell put and call options. Such options may relate to particular securities and may or may not be listed on a national securities exchange and issued by the Options Clearing Corporation. Options trading is a highly specialized activity that entails greater than ordinary investment risk. Options on particular securities may be more volatile than the underlying securities, and therefore, on a percentage basis, an investment in options may be subject to greater fluctuation than an investment in the underlying securities themselves.

Short Sales “Against the Box.” The Funds may engage in short sales “against the box.” In a short sale against the box, a Fund agrees to sell at a future date a security that it either contemporaneously owns or has the right to acquire at no extra cost. If the price of the security has declined at the time the Fund is required to deliver the security, the Fund will benefit from the difference in the price. If the price of the security has increased, the Fund will be required to pay the difference.

Swap Transactions. Each Fund may enter into swap transactions, including interest rate swap, credit default swap, NDF, and total return swap transactions. Swap transactions are contracts between parties in which one party agrees to make periodic payments to the other party based on the change in market value or level of a specified rate, index or asset. In return, the other party agrees to make payments to the first party based on the return of a different specified rate, index or asset. Swap transactions will usually be done on a net basis, i.e., where the two parties make net payments with a Fund receiving or paying, as the case may be, only the net amount of

the two payments. The net amount of the excess, if any, of a Fund’s obligations over its entitlements with respect to each swap is accrued on a daily basis and an amount of cash or equivalents having an aggregate value at least equal to the accrued excess is maintained by the Fund. Swaps may be used in conjunction with other instruments to offset interest rate, currency or other underlying risks. For example, interest rate swaps may be offset with “caps,” “floors” or “collars.” A “cap” is essentially a call option which places a limit on the amount of floating rate interest that must be paid on a certain principal amount. A “floor” is essentially a put option which places a limit on the minimum amount that would be paid on a certain principal amount. A “collar” is essentially a combination of a long cap and a short floor where the limits are set at different levels.

The use of swap transactions by a Fund entails certain risks, which may be different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in the securities and other investments that are the referenced asset for the swap agreement. Swaps are highly specialized instruments that require investment techniques, risk analyses, and tax planning different from those associated with stocks, bonds, and other traditional investments. The use of a swap requires an understanding not only of the referenced asset, reference rate, or index, but also of the swap itself, without the benefit of observing the performance of the swap under all the possible market conditions. Because some swap transactions have a leverage component, adverse changes in the value or level of the underlying asset, reference rate, or index can result in a loss substantially greater than the amount invested in the swap itself. Certain swaps have the potential for unlimited loss, regardless of the size of the initial investment.

The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”) that was signed into law on July 21, 2010 created a new statutory framework that comprehensively regulated the over-the-counter (“OTC”) derivatives markets for the first time. Key Dodd-Frank Act provisions relating to OTC derivatives require rulemaking by the SEC and the CFTC, not all of which has been proposed or finalized as at the date of this SAI. Prior to the Dodd-Frank Act, the OTC derivatives markets were traditionally traded on a bilateral basis (so-called “bilateral OTC transactions”). Under the Dodd-Frank Act, certain OTC derivatives transactions are now required to be centrally cleared and traded on exchanges or electronic trading platforms called swap execution facilities (“SEFs”).

 

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Bilateral OTC transactions differ from exchange-traded or cleared derivatives transactions in several respects. Bilateral OTC transactions are transacted directly with dealers and not with a clearing corporation. Without the availability of a clearing corporation, bilateral OTC transaction pricing is normally done by reference to information from market makers and/or available index data, which information is carefully monitored by the Adviser and verified in appropriate cases. As bilateral OTC transactions are entered into directly with a dealer, there is a risk of nonperformance by the dealer as a result of its insolvency or otherwise. Under recently-adopted regulations by the CFTC and federal banking regulators (“Margin Rules”), a Fund is required to post collateral (known as variation margin) to cover the mark-to-market exposure in respect of its uncleared swaps. The Margin Rules also mandate that collateral in the form of initial margin be posted to cover potential future exposure attributable to uncleared swap transactions. However, due to the compliance timeline within the Margin Rules, it is unlikely that the Funds will be required to comply with such initial margin requirements until March 1, 2020. In the event a Fund is required to post collateral in the form of initial margin or variation margin in respect of its uncleared swap transactions, all such collateral will be posted with a third party custodian pursuant to a triparty custody agreement between the Fund, its dealer counterparty and an unaffiliated custodian.

The requirement to execute certain OTC derivatives contracts on SEFs may offer certain advantages over traditional bilateral OTC trading, such as ease of execution, price transparency, increased liquidity and/or favorable pricing. However, SEF trading may make it more difficult and costly for a Fund to enter into highly tailored or customized transactions and may result in additional costs and risks. Market participants such as the Funds that execute derivatives contracts through a SEF, whether directly or through a broker intermediary, are required to submit to the jurisdiction of the SEF and comply with SEF and CFTC rules and regulations which impose, among other things disclosure and recordkeeping obligations. In addition, a Fund will generally incur SEF or broker intermediary fees when it trades on a SEF. A Fund may also be required to indemnify the SEF or broker intermediary for any losses or costs that may result from the Fund’s transactions on the SEF.

Total Return Swaps. A Fund may enter into total return swap transactions for investment purposes. Total return swaps are transactions in which one party agrees to make periodic payments based on the change in market value of the underlying assets, which may include a specified security, basket of securities or security indexes during the specified period, in return for periodic payments based on a fixed or variable interest rate of the total return from other underlying assets. Total return swaps may be used to obtain exposure to a security or market without owning or taking physical custody of such security or market, including in cases in which there may be disadvantages associated with direct ownership of a particular security. In a typical total return equity swap, payments made by a Fund or the counterparty are based on the total return of a particular reference asset or assets (such as an equity security, a combination of such securities, or an index). That is, one party agrees to pay another party the return on a stock, basket of stocks, or stock index in return for a specified interest rate. By entering into an equity index swap, for example, the index receiver can gain exposure to stocks making up the index of securities without actually purchasing those stocks. Total return swaps involve not only the risk associated with the investment in the underlying securities, but also the risk of the counterparty not fulfilling its obligations under the agreement.

Credit Default Swaps. A Fund may enter into credit default swap transactions for investment purposes. A credit default swap transaction may have as reference obligations one or more securities that are not currently held by the Fund. A Fund may be either the protection buyer or protection seller in the transaction. Credit default swaps may also be structured based on the debt of a basket of issuers, rather than a single issuer, and may be customized with respect to the default event that triggers purchase or other factors. As a protection seller, a Fund would generally receive an upfront payment or a fixed rate of income throughout the term of the swap, which typically is between six months and three years, provided that there is no credit event. If a credit event occurs, generally the protection seller must pay the protection buyer the full face amount of the reference obligations that may have little or no value. The notional value of the credit default swap will be used to segregate liquid assets for selling protection on credit default swaps. If a Fund were a protection buyer and no credit event occurred during the term of the swap, the Fund would recover nothing if the swap were held through its termination date. However, if a credit event occurred, the protection buyer may elect to receive the full notional value of the swap in exchange for an equal face amount of the reference obligation that may have little or no value. Where a Fund is the protection buyer, credit default swaps involve the risk that the seller may fail to satisfy its payment obligations to the Fund in the event of a default. The purchase of credit default swaps involves costs, which will reduce a Fund’s return. When a Fund buys credit default swaps it will segregate an amount at least equal to the amount of any accrued premium payment obligations including amounts for early terminations.

Currency Swaps. A Fund may enter into currency swap transactions for investment purposes. Currency swaps are similar to interest rate swaps, except that they involve multiple currencies. A Fund may enter into a currency swap when it has exposure to one currency and desires exposure to a different currency. Typically, the interest rates that determine the currency swap payments are fixed, although occasionally one or both parties may pay a floating rate of interest. Unlike an interest rate swap, however, the principal amounts are exchanged at the beginning of the contract and returned at the end of the contract. In addition to paying and receiving amounts at the beginning and end of the transaction, both sides will have to pay in full on a periodic basis based upon the currency they have borrowed. Change in foreign exchange rates and changes in interest rates, as described above, may negatively affect currency swaps.

 

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Interest Rate Swaps. A Fund may enter into an interest rate swap in an effort to protect against declines in the value of fixed income securities held by the Fund. In such an instance, the Fund may agree to pay a fixed rate (multiplied by a notional amount) while a counterparty agrees to pay a floating rate (multiplied by the same notional amount). If interest rates rise, resulting in a diminution in the value of the Fund’s portfolio, the Fund would receive payments under the swap that would offset, in whole or in part, such diminution in value.

Options on Swaps. An option on a swap agreement, or a “swaption,” is a contract that gives a counterparty the right (but not the obligation) to enter into a new swap agreement or to shorten, extend, cancel or otherwise modify an existing swap agreement, at some designated future time on specified terms. In return, the purchaser pays a “premium” to the seller of the contract. The seller of the contract receives the premium and bears the risk of unfavorable changes on the underlying swap. A Fund may write (sell) and purchase put and call swaptions. A Fund may also enter into swaptions on either an asset-based or liability-based basis, depending on whether the Fund is hedging its assets or its liabilities. A Fund may write (sell) and purchase put and call swaptions to the same extent it may make use of standard options on securities or other instruments. A Fund may enter into these transactions primarily to preserve a return or spread on a particular investment or portion of its holdings, as a duration management technique, to protect against an increase in the price of securities the Fund anticipates purchasing at a later date, or for any other purposes, such as for speculation to increase returns. Swaptions are generally subject to the same risks involved in a Fund’s use of options.

Depending on the terms of the particular option agreement, a Fund will generally incur a greater degree of risk when it writes a swaption than it will incur when it purchases a swaption. When a Fund purchases a swaption, it risks losing only the amount of the premium it has paid should it decide to let the option expire unexercised. However, when a Fund writes a swaption, upon exercise of the option the Fund will become obligated according to the terms of the underlying agreement.

Certain additional risk factors related to derivatives are discussed below:

Derivatives Risk. Under recently adopted rules by the CFTC, transactions in some types of interest rate swaps and index credit default swaps on North American and European indices are required to be cleared. In addition, the CFTC may promulgate additional regulations that require clearing of other classes of swaps. In a cleared derivatives transaction (which includes commodities futures and cleared swaps transactions), a Fund’s counterparty is a clearing house (such as CME, ICE Clear Credit or LCH.Clearnet), rather than a bank or broker. Since each Fund is not a member of a clearing house and only members of a clearing house can participate directly in the clearing house, a Fund holds cleared derivatives through accounts at clearing members, who are futures commission merchants that are members of the clearing houses and who have the appropriate regulatory approvals to engage in cleared swap transactions. A Fund makes and receives payments owed under cleared derivatives transactions (including margin payments) through its accounts at clearing members. Clearing members guarantee performance of their clients’ obligations to the clearing house. In contrast to bilateral OTC transactions, clearing members generally can require termination of existing cleared derivatives transactions at any time and increases in margin above the margin that it required at the beginning of a transaction. Clearing houses also have broad rights to increase margin requirements for existing transactions and to terminate transactions. Any such increase or termination could interfere with the ability of a Fund to pursue its investment strategy. Also, a Fund is subject to execution risk if it enters into a derivatives transaction that is required to be cleared (or that the Advisor expects to be cleared), and no clearing member is willing or able to clear the transaction on the Fund’s behalf. While the documentation in place between a Fund and their clearing members generally provides that the clearing members will accept for clearing all transactions submitted for clearing that are within credit limits specified by the clearing members in advance, the Fund could be subject to this execution risk if the Fund submits for clearing transactions that exceed such credit limits, if the clearing house does not accept the transactions for clearing, or if the clearing members do not comply with their agreement to clear such transactions. In that case, the transaction might have to be terminated, and the Fund could lose some or all of the benefit of any increase in the value of the transaction after the time of the transaction. In addition, new regulations could, among other things, restrict a Fund’s ability to engage in, or increase the cost to the Fund of, derivatives transactions, for example, by making some types of derivatives no longer available to the Fund or increasing margin or capital requirements. If a Fund is not able to enter into a particular derivatives transaction, the Fund’s investment performance and risk profile could be adversely affected as a result.

Counterparty Risk. Counterparty risk with respect to OTC derivatives may be affected by new regulations promulgated by the CFTC and SEC affecting the derivatives market. As described under “Derivatives Risk” above, some derivatives transactions are required to be cleared, and a party to a cleared derivatives transaction is subject to the credit risk of the clearing house and the clearing member through which it holds its cleared derivatives position, rather than the credit risk of its original counterparty to the derivative transaction. Clearing members are required to segregate all funds received from customers with respect to cleared derivatives transactions from the clearing member’s proprietary assets. However, all funds and other property received by a clearing broker from its customers are generally held by the clearing broker on a commingled basis in an omnibus account, which may also invest those funds in certain instruments permitted under the applicable regulations. Also, the clearing member transfers to the clearing house the amount of margin required by the clearing house for cleared derivatives transactions, which amounts are generally held in the relevant omnibus account at the clearing house for all customers of the clearing member.

 

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For commodities futures positions, the clearing house may use all of the collateral held in the clearing member’s omnibus account to meet a loss in that account, without regard to which customer in fact supplied that collateral. Accordingly, in addition to bearing the credit risk of its clearing member, each customer to a futures transaction also bears “fellow customer” risk from other customers of the clearing member. However, with respect to cleared swaps positions, recent regulations promulgated by the CFTC require that the clearing member notify the clearing house of the amount of initial margin provided by the clearing member to the clearing house that is attributable to each customer. Because margin in respect of cleared swaps must be earmarked for specific clearing member customers, the clearing house may not use the collateral of one customer to cover the obligations of another customer. However, if the clearing member does not provide accurate reporting, a Fund is subject to the risk that a clearing house will use the Fund’s assets held in an omnibus account at the clearing house to satisfy payment obligations of a defaulting customer of the clearing member to the clearing house. In addition, clearing members may generally choose to provide to the clearing house the net amount of variation margin required for cleared swaps for all of its customers in the aggregate, rather than the gross amount for each customer.

FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS

A Fund may take advantage of opportunities in the area of options and futures contracts, options on futures contracts, warrants, swaps and any other investments which are not presently contemplated for use by the Fund or which are not currently available but which may be developed, to the extent such opportunities are both consistent with the Fund’s investment objective and legally permissible for the Fund. Before entering into such transactions or making any such investment, a Fund will provide appropriate disclosure.

HIGH YIELD SECURITIES

Investment in high yield securities generally provides greater income and increased opportunity for capital appreciation than investments in higher quality securities, but they also typically entail greater price volatility and credit risk. These high yield securities are regarded as predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer’s continuing ability to meet principal and interest payments. Analysis of the creditworthiness of issuers of debt securities that are high yield may be more complex than for issuers of higher quality debt securities. In addition, high yield securities are often issued by smaller, less creditworthy companies or by highly leveraged (indebted) firms, but can also be issued by governments. Such issuers are generally less able than more financially stable issuers to make scheduled payments of interest and principal. The risks posed by securities issued under such circumstances are substantial.

Investing in high yield debt securities involves risks that are greater than the risks of investing in higher quality debt securities. These risks include: (i) changes in credit status, including weaker overall credit conditions of issuers and risks of default; (ii) industry, market and economic risk; and (iii) greater price variability and credit risks of certain high yield securities such as zero coupon and payment-in-kind securities. While these risks provide the opportunity for maximizing return over time, they may result in greater volatility of the value of the Fund than a fund that invests in higher-rated securities.

Furthermore, the value of high yield securities may be more susceptible to real or perceived adverse economic, company or industry conditions than is the case for higher quality securities. The market values of certain of these lower-rated and unrated debt securities tend to reflect individual issuer developments to a greater extent than do higher-rated securities which react primarily to fluctuations in the general level of interest rates, and tend to be more sensitive to economic conditions than are higher-rated securities. Adverse market, credit or economic conditions could make it difficult at certain times to sell certain high yield securities held by the Fund.

The secondary market on which high yield securities are traded may be less liquid than the market for higher grade securities. Less liquidity in the secondary trading market could adversely affect the price at which a Fund could sell a high yield security, and could adversely affect the daily net asset value per share of a Fund. When secondary markets for high yield securities are less liquid than the market for higher grade securities, it may be more difficult to value the securities because there is less reliable, objective data available. However, an Index seeks to include primarily high yield securities that the Index provider believes have greater liquidity than the broader high yield securities market as a whole.

The use of credit ratings as a principal method of selecting high yield securities can involve certain risks. For example, credit ratings evaluate the safety of principal and interest payments, not the market value risk of high yield securities. Also, credit rating agencies may fail to change credit ratings in a timely fashion to reflect events since the security was last rated.

ILLIQUID SECURITIES

Each Fund may invest in illiquid securities. A Fund may not acquire any illiquid investment if, immediately after the acquisition, the Fund would have invested more than 15% of its net assets in illiquid securities. An illiquid security means any security that a Fund reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without the sale or disposition significantly changing the market value of the investment. If illiquid securities exceed 15% of the Fund’s net assets, certain remedial actions will be taken as required by Rule 22e-4 under the 1940 Act and the Funds’ policies and procedures.

INVESTMENT COMPANIES

Each Fund may invest in the securities of other investment companies, including affiliated funds and money market funds, subject to applicable limitations under Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act. Pursuant to Section 12(d)(1), a Fund may invest in the securities of another investment company (the “acquired company”) provided that the Fund, immediately after such purchase or acquisition, does not own in the aggregate: (i) more than 3% of the total outstanding voting stock of the acquired company; (ii) securities issued by the acquired company having an aggregate value in excess of 5% of the value of the total assets of the Fund; or (iii) securities issued by

 

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the acquired company and all other investment companies (other than Treasury stock of the Fund) having an aggregate value in excess of 10% of the value of the total assets of the Fund. To the extent allowed by law, regulation, a Fund’s investment restrictions and the Trust’s exemptive relief, a Fund may invest its assets in securities of investment companies that are affiliated funds and/or money market funds, in excess of the limits discussed above.

If a Fund invests in, and, thus, is a shareholder of, another investment company, the Fund’s shareholders will indirectly bear the Fund’s proportionate share of the fees and expenses paid by such other investment company, including advisory fees, in addition to both the management fees payable directly by the Fund to the Fund’s own investment adviser and the other expenses that the Fund bears directly in connection with the Fund’s own operations.

LENDING PORTFOLIO SECURITIES

Each Fund may lend portfolio securities to certain creditworthy borrowers in U.S. and non-U.S. markets in an amount not to exceed 40% of the value of its net assets. The borrowers provide collateral that is marked to market daily in an amount at least equal to the current market value of the securities loaned. A Fund may terminate a loan at any time and obtain the securities loaned. A Fund receives the value of any interest or cash or non-cash distributions paid on the loaned securities. A Fund cannot vote proxies for securities on loan, but may recall loans to vote proxies if a material issue affecting the Fund’s economic interest in the investment is to be voted upon. Efforts to recall such securities promptly may be unsuccessful, especially for foreign securities or thinly traded securities, and may involve expenses to a Fund. Distributions received on loaned securities in lieu of dividend payments (i.e., substitute payments) would not be considered qualified dividend income.

With respect to loans that are collateralized by cash, the borrower will be entitled to receive a fee based on the amount of cash collateral. A Fund is compensated by the difference between the amount earned on the reinvestment of cash collateral and the fee paid to the borrower. In the case of collateral other than cash, a Fund is compensated by a fee paid by the borrower equal to a percentage of the market value of the loaned securities. Any cash collateral may be reinvested in certain high quality short-term instruments either directly on behalf of the lending Fund or through one or more joint accounts or funds, which may include those managed by the Adviser. A Fund could lose money due to a decline in the value of collateral provided for loaned securities or any investments made with cash collateral. Certain non-cash collateral or investments made with cash collateral may have a greater risk of loss than other non-cash collateral or investments.

A Fund may pay a portion of the interest or fees earned from securities lending to a borrower as described above, and to one or more securities lending agents approved by the Board of Trustees of the Trust (the “Board”) who administer the lending program for the Funds in accordance with guidelines approved by the Board. In such capacity, the lending agent provides the following services to the Funds in connection with the Funds’ securities lending activities: (i) locating borrowers among an approved list of prospective borrowers; (ii) causing the delivery of loaned securities from a Fund to borrowers; (iii) monitoring the value of loaned securities, the value of collateral received, and other lending parameters; (iv) seeking additional collateral, as necessary, from borrowers; (v) receiving and holding collateral from borrowers, and facilitating the investment and reinvestment of all or substantially all cash collateral in an investment vehicle designated by the Funds; (vi) returning collateral to borrowers; (vii) facilitating substitute dividend, interest, and other distribution payments to the Funds from borrowers; (viii) negotiating the terms of each loan of securities, including but not limited to the amount of any loan premium, and monitoring the terms of securities loan agreements with prospective borrowers for consistency with the requirements of the Funds’ Securities Lending Authorization Agreement; (ix) selecting securities, including amounts (percentages), to be loaned; (x) recordkeeping and accounting servicing; and (xi) arranging for return of loaned securities to the Fund in accordance with the terms of the Securities Lending Authorization Agreement. State Street Bank and Trust Company (“State Street”), an affiliate of the Trust, has been approved by the Board to serve as securities lending agent for a Fund and the Trust has entered into an agreement with State Street for such services. Among other matters, the Trust has agreed to indemnify State Street for certain liabilities. State Street has received an order of exemption from the SEC under Sections 17(a) and 12(d)(1) under the 1940 Act to serve as the lending agent for affiliated investment companies such as the Trust and to invest the cash collateral received from loan transactions to be invested in an affiliated cash collateral fund.

Securities lending involves exposure to certain risks, including operational risk (i.e., the risk of losses resulting from problems in the settlement and accounting process especially so in certain international markets such as Taiwan), “gap” risk (i.e., the risk of a mismatch between the return on cash collateral reinvestments and the fees a Fund has agreed to pay a borrower), risk of loss of collateral, credit, legal, counterparty and market risk. If a securities lending counterparty were to default, a Fund would be subject to the risk of a possible delay in receiving collateral or in recovering the loaned securities, or to a possible loss of rights in the collateral. In the event a borrower does not return a Fund’s securities as agreed, the Fund may experience losses if the proceeds received from liquidating the collateral do not at least equal the value of the loaned security at the time the collateral is liquidated, plus the transaction costs incurred in purchasing replacement securities. Although State Street has agreed to provide a Fund with indemnification in the event of a borrower default, a Fund is still exposed to the risk of losses in the event a borrower does not return a

 

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Fund’s securities as agreed. For example, delays in recovery of lent securities may cause a Fund to lose the opportunity to sell the securities at a desirable price.

LEVERAGING

While the Funds do not anticipate doing so, a Fund may borrow money in an amount greater than 5% of the value of the Fund’s total assets. However, under normal circumstances, a Fund will not borrow money from a bank in an amount greater than 10% of the value of the Fund’s total assets. Borrowing for investment purposes is one form of leverage. Leveraging investments, by purchasing securities with borrowed money, is a speculative technique that increases investment risk, but also increases investment opportunity. Because substantially all of a Fund’s assets will fluctuate in value, whereas the interest obligations on borrowings may be fixed, the NAV of a Fund will increase more when such Fund’s portfolio assets increase in value and decrease more when the Fund’s portfolio assets decrease in value than would otherwise be the case. Moreover, interest costs on borrowings may fluctuate with changing market rates of interest and may partially offset or exceed the returns on the borrowed funds.

OTHER SHORT-TERM INSTRUMENTS

Each Fund may invest in short-term instruments, including money market instruments, (including money market funds advised by the Adviser), cash and cash equivalents, 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 (including those advised by the Adviser); (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 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 (“Moody’s”) or “A-1” by Standard & Poor’s (“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 present minimal credit risk; and (vi) 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 a 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. Money market instruments also include shares of money market funds. The SEC and other government agencies continue to review the regulation of money market funds. The SEC has adopted changes to the rules that govern money market funds, and compliance with many of these amendments was required in October 2016. Legislative developments may also affect money market funds. These changes and developments may affect the investment strategies, performance, yield, operating expenses and continued viability of a money market fund.

PREFERRED SECURITIES

Preferred securities pay fixed or adjustable rate dividends to investors, and have “preference” over common stock in the payment of dividends and the liquidation of a company’s assets. This means that a company must pay dividends on preferred stock before paying any dividends on its common stock. In order to be payable, distributions on preferred securities must be declared by the issuer’s board of directors. Income payments on typical preferred securities currently outstanding are cumulative, causing dividends and distributions to accrue even if not declared by the board of directors or otherwise made payable. There is no assurance that dividends or distributions on the preferred securities in which a Fund invests will be declared or otherwise made payable.

The market value of preferred securities may be affected by favorable and unfavorable changes impacting companies in the utilities and financial services sectors, which are prominent issuers of preferred securities, and by actual and anticipated changes in tax laws.

Because the claim on an issuer’s earnings represented by preferred securities may become onerous when interest rates fall below the rate payable on such securities, the issuer may redeem the securities. Thus, in declining interest rate environments in particular, a Fund’s holdings of higher rate-paying fixed rate preferred securities may be reduced and the Fund would be unable to acquire securities paying comparable rates with the redemption proceeds.

RATINGS

An investment grade rating means the security or issuer is rated investment grade by Moody’s, S&P, Fitch, Inc. (“Fitch”), Dominion Bond Rating Service Limited, or another credit rating agency designated as a nationally recognized statistical rating organization by the SEC, or is unrated but considered to be of equivalent quality by the Adviser or applicable Sub-Adviser.

 

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Subsequent to purchase by a Fund, a rated security may cease to be rated or its investment grade rating may be reduced below an investment grade rating. Bonds rated lower than Baa3 by Moody’s or BBB- by S&P or Fitch are below investment grade quality and are obligations of issuers that are considered predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal according to the terms of the obligation and, therefore, carry greater investment risk, including the possibility of issuer default and bankruptcy and increased market price volatility. Such securities (“lower rated securities”) are commonly referred to as “junk bonds” and are subject to a substantial degree of credit risk. Lower rated securities are often issued by smaller, less creditworthy companies or by highly leveraged (indebted) firms, which are generally less able than more financially stable firms to make scheduled payments of interest and principal. The risks posed by securities issued under such circumstances are substantial. Bonds rated below investment grade tend to be less marketable than higher-quality bonds because the market for them is less broad. The market for unrated bonds is even narrower. See “HIGH YIELD SECURITIES” above for more information relating to the risks associated with investing in lower rated securities, or Appendix C for more information on the ratings of debt instruments.

REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUSTS (“REITs”)

REITs pool investors’ funds for investment primarily in income producing real estate or real estate loans or interests. A REIT is not taxed on income distributed to shareholders if it complies with several requirements relating to its organization, ownership, assets, and income and a requirement that it distribute to its shareholders at least 90% of its taxable income (other than net capital gains) for each taxable year. REITs can generally be classified as Equity REITs, Mortgage REITs and Hybrid REITs. Equity REITs, which invest the majority of their assets directly in real property, derive their income primarily from rents. Equity REITs can also realize capital gains by selling properties that have appreciated in value. Mortgage REITs, which invest the majority of their assets in real estate mortgages, derive their income primarily from interest payments. Hybrid REITs combine the characteristics of both Equity REITs and Mortgage REITs. The Funds will not invest in real estate directly, but only in securities issued by real estate companies. However, the Funds may be subject to risks similar to those associated with the direct ownership of real estate (in addition to securities markets risks) to the extent they invest in the securities of companies in the real estate industry. These include declines in the value of real estate, risks related to general and local economic conditions, dependency on management skill, heavy cash flow dependency, possible lack of availability of mortgage funds, overbuilding, extended vacancies of properties, increased competition, increases in property taxes and operating expenses, changes in zoning laws, losses due to costs resulting from the clean-up of environmental problems, liability to third parties for damages resulting from environmental problems, casualty or condemnation losses, limitations on rents, changes in neighborhood values, the appeal of properties to tenants and changes in interest rates. Investments in REITs may subject Fund shareholders to duplicate management and administrative fees.

In addition to these risks, Equity REITs may be affected by changes in the value of the underlying property owned by the trusts, while Mortgage REITs may be affected by the quality of any credit extended. Further, Equity and Mortgage REITs are dependent upon management skills and may not be diversified. Equity and Mortgage REITs are also subject to heavy cash flow dependency, defaults by borrowers and self-liquidation. In addition, Equity and Mortgage REITs could possibly fail to qualify for the beneficial tax treatment available to REITs under the Internal Revenue Code, or to maintain their exemptions from registration under the 1940 Act. The above factors may also adversely affect a borrower’s or a lessee’s ability to meet its obligations to the REIT. In the event of a default by a borrower or lessee, the REIT may experience delays in enforcing its rights as a mortgagee or lessor and may incur substantial costs associated with protecting investments.

REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS

Each Fund may invest in repurchase agreements with commercial banks, brokers or dealers to generate income from its excess cash balances and to invest securities lending cash collateral. A repurchase agreement is an agreement under which a Fund acquires a financial instrument (e.g., a security issued by the U.S. government or an agency thereof, a banker’s acceptance or a certificate of deposit) from a seller, subject to resale to the seller at an agreed upon price and date (normally, the next Business Day – as defined below). A repurchase agreement may be considered a loan collateralized by securities. The resale price reflects an agreed upon interest rate effective for the period the instrument is held by a Fund and is unrelated to the interest rate on the underlying instrument.

In these repurchase agreement transactions, the securities acquired by a Fund (including accrued interest earned thereon) must have a total value in excess of the value of the repurchase agreement and are held by the Custodian until repurchased. No more than an aggregate of 15% of a Fund’s net assets will be invested in illiquid securities, including repurchase agreements having maturities longer than seven days and securities subject to legal or contractual restrictions on resale, or for which there are no readily available market quotations.

The use of repurchase agreements involves certain risks. For example, if the other party to the agreement defaults on its obligation to repurchase the underlying security at a time when the value of the security has declined, a Fund may incur a loss upon disposition of the security. If the other party to the agreement becomes insolvent and subject to liquidation or reorganization under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code or other laws, a court may determine that the underlying security is collateral for a loan by a Fund not within the

 

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control of the Fund and, therefore, the Fund may not be able to substantiate its interest in the underlying security and may be deemed an unsecured creditor of the other party to the agreement.

RESTRICTED SECURITIES

Restricted securities are securities that are not registered under the Securities Act, but which can be offered and sold to “qualified institutional buyers” under Rule 144A under the Securities Act. Institutional markets for restricted securities have developed as a result of the promulgation of Rule 144A under the Securities Act, which provides a “safe harbor” from Securities Act registration requirements for qualifying sales to institutional investors. When Rule 144A restricted securities present an attractive investment opportunity and meet other selection criteria, a Fund may make such investments whether or not such securities are “illiquid” depending on the market that exists for the particular security. The Board has delegated the responsibility for determining the liquidity of Rule 144A restricted securities that a Fund may invest in to the Adviser. In reaching liquidity decisions, the Adviser may consider the following factors: the frequency of trades and quotes for the security; the number of dealers wishing to purchase or sell the security and the number of other potential purchasers; dealer undertakings to make a market in the security; and the nature of the security and the nature of the marketplace in which it trades (e.g., the time needed to dispose of the security, the method of soliciting offers and the mechanics of transfer).

REVERSE REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS

Each Fund may enter into reverse repurchase agreements, which involve the sale of securities with an agreement to repurchase the securities at an agreed-upon price, date and interest payment and have the characteristics of borrowing. The securities purchased with the funds obtained from the agreement and securities collateralizing the agreement will have maturity dates no later than the repayment date. Generally the effect of such transactions is that a Fund can recover all or most of the cash invested in the portfolio securities involved during the term of the reverse repurchase agreement, while in many cases a Fund is able to keep some of the interest income associated with those securities. Such transactions are only advantageous if a Fund has an opportunity to earn a greater rate of interest on the cash derived from these transactions than the interest cost of obtaining the same amount of cash. Opportunities to realize earnings from the use of the proceeds equal to or greater than the interest required to be paid may not always be available and a Fund intends to use the reverse repurchase technique only when the Adviser believes it will be advantageous to the Fund. The use of reverse repurchase agreements may exaggerate any interim increase or decrease in the value of a Fund’s assets. A Fund’s exposure to reverse repurchase agreements will be covered by securities having a value equal to or greater than such commitments. Under the 1940 Act, reverse repurchase agreements are considered borrowings. Although there is no percentage limit on Fund assets that can be used in connection with reverse repurchase agreements, the Funds do not expect to engage, under normal circumstances, in reverse repurchase agreements with respect to more than 10% of their respective total assets.

U.S. REGISTERED SECURITIES OF FOREIGN ISSUERS

Investing in U.S. registered, dollar-denominated, securities issued by non-U.S. issuers involves some risks and considerations not typically associated with investing in U.S. companies. These include differences in accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, the possibility of expropriation or confiscatory taxation, adverse changes in investment or exchange control regulations, political instability which could affect U.S. investments in foreign countries, and potential restrictions of the flow of international capital. Foreign companies may be subject to less governmental regulation than U.S. issuers. Moreover, individual foreign economies may differ favorably or unfavorably from the U.S. economy in such respects as growth of gross domestic product, rate of inflation, capital reinvestment, resource self-sufficiency and balance of payment positions.

A Fund’s investment in common stock of foreign corporations may also be in the form of American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”), Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”) and European Depositary Receipts (“EDRs”) (collectively “Depositary Receipts”). Depositary Receipts are receipts, typically issued by a bank or trust company, which evidence ownership of underlying securities issued by a foreign corporation. For ADRs, the depository is typically a U.S. financial institution and the underlying securities are issued by a foreign issuer. For other Depositary Receipts, the depository may be a foreign or a U.S. entity, and the underlying securities may have a foreign or a U.S. issuer. Depositary Receipts will not necessarily be denominated in the same currency as their underlying securities. Generally, ADRs, in registered form, are designed for use in the U.S. securities markets, and EDRs, in bearer form, are designated for use in European securities markets. GDRs are tradable both in the United States and in Europe and are designed for use throughout the world. A Fund may invest in unsponsored Depositary Receipts. The issuers of unsponsored Depositary Receipts are not obligated to disclose material information in the United States, and, 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.

 

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SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS AND RISKS

A discussion of the risks associated with an investment in each Fund is contained in the Prospectus. The discussion below supplements, and should be read in conjunction with, the Prospectus.

GENERAL

Investment in a Fund should be made with an understanding that the value of a Fund’s portfolio securities may fluctuate in accordance with changes in the financial condition of the issuers of the portfolio securities, the value of securities generally and other factors.

An investment in a Fund should also be made with an understanding of the risks inherent in an investment in securities, including the risk that the financial condition of issuers may become impaired or that the general condition of the securities markets may deteriorate (either of which may cause a decrease in the value of the portfolio securities and thus in the value of Fund Shares). Securities are susceptible to general market fluctuations and to volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence in and perceptions of their issuers change. These investor perceptions are based on various and unpredictable factors including expectations regarding government, economic, monetary and fiscal policies, inflation and interest rates, economic expansion or contraction, and global or regional political, economic and banking crises. Securities of issuers traded on exchanges may be suspended on certain exchanges by the issuers themselves, by an exchange or by government authorities. The likelihood of such suspensions may be higher for securities of issuers in emerging or less-developed market countries than in countries with more developed markets. Trading suspensions may be applied from time to time to the securities of individual issuers for reasons specific to that issuer, or may be applied broadly by exchanges or governmental authorities in response to market events. Suspensions may last for significant periods of time, during which trading in the securities and instruments that reference the securities, such as participatory notes (or “P-notes”) or other derivative instruments, may be halted.

Holders of common stock incur more risk than holders of preferred stocks and debt obligations because common stockholders, as owners of the issuer, have generally inferior rights to receive payments from the issuer in comparison with the rights of creditors of, or holders of debt obligations or preferred stocks issued by, the issuer. Further, unlike debt securities which typically have a stated principal amount payable at maturity (whose value, however, will be subject to market fluctuations prior thereto), or preferred stocks which typically have a liquidation preference and which may have stated optional or mandatory redemption provisions, common stocks have neither a fixed principal amount nor a maturity. Common stock values are subject to market fluctuations as long as the common stock remains outstanding.

The principal trading market for some of the securities in an Index may be in the over-the-counter market. The existence of a liquid trading market for certain securities may depend on whether dealers will make a market in such securities. There can be no assurance that a market will be made or maintained or that any such market will be or remain liquid. The price at which securities may be sold and the value of a Fund’s shares will be adversely affected if trading markets for a Fund’s portfolio securities are limited or absent or if bid/ask spreads are wide.

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST RISK

An investment in a Fund may be subject to a number of actual or potential conflicts of interest. For example, the Adviser or its affiliates may provide services to a Fund, such as securities lending agency services, custodial, administrative, bookkeeping, and accounting services, transfer agency and shareholder servicing, securities brokerage services, and other services for which the Fund would compensate the Adviser and/or such affiliates. A Fund may invest in other pooled investment vehicles sponsored, managed, or otherwise affiliated with the Adviser. There is no assurance that the rates at which a Fund pays fees or expenses to the Adviser or its affiliates, or the terms on which it enters into transactions with the Adviser or its affiliates, will be the most favorable available in the market generally or as favorable as the rates the Adviser makes available to other clients. Because of its financial interest, the Adviser may have an incentive to enter into transactions or arrangements on behalf of a Fund with itself or its affiliates in circumstances where it might not have done so in the absence of that interest.

CONTINUOUS OFFERING

The method by which Creation Units of Fund Shares are created and traded may raise certain issues under applicable securities laws. Because new Creation Units of Fund Shares are issued and sold by the Trust on an ongoing basis, at any point a “distribution,” as such term is used in the Securities Act, may occur. Broker-dealers and other persons are cautioned that some activities on their part may, depending on the circumstances, result in their being deemed participants in a distribution in a manner which could render them statutory underwriters and subject them to the prospectus delivery and liability provisions of the Securities Act.

 

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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 Fund Shares, and sells such Fund Shares directly to customers, or if it chooses to couple the creation of a supply of new Fund Shares with an active selling effort involving solicitation of secondary market demand for Fund 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 Fund Shares, whether or not participating in the distribution of Fund Shares, are generally required to deliver a prospectus. This is because the prospectus delivery exemption in Section 4(a)(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 Fund Shares are reminded that under Securities Act Rule 153, 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 a Fund’s 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.

Certain affiliates of each Fund and the Adviser may purchase and resell or distribute Fund Shares pursuant to the registration statement of which this SAI is a part.

COUNTERPARTY RISK

Counterparty risk with respect to derivatives has been and may continue to be affected by new rules and regulations affecting the derivatives market. Some derivatives transactions are required to be centrally cleared, and a party to a cleared derivatives transaction is subject to the credit risk of the clearing house and the clearing member through which it holds its cleared position, rather than the credit risk of its original counterparty to the derivatives transaction. Credit risk of market participants with respect to derivatives that are centrally cleared is concentrated in a few clearing houses, and it is not clear how an insolvency proceeding of a clearing house would be conducted, what effect the insolvency proceeding would have on any recovery by a Fund, and what impact an insolvency of a clearing house would have on the financial system more generally.

FUTURES AND OPTIONS TRANSACTIONS

There can be no assurance that a liquid secondary market will exist for any particular futures contract or option at any specific time. Thus, it may not be possible to close a futures or options position. In the event of adverse price movements, a Fund would continue to be required to make daily cash payments to maintain its required margin. In such situations, if a Fund has insufficient cash, it may have to sell portfolio securities to meet daily margin requirements at a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so. In addition, a Fund may be required to make delivery of the instruments underlying futures contracts it has sold.

Each Fund will minimize the risk that it will be unable to close out a futures or options contract by only entering into futures and options for which there appears to be a liquid secondary market.

The risk of loss in trading futures contracts or uncovered call options in some strategies (e.g., selling uncovered index futures contracts) is potentially unlimited. The Funds do not plan to use futures and options contracts, when available, in this manner. The risk of a futures position may still be large as traditionally measured due to the low margin deposits required. In many cases, a relatively small price movement in a futures contract may result in immediate and substantial loss or gain to the investor relative to the size of a required margin deposit. A Fund, however, may utilize futures and options contracts in a manner designed to limit its risk exposure to that which is comparable to what it would have incurred through direct investment in securities.

Utilization of futures transactions by a Fund involves the risk of imperfect or even negative correlation to its benchmark Index if the index underlying the futures contracts differs from the benchmark Index or if the futures contracts do not track the benchmark Index as expected. There is also the risk of loss by a Fund of margin deposits in the event of bankruptcy of a broker with whom a Fund has an open position in the futures contract or option.

Certain financial futures exchanges limit the amount of fluctuation permitted in futures contract prices during a single trading day. The daily limit establishes the maximum amount that the price of a futures contract may vary either up or down from the previous day’s settlement price at the end of a trading session. Once the daily limit has been reached in a particular type of contract, no trades may be made on that day at a price beyond that limit. The daily limit governs only price movement during a particular trading day and therefore does not limit potential losses, because the limit may prevent the liquidation of unfavorable positions. Futures contract prices have occasionally moved to the daily limit for several consecutive trading days with little or no trading, thereby preventing prompt liquidation of futures positions and subjecting some futures traders to substantial losses.

 

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RISKS OF SWAP AGREEMENTS

Swap agreements are subject to the risk that the swap counterparty will default on its obligations. If such a default occurs, a Fund will have contractual remedies pursuant to the agreements related to the transaction, but such remedies may be subject to bankruptcy and insolvency laws which could affect the Fund’s rights as a creditor.

The use of interest-rate and index swaps is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio security transactions. The use of a swap requires an understanding not only of the referenced asset, reference rate or index but also of the swap itself, without the benefit of observing the performance of the swap under all possible market conditions. These transactions generally do not involve the delivery of securities or other underlying assets or principal.

The absence of a regulated execution facility or contract market and lack of liquidity for swap transactions has led, in some instances, to difficulties in trading and valuation, especially in the event of market disruptions. Under recently adopted rules and regulations, transactions in some types of swaps are required to be centrally cleared. In a cleared derivatives transaction, a Fund’s counterparty to the transaction is a central derivatives clearing organization, or clearing house, rather than a bank or broker. Because each Fund is not a member of a clearing house, and only members of a clearing house can participate directly in the clearing house, the Fund holds cleared derivatives through accounts at clearing members. In cleared derivatives transactions, a Fund will make payments (including margin payments) to and receive payments from a clearing house through its accounts at clearing members. Clearing members guarantee performance of their clients’ obligations to the clearing house. Centrally cleared derivative arrangements may be less favorable to a Fund than bilateral (non-cleared) arrangements. For example, a Fund may be required to provide greater amounts of margin for cleared derivatives transactions than for bilateral derivatives transactions. Also, in contrast to bilateral derivatives transactions, in some cases following a period of notice to a Fund, a clearing member generally can require termination of existing cleared derivatives transactions at any time or an increase in margin requirements above the margin that the clearing member required at the beginning of a transaction. Clearing houses also have broad rights to increase margin requirements for existing transactions or to terminate transactions at any time. A Fund is subject to risk if it enters into a derivatives transaction that is required to be cleared (or which SSGA FM expects to be cleared), and no clearing member is willing or able to clear the transaction on the Fund’s behalf. In that case, the transaction might have to be terminated, and the Fund could lose some or all of the benefit of the transaction, including loss of an increase in the value of the transaction and loss of hedging protection. In addition, the documentation governing the relationship between a Fund and clearing members is drafted by the clearing members and generally is less favorable to the Fund than typical bilateral derivatives documentation.

These clearing rules and other new rules and regulations could, among other things, restrict a Fund’s ability to engage in, or increase the cost to the Fund of, derivatives transactions, for example, by making some types of derivatives no longer available to the Fund, increasing margin or capital requirements, or otherwise limiting liquidity or increasing transaction costs. These regulations are new and evolving, so their potential impact on a Fund and the financial system are not yet known.

Because they are two party contracts that may be subject to contractual restrictions on transferability and termination and because they may have terms of greater than seven days, swap agreements may be considered to be illiquid and subject to a Fund’s limitation on investments in illiquid securities. To the extent that a swap is not liquid, it may not be possible to initiate a transaction or liquidate a position at an advantageous time or price, which may result in significant losses. Like most other investments, swap agreements are subject to the risk that the market value of the instrument will change in a way detrimental to a Fund’s interest.

If a Fund uses a swap as a hedge against, or as a substitute for, a portfolio investment, the Fund will be exposed to the risk that the swap will have or will develop imperfect or no correlation with the portfolio investment. This could cause substantial losses for the Fund. While hedging strategies involving swap instruments can reduce the risk of loss, they can also reduce the opportunity for gain or even result in losses by offsetting favorable price movements in other Fund investments. Many swaps are complex and often valued subjectively.

TAX RISKS

As with any investment, you should consider how your investment in Fund Shares will be taxed. The tax information in the Prospectus and this SAI is provided as general information. You should consult your own tax professional about the tax consequences of an investment in Fund Shares.

Unless your investment in Fund Shares is made through a tax-exempt entity or tax-advantaged retirement account, such as an individual retirement account, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when a Fund makes distributions or you sell Fund Shares.

 

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INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS

The Trust has adopted the following investment restrictions as fundamental policies with respect to each Fund. These restrictions cannot be changed without the approval of the holders of a majority of a Fund’s outstanding voting securities. For purposes of the 1940 Act, a majority of the outstanding voting securities of a Fund means the vote, at an annual or a special meeting of the security holders of the Trust, of the lesser of (1) 67% or more of the voting securities of the Fund present at such meeting, if the holders of more than 50% of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund are present or represented by proxy, or (2) more than 50% of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. Except with the approval of a majority of the outstanding voting securities, each Fund may not:

1. Concentrate its investments in securities of issuers in the same industry, except as may be necessary to approximate the composition of the Fund’s underlying Index;1

2. Make loans to another person except as permitted by the 1940 Act or other governing statute, by the Rules thereunder, or by the SEC or other regulatory agency with authority over the Fund;

3. Issue senior securities or borrow money, except as permitted by the 1940 Act or other governing statute, by the Rules thereunder, or by the SEC or other regulatory agency with authority over the Fund;

4. Invest directly in real estate unless the real estate is acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments. This restriction shall not preclude the Fund from investing in companies that deal in real estate or in instruments that are backed or secured by real estate;

5. Act as an underwriter of another issuer’s securities, except to the extent the Fund may be deemed to be an underwriter within the meaning of the Securities Act in connection with the Fund’s purchase and sale of portfolio securities; or

6. Invest in commodities except as permitted by the 1940 Act or other governing statute, by the Rules thereunder, or by the SEC or other regulatory agency with authority over the Fund.

In addition to the investment restrictions adopted as fundamental policies as set forth above, each Fund observes the following restrictions, which may be changed by the Board without a shareholder vote. Each Fund will not:

1. Invest in the securities of a company for the purpose of exercising management or control, provided that the Trust may vote the investment securities owned by the Fund in accordance with its views;

2. Under normal circumstances, invest less than 80% of its total assets in securities that comprise its relevant Index. Securities that have economic characteristics substantially identical to the economic characteristics of the securities that comprise the Index are included within this 80% investment policy for the SPDR Bloomberg SASB Corporate Bond ESG Select ETF;

3. With respect to the SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap Dividend Yield ESG Select ETF, SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap ESG Select ETF, SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap Growth ESG Select ETF, and SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap Value EST Select ETF, under normal circumstances, invest less than 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of borrowings for investment purposes, in securities of U.S. companies. Prior to any change in a Fund’s 80% investment policy, the Fund will provide shareholders with 60 days written notice.

4. With respect to the SPDR Bloomberg SASB Corporate Bond ESG Select ETF, under normal circumstances, invest less than 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of borrowings for investment purposes, in corporate bonds. Prior to any change in this 80% investment policy, the Fund will provide shareholders with 60 days written notice; or

5. With respect to the SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap Dividend Yield ESG Select ETF, SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap ESG Select ETF, SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap Growth ESG Select ETF, and SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap Value EST Select ETF, under normal circumstances, invest less than 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of borrowings for investment purposes, in securities of large-capitalization companies. Prior to any change in a Fund’s 80% investment policy, the Fund will provide shareholders with 60 days written notice.

The Funds define the foregoing terms in accordance with the definition of such terms per the applicable Index. If a percentage limitation is adhered to at the time of investment or contract, a later increase or decrease in percentage resulting from any change in value or total or net assets will not result in a violation of such restriction, except that the percentage limitations with respect to the borrowing of money will be observed continuously. With respect to the limitation on borrowing, in the event that a subsequent change in net assets or other circumstances cause a Fund to exceed its limitation, the Fund will take steps to bring the aggregate amount of borrowing back within the limitations within three days thereafter (not including Sundays and holidays). With respect to the limitation on illiquid securities, in the event that a subsequent change in net assets or other circumstances cause a Fund to exceed its limitation, the Fund will take steps to bring the aggregate amount of illiquid instruments back within the limitations as soon as reasonably practicable.

The 1940 Act currently permits each Fund to loan up to 33 1/3% of its total assets. With respect to borrowing, the 1940 Act presently allows each Fund to: (1) borrow from any bank (including pledging, mortgaging or hypothecating assets) in an amount up to 33 1/3% of its total assets, (2) borrow money for temporary purposes in an amount not exceeding 5% of the value of the Fund’s total assets at the time of the loan, and (3) enter into reverse repurchase agreements. However, under normal circumstances any borrowings by a Fund will not exceed 10% of the Fund’s total assets. The 1940 Act generally prohibits funds from issuing senior securities, although it does not treat certain transactions as senior securities, such as certain borrowings, short sales, reverse repurchase agreements, firm commitment agreements and standby commitments, with appropriate earmarking or segregation of assets to cover such obligation. With respect to investments in commodities, the 1940 Act presently permits the Funds to invest in commodities in accordance with investment policies contained in its prospectus and SAI. Any such investment shall also comply with the CEA and the rules and

 

1 

The SEC Staff considers concentration to involve more than 25% of a fund’s assets to be invested in an industry or group of industries.

 

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regulations thereunder. The 1940 Act does not directly restrict an investment company’s ability to invest in real estate, but does require that every investment company have the fundamental investment policy governing such investments. The Funds will not purchase or sell real estate, except that a Fund may invest in companies that deal in real estate (including REITs) or in instruments that are backed or secured by real estate.

EXCHANGE LISTING AND TRADING

A discussion of exchange listing and trading matters associated with an investment in a Fund is contained in the Prospectus under “PURCHASE AND SALE INFORMATION” and “ADDITIONAL PURCHASE AND SALE INFORMATION.” The discussion below supplements, and should be read in conjunction with, such sections of the Prospectus.

The Fund Shares are approved for listing and trading on the Exchange, subject to notice of issuance. The Fund Shares trade on the Exchange at prices that may differ to some degree from their net asset value. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of a Fund’s shares will continue to be met.

The Exchange may consider the suspension of trading in, and may initiate delisting proceedings of, the Shares of a Fund under any of the following circumstances: (i) if any of the continued listing requirements set forth in the Exchange rules are not continuously maintained; (ii) if the Exchange files separate proposals under Section 19(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and any of the statements or representations regarding (a) the description of the Index, portfolio, or reference asset; (b) limitations on the Index or the Fund’s portfolio holdings or reference assets; or (c) the applicability of the Exchange listing rules specified in such proposals are not continuously maintained; (iii) if following the initial 12-month period beginning at the commencement of trading of the Fund, there are fewer than 50 record or beneficial owners of the Shares of the Fund; (iv) if the value of the Fund’s underlying index or portfolio of securities on which the Fund is based is no longer calculated or available; or (v) such other event shall occur or condition shall exist that, in the opinion of the Exchange, makes further dealings on the Exchange inadvisable. If the Intraday Indicative Value of a Fund is not being disseminated as required by Exchange rules, the Exchange may halt trading during the day in which such interruption occurs. If the interruption persists past the trading day in which it occurred, the Exchange will halt trading in the Fund Shares. The Exchange will remove the Shares from listing and trading upon termination of a Fund. The Trust reserves the right to adjust the Fund Share price of a 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 a Fund.

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

The base and trading currencies of each Fund is the U.S. dollar. The base currency is the currency in which a Fund’s net asset value per Fund Share is calculated and the trading currency is the currency in which the Fund’s shares are listed and traded on the Exchange.

MANAGEMENT OF THE TRUST

The following information supplements and should be read in conjunction with the section in the Prospectus entitled “MANAGEMENT.”

Board Responsibilities. The management and affairs of the Trust and its series, including the Funds described in this SAI, are overseen by the Trustees. The Board has approved contracts, as described in this SAI, under which certain companies provide essential management services to the Trust.

Like most mutual funds, the day-to-day business of the Trust, including the management of risk, is performed by third party service providers, such as the Adviser, Distributor, Administrator and Sub-Administrator. The Trustees are responsible for overseeing the Trust’s service providers and, thus, have oversight responsibility with respect to risk management performed by those service providers. Risk management seeks to identify and address risks, i.e., events or circumstances that could have material adverse effects on the business, operations, shareholder services, investment performance or reputation of the Funds. The Funds and their service providers employ a variety of processes, procedures and controls to identify various of those possible events or circumstances, to lessen the probability of their occurrence and/or to mitigate the effects of such events or circumstances if they do occur. Each service provider is responsible for one or more discrete aspects of the Trust’s business (e.g., the Adviser is responsible for the day-to-day management of a Fund’s portfolio investments) and, consequently, for managing the risks associated with that business. The Board has emphasized to the Funds’ service providers the importance of maintaining vigorous risk management.

 

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The Trustees’ role in risk oversight begins before the inception of a Fund, at which time the Fund’s Adviser presents the Board with information concerning the investment objectives, strategies and risks of the Fund, as well as proposed investment limitations for the Fund. Additionally, the Fund’s Adviser provides the Board with an overview of, among other things, its investment philosophies, brokerage practices and compliance infrastructures. Thereafter, the Board continues its oversight function as various personnel, including the Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer, as well as personnel of the Adviser and other service providers, such as the Fund’s independent accountants, make periodic reports to the Audit Committee or to the Board with respect to various aspects of risk management. The Board and the Audit Committee oversee efforts by management and service providers to manage risks to which a Fund may be exposed.

The Board is responsible for overseeing the nature, extent and quality of the services provided to the Funds by the Adviser and receives information about those services at its regular meetings. In addition, on an annual basis, in connection with its consideration of whether to renew the Investment Advisory Agreement with the Adviser, the Board meets with the Adviser to review such services. Among other things, the Board regularly considers the Adviser’s adherence to each Fund’s investment restrictions and compliance with various Fund policies and procedures and with applicable securities regulations. The Board also reviews information about each Fund’s investments.

The Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer reports regularly to the Board to review and discuss compliance issues. At least annually, the Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer provides the Board with a report reviewing the adequacy and effectiveness of the Trust’s policies and procedures and those of its service providers, including the Adviser. The report addresses the operation of the policies and procedures of the Trust and each service provider since the date of the last report; any material changes to the policies and procedures since the date of the last report; any recommendations for material changes to the policies and procedures; and any material compliance matters since the date of the last report.

The Board receives reports from the Funds’ service providers regarding operational risks and risks related to the valuation and liquidity of portfolio securities. Regular reports are made to the Board concerning investments for which market quotations are not readily available. Annually, the independent registered public accounting firm reviews with the Audit Committee its audit of each Fund’s financial statements, focusing on major areas of risk encountered by the Funds and noting any significant deficiencies or material weaknesses in the Funds’ internal controls. Additionally, in connection with its oversight function, the Board oversees Fund management’s implementation of disclosure controls and procedures, which are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Trust in its periodic reports with the SEC are recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the required time periods. The Board also oversees the Trust’s internal controls over financial reporting, which comprise policies and procedures designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of the Trust’s financial reporting and the preparation of the Trust’s financial statements.

From their review of these reports and discussions with the Adviser, the Chief Compliance Officer, the independent registered public accounting firm and other service providers, the Board and the Audit Committee learn in detail about the material risks of the Funds, thereby facilitating a dialogue about how management and service providers identify and mitigate those risks.

The Board recognizes that not all risks that may affect a Fund can be identified and/or quantified, that it may not be practical or cost-effective to eliminate or mitigate certain risks, that it may be necessary to bear certain risks (such as investment-related risks) to achieve a Fund’s goals, and that the processes, procedures and controls employed to address certain risks may be limited in their effectiveness. Moreover, reports received by the Trustees as to risk management matters are typically summaries of the relevant information. Most of the Funds’ investment management and business affairs are carried out by or through the Funds’ Adviser and other service providers, each of which has an independent interest in risk management but whose policies and the methods by which one or more risk management functions are carried out may differ from the Funds’ and each other’s in the setting of priorities, the resources available or the effectiveness of relevant controls. As a result of the foregoing and other factors, the Board’s ability to monitor and manage risk, as a practical matter, is subject to limitations.

Trustees and Officers. There are seven members of the Board of Trustees, six of whom are not interested persons of the Trust, as that term is defined in the 1940 Act (“Independent Trustees”). Frank Nesvet, an Independent Trustee, serves as Chairman of the Board. The Board has determined its leadership structure is appropriate given the specific characteristics and circumstances of the Trust. The Board made this determination in consideration of, among other things, the fact that the Independent Trustees constitute a super-majority (greater than 75%) of the Board, the fact that the chairperson of each Committee of the Board is an Independent Trustee, the amount of assets under management in the Trust, and the number of funds (and classes of shares) overseen by the Board. The Board also believes that its leadership structure facilitates the orderly and efficient flow of information to the Independent Trustees from fund management.

The Board of Trustees has two standing committees: the Audit Committee and Trustee Committee. The Audit Committee and Trustee Committee are each chaired by an Independent Trustee and composed of all of the Independent Trustees.

 

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Set forth below are the names, year of birth, position with the Trust, length of term of office, and the principal occupations during the last five years and other directorships held of each of the persons currently serving as a Trustee or Officer of the Trust.

TRUSTEES

 

NAME, ADDRESS

AND YEAR OF BIRTH

  

POSITION(S)

WITH

FUNDS

  

TERM OF

OFFICE AND

LENGTH OF

TIME SERVED

  

PRINCIPAL

OCCUPATION(S)

DURING PAST

5 YEARS

  

NUMBER OF

PORTFOLIOS

IN FUND

COMPLEX

OVERSEEN

BY TRUSTEE†

  

OTHER

DIRECTORSHIPS

HELD BY

TRUSTEE

DURING THE

PAST 5 YEARS

INDEPENDENT TRUSTEES               

FRANK NESVET

c/o SPDR Series Trust

One Iron Street

Boston, MA 02210

1943

  

Independent Trustee,

Chairman,

Trustee

Committee Chair

  

Term: Unlimited

Served: since

September 2000

   Retired.    [    ]    None.

BONNY EUGENIA BOATMAN

c/o SPDR Series Trust

One Iron Street

Boston, MA 02210

1950

   Independent Trustee   

Term: Unlimited

Served: since

April 2010

   Retired.    [    ]    None.

DWIGHT D. CHURCHILL

c/o SPDR Series Trust

One Iron Street

Boston, MA 02210

1953

   Independent Trustee   

Term: Unlimited

Served: since

April 2010

  

Self-employed consultant since 2010; CEO and President,

CFA Institute (June 2014 - January 2015).

   [    ]   

Affiliated Managers

Group, Inc. (Director).

CLARE S. RICHER

c/o SPDR Series Trust

One Iron Street

Boston, MA 02210

1958

   Independent Trustee   

Term: Unlimited

Served: since

July 2018

   Chief Financial Officer, Putnam Investments LLC (December 2008 – May 2017).    [    ]   

Putnam Acquisition Financing Inc. (Director);

Putnam Acquisition Financing LLC (Director);

Putnam GP Inc.

(Director); Putnam Investor Services, Inc. (Director); Putnam Investments Limited (Director); University of Notre Dame (Trustee).

 

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Table of Contents

NAME, ADDRESS

AND YEAR OF BIRTH

 

POSITION(S)

WITH

FUNDS

 

TERM OF

OFFICE AND

LENGTH OF

TIME SERVED

 

PRINCIPAL

OCCUPATION(S)

DURING PAST

5 YEARS

 

NUMBER OF

PORTFOLIOS

IN FUND

COMPLEX

OVERSEEN

BY TRUSTEE†

  

OTHER

DIRECTORSHIPS

HELD BY

TRUSTEE

DURING THE

PAST 5 YEARS

SANDRA G. SPONEM

c/o SPDR Series Trust

One Iron Street

Boston, MA 02210

1958

  Independent Trustee  

Term: Unlimited

Served: since

July 2018

  Chief Financial Officer, M.A. Mortenson Companies, Inc. (February 2007 –April 2017).   [    ]    Guggenheim / Rydex Funds (Trustee).

CARL G. VERBONCOEUR

c/o SPDR Series Trust

One Iron Street

Boston, MA 02210

1952

  Independent Trustee, Audit Committee Chair  

Term: Unlimited

Served: since

April 2010

 

Self-employed

consultant since 2009.

  [    ]    The Motley Fool Funds Trust (Trustee).
INTERESTED TRUSTEE         

JAMES E. ROSS*

SSGA Funds Management, Inc.

One Iron Street

Boston, MA 02210

1965

 

Interested

Trustee

 

Term: Unlimited

Served as

Trustee: since

April 2010

 

Chairman and

Director, SSGA

Funds Management,

Inc. (2005 - present);

Executive Vice

President, State Street Global Advisors

(2012 - present);

Chief Executive

Officer and Director, State Street Global Advisors Funds Distributors, LLC

(May 2017 - present); Director, State Street Global Markets, LLC (2013 - April 2017);

President, SSGA

Funds Management,

Inc. (2005 - 2012); Principal, State Street Global Advisors

(2000 - 2005).

  [    ]   

SSGA SPDR

ETFs Europe I plc (Director) (November 2016 - present); SSGA SPDR ETFs Europe II plc (Director) (November 2016 - present).

 

For the purpose of determining the number of portfolios overseen by the Trustees, “Fund Complex” comprises registered investment companies for which SSGA Funds Management, Inc. serves as investment adviser.

 

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Table of Contents
*

Mr. Ross is an Interested Trustee because of his employment with the Adviser and ownership interest in an affiliate of the Adviser. Mr. Ross previously served as an Interested Trustee from November 2005 to December 2009.

OFFICERS

 

NAME, ADDRESS

AND YEAR OF BIRTH

  

POSITION(S)

WITH FUNDS

  

TERM OF

OFFICE AND

LENGTH OF

TIME SERVED

  

PRINCIPAL

OCCUPATION(S)

DURING THE

PAST 5 YEARS

ELLEN M. NEEDHAM

SSGA Funds Management, Inc.

One Iron Street

Boston, MA 02210

1967

   President   

Term: Unlimited

Served: since

October 2012

   President and Director, SSGA Funds Management, Inc. (2001 - present)*; Senior Managing Director, State Street Global Advisors (1992 - present)*; Director, State Street Global Advisors Funds Distributors, LLC (May 2017 - present).

ANN M. CARPENTER

SSGA Funds Management, Inc.

One Iron Street

Boston, MA 02210

1966

  

Vice President;

Deputy Treasurer

  

Term: Unlimited

Served: since August 2012 (with respect to Vice President); Unlimited Served: since February 2016 (with respect to Deputy Treasurer)

   Chief Operating Officer, SSGA Funds Management, Inc. (2005 - present)*; Managing Director, State Street Global Advisors (2005 -present).*

MICHAEL P. RILEY

SSGA Funds Management, Inc.

One Iron Street

Boston, MA 02210

1969

  

Vice

President

  

Term: Unlimited

Served: since

February 2005

   Managing Director, State Street Global Advisors (2005 - present).*

SEAN O’MALLEY

SSGA Funds Management, Inc.

One Iron Street

Boston, MA 02210

1969

  

Chief Legal

Officer

  

Term: Unlimited

Served: since

August 2019

   Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, State Street Global Advisors (November 2013-Present).

ANDREW DELORME

SSGA Funds Management, Inc.

One Iron Street

Boston, MA 02210

1975

   Secretary   

Term: Unlimited

Served: since

August 2019

   Vice President and Senior Counsel, State Street Global Advisors (April 2016-Present); Vice President and Counsel, State Street Global Advisors (August 2014-March 2016).

JAMES GOUNDREY

SSGA Funds Management, Inc.

One Iron Street

Boston, MA 02210

1977

   Assistant Secretary   

Term: Unlimited

Served: since

August 2019

   Vice President and Senior Counsel, State Street Global Advisors (April 2019-Present); Vice President and Counsel, State Street Global Advisors (August 2015-April 2019); Attorney, MFS Investment Management (March 2012-August 2015).

KEVIN MORRIS

SSGA Funds Management, Inc.

One Iron Street

Boston, MA 02210

1982

   Assistant Secretary   

Term: Unlimited

Served: since

August 2019

   Vice President and Senior Counsel, State Street Global Advisors (April 2019-Present); Vice President and Counsel, State Street Global Advisors (January 2016-April 2019); Director, Asset Management Compliance, Fidelity Investments (June 2015-January 2016); Senior Compliance Advisor, Asset Management Compliance, Fidelity Investments (June 2012-June 2015).

 

23


Table of Contents

NAME, ADDRESS

AND YEAR OF BIRTH

  

POSITION(S)

WITH
FUNDS

  

TERM OF

OFFICE AND

LENGTH OF

TIME SERVED

  

PRINCIPAL

OCCUPATION(S)

DURING THE

PAST 5 YEARS

DAVID URMAN

SSGA Funds Management, Inc.

One Iron Street

Boston, MA 02210

1985

   Assistant Secretary   

Term: Unlimited

Served: since

August 2019

   Vice President and Senior Counsel, State Street Global Advisors (April 2019-Present); Vice President and Counsel, State Street Global Advisors (August 2015-April 2019); Associate, Ropes & Gray LLP (November 2012-August 2015).

BRUCE S. ROSENBERG

SSGA Funds Management, Inc.

One Iron Street

Boston, MA 02210

1961

   Treasurer   

Term: Unlimited

Served: since

February 2016

   Managing Director, State Street Global Advisors and SSGA Funds Management, Inc. (July 2015 - present); Director, Credit Suisse (April 2008 - July 2015).

CHAD C. HALLETT

SSGA Funds Management, Inc.

One Iron Street

Boston, MA 02210

1969

  

Deputy

Treasurer

  

Term: Unlimited

Served: since

February 2016

   Vice President, State Street Global Advisors and SSGA Funds Management, Inc. (November 2014 - present); Vice President, State Street Bank and Trust Company (2001 - November 2014).*

DARLENE ANDERSON-VASQUEZ

SSGA Funds Management, Inc.

One Iron Street

Boston, MA 02210

1968

  

Deputy

Treasurer

  

Term: Unlimited

Served: since

November 2016

   Managing Director, State Street Global Advisors and SSGA Funds Management, Inc. (May 2016 - present); Senior Vice President, John Hancock Investments (September 2007 - May 2016).

ARTHUR A. JENSEN

SSGA Funds Management, Inc.

1600 Summer Street

Stamford, CT 06905

1966

  

Deputy

Treasurer

  

Term: Unlimited

Served: since

August 2017

   Vice President at State Street Global Advisors (July 2016 - present); Deputy Treasurer of Elfun Funds (July 2016 - present); Treasurer of State Street Institutional Funds, State Street Variable Insurance Series Funds, Inc. and GE Retirement Savings Plan Funds (June 2011 - present); Treasurer of Elfun Funds (June 2011 - July 2016); Mutual Funds Controller of GE Asset Management Incorporated (April 2011 - July 2016); Senior Vice President at Citigroup (2008 - 2010); Vice President at JPMorgan (2005 - 2008).

DANIEL FOLEY

SSGA Funds Management, Inc.

One Iron Street

Boston, MA 02210

1972

  

Assistant

Treasurer

  

Term: Unlimited

Served: since

February 2016

   Vice President, State Street Global Advisors and SSGA Funds Management, Inc. (April 2007 - present).*

DANIEL G. PLOURDE

SSGA Funds Management, Inc.

One Iron Street

Boston, MA 02210

1980

  

Assistant

Treasurer

  

Term: Unlimited

Served: since

May 2017

   Vice President, State Street Global Advisors and SSGA Funds Management, Inc. (May 2015 - present); Officer, State Street Bank and Trust Company (March 2009 -May 2015).

SUJATA UPRETI

SSGA Funds Management, Inc.

One Iron Street

Boston, MA 02210

1974

  

Assistant

Treasurer

  

Term: Unlimited

Served: since

February 2016

   Vice President, State Street Global Advisors and SSGA Funds Management, Inc. (May 2015 - present); Assistant Director, Cambridge Associates, LLC (July 2014 - January 2015); Vice President, Bank of New York Mellon (July 2012 - August 2013); Manager, PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP (September 2003 - July 2012).

 

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Table of Contents

NAME, ADDRESS

AND YEAR OF BIRTH

  

POSITION(S)

WITH FUNDS

  

TERM OF

OFFICE AND

LENGTH OF

TIME SERVED

  

PRINCIPAL

OCCUPATION(S)

DURING THE

PAST 5 YEARS

BRIAN HARRIS

SSGA Funds Management, Inc.

One Iron Street

Boston, MA 02210

1973

  

Chief

Compliance

Officer;

Anti-Money Laundering

Officer; Code of Ethics Compliance Officer

  

Term: Unlimited

Served: since

November 2013

   Managing Director, State Street Global Advisors and SSGA Funds Management, Inc. (June 2013 - present)*; Senior Vice President and Global Head of Investment Compliance, BofA Global Capital Management (2010 - 2013).

 

*

Served in various capacities and/or with various affiliated entities during noted time period.

**

Served in various capacities and/or with unaffiliated mutual funds or closed-end funds for which State Street Bank and Trust Company or its affiliates act as a provider of services during the noted time period.

Individual Trustee Qualifications

The Board has concluded that each of the Trustees should serve on the Board because of his or her ability to review and understand information about the Funds provided to him or her by management, to identify and request other information he or she may deem relevant to the performance of his or her duties, to question management and other service providers regarding material factors bearing on the management and administration of the Funds, and to exercise his or her business judgment in a manner that serves the best interests of each Fund’s shareholders. The Board has concluded that each of the Trustees should serve as a Trustee based on his or her own experience, qualifications, attributes and skills as described below.

The Board has concluded that Mr. Nesvet should serve as Trustee because of the experience he has gained serving as the Chief Executive Officer of a financial services consulting company, serving on the boards of other investment companies, and serving as chief financial officer of a major financial services company; his knowledge of the financial services industry, and the experience he has gained serving as Trustee of the Trust since 2000.

The Board has concluded that Ms. Boatman should serve as Trustee because of the experience she gained serving as Managing Director of the primary investment division of one of the nation’s leading financial institutions and her knowledge of the financial services industry. Ms. Boatman was elected to serve as Trustee of the Trust in April 2010.

The Board has concluded that Mr. Churchill should serve as Trustee because of the experience he gained serving as the Head of the Fixed Income Division of one of the nation’s leading mutual fund companies and provider of financial services and his knowledge of the financial services industry. Mr. Churchill was elected to serve as Trustee of the Trust in April 2010.

The Board has concluded that Ms. Richer should serve as Trustee because of the experience she gained serving as the Chief Financial Officer of a large financial services and investment management company, her knowledge of the financial services industry and her experience serving on the board of a major educational institution. Ms. Richer was appointed to serve as Trustee of the Trust in July 2018.

The Board has concluded that Ms. Sponem should serve as Trustee because of the experience she gained serving as the Chief Financial Officer of a large financial services company, her knowledge of the financial services industry and her experience serving on the board of another investment company. Ms. Sponem was appointed to serve as Trustee of the Trust in July 2018.

The Board has concluded that Mr. Verboncoeur should serve as Trustee because of the experience he gained serving as the Chief Executive Officer of a large financial services and investment management company, his knowledge of the financial services industry and his experience serving on the boards of other investment companies. Mr. Verboncoeur was elected to serve as Trustee of the Trust in April 2010.

The Board has concluded that Mr. Ross should serve as Trustee because of the experience he has gained in his various roles with the Adviser, his knowledge of the financial services industry, and the experience he has gained serving as Trustee of the Trust since 2005 (Mr. Ross did not serve as Trustee from December 2009 until April 2010).

 

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In its periodic assessment of the effectiveness of the Board, the Board considers the complementary individual skills and experience of the individual Trustees primarily in the broader context of the Board’s overall composition so that the Board, as a body, possesses the appropriate (and appropriately diverse) skills and experience to oversee the business of the Funds.

REMUNERATION OF THE TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS

No officer, director or employee of the Adviser, its parent or subsidiaries receives any compensation from the Trust for serving as an officer or Trustee of the Trust. The Trust, SSGA Active Trust and SPDR Index Shares Funds (together with the Trust, the “Trusts”) pay, in the aggregate, each Independent Trustee an annual fee of $245,000 plus $10,000 per in-person meeting attended and $1,250 for each telephonic or video conference meeting attended. The Chairman of the Board receives an additional annual fee of $60,000 and the Chairman of the Audit Committee receives an additional annual fee of $30,000. The Trust also reimburses each Independent Trustee for travel and other out-of-pocket expenses incurred by him/her in connection with attending such meetings and in connection with attending industry seminars and meetings. Trustee fees are allocated between the Trusts and each of their respective series in such a manner as deemed equitable, taking into consideration the relative net assets of the series.

The table below shows the compensation that the Independent Trustees received during the Trust’s fiscal year ended [June 30, 2019].

 

NAME OF

INDEPENDENT TRUSTEE

   AGGREGATE
COMPENSATION
FROM THE TRUST
     PENSION OR
RETIREMENT
BENEFITS ACCRUED
AS PART OF TRUST
EXPENSES
     ESTIMATED
ANNUAL BENEFITS
UPON
RETIREMENT
     TOTAL
COMPENSATION
FROM THE
TRUST
AND FUND COMPLEX PAID
TO TRUSTEES(1)
 

Frank Nesvet

   $ [          [          [        $ [    

Bonny Boatman

   $ [          [          [        $ [    

Dwight Churchill

   $ [          [          [        $ [    

Clare Richer

   $ [          [          [        $ [    

Sandra Sponem

   $ [          [          [        $ [    

Carl Verboncoeur

   $ [          [          [        $ [    

 

(1)

The Fund Complex includes the Trust.

STANDING COMMITTEES

Audit Committee. The Board has an Audit Committee consisting of all Independent Trustees. Mr. Verboncoeur serves as Chairman. The Audit Committee meets with the Trust’s independent auditors to review and approve the scope and results of their professional services; to review the procedures for evaluating the adequacy of the Trust’s accounting controls; to consider the range of audit fees; and to make recommendations to the Board regarding the engagement of the Trust’s independent auditors. The Audit Committee met [    ] times during the fiscal year ended [June 30, 2019].

Trustee Committee. The Board has established a Trustee Committee consisting of all Independent Trustees. Mr. Nesvet serves as Chairman. The responsibilities of the Trustee Committee are to: 1) nominate Independent Trustees; 2) review on a periodic basis the governance structures and procedures of the Funds; 3) review proposed resolutions and conflicts of interest that may arise in the business of the Funds and may have an impact on the investors of the Funds; 4) select any independent counsel of the independent trustees as well as make determinations as to that counsel’s independence; 5) review matters that are referred to the Committee by the Chief Legal Officer or other counsel to the Trust; and 6) provide general oversight of the Funds on behalf of the investors of the Funds. The Trustee Committee does not have specific procedures in place with respect to the consideration of nominees recommended by security holders, but may consider such nominees in the event that one is recommended. The Trustee Committee met [    ] times during the fiscal year ended [June 30, 2019].

 

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OWNERSHIP OF FUND SHARES

As of [                ], neither the Independent Trustees nor their immediate family members owned beneficially or of record any securities in the Adviser, Principal Underwriter or any person directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the Adviser or Principal Underwriter.

The following table shows as of [December 31, 2018], the amount of equity securities beneficially owned by the Trustees in the Trust:

 

Name of Trustee

   Fund      Dollar Range of
Equity Securities in
the Trust
     Aggregate Dollar
Range of Equity
Securities in All Funds
Overseen by Trustee  in
Family of Investment
Companies
 

Independent Trustees:

        

Frank Nesvet

     [          [          [    

Bonny E. Boatman

     [          [          [    

Dwight D. Churchill

     [          [          [    

Clare S. Richer

     [          [          [    

Sandra G. Sponem

     [          [          [    

Carl G. Verboncoeur

     [          [          [    

Interested Trustee:

        

James E. Ross

     [          [          [    

CODES OF ETHICS

The Trust and the Adviser (which includes applicable reporting personnel of the Distributor) each have adopted a code of ethics under Rule 17j-1 of the 1940 Act, 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 Funds (which may also be held by persons subject to the codes of ethics). Each Code of Ethics permits personnel, subject to that Code of Ethics, to invest in securities for their personal investment accounts, subject to certain limitations, including securities that may be purchased or held by the Funds.

There can be no assurance that the codes of ethics will be effective in preventing such activities. Each code of ethics, filed as exhibits to this registration statement, may be examined at the office of the SEC in Washington, D.C. or on the Internet at the SEC’s website at https://www.sec.gov.

PROXY VOTING POLICIES

The Board believes that the voting of proxies on securities held by each Fund is an important element of the overall investment process. As such, the Board has delegated the responsibility to vote such proxies to the Adviser for all Funds. The Adviser’s proxy voting policy is attached at the end of this SAI. Information regarding how a Fund voted proxies relating to its portfolio securities during the most recent twelve-month period ended June 30 is available: (1) without charge by calling 1-866-787-2257; (2) on the Funds’ website at www.spdrs.com; and (3) on the SEC’s website at https://www.sec.gov.

DISCLOSURE OF PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS POLICY

The Trust has adopted a policy regarding the disclosure of information about the Trust’s portfolio holdings. The Board must approve all material amendments to this policy. The Funds’ portfolio holdings are publicly disseminated each day a Fund is open for business through financial reporting and news services including publicly accessible Internet web sites. In addition, a basket composition file, which includes the security names and share quantities to deliver in exchange for Fund Shares, together with estimates and actual cash components, is publicly disseminated daily prior to the opening of the Exchange via the National Securities Clearing Corporation (“NSCC”). The basket represents one Creation Unit of a Fund. The Trust, the Adviser or State Street will not disseminate non-public information concerning the Trust, except information may be made available prior to its public availability: (i) to a party for a legitimate business purpose related to the day-to-day operations of the Funds, including: (a) a service provider, (b) the stock exchanges upon which an ETF is listed, (c) the NSCC, (d) the Depository Trust Company, and (e) financial data/research companies such as Morningstar, Bloomberg L.P., and Reuters, or (ii) to any other party for a legitimate business or regulatory purpose, upon waiver or exception, with the consent of an applicable Trust officer.

 

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INVESTMENT ADVISORY AND OTHER SERVICES

THE INVESTMENT ADVISER

SSGA FM acts as investment adviser to the Trust and, subject to the oversight of the Board, is responsible for the investment management of each Fund. As of [September 30, 2019], the Adviser managed approximately $[    ] billion in assets. The Adviser’s principal address is One Iron Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02210. The Adviser, a Massachusetts corporation, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of State Street Global Advisors, Inc., which is itself a wholly-owned subsidiary of State Street Corporation, a publicly held financial holding company. State Street Global Advisors (“SSGA”), consisting of the Adviser and other investment advisory affiliates of State Street Corporation, is the investment management arm of State Street Corporation.

The Adviser serves as investment adviser to each Fund pursuant to an investment advisory agreement (“Investment Advisory Agreement”) between the Trust and the Adviser. The Investment Advisory Agreement, with respect to each Fund, continues in effect for two years from its effective date, and thereafter is subject to annual approval by (1) the Board or (2) vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Fund, provided that in either event such continuance also is approved by a majority of the Board who are not interested persons (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Trust by a vote cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval. The Investment Advisory Agreement with respect to each Fund is terminable without penalty, on 60 days’ notice, by the Board or by a vote of the holders of a majority (as defined in the 1940 Act) of a Fund’s outstanding voting securities. The Investment Advisory Agreement is also terminable upon 60 days’ notice by the Adviser and will terminate automatically in the event of its assignment (as defined in the 1940 Act).

Under the Investment Advisory Agreement, the Adviser, subject to the supervision of the Board and in conformity with the stated investment policies of each Fund, manages the investment of each Fund’s assets. The Adviser is responsible for placing purchase and sale orders and providing continuous supervision of the investment portfolio of each Fund. Pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement, the Adviser is not liable for certain liabilities, including certain liabilities arising under the federal securities laws, unless such loss or liability results from willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or the reckless disregard of its obligations and duties.

For the services provided to the Funds under the Investment Advisory Agreement, each Fund pays the Adviser monthly fees based on a percentage of each Fund’s average daily net assets as set forth in the Prospectus. From time to time, the Adviser may waive all or a portion of its fee. The Adviser pays all expenses of each Fund other than the management fee, brokerage, taxes, interest, fees and expenses of the Independent Trustees (including any Trustee’s counsel fees), acquired fund fees and expenses, litigation expenses and other extraordinary expenses.

A summary of the factors considered by the Board of Trustees in connection with the initial approval of the Investment Advisory Agreement for each Fund will be available in the Funds’ first shareholder report after each Fund commences operations.

The Funds had not commenced operations as of the date of this SAI and therefore did not pay fees to the Adviser for the past three fiscal years.

PORTFOLIO MANAGERS

The Adviser manages the Funds using a team of investment professionals. The professionals primarily responsible for the day-to-day portfolio management of each Fund are:

 

Portfolio Management Team

  

Fund

Christopher DiStefano, Frank Miethe and Michael Brunell    SPDR Bloomberg SASB Corporate Bond ESG Select ETF
Michael Feehily, Karl Schneider and Emiliano Rabinovich    SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap Dividend Yield ESG Select ETF, SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap ESG Select ETF
Michael Feehily, Karl Schneider and Olga Winner    SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap Growth ESG Select ETF
Michael Feehily, Karl Schneider and Lisa Hobart    SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap Value ESG Select ETF

The following table lists the number and types of accounts managed by each of the key professionals involved in the day-to-day portfolio management for each Fund and assets under management in those accounts. The total number of accounts and assets have been allocated to each respective manager. Therefore, some accounts and assets have been counted twice.

 

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Other Accounts Managed as of [September 30, 2019]

 

Portfolio Manager

   Registered
Investment
Company
Accounts
    Assets
Managed
(billions)*
    Other
Pooled
Investment
Vehicle
Accounts
    Assets
Managed

(billions)*
    Other Accounts     Assets
Managed

(billions)
    Total Assets
Managed
(billions)
 

Michael Brunell

     [       $ [         [       $ [         [       $ [       $ [    

Christopher DiStefano

     [       $ [         [       $ [         [       $ [       $ [    

Michael Feehily

     [       $ [         [       $ [         [       $ [       $ [    

Emiliano Rabinovich

     [       $ [         [       $ [         [       $ [       $ [    

Olga Winner

     [       $ [         [       $ [         [       $ [       $ [    

Karl Schneider

     [       $ [         [       $ [         [       $ [       $ [    

Lisa Hobart

     [       $ [         [       $ [         [       $ [       $ [    

 

[*

There are no performance-based fees associated with these accounts.]

The Funds had not commenced operations prior to the date of this SAI and therefore the portfolio managers did not beneficially own any Fund Shares.

A portfolio manager that has responsibility for managing more than one account may be subject to potential conflicts of interest because he or she is responsible for other accounts in addition to the Funds. Those conflicts could include preferential treatment of one account over others in terms of: (a) the portfolio manager’s execution of different investment strategies for various accounts; or (b) the allocation of resources or of investment opportunities. Portfolio managers may manage numerous accounts for multiple clients. These accounts may include registered investment companies, other types of pooled accounts (e.g., collective investment funds), and separate accounts (i.e., accounts managed on behalf of individuals or public or private institutions). Portfolio managers make investment decisions for each account based on the investment objectives and policies and other relevant investment considerations applicable to that portfolio. A potential conflict of interest may arise as a result of the portfolio managers’ responsibility for multiple accounts with similar investment guidelines. Under these circumstances, a potential investment may be suitable for more than one of the portfolio managers’ accounts, but the quantity of the investment available for purchase is less than the aggregate amount the accounts would ideally devote to the opportunity. Similar conflicts may arise when multiple accounts seek to dispose of the same investment. The portfolio managers may also manage accounts whose objectives and policies differ from that of the Funds. These differences may be such that under certain circumstances, trading activity appropriate for one account managed by the portfolio manager may have adverse consequences for another account managed by the portfolio manager. For example, an account may sell a significant position in a security, which could cause the market price of that security to decrease, while a Fund maintained its position in that security.

A potential conflict may arise when the portfolio managers are responsible for accounts that have different advisory fees—the difference in fees could create an incentive for the portfolio manager to favor one account over another, for example, in terms of access to investment opportunities. Another potential conflict may arise when the portfolio manager has an investment in one or more accounts that participate in transactions with other accounts. His or her investment(s) may create an incentive for the portfolio manager to favor one account over another. The Adviser has adopted policies and procedures reasonably designed to address these potential material conflicts. For instance, portfolio managers are normally responsible for all accounts within a certain investment discipline, and do not, absent special circumstances, differentiate among the various accounts when allocating resources. Additionally, the Adviser and its advisory affiliates have processes and procedures for allocating investment opportunities among portfolios that are designed to provide a fair and equitable allocation.

SSGA’s culture is complemented and reinforced by a total rewards strategy that is based on a pay for performance philosophy which seeks to offer a competitive pay mix of base salary, benefits, cash incentives and deferred compensation.

Salary is based on a number of factors, including external benchmarking data and market trends, State Street performance, SSGA performance, and individual overall performance. SSGA’s Global Human Resources department regularly participates in compensation surveys in order to provide SSGA with market-based compensation information that helps support individual pay decisions.

 

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Additionally, subject to State Street and SSGA business results, State Street allocates an incentive pool to SSGA to reward its employees. The size of the incentive pool for most business units is based on the firm’s overall profitability and other factors, including performance against risk-related goals. For most SSGA investment teams, SSGA recognizes and rewards performance by linking annual incentive decisions for investment teams to the firm’s or business unit’s profitability and business unit investment performance over a multi-year period.

Incentive pool funding for most active investment teams is driven in part by the post-tax investment performance of fund(s) managed by the team versus the return levels of the benchmark index(es) of the fund(s) on a one-, three- and, in some cases, five-year basis. For most active investment teams, a material portion of incentive compensation for senior staff is deferred over a four-year period into the SSGA Long-Term Incentive (“SSGA LTI”) program. For these teams, The SSGA LTI program indexes the performance of these deferred awards against the post-tax investment performance of fund(s) managed by the team. This is intended to align our investment team’s compensation with client interests, both through annual incentive compensation awards and through the long-term value of deferred awards in the SSGA LTI program.

For the passive equity investment team, incentive pool funding is driven in part by the post-tax 1 and 3-year tracking error of the funds managed by the team against the benchmark indexes of the funds.

The discretionary allocation of the incentive pool to the business units within SSGA is influenced by market-based compensation data, as well as the overall performance of each business unit. Individual compensation decisions are made by the employee’s manager, in conjunction with the senior management of the employee’s business unit. These decisions are based on the overall performance of the employee and, as mentioned above, on the performance of the firm and business unit. Depending on the job level, a portion of the annual incentive may be awarded in deferred compensation, which may include cash and/or Deferred Stock Awards (State Street stock), which typically vest over a four-year period. This helps to retain staff and further aligns SSGA employees’ interests with SSGA clients’ and shareholders’ long-term interests.

SSGA recognizes and rewards outstanding performance by:

 

   

Promoting employee ownership to connect employees directly to the company’s success.

 

   

Using rewards to reinforce mission, vision, values and business strategy.

 

   

Seeking to recognize and preserve the firm’s unique culture and team orientation.

 

   

Providing all employees the opportunity to share in the success of SSGA.

THE ADMINISTRATOR, SUB-ADMINISTRATOR, CUSTODIAN AND TRANSFER AGENT

Administrator. SSGA FM serves as the administrator to each series of the Trust, pursuant to an Administration Agreement dated June 1, 2015 (the “SSGA Administration Agreement”). Pursuant to the SSGA Administration Agreement, SSGA FM is obligated to continuously provide business management services to the Trust and its series and will generally, subject to the general oversight of the Trustees and except as otherwise provided in the SSGA Administration Agreement, manage all of the business and affairs of the Trust.

Sub-Administrator, Custodian and Transfer Agent. State Street serves as the sub-administrator to each series of the Trust, pursuant to a Sub-Administration Agreement dated June 1, 2015 (the “Sub-Administration Agreement”). Under the Sub-Administration Agreement, State Street is obligated to provide certain sub-administrative services to the Trust and its series. State Street is a wholly-owned subsidiary of State Street Corporation, a publicly held financial holding company, and is affiliated with the Adviser. State Street’s mailing address is One Lincoln Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02111.

State Street also serves as Custodian for the Trust’s series pursuant to a custodian agreement (“Custodian Agreement”). As Custodian, State Street holds Fund assets, calculates the net asset value of the Fund Shares and calculates net income and realized capital gains or losses. State Street and the Trust will comply with the self-custodian provisions of Rule 17f-2 under the 1940 Act.

State Street also serves as Transfer Agent for each series of the Trust pursuant to a transfer agency agreement (“Transfer Agency Agreement”).

Compensation. As compensation for its services provided under the SSGA Administration agreement, SSGA FM, shall receive fees for the services, calculated based on the average aggregate net assets of the Trust and SPDR Index Shares Funds (“SIS”), which are accrued daily and paid monthly out of its management fee.

 

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As compensation for its services under the Sub-Administration Agreement, Custodian Agreement and Transfer Agency Agreement, State Street shall receive a fee for the services, calculated based on the average aggregate net assets of the Trust and SIS, which are accrued daily and paid monthly by the Adviser from its management fee. For each series of the Trust and SIS, an annual minimum fee applies. In addition, State Street shall receive global safekeeping and transaction fees, which are calculated on a per-country basis, in-kind creation (purchase) and redemption transaction fees (as described below) and revenue on certain cash balances. State Street may be reimbursed for its out-of-pocket expenses. The Investment Advisory Agreement provides that the Adviser will pay certain operating expenses of the Trust, including the fees due to State Street under the Custodian Agreement and the Transfer Agency Agreement.

THE DISTRIBUTOR

State Street Global Advisors Funds Distributors, LLC is the principal underwriter and Distributor of Fund Shares. Its principal address is One Iron Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02210. Investor information can be obtained by calling 1-866-787-2257. The Distributor has entered into a distribution agreement (“Distribution Agreement”) with the Trust pursuant to which it distributes Shares of each Fund. The Distribution Agreement will continue for two years from its effective date and is renewable annually thereafter. Shares will be continuously offered for sale by the Trust through the Distributor only in Creation Units, as described in the Prospectus and below under “PURCHASE AND REDEMPTION OF CREATION UNITS.” Shares in less than Creation Units are not distributed by the Distributor. The Distributor will deliver the Prospectus to persons purchasing Creation Units and will maintain records of both orders placed with it and confirmations of acceptance furnished by it. The Distributor is a broker-dealer registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) and a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”). The Distributor has no role in determining the investment policies of the Trust or which securities are to be purchased or sold by the Trust. An affiliate of the Distributor may assist Authorized Participants (as defined below) in assembling shares to purchase Creation Units or upon redemption, for which it may receive commissions or other fees from such Authorized Participants. An affiliate of the Distributor also receives compensation from State Street for providing on-line creation and redemption functionality to Authorized Participants through its Fund Connect application.

The Adviser or Distributor, or an affiliate of the Adviser or Distributor, may directly or indirectly make cash payments to certain broker-dealers for participating in activities that are designed to make registered representatives and other professionals more knowledgeable about exchange traded products, including the SPDR funds, or for other activities, such as participation in marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and reporting systems. As of the date of this SAI, the Adviser and/or Distributor had arrangements whereby they may make payments, other than for the educational programs and marketing activities described above, to Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. (“Schwab”), Pershing LLC (“Pershing”), RBC Capital Markets, LLC (“RBC”), TD Ameritrade, Inc. (“TD Ameritrade”), Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, LLC (“MSWM”), National Financial Services, LLC and Fidelity Brokerage Services, LLC (together, “Fidelity”). Pursuant to these arrangements, Schwab, Pershing, RBC, TD Ameritrade, MSWM and Fidelity have agreed to offer certain SPDR funds to their customers and not to charge certain of their customers any commissions when those customers purchase or sell shares of certain SPDR funds. These amounts, which may be significant, are paid by the Adviser and/or Distributor from their own resources and not from Fund assets. Payments to a broker-dealer or intermediary may create potential conflicts of interest between the broker dealer or intermediary and its clients. In addition, the Adviser or Distributor, or an affiliate of the Adviser or Distributor, as well as an index provider that is not affiliated with the Adviser or Distributor, may also reimburse expenses or make payments from their own assets to other persons in consideration of services or other activities that they believe may benefit the SPDR business or facilitate investment in SPDR funds.

The Distribution Agreement provides that it may be terminated at any time, without the payment of any penalty, as to a Fund: (i) by vote of a majority of the Independent Trustees or (ii) by vote of a majority (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund, on at least 60 days’ written notice to the Distributor. The Distribution Agreement is also terminable upon 60 days’ notice by the Distributor and will terminate automatically in the event of its assignment (as defined in the 1940 Act).

The continuation of the Distribution Agreement and any other related agreements is subject to annual approval of the Board, including by a majority of the Independent Trustees, as described above.

The allocation among the Trust’s series of fees and expenses payable under the Distribution Agreement will be made pro rata in accordance with the daily net assets of the respective series.

The Distributor may also enter into agreements with securities dealers (“Soliciting Dealers”) who will solicit purchases of Creation Unit aggregations of Fund Shares. Such Soliciting Dealers may also be Participating Parties (as defined in the “Book Entry Only System” section below) and/or DTC Participants (as defined below).

Pursuant to the Distribution Agreement, the Trust has agreed to indemnify the Distributor, and may indemnify Soliciting Dealers and Authorized Participants (as described below) entering into agreements with the Distributor, for certain liabilities, including certain liabilities arising under the federal securities laws, unless such loss or liability results from willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross

 

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negligence in the performance of its duties or the reckless disregard of its obligations and duties under the Distribution Agreement or other agreement, as applicable.

INDEX PROVIDER AND OTHER PERSONS

An unaffiliated index provider may make payments from its own assets to other persons in consideration for services provided or other activities that may facilitate investment in SPDR funds.

BROKERAGE TRANSACTIONS

All portfolio transactions are placed on behalf of the Funds by the Adviser. Purchases and sales of securities on a securities exchange are affected through brokers who charge a commission for their services. Ordinarily commissions are not charged on over the counter orders (e.g., fixed income securities) because the Funds pay a spread which is included in the cost of the security and represents the difference between the dealer’s quoted price at which it is willing to sell the security and the dealer’s quoted price at which it is willing to buy the security. When a Fund executes an over the counter order with an electronic communications network or an alternative trading system, a commission is charged because electronic communications networks and alternative trading systems execute such orders on an agency basis. Securities may be purchased from underwriters at prices that include underwriting fees.

In placing a portfolio transaction, the Adviser seeks to achieve best execution. The Adviser’s duty to seek best execution requires the Adviser to take reasonable steps to obtain for the client as favorable an overall result as possible for Fund portfolio transactions under the circumstances, taking into account various factors that are relevant to the particular transaction.

The Adviser refers to and selects from the list of approved trading counterparties maintained by the Adviser’s Credit Risk Management team. In selecting a trading counterparty for a particular trade, the Adviser seeks to weigh relevant factors including, but not limited to the following:

 

   

Prompt and reliable execution;

 

   

The competitiveness of commission rates and spreads, if applicable;

 

   

The financial strength, stability and/or reputation of the trading counterparty;

 

   

The willingness and ability of the executing trading counterparty to execute transactions (and commit capital) of size in liquid and illiquid markets without disrupting the market for the security;

 

   

Local laws, regulations or restrictions;

 

   

The ability of the trading counterparty to maintain confidentiality;

 

   

The availability and capability of execution venues, including electronic communications networks for trading and execution management systems made available to Adviser;

 

   

Market share;

 

   

Liquidity;

 

   

Price;

 

   

Execution related costs;

 

   

History of execution of orders;

 

   

Likelihood of execution and settlement;

 

   

Order size and nature;

 

   

Clearing and settlement capabilities, especially in high volatility market environments;

 

   

Availability of lendable securities;

 

   

Sophistication of the trading counterparty’s trading capabilities and infrastructure/facilities;

 

   

The operational efficiency with which transactions are processed and cleared, taking into account the order size and complexity;

 

   

Speed and responsiveness to the Adviser;

 

   

Access to secondary markets;

 

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Counterparty exposure; and

 

   

Any other consideration the Adviser believes is relevant to the execution of the order.

In selecting a trading counterparty, the price of the transaction and costs related to the execution of the transaction typically merit a high relative importance, depending on the circumstances. The Adviser does not necessarily select a trading counterparty based upon price and costs but may take other relevant factors into account if it believes that these are important in taking reasonable steps to obtain the best possible result for a Fund under the circumstances. Consequently, the Adviser may cause a client to pay a trading counterparty more than another trading counterparty might have charged for the same transaction in recognition of the value and quality of the brokerage services provided. The following matters may influence the relative importance that the Adviser places upon the relevant factors:

(i) The nature and characteristics of the order or transaction. For example, size of order, market impact of order, limits, or other instructions relating to the order;

(ii) The characteristics of the financial instrument(s) or other assets which are the subject of that order. For example, whether the order pertains to an equity, fixed income, derivative or convertible instrument;

(iii) The characteristics of the execution venues to which that order can be directed, if relevant. For example, availability and capabilities of electronic trading systems;

(iv) Whether the transaction is a ‘delivery versus payment’ or ‘over the counter’ transaction. The creditworthiness of the trading counterparty, the amount of existing exposure to a trading counterparty and trading counterparty settlement capabilities may be given a higher relative importance in the case of ‘over the counter’ transactions; and

(v) Any other circumstances relevant the Adviser believes is relevant at the time.

The process by which trading counterparties are selected to effect transactions is designed to exclude consideration of the sales efforts conducted by broker-dealers in relation to the Funds.

The Adviser does not currently use the Funds’ assets in connection with third party soft dollar arrangements. While the Adviser does not currently use “soft” or commission dollars paid by the Funds for the purchase of third party research, the Adviser reserves the right to do so in the future.

The Funds had not commenced operations as of the date of this SAI and therefore did not pay brokerage commissions during the past three fiscal years.

Securities of “Regular Broker-Dealers.” Each Fund is required to identify any securities of its “regular brokers and dealers” (as such term is defined in the 1940 Act) which it may hold at the close of its most recent fiscal year. “Regular brokers or dealers” of the Trust are the ten brokers or dealers that, during the most recent fiscal year: (i) received the greatest dollar amounts of brokerage commissions from the Trust’s portfolio transactions; (ii) engaged as principal in the largest dollar amounts of portfolio transactions of the Trust; or (iii) sold the largest dollar amounts of the Trust’s shares.

The Funds had not commenced operations as of the date of this SAI and therefore did not have any holdings in Securities of Regular Broker-Dealers as of [June 30, 2019].

Portfolio Turnover. Portfolio turnover may vary from year to year, as well as within a year. High turnover rates are likely to result in comparatively greater brokerage expenses or transaction costs. The overall reasonableness of brokerage commissions and transaction costs is evaluated by the Adviser based upon its knowledge of available information as to the general level of commissions and transaction costs paid by other institutional investors for comparable services.

BOOK ENTRY ONLY SYSTEM

The following information supplements and should be read in conjunction with the section in the Prospectus entitled “ADDITIONAL PURCHASE AND SALE INFORMATION.”

The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) acts as securities depositary for the Fund Shares. Shares of each Fund are represented by securities registered in the name of DTC or its nominee, Cede & Co., and deposited with, or on behalf of, DTC. Except in the limited circumstance provided below, certificates will not be issued for Fund Shares.

DTC, a limited-purpose trust company, was created to hold securities of its participants (the “DTC Participants”) and to facilitate the clearance and settlement of securities transactions among the DTC Participants in such securities through electronic book-entry

 

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changes in accounts of the DTC Participants, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of securities certificates. DTC Participants include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and certain other organizations, some of whom (and/or their representatives) own DTC. More specifically, DTC is owned by a number of its DTC Participants and by the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) and FINRA. Access to the DTC system is also available to others such as banks, brokers, dealers and trust companies that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a DTC Participant, either directly or indirectly (the “Indirect Participants”).

Beneficial ownership of Fund Shares is limited to DTC Participants, Indirect Participants and persons holding interests through DTC Participants and Indirect Participants. Ownership of beneficial interests in Fund 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 Fund Shares.

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 Fund Shares held by each DTC Participant. The Trust, either directly or through a third party service, shall inquire of each such DTC Participant as to the number of Beneficial Owners holding Fund Shares, directly or indirectly, through such DTC Participant. The Trust, either directly or through a third party service, 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 and/or third party service a fair and reasonable amount as reimbursement for the expenses attendant to such transmittal, all subject to applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.

Fund Share distributions shall be made to DTC or its nominee, Cede & Co., as the registered holder of all Fund Shares. 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 Fund Shares as shown on the records of DTC or its nominee. Payments by DTC Participants to Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners of Fund 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 Fund Shares, or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records relating to such beneficial ownership interests or for any other aspect of the relationship between DTC and the DTC Participants or the relationship between such DTC Participants and the Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners owning through such DTC Participants.

DTC may determine to discontinue providing its service with respect to Fund Shares at any time by giving reasonable notice to the Trust and discharging its responsibilities with respect thereto under applicable law. Under such circumstances, the Trust shall take action 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 Fund Shares, unless the Trust makes other arrangements with respect thereto satisfactory to the Exchange.

CONTROL PERSONS AND PRINCIPAL HOLDERS OF SECURITIES

The Funds had not commenced operations prior to the date of this SAI and therefore did not have any beneficial owners that owned greater than 5% of the outstanding voting securities as of the date of this SAI.

An Authorized Participant (as defined below) may hold of record more than 25% of the outstanding Fund Shares. From time to time, Authorized Participants may be a beneficial and/or legal owner of a Fund, may be affiliated with an index provider, may be deemed to have control of the applicable Fund and/or may be able to affect the outcome of matters presented for a vote of the shareholders of the Fund. Authorized Participants may execute an irrevocable proxy granting the Distributor or another affiliate of State Street (the “Agent”) power to vote or abstain from voting such Authorized Participant’s beneficially or legally owned Fund Shares. In such cases, the Agent shall mirror vote (or abstain from voting) such Fund Shares in the same proportion as all other beneficial owners of the Fund.

The Trustees and Officers of the Trust, as a group, own less than 1% of the Trust’s voting securities as of the date of this SAI.

 

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PURCHASE AND REDEMPTION OF CREATION UNITS

Each Fund issues and redeems its Fund Shares on a continuous basis, at net asset value, only in a large specified number of Fund Shares called a “Creation Unit,” either principally in-kind for securities included in the relevant Index or in cash for the value of such securities. The value of each Fund is determined once each business day, as described under “Determination of Net Asset Value.” Creation Unit sizes are 10,000 Fund Shares per Creation Unit, except that Creation Units of the SPDR Bloomberg SASB Corporate Bond ESG Select ETF are 50,000 Fund Shares. The Creation Unit size for a Fund may change. Authorized Participants (as defined below) will be notified of such change. The principal consideration for creations and redemptions for the Fund is set forth in the table below:

 

FUND

   CREATION*      REDEMPTION*  

SPDR Bloomberg SASB Corporate Bond ESG Select ETF

     [          [    

SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap Dividend Yield ESG Select ETF

     [          [    

SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap ESG Select ETF

     [          [    

SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap Growth ESG Select ETF

     [          [    

SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap Value ESG Select ETF

     [          [    

 

*

May be revised at any time without notice.

PURCHASE (CREATION). The Trust issues and sells Fund Shares of each Fund only in Creation Units on a continuous basis through the Principal Underwriter, without a sales load (but subject to transaction fees), at their NAV per share next determined after receipt of an order, on any Business Day (as defined below), in proper form pursuant to the terms of the Authorized Participant Agreement (“Participant Agreement”). A “Business Day” with respect to a Fund is, generally, any day on which the NYSE is open for business.

FUND DEPOSIT. The consideration for purchase of a Creation Unit of a Fund generally consists of either (i) the in-kind deposit of a designated portfolio of securities (the “Deposit Securities”) per each Creation Unit, constituting a substantial replication, or a portfolio sampling representation, of the securities included in the relevant Fund’s benchmark Index and the Cash Component (defined below), computed as described below or (ii) the cash value of the Deposit Securities (“Deposit Cash”) and the “Cash Component,” computed as described below. When accepting purchases of Creation Units for cash, a Fund may incur additional costs associated with the acquisition of Deposit Securities that would otherwise be provided by an in-kind purchaser.

Together, the Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable, and the Cash Component constitute the “Fund Deposit,” which represents the minimum initial and subsequent investment amount for a Creation Unit of a Fund. The “Cash Component,” which may include a Dividend Equivalent Payment, is an amount equal to the difference between the net asset value of the Fund Shares (per Creation Unit) and the market value of the Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable. The “Dividend Equivalent Payment” enables a Fund to make a complete distribution of dividends on the day preceding the next dividend payment date, and is an amount equal, on a per Creation Unit basis, to the dividends on all the portfolio securities of the Fund (“Dividend Securities”) with ex-dividend dates within the accumulation period for such distribution (the “Accumulation Period”), net of expenses and liabilities for such period, as if all of the Dividend Securities had been held by the Fund for the entire Accumulation Period. The Accumulation Period begins on the ex-dividend date for each Fund and ends on the day preceding the next ex-dividend date. If the Cash Component is a positive number (i.e., the net asset value per Creation Unit exceeds the market value of the Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable), the Cash Component shall be such positive amount. If the Cash Component is a negative number (i.e., the net asset value per Creation Unit is less than the market value of the Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable), the Cash Component shall be such negative amount and the creator will be entitled to receive cash in an amount equal to the Cash Component. The Cash Component serves the function of compensating for any differences between the net asset value per Creation Unit and the market value of the Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable. Computation of the Cash Component excludes any stamp duty or other similar fees and expenses payable upon transfer of beneficial ownership of the Deposit Securities, if applicable, which shall be the sole responsibility of the Authorized Participant (as defined below).

The Custodian, through NSCC, makes available 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 or the required amount of Deposit Cash, as applicable, to be included in the current Fund Deposit (based on information at the end of the previous Business Day) for a Fund. Such Fund Deposit is subject to any applicable adjustments as described below, in order to effect purchases of Creation Units of a Fund until such time as the next-announced composition of the Deposit Securities or the required amount of Deposit Cash, as applicable, is made available.

The identity and number of shares of the Deposit Securities or the amount of Deposit Cash, as applicable, required for a Fund Deposit for each Fund changes as rebalancing adjustments, interest payments and corporate action events are reflected from time to time by

 

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the Adviser with a view to the investment objective of the Fund. Information regarding the Fund Deposit necessary for the purchase of a Creation Unit is made available to Authorized Participants and other market participants seeking to transact in Creation Unit aggregations. The composition of the Deposit Securities may also change in response to adjustments to the weighting or composition of the component securities of a Fund’s Index.

As noted above, the Trust reserves the right to permit or require the substitution of Deposit Cash to replace any Deposit Security, which shall be added to the Cash Component, including, without limitation, in situations where the Deposit Security: (i) may not be available in sufficient quantity for delivery; (ii) may not be eligible for transfer through the systems of DTC for corporate securities and municipal securities or the Federal Reserve System for U.S. Treasury securities; (iii) may not be eligible for trading by an Authorized Participant (as defined below) or the investor for which it is acting; (iv) would be restricted under the securities laws or where the delivery of the Deposit Security to the Authorized Participant would result in the disposition of the Deposit Security by the Authorized Participant becoming restricted under the securities laws; or (v) in certain other situations (collectively, “non-standard orders”). The Trust also reserves the right to: (i) permit or require the substitution of Deposit Securities in lieu of Deposit Cash; and (ii) include or remove Deposit Securities from the basket in anticipation of index rebalancing changes. 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 Fund Deposit, in the composition of the subject Index being tracked by the relevant Fund or resulting from certain corporate actions.

PROCEDURES FOR PURCHASE OF CREATION UNITS. To be eligible to place orders with the Principal Underwriter, as facilitated via the Transfer Agent, to purchase a Creation Unit of a Fund, an entity must be (i) a “Participating Party”, i.e., a broker-dealer or other participant in the clearing process through the Continuous Net Settlement System of the NSCC (the “Clearing Process”), a clearing agency that is registered with the SEC; or (ii) a DTC Participant (see “BOOK ENTRY ONLY SYSTEM”). In addition, each Participating Party or DTC Participant (each, an “Authorized Participant”) must execute a Participant Agreement that has been agreed to by the Principal Underwriter and the Transfer Agent, and that has been accepted by the Trust, with respect to purchases and redemptions of Creation Units. Each Authorized Participant will agree, pursuant to the terms of a Participant Agreement, on behalf of itself or any investor on whose behalf it will act, to certain conditions, including that it will pay to the Trust, an amount of cash sufficient to pay the Cash Component together with the creation transaction fee (described below) and any other applicable fees, taxes and additional variable charge.

All orders to purchase Fund Shares directly from a Fund, including non-standard orders, must be placed for one or more Creation Units and in the manner and by the time set forth in the Participant Agreement and/or the applicable order form. The date on which an order to purchase Creation Units (or an order to redeem Creation Units, as set forth below) is received and accepted is referred to as the “Order Placement Date.”

An Authorized Participant may require an investor to make certain representations or enter into agreements with respect to the order, (e.g., to provide for payments of cash, when required). Investors should be aware that their particular broker may not have executed a Participant Agreement and that, therefore, orders to purchase Fund Shares directly from a Fund in Creation Units have to be placed by the investor’s broker through an Authorized Participant that has executed a Participant Agreement. In such cases there may be additional charges to such investor. At any given time, there may be only a limited number of broker-dealers that have executed a Participant Agreement and only a small number of such Authorized Participants may have international capabilities.

On days when the Exchange or the bond markets close earlier than normal, a Fund may require orders to create Creation Units to be placed earlier in the day. In addition, if a market or markets on which a Fund’s investments are primarily traded is closed, the Fund will also generally not accept orders on such day(s). Orders must be transmitted by an Authorized Participant by telephone or other transmission method acceptable to the Distributor pursuant to procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement and in accordance with the applicable order form. Those placing orders through an Authorized Participant should allow sufficient time to permit proper submission of the purchase order by the cut-off time. Economic or market disruptions or changes, or telephone or other communication failure may impede the ability to reach the Distributor or an Authorized Participant.

Fund Deposits must be delivered by an Authorized Participant through the Federal Reserve System (for cash and U.S. government securities), or through DTC (for corporate securities and municipal securities), through a subcustody agent (for foreign securities) and/or through such other arrangements allowed by the Trust or its agents. With respect to foreign Deposit Securities, the Custodian shall cause the subcustodian of a 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, such Deposit Securities. Foreign Deposit Securities must be delivered to an account maintained at the applicable local subcustodian. The Fund Deposit transfer must be ordered by the Authorized Participant in a timely fashion so as to ensure the delivery of the requisite number of Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable, to the account of a Fund or its agents by no later than the Settlement Date. The “Settlement Date” for a Fund is generally the second Business Day (“T+2”) after the Order Placement Date.

 

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All questions as to the number of Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash to be delivered, as applicable, and the validity, form and eligibility (including time of receipt) for the deposit of any tendered securities or cash, as applicable, will be determined by the Trust, whose determination shall be final and binding. The amount of cash represented by the Cash Component must be transferred directly to the Custodian through the Federal Reserve Bank wire transfer system in a timely manner so as to be received by the Custodian no later than the Settlement Date. If the Cash Component and the Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable, are not received in a timely manner by the Settlement Date, the creation order may be cancelled. Upon written notice to the Distributor, such canceled order may be resubmitted the following Business Day using a Fund Deposit as newly constituted to reflect the then current NAV of the Fund. The delivery of Creation Units so created generally will occur no later than the second Business Day following the day on which the purchase order is deemed received by the Distributor.

The order shall be deemed to be received on the Business Day on which the order is placed provided that the order is placed in proper form prior to the applicable cut-off time and the federal funds in the appropriate amount are deposited by 2:00 p.m. or 3:00 p.m. Eastern time (per applicable instructions), with the Custodian on the Settlement Date. If the order is not placed in proper form as required, or federal funds in the appropriate amount are not received by 2:00 p.m. or 3:00 p.m. Eastern time (per applicable instructions) on the Settlement Date, then the order may be deemed to be rejected and the Authorized Participant shall be liable to the Fund for losses, if any, resulting therefrom. A creation request is considered to be in “proper form” if all procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement, order form and this SAI are properly followed.

ISSUANCE OF A CREATION UNIT. Except as provided herein, Creation Units will not be issued until the transfer of good title to the Trust of the Deposit Securities or payment of Deposit Cash, as applicable, and the payment of the Cash Component have been completed. When the subcustodian has confirmed to the Custodian that the required Deposit Securities (or the cash value thereof) have been delivered to the account of the relevant subcustodian or subcustodians, the Principal Underwriter and the Adviser shall be notified of such delivery, and the Trust will issue and cause the delivery of the Creation Units.

In instances where the Trust accepts Deposit Securities for the purchase of a Creation Unit, the Creation Unit may be purchased in advance of receipt by the Trust of all or a portion of the applicable Deposit Securities as described below. In these circumstances, the initial deposit will have a value greater than the net asset value of the Fund Shares on the date the order is placed in proper form since in addition to available Deposit Securities, cash must be deposited in an amount equal to the sum of (i) the Cash Component, plus (ii) an additional amount of cash equal to a percentage of the market value as set forth in the Participant Agreement, of the undelivered Deposit Securities (the “Additional Cash Deposit”), which shall be maintained in a general non-interest bearing collateral account. An additional amount of cash shall be required to be deposited with the Trust, pending delivery of the missing Deposit Securities to the extent necessary to maintain the Additional Cash Deposit with the Trust in an amount at least equal to the applicable percentage, as set forth in the Participant Agreement, of the daily marked to market value of the missing Deposit Securities. The Trust may use such Additional Cash Deposit to buy the missing Deposit Securities at any time. Authorized Participants will be liable to the Trust for all costs, expenses, dividends, income and taxes associated with missing Deposit Securities, including the costs incurred by the Trust in connection with any such purchases. These costs will be deemed to include the amount by which the actual purchase price of the Deposit Securities exceeds the market value of such Deposit Securities on the day the purchase order was deemed received by the Principal Underwriter plus the brokerage and related transaction costs associated with such purchases. The Trust will return any unused portion of the Additional Cash Deposit once all of the missing Deposit Securities have been properly received by the Custodian or purchased by the Trust and deposited into the Trust. In addition, a transaction fee as set forth below under “Creation Transaction Fees” will be charged in all cases and an additional variable charge may also be applied. The delivery of Creation Units so created generally will occur no later than the Settlement Date.

ACCEPTANCE OF ORDERS OF CREATION UNITS. The Trust reserves the absolute right to reject an order for Creation Units transmitted in respect of a Fund at its discretion, including, without limitation, if (a) the order is not in proper form; (b) the Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable, delivered by the Participant are not as disseminated through the facilities of the NSCC for that date by the Custodian; (c) the investor(s), upon obtaining the Fund Shares ordered, would own 80% or more of the currently outstanding Fund Shares of the Fund; (d) acceptance of the Deposit Securities would have certain adverse tax consequences to the Fund; (e) the acceptance of the Fund Deposit would, in the opinion of counsel, be unlawful; (f) the acceptance of the Fund 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; (g) the acceptance or receipt of the order for a Creation Unit would, in the opinion of counsel to the Trust, be unlawful; or (h) in the

event that circumstances outside the control of the Trust, the Custodian, the Transfer Agent and/or the Adviser make it for all practical purposes not feasible to process orders for Creation Units. Examples of such circumstances include acts of God or public service or utility problems such as fires, floods, extreme weather conditions and power outages resulting in telephone, telecopy and computer failures; market conditions or activities causing trading halts; systems failures involving computer or other information systems affecting the Trust, the Principal Underwriter, the Custodian, the Transfer Agent, DTC, NSCC, Federal Reserve System, or any other participant in the creation process, and other extraordinary events. The Trust or its agents shall communicate to the Authorized Participant its rejection of an order. The Trust, the Transfer Agent, the Custodian and the Principal Underwriter are under no duty, however, to give notification of any defects or irregularities in the delivery of Fund Deposits nor shall either of them incur any liability

 

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for the failure to give any such notification. The Trust, the Transfer Agent, the Custodian and the Principal Underwriter shall not be liable for the rejection of any purchase order for Creation Units.

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.

REDEMPTION. Fund Shares may be redeemed only in Creation Units at their net asset value next determined after receipt of a redemption request in proper form by a Fund through the Transfer Agent and only on a Business Day. EXCEPT UPON LIQUIDATION OF A FUND, THE TRUST WILL NOT REDEEM FUND SHARES IN AMOUNTS LESS THAN CREATION UNITS. Investors must accumulate enough Fund Shares in the secondary market to constitute a Creation Unit in order to have such Fund 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 Fund Shares to constitute a redeemable Creation Unit.

With respect to each Fund, the Custodian, through the NSCC, makes available prior to the opening of business on the Exchange (currently 9:30 a.m. Eastern time) on each Business Day, the list of the names and share quantities of each Fund’s portfolio securities that will be applicable (subject to possible amendment or correction) to redemption requests received in proper form (as defined below) on that day (“Fund Securities”). Fund Securities received on redemption may not be identical to Deposit Securities.

Redemption proceeds for a Creation Unit are paid either in-kind or in cash, or a combination thereof, as determined by the Trust. With respect to in-kind redemptions of a Fund, redemption proceeds for a Creation Unit will consist of Fund Securities—as announced by the Custodian prior to the opening of business on the Business Day of the request for redemption received in proper form plus cash in an amount equal to the difference between the net asset value of the Fund Shares being redeemed, as next determined after a receipt of a request in proper form, and the value of the Fund Securities (the “Cash Redemption Amount”), less a fixed redemption transaction fee and any applicable additional variable charge as set forth below. In the event that the Fund Securities have a value greater than the net asset value of the Fund Shares, a compensating cash payment equal to the differential is required to be made by or through an Authorized Participant by the redeeming shareholder. Notwithstanding the foregoing, at the Trust’s discretion, an Authorized Participant may receive the corresponding cash value of the securities in lieu of the in-kind securities value representing one or more Fund Securities.

PROCEDURES FOR REDEMPTION OF CREATION UNITS. After the Trust has deemed an order for redemption received, the Trust will initiate procedures to transfer the requisite Fund Securities and the Cash Redemption Amount to the Authorized Participant by the Settlement Date. With respect to in-kind redemptions of a Fund, the calculation of the value of the Fund Securities and the Cash Redemption Amount to be delivered upon redemption will be made by the Custodian according to the procedures set forth under “Determination of Net Asset Value”, computed on the Business Day on which a redemption order is deemed received by the Trust. Therefore, if a redemption order in proper form is submitted to the Principal Underwriter by a DTC Participant by the specified time on the Order Placement Date, and the requisite number of Fund Shares of a Fund are delivered to the Custodian prior to 2:00 p.m. or 3:00 p.m. Eastern time (per applicable instructions) on the Settlement Date, then the value of the Fund Securities and the Cash Redemption Amount to be delivered will be determined by the Custodian on such Order Placement Date. If the requisite number of Fund Shares of the Fund are not delivered by 2:00 p.m. or 3:00 p.m. Eastern time (per applicable instructions) on the Settlement Date, the Fund will not release the underlying securities for delivery unless collateral is posted in such percentage amount of missing Fund Shares as set forth in the Participant Agreement (marked to market daily).

With respect to in kind redemptions of a Fund, in connection with taking delivery of shares of Fund Securities upon redemption of Creation Units, an Authorized Participant must maintain appropriate custody arrangements with a qualified broker-dealer, bank or other custody providers in each jurisdiction in which any of the Fund Securities are customarily traded (or such other arrangements as allowed by the Trust or its agents), to which account such Fund Securities will be delivered. Deliveries of redemption proceeds generally will be made within two Business Days of the trade date. Due to the schedule of holidays in certain countries, however, the delivery of in-kind redemption proceeds may take longer than two Business Days after the day on which the redemption request is received in proper form. The section below entitled “Local Market Holiday Schedules” 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 each Fund, the Trust will make delivery of in-kind redemption proceeds within the number of days stated in the Local Market Holidays section to be the maximum

number of days necessary to deliver redemption proceeds. If the Authorized Participant has not made appropriate arrangements to take delivery of the Fund Securities in the applicable foreign jurisdiction and it is not possible to make other such arrangements, or if it is not possible to effect deliveries of the Fund Securities in such jurisdiction, the Trust may, in its discretion, exercise its option to redeem such Fund Shares in cash, and the Authorized Participant will be required to receive its redemption proceeds in cash.

If it is not possible to make other such arrangements, or if it is not possible to effect deliveries of the Fund Securities, the Trust may in its discretion exercise its option to redeem such Fund Shares in cash, and the redeeming investor will be required to receive its

 

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redemption proceeds in cash. In addition, an investor may request a redemption in cash that a Fund may, in its sole discretion, permit. In either case, the investor will receive a cash payment equal to the NAV of its Fund Shares based on the NAV of Fund Shares of the relevant Fund next determined after the redemption request is received in proper form (minus a redemption transaction fee and additional charge for requested cash redemptions specified above, to offset the Trust’s brokerage and other transaction costs associated with the disposition of Fund Securities). A Fund may also, in its sole discretion, upon request of a shareholder, provide such redeemer a portfolio of securities that differs from the exact composition of the Fund Securities but does not differ in net asset value.

An Authorized Participant submitting a redemption request is deemed to represent to the Trust that, as of the close of the Business Day on which the redemption request was submitted, it (or its client) will own (within the meaning of Rule 200 of Regulation SHO) or has arranged to borrow for delivery to the Trust on or prior to the Settlement Date of the redemption request, the requisite number of Shares of the relevant Fund to be redeemed as a Creation Unit. In either case, the Authorized Participant is deemed to acknowledge that: (i) it (or its client) has full legal authority and legal right to tender for redemption the requisite number of Shares of the applicable Fund and to receive the entire proceeds of the redemption; and (ii) if such Shares submitted for redemption have been loaned or pledged to another party or are the subject of a repurchase agreement, securities lending agreement or any other arrangement affecting legal or beneficial ownership of such Shares being tendered, there are no restrictions precluding the tender and delivery of such Shares (including borrowed shares, if any) for redemption, free and clear of liens, on the redemption Settlement Date. The Trust reserves the right to verify these representations at its discretion, but will typically require verification with respect to a redemption request from a Fund in connection with higher levels of redemption activity and/or short interest in the Fund. If the Authorized Participant, upon receipt of a verification request, does not provide sufficient verification of its representations as determined by the Trust, the redemption request will not be considered to have been received in proper form and may be rejected by the Trust.

Redemptions of Fund Shares for Fund Securities will be subject to compliance with applicable federal and state securities laws and each Fund (whether or not it otherwise permits cash redemptions) reserves the right to redeem Creation Units for cash to the extent that the Trust could not lawfully deliver specific Fund Securities upon redemptions or could not do so without first registering the Fund Securities under such laws. An Authorized Participant or an investor for which it is acting subject to a legal restriction with respect to a particular security included in the Fund Securities applicable to the redemption of Creation Units may be paid an equivalent amount of cash. The Authorized Participant may request the redeeming investor of the Fund Shares to complete an order form or to enter into agreements with respect to such matters as compensating cash payment. Further, an Authorized Participant that is not a “qualified institutional buyer,” (“QIB”) as such term is defined under Rule 144A of the Securities Act, will not be able to receive Fund Securities that are restricted securities eligible for resale under Rule 144A. An Authorized Participant may be required by the Trust to provide a written confirmation with respect to QIB status in order to receive Fund Securities.

The right of redemption may be suspended or the date of payment postponed with respect to a Fund (1) for any period during which the Exchange is closed (other than customary weekend and holiday closings); (2) for any period during which trading on the Exchange is suspended or restricted; (3) for any period during which an emergency exists as a result of which disposal of the Fund Shares of the Fund or determination of the NAV of the Fund Shares is not reasonably practicable; or (4) in such other circumstance as is permitted by the SEC.

REQUIRED EARLY ACCEPTANCE OF ORDERS FOR CERTAIN INTERNATIONAL FUNDS. Notwithstanding the foregoing, as described in the Participant Agreement and/or the applicable order form, certain Funds may require orders to be placed prior to the trade date, as described in the Participant Agreement or the applicable order form, in order to receive the trade date’s net asset value. The cut-off time to receive the trade date’s net asset value will not precede the calculation of the net asset value of a Fund’s shares on the prior Business Day. Orders to purchase Fund Shares of such Funds that are submitted on the Business Day immediately preceding a holiday or a day (other than a weekend) that the equity markets in the relevant foreign market are closed may not be accepted. Authorized Participants may be notified that the cut-off time for an order may be earlier on a particular Business Day, as described in the Participant Agreement and the applicable order form.

CREATION AND REDEMPTION TRANSACTION FEES. A transaction fee, as set forth in the table below, is imposed for the transfer and other transaction costs associated with the purchase or redemption of Creation Units, as applicable. Authorized Participants will be required to pay a fixed creation transaction fee and/or a fixed redemption transaction fee, as applicable, on a given day regardless of the number of Creation Units created or redeemed on that day. A Fund may adjust the transaction fee from time to time. An additional charge or a variable charge (discussed below) will be applied to certain creation and redemption transactions, including non-standard orders and whole or partial cash purchases or redemptions. With respect to creation orders, Authorized Participants are responsible for the costs of transferring the securities constituting the Deposit Securities to the account of the Trust and with respect to redemption orders, Authorized Participants are responsible for the costs of transferring the Fund Securities from the Trust to their account or on their order. Investors who use the services of a broker or other such intermediary may also be charged a fee for such services.

 

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Creation and Redemption Transaction Fees:

 

FUND

   TRANSACTION
FEE*,**
     MAXIMUM
TRANSACTION
FEE*,**
 

SPDR Bloomberg SASB Corporate Bond ESG Select ETF

   $ [        $    [    ] 

SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap Dividend Yield ESG Select ETF

   $ [        $    [    ] 

SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap ESG Select ETF

   $ [        $    [    ] 

SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap Growth ESG Select ETF

   $ [        $    [    ] 

SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap Value ESG Select ETF

   $ [        $    [    ] 

 

*

From time to time, a Fund may waive all or a portion of its applicable transaction fee(s). An additional charge of up to three (3) times the standard transaction fee may be charged to the extent a transaction is outside of the clearing process.

**

In addition to the transaction fees listed above, the Funds may charge an additional variable fee for creations and redemptions in cash to offset brokerage and impact expenses associated with the cash transaction. The variable transaction fee will be calculated based on historical transaction cost data and the Adviser’s view of current market conditions; however, the actual variable fee charged for a given transaction may be lower or higher than the trading expenses incurred by a Fund with respect to that transaction.

DETERMINATION OF NET ASSET VALUE

The following information supplements and should be read in conjunction with the sections in the Prospectus entitled “PURCHASE AND SALE INFORMATION” and “ADDITIONAL PURCHASE AND SALE INFORMATION.”

Net asset value per Fund Share for each Fund is computed by dividing the value of the net assets of the Fund (i.e., the value of its total assets less total liabilities) by the total number of Fund Shares outstanding. Expenses and fees, including the management fees, are accrued daily and taken into account for purposes of determining net asset value. The net asset value of each Fund is calculated by State Street and determined as of the close of the regular trading session on the NYSE (ordinarily 4:00 p.m. Eastern time) on each day that such exchange is open. Fixed-income assets are generally valued as of the announced closing time for trading in fixed-income instruments in a particular market or exchange. Creation/redemption order cut-off times may be earlier on any day that the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (or applicable exchange or market on which a Fund’s investments are traded) announces an early closing time. Any assets or liabilities denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar are converted into U.S. dollars at market rates on the date of valuation (generally as of 4:00 p.m. London time) as quoted by one or more sources.

In calculating a Fund’s net asset value per Fund Share, 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. A Fund relies on a third-party service provider for assistance with the daily calculation of the Fund’s NAV. The third-party service provider, in turn, relies on other parties for certain pricing data and other inputs used in the calculation of the Fund’s NAV. Therefore, a Fund is subject to certain operational risks associated with reliance on its service provider and that service provider’s sources of pricing and other data. NAV calculation may be adversely affected by operational risks arising from factors such as errors or failures in systems and technology. Such errors or failures may result in inaccurately calculated NAVs, delays in the calculation of NAVs and/or the inability to calculate NAV over extended time periods. A Fund may be unable to recover any losses associated with such failures. In the case of shares of other funds that are not traded on an exchange, a market valuation means such fund’s published net asset value per share. The Adviser may use various pricing services, or discontinue the use of any pricing service, as approved by the Board from time to time. 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 are deemed unreliable, the Trust’s procedures require the Oversight Committee to determine a security’s fair value if a market price is not readily available. In determining such value the Oversight Committee may consider, among other things, (i) price comparisons among multiple sources, (ii) a review of corporate actions and news events, and (iii) a review of relevant financial indicators (e.g., movement in interest rates, market indices, and prices from each Fund’s Index Provider). In these cases, the Fund’s net asset value may reflect certain portfolio securities’ fair values rather than their market prices. The fair value of a portfolio instrument is generally the price which a Fund might reasonably expect to

 

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receive upon its current sale in an orderly market between market participants. Ascertaining fair value requires a determination of the amount that an arm’s-length buyer, under the circumstances, would currently pay for the portfolio instrument. Fair value pricing

involves subjective judgments and it is possible that the fair value determination for a security is materially different than the value that could be realized upon the sale of the security. In addition, fair value pricing could result in a difference between the prices used to calculate a Fund’s net asset value and the prices used by the Fund’s benchmark Index. This may result in a difference between a Fund’s performance and the performance of the applicable Fund’s benchmark Index. With respect to securities that are primarily listed on foreign exchanges, the value of a Fund’s portfolio securities may change on days when you will not be able to purchase or sell your Fund Shares.

DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS

The following information supplements and should be read in conjunction with the section in the Prospectus entitled “DISTRIBUTIONS.”

GENERAL POLICIES

Income dividend distributions, if any, are generally distributed to shareholders monthly for the SPDR Bloomberg SASB Corporate Bond ESG Select ETF and quarterly for the SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap Dividend Yield ESG Select ETF, SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap ESG Select ETF, SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap Growth ESG Select ETF and SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap Value ESG Select ETF, but may vary significantly from period to period. Distributions of net realized securities gains, if any, generally are declared and paid once a year, but the Trust may make distributions on a more frequent basis for a Fund to improve index tracking or to comply with the distribution requirements of the Internal Revenue Code, in all events in a manner consistent with the provisions of the 1940 Act.

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

Management of the Trust reserves the right to declare special dividends if, in its reasonable discretion, such action is necessary or advisable to preserve a Fund’s eligibility for treatment as a RIC under the Internal Revenue Code or to avoid imposition of income or excise taxes at the Fund level.

DIVIDEND REINVESTMENT

Broker dealers, at their own discretion, may offer a dividend reinvestment service under which Fund Shares are purchased in the secondary market at current market prices. Investors should consult their broker dealer for further information regarding any dividend reinvestment service offered by such broker dealer.

TAXES

The following is a summary of certain federal income tax considerations generally affecting the Funds and their shareholders that supplements the discussions in the Prospectus. No attempt is made to present a comprehensive explanation of the federal, state, local or foreign tax treatment of the Funds or their shareholders, and the discussion here and in the Prospectus is not intended to be a substitute for careful tax planning.

The following general discussion of certain federal income tax consequences is based on the Internal Revenue Code and the regulations issued thereunder as in effect on the date of this SAI. New legislation, as well as administrative changes or court decisions, may significantly change the conclusions expressed herein, and may have a retroactive effect with respect to the transactions contemplated herein.

The following information should be read in conjunction with the section in the Prospectus entitled “ADDITIONAL TAX INFORMATION.”

TAXATION OF THE FUNDS. Each Fund is treated as a separate corporation for federal income tax purposes. A Fund therefore is considered to be a separate entity in determining its treatment under the rules for RICs described herein and in the Prospectus. Losses in one series of the Trust do not offset gains in any other series of the Trust and the requirements (other than certain organizational requirements) for qualifying for treatment as a RIC are determined at the Fund level rather than at the Trust level. Each Fund has

 

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elected or will elect and intends to qualify each year to be treated as a separate RIC under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code. As such, each Fund should not be subject to federal income tax on its net investment income and capital gains, if any, to the extent that it timely distributes such income and capital gains to its shareholders. In order to qualify for treatment as a RIC, a Fund must distribute annually to its shareholders at least the sum of 90% of its taxable net investment income (generally including the excess of net short-term capital gains over net long-term capital losses) and 90% of its net tax exempt interest income, if any (the “Distribution Requirement”) and also must meet several additional requirements. Among these requirements are the following: (i) at least 90% of a Fund’s gross income each taxable year must be derived from dividends, interest, payments with respect to certain securities loans, gains from the sale or other disposition of stock, securities or foreign currencies, or other income derived with respect to its business

of investing in such stock, securities or currencies, and net income derived from interests in qualified publicly traded partnerships (the “Qualifying Income Requirement”); and (ii) at the end of each quarter of a Fund’s taxable year, its assets must be diversified so that (a) at least 50% of the market value of its total assets must be represented by cash and cash items, U.S. government securities, securities of other RICs and other securities, with such other securities limited, in respect to any one issuer, to an amount not greater in value than 5% of the value of the Fund’s total assets and to not more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer, and (b) not more than 25% of the value of its total assets is invested in the securities (other than U.S. government securities or securities of other RICs) of any one issuer, the securities (other than securities of other RICs) of two or more issuers that it controls and that are engaged in the same, similar, or related trades or businesses, or the securities of one or more qualified publicly traded partnerships (the “Diversification Requirement”).

If a Fund fails to satisfy the Qualifying Income Requirement or the Diversification Requirement in any taxable year, the Fund may be eligible for relief provisions if the failures are due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect and if a penalty tax is paid with respect to each failure to satisfy the applicable requirements. Additionally, relief is provided for certain de minimis failures of the Diversification Requirement where the Fund corrects the failure within a specified period of time. In order to be eligible for the relief provisions with respect to a failure to meet the Diversification Requirement, a Fund may be required to dispose of certain assets. If these relief provisions were not available to a Fund and it were to fail to qualify for treatment as a RIC for a taxable year, all of its taxable income would be subject to tax at regular corporate rates without any deduction for distributions to shareholders, and its distributions (including capital gains distributions) generally would be taxable as ordinary income dividends to its shareholders, subject to the dividends-received deduction for corporate shareholders and the lower tax rates on qualified dividend income received by noncorporate shareholders. To requalify for treatment as a RIC in a subsequent taxable year, the Fund would be required to satisfy the RIC qualification requirements for that year and to distribute any earnings and profits from any year in which the Fund failed to qualify for tax treatment as a RIC. If a Fund failed to qualify as a RIC for a period greater than two taxable years, it would generally be required to pay a Fund-level tax on certain net built-in gains recognized with respect to certain of its assets upon a disposition of such assets within five years of qualifying as a RIC in a subsequent year. The Board reserves the right not to maintain the qualification of a Fund for treatment as a RIC if it determines such course of action to be beneficial to shareholders.

As discussed more fully below, each Fund intends to distribute substantially all of its net investment income and its capital gains for each taxable year.

If a Fund meets the Distribution Requirement but retains some or all of its income or gains, it will be subject to federal income tax to the extent any such income or gains are not distributed. A Fund may designate certain amounts retained as undistributed net capital gain in a notice to its shareholders, who (i) will be required to include in income for U.S. federal income tax purposes, as long-term capital gain, their proportionate shares of the undistributed amount so designated, (ii) will be entitled to credit their proportionate shares of the income tax paid by the Fund on that undistributed amount against their federal income tax liabilities and to claim refunds to the extent such credits exceed their liabilities and (iii) will be entitled to increase their tax basis, for federal income tax purposes, in their Fund Shares by an amount equal to the excess of the amount of undistributed net capital gain included in their respective income over their respective income tax credits. If a Fund failed to satisfy the Distribution Requirement for any taxable year, it would be taxed as a regular corporation, with consequences generally similar to those described in the preceding paragraph.

Given the concentration of certain of the Indexes in a relatively small number of securities, it may not be possible for certain Funds to fully implement sampling methodologies while satisfying the Diversification Requirement. A Fund’s efforts to satisfy the Diversification Requirement may affect the Fund’s execution of its investment strategy and may cause the Fund’s return to deviate from that of the applicable Index, and the Fund’s efforts to track the applicable Index may cause it inadvertently to fail to satisfy the Diversification Requirement.

A Fund will be subject to a 4% excise tax on certain undistributed income if it does not distribute to its shareholders in each calendar year an amount at least equal to 98% of its ordinary income for the calendar year plus 98.2% of its capital gain net income for the twelve months ended October 31 of such year, subject to an increase for any shortfall in the prior year’s distribution. Each Fund intends to declare and distribute dividends and distributions in the amounts and at the times necessary to avoid the application of this 4% excise tax.

 

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A Fund may elect to treat part or all of any “qualified late year loss” as if it had been incurred in the succeeding taxable year in determining the Fund’s taxable income, net capital gain, net short-term capital gain, and earnings and profits. The effect of this election is to treat any such “qualified late year loss” as if it had been incurred in the succeeding taxable year in characterizing Fund distributions for any calendar year. A “qualified late year loss” generally includes net capital loss, net long-term capital loss, or net short-term capital loss incurred after October 31 of the current taxable year (commonly referred to as “post-October losses”) and certain other late-year losses.

Capital losses in excess of capital gains (“net capital losses”) are not permitted to be deducted against a RIC’s net investment income. Instead, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, potentially subject to certain limitations, a Fund may carry a net capital loss from any taxable year forward indefinitely to offset its capital gains, if any, in years following the year of the loss. To the extent subsequent capital gains are offset by such losses, they will not result in U.S. federal income tax liability to the Fund and may not be distributed as capital gains to its shareholders. Generally, the Funds may not carry forward any losses other than net capital losses.

TAXATION OF SHAREHOLDERS—DISTRIBUTIONS. Each Fund intends to distribute annually to its shareholders substantially all of its investment company taxable income (computed without regard to the deduction for dividends paid), its net tax-exempt income, if any, and any net capital gain (net recognized long-term capital gains in excess of net recognized short-term capital losses, taking into account any capital loss carryforwards). Each Fund will report to shareholders annually the amounts of dividends paid from ordinary income, the amount of distributions of net capital gain, the portion of dividends which may qualify for the dividends-received deduction, and the portion of dividends which may qualify for treatment as qualified dividend income.

Subject to certain limitations, dividends reported by a Fund as qualified dividend income will be taxable to noncorporate shareholders at rates of up to 20%. Dividends may be reported by a Fund as qualified dividend income if they are attributable to qualified dividend income received by the Fund. Qualified dividend income includes, in general, subject to certain holding period requirements and other requirements, dividend income from certain U.S. and foreign corporations. Subject to certain limitations, eligible foreign corporations include those incorporated in possessions of the United States, those incorporated in certain countries with comprehensive tax treaties with the United States and other foreign corporations if the stock with respect to which the dividends are paid is tradable on an established securities market in the United States. A dividend generally will not be treated as qualified dividend income to the extent that (i) the shareholder has not held the stock 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 stock becomes ex-dividend with respect to such dividend or, in the case of certain preferred stock, for more than 90 days during the 181-day period beginning 90 days before such date, (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 Internal Revenue Code. The holding period requirements described in this paragraph apply to shareholders’ investments in the Funds and to the Funds’ investments in underlying dividend-paying stocks. Dividends received by a Fund from a REIT or another RIC may be treated as qualified dividend income generally only to the extent the dividend distributions are attributable to qualified dividend income received by such REIT or RIC. It is expected that dividends received by a Fund from a REIT and distributed by that Fund to a shareholder generally will be taxable to the shareholder as ordinary income. If 95% or more of a Fund’s gross income (calculated without taking into account net capital gain derived from sales or other dispositions of stock or securities) consists of qualified dividend income, that Fund may report all distributions of such income as qualified dividend income.

Certain dividends received by a Fund from U.S. corporations (generally, dividends received by a Fund in respect of any share of stock (1) with a tax holding period of at least 46 days during the 91-day period beginning on the date that is 45 days before the date on which the stock becomes ex-dividend as to that dividend and (2) that is held in an unleveraged position) when distributed and appropriately so reported by the Fund may be eligible for the 50% dividends-received deduction generally available to corporations under the Internal Revenue Code. In order to qualify for the deduction, corporate shareholders must meet the minimum holding period requirement stated above with respect to their Fund Shares, taking into account any holding period reductions from certain hedging or other transactions or positions that diminish their risk of loss with respect to their Fund Shares, and, if they borrow to acquire or otherwise incur debt attributable to Fund Shares, they may be denied a portion of the dividends-received deduction with respect to those Fund Shares. Any corporate shareholder should consult its tax adviser regarding the possibility that its tax basis in its Fund Shares may be reduced, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, by reason of “extraordinary dividends” received with respect to the Fund Shares and, to the extent such basis would be reduced below zero, current recognition of income may be required.

Distributions from a Fund’s net short-term capital gains will generally be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income. Distributions from a Fund’s net capital gain will be taxable to shareholders at long-term capital gains rates, regardless of how long shareholders have held their Fund Shares. Long-term capital gains are generally taxed to noncorporate shareholders at rates of up to 20%.

Although dividends generally will be treated as distributed when paid, any dividend declared by a Fund in October, November or December and payable to shareholders of record in such a month that is paid during the following January will be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as received by shareholders on December 31 of the calendar year in which it was declared.

 

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If a Fund’s distributions exceed its earnings and profits, all or a portion of the distributions made in the taxable year may be treated as a return of capital to shareholders. A return of capital distribution generally will not be taxable but will reduce the shareholder’s cost basis and result in a higher capital gain or lower capital loss when the Fund Shares on which the distribution was received are sold.

After a shareholder’s basis in the Fund Shares has been reduced to zero, distributions in excess of earnings and profits will be treated as gain from the sale of the shareholder’s Fund Shares.

Distributions that are reinvested in additional Fund Shares of a Fund through the means of a dividend reinvestment service, if offered by your broker-dealer, will nevertheless be taxable dividends to the same extent as if such dividends had been received in cash.

A 3.8% Medicare contribution tax generally applies to all or a portion of the net investment income of a shareholder who is an individual and not a nonresident alien for federal income tax purposes and who has adjusted gross income (subject to certain adjustments) that exceeds a threshold amount ($250,000 if married filing jointly or if considered a “surviving spouse” for federal income tax purposes, $125,000 if married filing separately, and $200,000 in other cases). This 3.8% tax also applies to all or a portion of the undistributed net investment income of certain shareholders that are estates and trusts. For these purposes, interest, dividends and certain capital gains (generally including capital gain distributions and capital gains realized on the sale of Fund Shares) are generally taken into account in computing a shareholder’s net investment income.

Distributions of ordinary income and capital gains may also be subject to foreign, state and local taxes depending on a shareholder’s circumstances.

TAXATION OF SHAREHOLDERS – SALE OF FUND SHARES. In general, a sale of Fund Shares results in capital gain or loss, and for individual shareholders, is taxable at a federal rate dependent upon the length of time the Fund Shares were held. A sale of Fund Shares held for a period of one year or less at the time of such sale will, for tax purposes, generally result in short-term capital gains or losses, and a sale of those held for more than one year will generally result in long-term capital gains or losses. Long-term capital gains are generally taxed to non-corporate shareholders at rates of up to 20%.

Gain or loss on the sale of Fund Shares is measured by the difference between the amount received and the adjusted tax basis of the Fund Shares. Shareholders should keep records of investments made (including Fund Shares acquired through reinvestment of dividends and distributions) so they can compute the tax basis of their Fund Shares.

A loss realized on a sale of Fund Shares may be disallowed if substantially identical Fund Shares are acquired (whether through the reinvestment of dividends or otherwise) within a sixty-one (61) day period beginning thirty (30) days before and ending thirty (30) days after the date that the Fund Shares are disposed of. In such a case, the basis of the Fund Shares acquired must be adjusted to reflect the disallowed loss. Any loss upon the sale of Fund Shares held for six (6) months or less is treated as long-term capital loss to the extent of any amounts treated as distributions to the shareholder of long-term capital gain (including any amounts credited to the shareholder as undistributed capital gains).

COST BASIS REPORTING. The cost basis of Fund Shares acquired by purchase will generally be based on the amount paid for the Fund Shares and then may be subsequently adjusted for other applicable transactions as required by the Internal Revenue Code. The difference between the selling price and the cost basis of Fund Shares generally determines the amount of the capital gain or loss realized on the sale or exchange of Fund Shares. Contact the broker through whom you purchased your Fund Shares to obtain information with respect to the available cost basis reporting methods and elections for your account.

TAXATION OF FUND INVESTMENTS. Dividends and interest received by a Fund on foreign securities may give rise to withholding and other taxes imposed by foreign countries. Tax conventions between certain countries and the United States may reduce or eliminate such taxes. If a Fund meets certain requirements, which include a requirement that more than 50% of the value of the Fund’s total assets at the close of its respective taxable year consists of certain foreign securities (generally including foreign government securities), then the Fund should be eligible to file an election with the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) that may enable its shareholders, in effect, to receive either the benefit of a foreign tax credit, or a tax deduction, with respect to certain foreign and U.S. possessions income taxes paid by the Fund, subject to certain limitations. If at least 50% of a Fund’s total assets at the close of each quarter of a taxable year consists of interests in other RICs (including money market funds and ETFs that are taxable as RICs), the Fund may make the same election and pass through to its shareholders their pro rata shares of qualified foreign taxes paid by those other RICs and passed through to the Fund for that taxable year. Pursuant to this election, a Fund would treat the applicable foreign taxes as dividends paid to its shareholders. Each such shareholder would be required to include a proportionate share of those taxes in gross income as income received from a foreign source and must treat the amount so included as if the shareholder had paid the foreign tax directly. The shareholder may then either deduct the taxes deemed paid by him or her in computing his or her taxable income or, alternatively, use the foregoing information in calculating any foreign tax credit the shareholder may be entitled to use against such shareholder’s federal income tax. If a Fund makes this election, the Fund will report annually to its shareholders the

 

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respective amounts per share of the Fund’s income from sources within, and taxes paid to, foreign countries and U.S. possessions. No deduction for such taxes will be permitted to individuals in computing their alternative minimum tax liability. If a Fund does not make this election, the Fund will be entitled to claim a deduction for certain foreign taxes incurred by the Fund. Under certain circumstances, if a Fund receives a refund of foreign taxes paid in respect of a prior year, the value of Fund Shares could be reduced or any foreign tax credits or deductions passed through to shareholders in respect of the Fund’s foreign taxes for the current year could be reduced.

Certain of the Funds’ investments may be subject to complex provisions of the Internal Revenue Code (including provisions relating to hedging transactions, straddles, integrated transactions, foreign currency contracts, forward foreign currency contracts, and notional principal contracts) that, among other things, could affect the character of gains and losses realized by the Funds (e.g., may affect whether gains or losses are ordinary or capital), accelerate recognition of income to the Fund and defer losses. These rules could

therefore affect the character, amount and timing of distributions to shareholders. These provisions also may require a Fund to mark-to-market certain types of positions in its portfolio (i.e., treat them as if they were closed out) which may cause the Fund to recognize income without receiving cash with which to make distributions in amounts necessary to satisfy the RIC distribution requirements for avoiding income and excise taxes. The Funds intend to monitor their transactions, intend to make appropriate tax elections, and intend to make appropriate entries in their books and records in order to mitigate the effect of these rules and preserve the Funds’ qualification for treatment as RICs.

Certain investments made by a Fund may be treated as equity in passive foreign investment companies or “PFICs” for federal income tax purposes. In general, a passive foreign investment company is a foreign corporation (i) that receives at least 75% of its annual gross income from passive sources (such as interest, dividends, certain rents and royalties, or capital gains) or (ii) where at least 50% of its assets (computed based on average fair market value) either produce or are held for the production of passive income. If a Fund acquires any equity interest (generally including, under Treasury regulations that may be promulgated in the future, not only stock but also an option to acquire stock such as is inherent in a convertible bond) in a PFIC, the Fund could be subject to U.S. federal income tax and nondeductible interest charges on “excess distributions” received from such companies or on gain from the sale of stock in such companies, even if all income or gain actually received by the Fund is timely distributed to its shareholders. The Fund would not be able to pass through to its shareholders any credit or deduction for such a tax. A “qualified electing fund” election or a “mark to market” election may be available that would ameliorate these adverse tax consequences, but such elections could require the applicable Fund to recognize taxable income or gain (subject to the distribution requirements applicable to RICs, as described above) without the concurrent receipt of cash. In order to satisfy the distribution requirements and avoid a tax at the Fund level, a Fund may be required to liquidate portfolio securities that it might otherwise have continued to hold, potentially resulting in additional taxable gain or loss to the Fund. Gains from the sale of stock of PFICs may also be treated as ordinary income. In order for a Fund to make a qualified electing fund election with respect to a PFIC, the PFIC would have to agree to provide certain tax information to the Fund on an annual basis, which it might not agree to do. Under proposed Treasury regulations, certain income derived by a Fund for a taxable year from a PFIC with respect to which the Fund has made a qualified electing fund election would generally constitute qualifying income only to the extent the PFIC makes distributions in respect of that income to the Fund for that taxable year. The Funds may limit and/or manage their holdings in PFICs to limit their tax liability or maximize their returns from these investments.

If a sufficient portion of the interests in a foreign issuer are held or deemed held by a Fund, independently or together with certain other U.S. persons, that issuer may be treated as a “controlled foreign corporation” (a “CFC”) with respect to the Fund, in which case the Fund will be required to take into account each year, as ordinary income, its share of certain portions of that issuer’s income, whether or not such amounts are distributed. A Fund may have to dispose of its portfolio securities (potentially resulting in the recognition of taxable gain or loss, and potentially under disadvantageous circumstances) to generate cash, or may have to borrow the cash, to meet its distribution requirements and avoid Fund-level taxes. Under proposed Treasury Regulations, certain income derived by a Fund from a CFC for a taxable year would generally constitute qualifying income only to the extent the CFC makes distributions in respect of that income to the Fund for that taxable year. In addition, some Fund gains on the disposition of interests in such an issuer may be treated as ordinary income. A Fund may limit and/or manage its holdings in issuers that could be treated as CFCs in order to limit its tax liability or maximize its after-tax return from these investments.

Each Fund is required for federal income tax purposes to mark-to-market and recognize as income for each taxable year its net unrealized gains and losses on certain futures contracts as of the end of the year as well as those actually realized during the year. Gain or loss from futures and options contracts on broad-based indexes required to be marked to market will be 60% long-term and 40% short-term capital gain or loss. Application of this rule may alter the timing and character of distributions to shareholders. A Fund may be required to defer the recognition of losses on futures contracts, options contracts and swaps to the extent of any unrecognized gains on offsetting positions held by the Fund. It is anticipated that certain net gain realized from the closing out of futures or options contracts will be considered gain from the sale of securities and therefore will be qualifying income for purposes of the Qualifying Income Requirement.

 

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Noncorporate taxpayers are generally eligible for a deduction of up to 20% of “qualified REIT dividends.” A Fund will not be able to claim such a deduction in respect of any REIT dividends it receives, and shareholders will not be able to claim such a deduction in respect of Fund dividends attributable to any REIT dividends.

TAX-EXEMPT SHAREHOLDERS. Certain tax-exempt shareholders, including qualified pension plans, individual retirement accounts, salary deferral arrangements, 401(k) plans, and other tax-exempt entities, generally are exempt from federal income taxation except with respect to their unrelated business taxable income (“UBTI”). Under current law, a Fund generally serves to block UBTI from being realized by its tax-exempt shareholders. However, notwithstanding the foregoing, tax-exempt shareholders could realize UBTI by virtue of their investment in a Fund where, for example, (i) the Fund invests in REITs that hold residual interests in real estate mortgage investment conduits (“REMICs”) or (ii) Fund Shares constitute debt-financed property in the hands of the tax-exempt shareholders within the meaning of section 514(b) of the Internal Revenue Code. Charitable remainder trusts are subject to special rules and should consult their tax advisors. There are no restrictions preventing a Fund from holding investments in REITs that hold residual interests in REMICs, and a Fund may do so. The IRS has issued guidance with respect to these issues and prospective shareholders, especially charitable remainder trusts, are strongly encouraged to consult with their tax advisors regarding these issues.

Certain tax-exempt educational institutions will be subject to a 1.4% tax on net investment income. For these purposes, certain dividends and capital gain distributions, and certain gains from the disposition of fund shares (among other categories of income), are generally taken into account in computing a shareholder’s net investment income.

FOREIGN SHAREHOLDERS. Dividends, other than capital gains dividends, “short-term capital gain dividends” and “interest-related dividends” (described below), paid by a Fund to shareholders who are nonresident aliens or foreign entities will be subject to a 30% United States withholding tax unless a reduced rate of withholding or a withholding exemption is provided under applicable treaty law to the extent derived from investment income and short-term capital gain or unless such income is effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business carried on through a permanent establishment in the United States. Nonresident shareholders are urged to consult their own tax advisors concerning the applicability of the United States withholding tax and the proper withholding form(s) to be submitted to a Fund. A non-U.S. shareholder who fails to provide an appropriate IRS Form W-8 may be subject to backup withholding at the appropriate rate.

Dividends reported by a Fund as (i) interest-related dividends, to the extent such dividends are derived from the Fund’s “qualified net interest income,” or (ii) short-term capital gain dividends, to the extent such dividends are derived from the Fund’s “qualified short-term gain,” are generally exempt from this 30% withholding tax. “Qualified net interest income” is a Fund’s net income derived from U.S.-source interest and original issue discount, subject to certain exceptions and limitations. “Qualified short-term gain” generally means the excess of a Fund’s net short-term capital gain for the taxable year over its net long-term capital loss, if any. In the case of Fund Shares held through an intermediary, the intermediary may withhold even if the Fund reports the payment as an interest-related dividend or as a short-term capital gain dividend. Non-U.S. shareholders should contact their intermediaries with respect to the application of these rules to their accounts.

Unless certain non-U.S. entities that hold Fund Shares comply with IRS requirements that will generally require them to report information regarding U.S. persons investing in, or holding accounts with, such entities, a 30% withholding tax may apply to Fund distributions payable to such entities and, after December 31, 2019, to redemptions and certain capital gain dividends payable to such entities. A non-U.S. shareholder may be exempt from the withholding described in this paragraph under an applicable intergovernmental agreement between the U.S. and a foreign government, provided that the shareholder and the applicable foreign government comply with the terms of such agreement.

Non-U.S. persons are subject to U.S. tax on disposition of a “United States real property interest” (a “USRPI”). Gain on such a disposition is sometimes referred to as “FIRPTA gain.” The Internal Revenue Code provides a look-through rule for distributions of “FIRPTA gain” if certain requirements are met. If the look-through rule applies, certain distributions attributable to income received by a Fund from REITs may be treated as gain from the disposition of a USRPI, causing distributions to be subject to U.S. withholding tax at rates of up to 21%, and requiring non-U.S. investors to file nonresident U.S. income tax returns. Also, gain may be subject to a 30% branch profits tax in the hands of a non-U.S. shareholder that is treated as a corporation for federal income tax purposes. Under certain circumstances, Fund Shares may qualify as USRPIs, which could result in 15% withholding on certain distributions and gross redemption proceeds paid to certain non-U.S. investors.

BACKUP WITHHOLDING. A Fund will be required in certain cases to withhold (as “backup withholding”) on amounts payable to any shareholder who (1) has provided the Fund either an incorrect tax identification number or no number at all, (2) is subject to backup withholding by the IRS for failure to properly report payments of interest or dividends, (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). The backup withholding rate is 24%. Backup withholding will not be applied to payments that have been subject to the 30% withholding tax on shareholders who are neither citizens nor permanent residents of the U.S.

CREATION UNITS. An Authorized Participant who exchanges securities for Creation Units generally will recognize a gain or a loss. The gain or loss will be equal to the difference between the market value of the Creation Units at the time and the sum of the exchanger’s aggregate basis in the securities surrendered plus the amount of cash paid for such Creation Units. A person who redeems

 

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Creation Units will generally recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the exchanger’s basis in the Creation Units and the sum of the aggregate market value of any securities received plus the amount of any cash received for such Creation Units. The IRS, however, may assert that a loss realized upon an exchange of securities for Creation Units cannot be deducted currently under the rules governing “wash sales,” or on the basis that there has been no significant change in economic position.

Any gain or loss realized upon a creation of Creation Units will be treated as capital gain or loss if the Authorized Participant holds the securities exchanged therefor as capital assets, and otherwise will be ordinary income or loss. Similarly, any gain or loss realized upon a redemption of Creation Units will be treated as capital gain or loss if the Authorized Participant holds the Fund Shares comprising the Creation Units as capital assets, and otherwise will be ordinary income or loss. Any capital gain or loss realized upon the creation of Creation Units will generally be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the securities exchanged for such Creation Units have been held for more than one year, and otherwise will be short-term capital gain or loss. Any capital gain or loss realized upon the

redemption of Creation Units will generally be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the Fund Shares comprising the Creation Units have been held for more than one year, and otherwise, will generally be short-term capital gain or loss. Any capital loss realized upon a redemption of Creation Units held for six (6) months or less will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of any amounts treated as distributions to the applicable Authorized Participant of long-term capital gains with respect to the Creation Units (including any amounts credited to the Authorized Participant as undistributed capital gains).

A Fund has the right to reject an order for Creation Units if the purchaser (or a group of purchasers) would, upon obtaining the Fund Shares so ordered, own 80% or more of the outstanding shares of the Fund and if, pursuant to section 351 of the Internal Revenue Code, the Fund would have a basis in any deposit securities different from the market value of such securities on the date of deposit. A Fund also has the right to require information necessary to determine beneficial Fund Share ownership for purposes of the 80% determination. If a Fund does issue Creation Units to a purchaser (or a group of purchasers) that would, upon obtaining the Fund Shares so ordered, own 80% or more of the outstanding shares of the Fund, the purchaser (or a group of purchasers) may not recognize gain or loss upon the exchange of securities for Creation Units.

Persons purchasing or redeeming Creation Units should consult their own tax advisors with respect to the tax treatment of any creation or redemption transaction.

CERTAIN POTENTIAL TAX REPORTING REQUIREMENTS. Under promulgated Treasury regulations, if a shareholder recognizes a loss on disposition of a Fund’s shares of $2 million or more for an individual shareholder or $10 million or more for a corporate shareholder (or certain greater amounts over a combination of years), the shareholder must file with the IRS a disclosure statement on IRS Form 8886. Direct shareholders of portfolio securities are in many cases excepted from this reporting requirement, but under current guidance, shareholders of a RIC are not excepted. A shareholder who fails to make the required disclosure to the IRS may be subject to adverse tax consequences, including significant penalties. 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 advisers to determine the applicability of these regulations in light of their individual circumstances.

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

CAPITAL STOCK AND SHAREHOLDER REPORTS

Each Fund issues shares of beneficial interest, par value $.01 per Fund Share. The Board may designate additional funds.

Each Fund Share issued by the Trust has a pro rata interest in the assets of the corresponding series of the Trust. Fund Shares have no preemptive, exchange, subscription or conversion rights and are freely transferable. Each Fund Share is entitled to participate equally in dividends and distributions declared by the Board with respect to each Fund, and in the net distributable assets of each Fund on liquidation.

Each Fund Share has one vote with respect to matters upon which a shareholder vote is required consistent with the requirements of the 1940 Act and the rules promulgated thereunder. Shares of all series of the Trust (“Funds”) vote together as a single class except that if the matter being voted on affects only a particular fund it will be voted on only by that fund and if a matter affects a particular fund differently from other Funds, that fund will vote separately on such matter. Under Massachusetts law, the Trust is not required to hold an annual meeting of shareholders unless required to do so under the 1940 Act. The policy of the Trust is not to hold an annual meeting of shareholders unless required to do so under the 1940 Act. All Fund Shares of the Trust (regardless of the Fund) have noncumulative voting rights for the election of Trustees. Under Massachusetts law, Trustees of the Trust may be removed by vote of the shareholders.

Under Massachusetts law, shareholders of a business trust may, under certain circumstances, be held personally liable as partners for obligations of the Trust. However, the Declaration of Trust contains an express disclaimer of shareholder liability for acts or

 

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obligations of the Trust, requires that Trust obligations include such disclaimer, and provides for indemnification and reimbursement of expenses out of the Trust’s property for any shareholder held personally liable for the obligations of the Trust. Thus, the risk of a shareholder incurring financial loss on account of shareholder liability is limited to circumstances in which the Trust itself would be unable to meet its obligations. Given the above limitations on shareholder personal liability, and the nature of each Fund’s assets and operations, the risk to shareholders of personal liability is believed to be remote.

Shareholder inquiries may be made by writing to the Trust, c/o the Distributor, State Street Global Advisors Funds Distributors, LLC at One Iron Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02210.

COUNSEL AND INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, 1111 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20004, serves as counsel to the Trust. [        ] serves as the independent registered public accounting firm for the Trust. [                ] performs annual audits of the Funds’ financial statements and provides other audit, tax and related services.

LOCAL MARKET HOLIDAY SCHEDULES

The Trust generally intends to effect deliveries of portfolio securities on a basis of “T” plus two Business Days (i.e., days on which the NYSE is open) in the relevant foreign market of a Fund. The ability of the Trust to effect in-kind redemptions within two Business Days of receipt of a redemption request is subject, among other things, to the condition that, within the time period from the date of the request to the date of delivery of the securities, there are no days that are local market holidays on the relevant Business Days. For every occurrence of one or more intervening holidays in the local market that are not holidays observed in the United States, the redemption settlement cycle may be extended by the number of such intervening local holidays. In addition to holidays, other unforeseeable closings in a foreign market due to emergencies may also prevent the Trust from delivering securities within two Business Days.

The securities delivery cycles currently practicable for transferring portfolio securities to redeeming investors, coupled with local market holiday schedules, may require a delivery process longer than the standard settlement period. In certain circumstances during the calendar year, the settlement period may be greater than seven calendar days. Such periods are listed in the table below, as are instances where more than seven days will be needed to deliver redemption proceeds. Since certain holidays may occur on different dates in subsequent years, the number of days required to deliver redemption proceeds in any given year may exceed the maximum number of days listed in the table below. 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 and longer (worse) redemption periods are possible.

Listed below are the dates in calendar year 2019 (the only year for which holidays are known at the time of this SAI filing) in which the regular holidays in non-U.S. markets may impact Fund settlement. This list is based on information available to the Funds. The list may not be accurate or complete and is subject to change:

 

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Albania

  

Argentina

  

Australia

  

Austria

  

Bahrain

January 1, 2    January 1    January 1, 28    January 1    January 1
March 14, 22    March 4, 5    April 19, 22, 25    April 19, 22    May 1
April 22, 29    April 18, 19    June 10    May 1    June 4-6
May 1    May 1    December 24-26, 31    June 10    August 11-13
June 5    June 20       December 24-26, 31    September 8, 9
August 12    August 19          December 16, 17
September 5    October 14         
November 28, 29    November 6, 18          *The Bahraini market is closed every Friday
December 9, 25    December 25      

Belgium

  

Bermuda

  

Botswana

  

Brazil

  

Bulgaria

January 1    January 1    January 1, 2    January 1, 25    January 1
April 19, 22    April 19    April 19, 22    March 4-6    March 4
May 1    May 31    May 1, 30    April 19    April 19, 22, 26, 29
December 24-26, 31    June 17    July 1, 2, 15, 16    May 1    May 1, 6, 24
   August 1, 2    September 30    June 20    September 6, 23
   September 2    October 1    July 9    December 24-26
   November 4, 11    December 25, 26    November 15, 20   
   December 25, 26       December 25   

Canada

  

Chile

  

Colombia

  

Croatia

  

Cyprus

January 1    January 1    January 1, 7    January 1    January 1
February 18    April 19    March 25    April 19, 22    March 11, 25
April 19    May 1, 21    April 18, 19    May 1    April 1, 19, 22, 26, 29, 30
May 20    July 16    May 1    June 20, 25    May 1
July 1    August 15    June 3, 24    August 5, 15    June 17
August 5    September 18-20    July 1    October 8    August 15
September 2    October 31    August 7, 19    November 1    October 1, 28
October 14    November 1    October 14    December 24-26, 31    December 24-26
November 11    December 25, 31    November 4, 11      
December 25, 26       December 25      

Czechia

  

Denmark

  

Egypt

  

Estonia

  

Eswatini

January 1    January 1    January 1, 7    January 1    January 1
April 19, 22    April 18, 22    April 25, 28, 29    April 19, 22    April 19, 22, 25
May 1, 8    May 17, 30, 31    May 1    May 1, 30    May 1, 30
July 5    June 5, 10    June 5, 6, 30    June 24    July 22
October 28    December 24-26, 31    July 1, 23    August 20    September 2, 6
December 24-26       August 11-14    December 24-26, 31    December 25, 26
      September 1      
      October 6      
      November 10      
      *The Egyptian market is closed every Friday      

 

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Finland

  

France

  

Georgia

  

Germany

  

Ghana

January 1    January 1    January 1, 2, 7    January 1    January 1
April 19, 22    April 19, 22    March 8    April 19, 22    March 6
May 1, 30    May 1    April 9, 26, 29    May 1    April 19, 22
June 21    December 24-26, 31    May 9    June 10    May 1, 27
December 6, 24-26, 31       August 28    October 3    June 5
      October 14    December 24-26, 31    July 1
            August 12
            December 6, 25, 26

Greece

  

Hong Kong

  

Hungary

  

Iceland

  

Indonesia

January 1    January 1    January 1    January 1    January 1
March 11, 25    February 4-7    March 15    April 18, 19, 22, 25    February 5
April 19, 22, 26, 29    April 5, 19, 22    April 19, 22    May 1, 30    March 7
May 1    May 1, 13    May 1    June 10, 17    April 3, 19
June 17    June 7    June 10    August 5    May 1, 30
August 15    July 1    August 19, 20    December 24-26, 31    June 3-7
October 28    October 1, 7    October 23       December 24, 25, 31
December 24-26    December 24-26, 31    November 1      
      December 24-27      

Israel

  

Italy

  

Japan

  

Jordan

  

Kenya

March 21    January 1    January 1-3, 14    May 1    January 1
April 21-25    April 19, 22    February 11    June 4-6    April 19, 22
May 8, 9    May 1    March 21    August 11-14    May 1
June 9    August 15    April 29    December 25    June 5
August 11    December 24-26, 31    May 3, 6       August 12
September 29, 30       July 15       October 10, 21
October 1, 8, 9, 13-17, 20, 21      

August 12

September 16, 23

October 14

   * The Jordanian market is closed every Friday    December 12, 25, 26
* The Israeli market is closed every Friday      

November 4

December 31

     

Kuwait

  

Latvia

  

Lithuania

  

Malawi

  

Malaysia

January 1    January 1    January 1    January 1, 15    January 1, 21
February 25, 26    April 19, 22    March 11    March 4    February 1, 4-6
April 4    May 1, 6, 30    April 19, 22    April 19, 22    May 1, 20, 22
June 5, 6    June 24    May 1, 30    May 1, 14    June 4-6
August 11-13    November 18    June 24    June 4    August 12
September 1    December 24-26, 31    November 1    July 8    September 2, 9, 16
October 10       December 24-26, 31    October 15    October 28
         December 25, 26    December 25
*The Kuwaiti Market is closed every Friday            

Mauritius

  

Morocco

  

Namibia

  

New Zealand

  

Nigeria

January 1, 2, 21    January 1, 11    January 1    January 1, 2    January 1
February 1, 5    May 1    March 21    February 6    April 19, 22
March 4, 12    June 4, 5    April 19, 22    April 19, 22, 25    May 1
May 1    July 30    May 1, 30    June 3    June 4, 5, 12
June 5    August 12-14, 20, 21    June 17    October 28    August 12
September 3    September 2, 6    August 9, 26    December 25, 26    October 1
November 1    November 11, 12    September 24       December 25, 26
December 25       December 10, 16, 25, 26      

 

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The Netherlands

  

Norway

  

Oman

  

Peru

  

The Philippines

January 1    January 1    January 1    January 1    January 1
April 19, 22    April 17-19, 22    April 3    April 18, 19    February 5, 25
May 1    May 1, 17, 30    June 5, 6, 23    May 1    April 9, 18, 19
December 24-26, 31    June 10    August 11-15    July 29    May 1
   December 24-26, 31    September 1    August 30    June 12
      November 10, 18, 19    October 8    August 21, 26
         November 1    November 1
      * The Omani market is closed every Friday    December 25    December 24, 25, 30, 31

Portugal

  

Puerto Rico

  

Qatar

  

Romania

  

Russia

January 1    January 1, 21    January 1    January 1, 2, 24    January 1-4, 7, 8
April 19, 22    February 18    February 12    April 26, 29    March 8
May 1    April 19    March 3    May 1    May 1-3, 9, 10
December 24-26, 31    May 27    June 4-6    June 17    June 12
   July 3, 4    August 11-13    August 15    November 4
   September 2    December 18    December 25, 26   
   October 14         
   November 11, 28, 29    * The Qatari market is closed every Friday      
   December 24, 25      

Saudi Arabia

  

Singapore

  

South Africa

  

South Korea

  

Spain

June 6, 9, 10    January 1    January 1    January 1    January 1
August 12-15    February 5, 6    March 21    February 4-6    April 19, 22
September 23    April 19    April 19, 22    March 1    May 1
   May 1, 20    May 1    May 1, 6    December 24-26, 31
* The Saudi Arabian market is closed every Friday    June 5    June 17    June 6   
   August 9, 12    August 9    August 15   
   October 28    September 24    September 12, 13   
   December 25    December 16, 25, 26    October 3, 9   
         December 25   

Sri Lanka

  

Sweden

  

Switzerland

  

Taiwan

  

Thailand

January 1, 15    January 1    January 1, 2    January 1, 31    January 1
February 4, 19    April 18, 19, 22, 30    April 19, 22    February 1, 4-8, 28    February 19
March 4, 20    May 1, 29, 30    May 1, 30    March 1    April 8, 15, 16
April 12, 15, 19    June 6, 21    June 10    April 4, 5    May 1, 20
May 1, 20    November 1    August 1    May 1    July 16, 29
June 5    December 24-26, 31    December 24-26, 31    June 7    August 12
July 16          September 13    October 14, 23
August 12, 14          October 10, 11    December 5, 10, 31
September 13            
November 11, 12            
December 11, 25            

Turkey

  

Uganda

  

Ukraine

  

The United Arab
Emirates

  

The United States Bond

Market

January 1    January 1    January 1, 7    January 1    January 1
April 23    March 8    March 8    April 3    February 18
May 1    April 19, 22    April 29    June 5, 6    April 18*, 19
June 4-7    May 1    May 1, 9    August 11-14    May 24*, 27
July 15    June 3, 26    June 17, 28    September 1    July 3*, 4
August 12-14, 30    October 9    October 15    November 10    September 2
October 28, 29    December 25, 26    December 25    December 2, 3    October 14
            November 11, 28, 29*
            December 24*, 25, 31*

 

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Sri Lanka

  

Sweden

  

Switzerland

  

Taiwan

  

Thailand

         * The United Arab Emirates market is closed every Friday    * The U.S. bond market has recommended early close

Zambia

  

Zimbabwe

              
January 1    January 1         
March 8, 12    February 21         
April 19, 22    April 18, 19, 22         
May 1    May 1         
July 1, 2    August 12, 13         
August 5    December 23, 25, 26         
October 18, 24            
December 25            

 

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Redemptions. The longest redemption cycle for a Fund is a function of the longest redemption cycle among the countries and regions whose securities comprise the Fund. In the calendar year 2019 (the only year for which holidays are known at the time of this SAI filing), the dates of regular holidays affecting the following securities markets present the worst-case redemption cycles* for a Fund as follows:

2019

 

Country

   Trade
Date
   Settlement
Date
   Number of
Days to Settle
Australia    04/18/19    04/26/19    8
   12/19/19    12/27/19    8
   12/20/19    12/30/19    10
   12/23/19    01/02/20    10
   12/27/19    01/03/20    7
   12/30/19    01/06/20    7
Brazil    02/27/19    03/07/19    8
   02/28/19    03/08/19    8
   03/01/19    03/11/19    10
Cyprus    04/24/19    05/02/19    8
   04/25/19    05/03/19    8
Eswatini    04/12/19    04/23/19    11
   04/15/19    04/24/19    9
   04/16/19    04/26/19    10
   04/17/19    04/29/19    12
   04/18/19    04/30/19    12
   04/23/19    05/02/19    9
   04/24/19    05/03/19    9
   04/26/19    05/06/19    10
   04/29/19    05/07/19    8
   04/30/19    05/08/19    8
   05/23/19    05/31/19    8
   05/24/19    06/03/19    10
   05/27/19    06/04/19    8
   05/28/19    06/05/19    8
   05/29/19    06/06/19    8
   07/15/19    07/23/19    8
   07/16/19    07/24/19    8
   07/17/19    07/25/19    8
   07/18/19    07/26/19    8
   07/19/19    07/29/19    10
   08/26/19    09/03/19    8
   08/27/19    09/04/19    8
   08/28/19    09/05/19    8
   08/29/19    09/09/19    11
   08/30/19    09/10/19    11
   09/03/19    09/11/19    8
   09/04/19    09/12/19    8
   09/05/19    09/13/19    8
   12/18/19    12/27/19    9
   12/19/19    12/30/19    11
   12/20/19    12/31/19    11
   12/23/19    01/02/20    10
   12/24/19    01/03/20    10
Hong Kong    01/31/19    02/08/19    8
   02/01/19    02/11/19    10
Hungary    12/20/19    12/30/19    10

 

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   12/23/19    12/31/19    8
Indonesia    05/29/19    06/10/19    12
   05/31/19    06/11/19    11
Israel    04/18/19    04/28/19    10
   10/10/19    10/22/19    12
Japan    12/26/19    01/06/20    11
   12/27/19    01/07/20    11
   12/30/19    01/08/20    9
Jordan    08/07/19    08/15/19    8
   08/08/19    08/18/19    10
Kuwait    08/06/19    08/14/19    8
   08/07/19    08/15/19    8
   08/08/19    08/18/19    10
Malawi    01/08/19    01/16/19    8
   01/09/19    01/17/19    8
   01/10/19    01/18/19    8
   01/11/19    01/21/19    10
   01/14/19    01/22/19    8
   02/25/19    03/05/19    8
   02/26/19    03/06/19    8
   02/27/19    03/07/19    8
   02/28/19    03/08/19    8
   03/01/19    03/11/19    10
   04/12/19    04/23/19    11
   04/15/19    04/24/19    9
   04/16/19    04/25/19    9
   04/17/19    04/26/19    9
   04/18/19    04/29/19    11
   04/24/19    05/02/19    8
   04/25/19    05/03/19    8
   04/26/19    05/06/19    10
   04/29/19    05/07/19    8
   04/30/19    05/08/19    8
   05/07/19    05/15/19    8
   05/08/19    05/16/19    8
   05/09/19    05/17/19    8
   05/10/19    05/20/19    10
   05/13/19    05/21/19    8
   05/28/19    06/05/19    8
   05/29/19    06/06/19    8
   05/30/19    06/07/19    8
   05/31/19    06/10/19    10
   06/03/19    06/11/19    8
   07/01/19    07/09/19    8
   07/02/19    07/10/19    8
   07/03/19    07/11/19    8
   07/04/19    07/12/19    8
   07/05/19    07/15/19    10
   10/08/19    10/16/19    8
   10/09/19    10/17/19    8
   10/10/19    10/18/19    8
   10/11/19    10/21/19    10
   10/14/19    10/22/19    8
   12/18/19    12/27/19    9
   12/19/19    12/30/19    11
   12/20/19    12/31/19    11

 

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   12/23/19    01/02/20    10
   12/24/19    01/03/20    10
Malaysia    01/29/19    02/07/19    9
   01/30/19    02/08/19    9
   01/31/19    02/11/19    11
   05/30/19    06/07/19    8
   05/31/19    06/10/19    10
   06/03/19    06/11/19    8
Morocco    08/07/19    08/15/19    8
   08/08/19    08/16/19    8
   08/09/19    08/19/19    10
   11/04/19    11/13/19    9
   11/05/19    11/14/19    9
Namibia    03/14/19    03/22/19    8
   03/15/19    03/25/19    10
   03/18/19    03/26/19    8
   03/19/19    03/27/19    8
   03/20/19    03/28/19    8
   04/12/19    04/23/19    11
   04/15/19    04/24/19    9
   04/16/19    04/25/19    9
   04/17/19    04/26/19    9
   04/18/19    04/29/19    11
   04/24/19    05/02/19    8
   04/25/19    05/03/19    8
   04/26/19    05/06/19    10
   04/29/19    05/07/19    8
   04/30/19    05/08/19    8
   05/23/19    05/31/19    8
   05/24/19    06/03/19    10
   05/27/19    06/04/19    8
   05/28/19    06/05/19    8
   05/29/19    06/06/19    8
   06/10/19    06/18/19    8
   06/11/19    06/19/19    8
   06/12/19    06/20/19    8
   06/13/19    06/21/19    8
   06/14/19    06/24/19    10
   08/02/19    08/12/19    10
   08/05/19    08/13/19    8
   08/06/19    08/14/19    8
   08/07/19    08/15/19    8
   08/08/19    08/16/19    8
   08/19/19    08/27/19    8
   08/20/19    08/28/19    8
   08/21/19    08/29/19    8
   08/22/19    08/30/19    8
   08/23/19    09/02/19    10
   09/17/19    09/25/19    8
   09/18/19    09/26/19    8
   09/19/19    09/27/19    8
   09/20/19    09/30/19    10
   09/23/19    10/01/19    8
   12/03/19    12/11/19    8
   12/04/19    12/12/19    8
   12/05/19    12/13/19    8
   12/06/19    12/17/19    11
   12/09/19    12/18/19    9

 

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   12/11/19    12/19/19    8
   12/12/19    12/20/19    8
   12/13/19    12/23/19    10
   12/18/19    12/27/19    9
   12/19/19    12/30/19    11
   12/20/19    12/31/19    11
   12/23/19    01/02/20    10
   12/24/19    01/03/20    10
New Zealand    04/18/19    04/26/19    8
Norway    04/15/19    04/23/19    8
   04/16/19    04/24/19    8
Oman    08/06/19    08/18/19    12
   08/07/19    08/19/19    12
   08/08/19    08/20/19    12
Philippines    12/23/19    01/02/20    10
   12/26/19    01/03/20    8
   12/27/19    01/06/20    10
Qatar    05/30/19    06/09/19    10
   06/02/19    06/10/19    8
   06/03/19    06/11/19    8
   08/06/19    08/14/19    8
   08/07/19    08/15/19    8
   08/08/19    08/18/19    10
Russia    04/26/19    05/06/19    10
   04/29/19    05/07/19    8
   04/30/19    05/08/19    8
Saudi Arabia    08/08/19    08/18/19    10
   08/11/19    08/19/19    8
Taiwan    01/29/19    02/11/19    13
   01/30/19    02/12/19    13
Turkey    05/31/19    06/10/19    10
   06/03/19    06/11/19    8
United Arab Emirates    08/07/19    08/15/19    8
   08/08/19    08/18/19    10
Zimbabwe    04/15/19    04/23/19    8
   04/16/19    04/24/19    8
   04/17/19    04/25/19    8
   12/19/19    12/27/19    8
   12/20/19    12/30/19    10

 

*

These worst-case redemption cycles are based on information regarding regular holidays, which may be out of date. Based on changes in holidays, longer (worse) redemption cycles are possible.

 

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FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

The Funds had not commenced operations as of the date of this SAI and therefore did not have any financial information to report for the Trust’s [June 30, 2019] fiscal year end.

[                ]

 

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APPENDIX A

SPDR® Series Trust

SPDR® Index Shares Funds

SSGA Master Trust

SSGA Active Trust

(each, a “Trust,” and, collectively, the “Trusts”)

PROXY VOTING POLICY AND PROCEDURES

The Boards of Trustees of the Trusts have adopted the following policy and procedures with respect to voting proxies relating to portfolio securities held by the Trusts’ investment portfolios.

 

1.

Proxy Voting Policy

The policy of each Trust is to delegate the responsibility for voting proxies relating to portfolio securities held by the Trusts to SSGA Funds Management, Inc. (the “Adviser”), investment adviser to each series of the Trusts (the “Funds”), subject to the Trustees’ continuing oversight.

 

2.

Fiduciary Duty

The right to vote proxies with respect to portfolio securities held by each Trust is an asset of the Trusts. The Adviser acts as a fiduciary of the Trusts and must vote proxies in a manner consistent with the best interest of the Trusts and the Funds’ shareholders.

 

3.

Proxy Voting Procedures

 

  A.

At least annually, the Adviser shall present to the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) its policies, procedures and other guidelines for voting proxies (“Policy”) (See attached Schedule A) and the Policy of any Sub-adviser (defined below) to which proxy voting authority has been delegated (see Section 9 below). In addition, the Adviser shall notify the Board of material changes to its Policy or the Policy of any Sub-adviser promptly and no later than the next regular meeting of the Board after such amendment is implemented.

 

  B.

At least annually, the Adviser shall present to the Board its policy for managing the conflicts of interests that may arise through the Adviser’s proxy voting activities. In addition, the Adviser shall report any Policy overrides involving portfolio securities held by the Trusts to the Trustees at the next regular meeting of the Board after such override(s) occur.

 

  C.

At least annually, the Adviser shall inform the Trustees that a record is available for each proxy voted with respect to portfolio securities of each Trust during the year. Also see Section 5 below.

 

4.

Revocation of Authority to Vote

The delegation by the Trustees of the authority to vote proxies relating to portfolio securities of the Trusts may be revoked by the Trustees, in whole or in part, at any time.

 

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5.

Annual Filing of Proxy Voting Record

The Adviser shall provide the required data for each proxy voted with respect to portfolio securities of a Trust to that respective Trust or its designated service provider in a timely manner and in a format acceptable to be filed in the Trust’s annual proxy voting report on Form N-PX for the twelve-month period ended June 30. Form N-PX is required to be filed not later than August 31 of each year.

 

6.

Retention and Oversight of Proxy Advisory Firms

 

  A.

In considering whether to retain or continue retaining a particular proxy advisory firm, the Adviser will ascertain whether the proxy advisory firm has the capacity and competency to adequately analyze proxy issues, act as proxy voting agent as requested, and implement the Policy. In this regard, the Adviser will consider, at least annually, among other things, the adequacy and quality of the proxy advisory firm’s staffing and personnel and the robustness of its policies and procedures regarding its ability to identify and address any conflicts of interest. The Adviser shall, at least annually, report to the Board regarding the results of this review.

 

  B.

The Adviser will request quarterly and annual reporting from any proxy advisory firm retained by the Adviser, and hold ad hoc meetings with such proxy advisory firm, in order to determine whether there has been any business changes that might impact the proxy advisory firm’s capacity or competency to provide proxy voting advice or services or changes to the proxy advisory firm’s conflicts policies or procedures. The Adviser will also take reasonable steps to investigate any material factual error, notified to the Adviser by the proxy advisory firm or identified by the Adviser, made by the proxy advisory firm in providing proxy voting services.

 

7.

Periodic Sampling

The Adviser will periodically sample proxy votes to review whether they complied with the Policy. The Adviser shall, at least annually, report to the Board regarding the frequency and results of the sampling performed.

 

8.

Disclosures

 

  A.

A Trust shall include in its registration statement:

 

  1.

A description of this policy and of the policies and procedures used by the Adviser to determine how to vote proxies relating to portfolio securities; and

 

  2.

A statement disclosing that information regarding how the Trust voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the most recent twelve-month period ended June 30 is available without charge, upon request, by calling the Trust’s toll-free telephone number; or through a specified Internet

 

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  address; or both; and on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (the “SEC”) website.

 

  B.

A Trust shall include in its annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders:

 

  1.

A statement disclosing that a description of the policies and procedures used by or on behalf of the Trust to determine how to vote proxies relating to portfolio securities of the Funds is available without charge, upon request, by calling the Trust’s toll-free telephone number; through a specified Internet address, if applicable; and on the SEC’s website; and

 

  2.

A statement disclosing that information regarding how the Trust voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the most recent twelve-month period ended June 30 is available without charge, upon request, by calling the Trust’s toll-free telephone number; or through a specified Internet address; or both; and on the SEC’s website.

 

9.

Sub-Advisers

For certain Funds, the Adviser retains investment management firms (“Sub-advisers”) to provide day-to-day investment management services to the Funds pursuant to sub-advisory agreements. It is the policy of the Trust that the Adviser may delegate proxy voting authority with respect to a Fund to a Sub-adviser. Pursuant to such delegation, a Sub-adviser is authorized to vote proxies on behalf of the applicable Fund or Funds for which it serves as sub-adviser, in accordance with the Sub-adviser’s proxy voting policies and procedures.

 

10.

Review of Policy

The Trustees shall review this policy to determine its continued sufficiency as necessary from time to time.

 

Adopted (SPDR Series Trust/SPDR Index Shares Funds):    May 31, 2006
Updated:    August 1, 2007
Amended:    May 29, 2009
Amended:    November 19, 2010
Adopted (SSGA Master Trust/SSGA Active Trust)/Amended:    May 25, 2011
Amended:    February 25, 2016

 

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APPENDIX B

[To be provided by subsequent Amendment]

 

 

 

 

 

 

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APPENDIX C

[To be provided by subsequent Amendment]

 

 

 

 

 

 

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PART C

OTHER INFORMATION

 

Item 28.

Exhibits

 

(a)(i)    First Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust of streetTracks(SM) Series Trust (now, SPDR® Series Trust) (the “Trust” or the “Registrant”) dated June 9, 1998, as amended September 6, 2000, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (a)(ii) of Pre-Effective Amendment No. 3 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on September 25, 2000.
(a)(ii)    Amendment No. 1, dated August 1, 2007, to the Registrant’s First Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust, dated June 9, 1998, as amended September 6, 2000, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (a)(ii) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 23 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed with the SEC on August 10, 2007.
(b)    Registrant’s Amended and Restated By-Laws, dated November 12, 2015, are incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (b) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 152 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed with the SEC on November 23, 2015.
(c)    Global Certificates of Beneficial Interest Evidencing Shares of Beneficial Interest, $.01 par value, are incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (c) of Pre-Effective Amendment No. 3 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed with the SEC on September 25, 2000.
(d)(i)(1)    Amended and Restated Investment Advisory Agreement dated September 1, 2003 between the Trust and SSGA Funds Management, Inc. (“SSGA FM”) is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d)(1) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 4 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed with the SEC on October 28, 2003.
(d)(i)(2)    Revised Exhibit A (Schedule of Series) to the Amended and Restated Investment Advisory Agreement, dated September 1, 2003, between the Trust and SSGA FM to be filed by amendment.
(d)(ii)    Fee Waiver Letter Agreement dated October 31, 2018 between the Trust and SSGA FM, with respect to the SPDR ICE BofAML Broad High Yield Bond ETF (formerly SPDR ICE BofAML Crossover Corporate Bond ETF), SPDR Nuveen Bloomberg Barclays Municipal Bond ETF and SPDR S&P 500 Fossil Fuel Reserves Free ETF, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d)(ii) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 211 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed with the SEC on October 29, 2018.
(d)(iii)    Sub-Advisory Agreement dated November 20, 2014 between SSGA FM and Nuveen Asset Management, LLC (“NAM”) is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d)(vii) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 200 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed with the SEC on August 28, 2017.
(d)(iv)    Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement dated May 19, 2010 between SSGA FM and State Street Global Advisors LTD (“SSGA LTD”) is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d)(x) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 50 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed with the SEC on May 19, 2010.

 

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(e)(i)(1)    Amended and Restated Distribution Agreement dated May 1, 2017 between the Trust and State Street Global Advisors Funds Distributors, LLC (“SSGA FD”) is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (e)(i)(1) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 200 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed with the SEC on August 28, 2017.
(e)(i)(2)    Amended Annex I (Schedule of Series) to the Amended and Restated Distribution Agreement dated May 1, 2017 between the Trust and SSGA FD to be filed by amendment.
(f)    Not applicable.
(g)(i)    Custodian Agreement dated September 22, 2000 between the Trust and State Street Bank and Trust Company is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (g) of Pre-Effective Amendment No. 3 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed with the SEC on September 25, 2000.
(g)(ii)    Amendment, dated October 14, 2005, to the Custodian Agreement dated September 22, 2000 between the Trust and State Street Bank and Trust Company is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (g)(iv) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 13 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed with the SEC on October 28, 2005.
(g)(iii)    Amended Schedule of Series to the Custodian Agreement dated September 22, 2000 between the Trust and State Street Bank and Trust Company to be filed by amendment.
(h)(i)(1)    Administration Agreement dated June 1, 2015 between the Trust and SSGA FM is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(i)(1) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 146 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed with the SEC on October 28, 2015.
(h)(i)(2)    Amended Schedule A (Schedule of Series), dated October 22, 2018, to the Administration Agreement dated June 1, 2015 between the Trust and SSGA FM to be filed by amendment.
(h)(ii)(1)    Master Sub-Administration Agreement dated June 1, 2015 between SSGA FM and State Street Bank and Trust Company is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(ii)(1) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 146 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed with the SEC on October 28, 2015.
(h)(ii)(2)    Amendment, dated June 29, 2018, to the Master Sub-Administration Agreement dated June 1, 2015 between SSGA FM and State Street Bank and Trust Company is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(ii)(2) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 211 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed with the SEC on October 29, 2018.
(h)(ii)(3)    Amendment to the Master Sub-Administration Agreement dated June 1, 2015 between SSGA FM and State Street Bank and Trust Company to be filed by amendment.
(h)(ii)(4)    Amended Schedule A (Schedule of Series), dated October 22, 2018, to the Master Sub-Administration Agreement dated June 1, 2015 between SSGA FM and State Street Bank and Trust Company to be filed by amendment.
(h)(iii)    Transfer Agency and Service Agreement dated September 22, 2000 between the Trust and State Street Bank and Trust Company is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(ii) of Pre-Effective Amendment No. 3 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed with the SEC on September 25, 2000.

 

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(h)(iv)    Addendum, dated April 5, 2004, to the Transfer Agency and Service Agreement dated September 22, 2000 between the Trust and State Street Bank and Trust Company is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(iii) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 13 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed with the SEC on October 28, 2005.
(h)(v)    Amended Annex A (Schedule of Series), dated October 22, 2018, to the Transfer Agency and Service Agreement dated September 22, 2000 between the Trust and State Street Bank and Trust Company to be filed by amendment.
(h)(vi)    Form of Participant Agreement is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(iv) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 43 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed with the SEC on August 26, 2009.
(h)(vii)    Form of Investor Services Agreement is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(iv) of Pre-Effective Amendment No. 3 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed with the SEC on September 25, 2000.
(h)(viii)(1)    Master Amended and Restated Securities Lending Authorization Agreement dated January 6, 2017 between the Trust and State Street Bank and Trust Company is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(viii)(1) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 209 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed with the SEC on August 29, 2018.
(h)(viii)(2)    First Amendment, dated April 12, 2019, to the Master Amended and Restated Securities Lending Authorization Agreement dated January 6, 2017 between the Trust and State Street Bank and Trust Company is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(viii)(2) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 214 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed with the SEC on August 29, 2019.
(h)(viii)(3)    Second Amendment to the Master Amended and Restated Securities Lending Authorization Agreement dated January 6, 2017 between the Trust and State Street Bank and Trust Company to be filed by amendment.
(h)(viii)(4)    Third Amendment to the Master Amended and Restated Securities Lending Authorization Agreement dated January 6, 2017 between the Trust and State Street Bank and Trust Company to be filed by amendment.
(h)(viii)(5)    Amended Schedule B (Schedule of Series) to the Master Amended and Restated Securities Lending Authorization Agreement dated January 6, 2017 between the Trust and State Street Bank and Trust Company to be filed by amendment.
(i)(i)    Opinion and Consent of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (i) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 146 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed with the SEC on October 28, 2015.
(i)(ii)    Opinion and Consent of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (i) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 152 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed with the SEC on November 23, 2015.
(i)(iii)    Opinion and Consent of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (i) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 153 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed with the SEC on November 25, 2015.

 

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(i)(iv)    Opinion and Consent of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (i) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 164 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed with the SEC on January 12, 2016.
(i)(v)    Opinion and Consent of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (i) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 172 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed with the SEC on March 4, 2016.
(i)(vi)    Opinion and Consent of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (i) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 183 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed with the SEC on June 1, 2016.
(i)(vii)    Opinion and Consent of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (i) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 187 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed with the SEC on June 24, 2016.
(i)(viii)    Opinion and Consent of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (i) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 206 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed with the SEC on December 21, 2017.
(i)(ix)    Opinion and Consent of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (i)(ix) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 210 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed with the SEC on October 19, 2018.
(i)(x)    Opinion and Consent of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP with respect to the SPDR Bloomberg SASB Corporate Bond ESG Select ETF, the SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap Dividend Yield ESG Select ETF, SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap ESG Select ETF, SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap Growth ESG Select ETF and SPDR Bloomberg SASB US Large Cap Value ESG Select ETF, to be filed by amendment.
(j)    Consent of independent registered public accountant to be filed by amendment.
(k)    Not applicable.
(l)    Subscription Agreement dated September 22, 2000 between the Trust and State Street Capital Markets, LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (l) of Pre-Effective Amendment No. 3 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed with the SEC on September 25, 2000.
(m)    Not applicable.
(n)    Not applicable.
(p)(i)    Registrant’s Revised Code of Ethics, as adopted November 15, 2004 and revised February 23, 2010, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (p)(i) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 47 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed with the SEC on March 5, 2010.
(p)(ii)    Code of Ethics of SSGA FM, dated April 15, 2019 (which also applies to applicable reporting personnel of SSGA FD) is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (p)(ii) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 214 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed with the SEC on August 29, 2019.
(p)(iii)    Code of Ethics of NAM dated July 1, 2018 is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (p)(iii) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 211 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed with the SEC on October 29, 2018.
(p)(iv)    Code of Ethics of SSGA LTD is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (p)(v) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 50 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed with the SEC on May 19, 2010.

 

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(p)(v)    Code of Ethics for the Independent Trustees dated November 12, 2015 is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (p)(v) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 159 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed with the SEC on December 17, 2015.
(q)    Power of Attorney for Mses. Boatman, Richer, Sponem and Needham and Messrs. Churchill, Nesvet, Ross, Verboncoeur and Rosenberg, dated August 22, 2019 is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (q) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 214 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed with the SEC on August 29, 2019.

 

Item 29.

Persons Controlled By or Under Common Control With Registrant

The Board of Trustees of the Trust is the same as the Boards of Trustees of SPDR Index Shares Funds, SSGA Master Trust and SSGA Active Trust. In addition, the officers of the Trust are substantially identical to the officers of SPDR Index Shares Funds, SSGA Master Trust and SSGA Active Trust. Additionally, the Trust’s investment adviser, SSGA FM, also serves as investment adviser to each series of SPDR Index Shares Funds, SSGA Master Trust and SSGA Active Trust. Nonetheless, the Trust takes the position that it is not under common control with other trusts because the power residing in the respective boards and officers arises as the result of an official position with the respective trusts.

Additionally, see the “Control Persons and Principal Holders of Securities” section of the Statement of Additional Information for a list of shareholders who own more than 5% of a specific fund’s outstanding shares and such information is incorporated by reference to this Item.

 

Item 30.

Indemnification

Pursuant to Section 5.3 of the Registrant’s Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust and under Section 4.9 of the Registrant’s By-Laws, the Trust will indemnify any person who is, or has been, a Trustee, officer, employee or agent of the Trust against all expenses reasonably incurred or paid by him/her in connection with any claim, action, suit or proceeding in which he/she becomes involved as a party or otherwise by virtue of his/her being or having been a Trustee, officer, employee or agent and against amounts paid or incurred by him/her in the settlement thereof, if he/she acted in good faith and in a manner he/she reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Trust, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe his/her conduct was unlawful. In addition, indemnification is permitted only if it is determined that the actions in question did not render him/her liable by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence in the performance of his/her duties or by reason of reckless disregard of his/her obligations and duties to the Registrant. The Registrant may also advance money for litigation expenses provided that Trustees, officers, employees and/or agents give their undertakings to repay the Registrant unless their conduct is later determined to permit indemnification.

Pursuant to Section 5.2 of the Registrant’s Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust, no Trustee, officer, employee or agent of the Registrant shall be liable for any action or failure to act, except in the case of willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence or reckless disregard of duties to the Registrant. Pursuant to paragraph 9 of the Registrant’s Investment Advisory Agreement, the Adviser shall not be liable for any action or failure to act, except in the case of willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence or reckless disregard of duties to the Registrant.

Insofar as indemnification for liability arising under the Securities Act of 1933 (the “Act”) may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the provisions of Rule 484 under the Act, or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim

 

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for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

The Registrant hereby undertakes that it will apply the indemnification provision of its By-Laws in a manner consistent with Release 11330 of the SEC under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), so long as the interpretation of Sections 17(h) and 17(i) thereunder remains in effect.

The Registrant maintains insurance on behalf of any person who is or was a Trustee, officer, employee or agent of the Registrant, or who is or was serving at the request of the Registrant as a trustee, director, officer, employee or agent of another trust or corporation, against any liability asserted against him/her and incurred by him/her or arising out of his/her position. However, in no event will the Registrant maintain insurance to indemnify any such person for any act for which the Registrant itself is not permitted to indemnify him/her.

 

Item 31.

Business And Other Connections of Investment Adviser

Any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature in which each director or principal officer of each investment adviser is or has been, at any time during the last two fiscal years, engaged for his or her own account or in the capacity of director, officer, employee, partner or trustee are as follows:

SSGA FM serves as the investment adviser for each series of the Trust. SSGA FM is a wholly-owned subsidiary of State Street Global Advisors, Inc., which is itself a wholly-owned subsidiary of State Street Corporation. SSGA FM and other advisory affiliates of State Street Corporation make up State Street Global Advisors (“SSGA”), the investment management arm of State Street Corporation. The principal address of SSGA FM is One Iron Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02210. SSGA FM is an investment adviser registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940.

Below is a list of the directors and principal executive officers of SSGA FM and their principal occupations. Unless otherwise noted, the address of each person listed is One Iron Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02210.

 

Name

  

Principal Occupations

James E. Ross

   Chairman and Director of SSGA FM; Executive Vice President of SSGA

Ellen Needham

   Director and President of SSGA FM; Senior Vice President/Senior Managing Director of SSGA

Barry Smith

   Director of SSGA FM; Senior Vice President/Senior Managing Director of SSGA

Lori Heinel

   Director of SSGA FM; Executive Vice President of SSGA

Steven Lipiner

   Director of SSGA FM; Senior Vice President/Senior Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer of SSGA

Chris Baker

   Chief Compliance Officer of SSGA FM; Managing Director and Chief Compliance Officer of SSGA; prior to February 2018, Managing Director and Senior Compliance Officer for Alternative Investment Solutions, Sector Solutions, and Global Marketing at State Street Corporation

 

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Name

  

Principal Occupations

Bo Trevino

   Treasurer of SSGA FM; Vice President of SSGA

Sean O’Malley, Esq.

   Chief Legal Officer of SSGA FM; Senior Vice President/Senior Managing Director and Deputy General Counsel of SSGA

Ann Carpenter

   Chief Operating Officer of SSGA FM; Managing Director of SSGA

Tim Corbett

   Chief Risk Officer of SSGA FM; Senior Vice President/Senior Managing Director of SSGA

Kathryn Sweeney

   CTA—Chief Marketing Officer of SSGA FM; Senior Vice President/Senior Managing Director of SSGA; prior to September 2017, Global ETF Product Manager and Head of U.S. ETF Trading at Goldman Sachs.

Andrew DeLorme, Esq.

   Clerk of SSGA FM; Vice President and Senior Counsel of SSGA

Dan Furman, Esq.

   Assistant Clerk of SSGA FM; Managing Director and Managing Counsel of SSGA

Leanne Dunn, Esq.

   Assistant Clerk of SSGA FM; Managing Director and Senior Counsel of SSGA

Mike Pastore, Esq.

   Assistant Clerk of SSGA FM; Managing Director and Senior Counsel of SSGA

NAM serves as the investment sub-adviser for the SPDR Nuveen Bloomberg Barclays Municipal Bond ETF, SPDR Nuveen Bloomberg Barclays Short Term Municipal Bond ETF and SPDR Nuveen Bloomberg Barclays High Yield Municipal Bond ETF. SSGA LTD, an affiliate of SSGA FM, serves as the investment sub-adviser for the SPDR Bloomberg Barclays International Corporate Bond ETF and SPDR Bloomberg Barclays Emerging Markets Local Bond ETF.

NUVEEN ASSET MANAGEMENT, LLC:

 

Name    Status

Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC

  

Managing Member

William T. Huffman

  

President

Stuart J. Cohen

  

Managing Director and Head of Legal

Diane S. Meggs

  

Chief Compliance Officer

Austin Penn Wachter

  

Controller

 

Item 32.

Principal Underwriters

 

(a)

SSGA FD, One Iron Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02210, serves as the Trust’s principal underwriter and also serves as the principal underwriter for the following investment companies: SPDR Index Shares Funds, SSGA Active Trust, State Street Institutional Investment Trust, SSGA Funds, State Street Institutional Funds, State Street Variable Insurance Series Funds, Inc., Elfun Diversified Fund, Elfun Tax Exempt Income Fund, Elfun Income Fund, Elfun International Equity Fund, Elfun Government Money Market Fund and Elfun Trusts.

 

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(b)

To the best of the Trust’s knowledge, the directors and executive officers of SSGA FD are as follows:

 

NAME AND PRINCIPAL
BUSINESS ADDRESS*
  

POSITION AND OFFICES

WITH UNDERWRITER

  

POSITION AND OFFICES

WITH THE TRUST

James E. Ross

  

Chief Executive Officer

and Director

   Trustee

Timothy Corbett

   Director    None

Jeanne M. LaPorta

   Director    None

Steven Lipiner

   Director    None

Ellen M. Needham

   Director    President

John Tucker

   Director    None

M. Patrick Donovan

  

Chief Compliance Officer and

Anti-Money Laundering Officer

   None

David Maxham

   Chief Financial Officer    None

Sean P. O’Malley, Esq.

   Chief Legal Officer    None

 

*

The principal business address for each of the above directors and executive officers is One Iron Street, Boston, MA 02210.

 

(c)

Not applicable.

 

Item 33.

Location Of Accounts and Records

All accounts, books and other documents required to be maintained by Section 31(a) of the 1940 Act and the Rules thereunder are maintained at the offices of SSGA FM and/or State Street Bank and Trust Company, with offices located at One Iron Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02210 and One Lincoln Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02111, respectively.

 

Item 34.

Management Services

Not applicable.

 

Item 35.

Undertakings

Not applicable.

 

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, SPDR® Series Trust, the Registrant, has duly caused this Amendment to the Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunder duly authorized, in the City of Boston and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts on the 17th day of September, 2019.

 

    SPDR SERIES TRUST
By:   /s/ Ellen M. Needham
  Ellen M. Needham
  President

SIGNATURES

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

 

SIGNATURES    TITLE   DATE

/s/ Bonny E. Boatman*

Bonny E. Boatman

   Trustee   September 17, 2019

/s/ Dwight D. Churchill*

   Trustee   September 17, 2019
Dwight D. Churchill     

/s/ Frank Nesvet*

   Trustee   September 17, 2019
Frank Nesvet     

/s/ Clare Richer*

   Trustee   September 17, 2019
Clare Richer     

/s/ Sandra G. Sponem*

   Trustee   September 17, 2019
Sandra G. Sponem     

/s/ Carl G. Verboncoeur*

   Trustee   September 17, 2019
Carl G. Verboncoeur     

/s/ James E. Ross*

   Trustee   September 17, 2019
James E. Ross     

/s/ Ellen M. Needham

Ellen M. Needham

   President and Principal Executive Officer   September 17, 2019

/s/ Bruce S. Rosenberg

Bruce S. Rosenberg

   Treasurer and Principal Financial Officer   September 17, 2019

 

*By:   /s/ Andrew DeLorme
  Andrew DeLorme
  As Attorney-in-Fact
 

Pursuant to Power of Attorney