| Strategy Narrative [Text Block] |
rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock |
The Fund invests in securities and financial instruments that ProShare Advisors believes, in combination, will enable the Fund, before fees and expenses, to track the performance of the Index. The Index is created and sponsored by ProShare Advisors and is licensed for use by the Trust.
The ProShares Long Online/Short Stores Index consists of long positions in the online retailers included in the ProShares Online Retail Index (the “Online Index”) and short positions in the “bricks and mortar” retailers included in the Solactive-ProShares Bricks and Mortar Retail Store Index (the “Retail Store Index”).
The Fund and Index are designed to help investors take advantage of both sides of retail’s transformation by combining full (100%) long exposure to online retailers with a partial (50%) short position to retailers that depend on physical stores. To be “long” means to have exposure to an asset with the expectation that its value will increase over time. To be “short” means to have exposure to an asset with the expectation that it will fall in value.
ProShare Advisors LLC (the “Advisor”) believes that long exposure to online retailers is attractive because online sales have been rapidly rising and the Advisor believes this trend will continue. The Advisor believes that short exposure to bricks and mortar retailers is attractive because bricks and mortar stores face threats from ongoing trends, such as the growth of online shopping and markets oversaturated with stores. The Fund and Index have the potential to benefit both from outperforming online companies and underperforming bricks and mortar stores.
A potential advantage of a long/short portfolio is that the long and short positions may offset one another, resulting in a lower net exposure to the direction of the market. For example, the 100% long/50% short structure may allow the Fund and Index to benefit in market environments where both online and store-based retailers are generally rising in value and may provide a buffer in environments where both online and store-based retailers are generally declining. The Online Index seeks to measure the performance of publicly traded companies that principally sell online or through other non-store sales channels (“Online Retailers”). The Online Index includes U.S. and non-U.S. companies. To be included in the Online Index, an online retailer’s securities must be listed on a U.S. stock exchange and must meet certain liquidity and market capitalization requirements. Non-U.S. companies may not make up more than 25% of the Online Index. Companies are weighted in the Online Index using a modified market capitalization approach.
The Retail Store Index seeks to measure the performance of publicly traded “bricks and mortar” retail companies whose retail revenue is derived principally from in-store sales. The Retail Store Index includes only U.S. companies. Companies must derive at least 75% of their retail revenues from in-store sales to be included in the Retail Store Index. In addition a company’s securities must be listed on a U.S. stock exchange and must meet certain liquidity and market capitalization requirements. The Index is rebalanced monthly to equal weight and reconstituted in June of each year. Under normal circumstances, the Fund will invest at least 80% of its total assets in the component securities of the Online Index. The Fund intends to obtain short exposure to the positions in the Retail Store Index by investing in derivatives.
The securities and derivatives that the Fund will principally invest in are set forth below. Cash balances arising from the use of derivatives will typically be held in money market instruments.- Equity Securities — The Fund invests in common stock issued by public companies.
- Depositary Receipts — The Fund may invest in depositary receipts, which principally include:
- American Depositary Receipts (ADRs), which represent the right to receive securities of foreign issuers deposited in a bank or trust company.
- Global Depositary Receipts (GDRs), which are receipts for shares in a foreign-based corporation traded in capital markets around the world.
- Derivatives — The Fund invests in derivatives, which are financial instruments whose value is derived from the value of an underlying asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds or funds (including exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”)), interest rates or indexes. The Fund may invest in derivatives as a substitute for investing directly in or taking short positions in the equity securities comprising the Index. These derivatives principally include:
- Swap Agreements — Contracts entered into primarily with major global financial institutions for a specified period ranging from a day to more than one year. In a standard “swap” transaction, two parties agree to exchange the return (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined investments or instruments. The gross return to be exchanged or “swapped” between the parties is calculated with respect to a “notional amount,” e.g., the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount invested in a “basket” of securities or an ETF representing a particular index.
- Money Market Instruments — The Fund invests in short-term cash instruments that have a remaining maturity of 397 days or less and exhibit high quality credit profiles, including:
- U.S. Treasury Bills — U.S. government securities that have initial maturities of one year or less, and are supported by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government.
- Repurchase Agreements — Contracts in which a seller of securities, usually U.S. government securities or other money market instruments, agrees to buy them back at a specified time and price. Repurchase agreements are primarily used by the Fund as a short-term investment vehicle for cash positions.
ProShare Advisors follows a passive approach to investing that is designed to track the performance of the Index. The Fund attempts to track the performance of the Index by investing all, or substantially all, of its assets in investments that make up the Index or in financial instruments that provide similar exposure. The Fund may invest in or gain exposure to only a representative sample of the securities in the Index or to securities not contained in the Index or in financial instruments, with the intent of obtaining exposure with aggregate characteristics similar to those of the Index. ProShare Advisors does not invest the assets of the Fund in securities or financial instruments based on ProShare Advisors’ view of the investment merit of a particular security or instrument, nor does it conduct conventional investment research or analysis or forecast market movement or trends, in managing the assets of the Fund. The Fund seeks to remain fully invested at all times in securities and/or financial instruments that, in combination, provide exposure to the Index without regard to market conditions, trends or direction.
The Fund will concentrate its investments in a particular industry or group of industries, country or region to approximately the same extent as the Index is so concentrated. As of November 13, 2017, the Index was concentrated in the Information Technology and Retailing industry groups and in China.
Please see “Investment Objectives, Principal Investment Strategies and Related Risks” in the back of the Fund’s Full Prospectus for additional details.
|
|
| Risk Narrative [Text Block] |
rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock |
You could lose money by investing in the Fund.- Risks Associated with the Use of Derivatives — The Fund obtains investment exposure through derivatives. Investing in derivatives may be considered aggressive and may expose the Fund to greater risks than investing directly in the reference asset(s) underlying those derivatives. These risks include counterparty risk, liquidity risk and increased correlation risk (each as discussed below). When the Fund uses derivatives, there may be imperfect correlation between the value of the reference asset(s) and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. Because derivatives often require only a limited initial investment, the use of derivatives also may expose the Fund to losses in excess of those amounts initially invested. Moreover, with respect to the use of swap agreements, if the Index has a dramatic intraday move that causes a material decline in the Fund’s net assets, the terms of a swap agreement between the Fund and its counterparty may permit the counterparty to immediately close out the transaction with the Fund. In that event, the Fund may be unable to enter into another swap agreement or invest in other derivatives to achieve the desired exposure consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. This, in turn, may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective, even if the Index reverses all or a portion of its intraday move by the end of the day. Any costs associated with using derivatives will also have the effect of lowering the Fund’s return.
- Long/Short Risk — The Fund seeks long exposure to the “long” portion of the Index and short exposure to the “short” portion of the Index. There is no guarantee that the returns on the Fund’s long or short positions will produce high, or even positive, returns and the Fund could lose money if either or both the Fund’s long and short positions produce negative returns. Because the Fund’s foreign investments will include issuers domiciled in developing or “emerging market” countries, all the aforementioned factors are heightened and foreign investments risk is higher. Economic, business, political, or social instability may adversely affect the value of emerging market securities more acutely than securities tied to developed foreign countries. Furthermore, any of these developments may result in a decline in the value of a country’s currency. Emerging markets are riskier than more developed markets because they may develop unevenly or may never fully develop. Investments in emerging markets are considered speculative.
- Chinese Investments Risk — The Fund is exposed, to a greater extent than more geographically diversified funds, to risks associated with investments in China. Such risks include, but are not limited to less developed or less efficient trading markets; heightened risk of inefficiency, volatility and pricing anomalies of portfolio holdings resulting from government control of markets; currency fluctuations or blockage; nationalization of assets; limits on repatriation; uncertainty surrounding trading suspensions; a lack of publicly available information (as compared to many other countries); and natural disasters particularly likely to occur in China. China is an emerging market and demonstrates significantly higher volatility from time to time in comparison to developed markets. Internal social unrest or confrontations with neighboring countries may also disrupt economic development in China and result in a greater risk of currency fluctuations, currency non-convertibility, interest rate fluctuations, and higher rates of inflation. Investments in securities of Chinese companies are subject to China’s heavy dependence on exports. Reductions in spending on Chinese products and services, institution of tariffs or other trade barriers, or a downturn in any of the economies of China’s key trading partners may have an adverse impact on the Chinese economy and the values of Chinese companies.
- Correlation Risk — A number of factors may affect the Fund’s ability to achieve a high degree of correlation with the Index, and there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation. Failure to achieve a high degree of correlation may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. The factors that may adversely affect the Fund’s correlation with the Index include fees, expenses, transaction costs, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities or financial instruments in which the Fund invests. The Fund may not have investment exposure to all securities in the Index, or its weighting of investment exposure to securities may be different from that of the Index. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities not included in the Index or in financial instruments. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions in order to improve tax efficiency, or comply with regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively affect the Fund’s correlation with the Index. The Fund may also be subject to large movements of assets into and out of the Fund, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or underexposed to the Index and may be impacted by Index reconstitutions and Index rebalancing events. Any of these factors could decrease correlation between the performance of the Fund and the Index and may hinder the Fund’s ability to meet its investment objective.
- Counterparty Risk — The Fund will be subject to credit risk (i.e., the risk that a counterparty is unwilling or unable to make timely payments to meet its contractual obligations) with respect to the amount it expects to receive from counterparties to financial instruments and repurchase agreements entered into by the Fund. If a counterparty becomes bankrupt or fails to perform its obligations, the value of an investment in the Fund may decline.
- Early Close/Late Close/Trading Halt Risk — An exchange or market may close early, close late or issue trading halts on specific securities, or the ability to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments may be restricted, which may result in the Fund being unable to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments. In these circumstances, the Fund may be unable to rebalance its portfolio, may be unable to accurately price its investments and/or may incur substantial trading losses.
- Equity and Market Risk — The equity markets are volatile, and the value of securities, swaps and other instruments correlated with the equity markets may fluctuate dramatically from day to day. Equity markets are subject to corporate, political, regulatory, market and economic developments, as well as developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market. Further, stocks in the Index may underperform other equity investments. Volatility in the markets and/or market developments may cause the value of an investment in the Fund to decrease.
- Foreign Investments Risk/Emerging Market Risk — Investments in securities of foreign issuers may provide the Fund with increased risk. Various factors related to foreign investments may negatively impact the Fund’s and Index’s performance, such as: i) fluctuations in the value of the applicable foreign currency; ii) differences in securities settlement practices; iii) uncertainty associated with evidence of ownership of investments in countries that lack centralized custodial services; iv) possible regulation of, or other limitations on, investments by U.S. investors in foreign investments; v) potentially higher brokerage commissions; vi) the possibility that a foreign government may withhold portions of interest and dividends at the source; vii) taxation of income earned in foreign countries or other foreign taxes imposed; viii) foreign exchange controls, which may include suspension of the ability to transfer currency from a foreign country; ix) less publicly available information about foreign issuers; x) changes in the denomination currency of a foreign investment; and xi) less certain legal systems in which the Fund might encounter difficulties or be unable to pursue legal remedies. Foreign investments also may be more susceptible to political, social, economic and regional factors than might be the case with U.S. securities. In addition, markets for foreign investments are usually less liquid, more volatile and significantly smaller than markets for U.S. securities, which may affect, among other things, the Fund’s ability to purchase or sell foreign investments at appropriate times. Because of differences in settlement times and/or foreign market holidays, transactions in a foreign market may take place one or more days after the necessary exposure to these investments is determined. Until the transactions are effected, the Fund is exposed to increased foreign currency risk and market risk and, ultimately, increased correlation risk. Because the Fund’s foreign investments will include issuers domiciled in developing or “emerging market” countries, all the aforementioned factors are heightened and foreign investments risk is higher. Economic, business, political, or social instability may adversely affect the value of emerging market securities more acutely than securities tied to developed foreign countries. Furthermore, any of these developments may result in a decline in the value of a country’s currency. Emerging markets are riskier than more developed markets because they may develop unevenly or may never fully develop. Investments in emerging markets are considered speculative.
- Index Performance Risk — There is no guarantee or assurance that the methodology used to create the Index will result in the Fund achieving high, or even positive, returns. The Index may underperform, and the Fund could lose value, while other indices or measures of market performance increase in value. In particular, factors such as the general performance of the U.S. equity market may have a much greater influence on the performance of the Index (and as a result the Fund) than developments and trends in retailing related to ecommerce activities. There is no evidence, nor any guarantee, that using historical revenues generated from online sales will successfully identify retail companies that will perform poorly in the future.
- Information Technology Industry Risk — The Fund is subject to risks faced by companies in the information technology industry to the same extent as the Index is so concentrated. Securities of information technology companies may be subject to greater volatility than stocks of companies in other market sectors. Like other technology companies, information technology companies may be affected by intense competition, obsolescence of existing technology, general economic conditions and government regulation and may have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. Information technology companies may experience dramatic and often unpredictable changes in growth rates and competition for qualified personnel. These companies also are heavily dependent on patent and intellectual property rights, the loss or impairment of which may adversely affect profitability. A small number of companies represent a large portion of the information technology industry as a whole. The information technology industry may also be affected by risks that affect the telecommunications industry, including a telecommunications market characterized by increasing competition and regulation by the Federal Communications Commission and various state regulatory authorities; the need to commit substantial capital to meet increasing competition, particularly in formulating new products and services using new technology; and technological innovations that may make various products and services obsolete.
- Internet Companies Risk — Internet companies are subject to rapid changes in technology, worldwide competition, rapid obsolescence of products and services, loss of patent protections, cyclical market patterns, evolving industry standards, frequent new product introductions and the considerable risk of owning small capitalization companies that have recently begun operations. In addition, the stocks of many internet companies have exceptionally high price-to-earnings ratios with little or no earnings histories. Many internet companies have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that often have been unrelated to their operating performance.
- Large-Cap Company Investment Risk — The Index and, by extension, the Fund are exposed to stocks of large-cap companies. Although returns on investments in large-cap companies are often perceived as being less volatile than the returns of companies with smaller market capitalizations, the return on large-cap securities could trail the returns on investments in smaller and mid-sized companies for a number of reasons. For example, large-cap companies may be unable to respond quickly to new competitive challenges, such as changes in technology, and also may not be able to attain the high growth rate of successful smaller companies.
- Liquidity Risk — In certain circumstances, such as the disruption of the orderly markets for the securities or financial instruments in which the Fund invests, the Fund might not be able to acquire or dispose of certain holdings quickly or at prices that represent true market value in the judgment of ProShare Advisors. Markets for the securities or financial instruments in which the Fund invests may be disrupted by a number of events, including but not limited to economic crises, natural disasters, new legislation, or regulatory changes inside or outside of the U.S. For example, regulation limiting the ability of certain financial institutions to invest in certain securities would likely reduce the liquidity of those securities. These situations may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Index.
- Market Price Variance Risk — Fund shares are listed for trading on the Exchange and can be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The market price of shares will fluctuate in response to changes in the value of the Fund’s holdings, supply and demand for shares and other market factors. In addition, certain securities held by the Fund may be traded in markets that close at a different time than the Exchange. Because the Fund and the Index generally value such securities as of their local market closing time, the daily net asset value (“NAV”) and Index performance may vary from the market performance of the Fund as of the Exchange close (typically at 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time). Furthermore, liquidity in such securities may be reduced after the applicable closing times. This may cause wider spreads and larger premium and discounts than would otherwise be the case if each market was open until the close of trading on the Exchange. ProShare Advisors cannot predict whether shares will trade above, below or at a price equal to the value of the Fund’s holdings. Given the fact that shares can be created and redeemed in Creation Units, as defined below, ProShare Advisors believes that large discounts or premiums to the value of the Fund’s holdings should not be sustained. The Fund’s investment results are measured based upon the daily NAV of the Fund. Investors purchasing and selling shares in the secondary market may not experience investment results consistent with those experienced by Authorized Participants creating and redeeming directly with the Fund.
- New Fund Risk — The Fund recently commenced operations, has a limited operating history, and started operations with a small asset base. There can be no assurance that the Fund will be successful or grow to or maintain a viable size, that an active trading market for the Fund’s shares will develop or be maintained, or that the Fund’s shares’ listing will continue unchanged.
- Non-Diversification Risk — The Fund is classified as “non-diversified” under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (“1940 Act”), and has the ability to invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in the securities of a small number of issuers susceptible to a single economic, political or regulatory event, or in financial instruments with a single counterparty or a few counterparties. This may increase the Fund’s volatility and cause performance of a relatively smaller number of issuers or the credit of one or a relatively smaller number of counterparties to have a greater impact on the Fund’s performance. Notwithstanding the Fund’s status as a “non-diversified” investment company under the 1940 Act, the Fund intends to qualify as a “regulated investment company” (“RIC”) accorded special tax treatment under the Internal Revenue Code, which imposes its own diversification requirements that are less restrictive than the requirements applicable to “diversified” investment companies under the 1940 Act.
- Online Retail Companies Risk — Companies that operate in the online marketplace and retail segments are subject to fluctuating consumer demand. Unlike traditional brick and mortar retailers, online marketplaces and retailers must assume shipping costs or pass such costs to consumers. Consumer access to price information for the same or similar products may cause companies that operate in the online marketplace and retail segments to reduce profit margins in order to compete. Due to the nature of their business models, companies that operate in the online marketplace and retail segments may also be subject to heightened cybersecurity risk, including the risk of theft or damage to vital hardware, software and information systems. The loss or public dissemination of sensitive customer information or other proprietary data may negatively affect the financial performance of such companies to a greater extent than traditional brick and mortar retailers. As a result of such companies being web-based and the fact that they process, store, and transmit large amounts of data, including personal information, for their customers, failure to prevent or mitigate data loss or other security breaches, including breaches of vendors’ technology and systems, could expose companies that operate in the online marketplace and retail segments or their customers to a risk of loss or misuse of such information, adversely affect their operating results, result in litigation or potential liability, and otherwise harm their businesses.
- Portfolio Turnover Risk — In seeking to meet its investment objective, the Fund may incur high portfolio turnover to manage the Fund’s investment exposure. Additionally, active market trading of the Fund’s shares may cause more frequent creation or redemption activities that could, in certain circumstances, increase the number of portfolio transactions. High levels of transactions increase brokerage and other transaction costs and may result in increased taxable capital gains.
- Retailing Industry Risk — The Fund is subject to the risks faced by companies in the retailing industry to the same extent as the Index is so concentrated, including: changes in domestic and international economies, consumer confidence, disposable household income and spending, and consumer tastes and preferences; intense competition; changing demographics; marketing and public perception; dependence on third-party suppliers and distribution systems; intellectual property infringement; legislative or regulatory changes and increased government supervision; thin capitalization; dependence on a relatively few number of business days to achieve overall results; and dependence on outside financing, which may be difficult to obtain. The retailing industry may also be affected by risks that affect the broader consumer discretionary industry.
- Short Sale Exposure Risk — The Fund seeks inverse or “short” exposure through short positions in equity securities or financial instruments, such as swap agreements. This will cause the Fund to be exposed to certain risks associated with selling securities short. These risks include, under certain market conditions, an increase in the volatility and decrease in the liquidity of securities underlying the short position, which may lower the Fund’s return, result in a loss, have the effect of limiting the Fund’s ability to obtain inverse exposure through financial instruments such as swap agreements, or require the Fund to seek inverse exposure through alternative investment strategies that may be less desirable or more costly to implement. To the extent that, at any particular point in time, the securities underlying the short position may be thinly traded or have a limited market, including due to regulatory action, the Fund may be unable to meet its investment objective due to a lack of available securities or counterparties. During such periods, the Fund’s ability to issue additional Creation Units may be adversely affected. Obtaining inverse exposure through these instruments may be considered an aggressive investment technique. Any income, dividends or payments by the assets underlying the Fund’s short positions will negatively impact the Fund.
- Small- and Mid-Cap Company Investment Risk — The Index and, by extension, the Fund are exposed to stocks of small- and mid-cap companies. The risk of equity investing may be particularly acute for securities of issuers with smaller market capitalizations. Small- and mid-cap company stocks may trade at greater spreads or lower trading volumes, and may be less liquid than the stocks of larger companies. Small- and mid-cap companies may have limited product lines or resources, may be dependent upon a particular market niche and may have greater fluctuations in price than the stocks of larger companies. Further, stocks of small- and mid-sized companies could be more difficult to liquidate during market downturns compared to larger, more widely traded companies. In addition, small- and mid-cap companies may lack the financial and personnel resources to handle economic or industry-wide setbacks and, as a result, such setbacks could have a greater effect on small- and mid-cap security prices.
- Software and Services Industry Risk — The Fund is subject to the risks faced by companies in the software and services industry to the same extent as the Index is so concentrated, including: competitive pressures, such as aggressive pricing (including fixed-rate pricing), technological developments (including product-specific technological change), changing domestic demand, and the ability to attract and retain skilled employees; availability and price of components; dependence on intellectual property rights, and potential loss or impairment of those rights; research and development costs; rapid product obsolescence; cyclical market patterns; evolving industry standards; and frequent new product introductions requiring timely and successful introduction of new products and the ability to service such products. The software and services industry may also be affected by risks that affect the broader information technology industry.
- Tax Risk — In order to qualify for the special tax treatment accorded a regulated investment company (“RIC”) and its shareholders, the Fund must derive at least 90% of its gross income for each taxable year from “qualifying income,” meet certain asset diversification tests at the end of each taxable quarter, and meet annual distribution requirements. The Fund’s pursuit of its investment strategies will potentially be limited by the Fund’s intention to qualify for such treatment and could adversely affect the Fund’s ability to so qualify. The Fund can make certain investments, the treatment of which for these purposes is unclear. If, in any year, the Fund were to fail to qualify for the special tax treatment accorded a RIC and its shareholders, and were ineligible to or were not to cure such failure, the Fund would be taxed in the same manner as an ordinary corporation subject to U.S. federal income tax on all its income at the fund level. The resulting taxes could substantially reduce the Fund’s net assets and the amount of income available for distribution. In addition, in order to requalify for taxation as a RIC, the Fund could be required to recognize unrealized gains, pay substantial taxes and interest, and make certain distributions. Please see the Statement of Additional Information for more information.
- Valuation Risk — In certain circumstances, portfolio securities may be valued using techniques other than market quotations. The value established for a portfolio security may be different from what would be produced through the use of another methodology or if it had been priced using market quotations. Portfolio securities that are valued using techniques other than market quotations, including “fair valued” securities, may be subject to greater fluctuation in their value from one day to the next than would be the case if market quotations were used. In addition, there is no assurance that a Fund could sell a portfolio security for the value established for it at any time, and it is possible that the Fund would incur a loss because a portfolio security is sold at a discount to its established value.
Please see “Investment Objectives, Principal Investment Strategies and Related Risks” in the back of the Fund’s Full Prospectus for additional details.
|
|
