WisdomTree Emerging Markets ex-China Fund – XC (NYSE Arca)
Summary Prospectus – March 15, 2024
Before you invest in the Fund, as defined below, you may want to review the Fund’s prospectus and statement of additional information (“SAI”), which contain more information about the Fund and the risks of investing in the Fund. The Fund’s current prospectus and SAI are incorporated by reference into this summary prospectus. You can find the Fund’s prospectus and SAI, reports to shareholders, as well as other information about the Fund, online at www.wisdomtree.com/investments/resource-library/prospectus-regulatory-reports. You may also obtain this information at no charge by calling 1-866-909-9473 or by sending an e-mail request to getinfo@wisdomtree.com.
Investment Objective
The WisdomTree Emerging Markets ex-China Fund (the “Fund”) seeks to track the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the WisdomTree Emerging Markets ex-China Index (the “Index”).
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and example below. The fees are expressed as a percentage of the Fund’s average net assets.
| Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment) | None |
| Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) | |
| Management Fees | 0.32% |
| Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees | None |
| Other Expenses | 0.00% |
| Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | 0.32% |
Example
This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The example assumes you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem or hold all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years | |
| $ 33 | $ 103 | $ 180 | $ 406 |
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 the Fund’s Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal period, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 85% of the average value of its portfolio, excluding the value of portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of in-kind creations or redemptions of the Fund’s capital shares.
Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund
The Fund employs a “passive management” –or indexing –investment approach designed to track the performance of the Index. The Fund generally uses a representative sampling strategy to achieve its investment objective, meaning it generally will invest in a sample of the securities in the Index whose risk, return and other
| WisdomTree Trust Prospectus 1 |
characteristics resemble the risk, return and other characteristics of the Index as a whole. Under normal circumstances, at least 80% of the Fund’s total assets (exclusive of collateral held from securities lending) will be invested in component securities of the Index and investments that have economic characteristics that are substantially identical to the economic characteristics of such component securities.
The Index is a modified float-adjusted market cap weighted index that consists of common stocks issued by companies in emerging markets, excluding companies incorporated or domiciled (i.e., maintain their principal place of business) in China (“Emerging Markets Companies”). The Index also excludes common stocks of “state-owned enterprises”. WisdomTree, Inc., the Index Provider and parent company of the Fund’s investment adviser, WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. (“WisdomTree Asset Management” or the “Adviser”), defines state-owned enterprises as companies with over 20% government ownership.
The starting universe for the Index (the “pre-screening universe”) is comprised solely of companies, as of the Index screening date, that: (i) are incorporated or domiciled in one of the following emerging market countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Czech Republic, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, the Philippines, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand or Turkey (the “Emerging Market Countries”); (ii) list shares on a stock exchange in one of the Emerging Market Countries or the United States; (iii) have a float-adjusted market capitalization of at least $1 billion (“float-adjusted” means that the share amounts reflect only shares available to investors); (iv) have a median daily dollar trading volume of at least $100,000 for the preceding three months; and (v) trade at least 250,000 shares per month or $25 million notional for each of the preceding six months. The Index is comprised solely of companies in the pre-screening universe that are not state-owned enterprises as of the annual Index screening date.
Securities are weighted in the Index based on a float-adjusted market cap weighting scheme that adjusts the weight of Index securities from each country to approximate the weight of securities from that country in the pre-screening universe. The weight of Index securities from a single country will not be multiplied by a factor greater than three. After applying the foregoing country weight adjustment, should any sector have a weight that is 3% higher or lower than its pre-screening universe sector weight, such sector’s weight will be adjusted by a factor so that the sector’s weight is 3% higher or lower, respectively, than its pre-screening universe weight. For example, if the market cap weight of Malaysian companies in the pre-screening universe is 2.8% and the market cap weight of Malaysian companies after screening is 0.8%, the Fund will only scale the weight for Malaysian companies 3x to 2.4% instead of 2.8%.
Companies that are not state-owned, but are incorporated within countries that have a higher percentage of state-owned companies relative to other Emerging Market Countries, could potentially see higher weights than they would under a normal market cap weighting scheme. Companies that are not state-owned, but are incorporated within countries that have a lower percentage of state-owned companies relative to other Emerging Market Countries, could potentially see lower weights than they would under a normal market cap weighting scheme. Sector and/or country weights may fluctuate above the specified cap or below their adjusted weights in response to market conditions and/or the application of volume factor adjustments (described below) but will be reset at each annual rebalance date.
The Index methodology applies a volume factor adjustment to reduce a component security’s weight in the Index and reallocate the reduction in weight pro rata among the other securities if, as of the annual Index screening date, an existing component security no longer meets certain trading volume thresholds.
WisdomTree, Inc., the Index Provider, currently uses the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS®), a widely recognized industry classification methodology developed by MSCI, Inc. and Standard & Poor’s Financial Services LLC, to assign companies to a given sector or industry and identify the sectors represented in the Index. The sectors represented in the Index, as well as the extent of such representation, are expected to vary over time. A sector typically is comprised of multiple industries. For example, the Energy Sector is comprised of, among others, the Energy Equipment and Services Industry and the Oil, Gas and Consumable Fuels Industry. As of September 30, 2023, companies assigned to the Information Technology and Financials Sectors comprised a significant portion (i.e., approximately 15% or more of the total weighting) of the Index.
To the extent the Index concentrates (i.e., holds more than 25% of its total assets) in the securities of companies assigned to a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund will concentrate its investments in such industry to approximately the same extent as the Index.
As of September 30, 2023, the equity securities of companies domiciled in or otherwise tied (e.g., a company’s principal place of business is maintained in that region or country) to each of India, Taiwan, and South Korea
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comprised a significant portion (i.e., approximately 15% or more of the total weighting) of the Index, although the Index’s geographic exposure may change from time to time.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund
You can lose money on your investment in the Fund. While certain of the risks are prioritized in terms of their relevance to the Fund’s investment strategies, most risks are presented in alphabetical order. This ordering approach is designed to both facilitate an investor’s understanding of the Fund’s risks and enable an investor to easily locate and compare risks among funds. Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its investment objective. For more information about the risks of investing in the Fund, see the sections in the Fund’s Prospectus titled “Additional Principal Risk Information About the Funds” and “Additional Non-Principal Risk Information.”
| ■ | Emerging Markets Risk. Investments in securities and instruments traded in developing or emerging markets, or that provide exposure to such securities or markets, can involve additional risks relating to political, economic, or regulatory conditions not associated with investments in U.S. securities and instruments or investments in more developed international markets. Such conditions may impact the ability of the Fund to buy, sell or otherwise transfer securities, adversely affect the trading market and price for Fund shares and cause the Fund to decline in value. |
| ■ | Investment Risk. As with all investments, an investment in the Fund is subject to loss, including the possible loss of the entire principal amount of an investment, over short or long periods of time. |
| ■ | Market Risk. The trading prices of securities and other instruments fluctuate in response to a variety of factors, such as economic, financial or political events that impact the entire market, market segments, or specific issuers. The Fund’s NAV and market price may fluctuate significantly in response to these and other factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time. |
| ■ | Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all exchange traded funds (“ETFs”), Fund shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The market prices of the Fund’s shares in the secondary market generally differ from the Fund’s daily NAV, and there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the NAV (premium) or less than the NAV (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility or periods of steep market declines. Because securities held by the Fund trade on, or have exposure to, foreign exchanges that are closed when the Fund’s primary listing exchange is open, the Fund is likely to experience premiums and discounts greater than those of domestic ETFs. Additionally, in stressed market conditions, the market for the Fund’s shares may become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in the markets for the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings. |
| ■ | Capital Controls and Sanctions Risk. Economic conditions, such as volatile currency exchange rates and interest rates, political events, military action and other conditions may, without prior warning, lead to foreign government intervention (including intervention by the U.S. government with respect to foreign governments, economic sectors, foreign companies and related securities and interests) and the imposition of capital controls and/or sanctions, which may also include retaliatory actions of one government against another government, such as seizure of assets. Capital controls and/or sanctions include the prohibition of, or restrictions on, the ability to own or transfer currency, securities or other assets, which may potentially include derivative instruments related thereto. Capital controls and/or sanctions may also impact the ability of the Fund to buy, sell, transfer, receive, deliver or otherwise obtain exposure to, foreign securities or currency, negatively impact the value and/or liquidity of such instruments, adversely affect the trading market and price for shares of the Fund, and cause the Fund to decline in value. |
| ■ | Cash Redemption Risk. The Fund generally redeems shares for cash or otherwise includes cash as part of its redemption proceeds. The Fund may be required to sell or unwind portfolio investments to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. This may cause the Fund to recognize a capital gain that it might not have recognized if it had made a redemption in kind. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher annual capital gain distributions than if the Fund redeemed shares in kind. |
| ■ | Currency Exchange Rate Risk. Changes in currency exchange rates and the relative value of non-U.S. currencies will affect the value of the Fund’s investment and the value of your Fund shares. Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably. As a result, the value of an investment in the Fund may also change quickly, unpredictably, and without warning, and you may lose money. |
| WisdomTree Trust Prospectus 3 |
| ■ | Cybersecurity Risk. The Fund and its service providers may be susceptible to operational and information security risks resulting from a breach in cybersecurity, including cyber-attacks. A breach in cybersecurity, intentional or unintentional, may adversely impact the Fund in many ways, including, but not limited to, disruption of the Fund’s operational capacity, loss of proprietary information, theft or corruption of data, denial-of-service attacks on websites or network resources, and the unauthorized release of confidential information. Cyber-attacks affecting the Fund’s third-party service providers, market makers, institutional investors authorized to purchase and redeem shares directly from the Fund (i.e., Authorized Participants), or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests may subject the Fund to many of the same risks associated with direct cybersecurity breaches. |
| ■ | Financials Sector Risk. The Fund currently invests a significant portion of its assets in the Financials Sector, and therefore, the Fund’s performance could be negatively impacted by events affecting this sector. The Financials Sector includes, for example, companies engaged in banking, financial services, consumer finance, capital markets and insurance activities as well as financial exchanges, financial data providers and mortgage real estate investment trusts. This sector can be significantly affected by, among other things, changes in interest rates, government regulation, the rate of defaults on corporate, consumer and government debt, and the availability and cost of capital. |
| ■ | Foreign Securities Risk. Investments in non-U.S. securities involve political, regulatory, and economic risks that may not be present in investments in U.S. securities. For example, investments in non-U.S. securities may be subject to risk of loss due to foreign currency fluctuations, political or economic instability, or geographic events that adversely impact issuers of foreign securities. Investments in non-U.S. securities also may be subject to withholding or other taxes and may be subject to additional trading, settlement, custodial, and operational risks. These and other factors can make investments in the Fund more volatile and potentially less liquid than other types of investments. These risks may be heightened to the extent the Fund invests in companies domiciled in or otherwise tied to developing or emerging market countries. |
| ■ | Geographic Investment Risk. To the extent the Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in a single country or region, it is more likely to be impacted by events or conditions affecting that country or region. |
Investments in India
Political and economic conditions and changes in regulatory, tax, or economic policy in India could significantly affect the market
in India and in surrounding or related countries and could have a negative impact on the Fund. While the Indian government has implemented
reforms designed to liberalize many aspects of India’s economy, there is not assurance that these policies will be successful or
continue. India is also subject to religious and social unrest as well as border disputes with neighboring countries such as Pakistan
and China.
Investments in Taiwan
The economy of Taiwan is heavily dependent on exports. Currency fluctuations, increasing competition from Asia’s other emerging
economies, and conditions that weaken demand for Taiwan’s export products worldwide could have a negative impact on the Taiwanese
economy as a whole. Concerns over Taiwan’s history of political contention and its current relationship with China also may have
a significant impact on the economy of Taiwan.
Investments in South Korea
Investments in South Korea are subject to risks specific to South Korea including legal, regulatory, political, currency, security,
and economic risks. South Korea’s economy is heavily dependent on the export of certain finished goods and a decrease in demand
for those goods could have a significant negative impact on South Korea’s economy. In addition, political and military tensions
between South Korea and North Korea remain tense and such tensions, or the outbreak of military conflict, could have a significant negative
effect on the Fund’s investments in South Korea.
| ■ | Geopolitical Risk. Some countries and regions in which the Fund invests may experience security concerns, war, threats of war, aggression and/or conflict, terrorism, economic uncertainty, sanctions or the threat of sanctions, natural and environmental disasters, the spread of infectious illness, widespread disease or other public health issues and/or systemic market dislocations that lead to increased short-term market volatility and have adverse long-term effects on the U.S. and world economies and markets generally, each of which may negatively impact the Fund’s investments. |
| ■ | Index and Data Risk. The Fund is not “actively” managed and seeks to track the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Index. The Index Provider has the right to make adjustments to the |
4 WisdomTree Trust Prospectus |
| composition and/or operation of the Index or to cease making the Index available without regard to the particular interests of the Fund or its shareholders. If the computers or other facilities of the Index Provider, Index calculation agent, data providers and/or relevant stock exchange malfunction for any reason, calculation and dissemination of Index values may be delayed and trading in Fund shares may be suspended for a period of time. Errors in Index data, Index calculations and/or the construction of the Index may occur from time to time and may not be identified and/or corrected by the Index Provider, Index calculation agent or other applicable party for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. The potential risk of a continuing error may be particularly heightened in the case of the Index, which is generally not used as a benchmark by other funds or managers. |
| ■ | Information Technology Sector Risk. The Fund currently invests a significant portion of its assets in the Information Technology Sector, and therefore, the Fund’s performance could be negatively impacted by events affecting this sector. The Information Technology Sector includes, for example, companies that offer software and information technology services, manufacturers and distributors of technology hardware and equipment such as communications equipment, cellular phones, computers and peripherals, electronic equipment and related instruments, and semiconductors and related equipment and materials. This sector can be significantly affected by, among other things, the supply and demand for specific products and services, the pace of technological development, and government regulation. |
| ■ | Investment Style Risk. The Fund invests in the securities included in, or representative of, the Index regardless of their investment merit. The Fund does not attempt to outperform the Index or take defensive positions in declining markets. As a result, the Fund’s performance may be adversely affected by a general decline in the market segments relating to the Index. |
| ■ | Issuer-Specific Risk. Issuer-specific events, including changes in the actual or perceived financial condition of an issuer, can have a negative impact on the value of the Fund. |
| ■ | Large-Capitalization Investing Risk. The Fund may invest in the securities of large-capitalization companies. As a result, the Fund’s performance may be adversely affected if securities of these companies underperform securities of smaller capitalization companies or the market as a whole. Large-capitalization companies may adapt more slowly to new competitive challenges and be subject to slower growth during times of economic expansion. |
| ■ | Mid-Capitalization Investing Risk. The Fund invests in the securities of mid-capitalization companies. As a result, the Fund’s performance may be adversely affected if securities of these companies underperform securities of other capitalization ranges or the market as a whole. Securities of mid-capitalization companies are often less stable and more vulnerable to market volatility and adverse economic developments than securities of larger companies, but mid-capitalization companies may also underperform the securities of small-capitalization companies because medium capitalization companies are more mature and are subject to slower growth during economic expansion. |
| ■ | Non-Correlation Risk. As with all index funds, the performance of the Fund and that of the Index may differ from each other for a variety of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs operating expenses and portfolio transaction costs, while also managing cash flows and potential operational inefficiencies, not incurred by its Index. In addition, when markets are volatile, the ability to sell securities at fair market prices may be adversely affected and may result in additional trading costs and/or increase the non-correlation risk. The Fund's use of sampling techniques also may affect its ability to achieve close correlation with its Index. |
| ■ | Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. To the extent the Fund invests a significant percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers, the Fund is subject to the risks of investing in those few issuers, and may be more susceptible to a single adverse economic or regulatory occurrence. As a result, changes in the market value of a single security could cause greater fluctuations in the value of Fund shares than would occur in a diversified fund. |
| ■ | Portfolio Turnover Risk. The Fund’s investment strategy may result in a high portfolio turnover rate. Higher portfolio turnover may result in the Fund paying higher transaction costs and the distribution of additional capital gains, which may generate greater tax liabilities for shareholders who hold the shares in taxable accounts. Increased transaction costs and distributions of capital gains may negatively affect the Fund’s performance. |
| WisdomTree Trust Prospectus 5 |
Fund Performance
The Fund commenced operations on September 22, 2022, and therefore does not yet have performance history for a full calendar year. 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 return based on net assets and comparing the Fund’s performance to a broad measure of market performance. Updated performance information for the Fund is available online on the Fund’s website at www.wisdomtree.com/investments.
Management
Investment Adviser and Sub-Adviser
WisdomTree Asset Management serves as investment adviser to the Fund. Mellon Investments Corporation (the “Sub-Adviser”) serves as the investment sub-adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers
The Fund is managed by the Sub-Adviser’s Equity Index Strategies Portfolio Management team. The individual members of the team jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio are identified below.
Marlene Walker-Smith, a Director, Head of Equity Index Portfolio Management, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in September 2022.
David France, CFA, a Vice President, Senior Portfolio Manager and Team Manager, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in September 2022.
Todd Frysinger, CFA, a Vice President, Senior Portfolio Manager and Team Manager, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in September 2022.
Vlasta Sheremeta, CFA, a Vice President, Senior Portfolio Manager and Team Manager, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in September 2022.
Michael Stoll, a Vice President, Senior Portfolio Manager and Team Manager, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in September 2022.
Buying and Selling Fund Shares
The Fund is an ETF. This means that individual shares of the Fund are listed for trading on a national securities exchange, currently NYSE Arca, and may only be purchased and sold in the secondary market through a broker-dealer at market prices. Because Fund shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount). In addition, an investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase shares (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for shares (ask) when buying and selling shares in the secondary market (the “bid/ask spread”). Recent information regarding the Fund, including its NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid/ask spreads, is available on the Fund’s website at www.wisdomtree.com/investments.
The Fund issues and redeems shares at NAV only in large blocks of shares (“Creation Units”), which only certain institutions or large investors (typically market makers or other broker-dealers) may purchase or redeem. The Fund issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities and/or U.S. cash.
Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxed as ordinary income, qualified dividend income or capital gains.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank) (an “Intermediary”), WisdomTree Asset Management or its affiliates may pay Intermediaries for certain activities related to the Fund, including participation in activities that are designed to make Intermediaries more knowledgeable about exchange-traded products, including the Fund, or for other activities, such as marketing, educational training or other initiatives related to the sale or promotion of Fund shares. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the Intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Any such arrangements do not result in increased Fund expenses. Ask your salesperson or visit the Intermediary’s website for more information.
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WIS-XC-SUM-0324