485APOS 1 d847812d485apos.htm 485APOS 485APOS

AS FILED WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION ON DECEMBER 13, 2019

No. 333-147622

No. 811-22148

 

 

 

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. 386  

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

   THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940  
   Amendment No. 387  
   (Check appropriate box or boxes)  

 

 

Invesco Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Fund Trust

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

 

 

3500 Lacey Road, Suite 700, Downers Grove, Illinois 60515

(Address of Principal Executive Office)

Registrant’s Telephone Number, including Area Code: (800) 983-0903

Anna Paglia, Esquire

3500 Lacey Road, Suite 700, Downers Grove, Illinois 60515

(Name and Address of Agent for Service)

 

 

With Copies to:

 

Alan P. Goldberg

Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young, LLP

191 North Wacker Drive, Suite 1601

Chicago, Illinois 60606

 

Eric S. Purple

Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young, LLP

2000 K Street, NW, Suite 700

Washington, DC 20006

 

 

APPROXIMATE DATE OF PROPOSED PUBLIC OFFERING:

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

 

 

immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b)

 

on [date] pursuant to paragraph (b)

 

60 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)

 

on [date] pursuant to paragraph (a)

 

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

 

on [date] pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of Rule 485

If appropriate, check the following box:

 

 

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

 

 

 


Subject to Completion – dated December 13, 2019

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

 

LOGO       

Prospectus                                                                                                                             [                ]

 

 

Invesco Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Fund Trust

 

 

[Ticker]

 

  

Invesco Intermediate Bond Factor ETF

 

  

The Nasdaq Stock Market

 

 

[Ticker]

 

  

Invesco Multi-Sector Bond Income Factor ETF

 

  

The Nasdaq Stock Market

 

  [Ticker]    Invesco Short-Term Bond Factor ETF    The Nasdaq Stock Market

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) 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.


Table of Contents

 

Summary Information

     1  

Invesco Intermediate Bond Factor ETF

     1  

Invesco Multi-Sector Bond Income Factor ETF

     9  

Invesco Short-Term Bond Factor ETF

     17  

Additional Information About the Funds’ Strategies and Risks

     25  

Tax Structure of ETFs

     38  

Portfolio Holdings

     38  

Management of the Funds

     38  

How to Buy and Sell Shares

     39  

Dividends, Other Distributions and Taxes

     41  

Distributor

     43  

Net Asset Value

     43  

Fund Service Providers

     43  

Financial Highlights

     44  

Premium/Discount Information

     44  

Other Information

     44  


 

[Ticker]                 Invesco Intermediate Bond Factor ETF

 

 

Summary Information

Investment Objective

The Invesco Intermediate Bond Factor ETF (the “Fund”) seeks total return.

Fund Fees and Expenses

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund (“Shares”). Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Shares, which are not reflected in the table or the example below.

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses

(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

 

Management Fees

     [    

Other Expenses(1)

     [    

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 funds.

This example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. This example does not include the brokerage commissions that investors may pay to buy and sell Shares. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, your costs, based on these assumptions, would be:

 

1 Year

   3 Years  

[    ]

     [    

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it purchases and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate will cause the Fund to incur additional transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in the Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the example, may affect the Fund’s performance. As of the date of this Prospectus, the Fund has not yet commenced operations and portfolio turnover data therefore is not available.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing, under normal market conditions, at least 80% of its net assets (plus borrowings for investment purposes) in debt securities, and in derivatives and other instruments that have economic characteristics similar to such securities. The kinds of debt securities in which the Fund can invest in include investment grade U.S. corporate and government debt obligations (including securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government or its agencies or federally-chartered entities referred to as “instrumentalities.), as well as mortgage-backed, commercial mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities. Such securities may include certain restricted securities, including securities that are only eligible for resale pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) (such securities being referred to as “Rule 144A Securities”).

Invesco Advisers, Inc. (“IAI” or the “Sub-Adviser”) selects securities for the Fund’s portfolio by utilizing a factor-based strategy that seeks to outperform the Fund’s market-weighted benchmark index. This strategy involves systematically targeting securities represented in the benchmark index exhibiting quantifiable issuer characteristics (or “factors”) that the Sub-Adviser’s research

 

1


suggests will have higher returns over market cycles. This research is based on the accumulated knowledge of years of academic research which the Sub-Adviser uses to select securities that historically have tended to outperform in their respective universe. In practice, this means the Fund may have higher allocations than its benchmark index to: value bonds (bonds that have high spreads relative to other securities of similar credit quality and/or sector); low volatility bonds (bonds that have lower levels of price volatility); and high carry bonds (bonds with higher absolute yield or spread). The portfolio managers expect to include additional factors or modify the factors used to build the Fund’s portfolio as the research evolves. Although the portfolio managers implement a factor-based investment strategy, they retain discretion to position the Fund appropriately in terms of risk exposures and position sizes. Accordingly, the portfolio managers will seek to minimize some of the residual risks associated with the higher allocations to the types of bonds mentioned above (such as duration and sector concentration) including through the use of derivatives, as described below.

“Investment-grade” debt securities are rated in one of the top four rating categories by nationally recognized statistical rating organizations such as Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (Moody’s) or S&P Global Ratings (S&P). The Fund may also invest in unrated securities, in which case the Sub-Adviser may internally assign ratings to certain of those securities, after assessing their credit quality, in investment grade categories similar to those of nationally recognized statistical rating organizations. There can be no assurance, nor is it intended, that the Sub-Adviser’s credit analysis is consistent or comparable with the credit analysis process used by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization (NRSRO). Under normal market condition, the Fund will only purchase securities rated investment grade by at least one major agency (or, if unrated, determined by the Sub-Adviser to be investment grade). However, the Fund may nonetheless hold below-investment grade debt securities (also referred to as “junk” bonds) in instances where a debt security’s rating is downgraded after the Fund purchases it. The Sub-Adviser does not impose any limit on below-investment grade holdings in instances of bonds being downgraded.

The Fund has no limitations on the range of maturities of the debt securities in which it can invest and may hold securities with short-, medium- or long-term maturities. The maturity of a security differs from its effective duration, which attempts to measure the expected sensitivity of a security’s price to interest rate changes. To try to decrease such sensitivity, the Fund seeks to maintain a weighted average effective portfolio duration of four to ten years, measured on a dollar-weighted basis using the effective duration of the securities included in the portfolio and the amount invested in each of those securities. However, the duration of the portfolio might not meet that target due to market events or interest rate changes that cause debt securities to be repaid more rapidly or more slowly than expected.

The Fund may purchase securities of issuers of any market capitalization.

The Fund may invest a portion of its assets in foreign debt securities, including securities issued by foreign governments or companies in both developing and emerging markets. The Fund may invest in securities denominated in U.S. dollars or local foreign currencies, however, the portfolio managers may use derivatives to seek to hedge any foreign currency exposure.

The Fund may invest in U.S. agency mortgage pass-through securities and may seek to obtain such exposure primarily through the use of standardized agreements for forward or future delivery in which the actual mortgage pools to be delivered are not specified until shortly prior to settlement (to be announced (“TBA”) transactions).

The Fund may also use certain types of derivative investments for investment purposes or hedging to manage investment risks, including: options, futures, forward contracts, swaps, certain mortgage-related securities or asset-backed securities, “structured” notes and other types of derivatives.

The Fund can use swap contracts, including interest rate swaps, to hedge or adjust its exposure to interest rates. The Fund can also use swap contracts, including credit default swaps, to create long or short exposure to corporate or sovereign debt securities. The Fund can further use swap contracts, including: credit default index swaps, to hedge credit risk or take a position on a basket of credit entities; total return swaps, to gain exposure to a reference asset; and volatility swaps to adjust the volatility profile of the Fund.

The Fund can use options, including currency options, to seek alpha (return on investments in excess of the benchmark index) or to mitigate risk and to hedge against adverse movements in the foreign currencies in which portfolio securities are denominated. The Fund can also use credit default swap options to gain the right to enter into a credit default swap at a specified future date. The Fund can further use swaptions (options on swaps) to manage interest rate risk; and options on bond or rate futures to manage interest rate exposure.

The Fund can use futures contracts, including interest rate futures and Treasury futures, to increase or reduce its exposure to interest rate changes. The Fund can also use currency futures to increase or decrease its exposure to foreign currencies. The Fund can engage

 

2


in foreign currency transactions either on a spot basis (i.e., for prompt delivery and settlement at the rate prevailing in the currency exchange market at the time) or through forward foreign currency contracts to gain or mitigate the risk of foreign currency exposure.

The Fund may purchase and sell securities on a when-issued and delayed delivery basis, which means that the Fund buys or sells a security with payment and delivery taking place in the future. The payment obligation and the interest rate are fixed at the time the Fund enters into the commitment. No income accrues on such securities until the date the Fund actually takes delivery of the securities.

Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund

The following summarizes the principal risks of the Fund.

The Shares will change in value, and you could lose money by investing in the Fund. The Fund may not achieve its investment objective.

Active Trading Risk. Active trading of portfolio securities may result in added expenses, a lower return and increased tax liability.

Agency Debt Risk. The Fund invests in debt issued by government agencies, including the Federal National Mortgage Association(“Fannie Mae”) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation(“Freddie Mac”). Instruments issued by government agencies generally are backed only by the general creditworthiness and reputation of the government agency issuing the instrument and are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. As a result, there is uncertainty as to the current status of many obligations of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and other agencies that are placed under conservatorship of the federal government.

Authorized Participant Concentration Risk. Only authorized participants (“APs”) may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. The Fund has a limited number of institutions that may act as APs, and such APs have no obligation to submit creation or redemption orders. Consequently, there is no assurance that APs will establish or maintain an active trading market for the Shares. This risk may be heightened to the extent that securities held by the Fund are traded outside a collateralized settlement system. In that case, APs may be required to post collateral on certain trades on an agency basis (i.e., on behalf of other market participants), which only a limited number of APs may be able to do. In addition, to the extent that APs exit the business or are unable to proceed with processing creation and/or redemption orders with respect to the Fund and no other AP is able to step forward to create or redeem Creation Units (as defined below), this may result in a significantly diminished trading market for Shares, and Shares may be more likely to trade at a premium or discount to the Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”) and to face trading halts and/or delisting. Investments in non-U.S. securities, which may have lower trading volumes, may increase this risk.

Call Risk. If interest rates fall, it is possible that issuers of callable securities with high interest coupons will “call” (or prepay) their bonds before their maturity date. If an issuer exercised such a call during a period of declining interest rates, the Fund may have to replace such called security with a lower yielding security. If that were to happen, the Fund’s net investment income could fall.

Cash Transaction Risk. Most ETFs generally make in-kind redemptions to avoid being taxed on gains on the distributed portfolio securities at the fund level. However, unlike most ETFs, the Fund currently intends to effect creations and redemptions principally for cash, rather than principally in-kind, due to the nature of the Fund’s investments. As such, the Fund may be required to sell portfolio securities to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. Therefore, the Fund may recognize a capital gain on these sales that might not have been incurred if the Fund had made a redemption in-kind. This may decrease the tax efficiency of the Fund compared to ETFs that utilize an in-kind redemption process and there may be a substantial difference in the after-tax rate of return between the Fund and conventional ETFs.

Changing Global Fixed-Income Market Conditions Risk. The current historically low interest rate environment was created in part by the Federal Reserve Board (“FRB”) and certain foreign central banks keeping the federal funds and equivalent foreign rates at, near or below zero. The “tapering” in 2015 of the FRB’s quantitative easing program, combined with the FRB’s changes to the target range for the Federal Funds Rate (and continued possible fluctuations in equivalent foreign rates) may expose fixed-income markets to heightened volatility and reduced liquidity for certain fixed-income investments, particularly those with longer maturities, although it is difficult to predict the impact of this rate increase and any future rate increases on various markets. In addition, decreases in fixed-income dealer market-making capacity may also potentially lead to heightened volatility and reduced liquidity in the fixed-income markets. As a result, the value of the Fund’s investments and share price may decline. Changes in central bank policies could also result in higher than normal shareholder redemptions, which could potentially increase portfolio turnover rate and the Fund’s transaction costs.

Commercial Paper Risk. The value of the Fund’s investment in commercial paper, which is an unsecured promissory note that generally has a maturity date between one and 270 days and is issued by a U.S. or foreign entity, is susceptible to changes in the issuer’s financial condition or credit quality. Investments in commercial paper are usually discounted from their value at maturity. Commercial paper can be fixed-rate or variable rate and can be adversely affected by changes in interest rates.

 

3


Concentration Risk. The Fund may be susceptible to an increased risk of loss, including losses due to adverse occurrences affecting the Fund more than the market as a whole, to the extent that the Fund’s investments are concentrated in the securities of a particular issuer or issuers, sector or asset class.

Counterparty Risk. Certain of the Fund’s investments in derivatives may involve counterparties, which subjects the Fund to counterparty risk. Counterparty risk is the risk that the other party in an agreement or a participant to a transaction, such as a swap counterparty, might default on a contract or fail to perform by not paying amounts due or fulfilling the delivery conditions of the contract or transaction. In that event, the Fund will have contractual remedies pursuant to the agreements related to the transaction. However, the Fund could experience lengthy delays in recovering its assets and may not receive any recovery at all. Further, there is a risk that no suitable counterparties will be willing to enter into, or continue to enter into, transactions with the Fund, which may cause the Fund to experience difficulty in purchasing or selling these instruments in a timely manner.

Credit Risk. The issuer of instruments in which the Fund invests may be unable to meet interest and/or principal payments. An issuer’s securities may decrease in value if its financial strength weakens, which may reduce its credit rating and possibly its ability to meet its contractual obligations. Even in the case of collateralized debt obligations, there is no assurance that the sale of collateral would raise enough cash to satisfy an issuer’s payment obligations or that the collateral can or will be liquidated.

Currency Risk. Because the Fund’s NAV is determined in U.S. dollars, the Fund’s NAV could decline if the currency of a non-U.S. market in which the Fund invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar. Generally, an increase in the value of the U.S. dollar against a foreign currency will reduce the value of a security denominated in that foreign currency, thereby decreasing a Fund’s overall NAV. Exchange rates may be volatile and may change quickly and unpredictably in response to both global economic developments and economic conditions, causing an adverse impact on the Fund. As a result, investors have the potential for losses regardless of the length of time they intend to hold Shares.

Derivatives Risk. Derivatives may pose risks in addition to and greater than those associated with investing directly in securities, currencies or other investments, including risks relating to leverage, imperfect correlations with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, high price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty credit, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions. Their use is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. If the Sub-Adviser is incorrect about its expectations of market conditions, the use of derivatives could also result in a loss, which in some cases may be unlimited. Some of the derivatives in which the Fund invests are traded (and privately negotiated) in the OTC market. OTC derivatives are subject to heightened credit, liquidity and valuation risks. Certain risks also are specific to the derivatives in which the Fund invests.

Dollar Roll Transaction Risk. The Fund may enter into dollar roll transactions, in which the Fund sells a mortgage-backed or other security for settlement on one date and buys back a substantially similar security for settlement at a later date. Dollar rolls involve a risk of loss if the market value of the securities that the Fund is committed to buy declines below the price of the securities the Fund has sold.

Emerging Markets Sovereign Debt Risk. Government obligors in emerging market countries are among the world’s largest debtors to commercial banks, other governments, international financial organizations and other financial institutions. Historically, certain issuers of the government debt securities in which the Fund may invest have experienced substantial difficulties in meeting their external debt obligations, resulting in defaults on certain obligations and the restructuring of certain indebtedness. Such restructuring arrangements have included obtaining additional credit to finance outstanding obligations and the reduction and rescheduling of payments of interest and principal through the negotiation of new or amended credit agreements.

Extension Risk. Extension risk is the opposite of reinvestment risk, and typically occurs when interest rates rise, thereby causing repayments of fixed income securities to occur more slowly than expected by the market. This may drive the prices of these securities down because their interest rates are lower than the current interest rate and they have longer duration (resulting in increased sensitivity to interest rate changes).

Fixed-Income Securities Risk. Fixed-income securities are subject to interest rate risk and credit risk. Interest rate risk refers to fluctuations in the value of a fixed-income security resulting from changes in the general level of interest rates. When the general level of interest rates goes up, the prices of most fixed-income securities go down. When the general level of interest rates goes down, the prices of most fixed-income securities go up. Fixed-income securities with longer maturities typically are more sensitive to changes in interest rates, making them more volatile than securities with shorter maturities. Credit risk refers to the possibility that the issuer of a security will be unable and/or unwilling to make timely interest payments and/or repay the principal on its debt. Debt instruments are subject to varying degrees of credit risk, which may be reflected in credit ratings. There is a possibility that the credit rating of a fixed-income security may be downgraded after purchase, which may adversely affect the value of the security.

 

4


Foreign Fixed Income Investment Risk. Investments in fixed income securities of non-U.S. issuers are subject to the same risks as other debt securities, notably credit risk, market risk, interest rate risk and liquidity risk, while also facing risks beyond those associated with investments in U.S. securities. For example, foreign securities may have relatively low market liquidity, greater market volatility, decreased publicly available information, and less reliable financial information about issuers, and inconsistent and potentially less stringent accounting, auditing and financial reporting requirements and standards of practice comparable to those applicable to domestic issuers. Foreign securities also are subject to the risks of expropriation, nationalization, political instability or other adverse political or economic developments and the difficulty of enforcing obligations in other countries. Investments in foreign securities also may be subject to dividend withholding or confiscatory taxes, currency blockage and/or transfer restrictions and higher transactional costs.

Futures Contracts Risk. Futures contracts are typically exchange-traded contracts that call for the future delivery of an asset at a certain price and date, or cash settlement of the terms of the contract. Risks of futures contracts may be caused by an imperfect correlation between movements in the price of the instruments and the price of the underlying securities. In addition, there is the risk that the Fund may not be able to enter into a closing transaction because of an illiquid market. Exchanges can limit the number of positions that can be held or controlled by the Fund or the Sub-Adviser, thus limiting the ability to implement the Fund’s strategies. Futures markets are highly volatile and the use of futures may increase the volatility of the Fund’s NAV. Futures are also subject to leverage risks and to liquidity risk.

High Yield Securities (Junk Bond) Risk. Compared to higher quality debt securities, high yield debt securities (commonly referred to as “junk bonds”) involve a greater risk of default or price changes due to changes in the credit quality of the issuer because they are generally unsecured and may be subordinated to other creditors’ claims. They are considered speculative with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal. High yield debt securities often are issued by smaller, less creditworthy companies or by highly leveraged (indebted) firms, which generally are less able than more financially stable firms to make scheduled payments of interest and principal. The values of junk bonds often fluctuate more in response to company, political, regulatory or economic developments than higher quality bonds, and their values can decline significantly over short periods of time or during periods of economic difficulty when the bonds could be difficult to value or sell at a fair price.

Income Risk. The Fund’s income may decline when interest rates fall because the Fund may hold a significant portion of short duration securities and/or securities that have floating or variable interest rates. To the extent that the Fund invests in lower yielding bonds, and as the bonds in its portfolio mature, the Fund needs to purchase additional bonds, thereby reducing the Fund’s income.

Interest Rate Risk. Interest rate risk refers to the risk that bond prices generally fall as interest rates rise; conversely, bond prices generally rise as interest rates fall. Specific bonds differ in their sensitivity to changes in interest rates depending on their individual characteristics, including duration. “Duration risk” is related to interest rate risk; it refers to the risks associated with the sensitivity of a bond’s price to a one percent change in interest rates. Bonds with longer durations (i.e., a greater length of time until they reach maturity) face greater duration risk, meaning that they tend to exhibit greater volatility and are more sensitive to changes in interest rates than bonds with shorter durations.

Investment Risk. As with all investments, an investment in the Fund is subject to investment risk. Investors in the Fund could lose money, including the possible loss of the entire principal amount of an investment, over short or long periods of time.

Issuer-Specific Changes Risk. The value of an individual security or particular type of security may be more volatile than the market as a whole and may perform differently from the value of the market as a whole.

Large Shareholder Risk. Certain shareholders, including a third party investor, the Fund’s investment adviser or an affiliate of the investment adviser, an AP, a lead market maker, or another entity, may from time to time own a substantial amount of Shares, or may invest in the Fund and hold its investment for a limited period of time solely to facilitate commencement of the Fund or to facilitate the Fund’s achieving a specified size or scale. There can be no assurance that any large shareholder would not redeem its investment, that the size of the Fund would be maintained at such levels or that the Fund would continue to meet applicable listing requirements. Redemptions by large shareholders could have a significant negative impact on the Fund. Similarly, to the extent the Fund permits cash purchases, large purchases of Shares may adversely affect the Fund’s performance to the extent that the Fund is delayed in investing new cash and is required to maintain a larger cash position than it ordinarily would. In addition, transactions by large shareholders may account for a large percentage of the trading volume on the Exchange and may, therefore, have a material upward or downward effect on the market price of the Shares. To the extent the Fund permits redemptions in cash, the Fund may hold a relatively large proportion of its assets in cash in anticipation of large redemptions, diluting its investment returns.

Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk exists when a particular investment is difficult to purchase or sell. If the Fund invests in illiquid securities or current portfolio securities become illiquid, it may reduce the returns of the Fund because the Fund may be unable to sell the illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price.

 

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Management Risk. The Fund is subject to management risk because it is an actively managed portfolio. In managing the Fund’s portfolio holdings, the Sub-Adviser applies investment techniques and risk analyses in making investment decisions for the Fund, but there can be no guarantee that these actions will produce the desired results.

Market Risk. Securities in which the Fund invests are subject to market fluctuations. You should anticipate that the value of the Shares will decline, more or less, in correlation with any decline in value of the securities in the Fund’s portfolio.

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

Mortgage-Backed and Asset-Backed Securities Risk. The Fund may invest in mortgage- and asset-backed securities (including commercial mortgage-backed securities), which are subject to call (prepayment) risk, reinvestment risk and extension risk. In addition, these securities are susceptible to an unexpectedly high rate of defaults on the mortgages held by a mortgage pool, which may adversely affect their value. The risk of such defaults depends on the quality of the mortgages underlying such security, the credit quality of its issuer or guarantor, and the nature and structure of its credit support. For example, the risk of default generally is higher in the case of mortgage pools that include subprime mortgages, which are loans made to borrowers with weakened credit histories or with lower capacity to make timely mortgage payments.

Operational Risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risks arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund and the investment adviser seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate to address these risks.

Options Risk. Options or options on futures contracts give the holder of the option the right to buy (or to sell) a position in a security or in a contract to the writer of the option, at a certain price. They are subject to correlation risk because there may be an imperfect correlation between the options and the securities markets that cause a given transaction to fail to achieve its objectives. The successful use of options depends on the Sub-Adviser’s ability to predict correctly future price fluctuations and the degree of correlation between the options and securities markets. Exchanges can limit the number of positions that can be held or controlled by the Fund or the Sub-Adviser, thus limiting the ability to implement the Fund’s strategies. Options are also particularly subject to leverage risk and can be subject to liquidity risk.

Reinvestment Risk. Reinvestment risk is the risk that the Fund will not be able to reinvest income or principal at the same return it is currently earning. Reinvestment risk is greater during periods of declining interest rates, as prepayments often occur faster. It is related to call risk, since issuers of callable securities with high interest coupons may call their bonds before their maturity date. This may require the Fund to reinvest the proceeds at an earlier date, and it may be able to do so only at lower yields, thereby reducing its return.

Rule 144A Securities Risk. Rule 144A securities are restricted securities that can be purchased only by “qualified institutional buyers,” as defined under the Securities Act. The market for Rule 144A securities typically is less active than the market for publicly-traded securities. As such, investing in Rule 144A securities may reduce the liquidity of the Fund’s investments, and the Fund may be unable to sell the security at the desired time or price, if at all. The purchase price and subsequent valuation of Rule 144A securities normally reflect a discount, which may be significant, from the market price of comparable unrestricted securities for which a liquid trading market exists. A restricted security that was liquid at the time of purchase may subsequently become illiquid and its value may decline as a result. In addition, transaction costs may be higher for restricted securities than for more liquid securities. The Fund may also have to bear the expense of registering the securities for resale and the risk of substantial delays in effecting the registration.

Sovereign Debt Risk. Investments in sovereign debt securities involve special risks. The governmental authority that controls the repayment of the debt may be unwilling or unable to repay the principal and/or interest when due in accordance with the terms of such securities due to the extent of its foreign reserves; the availability of sufficient foreign exchange on the date a payment is due; the relative size of the debt service burden to the economy as a whole; or the government debtor’s policy towards the International Monetary Fund and the political constraints to which a government debtor may be subject. If an issuer of sovereign debt defaults on payments of principal and/or interest, the Fund may have limited legal recourse against the issuer and/or guarantor. In certain cases, remedies must be pursued in the courts of the defaulting party itself, and the Fund’s ability to obtain recourse may be limited.

Structured Notes Risk. Investments in structured notes involve risks including interest rate risk, credit risk and market risk. Interest rate risk refers to fluctuations in the value of a note resulting from changes in the general level of interest rates. When the general level of interest rates goes up, the prices of notes tend to go down. Credit risk refers to the possibility that the issuer of a note will be unable and/or unwilling to make timely interest payments and/or repay the principal on its debt. Depending on the factors used, changes in

 

6


interest rates and movement of such factors may cause significant price fluctuations. Structured notes may be less liquid than other types of securities and more volatile than the reference factor underlying the note. This means that the fund may lose money if the issuer of the note defaults, as the fund may not be able to readily close out its investment in such notes without incurring losses.

Swap Agreements Risk. Swap agreements are contracts among the Fund and a counterparty to exchange the return of the pre-determined underlying investment (such as the rate of return of an index or benchmark). Swap agreements may be negotiated bilaterally and traded OTC between two parties or, in some instances, must be transacted through a futures commission merchant and cleared through a clearinghouse that serves as a central counterparty. Risks associated with the use of swap agreements are different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions, due in part to the fact they could be considered illiquid and many swaps trade on the OTC market. Swaps are particularly subject to counterparty credit, correlation, valuation, liquidity and leveraging risks. Certain standardized swaps are subject to mandatory central clearing. Central clearing is intended to reduce counterparty credit risk and increase liquidity, but central clearing does not make swap transactions risk-free.

To-Be-Announced (“TBA”) Transactions Risk. TBA purchase commitments involve a risk of loss if the value of the securities to be purchased declines prior to settlement date or if the counterparty may not deliver the securities as promised. Selling a TBA involves a risk of loss if the value of the securities to be sold goes up prior to settlement date. TBA transactions involve counterparty risk. Default or bankruptcy of a counterparty to a TBA transaction would expose the Fund to potential loss and could affect the Fund’s returns.

U.S. Government Obligation Risk. The Fund may invest in U.S. government obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies and instrumentalities, including bills, notes and bonds issued by the U.S. Treasury. U.S. Government securities include securities that are issued or guaranteed by the United States Treasury, by various agencies of the U.S. Government, or by various instrumentalities which have been established or sponsored by the U.S. Government. U.S. Treasury securities are backed by the “full faith and credit” of the United States. Securities issued or guaranteed by federal agencies and U.S. Government-sponsored instrumentalities may or may not be backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. In the case of those U.S. Government securities not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States, the investor must look principally to the agency or instrumentality issuing or guaranteeing the security for ultimate repayment, and may not be able to assert a claim against the United States itself in the event that the agency or instrumentality does not meet its commitment. The U.S. Government, its agencies and instrumentalities do not guarantee the market value of their securities, and consequently, the value of such securities may fluctuate.

Valuation Risk. Financial information related to securities of non-U.S. issuers may be less reliable than information related to securities of U.S. issuers, which may make it difficult to obtain a current price for a non-U.S. security held by the Fund. In certain circumstances, market quotations may not be readily available for some Fund securities, and those securities may be fair valued. The value established for a security through fair valuation may be different from what would be produced if the security had been valued using market quotations. Fund 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 the 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 security is sold at a discount to its established value.

Valuation Time Risk. The Fund may invest in foreign bonds and, because foreign exchanges may be open on days when the Fund does not price its Shares, the value of the non-U.S. securities in the Fund’s portfolio may change on days when you will not be able to purchase or sell your Shares. As a result, trading spreads and the resulting premium or discount on the Shares may widen, and, therefore, increase the difference between the market price of the Shares and the Fund’s NAV of such Shares.

Performance

As of the date of this Prospectus, the Fund has not commenced operations and therefore does not have a performance history. Once available, the Fund’s performance information will be accessible on the Fund’s website at www.invesco.com/ETFs and will provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund.

Management of the Fund

Investment Adviser. Invesco Capital Management LLC (the “Adviser”).

Investment Sub-Adviser. Invesco Advisers, Inc. (the “Sub-Adviser”).

Portfolio Managers. The following individuals are responsible jointly and primarily for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio:

 

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Name    Title with Sub-Adviser    Date Began Managing the Fund
Jay Raol    Director, Invesco Fixed Income Quantitative Research of the Sub-Adviser    [        ]
Sash Sarangi                Head of Systematic and Factor Fixed Income of the Sub-Adviser    [        ]
James Ong    Director, Derivative Portfolio Management of the Sub-Adviser    [        ]
Noelle Corum    Portfolio Manager of the Sub-Adviser    [        ]

Purchase and Sale of Shares

The Fund will issue and redeem Shares at NAV only with APs and only in large blocks of 100,000 Shares (each block of Shares is called a “Creation Unit”) or multiples thereof (“Creation Unit Aggregations”), generally in exchange for the deposit or delivery of cash. However, the Fund also reserves the right to permit or require Creation Units to be issued in exchange for the deposit or delivery of a basket of securities. Except when aggregated in Creation Units, the Shares are not redeemable securities of the Fund.

Individual Shares may be purchased and sold only on a national securities exchange through brokers. Shares will be listed for trading on The Nasdaq Stock Market and because the Shares will trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at prices greater than NAV (at a premium), at NAV, or less than NAV (at a discount).

Tax Information

The Fund’s distributions generally are taxed as ordinary income, capital gains or some combination of both, unless you are investing through a tax-advantaged arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account, in which case your distributions may be taxed as ordinary income when withdrawn from such account.

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

If you purchase the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Fund’s distributor or its related companies may pay the intermediary for certain Fund-related activities, including those that are designed to make the intermediary more knowledgeable about exchange-traded products, such as the Fund, as well as for marketing, education or other initiatives related to the sale or promotion of Fund shares. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson or financial adviser to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or financial adviser or visit your financial intermediary’s web-site for more information.

 

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[Ticker]            Invesco Multi-Sector Bond Income Factor ETF

 

 

Summary Information

Investment Objective

The Invesco Multi-Sector Bond Income Factor ETF (the “Fund”) seeks total return.

Fund Fees and Expenses

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund (“Shares”). Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Shares, which are not reflected in the table or the example below.

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses

(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

      

Management Fees

     [    

Other Expenses(1)

     [    

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 funds.

This example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. This example does not include the brokerage commissions that investors may pay to buy and sell Shares. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, your costs, based on these assumptions, would be:

 

1 Year

   3 Years  

[    ]

     [    

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it purchases and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate will cause the Fund to incur additional transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in the Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the example, may affect the Fund’s performance. As of the date of this Prospectus, the Fund has not yet commenced operations and portfolio turnover data therefore is not available.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing, under normal market conditions, at least 80% of its net assets (plus borrowings for investment purposes) in debt securities, and in derivatives and other instruments that have economic characteristics similar to such securities. The Fund will primarily hold a multi-sector portfolio of debt securities, including corporate bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. issuers (including U.S. and foreign government issuers).

Invesco Advisers, Inc. (“IAI” or the “Sub-Adviser”) selects securities for the Fund’s portfolio by utilizing a factor-based strategy that seeks to outperform the Fund’s market-weighted benchmark index. This strategy involves systematically targeting securities represented in the benchmark index exhibiting quantifiable issuer characteristics (or “factors”) that the Sub-Adviser’s research suggests will have higher returns over market cycles. This research is based on the accumulated knowledge of years of academic research which the Sub-Adviser uses to select securities that historically have tended to outperform in their respective universe. In

 

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practice, this means the Fund may have higher allocations than its benchmark index to: value bonds (bonds that have high spreads relative to other securities of similar credit quality and/or sector); low volatility bonds (bonds that have lower levels of price volatility); and high carry bonds (bonds with higher absolute yield or spread). The portfolio managers expect to include additional factors or modify the factors used to build the Fund’s portfolio as the research evolves. Although the portfolio managers implement a factor-based investment strategy, they retain discretion to position the Fund appropriately in terms of risk exposures and position sizes. Accordingly, the portfolio managers will seek to minimize some of the residual risks associated with the higher allocations to the types of bonds mentioned above (such as duration and sector concentration) including through the use of derivatives, as described below.

The Sub-Adviser selects securities for the Fund’s portfolio across a broad spectrum of sectors, which may include (without limitation): (i) investment grade debt (securities are rated in one of the top four rating categories by at least one nationally recognized statistical rating organizations such as Moody’s or Standard & Poor’s); (ii) below-investment grade debt (also referred to as “junk” bonds); (iii) bonds issued by U.S. and non-U.S. corporate issuers; (iv) fixed income securities issued by the U.S. government and its agencies; (v) fixed income securities issued by non-U.S. governments (including governments of emerging market countries); and (vi) mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, such as collateralized mortgage obligations (CMOs), collateralized debt obligations (CDOs), and collateralized loan obligations (CLOs). However, the Sub-Adviser does not specifically seek exposure (of any allocation size) to any one investment sector and the Fund’s portfolio will vary in exposure to investment sectors over time. The Fund may invest in securities denominated in U.S. dollars or local foreign currencies, however, the Fund may use derivatives to seek to hedge any foreign currency exposure.

The Fund may purchase securities of any maturity and of issuers of any market capitalization. In seeking exposure to U.S. agency mortgage pass-through securities, the Fund may use of standardized agreements for forward or future delivery in which the actual mortgage pools to be delivered are not specified until shortly prior to settlement (to be announced (“TBA”) transactions).

Additionally, the Fund use certain types of derivative investments for investment purposes or hedging to manage investment risks, including: options, futures, forward contracts, swaps, certain mortgage-related securities or asset-backed securities, “structured” notes and other types of derivatives.

The Fund can use swap contracts, including interest rate swaps, to hedge or adjust its exposure to interest rates. The Fund can also use swap contracts, including credit default swaps, to create long or short exposure to corporate or sovereign debt securities. The Fund can further use swap contracts, including: credit default index swaps, to hedge credit risk or take a position on a basket of credit entities; total return swaps, to gain exposure to a reference asset; and volatility swaps to adjust the volatility profile of the Fund.

The Fund can use options, including currency options, to seek alpha (return on investments in excess of the benchmark index) or to mitigate risk and to hedge against adverse movements in the foreign currencies in which portfolio securities are denominated. The Fund can also use credit default swap options to gain the right to enter into a credit default swap at a specified future date. The Fund can further use swaptions (options on swaps) to manage interest rate risk; and options on bond or rate futures to manage interest rate exposure.

The Fund can use futures contracts, including interest rate futures and Treasury futures, to increase or reduce its exposure to interest rate changes. The Fund can also use currency futures to increase or decrease its exposure to foreign currencies. The Fund can engage in foreign currency transactions either on a spot basis (i.e., for prompt delivery and settlement at the rate prevailing in the currency exchange market at the time) or through forward foreign currency contracts to gain or mitigate the risk of foreign currency exposure.

The Fund may purchase and sell securities on a when-issued and delayed delivery basis, which means that the Fund buys or sells a security with payment and delivery taking place in the future. The payment obligation and the interest rate are fixed at the time the Fund enters into the commitment. No income accrues on such securities until the date the Fund actually takes delivery of the securities.

Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund

The following summarizes the principal risks of the Fund.

The Shares will change in value, and you could lose money by investing in the Fund. The Fund may not achieve its investment objective.

Active Trading Risk. Active trading of portfolio securities may result in added expenses, a lower return and increased tax liability.

 

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Agency Debt Risk. The Fund invests in debt issued by government agencies, including the Federal National Mortgage Association(“Fannie Mae”) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation(“Freddie Mac”). Instruments issued by government agencies generally are backed only by the general creditworthiness and reputation of the government agency issuing the instrument and are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. As a result, there is uncertainty as to the current status of many obligations of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and other agencies that are placed under conservatorship of the federal government.

Authorized Participant Concentration Risk. Only authorized participants (“APs”) may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. The Fund has a limited number of institutions that may act as APs, and such APs have no obligation to submit creation or redemption orders. Consequently, there is no assurance that APs will establish or maintain an active trading market for the Shares. This risk may be heightened to the extent that securities held by the Fund are traded outside a collateralized settlement system. In that case, APs may be required to post collateral on certain trades on an agency basis (i.e., on behalf of other market participants), which only a limited number of APs may be able to do. In addition, to the extent that APs exit the business or are unable to proceed with processing creation and/or redemption orders with respect to the Fund and no other AP is able to step forward to create or redeem Creation Units (as defined below), this may result in a significantly diminished trading market for Shares, and Shares may be more likely to trade at a premium or discount to the Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”) and to face trading halts and/or delisting. Investments in non-U.S. securities, which may have lower trading volumes, may increase this risk.

Call Risk. If interest rates fall, it is possible that issuers of callable securities with high interest coupons will “call” (or prepay) their bonds before their maturity date. If an issuer exercised such a call during a period of declining interest rates, the Fund may have to replace such called security with a lower yielding security. If that were to happen, the Fund’s net investment income could fall.

Cash Transaction Risk. Most ETFs generally make in-kind redemptions to avoid being taxed on gains on the distributed portfolio securities at the fund level. However, unlike most ETFs, the Fund currently intends to effect creations and redemptions principally for cash, rather than principally in-kind, due to the nature of the Fund’s investments. As such, the Fund may be required to sell portfolio securities to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. Therefore, the Fund may recognize a capital gain on these sales that might not have been incurred if the Fund had made a redemption in-kind. This may decrease the tax efficiency of the Fund compared to ETFs that utilize an in-kind redemption process and there may be a substantial difference in the after-tax rate of return between the Fund and conventional ETFs.

Changing Global Fixed-Income Market Conditions Risk. The current historically low interest rate environment was created in part by the Federal Reserve Board (“FRB”) and certain foreign central banks keeping the federal funds and equivalent foreign rates at, near or below zero. The “tapering” in 2015 of the FRB’s quantitative easing program, combined with the FRB’s changes to the target range for the Federal Funds Rate (and continued possible fluctuations in equivalent foreign rates) may expose fixed-income markets to heightened volatility and reduced liquidity for certain fixed-income investments, particularly those with longer maturities, although it is difficult to predict the impact of this rate increase and any future rate increases on various markets. In addition, decreases in fixed-income dealer market-making capacity may also potentially lead to heightened volatility and reduced liquidity in the fixed-income markets. As a result, the value of the Fund’s investments and share price may decline. Changes in central bank policies could also result in higher than normal shareholder redemptions, which could potentially increase portfolio turnover rate and the Fund’s transaction costs.

Collateralized Debt Obligations Risk. Investments in CDOs carry the same risks associated with investments in fixed income securities and ABS. CDOs are often highly leveraged and the risks of investing in these instruments may be magnified depending on the class or “tranche” of the CDO securities, that vary in risk and yield. The nature of the risks of a CDO depends largely on the type and quality of the underlying collateral and the tranche of the CDO. In addition, certain CDOs may not hold their underlying collateral directly, but rather, use derivatives such as swaps to create “synthetic” exposure to the collateral pool. Such CDOs entail the risks associated with derivative instruments.

Collateralized Loan Obligations Risk. In addition to the normal interest rate, default and other risks of fixed income securities, CLOs carry additional risks, including the possibility that distributions from collateral securities will not be adequate to make interest or other payments, the quality of the collateral may decline in value or default, the Fund may invest in CLOs that are subordinate to other classes, values may be volatile, and disputes with the issuer may produce unexpected investment results.

Commercial Paper Risk. The value of the Fund’s investment in commercial paper, which is an unsecured promissory note that generally has a maturity date between one and 270 days and is issued by a U.S. or foreign entity, is susceptible to changes in the issuer’s financial condition or credit quality. Investments in commercial paper are usually discounted from their value at maturity. Commercial paper can be fixed-rate or variable rate and can be adversely affected by changes in interest rates.

Concentration Risk. The Fund may be susceptible to an increased risk of loss, including losses due to adverse occurrences affecting the Fund more than the market as a whole, to the extent that the Fund’s investments are concentrated in the securities of a particular issuer or issuers, sector or asset class.

 

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Counterparty Risk. Certain of the Fund’s investments in derivatives may involve counterparties, which subjects the Fund to counterparty risk. Counterparty risk is the risk that the other party in an agreement or a participant to a transaction, such as a swap counterparty, might default on a contract or fail to perform by not paying amounts due or fulfilling the delivery conditions of the contract or transaction. In that event, the Fund will have contractual remedies pursuant to the agreements related to the transaction. However, the Fund could experience lengthy delays in recovering its assets and may not receive any recovery at all. Further, there is a risk that no suitable counterparties will be willing to enter into, or continue to enter into, transactions with the Fund, which may cause the Fund to experience difficulty in purchasing or selling these instruments in a timely manner.

Credit Risk. The issuer of instruments in which the Fund invests may be unable to meet interest and/or principal payments. An issuer’s securities may decrease in value if its financial strength weakens, which may reduce its credit rating and possibly its ability to meet its contractual obligations. Even in the case of collateralized debt obligations, there is no assurance that the sale of collateral would raise enough cash to satisfy an issuer’s payment obligations or that the collateral can or will be liquidated.

Currency Risk. Because the Fund’s NAV is determined in U.S. dollars, the Fund’s NAV could decline if the currency of a non-U.S. market in which the Fund invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar. Generally, an increase in the value of the U.S. dollar against a foreign currency will reduce the value of a security denominated in that foreign currency, thereby decreasing a Fund’s overall NAV. Exchange rates may be volatile and may change quickly and unpredictably in response to both global economic developments and economic conditions, causing an adverse impact on the Fund. As a result, investors have the potential for losses regardless of the length of time they intend to hold Shares.

Derivatives Risk. Derivatives may pose risks in addition to and greater than those associated with investing directly in securities, currencies or other investments, including risks relating to leverage, imperfect correlations with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, high price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty credit, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions. Their use is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. If the Sub-Adviser is incorrect about its expectations of market conditions, the use of derivatives could also result in a loss, which in some cases may be unlimited. Some of the derivatives in which the Fund invests are traded (and privately negotiated) in the OTC market. OTC derivatives are subject to heightened credit, liquidity and valuation risks. Certain risks also are specific to the derivatives in which the Fund invests.

Dollar Roll Transaction Risk. The Fund may enter into dollar roll transactions, in which the Fund sells a mortgage-backed or other security for settlement on one date and buys back a substantially similar security for settlement at a later date. Dollar rolls involve a risk of loss if the market value of the securities that the Fund is committed to buy declines below the price of the securities the Fund has sold.

Emerging Markets Sovereign Debt Risk. Government obligors in emerging market countries are among the world’s largest debtors to commercial banks, other governments, international financial organizations and other financial institutions. Historically, certain issuers of the government debt securities in which the Fund may invest have experienced substantial difficulties in meeting their external debt obligations, resulting in defaults on certain obligations and the restructuring of certain indebtedness. Such restructuring arrangements have included obtaining additional credit to finance outstanding obligations and the reduction and rescheduling of payments of interest and principal through the negotiation of new or amended credit agreements.

Extension Risk. Extension risk is the opposite of reinvestment risk, and typically occurs when interest rates rise, thereby causing repayments of fixed income securities to occur more slowly than expected by the market. This may drive the prices of these securities down because their interest rates are lower than the current interest rate and they have longer duration (resulting in increased sensitivity to interest rate changes).

Fixed-Income Securities Risk. Fixed-income securities are subject to interest rate risk and credit risk. Interest rate risk refers to fluctuations in the value of a fixed-income security resulting from changes in the general level of interest rates. When the general level of interest rates goes up, the prices of most fixed-income securities go down. When the general level of interest rates goes down, the prices of most fixed-income securities go up. Fixed-income securities with longer maturities typically are more sensitive to changes in interest rates, making them more volatile than securities with shorter maturities. Credit risk refers to the possibility that the issuer of a security will be unable and/or unwilling to make timely interest payments and/or repay the principal on its debt. Debt instruments are subject to varying degrees of credit risk, which may be reflected in credit ratings. There is a possibility that the credit rating of a fixed-income security may be downgraded after purchase, which may adversely affect the value of the security.

Foreign Fixed Income Investment Risk. Investments in fixed income securities of non-U.S. issuers are subject to the same risks as other debt securities, notably credit risk, market risk, interest rate risk and liquidity risk, while also facing risks beyond those associated with investments in U.S. securities. For example, foreign securities may have relatively low market liquidity, greater market volatility, decreased publicly available information, and less reliable financial information about issuers, and inconsistent and potentially less stringent accounting, auditing and financial reporting requirements and standards of practice comparable to those

 

12


applicable to domestic issuers. Foreign securities also are subject to the risks of expropriation, nationalization, political instability or other adverse political or economic developments and the difficulty of enforcing obligations in other countries. Investments in foreign securities also may be subject to dividend withholding or confiscatory taxes, currency blockage and/or transfer restrictions and higher transactional costs.

Futures Contracts Risk. Futures contracts are typically exchange-traded contracts that call for the future delivery of an asset at a certain price and date, or cash settlement of the terms of the contract. Risks of futures contracts may be caused by an imperfect correlation between movements in the price of the instruments and the price of the underlying securities. In addition, there is the risk that the Fund may not be able to enter into a closing transaction because of an illiquid market. Exchanges can limit the number of positions that can be held or controlled by the Fund or the Sub-Adviser, thus limiting the ability to implement the Fund’s strategies. Futures markets are highly volatile and the use of futures may increase the volatility of the Fund’s NAV. Futures are also subject to leverage risks and to liquidity risk.

High Yield Securities (Junk Bond) Risk. Compared to higher quality debt securities, high yield debt securities (commonly referred to as “junk bonds”) involve a greater risk of default or price changes due to changes in the credit quality of the issuer because they are generally unsecured and may be subordinated to other creditors’ claims. They are considered speculative with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal. High yield debt securities often are issued by smaller, less creditworthy companies or by highly leveraged (indebted) firms, which generally are less able than more financially stable firms to make scheduled payments of interest and principal. The values of junk bonds often fluctuate more in response to company, political, regulatory or economic developments than higher quality bonds, and their values can decline significantly over short periods of time or during periods of economic difficulty when the bonds could be difficult to value or sell at a fair price.

Income Risk. The Fund’s income may decline when interest rates fall because the Fund may hold a significant portion of short duration securities and/or securities that have floating or variable interest rates. To the extent that the Fund invests in lower yielding bonds, and as the bonds in its portfolio mature, the Fund needs to purchase additional bonds, thereby reducing the Fund’s income.

Interest Rate Risk. Interest rate risk refers to the risk that bond prices generally fall as interest rates rise; conversely, bond prices generally rise as interest rates fall. Specific bonds differ in their sensitivity to changes in interest rates depending on their individual characteristics, including duration. “Duration risk” is related to interest rate risk; it refers to the risks associated with the sensitivity of a bond’s price to a one percent change in interest rates. Bonds with longer durations (i.e., a greater length of time until they reach maturity) face greater duration risk, meaning that they tend to exhibit greater volatility and are more sensitive to changes in interest rates than bonds with shorter durations.

Investment Risk. As with all investments, an investment in the Fund is subject to investment risk. Investors in the Fund could lose money, including the possible loss of the entire principal amount of an investment, over short or long periods of time.

Issuer-Specific Changes Risk. The value of an individual security or particular type of security may be more volatile than the market as a whole and may perform differently from the value of the market as a whole.

Large Shareholder Risk. Certain shareholders, including a third party investor, the Fund’s investment adviser or an affiliate of the investment adviser, an AP, a lead market maker, or another entity, may from time to time own a substantial amount of Shares, or may invest in the Fund and hold its investment for a limited period of time solely to facilitate commencement of the Fund or to facilitate the Fund’s achieving a specified size or scale. There can be no assurance that any large shareholder would not redeem its investment, that the size of the Fund would be maintained at such levels or that the Fund would continue to meet applicable listing requirements. Redemptions by large shareholders could have a significant negative impact on the Fund. Similarly, to the extent the Fund permits cash purchases, large purchases of Shares may adversely affect the Fund’s performance to the extent that the Fund is delayed in investing new cash and is required to maintain a larger cash position than it ordinarily would. In addition, transactions by large shareholders may account for a large percentage of the trading volume on the Exchange and may, therefore, have a material upward or downward effect on the market price of the Shares. To the extent the Fund permits redemptions in cash, the Fund may hold a relatively large proportion of its assets in cash in anticipation of large redemptions, diluting its investment returns.

Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk exists when a particular investment is difficult to purchase or sell. If the Fund invests in illiquid securities or current portfolio securities become illiquid, it may reduce the returns of the Fund because the Fund may be unable to sell the illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price.

Management Risk. The Fund is subject to management risk because it is an actively managed portfolio. In managing the Fund’s portfolio holdings, the Sub-Adviser applies investment techniques and risk analyses in making investment decisions for the Fund, but there can be no guarantee that these actions will produce the desired results.

Market Risk. Securities in which the Fund invests are subject to market fluctuations. You should anticipate that the value of the Shares will decline, more or less, in correlation with any decline in value of the securities in the Fund’s portfolio.

 

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

Mortgage-Backed and Asset-Backed Securities Risk. The Fund may invest in mortgage- and asset-backed securities (including commercial mortgage-backed securities), which are subject to call (prepayment) risk, reinvestment risk and extension risk. In addition, these securities are susceptible to an unexpectedly high rate of defaults on the mortgages held by a mortgage pool, which may adversely affect their value. The risk of such defaults depends on the quality of the mortgages underlying such security, the credit quality of its issuer or guarantor, and the nature and structure of its credit support. For example, the risk of default generally is higher in the case of mortgage pools that include subprime mortgages, which are loans made to borrowers with weakened credit histories or with lower capacity to make timely mortgage payments.

Operational Risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risks arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund and the investment adviser seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate to address these risks.

Options Risk. Options or options on futures contracts give the holder of the option the right to buy (or to sell) a position in a security or in a contract to the writer of the option, at a certain price. They are subject to correlation risk because there may be an imperfect correlation between the options and the securities markets that cause a given transaction to fail to achieve its objectives. The successful use of options depends on the Sub-Adviser’s ability to predict correctly future price fluctuations and the degree of correlation between the options and securities markets. Exchanges can limit the number of positions that can be held or controlled by the Fund or the Sub-Adviser, thus limiting the ability to implement the Fund’s strategies. Options are also particularly subject to leverage risk and can be subject to liquidity risk.

Reinvestment Risk. Reinvestment risk is the risk that the Fund will not be able to reinvest income or principal at the same return it is currently earning. Reinvestment risk is greater during periods of declining interest rates, as prepayments often occur faster. It is related to call risk, since issuers of callable securities with high interest coupons may call their bonds before their maturity date. This may require the Fund to reinvest the proceeds at an earlier date, and it may be able to do so only at lower yields, thereby reducing its return.

Rule 144A Securities Risk. Rule 144A securities are restricted securities that can be purchased only by “qualified institutional buyers,” as defined under the Securities Act. The market for Rule 144A securities typically is less active than the market for publicly-traded securities. As such, investing in Rule 144A securities may reduce the liquidity of the Fund’s investments, and the Fund may be unable to sell the security at the desired time or price, if at all. The purchase price and subsequent valuation of Rule 144A securities normally reflect a discount, which may be significant, from the market price of comparable unrestricted securities for which a liquid trading market exists. A restricted security that was liquid at the time of purchase may subsequently become illiquid and its value may decline as a result. In addition, transaction costs may be higher for restricted securities than for more liquid securities. The Fund may also have to bear the expense of registering the securities for resale and the risk of substantial delays in effecting the registration.

Sovereign Debt Risk. Investments in sovereign debt securities involve special risks. The governmental authority that controls the repayment of the debt may be unwilling or unable to repay the principal and/or interest when due in accordance with the terms of such securities due to the extent of its foreign reserves; the availability of sufficient foreign exchange on the date a payment is due; the relative size of the debt service burden to the economy as a whole; or the government debtor’s policy towards the International Monetary Fund and the political constraints to which a government debtor may be subject. If an issuer of sovereign debt defaults on payments of principal and/or interest, the Fund may have limited legal recourse against the issuer and/or guarantor. In certain cases, remedies must be pursued in the courts of the defaulting party itself, and the Fund’s ability to obtain recourse may be limited.

Structured Notes Risk. Investments in structured notes involve risks including interest rate risk, credit risk and market risk. Interest rate risk refers to fluctuations in the value of a note resulting from changes in the general level of interest rates. When the general level of interest rates goes up, the prices of notes tend to go down. Credit risk refers to the possibility that the issuer of a note will be unable and/or unwilling to make timely interest payments and/or repay the principal on its debt. Depending on the factors used, changes in interest rates and movement of such factors may cause significant price fluctuations. Structured notes may be less liquid than other types of securities and more volatile than the reference factor underlying the note. This means that the fund may lose money if the issuer of the note defaults, as the fund may not be able to readily close out its investment in such notes without incurring losses.

Swap Agreements Risk. Swap agreements are contracts among the Fund and a counterparty to exchange the return of the pre-determined underlying investment (such as the rate of return of an index or benchmark). Swap agreements may be negotiated bilaterally and traded OTC between two parties or, in some instances, must be transacted through a futures commission merchant and cleared through a clearinghouse that serves as a central counterparty. Risks associated with the use of swap agreements are different

 

14


from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions, due in part to the fact they could be considered illiquid and many swaps trade on the OTC market. Swaps are particularly subject to counterparty credit, correlation, valuation, liquidity and leveraging risks. Certain standardized swaps are subject to mandatory central clearing. Central clearing is intended to reduce counterparty credit risk and increase liquidity, but central clearing does not make swap transactions risk-free.

To-Be-Announced (“TBA”) Transactions Risk. TBA purchase commitments involve a risk of loss if the value of the securities to be purchased declines prior to settlement date or if the counterparty may not deliver the securities as promised. Selling a TBA involves a risk of loss if the value of the securities to be sold goes up prior to settlement date. TBA transactions involve counterparty risk. Default or bankruptcy of a counterparty to a TBA transaction would expose the Fund to potential loss and could affect the Fund’s returns.

U.S. Government Obligation Risk. The Fund may invest in U.S. government obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies and instrumentalities, including bills, notes and bonds issued by the U.S. Treasury. U.S. Government securities include securities that are issued or guaranteed by the United States Treasury, by various agencies of the U.S. Government, or by various instrumentalities which have been established or sponsored by the U.S. Government. U.S. Treasury securities are backed by the “full faith and credit” of the United States. Securities issued or guaranteed by federal agencies and U.S. Government-sponsored instrumentalities may or may not be backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. In the case of those U.S. Government securities not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States, the investor must look principally to the agency or instrumentality issuing or guaranteeing the security for ultimate repayment, and may not be able to assert a claim against the United States itself in the event that the agency or instrumentality does not meet its commitment. The U.S. Government, its agencies and instrumentalities do not guarantee the market value of their securities, and consequently, the value of such securities may fluctuate.

Valuation Risk. Financial information related to securities of non-U.S. issuers may be less reliable than information related to securities of U.S. issuers, which may make it difficult to obtain a current price for a non-U.S. security held by the Fund. In certain circumstances, market quotations may not be readily available for some Fund securities, and those securities may be fair valued. The value established for a security through fair valuation may be different from what would be produced if the security had been valued using market quotations. Fund 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 the 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 security is sold at a discount to its established value.

Valuation Time Risk. The Fund may invest in foreign bonds and, because foreign exchanges may be open on days when the Fund does not price its Shares, the value of the non-U.S. securities in the Fund’s portfolio may change on days when you will not be able to purchase or sell your Shares. As a result, trading spreads and the resulting premium or discount on the Shares may widen, and, therefore, increase the difference between the market price of the Shares and the Fund’s NAV of such Shares.

Performance

As of the date of this Prospectus, the Fund has not commenced operations and therefore does not have a performance history. Once available, the Fund’s performance information will be accessible on the Fund’s website at www.invesco.com/ETFs and will provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund.

Management of the Fund

Investment Adviser. Invesco Capital Management LLC (the “Adviser”).

Investment Sub-Adviser. Invesco Advisers, Inc. (the “Sub-Adviser”).

Portfolio Managers. The following individuals are responsible jointly and primarily for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio:

 

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Name    Title with Sub-Adviser    Date Began Managing the Fund
Jay Raol    Director, Invesco Fixed Income Quantitative Research of the Sub-Adviser    [        ]
Sash Sarangi                Head of Systematic and Factor Fixed Income of the Sub-Adviser    [        ]
James Ong    Director, Derivative Portfolio Management of the Sub-Adviser    [        ]
Noelle Corum    Portfolio Manager of the Sub-Adviser    [        ]

Purchase and Sale of Shares

The Fund will issue and redeem Shares at NAV only with APs and only in large blocks of 100,000 Shares (each block of Shares is called a “Creation Unit”) or multiples thereof (“Creation Unit Aggregations”), generally in exchange for the deposit or delivery of cash. However, the Fund also reserves the right to permit or require Creation Units to be issued in exchange for the deposit or delivery of a basket of securities. Except when aggregated in Creation Units, the Shares are not redeemable securities of the Fund.

Individual Shares may be purchased and sold only on a national securities exchange through brokers. Shares will be listed for trading on The Nasdaq Stock Market and because the Shares will trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at prices greater than NAV (at a premium), at NAV, or less than NAV (at a discount).

Tax Information

The Fund’s distributions generally are taxed as ordinary income, capital gains or some combination of both, unless you are investing through a tax-advantaged arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account, in which case your distributions may be taxed as ordinary income when withdrawn from such account.

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

If you purchase the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Fund’s distributor or its related companies may pay the intermediary for certain Fund-related activities, including those that are designed to make the intermediary more knowledgeable about exchange-traded products, such as the Fund, as well as for marketing, education or other initiatives related to the sale or promotion of Fund shares. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson or financial adviser to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or financial adviser or visit your financial intermediary’s web-site for more information.

 

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[Ticker]         Invesco Short-Term Bond Factor ETF

 

 

Summary Information

Investment Objective

The Invesco Multi-Sector Bond Income Factor ETF (the “Fund”) seeks total return.

Fund Fees and Expenses

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund (“Shares”). Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Shares, which are not reflected in the table or the example below.

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses

(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Management Fees

   [    ]

Other Expenses(1)

   [    ]

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 funds.

This example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. This example does not include the brokerage commissions that investors may pay to buy and sell Shares. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, your costs, based on these assumptions, would be:

 

1 Year

   3 Years  

[    ]

     [    

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it purchases and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate will cause the Fund to incur additional transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in the Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the example, may affect the Fund’s performance. As of the date of this Prospectus, the Fund has not yet commenced operations and portfolio turnover data therefore is not available.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing, under normal market conditions, at least 80% of its net assets (plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes) in debt securities, and in derivatives and other instruments that have economic characteristics similar to such securities. The kinds of debt securities in which the Fund can invest in include investment grade U.S. corporate and government debt obligations (including securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government or its agencies or federally-chartered entities referred to as “instrumentalities.), as well as mortgage-backed, commercial mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities. Such securities may include certain restricted securities, including securities that are only eligible for resale pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) (such securities being referred to as “Rule 144A Securities”).

Invesco Advisers, Inc. (“IAI” or the “Sub-Adviser”) selects securities for the Fund’s portfolio by utilizing a factor-based strategy that seeks to outperform the Fund’s market-weighted benchmark index. This strategy involves systematically targeting securities represented in the benchmark index exhibiting quantifiable issuer characteristics (or “factors”) that the Sub-Adviser’s research suggests will have higher returns over market cycles. This research is based on the accumulated knowledge of years of academic

 

17


research which the Sub-Adviser uses to select securities that historically have tended to outperform in their respective universe. In practice, this means the Fund may have higher allocations than its benchmark index to: value bonds (bonds that have high spreads relative to other securities of similar credit quality and/or sector); low volatility bonds (bonds that have lower levels of price volatility); and high carry bonds (bonds with higher absolute yield or spread). The portfolio managers expect to include additional factors or modify the factors used to build the Fund’s portfolio as the research evolves. Although the portfolio managers implement a factor-based investment strategy, they retain discretion to position the Fund appropriately in terms of risk exposures and position sizes. Accordingly, the portfolio managers will seek to minimize some of the residual risks associated with the higher allocations to the types of bonds mentioned above (such as duration and sector concentration) including through the use of derivatives, as described below.

“Investment-grade” debt securities are rated in one of the top four rating categories by nationally recognized statistical rating organizations such as Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (Moody’s) or S&P Global Ratings (S&P).. The Fund may also invest in unrated securities, in which case the Sub-Adviser may internally assign ratings to certain of those securities, after assessing their credit quality, in investment grade categories similar to those of nationally recognized statistical rating organizations. There can be no assurance, nor is it intended, that the Sub-Adviser’s credit analysis is consistent or comparable with the credit analysis process used by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization (NRSRO). Although the Fund will primarily invest in securities rated investment grade by at least one major agency (or, if unrated, determined by the Sub-Adviser to be investment grade), it may actively allocate a portion of its portfolio to below-investment grade debt securities (also referred to as “junk” bonds) as well, or hold such below-investment grade debt securities as a result of a rating downgrade after the Fund’s purchases.

The Fund has no limitations on the range of maturities of the debt securities in which it can invest and may hold securities with short-, medium- or long-term maturities. The maturity of a security differs from its effective duration, which attempts to measure the expected sensitivity of a security’s price to interest rate changes. To try to decrease such sensitivity, the Fund seeks to maintain a weighted average effective portfolio duration of one to four years, measured on a dollar-weighted basis using the effective duration of the securities included in the portfolio and the amount invested in each of those securities. However, the duration of the portfolio might not meet that target due to market events or interest rate changes that cause debt securities to be repaid more rapidly or more slowly than expected.

The Fund may purchase securities of issuers of any market capitalization.

The Fund may invest a portion of its assets in foreign debt securities, including securities issued by foreign governments or companies in both developing and emerging markets. The Fund may invest in securities denominated in U.S. dollars or local foreign currencies, however, the portfolio managers may use derivatives to seek to hedge any foreign currency exposure.

The Fund may invest in U.S. agency mortgage pass-through securities and may seek to obtain such exposure primarily through the use of standardized agreements for forward or future delivery in which the actual mortgage pools to be delivered are not specified until shortly prior to settlement (to be announced (“TBA”) transactions). The Fund may also invest in certain collateralized debt obligations (CDOs), including collateralized loan obligations (CLOs).

The Fund may also use certain types of derivative investments for investment purposes or hedging to manage investment risks, including: options, futures, forward contracts, swaps, certain mortgage-related securities or asset-backed securities, “structured” notes and other types of derivatives.

The Fund can use swap contracts, including interest rate swaps, to hedge or adjust its exposure to interest rates. The Fund can also use swap contracts, including credit default swaps, to create long or short exposure to corporate or sovereign debt securities. The Fund can further use swap contracts, including: credit default index swaps, to hedge credit risk or take a position on a basket of credit entities; total return swaps, to gain exposure to a reference asset; and volatility swaps to adjust the volatility profile of the Fund.

The Fund can use options, including currency options, to seek alpha (return on investments in excess of the benchmark index) or to mitigate risk and to hedge against adverse movements in the foreign currencies in which portfolio securities are denominated. The Fund can also use credit default swap options to gain the right to enter into a credit default swap at a specified future date. The Fund can further use swaptions (options on swaps) to manage interest rate risk; and options on bond or rate futures to manage interest rate exposure.

The Fund can use futures contracts, including interest rate futures and Treasury futures, to increase or reduce its exposure to interest rate changes. The Fund can also use currency futures to increase or decrease its exposure to foreign currencies. The Fund can engage in foreign currency transactions either on a spot basis (i.e., for prompt delivery and settlement at the rate prevailing in the currency exchange market at the time) or through forward foreign currency contracts to gain or mitigate the risk of foreign currency exposure.

The Fund may purchase and sell securities on a when-issued and delayed delivery basis, which means that the Fund buys or sells a security with payment and delivery taking place in the future. The payment obligation and the interest rate are fixed at the time the

 

18


Fund enters into the commitment. No income accrues on such securities until the date the Fund actually takes delivery of the securities.

Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund

The following summarizes the principal risks of the Fund.

The Shares will change in value, and you could lose money by investing in the Fund. The Fund may not achieve its investment objective.

Active Trading Risk. Active trading of portfolio securities may result in added expenses, a lower return and increased tax liability.

Agency Debt Risk. The Fund invests in debt issued by government agencies, including the Federal National Mortgage Association(“Fannie Mae”) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation(“Freddie Mac”). Instruments issued by government agencies generally are backed only by the general creditworthiness and reputation of the government agency issuing the instrument and are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. As a result, there is uncertainty as to the current status of many obligations of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and other agencies that are placed under conservatorship of the federal government.

Authorized Participant Concentration Risk. Only authorized participants (“APs”) may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. The Fund has a limited number of institutions that may act as APs, and such APs have no obligation to submit creation or redemption orders. Consequently, there is no assurance that APs will establish or maintain an active trading market for the Shares. This risk may be heightened to the extent that securities held by the Fund are traded outside a collateralized settlement system. In that case, APs may be required to post collateral on certain trades on an agency basis (i.e., on behalf of other market participants), which only a limited number of APs may be able to do. In addition, to the extent that APs exit the business or are unable to proceed with processing creation and/or redemption orders with respect to the Fund and no other AP is able to step forward to create or redeem Creation Units (as defined below), this may result in a significantly diminished trading market for Shares, and Shares may be more likely to trade at a premium or discount to the Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”) and to face trading halts and/or delisting. Investments in non-U.S. securities, which may have lower trading volumes, may increase this risk.

Call Risk. If interest rates fall, it is possible that issuers of callable securities with high interest coupons will “call” (or prepay) their bonds before their maturity date. If an issuer exercised such a call during a period of declining interest rates, the Fund may have to replace such called security with a lower yielding security. If that were to happen, the Fund’s net investment income could fall.

Cash Transaction Risk. Most ETFs generally make in-kind redemptions to avoid being taxed on gains on the distributed portfolio securities at the fund level. However, unlike most ETFs, the Fund currently intends to effect creations and redemptions principally for cash, rather than principally in-kind, due to the nature of the Fund’s investments. As such, the Fund may be required to sell portfolio securities to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. Therefore, the Fund may recognize a capital gain on these sales that might not have been incurred if the Fund had made a redemption in-kind. This may decrease the tax efficiency of the Fund compared to ETFs that utilize an in-kind redemption process and there may be a substantial difference in the after-tax rate of return between the Fund and conventional ETFs.

Changing Global Fixed-Income Market Conditions Risk. The current historically low interest rate environment was created in part by the Federal Reserve Board (“FRB”) and certain foreign central banks keeping the federal funds and equivalent foreign rates at, near or below zero. The “tapering” in 2015 of the FRB’s quantitative easing program, combined with the FRB’s changes to the target range for the Federal Funds Rate (and continued possible fluctuations in equivalent foreign rates) may expose fixed-income markets to heightened volatility and reduced liquidity for certain fixed-income investments, particularly those with longer maturities, although it is difficult to predict the impact of this rate increase and any future rate increases on various markets. In addition, decreases in fixed-income dealer market-making capacity may also potentially lead to heightened volatility and reduced liquidity in the fixed-income markets. As a result, the value of the Fund’s investments and share price may decline. Changes in central bank policies could also result in higher than normal shareholder redemptions, which could potentially increase portfolio turnover rate and the Fund’s transaction costs.

Collateralized Debt Obligations Risk. Investments in CDOs carry the same risks associated with investments in fixed income securities and ABS. CDOs are often highly leveraged and the risks of investing in these instruments may be magnified depending on the class or “tranche” of the CDO securities, that vary in risk and yield. The nature of the risks of a CDO depends largely on the type and quality of the underlying collateral and the tranche of the CDO. In addition, certain CDOs may not hold their underlying collateral directly, but rather, use derivatives such as swaps to create “synthetic” exposure to the collateral pool. Such CDOs entail the risks associated with derivative instruments.

Collateralized Loan Obligations Risk. In addition to the normal interest rate, default and other risks of fixed income securities, CLOs carry additional risks, including the possibility that distributions from collateral securities will not be adequate to make interest or

 

19


other payments, the quality of the collateral may decline in value or default, the Fund may invest in CLOs that are subordinate to other classes, values may be volatile, and disputes with the issuer may produce unexpected investment results.

Commercial Paper Risk. The value of the Fund’s investment in commercial paper, which is an unsecured promissory note that generally has a maturity date between one and 270 days and is issued by a U.S. or foreign entity, is susceptible to changes in the issuer’s financial condition or credit quality. Investments in commercial paper are usually discounted from their value at maturity. Commercial paper can be fixed-rate or variable rate and can be adversely affected by changes in interest rates.

Concentration Risk. The Fund may be susceptible to an increased risk of loss, including losses due to adverse occurrences affecting the Fund more than the market as a whole, to the extent that the Fund’s investments are concentrated in the securities of a particular issuer or issuers, sector or asset class.

Counterparty Risk. Certain of the Fund’s investments in derivatives may involve counterparties, which subjects the Fund to counterparty risk. Counterparty risk is the risk that the other party in an agreement or a participant to a transaction, such as a swap counterparty, might default on a contract or fail to perform by not paying amounts due or fulfilling the delivery conditions of the contract or transaction. In that event, the Fund will have contractual remedies pursuant to the agreements related to the transaction. However, the Fund could experience lengthy delays in recovering its assets and may not receive any recovery at all. Further, there is a risk that no suitable counterparties will be willing to enter into, or continue to enter into, transactions with the Fund, which may cause the Fund to experience difficulty in purchasing or selling these instruments in a timely manner.

Credit Risk. The issuer of instruments in which the Fund invests may be unable to meet interest and/or principal payments. An issuer’s securities may decrease in value if its financial strength weakens, which may reduce its credit rating and possibly its ability to meet its contractual obligations. Even in the case of collateralized debt obligations, there is no assurance that the sale of collateral would raise enough cash to satisfy an issuer’s payment obligations or that the collateral can or will be liquidated.

Currency Risk. Because the Fund’s NAV is determined in U.S. dollars, the Fund’s NAV could decline if the currency of a non-U.S. market in which the Fund invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar. Generally, an increase in the value of the U.S. dollar against a foreign currency will reduce the value of a security denominated in that foreign currency, thereby decreasing a Fund’s overall NAV. Exchange rates may be volatile and may change quickly and unpredictably in response to both global economic developments and economic conditions, causing an adverse impact on the Fund. As a result, investors have the potential for losses regardless of the length of time they intend to hold Shares.

Derivatives Risk. Derivatives may pose risks in addition to and greater than those associated with investing directly in securities, currencies or other investments, including risks relating to leverage, imperfect correlations with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, high price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty credit, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions. Their use is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. If the Sub-Adviser is incorrect about its expectations of market conditions, the use of derivatives could also result in a loss, which in some cases may be unlimited. Some of the derivatives in which the Fund invests are traded (and privately negotiated) in the OTC market. OTC derivatives are subject to heightened credit, liquidity and valuation risks. Certain risks also are specific to the derivatives in which the Fund invests.

Dollar Roll Transaction Risk. The Fund may enter into dollar roll transactions, in which the Fund sells a mortgage-backed or other security for settlement on one date and buys back a substantially similar security for settlement at a later date. Dollar rolls involve a risk of loss if the market value of the securities that the Fund is committed to buy declines below the price of the securities the Fund has sold.

Emerging Markets Sovereign Debt Risk. Government obligors in emerging market countries are among the world’s largest debtors to commercial banks, other governments, international financial organizations and other financial institutions. Historically, certain issuers of the government debt securities in which the Fund may invest have experienced substantial difficulties in meeting their external debt obligations, resulting in defaults on certain obligations and the restructuring of certain indebtedness. Such restructuring arrangements have included obtaining additional credit to finance outstanding obligations and the reduction and rescheduling of payments of interest and principal through the negotiation of new or amended credit agreements.

Extension Risk. Extension risk is the opposite of reinvestment risk, and typically occurs when interest rates rise, thereby causing repayments of fixed income securities to occur more slowly than expected by the market. This may drive the prices of these securities down because their interest rates are lower than the current interest rate and they have longer duration (resulting in increased sensitivity to interest rate changes).

Fixed-Income Securities Risk. Fixed-income securities are subject to interest rate risk and credit risk. Interest rate risk refers to fluctuations in the value of a fixed-income security resulting from changes in the general level of interest rates. When the general level of interest rates goes up, the prices of most fixed-income securities go down. When the general level of interest rates goes down, the

 

20


prices of most fixed-income securities go up. Fixed-income securities with longer maturities typically are more sensitive to changes in interest rates, making them more volatile than securities with shorter maturities. Credit risk refers to the possibility that the issuer of a security will be unable and/or unwilling to make timely interest payments and/or repay the principal on its debt. Debt instruments are subject to varying degrees of credit risk, which may be reflected in credit ratings. There is a possibility that the credit rating of a fixed-income security may be downgraded after purchase, which may adversely affect the value of the security.

Foreign Fixed Income Investment Risk. Investments in fixed income securities of non-U.S. issuers are subject to the same risks as other debt securities, notably credit risk, market risk, interest rate risk and liquidity risk, while also facing risks beyond those associated with investments in U.S. securities. For example, foreign securities may have relatively low market liquidity, greater market volatility, decreased publicly available information, and less reliable financial information about issuers, and inconsistent and potentially less stringent accounting, auditing and financial reporting requirements and standards of practice comparable to those applicable to domestic issuers. Foreign securities also are subject to the risks of expropriation, nationalization, political instability or other adverse political or economic developments and the difficulty of enforcing obligations in other countries. Investments in foreign securities also may be subject to dividend withholding or confiscatory taxes, currency blockage and/or transfer restrictions and higher transactional costs.

Futures Contracts Risk. Futures contracts are typically exchange-traded contracts that call for the future delivery of an asset at a certain price and date, or cash settlement of the terms of the contract. Risks of futures contracts may be caused by an imperfect correlation between movements in the price of the instruments and the price of the underlying securities. In addition, there is the risk that the Fund may not be able to enter into a closing transaction because of an illiquid market. Exchanges can limit the number of positions that can be held or controlled by the Fund or the Sub-Adviser, thus limiting the ability to implement the Fund’s strategies. Futures markets are highly volatile and the use of futures may increase the volatility of the Fund’s NAV. Futures are also subject to leverage risks and to liquidity risk.

High Yield Securities (Junk Bond) Risk. Compared to higher quality debt securities, high yield debt securities (commonly referred to as “junk bonds”) involve a greater risk of default or price changes due to changes in the credit quality of the issuer because they are generally unsecured and may be subordinated to other creditors’ claims. They are considered speculative with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal. High yield debt securities often are issued by smaller, less creditworthy companies or by highly leveraged (indebted) firms, which generally are less able than more financially stable firms to make scheduled payments of interest and principal. The values of junk bonds often fluctuate more in response to company, political, regulatory or economic developments than higher quality bonds, and their values can decline significantly over short periods of time or during periods of economic difficulty when the bonds could be difficult to value or sell at a fair price.

Income Risk. The Fund’s income may decline when interest rates fall because the Fund may hold a significant portion of short duration securities and/or securities that have floating or variable interest rates. To the extent that the Fund invests in lower yielding bonds, and as the bonds in its portfolio mature, the Fund needs to purchase additional bonds, thereby reducing the Fund’s income.

Interest Rate Risk. Interest rate risk refers to the risk that bond prices generally fall as interest rates rise; conversely, bond prices generally rise as interest rates fall. Specific bonds differ in their sensitivity to changes in interest rates depending on their individual characteristics, including duration. “Duration risk” is related to interest rate risk; it refers to the risks associated with the sensitivity of a bond’s price to a one percent change in interest rates. Bonds with longer durations (i.e., a greater length of time until they reach maturity) face greater duration risk, meaning that they tend to exhibit greater volatility and are more sensitive to changes in interest rates than bonds with shorter durations.

Investment Risk. As with all investments, an investment in the Fund is subject to investment risk. Investors in the Fund could lose money, including the possible loss of the entire principal amount of an investment, over short or long periods of time.

Issuer-Specific Changes Risk. The value of an individual security or particular type of security may be more volatile than the market as a whole and may perform differently from the value of the market as a whole.

Large Shareholder Risk. Certain shareholders, including a third party investor, the Fund’s investment adviser or an affiliate of the investment adviser, an AP, a lead market maker, or another entity, may from time to time own a substantial amount of Shares, or may invest in the Fund and hold its investment for a limited period of time solely to facilitate commencement of the Fund or to facilitate the Fund’s achieving a specified size or scale. There can be no assurance that any large shareholder would not redeem its investment, that the size of the Fund would be maintained at such levels or that the Fund would continue to meet applicable listing requirements. Redemptions by large shareholders could have a significant negative impact on the Fund. Similarly, to the extent the Fund permits cash purchases, large purchases of Shares may adversely affect the Fund’s performance to the extent that the Fund is delayed in investing new cash and is required to maintain a larger cash position than it ordinarily would. In addition, transactions by large shareholders may account for a large percentage of the trading volume on the Exchange and may, therefore, have a material upward or

 

21


downward effect on the market price of the Shares. To the extent the Fund permits redemptions in cash, the Fund may hold a relatively large proportion of its assets in cash in anticipation of large redemptions, diluting its investment returns.

Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk exists when a particular investment is difficult to purchase or sell. If the Fund invests in illiquid securities or current portfolio securities become illiquid, it may reduce the returns of the Fund because the Fund may be unable to sell the illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price.

Management Risk. The Fund is subject to management risk because it is an actively managed portfolio. In managing the Fund’s portfolio holdings, the Sub-Adviser applies investment techniques and risk analyses in making investment decisions for the Fund, but there can be no guarantee that these actions will produce the desired results.

Market Risk. Securities in which the Fund invests are subject to market fluctuations. You should anticipate that the value of the Shares will decline, more or less, in correlation with any decline in value of the securities in the Fund’s portfolio.

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

Mortgage-Backed and Asset-Backed Securities Risk. The Fund may invest in mortgage- and asset-backed securities (including commercial mortgage-backed securities), which are subject to call (prepayment) risk, reinvestment risk and extension risk. In addition, these securities are susceptible to an unexpectedly high rate of defaults on the mortgages held by a mortgage pool, which may adversely affect their value. The risk of such defaults depends on the quality of the mortgages underlying such security, the credit quality of its issuer or guarantor, and the nature and structure of its credit support. For example, the risk of default generally is higher in the case of mortgage pools that include subprime mortgages, which are loans made to borrowers with weakened credit histories or with lower capacity to make timely mortgage payments.

Operational Risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risks arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund and the investment adviser seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate to address these risks.

Options Risk. Options or options on futures contracts give the holder of the option the right to buy (or to sell) a position in a security or in a contract to the writer of the option, at a certain price. They are subject to correlation risk because there may be an imperfect correlation between the options and the securities markets that cause a given transaction to fail to achieve its objectives. The successful use of options depends on the Sub-Adviser’s ability to predict correctly future price fluctuations and the degree of correlation between the options and securities markets. Exchanges can limit the number of positions that can be held or controlled by the Fund or the Sub-Adviser, thus limiting the ability to implement the Fund’s strategies. Options are also particularly subject to leverage risk and can be subject to liquidity risk.

Reinvestment Risk. Reinvestment risk is the risk that the Fund will not be able to reinvest income or principal at the same return it is currently earning. Reinvestment risk is greater during periods of declining interest rates, as prepayments often occur faster. It is related to call risk, since issuers of callable securities with high interest coupons may call their bonds before their maturity date. This may require the Fund to reinvest the proceeds at an earlier date, and it may be able to do so only at lower yields, thereby reducing its return.

Rule 144A Securities Risk. Rule 144A securities are restricted securities that can be purchased only by “qualified institutional buyers,” as defined under the Securities Act. The market for Rule 144A securities typically is less active than the market for publicly-traded securities. As such, investing in Rule 144A securities may reduce the liquidity of the Fund’s investments, and the Fund may be unable to sell the security at the desired time or price, if at all. The purchase price and subsequent valuation of Rule 144A securities normally reflect a discount, which may be significant, from the market price of comparable unrestricted securities for which a liquid trading market exists. A restricted security that was liquid at the time of purchase may subsequently become illiquid and its value may decline as a result. In addition, transaction costs may be higher for restricted securities than for more liquid securities. The Fund may also have to bear the expense of registering the securities for resale and the risk of substantial delays in effecting the registration.

Sovereign Debt Risk. Investments in sovereign debt securities involve special risks. The governmental authority that controls the repayment of the debt may be unwilling or unable to repay the principal and/or interest when due in accordance with the terms of such securities due to the extent of its foreign reserves; the availability of sufficient foreign exchange on the date a payment is due; the relative size of the debt service burden to the economy as a whole; or the government debtor’s policy towards the International Monetary Fund and the political constraints to which a government debtor may be subject. If an issuer of sovereign debt defaults on

 

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payments of principal and/or interest, the Fund may have limited legal recourse against the issuer and/or guarantor. In certain cases, remedies must be pursued in the courts of the defaulting party itself, and the Fund’s ability to obtain recourse may be limited.

Structured Notes Risk. Investments in structured notes involve risks including interest rate risk, credit risk and market risk. Interest rate risk refers to fluctuations in the value of a note resulting from changes in the general level of interest rates. When the general level of interest rates goes up, the prices of notes tend to go down. Credit risk refers to the possibility that the issuer of a note will be unable and/or unwilling to make timely interest payments and/or repay the principal on its debt. Depending on the factors used, changes in interest rates and movement of such factors may cause significant price fluctuations. Structured notes may be less liquid than other types of securities and more volatile than the reference factor underlying the note. This means that the fund may lose money if the issuer of the note defaults, as the fund may not be able to readily close out its investment in such notes without incurring losses.

Swap Agreements Risk. Swap agreements are contracts among the Fund and a counterparty to exchange the return of the pre-determined underlying investment (such as the rate of return of an index or benchmark). Swap agreements may be negotiated bilaterally and traded OTC between two parties or, in some instances, must be transacted through a futures commission merchant and cleared through a clearinghouse that serves as a central counterparty. Risks associated with the use of swap agreements are different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions, due in part to the fact they could be considered illiquid and many swaps trade on the OTC market. Swaps are particularly subject to counterparty credit, correlation, valuation, liquidity and leveraging risks. Certain standardized swaps are subject to mandatory central clearing. Central clearing is intended to reduce counterparty credit risk and increase liquidity, but central clearing does not make swap transactions risk-free.

To-Be-Announced (“TBA”) Transactions Risk. TBA purchase commitments involve a risk of loss if the value of the securities to be purchased declines prior to settlement date or if the counterparty may not deliver the securities as promised. Selling a TBA involves a risk of loss if the value of the securities to be sold goes up prior to settlement date. TBA transactions involve counterparty risk. Default or bankruptcy of a counterparty to a TBA transaction would expose the Fund to potential loss and could affect the Fund’s returns.

U.S. Government Obligation Risk. The Fund may invest in U.S. government obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies and instrumentalities, including bills, notes and bonds issued by the U.S. Treasury. U.S. Government securities include securities that are issued or guaranteed by the United States Treasury, by various agencies of the U.S. Government, or by various instrumentalities which have been established or sponsored by the U.S. Government. U.S. Treasury securities are backed by the “full faith and credit” of the United States. Securities issued or guaranteed by federal agencies and U.S. Government-sponsored instrumentalities may or may not be backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. In the case of those U.S. Government securities not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States, the investor must look principally to the agency or instrumentality issuing or guaranteeing the security for ultimate repayment, and may not be able to assert a claim against the United States itself in the event that the agency or instrumentality does not meet its commitment. The U.S. Government, its agencies and instrumentalities do not guarantee the market value of their securities, and consequently, the value of such securities may fluctuate.

Valuation Risk. Financial information related to securities of non-U.S. issuers may be less reliable than information related to securities of U.S. issuers, which may make it difficult to obtain a current price for a non-U.S. security held by the Fund. In certain circumstances, market quotations may not be readily available for some Fund securities, and those securities may be fair valued. The value established for a security through fair valuation may be different from what would be produced if the security had been valued using market quotations. Fund 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 the 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 security is sold at a discount to its established value.

Valuation Time Risk. The Fund may invest in foreign bonds and, because foreign exchanges may be open on days when the Fund does not price its Shares, the value of the non-U.S. securities in the Fund’s portfolio may change on days when you will not be able to purchase or sell your Shares. As a result, trading spreads and the resulting premium or discount on the Shares may widen, and, therefore, increase the difference between the market price of the Shares and the Fund’s NAV of such Shares.

Performance

As of the date of this Prospectus, the Fund has not commenced operations and therefore does not have a performance history. Once available, the Fund’s performance information will be accessible on the Fund’s website at www.invesco.com/ETFs and will provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund.

Management of the Fund

Investment Adviser. Invesco Capital Management LLC (the “Adviser”).

 

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Investment Sub-Adviser. Invesco Advisers, Inc. (the “Sub-Adviser”).

Portfolio Managers. The following individuals are responsible jointly and primarily for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio:

 

Name    Title with Sub-Adviser    Date Began Managing the Fund
Jay Raol    Director, Invesco Fixed Income Quantitative Research of the Sub-Adviser    [        ]
Sash Sarangi                Head of Systematic and Factor Fixed Income of the Sub-Adviser    [        ]
James Ong    Director, Derivative Portfolio Management of the Sub-Adviser    [        ]
Noelle Corum    Portfolio Manager of the Sub-Adviser    [        ]

Purchase and Sale of Shares

The Fund will issue and redeem Shares at NAV only with APs and only in large blocks of 100,000 Shares (each block of Shares is called a “Creation Unit”) or multiples thereof (“Creation Unit Aggregations”), generally in exchange for the deposit or delivery of cash. However, the Fund also reserves the right to permit or require Creation Units to be issued in exchange for the deposit or delivery of a basket of securities. Except when aggregated in Creation Units, the Shares are not redeemable securities of the Fund.

Individual Shares may be purchased and sold only on a national securities exchange through brokers. Shares will be listed for trading on The Nasdaq Stock Market and because the Shares will trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at prices greater than NAV (at a premium), at NAV, or less than NAV (at a discount).

Tax Information

The Fund’s distributions generally are taxed as ordinary income, capital gains or some combination of both, unless you are investing through a tax-advantaged arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account, in which case your distributions may be taxed as ordinary income when withdrawn from such account.

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

If you purchase the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Fund’s distributor or its related companies may pay the intermediary for certain Fund-related activities, including those that are designed to make the intermediary more knowledgeable about exchange-traded products, such as the Fund, as well as for marketing, education or other initiatives related to the sale or promotion of Fund shares. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson or financial adviser to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or financial adviser or visit your financial intermediary’s web-site for more information.

 

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Additional Information About the Funds’ Strategies and Risks

Principal Investment Strategies

Invesco Intermediate Bond Factor ETF

The Fund is an actively managed ETF that seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing, under normal market conditions, at least 80% of its net assets (plus borrowings for investment purposes) in debt securities, and in derivatives and other instruments that have economic characteristics similar to such securities. The kinds of debt securities in which the Fund can invest in include investment grade U.S. corporate and government debt obligations (including securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government or its agencies or federally-chartered entities referred to as “instrumentalities.), as well as mortgage-backed, commercial mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities. Such securities may include certain restricted securities, including Rule 144A Securities.

The Sub-Adviser selects securities for the Fund’s portfolio by utilizing a factor-based strategy that seeks to outperform the Fund’s market-weighted benchmark index. This strategy involves systematically targeting securities represented in the benchmark index exhibiting quantifiable issuer characteristics (or “factors”) that the Sub-Adviser’s research suggests will have higher returns over market cycles. This research is based on the accumulated knowledge of years of academic research which the Sub-Adviser uses to select securities that historically have tended to outperform in their respective universe. In practice, this means the Fund may have higher allocations than its benchmark index to: value bonds (bonds that have high spreads relative to other securities of similar credit quality and/or sector); low volatility bonds (bonds that have lower levels of price volatility); and high carry bonds (bonds with higher absolute yield or spread). The portfolio managers expect to include additional factors or modify the factors used to build the Fund’s portfolio as the research evolves. Although the portfolio managers implement a factor-based investment strategy, they retain discretion to position the Fund appropriately in terms of risk exposures and position sizes. Accordingly, the portfolio managers will seek to minimize some of the residual risks associated with the higher allocations to the types of bonds mentioned above (such as duration and sector concentration) including through the use of derivatives, as described below.

“Investment-grade” debt securities are rated in one of the top four rating categories by nationally recognized statistical rating organizations such as Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (Moody’s) or S&P Global Ratings (S&P). The Fund may also invest in unrated securities, in which case the Sub-Adviser may internally assign ratings to certain of those securities, after assessing their credit quality, in investment grade categories similar to those of nationally recognized statistical rating organizations. There can be no assurance, nor is it intended, that the Sub-Adviser’s credit analysis is consistent or comparable with the credit analysis process used by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization (NRSRO). Under normal market condition, the Fund will only purchase securities rated investment grade by at least one major agency (or, if unrated, determined by the Sub-Adviser to be investment grade). However, the Fund may nonetheless hold below-investment grade debt securities (also referred to as “junk” bonds) in instances where a debt security’s rating is downgraded after the Fund purchases it. The Sub-Adviser does not impose any limit on below-investment grade holdings in instances of bonds being downgraded.

The Fund has no limitations on the range of maturities of the debt securities in which it can invest and may hold securities with short-, medium- or long-term maturities. The maturity of a security differs from its effective duration, which attempts to measure the expected sensitivity of a security’s price to interest rate changes. To try to decrease such sensitivity, the Fund seeks to maintain a weighted average effective portfolio duration of four to ten years, measured on a dollar-weighted basis using the effective duration of the securities included in the portfolio and the amount invested in each of those securities. However, the duration of the portfolio might not meet that target due to market events or interest rate changes that cause debt securities to be repaid more rapidly or more slowly than expected.

The Fund may purchase securities of issuers of any market capitalization.

The Fund may invest a portion of its assets in foreign debt securities, including securities issued by foreign governments or companies in both developing and emerging markets. The Fund may invest in securities denominated in U.S. dollars or local foreign currencies, however, the portfolio managers may use derivatives to seek to hedge any foreign currency exposure.

The Fund may invest in U.S. agency mortgage pass-through securities and may seek to obtain such exposure primarily through the use of standardized agreements for forward or future delivery in which the actual mortgage pools to be delivered are not specified until shortly prior to settlement (TBA transactions).

 

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The Fund may also use certain types of derivative investments for investment purposes or hedging to manage investment risks, including: options, futures, forward contracts, swaps, certain mortgage-related securities or asset-backed securities, “structured” notes and other types of derivatives.

The Fund can use swap contracts, including interest rate swaps, to hedge or adjust its exposure to interest rates. The Fund can also use swap contracts, including credit default swaps, to create long or short exposure to corporate or sovereign debt securities. The Fund can further use swap contracts, including: credit default index swaps, to hedge credit risk or take a position on a basket of credit entities; total return swaps, to gain exposure to a reference asset; and volatility swaps to adjust the volatility profile of the Fund.

The Fund can use options, including currency options, to seek alpha (return on investments in excess of the benchmark index) or to mitigate risk and to hedge against adverse movements in the foreign currencies in which portfolio securities are denominated. The Fund can also use credit default swap options to gain the right to enter into a credit default swap at a specified future date. The Fund can further use swaptions (options on swaps) to manage interest rate risk; and options on bond or rate futures to manage interest rate exposure.

The Fund can use futures contracts, including interest rate futures and Treasury futures, to increase or reduce its exposure to interest rate changes. The Fund can also use currency futures to increase or decrease its exposure to foreign currencies. The Fund can engage in foreign currency transactions either on a spot basis (i.e., for prompt delivery and settlement at the rate prevailing in the currency exchange market at the time) or through forward foreign currency contracts to gain or mitigate the risk of foreign currency exposure.

The Fund may purchase and sell securities on a when-issued and delayed delivery basis, which means that the Fund buys or sells a security with payment and delivery taking place in the future. The payment obligation and the interest rate are fixed at the time the Fund enters into the commitment. No income accrues on such securities until the date the Fund actually takes delivery of the securities.

Invesco Multi-Sector Bond Income Factor ETF

The Fund is an actively managed ETF that seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing, under normal market conditions, at least 80% of its net assets (plus borrowings for investment purposes) in debt securities, and in derivatives and other instruments that have economic characteristics similar to such securities. The Fund will primarily hold a multi-sector portfolio of debt securities, including corporate bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. issuers (including U.S. and foreign government issuers).

The Sub-Adviser selects securities for the Fund’s portfolio by utilizing a factor-based strategy that seeks to outperform the Fund’s market-weighted benchmark index. This strategy involves systematically targeting securities represented in the benchmark index exhibiting quantifiable issuer characteristics (or “factors”) that the Sub-Adviser’s research suggests will have higher returns over market cycles. This research is based on the accumulated knowledge of years of academic research which the Sub-Adviser uses to select securities that historically have tended to outperform in their respective universe. In practice, this means the Fund may have higher allocations than its benchmark index to: value bonds (bonds that have high spreads relative to other securities of similar credit quality and/or sector); low volatility bonds (bonds that have lower levels of price volatility); and high carry bonds (bonds with higher absolute yield or spread). The portfolio managers expect to include additional factors or modify the factors used to build the Fund’s portfolio as the research evolves. Although the portfolio managers implement a factor-based investment strategy, they retain discretion to position the Fund appropriately in terms of risk exposures and position sizes. Accordingly, the portfolio managers will seek to minimize some of the residual risks associated with the higher allocations to the types of bonds mentioned above (such as duration and sector concentration) including through the use of derivatives, as described below.

The Sub-Adviser selects securities for the Fund’s portfolio across a broad spectrum of sectors, which may include (without limitation): (i) investment grade debt (securities are rated in one of the top four rating categories by at least one nationally recognized statistical rating organizations such as Moody’s or Standard & Poor’s); (ii) below-investment grade debt (also referred to as “junk” bonds); (iii) bonds issued by U.S. and non-U.S. corporate issuers; (iv) fixed income securities issued by the U.S. government and its agencies; (v) fixed income securities issued by non-U.S. governments (including governments of emerging market countries); and (vi) mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, such as collateralized mortgage obligations (CMOs), collateralized debt obligations (CDOs), and collateralized loan obligations (CLOs). However, the Sub-Adviser does not specifically seek exposure (of any allocation size) to any one investment sector and the Fund’s portfolio will vary in exposure to investment sectors over time. The Fund may invest in securities denominated in U.S. dollars or local foreign currencies, however, the Fund may use derivatives to seek to hedge any foreign currency exposure.

 

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The Fund may purchase securities of any maturity and of issuers of any market capitalization. In seeking exposure to U.S. agency mortgage pass-through securities, the Fund may use of standardized agreements for forward or future delivery in which the actual mortgage pools to be delivered are not specified until shortly prior to settlement (TBA transactions).

Additionally, the Fund use certain types of derivative investments for investment purposes or hedging to manage investment risks, including: options, futures, forward contracts, swaps, certain mortgage-related securities or asset-backed securities, “structured” notes and other types of derivatives.

The Fund can use swap contracts, including interest rate swaps, to hedge or adjust its exposure to interest rates. The Fund can also use swap contracts, including credit default swaps, to create long or short exposure to corporate or sovereign debt securities. The Fund can further use swap contracts, including: credit default index swaps, to hedge credit risk or take a position on a basket of credit entities; total return swaps, to gain exposure to a reference asset; and volatility swaps to adjust the volatility profile of the Fund.

The Fund can use options, including currency options, to seek alpha (return on investments in excess of the benchmark index) or to mitigate risk and to hedge against adverse movements in the foreign currencies in which portfolio securities are denominated. The Fund can also use credit default swap options to gain the right to enter into a credit default swap at a specified future date. The Fund can further use swaptions (options on swaps) to manage interest rate risk; and options on bond or rate futures to manage interest rate exposure.

The Fund can use futures contracts, including interest rate futures and Treasury futures, to increase or reduce its exposure to interest rate changes. The Fund can also use currency futures to increase or decrease its exposure to foreign currencies. The Fund can engage in foreign currency transactions either on a spot basis (i.e., for prompt delivery and settlement at the rate prevailing in the currency exchange market at the time) or through forward foreign currency contracts to gain or mitigate the risk of foreign currency exposure.

The Fund may purchase and sell securities on a when-issued and delayed delivery basis, which means that the Fund buys or sells a security with payment and delivery taking place in the future. The payment obligation and the interest rate are fixed at the time the Fund enters into the commitment. No income accrues on such securities until the date the Fund actually takes delivery of the securities.

Invesco Short-Term Bond Factor ETF

The Fund is an actively managed ETF that seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing, under normal market conditions, at least 80% of its net assets (plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes) in debt securities, and in derivatives and other instruments that have economic characteristics similar to such securities. The kinds of debt securities in which the Fund can invest in include investment grade U.S. corporate and government debt obligations (including securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government or its agencies or federally-chartered entities referred to as “instrumentalities.), as well as mortgage-backed, commercial mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities. Such securities may include certain restricted securities, including Rule 144A Securities.

The Sub-Adviser selects securities for the Fund’s portfolio by utilizing a factor-based strategy that seeks to outperform the Fund’s market-weighted benchmark index. This strategy involves systematically targeting securities represented in the benchmark index exhibiting quantifiable issuer characteristics (or “factors”) that the Sub-Adviser’s research suggests will have higher returns over market cycles. This research is based on the accumulated knowledge of years of academic research which the Sub-Adviser uses to select securities that historically have tended to outperform in their respective universe. In practice, this means the Fund may have higher allocations than its benchmark index to: value bonds (bonds that have high spreads relative to other securities of similar credit quality and/or sector); low volatility bonds (bonds that have lower levels of price volatility); and high carry bonds (bonds with higher absolute yield or spread). The portfolio managers expect to include additional factors or modify the factors used to build the Fund’s portfolio as the research evolves. Although the portfolio managers implement a factor-based investment strategy, they retain discretion to position the Fund appropriately in terms of risk exposures and position sizes. Accordingly, the portfolio managers will seek to minimize some of the residual risks associated with the higher allocations to the types of bonds mentioned above (such as duration and sector concentration) including through the use of derivatives, as described below.

“Investment-grade” debt securities are rated in one of the top four rating categories by nationally recognized statistical rating organizations such as Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (Moody’s) or S&P Global Ratings (S&P).. The Fund may also invest in unrated securities, in which case the Sub-Adviser may internally assign ratings to certain of those securities, after assessing their credit quality, in investment grade categories similar to those of nationally recognized statistical rating organizations. There can be no assurance, nor is it intended, that the Sub-Adviser’s credit analysis is consistent or comparable with the credit analysis process used by

 

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a nationally recognized statistical rating organization (NRSRO). Although the Fund will primarily invest in securities rated investment grade by at least one major agency (or, if unrated, determined by the Sub-Adviser to be investment grade), it may actively allocate a portion of its portfolio to below-investment grade debt securities (also referred to as “junk” bonds) as well, or hold such below-investment grade debt securities as a result of a rating downgrade after the Fund’s purchases.

The Fund has no limitations on the range of maturities of the debt securities in which it can invest and may hold securities with short-, medium- or long-term maturities. The maturity of a security differs from its effective duration, which attempts to measure the expected sensitivity of a security’s price to interest rate changes. To try to decrease such sensitivity, the Fund seeks to maintain a weighted average effective portfolio duration of one to four years, measured on a dollar-weighted basis using the effective duration of the securities included in the portfolio and the amount invested in each of those securities. However, the duration of the portfolio might not meet that target due to market events or interest rate changes that cause debt securities to be repaid more rapidly or more slowly than expected.

The Fund may purchase securities of issuers of any market capitalization.

The Fund may invest a portion of its assets in foreign debt securities, including securities issued by foreign governments or companies in both developing and emerging markets. The Fund may invest in securities denominated in U.S. dollars or local foreign currencies, however, the portfolio managers may use derivatives to seek to hedge any foreign currency exposure.

The Fund may invest in U.S. agency mortgage pass-through securities and may seek to obtain such exposure primarily through the use of standardized agreements for forward or future delivery in which the actual mortgage pools to be delivered are not specified until shortly prior to settlement (TBA transactions). The Fund may also invest in certain collateralized debt obligations (CDOs), including collateralized loan obligations (CLOs).

The Fund may also use certain types of derivative investments for investment purposes or hedging to manage investment risks, including: options, futures, forward contracts, swaps, certain mortgage-related securities or asset-backed securities, “structured” notes and other types of derivatives.

The Fund can use swap contracts, including interest rate swaps, to hedge or adjust its exposure to interest rates. The Fund can also use swap contracts, including credit default swaps, to create long or short exposure to corporate or sovereign debt securities. The Fund can further use swap contracts, including: credit default index swaps, to hedge credit risk or take a position on a basket of credit entities; total return swaps, to gain exposure to a reference asset; and volatility swaps to adjust the volatility profile of the Fund.

The Fund can use options, including currency options, to seek alpha (return on investments in excess of the benchmark index) or to mitigate risk and to hedge against adverse movements in the foreign currencies in which portfolio securities are denominated. The Fund can also use credit default swap options to gain the right to enter into a credit default swap at a specified future date. The Fund can further use swaptions (options on swaps) to manage interest rate risk; and options on bond or rate futures to manage interest rate exposure.

The Fund can use futures contracts, including interest rate futures and Treasury futures, to increase or reduce its exposure to interest rate changes. The Fund can also use currency futures to increase or decrease its exposure to foreign currencies. The Fund can engage in foreign currency transactions either on a spot basis (i.e., for prompt delivery and settlement at the rate prevailing in the currency exchange market at the time) or through forward foreign currency contracts to gain or mitigate the risk of foreign currency exposure.

The Fund may purchase and sell securities on a when-issued and delayed delivery basis, which means that the Fund buys or sells a security with payment and delivery taking place in the future. The payment obligation and the interest rate are fixed at the time the Fund enters into the commitment. No income accrues on such securities until the date the Fund actually takes delivery of the securities.

Temporary Defensive Strategies

Each Fund may take a temporary defensive position and hold a portion of its assets in cash or cash equivalents and money market funds (including affiliated money market funds) if there are inadequate investment opportunities available due to adverse market, economic, political or other conditions, or atypical circumstances such as unusually large cash inflows or redemptions. Doing so could help a Fund avoid losses in the event of falling market prices and provide liquidity to make additional investments, but may mean lost investment opportunities in a period of rising market prices. During these periods, a Fund may not achieve its investment objective.

Principal Risks of Investing in the Funds

The following provides additional information regarding certain of the principal risks identified under “Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund” in each Fund’s “Summary Information” section. Any of the following risks may impact a Fund’s NAV, which could result in the Fund trading at a premium or discount to NAV.

 

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Active Trading Risk

Active trading of portfolio securities may result in added expenses, a lower return and increased tax liability. Specifically, active trading of portfolio securities may result in high brokerage costs, which may lower a fund’s actual return. Active trading also may increase the proportion of a fund’s gains that are short-term capital gains, which are treated as ordinary income and taxed at a higher rate than long-term gains.

Agency Debt Risk

Instruments issued by government agencies, including Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, generally are backed only by the general creditworthiness and reputation of the government agency issuing the instrument and are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. As a result, there is uncertainty as to the current status of many obligations of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and other agencies that are placed under conservatorship of the federal government.

Authorized Participant Concentration Risk

Only APs may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with a fund. Each fund has a limited number of institutions that may act as APs, and such APs have no obligation to submit creation or redemption orders. Consequently, there is no assurance that APs will establish or maintain an active trading market for the Shares. This risk may be heightened to the extent that securities held by a fund are traded outside a collateralized settlement system. In that case, APs may be required to post collateral on certain trades on an agency basis (i.e., on behalf of other market participants), which only a limited number of APs may be able to do. In addition, to the extent that APs exit the business or are unable to proceed with processing creation and/or redemption orders with respect to a fund and no other AP is able to step forward to create or redeem Creation Units (as defined below), this may result in a significantly diminished trading market for Shares, and Shares may be more likely to trade at a premium or discount to a fund’s NAV and to face trading halts and/or delisting. Investments in non-U.S. securities, which may have lower trading volumes, may increase this risk.

Call Risk

Call risk (also termed prepayment risk) is the risk that a borrower repays its debts earlier than expected (especially if interest rates decline), resulting in premature repayment of a debt instrument. If interest rates fall, issuers of callable securities with high interest coupons may “call” (or repay) their bonds before their maturity date in accordance with the terms of the security. If such a repayment were to occur, a fund would receive the principal (par) amount of the security and would no longer own that security. Any reinvestment of the amount of principal received would be subject to reinvestment risk, and a fund could be forced to reinvest in a lower yielding security, which could reduce the fund’s net investment income. If a fund purchases a debt security at a premium to its par value, and that security is called at par, the fund could lose money.

Cash Transaction Risk

Unlike most ETFs, the funds effect creations and redemptions principally for cash, rather than principally in-kind because of the nature of each fund’s investments. ETFs generally are able to make in-kind redemptions and avoid being taxed on gain on the distributed portfolio securities at the fund level. Because these funds currently intend to effect redemptions principally for cash, rather than principally for in-kind securities, they may be required to sell portfolio securities in order to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. A fund may recognize a capital gain on these sales that might not have been incurred if the fund had made a redemption in-kind, and this may decrease the tax efficiency of the fund compared to ETFs that utilize an in-kind redemption process, and there may be a substantial difference in the after-tax rate of return between the fund and conventional ETFs.

Changing Global Fixed-Income Market Conditions Risk

The current historically low interest rate environment was created in part by the FRB and certain foreign central banks keeping the federal funds and equivalent foreign rates at, near or below zero. The “tapering” in 2015 of the FRB’s quantitative easing program, combined with the FRB’s changes to the target range for the Federal Funds Rate (and continued possible fluctuations in equivalent foreign rates) may expose fixed-income markets to heightened volatility and reduced liquidity for certain fixed-income investments, particularly those with longer maturities, although it is difficult to predict the impact of this rate increase and any future rate increases on various markets. In addition, decreases in fixed-income dealer market-making capacity may also potentially lead to heightened volatility and reduced liquidity in the fixed-income markets. As a result, the value of a fund’s investments and share price may decline. Changes in central bank policies could also result in higher than normal shareholder redemptions, which could potentially increase portfolio turnover rate and a fund’s transaction costs.

Collateralized Debt Obligations Risk

Investments in CDOs carry the same risks associated with investments in fixed-income securities, ABS and, in some instances, derivative instruments, because they may be backed by pools of securities such as bonds, loans, other structured finance securities

 

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and/or synthetic instruments. Additional risks of investments in CDOs include, but are not limited to: (i) the possibility that distributions from collateral securities will not be adequate to make interest or other payments; (ii) the risk that the collateral may default, decline in value or be downgraded, if rated by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization; (iii) the classes or “tranches” of a CDO, that vary in risk and yield, may be subordinate to other tranches; (iv) the structure and complexity of the transaction and the legal documents could lead to disputes among investors regarding the characterization of proceeds; (v) liquidity risk due to the lack of a readily available secondary market for CDOs; (vi) the risk of forced “fire sale” liquidation due to technical defaults such as coverage test failures; and (viii) the CDO’s manager may perform poorly.

Collateralized Loan Obligations Risk

Investments in CLOs carry the same risks as investments in loans directly, as well as other risks, including interest rate risk, credit and liquidity and valuation risks, and the risk of default. CLOs issue classes or “tranches” that vary in risk and yield. Losses caused by defaults on underlying assets are borne first by the holders of subordinate tranches. A CLO may experience substantial losses attributable to loan defaults. An investment in a CLO may decrease in market value because of (i) loan defaults or credit impairment, (ii) the disappearance of subordinate tranches, (iii) market anticipation of defaults, and (iv) investor aversion to CLO securities as a class. These risks may be magnified depending on the tranche of the CLO securities. For example, investments in a junior tranche of CLO securities will likely be more sensitive to loan defaults or credit impairment than investments in more senior tranches.

Commercial Paper Risk

The value of a fund’s investment in commercial paper, which is an unsecured promissory note that generally has a maturity date between one and 270 days and is issued by a U.S. or foreign entity, is susceptible to changes in the issuer’s financial condition or credit quality. Investments in commercial paper are usually discounted from their value at maturity. Commercial paper can be fixed-rate or variable rate and can be adversely affected by changes in interest rates.

Concentration Risk

A fund may be susceptible to an increased risk of loss, including losses due to adverse occurrences affecting the fund more than the market as a whole, to the extent that the fund’s investments are concentrated in the securities of a particular issuer or issuers, sector or asset class. A fund may be more adversely affected by the underperformance of those securities than a fund that does not concentrate its investments.

Counterparty Risk

A fund’s investments in derivatives (such as swaps and forward contracts) may involve counterparties, which subjects the fund to counterparty risk. Counterparty risk is the risk that the other party in an agreement or a participant to a transaction, such as a swap counterparty, might default on a contract or fail to perform by not paying amounts due or fulfilling the delivery conditions of the contract or transaction. In that event, the fund will have contractual remedies pursuant to the agreements related to the transaction. However the fund could experience lengthy delays in recovering its assets and may not receive any recovery at all. Further, there is a risk that no suitable counterparties will be willing to enter into, or continue to enter into, transactions with the fund, which may cause the fund to experience difficulty in purchasing or selling these instruments in a timely manner.

Credit Risk

The issuer of instruments in which a fund invests may be unable to meet interest and/or principal payments. An issuer’s securities may decrease in value if its financial strength weakens, which may reduce its credit rating and possibly its ability to meet its contractual obligations. Even in the case of collateralized debt obligations, there is no assurance that the sale of collateral would raise enough cash to satisfy an issuer’s payment obligations or that the collateral can or will be liquidated.

Currency Risk

Because each fund’s NAV is determined in U.S. dollars, a fund’s NAVs could decline if the currency of the non-U.S. market in which the fund invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar, even if the value of the fund’s holdings, measured in the foreign currency, increases. Generally, an increase in the value of the U.S. dollar against a foreign currency will reduce the value of a security denominated in that foreign currency, thereby decreasing a fund’s NAV. In addition, fluctuations in the exchange values of currencies could affect the economy or particular business operations of companies in a geographic region in which a fund invests, causing an adverse impact on the fund. As a result, investors have the potential for losses regardless of the length of time they intend to hold Shares.

When a fund receives income denominated in foreign currencies, it will compute and distribute its income in U.S. dollars, and the computation of income will be made on the date that the fund earns the income at the foreign exchange rates in effect on that date. Therefore, if the values of the relevant foreign currencies fall relative to the U.S. dollar between the earning of the income and the time at which a fund converts the foreign currencies to U.S. dollars, the fund may be required to liquidate securities in order to make distributions if the fund has insufficient cash in U.S. dollars to meet distribution requirements.

Furthermore, a fund may incur costs in connection with conversions between U.S. dollars and foreign currencies. Foreign exchange dealers realize a profit based on the difference between the prices at which they are buying and selling various currencies. Thus, a

 

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dealer normally will offer to sell a foreign currency to a fund at one rate, while offering a lesser rate of exchange should the fund desire immediately to resell that currency to the dealer. Each fund will conduct its foreign currency exchange transactions on a spot (i.e., cash) basis at the spot rate prevailing in the foreign currency exchange market, or through entering into forward contracts to purchase or sell foreign currencies.

Derivatives Risk

Derivatives involve risks different from, or possibly greater than, risks associated with other types of investments. Derivatives may be harder to value and may also be less tax efficient. To the extent that a fund uses derivatives for hedging or to gain or limit exposure to a particular market or market segment, there may be imperfect correlation between the value of the derivative instrument and the value of the instrument being hedged or the relevant market or market segment, in which case the fund may not realize the intended benefits. There is also the risk that during adverse market conditions, an instrument which would usually operate as a hedge provides no hedging benefits at all. A fund’s use of derivatives may be limited by the requirements for taxation of the fund as a regulated investment company as well as regulatory changes.

Dollar Roll Transaction Risk

A fund may enter into dollar roll transactions, in which the fund sells a mortgage-backed or other security for settlement on one date and buys back a substantially similar security for settlement at a later date. Dollar rolls involve a risk of loss if the market value of the securities that a fund is committed to buy declines below the price of the securities the fund has sold.

Emerging Markets Sovereign Debt Risk

Investments in emerging markets sovereign debt carry a number of risks. Government obligors in emerging market countries are among the world’s largest debtors to commercial banks, other governments, international financial organizations and other financial institutions. Historically, certain issuers of the government debt securities in which certain funds may invest have experienced substantial difficulties in meeting their external debt obligations, resulting in defaults on certain obligations and the restructuring of certain indebtedness. Such restructuring arrangements have included obtaining additional credit to finance outstanding obligations and the reduction and rescheduling of payments of interest and principal through the negotiation of new or amended credit agreements. As a holder of government debt securities, certain funds may be asked to participate in the restructuring of such obligations and to extend further loans to their issuers. There can be no assurance that the securities in which certain funds will invest will not be subject to restructuring arrangements or to requests for additional credit. In addition, certain participants in the secondary market for such debt may be directly involved in negotiating the terms of these arrangements and may therefore have access to information not available to other market participants.

Extension Risk

Extension risk is the risk that repayments of fixed income securities will occur more slowly than expected by the market. It typically occurs when interest rates rise. This may drive the prices of securities down because their interest rates are lower than the current interest rate and they have longer duration (resulting in increased sensitivity to interest rate changes).

Fixed Income Securities Risk

Each fund invests in fixed-income securities, which are subject to interest rate risk and credit risk. Interest rate risk refers to fluctuations in the value of a fixed-income security resulting from changes in the general level of interest rates. When the general level of interest rates goes up, the prices of most fixed-income securities go down. When the general level of interest rates goes down, the prices of most fixed-income securities go up. Fixed-income securities with longer maturities typically are more sensitive to changes in interest rates, making them more volatile than securities with shorter maturities. Credit risk refers to the possibility that the issuer of a security will be unable and/or unwilling to make timely interest payments and/or repay the principal on its debt. Debt instruments are subject to varying degrees of credit risk, which may be reflected in credit ratings. There is a possibility that the credit rating of a fixed-income security may be downgraded after purchase, which may adversely affect the value of the security. Securities issued by the U.S. Government are subject to limited credit risk; however, securities issued by U.S. Government agencies are not necessarily backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. Due to recent events in the fixed-income markets, including the potential impact of the FRB tapering its quantitative easing program, the funds may be subject to heightened interest rate risk as a result of a rise in interest rates. In addition, the funds are subject to the risk that interest rates may exhibit increased volatility, which could cause a fund’s NAV to fluctuate more. A decrease in fixed-income market maker capacity may act to decrease liquidity in the fixed-income markets and act to further increase volatility, affecting the funds’ returns.

Foreign Fixed Income Investment Risk

Investments in fixed-income securities of non-U.S. issuers are subject to the same risks as other debt securities, notably credit risk, market risk, interest rate risk and liquidity risk, while also facing risks beyond those associated with investments in U.S. securities including, among others, greater market volatility, the availability of less reliable financial information, higher transactional costs,

 

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taxation by foreign governments, decreased market liquidity and political instability. Foreign issuers are often subject to less stringent requirements regarding accounting, auditing, financial reporting and record keeping than are U.S. securities, and therefore, not all material information regarding these issuers will be available. Securities exchanges or foreign governments may adopt rules or regulations that may negatively impact the funds’ ability to invest in foreign securities or may prevent the funds from repatriating its investments. In addition, the funds may not receive shareholder communications or be permitted to vote the securities that it holds, as the issuers may be under no legal obligation to distribute them. In addition, the underlying issuers of certain depositary receipts, particularly unsponsored or unregistered depositary receipts, are under no obligation to distribute shareholder communications to the holders of such receipts, or to pass through to them any voting rights with respect to the deposited securities.

Futures Contracts Risk

Futures contracts are typically exchange-traded contracts that call for the future delivery of an asset at a certain price and date, or cash settlement of the terms of the contract. Risks of futures contracts may be caused by an imperfect correlation between movements in the price of the instruments and the price of the underlying securities. In addition, there is the risk that the fund may not be able to enter into a closing transaction because of an illiquid market. Exchanges can limit the number of positions that can be held or controlled by the fund or the Sub-Adviser, thus limiting the ability to implement the fund’s strategies. Futures markets are highly volatile and the use of futures may increase the volatility of the fund’s NAV. Futures are also subject to leverage risks and to liquidity risk.

High Yield Securities (Junk Bond) Risk

Compared to higher quality debt securities, high yield debt securities (commonly referred to as “junk bonds”) involve a greater risk of default or price changes due to changes in the credit quality of the issuer because they are generally unsecured and may be subordinated to other creditors’ claims. They are considered speculative with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal. In addition, high yield debt securities often are issued by smaller, less creditworthy companies or by highly leveraged (indebted) firms, which generally are less able than more financially stable firms to make scheduled payments of interest and principal.

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, and the use of credit ratings to select high yield debt securities can involve certain risks. For example, credit rating agencies may fail to change ratings in a timely fashion to reflect events since the security was last rated.

In addition, the values of junk bonds often fluctuate more in response to company, political, regulatory or economic developments than higher quality bonds. Their values can decline significantly over short periods of time or during periods of economic difficulty when the bonds could be difficult to value or sell at a fair price. Credit ratings on junk bonds do not necessarily reflect their actual market value.

Income Risk

A fund’s income may decline when interest rates fall because the fund may hold a significant portion of short duration securities and/or securities that have floating or variable interest rates. To the extent that a fund invests in lower yielding bonds, and as the bonds in its portfolio mature, the fund needs to purchase additional bonds, thereby reducing the fund’s income.

Interest Rate Risk

Interest rate risk refers to the risk that bond prices generally fall as interest rates rise; conversely, bond prices generally rise as interest rates fall. Specific bonds differ in their sensitivity to changes in interest rates depending on their individual characteristics. One measure of this sensitivity is called duration. The longer the duration of a particular bond, the greater its price sensitivity is to interest rates. Similarly, a longer duration portfolio of securities has greater price sensitivity. To illustrate, if a portfolio is composed of fixed income securities with an average duration of five years, the portfolio’s value can be expected to fall approximately 5% if interest rates rise by 1%. Conversely, the portfolio’s value can be expected to rise approximately 5% if interest rates fall by 1%. A similar portfolio with an average duration of three years is characterized as being less sensitive to duration, since its value can be expected to fall only 3% in the event interest rates rise by 1%. In addition, a period of falling or low interest rates may also prompt some issuers to refinance their existing debt, which could affect the returns from certain securities and, consequently, a fund’s performance.

 

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Investment Risk

As with all investments, an investment in a fund is subject to investment risk. Investors in a fund could lose money, including the possible loss of the entire principal amount of an investment, over short or long periods of time.

Issuer-Specific Changes Risk

The performance of a fund depends on the performance of individual securities to which the fund has exposure. The value of an individual security or particular type of security may be more volatile than the market as a whole and may perform worse than the market as a whole, causing the value of its securities to decline. Poor performance may be caused by poor management decisions, competitive pressures, changes in technology, expiration of patent protection, disruptions in supply, labor problems or shortages, corporate restructurings, fraudulent disclosures or other factors. Issuers may, in times of distress or at their own discretion, decide to reduce or eliminate dividends, which may also cause their stock prices to decline.

Large Shareholder Risk

Certain shareholders, including a third party investor, a fund’s investment adviser or an affiliate of the investment adviser, an AP, a lead market maker, or another entity, may from time to time own a substantial amount Shares or may invest in a fund and hold its investment for a limited period of time solely to facilitate commencement of the fund or to facilitate the fund’s achieving a specified size or scale. There can be no assurance that any large shareholder would not redeem its investment. Dispositions of a large number of Shares by these shareholders may adversely affect a fund’s liquidity and net assets to the extent such transactions are executed directly with the fund in the form of redemptions through an authorized participant, rather than executed in the secondary market. These redemptions may also force a fund to sell portfolio securities when it might not otherwise do so, which may negatively impact the fund’s NAV and increase the fund’s brokerage costs. Further, such sales may accelerate the realization of taxable income and/or gains to shareholders, or a fund may be required to sell its more liquid fund investments to meet a large redemption, in which case the fund’s remaining assets may be less liquid, more volatile, and more difficult to price. To the extent a fund permits cash purchases, large purchases of Shares may adversely affect the fund’s performance to the extent that the fund is delayed in investing new cash and is required to maintain a larger cash position than it ordinarily would. To the extent these large shareholders transact in shares on the secondary market, such transactions may account for a large percentage of the trading volume on a fund’s listing exchange and may, therefore, have a material upward or downward effect on the market price of the Shares. To the extent a fund permits redemptions in cash, the fund may hold a relatively large proportion of its assets in cash in anticipation of large redemptions, diluting its investment returns.

Liquidity Risk

Certain securities, derivatives or other instruments may be less liquid than other types of investments. A security is considered to be illiquid if it cannot be sold at a fair price within a reasonable amount of time. Investments that are less liquid or that trade less can be more difficult or more costly to buy, or to sell, compared to other more liquid or active investments. A security may be deemed illiquid due to a lack of trading volume in the security or if the security is privately placed and not traded in any public market or is otherwise restricted from trading.

Liquidity risk is particularly important when a fund’s operations require cash, and may in certain circumstances require that the fund borrow to meet short-term cash requirements. Illiquid securities are also difficult to value. A fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at the time or price it desires and could lose its entire investment in such securities. This could have a negative effect on a fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective and may result in losses to fund shareholders.

Further, certain restricted securities require special registration, liabilities and costs, and could pose valuation difficulties. Securities with reduced liquidity involve greater risk than securities with more liquid markets. Market quotations for such securities may vary over time, and if the credit quality of a security unexpectedly declines, secondary trading of the security may decline for a period of time. In the event a fund voluntarily or involuntarily liquidates portfolio assets during periods of infrequent trading, it may not receive full value for those assets.

Additionally, in stressed market conditions, the market for Shares may become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in the markets for the fund’s portfolio holdings, which may cause a variance in the market price of the Shares and their underlying value.

Management Risk

Actively managed portfolios are subject to management risk. In managing portfolio securities of actively managed funds, an investment adviser applies investment techniques and risk analyses in making investment decisions, but there can be no guarantee that they will produce the desired results.

 

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Market Risk

A fund’s holdings are subject to market fluctuations, and a fund could lose money due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during market downturns. You should anticipate that the value of the Shares will decline, more or less, in correlation with any decline in value of the holdings in the fund’s portfolio. The value of a security may decline due to general market conditions, economic trends or events that are not specifically related to the issuer of the security or due to factors that affect a particular industry or group of industries. During a general downturn in the securities markets, multiple asset classes may be negatively affected.

Market Trading Risk

Each fund faces numerous market trading risks, including losses from trading in secondary markets, periods of high volatility and disruption in the creation/redemption process of the fund. Although the Shares of each fund are listed for trading on a securities exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for the Shares will develop or be maintained by market makers or APs, that the Shares will continue to trade on any such exchange or that the Shares will continue to meet the requirements for listing on an exchange. Any of these factors, among others, may lead to the Shares trading at a premium or discount to a fund’s NAV. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods. Further, a fund may experience low trading volume and wide bid/ask spreads. Bid/ask spreads vary over time based on trading volume and market liquidity (including for the underlying securities held by a fund), and are generally lower if Shares have more trading volume and market liquidity and higher if Shares have little trading volume and market liquidity. Additionally, in stressed market conditions, the market for the Shares may become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in the markets for a fund’s portfolio holdings, which may cause a variance in the market price of the Shares and their underlying value.

Mortgage-Backed and Asset-Backed Securities Risk

Mortgage-backed securities and commercial mortgage-backed securities represent a participation interest in a pool of residential or commercial mortgage loans, respectively, originated by governmental or private lenders such as banks. They differ from conventional debt securities, which provide for periodic payment of interest in fixed amounts and principal payments at maturity or on specified call dates. Mortgage pass-through securities provide for monthly payments that are a “pass-through” of the monthly interest and principal payments made by the individual borrowers on the pooled mortgage loans. Mortgage pass-through securities may be collateralized by mortgages with fixed rates of interest or adjustable rates. Mortgage-backed securities have different risk characteristics than traditional debt securities. Although generally the value of fixed-income securities increases during periods of falling interest rates and decreases during periods of rising rates, this is not always the case with mortgage-backed securities. This is due to the fact that principal on underlying mortgages may be prepaid at any time as well as other factors. Generally, prepayments will increase during a period of falling interest rates and decrease during a period of rising interest rates. The rate of prepayments also may be influenced by economic and other factors. Prepayment risk includes the possibility that, as interest rates fall, securities with stated interest rates may have the principal prepaid earlier than expected, requiring the fund to invest the proceeds at generally lower interest rates. Certain mortgage-backed securities may be more volatile, less liquid and more difficult to value than other traditional types of debt securities.

Asset-backed securities have risk characteristics similar to mortgage-backed securities. Like mortgage-backed securities, they generally decrease in value as a result of interest rate increases, but may benefit less than other fixed-income securities from declining interest rates, principally because of prepayments.

In addition, TBA transactions involve the risk that the securities received may be less favorable than what was anticipated by the fund when entering into the TBA transaction and counterparty risk. Default or bankruptcy of a counterparty to a TBA transaction would expose the fund to potential loss and could affect the fund’s returns.

Also, as in the case of mortgage-backed and commercial mortgage-backed securities, prepayments generally increase during a period of declining interest rates although other factors, such as changes in credit use and payment patterns, also may influence prepayment rates. Asset-backed securities also involve the risk that various federal and state consumer laws and other legal, regulatory and economic factors may result in the collateral backing the securities being insufficient to support payment on the securities. Certain asset-backed securities may be more volatile, less liquid and more difficult to value than other traditional types of debt securities.

Options Risk

Options or options on futures contracts give the holder of the option the right to buy (or to sell) a position in a security or in a contract to the writer of the option, at a certain price. They are subject to correlation risk because there may be an imperfect correlation between the options and the securities markets that cause a given transaction to fail to achieve its objectives. The successful use of options depends on the Sub-Adviser’s ability to predict correctly future price fluctuations and the degree of correlation between the options and securities markets. Exchanges can limit the number of positions that can be held or controlled by a fund or the Sub-Adviser, thus limiting the ability to implement a fund’s strategies. Options are also particularly subject to leverage risk and can be subject to liquidity risk.

 

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Operational Risk

Each fund is exposed to operational risks arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. Each fund and the investment adviser seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate to address these risks.

Reinvestment Risk

Reinvestment risk is the risk that a fund will not be able to reinvest income or principal at the same return it is currently earning. Reinvestment risk is greater during periods of declining interest rates, as prepayments often occur faster. This may require a fund to reinvest the proceeds at an earlier date, and it may be able to do so only at lower yields, thereby reducing its return.

Rule 144A Securities Risk

Rule 144A Securities are restricted securities that can be purchased only by “qualified institutional buyers,” as defined under the Securities Act. The market for Rule 144A Securities typically is less active than the market for publicly-traded securities. As such, investing in Rule 144A Securities may reduce the liquidity of a fund’s investments, and the fund may be unable to sell the security at the desired time or price, if at all. The purchase price and subsequent valuation of Rule 144A Securities normally reflect a discount, which may be significant, from the market price of comparable unrestricted securities for which a liquid trading market exists. A restricted security that was liquid at the time of purchase may subsequently become illiquid and its value may decline as a result. In addition, transaction costs may be higher for restricted securities than for more liquid securities. A fund may also have to bear the expense of registering the securities for resale and the risk of substantial delays in effecting the registration.

Sovereign Debt Risk

Investments in sovereign debt securities involve special risks, including the availability of sufficient foreign exchange on the date a payment is due, the relative size of the debt service burden to the economy as a whole, and the government debtor’s policy towards the International Monetary Fund and the political constraints to which a government debtor may be subject. The governmental authority that controls the repayment of sovereign debt may be unwilling or unable to repay the principal and/or interest when due in accordance with the terms of such securities due to the extent of its foreign reserves. If an issuer of sovereign debt defaults on payments of principal and/or interest, a fund may have limited legal recourse against the issuer and/or guarantor. In certain cases, remedies must be pursued in the courts of the defaulting party itself, and the fund’s ability to obtain recourse may be limited.

Certain issuers of sovereign debt may be dependent on disbursements from foreign governments, multilateral agencies and others abroad to reduce principal and interest arrearages on their debt. Such disbursements may be conditioned upon a debtor’s implementation of economic reforms and/or economic performance and the timely service of such debtor’s obligations. A failure on the part of the debtor to implement such reforms, achieve such levels of economic performance or repay principal or interest when due may result in the cancellation of such third parties’ commitments to lend funds to the government debtor, which may impair the debtor’s ability to service its debts on a timely basis. If a fund is a holder of government debt, it may be requested to participate in the rescheduling of such debt and to extend further loans to government debtors.

Structured Notes Risk

Investments in structured notes involve risks including interest rate risk, credit risk and market risk. Interest rate risk refers to fluctuations in the value of a note resulting from changes in the general level of interest rates. When the general level of interest rates goes up, the prices of notes tend to go down. Credit risk refers to the possibility that the issuer of a note will be unable and/or unwilling to make timely interest payments and/or repay the principal on its debt. Depending on the factors used, changes in interest rates and movement of such factors may cause significant price fluctuations. Structured notes may be less liquid than other types of securities and more volatile than the reference factor underlying the note. This means that the fund may lose money if the issuer of the note defaults, as the fund may not be able to readily close out its investment in such notes without incurring losses.

Swap Agreements Risk

Swap agreements are contracts among the fund and a counterparty to exchange the return of the pre-determined underlying investment (such as the rate of return of an index or benchmark). Swap agreements may be negotiated bilaterally and traded OTC between two parties or, in some instances, must be transacted through a futures commission merchant and cleared through a clearinghouse that serves as a central counterparty. Risks associated with the use of swap agreements are different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions, due in part to the fact they could be considered illiquid and many swaps trade on the OTC market. Swaps are particularly subject to counterparty credit, correlation, valuation, liquidity and leveraging risks. Certain standardized swaps

 

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are subject to mandatory central clearing. Central clearing is intended to reduce counterparty credit risk and increase liquidity, but central clearing does not make swap transactions risk-free.

To-Be-Announced (“TBA”) Transactions Risk

In TBA transactions, the selling counterparty does not specify the particular securities to be delivered. Instead, the purchasing counterparty agrees to accept any security that meets specified terms. TBA purchase commitments may be considered securities in themselves and involve a risk of loss if the value of the security to be purchased declines prior to settlement date, which risk is in addition to the risk of decline in the value of a fund’s other assets. In addition, the selling counterparty may not deliver the security as promised. Default or bankruptcy of a counterparty to a TBA transaction would expose a fund to potential loss and could affect the fund’s returns. Selling a TBA involves a risk of loss if the value of the securities to be sold goes up prior to the settlement date.

U.S. Government Obligation Risk

The funds may invest in U.S. government obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies and instrumentalities, including bills, notes and bonds issued by the U.S. Treasury. U.S. Government securities include securities that are issued or guaranteed by the United States Treasury, by various agencies of the U.S. Government, or by various instrumentalities which have been established or sponsored by the U.S. Government. U.S. Treasury securities are backed by the “full faith and credit” of the United States. Securities issued or guaranteed by federal agencies and U.S. Government-sponsored instrumentalities may or may not be backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. In the case of those U.S. Government securities not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States, the investor must look principally to the agency or instrumentality issuing or guaranteeing the security for ultimate repayment, and may not be able to assert a claim against the United States itself in the event that the agency or instrumentality does not meet its commitment. The U.S. Government, its agencies and instrumentalities do not guarantee the market value of their securities, and consequently, the value of such securities may fluctuate.

Valuation Risk

Financial information related to securities of non-U.S. issuers may be less reliable than information related to securities of U.S. issuers, which may make it difficult to obtain a current price for a non-U.S. security held by a fund. In certain circumstances, market quotations may not be readily available for some securities, and those securities may be fair valued. The value established for a security through fair valuation may be different from what would be produced if the security had been valued using market quotations. fund 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 a fund would incur a loss because a security is sold at a discount to its established value.

Valuation Time Risk

The funds may invest in securities of foreign issuers and, because foreign exchanges may be open on days when the funds do not price their Shares, the value of the non-U.S. securities in each fund’s portfolio may change on days when you will not be able to purchase or sell your Shares. As a result, trading spreads and the resulting premium or discount on the Shares may widen, and, therefore, increase the difference between the market price of the Shares and the NAV of such Shares.

Non-Principal Investment Strategies

In addition to the investment strategies listed above, each Fund may invest in convertible securities and preferred securities. Additionally, each Fund has adopted a policy to invest at least 80% of the value of its net assets (plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes) in debt securities, and in derivatives and other instruments that have economic characteristics similar to such securities (the “80% investment policy”). Each Fund’s 80% investment policy and each Fund’s investment objective constitutes a non-fundamental policy that the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of Invesco Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Fund Trust (the “Trust”) may change at any time without shareholder approval upon 60 days’ prior written notice to shareholders. The complete list of fundamental and non-fundamental policies of the Funds is set forth in the Funds’ SAI under the section “Investment Restrictions.”

Borrowing Money

Each Fund may borrow money up to the limits set forth in the Fund’s SAI under the section “Investment Restrictions.”

Securities Lending

Each Fund may lend its portfolio securities to brokers, dealers and other financial institutions. In connection with such loans, a Fund receives liquid collateral equal to at least 102% (105% for international securities) of the value of the loaned portfolio securities. This collateral is marked-to-market on a daily basis.

 

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Additional Risks of Investing in the Funds

The following provides additional risk information regarding investing in the Funds.

Convertible Securities Risk

A convertible security generally is a preferred stock that may be converted within a specified period of time into common stock. Convertible securities nevertheless remain subject to the risks of both debt securities and equity securities. As with other equity securities, the value of a convertible security tends to increase as the price of the underlying stock goes up, and to decrease as the price of the underlying stock goes down. Declining common stock values therefore also may cause the value of a fund’s investments to decline. Like a debt security, a convertible security provides a fixed income stream and also tends to decrease in value when interest rates rise. Moreover, many convertible securities have credit ratings that are below investment grade and are subject to the same risks as lower-rated debt securities.

Cybersecurity Risk

The funds, like all companies, may be susceptible to operational and information security risks. Cybersecurity failures or breaches of the funds or their service providers or the issuers of securities in which the funds invest, have the ability to cause disruptions and impact business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses, the inability of fund shareholders to transact business, violations of applicable privacy and other laws, regulatory fines, penalties, reputational damage, reimbursement or other compensation costs, and/or additional compliance costs. The funds and their shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result.

Preferred Securities Risk

There are special risks associated with investing in preferred securities. Preferred securities may include provisions that permit the issuer, in its discretion, to defer or omit distributions for a certain period of time. If a fund owns a security that is deferring or omitting its distributions, the fund may be required to include the distribution in its gross income, even though it may not have received any income. Further, preferred securities may lose substantial value due to the omission or deferment of dividend payments. Preferred securities may be less liquid than many other securities, such as common stocks, and generally offer no voting rights with respect to the issuer. Preferred securities also may be subordinated to bonds or other debt instruments in an issuer’s capital structure, subjecting them to a greater risk of non-payment than more senior securities. In addition, in certain circumstances, an issuer of preferred securities may redeem the securities prior to a specified date, and this may negatively impact the return of the security.

Securities Lending Risk

Securities lending involves a risk of loss because the borrower may fail to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. If a fund were unable to recover the securities loaned, it may sell the collateral and purchase a replacement security in the market. Lending securities entails a risk of loss to a fund if and to the extent that the market value of the loaned securities increases and the collateral is not increased accordingly. Any cash received as collateral for loaned securities will be invested in an affiliated money market fund. This investment is subject to market appreciation or depreciation and a fund will bear any loss on the investment of its cash collateral.

Shares May Trade at Prices Different than NAV

The NAV of the Shares generally will fluctuate with changes in the market value of the funds’ holdings. The market prices of Shares generally will fluctuate in accordance with changes in NAV, as well as the relative supply of and demand for Shares on the exchange on which a fund trades. The Adviser cannot predict whether the Shares will trade below, at or above a fund’s NAV. Price differences may be due largely to the fact that supply and demand forces at work in the secondary trading market for the Shares will be related, but not identical, to the same forces influencing the prices of the securities of each fund’s holdings, individually or in the aggregate at any point in time. In addition, disruptions to creations and redemptions or the existence of extreme market volatility may result in trading prices that differ significantly from NAV. If a shareholder purchases at a time when the market price is at a premium to the NAV or sells at a time when the market price is at a discount to the NAV, the shareholder may sustain losses.

 

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Trading Issues Risk

Investors buying or selling Shares in the secondary market may pay brokerage commissions or other charges, which may be a significant proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell relatively small amounts of Shares. Moreover, trading in Shares on The Nasdaq Stock Market (the “Exchange”) may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in Shares on the Exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to the Exchange’s “circuit breaker” rules. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of each fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged. Foreign exchanges may be open on days when Shares are not priced, and therefore, the value of the securities in a fund’s portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell Shares.

 

 

Tax Structure of ETFs

Unlike interests in conventional mutual funds, which typically are bought and sold only at their closing NAVs, the Shares are traded throughout the day in the secondary market on a national securities exchange, and are created and redeemed principally for cash in Creation Units at each day’s next calculated NAV. To the extent that a Fund permits transactions in-kind, such in-kind arrangements are designed to protect shareholders from the adverse effects on a Fund’s portfolio that could arise from frequent cash creation and redemption transactions. In a conventional mutual fund, redemptions can have an adverse tax impact on taxable shareholders because the mutual funds may need to sell portfolio securities to obtain cash to meet redemptions. These sales may generate taxable gains that must be distributed to the shareholders of the mutual fund, whereas an in-kind redemption mechanism generally will not lead to a tax event for a Fund (to the extent it uses in-kind redemptions) or its shareholders. However, because each Fund intends to effect creations and redemptions principally for cash, investments in a Fund’s Shares may be less tax-efficient than investments in shares of conventional ETFs that utilize an in-kind redemption process.

 

 

Portfolio Holdings

A description of the Trust’s policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of the Funds’ portfolio holdings is available in the Funds’ SAI, which is available at www.invesco.com/ETFs.

 

 

Management of the Funds

Invesco Capital Management LLC is a registered investment adviser with its offices at 3500 Lacey Road, Suite 700, Downers Grove, Illinois 60515. The Adviser serves as the investment adviser to the Trust, Invesco Exchange-Traded Fund Trust, Invesco Exchange-Traded Fund Trust II, Invesco India Exchange-Traded Fund Trust, Invesco Exchange-Traded Self-Indexed Fund Trust and Invesco Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Commodity Fund Trust, a family of ETFs with combined assets under management of approximately $[    ] billion as of [        ], [        ].

As the Funds’ investment adviser, the Adviser has overall responsibility for continuously monitoring each Fund’s investments, managing each Fund’s business affairs and providing certain clerical, bookkeeping and other administrative services for the Trust and oversight of the Sub-Adviser.

Invesco Advisers, Inc., a subsidiary of Invesco Ltd., the parent of Invesco Capital Management LLC, is a registered investment adviser and serves as the Funds’ investment sub-adviser. Subject to the supervision of the Adviser and the Board, the Sub-Adviser is responsible for the investment management of the Funds. The Sub-Adviser’s principal business address is 1555 Peachtree Street, N.E., Atlanta, Georgia 30309. In addition, the Sub-Adviser serves as the investment adviser to the Invesco mutual funds with combined assets under management of approximately $[    ] billion as of [        ], [    ].

Portfolio Managers

Investment decisions for the Funds are made by investment management teams at the Sub-Adviser. The Sub-Adviser uses teams of portfolio managers, investment strategists and other investment specialists (collectively, the “Portfolio Managers”) who are responsible for the day-to-day management of the Funds. This team approach brings together many disciplines and leverages the Adviser’s and Sub-Adviser’s extensive resources.

Each Portfolio Manager is responsible for various functions related to portfolio management, including investing cash flows, coordinating with other team members to focus on certain asset classes, implementing investment strategy and researching and reviewing investment strategy. Each Portfolio Manager has limitations on his or her authority for risk management and compliance purposes that the Sub-Adviser believes to be appropriate.

 

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The following individuals are responsible jointly and primarily for the day-to-day management of each Fund:

 

   

Jay Raol, Director, Invesco Fixed Income Quantitative Research of the Sub-Adviser, has been one of the Portfolio Managers primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of each Fund since its inception in [    ]. Mr. Raol has been associated with the Sub-Adviser since 2013.

 

   

Sash Sarangi, Head of Systematic and Factor Fixed Income of the Sub-Adviser, has been one of the Portfolio Managers primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of each Fund since its inception in [    ]. Mr. Sarangi has been associated with the Sub-Adviser since 2018. From 2010-2018, Mr. Sarangi was a Portfolio Manager and Researcher at FDO Partners, an asset management firm.

 

   

James Ong, Director, Derivative Portfolio Management of the Sub-Adviser has been one of the Portfolio Managers primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of each Fund since its inception in [    ]. Mr. Ong has been associated with the Sub-Adviser since 2014.

 

   

Noelle Corum, Portfolio Manager of the Sub-Adviser has been one of the Portfolio Managers primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of each Fund since its inception in [    ]. Ms. Corum has been associated with the Sub-Adviser since 2010.

The Funds’ SAI provides additional information about the Portfolio Managers’ compensation structure, other accounts that the Portfolio Managers manage and the Portfolio Managers’ ownership of Shares.

Advisory Fees

Pursuant to an investment advisory agreement between the Adviser and the Trust (the “Investment Advisory Agreement”), each Fund pays the Adviser an annual unitary management fee equal to a percentage of its average daily net assets set forth in the chart below:

 

Fund    Management Fee

Invesco Intermediate Bond Factor ETF

   [            ]

Invesco Multi-Sector Bond Income Factor ETF

   [            ]

Invesco Short-Term Bond Factor ETF

   [            ]

Out of each Fund’s unitary management fee, the Adviser pays substantially all expenses of the Fund, including the payments to the Sub-Adviser, the costs of transfer agency, custody, fund administration, legal, audit and other services, except for advisory fees, distribution fees, if any, brokerage expenses, taxes, interest, litigation expenses, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, if any, and other extraordinary expenses.

The Funds may invest in money market funds that are managed by affiliates of the Adviser or Sub-Adviser. The indirect portion of the management fee that a Fund incurs through such investments is in addition to the Adviser’s unitary management fee. Therefore, the Adviser has agreed to waive the management fees that it receives under the unitary management fee in an amount equal to the indirect management fees that a Fund incurs through its investments in affiliated money market funds through [    ]. There is no guarantee that the Adviser will extend the waiver of the fees past that date. The Adviser has entered into an investment sub-advisory agreement with the Sub-Adviser to the Funds. The sub-advisory fee is paid by the Adviser to the Sub-Adviser at 40% of the Adviser’s compensation of the sub-advised assets of each Fund.

A discussion regarding the basis for the Board’s approval of the Trust’s investment advisory agreement and investment sub-advisory agreement with respect to the Funds will be available in the Funds’ Semi-Annual Report to shareholders for the fiscal period ended April 30, 2020.

 

 

How to Buy and Sell Shares

Each Fund issues or redeems its Shares at NAV per Share only in Creation Units or Creation Unit Aggregations.

Most investors will buy and sell Shares of each Fund in secondary market transactions through brokers. Shares of each Fund are listed for trading on the secondary market on the Exchange. Shares can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like other publicly traded shares. There is no minimum investment. Although Shares generally are purchased and sold in “round lots” of 100 Shares, brokerage firms typically permit investors to purchase or sell Shares in smaller “odd lots,” at no per share price differential. When buying or selling Shares through a broker, you will incur customary brokerage commissions and charges, and you 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 Shares of the Funds trade on the Exchange under the following symbols:

 

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Fund    Symbol  

Invesco Intermediate Bond Factor ETF

     [            

Invesco Multi-Sector Bond Income Factor ETF

     [            

Invesco Short-Term Bond Factor ETF

     [            

Share prices are reported in dollars and cents per Share.

APs may acquire Shares directly from each Fund, and APs may tender their Shares for redemption directly to each Fund, at NAV per Share only in Creation Units or Creation Unit Aggregations, and in accordance with the procedures described in the SAI.

Under normal circumstances, a 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 Funds’ 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 (as discussed above) to pay an AP, all as permitted by the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “1940 Act”). Each Fund anticipates regularly meeting redemption requests primarily in cash. However, each Fund reserves the right to pay redemption proceeds to an AP through in-kind redemptions, consistent with the Trust’s exemptive relief. In addition, if an AP is not a “qualified institutional buyer,” as such term is defined under Rule 144A of the Securities Act, the AP will not be able to receive Rule 144A securities. Cash used for redemptions will be raised from the sale of portfolio assets or may come from existing holdings of cash or cash equivalents.

Each Fund may liquidate and terminate at any time without shareholder approval.

Book Entry

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

Investors owning Shares are beneficial owners as shown on the records of DTC or its participants. DTC serves as the securities depository for all Shares. Participants in DTC include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and other institutions that directly or indirectly maintain a custodial relationship with DTC. As a beneficial owner of Shares, you are not entitled to receive physical delivery of stock certificates or to have Shares registered in your name, and you are not considered a registered owner of Shares. Therefore, to exercise any right as an owner of Shares, you must rely upon the procedures of DTC and its participants. These procedures are the same as those that apply to any other securities that you hold in book entry or “street name” form.

Share Trading Prices

The trading prices of Shares of each Fund on the Exchange may differ from the Fund’s daily NAV. Market forces of supply and demand, economic conditions and other factors may affect the trading prices of Shares.

The approximate value of Shares of each Fund, an amount representing on a per share basis the sum of the current market price of the securities accepted by such Fund, and an estimated cash component will be disseminated every 15 seconds throughout the trading day through the facilities of the Consolidated Tape Association. With respect to Fund investments in securities of foreign issuers traded on foreign exchanges, as the respective international local markets close, the market value of such securities will continue to be updated for foreign exchange rates for the remainder of the U.S. trading day at the prescribed 15 second intervals. This approximate value should not be viewed as a “real-time” update of the NAV per Share of a Fund because the approximate value will not be calculated in the same manner as the NAV, which is computed once a day, generally at the end of the business day. The Funds are not involved in, or responsible for, the calculation or dissemination of the approximate value of the Shares, and the Funds do not make any warranty as to the accuracy of the approximate value.

 

 

Frequent Purchases and Redemptions of Shares

Shares of the Funds may be purchased and redeemed directly from the Funds only in Creation Units by APs. The vast majority of trading in Shares of the Funds occurs on the secondary market and does not involve a Fund directly. In-kind purchases and redemptions of Creation Units by APs and cash trades on the secondary market are unlikely to cause many of the harmful effects of frequent purchases and/or redemptions of Shares of a Fund. Cash purchases or redemptions of Creation Units, however, can result in increased tracking error, disruption of portfolio management, dilution to a Fund and increased transaction costs, which could negatively impact a Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective, and may lead to the realization of capital gains. These

 

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consequences may increase as the frequency of cash purchases and redemptions of Creation Units by APs increases. However, direct trading by APs is critical to ensuring that Shares trade at or close to NAV.

To minimize these potential consequences of frequent purchases and redemptions of Shares, each Fund imposes transaction fees on purchases and redemptions of Creation Units to cover the custodial and other costs the Funds incur in effecting trades. In addition, the Adviser monitors trades by APs for patterns of abusive trading and the Funds reserve the right to not accept orders from APs that the Adviser has determined may be disruptive to the management of the Funds or otherwise are not in the best interests of the Funds. In recognition of the nature of each Fund’s investments and that Shares of the Funds are purchased and redeemed in Creation Units principally for cash, the Board has adopted policies and procedures with respect to frequent purchases and redemptions of Shares of the Funds, which incorporate the practices described above, as well as additional trade monitoring for market timing activities.

 

 

Dividends, Other Distributions and Taxes

Dividends and Other Distributions

Ordinarily, dividends from net investment income, if any, are declared and paid monthly by each Fund. Each Fund also intends to distribute its net realized capital gains, if any, to shareholders annually. Dividends and other distributions may be declared and paid more frequently to comply with the distribution requirements of Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and to avoid a federal excise tax imposed on regulated investment companies.

Distributions in cash may be reinvested automatically in additional whole Shares only if the broker through whom you purchased Shares makes such option available.

Taxes

Each Fund intends to qualify each year as a regulated investment company (RIC) and, as such, is not subject to entity-level tax on the income and gain it distributes. If you are a taxable investor, dividends and distributions you receive generally are taxable to you whether you reinvest distributions in additional Shares or take them in cash. Every year, you will be sent information showing the amount of dividends and distributions you received during the prior calendar year. In addition, investors in taxable accounts should be aware of the following basic tax points as supplemented below where relevant:

Fund Tax Basics

 

   

A Fund earns income generally in the form of dividends or interest on its investments. This income, less expenses incurred in the operation of a Fund, constitutes the Fund’s net investment income from which dividends may be paid to shareholders. If you are a taxable investor, distributions of net investment income generally are taxable to you as ordinary income.

 

   

Distributions of net short-term capital gains are taxable to you as ordinary income. A Fund with a high portfolio turnover rate (a measure of how frequently assets within a Fund are bought and sold) is more likely to generate short-term capital gains than a Fund with a low portfolio turnover rate.

 

   

Distributions of net long-term capital gains are taxable to you as long-term capital gains no matter how long you have owned your Shares.

 

   

A portion of income dividends paid by a Fund may be reported as qualified dividend income eligible for taxation by individual shareholders at long-term capital gain rates, provided certain holding period requirements are met. These reduced rates generally are available for dividends derived from a Fund’s investment in stocks of domestic corporations and qualified foreign corporations. In the case of a Fund that invests primarily in debt securities, either none or only a nominal portion of the dividends paid by the Fund will be eligible for taxation at these reduced rates.

 

   

The use of derivatives by a Fund may cause the Fund to realize higher amounts of ordinary income or short-term capital gain, distributions from which are taxable to individual shareholders at ordinary income tax rates rather than at the more favorable tax rates for long-term capital gain.

 

   

Distributions declared to shareholders with a record date in December—if paid to you by the end of January—are taxable for federal income tax purposes as if received in December.

 

   

Any long-term or short-term capital gains realized on the sale of your Shares will be subject to federal income tax.

 

   

A shareholder’s cost basis information will be provided on the sale of any of the shareholder’s Shares, subject to certain exceptions for exempt recipients. Please contact the broker (or other nominee) that holds your Shares with respect to reporting of cost basis and available elections for your account.

 

41


   

At the time you purchase your Shares, a Fund’s NAV may reflect undistributed income or undistributed capital gains. A subsequent distribution to you of such amounts, although constituting a return of your investment, would be taxable. Buying Shares in a Fund just before it declares an income dividend or capital gains distribution is sometimes known as “buying a dividend.” In addition, a Fund’s NAV may, at any time, reflect net unrealized appreciation, which may result in future taxable distributions to you.

 

   

By law, if you do not provide a Fund with your proper taxpayer identification number and certain required certifications, you may be subject to backup withholding on any distributions of income, capital gains, or proceeds from the sale of your Shares. A Fund also must withhold if the IRS instructs it to do so. When withholding is required, the amount will be 24% of any distributions or proceeds paid.

 

   

An additional 3.8% Medicare tax is imposed on certain net investment income (including ordinary dividends and capital gain distributions received from a Fund and net gains from redemptions or other taxable dispositions of Shares) of U.S. individuals, estates and trusts to the extent that such person’s “modified adjusted gross income” (in the case of an individual) or “adjusted gross income” (in the case of an estate or trust) exceeds a threshold amount. This Medicare tax, if applicable, is reported by you on, and paid with, your federal income tax return.

 

   

You will not be required to include the portion of dividends paid by a Fund derived from interest on U.S. government obligations in your gross income for purposes of personal and, in some cases, corporate income taxes in many state and local tax jurisdictions. The percentage of dividends that constitutes dividends derived from interest on federal obligations will be determined annually. This percentage may differ from the actual percentage of interest received by the Fund on federal obligations for the particular days on which you hold shares.

 

   

Fund distributions and gains from sale of Shares generally are subject to state and local income taxes.

 

   

If a Fund qualifies to pass through the tax benefits from foreign taxes it pays on its investments, and elects to do so, then any foreign taxes it pays on these investments may be passed through to you as a foreign tax credit. You will then be required to include your pro-rata share of these taxes in gross income, even though not actually received by you, and will be entitled either to deduct your share of these taxes in computing your taxable income, or to claim a foreign tax credit for these taxes against your U.S. federal income tax.

 

   

Foreign investors should be aware that U.S. withholding, special certification requirements to avoid U.S. backup withholding and claim any treaty benefits, and estate taxes may apply to an investment in a Fund.

 

   

Under the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA), a 30% withholding tax is imposed on income dividends made by a Fund to certain foreign entities, referred to as foreign financial institutions or non-financial foreign entities, that fail to comply (or be deemed compliant) with extensive reporting and withholding requirements designed to inform the U.S. Department of the Treasury of U.S.-owned foreign investment accounts. After December 31, 2018, FATCA withholding also would have applied to certain capital gain distributions, return of capital distributions and the proceeds arising from the sale of Shares; however, based on proposed regulations issued by the IRS, which can be relied upon currently, such withholding is no longer required unless final regulations provide otherwise (which is not expected). A Fund may disclose the information that it receives from its shareholders to the IRS, non-U.S. taxing authorities or other parties as necessary to comply with FATCA or similar laws. Withholding also may be required if a foreign entity that is a shareholder of a Fund fails to provide the Fund with appropriate certifications or other documentation concerning its status under FATCA.

 

   

If a Fund invests in an underlying fund taxed as a RIC, please see any relevant section below for more information regarding the Fund’s investment in such underlying fund.

Taxes on Purchase and Redemption of Creation Units

To the extent that a Fund permits in-kind transactions, an AP that exchanges securities for a Creation Unit generally will recognize a capital gain or loss equal to the difference between the market value of the Creation Units at the time of exchange (plus any cash received by the AP as part of the issue) and the sum of the AP’s aggregate basis in the securities surrendered plus any cash component paid. Similarly, an AP that redeems a Creation Unit in exchange for securities generally will recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the AP’s basis in the Creation Units (plus any cash paid by the AP as part of the redemption) and the aggregate market value of the securities received (plus any cash received by the AP as part of the redemption). The IRS, however, may assert that a loss realized upon an exchange of securities for a Creation Unit, or of a Creation Unit for securities, cannot be deducted currently under the rules governing “wash sales” or on the ground that there has been no significant change in the AP’s economic position. An AP exchanging securities should consult their own tax advisors with respect to whether wash sale rules apply and when a loss otherwise might not be deductible.

Any capital gain or loss realized on a redemption of a Creation Unit generally is treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the Shares have been held for more than one year and as short-term capital gain or loss if they have been held for one year or less. If you

 

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purchase or redeem one or more Creation Units, you will be sent a confirmation statement showing how many Shares you purchased or sold and at what price.

The foregoing discussion summarizes some of the more important possible consequences under current federal, state and local tax law of an investment in the Funds. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. You also may be subject to state, local and/or foreign tax on a Fund’s distributions and sales and/or redemptions of Shares. Consult your personal tax advisor(s) about the potential tax consequences of an investment in the Shares under all applicable tax laws.

 

 

Distributor

Invesco Distributors, Inc. (the “Distributor”) serves as the distributor of Creation Units for each Fund on an agency basis. The Distributor does not maintain a secondary market in Shares. The Distributor is an affiliate of the Adviser and the Sub-Adviser.

 

 

Net Asset Value

The Bank of New York Mellon (“BNYM”) calculates each Fund’s NAV at the close of regular trading (normally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) every day the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) is open. U.S. fixed-income assets may be valued as of the announced closing time for trading in fixed-income instruments on any day that the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association announces an early closing time. The NAV for each Fund will be calculated and disseminated daily on each day that the NYSE is open. NAV is calculated by deducting all of a Fund’s liabilities from the total value of its assets and dividing the result by the number of Shares outstanding, rounding to the nearest cent. Generally, the portfolio securities are recorded in the NAV no later than trade date plus one day. All valuations are subject to review by the Trust’s Board or its delegate.

In determining NAV, expenses are accrued and applied daily and securities and other assets for which market quotations are readily available are valued at market value. Securities listed or traded on an exchange generally are valued at the last sales price or official closing price that day as of the close of the exchange where the security is primarily traded. Investment companies are valued using such company’s NAV per share, unless the shares are exchange-traded, in which case they will be valued at the last sale or official closing price on the exchanges on which they primarily trade. Deposits, other obligations of U.S. and non-U.S. banks and financial institutions, and cash equivalents are valued at their daily account value. Debt obligations and securities not listed on an exchange normally are valued on the basis of prices provided by independent pricing services. Pricing services generally value debt securities assuming orderly transactions of institutional round lot size, but a Fund may hold or transact in the same securities in smaller, odd lot sizes. Odd lots often trade at lower prices than institutional round lots. Futures contracts are valued at the final settlement price set by an exchange on which they are principally traded. Listed options are valued at the mean of consolidated best bid and offer from the exchange on which they are principally traded or the last bid and offer mean quotations from the principal exchange if consolidated quotations are not available. Options not listed on an exchange are valued by an independent source at the mean between the last bid and asked prices. For purposes of determining NAV per Share, futures and option contracts generally are valued 15 minutes after the close of the customary trading session of the NYSE. Swaps generally are valued based on quotations from a pricing vendor or market makers, all in accordance with valuation policies and procedures approved by the Board of the Trust.

Certain securities may not be listed on an exchange; typically, those securities are bought and sold by institutional investors in individually negotiated private transactions. Such securities, as well as listed securities whose market price is not readily available will be valued using pricing provided from independent pricing services or by another method that the Adviser, in its judgment, believes will better reflect the security’s fair value in accordance with the Trust’s valuation procedures approved by the Board.

Even when market quotations are available for portfolio securities, they may be stale or unreliable because the security is not traded frequently, trading on the security ceased before the close of the trading market or issuer-specific events occurred after the security ceased trading or because of the passage of time between the close of the market on which the security trades and the close of the NYSE and when a Fund calculates its NAV. Events that may cause the last market quotation to be unreliable include a merger or insolvency, events which affect a geographical area or an industry segment, such as political events or natural disasters, or market events, such as a significant movement in the U.S. market. Where market quotations are not readily available, including where the Adviser determines that the closing price of the security is unreliable, the Adviser will value the security at fair value in good faith using procedures approved by the Board. Fair value pricing involves subjective judgments and it is possible that a fair value determination for a security is materially different than the value that could be realized upon the sale of the security. With respect to securities that primarily are listed on foreign exchanges, the value of a Fund’s portfolio securities may change on days when you are not able to purchase or sell your Shares.

 

 

Fund Service Providers

BNYM, 240 Greenwich Street, New York, New York 10286, is the administrator, custodian, and fund accounting and transfer agent for each Fund.

 

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Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young, LLP, 191 North Wacker Drive, Suite 1601, Chicago, Illinois 60606, and 2000 K Street, NW, Suite 700, Washington, D.C. 20006, serves as legal counsel to the Trust.

[        ], serves as the Funds’ independent registered public accounting firm. [        ] is responsible for auditing the annual financial statements of each Fund and performs other related audit services.

 

 

Financial Highlights

The Funds are new and have no performance history as of the date of this Prospectus. Financial information for the Funds therefore is not available.

 

 

Premium/Discount Information

Information on the daily NAV per Share for each Fund, once available, can be found at www.invesco.com/ETFs. Additionally, information regarding how often the Shares of each Fund traded on the Exchange at a price above (at a premium) or below (at a discount) the NAV of the Fund during the prior calendar year and subsequent quarters, when available, can be found at www.invesco.com/ETFs.

 

 

Other Information

Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act restricts investments by investment companies (and companies relying on Section 3(c)(1) or 3(c)(7) of the 1940 Act) in the securities of other investment companies. However, registered investment companies are permitted to invest in a Fund beyond the limits set forth in Section 12(d)(1) subject to certain terms and conditions set forth in an SEC exemptive order issued to the Trust, including that such investment companies enter into a participant agreement with the Trust on behalf of the Fund prior to exceeding the limits imposed by Section 12(d)(1). Additionally, each Fund is permitted to invest in other registered investment companies beyond the limits set forth in Section 12(d)(1) subject to certain terms and conditions set forth in another exemptive order that the SEC has issued to the Trust. If a Fund relies on this exemptive relief, however, other investment companies may not invest in that Fund beyond the statutory provisions of Section 12(d)(1).

Continuous Offering

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

For example, a broker-dealer firm or its client may be deemed a statutory underwriter if it takes Creation Unit Aggregations after placing an order with the Distributor, breaks them down into constituent Shares and sells such Shares directly to customers, or if it chooses to couple the creation of a supply of new Shares with an active selling effort involving solicitation of secondary market demand for Shares. A determination of whether one is an underwriter for purposes of the Securities Act must take into account all the facts and circumstances pertaining to the activities of the broker-dealer or its client in the particular case, and the examples mentioned above should not be considered a complete description of all the activities that could lead to a characterization as an underwriter.

Broker-dealer firms also should note that dealers who are not “underwriters” but are effecting transactions in Shares, whether or not participating in the distribution of Shares, generally are required to deliver a prospectus. This is because the prospectus delivery exemption in Section 4(a)(3)(C) of the Securities Act is not available in respect of such transactions as a result of Section 24(d) of the 1940 Act. As a result, broker-dealer firms should note that dealers who are not “underwriters” but are participating in a distribution (as contrasted with engaging in ordinary secondary market transactions), and thus dealing with the Shares that are part of an overallotment within the meaning of Section 4(a)(3)(C) of the Securities Act, will be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(a)(3) of the Securities Act. For delivery of prospectuses to exchange members, the prospectus delivery mechanism of Rule 153 under the Securities Act only is available with respect to transactions on a national exchange.

Delivery of Shareholder Documents—Householding

Householding is an option available to certain investors of the Funds. Householding is a method of delivery, based on the preference of the individual investor, in which a single copy of certain shareholder documents can be delivered to investors who share the same address, even if their accounts are registered under different names. Householding for the Funds is available through certain broker-dealers. If you are interested in enrolling in householding and receiving a single copy of the Prospectus and other shareholder

 

44


documents, please contact your broker-dealer. If you currently are enrolled in householding and wish to change your householding status, please contact your broker-dealer.

 

45


For More Information

For more detailed information on the Trust, the Funds and the Shares, you may request a copy of the Funds’ SAI. The SAI provides detailed information about the Funds and is incorporated by reference into this Prospectus. This means that the SAI legally is a part of this Prospectus. Additional information about the Funds’ investments also will appear in the Funds’ Annual and Semi-Annual Reports to Shareholders, when available. In the Funds’ Annual Reports, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected each Fund’s performance during its most recent fiscal year. If you have questions about the Funds or Shares or you wish to obtain the SAI, Annual Report and/or Semi-Annual Report, when available, free of charge, or to make shareholder inquiries, please:

 

           Call:   

Invesco Distributors, Inc. at 1-800-983-0903

Monday through Friday

8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Central Time

  Write:   

Invesco Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Fund Trust

c/o Invesco Distributors, Inc.

11 Greenway Plaza, Suite 1000

Houston, Texas 77046-1173

  Visit:    www.invesco.com/ETFs

Reports and other information about the Funds are available on the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s Internet site at www.sec.gov, and copies of this information may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by electronic request at the following e-mail address: publicinfo@sec.gov.

No person is authorized to give any information or to make any representations about a Fund and its Shares not contained in this Prospectus, and you should not rely on any other information. Read and keep this Prospectus for future reference.

Dealers effecting transactions in the Funds’ Shares, whether or not participating in this distribution, generally are 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 registration number under the 1940 Act is 811-22148.

 

46


Invesco Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Fund Trust

3500 Lacey Road, Suite 700

        
Downers Grove, IL 60515    P-[        ]-PRO-1   

www.invesco.com/ETFs

800.983.0903

        LOGO  @InvescoETFs   

 

47


Subject to Completion – dated December 13, 2019

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

Investment Company Act File No. 811-22148

 

 

Invesco Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Fund Trust

 

 

STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Dated [                ]

This Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) is not a prospectus. It should be read in conjunction with the Prospectus dated [                ], for the Invesco Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Fund Trust (the “Trust”), relating to the series of the Trust listed below, as it may be revised from time to time (the “Prospectus”).

 

 

 

Fund    Principal U.S. Listing Exchange    Ticker

Invesco Intermediate Bond Factor ETF

   The Nasdaq Stock Market.    [Ticker]

Invesco Multi-Sector Bond Income Factor ETF

   The Nasdaq Stock Market    [Ticker]

Invesco Short-Term Bond Factor ETF

   The Nasdaq Stock Market    [Ticker]

 

 

Capitalized terms used herein that are not defined have the same meaning as in the Prospectus, unless otherwise noted. A copy of the Prospectus may be obtained without charge by writing to the Trust’s Distributor, Invesco Distributors, Inc. (the “Distributor”), 11 Greenway Plaza, Suite 1000, Houston, Texas 77046-1173, or by calling toll free 1-800-983-0903.


Table of Contents

 

General Description of the Trust and the Funds

     1  

Exchange Listing and Trading

     1  

Investment Strategies and Restrictions

     2  

Investment Policies and Risks

     7  

Portfolio Turnover

     13  

Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings

     13  

Management

     13  

Brokerage Transactions and Commissions on Affiliated Transactions

     32  

Additional Information Concerning the Trust

     33  

Creation and Redemption of Creation Unit Aggregations

     35  

Taxes

     42  

Determination of NAV

     53  

Dividends and Other Distributions

     54  

Miscellaneous Information

     54  

Financial Statements

     54  

Appendix A

     A-1  

Appendix B

     B-1  

Appendix C

     C-1  


 

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE TRUST AND THE FUNDS

The Trust was organized as a Delaware statutory trust on November 6, 2007 and is authorized to have multiple series or portfolios. The Trust is an open-end management investment company, registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). The Trust currently consists of [    ] funds. This SAI relates to the Invesco Intermediate Bond Factor ETF, Invesco Multi-Sector Bond Income Factor ETF and Invesco Short-Term Bond Factor ETF. The shares of each Fund are referred to in this SAI as “Shares.”

The investment objective of each Fund is to seek total return. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit with a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Invesco Capital Management LLC (the “Adviser”), an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of Invesco Ltd., manages the Funds.

The Adviser has entered into an investment sub-advisory agreement with an affiliate to serve as investment sub-adviser to the Fund. The affiliated sub-adviser, Invesco Advisers, Inc. (“IAI” or the “Sub-Adviser”), is an investment adviser registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (the “Advisers Act”). The Sub-Adviser is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Invesco Ltd.

Each Fund issues and redeems Shares at net asset value (“NAV”) only in aggregations of 100,000 Shares (each, a “Creation Unit” or a “Creation Unit Aggregation”). Each Fund issues and redeems Creation Units principally for cash calculated based on the NAV per Share, multiplied by the number of Shares representing a Creation Unit (“Deposit Cash”), plus certain transaction fees; however, each Fund also reserves the right to permit or require Creation Units to be issued and redeemed in exchange for Deposit Securities or basket of securities (the “Deposit Securities”) together with a specified cash payment (the “Cash Component”).

Each Fund is expected to be approved for listing, subject to notice of issuance, on The Nasdaq Stock Market (the “Exchange”). Shares will trade throughout the day on the Exchange at market prices that may be below, at, or above NAV. In the event of the liquidation of a Fund, the Trust may decrease the number of Shares in a Creation Unit.

Each Fund may issue Shares 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 105% of the market value of the missing Deposit Securities. See the “Creation and Redemption of Creation Unit Aggregations” section. To offset the added brokerage and other transaction costs a Fund incurs with using cash to purchase the requisite Deposit Securities, during each instance of cash creations or redemptions, the Funds may impose transaction fees that will be higher than the transaction fees associated with in-kind creations or redemptions. For more information, see the section below titled “Creation and Redemption of Creation Unit Aggregations.”

 

 

EXCHANGE LISTING AND TRADING

There can be no assurance that a Fund, once listed, will continue to meet the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of its Shares. The Exchange may, but is not required to, remove the Shares from listing if: (i) following the initial 12-month period beginning at the commencement of trading of a Fund, there are fewer than 50 beneficial owners of the Shares; (ii) the “intraday indicative value” (“IIV”) of a Fund is no longer calculated or available; or (iii) such other event shall occur or condition shall exist that, in the opinion of the Exchange, makes further dealings on such Exchange inadvisable. The Exchange will remove the Shares from listing and trading upon termination of a Fund

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

The Trust reserves the right to adjust the price levels of the Shares in the future to help 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.

In order to provide additional information regarding the indicative value of Shares of the Funds, the Exchange or a market data vendor will disseminate every 15 seconds through the facilities of the Consolidated Tape Association or other widely disseminated means, an updated IIV for a Fund, as calculated by an information provider or market data vendor. The Trust is not involved in, or responsible for any aspect of, the calculation or dissemination of the IIVs and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the IIVs.

The Funds are not sponsored, endorsed, or promoted by the Exchange. The Exchange is not responsible for, nor has it participated in, the determination of the timing of, prices of, or quantities of Shares of the Funds to be issued, nor in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the shares are redeemable. The Exchange has no obligation or liability to owners of the Shares of the Funds in connection with the administration, marketing, or trading of the Shares of the Funds.

 

1


Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall the Exchange have any liability for any lost profits or indirect, punitive, special, or consequential damages even if notified of the possibility thereof.

 

 

INVESTMENT STRATEGIES AND RESTRICTIONS

Investment Strategies

Unlike conventional exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), each Fund is “actively managed” and does not seek to replicate the performance of a specified index. The Funds seek to achieve their respective investment objectives by investing in securities included in their respective investment universe.

Additionally, during times of adverse market, economic, political or other conditions, each Fund may depart temporarily from its principal investment strategies (such as by maintaining a significant uninvested cash position that may include investments in unaffiliated or affiliated money market funds) for defensive purposes. Doing so could help a Fund avoid losses, but may mean lost investment opportunities. During these periods, such Fund may not achieve its investment objective.

Invesco Intermediate Bond Factor ETF

The Invesco Intermediate Bond Factor ETF seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing, under normal market conditions, at least 80% of its net assets (plus borrowings for investment purposes) in debt securities, and in derivatives and other instruments that have economic characteristics similar to such securities. The kinds of debt securities in which the Fund can invest in include investment grade U.S. corporate and government debt obligations (including securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government or its agencies or federally-chartered entities referred to as “instrumentalities.), as well as mortgage-backed, commercial mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities. Such securities may include certain restricted securities, including securities that are only eligible for resale pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) (such securities being referred to as “Rule 144A Securities”).

IAI selects securities for the Fund’s portfolio by utilizing a factor-based strategy that seeks to outperform the Fund’s market-weighted benchmark index. This strategy involves systematically targeting securities represented in the benchmark index exhibiting quantifiable issuer characteristics (or “factors”) that the Sub-Adviser’s research suggests will have higher returns over market cycles. This research is based on the accumulated knowledge of years of academic research which the Sub-Adviser uses to select securities that historically have tended to outperform in their respective universe. In practice, this means the Fund may have higher allocations than its benchmark index to: value bonds (bonds that have high spreads relative to other securities of similar credit quality and/or sector); low volatility bonds (bonds that have lower levels of price volatility); and high carry bonds (bonds with higher absolute yield or spread). The portfolio managers expect to include additional factors or modify the factors used to build the Fund’s portfolio as the research evolves. Although the portfolio managers implement a factor-based investment strategy, they retain discretion to position the Fund appropriately in terms of risk exposures and position sizes. Accordingly, the portfolio managers will seek to minimize some of the residual risks associated with the higher allocations to the types of bonds mentioned above (such as duration and sector concentration) including through the use of derivatives, as described below.

“Investment-grade” debt securities are rated in one of the top four rating categories by nationally recognized statistical rating organizations such as Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (Moody’s) or S&P Global Ratings (S&P). The Fund may also invest in unrated securities, in which case the Sub-Adviser may internally assign ratings to certain of those securities, after assessing their credit quality, in investment grade categories similar to those of nationally recognized statistical rating organizations. There can be no assurance, nor is it intended, that the Sub-Adviser’s credit analysis is consistent or comparable with the credit analysis process used by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization (NRSRO). Under normal market condition, the Fund will only purchase securities rated investment grade by at least one major agency (or, if unrated, determined by the Sub-Adviser to be investment grade). However, the Fund may nonetheless hold below-investment grade debt securities (also referred to as “junk” bonds) in instances where a debt security’s rating is downgraded after the Fund purchases it. The Sub-Adviser does not impose any limit on below-investment grade holdings in instances of bonds being downgraded.

The Fund has no limitations on the range of maturities of the debt securities in which it can invest and may hold securities with short-, medium- or long-term maturities. The maturity of a security differs from its effective duration, which attempts to measure the expected sensitivity of a security’s price to interest rate changes. To try to decrease such sensitivity, the Fund seeks to maintain a weighted average effective portfolio duration of four to ten years, measured on a dollar-weighted basis using the effective duration of the securities included in the portfolio and the amount invested in each of those securities. However, the duration of the portfolio might not meet that target due to market events or interest rate changes that cause debt securities to be repaid more rapidly or more slowly than expected.

 

2


The Fund may purchase securities of issuers of any market capitalization.

The Fund may invest a portion of its assets in foreign debt securities, including securities issued by foreign governments or companies in both developing and emerging markets. The Fund may invest in securities denominated in U.S. dollars or local foreign currencies, however, the portfolio managers may use derivatives to seek to hedge any foreign currency exposure.

The Fund may invest in U.S. agency mortgage pass-through securities and may seek to obtain such exposure primarily through the use of standardized agreements for forward or future delivery in which the actual mortgage pools to be delivered are not specified until shortly prior to settlement (to be announced (“TBA”) transactions).

The Fund may also use certain types of derivative investments for investment purposes or hedging to manage investment risks, including: options, futures, forward contracts, swaps, certain mortgage-related securities or asset-backed securities, “structured” notes and other types of derivatives.

The Fund can use swap contracts, including interest rate swaps, to hedge or adjust its exposure to interest rates. The Fund can also use swap contracts, including credit default swaps, to create long or short exposure to corporate or sovereign debt securities. The Fund can further use swap contracts, including: credit default index swaps, to hedge credit risk or take a position on a basket of credit entities; total return swaps, to gain exposure to a reference asset; and volatility swaps to adjust the volatility profile of the Fund.

The Fund can use options, including currency options, to seek alpha (return on investments in excess of the benchmark index) or to mitigate risk and to hedge against adverse movements in the foreign currencies in which portfolio securities are denominated. The Fund can also use credit default swap options to gain the right to enter into a credit default swap at a specified future date. The Fund can further use swaptions (options on swaps) to manage interest rate risk; and options on bond or rate futures to manage interest rate exposure.

The Fund can use futures contracts, including interest rate futures and Treasury futures, to increase or reduce its exposure to interest rate changes. The Fund can also use currency futures to increase or decrease its exposure to foreign currencies. The Fund can engage in foreign currency transactions either on a spot basis (i.e., for prompt delivery and settlement at the rate prevailing in the currency exchange market at the time) or through forward foreign currency contracts to gain or mitigate the risk of foreign currency exposure.

The Fund may purchase and sell securities on a when-issued and delayed delivery basis, which means that the Fund buys or sells a security with payment and delivery taking place in the future. The payment obligation and the interest rate are fixed at the time the Fund enters into the commitment. No income accrues on such securities until the date the Fund actually takes delivery of the securities.

Invesco Multi-Sector Bond Income Factor ETF

The Invesco Multi-Sector Bond Income Factor ETF seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing, under normal market conditions, at least 80% of its net assets (plus borrowings for investment purposes) in debt securities, and in derivatives and other instruments that have economic characteristics similar to such securities. The Fund will primarily hold a multi-sector portfolio of debt securities, including corporate bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. issuers (including U.S. and foreign government issuers).

IAI selects securities for the Fund’s portfolio by utilizing a factor-based strategy that seeks to outperform the Fund’s market-weighted benchmark index. This strategy involves systematically targeting securities represented in the benchmark index exhibiting quantifiable issuer characteristics (or “factors”) that the Sub-Adviser’s research suggests will have higher returns over market cycles. This research is based on the accumulated knowledge of years of academic research which the Sub-Adviser uses to select securities that historically have tended to outperform in their respective universe. In practice, this means the Fund may have higher allocations than its benchmark index to: value bonds (bonds that have high spreads relative to other securities of similar credit quality and/or sector); low volatility bonds (bonds that have lower levels of price volatility); and high carry bonds (bonds with higher absolute yield or spread). The portfolio managers expect to include additional factors or modify the factors used to build the Fund’s portfolio as the research evolves. Although the portfolio managers implement a factor-based investment strategy, they retain discretion to position the Fund appropriately in terms of risk exposures and position sizes. Accordingly, the portfolio managers will seek to minimize some of the residual risks associated with the higher allocations to the types of bonds mentioned above (such as duration and sector concentration) including through the use of derivatives, as described below.

 

3


The Sub-Adviser selects securities for the Fund’s portfolio across a broad spectrum of sectors, which may include (without limitation): (i) investment grade debt (securities are rated in one of the top four rating categories by at least one nationally recognized statistical rating organizations such as Moody’s or Standard & Poor’s); (ii) below-investment grade debt (also referred to as “junk” bonds); (iii) bonds issued by U.S. and non-U.S. corporate issuers; (iv) fixed income securities issued by the U.S. government and its agencies; (v) fixed income securities issued by non-U.S. governments (including governments of emerging market countries); and (vi) mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, such as collateralized mortgage obligations (CMOs), collateralized debt obligations (CDOs), and collateralized loan obligations (CLOs). However, the Sub-Adviser does not specifically seek exposure (of any allocation size) to any one investment sector and the Fund’s portfolio will vary in exposure to investment sectors over time. The Fund may invest in securities denominated in U.S. dollars or local foreign currencies, however, the Fund may use derivatives to seek to hedge any foreign currency exposure.

The Fund may purchase securities of any maturity and of issuers of any market capitalization. In seeking exposure to U.S. agency mortgage pass-through securities, the Fund may use of standardized agreements for forward or future delivery in which the actual mortgage pools to be delivered are not specified until shortly prior to settlement (to be announced (“TBA”) transactions).

Additionally, the Fund may use certain types of derivative investments for investment purposes or hedging to manage investment risks, including: options, futures, forward contracts, swaps, certain mortgage-related securities or asset-backed securities, “structured” notes and other types of derivatives.

The Fund can use swap contracts, including interest rate swaps, to hedge or adjust its exposure to interest rates. The Fund can also use swap contracts, including credit default swaps, to create long or short exposure to corporate or sovereign debt securities. The Fund can further use swap contracts, including: credit default index swaps, to hedge credit risk or take a position on a basket of credit entities; total return swaps, to gain exposure to a reference asset; and volatility swaps to adjust the volatility profile of the Fund.

The Fund can use options, including currency options, to seek alpha (return on investments in excess of the benchmark index) or to mitigate risk and to hedge against adverse movements in the foreign currencies in which portfolio securities are denominated. The Fund can also use credit default swap options to gain the right to enter into a credit default swap at a specified future date. The Fund can further use swaptions (options on swaps) to manage interest rate risk; and options on bond or rate futures to manage interest rate exposure.

The Fund can use futures contracts, including interest rate futures and Treasury futures, to increase or reduce its exposure to interest rate changes. The Fund can also use currency futures to increase or decrease its exposure to foreign currencies. The Fund can engage in foreign currency transactions either on a spot basis (i.e., for prompt delivery and settlement at the rate prevailing in the currency exchange market at the time) or through forward foreign currency contracts to gain or mitigate the risk of foreign currency exposure.

The Fund may purchase and sell securities on a when-issued and delayed delivery basis, which means that the Fund buys or sells a security with payment and delivery taking place in the future. The payment obligation and the interest rate are fixed at the time the Fund enters into the commitment. No income accrues on such securities until the date the Fund actually takes delivery of the securities.

Invesco Short-Term Bond Factor ETF

The Invesco Short-Term Bond Factor ETF seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing, under normal market conditions, at least 80% of its net assets (plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes) in debt securities, and in derivatives and other instruments that have economic characteristics similar to such securities. The kinds of debt securities in which the Fund can invest in include investment grade U.S. corporate and government debt obligations (including securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government or its agencies or federally-chartered entities referred to as “instrumentalities.), as well as mortgage-backed, commercial mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities. Such securities may include certain restricted securities, including securities that are only eligible for resale pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) (such securities being referred to as “Rule 144A Securities”).

IAI selects securities for the Fund’s portfolio by utilizing a factor-based strategy that seeks to outperform the Fund’s market-weighted benchmark index. This strategy involves systematically targeting securities represented in the benchmark index exhibiting quantifiable issuer characteristics (or “factors”) that the Sub-Adviser’s research suggests will have higher returns over market cycles. This research is based on the accumulated knowledge of years of academic research which the Sub-Adviser uses to select securities that historically have tended to outperform in their respective universe. In practice, this means the Fund may have higher allocations than its benchmark index to: value bonds (bonds that have high spreads relative to other securities of similar credit quality and/or sector); low volatility bonds (bonds that have lower levels of price volatility); and high carry bonds (bonds with higher absolute yield or spread). The portfolio managers expect to include additional factors or modify the factors used to build the Fund’s portfolio as the

 

4


research evolves. Although the portfolio managers implement a factor-based investment strategy, they retain discretion to position the Fund appropriately in terms of risk exposures and position sizes. Accordingly, the portfolio managers will seek to minimize some of the residual risks associated with the higher allocations to the types of bonds mentioned above (such as duration and sector concentration) including through the use of derivatives, as described below.

“Investment-grade” debt securities are rated in one of the top four rating categories by nationally recognized statistical rating organizations such as Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (Moody’s) or S&P Global Ratings (S&P).. The Fund may also invest in unrated securities, in which case the Sub-Adviser may internally assign ratings to certain of those securities, after assessing their credit quality, in investment grade categories similar to those of nationally recognized statistical rating organizations. There can be no assurance, nor is it intended, that the Sub-Adviser’s credit analysis is consistent or comparable with the credit analysis process used by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization (NRSRO). Although the Fund will primarily invest in securities rated investment grade by at least one major agency (or, if unrated, determined by the Sub-Adviser to be investment grade), it may actively allocate a portion of its portfolio to below-investment grade debt securities (also referred to as “junk” bonds) as well, or hold such below-investment grade debt securities as a result of a rating downgrade after the Fund’s purchases.

The Fund has no limitations on the range of maturities of the debt securities in which it can invest and may hold securities with short-, medium- or long-term maturities. The maturity of a security differs from its effective duration, which attempts to measure the expected sensitivity of a security’s price to interest rate changes. To try to decrease such sensitivity, the Fund seeks to maintain a weighted average effective portfolio duration of one to four years, measured on a dollar-weighted basis using the effective duration of the securities included in the portfolio and the amount invested in each of those securities. However, the duration of the portfolio might not meet that target due to market events or interest rate changes that cause debt securities to be repaid more rapidly or more slowly than expected.

The Fund may purchase securities of issuers of any market capitalization.

The Fund may invest a portion of its assets in foreign debt securities, including securities issued by foreign governments or companies in both developing and emerging markets. The Fund may invest in securities denominated in U.S. dollars or local foreign currencies, however, the portfolio managers may use derivatives to seek to hedge any foreign currency exposure.

The Fund may invest in U.S. agency mortgage pass-through securities and may seek to obtain such exposure primarily through the use of standardized agreements for forward or future delivery in which the actual mortgage pools to be delivered are not specified until shortly prior to settlement (to be announced (“TBA”) transactions). The Fund may also invest in certain collateralized debt obligations (CDOs), including collateralized loan obligations (CLOs).

The Fund may also use certain types of derivative investments for investment purposes or hedging to manage investment risks, including: options, futures, forward contracts, swaps, certain mortgage-related securities or asset-backed securities, “structured” notes and other types of derivatives.

The Fund can use swap contracts, including interest rate swaps, to hedge or adjust its exposure to interest rates. The Fund can also use swap contracts, including credit default swaps, to create long or short exposure to corporate or sovereign debt securities. The Fund can further use swap contracts, including: credit default index swaps, to hedge credit risk or take a position on a basket of credit entities; total return swaps, to gain exposure to a reference asset; and volatility swaps to adjust the volatility profile of the Fund.

The Fund can use options, including currency options, to seek alpha (return on investments in excess of the benchmark index) or to mitigate risk and to hedge against adverse movements in the foreign currencies in which portfolio securities are denominated. The Fund can also use credit default swap options to gain the right to enter into a credit default swap at a specified future date. The Fund can further use swaptions (options on swaps) to manage interest rate risk; and options on bond or rate futures to manage interest rate exposure.

The Fund can use futures contracts, including interest rate futures and Treasury futures, to increase or reduce its exposure to interest rate changes. The Fund can also use currency futures to increase or decrease its exposure to foreign currencies. The Fund can engage in foreign currency transactions either on a spot basis (i.e., for prompt delivery and settlement at the rate prevailing in the currency exchange market at the time) or through forward foreign currency contracts to gain or mitigate the risk of foreign currency exposure.

The Fund may purchase and sell securities on a when-issued and delayed delivery basis, which means that the Fund buys or sells a security with payment and delivery taking place in the future. The payment obligation and the interest rate are fixed at the time the Fund enters into the commitment. No income accrues on such securities until the date the Fund actually takes delivery of the securities.

Investment Restrictions

 

 

5


Each Fund has adopted as fundamental policies the investment restrictions numbered (1) through (7) below. Except as otherwise noted below, each Fund, as a fundamental policy, may not:

(1) Invest more than 25% of the value of its net assets in securities of issuers in any one industry or group of industries. This restriction does not apply to obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities.

(2) Borrow money, except the Fund may borrow money to the extent permitted by (i) the 1940 Act, (ii) the rules and regulations promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) under the 1940 Act, or (iii) an exemption or other relief applicable to the Fund from the provisions of the 1940 Act.

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

(4) Make loans to other persons, except through (i) the purchase of debt securities permissible under the Fund’s investment policies, (ii) repurchase agreements or (iii) the lending of portfolio securities, provided that no such loan of portfolio securities may be made by the Fund if, as a result, the aggregate of such loans would exceed 33 1/3% of the value of the Fund’s total assets.

(5) Purchase or sell physical commodities unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments (but this shall not prevent the Fund (i) from purchasing or selling options, futures contracts or other derivative instruments, or (ii) from investing in securities or other instruments backed by physical commodities).

(6) Purchase or sell real estate unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments (but this shall not prohibit the Fund from purchasing or selling securities or other instruments backed by real estate or of issuers engaged in real estate activities).

(7) Issue senior securities, except as permitted under the 1940 Act.

Except for restrictions (2), (4)(iii) and (7), if a Fund adheres to a percentage restriction at the time of investment, a later increase in percentage resulting from a change in market value of the investment or the total assets, or the sale of a security out of the portfolio, will not constitute a violation of that restriction. With respect to restrictions (2), (4)(iii) and (7), in the event that a Fund’s borrowings and loans of portfolio securities at any time exceed 33 1/3% of the value of the Fund’s total assets (including the amount borrowed and the collateral received) less the Fund’s liabilities (other than borrowings or loans) due to subsequent changes in the value of the Fund’s assets or otherwise, within three days (excluding Sundays and holidays), the Fund will take corrective action to reduce the amount of its borrowings and loans of portfolio securities to an extent that such borrowings and loans will not exceed 33 1/3% of the value of the Fund’s total assets (including the amount borrowed and the collateral received) less the Fund’s liabilities (other than borrowings or loans).

The foregoing fundamental investment policies cannot be changed without approval by holders of a “majority of a Fund’s outstanding voting securities.” As defined in the 1940 Act, this means the vote of (i) 67% or more of the Shares of the Fund present at a meeting, if the holders of more than 50% of the Shares are present or represented by proxy, or (ii) more than 50% of the Shares, whichever is less.

In addition to the foregoing fundamental investment policies, a Fund also is subject to the following non-fundamental investment restrictions and policies, which may be changed by the Board of the Trustees of the Trust (the “Board”) without shareholder approval. Each Fund may not:

(1) Sell securities short, unless the Fund owns or has the right to obtain securities equivalent in kind and amount to the securities sold short at no added cost, and provided that transactions in options, futures contracts, options on futures contracts or other derivative instruments are not deemed to constitute selling securities short.

(2) Purchase securities on margin, except that the Fund may obtain such short-term credits as are necessary for the clearance of transactions; and provided that margin deposits in connection with futures contracts, options on futures contracts or other derivative instruments shall not constitute purchasing securities on margin.

(3) Invest in direct interests in oil, gas or other mineral exploration programs or leases; however, the Fund may invest in the securities of issuers that engage in these activities.

(4) Purchase securities of open-end or closed-end investment companies except in compliance with the 1940 Act.

(5) Invest in illiquid securities if, as a result of such investment, more than 15% of the Fund’s net assets would be invested in illiquid securities.

Each Fund’s investment objective is a non-fundamental policy that can be changed by the Board without approval by shareholders upon 60 days’ prior written notice to shareholders.

 

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In accordance with the 1940 Act rules, each Fund has adopted a non-fundamental policy to invest at least 80% of the value of its net assets (plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes) in in debt securities, and in derivatives and other instruments that have economic characteristics similar to such securities (the “80% investment policy”). Each Fund will provide its shareholders with at least 60 days’ prior written notice of any change to its 80% investment policy.

 

 

INVESTMENT POLICIES AND RISKS

Investment Policies

A discussion of each Fund’s investment policies and the risks associated with an investment in the Fund is contained in the “Summary Information—Principal Investment Strategies” and “Summary Information—Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund” sections for each Fund and the “Additional Information About the Funds’ Strategies and Risks” section of the Prospectus. The discussion below supplements, and should be read in conjunction with, those sections of a Fund’s Prospectus.

An investment in the Funds should be made with an understanding that the value of the Funds’ portfolio holdings may fluctuate in accordance with changes in the value of the Funds’ portfolio holdings or other instruments or changes in the financial condition of the issuers of those portfolio holdings and other factors that affect the market, as applicable.

An investment in each Fund also should be made with an understanding of the risks inherent in an investment in futures contracts, securities and other assets, including the risk that the financial condition of issuers may become impaired or that the general condition of the securities market may deteriorate (either of which may cause a decrease in the value of the portfolio securities and thus in the value of Shares). The Funds’ portfolio holdings are susceptible to general market fluctuations and to volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence and investor emotions and perceptions change. 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.

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 dealers will make or maintain a market or that any such market will be or remain liquid. The price at which securities may be sold and the value of the 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.

Investment Risks

Borrowing. The Funds may borrow money from a bank or another person up to the limits and for the purposes set forth in the section “Investment Restrictions” to meet shareholder redemptions, for temporary or emergency purposes and for other lawful purposes. Borrowed money will cost the Fund interest expense and/or other fees. The costs of borrowing may reduce the Fund’s return. Borrowing also may cause the Fund to liquidate positions when it may not be advantageous to do so to satisfy its obligations to repay borrowed monies. To the extent that the Fund has outstanding borrowings, it will be leveraged. Leveraging generally exaggerates the effect on NAV of any increase or decrease in the market value of the Fund’s portfolio securities.

Collateralized Debt Obligations (“CDOs”). A CDO is an asset-backed security (“ABS”) whose underlying collateral is typically a portfolio of bonds, bank loans, commercial real estate, other structured finance securities and/or synthetic instruments. Where the underlying collateral is a portfolio of bonds, a CDO is referred to as a collateralized bond obligation (“CBO”). Where the underlying collateral is a portfolio of bank loans, a CDO is referred to as a collateralized loan obligation (“CLO”). Investors in CDOs bear the credit risk of the underlying collateral. Multiple tranches of securities are issued by the CDO, offering investors various maturity and credit risk characteristics. Tranches are categorized as senior, mezzanine, and subordinated/equity, according to their degree of risk. If there are defaults or the CDO’s collateral otherwise underperforms, scheduled payments to senior tranches take precedence over those of mezzanine tranches, and scheduled payments to mezzanine tranches take precedence over those to subordinated/equity tranches. CDOs are subject to the same risk of prepayment described with respect to certain mortgage-related securities and ABS below. The value of CDOs may be affected by changes in the market’s perception of the creditworthiness of the servicing agent for the pool or the originator.

The Funds may invest in CLOs, which are another type of ABS. A CLO is a trust or other special purpose entity that is comprised of or collateralized by a pool of loans, including domestic and non-U.S. senior secured loans, senior unsecured loans and subordinate corporate loans, including loans that may be rated below investment grade or equivalent unrated loans. The loans generate cash flow that is allocated among one or more classes of securities (“tranches”) that vary in risk and yield. The most senior tranche has the best credit quality and the lowest yield compared to the other tranches. The equity tranche has the highest potential yield but also has the greatest risk, as it bears the bulk of defaults from the underlying loans and helps to protect the more senior tranches from risk of these defaults. However, despite the protection from the equity and other more junior tranches, more senior tranches can experience

 

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substantial losses due to actual defaults and decreased market value due to collateral default and disappearance of protecting tranches, market anticipation of defaults, as well as aversion to CLO securities as a class.

Normally, CLOs are privately offered and sold and are not registered under state or federal securities laws. Therefore, investments in CLOs may be characterized by the Fund as illiquid securities; however, an active dealer market may exist for CLOs allowing a CLO to qualify for transactions pursuant to Rule 144A under the 1933 Act. CLOs normally charge management fees and administrative expenses, which are in addition to those of the Fund.

The riskiness of investing in CLOs depends largely on the quality and type of the collateral loans and the tranche of the CLO in which the Fund invests. In addition to the normal risks associated with fixed-income securities (such as interest rate risk and credit risk), CLOs carry risks including, but are not limited to: (i) the possibility that distributions from the collateral will not be adequate to make interest or other payments; (ii) the quality of the collateral may decline in value or default; (iii) the Fund may invest in CLO tranches that are subordinate to other tranches; and (iv) the complex structure of the CLO may not be fully understood at the time of investment or may result in the quality of the underlying collateral not being fully understood and may produce disputes with the issuer or unexpected investment results. In addition, interest on certain tranches of a CLO may be paid in-kind (meaning that unpaid interest is effectively added to principal), which involves continued exposure to default risk with respect to such payments. Certain CLOs may receive credit enhancement in the form of a senior-subordinate structure, over-collateralization or bond insurance, but such enhancement may not always be present and may fail to protect the Fund against the risk of loss due to defaults on the collateral. Certain CLOs may not hold loans directly, but rather, use derivatives such as swaps to create “synthetic” exposure to the collateral pool of loans. Such CLOs entail the risks of derivative instruments.

Commercial Instruments. The Funds may invest in commercial interests, including commercial paper, asset-backed commercial paper and other short-term corporate instruments. Commercial paper normally represents short-term unsecured promissory notes issued in bearer form by banks or bank holding companies, corporations, finance companies and other issuers. Commercial paper may be traded in the secondary market after its issuance. Asset-backed commercial paper is issued by a special purpose entity that is organized to issue the commercial paper and to purchase trade receivables or other financial assets. The credit quality of asset backed commercial paper depends primarily on the quality of these assets and the level of any additional credit support.

Commodity Exposure. The Funds may gain exposure to commodities, which may include investments in ETFs and exchange-traded notes (“ETNs”). Exposure to the commodities markets may subject the Fund to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. Commodities are subject to substantial price fluctuations over short periods of time and may be affected by unpredictable economic, political and environmental events. Factors that may significantly affect the prices of commodities include, but are not limited to: global supply and demand; domestic and international interest rates and investors’ expectations of interest rates; inflation rates and investors’ expectations of inflation rates; the investment and trading activities of commodity futures contracts; political, economic, or financial events, both globally and regionally. Investments in commodities entail the risk that the Fund may not qualify as a “regulated investment company” under the Code, and its income may become subject to federal income taxes, reducing returns to shareholders.

ETNs are senior, unsecured, unsubordinated debt securities whose returns are linked to the performance of a particular market benchmark or strategy minus applicable fees. ETNs are traded on an exchange during normal trading hours. However, investors can also hold the ETN until maturity. At maturity, the issuer pays to the investor a cash amount equal to the principal amount, subject to the day’s market benchmark or strategy factor. ETNs do not make periodic coupon payments or provide principal protection. ETNs are subject to credit risk and the value of the ETN may drop due to a downgrade in the issuer’s credit rating, despite the underlying market benchmark or strategy remaining unchanged. The value of an ETN may also be influenced by time to maturity, level of supply and demand for the ETN, volatility and lack of liquidity in underlying assets, changes in the applicable interest rates, changes in the issuer’s credit rating, and economic, legal, political, or geographic events that affect the referenced underlying asset. When the Fund invests in ETNs, it will bear their proportionate share of any fees and expenses borne by the ETN. The Fund’s decision to sell its ETN holdings may be limited by the availability of a secondary market. ETNs are also subject to tax risk. The Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) and Congress are considering proposals that would change the timing and character of income and gains from ETNs. There may be times when an ETN share trades at a premium or discount to its market benchmark or strategy.

Convertible Securities. The Funds may invest in convertible securities. A convertible security is a bond, debenture, note, preferred stock, right, warrant or other security that may be converted into or exchanged for a prescribed amount of common stock or other security of the same or a different issuer or into cash within a particular period of time at a specified price or formula. A convertible security generally entitles the holder to receive interest paid or accrued on debt securities or the dividend paid on preferred stock until

 

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the convertible security matures or is redeemed, converted or exchanged. Before conversion, convertible securities generally have characteristics similar to both debt and equity securities. As with other equity securities, the value of a convertible security tends to increase as the price of the underlying stock goes up, and to decrease as the price of the underlying stock goes down. Declining common stock values therefore also may cause the value of the Fund’s investments to decline. Like a debt security, a convertible security provides a fixed income stream with generally higher yields than those of common stock of the same or similar issuers, which tends to decrease in value when interest rates rise.

Convertible securities generally rank senior to common stock in a corporation’s capital structure but are usually subordinated to comparable nonconvertible securities. Convertible securities generally do not participate directly in any dividend increases or decreases of the underlying securities although the market prices of convertible securities may be affected by any dividend changes or other changes in the underlying securities. Many convertible securities have credit ratings that are below investment grade and are subject to the same risks as lower-rated debt securities.

Corporate Bonds. The Funds invests in corporate bonds. The investment return of corporate bonds reflects interest on the security and changes in the market value of the security. 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 an instrument.

Bonds. Each Fund invests in 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. Bonds generally are used by corporations and governments to borrow money from investors.

An issuer may have the right to redeem or “call” a bond before maturity, in which case the 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. 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. Generally, prices of higher quality issues tend to fluctuate less with changes in market interest rates than prices of lower quality issues and prices of longer maturity issues tend to fluctuate more than prices of shorter maturity issues. Bonds may be senior or subordinated obligations. Senior obligations generally have the first claim on a corporation’s earnings and assets and, in the event of liquidation, are paid before subordinated obligations. Bonds may be unsecured (backed only by the issuer’s general creditworthiness) or secured (backed by specified collateral).

The investment return of corporate bonds reflects interest on the security and changes in the market value of the security. 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 bonds may not be able to meet their obligations on interest or principal payments at the time called for by the bond.

Credit-Linked Notes. The Funds may invest in credit-linked notes, which are a type of structured note. The difference between a credit default swap and a credit-linked note is that the seller of a credit-linked note receives the principal payment from the buyer at the time the contract is originated. Through the purchase of a credit-linked note, the buyer assumes the risk of the reference asset and funds this exposure through the purchase of the note. The buyer takes on the exposure to the seller to the full amount of the funding it has provided. The seller has hedged its risk on the reference asset without acquiring any additional credit exposure. A Fund has the right to receive periodic interest payments from the issuer of the credit-linked note at an agreed-upon interest rate and a return of principal at the maturity date.

Credit-linked notes are subject to the credit risk of the corporate credits referenced by the note. If one of the underlying corporate credits defaults, a Fund may receive the security that has defaulted, and the Fund’s principal investment would be reduced by the difference between the original face value of the reference security and the current value of the defaulted security. Credit-linked notes are typically privately negotiated transactions between two or more parties. A Fund bears the risk that the issuer of the credit-linked note will default or become bankrupt. A Fund bears the risk of loss of its principal investment, and the periodic interest payments expected to be received for the duration of its investment in the credit-linked note.

 

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High Yield Debt Securities. The Funds may invest in high yield debt securities, which are rated below investment grade and commonly are known as “junk bonds.” Investment in high yield debt 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 debt 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 debt securities often are issued by smaller, less creditworthy companies or by highly leveraged (indebted) firms, which generally are 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.

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 debt 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 a 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 debt securities tend to reflect individual corporate 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 debt securities.

The secondary market on which high yield debt 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 debt security, and could adversely affect the daily NAV per share of the Fund. When secondary markets for high yield debt 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.

The use of credit ratings as a principal method of selecting high yield debt 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 debt securities. Also, credit rating agencies may fail to change credit ratings in a timely fashion to reflect events since the security was last rated.

Privately Issued Securities. The Funds may invest in privately issued securities, including Rule 144A Securities or Regulation S (“Regulation S Securities”) under the Securities Act. Rule 144A Securities are restricted securities that are not publicly traded, and Regulation S Securities are securities of U.S. and non-U.S. issuers initially offered and sold outside the United States without registration with the SEC. Accordingly, the liquidity of the market for specific Rule 144A Securities or Regulation S Securities may vary. Delay or difficulty in selling such securities may result in a loss to a Fund.

Ratings. An investment grade rating means the security or issuer is rated investment-grade by S&P Global Ratings, a division of S&P Global Inc. (“S&P”), Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”), Fitch Ratings, Inc. (“Fitch”) or another nationally recognized statistical rating organization, or is unrated but considered to be of equivalent quality by the Adviser. Bonds rated Baa by Moody’s or BBB by S&P or above are considered “investment grade” securities; bonds rated Baa are considered medium grade obligations which lack outstanding investment characteristics and have speculative characteristics; and bonds rated BBB are regarded as having adequate capacity to pay principal and interest.

U.S. Registered Securities of Foreign Issuers. The Funds may invest in U.S. registered, dollar-denominated bonds of foreign corporations, governments, agencies and supra-national entities, preferred securities of foreign issuers, or preferred securities otherwise exempt from registration. Investing in U.S. registered, dollar-denominated, investment grade bonds or preferred 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 that 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.

U.S. Government Obligations. The Funds may invest in short-term U.S. Government obligations. U.S. Government obligations are a type of bond and include securities issued or guaranteed as to principal and interest by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities. These include bills, notes and bonds issued by the U.S. Treasury, as well as “stripped” or “zero coupon” U.S. Treasury obligations representing future interest or principal payments on U.S. Treasury notes or bonds.

 

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Stripped securities are created when the issuer separates the interest and principal components of an instrument and sells them as separate securities. In general, one security is entitled to receive the interest payments on the underlying assets (the interest only or “IO” security) and the other to receive the principal payments (the principal only or “PO” security). Some stripped securities may receive a combination of interest and principal payments. The yields to maturity on IOs and POs are sensitive to the expected or anticipated rate of principal payments (including prepayments) on the related underlying assets, and principal payments may have a material effect on yield to maturity. If the underlying assets experience greater than anticipated prepayments of principal, the Fund may not fully recoup its initial investment in IOs. Conversely, if the underlying assets experience less than anticipated prepayments of principal, the yield on POs could be adversely affected. Stripped securities may be highly sensitive to changes in interest rates and rates of prepayment.

Short-term obligations of certain agencies and instrumentalities of the U.S. Government, such as the Government National Mortgage Association (“GNMA”), are supported by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Treasury; others, such as those of the Federal National Mortgage Association (“Fannie Mae”), are supported by the right of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury; others, such as those of the former Student Loan Marketing Association (“SLMA”), are supported by the discretionary authority of the U.S. Government to purchase the agency’s obligations; still others, although issued by an instrumentality chartered by the U.S. Government, like the Federal Farm Credit Bureau (“FFCB”), are support only by the credit of the instrumentality.

In 2008, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (“FHFA”) placed the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“Freddie Mac”) into conservatorship. Since that time, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have received significant capital support through U.S. Treasury preferred stock purchases as well as U.S. Treasury and Federal Reserve purchases of their mortgage-backed securities. While the purchase programs for mortgage-backed securities ended in 2010, the U.S. Treasury continued its support for the entities’ capital as necessary to prevent a negative net worth. However, no assurance can be given that the Federal Reserve, U.S. Treasury, or FHFA initiatives discussed above will ensure that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will remain successful in meeting their obligations with respect to the debt and mortgage-backed securities they issue. In addition, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are also the subject of several continuing class action lawsuits and investigations by federal regulators, which (along with any resulting financial restatements) may adversely affect the guaranteeing entities. Importantly, the future of the entities is in serious question as the U.S. Government is considering multiple options, ranging from significant reform, nationalization, privatization, consolidation, or abolishment of the entities.

The FHFA and the U.S. Treasury (through its agreements to purchase preferred stock of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac) also have imposed strict limits on the size of the mortgage portfolios of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. In August 2012, the U.S. Treasury amended its preferred stock purchase agreements to provide that the portfolios of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will be wound down at an annual rate of 15 percent (up from the previously agreed annual rate of 10 percent), requiring Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to reach the $250 billion target four years earlier than previously planned. Further, when a ratings agency downgraded long-term U.S. Government debt in August 2011, the agency also downgraded the bond ratings of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, from AAA to AA+, based on their direct reliance on the U.S. Government (although that rating did not directly relate to their mortgage-backed securities). The U.S. Government’s commitment to ensure that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have sufficient capital to meet their obligations was, however, unaffected by the downgrade.

The U.S. Treasury has put in place a set of financing agreements to help ensure that these entities continue to meet their obligations to holders of bonds they have issued or guaranteed. The U.S. Government may choose not to provide financial support to U.S. Government-sponsored agencies or instrumentalities if it is not legally obligated to do so, in which case, if the issuer were to default, the Fund holding securities of such issuer might not be able to recover their investment from the U.S. Government.

Repurchase Agreements. Each Fund may enter into repurchase agreements, which are agreements pursuant to which a Fund acquires securities from a third party with the understanding that the seller will repurchase them at a fixed price on an agreed date. These agreements may be made with respect to any of the portfolio securities in which the Fund is authorized to invest. Repurchase agreements may be characterized as loans secured by the underlying securities. Each Fund may enter into repurchase agreements with (i) member banks of the Federal Reserve System having total assets in excess of $500 million and (ii) securities dealers (“Qualified Institutions”). The Adviser for a Fund will monitor the continued creditworthiness of Qualified Institutions.

The use of repurchase agreements involves certain risks. For example, if the seller of securities under a repurchase agreement defaults on its obligation to repurchase the underlying securities, as a result of its bankruptcy or otherwise, the Fund will seek to dispose of such securities, which action could involve costs or delays. If the seller becomes insolvent and subject to liquidation or reorganization under applicable bankruptcy or other laws, the Fund’s ability to dispose of the underlying securities may be restricted. Finally, it is possible that the Fund may not be able to substantiate its interest in the underlying securities. To minimize this risk, the custodian will hold the securities underlying the repurchase agreement at all times in an amount at least equal to the repurchase price, including accrued interest. If the seller fails to repurchase the securities, the Fund may suffer a loss to the extent proceeds from the sale of the underlying securities are less than the repurchase prices.

 

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The resale price reflects the purchase price plus an agreed upon market rate of interest. The collateral is marked-to-market daily.

Money Market Instruments. Each Fund may invest a portion of its assets in high-quality money market instruments on an ongoing basis to provide liquidity. The instruments in which a Fund may invest include: (i) short-term obligations issued by the U.S. Government; (ii) negotiable certificates of deposit (“CDs”), fixed time deposits and bankers’ acceptances of U.S. and foreign banks and similar institutions; (iii) commercial paper rated at the date of purchase “Prime-1” by Moody’s or “A-1+” or “A-1” by S&P or, if unrated, of comparable quality, as the Adviser determines; (iv) repurchase agreements; and (v) money market mutual funds, including affiliated money market funds. CDs are short-term negotiable obligations of commercial banks. Time deposits are non-negotiable deposits maintained in banking institutions for specified periods of time at stated interest rates. Banker’s acceptances are time drafts drawn on commercial banks by borrowers, usually in connection with international transactions.

Other Investment Companies. Each Fund may invest in the securities of other investment companies, including ETFs, non-exchange traded U.S. registered open-end investment companies (mutual funds), closed-end investment companies, or non-U.S. investment companies traded on foreign exchanges beyond the limits permitted under the 1940 Act, subject to certain terms and conditions set forth in an SEC exemptive order issued to an affiliate of the Trust in 2012 pursuant to Section 12(d)(2)(J) of the 1940 Act (the “2012 Order”). Absent such exemptive relief, each Fund’s investments in investment companies would be limited to, subject to certain exceptions, (i) 3% of the total outstanding voting stock of any one investment company, (ii) 5% of the Fund’s total assets with respect to any one investment company and (iii) 10% of the Fund’s total assets of investment companies in the aggregate. However, as a non-fundamental restriction, no Fund may acquire any securities of registered open-end investment companies or registered unit investment trusts in reliance on Sections 12(d)(1)(F) and 12(d)(1)(G) of the 1940 Act.

Under the pertinent terms of the 2012 Order, each Fund may invest in registered investment companies in excess of the 3% limitations imposed by Sections 12(d)(1)(A) and 12(d)(1)(C) of the 1940 Act. The total amount of securities held by a Fund, both individually and when aggregated with all other shares of the acquired fund held by other registered investment companies or private investment pools advised by the Adviser or its affiliates (as well as shares held by the Adviser and its affiliates) cannot exceed 25% of the outstanding voting securities of the acquired investment company, and none of these entities (including the Funds) may individually or collectively exert a controlling influence over the acquired investment company. Each Fund may not rely on the 2012 Order to acquire an investment company that itself has ownership of investment company shares in excess of the limitations contained in Section 12(d)(1)(A) of the 1940 Act. To the extent necessary to comply with the provisions of the 1940 Act or the 2012 Order, on any matter upon which an underlying investment company’s shareholders are solicited to vote, the Adviser will vote the underlying investment company shares in the same general proportion as shares held by other shareholders of the underlying investment company.

In addition, an affiliate of the Trust previously obtained exemptive relief in 2007 (which extends to the Trust) that allows other investment companies to acquire shares of the Funds in excess of the limitations imposed by Section 12(d)(1)(A) (the “2007 Order”). This relief is conditioned on those acquiring funds obtaining a participation agreement signed by both the acquiring fund and the Fund that it wishes to acquire in excess of the 12(d)(1)(A) limitations. If a Fund relies on the 2012 Order, it will not enter into a participation agreement pursuant to the 2007 Order, and if a Fund has a signed participation agreement in effect pursuant to the 2007 Order, it will not rely on the 2012 Order.

Illiquid Securities. Each Fund may invest up to an aggregate amount of 15% of its net assets in illiquid securities (calculated at the time of investment). Illiquid securities include securities subject to contractual or other restrictions on resale and other instruments that lack readily available markets, as determined in accordance with SEC staff guidance. Each Fund will monitor its portfolio liquidity on an ongoing basis to determine whether, in light of current circumstances, an adequate level of liquidity is being maintained, and will consider taking appropriate steps in order to maintain adequate liquidity if, through a change in values, net assets, or other circumstances, more than 15% of the Fund’s net assets are held in illiquid securities or other illiquid assets. 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 dealers will make or maintain a market 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 the Fund’s portfolio securities are limited or absent, or if bid/ask spreads are wide.

Borrowing. Each Fund may borrow money up to the limits set forth in the section “Investment Restrictions” to meet shareholder redemptions, for temporary or emergency purposes and for other lawful purposes. Borrowed money will cost a Fund interest expense and/or other fees. The costs of borrowing may reduce a Fund’s return. Borrowing also may cause a Fund to liquidate positions when it may not be advantageous to do so to satisfy its obligations to repay borrowed monies. To the extent that a Fund has outstanding borrowings, it will be leveraged. Leveraging generally exaggerates the effect on NAV of any increase or decrease in the market value of a Fund’s portfolio securities.

 

12


Cybersecurity Risk. The Funds, like all companies, may be susceptible to operational and information security risks. Cyber security failures or breaches of the Funds or their service providers or the issuers of securities in which the Funds invest, have the ability to cause disruptions and impact business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses, the inability of Fund shareholders to transact business, violations of applicable privacy and other laws, regulatory fines, penalties, reputational damage, reimbursement or other compensation costs, and/or additional compliance costs. The Funds and their shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result.

 

 

PORTFOLIO TURNOVER

Each Fund calculates its portfolio turnover rate by dividing the value of the lesser of purchases or sales of portfolio securities for the fiscal period by the monthly average of the value of portfolio securities owned by the Fund during the fiscal period. A 100% portfolio turnover rate would occur, for example, if all of the portfolio securities (other than short-term securities) were replaced once during the fiscal period. Portfolio turnover rates will vary from year to year, depending on market conditions. At the date of this SAI, each Fund is new and has no operating history, and therefore portfolio turnover information is not yet available.

 

 

DISCLOSURE OF PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS

Quarterly Portfolio Schedule. The Trust is required to disclose, after its first and third fiscal quarters, the complete schedule of each Fund’s portfolio holdings with the SEC on Form N-PORT. The Trust also discloses a complete schedule of each Fund’s portfolio holdings with the SEC on Form N-CSR after its second and fourth fiscal quarters.

The Trust’s Forms N-PORT and Forms N-CSR on behalf of each Fund will be available on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. The Trust’s Forms N-PORT and Forms N-CSR will be available without charge, upon request, by calling 1-630-933-9600 or 1-800-983-0903 or by writing to Invesco Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Fund Trust at 3500 Lacey Road, Suite 700, Downers Grove, Illinois 60515.

Portfolio Holdings Policy. The Trust has adopted a policy regarding the disclosure of information about the Fund’s portfolio holdings. The Board must approve all material amendments to this policy.

The Funds’ portfolio holdings are disseminated publicly each day that the Funds are open for business through financial reporting and news services, including publicly accessible Internet websites. In addition, for in-kind creations, a basket composition file, which includes the security names and share quantities to deliver in exchange for Shares, together with estimates and actual cash components, is disseminated publicly each day prior to the opening of the Exchange via www.invesco.com/capitalmarkets and the National Securities Clearing Corporation (“NSCC”). The basket represents one Creation Unit of each Fund. The Trust, the Adviser and The Bank of New York Mellon (“BNYM” or the “Administrator”) will not disseminate non-public information concerning the Trust.

Access to information concerning the Funds’ portfolio holdings may be permitted at other times to personnel of third-party service providers, including the Funds’ custodian, transfer agent, auditors and counsel, as may be necessary to conduct business in the ordinary course in a manner consistent with such service providers’ agreements with the Trust on behalf of the Funds.

 

 

MANAGEMENT

The primary responsibility of the Board is to represent the interests of the Funds and to provide oversight of the management of the Funds. The Trust currently has 10 Trustees. Nine Trustees are not “interested,” as that term is defined under the 1940 Act, and have no affiliation or business connection with the Adviser or any of its affiliated persons and do not own any stock or other securities issued by the Adviser (the “Independent Trustees”). The remaining Trustee (the “Interested Trustee”) is affiliated with the Adviser.

 

13


The Independent Trustees of the Trust, their term of office and length of time served, their principal business occupations during at least the past five years, the number of portfolios in the Fund Complex (defined below) that they oversee and other directorships, if any, that they hold are shown below. The “Fund Complex” includes all open and closed-end funds (including all of their portfolios) advised by the Adviser and any affiliated person of the Adviser. As of the date of this SAI, the “Fund Family” consists of the Trust and five other exchange-traded trusts advised by the Adviser.

 

Name, Address and Year

of Birth of Independent

Trustees

  

Position(s) Held
with Trust

  

Term of Office
and Length of
Time
Served*

  

Principal Occupation(s)

During the Past 5 Years

  

Number of
Portfolios in
Fund
Complex
Overseen by
Independent
Trustees

  

Other
Directorships
Held by
Independent
Trustees
During the
Past 5 Years

Ronn R. Bagge—1958

c/o Invesco Capital

Management LLC 3500 Lacey Road,

Suite 700

Downers Grove, IL 60515

   Vice Chairman of the Board; Chairman of the Nominating and Governance Committee and Trustee    Vice Chairman since 2018; Chairman of the Nominating and Governance Committee and Trustee since 2008    Founder and Principal, YQA Capital Management LLC (1998-Present); formerly, Owner/CEO, Electronic Dynamic Balancing Co., Inc. (high-speed rotating equipment service provider).    [    ]   

Trustee and

Investment Oversight Committee member, Mission Aviation Fellowship (2017-Present).

Todd J. Barre—1957

c/o Invesco Capital

Management LLC

3500 Lacey Road,

Suite 700

Downers Grove, IL 60515

   Trustee    Since 2010    Assistant Professor of Business, Trinity Christian College (2010-2016); formerly, Vice President and Senior Investment Strategist (2001-2008), Director of Open Architecture and Trading (2007-2008), Head of Fundamental Research (2004-2007) and Vice President and Senior Fixed Income Strategist (1994-2001), BMO Financial Group/Harris Private Bank.    [    ]    None

Edmund P.

Giambastiani, Jr.—1948

c/o Invesco Capital Management LLC

3500 Lacey Road,

Suite 700

Downers Grove, IL 60515

   Trustee    Since 2019    President, Giambastiani Group LLC (national security and energy consulting) (2007-Present); Director, The Boeing Company (2009-Present); Trustee, MITRE Corporation (federally-funded research development) (2008-Present); Director, THL Credit, Inc. (alternative credit investment manager) (2016-Present); Trustee, U.S. Naval Academy Foundation Athletic & Scholarship Program (2010-Present); Advisory Board Member, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory (federally-funded research development) (2010-Present); Defense Advisory Board Member,    [    ]    Formerly, Trustee, certain funds of the Oppenheimer Funds complex (2013-2019); Director, Mercury Defense Systems Inc. (information technology) (2011-2013); Independent Director, QinetiQ Group Plc (defense technology and security) (2008-2011); Chairman, Alenia North America, Inc. (military and defense products) (2008-2009);
         Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (2013-Present); formerly, Chairman (2015-2016), Lead Director (2011-2015) and Director (2008-2011), Monster Worldwide, Inc. (career services); Advisory Board Member, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs of Syracuse University (2012-2016); United States Navy, career nuclear submarine officer (1970-2007); Seventh Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (2005-2007); first NATO Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (2003-2005); Commander, U.S. Joint Forces Command (2002-2005).       Director, SRA International, Inc. (information technology and services) (2008- 2011).

 

14


Name, Address and Year

of Birth of Independent

Trustees

  

Position(s) Held
with Trust

  

Term of Office
and Length of
Time
Served*

  

Principal Occupation(s)

During the Past 5 Years

  

Number of
Portfolios in
Fund
Complex
Overseen by
Independent
Trustees

 

Other
Directorships
Held by
Independent
Trustees
During the
Past 5 Years

Victoria J. Herget—1951

c/o Invesco Capital

Management LLC

3500 Lacey Road,

Suite 700

Downers Grove, IL 60515

   Trustee    Since 2019    Formerly, Managing Director (1993-2001), Principal (1985-1993), Vice President (1978-1985) and Assistant Vice President (1973-1978), Zurich Scudder Investments (investment adviser) (and its predecessor firms).    [    ]   Trustee (2000-Present) and Chair (2010-2017), Newberry Library; Trustee, Mather LifeWays (2001-Present); Trustee, Chikaming Open Lands (2014-Present); formerly, Trustee, certain funds in the Oppenheimer Funds complex (2012-2019); Board Chair (2008-2015) and Director (2004-2018), United Educators Insurance Company; Independent Director, First American Funds (2003-2011); Trustee (1992-2007), Chair of the Board of Trustees (1999-2007), Investment Committee Chair (1994-1999) and Investment Committee member (2007-2010), Wellesley College; Trustee, BoardSource (2006-2009); Trustee, Chicago City Day School (1994-2005).

 

15


Name, Address and Year

of Birth of Independent

Trustees

  

Position(s) Held
with Trust

  

Term of Office
and Length of
Time
Served*

  

Principal Occupation(s)

During the Past 5 Years

  

Number of
Portfolios in
Fund
Complex
Overseen by
Independent
Trustees

  

Other
Directorships
Held by
Independent
Trustees
During the
Past 5 Years

Marc M. Kole—1960

c/o Invesco Capital

Management LLC

3500 Lacey Road,

Suite 700

Downers Grove, IL 60515

   Chairman of the Audit Committee and Trustee    Chairman of the Audit Committee and Trustee since 2008    Senior Director of Finance, By The Hand Club for Kids (not-for-profit) (2015-Present); formerly, Chief Financial Officer, Hope Network (social services) (2008-2012); Assistant Vice President and Controller, Priority Health (health insurance) (2005-2008); Regional Chief Financial Officer, United Healthcare (2005); Chief Accounting Officer, Senior Vice President of Finance, Oxford Health Plans (2000-2004); Audit Partner, Arthur Andersen LLP (1996-2000).    [    ]    Treasurer (2018-Present), Finance Committee Member (2015-Present) and Audit Committee Member (2015), Thornapple Evangelical Covenant Church; formerly, Board and Finance Committee Member (2009-2017) and Treasurer (2010-2015, 2017), NorthPointe Christian Schools.

Yung Bong Lim—1964

c/o Invesco Capital Management LLC

3500 Lacey Road,

Suite 700

Downers Grove, IL 60515

   Chairman of the Investment Oversight Committee and Trustee    Chairman of the Investment Oversight Committee since 2014; Trustee since 2013    Managing Partner, RDG Funds LLC (real estate) (2008-Present); formerly, Managing Director, Citadel LLC (1999-2007).    [    ]    Advisory Board Member, Performance Trust Capital Partners, LLC (2008-Present); Board Director, Beacon Power Services, Corp. (2019-Present).

Name, Address and Year

of Birth of Independent

Trustees

  

Position(s) Held
with Trust

  

Term of Office
and Length of
Time
Served*

  

Principal Occupation(s)

During the Past 5 Years

  

Number of
Portfolios in
Fund
Complex
Overseen by
Independent
Trustees

  

Other
Directorships
Held by
Independent
Trustees
During the
Past 5 Years

Joanne Pace—1958

c/o Invesco Capital

Management LLC

3500 Lacey Road,

Suite 700

Downers Grove, IL 60515

   Trustee    Since 2019    Formerly, Senior Advisor, SECOR Asset Management, LP (2010-2011); Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer, Morgan Stanley Investment Management (2006-2010); Partner and Chief Operating Officer, FrontPoint Partners, LLC (alternative investments) (2005-2006); Managing Director (2003-2005), Global Head of Human Resources and member of Executive Board and Operating Committee (2004-2005), Global Head of Operations and Product Control (2003-2004), Credit Suisse (investment banking); Managing Director (1997-2003), Controller and Principal Accounting Officer (1999-2003), Chief Financial Officer (temporary    [    ]    Board Director, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey (2012-Present); Advisory Board Director, The Alberleen Group LLC (2012-Present); Governing Council Member (2016-Present) and Chair of Education

 

16


         assignment) for the Oversight Committee, Long Term Capital Management (1998-1999), Morgan Stanley.       Committee (2017-Present), Independent Directors Council (IDC); Board Member, 100 Women in Finance (2015-Present); Advisory Council Member, Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital (2012- Present); formerly, Trustee, certain funds in the Oppenheimer Funds complex (2012-2019); Lead Independent Director and Chair of the Audit and Nominating Committee of The Global Chartist Fund, LLC, Oppenheimer Asset Management (2011-2012); Board Director, Managed Funds Association (2008-2010); Board Director (2007-2010) and Investment Committee Chair (2008-2010), Morgan Stanley Foundation.

 

17


Name, Address and Year

of Birth of Independent

Trustees

  

Position(s) Held
with Trust

  

Term of Office
and Length of
Time
Served*

  

Principal Occupation(s)

During the Past 5 Years

  

Number of
Portfolios in
Fund
Complex
Overseen by
Independent
Trustees

  

Other
Directorships
Held by
Independent
Trustees
During the
Past 5 Years

Gary R. Wicker—1961

c/o Invesco Capital Management LLC

3500 Lacey Road,

Suite 700

Downers Grove, IL 60515

   Trustee    Since 2013    Senior Vice President of Global Finance and Chief Financial Officer, RBC Ministries (publishing company) (2013-Present); formerly, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Zondervan Publishing (a division of Harper Collins/NewsCorp) (2007-2012); Senior Vice President and Group Controller (2005- 2006), Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (2003-2004), Chief Financial Officer (2001-2003), Vice President, Finance and Controller (1999-2001) and Assistant Controller (1997-1999), divisions of The Thomson Corporation (information services provider); Senior Audit Manager (1994-1997), PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.    [    ]    Board Member and Treasurer, Our Daily Bread Ministries Canada (2015-Present); Board and Finance Committee Member, West Michigan Youth For Christ (2010-Present).

Donald H. Wilson—1959

c/o Invesco Capital Management LLC

3500 Lacey Road,

Suite 700

Downers Grove, IL 60515

  

Chairman of

the Board and

Trustee

   Chairman since 2012; Trustee since 2008    Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, McHenry Bancorp Inc. and McHenry Savings Bank (subsidiary) (2018-Present); Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Stone Pillar Advisors, Ltd. (2010-Present); formerly, President and Chief Executive Officer, Stone Pillar Investments, Ltd. (advisory services to the financial sector) (2016- 2018); Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Community Financial Shares, Inc. and Community Bank—Wheaton/Glen Ellyn (subsidiary) (2013-2015); Chief Operating Officer, AMCORE Financial, Inc. (bank holding company) (2007-2009); Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, AMCORE Financial, Inc. (2006-2007); Senior Vice President and Treasurer, Marshall & Ilsley Corp. (bank holding company) (1995-2006).    [    ]    Director, Penfield Children’s Center (2004-Present); Board Chairman, Gracebridge Alliance, Inc. (2015-Present).

 

*

This is the date the Independent Trustee began serving the Trust. Each Independent Trustee serves an indefinite term, until his or her successor is elected.

 

18


The Interested Trustee of the Trust, his term of office and length of time served, his principal business occupations during at least the past five years, the number of portfolios in the Fund Complex overseen by the Interested Trustee and the other directorships, if any, held by the Interested Trustee, are shown below.

 

Name, Address and Year

of Birth of Interested Trustee

  

Position(s) Held

with Trust

  

Term of Office
and Length of
Time Served*

  

Principal Occupation(s)

During the Past 5 Years

  

Number of
Portfolios in
Fund
Complex
Overseen by
Interested
Trustee

  

Other
Directorships
Held by
Interested
Trustee
During the
Past 5 Years

Kevin M. Carome—1956

Invesco Ltd.

Two Peachtree Pointe,

1555 Peachtree St., N.E.,

Suite 1800

Atlanta, GA 30309

   Trustee    Since 2010    Senior Managing Director, Secretary and General Counsel, Invesco Ltd. (2007-Present); Director, Invesco Advisers, Inc. (2009-Present); Director (2006-Present) and Executive Vice President (2008-Present), Invesco North American Holdings, Inc.; Executive Vice President (2008-Present), Invesco Investments (Bermuda) Ltd.; Manager, Horizon Flight Works LLC; Director and Secretary (2012-Present), Invesco Services (Bahamas) Private Limited; and Executive Vice President (2014-Present), INVESCO Asset Management (Bermuda) Ltd.; formerly, Director, Invesco Finance PLC (2011-2019); Director, INVESCO Asset Management (Bermuda) Ltd. (2014-2019); Director and Executive Vice President, Invesco Finance, Inc. (2011-2018); Director (2006-2018) and Executive Vice President (2008-2018), Invesco Group Services, Inc., Invesco Holding Company (US), Inc.; Director, Invesco Holding Company Limited (2007-2019); Director and Chairman, INVESCO Funds Group, Inc., Senior Vice President, Secretary and General Counsel, Invesco Advisers, Inc. (2003-2006); Director, Invesco Investments (Bermuda) Ltd. (2008-2016); Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Liberty Financial Companies, Inc. (2000-2001); General Counsel of certain investment management subsidiaries of Liberty Financial Companies, Inc. (1998-2000); Associate General Counsel, Liberty Financial Companies, Inc. (1993-1998); Associate, Ropes & Gray LLP.    [    ]    None

 

* 

This is the date the Interested Trustee began serving the Trust. The Interested Trustee serves an indefinite term, until his successor is elected.

 

19


The executive officers of the Trust, their term of office and length of time served and their principal business occupations during at least the past five years are shown below:

 

Name, Address and Year of Birth of

Executive Officers                              

  

Position(s) Held
with Trust

  

Term of
Office and
Length of
Time Served*

  

Principal Occupation(s) During the Past 5 Years

Daniel E. Draper—1968

Invesco Capital Management LLC

3500 Lacey Road,

Suite 700

Downers Grove, IL 60515

  

President and
Principal

Executive
Officer

   Since 2015    Chief Executive Officer, Manager and Principal Executive Officer, Invesco Specialized Products, LLC (2018-Present); President and Principal Executive Officer, Invesco Exchange-Traded Fund Trust, Invesco Exchange-Traded Fund Trust II, Invesco India Exchange-Traded Fund Trust, Invesco Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Fund Trust and Invesco Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Commodity Fund Trust (2015-Present) and Invesco Exchange-Traded Self-Indexed Fund Trust (2016-Present); Chief Executive Officer and Principal Executive Officer (2016-Present) and Managing Director (2013-Present), Invesco Capital Management LLC; Senior Vice President, Invesco Distributors, Inc. (2014-Present); formerly, Vice President, Invesco Exchange-Traded Fund Trust, Invesco Exchange-Traded Fund Trust II, Invesco India Exchange-Traded Fund Trust, Invesco Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Fund Trust (2013-2015) and Invesco Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Commodity Fund Trust (2014-2015); Managing Director, Credit Suisse Asset Management (2010-2013) and Lyxor Asset Management/Societe Generale (2007-2010).

Kelli Gallegos—1970

Invesco Capital

Management LLC

3500 Lacey Road,

Suite 700

Downers Grove, IL 60515

   Vice President
and Treasurer
   Since 2018    Principal Financial and Accounting Officer-Pooled Investments, Invesco Specialized Products, LLC (2018-Present); Vice President and Treasurer, Invesco Exchange-Traded Fund Trust, Invesco Exchange-Traded Fund Trust II, Invesco India Exchange-Traded Fund Trust, Invesco Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Fund Trust, Invesco Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Commodity Fund Trust and Invesco Exchange-Traded Self-Indexed Fund Trust (2018-Present); Principal Financial and Accounting Officer-Pooled Investments, Invesco Capital Management LLC (2018-Present); Vice President, Principal Financial Officer (2016-Present) and Assistant Treasurer (2008-Present), The Invesco Funds; formerly, Assistant Treasurer, Invesco Specialized Products, LLC (2018); Assistant Treasurer, Invesco Exchange-Traded Fund Trust, Invesco Exchange-Traded Fund Trust II, Invesco India Exchange-Traded Fund Trust and Invesco Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Fund Trust (2012-2018), Invesco Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Commodity Fund Trust (2014-2018) and Invesco Exchange-Traded Self-Indexed Fund Trust (2016-2018); Assistant Treasurer, Invesco Capital Management LLC (2013-2018); and Assistant Vice President, The Invesco Funds (2008-2016).

 

20


Name, Address and Year of Birth of

Executive Officers                              

  

Position(s) Held
with Trust

  

Term of
Office and
Length of
Time Served*

  

Principal Occupation(s) During the Past 5 Years

Peter Hubbard—1981

Invesco Capital

Management LLC

3500 Lacey Road,

Suite 700

Downers Grove, IL 60515

   Vice President    Since 2009    Vice President, Invesco Specialized Products, LLC (2018-Present); Vice President, Invesco Exchange-Traded Fund Trust, Invesco Exchange-Traded Fund Trust II, Invesco India Exchange-Traded Fund Trust, Invesco Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Fund Trust (2009-Present), Invesco Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Commodity Fund Trust (2014-Present) and Invesco Exchange-Traded Self-Indexed Fund Trust (2016-Present); Vice President and Director of Portfolio Management, Invesco Capital Management LLC (2010-Present); formerly, Vice President of Portfolio Management, Invesco Capital Management LLC (2008-2010); Portfolio Manager, Invesco Capital Management LLC (2007-2008); Research Analyst, Invesco Capital Management LLC (2005-2007); Research Analyst and Trader, Ritchie Capital, a hedge fund operator (2003-2005).

Sheri Morris—1964

Invesco Capital Management LLC

3500 Lacey Road,

Suite 700

Downers Grove, IL 60515

   Vice President    Since 2012    Head of Global Fund Services, Invesco Ltd. (2019-Present); Vice President, OppenheimerFunds, Inc. (2019-Present); President and Principal Executive Officer, The Invesco Funds (2016-Present); Treasurer, The Invesco Funds (2008-Present); Vice President, Invesco Advisers, Inc. (formerly known as Invesco Institutional (N.A.), Inc.) (registered investment adviser) (2009-Present) and Vice President, Invesco Exchange-Traded Fund Trust, Invesco Exchange-Traded Fund Trust II, Invesco India Exchange-Traded Fund Trust, Invesco Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Fund Trust (2012-Present), Invesco Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Commodity Fund Trust (2014-Present) and Invesco Exchange-Traded Self-Indexed Fund Trust (2016-Present); formerly, Vice President and Principal Financial Officer, The Invesco Funds (2008-2016); Treasurer, Invesco Exchange-Traded Fund Trust, Invesco Exchange-Traded Fund Trust II, Invesco India Exchange-Traded Fund Trust and Invesco Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Fund Trust (2011-2013); Vice President, Invesco Aim Advisers, Inc., Invesco Aim Capital Management, Inc. and Invesco Aim Private Asset Management, Inc.; Assistant Vice President and Assistant Treasurer, The Invesco Funds and Assistant Vice President, Invesco Advisers, Inc., Invesco Aim Capital Management, Inc. and Invesco Aim Private Asset Management, Inc.

 

21


Name, Address and Year of Birth of

Executive Officers                              

  

Position(s) Held
with Trust

  

Term of
Office and
Length of
Time Served*

  

Principal Occupation(s) During the Past 5 Years

Anna Paglia—1974

Invesco Capital

Management LLC

3500 Lacey Road,

Suite 700

Downers Grove, IL 60515

   Secretary    Since 2011    Head of Legal and Secretary, Invesco Specialized Products, LLC (2018-Present); Secretary, Invesco Exchange-Traded Fund Trust, Invesco Exchange-Traded Fund Trust II, Invesco India Exchange-Traded Fund Trust, Invesco Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Fund Trust (2011-Present), Invesco Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Commodity Fund Trust (2014-Present) and Invesco Exchange-Traded Self-Indexed Fund Trust (2015-Present); Head of Legal (2010-Present) and Secretary (2015-Present), Invesco Capital Management LLC; Manager and Assistant Secretary, Invesco Indexing LLC (2017-Present); formerly, Partner, K&L Gates LLP (formerly, Bell Boyd & Lloyd LLP) (2007-2010); Associate Counsel at Barclays Global Investors Ltd. (2004-2006).

Rudolf E. Reitmann—1971

Invesco Capital

Management LLC

3500 Lacey Road,

Suite 700

Downers Grove, IL 60515

   Vice President    Since 2013    Head of Global Exchange Traded Funds Services, Invesco Specialized Products, LLC (2018-Present); Vice President, Invesco Exchange-Traded Fund Trust, Invesco Exchange-Traded Fund Trust II, Invesco India Exchange-Traded Fund Trust, Invesco Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Fund Trust (2013-Present), Invesco Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Commodity Fund Trust (2014-Present) and Invesco Exchange-Traded Self-Indexed Fund Trust (2016-Present); Head of Global Exchange Traded Funds Services, Invesco Capital Management LLC (2013-Present); Vice President, Invesco Capital Markets, Inc. (2018-Present).

 

22


Name, Address and Year of Birth of

Executive Officers                              

  

Position(s) Held
with Trust

  

Term of
Office and
Length of
Time Served*

  

Principal Occupation(s) During the Past 5 Years

David Warren—1957

Invesco Canada Ltd.

5140 Yonge Street,

Suite 800

Toronto, Ontario M2N 6X7

   Vice President    Since 2009    Vice President, Invesco Exchange-Traded Fund Trust, Invesco Exchange-Traded Fund Trust II, Invesco India Exchange-Traded Fund Trust, and Invesco Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Fund Trust (2009-Present), Invesco Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Commodity Fund Trust (2014-Present) and Invesco Exchange-Traded Self-Indexed Fund Trust (2016-Present); Senior Vice President, Invesco Advisers, Inc. (2009-Present); Director, Invesco Inc. (2009-Present); Director, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Invesco Canada Ltd. (formerly, Invesco Trimark Ltd.) (2011-Present); Chief Administrative Officer, North American Retail, Invesco Ltd. (2007-Present); Director, Invesco Corporate Class Inc. (2014-Present); Director, Invesco Global Direct Real Estate Feeder GP Ltd. (2015-Present); Director, Invesco Financial Services Ltd. / Services Financiers Invesco Ltée and Trimark Investments Ltd./Placements Trimark Ltée (2014-Present); Director, Invesco IP Holdings (Canada) Ltd. (2016-Present); Director, Invesco Global Direct Real Estate GP Ltd. (2015-Present); formerly, Director, Invesco Canada Holdings Inc. (2002-2019); Manager, Invesco Specialized Products, LLC (2018-2019); Managing Director—Chief Administrative Officer, Americas, Invesco Capital Management LLC (2013-2019); Senior Vice President, Invesco Management Group, Inc. (2007-2018); Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Invesco Inc. (2009-2015); Director, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Invesco Canada Ltd. (formerly, Invesco Trimark Ltd.) (2000-2011).

Melanie Zimdars—1976

Invesco Capital Management LLC

3500 Lacey Road,

Suite 700

Downers Grove, IL 60515

  

Chief
Compliance

Officer

   Since 2017    Chief Compliance Officer, Invesco Specialized Products, LLC (2018-Present); Chief Compliance Officer, Invesco Capital Management LLC (2017-Present); Chief Compliance Officer, Invesco Exchange-Traded Fund Trust, Invesco Exchange-Traded Fund Trust II, Invesco India Exchange-Traded Fund Trust, Invesco Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Fund Trust, Invesco Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Commodity Fund Trust and Invesco Exchange-Traded Self-Indexed Fund Trust (2017-Present); formerly, Vice President and Deputy Chief Compliance Officer, ALPS Holding, Inc. (2009-2017); Mutual Fund Treasurer/ Chief Financial Officer, Wasatch Advisors, Inc. (2005-2008); Compliance Officer, U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC (2001-2005).

 

*

This is the date the officer began serving the Trust. Each officer serves an indefinite term, until his or her successor is elected.

 

23


Each Fund is newly established. As of the date of this SAI, none of the Trustees held equity securities in the Funds. [As of December 31, 2019, each Trustee held in the aggregate over $100,000 in equity securities in all of the registered investment companies overseen by the Trustees in the Fund Family.] The Share information for Mr. Lim includes Shares of certain funds in which Mr. Lim is deemed to be invested pursuant to the Trust’s deferred compensation plan (“DC Plan”), which is described below.

As of the date of this SAI, as to each Independent Trustee and their immediate family members, no person owned beneficially or of record securities in an investment adviser or principal underwriter of the Funds, or a person (other than a registered investment company) directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by or under common control with an investment adviser or principal underwriter of the Funds.

Board and Committee Structure. As noted above, the Board is responsible for oversight of the Funds, including oversight of the duties performed by the Adviser for the Funds under the investment advisory agreement (the “Investment Advisory Agreement”). The Board generally meets in regularly scheduled meetings five times a year, and may meet more often as required. During the Trust’s fiscal year ended October 31, 2019, the Board held [    ] meetings.

The Board has three standing committees, the Audit Committee, the Investment Oversight Committee and the Nominating and Governance Committee, and has delegated certain responsibilities to those Committees.

Mr. Kole (Chair), Ms. Pace, and Messrs. Wicker and Wilson currently serve as members of the Audit Committee. The Audit Committee has the responsibility, among other things, to: (i) approve and recommend to the Board the selection of the Trust’s independent registered public accounting firm, (ii) review the scope of the independent registered public accounting firm’s audit activity, (iii) review the audited financial statements and (iv) review with such independent registered public accounting firm the adequacy and the effectiveness of the Trust’s internal controls over financial reporting. During the Trust’s fiscal year ended October 31, 2019, the Audit Committee held [    ] meetings.

Messrs. Bagge and Barre, Admiral Giambastiani, Ms. Herget and Mr. Lim (Chair) currently serve as members of the Investment Oversight Committee. The Investment Oversight Committee has the responsibility, among other things, (i) to review fund investment performance, including tracking error and correlation to its underlying index, (ii) to review any proposed changes to a fund’s investment policies, comparative benchmark indices or underlying index, and (iii) to review a fund’s market trading activities and portfolio transactions. During the Trust’s fiscal year ended October 31, 2019, the Investment Oversight Committee held [    ] meetings.

Messrs. Bagge (Chair) and Barre, Admiral Giambastiani, Ms. Herget, Messrs. Kole and Lim, Ms. Pace, and Messrs. Wicker and Wilson currently serve as members of the Nominating and Governance Committee. The Nominating and Governance Committee has the responsibility, among other things, to identify and recommend individuals for Board membership and evaluate candidates for Board membership. The Board will consider recommendations for trustees from shareholders. Nominations from shareholders should be in writing and sent to the Secretary of the Trust to the attention of the Chairman of the Nominating and Governance Committee, as described below under the caption “Shareholder Communications.” During the Trust’s fiscal year ended October 31, 2019, the Nominating and Governance Committee held [    ] meetings.

Mr. Wilson, one of the Independent Trustees, serves as the chairman of the Board (the “Independent Chair”). The Independent Chair, among other things, chairs the Board meetings, participates in the preparation of the Board agendas and serves as a liaison between, and facilitates communication among, the other Independent Trustees, the full Board, the Adviser and other service providers with respect to Board matters. Mr. Bagge, as Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee, serves as Vice Chair of the Board (“Vice Chair”). In the absence of the Independent Chair, the Vice Chair is responsible for all of the Independent Chair’s duties and may exercise any of the Independent Chair’s powers. The Chairs of each Committee also serve as liaisons between the Adviser and other service providers and the other Independent Trustees for matters pertaining to the respective Committee. The Board believes that its current leadership structure is appropriate taking into account the assets and number of funds overseen by the Trustees, the size of the Board and the nature of the funds’ business, as the Interested Trustee and officers of the Trust provide the Board with insight as to the daily management of the funds while the Independent Chair promotes independent oversight of the funds by the Board.

Risk Oversight. Each Fund is subject to a number of risks, including operational, investment and compliance risks. The Board, directly and through its Committees, as part of its oversight responsibilities, oversees the services provided by the Adviser and the Trust’s other service providers in connection with the management and operations of the Funds, as well as their associated risks. Under the oversight of the Board, the Trust, the Adviser and other service providers have adopted policies, procedures and controls to address these risks. The Board, directly and through its Committees, receives and reviews information from the Adviser, other service providers, the Trust’s independent registered public accounting firm, Trust counsel and counsel to the Independent Trustees to assist it in its oversight responsibilities. This information includes, but is not limited to, reports regarding the Funds’ investments, including Fund performance and investment practices, valuation of Fund portfolio securities, and compliance. The Board also reviews, and must approve any proposed changes to, the Funds’ investment objective, policies and restrictions, and reviews any areas of non-compliance

 

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with the Funds’ investment policies and restrictions. The Audit Committee monitors the Trust’s accounting policies, financial reporting and internal control system and reviews any internal audit reports impacting the Trust. As part of its compliance oversight, the Board reviews the annual compliance report issued by the Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer on the policies and procedures of the Trust and its service providers, proposed changes to those policies and procedures and quarterly reports on any material compliance issues that arose during the period.

Experience, Qualifications and Attributes. As noted above, the Nominating and Governance Committee is responsible for identifying, evaluating and recommending trustee candidates. The Nominating and Governance Committee reviews the background and the educational, business and professional experience of trustee candidates and the candidates’ expected contributions to the Board. Trustees selected to serve on the Board are expected to possess relevant skills and experience, time availability and the ability to work well with the other Trustees. In addition to these qualities and based on each Trustee’s experience, qualifications and attributes and the Trustees’ combined contributions to the Board, following is a brief summary of the information that led to the conclusion that each Board member should serve as a Trustee.

Mr. Bagge has served as a trustee and Chairman of the Nominating and Governance Committee with the Fund Family since 2003 and as Vice Chair of the Board with the Fund Family since 2018. He founded YQA Capital Management, LLC in 1998 and has since served as a principal. Mr. Bagge serves as a Trustee and a member of the Investment Oversight Committee of Mission Aviation Fellowship. Previously, Mr. Bagge was the owner and CEO of Electronic Dynamic Balancing Company from 1988 to 2001. He began his career as a securities analyst for institutional investors, including CT&T Asset Management and J.C. Bradford & Co. The Board considered that Mr. Bagge has served as a board member or advisor for several privately held businesses and charitable organizations and the executive, investment and operations experience that Mr. Bagge has gained over the course of his career and through his financial industry experience.

Mr. Barre has served as a trustee with the Fund Family since 2010. He served as Assistant Professor of Business at Trinity Christian College from 2010 to 2016. Previously, he served in various positions with BMO Financial Group/Harris Private Bank, including Vice President and Senior Investment Strategist (2001-2008), Director of Open Architecture and Trading (2007-2008), Head of Fundamental Research (2004-2007) and Vice President and Senior Fixed Income Strategist (1994-2001). From 1983 to 1994, Mr. Barre was with the Office of the Manager of Investments at Commonwealth Edison Co. He also was a staff accountant at Peat Marwick Mitchell & Co. from 1981 to 1983. The Board considered the executive, financial and investment experience that Mr. Barre has gained over the course of his career and through his financial industry experience.

Mr. Carome has served as a trustee with the Fund Family since 2010. He has served as the Senior Managing Director and General Counsel of Invesco Ltd. since 2007, and has held various senior executive positions with Invesco Ltd. since 2003. Previously, he served in various positions with Liberty Financial Companies, Inc., including Senior Vice President and General Counsel (2000-2001), General Counsel of certain investment management subsidiaries (1998-2000) and Associate General Counsel (1993-1998). Prior to his employment with Liberty Financial Companies, Inc., Mr. Carome was an associate with Ropes & Gray LLP. The Board considered Mr. Carome’s senior executive position with Invesco Ltd.

Admiral Giambastiani has served as a trustee with the Fund Family since 2019. He founded Giambastiani Group LLC in 2007 and has since served as its President. He has served as Director of The Boeing Company since 2009, as Director of THL Credit, Inc. since 2016, as Trustee of the U.S. Naval Academy Foundation Athletic & Scholarship Program since 2010, as an Advisory Board Member of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory since 2010, as Trustee of MITRE Corporation since September 2008 and as a Defense Advisory Board Member of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory 2013. Previously, he served as Trustee of certain funds in the Oppenheimer Funds complex (2013-2019), an Advisory Board Member of the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs of Syracuse University (2012-2016), Director of Mercury Defense Systems Inc. (2011-2013), Independent Director of QinetiQ Group Plc (2008-2011), Chairman (2015- 2016), Lead Director (2011-2015) and Director (2008-2011) of Monster Worldwide, Inc., and Chairman of Alenia North America, Inc. (2008-2009) and Director of SRA International, Inc. (2008-2011). Admiral Giambastiani also served in the United States Navy as a career nuclear submarine officer (1970-2007), as Seventh Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (2005-October 2007), as the first NATO Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (2003-2005) and Commander, U.S. Joint Forces Command (2002-2005). Since his retirement from the U.S. Navy in October 2007, Admiral Giambastiani has also served on numerous U.S. Government advisory boards, investigations and task forces for the Secretaries of Defense, State and Interior and the Directors of National Intelligence and Central Intelligence Agency. He recently completed serving as a federal commissioner on the Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission. The Board considered the executive and operations experience that Admiral Giambastiani has gained over the course of his career and through his financial industry experience.

Ms. Herget has served as a trustee with the Fund Family since 2019. She has served as Trustee of Mather LifeWays since 2001, as Chair (2010-2017) and Trustee of Newberry Library since 2000, and as Trustee of Chikaming Open Lands since 2014. Previously, she served as Board Chair (2008-2015) and Director (2004-2018) of United Educators Insurance Company, as Trustee of certain funds in the Oppenheimer Funds complex (2012-2019) and as Independent Director of the First American Funds (2003-2011). Ms. Herget

 

25


served as Managing Director (1993-2001), Principal (1985-1993), Vice President (1978-1985) and Assistant Vice President (1973-1978) of Zurich Scudder Investments (and its predecessor firms), as Trustee (1992-2007), Chair of the Board of Trustees (1999-2007), Investment Committee Chair (1994-1999) and Investment Committee member (2007-2010) of Wellesley College and as Trustee of BoardSource (2006-2009) and Chicago City Day School (1994-2005). The Board considered the executive, financial and investment experience that Ms. Herget has gained over the course of her career and through her financial industry experience.

Mr. Kole has served as a trustee with the Fund Family since 2006 and Chairman of the Audit Committee with the Fund Family since 2008. He has been the Senior Director of Finance of By The Hand Club for Kids since 2015. Previously, he was the Chief Financial Officer of Hope Network from 2008 to 2012 and he was the Assistant Vice President and Controller at Priority Health from 2005 to 2008, Regional Chief Financial Officer of United Healthcare from 2004-2005, Chief Accounting Officer and Senior Vice President of Finance of Oxford Health Plans from 2000 to 2004 and Audit Partner, Arthur Andersen LLP from 1996-2000. Mr. Kole has served as Treasurer (2018-Present), Finance Committee Member (2015-Present) and Audit Committee Member (2015) of Thornapple Evangelical Covenant Church and previously served as Board and Finance Committee Member (2009-2017) and Treasurer (2010-2015, 2017) of NorthPointe Christian Schools. The Board has determined that Mr. Kole qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as defined by the SEC. The Board considered the executive, financial and operations experience that Mr. Kole has gained over the course of his career and through his financial industry experience.

Mr. Lim has served as a trustee with the Fund Family since 2013 and Chairman of the Investment Oversight Committee of the Fund Family since 2014. He has been a Managing Partner of RDG Funds LLC since 2008. Previously, he was a Managing Director and the Head of the Securitized Products Group of Citadel LLC (1999-2007). Prior to his employment with Citadel LLC, he was a Managing Director with Salomon Brothers Inc. Mr. Lim has served as an Advisory Board Member of Performance Trust Capital Partners, LLC (2008-Present) and as a Board Director of Beacon Power Services, Corp. (2019-Present). The Board considered the executive, financial, operations and investment experience that Mr. Lim has gained over the course of his career and through his financial industry experience.

Ms. Pace has served as a trustee with in the Fund Family since 2019. She has served as Board Director of Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey since 2012, as an Advisory Board Director of The Alberleen Group LLC since 2012, as Governing Council Member (since 2016) and Chair of Education Committee (since 2017) of Independent Directors Council (IDC), as a Board Member of 100 Women in Finance since January 2015 and as an Advisory Council Member of Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital since 2012. Previously, she has served as Trustee of certain funds in the Oppenheimer Funds complex (2012-2019), as Senior Advisor of SECOR Asset Management, LP (2010-2011), as Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer of Morgan Stanley Investment Management (2006-2010) and as Partner and Chief Operating Officer of FrontPoint Partners, LLC (2005-2006). Ms. Pace also held the following positions at Credit Suisse: Managing Director (2003-2005); Global Head of Human Resources and member of Executive Board and Operating Committee (2004-2005); and Global Head of Operations and Product Control (2003-2004). She also held the following positions at Morgan Stanley: Managing Director (1997-2003); Controller and Principal Accounting Officer (1999-2003) and Chief Financial Officer (temporary assignment) for the Oversight Committee, Long Term Capital Management (1998-1999). She also served as Lead Independent Director and Chair of the Audit and Nominating Committee of The Global Chartist Fund, LLC of Oppenheimer Asset Management (2011-2012), as Board Director of Managed Funds Association (2008-2010) and as Board Director of Morgan Stanley Foundation (2007-2010) and Investment Committee Chair (2008-2010). The Board of the Trust has determined that Ms. Pace qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as defined by the SEC. The Board considered the executive, financial, operations and investment experience that Ms. Pace has gained over the course of her career and through her financial industry experience.

Mr. Wicker has served as a trustee with the Fund Family since 2013. He has served as Senior Vice President of Global Finance and Chief Financial Officer at RBC Ministries since 2013. Previously, he was the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Zondervan Publishing from 2007 to 2012. Prior to his employment with Zondervan Publishing, he held various positions with divisions of The Thomson Corporation, including Senior Vice President and Group Controller (2005-2006), Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (2003-2004), Chief Financial Officer (2001-2003), Vice President, Finance and Controller (1999-2001) and Assistant Controller (1997-1999). Prior to that, Mr. Wicker was Senior Manager in the Audit and Business Advisory Services Group of Price Waterhouse (1994-1996). Mr. Wicker has served as a Board Member and Treasurer of Our Daily Bread Ministries Canada (2015-Present) and as a Board and Finance Committee Member of West Michigan Youth For Christ (2010-Present). The Board has determined that Mr. Wicker qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as defined by the SEC. The Board considered the executive, financial and operations experience that Mr. Wicker has gained over the course of his career and through his financial industry experience.

Mr. Wilson has served as a trustee with the Fund Family since 2006 and as the Independent Chair with the Fund Family since 2012. He also served as lead Independent Trustee in 2011. He has served as the Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of McHenry Bancorp Inc. and McHenry Savings Bank since 2018. He has served as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Stone Pillar Advisors, Ltd. since 2010. Previously, he was President and Chief Executive Officer of Stone Pillar Investments, Ltd. (2016-2018). He was also the Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Community Financial Shares, Inc. and its subsidiary, Community Bank—Wheaton/Glen Ellyn (2013-2015). He also was the Chief Operating Officer (2007-2009) and Executive Vice

 

26


President and Chief Financial Officer (2006-2007) of AMCORE Financial, Inc. Mr. Wilson also served as Senior Vice President and Treasurer of Marshall & Ilsley Corp. from 1995 to 2006. He started his career with the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, serving in several roles in the bank examination division and the economic research division. Mr. Wilson has served as a Director of Penfield Children’s Center (2004-present) and as Board Chairman of Gracebridge Alliance, Inc. (2015-present). The Board has determined that Mr. Wilson qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as defined by the SEC. The Board considered the executive, financial and operations experience that Mr. Wilson has gained over the course of his career and through his financial industry experience.

This disclosure is not intended to hold out any Trustee as having any special expertise and shall not impose greater duties, obligations or liabilities on the Trustees. The Trustees’ principal occupations during the past five years are shown in the above tables.

Effective January 1, 2019, for his or her services as a Trustee of the Trust and other trusts in the Fund Family, each Independent Trustee receives an annual retainer of $320,000 (the “Retainer”). The Retainer for the Independent Trustees is allocated half pro rata among all the funds in the Fund Family and the other half is allocated among all of the funds in the Fund Family based on average net assets. The Independent Chair receives an additional $120,000 per year for his service as the Independent Chair, allocated in the same manner as the Retainer. The chair of the Audit Committee receives an additional fee of $35,000 per year and the chairs of the Investment Oversight Committee and the Nominating and Governance Committee each receive an additional fee of $20,000 per year, each allocated in the same manner as the Retainer. Prior to January 1, 2019, the Retainer was $290,000, the additional fee paid to the Independent Chair was $100,000 per year, the additional fee paid to the Audit Committee Chair was $28,000 per year and the additional fee paid to each chair of the Investment Oversight Committee and the Nominating and Governance Committee was $17,000 per year. Each Trustee also is reimbursed for travel and other out-of-pocket expenses incurred in attending Board and committee meetings.

The Trust’s DC Plan allows each Independent Trustee to defer payment of all or a portion of the fees that the Trustee receives for serving on the Board throughout the year. Each eligible Trustee generally may elect to have deferred amounts credited with a return equal to the total return of one or more registered investment companies within the Fund Family that are offered as investment options under the DC Plan. At the Trustee’s election, distributions are either in one lump sum payment, or in the form of equal annual installments over a period of years designated by the Trustee. The rights of an eligible Trustee and the beneficiaries to the amounts held under the DC Plan are unsecured, and such amounts are subject to the claims of the creditors of a fund. The Independent Trustees are not eligible for any pension or profit sharing plan in their capacity as Trustees.

The following sets forth the fees paid to each Trustee for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2019.

 

Name of Trustee

   Aggregate Compensation
from Trust(1)
     Pension or Retirement
Benefits Accrued as Part of
Fund Expenses
     Total Compensation Paid
from Fund Complex(2)
 

Independent Trustees

        

Ronn R. Bagge

     $[    ]        N/A        $[    ]  

Todd J. Barre

     $[    ]        N/A        $[    ]  

Edmund P. Giambastiani, Jr. (3)

     $[    ]        N/A        $[    ]  

Victoria J. Herget (3)

     $[    ]        N/A        $[    ]  

Marc M. Kole

     $[    ]        N/A        $[    ]  

Yung Bong Lim

     $[    ]        N/A        $[    ]  

Joanne Pace (3)

     $[    ]        N/A        $[    ]  

Gary R. Wicker

     $[    ]        N/A        $[    ]  

Donald H. Wilson

     $[    ]        N/A        $[    ]  

Interested Trustee

        

Kevin M. Carome

     N/A        N/A        N/A  

 

(1) 

Because the Funds had not commenced operations as of October 31, 2019, the Funds did not pay any portion of the amounts shown in this table.

(2) 

The amounts shown in this column represent the aggregate compensation paid by all funds of the trusts in the Fund Family (except as noted in the prior footnote) for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2019 before deferral by the Trustees under the DC Plan. During the fiscal year ended October 31, 2019, Mr. Lim deferred 100% of his compensation, which amounts are reflected in the above table.

(3) 

Admiral Giambastiani, Ms. Herget and Ms. Pace were elected as trustees of the Trust effective August 19, 2019, and their compensation amounts shown in the above table are for the period August 19, 2019 through October 31, 2019.

As of the date of this SAI, the Trustees and officers, as a group, owned none of each Fund’s outstanding Shares.

Principal Holders and Control Persons. Each Fund is new and, as of the date of this SAI, no person owned of record more than 5% of the outstanding Shares.

 

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Shareholder Communications. Shareholders may send communications to the Trust’s Board by addressing the communications directly to the Board (or individual Board members) and/or otherwise clearly indicating in the salutation that the communication is for the Board (or individual Board members). Shareholders may send the communication to either the Trust’s office or directly to such Board members at the address specified for each Trustee. Management will review and generally respond to other shareholder communications the Trust receives that are not directly addressed and sent to the Board. Such communications will be forwarded to the Board at management’s discretion based on the matters contained therein.

Investment Adviser. The Adviser provides investment tools and portfolios for advisers and investors. The Adviser is committed to theoretically sound portfolio construction and empirically verifiable investment management approaches. Its asset management philosophy and investment discipline is rooted deeply in the application of intuitive factor analysis and model implementation to enhance investment decisions.

The Adviser acts as investment adviser for, and manages the investment and reinvestment of, the assets of the Funds. The Adviser also administers the Trust’s business affairs, provides office facilities and equipment and certain clerical, bookkeeping and administrative services, and permits any of its officers or employees to serve without compensation as Trustees or officers of the Trust if elected to such positions.

Invesco Capital Management LLC, organized February 7, 2003, is located at 3500 Lacey Road, Suite 700, Downers Grove, Illinois 60515.

Invesco Ltd. is the parent company of Invesco Capital Management LLC and is located at Two Peachtree Pointe, 1555 Peachtree Street, N.E., Atlanta, Georgia 30309. Invesco Ltd. and its subsidiaries are an independent global investment management group.

Sub-Adviser. The Sub-Adviser manages the investment and reinvestment of the Fund’s assets on an ongoing basis under the supervision of the Adviser. The Sub-Adviser, Invesco Advisers, Inc., is located at Two Peachtree Pointe, 1555 Peachtree Street, N.E., Atlanta, Georgia 30309.

Portfolio Managers. The Adviser and Sub-Adviser use a team of portfolio managers (the “Portfolio Managers”), investment strategists and other investment specialists. This team approach brings together many disciplines and leverages the Adviser’s and Sub-Adviser’s extensive resources. The Sub-Adviser’s portfolio managers develop investment models which are used in connection with the management of the Fund.

The information below reflects the other funds for which each portfolio manager has day-to-day management responsibilities. Accounts are grouped into three categories: (i) registered investment companies, (ii) other pooled investment vehicles and (iii) other accounts. To the extent that any of these accounts pay advisory fees that are based on account performance (“performance-based fees”), information on those accounts is specifically broken out. In addition, any assets denominated in foreign currencies have been converted into U.S. dollars using the exchange rates as of the applicable date.

As of [                ], Mr. Raol managed [    ] registered investment companies with a total of approximately $[    ] billion in assets, [    ] other pooled investment vehicles with approximately $[    ] billion in assets and no other accounts.

As of [                ], Mr. Sarangi managed [    ] registered investment companies with a total of approximately $[    ] billion in assets, [    ] other pooled investment vehicles with approximately $[    ] billion in assets and no other accounts.

As of [                ], Mr. Ong managed [    ] registered investment companies with a total of approximately $[    ] billion in assets, [    ] other pooled investment vehicles with approximately $[    ] billion in assets and no other accounts.

As of [                ], Ms. Corum managed [    ] registered investment companies with a total of approximately $[    ] billion in assets, and no other pooled investment vehicles and no other accounts.

Although the other funds that the Portfolio Managers manage may have different investment strategies, the Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser does not believe that management of these different funds presents a material conflict of interest for the Portfolio Managers or the Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser.

Description of Compensation Structure—Adviser. The Portfolio Managers are compensated with a fixed salary amount by the Adviser. The Portfolio Managers are eligible, along with other senior employees of the Adviser, to participate in a year-end discretionary bonus pool. The Compensation Committee of the Adviser will review management bonuses and, depending upon the size, the Compensation

 

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Committee may approve the bonus in advance. There is no policy regarding, or agreement with, the Portfolio Managers or any other senior executive of the Adviser to receive bonuses or any other compensation in connection with the performance of any of the accounts managed by the Portfolio Managers.

Description of Compensation Structure—Sub-Adviser. The Sub-Adviser seeks to maintain a compensation program that is competitively positioned to attract and retain high-caliber investment professionals. The Sub-Adviser’s portfolio managers receive a base salary, an incentive bonus opportunity, and an equity compensation opportunity. Portfolio manager compensation is reviewed and may be modified each year as appropriate to reflect changes in the market, as well as to adjust the factors used to determine bonuses to promote good sustained fund performance. The Sub-Adviser evaluates competitive market compensation by reviewing compensation survey results conducted by an independent third party of investment industry compensation. Each portfolio manager’s compensation consists of the following three elements:

The Sub-Adviser’s portfolio managers are paid a base salary. In setting the base salary, the Sub-Adviser’s intention is to be competitive in light of the particular portfolio manager’s experience and responsibilities. The portfolio managers are eligible, along with other senior employees of the Sub-Adviser, to participate in a year-end discretionary bonus pool. The Compensation Committee of Invesco Ltd. reviews and approves the amount of the bonus pool available for Invesco’s investment centers. The Compensation Committee considers investment performance and financial results in its review. In addition, while having no direct impact on individual bonuses, assets under management are considered when determining the starting bonus funding levels. A portfolio manager is eligible to receive an annual cash bonus which is based on quantitative (i.e., investment performance) and non-quantitative factors (which may include, but are not limited to, individual performance, risk management and teamwork).

Each portfolio manager’s compensation is linked to the pre-tax investment performance of the funds/accounts managed by the portfolio manager as described in the following table.

 

Sub-Adviser

  

Performance Time Period (1)

Invesco (2)

   One-, Three- and Five-year performance against Fund peer group.

 

(1)

Rolling time periods based on calendar year end.

(2)

Portfolio managers may be granted a short-term award that vests on a pro-rata basis over a four-year period and final payments are based on the performance of eligible funds selected by the portfolio manager at the time the award is granted.

High investment performance (against applicable peer group) would deliver compensation generally associated with top pay in the industry (determined by reference to the third-party provided compensation survey information) and poor investment performance (versus applicable peer group) would result in low bonus compared to the applicable peer group or no bonus at all. These decisions are reviewed and approved collectively by senior leadership which has responsibility for executing the compensation approach across the organization.

Portfolio managers may be awarded options to purchase common shares and/or granted restricted shares of Invesco stock from pools determined from time to time by the Remuneration Committee of the Invesco Ltd. Board of Directors. Awards of equity-based compensation typically vest over time, so as to create incentives to retain key talent.

Portfolio managers also participate in benefit plans and programs available generally to all employees.

Portfolio Holdings. As of the date of this SAI, each Fund is new, and none of the Portfolio Managers beneficially own any Shares.

Because the portfolio managers of the Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser may manage assets for other investment companies, pooled investment vehicles and/or other accounts (including institutional clients, pension plans and certain high net worth individuals), there may be an incentive to favor one client over another, resulting in conflicts of interest. For instance, the Adviser or Sub-Adviser may receive fees from certain accounts that are higher than the fee it receives from the Fund, or it may receive a performance-based fee on certain accounts. In those instances, the portfolio managers may have an incentive to favor the higher and/or performance-based fee accounts over the Fund. In addition, a conflict of interest could exist to the extent that the Adviser or Sub-Adviser has proprietary investments in certain accounts, where portfolio managers have personal investments in certain accounts or when certain accounts are investment options in the Adviser or the Sub-Adviser’s employee benefits and/or deferred compensation plans. The portfolio manager may have an incentive to favor these accounts over others. If the Adviser or Sub-Adviser manages accounts that engage in short sales of securities of the type in which the Fund invests, the Adviser or the Sub-Adviser could be seen as harming the performance of the Fund for the benefit of the accounts engaging in short sales if the short sales cause the market value of the securities to fall. The Adviser and Sub-Adviser have adopted trade allocation and other policies and procedures that they believe are reasonably designed to address these and other conflicts of interest.

 

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Investment Advisory Agreement. Pursuant to an Investment Advisory Agreement between the Adviser and the Trust, the Adviser is responsible for all expenses of the Funds, including the costs of transfer agency, custody, fund administration, legal, audit and other services, except for advisory fees, distribution fees, if any, brokerage expenses, taxes, interest, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, if any, litigation expenses and other extraordinary expenses.

For the Adviser’s services, each Fund has agreed to pay an annual unitary management fee equal to a percentage of its average daily net assets set forth in the chart below (the “Advisory Fee”).

 

Fund    Advisory Fee

Invesco Intermediate Bond Factor ETF

   [    ]

Invesco Multi-Sector Bond Income Factor ETF

   [    ]

Invesco Short-Term Bond Factor ETF

   [    ]

Each Fund may invest in money market funds that are managed by affiliates of the Adviser. The indirect portion of the management fee that a Fund incurs through such investments is in addition to the Adviser’s unitary management fee. Therefore, the Adviser has agreed to waive the management fees that it receives in an amount equal to the indirect management fees that a Fund incurs through its investments in affiliated money market funds through [                ]. There is no guarantee that the Adviser will extend the waiver of these fees past that date.

Under the Investment Advisory Agreement, the Adviser will not be liable for any error of judgment or mistake of law or for any loss suffered by a Fund in connection with the performance of the Investment Advisory Agreement, except a loss resulting from willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence on the part of the Adviser in the performance of its duties or from reckless disregard of its duties and obligations thereunder. For each Fund, the Investment Advisory Agreement continues in effect only if approved annually by the Board, including a majority of the Independent Trustees. The Investment Advisory Agreement terminates automatically upon assignment and is terminable at any time without penalty as to a Fund by the Board, including a majority of the Independent Trustees, or by vote of the holders of a majority of that Fund’s outstanding voting securities on 60 days’ written notice to the Adviser, or by the Adviser on 60 days’ written notice to the Fund.

Sub-Advisory Agreements. The Adviser has entered into sub-advisory agreements with certain affiliates to serve as sub-advisers to the Fund (each, a “Sub-Advisory Agreement”) pursuant to which these affiliated sub-advisers may be appointed by the Adviser from time to time to provide discretionary investment management services, investment advice and/or order execution services to the Fund. These affiliated sub-advisers are:

 

   

Invesco Advisers, Inc. (previously defined as “IAI”);

 

   

Invesco Asset Management Deutschland GmbH (“Invesco Deutschland”);

 

   

Invesco Asset Management Limited (“Invesco Asset Management”);

 

   

Invesco Asset Management (Japan) Limited (“Invesco Japan”);

 

   

Invesco Hong Kong Limited (“Invesco Hong Kong”);

 

   

Invesco Senior Secured Management, Inc. (“Invesco Senior Secured”); and

 

   

Invesco Canada Ltd. (“Invesco Canada”).

The Adviser and each affiliated sub-adviser listed above are indirect, wholly owned subsidiaries of Invesco Ltd. Under each Sub-Advisory Agreement, each sub-adviser will not be liable for any error of judgment or mistake of law or for any loss suffered by the Fund in connection with the performance of the Sub-Advisory Agreement, except a loss resulting from willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence on the part of sub-adviser in the performance of its duties or from reckless disregard of its duties and obligations thereunder. Each Sub-Advisory Agreement continues in effect (following their initial term) only if approved annually by the Board, including a majority of the Independent Trustees.

Each Sub-Advisory Agreement terminates automatically upon assignment or termination of the Advisory Agreement and are terminable at any time without penalty as to the Fund by the Board, including a majority of the Independent Trustees, or by vote of the holders of a majority of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities on 60 days’ written notice to the relevant Sub-Adviser, by the Adviser on 60 days’ written notice to the relevant Sub-Adviser or by the Sub-Adviser on 60 days’ written notice to the Trust.

IAI currently serves as Sub-Adviser to the Fund. The Adviser pays the Sub-Adviser a fee which will be computed daily and paid as of the last day of each month equal to 40% of the Adviser’s monthly compensation with respect to the assets of the Fund for which the

 

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Sub-Adviser provides sub-advisory services. On an annual basis, the Sub-Advisory fee is equal to 40% of the Adviser’s compensation of the sub-advised assets per year.

IAI is located at Two Peachtree Pointe, 1555 Peachtree Street, N.E., Atlanta, Georgia 30309.

Invesco Deutschland is located at An der Welle 5M, 1st Floor, 60322, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

Invesco Asset Management is located at Perpetual Park, Perpetual Park Drive, Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, RG9 1HH, United Kingdom.

Invesco Japan is located at Roppongi Hills Mori Tower 14F, P.O. Box 115, 6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-6114, Japan.

Invesco Hong Kong is located at 41st Floor, Champion Tower, 3 Garden Road, Central, Hong Kong.

Invesco Senior Secured is located at 1166 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10036.

Invesco Canada is located at 5140 Yonge Street, Suite 800, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M2N 6X7.

Payments to Financial Intermediaries. The Adviser, the Distributor and/or their affiliates may enter into contractual arrangements with certain broker-dealers, banks and other financial intermediaries (each, an “Intermediary” and together, the “Intermediaries”) that the Adviser, the Distributor and/or their affiliates believe may benefit the Funds. Pursuant to such arrangements, the Adviser, the Distributor and/or their affiliates may provide cash payments or non-cash compensation, from their own assets and not from the assets of the Funds, to Intermediaries for certain activities that are designed to make registered representatives and other professionals more knowledgeable about exchange-traded products, including each Fund, or for other activities, such as marketing, presentations, educational training programs, conferences, data collection and provision, technology support, the development of technology platforms and reporting systems and providing their customers with access to the Funds via online platforms.

Any payments made pursuant to such arrangements may vary in any year and may be different for different Intermediaries. In certain cases, the payments described here may be subject to certain minimum payment levels. Although a portion of the Adviser’s revenue comes directly or indirectly in part from fees paid by the Funds, payments to Intermediaries are not financed by the Funds and therefore do not increase the price paid by investors for the purchase of shares of, or the cost of owning, a Fund or reduce the amount received by a shareholder as proceeds from the redemption of Shares. As a result, such payments are not reflected in the fees and expenses listed in the fees and expenses sections of the Funds’ Prospectus.

The Adviser periodically assesses the advisability of continuing to make these payments. Payments to an Intermediary may be significant to that Intermediary, and amounts that Intermediaries pay to your adviser, broker or other investment professional, if any, may also be significant to such adviser, broker or investment professional. Because an Intermediary may make decisions about what investment options it will make available or recommend, and what services to provide in connection with various products, based on payments it receives or is eligible to receive, such payments create conflicts of interest between the Intermediary and its clients. For example, these financial incentives may cause the Intermediary to recommend the Funds over other investments. The same conflict of interest exists with respect to your financial adviser, broker or investment professionals if he or she receives similar payments from his or her intermediary firm.

As of the date of this SAI, as amended or supplemented from time to time, the Intermediaries receiving such payments include Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC, Pershing LLC, Premier Issuer Program offered by CLS Investments, LLC, Raymond James Financial Services, Inc., TD Ameritrade Exchange-Traded Fund Market Center Program, Trust Company of America, National Financial Services LLC and Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC.

Please contact your salesperson, adviser, broker or other investment professional for more information regarding any such payments or financial incentives his or her intermediary firm may receive. Any payments made, or financial incentives offered, by the Adviser, Distributor and/or their affiliates to an Intermediary may create the incentive for the Intermediary to encourage customers to buy Shares.

Administrator. BNYM serves as administrator for the Funds. Its principal address is 240 Greenwich Street, New York, New York 10286.

BNYM serves as Administrator for the Funds pursuant to a fund administration and accounting agreement (the “Administrative Services Agreement”) with the Trust. Under the Administrative Services Agreement, BNYM is obligated, on a continuous basis, to provide such administrative services as the Board reasonably deems necessary for the proper administration of the Trust and the Funds. BNYM generally will assist in many aspects of the Trust’s and the Funds’ operations, including accounting, bookkeeping and

 

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record keeping services (including, without limitation, the maintenance of such books and records as are required under the 1940 Act and the rules thereunder, except as maintained by other service providers), assisting in preparing reports to shareholders or investors; assist in the preparation and filing of tax returns; supply financial information and supporting data for reports to and filings with the SEC; and supply supporting documentation for meetings of the Board.

Pursuant to the Administrative Services Agreement, the Trust has agreed to indemnify the Administrator for certain liabilities, including certain liabilities arising under the federal securities laws, unless such loss or liability results from negligence or willful misconduct in the performance of its duties.

Custodian, Transfer Agent and Fund Accounting Agent. BNYM, (the “Custodian” or “Transfer Agent”), located at 240 Greenwich Street, New York, New York 10286, also serves as custodian for the Funds pursuant to a custodian agreement (the “Custodian Agreement”). As Custodian, BNYM holds the Funds’ assets, calculates the NAV of Shares and calculates net income and realized capital gains or losses. BNYM also serves as transfer agent for the Funds pursuant to a transfer agency agreement (the “Transfer Agency Agreement”). Further, BNYM serves as Fund accounting agent pursuant to the fund accounting agreement (the “Fund Accounting Agreement”). As compensation for the foregoing services, BNYM may be reimbursed for its out-of-pocket costs, and receive transaction fees and asset-based fees, which are accrued daily and paid monthly by the Adviser from the Advisory Fee.

Distributor. Invesco Distributors, Inc. (previously defined as the “Distributor”) is the distributor of the Funds’ Shares. The Distributor’s principal address is 11 Greenway Plaza, Suite 1000, Houston, Texas 77046-1173. The Distributor has entered into a distribution agreement (the “Distribution Agreement”) with the Trust pursuant to which it distributes the Funds’ Shares. Each Fund continuously offers Shares for sale through the Distributor only in Creation Unit Aggregations, as described in the Prospectus and below under the heading “Creation and Redemption of Creation Unit Aggregations.”

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

Aggregations. The Distributor does not distribute Shares in less than Creation Unit Aggregations. The Distributor will deliver a Prospectus (or a Summary Prospectus) and, upon request, this SAI to persons purchasing Creation Unit Aggregations 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 also may enter into agreements with securities dealers (“Soliciting Dealers”) who will solicit purchases of Creation Unit Aggregations of the Shares. Such Soliciting Dealers also may be Participating Parties (as defined in “Procedures for Creation of Creation Unit Aggregations” below) and DTC Participants (as defined in “DTC Acts as Securities Depository for Shares” below).

Securities Lending Arrangement. The Funds may participate in a securities lending program (the “Program”) pursuant to a securities lending agreement that establishes the terms of the loan, including collateral requirements. While collateral may consist of cash, U.S. Government securities, letters of credit, or such other collateral as may be permitted under such Funds’ investment policies, the Adviser currently accepts only cash collateral under the Program. Funds participating in the Program may lend securities to securities brokers and other borrowers. The Adviser renders certain administrative services to Funds that engage in securities lending activities, which includes: (a) overseeing participation in the Program to ensure compliance with all applicable regulatory and investment guidelines; (b) assisting the securities lending agent or principal (the agent) in determining which specific securities are available for loan; (c) monitoring the agent to ensure that securities loans are effected in accordance with the Adviser’s instructions and with procedures adopted by the Board; (d) monitoring the creditworthiness of the agent and borrowers to ensure that securities loans are effected in accordance with the Adviser’s risk policies; (e) preparing appropriate periodic Board reports with respect to securities lending activities; (f) responding to agent inquiries; and (g) performing such other duties as may be necessary.

BNYM serves as the securities lending agent for the Program and provides the following services for the Funds in connection with securities lending activities: (i) entering into loans with approved entities subject to guidelines or restrictions provided by the Funds; (ii) receiving and holding collateral from borrowers, and facilitating the investment and reinvestment of cash collateral; (iii) monitoring daily the value of the loaned securities and collateral, including receiving and delivering additional collateral as necessary from/to borrowers; (iv) negotiating loan terms; (v) selecting securities to be loaned subject to guidelines or restrictions provided by the Funds; (vi) recordkeeping and account servicing; (vii) monitoring dividend/distribution activity and material proxy votes relating to loaned securities; and (viii) arranging for return of loaned securities to the Funds at loan termination.

 

 

BROKERAGE TRANSACTIONS AND COMMISSIONS ON AFFILIATED TRANSACTIONS

 

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The policies of the Adviser and the Sub-Adviser regarding purchases and sales of securities is to give primary consideration to obtaining the most favorable prices and efficient executions of transactions under the circumstances. Consistent with this policy, when securities transactions are effected on a stock exchange, the Adviser’s and the Sub-Adviser’s policies are to pay commissions that are considered fair and reasonable without necessarily determining that the lowest possible commissions are paid in all circumstances. In seeking to determine the reasonableness of brokerage commissions paid in any transaction, the Adviser and the Sub-Adviser, as applicable, rely upon their experience and knowledge regarding commissions various brokers generally charge. The sale of Shares by a broker-dealer is not a factor in the selection of broker-dealers.

In seeking to implement its policies, the Adviser or the Sub-Adviser, as applicable, effects transactions with those brokers and dealers that the Adviser or the Sub-Adviser believes provide the most favorable prices and are capable of providing efficient executions. The Adviser and Sub-Adviser currently do not participate in soft dollar transactions.

The Adviser or the Sub-Adviser, as applicable, assumes general supervision over placing orders on behalf of the Funds for the purchase or sale of portfolio securities. If purchases or sales of portfolio securities by the Funds and one or more other investment companies or clients supervised by the Adviser or the Sub-Adviser are considered at or about the same time, the Adviser or the Sub-Adviser, as applicable, allocates transactions in such securities among the funds, the several investment companies and clients in a manner deemed equitable to all. In some cases, this procedure could have a detrimental effect on the price or volume of the security as far as a Fund is concerned. However, in other cases, it is possible that the ability to participate in volume transactions and to negotiate lower brokerage commissions will be beneficial to the Funds. The primary consideration is prompt execution of orders at the most favorable net price under the circumstances.

Purchases and sales of fixed-income securities for the Funds, if any, usually are principal transactions and ordinarily are purchased directly from the issuer or from an underwriter or broker-dealer. A Fund does not usually pay brokerage commissions in connection with such purchases and sales, although purchases of new issues from underwriters of securities typically include a commission or concession paid by the issuer to the underwriter, and purchases from dealers serving as market-makers typically include a dealer’s mark-up (i.e., a spread between the bid and the ask prices).

When a Fund purchases a newly issued security at a fixed price, the Adviser or Sub-Adviser may designate certain members of the underwriting syndicate to receive compensation associated with that transaction. Certain dealers have agreed to rebate a portion of such compensation directly to a Fund to offset the Fund’s management expenses.

Affiliated Transactions. The Adviser or Sub-Adviser may place trades with Invesco Capital Markets, Inc. (“ICMI”) a broker-dealer with whom it is under common control, provided the Adviser or Sub-Adviser determines that the affiliate’s trade execution abilities and costs are at least comparable to those of non-affiliated brokerage firms with which the Adviser or Sub-Adviser could otherwise place similar trades. ICMI receives brokerage commissions in connection with effecting trades for the Fund and, therefore, use of ICMI presents a conflict of interest for the Adviser and Sub-Adviser. Trades placed through ICMI, including the brokerage commissions paid to ICMI, are subject to procedures adopted by the Board.

Unless otherwise indicated, the amount of brokerage commissions paid by a Fund may change from year to year because of, among other things, changing asset levels, shareholder activity and/or portfolio turnover.

 

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONCERNING THE TRUST

The Trust is an open-end management investment company registered under the 1940 Act. The Trust was organized as a Delaware statutory trust on November 6, 2007 pursuant to the Declaration of Trust.

The Trust is authorized to issue an unlimited number of shares in one or more series or “funds.” The Board has the right to establish additional series in the future, to determine the preferences, voting powers, rights and privileges thereof and to modify such preferences, voting powers, rights and privileges, without shareholder approval.

The Declaration of Trust provides that the assets associated solely with any series shall be held and accounted for separately from the assets of the Trust generally or of any other series, and that liabilities belonging to a particular series shall be enforceable only against the assets belonging to that series and not against the assets of the Trust generally or against the assets belonging to any other series.

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

 

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Each 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 funds of the Trust vote together as a single class, except as otherwise required by the 1940 Act or if the matter being voted on affects only a particular fund, and, if a matter affects a particular fund differently from other funds, the shares of that fund will vote separately on such matter.

The Declaration provides that by becoming a shareholder of a Fund, each shareholder shall be held expressly to have agreed to be bound by the provisions of the Declaration. The Trustees may, except in limited circumstances, amend or supplement the Declaration of Trust without shareholder vote. The holders of Shares are required to disclose information on direct or indirect ownership of Shares as may be required to comply with various laws applicable to the Fund, and ownership of Shares may be disclosed by a Fund if so required by law or regulation.

The Trust is not required and does not intend to hold annual meetings of shareholders. Shareholders owning more than 33% of the outstanding Shares of the Trust have the right to call a special meeting to remove one or more Trustees or for any other purpose by written request provided that (1) such request shall state the purposes of such meeting and the matters proposed to be acted on, and (2) the shareholders requesting such meeting shall have paid to the Trust the reasonably estimated cost of preparing and mailing the notice thereof, which the Secretary shall determine and specify to such shareholders.

The Trust’s bylaws require that to the fullest extent permitted by law, including Section 3804(e) of the Delaware Statutory Trust Act, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware or, if such court does not have subject matter jurisdiction thereof, any other court in the State of Delaware with subject matter jurisdiction, shall be the sole and exclusive forum for any shareholder (including a beneficial owner of shares) to bring derivatively or directly (i) any claim, suit, action or proceeding brought on behalf of the Trust, (ii) any claim, suit, action or proceeding asserting a claim for breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any Trustee, officer or employee, if any, of the Trust to the Trust or the Trust’s shareholders, (iii) any claim, suit, action or proceeding asserting a claim against the Trust, its Trustees, officers or employees, if any, arising pursuant to any provision of Delaware statutory or common law, or any federal or state securities law, in each case as amended from time to time, or the Trust’s Declaration of Trust or bylaws; or (iv) any claim, suit, action or proceeding asserting a claim against the Trust, its Trustees, officers or employees, if any, governed by the internal affairs doctrine.

The Trust does not have information concerning the beneficial ownership of Shares held by DTC Participants (as defined below).

Shareholders may make inquiries by writing to the Trust, c/o the Distributor, Invesco Distributors, Inc., 11 Greenway Plaza, Suite 1000, Houston, Texas 77046-1173.

Book Entry Only System. The following information supplements and should be read in conjunction with the section in the Prospectus entitled “Book Entry.”

DTC Acts as Securities Depository for Shares. Shares of the Fund are represented by securities registered in the name of DTC or its nominee and deposited with, or on behalf of, DTC.

DTC, a limited purpose trust company, was created to hold securities of its participants (the “DTC Participants”) and to facilitate the clearance and settlement of securities transactions among the DTC Participants in such securities through electronic book-entry changes in accounts of the DTC Participants, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of securities certificates. DTC Participants include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and certain other organizations, some of whom (and/or their representatives) own DTC. More specifically, DTC is owned by a number of its DTC Participants and by the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) and FINRA. Access to the DTC system also is 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 Shares is limited to DTC Participants, Indirect Participants and persons holding interests through DTC Participants and Indirect Participants. Ownership of beneficial interests in Shares (owners of such beneficial interests are referred to herein as “Beneficial Owners”) is shown on, and the transfer of ownership is effected only through, records DTC maintains (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 and sale of 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 Shares held by each DTC Participant. The Trust shall inquire of each such DTC Participant as to the number of Beneficial Owners holding Shares, directly or indirectly, through such DTC Participant. The Trust shall provide each such DTC Participant with copies of such notice, statement or other communication, in such form, number and at such place as such

 

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DTC Participant may reasonably request, in order that such DTC Participant may transmit such notice, statement or communication, directly or indirectly, to such Beneficial Owners. In addition, the Trust shall pay to each such DTC Participant a fair and reasonable amount as reimbursement for the expenses attendant to such transmittal, all subject to applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.

Fund distributions shall be made to DTC or its nominee, Cede & Co., as the registered holder of all Shares. DTC or its nominee, upon receipt of any such distributions, shall immediately credit DTC Participants’ accounts with payments in amounts proportionate to their respective beneficial interests in Shares as shown on the records of DTC or its nominee. Payments by DTC Participants to Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners of Shares held through such DTC Participants will be governed by standing instructions and customary practices, as is now the case with securities held for the accounts of customers in bearer form or registered in a “street name,” and will be the responsibility of such DTC Participants.

The Trust has no responsibility or liability for any aspect of the records relating to or notices to Beneficial Owners, or payments made on account of beneficial ownership interests in such Shares, or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records relating to such beneficial ownership interests, or for any other aspect of the relationship between DTC and the DTC Participants or the relationship between such DTC Participants and the Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners owning through such DTC Participants.

DTC may decide to discontinue providing its service with respect to 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 to find a replacement for DTC to perform its functions at a comparable cost.

Proxy Voting. The Board has delegated responsibility for decisions regarding proxy voting for securities held by the Funds to the Adviser. The Adviser will vote such proxies in accordance with its proxy policies and procedures, which are summarized in Appendix A (for the Adviser) and in Appendix B (for the Sub-Advisers) to this SAI. The Board periodically will review each Fund’s proxy voting record.

The Trust is required to disclose annually the Funds’ complete proxy voting record on Form N-PX covering the period July 1 through June 30 and file it with the SEC no later than August 31. Form N-PX for the Funds also will be available at no charge upon request by calling 800-983-0903 or by writing to Invesco Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Fund Trust at 3500 Lacey Road, Suite 700, Downers Grove, Illinois 60515. The Trust’s Form N-PX will also be available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

Codes of Ethics. Pursuant to Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act, the Board has adopted a Code of Ethics for the Trust and approved Codes of Ethics adopted by the Adviser, Sub-Adviser and the Distributor (collectively, the “Ethics Codes”). The Ethics Codes are intended to ensure that the interests of shareholders and other clients are placed ahead of any personal interest, that no undue personal benefit is obtained from the person’s employment activities and that actual and potential conflicts of interest are avoided.

The Ethics Codes apply to the personal investing activities of Trustees and officers of the Trust, the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser and the Distributor (“Access Persons”). Rule 17j-1 and the Ethics Codes are designed to prevent unlawful practices in connection with the purchase or sale of securities by Access Persons. Under the Ethics Codes, Access Persons may engage in personal securities transactions, but must report their personal securities transactions for monitoring purposes. The Ethics Codes permit personnel subject to the Ethics Codes to invest in securities subject to certain limitations, including securities that the Funds may purchase or sell. In addition, certain Access Persons must obtain approval before investing in initial public offerings or private placements. The Ethics Codes are on file with the SEC and are available on the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s Internet site at www.sec.gov. The Ethics Codes may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by e-mail at publicinfo@sec.gov.

 

 

CREATION AND REDEMPTION OF CREATION UNIT AGGREGATIONS

General

The Trust issues and sells Shares of each Fund only in Creation Unit Aggregations on a continuous basis through the Distributor, without a sales load, at the Fund’s NAV next determined after receipt of an order in “proper form” (as defined below) on any Business Day. A “Business Day” is any day on which the Exchange is open for business. As of the date of this SAI, the Exchange is closed in observance of the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. On days when the Exchange closes earlier than normal, a Fund may require orders to be placed earlier in the day.

The number of Shares of a Fund that constitute a Creation Unit Aggregation for such Fund is set forth in the Fund’s Prospectus. In its discretion, the Trust reserves the right to increase or decrease the number of Shares that constitutes a Creation Unit Aggregation for a Fund.

 

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Role of the Authorized Participant

A Fund only may issue Creation Units to, or redeem Creation Units from, an authorized participant, referred to herein as an “AP.” To be eligible to place orders to create a Creation Unit of a Fund, an AP must have executed an agreement with the Distributor (“Participant Agreement”) and must be a broker-dealer registered with the SEC and a member of FINRA, or otherwise be exempt from or not required to be licensed as a broker-dealer or a member of FINRA. In addition, an AP must be either (i) a “Participating Party,” i.e., a broker-dealer or other participant in the clearing process of the Continuous Net Settlement System (the “Clearing Process”) of the National Securities Clearing Corporation (“NSCC”), a clearing agency that is registered with the SEC, or (ii) a “DTC Participant,” i.e., eligible to utilize the Fed Book Entry System and/or DTC. A Participating Party and DTC Participant are collectively referred to herein as an AP. All Shares of a Fund, however created, will be entered on the records of DTC in the name of Cede & Co. for the account of a DTC Participant.

All orders to purchase or redeem Creation Units must be placed by an AP. An AP may place orders for the creation or redemption of Creation Units through the Clearing Process, the Fed Book-Entry System and/or DTC or Euroclear, subject to the procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement. Transfers of securities settling through Euroclear or other foreign depositories may require AP access to such facilities.

Pursuant to the terms of its Participant Agreement, an AP will agree, and on behalf of itself or any investor on whose behalf it will act, to certain conditions, including that the AP will make available in advance of each purchase of Shares an amount of cash sufficient to pay the Cash Component, together with the transaction fees described below. An AP acting on behalf of an investor may require the investor to enter into an agreement with such AP with respect to certain matters, including payment of the Cash Component. Investors who are not APs make appropriate arrangements with an AP to submit orders to purchase or redeem Creation Units of a Fund. Investors should be aware that their particular broker may not be a DTC Participant or may not have executed a Participant Agreement and that, therefore, orders to purchase Creation Units may have to be placed by the investor’s broker through an AP. In such cases, there may be additional charges to such investor. At any given time, there may be only a limited number of APs. A list of current APs may be obtained from the Distributor. In addition, the Distributor may be appointed as the proxy of the AP and may be granted a power of attorney under the Participant Agreement.

Creations

Portfolio Deposit. The consideration for purchase of a Creation Unit generally consists of the in-kind deposit of a portfolio of securities constituting a substantial replication of the securities included in a fund’s portfolio (the “Deposit Securities”) and an amount of cash denominated in U.S. dollars (the “Cash Component”) computed as described below, plus any applicable administrative or other transaction fees, also as discussed below. Together, the Deposit Securities and the Cash Component constitute the “Portfolio Deposit,” which represents the minimum initial and subsequent investment amount for a Creation Unit Aggregation of any fund.

The “Cash Component” is an amount equal to the difference between the aggregate NAV of the Shares per Creation Unit and the “Deposit Amount,” which is an amount equal to the total aggregate market value (per Creation Unit) of the Deposit Securities.

The Cash Component, which is sometimes called the “Balancing Amount,” serves to compensate for any differences between the NAV per Creation Unit and the Deposit Amount. Payment of any stamp duty or other similar fees and expenses payable upon transfer of beneficial ownership of the Deposit Securities are the sole responsibility of the AP purchasing the Creation Unit.

Each Fund, through the NSCC, makes available on each Business Day, immediately 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 and/or the amount of the applicable Cash Component to be included in the current Portfolio Deposit (based on information at the end of the previous Business Day) for a Fund. Such Portfolio Deposit is applicable, subject to any adjustments as described below, to effect purchases of Creation Units of a Fund until such time as the next-announced Portfolio Deposit is made available.

The identity and number of shares of the Deposit Securities required for a Portfolio Deposit will change as rebalancing adjustments and corporate action events are reflected within a Fund from time to time by the Adviser or Sub-Adviser with a view to the investment objective of a Fund.

Such adjustments will reflect changes known to the Adviser or Sub-Adviser by the time of determination of the Deposit Securities resulting from stock splits and other corporate actions.

The Adviser expects that the Deposit Securities should correspond pro rata, to the extent practicable, to the securities held by a Fund. However, the Trust reserves the right to permit or require an order containing the substitution of an amount of cash—i.e., a “cash in lieu” amount—to be added, at its discretion, to the Cash Component to replace one or more Deposit Securities. For example, a cash substitution may be permitted or required for any Deposit Security that (i) may not be available in sufficient quantity for delivery, (ii) may not be eligible for transfer through the systems of DTC or the Clearing Process (discussed below), (iii) might not be eligible for trading by an AP or the investor on whose behalf the AP is acting, or (iv) in certain other situations at the sole discretion of the Trust. Additionally, the Trust may permit or require the submission of a portfolio of securities or cash that differs from the

 

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composition of the published portfolio(s) (a “Custom Order”). A Fund also may permit or require the consideration for Creation Unit Aggregations to consist solely of cash (see “—Cash Creations” below).

Cash Creations. If a fund permits or requires partial or full cash creations, such purchases shall be effected in essentially the same manner as in-kind purchases. In the case of a cash creation, the AP must pay the same Cash Component required to be paid by an in-kind purchaser, plus the Deposit Amount (i.e., the cash equivalent of the Deposit Securities it would otherwise be required to provide through an in-kind purchase, as described in the subsection “—Portfolio Deposit” above).

Trading costs, operational processing costs and brokerage commissions associated with using cash to purchase requisite Deposit Securities will be incurred by a fund and will affect the value of its shares; therefore, such funds may require APs to pay transaction fees to offset brokerage and other costs associated with using cash to purchase the requisite Deposit Securities (see “Creation and Redemption Transaction Fees” below).

Creation Orders

Procedures for Creation of Creation Unit Aggregations. Orders must be transmitted by an AP, in such form and by such transmission method acceptable to the Transfer Agent or Distributor, pursuant to procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement, and such procedures may change from time to time. APs purchasing Creation Units of funds that invest in domestic equity securities (“Domestic Equity Funds”) may transfer Deposit Securities in one of two ways: (i) through the Clearing Process (see “Placing Creation Orders Using the Clearing Process”), or (ii) with a fund “outside” the Clearing Process through the facilities of DTC (see “Placing Creation Orders Outside the Clearing Process”). The Clearing Process is not currently available for purchases or redemptions of Creation Units of funds that invest in foreign securities (“International Equity Funds”) or Funds that invest in fixed-income securities (“Fixed Income Funds”). Accordingly, APs submitting creation orders for such funds must effect those transactions outside the Clearing Process, as described further below.

All orders to purchase Creation Units, whether through or outside the Clearing Process, must be received by the Transfer Agent and/or Distributor no later than the order cut-off time designated in the Participant Agreement (“Order Cut-Off Time”) on the relevant Business Day in order for the creation of Creation Units to be effected based on the NAV of Shares of a fund as determined on such date. With certain exceptions, the Order Cut-Off Time for a Fund, as set forth in the Participant Agreement, usually is the closing time of the regular trading session on the New York Stock Exchange—i.e., ordinarily 4:00 p.m., Eastern time. In the case of Custom Orders, the Order Cut-Off Time is no later than 3:00 p.m., Eastern time. However, some Funds, as set forth in the Participant Agreement, may have different Order Cut-Off Times (e.g., see “Special Consideration for Fixed Income Funds with T+0 and T+1 Orders”). Additionally, on days when the NYSE, the relevant Exchange or the bond markets close earlier than normal, the Trust may require creation orders to be placed earlier in the day. The Business Day on which an order is placed and deemed received is referred to as the “Transmittal Date.”

Orders must be transmitted by an AP by telephone, online portal or other transmission method acceptable to the Transfer Agent and the Distributor. Economic or market disruptions or changes, or telephone or other communication failure, may impede the ability to reach the Transfer Agent, the Distributor or an AP.

APs placing creation orders should afford sufficient time to permit proper submission of the order.

Orders effected outside the Clearing Process likely will require transmittal by the DTC Participant earlier on the Transmittal Date than orders effected through the Clearing Process. APs placing orders outside the Clearing Process should ascertain all deadlines applicable to DTC and the Federal Reserve Bank wire system. Additional transaction fees may be imposed with respect to transactions effected outside the Clearing Process (see “Creation and Redemption Transaction Fees” below).

A creation order is considered to be in “proper form” if: (i) a properly completed irrevocable purchase order has been submitted by the AP (either on its own or another investor’s behalf) not later than a Fund’s specified Order Cut-Off Time on the Transmittal Date, and (ii) arrangements satisfactory to the applicable Fund are in place for payment of the Cash Component and any other cash amounts which may be due, and (iii) all other procedures regarding placement of a creation order set forth in the Participant Agreement are properly followed. Special procedures are specific to Custom Orders, as set forth in the Participant Agreement.

All questions as to the number of shares of each security in the Deposit Securities to be delivered, and the validity, form, eligibility (including time of receipt) and acceptance for deposit of any securities to be delivered shall be determined by a Fund, and the Fund’s determination shall be final and binding.

Placing Creation Orders Using the Clearing Process. The Clearing Process is the process of creating or redeeming Creation Unit Aggregations through the Continuous Net Settlement System of the NSCC. Portfolio Deposits made through the Clearing Process must be delivered through a Participating Party that has executed a Participant Agreement. The Participant Agreement authorizes the Transfer Agent to transmit, on behalf of the Participating Party, such trade instructions to the NSCC as are necessary to effect the Participating Party’s creation order. Pursuant to such trade instructions, the Participating Party agrees to deliver the Portfolio Deposit to the Transfer Agent, together with such additional information as may be required by the Distributor.

 

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Placing Creation Orders Outside the Clearing Process. Portfolio Deposits made outside the Clearing Process must be delivered through a DTC Participant that has executed a Participant Agreement. A DTC Participant who wishes to place a creation order outside the Clearing Process need not be a Participating Party, but such orders must state that the DTC Participant is not using the Clearing Process and that the creation instead will be effected through a transfer of securities and cash directly through DTC.

APs purchasing Creation Units of Shares of International Equity Funds must have international trading capabilities. Once the Custodian has been notified of an order to purchase Creation Units of an International Equity Fund, it will provide such information to the relevant sub-custodian(s) of each such Fund. The Custodian shall then cause the sub-custodian(s) of each such Fund to maintain an account into which the AP shall deliver, on behalf of itself or the party on whose behalf it is acting, the Portfolio Deposit. Deposit Securities must be maintained by the applicable local sub-custodian(s).

Acceptance of Creation Orders. The Transfer Agent will deliver to the AP a confirmation of acceptance of a creation order within 15 minutes of the receipt of a submission received in proper form. A creation order is deemed to be irrevocable upon the delivery of the confirmation of acceptance, subject to the conditions below.

The Trust reserves the absolute right to reject a creation order transmitted to it by the Distributor in respect of a Fund if: (i) the order is not in proper form; (ii) the investor(s), upon obtaining the Shares ordered, would own 80% or more of the currently outstanding Shares of that Fund; (iii) the Deposit Securities delivered are not as designated for that date by the Custodian; (iv) acceptance of the Deposit Securities would have certain adverse tax consequences to a Fund; (v) acceptance of the Portfolio Deposit would, in the opinion of counsel, be unlawful; (vi) acceptance of the Portfolio Deposit would otherwise, in the discretion of the Trust, the Adviser or the Sub-Adviser, have an adverse effect on the Trust or the rights of Beneficial Owners; or (vii) there exist circumstances outside the control of the Trust that make it impossible to process creation orders for all practical purposes. Examples of such circumstances include acts of God; 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 Adviser, the Sub-Adviser, the Distributor, DTC, NSCC, the Federal Reserve, the Transfer Agent, a sub-custodian or any other participant in the creation process, and similar extraordinary events. The Transfer Agent shall notify a prospective purchaser of a Creation Unit (and/or the AP acting on its behalf) of the rejection of such creation order. The Trust, the Custodian, any sub-custodian and the Distributor are under no duty, however, to give notification of any defects or irregularities in the delivery of Portfolio Deposits, nor shall any of them incur any liability for the failure to give any such notification.

Issuance of a Creation Unit

Except as provided herein, a Creation Unit will not be issued until the transfer of good title to the applicable Fund of the Deposit Securities and the payment of the Cash Component have been completed.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, a Fund may issue Creation Units to an AP, notwithstanding the fact that the corresponding Portfolio Deposit has not been delivered in part or in whole, in reliance on the undertaking of the AP to deliver the missing Deposit Securities as soon as possible. To secure such undertaking, the AP must deposit and maintain cash collateral in an amount equal to the sum of (i) the Cash Component, plus (ii) at least 105% of the market value of the undelivered Deposit Securities. In such circumstances, the creation order shall be deemed to be received on the Transmittal Date, provided that (i) such order is placed in proper form prior to the Order Cut-Off Time, and (ii) requisite federal funds in an appropriate amount are delivered by certain deadlines on the contractual settlement date, as set forth in such Participant Agreement (typically, 11:00 a.m., Eastern time on such date for equity Funds and 2:00 p.m., Eastern time on such date for Fixed Income Funds). If such order is not placed in proper form prior to the Order Cut-Off Time, and/or all other deadlines and conditions set forth in the Participant Agreement relating to such additional deposits are not met, then the order may be deemed to be canceled, and the AP shall be liable to a Fund for losses, if any, resulting therefrom. The Trust may use such collateral at any time to buy Deposit Securities for the Funds, and the AP agrees to accept liability for any shortfall between the cost to the Trust of purchasing such Deposit Securities and the value of the collateral, which may be sold by the Trust at such time, and in such manner, as the Trust may determine in its sole discretion.

Using the Clearing Process. An AP that is a Participating Party is required to transfer to the Transfer Agent: (i) the requisite Deposit Securities expected to be delivered through NSCC, and (ii) the Cash Component, if any, to the Transfer Agent by means of the Trust’s Clearing Process. In each case, the delivery must occur by the “regular way” settlement date—i.e., generally, the second Business Day following the Transmittal Date (“T+2”). At that time, the Transfer Agent shall initiate procedures to transfer the requisite Shares and the Cash Component, if any, through the Clearing Process so as to be received no later than on the “regular way” settlement date (i.e., T+2).

Outside the Clearing Process—Domestic Equity Funds. An AP that is a DTC Participant that orders a creation outside the Clearing Process is required to transfer to the Transfer Agent: (i) the requisite Deposit Securities through DTC, and (ii) the Cash Component, if any, through the Federal Reserve Bank wire system. Such Deposit Securities must be received by the Transfer Agent by 11:00 a.m., Eastern time on the “regular way” settlement date (i.e., T+2), while the Cash Component must be received by 2:00 p.m., Eastern time on that same date. Otherwise, the creation order shall be canceled. For creation units issued principally for cash (see “—Cash Creations” above), the DTC Participant shall be required to transfer the Cash Component through the Federal Reserve Bank wire system to be received by 2:00 p.m., Eastern time on the Contractual Settlement Date (as defined below). At that time, the Transfer

 

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Agent shall initiate procedures to transfer the requisite Shares through DTC and the Cash Component, if any, through the Federal Reserve Bank wire system so as to be received by the purchaser no later than T+2 (except as otherwise set forth in the Participant Agreement).

Outside the Clearing Process—International Equity Funds. Deposit Securities must be delivered to an account maintained at the applicable local sub-custodian on or before 11 a.m., Eastern time, on the Contractual Settlement Date. The “Contractual Settlement Date” is the earlier of (i) the date upon which all of the required Deposit Securities, the Cash Component and any other cash amounts which may be due are delivered to the Trust and (ii) the latest day for settlement on the customary settlement cycle in the jurisdiction where any of the securities of the relevant Fund are customarily traded. The AP also must make available by the Contractual Settlement Date funds estimated by the Trust to be sufficient to pay the Cash Component, if any. For Creation Units issued principally for cash, the DTC Participant shall be required to transfer the Cash Component through the Federal Reserve Bank wire system to be received by 2:00 p.m., Eastern time on the Contractual Settlement Date. When the sub-custodian confirms to the Custodian that the required securities included in the Portfolio Deposit (or, when permitted in the sole discretion of the Trust, the cash value thereof) have been delivered to the account of the relevant sub-custodian, the Custodian shall notify the Distributor and Transfer Agent, and the Trust will issue and cause the delivery of the Creation Unit of Shares via DTC so as to be received by the purchaser no later than T+2.

Outside the Clearing Process—Fixed Income Funds. An AP that is a DTC Participant that orders a creation outside the Clearing Process is required to transfer to the Transfer Agent: (i) the requisite Deposit Securities through Euroclear, DTC and/or Fed Book-Entry, and (ii) the Cash Component, if any, through the Federal Reserve Bank wire system. Such Deposit Securities and Cash Component must each be received by the Transfer Agent by 11:00 a.m., Eastern time on the Contractual Settlement Date. Otherwise, the creation order shall be canceled. At that time, the Transfer Agent shall initiate procedures to transfer the Creation Unit of Shares through DTC and the Cash Component, if any, through the Federal Reserve Bank wire system so as to be received by the purchaser later than T+2.

Creation and Redemption Transaction Fees

Creation and redemption transactions for each Fund are subject to an administrative fee, payable to BNYM, in the amount listed in the table below, irrespective of the size of the order. As shown in the table below, the administrative fee has a base amount; however, BNYM may increase the administrative fee to a maximum of four times the base amount for administration and settlement of non-standard orders requiring additional administrative processing by BNYM. These fees may be changed by the Trust.

 

Fund   

Base Administrative Fee

(Payable to BNYM)

   Maximum Administrative Fee
(Payable to BNYM)

Invesco Intermediate Bond Factor ETF

   [            ]    [            ]

Invesco Multi-Sector Bond Income Factor ETF

   [            ]    [            ]

Invesco Short-Term Bond Factor ETF

   [            ]    [            ]

Additionally, the Adviser may charge an additional, variable fee (sometimes referred to as a “cash-in-lieu” fee) to the extent a Fund permits APs to create or redeem Creation Units for cash, or otherwise substitute cash for any Deposit Security. Such cash-in-lieu fees are payable to a Fund and are charged to defray the transaction cost to a Fund of buying (or selling) Deposit Securities, to cover spreads and slippage costs and to protect existing shareholders. The cash-in-lieu fees will be negotiated between the Adviser and the AP and may be different for any given transaction, Business Day or AP; however, in no instance will such cash-in-lieu fees exceed 2% of the value of a Creation Unit. From time to time, the Adviser, in its sole discretion, may adjust a Fund’s cash-in-lieu fees or reimburse APs for all or a portion of the creation or redemption transaction fees.

Redemptions

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

Fund Securities. The redemption proceeds for a Creation Unit generally consist of a portfolio of securities (the “Fund Securities”), plus or minus an amount of cash denominated in U.S. dollars (the “Cash Redemption Amount”), representing an amount equal to the difference between the NAV of the Shares being redeemed, as next determined after receipt of a request in proper form, and the total aggregate market value of the Fund Securities, less any applicable administrative or other transaction fees, as discussed above. The Cash Redemption Amount is calculated in the same manner as the Balancing Amount. To the extent that the Fund Securities have a value greater than the NAV of the Shares being redeemed, a Cash Redemption Amount payment equal to the differential is required to be paid by the redeeming shareholder.

 

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Each Fund, through the NSCC, makes available on each Business Day, immediately prior to the opening of business on the applicable Exchange, the Fund Securities that will be applicable (subject to possible amendment or correction) to redemption requests received in proper form (as defined below) on that day, as well as the Cash Redemption Amount. Such Fund Securities and the corresponding Cash Redemption Amount are applicable to effect redemptions of Creation Units of a Fund until such time as the next-announced composition of the Fund Securities and Cash Redemption Amount is made available.

The Adviser expects that the Fund Securities should correspond pro rata, to the extent practicable, to the securities held by a Fund. However, Fund Securities received on redemption may not be identical to Deposit Securities that are applicable to creations of Creation Units. The Trust also may provide such redeemer a Custom Order, which, as described above, is a portfolio of securities that differs from the exact composition of the published list of Fund Securities, but in no event will the total value of the securities delivered and the cash transmitted differ from the NAV. In addition, the Trust reserves the right to permit or require an amount of cash to be added, at its discretion, to the Cash Redemption Amount to replace one or more Fund Securities (see “—Cash Redemptions” below).

Cash Redemptions. A Fund generally will pay out the proceeds of redemptions of Creation Units partially or principally for cash (or through any combination of cash and Fund Securities). 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 in an amount equal to the NAV of its Shares next determined after a redemption request is received (less any redemption transaction fees imposed, as specified above).

Redemptions of Shares will be subject to compliance with applicable federal and state securities laws and a Fund (whether or not it otherwise permits cash redemptions) reserves the right to redeem Creation Unit Aggregations 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 AP that is not a “qualified institutional buyer,” 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 144. The AP may request the redeeming beneficial owner of the Shares to complete an order form or to enter into agreements with respect to such matters as compensating cash payment.

Redemption Requests

Procedures for Redemption of Creation Unit Aggregations. Orders must be transmitted by an AP, in such form and by such transmission method acceptable to the Transfer Agent or Distributor, pursuant to procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement, and such procedures may change from time to time. APs seeking to redeem Shares of Domestic Equity Funds may transfer Creation Units through the Clearing Process (see “Placing Redemption Requests Using the Clearing Process”) or outside the Clearing Process through the facilities of DTC (see “Placing Redemption Requests Outside the Clearing Process”). As noted above, the Clearing Process is not currently available for redemptions of Creation Units of International Equity Funds or Fixed Income Funds; accordingly, APs seeking to redeem Shares of such Funds must effect such transactions outside the Clearing Process.

All requests to redeem Creation Units, whether through the Clearing Process, or outside the Clearing Process through DTC or otherwise, must be received by the Distributor no later than the Order Cut-Off Time on the relevant Business Day. As with creation orders, requests for redemption of Custom Orders must be received by 3:00 p.m., Eastern time, and some Funds, as set forth in the Participant Agreement, may have different Order Cut-Off Times for redemptions.

A redemption request will be considered to be in “proper form” if (i) a duly completed request form is received by the Distributor from the AP on behalf of itself or another redeeming investor at the specified Order Cut-Off Time, and (ii) arrangements satisfactory to a Fund are in place for the AP to transfer or cause to be transferred to a Fund the Creation Unit of such Fund being redeemed on or before contractual settlement of the redemption request. Special procedures are specific to Custom Orders, as set forth in the Participant Agreement.

As discussed herein, a redeeming investor will pay a transaction fee to offset a Fund’s trading costs, operational processing costs, brokerage commissions and other similar costs incurred in transferring the Fund Securities from its account to the account of the redeeming investor. An entity redeeming Shares in Creation Units outside the Clearing Process may be required to pay a higher transaction fee than would have been charged had the redemption been effected through the Clearing Process. A redeeming investor receiving cash in lieu of one or more Fund Securities may also be assessed a higher transaction fee on the cash in lieu portion. This higher transaction fee will be assessed in the same manner as the transaction fee incurred in purchasing Creation Units.

Placing Redemption Requests Using the Clearing Process. Requests to redeem Creation Units through the Clearing Process must be delivered through a Participating Party that has executed a Participant Agreement, in such form and by such transmission method acceptable to the Transfer Agent or Distributor, pursuant to procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement.

 

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Placing Redemption Requests Outside the Clearing Process. Orders to redeem Creation Units outside the Clearing Process must be delivered through a DTC Participant that has executed a Participant Agreement. A DTC Participant who wishes to place a redemption order outside the Clearing Process need not be a Participating Party, but such orders must state that the DTC Participant is not using the Clearing Process and that redemption instead will be effected through a transfer of Fund Shares directly through DTC.

In the case of Shares of International Equity Funds, upon redemption of Creation Units and taking delivery of the Fund Securities into the account of the redeeming shareholder or an AP acting on behalf of such investor, such person must maintain appropriate custody arrangements with a broker-dealer, bank or other custody provider in each jurisdiction in which any of such Fund Securities are customarily traded.

Acceptance of Redemption Requests. The Transfer Agent will deliver to the AP a confirmation of acceptance of a request to redeem Shares in Creation Units within 15 minutes of the receipt of a submission received in proper form. A redemption order is deemed to be irrevocable upon the delivery of the confirmation of acceptance.

The right of redemption may be suspended or the date of payment postponed (i) for any period during which the NYSE is closed (other than customary weekend and holiday closings); (ii) for any period during which trading on the NYSE is suspended or restricted; (iii) for any period during which an emergency exists as a result of which disposal of the Shares of a Fund or determination of a Fund’s NAV is not reasonably practicable; or (iv) in such other circumstances as is permitted by the SEC.

Issuance of Fund Securities

To the extent contemplated by a Participant Agreement, in the event an AP has submitted a redemption request in proper form but is unable to transfer all or part of the Creation Unit to be redeemed to the Distributor, on behalf of a Fund, by the closing time of the regular trading session on the Exchange on the date such redemption request is submitted, the Distributor will nonetheless accept the redemption request in reliance on the undertaking by the AP to deliver the missing Shares as soon as possible, which undertaking shall be secured by the AP’s delivery and maintenance of collateral consisting of cash having a value at least equal to 105% of the value of the missing Shares. The Trust may use such collateral at any time to purchase the missing Shares, and will subject the AP to liability for any shortfall between the cost of a Fund acquiring such Shares and the value of the collateral, which may be sold by the Trust at such time, and in such manner, as the Trust may determine in its sole discretion.

Using the Clearing Process. An AP that is a Participating Party is required to transfer to the Transfer Agent: (i) the requisite Shares, and (ii) the Cash Redemption Amount, if any, to the Transfer Agent by means of the Trust’s Clearing Process. In each case, the delivery must occur by the “regular way” settlement date (i.e., T+2). At that time, the Transfer Agent shall initiate procedures to transfer the requisite Fund Securities and the Cash Redemption Amount, if any, through the Clearing Process so as to be received no later than on the “regular way” settlement date (i.e., T+2).

Outside the Clearing Process—Domestic Equity Funds. An AP that is a DTC Participant making a redemption request outside the Clearing Process is required to transfer to the Transfer Agent: (i) the requisite Shares through DTC, and (ii) the Cash Redemption Amount, if any, through the Federal Reserve Bank wire system. Such Shares and Cash Redemption Amount must be received by the Transfer Agent by 11:00 a.m., Eastern time on the Contractual Settlement Date. At that time, the Transfer Agent shall initiate procedures to transfer the requisite Fund Securities through DTC and the Cash Redemption Amount, if any, through the Federal Reserve Bank wire system so as to be received no later than T+2 (except as otherwise set forth in the Participant Agreement).

Outside the Clearing Process—International Equity Funds. A redeeming AP must maintain appropriate securities broker-dealer, bank or other custody arrangements to which account such in-kind redemption proceeds will be delivered. If neither the redeeming beneficial owner nor the AP acting on its behalf has appropriate arrangements to take delivery of the Fund Securities in the applicable jurisdiction and it is not possible to make other such arrangements, or if it is not possible to effect deliveries of the Fund Securities in such jurisdiction, the beneficial owner will be required to receive its redemption proceeds in cash.

Arrangements satisfactory to the Trust must be in place for the AP to transfer Creation Units through DTC on or before the settlement date. At that time, the Transfer Agent shall initiate procedures to transfer the requisite Fund Securities through DTC and the global sub-custodian network and the Cash Redemption Amount, if any, through the Federal Reserve Bank wire system so as to be received no later than by such time as set forth in the Participant Agreement. However, the schedule of holidays in certain countries may cause the delivery of in-kind redemption proceeds to take longer. In such cases, the local market settlement procedures will not commence until the end of the local holiday periods. (For more information, see “Regular Holidays” in Appendix C to this SAI.)

Outside the Clearing Process—Fixed Income Funds. An AP that is a DTC Participant (or Euroclear participant) making a redemption request outside the Clearing Process is required to transfer to the Transfer Agent: (i) the requisite Shares through DTC or Euroclear, and (ii) the Cash Redemption Amount, if any, through the Federal Reserve Bank wire system. Such Shares and Cash Redemption Amount must be received by the Transfer Agent by 2:00 p.m., Eastern time on the Contractual Settlement Date. At that time, the Transfer Agent shall initiate procedures to transfer the requisite Fund Securities through DTC and the Cash Redemption Amount, if any, through the Federal Reserve Bank wire system so as to be received no later than T+2 (except as otherwise set forth in the Participant Agreement).

 

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Regular Holidays

A Fund may effect deliveries of Creation Units and Fund Securities on a basis other than T+2 in order to accommodate local holiday schedules, to account for different treatment among foreign and U.S. markets of dividend record dates and ex-dividend dates or under certain other circumstances. The ability of the Trust to effect in-kind creations and redemptions on a T+2 basis is subject, among other things, to the condition that, in the time between the order date and the delivery date, there are no days that are holidays in an applicable foreign market. For every occurrence of one or more such intervening holidays that are not holidays observed in the U.S., the redemption settlement cycle will be extended by the number of such intervening holidays. In addition to holidays, other unforeseeable closings in a foreign market due to emergencies also may prevent a Fund from delivering securities within the normal settlement period.

The securities delivery cycles currently practicable for transferring Fund Securities to redeeming investors, coupled with foreign market holiday schedules, will require a delivery process longer than seven calendar days for some Funds in certain circumstances. Such foreign holidays are listed in Appendix C to this SAI, as are instances where more than seven days will be needed to deliver redemption proceeds. Although certain holidays may occur on different dates in subsequent years, the number of days required to deliver redemption proceeds in any given year is not expected to exceed the maximum number of days listed in Appendix C for a Fund. The proclamation of new holidays, the treatment by market participants of certain days as “informal holidays” (e.g., days on which no or limited securities transactions occur, as a result of substantially shortened trading hours), the elimination of existing holidays or changes in local securities delivery practices could affect the information set forth in Appendix C at some time in the future. Please see Appendix C for the dates in calendar year 2019 (the only dates which are available as of the date of this SAI) of the regular holidays affecting the securities markets of various countries, as well as the dates of the regular holidays in calendar year 2019 that may cause settlement periods to be greater than seven days, including the potential worst-case settlement dates.

 

 

TAXES

The following is a summary of certain additional tax considerations generally affecting the Funds and their shareholders that are not described in the Prospectus. No attempt is made to present a detailed explanation of the tax treatment of a Fund or its shareholders, and the discussion here and in the Prospectus is not intended as a substitute for careful tax planning.

This section is based on the Internal Revenue Code (“Code”) and applicable regulations in effect on the date of this SAI. Future legislative, regulatory or administrative changes including provisions of current law that sunset and thereafter no longer apply, or court decisions may significantly change the tax rules applicable to a Fund and its shareholders. Any of these changes or court decisions may have a retroactive effect.

The following is provided as general information only and is not tax advice. All investors should consult their own tax advisors as to the federal, state, local and foreign tax provisions applicable to them.

Taxation of the Funds

Each Fund has elected and intends to qualify each year as a “regulated investment company” (sometimes referred to as a “RIC”) under Subchapter M of the Code. If a Fund qualifies, the Fund will not be subject to federal income tax on the portion of its investment company taxable income (i.e., generally, taxable interest, dividends, net short-term capital gains and other taxable ordinary income net of expenses without regard to the deduction for dividends paid) and net capital gain (i.e., the excess of net long-term capital gains over net short-term capital losses) that it distributes.

Qualification as a RIC. In order to qualify for treatment as a RIC, a Fund must satisfy the following requirements:

 

   

Distribution Requirement – the Fund must distribute an amount equal to the sum of at least 90% of its investment company taxable income and 90% of its net tax-exempt income, if any, for the tax year (certain distributions made by the Fund after the close of its tax year are considered distributions attributable to the previous tax year for purposes of satisfying this requirement).

 

   

Income Requirement – the Fund must derive at least 90% of its gross income from dividends, interest, certain payments with respect to securities loans, and gains from the sale or other disposition of stock, securities or foreign currencies, or other income (including, but not limited to, gains from options, futures or forward contracts) derived from its business of investing in such stock, securities or currencies and net income derived from qualified publicly traded partnerships (“QPTPs”).

 

   

Asset Diversification Test – the Fund must satisfy the following asset diversification test at the close of each quarter of the Fund’s tax year: (1) at least 50% of the value of the Fund’s assets must consist of cash and cash items, U.S. Government Securities, securities of other regulated investment companies, and securities of other issuers (as to which the Fund has not invested more than 5% of the value of the Fund’s total assets in securities of an issuer and as to which the Fund does not

 

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hold more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of the issuer); and (2) no more than 25% of the value of the Fund’s total assets may be invested in the securities of any one issuer (other than U.S. Government Securities or securities of other regulated investment companies) or of two or more issuers which the Fund controls and which are engaged in the same or similar trades or businesses, or, collectively, in the securities of QPTPs.

In some circumstances, the character and timing of income realized by a Fund for purposes of the Income Requirement or the identification of the issuer for purposes of the Asset Diversification Test is uncertain under current law with respect to a particular investment, and an adverse determination or future guidance by the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) with respect to such type of investment may adversely affect a Fund’s ability to satisfy these requirements. See “Tax Treatment of Portfolio Transactions” below with respect to the application of these requirements to certain types of investments. In other circumstances, a Fund may be required to sell portfolio holdings in order to meet the Income Requirement, Distribution Requirement, or Asset Diversification Test, which may have a negative impact on the Fund’s income and performance. In lieu of potential disqualification, a Fund is permitted to pay a tax for certain failures to satisfy the Asset Diversification Test or Income Requirement, which, in general, are limited to those due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect.

Each Fund may use “equalization accounting” (in lieu of making some cash distributions) in determining the portion of its income and gains that has been distributed. If a Fund uses equalization accounting, it will allocate a portion of its undistributed investment company taxable income and net capital gain to redemptions of Shares and will correspondingly reduce the amount of such income and gains that it distributes in cash. However, each Fund intends to make cash distributions for each taxable year in an aggregate amount that is sufficient to satisfy the Distribution Requirement without taking into account its use of equalization accounting. If the IRS determines that a Fund’s allocation is improper and/or that such Fund has under-distributed its income and gain for any taxable year, the Fund may be liable for federal income and/or excise tax.

If for any taxable year a Fund does not qualify as a RIC, all of its taxable income (including its net capital gain) would be subject to tax at the applicable corporate income tax rate without any deduction for dividends paid to shareholders, and the dividends would be taxable to the shareholders as ordinary income (or possibly as qualified dividend income) to the extent of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits. Failure to qualify as a RIC thus would have a negative impact on a Fund’s income and performance. Subject to savings provisions for certain inadvertent failures to satisfy the Income Requirement or Asset Diversification Test which, in general, are limited to those due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect, it is possible that a Fund will not qualify as a RIC in any given tax year. Even if such savings provisions apply, a Fund may be subject to a monetary sanction of $50,000 or more. Moreover, the Board reserves the right not to maintain the qualification of a Fund as a RIC if it determines such a course of action to be beneficial to shareholders.

Portfolio turnover. For investors that hold Shares of a Fund in a taxable account, a high portfolio turnover rate may result in higher taxes. This is because a fund with a high turnover rate may accelerate the recognition of capital gains and more of such gains are likely to be taxable as short-term rather than long-term capital gains in contrast to a comparable fund with a low turnover rate. Any such higher taxes would reduce a Fund’s after-tax performance. See “Taxation of Fund Distributions — Capital gain dividends” below.

For non-U.S. investors, any such acceleration of the recognition of capital gains that results in more short-term and less long-term capital gains being recognized by a Fund may cause such investors to be subject to increased U.S. withholding taxes. See “Foreign Shareholders — U.S. withholding tax at the source” below. For most ETFs, in-kind redemptions are the primary redemption mechanism and, therefore, a Fund may be less likely to sell securities in order to generate cash for redeeming shareholders, which a mutual fund might do. This provides a greater opportunity for ETFs to defer the recognition of gain on appreciated securities which it may hold thereby reducing the distribution of capital gains to its shareholders.

Capital loss carryovers. The capital losses of a Fund, if any, do not flow through to shareholders. Rather, a Fund may use its capital losses, subject to applicable limitations, to offset its capital gains without being required to pay taxes on or distribute to shareholders such gains that are offset by the losses. If a Fund has a “net capital loss” (that is, capital losses in excess of capital gains), the excess (if any) of the Fund’s net short-term capital losses over its net long-term capital gains is treated as a short-term capital loss arising on the first day of the Fund’s next taxable year, and the excess (if any) of the Fund’s net long-term capital losses over its net short-term capital gains is treated as a long-term capital loss arising on the first day of the Fund’s next taxable year. Any such net capital losses of the Fund that are not used to offset capital gains may be carried forward indefinitely to reduce any future capital gains realized by the Fund in succeeding taxable years. The amount of capital losses that can be carried forward and used in any single year is subject to an annual limitation if there is a more than 50% “change in ownership” of the Fund. An ownership change generally results when shareholders owning 5% or more of the Fund increase their aggregate holdings by more than 50% over a three-year look-back period. An ownership change could result in capital loss carryovers being used at a slower rate, thereby reducing the Fund’s ability to offset capital gains with those losses. An increase in the amount of taxable gains distributed to a Fund’s shareholders could result from an ownership change. Each Fund undertakes no obligation to avoid or prevent an ownership change, which can occur in the normal course of shareholder purchases and redemptions or as a result of engaging in a tax-free reorganization with another fund. Moreover,

 

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because of circumstances beyond the Funds’ control, there can be no assurance that a Fund will not experience, or has not already experienced, an ownership change.

Deferral of late year losses. Each 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, which may change the timing, amount, or characterization of Fund distributions (see “Taxation of Fund Distributions — Capital gain dividends” below). A “qualified late year loss” includes:

 

  (i)

any net capital loss incurred after October 31 of the current taxable year, or, if there is no such loss, any net long-term capital loss or any net short-term capital loss incurred after October 31 of the current taxable year (post-October capital losses), and

 

  (ii)

the sum of (1) the excess, if any, of (a) specified losses incurred after October 31 of the current taxable year, over (b) specified gains incurred after October 31 of the current taxable year and (2) the excess, if any, of (a) ordinary losses incurred after December 31 of the current taxable year, over (b) the ordinary income incurred after December 31 of the current taxable year.

The terms “specified losses” and “specified gains” mean ordinary losses and gains from the sale, exchange, or other disposition of property (including the termination of a position with respect to such property), foreign currency losses and gains, and losses and gains resulting from holding stock in a passive foreign investment company (“PFIC”) for which a mark-to-market election is in effect. The terms “ordinary losses” and “ordinary income” mean other ordinary losses and income that are not described in the preceding sentence.

Undistributed capital gains. A Fund may retain or distribute to shareholders its net capital gain for each taxable year. Each Fund currently intends to distribute net capital gains. If a Fund elects to retain its net capital gain, the Fund will be taxed thereon (except to the extent of any available capital loss carryovers) at the applicable corporate income tax rate. If a Fund elects to retain its net capital gain, it is expected that the Fund also will elect to have shareholders treated as if each received a distribution of its pro rata share of such gain, with the result that each shareholder will be required to report its pro rata share of such gain on its tax return as long-term capital gain, will receive a refundable tax credit for its pro rata share of tax paid by the Fund on the gain and will increase the tax basis for its Shares by an amount equal to the deemed distribution less the tax credit.

Federal excise tax. To avoid a 4% non-deductible excise tax, a Fund must distribute by December 31 of each year an amount equal to at least: (1) 98% of its ordinary income for the calendar year, (2) 98.2% of capital gain net income (the excess of the gains from sales or exchanges of capital assets over the losses from such sales or exchanges) for the one-year period ended on October 31 of such calendar year, and (3) any prior year undistributed ordinary income and capital gain net income. A Fund may elect to defer to the following year any net ordinary loss incurred for the portion of the calendar year which is after the beginning of the Fund’s taxable year. Also, a Fund will defer any “specified gain” or “specified loss” which would be properly taken into account for the portion of the calendar after October 31. Any net ordinary loss, specified gain, or specified loss deferred shall be treated as arising on January 1 of the following calendar year. Generally, a Fund may make sufficient distributions to avoid liability for federal income and excise tax, but can give no assurances that all or a portion of such liability will be avoided. In addition, under certain circumstances temporary timing or permanent differences in the realization of income and expense for book and tax purposes can result in a Fund having to pay an excise tax.

Purchase of Shares. As a result of tax requirements, the Trust, on behalf of a Fund, has the right to reject an order to purchase Shares if the purchaser (or group of purchasers acting in concert with each other) would, upon obtaining the Shares so ordered, own 80% or more of the outstanding Shares of the Fund and if, pursuant to Sections 351 and 362 of the Code, the Fund would have a basis in the Deposit Securities different from the market value of such 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.

Foreign income tax. Investment income received by a Fund from sources within foreign countries may be subject to foreign income tax withheld at the source, and the amount of tax withheld generally will be treated as an expense of the Fund. The United States has entered into tax treaties with many foreign countries that entitle the Funds to a reduced rate of, or exemption from, tax on such income. Some countries require the filing of a tax reclaim or other forms to receive the benefit of the reduced tax rate; whether or when a Fund will receive the tax reclaim is within the control of the individual country. Information required on these forms may not be available such as shareholder information; therefore, a Fund may not receive the reduced treaty rates or potential reclaims. Other countries have conflicting and changing instructions and restrictive timing requirements which may cause the Fund not to receive the reduced treaty rates or potential reclaims. Other countries may subject capital gains realized by a Fund on sale or disposition of securities of that country to taxation. It is impossible to determine the effective rate of foreign tax in advance since the amount of a Fund’s assets to be invested in various countries is not known. Under certain circumstances, a Fund may elect to pass-through foreign

 

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taxes paid by the Fund to shareholders, although it reserves the right not to do so. If a Fund makes such an election and obtains a refund of foreign taxes paid by the Fund in a prior year, the Fund may be eligible to reduce the amount of foreign taxes reported to its shareholders, generally by the amount of the foreign taxes refunded, for the year in which the refund is received.

Taxation of Fund Distributions

Each Fund anticipates distributing substantially all of its investment company taxable income and net capital gain for each taxable year. Distributions by a Fund will be treated in the manner described below regardless of whether such distributions are paid in cash or reinvested in additional Shares of the Fund (or of another Fund). You will receive information annually as to the federal income tax consequences of distributions made (or deemed made) during the year.

Distributions of ordinary income. Each Fund receives income generally in the form of dividends and/or interest on its investments. Each Fund may also recognize ordinary income from other sources, including, but not limited to, certain gains on foreign currency-related transactions. This income, less expenses incurred in the operation of a Fund, constitutes the Fund’s net investment income from which dividends may be paid to you. If you are a taxable investor, distributions of net investment income generally are taxable as ordinary income to the extent of the Fund’s earnings and profits. In the case of a Fund whose strategy includes investing in stocks of corporations, a portion of the income dividends paid to you may be qualified dividends eligible to be taxed at reduced rates.

Capital gain dividends. Taxes on distributions of capital gains are determined by how long a Fund owned the investments that generated them, rather than how long a shareholder has owned his or her Shares. In general, a Fund will recognize long-term capital gain or loss on the sale or other disposition of assets it has owned for more than one year, and short-term capital gain or loss on investments it has owned for one year or less. Distributions of net capital gain (the excess of net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss) that are properly reported to Fund shareholders as capital gain dividends generally will be taxable to a shareholder receiving such distributions as long-term capital gain. Long-term capital gain rates applicable to individuals are 0%, 15%, 20% or 25% depending on the nature of the capital gain and the individual’s taxable income. Distributions of net short-term capital gains for a taxable year in excess of net long-term capital losses for such taxable year generally will be taxable to a shareholder receiving such distributions as ordinary income.

Qualified dividend income for individuals. Ordinary income dividends reported as derived from qualified dividend income will be taxed in the hands of individuals and other noncorporate shareholders at the rates applicable to long-term capital gain. Qualified dividend income means dividends paid to a Fund (a) by domestic corporations, (b) by foreign corporations that are either (i) incorporated in a possession of the United States, or (ii) are eligible for benefits under certain income tax treaties with the United States that include an exchange of information program, or (c) with respect to stock of a foreign corporation that is readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States. Both the Fund and the investor must meet certain holding period requirements to qualify Fund dividends for this treatment. Income derived from investments in derivatives, fixed-income securities, U.S. REITs, PFICs, and income received “in lieu of” dividends in a securities lending transaction generally is not eligible for treatment as qualified dividend income. If the qualifying dividend income received by a Fund is equal to 95% (or a greater percentage) of the Fund’s gross income (exclusive of net capital gain) in any taxable year, all of the ordinary income dividends paid by the Fund will be qualifying dividend income.

Qualified REIT dividends. Under 2017 legislation commonly known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act “qualified REIT dividends” (i.e., ordinary REIT dividends other than capital gain dividends and portions of REIT dividends designated as qualified dividend income) are treated as eligible for a 20% deduction by noncorporate taxpayers. This deduction, if allowed in full, equates to a maximum effective tax rate of 29.6% (37% top rate applied to income after 20% deduction). Proposed regulations issued by the IRS, which can be relied upon currently, enable a Fund to pass through the special character of “qualified REIT dividends”. The amount of a RIC’s dividends eligible for the 20% deduction for a taxable year is limited to the excess of the RIC’s qualified REIT dividends for the taxable year over allocable expenses. A noncorporate shareholder receiving such dividends would treat them as eligible for the 20% deduction, provided the shareholder meets certain holding period requirements for its shares in the RIC (i.e., generally, RIC shares must be held by the shareholder for more than 45 days during the 91-day period beginning on the date that is 45 days before the date on which the shares become ex-dividend with respect to such dividend).

Corporate dividends-received deduction. Ordinary income dividends reported to Fund shareholders as derived from qualified dividends from domestic corporations will qualify for the 50% dividends-received deduction generally available to corporations. The availability of the dividends-received deduction is subject to certain holding period and debt financing restrictions imposed under the Code on the corporation claiming the deduction. Income derived by the Fund from investments in derivatives, fixed-income and foreign securities generally is not eligible for this treatment.

Return of capital distributions. Distributions by a Fund that are not paid from earnings and profits will be treated as a return of capital to the extent of (and in reduction of) the shareholder’s tax basis in his or her Shares; any excess will be treated as gain from the sale of

 

45


his or her Shares. Thus, the portion of a distribution that constitutes a return of capital will decrease the shareholder’s tax basis in his or her Shares (but not below zero), and will result in an increase in the amount of gain (or decrease in the amount of loss) that will be recognized by the shareholder for tax purposes on the later sale of such Shares. Return of capital distributions can occur for a number of reasons including, among others, a Fund overestimates the income to be received from certain investments such as those classified as partnerships or equity REITs. See “Tax Treatment of Portfolio Transactions — Investments in U.S. REITs.”

Impact of realized but undistributed income and gains, and net unrealized appreciation of portfolio securities. At the time of your purchase of Shares, the price of the Shares may reflect undistributed income, undistributed capital gains, or net unrealized appreciation of portfolio securities held by the Fund. A subsequent distribution to you of such amounts, although constituting a return of your investment, would be taxable and would be taxed as either ordinary income (some portion of which may be taxed as qualified dividend income) or capital gain unless you are investing through a tax-advantaged arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. The Fund may be able to reduce the amount of such distributions by utilizing its capital loss carryovers, if any.

Pass-through of foreign tax credits. If more than 50% of the value of a Fund’s total assets at the end of a fiscal year is invested in foreign securities, or if a Fund is a qualified fund of funds (i.e., a fund at least 50 percent of the value of the total assets of which, at the close of each quarter of the taxable year, is represented by interests in other RICs), the Fund may elect to “pass-through” the amount of foreign income tax paid by the Fund (the Foreign Tax Election) in lieu of deducting such amount in determining its investment company taxable income. Pursuant to the Foreign Tax Election, shareholders will be required: (i) to include in gross income, even though not actually received, their respective pro-rata shares of the foreign income tax paid by the Fund that are attributable to any distributions they receive; and (ii) either to deduct their pro-rata share of foreign tax in computing their taxable income or to use it (subject to various Code limitations) as a foreign tax credit against federal income tax (but not both). No deduction for foreign tax may be claimed by a noncorporate shareholder who does not itemize deductions or who is subject to the alternative minimum tax. Shareholders may be unable to claim a credit for the full amount of their proportionate shares of the foreign income tax paid by a Fund due to certain limitations that may apply. Each Fund reserves the right not to pass-through the amount of foreign income taxes paid by the Fund. Additionally, any foreign tax withheld on payments made “in lieu of” dividends or interest will not qualify for the pass-through of foreign tax credits. See “Tax Treatment of Portfolio Transactions — Securities lending” below.

Tax credit bonds. If a Fund holds, directly or indirectly, one or more “tax credit bonds” (including build America bonds, clean renewable energy bonds and qualified tax credit bonds) on one or more applicable dates during a taxable year, the Fund may elect to permit its shareholders to claim a tax credit on their income tax returns equal to each shareholder’s proportionate share of tax credits from the applicable bonds that otherwise would be allowed to the Fund. In such a case, shareholders must include in gross income (as interest) their proportionate share of the income attributable to their proportionate share of those offsetting tax credits. A shareholder’s ability to claim a tax credit associated with one or more tax credit bonds may be subject to certain limitations imposed by the Code. (Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the build America bonds, clean renewable energy bonds and certain other qualified bonds may no longer be issued after December 31, 2017.) Even if the Fund is eligible to pass-through tax credits, the Fund may choose not to do so.

U.S. Government interest. Income earned on certain U.S. Government obligations is exempt from state and local personal income taxes if earned directly by you. States also grant tax-free status to dividends paid to you from interest earned on direct obligations of the U.S. Government, subject in some states to minimum investment or reporting requirements that must be met by the Fund. Income on investments by a Fund in certain other obligations, such as repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. Government obligations, commercial paper and federal agency-backed obligations (e.g., GNMA or FNMA obligations), generally does not qualify for tax-free treatment. The rules on exclusion of this income are different for corporations.

Dividends declared in December and paid in January. Ordinarily, shareholders are required to take distributions by a Fund into account in the year in which the distributions are made. However, dividends declared in October, November or December of any year and payable to shareholders of record on a specified date in such a month will be deemed to have been received by the shareholders (and made by a Fund) on December 31 of such calendar year if such dividends are actually paid in January of the following year. Shareholders will be advised annually as to the U.S. federal income tax consequences of distributions made (or deemed made) during the year in accordance with the guidance that has been provided by the IRS.

Medicare tax. A 3.8% Medicare tax is imposed on net investment income earned by certain individuals, estates and trusts. “Net investment income,” for these purposes, means investment income, including ordinary dividends and capital gain distributions received from a Fund and net gains from taxable dispositions of Fund Shares, reduced by the deductions properly allocable to such income. In the case of an individual, the tax will be imposed on the lesser of (1) the shareholder’s net investment income or (2) the amount by which the shareholder’s modified adjusted gross income exceeds $250,000 (if the shareholder is married and filing jointly or a surviving spouse), $125,000 (if the shareholder is married and filing separately) or $200,000 (in any other case). This Medicare tax, if applicable, is reported by you on, and paid with, your federal income tax return. Net investment income does not include exempt-interest dividends.

 

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Sale of Fund Shares

A sale of Shares is a taxable transaction for federal and state income tax purposes. If you sell your Shares, the IRS requires you to report any gain or loss on your sale. If you held your Shares as a capital asset, the gain or loss that you realize will be a capital gain or loss and will be long-term or short-term, generally depending on how long you have held your Shares. Capital losses in any year are deductible only to the extent of capital gains plus, in the case of a noncorporate taxpayer, $3,000 of ordinary income.

Taxes on Purchase and Redemption of Creation Units. An AP that exchanges equity 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 of purchase (plus any cash received by the AP as part of the issue) and the AP’s aggregate basis in the securities surrendered (plus any cash paid by the AP as part of the issue). An AP that exchanges Creation Units for equity securities generally will recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the AP’s basis in the Creation Units (plus any cash paid by the AP as part of the redemption) and the aggregate market value of the securities received (plus any cash received by the AP as part of the redemption). 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 redemption of Creation Units is generally treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the Shares have been held for more than one year and as a short-term capital gain or loss if the Shares have been held for one year or less.

If a Fund redeems Creation Units in cash, it may recognize more capital gains than it will if it redeems Creation Units in-kind.

Tax Basis Information. A shareholder’s cost basis information will be provided on the sale of any of the shareholder’s Shares, subject to certain exceptions for exempt recipients. Please contact the broker (or other nominee) that holds your Shares with respect to reporting of cost basis and available elections for your account.

Wash Sales. All or a portion of any loss that you realize on a sale of your Shares in a Fund will be disallowed to the extent that you buy other Shares in such Fund (through reinvestment of dividends or otherwise) within 30 days before or after your Share sale. Any loss disallowed under these rules will be added to your tax basis in the new Shares.

Sales at a Loss Within Six Months of Purchase. Any loss incurred on a sale of Shares held for six months or less will be treated as long-term capital loss to the extent of any long-term capital gain distributed to you by the Fund on those Shares.

Reportable transactions. Under Treasury regulations, if a shareholder recognizes a loss with respect to 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 Form 8886. The fact that a loss is reportable under these regulations does not affect the legal determination of whether the taxpayer’s treatment of the loss is proper. Shareholders should consult their tax advisors to determine the applicability of these regulations in light of their individual circumstances.

Tax Treatment of Portfolio Transactions

Set forth below is a general description of the tax treatment of certain types of securities, investment techniques and transactions that may apply to a Fund. This section should be read in conjunction with the discussion above under “Investment Strategies and Restrictions” and “Investment Policies and Risks” for a detailed description of the various types of securities and investment techniques that apply to the Funds.

In general. In general, gain or loss recognized by a Fund on the sale or other disposition of portfolio investments will be a capital gain or loss. Such capital gain and loss may be long-term or short-term depending, in general, upon the length of time a particular investment position is maintained and, in some cases, upon the nature of the transaction. Property held for more than one year generally will be eligible for long-term capital gain or loss treatment. The application of certain rules described below may serve to alter the manner in which the holding period for a security is determined or may otherwise affect the characterization as long-term or short-term, and also the timing of the realization and/or character, of certain gains or losses.

Certain fixed-income investments. Gain recognized on the disposition of a debt obligation purchased by a Fund at a market discount (generally, at a price less than its principal amount) will be treated as ordinary income to the extent of the portion of the market discount that accrued during the period of time the fund held the debt obligation unless the Fund made a current inclusion election to accrue market discount into income as it accrues. If a Fund purchases a debt obligation (such as a zero coupon security or pay-in-kind security) that was originally issued at a discount, the Fund generally is required to include in gross income each year the portion of the original issue discount that accrues during such year. Therefore, a Fund’s investment in such securities may cause the Fund to

 

47


recognize income and make distributions to shareholders before it receives any cash payments on the securities. To generate cash to satisfy those distribution requirements, a Fund may have to sell portfolio securities that it otherwise might have continued to hold or to use cash flows from other sources such as the sale of Shares.

Investments in debt obligations that are at risk of or in default present tax issues for a Fund. Tax rules are not entirely clear about issues such as whether and to what extent a Fund should recognize market discount on a debt obligation, when a Fund may cease to accrue interest, original issue discount or market discount, when and to what extent a Fund may take deductions for bad debts or worthless securities and how a Fund should allocate payments received on obligations in default between principal and income. These and other related issues will be addressed by a Fund in order to ensure that it distributes sufficient income to preserve its status as a RIC.

Options, futures, forward contracts, swap agreements and hedging transactions. In general, option premiums received by a Fund are not immediately included in the income of the Fund. Instead, the premiums are recognized when the option contract expires, the option is exercised by the holder, or the Fund transfers or otherwise terminates the option (e.g., through a closing transaction). If an option written by a Fund is exercised and the Fund sells or delivers the underlying stock, the Fund generally will recognize capital gain or loss equal to (a) the sum of the strike price and the option premium received by the Fund minus (b) the Fund’s basis in the stock. Such gain or loss generally will be short-term or long-term depending upon the holding period of the underlying stock. If securities are purchased by a Fund pursuant to the exercise of a put option written by it, the Fund generally will subtract the premium received from its cost basis in the securities purchased. The gain or loss with respect to any termination of a Fund’s obligation under an option other than through the exercise of the option and related sale or delivery of the underlying stock generally will be short-term gain or loss depending on whether the premium income received by the Fund is greater or less than the amount paid by the Fund (if any) in terminating the transaction. Thus, for example, if an option written by a Fund expires unexercised, the Fund generally will recognize short-term gain equal to the premium received.

The tax treatment of certain futures contracts entered into by a Fund, as well as listed non-equity options written or purchased by the Fund on U.S. exchanges (including options on futures contracts, broad-based equity indices and debt securities), may be governed by section 1256 of the Code (section 1256 contracts). Gains or losses on section 1256 contracts generally are considered 60% long-term and 40% short-term capital gains or losses (60/40), although certain foreign currency gains and losses from such contracts may be treated as ordinary in character. Also, any section 1256 contracts held by a Fund at the end of each taxable year (and, for purposes of the 4% excise tax, on certain other dates as prescribed under the Code) are “marked-to-market” with the result that unrealized gains or losses are treated as though they were realized and the resulting gain or loss is treated as ordinary or 60/40 gain or loss, as applicable. Section 1256 contracts do not include any interest rate swap, currency swap, basis swap, interest rate cap, interest rate floor, commodity swap, equity swap, equity index swap, credit default swap, or similar agreement.

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

Certain of a Fund’s investments in derivatives and foreign currency-denominated instruments, and the Fund’s transactions in foreign currencies and hedging activities, may produce a difference between its book income and its taxable income. If a Fund’s book income is less than the sum of its taxable income and net tax-exempt income (if any), the Fund could be required to make distributions exceeding book income to qualify as a RIC. If a Fund’s book income exceeds the sum of its taxable income and net tax-exempt income (if any), the distribution of any such excess will be treated as (i) a dividend to the extent of the Fund’s remaining earnings and profits (including current earnings and profits arising from tax-exempt income, reduced by related deductions), (ii) thereafter, as a return of capital to the extent of the recipient’s basis in the shares, and (iii) thereafter, as gain from the sale or exchange of a capital asset.

Foreign currency transactions. A Fund’s transactions in foreign currencies, foreign currency-denominated debt obligations and certain foreign currency options, futures contracts and forward contracts (and similar instruments) may give rise to ordinary income or loss to the extent such income or loss results from fluctuations in the value of the foreign currency concerned. This treatment could increase or decrease a Fund’s ordinary income distributions to you, and may cause some or all of the Fund’s previously distributed income to be classified as a return of capital. In certain cases, a fund may make an election to treat such gain or loss as capital.

 

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PFIC investments. A Fund may invest in securities of foreign companies that may be classified under the Code as PFICs. In general, a foreign company is classified as a PFIC if at least one-half of its assets constitute investment-type assets or 75% or more of its gross income is investment-type income. When investing in PFIC securities, a Fund intends to mark-to-market these securities under certain provisions of the Code and recognize any unrealized gains as ordinary income at the end of the Fund’s fiscal and excise tax years. Deductions for losses are allowable only to the extent of any current or previously recognized gains. These gains (reduced by allowable losses) are treated as ordinary income that a Fund is required to distribute, even though it has not sold or received dividends from these securities. You should also be aware that the designation of a foreign security as a PFIC security will cause its income dividends to fall outside of the definition of qualified foreign corporation dividends. These dividends generally will not qualify for the reduced rate of taxation on qualified dividends when distributed to you by a Fund. Foreign companies are not required to identify themselves as PFICs. Due to various complexities in identifying PFICs, a Fund can give no assurances that it will be able to identify portfolio securities in foreign corporations that are PFICs in time for the Fund to make a mark-to-market election. If a Fund is unable to identify an investment as a PFIC and thus does not make a mark-to-market election, the Fund may be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a portion of any “excess distribution” or gain from the disposition of such shares even if such income is distributed as a taxable dividend by the Fund to its shareholders. Additional charges in the nature of interest may be imposed on a Fund in respect of deferred taxes arising from such distributions or gains.

Investments in non-U.S. REITs. While non-U.S. REITs often use complex acquisition structures that seek to minimize taxation in the source country, an investment by a Fund in a non-U.S. REIT may subject the Fund, directly or indirectly, to corporate taxes, withholding taxes, transfer taxes and other indirect taxes in the country in which the real estate acquired by the non-U.S. REIT is located. The fund’s pro rata share of any such taxes will reduce the Fund’s return on its investment. A fund’s investment in a non-U.S. REIT may be considered an investment in a PFIC, as discussed above in “Tax Treatment of Portfolio Transactions—PFIC investments.” Additionally, foreign withholding taxes on distributions from the non-U.S. REIT may be reduced or eliminated under certain tax treaties, as discussed above in “Taxation of the Funds—Foreign income tax.” Also, a Fund in certain limited circumstances may be required to file an income tax return in the source country and pay tax on any gain realized from its investment in the non-U.S. REIT under rules similar to those in the United States which tax foreign persons on gain realized from dispositions of interests in U.S. real estate.

Investments in U.S. REITs. A U.S. REIT is not subject to federal income tax on the income and gains it distributes to shareholders. Dividends paid by a U.S. REIT, other than capital gain distributions, will be taxable as ordinary income up to the amount of the U.S. REIT’s current and accumulated earnings and profits. Capital gain dividends paid by a U.S. REIT to a Fund will be treated as long-term capital gains by the Fund and, in turn, may be distributed by the Fund to its shareholders as a capital gain distribution. Because of certain noncash expenses, such as property depreciation, an equity U.S. REIT’s cash flow may exceed its taxable income. The equity U.S. REIT, and in turn a Fund, may distribute this excess cash to shareholders in the form of a return of capital distribution. However, if a U.S. REIT is operated in a manner that fails to qualify as a REIT, an investment in the U.S. REIT would become subject to double taxation, meaning the taxable income of the U.S. REIT would be subject to federal income tax at the applicable corporate income tax rate without any deduction for dividends paid to shareholders and the dividends would be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income (or possibly as qualified dividend income) to the extent of the U.S. REIT’s current and accumulated earnings and profits. Also, see “Tax Treatment of Portfolio Transactions—Investment in taxable mortgage pools (excess inclusion income)” and “Foreign Shareholders—U.S. withholding tax at the source” with respect to certain other tax aspects of investing in U.S. REITs.

Investment in taxable mortgage pools (excess inclusion income). Under a Notice issued by the IRS, the Code and Treasury regulations to be issued, a portion of a Fund’s income from a U.S. REIT that is attributable to the REIT’s residual interest in a real estate mortgage investment conduit (“REMIC”) or equity interests in a “taxable mortgage pool” (referred to in the Code as an excess inclusion) will be subject to federal income tax in all events. The excess inclusion income of a RIC will be allocated to shareholders of the RIC in proportion to the dividends received by such shareholders, with the same consequences as if the shareholders held the related REMIC residual interest or, if applicable, taxable mortgage pool directly. In general, excess inclusion income allocated to shareholders (i) cannot be offset by net operating losses (subject to a limited exception for certain thrift institutions), (ii) will constitute unrelated business taxable income (“UBTI”) to entities (including qualified pension plans, individual retirement accounts, 401(k) plans, Keogh plans or other tax-exempt entities) subject to tax on UBTI, thereby potentially requiring such an entity that is allocated excess inclusion income, and otherwise might not be required to file a tax return, to file a tax return and pay tax on such income, and (iii) in the case of a foreign stockholder, will not qualify for any reduction in U.S. federal withholding tax. In addition, if at any time during any taxable year a “disqualified organization” (which generally includes certain cooperatives, governmental entities, and tax-exempt organizations not subject to UBTI) is a record holder of a share in a RIC, then the RIC will be subject to a tax equal to that portion of its excess inclusion income for the taxable year that is allocable to the disqualified organization, multiplied by the applicable corporate income tax rate. The Notice imposes certain reporting requirements upon regulated investment companies that have excess inclusion income. There can be no assurance that a Fund will not allocate to shareholders excess inclusion income.

 

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These rules are potentially applicable to each Fund with respect to any income it receives from the equity interests of certain mortgage pooling vehicles, either directly or, as is more likely, through an investment in a U.S. REIT. It is unlikely that these rules will apply to a Fund that has a non-REIT strategy.

Investments in partnerships and QPTPs. For purposes of the Income Requirement, income derived by a Fund from a partnership that is not a QPTP will be treated as qualifying income only to the extent such income is attributable to items of income of the partnership that would be qualifying income if realized directly by the Fund. While the rules are not entirely clear with respect to a fund investing in a partnership outside a master-feeder structure, for purposes of testing whether a Fund satisfies the Asset Diversification Test, the Fund generally is treated as owning a pro rata share of the underlying assets of a partnership. See “Taxation of the Fund — Qualification as a RIC.” In contrast, different rules apply to a partnership that is a QPTP. A QPTP is a partnership (a) the interests in which are traded on an established securities market, (b) that is treated as a partnership for federal income tax purposes, and (c) that derives less than 90% of its income from sources that satisfy the Income Requirement (e.g., because it invests in commodities). All of the net income derived by a Fund from an interest in a QPTP will be treated as qualifying income, but the Fund may not invest more than 25% of its total assets in one or more QPTPs. However, there can be no assurance that a partnership classified as a QPTP in one year will qualify as a QPTP in the next year. Any such failure to annually qualify as a QPTP might, in turn, cause a Fund to fail to qualify as a RIC. Although, in general, the passive loss rules of the Code do not apply to RICs, such rules do apply to a Fund with respect to items attributable to an interest in a QPTP. Fund investments in partnerships, including in QPTPs, may result in the Fund being subject to state, local or foreign income, franchise or withholding tax liabilities.

If an MLP is treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes (whether or not a QPTP), all or portion of the dividends received by a fund from the MLP likely will be treated as a return of capital for U.S. federal income tax purposes because of accelerated deductions available with respect to the activities of such MLPs. Further, because of these accelerated deductions, on the disposition of interests in such an MLP, a fund likely will realize taxable income in excess of economic gain with respect to those MLP interests (or if the fund does not dispose of the MLP, the fund could realize taxable income in excess of cash flow with respect to the MLP in a later period), and the fund must take such income into account in determining whether the fund has satisfied its Distribution Requirement. A fund may have to borrow or liquidate securities to satisfy its Distribution Requirement and to meet its redemption requests, even though investment considerations might otherwise make it undesirable for the fund to sell securities or borrow money at such time. In addition, any gain recognized, either upon the sale of a fund’s MLP interest or sale by the MLP of property held by it, including in excess of economic gain thereon, treated as so-called “recapture income,” will be treated as ordinary income. Therefore, to the extent a fund invests in MLPs, fund shareholders might receive greater amounts of distributions from the fund taxable as ordinary income than they otherwise would in the absence of such MLP investments.

Although MLPs are generally expected to be treated as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes, some MLPs may be treated as PFICs or “regular” corporations for U.S. federal income tax purposes. The treatment of particular MLPs for U.S. federal income tax purposes will affect the extent to which a fund can invest in MLPs and will impact the amount, character, and timing of income recognized by the Fund.

Investments in convertible securities. Convertible debt is ordinarily treated as a “single property” consisting of a pure debt interest until conversion, after which the investment becomes an equity interest. If the security is issued at premium (i.e., for cash in excess of the face amount payable on retirement), the creditor-holder may amortize the premium over the life of the bond. If the security is issued for cash at a price below its face amount, the creditor-holder must accrue original issue discount in income over the life of the debt. The creditor-holder’s exercise of the conversion privilege is treated as a nontaxable event. Mandatorily convertible debt (e.g., an exchange-traded note or ETN issued in the form of an unsecured obligation that pays a return based on the performance of a specified market index, exchange currency, or commodity) is often, but not always, treated as a contract to buy or sell the reference property rather than debt. Similarly, convertible preferred stock with a mandatory conversion feature is ordinarily, but not always, treated as equity rather than debt. Dividends received generally are qualified dividend income and eligible for the corporate dividends-received deduction. In general, conversion of preferred stock for common stock of the same corporation is tax-free. Conversion of preferred stock for cash is a taxable redemption. Any redemption premium for preferred stock that is redeemable by the issuing company might be required to be amortized under original issue discount principles. A change in the conversion ratio or conversion price of a convertible security on account of a dividend paid to the issuer’s other shareholders may result in a deemed distribution of stock to the holders of the convertible security equal to the value of their increased interest in the equity of the issuer.

Thus, an increase in the conversion ratio of a convertible security can be treated as a taxable distribution of stock to a holder of the convertible security (without a corresponding receipt of cash by the holder) before the holder has converted the security.

Securities lending. While securities are loaned out by a Fund, the Fund generally will receive from the borrower amounts equal to any dividends or interest paid on the borrowed securities. For federal income tax purposes, payments made “in lieu of” dividends are not considered dividend income. These distributions will neither qualify for the reduced rate of federal income taxation for individuals on qualified dividends income, if otherwise available, nor the 50% dividends received deduction for corporations. Also, any foreign tax

 

50


withheld on payments made “in lieu of” dividends or interest may not qualify for the pass-through of foreign tax credits to shareholders.

Tax Certification and Backup Withholding

Tax certification and backup withholding tax laws may require that you certify your tax information when you become an investor in a Fund. For U.S. citizens and resident aliens, this certification is made on IRS Form W-9. Under these laws, a Fund must withhold a portion of your taxable distributions and sales proceeds unless you:

 

   

provide your correct Social Security or taxpayer identification number;

 

   

certify that this number is correct;

 

   

certify that you are not subject to backup withholding; and

 

   

certify that you are a U.S. person (including a U.S. resident alien).

Withholding also is imposed if the IRS requires it. When withholding is required, the amount will be 24% of any distributions or proceeds paid. Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld may be credited against the shareholder’s U.S. federal income tax liability, provided the appropriate information is furnished to the IRS. Certain payees and payments are exempt from backup withholding and information reporting.

Non-U.S. investors have special U.S. tax certification requirements. See “Foreign Shareholders — Tax certification and backup withholding.”

Foreign Shareholders

Shareholders who, as to the United States, are nonresident alien individuals, foreign trusts or estates, foreign corporations, or foreign partnerships (foreign shareholder), may be subject to U.S. withholding and estate tax and are subject to special U.S. tax certification requirements. Taxation of a foreign shareholder depends on whether the income from a Fund is “effectively connected” with a U.S. trade or business carried on by such shareholder.

U.S. withholding tax at the source. If the income from a Fund is not effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business carried on by a foreign shareholder, distributions to such shareholder will be subject to U.S. withholding tax at the rate of 30% (or lower treaty rate) upon the gross amount of the distribution, subject to certain exemptions including those for dividends reported as:

 

   

exempt-interest dividends paid by the Fund from its net interest income earned on municipal securities;

 

   

capital gain dividends paid by the Fund from its net long-term capital gains (other than those from dis- position of a U.S. real property interest), unless you are a nonresident alien present in the United States for a period or periods aggregating 183 days or more during the calendar year; and

 

   

interest-related dividends paid by the Fund from its qualified net interest income from U.S. sources and short-term capital gain dividends.

A Fund may report interest-related dividends or short-term capital gain dividends, but reserves the right not to do so. Additionally, a Fund’s reporting of interest-related dividends or short-term capital gain dividends may not be passed through to shareholders by intermediaries who have assumed tax reporting responsibilities for this income in managed or omnibus accounts due to systems limitations or operational constraints. Moreover, notwithstanding such exemptions from U.S. withholding at the source, any dividends and distributions of income and capital gains, including the proceeds from the sale of your Shares, will be subject to backup withholding at a rate of 24% if you fail to properly certify that you are not a U.S. person.

Foreign shareholders may be subject to U.S. withholding tax at a rate of 30% on the income resulting from an election to pass-through foreign tax credits to shareholders, but may not be able to claim a credit or deduction with respect to the withholding tax for the foreign tax treated as having been paid by them.

Amounts reported as capital gain dividends (a) that are attributable to certain capital gain dividends received from a qualified investment entity (“QIE”) (generally defined as either (i) a U.S. REIT or (ii) a RIC classified as a “U.S. real property holding corporation” or which would be if the exceptions for holding 5% or less of a class of publicly traded shares or an interest in a domestically controlled QIE did not apply), or (b) that are realized by a Fund on the sale of a “U.S. real property interest” (including gain realized on the sale of shares in a QIE other than one that is domestically controlled), will not be exempt from U.S. federal income tax and may be subject to U.S. withholding tax at the rate of 30% (or lower treaty rate) if the Fund by reason of having a REIT

 

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strategy is classified as a QIE. If a Fund is so classified, foreign shareholders owning more than 5% of the Fund’s shares may be treated as realizing gain from the disposition of a U.S. real property interest, causing Fund distributions to be subject to U.S. withholding tax at the applicable corporate income tax rate, and requiring the filing of a nonresident U.S. income tax return. In addition, if a Fund is classified as a QIE, anti-avoidance rules apply to certain wash sale transactions. Namely, if a Fund is a domestically-controlled QIE and a foreign shareholder disposes of the Fund’s shares prior to the Fund paying a distribution attributable to the disposition of a U.S. real property interest and the foreign shareholder later acquires an identical stock interest in a wash sale transaction, the foreign shareholder may still be required to pay U.S. tax on the Fund’s distribution. Also, the sale of shares of a Fund, if classified as a “U.S. real property holding corporation,” could also be considered a sale of a U.S. real property interest with any resulting gain from such sale being subject to U.S. tax as income “effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business.”    

Income effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business. If the income from a Fund is effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business carried on by a foreign shareholder, then ordinary income dividends, capital gain dividends and any gains realized upon the sale of Shares of the Fund will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at the rates applicable to U.S. citizens or domestic corporations and require the filing of a nonresident U.S. income tax return.

Tax certification and backup withholding. Foreign shareholders may have special U.S. tax certification requirements to avoid backup withholding (at a rate of 24%) and, if applicable, to obtain the benefit of any income tax treaty between the foreign shareholder’s country of residence and the United States. To claim these tax benefits, the foreign shareholder must provide a properly completed Form W-8BEN (or other Form W-8, where applicable, or their substitute forms) to establish his or her status as a non-U.S. investor, to claim beneficial ownership over the assets in the account, and to claim, if applicable, a reduced rate of or exemption from withholding tax under the applicable treaty. A Form W-8BEN provided without a U.S. taxpayer identification number remains in effect for a period of three years beginning on the date that it is signed and ending on the last day of the third succeeding calendar year unless an earlier change of circumstances makes the information given on the form incorrect, and the shareholder must then provide a new W-8BEN to avoid the prospective application of backup withholding. Forms W-8BEN with U.S. taxpayer identification numbers remain valid indefinitely, or until the investor has a change of circumstances that renders the form incorrect and necessitates a new form and tax certification. Certain payees and payments are exempt from backup withholding.

Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (“FATCA”). Under FATCA, a 30% withholding tax is imposed on payments or distributions made by a Fund to certain foreign entities, referred to as foreign financial institutions (“FFI”) or non-financial foreign entities (“NFFE”). After December 31, 2018, FATCA withholding also would have applied to certain capital gain distributions, return of capital distributions and the proceeds arising from the sale of Shares; however, based on proposed regulations issued by the IRS, which can be relied upon currently, such withholding is no longer required unless final regulations provide otherwise (which is not expected). The FATCA withholding tax generally can be avoided: (a) by an FFI, if it reports certain direct and indirect ownership of foreign financial accounts held by U.S. persons with the FFI and (b) by an NFFE, if it: (i) certifies that it has no substantial U.S. persons as owners or (ii) if it does have such owners, reporting information relating to them. The U.S. Treasury has negotiated intergovernmental agreements (“IGAs”) with certain countries and is in various stages of negotiations with a number of other foreign countries with respect to one or more alternative approaches to implement FATCA.

An FFI can avoid FATCA withholding if it is deemed compliant or by becoming a “participating FFI,” which requires the FFI to enter into a U.S. tax compliance agreement with the IRS under section 1471(b) of the Code (FFI agreement) under which it agrees to verify, report and disclose certain of its U.S. accountholders and meet certain other specified requirements. The FFI will either report the specified information about the U.S. accounts to the IRS, or, to the government of the FFI’s country of residence (pursuant to the terms and conditions of applicable law and an applicable IGA entered into between the U.S. and the FFI’s country of residence), which will, in turn, report the specified information to the IRS. An FFI that is resident in a country that has entered into an IGA with the U.S. to implement FATCA will be exempt from FATCA withholding provided that the FFI shareholder and the applicable foreign government comply with the terms of such agreement.

An NFFE that is the beneficial owner of a payment from the Fund can avoid the FATCA withholding tax generally by certifying that it does not have any substantial U.S. owners or by providing the name, address and taxpayer identification number of each substantial U.S. owner. The NFFE will report the information to the applicable withholding agent, which will, in turn, report the information to the IRS.

Such foreign shareholders also may fall into certain exempt, excepted or deemed compliant categories as established by U.S. Treasury regulations, IGAs, and other guidance regarding FATCA. An FFI or NFFE that invests in a Fund will need to provide documentation properly certifying the entity’s status under FATCA in order to avoid FATCA withholding. Non-U.S. investors should consult their own tax advisors regarding the impact of these requirements on their investment in the Fund. The requirements imposed by FATCA are different from, and in addition to, the U.S. tax certification rules to avoid backup withholding described above. Shareholders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the application of these requirements to their own situation.

 

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U.S. estate tax. Transfers by gift of Shares of a Fund by a foreign shareholder who is a nonresident alien individual will not be subject to U.S. federal gift tax. An individual who, at the time of death, is a foreign shareholder will nevertheless be subject to U.S. federal estate tax with respect to Shares at the graduated rates applicable to U.S. citizens and residents, unless a treaty exemption applies. If a treaty exemption is available, a decedent’s estate may nonetheless need to file a U.S. estate tax return to claim the exemption in order to obtain a U.S. federal transfer certificate. The transfer certificate will identify the property (i.e., Shares) as to which the U.S. federal estate tax lien has been released. In the absence of a treaty, there is a $13,000 statutory estate tax credit (equivalent to an estate with assets of $60,000).

Local Tax Considerations. Rules of state and local taxation of ordinary income, qualified dividend income and capital gain dividends may differ from the rules for U.S. federal income taxation described above. Distributions may also be subject to additional state, local and foreign taxes depending on each shareholder’s particular situation.

* * * * *

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

 

 

DETERMINATION OF NAV

The following information should be read in conjunction with the section in the Prospectus entitled “Net Asset Value.” Additional information regarding the current NAV per share of each Fund can be found at www.invesco.com/ETFs.

The Custodian calculates and determines the NAV per Share as of the close of the regular trading session of the NYSE (normally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) on each day that such exchange is open provided that U.S. fixed-income assets may be valued as of the announced closing time for trading in fixed-income instruments on any day that the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association announces an early closing time. NAV is calculated by deducting all of a Fund’s liabilities from the total value of its assets and dividing the result by the number of Shares outstanding, rounding to the nearest cent. All valuations are subject to review by the Board or its delegate.

In determining NAV, expenses are accrued and applied daily, and securities and other assets for which market quotations are available are valued at market value. Securities listed or traded on an exchange generally are valued at the last sales price or official closing price of the exchange where the security primarily is traded. Investment companies are valued using such company’s NAV per share, unless the shares are exchange-traded, in which case they will be valued at the last sale or official closing price on the exchanges on which they primarily trade. Debt and securities not listed on an exchange normally are valued on the basis of prices provided by independent pricing services. Pricing services generally value debt securities assuming orderly transactions of institutional round lot size, but a Fund may hold or transact in the same securities in smaller, odd lot sizes. Odd lots often trade at lower prices than institutional round lots. The Sub-Adviser may use various pricing services or discontinue the use of any pricing service at any time. Futures contracts are valued at the final settlement price set by an exchange on which they are principally traded. Listed options are valued at the mean of consolidated best bid and offer from the exchange on which they are principally traded or the last bid and offer mean quotations from the principal exchange if consolidated quotations are not available. Options not listed on an exchange are valued by an independent source at the mean between the last bid and asked prices. For purposes of determining NAV per Share, futures and option contracts generally are valued 15 minutes after the close of the customary trading session of the NYSE. Swaps generally are valued based on quotations from a pricing vendor or market makers, all in accordance with valuation policies and procedures approved by the Board of the Trust.

Certain securities may not be listed on an exchange; typically, those securities are bought and sold by institutional investors in individually negotiated private transactions. Such securities, as well as listed securities whose market price is not readily available will be valued using pricing provided from independent pricing services or by another method that the Adviser, in its judgment, believes will better reflect the security’s fair value in accordance with the Trust’s valuation procedures approved by the Board.

Even when market quotations are available for portfolio securities, they may be stale or unreliable because the security is not traded frequently, trading on the security ceased before the close of the trading market or issuer specific events occurred after the security ceased trading or because of the passage of time between the close of the market on which the security trades and the close of the NYSE and when a Fund calculates its NAV. Events that may cause the last market quotation to be unreliable include a merger or insolvency, events which affect a geographical area or an industry segment, such as political events or natural disasters, or market events, such as a significant movement in the U.S. market. Where market quotations are not readily available, including where the

 

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Adviser determines that the closing price of the security is unreliable, the Adviser will value the security will be valued at fair value as determined in good faith following procedures approved by the Board. Fair value pricing involves subjective judgments, and it is possible that a fair value determination for a security is materially different than the value that could be realized upon the sale of that security. With respect to securities that primarily are 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 Shares.

Intraday Indicative Value. The trading prices of the Shares in the secondary market generally differ from a Fund’s daily NAV and are affected by market forces such as the supply of and demand for Shares and underlying securities held by a Fund, economic conditions and other factors. Information regarding the IIV of the Shares is disseminated every 15 seconds throughout each trading day by the Exchange or by market data vendors or other information providers. However, the IIV should not be viewed as a “real-time” update of a Fund’s NAV. The IIV 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 IIV 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 IIV 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 IIV, takes into account Funds’ 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 IIV. Therefore, the IIV may not reflect the best possible valuation of a Fund’s current portfolio. Additionally, the quotations and/or valuations of certain of the Funds’ holdings may not be updated during U.S. trading hours if such holdings do not trade in the United States, which could affect premiums and discounts between the IIV and the market price of the Shares. The Funds, the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser and their affiliates are not involved in, or responsible for, any aspect of the calculation or dissemination of the IIV, and the Funds, the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser and their affiliates do not make any warranty as to the accuracy of these calculations.

 

 

DIVIDENDS AND OTHER DISTRIBUTIONS

The following information supplements and should be read in conjunction with the section in the Prospectus entitled “Dividends, Distributions and Taxes.”

General Policies. Generally, dividends from net investment income, if any, are declared and paid monthly by each Fund.

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. The Trust reserves the right to declare special distributions if, in its reasonable discretion, such action is necessary or advisable to preserve the status of each Fund as a RIC or to avoid imposition of income or excise taxes on undistributed income.

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

Dividend Reinvestment Service. No reinvestment service is provided by the Trust. Broker-dealers may make available the DTC book-entry Dividend Reinvestment Service for use by Beneficial Owners of Shares for reinvestment of their dividend distributions. Beneficial Owners should contact their broker to determine the availability and costs of the service and the details of participation therein. Brokers may require Beneficial Owners to adhere to specific procedures and timetables.

 

 

MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION

Counsel. Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young, LLP, located at 191 North Wacker Drive, Suite 1601, Chicago, Illinois 60606, and 2000 K Street, NW, Suite 700, Washington, D.C. 20006, serves as legal counsel to the Trust.

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm. [                ], located at [                ], serves as the Funds’ independent registered public accounting firm. [                ] has been retained to audit the Funds’ annual financial statements and performs other related audit services.

 

 

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Each Fund is new and has no performance history as of the date of this SAI. Financial information therefore is not yet available. The audited financial statements for the Funds will appear in the Trust’s Annual Report to shareholders when available. When available, you may request a copy of the Trust’s Annual Report at no charge by calling 1-800-983-0903 during normal business hours.

 

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APPENDIX A

 

LOGO

PROXY VOTING GUIDELINES

 

Applicable to    All funds advised by Invesco Capital Management LLC (“ICM” or the “Adviser”) for which it has been delegated proxy voting authority.
Risk Addressed by Policy    Breach of fiduciary duty to clients under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 by placing Invesco’s interests ahead of clients’ best interests in voting proxies
Relevant Law and Other Sources    Investment Advisers Act of 1940
Effective Date    June 24, 2014
Last Amended Date    January 7, 2019

 

I.

GENERAL POLICY

ICM has adopted proxy voting policies with respect to securities owned by series for which it serves as investment adviser and has been delegated the authority to vote proxies. ICM’s proxy voting policies are designed to provide that proxies are voted in the best interests of shareholders.

Invesco Ltd. (“Invesco”), the parent to the Adviser, has adopted a global policy statement on corporate governance and proxy voting (the “Global Invesco Policy”) (see Exhibit A), which details Invesco’s views on governance matters and describes the proxy administration and governance approach. The Adviser will approach proxy constraints according to the Invesco global statement on corporate governance and proxy voting. The Adviser will approach conflicts of interest in accordance with Invesco’s global policy statement on corporate governance and proxy voting. The Adviser votes proxies by utilizing the procedures and mechanisms outlined in the Global Invesco Policy, while maintaining specific guidelines for products advised by the Adviser or an affiliate of the Adviser (“Affiliated Funds”), as set forth below:

Overlapping Securities

In instances where both an Affiliated Fund advised by the Adviser and an Affiliated Fund advised by an Invesco Ltd. entity hold an equity security (“Overlapping Securities”), the Adviser will vote proxies in accordance with the recommendation of an Invesco Ltd. adviser based on the comprehensive proxy review and under the Global Invesco Policy. The Global Invesco Policy is overseen by the Invesco Proxy Advisory Committee (“IPAC”), which also orchestrates the review and analysis of the top twenty-five proxy voting matters, measured by overall size of holdings by funds within the Invesco family. The Adviser consults with the IPAC on specific proxy votes and general proxy voting matters as it deems necessary. In addition, as part of the Global Invesco Proxy Voting Process, the IPAC oversees instances when possible conflicts of interest arise among funds. (Please see the Global Invesco Policy for the detailed conflicts of interest approach.)

In instances where the global proxy administration team does not receive a recommendation in a timely manner, the proxy administration team will automatically vote such ballots in accordance with Invesco’s custom guidelines established in Invesco’s global proxy voting policy and US guidelines.

Non-Overlapping Securities

In instances where securities are held only by an Affiliated Fund advised by the Adviser and not also by an Invesco Ltd. active equity entity fund, the Adviser will instruct the proxy administration team to vote proxies in accordance with said Invesco custom guidelines implemented by ISS, Invesco’s vote execution agent.

Under this Policy, the Adviser retains the power to vote contrary to the recommendation of the Invesco Voting Process (for Overlapping Securities) or Invesco’s custom guidelines (for Non-Overlapping Securities) at its discretion, so long as the reasons for doing so are well documented.

 

II.

SPECIAL POLICY

Certain Affiliated Funds pursue their investment objectives by investing in other registered investment companies pursuant to an exemptive order granted by the Securities and Exchange Commission. The relief granted by that order is conditioned upon complying with a number of undertakings, some of which require such Affiliated Fund to vote its shares in an acquired investment company in the same proportion as other holders of the acquired fund’s shares. In instances in which an Affiliated Fund is required to vote in this manner to rely on the exemptive order, the Adviser will vote shares of these acquired investment companies in compliance with the voting mechanism required by the order.

 

A-1


Exhibit A to Appendix A

 

LOGO

Invesco’s Policy Statement on Global Corporate Governance and Proxy Voting

June 2019

 

I.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES AND PHILOSOPHY

Public companies hold shareholder meetings, attended by the company’s executives, directors, and shareholders, during which important issues, such as appointments to the company’s board of directors, executive compensation, and auditors, are addressed and where applicable, voted on. Proxy voting gives shareholders the opportunity to vote on issues that impact the company’s operations and policies without being present at the meetings.

Invesco views proxy voting as an integral part of its investment management responsibilities and believes that the right to vote proxies should be managed with the same high standards of care and fiduciary duty to its clients as all other elements of the investment process. Invesco’s proxy voting philosophy, governance structure and process are designed to ensure that proxy votes are cast in accordance with clients’ best interests, which Invesco interprets to mean clients’ best economic interests, this Policy and the operating guidelines and procedures of Invesco’s regional investment centers.

Invesco investment teams vote proxies on behalf of Invesco-sponsored funds and non-fund advisory clients that have explicitly granted Invesco authority in writing to vote proxies on their behalf.

The proxy voting process at Invesco, which is driven by investment professionals, focuses on maximizing long-term value for our clients, protecting clients’ rights and promoting governance structures and practices that reinforce the accountability of corporate management and boards of directors to shareholders. Invesco takes a nuanced approach to voting and, therefore, many matters to be voted upon are reviewed on a case by case basis.

Votes in favor of board or management proposals should not be interpreted as an indication of insufficient consideration by Invesco fund managers. Such votes may reflect the outcome of past or ongoing engagement and active ownership by Invesco with representatives of the companies in which we invest.

 

II.

APPLICABILITY OF THIS POLICY

This Policy sets forth the framework of Invesco’s corporate governance approach, broad philosophy and guiding principles that inform the proxy voting practices of Invesco’s investment teams around the world. Given the different nature of these teams and their respective investment processes, as well as the significant differences in regulatory regimes and market practices across jurisdictions, not all aspects of this Policy may apply to all Invesco investment teams at all times. In the case of a conflict between this Policy and the operating guidelines and procedures of a regional investment center the latter will control.

 

III.

PROXY VOTING FOR CERTAIN FIXED INCOME, MONEY MARKET, INDEX AND LEGACY OPPENHEIMERFUNDS ACCOUNTS

For proxies held by certain client accounts managed in accordance with fixed income, money market and index strategies (including exchange traded funds), and by accounts managed by legacy OppenheimerFunds investment teams (“legacy accounts”), Invesco will typically vote in line with the majority holder of the active-equity shares held by Invesco outside of those strategies and legacy accounts (“Majority Voting”). In this manner Invesco seeks to leverage the active-equity expertise and comprehensive proxy voting reviews conducted by teams employing active-equity strategies (other than legacy OppenheimerFunds investment teams), which typically incorporate analysis of proxy issues as a core component of the investment process. Portfolio managers for accounts employing Majority Voting still retain full discretion to override Majority Voting and to vote the shares as they determine to be in the best interest of those accounts, absent certain types of conflicts of interest, which are discussed elsewhere in this Policy. When there are no corresponding active-equity shares held by Invesco, the proxies for those strategies and legacy accounts will be voted in the following manner: (i) for U.S. issuers, in line with Invesco custom voting guidelines derived from the guidelines set forth below; and (ii) for non-U.S. issuers, in line with the recommendations of a third-party proxy advisory service.

 

IV.

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

There may be occasions where voting proxies may present a real or perceived conflict of interest between Invesco, as investment manager, and one or more of Invesco’s clients or vendors. Under Invesco’s Code of Conduct, Invesco entities and individuals are strictly prohibited from putting personal benefit, whether tangible or intangible, before the interests of clients. “Personal benefit” includes any intended benefit for Invesco, oneself or any other individual, company, group or organization of any kind whatsoever, except a benefit for the relevant Invesco client.

 

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Firm-level Conflicts of Interest

A conflict of interest may exist if Invesco has a material business relationship with, or is actively soliciting business from, either the company soliciting a proxy or a third party that has a material interest in the outcome of a proxy vote or that is actively lobbying for a particular outcome of a proxy vote (e.g., issuers that are distributors of Invesco’s products, or issuers that employ Invesco to manage portions of their retirement plans or treasury accounts). Invesco’s proxy governance team maintains a list of all such issuers for which a conflict of interest exists.

If the proposal that gives rise to the potential conflict is specifically addressed by this Policy or the operating guidelines and procedures of the relevant regional investment center, Invesco generally will vote the proxy in accordance therewith. Otherwise, based on a majority vote of its members, the Global IPAC (as described below) will vote the proxy.

Because this Policy and the operating guidelines and procedures of each regional investment center are pre-determined and crafted to be in the best economic interest of clients, applying them to vote client proxies should, in most instances, adequately resolve any potential conflict of interest. As an additional safeguard, persons from Invesco’s marketing, distribution and other customer-facing functions may not serve on the Global IPAC. For the avoidance of doubt, Invesco may not consider Invesco Ltd.’s pecuniary interest when voting proxies on behalf of clients.

Personal Conflicts of Interest

A conflict also may exist where an Invesco employee has a known personal relationship with other proponents of proxy proposals, participants in proxy contests, corporate directors, or candidates for directorships.

All Invesco personnel with proxy voting responsibilities are required to report any known personal conflicts of interest regarding proxy issues with which they are involved. In such instances, the individual(s) with the conflict will be excluded from the decision-making process relating to such issues.

Other Conflicts of Interest

To avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest, Invesco will not vote proxies issued by, or related to matters involving, Invesco Ltd. that may be held in client accounts from time to time.1 Shares of an Invesco-sponsored fund held by other Invesco funds will be voted in the same proportion as the votes of external shareholders of the underlying fund.

 

1

Generally speaking, Invesco does not invest for its clients in the shares of Invesco Ltd., however, limited exceptions apply in the case of funds or accounts designed to track an index that includes Invesco Ltd. as a component.

 

V.

USE OF THIRD-PARTY PROXY ADVISORY SERVICES

Invesco may supplement its internal research with information from third-parties, such as proxy advisory firms. However, Invesco generally retains full and independent discretion with respect to proxy voting decisions.

As part of its fiduciary obligation to clients, Invesco performs extensive initial and ongoing due diligence on the proxy advisory firms it engages. This includes reviews of information regarding the capabilities of their research staffs and internal controls, policies and procedures, including those relating to possible conflicts of interest. In addition, Invesco regularly monitors and communicates with these firms and monitors their compliance with Invesco’s performance and policy standards.

 

VI.

GLOBAL PROXY VOTING PLATFORM AND ADMINISTRATION

Guided by its philosophy that investment teams should manage proxy voting, Invesco has created the Global Invesco Proxy Advisory Committee (“Global IPAC”). The Global IPAC is a global investments-driven committee comprised of representatives from various investment management teams and Invesco’s Global Head of Proxy Governance and Responsible Investment (“Head of Proxy Governance”). The Global IPAC provides a forum for investment teams to monitor, understand and discuss key proxy issues and voting trends within the Invesco complex. Absent a conflict of interest, the Global IPAC representatives, in consultation with the respective investment team, are responsible for voting proxies for the securities the team manages (unless such responsibility is explicitly delegated to the portfolio managers of the securities in question). In addition to the Global IPAC, for some clients, third parties (e.g., U.S. mutual fund board) provide oversight of the proxy process. The Global IPAC and Invesco’s proxy administration and governance team, compliance and legal teams regularly communicate and review this Policy and the operating guidelines and procedures of each regional investment center to ensure that they remain consistent with clients’ best interests, regulatory requirements, governance trends and industry best practices.

Invesco maintains a proprietary global proxy administration platform, known as the “fund manager portal” and supported by the Head of Proxy Governance and a dedicated team of internal proxy specialists. The platform streamlines the proxy voting and ballot reconciliation processes, as well as related functions, such as share blocking and managing conflicts of interest issuers. Managing these processes internally, as opposed to relying on third parties, gives Invesco greater quality control, oversight and independence in the proxy administration process.

The platform also includes advanced global reporting and record-keeping capabilities regarding proxy matters that enable Invesco to satisfy client, regulatory and management requirements. Historical proxy voting information, including commentary by

 

A-3


investment professionals regarding the votes they cast, where applicable, is stored to build institutional knowledge across the Invesco complex with respect to individual companies and proxy issues. Certain investment teams also use the platform to access third-party proxy research.

 

VII.

NON-VOTES

In the great majority of instances, Invesco can vote proxies successfully. However, in certain circumstances Invesco may refrain from voting where the economic or other opportunity costs of voting exceeds any anticipated benefits of that proxy proposal. In addition, there may be instances in which Invesco is unable to vote all of its clients’ proxies despite using commercially reasonable efforts to do so. For example:

 

   

Invesco may not receive proxy materials from the relevant fund or client custodian with sufficient time and information to make an informed independent voting decision. In such cases, Invesco may choose not to vote, to abstain from voting, to vote in line with management or to vote in accordance with proxy advisor recommendations. These matters are left to the discretion of the relevant portfolio manager.

 

   

If the security in question is on loan as part of a securities lending program, Invesco may determine that the benefit to the client of voting a particular proxy is outweighed by the revenue that would be lost by terminating the loan and recalling the securities.

 

   

In some countries the exercise of voting rights imposes temporary transfer restrictions on the related securities (“share blocking”). Invesco generally refrains from voting proxies in share-blocking countries unless Invesco determines that the benefit to the client(s) of voting a specific proxy outweighs the client’s temporary inability to sell the security.

 

   

Some companies require a representative to attend meetings in person to vote a proxy. In such cases, Invesco may determine that the costs of sending a representative or signing a power-of-attorney outweigh the benefit of voting a particular proxy.

 

VIII.

PROXY VOTING GUIDELINES

The following guidelines describe Invesco’s general positions on various proxy voting issues. The guidelines are not intended to be exhaustive or prescriptive. As noted above, Invesco’s proxy process is investor-driven, and each portfolio manager retains ultimate discretion to vote proxies in the manner he or she deems most appropriate, consistent with Invesco’s proxy voting principles and philosophy discussed in Sections I. through IV. Individual proxy votes therefore will differ from these guidelines from time to time.

Invesco generally affords management discretion with respect to the operation of a company’s business and will generally support a board’s discretion on proposals relating to ordinary business practices and routine matters, unless there is insufficient information to decide about the nature of the proposal.

Invesco generally abstains from voting on or opposes proposals that are “bundled” or made contingent on each other (e.g., proposals to elect directors and approve compensation plans) where there is insufficient information to decide about the nature of the proposals.

 

A.

SHAREHOLDER ACCESS AND TREATMENT OF SHAREHOLDER PROPOSALS—GENERAL

Invesco reviews on a case by case basis but generally votes in favor of proposals that would increase shareholders’ opportunities to express their views to boards of directors, proposals that would lower barriers to shareholder action, and proposals to promote the adoption of generally accepted best practices in corporate governance, provided that such proposals would not require a disproportionate amount of management attention or corporate resources or otherwise that may inappropriately disrupt the company’s business and main purpose, usually set out in their reporting disclosures and business model. Likewise, Invesco reviews on a case by case basis but generally votes for shareholder proposals that are designed to protect shareholder rights if a company’s corporate governance standards indicate that such additional protections are warranted (for example, where minority shareholders’ rights are not adequately protected).

 

B.

ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL AND CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY ISSUES

Invesco believes that a company’s long-term response to environmental, social and corporate responsibility issues can significantly affect long-term shareholder value. We recognize that to manage a corporation effectively, directors and management may consider not only the interests of shareholders, but also the interests of employees, customers, suppliers, creditors and the local community, among others. While Invesco generally affords management discretion with respect to the operation of a company’s business, Invesco generally will evaluate proposals relating to environmental, social and corporate responsibility issues on a case by case basis and will vote on those proposals in a manner intended to maximize long-term shareholder value. Invesco may choose, however, to abstain on voting on proposals relating to environmental, social and corporate responsibility issues.

Invesco reviews on a case by case basis but generally supports the following proposals relating to these issues:

 

   

Gender pay gap proposals

 

A-4


   

Political contributions disclosure/political lobbying disclosure/political activities and action

 

   

Data security, privacy, and internet issues

 

   

Report on climate change/climate change action

 

   

Gender diversity on boards

 

C.

CAPITALIZATION STRUCTURE ISSUES

 

  i.

Stock Issuances

Invesco generally supports a board’s proposal to issue additional capital stock to meet ongoing corporate needs, except where the request could adversely affect Invesco clients’ ownership stakes or voting rights. Some capitalization proposals, such as those to authorize common or preferred stock with special voting rights or to issue additional stock in connection with an acquisition, may require additional analysis. Invesco generally opposes proposals to issue additional stock without preemptive rights, as those issuances do not permit shareholders to share proportionately in any new issues of stock of the same class. Invesco generally opposes proposals to authorize classes of preferred stock with unspecified voting, conversion, dividend or other rights (“blank check” stock) when they appear to be intended as an anti-takeover mechanism; such issuances may be supported when used for general financing purposes.

 

  ii.

Stock Splits

Invesco generally supports a board’s proposal to increase common share authorization for a stock split, provided that the increase in authorized shares would not result in excessive dilution given the company’s industry and performance in terms of shareholder returns.

 

  iii.

Share Repurchases

Invesco generally supports a board’s proposal to institute open-market share repurchase plans only if all shareholders participate on an equal basis.

 

D.

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE ISSUES

 

  i.

General

Invesco reviews on a case by case basis but generally supports the following proposals related to governance matters:

 

   

Adopt proxy access right

 

   

Require independent board chairperson

 

   

Provide right to shareholders to call special meetings

 

   

Provide right to act by written consent

 

   

Submit shareholder rights plan (poison pill) to shareholder vote

 

   

Reduce supermajority vote requirement

 

   

Remove antitakeover provisions

 

   

Declassify the board of directors

 

   

Require a majority vote for election of directors

 

   

Require majority of independent directors on the board

 

   

Approve executive appointment

 

   

Adopt exclusive forum provision

Invesco generally supports a board’s discretion to amend a company’s articles concerning routine matters, such as formalities relating to shareholder meetings. Invesco generally opposes non-routine amendments to a company’s articles if any of the proposed amendments would limit shareholders’ rights or there is insufficient information to decide about the nature of the proposal.

 

  ii.

Board of Directors

1. Director Nominees in Uncontested Elections

Subject to the other considerations described below, in an uncontested director election for a company without a controlling shareholder, Invesco generally votes in favor of the director slate if it is comprised of at least a majority of independent directors and if the board’s key committees are fully independent, effective and balanced. Key committees include the audit, compensation/remuneration and governance/nominating committees. Invesco’s standard of independence excludes directors who, in addition to the directorship, have any material business or family relationships with the companies they serve.

 

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2. Director Nominees in Contested Elections

Invesco recognizes that short-term investment sentiments influence the corporate governance landscape and may influence companies in Invesco clients’ portfolios and more broadly across the market. Invesco recognizes that short-term investment sentiment may conflict with long-term value creation and as such looks at each proxy contest matter on a case by case basis, considering factors such as:

 

   

Long-term financial performance of the company relative to its industry

 

   

Management’s track record

 

   

Background to the proxy contest

 

   

Qualifications of director nominees (both slates)

 

   

Evaluation of what each side is offering shareholders as well as the likelihood that the proposed objectives and goals can be met

 

   

Stock ownership positions in the company

3. Director Accountability

Invesco generally withholds votes from directors who exhibit a lack of accountability to shareholders. Examples include, without limitation, poor attendance (less than 75%, absent extenuating circumstances) at meetings, director “overboarding” (as described below), failing to implement shareholder proposals that have received a majority of votes and/or by adopting or approving egregious corporate-governance or other policies. In cases of material financial restatements, accounting fraud, habitually late filings, adopting shareholder rights plan (“poison pills”) without shareholder approval, or other areas of poor performance, Invesco may withhold votes from some or all of a company’s directors. Invesco generally supports shareholder proposals relating to the competence of directors that are in the best interest of the company’s performance and the interest of its shareholders. In situations where directors’ performance is a concern, Invesco may also support shareholder proposals to take corrective actions such as so-called “clawback” provisions.

Invesco generally withholds votes from directors who serve on an excessive number of boards of directors (“overboarding”). Examples of overboarding may include when (i) a non-executive director is sitting on more than six public company boards, and (ii) a CEO is sitting on the board of more than two public companies besides the CEO’s own company, excluding the boards of majority-owned subsidiaries of the parent company.

4. Director Independence

Invesco generally supports proposals to require a majority of directors to be independent unless particular circumstances make this not feasible or in the best interests of shareholders. We generally vote for proposals that would require the board’s audit, compensation/remuneration, and/or governance/nominating committees to be composed exclusively of independent directors because this minimizes the potential for conflicts of interest.

5. Director Indemnification

Invesco recognizes that individuals may be reluctant to serve as corporate directors if they are personally liable for all related lawsuits and legal costs. As a result, reasonable limitations on directors’ liability can benefit a company and its shareholders by helping to attract and retain qualified directors while preserving recourse for shareholders in the event of misconduct by directors. Accordingly, unless there is insufficient information to make a decision about the nature of the proposal, Invesco will generally support a board’s discretion regarding proposals to limit directors’ liability and provide indemnification and/or exculpation, provided that the arrangements are limited to the director acting honestly and in good faith with a view to the best interests of the company and, in criminal matters, are limited to the director having reasonable grounds for believing the conduct was lawful.

6. Separate Chairperson and CEO

Invesco evaluates these proposals on a case by case basis, recognizing that good governance requires either an independent chair or a qualified, proactive, and lead independent director.

Voting decisions may consider, among other factors, the presence or absence of:

 

   

a designated lead director, appointed from the ranks of the independent board members, with an established term of office and clearly delineated powers and duties

 

   

a majority of independent directors

 

   

completely independent key committees

 

   

committee chairpersons nominated by the independent directors

 

   

CEO performance reviewed annually by a committee of independent directors

 

   

established governance guidelines

 

A-6


7. Majority/Supermajority/Cumulative Voting for Directors

The right to elect directors is the single most important mechanism shareholders have to promote accountability. Invesco generally votes in favor of proposals to elect directors by a majority vote. Except in cases where required by law in the jurisdiction of incorporation or when a company has adopted formal governance principles that present a meaningful alternative to the majority voting standard, Invesco generally votes against actions that would impose any supermajority voting requirement, and generally supports actions to dismantle existing supermajority requirements.

The practice of cumulative voting can enable minority shareholders to have representation on a company’s board. Invesco generally opposes such proposals as unnecessary where the company has adopted a majority voting standard. However, Invesco generally supports proposals to institute the practice of cumulative voting at companies whose overall corporate-governance standards indicate a particular need to protect the interests of minority shareholders.

8. Staggered Boards/Annual Election of Directors

Invesco generally supports proposals to elect each director annually rather than electing directors to staggered multi-year terms because annual elections increase a board’s level of accountability to its shareholders.

9. Board Size

Invesco believes that the number of directors is an important factor to consider when evaluating the board’s ability to maximize long-term shareholder value. Invesco approaches proxies relating to board size on a case by case basis but generally will defer to the board with respect to determining the optimal number of board members, provided that the proposed board size is sufficiently large to represent shareholder interests and sufficiently limited to remain effective.

10. Director Term Limits and Retirement Age

Invesco believes it is important for a board of directors to examine its membership regularly with a view to ensuring that the company continues to benefit from a diversity of director viewpoints and experience. We generally believe that an individual board’s nominating committee is best positioned to determine whether director term limits would be an appropriate measure to help achieve these goals and, if so, the nature of such limits. Invesco generally opposes proposals to limit the tenure of outside directors through mandatory retirement ages.

 

  iii.

Audit Committees and Auditors

1. Qualifications of Audit Committee and Auditors

Invesco believes a company’s Audit Committee has a high degree of responsibility to shareholders in matters of financial disclosure, integrity of the financial statements and effectiveness of a company’s internal controls. Independence, experience and financial expertise are critical elements of a well-functioning Audit Committee. When electing directors who are members of a company’s Audit Committee, or when ratifying a company’s auditors, Invesco considers the past performance of the Audit Committee and holds its members accountable for the quality of the company’s financial statements and reports.

2. Auditor Indemnifications

A company’s independent auditors play a critical role in ensuring and attesting to the integrity of the company’s financial statements. It is therefore essential that they perform their work in accordance with the highest standards. Invesco generally opposes proposals that would limit the liability of or indemnify auditors because doing so could serve to undermine this obligation.

3. Adequate Disclosure of Auditor Fees

Understanding the fees earned by the auditors is important for assessing auditor independence. Invesco’s support for the re-appointment of the auditors will take into consideration the availability of adequate disclosure concerning the amount and nature of audit versus non-audit fees. Invesco generally will support proposals that call for this disclosure if it is not already being made.

 

E.

REMUNERATION AND INCENTIVES

Invesco believes properly constructed compensation plans that include equity ownership are effective in creating incentives that induce management and employees of portfolio companies to create greater shareholder wealth. Invesco generally supports equity compensation plans that promote the proper alignment of incentives with shareholders’ long-term interests, and generally votes against plans that are overly dilutive to existing shareholders, plans that contain objectionable structural features, and plans that appear likely to reduce the value of the client’s investment.

 

  i.

Independent Compensation/Remuneration Committee

Invesco believes that an independent, experienced and well-informed compensation/remuneration committee is critical to ensuring that a company’s remuneration practices align with shareholders’ interests and, therefore, generally supports proposals calling for a compensation/remuneration committee to be comprised solely of independent directors.

 

A-7


  ii.

Advisory Votes on Executive Compensation

Invesco believes that an independent compensation/remuneration committee of the board, with input from management, is generally best positioned to determine the appropriate components and levels of executive compensation, as well as the appropriate frequency of related shareholder advisory votes. This is particularly the case where shareholders can express their views on remuneration matters through annual votes for or against the election of the individual directors who comprise the compensation/remuneration committee. Invesco, therefore, generally will support management’s recommendations regarding the components and levels of executive compensation and the frequency of shareholder advisory votes on executive compensation. However, Invesco will vote against such recommendations where Invesco determines that a company’s executive remuneration policies are not properly aligned with shareholder interests or may create inappropriate incentives for management.

 

  iii.

Equity Based Compensation Plans

Invesco generally votes against plans that contain structural features that would impair the alignment of incentives between shareholders and management. Such features include, without limitation, the ability to reprice or reload options without shareholder approval, the ability to issue options below the stock’s current market price, or the ability to replenish shares automatically without shareholder approval.

 

  iv.

Severance Arrangements

Invesco considers proposed severance arrangements (sometimes known as “golden parachute” arrangements) on a case by case basis due to the wide variety among their terms. Invesco acknowledges that in some cases such arrangements, if reasonable, may be in shareholders’ best interests as a method of attracting and retaining high quality executive talent. Invesco generally votes in favor of proposals requiring advisory shareholder ratification of senior executives’ severance agreements while generally opposing proposals that require such agreements to be ratified by shareholders in advance of their adoption.

 

  v.

Claw Back” Provisions

Invesco generally supports so called “claw back” policies intended to recoup remuneration paid to senior executives based upon materially inaccurate financial reporting (as evidenced by later restatements) or fraudulent accounting or business practices.

 

  vi.

Employee Stock Purchase Plans

Invesco generally supports employee stock purchase plans that are reasonably designed to provide proper incentives to a broad base of employees, provided that the price at which employees may acquire stock represents a reasonable discount from the market price.

 

F.

ANTI-TAKEOVER DEFENSES

Measures designed to protect a company from unsolicited bids can adversely affect shareholder value and voting rights, and they have the potential to create conflicts of interests among directors, management and shareholders. Such measures include adopting or renewing shareholder rights plans (“poison pills”), requiring supermajority voting on certain corporate actions, classifying the election of directors instead of electing each director to an annual term, or creating separate classes of common or preferred stock with special voting rights. In determining whether to support a proposal to add, eliminate or restrict anti-takeover measures, Invesco will examine the elements of the proposal to assess the degree to which it would adversely affect shareholder rights of adopted. Invesco generally supports shareholder proposals directing companies to subject their anti-takeover provisions to a shareholder vote, as well as the following proposals:

 

   

Provide right to act by written consent

 

   

Provide right to call special meetings

 

   

Adopt fair price provision

 

   

Approve control share acquisition

Invesco generally opposes payments by companies to minority shareholders intended to dissuade such shareholders from pursuing a takeover or another change (sometimes known as “greenmail”) because these payments result in preferential treatment of some shareholders over others.

Companies occasionally require shareholder approval to engage in certain corporate actions or transactions such as mergers, acquisitions, name changes, dissolutions, reorganizations, divestitures and reincorporations. Invesco generally determines its votes for these types of corporate actions after a careful evaluation of the proposal. Generally, Invesco will support proposals to approve different types of restructurings that provide the necessary financing to save the company from involuntary bankruptcy. However, Invesco will generally oppose proposals to change a company’s corporate form or to “go dark” (i.e., going private transactions) without shareholder approval.

 

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Reincorporation involves re-establishing the company in a different legal jurisdiction. Invesco generally will vote for proposals to reincorporate a company if the board and management have demonstrated sound financial or business reasons for the move. Invesco generally will oppose proposals to reincorporate if they are solely part of an anti-takeover defense or intended to limit directors’ liability.

Invesco will generally support proposals that ask the board to consider non- shareholder constituencies or other non- financial effects when evaluating a merger or business combination.

 

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APPENDIX B

 

LOGO

PROXY VOTING GUIDELINES

 

Applicable to    All Advisory Clients, including the Invesco Funds
Risk Addressed by the Guidelines    Breach of fiduciary duty to client under Investment Advisers Act of 1940 by placing Invesco’s interests ahead of client’s best interests in voting proxies

Relevant Law and Other Sources

 

Last

   U.S. Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended
  ☒ Reviewed        ☒ Revised   
by Compliance for Accuracy    April 19, 2016
Guideline Owner    U.S. Compliance and Legal
Policy Approver    Invesco Advisers, Inc., Invesco Funds Board
Approved/Adopted Date    May 3-4, 2016

The following guidelines apply to all institutional and retail funds and accounts that have explicitly authorized Invesco Advisers, Inc. (“Invesco”) to vote proxies associated with securities held on their behalf (collectively, “Clients”).

 

A.

INTRODUCTION

Invesco Ltd. (“IVZ”), the ultimate parent company of Invesco, has adopted a global policy statement on corporate governance and proxy voting (the “Invesco Global Proxy Policy”). The policy describes IVZ’s views on governance matters and the proxy administration and governance approach. Invesco votes proxies by using the framework and procedures set forth in the Invesco Global Proxy Policy, while maintaining the Invesco-specific guidelines described below.

 

B.

PROXY VOTING OVERSIGHT: THE MUTUAL FUNDS’ BOARD OF TRUSTEES

In addition to the Global Invesco Proxy Advisory Committee, the Invesco mutual funds’ board of trustees provides oversight of the proxy process through quarterly reporting and an annual in-person presentation by Invesco’s Global Head of Proxy Governance and Responsible Investment.

 

C.

USE OF THIRD PARTY PROXY ADVISORY SERVICES

Invesco has direct access to third-party proxy advisory analyses and recommendations (currently provided by Glass Lewis (“GL”) and Institutional Shareholder Services, Inc. (“ISS”)), among other research tools, and uses the information gleaned from those sources to make independent voting decisions.

Invesco’s proxy administration team performs extensive initial and ongoing due diligence on the proxy advisory firms that it engages. When deemed appropriate, representatives from the proxy advisory firms are asked to deliver updates directly to the mutual funds’ board of trustees. Invesco conducts semi-annual, in-person policy roundtables with key heads of research from ISS and GL to ensure transparency, dialogue and engagement with the firms. These meetings provide Invesco with an opportunity to assess the firms’ capabilities, conflicts of interest and service levels, as well as provide investment professionals with direct insight into the advisory firms’ stances on key governance and proxy topics and their policy framework/methodologies. Invesco’s proxy administration team also reviews the annual SSAE 16 reports for, and the periodic proxy guideline updates published by, each proxy advisory firm to ensure that their guidelines remain consistent with Invesco’s policies and procedures. Furthermore, each proxy advisory firm completes an annual due diligence questionnaire submitted by Invesco, and Invesco conducts on-site due diligence at each firm, in part to discuss their responses to the questionnaire.

If Invesco becomes aware of any material inaccuracies in the information provided by ISS or GL, Invesco’s proxy administration team will investigate the matter to determine the cause, evaluate the adequacy of the proxy advisory firm’s control structure and assess the efficacy of the measures instituted to prevent further errors.

ISS and GL provide updates to previously issued proxy reports when necessary to incorporate newly available information or to correct factual errors. ISS also has a Feedback Review Board, which provides a mechanism for stakeholders to communicate with ISS about issues related to proxy voting and policy formulation, research, and the accuracy of data contained in ISS reports.

 

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D.

PROXY VOTING GUIDELINES

The following guidelines describe Invesco’s general positions on various common proxy issues. The guidelines are not intended to be exhaustive or prescriptive. Invesco’s proxy process is investor-driven, and each portfolio manager retains ultimate discretion to vote proxies in the manner that he or she deems to be the most appropriate, consistent with the proxy voting principles and philosophy discussed in the Invesco Global Proxy Policy. Individual proxy votes therefore will differ from these guidelines from time to time.

 

I.

Corporate Governance

Management teams of companies are accountable to the boards of directors and directors of publicly held companies are accountable to shareholders. Invesco endeavors to vote the proxies of companies in a manner that will reinforce the notion of a board’s accountability. Consequently, Invesco generally votes against any actions that would impair the rights of shareholders or would reduce shareholders’ influence over the board.

The following are specific voting issues that illustrate how Invesco applies this principle of accountability.

Elections of directors

In uncontested director elections for companies that do not have a controlling shareholder, Invesco generally votes in favor of slates if they are comprised of at least a majority of independent directors and if the boards’ key committees are fully independent. Key committees include the audit, compensation and governance or nominating Committees. Invesco’s standard of independence excludes directors who, in addition to the directorship, have any material business or family relationships with the companies they serve. Contested director elections are evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Director performance

Invesco generally withholds votes from directors who exhibit a lack of accountability to shareholders, either through their level of attendance at meetings or by adopting or approving egregious corporate-governance or other policies. In cases of material financial restatements, accounting fraud, habitually late filings, adopting shareholder rights plan (“poison pills”) without shareholder approval, or other areas of poor performance, Invesco may withhold votes from some or all of a company’s directors. In situations where directors’ performance is a concern, Invesco may also support shareholder proposals to take corrective actions, such as so-called “clawback” provisions.

Auditors and Audit Committee members

Invesco believes a company’s audit committee has a high degree of responsibility to shareholders in matters of financial disclosure, integrity of the financial statements and effectiveness of a company’s internal controls. Independence, experience and financial expertise are critical elements of a well-functioning audit committee. When electing directors who are members of a company’s audit committee, or when ratifying a company’s auditors, Invesco considers the past performance of the committee and holds its members accountable for the quality of the company’s financial statements and reports.

Majority standard in director elections

The right to elect directors is the single most important mechanism shareholders have to promote accountability. Invesco supports the nascent effort to reform the U.S. convention of electing directors, and generally votes in favor of proposals to elect directors by a majority vote.

Staggered Boards/Annual Election of Directors

Invesco generally supports proposals to elect each director annually rather than electing directors to staggered multi-year terms because annual elections increase a board’s level of accountability to its shareholders.

Supermajority voting requirements

Unless required by law in the state of incorporation, Invesco generally votes against actions that would impose any supermajority voting requirement, and generally supports actions to dismantle existing supermajority requirements.

Responsiveness of Directors

Invesco generally withholds votes for directors who do not adequately respond to shareholder proposals that were approved by a majority of votes cast the prior year.

Cumulative voting

The practice of cumulative voting can enable minority shareholders to have representation on a company’s board. Invesco generally supports proposals to institute the practice of cumulative voting at companies whose overall corporate-governance standards indicate a particular need to protect the interests of minority shareholders.

 

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Proxy access

Invesco generally supports shareholders’ nominations of directors in the proxy statement and ballot because it increases the accountability of the board to shareholders. Invesco will generally consider the proposed minimum period of ownership (e.g., three years), minimum ownership percentage (e.g., three percent), limitations on a proponent’s ability to aggregate holdings with other shareholders and the maximum percentage of directors who can be nominated when determining how to vote on proxy access proposals.

Shareholder access

On business matters with potential financial consequences, Invesco generally votes in favor of proposals that would increase shareholders’ opportunities to express their views to boards of directors, proposals that would lower barriers to shareholder action and proposals to promote the adoption of generally accepted best practices in corporate governance. Furthermore, Invesco generally votes for shareholder proposals that are designed to protect shareholder rights if a company’s corporate governance standards indicate that such additional protections are warranted.

Exclusive Forum

Invesco generally supports proposals that would designate a specific jurisdiction in company bylaws as the exclusive venue for certain types of shareholder lawsuits in order to reduce costs arising out of multijurisdictional litigation.

 

II.

Compensation and Incentives

Invesco believes properly constructed compensation plans that include equity ownership are effective in creating incentives that induce management and employees of companies to create greater shareholder wealth. Invesco generally supports equity compensation plans that promote the proper alignment of incentives with shareholders’ long-term interests, and generally votes against plans that are overly dilutive to existing shareholders, plans that contain objectionable structural features, and plans that appear likely to reduce the value of the Client’s investment.

Following are specific voting issues that illustrate how Invesco evaluates incentive plans.

Executive compensation

Invesco evaluates executive compensation plans within the context of the company’s performance under the executives’ tenure. Invesco believes independent compensation committees are best positioned to craft executive-compensation plans that are suitable for their company-specific circumstances. Invesco views the election of independent compensation committee members as the appropriate mechanism for shareholders to express their approval or disapproval of a company’s compensation practices. Therefore, Invesco generally does not support shareholder proposals to limit or eliminate certain forms of executive compensation. In the interest of reinforcing the notion of a compensation committee’s accountability to shareholders, Invesco generally supports proposals requesting that companies subject each year’s compensation record to an advisory shareholder vote, or so-called “say on pay” proposals.

Equity-based compensation plans

Invesco generally votes against plans that contain structural features that would impair the alignment of incentives between shareholders and management. Such features include the ability to reprice or reload options without shareholder approval, the ability to issue options below the stock’s current market price, or the ability automatically to replenish shares without shareholder approval.

Employee stock-purchase plans

Invesco generally supports employee stock-purchase plans that are reasonably designed to provide proper incentives to a broad base of employees, provided that the price at which employees may acquire stock is at most a 15 percent discount from the market price.

Severance agreements

Invesco generally votes in favor of proposals requiring advisory shareholder ratification of executives’ severance agreements. However, Invesco generally opposes proposals requiring such agreements to be ratified by shareholders in advance of their adoption. Given the vast differences that may occur in these agreements, some severance agreements are evaluated on an individual basis.

 

III.

Capitalization

Examples of management proposals related to a company’s capital structure include authorizing or issuing additional equity capital, repurchasing outstanding stock, or enacting a stock split or reverse stock split. On requests for additional capital stock, Invesco analyzes the company’s stated reasons for the request. Except where the request could adversely affect the Client’s ownership stake or voting rights, Invesco generally supports a board’s decisions on its needs for additional capital stock. Some capitalization proposals require a case-by-case analysis. Examples of such proposals include authorizing common or preferred stock with special voting rights, or issuing additional stock in connection with an acquisition.

 

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IV.

Mergers, Acquisitions and Other Corporate Actions

Issuers occasionally require shareholder approval to engage in certain corporate actions such as mergers, acquisitions, name changes, dissolutions, reorganizations, divestitures and reincorporations and the votes for these types of corporate actions are generally determined on a case-by-case basis.

 

V.

Anti-Takeover Measures

Practices designed to protect a company from unsolicited bids can adversely affect shareholder value and voting rights, and they potentially create conflicts of interests among directors, management and shareholders. Except under special issuer-specific circumstances, Invesco generally votes to reduce or eliminate such measures. These measures include adopting or renewing “poison pills”, requiring supermajority voting on certain corporate actions, classifying the election of directors instead of electing each director to an annual term, or creating separate classes of common or preferred stock with special voting rights. Invesco generally votes against management proposals to impose these types of measures, and generally votes for shareholder proposals designed to reduce such measures. Invesco generally supports shareholder proposals directing companies to subject their anti-takeover provisions to a shareholder vote.

 

VI.

Environmental, Social and Corporate Responsibility Issues

Invesco believes that a company’s response to environmental, social and corporate responsibility issues and the risks attendant to them can have a significant effect on its long-term shareholder value. Invesco recognizes that to manage a corporation effectively, directors and management must consider not only the interest of shareholders, but also the interests of employees, customers, suppliers and creditors, among others. While Invesco generally affords management discretion with respect to the operation of a company’s business, Invesco will evaluate such proposals on a case-by-case basis and will vote proposals relating to these issues in a manner intended to maximize long-term shareholder value.

 

VII.

Routine Business Matters

Routine business matters rarely have the potential to have a material effect on the economic prospects of Clients’ holdings, so Invesco generally supports a board’s discretion on these items. However, Invesco generally votes against proposals where there is insufficient information to make a decision about the nature of the proposal. Similarly, Invesco generally votes against proposals to conduct other unidentified business at shareholder meetings.

 

E.

EXCEPTIONS

Client Maintains Right to Vote Proxies

In the case of institutional or sub-advised Clients, Invesco will vote the proxies in accordance with these guidelines and the Invesco Global Proxy Policy, unless the Client retains in writing the right to vote or the named fiduciary of a Client (e.g., the plan sponsor of an ERISA Client) retains in writing the right to direct the plan trustee or a third party to vote proxies.

Voting for Certain Investment Strategies

For cash sweep investment vehicles selected by a Client but for which Invesco has proxy voting authority over the account and where no other Client holds the same securities, Invesco will vote proxies based on ISS recommendations.

Funds of Funds

Some Invesco Funds offering diversified asset allocation within one investment vehicle own shares in other Invesco Funds. A potential conflict of interest could arise if an underlying Invesco Fund has a shareholder meeting with any proxy issues to be voted on, because Invesco’s asset-allocation funds or target-maturity funds may be large shareholders of the underlying fund. In order to avoid any potential for a conflict, the asset-allocation funds and target maturity funds vote their shares in the same proportion as the votes of the external shareholders of the underlying fund.

 

F.

POLICIES AND VOTE DISCLOSURE

A copy of these guidelines, the Invesco Global Proxy Policy and the voting record of each Invesco Retail Fund are available on Invesco’s web site, www.invesco.com. In accordance with Securities and Exchange Commission regulations, all Invesco Funds file a record of all proxy-voting activity for the prior 12 months ending June 30th. That filing is made on or before August 31st of each year. In the case of institutional and sub-advised Clients, Clients may contact their client service representative to request information about how Invesco voted proxies on their behalf. Absent specific contractual guidelines, such requests may be made on a semi-annual basis.

 

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APPENDIX C

Regular Holidays for Various Securities Markets and Settlement Periods Greater than Seven Days for Calendar Year 2019

The dates in the calendar year 2019 (the only dates which are available as of this SAI) of the regular holidays affecting the securities markets of various countries (including those days where markets close early or open late), as well as the dates of the regular holidays in calendar year 2019 that may cause settlement periods to be greater than seven days including the potential worse-case settlement dates, are as follows. Holidays are subject to change without further notice.

 

Country

   JAN    FEB    MAR    APR    MAY    JUN   JUL   AUG   SEP   OCT    NOV   DEC

Albania

   1,2       14,22    22,29    1    5*     12*   5      28,29   9,25

Argentina

   1       4,5    18,19    1    20     19     14    6,18   25

Australia

   1,28       4,11    19,22,23,25    6,27    3,10     5,14   30   7    5   24-26,31

Austria

   1          19,22    1    10              24-26,31

Bahrain**

   1             1    4*-6*     11*-13*   8*,9*        16,17

Bangladesh

      21    17,26    14,21    1    2*,4*-6*   1   11*-13*,15   10*   8    10*   16,25,31

Belgium

   1          19,22    1                 24-26,31

Benin

   1          22    1,30    4*,10     7,12*,15        1,15   25

Bermuda

   1          19    31    17     1,2   2      4,11   25,26

Bosnia and Herzegovina Fed of.

   1,2       1    22    1-3    3,4     12        25   25

Botswana

   1,2          19,22    1,30      1,2,15,16     30   1      25,26

Brazil

   1,25       4-6    19    1    20   9          15,20   25

Bulgaria

   1       4    19,22,26,29    1,6,24          6,23        24-26

Burkina Faso

   1          22    1,30    4*,10     7,12*,15        1,15   25

Canada

   1,2    18       19    20    24   1   5   2   14    11   25,26

Chile

   1          19    1,21      16   15   18-20   31    1   25,31

China

   1    4-8       5    1    7       13   1-4,7     

China Connect – Bond Connect

   1    4-8       5    1    7       13   1-4,7     

China Connect – Stock Connect

   1    4-8       5,18,19,22    1,10,13    7,28   1     13   1-4,7      24-26

Colombia

   1,7       25    18,19    1    3,24   1   7,19     14    4,11   25

Costa Rica

   1          11,18,19    1      25   2,15          25

Croatia

   1          19,22    1    20,25     5,15     8    1   24-26,31

Cyprus

   1       11,25    1,19,22,26,29,30    1    17     15     1,28      24-26

Czech Republic

   1          19,22    1,8      5       28      24-26

Denmark

   1          18,19,22    17,30,31    5,10              24-26,31

Egypt**

   1,7          25,28,29    1    4*,5*   1*,23   11*,12*     6     

Estonia

   1          19,22    1,30    24     20          24-26,31

Eswatini

   1          19,22,25    1,30      22*     2*,6*        25,26

Euromarkets

   1                             25

Finland

   1          19,22    1,30    21              6,24-26,31

France

   1          19,22    1                 24-26,31

Georgia, Republic of

   1,2,7       8    9,26,29    9        28     14     

Germany

   1          19,22    1    10         3      24-26,31

Ghana

   1,7       6    19,22    1,27    5*   1   12*          6,25,26

Greece

   1       11,25    19,22,26,29    1    17     15     28      24-26

Guinea-Bissau

   1          22    1,30    4*,10     7,12*,15        1,15   25

Hong-Kong

   1    4-7       5,19,22    1,13    7   1       1,7      24-26,31

Hungary

   1       15    19,22    1    10     19,20     23    1   24-27

Iceland

   1          18,19,22,25    1,30    10,17     5          24-26,31

India

      19    4,21    17,19    1    5     12,15   2,10   2,8,28    12   25

Indonesia

   1    5    7    3,19    1,30    3-7              24,25,31

Ireland

   1          19,22    1,6    3     5     28      25,26

Israel**

         21    9,21-25    8,9    9     11   29,30   1,8,9,13     
                              
                          17,20,21     

Italy

   1          19,22    1        15          24-26,31

Ivory Coast

   1          22    1,30    5*,10     7,12*,15        1,15   25

Japan

   1-3,14    11    21    29,30    1-3,6      15   12   16,23   14,22    4   31

 

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Country

   JAN    FEB    MAR    APR   MAY   JUN   JUL   AUG   SEP   OCT   NOV   DEC

Jordan**

   1            1   4*-6*     11*-14*         25

Kazakhstan

   1,2,7       8,21,22,25      1,7,9,10     8   30         2,16,17

Kenya

   1          19,22   1   5*     21*     10,21     12,25,26

Korea, Republic of

   1    4-6    1      1,6   6     15     12,13   3,9   25,31

Kuwait**

   1    25,26       4     5*,6*     11*-13*   1*   10*    

Latvia

   1          19,22   1,6,30   24           18   24-26,31

Lithuania

   1       11    19,22   1,30   24           1   24-26,31

Luxembourg

   1          19,22   1             1   24-26,31

Malawi

   1,15       4    19,22   1,14   4*   8       15     25,26

Malaysia

   1,21    1,4-6         1,20,22   4*-6*     12*   2,9,16   28*     25

Mali

   1          22   1,30   4*,10     7,12*,15       1,15   25

Mauritius

   1,2,21    1,5    4,12      1   5*       3     1   25

Mexico

   1    4       18   18,19   1       16     18   12,25

Morocco

   1,11            1   4*,5*   30   12*,13*,14,20,21   2*     6,11*,12*  

Namibia

   1       21    19,22   1,30   17     9,26   24       10,16,25,26

Netherlands

   1          19,22   1               24-26,31

New Zealand

   1,2    6       19,22,25     3         28     25,26

Niger

   1          22   1,30   4*,10     7,12*,15       1,15   25

Nigeria

   1          19,22   1   4*,5*,12     12     1     25,26

Norway

   1          17-19,22   1,17,30   10             24-26,31

Oman**

   1          3*     5*,6*   23*   11*-15*   1*     10*,18*,19*  

Pakistan

   1    5         1,6*   5*-7*   1   12*,13*,14   9*,10*       25

Panama

   1,9       5    18,19   1             4,5,11,28   9,25

Peru

   1          18,19   1     29   30     8   1   25

Philippines

   1    5,25       9,18,19   1   12     21,26       1   24,25,30,31

Poland

   1          19,22   1,3   20     15       1,11   24-26,31

Portugal

   1          19,22   1               24-26,31

Qatar**

   1    12    3        4*-6*     11*-13*         18

Romania

   1,2,24          26,29   1   17     15         25,26

Russia

   1-4,7,8       8      1-3,9,10   12           4  

Saudi Arabia**

                6*,9*,10*     12*-15*   23*      

Singapore

   1    5,6       19   1,20   5     9,12     28     25

Slovak Republic

   1          19,22   1,8     5   29       1