485APOS 1 d796944d485apos.htm FORM 485APOS Form 485APOS
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As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 26, 2019

File Nos. 333-164077

811-22375

U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

Form N-1A

 

 

REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

 
 

Post-Effective Amendment No. 80

 
 

And

 
 

REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE INVESTMENT
COMPANY ACT OF 1940

 
 

Amendment No. 82

 

PIMCO Equity Series

(Exact name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

650 Newport Center Drive

Newport Beach, California 92660

(Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)

Registrant’s Telephone Number, including Area Code:

(888) 877-4626

 

Robert W. Helm, Esq.

Douglas P. Dick, Esq.

Dechert LLP

1900 K Street, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20006

 

Peter G. Strelow

Pacific Investment Management Company LLC

650 Newport Center Drive

Newport Beach, California 92660

(Name and Address of Agent for Service)

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)(1)   ☐  on (date) pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)
☒  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.

 


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EXPLANATORY NOTE

This Post-Effective Amendment No. 80 to the Registration Statement of PIMCO Equity Series (the “Trust” or the “Registrant”) on Form N-1A (File No. 333-164077) (the “Amendment”) is being filed pursuant to Rule 485(a) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, to register shares of the PIMCO RAFI ESG U.S. ETF, a new series of the Registrant. This Amendment does not affect the currently effective prospectuses and Statements of Additional Information for other series and classes of the Trust’s shares not included herein.

 


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Subject to Completion
Preliminary Prospectus dated August 26, 2019

PIMCO Equity Series

Prospectus

[ ]

TICKER

EXCHANGE

SMART BETA

PIMCO RAFI ESG U.S. ETF

[ ]

NYSE Arca

THE INFORMATION IN THIS PROSPECTUS IS NOT COMPLETE AND MAY BE CHANGED. SHARES OF THE FUND MAY NOT BE SOLD UNTIL THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT FILED WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION IS EFFECTIVE. THIS PROSPECTUS IS NOT AN OFFER TO SELL THESE CLASSES OF SECURITIES AND IS NOT SOLICITING AN OFFER TO BUY THESE SECURITIES IN ANY STATE WHERE THE OFFER OR SALE IS NOT PERMITTED.

Beginning on January 1, 2021, as permitted by regulations adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission, paper copies of the Fund's annual and semi-annual shareholder reports will no longer be sent by mail from the financial intermediary, such as a broker-dealer or bank, which offers the Fund unless you specifically request paper copies of the reports from the financial intermediary. Instead, the shareholder reports will be made available on a website, and the financial intermediary will notify you by mail each time a report is posted and provide you with a website link to access the report. Instructions for requesting paper copies will be provided by your financial intermediary.

If you already elected to receive shareholder reports electronically, you will not be affected by this change and you need not take any action. You may elect to receive shareholder reports and other communications from the financial intermediary electronically by following the instructions provided by the financial intermediary.

You may elect to receive all future reports in paper free of charge from the financial intermediary. You should contact the financial intermediary if you wish to continue receiving paper copies of your shareholder reports. Your election to receive reports in paper will apply to all funds held in your account at the financial intermediary.

Neither the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission nor the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission has approved or disapproved these securities, or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.




 

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Page

Fund Summary

1

PIMCO RAFI ESG U.S. ETF

1

Description of Principal Risks

4

Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings

9

Management of the Fund

10

Buying and Selling Shares

12

How Net Asset Value is Determined

13

Fund Distributions

14

Tax Consequences

14

Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment Techniques

15

Underlying Index

21

Disclaimers

22

Financial Highlights

23


 



PIMCO RAFI ESG U.S. ETF

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks to provide total return that closely corresponds, before fees and expenses, to the total return of the RAFI ESG US Index.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund. 

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment): N/A

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

[ ]%

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(2)

[ ]%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

[ ]%

 

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

2 Pacific Investment Management Company LLC ("PIMCO") has contractually agreed, through [ ], to waive its management fee, or reimburse the Fund, to the extent that organizational expenses, pro rata share of expenses related to obtaining or maintaining a Legal Entity Identifier and pro rata Trustees' fees exceed 0.0049% of the Fund's average net assets (the "Expense Limit"). Under the Expense Limitation Agreement, which renews annually for a full year unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days' notice prior to the end of the contract term, PIMCO may recoup these waivers and reimbursements in future periods, not exceeding three years, provided that organizational expenses, pro rata share of expenses related to obtaining or maintaining a Legal Entity Identifier and pro rata Trustees' fees, plus recoupment, do not exceed the Expense Limit.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the costs of investing in other exchange-traded funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated, and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund's operating expenses remain the same. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Fund shares, which are not reflected in the Example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

1 Year

3 Years

$[ ]

$[ ]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund's performance. The Fund has not yet commenced operations as of the most recent fiscal year end. Thus, no portfolio turnover rate is provided for the Fund.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances at least 80% of its total assets (exclusive of collateral held from securities lending) in the component securities ("Component Securities") of the RAFI ESG US Index (the "Underlying Index"). The Fund may invest the remainder of its assets in cash, securities and instruments that are not Component Securities, but which the Fund's sub-adviser, Parametric Portfolio Associates LLC ("Sub-Adviser"), believes will help the Fund track its Underlying Index. The Underlying Index is a long-only, smart beta index that seeks to achieve the dual objectives of social responsibility and long-horizon outperformance of the broad market.

The Underlying Index is constructed by RAFI Indices, LLC (the "Index Provider") using a rules-based approach within publicly traded U.S. equities to create an integrated ESG strategy which overweights companies that rate well across various ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) themes and excludes companies with a major involvement in industries such as tobacco, gaming, weapons and fossil fuels. The strategy supplements traditional ESG metrics with metrics linked to long-term value creation, specifically financial discipline and diversity, for improved return potential.

The Underlying Index applies the Fundamental Index™ approach, a smart beta strategy built on the principles of contrarian indexing and disciplined rebalancing. The universe for the Underlying Index construction process starts with all common equity securities traded on U.S. primary exchanges, which meet and pass minimum liquidity and investability (capacity) requirements, issued by companies that are assigned to the United States by the Index Provider. Eligible securities are then determined by selecting companies based on fundamental weight, calculated using four accounting measures from company financial statements: (i) de-levered sales, calculated as company sales averaged over the past five years multiplied by the ratio of average equity to average assets; (ii) cash flow, taken as the company operating cash flow averaged over the past five years; (iii) dividend plus buybacks, calculated using the average dividends paid and share buybacks over the past five years; and (iv) book value, taken as the most recent company book value. At each annual reconstitution, companies that rank in the top 86% of cumulative fundamental weight constitute the large/mid company universe.

The Underlying Index uses five signals to determine a company's overall ESG score: environment, social, governance, diversity and financial discipline. The environment, social, governance and diversity scores are determined using data provided by a third-party ESG data and ratings provider (the "ESG Data Provider"). The ESG Data Provider assesses hundreds of different factors within a framework of sustainability criteria based on international standards in determining the environment, social and governance scores. The ESG Data Provider also considers numerous different metrics relating to gender diversity in determining the diversity scores. The financial discipline score is determined by the Index Provider and is intended to identify companies with high profitability, low investment, low issuance and low accruals. To construct the Underlying Index, companies are sorted in descending order by their environment, social, governance, diversity and financial discipline scores, respectively. Companies in the bottom 10% by fundamental weight, for each respective signal, are

 



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PIMCO RAFI ESG U.S. ETF

excluded. In addition, companies classified by the ESG Data Provider as having major involvement in the following areas are excluded: tobacco, gambling, weapons - civilian firearms and military, fossil fuels, coal, tar sands and oil shale. Selected companies are weighted by their fundamental weight, adjusted by the companies' respective overall ESG scores. As of [ ], the Underlying Index consisted of [ ] Component Securities.

The Underlying Index is reconstituted annually on the last business day of March and rebalanced on a quarterly staggered basis on the last business day of March, June, September and third Friday of December. For example, the Underlying Index will be divided into four identical tranches. At the first quarterly rebalance, the first tranche (i.e., 25% of the Underlying Index) is rebalanced, but the remaining three tranches (i.e., the other 75% of the Underlying Index) are not rebalanced and will continue to drift until the next quarterly rebalance. At the next quarterly rebalance, the second tranche is rebalanced while the other three tranches (including the tranche that was rebalanced at the prior quarter-end) are not rebalanced. This staggered rebalancing is intended to diversify risk and decrease market impact of trading.

The Sub-Adviser uses an indexing approach in managing the Fund's investments. The Fund is expected to employ a replication strategy in seeking to achieve its investment objective. In using this strategy, the Sub-Adviser seeks to replicate the composition and weighting of the Underlying Index by investing all, or substantially all, of the Fund's assets in the Component Securities, holding each Component Security in approximately the same proportion as its weighting in the Underlying Index. However, in some circumstances it may not be possible or practicable to invest all, or substantially all, of the Fund's assets in the Component Securities, in which case the Fund may employ a representative sampling strategy by investing in a combination of Component Securities and other instruments, or in Component Securities but in different proportions as compared to the weighting of the Underlying Index, such that the portfolio effectively provides exposure to the Underlying Index. In using a representative sampling strategy, the Fund may not track its Underlying Index with the same degree of accuracy as a fund that replicates the composition and weighting of the Underlying Index. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not attempt to outperform the index the Fund tracks. An indexing approach may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform its Underlying Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs by keeping portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies.

The Fund may invest, without limitation, in equity and equity-related securities, including common and preferred securities. The Fund may also invest in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements.

The Fund is classified as a "diversified" fund under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act"). However, the Fund may become "non-diversified" solely as a result of a change in the relative market capitalization or index weighting of one or more Component Securities of the Underlying Index. A "non-diversified" fund may invest a greater percentage of its assets in the securities of a single issuer than funds that are "diversified."

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return, are listed below.

New/Small Fund Risk: the risk that a new or smaller fund's performance may not represent how the fund is expected to or may perform in the long term. In addition, new funds have limited operating histories for investors to evaluate and new and smaller funds may not attract sufficient assets to achieve investment and trading efficiencies

Market Trading Risk: the risk that an active secondary trading market for Fund shares does not continue once developed, that the Fund may not continue to meet a listing exchange's trading or listing requirements, or that Fund shares trade at prices other than the Fund's net asset value

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the counterparty to a derivative contract is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. The liquidity of the Fund's shares may be constrained by the liquidity of the Fund's portfolio holdings

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or valuation complexity. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund's returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction. Changes in regulation relating to a fund's use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund's ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund's ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund's performance

 

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Model Risk: the risk that the Fund's investment models used in making investment allocation decisions, including the indexation methodologies used in constructing the Underlying Index, may not adequately take into account certain factors and may result in a decline in the value of an investment in the Fund

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Management and Tracking Error Risk: the risk that the portfolio manager's investment decisions may not produce the desired results or that the Fund's portfolio may not closely track the Underlying Index for a number of reasons. The Fund incurs operating expenses, which are not applicable to the Underlying Index, and the costs of buying and selling securities, especially when rebalancing the Fund's portfolio to reflect changes in the composition of the Underlying Index. Performance of the Fund and the Underlying Index may vary due to asset valuation differences and differences between the Fund's portfolio and the Underlying Index due to legal restrictions, cost or liquidity restraints. The risk that performance of the Fund and the Underlying Index may vary may be heightened during periods of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. In addition, to the extent the Fund uses a representative sampling approach, this approach may cause the Fund to be less correlated to the return of the Underlying Index than if the Fund held all of the securities in the Underlying Index

Indexing Risk: the risk that the Fund is negatively affected by general declines in the asset classes represented by the Underlying Index

Responsible Investing Risk: the risk that, because the Fund's responsible investment strategy may select or exclude securities of certain issuers for reasons other than performance, the Fund may underperform funds that do not utilize a responsible investment strategy. Responsible investing is qualitative and subjective by nature, and there is no guarantee that the criteria utilized by the Sub-Adviser or any judgment exercised by the Sub-Advisor will reflect the beliefs or values of any particular investor

Diversification Risk: the risk that, although the Fund is classified as a "diversified" fund under the 1940 Act, the Fund may become "non-diversified" solely as a result of a change in the relative market capitalization or index weighting of one or more Component Securities of the Underlying Index. Such a change would subject the Fund to the risks associated with "non-diversified" funds, including being more susceptible to risks associated with a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence than a more diversified portfolio might be. A "non-diversified" fund may invest a greater percentage of its assets in the securities of a single issuer than funds that are "diversified"

Please see "Description of Principal Risks" in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The Fund does not have a full calendar year of performance. Thus, no bar chart or Average Annual Total Returns table is included for the Fund. Once the Fund commences operations, performance will be updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained at www.pimcoetfs.com.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. Parametric Portfolio Associates LLC serves as the Fund's sub-adviser. The Fund's portfolio is managed by Thomas Seto. Mr. Seto is the Head of Investment Management and a Managing Director of Parametric Portfolio Associates LLC, and he will manage the Fund as of its inception.

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

The Fund is an exchange-traded fund ("ETF"). Individual Fund shares may only be purchased or sold on a national securities exchange through a broker-dealer and may not be purchased or redeemed directly with the Fund. The price of Fund shares is based on market price, and because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than net asset value ("NAV"), shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (a premium) or less than NAV (a discount). The Fund will only issue or redeem shares at NAV that have been aggregated into blocks of [ ] shares or multiples thereof ("Creation Units") with certain large institutional investors who have entered into agreements with the Fund's Distributor ("Authorized Participants"). The Fund will issue or redeem Creation Units in return for a basket of cash and/or securities that the Fund specifies each Business Day.

Tax Information

The Fund's distributions are generally taxable to you as ordinary income, capital gains, or a combination of the two, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account, in which case distributions may be taxable upon withdrawal.

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

If you purchase Fund shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary, PIMCO or other related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares or related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary's website for more information.

Summary Information About the Fund

This prospectus describes the PIMCO RAFI ESG U.S. ETF (the "Fund") offered by PIMCO Equity Series (the "Trust"). The Fund provides access to the professional investment advisory services offered by PIMCO. PIMCO has engaged Parametric Portfolio Associates LLC ("Parametric" or "Sub-Adviser") to serve as sub-adviser to the Fund.

 

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PIMCO RAFI ESG U.S. ETF

ETFs are funds that trade like other publicly-traded securities and may be designed to track an index or to be actively managed. Similar to shares of an index mutual fund, each share of the Fund represents a partial ownership of the fund which owns an underlying portfolio of securities intended to track an index. Unlike shares of a mutual fund, which can be bought from and redeemed by the issuing fund by all shareholders at a price based on NAV, shares of the Fund may be directly purchased from and redeemed by the Fund at NAV solely by Authorized Participants. Also unlike shares of a mutual fund, shares of ETFs are listed on a national securities exchange and trade in the secondary market at market prices that change throughout the day.

Once operational, shares of the Fund are listed and traded at market prices on NYSE Arca, Inc. ("NYSE Arca") and other secondary markets. The market price for the Fund's shares may be different from the Fund's NAV. The Fund issues and redeems shares at NAV only in Creation Units. Only Authorized Participants may purchase or redeem Creation Units directly with the Fund at NAV. These transactions are in exchange for securities and/or cash. Except when aggregated in Creation Units, shares of the Fund are not redeemable securities. Shareholders who are not Authorized Participants may not purchase or redeem shares directly from the Fund.

If the Fund were to effect redemptions with an Authorized Participant primarily for cash, the Fund may be required to sell portfolio securities in order to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. The sale of portfolio securities could cause the Fund to recognize gains that it might not otherwise have recognized if redemptions were effected in-kind, or to recognize such gain sooner than would otherwise be required. Such gains will generally be distributed to shareholders to avoid taxation at the Fund level and to ensure compliance with other special tax rules that apply to the Fund. Moreover, the sale of portfolio securities will generally subject the Fund to transaction costs, which may be partially or totally offset by the variable transaction fee charged by the Fund to redeeming Authorized Participants.

The Fund invests in a particular segment of the securities markets and seeks to track the performance of an index that is not representative of the broader securities markets. An investment in the Fund alone should not constitute an entire investment program. This prospectus explains what you should know about the Fund before you invest. Please read it carefully. Certain affiliates of the Fund and PIMCO may purchase and resell Fund shares pursuant to this prospectus.

The Fund fact sheet provides additional information regarding the Fund and may be requested by calling 1.888.400.4ETF (1.888.400.4383).

Description of Principal Risks

The value of your investment in the Fund changes with the market price of the Fund's shares determined in the secondary market. Market price may be determined, in part, by the values of the Fund's investments. Many factors can affect those values. The factors that are most likely to have a material effect on the Fund's portfolio as a whole are called "principal risks." The principal risks of the Fund are identified in the Fund Summary. The principal risks are described in more detail in this section. The Fund may be subject to additional risks other than those identified and described below because the types of investments made by the Fund can change over time. Securities and investment techniques mentioned in this summary that appear in bold type are described in greater detail under "Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment Techniques." That section and "Investment Objectives and Policies" in the Statement of Additional Information (the "SAI") also include more information about the Fund, its investments and the related risks. There is no guarantee that the Fund will be able to achieve its investment objective. It is possible to lose money by investing in the Fund.

New/Small Fund Risk

A new or smaller Fund's performance may not represent how the Fund is expected to or may perform in the long term if and when it becomes larger and has fully implemented its investment strategies. Investment positions may have a disproportionate impact (negative or positive) on performance in new and smaller Funds. New and smaller Funds may also require a period of time before they are fully invested in securities that meet their investment objectives and policies and achieve a representative portfolio composition. Fund performance may be lower or higher during this "ramp-up" period, and may also be more volatile, than would be the case after the Fund is fully invested. Similarly, a new or smaller Fund's investment strategy may require a longer period of time to show returns that are representative of the strategy. New Funds have limited performance histories for investors to evaluate and new and smaller Funds may not attract sufficient assets to achieve investment and trading efficiencies. If a new or smaller Fund were to fail to successfully implement its investment strategies or achieve its investment objective, performance may be negatively impacted, and any resulting liquidation could create negative transaction costs for the Fund and tax consequences for investors.

Market Trading Risk

The Fund is subject to secondary market trading risks. Once operational, shares of the Fund are listed for trading on an exchange, however, there can be no guarantee that an active trading market for such shares will develop or continue. Shares of the Fund may be listed or traded on U.S. and foreign (non-U.S.) exchanges other than the Fund's primary U.S. listing exchange. There can be no guarantee that the Fund's shares will continue trading on any exchange or in any market or that the Fund's shares will continue to meet the listing or trading requirements of any exchange or market. The Fund's shares may experience higher trading volumes on one exchange as compared to another and investors are subject to the execution and settlement risks of the market where their broker directs trades.

Secondary market trading in the Fund's shares may be halted by an exchange because of market conditions. Pursuant to exchange or market

 

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rules, trading in the Fund's shares on an exchange or in any market may be subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility. If secondary market trading is halted or an exchange closes earlier than anticipated, you may be unable to purchase or sell Fund shares. There can be no guarantee that the Fund's exchange listing or ability to trade its shares will continue or remain unchanged. In the event the Fund ceases to be listed on an exchange, the Fund may cease operating as an "exchange-traded" fund and operate as a mutual fund, provided that shareholders are given advance notice.

Buying or selling the Fund's shares on an exchange may require the payment of brokerage commissions. In addition, you may also incur the cost of the spread (the difference between the bid price and the ask price). The commission is frequently a fixed amount and may be a significant cost for investors seeking to buy or sell small amounts of shares. The spread varies over time for shares of the Fund based on its trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally less if the Fund has more trading volume and market liquidity and more if the Fund has less trading volume and market liquidity. Due to the costs inherent in buying or selling the Fund's shares, frequent trading may detract significantly from investment returns. Investment in the Fund's shares may not be advisable for investors who expect to engage in frequent trading.

Shares of the Fund may trade on an exchange at prices at, above or below its most recent NAV. The market prices of Fund shares will fluctuate, sometimes rapidly and materially, in response to changes in the Fund's NAV, the value of Fund holdings and supply and demand for Fund shares. Although the creation/redemption feature of the Fund generally makes it more likely that Fund shares will trade close to NAV, market volatility, lack of an active trading market for Fund shares, disruptions at market participants (such as Authorized Participants or market makers) and any disruptions in the ordinary functioning of the creation/redemption process may result in Fund shares trading significantly above (at a "premium") or below (at a "discount") NAV. Additionally, to the extent the Fund holds securities traded in markets that close at a different time from the Fund's listing exchange, liquidity in such securities may be reduced after the applicable closing times, and during the time when the Fund's listing exchange is open but after the applicable market closing, fixing or settlement times, bid/ask spreads and the resulting premium or discount to the Fund's shares' NAV may widen. You may be unable to sell your shares or may incur significant losses if you transact in Fund shares in these and other circumstances. Neither PIMCO nor the Trust can predict whether Fund shares will trade above, below or at NAV. The Fund's investment results are based on the Fund's daily NAV. Investors transacting in Fund shares in the secondary market, where market prices may differ from NAV, may experience investment results that differ from results based on the Fund's daily NAV. There are various methods by which investors can purchase and sell shares and various orders that may be placed. Investors should consult their financial intermediary before purchasing or selling shares of the Fund.

The Fund has a limited number of intermediaries that act as Authorized Participants, and none of these Authorized Participants are or will be obligated to engage in creation or redemption transactions. To the extent that these intermediaries exit the business or are unable to or choose not to proceed with creation and/or redemption orders with respect to the Fund and no other Authorized Participant is able and willing to create or redeem, shares may trade at a discount to NAV and possibly face trading halts and/ or delisting. Additionally, while Fund shares are listed for trading on an exchange, there can be no assurance that active trading markets for Fund shares will be maintained by market makers or Authorized Participants. Decisions by market makers or Authorized Participants to reduce their role or "step away" from these activities in times of market stress may inhibit the effectiveness of the creation/redemption process in maintaining the relationship between the underlying value of the Fund's holdings and the Fund's NAV. Such reduced effectiveness could result in the Fund's shares trading at a discount to its NAV and also in greater than normal intraday bid/ask spreads for the Fund's shares. Securities that trade outside of a collateralized settlement system may require a longer time to settle than ETF shares, and ETFs that invest in such instruments often require Authorized Participants to post collateral. To the extent the Fund holds such securities, there are a limited number of financial institutions that post collateral as Authorized Participants for certain types of trades.

Equity Risk

Equity securities represent an ownership interest, or the right to acquire an ownership interest, in an issuer. Equity securities also include, among other things, preferred securities, convertible stocks and warrants. The values of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company, such as real or perceived adverse economic conditions, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates or adverse investor sentiment generally. They may also decline due to factors which affect a particular industry or industries, such as labor shortages or increased production costs and competitive conditions within an industry. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities. These risks are generally magnified in the case of equity investments in distressed companies.

Credit Risk

The Fund could lose money if the counterparty to a derivatives contract, repurchase agreement or a loan of portfolio securities, is unable or unwilling, or is perceived (whether by market participants, rating agencies, pricing services or otherwise) as unable or unwilling, to make timely principal and/or interest payments, or to otherwise honor its obligations. The downgrade of the credit of a security held by the Fund may decrease its value. Securities are subject to varying degrees of credit risk, which are often reflected in credit ratings. Measures such as average credit quality may not accurately reflect the true credit risk of the Fund. This is especially the case if the Fund consists of securities with widely varying credit ratings. Therefore, if the Fund has an average credit rating that suggests a certain credit quality, the Fund may in fact be subject to greater credit risk than the average would suggest. This risk is greater to the extent the Fund uses leverage or derivatives in connection with the management of the Fund.

Market Risk

The market price of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. Securities may decline in value due to

 

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factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries represented in the securities markets. The value of a security may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company, such as real or perceived adverse economic conditions, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates, adverse changes to credit markets or adverse investor sentiment generally. The value of a security may also decline due to factors which affect a particular industry or industries, such as labor shortages or increased production costs and competitive conditions within an industry. During a general downturn in the securities markets, multiple asset classes may decline in value simultaneously. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities. Credit ratings downgrades may also negatively affect securities held by the Fund. Even when markets perform well, there is no assurance that the investments held by the Fund will increase in value along with the broader market. In addition, market risk includes the risk that geopolitical events will disrupt the economy on a national or global level. For instance, terrorism, market manipulation, government defaults, government shutdowns, political changes or diplomatic developments and natural/environmental disasters can all negatively impact the securities markets, which could cause the Fund to lose value. Any market disruptions could also prevent the Fund from executing advantageous investment decisions in a timely manner. Funds that have focused their investments in a region enduring geopolitical market disruption will face higher risks of loss. Thus, investors should closely monitor current market conditions to determine whether the Fund meets their individual financial needs and tolerance for risk.

Exchanges and securities markets may close early, close late or issue trading halts on specific securities, which may result in, among other things, the Fund being unable to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments at an advantageous time or accurately price its portfolio investments. In addition, the Fund may rely on various third-party sources to calculate its NAV. As a result, the Fund is subject to certain operational risks associated with reliance on service providers and service providers' data sources. In particular, errors or systems failures and other technological issues may adversely impact the Fund's calculations of its NAV, and such NAV calculation issues may result in inaccurately calculated NAVs, delays in NAV calculation and/or the inability to calculate NAVs over extended periods. The Fund may be unable to recover any losses associated with such failures.

Liquidity Risk

Liquidity risk exists when particular investments are difficult to purchase or sell. Illiquid securities are securities that cannot be disposed of within seven days in the ordinary course of business at approximately the value at which the Fund has valued the securities. Illiquid securities may become harder to value, especially in changing markets. The Fund's investments in illiquid securities may reduce the returns of the Fund because it may be unable to sell the illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price, which could prevent the Fund from taking advantage of other investment opportunities. The liquidity of Fund shares may be constrained by the liquidity of the Fund's portfolio holdings. Relative declines in liquidity of the Fund's portfolio holdings may result in Authorized Participants being less willing, or unwilling, to transact in Fund shares in the primary market, which could result in Fund shares trading at a premium or discount to Fund NAV and/or at greater bid/ask spreads. Additionally, the market for certain investments may become illiquid under adverse market or economic conditions independent of any specific adverse changes in the conditions of a particular issuer. Such issues may be exacerbated during periods of economic uncertainty.

In such cases, the Fund, due to limitations on investments in illiquid securities and the difficulty in purchasing and selling such securities or instruments, may be unable to achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. To the extent that the Fund's principal investment strategies involve securities of companies with smaller market capitalizations, foreign (non-U.S.) securities, derivatives or securities with substantial market and/or credit risk, the Fund will tend to have the greatest exposure to liquidity risk. Finally, liquidity risk also refers to the risk of unusually high redemption requests, redemption requests by certain large shareholders such as institutional investors or asset allocators, or other unusual market conditions that may make it difficult for the Fund to sell investments within the allowable time period to meet redemptions. Meeting such redemption requests could require the Fund to sell securities at reduced prices or under unfavorable conditions, which would reduce the value of the Fund. It may also be the case that other market participants may be attempting to liquidate holdings at the same time as the Fund, causing increased supply in the market and contributing to liquidity risk and downward pricing pressure.

Certain accounts or PIMCO affiliates may from time to time own (beneficially or of record) or control a significant percentage of the Fund's shares. Redemptions by these shareholders of their holdings in the Fund may impact the Fund's liquidity and NAV. These redemptions may also force the Fund to sell securities, which may negatively impact the Fund's brokerage costs.

Issuer Risk

The value of a security may decline for a number of reasons which directly relate to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services, as well as the historical and prospective earnings of the issuer and the value of its assets. A change in the financial condition of a single issuer may affect securities markets as a whole.

Derivatives Risk

Derivatives are financial contracts whose value depends on, or is derived from, the value of an underlying asset, reference rate or index. The various derivative instruments that the Fund may use are referenced under "Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment Techniques— Derivatives" in this prospectus and described in more detail under "Investment Objectives and Policies" in the SAI. The Fund typically uses derivatives as a substitute for taking a position in the underlying asset, as part of strategies designed to gain exposure to, for example, issuers, portions of the yield curve, indexes, sectors, currencies, and/or geographic regions, and/or to reduce exposure to other risks, such as interest rate, credit, or currency risk. The Fund may also use derivatives for leverage, in which case their use would involve leveraging risk, and in some cases, may subject the Fund to the potential for unlimited loss. The use of derivatives may cause the Fund's investment returns to be impacted by

 

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the performance of securities the Fund does not own and result in the Fund's total investment exposure exceeding the value of its portfolio.

The Fund's use of derivative instruments involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other traditional investments. Derivatives are subject to a number of risks described elsewhere in this section, such as liquidity risk (which may be heightened for highly-customized derivatives), interest rate risk, market risk, credit risk and management risk, as well as risks arising from changes in applicable requirements. They also involve the risk of mispricing or improper valuation and the risk that changes in the value of the derivative instrument may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset, rate or index. By investing in a derivative instrument, the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested and derivatives may increase the volatility of the Fund, especially in unusual or extreme market conditions. Also, suitable derivative transactions may not be available in all circumstances and there can be no assurance that the Fund will engage in these transactions to reduce exposure to other risks when that would be beneficial or that, if used, such strategies will be successful. In addition, the Fund's use of derivatives may increase or accelerate the amount of taxes payable by shareholders. Over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. For derivatives traded on an exchange or through a central counterparty, credit risk resides with the Fund's clearing broker, or the clearinghouse itself, rather than with a counterparty in an OTC derivative transaction.

Participation in the markets for derivative instruments involves investment risks and transaction costs to which the Fund may not be subject absent the use of these strategies. The skills needed to successfully execute derivative strategies may be different from those needed for other types of transactions. If the Fund incorrectly forecasts the value and/or creditworthiness of securities, currencies, interest rates, counterparties or other economic factors involved in a derivative transaction, the Fund might have been in a better position if the Fund had not entered into such derivative transaction. In evaluating the risks and contractual obligations associated with particular derivative instruments, it is important to consider that certain derivative transactions may be modified or terminated only by mutual consent of the Fund and its counterparty. Therefore, it may not be possible for the Fund to modify, terminate, or offset the Fund's obligations or the Fund's exposure to the risks associated with a derivative transaction prior to its scheduled termination or maturity date, which may create a possibility of increased volatility and/or decreased liquidity to the Fund. In such case, the Fund may lose money.

Because the markets for certain derivative instruments (including markets located in foreign countries) are relatively new and still developing, appropriate derivative transactions may not be available in all circumstances for risk management or other purposes. Upon the expiration of a particular contract, the Fund may wish to retain the Fund's position in the derivative instrument by entering into a similar contract, but may be unable to do so if the counterparty to the original contract is unwilling to enter into the new contract and no other appropriate counterparty can be found. When such markets are unavailable, the Fund will be subject to increased liquidity and investment risk.

When a derivative is used as a hedge against a position that the Fund holds, any loss generated by the derivative generally should be substantially offset by gains on the hedged investment, and vice versa. Although hedging can reduce or eliminate losses, it can also reduce or eliminate gains. Hedges are sometimes subject to imperfect matching between the derivative and the underlying instrument, and there can be no assurance that a Fund's hedging transactions will be effective.

The regulation of the derivatives markets has increased over the past several years, and additional future regulation of the derivatives markets may make derivatives more costly, may limit the availability or reduce the liquidity of derivatives, or may otherwise adversely affect the value or performance of derivatives. Any such adverse future developments could impair the effectiveness or raise the costs of the Fund's derivative transactions, impede the employment of the Fund's derivatives strategies, or adversely affect the Fund's performance.

Model Risk

In constructing the Underlying Index of the Fund, the index provider may utilize quantitative models or methodologies that may be proprietary or developed by third-parties. These models and methodologies are used to help determine the composition of each Underlying Index and may not adequately take into account certain factors, resulting in a decline in the value of the Underlying Index and, therefore, the Fund.

Models rely on accurate financial and market data inputs. If inaccurate data is entered into a model, the resulting information will be incorrect. In addition, the models used may be predictive in nature and such models may result in an incorrect assessment of future events. The models evaluate securities or securities markets based on certain assumptions concerning the interplay of market factors. The markets or the prices of individual securities may be affected by factors not foreseen in developing the models.

Leveraging Risk

Certain transactions may give rise to a form of leverage. Such transactions may include, among others, reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions. The use of derivatives may also create leveraging risk. In accordance with federal securities laws, rules, and staff positions, the Sub-Adviser will mitigate its leveraging risk by segregating or "earmarking" liquid assets or otherwise covering transactions that may give rise to such risk. The Fund also may be exposed to leveraging risk by borrowing money for investment purposes. Leveraging may cause the Fund to liquidate portfolio positions to satisfy its obligations or to meet segregation requirements when it may not be advantageous to do so. Leveraging, including borrowing, may cause the Fund to be more volatile than if the Fund had not been leveraged. This is because leveraging tends to exaggerate the effect of any increase or decrease in the value of the Fund's portfolio securities. Certain types of leveraging transactions, such as short sales that are not "against the box," could theoretically be subject to unlimited losses in cases where the Fund, for any reason, is unable to close out the transaction. In addition, to the

 

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extent the Fund borrows money, interest costs on such borrowings may not be recovered by any appreciation of the securities purchased with the borrowed amounts and could exceed the Fund's investment returns, resulting in greater losses. Moreover, to make payments of interest and other loan costs, the Fund may be forced to sell portfolio securities when it is not otherwise advantageous to do so.

Management and Tracking Error Risk

The Fund is subject to management risk. The Sub-Adviser and each individual portfolio manager will apply investment techniques and risk analysis in making investment decisions for the Fund, but there can be no guarantee that these decisions will produce the desired results. Certain securities or other instruments in which the Fund seeks to invest may not be available in the quantities desired. In addition, regulatory restrictions, actual or potential conflicts of interest or other considerations may restrict or prohibit the Fund's ability to participate in certain investments. In such circumstances, the Sub-Adviser or the individual portfolio managers may determine to purchase other securities or instruments as substitutes. Such substitute securities or instruments may not perform as intended, which could result in losses to the Fund. Additionally, legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to the Sub-Adviser and each individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund and may also adversely affect the ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective. There also can be no assurance that all of the personnel of the Sub-Adviser will continue to be associated with the Sub-Adviser for any length of time. The loss of the services of one or more key employees of the Sub-Adviser could have an adverse impact on the Fund's ability to realize its investment objective.

The Fund may not invest in every component security of its Underlying Index. Imperfect correlation between the Fund's portfolio and its Underlying Index, asset valuation, timing variances, changes to the Underlying Index and regulatory requirements may cause the Fund's performance to diverge from the performance of its Underlying Index. Tracking error may also result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses while its Underlying Index does not incur such fees and expenses. Such expenses include the costs of buying and selling securities, such as when the Fund rebalances its portfolio to reflect changes in the composition of the Underlying Index. These expenses may be higher to the extent the Fund invests in foreign (non-U.S.) securities. The performance of the Fund and the Underlying Index may vary due to differences between the Fund's portfolio and the Underlying Index due to legal restrictions, cost or liquidity restraints. The risk that performance of the Fund and the Underlying Index may vary may be heightened during periods of market volatility or other unusual market conditions. Because an Underlying Index is not subject to the tax diversification requirements to which the Fund must adhere, the Fund may be required to deviate its investments from the securities and relative weightings of its Underlying Index. For tax efficiency purposes, the Fund may sell certain securities to realize losses, which will result in a deviation from its Underlying Index. The Fund may not be fully invested at times either as a result of cash flows into the Fund or reserves of cash held by the Fund to meet redemptions and to pay expenses. In addition, the Fund that uses a representative sampling approach, this approach may cause the Fund to be less correlated with the return of the Underlying Index than if the Fund held all of the securities in the Underlying Index with the same relative weightings as the Underlying Index.

Indexing Risk

The Fund uses an indexing approach and may be affected by a general decline in market segments or asset classes relating to its Underlying Index. The Fund invests in securities and instruments included in, or representative of, its Underlying Index regardless of the investment merits of the Underlying Index. Additionally, errors in the construction or calculation of the Fund's Underlying Index may occur from time to time, and the index provider may not identify or correct such errors for some period of time. Any such Underlying Index construction or calculation error may adversely impact the Fund.

Responsible Investing Risk

The Fund's responsible investment strategy, which may select or exclude securities of certain issuers for reasons other than performance, carries the risk that the Fund may underperform funds that do not utilize a responsible investment strategy. The application of this strategy may affect the Fund's exposure to certain sectors or types of investments, which could negatively impact the Fund's performance. Responsible investing is qualitative and subjective by nature, and there is no guarantee that the criteria utilized by the Sub-Adviser or any judgment exercised by the Sub-Adviser will reflect the beliefs or values of any particular investor. In evaluating a company, the Sub-Adviser is dependent upon information and data obtained through voluntary or third-party reporting that may be incomplete, inaccurate or unavailable, which could cause the Sub-Adviser to incorrectly assess a company's business practices with respect to the environment, social responsibility and corporate governance ("ESG practices"). Socially responsible norms differ by region, and a company's ESG practices or the Sub-Adviser's assessment of a company's ESG practices may change over time. In addition, as a result of the Sub-Adviser's engagement activities, the Fund may purchase securities that do not currently engage in ESG practices to the Sub-Adviser's satisfaction, in an effort to improve an issuer's ESG practices. Successful application of the Fund's responsible investment strategy and the Sub-Adviser's engagement efforts will depend on the Sub-Adviser's skill in properly identifying and analyzing material ESG issues, and there can be no assurance that the strategy or techniques employed will be successful. Past performance is not a guarantee or reliable indicator of future results.

Diversification Risk

The Fund is classified as a "diversified" fund under the 1940 Act. However, the Fund may become "non-diversified" solely as a result of a change in the relative market capitalization or index weighting of one or more Component Securities of the Underlying Index. Such a change would subject the Fund to the risks associated with "non-diversified" funds. A "non-diversified" fund may invest a greater percentage of its assets in the securities of a single issuer than funds that are "diversified." Focusing investments in a small number of issuers increases risk. Funds that invest in a relatively small number of issuers are more susceptible to risks associated with a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence than a more

 

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diversified portfolio might be. Some of those issuers also may present substantial credit or other risks.

Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings

Please see "Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings" in the SAI for information about the availability of the complete schedule of the Fund's holdings.

 

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Management of the Funds

Investment Manager

PIMCO serves as the investment manager for the Fund. Subject to the supervision of the Board of Trustees, PIMCO is responsible for managing the investment activities of the Fund and the Fund's business affairs and other administrative matters.

PIMCO is located at 650 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, CA 92660. Organized in 1971, PIMCO provides investment management and advisory services to private accounts of institutional and individual clients and to mutual funds. As of [ ], PIMCO had approximately $[ ] in assets under management.

Sub-Adviser

PIMCO has engaged Parametric Portfolio Associates LLC ("Parametric"), a Delaware limited liability company, to serve as sub-adviser to the Fund. Parametric was organized in 1987 and is located at 1918 8th Ave #3100, Seattle, WA 98101. As sub-adviser to the Fund, Parametric is responsible for providing, subject to the supervision of PIMCO, investment advisory services to the Fund, including execution of all portfolio transactions on behalf of the Fund necessary to invest the assets of the Fund in the component securities of its Underlying Index.

Please see the SAI for additional information about the services provided by PIMCO and Parametric.

Management Fees

The Fund pays PIMCO fees in return for providing investment advisory, supervisory and administrative services under an all-in fee structure. The Fund will pay monthly Management Fees to PIMCO at the annual rate (stated as a percentage of the average daily net assets of the Fund taken separately) of [ ]%.

In addition to providing investment advisory services, PIMCO provides or procures supervisory and administrative services for shareholders and also bears the costs of various third-party services required by the Fund, including audit, custodial, portfolio accounting, legal, transfer agency and printing costs. The Fund bears other expenses which are not covered under the management fee which may vary and affect the total level of expenses paid by the shareholders, such as taxes and governmental fees, brokerage fees, commissions and other transaction expenses, costs of borrowing money, including interest expenses, securities lending expenses, extraordinary expenses (such as litigation and indemnification expenses) and fees and expenses of the Trust's Independent Trustees and their counsel. PIMCO generally earns a profit on the management fee paid by the Fund. Also, under the terms of the investment management agreement, PIMCO, and not Fund shareholders, would benefit from any price decreases in third-party services, including decreases resulting from an increase in net assets.

A discussion of the basis for the Board of Trustees' approval of the Fund's investment management agreement and sub-advisory agreement will be available in the Fund's first annual or semi-annual report to shareholders.

Expense Limitation Agreement

Pursuant to the Expense Limitation Agreement, PIMCO has agreed to waive its Management Fee, or reimburse the Fund, to the extent that the Fund's organizational expenses, pro rata share of expenses related to obtaining or maintaining a Legal Entity Identifier and pro rata share of Trustee fees exceed 0.0049% (the "Expense Limit") (calculated as a percentage of the Fund's average daily net assets). The Expense Limitation Agreement will automatically renew for one-year terms unless PIMCO provides written notice to the Trust at least 30 days prior to the end of the then current term. In any month in which the investment management agreement is in effect, PIMCO is entitled to reimbursement by the Fund of any portion of the Management Fee waived or reimbursed as set forth above (the "Reimbursement Amount") during the previous thirty-six months, provided that such amount paid to PIMCO will not: 1) together with any organizational expenses, pro rata share of expenses related to obtaining or maintaining a Legal Entity Identifier and pro rata Trustee fees, exceed, for such month, the Expense Limit; 2) exceed the total Reimbursement Amount; or 3) include any amounts previously reimbursed to PIMCO.

 

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Individual Portfolio Manager

The following individual has primary responsibility for managing the Fund.

Fund

Portfolio Manager

Since

Recent Professional Experience

PIMCO RAFI ESG U.S. ETF

Thomas Seto

*

Head of Investment Management and Managing Director, Parametric Portfolio Associates LLC. He is a member of the Executive Committee of Parametric. Prior to joining Parametric in 1998, he served as the Head of U.S. Equity Index Investments at Barclays Global Investors. He earned an MBA in Finance from the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business, and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Washington.

 

* Inception of the Fund.

Please see the SAI for additional information about other accounts managed by the portfolio manager, the portfolio manager's compensation and the portfolio manager's ownership of shares of the Fund.

The Trustees are responsible generally for overseeing the management of the Trust. The Trustees authorize the Trust to enter into service agreements with the investment manager, the Distributor (as defined below) and other service providers in order to provide, and in some cases authorize service providers to procure through other parties, necessary or desirable services on behalf of the Trust and the Fund. Shareholders are not parties to or third-party beneficiaries of such service agreements. Neither this prospectus nor summary prospectus, the Trust's SAI, any contracts filed as exhibits to the Trust's registration statement, nor any other communications, disclosure documents or regulatory filings from or on behalf of the Trust or the Fund creates a contract between or among any shareholder of the Fund, on the one hand, and the Trust, the Fund, a service provider to the Trust or the Fund, and/or the Trustees or officers of the Trust, on the other hand. The Trustees (or the Trust and its officers, service providers or other delegates acting under authority of the Trustees) may amend this, or use a new prospectus, summary prospectus or SAI with respect to the Fund or the Trust, and/or amend, file and/or issue any other communications, disclosure documents or regulatory filings, and may amend or enter into any contracts to which the Trust or the Fund is a party, and interpret the investment objective(s), policies, restrictions and contractual provisions applicable to the Fund, without shareholder input or approval, except in circumstances in which shareholder approval is specifically required by law (such as changes to fundamental investment policies) or where a shareholder approval requirement is specifically disclosed in the Trust's then-current prospectus or SAI.

Distributor

The Trust's Distributor is PIMCO Investments LLC (the "Distributor"). The Distributor, located at 1633 Broadway, New York, NY 10019, is a broker-dealer registered with the SEC. The Distributor distributes Creation Units for the Fund and does not maintain a secondary market in shares of the Fund.

Distribution and Servicing Plan

The Trust has adopted a Distribution and Servicing Plan (the "12b-1 Plan") for shares of the Fund pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act"). The 12b-1 Plan permits compensation in connection with the distribution and marketing of Fund shares and/or the provision of certain shareholder services. The 12b-1 Plan permits the Fund to pay compensation at an annual rate of up to [ ]% of the Fund's average daily net assets. However, the Board of Trustees has determined not to authorize payment of a 12b-1 Plan fee at this time.

The 12b-1 fee may only be imposed or increased when the Board of Trustees determines that it is in the best interests of shareholders to do so. Because these fees are paid out of the Fund's assets on an ongoing basis, to the extent that a fee is authorized, over time they will increase the cost of an investment in the Fund. The 12b-1 Plan fee may cost an investor more than other types of sales charges.

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

PIMCO and/or the Distributor ("PIMCO Entities") may make payments to broker-dealers or other financial intermediaries (each, an "Intermediary") related to activities that are designed to make registered representatives, other professionals and individual investors more knowledgeable about the Fund or for other activities, such as participation in marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, the support of technology platforms and/or reporting systems. PIMCO Entities may also make payments to Intermediaries for certain printing, publishing and mailing costs associated with the Fund or materials relating to ETFs in general. In addition, PIMCO Entities may make payments to Intermediaries that make Fund shares available to their clients or for otherwise promoting the Fund. Such payments, which may be significant to the Intermediary, are not made by the Fund. Rather, such payments are made by PIMCO Entities from their own resources, which may come directly or indirectly in part from management fees paid by the Fund. Payments of this type are sometimes referred to as marketing support or revenue-sharing payments. An Intermediary may make decisions about which investment options it recommends or makes available, or the level of services provided, to its customers based on the marketing support payments it is eligible to receive. Therefore, such payments to an Intermediary create conflicts of interest between the Intermediary and its customers and may cause the Intermediary to recommend the Fund over another investment. More information regarding these payments is contained in the SAI. A shareholder should contact his or her Intermediary's salesperson or other investment professional for more information regarding any such payments the Intermediary firm may receive from PIMCO Entities.

 

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Buying and Selling Shares

Shares of the Fund are listed for trading on a national securities exchange during the trading day. Shares can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like shares of other publicly traded companies. However, there can be no guarantee that an active trading market will develop or be maintained, or that the Fund shares listing will continue or remain unchanged. The Trust does not impose any minimum investment for shares of the Fund purchased on an exchange. Buying or selling the Fund's shares involves certain costs that apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling shares of the Fund through a financial intermediary, you may incur a brokerage commission or other charges determined by your financial intermediary. Due to these brokerage costs, if any, frequent trading may detract significantly from investment returns. In addition, you may also incur the cost of the spread (the difference between the bid price and the ask price). The commission is frequently a fixed amount and may be a significant cost for investors seeking to buy or sell small amounts of shares. The spread varies over time for shares of the Fund based on its trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally less if the Fund has more trading volume and market liquidity and more if the Fund has less trading volume and market liquidity.

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

The Trust's Board of Trustees has not adopted a policy of monitoring for frequent purchases and redemptions of Fund shares ("frequent trading") that appear to attempt to take advantage of potential arbitrage opportunities presented by a lag between a change in the value of the Fund's portfolio securities after the close of the primary markets for the Fund's portfolio securities and the reflection of that change in the Fund's NAV ("market timing"). The Trust believes this is appropriate because an ETF, such as the Fund, is intended to be attractive to arbitrageurs, as trading activity is critical to ensuring that the market price of Fund shares remains at or close to NAV. Since the Fund issues and redeems Creation Units at NAV plus applicable transaction fees, and the Fund's shares may be purchased and sold on NYSE Arca at prevailing market prices, the risks of frequent trading are limited.

The Fund's primary listing exchange is NYSE Arca. NYSE Arca is open for trading Monday through Friday and is closed on 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.

A "Business Day" with respect to the Fund is each day NYSE Arca is open. Orders from Authorized Participants to create or redeem Creation Units will only be accepted on a Business Day. On days when NYSE Arca closes earlier than normal, the Fund may require orders to create or redeem Creation Units to be placed earlier in the day. See the SAI for more information.

Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act restricts investments by registered investment companies in the securities of other investment companies. Registered investment companies are permitted to invest in the 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 PIMCO and the Trust, including that such investment companies enter into an agreement with the Trust.

The Trust typically does not offer or sell its shares to non-U.S. resident Authorized Participants. For purposes of this policy, a U.S. resident is defined as an account with (i) a U.S. address of record and (ii) all account owners residing in the U.S. at the time of sale.

Book Entry

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

Investors owning shares of the Fund are beneficial owners as shown on the records of DTC or its participants. DTC serves as the securities depository for shares of the Fund. DTC participants 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 exchange-traded securities that you hold in book-entry or "street name" form.

Share Prices

The trading prices of the Fund's shares in the secondary market generally differ from the Fund's daily NAV per share and are affected by market forces such as supply and demand of Fund shares and the underlying securities and instruments held by the Fund, economic conditions and other factors. Information regarding the intraday indicative value ("IIV") of the Fund is disseminated every 15 seconds throughout the trading day by the national securities exchange on which the Fund's shares are primarily listed or by market data vendors or other information providers. The IIV is based on the current market value of the securities and/or cash included in the Fund's IIV basket. The IIV does not necessarily reflect the precise composition of the current portfolio of securities and instruments held by the Fund at a particular point in time or the best possible valuation of the current portfolio. Unlike the Fund's NAV, the IIV may not reflect estimated accrued interest, dividends and other income, or Fund expenses. Therefore, the IIV should not be viewed as a "real-time" update of the NAV, which is computed only once a day. The IIV is generally determined by using both current market quotations and/or price quotations obtained from broker-dealers that may trade in the portfolio securities and instruments included in the Fund's IIV basket. The quotations and/or valuations of certain Fund holdings may not be updated during U.S. trading hours if such holdings do not trade in the United States. The Fund is not involved in, or responsible for, the calculation or dissemination of the IIV and makes no representation or warranty as to its accuracy. An inaccuracy in the IIV could result from various factors, including the difficulty of pricing portfolio instruments on an intraday basis.

 

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Premiums and Discounts

There may be differences between the daily market prices on secondary markets for shares of the Fund and the Fund's NAV. NAV is the price per share at which the Fund issues and redeems shares. See "How Net Asset Value Is Determined" below. The price used to calculate market returns ("Market Price") of the Fund generally is determined using the midpoint between the highest bid and the lowest offer on the national securities exchange on which shares of the Fund are primarily listed for trading, as of the time that the Fund's NAV is calculated. The Fund's Market Price may be at, above or below its NAV. The NAV of the Fund will fluctuate with changes in the market value of its portfolio holdings. The Market Price of the Fund will fluctuate in accordance with changes in its NAV, as well as market supply and demand.

Premiums or discounts are the differences (expressed as a percentage) between the NAV and the Market Price of the Fund on a given day, generally at the time the NAV is calculated. A premium is the amount that the Fund is trading above the reported NAV, expressed as a percentage of the NAV. A discount is the amount that the Fund is trading below the reported NAV, expressed as a percentage of the NAV. A discount or premium could be significant.  Information regarding the frequency of daily premiums or discounts, generally at the time the NAV is calculated, during the Fund's four previous calendar quarters (or for the life of the Fund, if shorter) can be found at www.pimcoetfs.com.

Expenses

An index is a statistical composite that tracks a specified financial market, sector or other set of securities specified by the index provider. Unlike the Fund, an index does not actually hold a portfolio of securities and therefore does not incur the expenses incurred by the Fund. These expenses negatively impact the performance of the Fund. Also, index returns do not include brokerage commissions that may be payable on secondary market transactions. If brokerage commissions were included, index returns would be lower. The index's returns do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption or sale of Fund shares. The investment return and principal value of shares of the Fund will vary with changes in market conditions. Shares of the Fund may be worth more or less than their original cost when they are redeemed or sold in the market.

Request for Multiple Copies of Shareholder Documents

To reduce expenses, it is intended that only one copy of the Fund's prospectus and each annual and semi-annual report, when available, will be mailed to those addresses shared by two or more accounts. If you wish to receive individual copies of these documents, please contact the financial intermediary through which you hold your shares.

How Net Asset Value Is Determined

The NAV of the Fund's shares is determined by dividing the total value of the Fund's portfolio investments and other assets attributable to that Fund, less any liabilities, by the total number of shares outstanding of the Fund.

On each day that the NYSE is open, Fund shares are ordinarily valued as of the close of regular trading ("NYSE Close"). Information that becomes known to the Fund or its agents after the time as of which NAV has been calculated on a particular day will not generally be used to retroactively adjust the price of a security or the NAV determined earlier that day. The Fund reserves the right to change the time its NAV is calculated if the Fund closes earlier, or as permitted by the SEC.

For purposes of calculating NAV, portfolio securities and other assets for which market quotes are readily available are valued at market value. Market value is generally determined on the basis of official closing prices or the last reported sales prices, or if no sales are reported, based on quotes obtained from established market makers or prices (including evaluated prices) supplied by the Fund's approved pricing services, quotation reporting systems and other third-party sources (together, "Pricing Services"). The Fund will normally use pricing data for domestic equity securities received shortly after the NYSE Close and does not normally take into account trading, clearances or settlements that take place after the NYSE Close. If market value pricing is used, a foreign (non-U.S.) equity security traded on a foreign exchange or on more than one exchange is typically valued using pricing information from the exchange considered by PIMCO to be the primary exchange. A foreign (non-U.S.) equity security will be valued as of the close of trading on the foreign exchange, or the NYSE Close, if the NYSE Close occurs before the end of trading on the foreign exchange. Domestic and foreign (non-U.S.) fixed income securities, non-exchange traded derivatives, and equity options are normally valued on the basis of quotes obtained from brokers and dealers or Pricing Services using data reflecting the earlier closing of the principal markets for those securities. Prices obtained from Pricing Services may be based on, among other things, information provided by market makers or estimates of market values obtained from yield data relating to investments or securities with similar characteristics. Certain fixed income securities purchased on a delayed-delivery basis are marked to market daily until settlement at the forward settlement date. Exchange-traded options, except equity options, futures and options on futures are valued at the settlement price determined by the relevant exchange. Swap agreements are valued on the basis of bid quotes obtained from brokers and dealers or market-based prices supplied by Pricing Services or other pricing sources. With respect to any portion of the Fund's assets that are invested in one or more open-end management investment companies (other than ETFs), the Fund's NAV will be calculated based upon the NAVs of such investments.

If a foreign (non-U.S.) equity security's value has materially changed after the close of the security's primary exchange or principal market but before the NYSE Close, the security may be valued at fair value based on procedures established and approved by the Board of Trustees. Foreign (non-U.S.) equity securities that do not trade when the NYSE is open are also valued at fair value. With respect to foreign (non-U.S.) equity securities, the Fund may determine the fair value of investments based on information provided by Pricing Services and other third-party vendors, which may recommend fair value or adjustments with reference to other securities, indexes or assets. In considering whether fair valuation is required and in determining fair values, the Fund may, among other things, consider significant events (which may be considered to include changes in the value

 

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of U.S. securities or securities indexes) that occur after the close of the relevant market and before the NYSE Close. The Fund may utilize modeling tools provided by third-party vendors to determine fair values of non-U.S. securities. For these purposes, any movement in the applicable reference index or instrument ("zero trigger") between the earlier close of the applicable foreign market and the NYSE Close may be deemed to be a significant event, prompting the application of the pricing model (effectively resulting in daily fair valuations). Foreign (non-U.S.) exchanges may permit trading in foreign (non-U.S.) equity securities on days when the Trust is not open for business, which may result in the Fund's portfolio investments being affected when you are unable to buy or sell shares.

Investments valued in currencies other than the U.S. dollar are converted to the U.S. dollar using exchange rates obtained from Pricing Services. As a result, the value of such investments, and in turn, the NAV of the Fund's shares may be affected by changes in the value of currencies in relation to the U.S. dollar. The value of investments traded in markets outside the United States or denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar may be affected significantly on a day that the Trust is not open for business. As a result, to the extent that the Fund holds foreign (non-U.S.) investments, the value of those investments may change at times when shareholders are unable to buy or sell shares and the value of such investments will be reflected in the Fund's next calculated NAV. Investments for which market quotes or market based valuations are not readily available are valued at fair value as determined in good faith by the Board of Trustees or persons acting at their direction. The Board of Trustees has adopted methods for valuing securities and other assets in circumstances where market quotes are not readily available, and has delegated to PIMCO the responsibility for applying the fair valuation methods. In the event that market quotes or market based valuations are not readily available, and the security or asset cannot be valued pursuant to a Board approved valuation method, the value of the security or asset will be determined in good faith by the Valuation Oversight Committee of the Board of Trustees, generally based on recommendations provided by PIMCO. Market quotes are considered not readily available in circumstances where there is an absence of current or reliable market-based data (e.g., trade information, bid/ask information, broker quotes, Pricing Services' prices), including where events occur after the close of the relevant market, but prior to the NYSE Close, that materially affect the values of the Fund's securities or assets. In addition, market quotes are considered not readily available when, due to extraordinary circumstances, the exchanges or markets on which the securities trade do not open for trading for the entire day and no other market prices are available. The Board of Trustees has delegated to PIMCO the responsibility for monitoring significant events that may materially affect the values of the Fund's securities or assets and for determining whether the value of the applicable securities or assets should be reevaluated in light of such significant events.

When the Fund uses fair valuation to determine the value of a portfolio security or other asset for purposes of calculating its NAV, such investments, securities will not be priced on the basis of quotes from the primary market in which they are traded, but rather may be priced by another method that the Board of Trustees or persons acting at their direction believe reflects fair value. Fair valuation may require subjective determinations about the value of a security. While the Trust's policy is intended to result in a calculation of the Fund's NAV that fairly reflects security values as of the time of pricing, the Trust cannot ensure that fair values determined by the Board of Trustees or persons acting at their direction would accurately reflect the price that the Fund could obtain for a security if it were to dispose of that security as of the time of pricing (for instance, in a forced or distressed sale). The prices used by the Fund may differ from the value that would be realized if the securities were sold. In addition, fair value pricing could result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund's NAV and the prices used by the Fund's Underlying Index. This may adversely affect the Fund's ability to track its Underlying Index.

Fund Distributions

The Fund distributes substantially all of its net investment income to shareholders in the form of dividends. The Fund intends to declare and distribute income dividends quarterly to shareholders of record. In addition, the Fund distributes any net capital gains it earns from the sale of portfolio securities to shareholders no less frequently than annually. Net short-term capital gains may be paid more frequently. Dividend payments are made through DTC participants and indirect participants to beneficial owners then of record with proceeds received from the Fund.

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

Tax Consequences

The following information is meant as a general summary for U.S. taxpayers. Please see the SAI for additional information. You should rely on your own tax adviser for advice about the particular federal, state and local tax consequences to you of investing in the Fund.

Taxes on Fund Distributions. If you are subject to U.S. federal income tax, you will be subject to tax on taxable Fund distributions. For federal income tax purposes, taxable Fund distributions will be taxable to you as either ordinary income or capital gains.

Fund taxable dividends (i.e., distributions of investment income) are generally taxable to you as ordinary income. Federal taxes on Fund distributions of gains are determined by how long the Fund owned the investments that generated the gains, rather than how long you have owned your shares. Distributions of gains from investments that the Fund owned for more than one year will generally be taxable to you as long-term capital gains. Distributions of gains from investments that the Fund owned for one year or less, including income from securities lending, will generally be taxable to you as ordinary income.

The tax treatment of income, gains and losses attributable to foreign currencies (and derivatives on such currencies), and various other special tax

 

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rules applicable to certain financial transactions and instruments could affect the amount, timing and character of the Fund's distributions. In some cases, these tax rules could also result in a retroactive change in the tax character of prior distributions and may also possibly cause all, or a portion, of prior distributions to be reclassified as returns of capital for tax purposes. See "Returns of Capital" below.

Fund distributions are taxable to you even if they are paid from income or gains earned by the Fund prior to your investment and thus were included in the price you paid for your shares. For example, if you purchase shares on or just before the record date of the Fund distribution, you will pay full price for the shares and may receive a portion of your investment back as a taxable distribution.

Taxes When You Sell Your Shares. Any gain resulting from the sale of Fund shares will generally be subject to federal income tax. Currently, any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Fund shares is generally treated as a long-term gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than one year. Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Fund shares held for one year or less is generally treated as short-term gain or loss, except that any capital loss on the sale of shares held for six months or less is treated as long-term capital loss to the extent that capital gain dividends were paid with respect to such shares.

Returns of Capital. If the Fund's distributions exceed its taxable income and capital gains realized during a taxable year, all or a portion of the distributions made in the same taxable year may be recharacterized as a return of capital to shareholders. A return of capital distribution will generally not be taxable, but will reduce each shareholder's cost basis in the Fund and result in a higher reported capital gain or lower reported capital loss when those shares on which the distribution was received are sold.

Medicare Tax. An additional 3.8% Medicare tax is imposed on certain net investment income (including ordinary dividends and capital gain distributions received from the Fund and net gains from redemptions or other taxable dispositions of Fund 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 certain threshold amounts.

Important Tax Reporting Considerations. The Internal Revenue Code of 1986 requires reporting of adjusted cost basis information for covered securities, which generally include shares of a regulated investment company acquired after January 1, 2012, to the Internal Revenue Service ("IRS") and to taxpayers. Shareholders should contact their financial intermediaries with respect to reporting of cost basis and available elections for their accounts.

Backup Withholding. Shareholders may be subject to U.S. federal income tax withholding with respect to distributions payable to shareholders if they fail to provide their correct taxpayer identification number or to make required certifications, or if they have been notified by the IRS that they are subject to backup withholding. Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld may be credited against U.S. federal income tax liability.

Foreign Withholding Taxes. The Fund may be subject to foreign withholding or other foreign taxes, which in some cases can be significant on any income or gain from investments in foreign securities. In that case, the Fund's total return on those securities would be decreased. Although in some cases the Fund may be able to apply for a refund of a portion of such taxes, the ability to successfully obtain such a refund may be uncertain. The Fund may generally deduct these taxes in computing its taxable income. Rather than deducting these foreign taxes, the Fund that invests more than 50% of its assets in the stock or securities of foreign corporations or foreign governments at the end of its taxable year may make an election to treat a proportionate amount of eligible foreign taxes as constituting a taxable distribution to each shareholder, which would, subject to certain limitations, generally allow the shareholder to either (i) credit that proportionate amount of taxes against U.S. Federal income tax liability as a foreign tax credit or (ii) take that amount as an itemized deduction.

Foreign shareholders may be subject to U.S. tax withholding of 30% (or lower applicable treaty rate) on distributions by the Fund. Additionally, the Fund is required to withhold U.S. tax (at a 30% rate) on payments of taxable dividends as well as (effective January 1, 2019) redemption proceeds and certain capital gain dividends distributed to certain non-U.S. entities that fail to comply (or are deemed noncompliant) with extensive reporting and withholding requirements designed to inform the U.S. Department of the Treasury of U.S.-owned foreign investment accounts. Shareholders may be requested to provide additional information to enable the Funds to determine whether withholding is required.

This "Tax Consequences" section relates only to federal income tax; the consequences under other tax laws may differ. Shareholders should consult their tax advisors as to the possible application of foreign, state and local income tax laws to Fund dividends and capital distributions. Please see the "Taxation" in the SAI for additional information regarding the tax aspects of investing in the Fund.

Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment Techniques

This section provides additional information about some of the principal investments and related risks of the Fund described under "Fund Summary" and "Description of Principal Risks" above. It also describes characteristics and risks of additional securities and investment techniques that may be used by the Fund from time to time. Most of these securities and investment techniques are discretionary, which means that the Sub-Adviser can decide whether to use them or not. This prospectus does not attempt to disclose all of the various types of securities and investment techniques that may be used by the Fund. As with any fund, investors in the Fund rely on the professional investment judgment and skill of the Sub-Adviser and the individual portfolio manager. Please see "Investment Objectives and Policies" in the SAI for more detailed information about the securities and investment techniques described in this section and about other strategies and techniques that may be used by the Fund.

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same as those made by other funds for which PIMCO or the Sub-Adviser acts as investment adviser, including funds with names, investment objectives and policies similar to the Fund. This may be attributable to a wide variety of factors, including, but not limited to, the use of a different portfolio management team or strategy, when a particular fund commenced operations or the size of a particular fund, in each case as compared to other similar funds. Significant purchases and redemptions of its Creation Units may adversely impact the Fund's portfolio management. For example, the Fund may be forced to sell a comparatively large portion of its portfolio to meet significant Creation Unit redemptions for cash, or hold a comparatively large portion of its portfolio in cash due to significant Creation Unit purchases for cash, in each case when the Fund otherwise would not seek to do so. Such transactions may cause the Fund to make investment decisions at inopportune times or prices or miss attractive investment opportunities. Such transactions may also accelerate the realization of taxable income if sales of securities resulted in gains and the Fund redeems Creation Units for cash, or otherwise cause the Fund to perform differently than intended. Similarly, significant purchases of its Creation Units for cash may adversely affect the Fund's performance to the extent the Fund is delayed in investing new cash and, as a result, holds a proportionally larger cash position than under ordinary circumstances. While such risks may apply to funds of any size, such risks are heightened in funds with fewer assets under management. In addition, new funds may not be able to fully implement their investment strategy immediately upon commencing investment operations, which could reduce investment performance.

Certain PIMCO-advised funds (the "PIMCO Funds of Funds") invest substantially all or a significant portion of their assets in other PIMCO-advised funds, including the Fund ("Underlying PIMCO Funds"). In some cases, the PIMCO Funds of Funds and certain funds managed by investment advisers affiliated with PIMCO ("Affiliated Funds of Funds") may be the predominant or sole shareholders of a particular Underlying PIMCO Fund. Investment decisions made with respect to the PIMCO Funds of Funds and Affiliated Funds of Funds could, under certain circumstances, negatively impact the Underlying PIMCO Funds with respect to the expenses and investment performance of the Underlying PIMCO Funds. For instance, large purchases or redemptions of exchange-traded shares of the Fund by the PIMCO Funds of Funds and Affiliated Funds of Funds, whether as part of a reallocation or rebalancing strategy or otherwise, may indirectly result in the Underlying PIMCO Fund having to sell securities or invest cash when it otherwise would not do so. Such transactions could increase an Underlying PIMCO Fund's transaction costs and accelerate the realization of taxable income if sales of securities resulted in gains and the Fund redeems Creation Units for cash. Additionally, as the PIMCO Funds of Funds and Affiliated Funds of Funds may invest substantially all or a significant portion of their assets in Underlying PIMCO Funds, the Underlying PIMCO Funds may not acquire securities of other registered open-end investment companies in reliance on Section 12(d)(1)(F) or Section 12(d)(1)(G) of the 1940 Act, thus limiting the Underlying PIMCO Funds' investment flexibility.

Investment Selection

The Fund seeks to provide total return that closely corresponds, before fees and expenses, to the total return of the Fund's Underlying Index. In selecting securities and instruments for the Fund the Sub-Adviser is expected to invest in the same securities as the Fund's Underlying Index and in approximately the same proportions. However, in some circumstances it may not be possible or practicable to invest in the same securities as the Fund's Underlying Index and in approximately the same proportions, in which case the Sub-Adviser may employ a representative sampling strategy, as further described in the Fund's Fund Summary. When using a representative sampling strategy, the Sub-Adviser may invest in a combination of component securities and other investments, or in component securities but in different proportions as compared to the weighting of the Underlying Index, such that the portfolio effectively provides exposure to the Underlying Index. The Sub-Adviser attempts to match the risk and return characteristics of the Fund's portfolio to the risk and return characteristics of the Fund's Underlying Index. The Sub-Adviser decomposes the portfolio risk of the Underlying Index into common factor risk (such as country membership, industry membership, and current fundamental ratios) and idiosyncratic risk, using a fundamental multiple-factor equity risk model. The Sub-Adviser constructs the Fund's portfolio to minimize active risk (tracking error) with respect to the Fund's Underlying Index, as measured by the multiple-factor risk model. Additionally, the Sub-Adviser constrains common factor exposures and individual index relative security weights, to explicitly neutralize the Fund's portfolio risk exposures relative to the Fund's Underlying Index.

There are many potential benefits to using a representative sampling strategy with respect to the Fund. For example, the Sub-Adviser can avoid securities that are relatively expensive (i.e., securities that trade at perceived higher prices) but have the same relative risk, value, duration and other characteristics as less expensive securities. In addition, the use of sampling techniques permit the Sub-Adviser to exclude securities that it believes will soon be deleted from the Underlying Index. Furthermore, the Sub-Adviser can develop a basket of component securities that is easier to construct and less expensive to trade, thereby potentially improving arbitrage opportunities.

Securities and instruments of a company are assigned to a country based on the company's country of primary listing, domicile, and incorporation. If a company's primary listing is on a stock exchange in the same country as the company is domiciled and incorporated, then the company is assigned to that country. If the country of domicile is different from the country of incorporation and the primary listing is in the country of domicile, then the company is assigned to the country of primary listing and domicile. If the country of primary listing is different from the country of domicile and the country of primary listing is in the country of incorporation, then the company is assigned to the country of primary listing and incorporation. If the country of primary listing, domicile, and incorporation all differ, and for exceptions to these rules, country assignment is based on other factors including domicile of parent company, management location, source of sales, trading volume and reporting currency. This test is used for assignment of securities and instruments of a company to the United States as well as foreign (non-U.S.) and developing (or "emerging market") countries.

 

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Convertible and Equity Securities

Common stock represents equity ownership in a company and typically provides the common stockholder the power to vote on certain corporate actions, including the election of the company's directors. Common stockholders participate in company profits through dividends and, in the event of bankruptcy, distributions, on a pro-rata basis after other claims are satisfied. Many factors affect the value of common stock, including earnings, earnings forecasts, corporate events and factors impacting the issuer's industry and the market generally. Common stock generally has the greatest appreciation and depreciation potential of all corporate securities.

The Fund may invest in convertible securities and equity securities, as well as securities related to equities. Equity-related securities include securities having an equity component (e.g., hybrid, bank capital) and equity derivatives.

Convertible securities are generally preferred securities and other securities that are convertible into or exercisable for common stock at a stated price or rate. The price of a convertible security will normally vary in some proportion to changes in the price of the underlying common stock because of this conversion or exercise feature. However, the value of a convertible security may not increase or decrease as rapidly as the underlying common stock. A convertible security will normally also provide income and is subject to interest rate risk. Convertible securities may be lower-rated securities subject to greater levels of credit risk. The Fund may be forced to convert a security before it would otherwise choose, which may have an adverse effect on the Fund's ability to achieve its investment objective.

"Synthetic" convertible securities are selected based on the similarity of their economic characteristics to those of a traditional convertible security due to the combination of separate securities that possess the two principal characteristics of a traditional convertible security, i.e., an income-producing security ("income-producing component") and the right to acquire an equity security ("convertible component"). The income-producing component is achieved by investing in non-convertible, income-producing securities such as bonds, preferred securities and money market instruments, which may be represented by derivative instruments. The convertible component is achieved by investing in securities or instruments such as warrants or options to buy common stock at a certain exercise price, or options on a stock index. A simple example of a synthetic convertible security is the combination of a traditional corporate bond with a warrant to purchase equity securities of the issuer of the bond. The Fund may also purchase synthetic securities created by other parties, typically investment banks, including convertible structured notes. The income-producing and convertible components of a synthetic convertible security may be issued separately by different issuers and at different times.

Preferred and other senior securities generally entitle the holder to receive, in preference to the holders of other securities such as common stocks, dividends and a fixed share of the proceeds resulting from a liquidation of the company. Preferred and other senior securities may pay fixed or adjustable rates of return. Preferred and other senior securities are subject to issuer-specific and market risks applicable generally to equity securities. In addition, a company's preferred and other senior securities generally pay dividends only after the company makes required payments to holders of its bonds and other debt. For this reason, the value of preferred and other senior securities will usually react more strongly than bonds and other debt to actual or perceived changes in the company's financial condition or prospects. In addition, preferred and other senior securities often have special redemption rights allowing issuers to redeem such securities at par earlier than scheduled. If these rights are exercised, the Fund may have to reinvest proceeds in less attractive securities.

Among other risks described in this prospectus, the following issues are particularly associated with investments in preferred and other senior securities.

Deferral and Omission of Distributions. Preferred and other senior securities may include features permitting or requiring the issuer to defer or omit distributions. Among other things, such deferral or omission may result in adverse tax consequences for the Fund.

Limited Voting Rights. Preferred and other senior securities generally do not have voting rights with respect to the issuer unless dividends have been in arrears for certain specified periods of time.

In the future, preferred or other senior securities may be offered with features different from those described above, and as such, may entail different risks. Over longer periods of time, certain types of preferred or other senior securities may become more scarce or less liquid as a result of legislative changes. Such events may result in losses to the Fund as the prices of securities it holds may be negatively affected. Revisions to bank capital requirements by international regulatory bodies, to the extent they are adopted in the United States, may also negatively impact the market for certain preferred or senior securities.

At times, in connection with the restructuring of a preferred security either outside of bankruptcy court or in the context of bankruptcy court proceedings, the Fund may determine or be required to accept equity securities, such as common stocks, in exchange for all or a portion of a preferred security. Depending upon, among other things, the Sub-Adviser's evaluation of the potential value of such securities in relation to the price that could be obtained by the Fund at any given time upon sale thereof, the Fund may determine to hold such securities in its portfolio.

Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities. The market price of equity securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. Equity securities may decline in value due to factors affecting equity securities markets generally or particular industries represented in those markets. The value of an equity security may also decline for a number of reasons which directly relate to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services.

Small-Cap and Mid-Cap Companies

The Fund may invest in equity securities of small-capitalization and mid-capitalization companies. The Fund considers a small-cap company to be a company with a market capitalization of up to $1.5 billion and a mid-cap company to be a company with a market capitalization of between $1.5 billion and $10 billion. Investments in small-cap and mid-cap companies involve greater risk than investments in large-capitalization companies. Small and mid-cap companies may not have an established financial

 

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history, which can present valuation challenges. The equity securities of small and mid-cap companies may be subject to increased market fluctuations, due to less liquid markets and more limited managerial and financial resources. The Fund's investment in small and mid-cap companies may increase the volatility of the Fund's portfolio.

Focused Investment

To the extent that the Fund focuses its investments in a particular sector, the Fund may be susceptible to loss due to adverse developments affecting that sector. These developments include, but are not limited to, governmental regulation; inflation; rising interest rates; cost increases in raw materials, fuel and other operating expenses; technological innovations that may render existing products and equipment obsolete; competition from new entrants; high research and development costs; increased costs associated with compliance with environmental or other governmental regulations; and other economic, business or political developments specific to that sector. Furthermore, the Fund may invest a substantial portion of its assets in companies in related sectors that may share common characteristics, are often subject to similar business risks and regulatory burdens, and whose securities may react similarly to the types of developments described above, which will subject the Fund to greater risk. The Fund also will be subject to focused investment risk to the extent that it invests a substantial portion of its assets in a particular issuer, market, asset class, country or geographic region.

Borrowings

The Fund may borrow money to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act. This means that, in general, the Fund may borrow money from banks for any purpose in an amount up to 1/3 of the Fund's total assets, less all liabilities and indebtedness not represented by senior securities. The Fund may also borrow money for temporary administrative purposes in an amount not to exceed 5% of the Fund's total assets. In addition, the Fund may borrow from certain other PIMCO funds in inter-fund lending transactions to the extent permitted by an exemptive order from the SEC.

Derivatives

The Fund may, but is not required to, use derivative instruments for risk management purposes or as part of its investment strategies. Generally, derivatives are financial contracts whose value depends upon, or is derived from, the value of an underlying asset, reference rate or index, and may relate to stocks, bonds, interest rates, spreads between different interest rates, currencies or currency exchange rates, commodities, and related indexes. Examples of derivative instruments include options contracts, futures contracts, options on futures contracts and swap agreements (including, but not limited to swaps on ETFs). The Fund may invest some or all of its assets in derivative instruments, subject to the Fund's objective and policies. A portfolio manager may decide not to employ any of these strategies and there is no assurance that any derivatives strategy used by the Fund will succeed. A description of these and other derivative instruments that the Fund may use are described under "Investment Objectives and Policies" in the SAI.

The Fund's use of derivative instruments involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other more traditional investments. Certain derivative transactions may have a leveraging effect on the Fund. For example, a small investment in a derivative instrument may have a significant impact on the Fund's exposure to interest rates, currency exchange rates or other investments. As a result, a relatively small price movement in a derivative instrument may cause an immediate and substantial loss or gain. The Fund may engage in such transactions regardless of whether the Fund owns the asset, instrument or components of the index underlying the derivative instrument. The Fund may invest a significant portion of its assets in these types of instruments. If it does, the Fund's investment exposure could far exceed the value of its portfolio securities and its investment performance could be primarily dependent upon securities it does not own. A description of various risks associated with particular derivative instruments is included in "Investment Objectives and Policies" in the SAI. The following provides a more general discussion of important risk factors relating to all derivative instruments that may be used by the Fund.

Management Risk. Derivative products are highly specialized instruments that require investment techniques and risk analyses different from those associated with stocks and bonds. The use of a derivative requires an understanding not only of the underlying instrument but also of the derivative itself, without the benefit of observing the performance of the derivative under all possible market conditions.

Credit Risk. The use of certain derivative instruments involves the risk that a loss may be sustained as a result of the failure of another party to the contract (usually referred to as a "counterparty") to make required payments or otherwise comply with the contract's terms.

Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk exists when a particular derivative instrument is difficult to purchase or sell. If a derivative transaction is particularly large or if the relevant market is illiquid (as is the case with many privately negotiated derivatives), it may not be possible to initiate a transaction or liquidate a position at an advantageous time or price.

Leverage Risk. Because many derivatives have a leverage component, adverse changes in the value or level of the underlying asset, reference rate or index could result in a loss substantially greater than the amount invested in the derivative itself. Certain derivatives have the potential for unlimited loss, regardless of the size of the initial investment. When the Fund uses derivatives for leverage, investments in the Fund will tend to be more volatile, resulting in larger gains or losses in response to market changes. To limit leverage risk, the Fund will segregate or "earmark" assets determined to be liquid in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees (or, as permitted by applicable regulation, enter into certain offsetting positions) to cover its obligations under derivative instruments.

Lack of Availability. Because the markets for certain derivative instruments (including markets located in foreign countries) are relatively new and still developing, suitable derivatives transactions may not be available in all circumstances for risk management or other purposes. Upon the expiration of a particular contract, a portfolio manager may wish to retain the Fund's position in the derivative instrument by entering into a similar contract, but may be unable to do so if the counterparty to the original contract is unwilling to enter into the new contract and no other suitable counterparty

 

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can be found. There is no assurance that the Fund will engage in derivatives transactions at any time or from time to time. The Fund's ability to use derivatives may also be limited by certain regulatory and tax considerations.

Correlation Risk. In certain cases, the value of derivatives may not correlate perfectly, or at all, with the value of the assets, reference rates or indexes they are designed to closely track. For example, a swap agreement on an ETF would not correlate perfectly with the index upon which the ETF is based because the fund's return is net of fees and expenses. In this regard, the Fund may seek to achieve its investment objective, in part, by investing in derivatives positions that are designed to closely track the performance (or inverse performance) of an index on a daily basis. However, the overall investment strategies of the Fund are not designed or expected to produce returns which replicate the performance (or inverse performance) of the particular index, and the degree of variation could be substantial, particularly over longer periods. There are a number of factors which may prevent the Fund, or derivatives or other strategies used by the Fund, from achieving a desired correlation (or inverse correlation) with an index. These may include, but are not limited to: (i) the impact of fund fees, expenses and transaction costs, including borrowing and brokerage costs/bid-ask spreads, which are not reflected in index returns; (ii) differences in the timing of daily calculations of the value of an index and the timing of the valuation of derivatives, securities and other assets held by the Fund and the determination of the NAV of Fund shares; (iii) disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for derivative instruments or securities in which the Fund invests; (iv) the Fund having exposure to or holding less than all of the securities in the Underlying Index and/or having exposure to or holding securities not included in the Underlying Index; (v) large or unexpected movements of assets into and out of the Fund (due to share purchases or redemptions, for example), potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or under-exposed to the index; (vi) the impact of accounting standards or changes thereto; (vii) changes to the applicable index that are not disseminated in advance; (viii) a possible need to conform the Fund's portfolio holdings to comply with investment restrictions or policies or regulatory or tax law requirements; and (ix) fluctuations in currency exchange rates.

Market and Other Risks. Like most other investments, derivative instruments are subject to the risk that the market value of the instrument will change in a way detrimental to the Fund's interest. If a portfolio manager incorrectly forecasts the values of securities, currencies or interest rates or other economic factors in using derivatives for the Fund, the Fund might have been in a better position if it had not entered into the transaction at all. While some strategies involving derivative instruments can reduce the risk of loss, they can also reduce the opportunity for gain or even result in losses by offsetting favorable price movements in other Fund investments. The Fund may also have to buy or sell a security at a disadvantageous time or price because the Fund is legally required to maintain offsetting positions or asset coverage in connection with certain derivatives transactions. The regulation of the derivatives markets has increased over the past several years, and additional future regulation of the derivatives markets may make derivatives more costly, may limit the availability or reduce the liquidity of derivatives, or may otherwise adversely affect the value or performance of derivatives. Any such adverse future developments could impair the effectiveness or raise the costs of the Fund's derivatives transactions, or impede the employment of the Fund's derivatives strategies, or adversely affect the Fund's performance.

Other risks in using derivatives include the risk of mispricing or improper valuation of derivatives. Many derivatives, in particular privately negotiated derivatives, are complex and often valued subjectively. Improper valuations can result in increased cash payment requirements to counterparties or a loss of value to the Fund. In addition, the Fund's use of derivatives may cause the Fund to realize higher amounts of short-term capital gains (generally taxed at ordinary income tax rates) than if the Fund had not used such instruments.

Investment in Other Investment Companies

The Fund may invest in securities of other investment companies, such as open-end or closed-end management investment companies, including ETFs or in pooled accounts, or other unregistered accounts or investment vehicles to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act and the rules and regulations thereunder and any exemptive relief therefrom. The Fund may invest in other investment companies to gain broad market or sector exposure, including during periods when it has large amounts of uninvested cash or when PIMCO believes share prices of other investment companies offer attractive values. As a shareholder of an investment company or other pooled vehicle, the Fund may indirectly bear investment advisory fees, supervisory and administrative fees, service fees and other fees which are in addition to the fees the Fund pays its service providers.

Subject to the restrictions and limitations of the 1940 Act, the Fund may, in the future, elect to pursue its investment objective either by investing directly in securities, or by investing in one or more underlying investment vehicles or companies that have substantially similar investment objectives and policies as the Fund.

Cash and Short-Term Securities

The Fund may invest its assets in cash, cash equivalents, highly rated short-term securities, including securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities, money market funds and/or short-term bond funds. Securities issued by U.S. government agencies or instrumentalities may not be guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury.

Illiquid Investments

The Fund may invest up to 15% of its net assets (taken at the time of investment) in illiquid investments. Certain illiquid investments may require pricing at fair value as determined in good faith under the supervision of the Board of Trustees. A portfolio manager may be subject to significant delays in disposing of illiquid investments, and transactions in illiquid investments may entail registration expenses and other transaction costs that are higher than those for transactions in liquid investments. The term "illiquid investments" for this purpose means investments that cannot be disposed of within seven days in the ordinary course of business at approximately the amount at which the Fund has valued the investments. Restricted securities, i.e., securities subject to legal or contractual restrictions on resale, may be illiquid. However, some restricted securities (such as certain commercial paper) may be treated as liquid, although they may be less liquid than registered securities traded on established secondary markets.

 

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PIMCO RAFI ESG U.S. ETF

Loans of Portfolio Securities

For the purpose of achieving income, the Fund may lend its portfolio securities to brokers, dealers, and other financial institutions provided a number of conditions are satisfied, including that the loan is fully collateralized. Please see "Investment Objectives and Policies" in the SAI for details. When the Fund lends portfolio securities, its investment performance will continue to reflect changes in the value of the securities loaned, and the Fund will also receive a fee or interest on the collateral. Securities lending involves the risk of loss of rights in the collateral or delay in recovery of the collateral if the borrower fails to return the security loaned or becomes insolvent. The Fund may pay lending fees to a party arranging the loan. Cash collateral received by the Fund in securities lending transactions may be invested in short-term liquid fixed income instruments or in money market or short-term mutual funds, or similar investment vehicles, including affiliated money market or short-term mutual funds. The Fund bears the risk of such investments.

Portfolio Turnover

The length of time the Fund has held a particular security is not generally a consideration in investment decisions. A change in the securities held by the Fund is known as "portfolio turnover." When a portfolio manager deems it appropriate, and particularly during periods of volatile market movements, the Fund may engage in frequent and active trading of portfolio securities to achieve its investment objective, including, without limitation, to reflect changes in the Fund's Underlying Index, such as reconstitutions, additions or deletions of component securities. To the extent that Creation Unit purchases from and redemptions by the Fund are effected in cash, frequent purchases and redemptions may increase the rate of portfolio turnover. Higher portfolio turnover (e.g., an annual rate greater than 100% of the average value of the Fund's portfolio) involves correspondingly greater expenses to the Fund, including brokerage commissions or dealer markups and other transaction costs on the sale of securities and reinvestments in other securities. Such sales may also result in realization of taxable capital gains, including short-term capital gains (which are generally taxed at ordinary income tax rates). The trading costs and tax effects associated with portfolio turnover may adversely affect the Fund's performance. Please see the Fund's "Fund Summary—Portfolio Turnover" or the "Financial Highlights" in this prospectus for the portfolio turnover rates of the Fund that were operational during the last fiscal year. In addition, large movements of cash into or out of the Fund may negatively impact the Fund's ability to achieve its investment objective or maintain a consistent level of operating expenses.

Changes in Investment Objectives and Policies

The investment objective of the Fund is non-fundamental and may be changed by the Board of Trustees without shareholder approval. Unless otherwise stated, all other investment policies of the Fund may be changed by the Board of Trustees without shareholder approval. In addition, the Trust may determine to cease operating the Fund as an "exchange-traded" fund and cause the Fund's shares to stop trading on a securities exchange.

Percentage Investment Limitations

Unless otherwise stated, all percentage limitations on Fund investments listed in this prospectus will apply at the time of investment. The Fund would not violate these limitations unless an excess or deficiency occurs or exists immediately after and as a result of an investment.

Other Investments and Techniques

The Fund may invest in other types of securities and use a variety of investment techniques and strategies which are not described in this prospectus. These securities and techniques may subject the Fund to additional risks. Please see the SAI for additional information about the securities and investment techniques described in this prospectus and about additional securities and techniques that may be used by the Fund.

Cyber Security

As the use of technology has become more prevalent in the course of business, the Fund has become potentially more susceptible to operational and information security risks resulting from breaches in cyber security. A breach in cyber security refers to both intentional and unintentional cyber events that may, among other things, cause the Fund to lose proprietary information, suffer data corruption and/or destruction or lose operational capacity, result in the unauthorized release or other misuse of confidential information, or otherwise disrupt normal business operations. Cyber security breaches may involve unauthorized access to the Fund's digital information systems (e.g., through "hacking" or malicious software coding), but may also result from outside attacks such as denial-of-service attacks (i.e., efforts to make network services unavailable to intended users). In addition, cyber security breaches involving the Fund's third party service providers (including but not limited to advisers, sub-advisers, administrators, transfer agents, custodians, distributors and other third parties), trading counterparties or issuers in which the Fund invests can also subject the Fund to many of the same risks associated with direct cyber security breaches. Moreover, cyber security breaches involving trading counterparties or issuers in which the Fund invests could adversely impact such counterparties or issuers and cause the Fund's investment to lose value.

Cyber security failures or breaches may result in financial losses to the Fund and its shareholders. These failures or breaches may also result in disruptions to business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses; interference with the Fund's ability to calculate its NAV, process shareholder transactions or otherwise transact business with shareholders; impediments to trading; violations of applicable privacy and other laws; regulatory fines; penalties; reputational damage; reimbursement or other compensation costs; additional compliance and cyber security risk management costs and other adverse consequences. In addition, substantial costs may be incurred in order to prevent any cyber incidents in the future.

Like with operational risk in general, the Fund has established business continuity plans and risk management systems designed to reduce the risks associated with cyber security. However, there are inherent limitations in these plans and systems, including that certain risks may not have been identified, in large part because different or unknown threats may emerge in the future. As such, there is no guarantee that such efforts will succeed, especially because the Fund does not directly control the cyber security

 

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systems of issuers in which the Fund may invest, trading counterparties or third party service providers to the Fund. There is also a risk that cyber security breaches may not be detected. The Fund and its shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result.

Underlying Index

©2018 RAFI Indices, LLC. The trade name RAFI® is a registered trademark of Research Affiliates, LLC. The RAFI® Index is calculated by RAFI Indices, LLC. and all intellectual property rights in the "The RAFI ESG US Index" (the "Index" or the "RAFI Index") are the property of RAFI Indices, LLC. The RAFI Index is reprinted with permission. PIMCO has entered into a license agreement with RAFI Indices, LLC to use the RAFI Index.

Solactive AG is the Index calculator and benchmark administrator. The value of an Index is calculated on each day on which the U.S. market or U. K. market is open for trading ("Business Day") based on the prices on the respective Exchanges on which the Component Securities are listed. For each update, the most recent prices of all Component Securities are used. Prices of Component Securities not listed in U.S. Dollars are converted using spot foreign exchange rates quoted by Reuters. The daily index closing value is calculated using WM/Reuters closing spot rates from 4:00 pm London time. Should there be no current price available on Reuters, the most recent price or the Trading Price (as defined below) on Reuters for the preceding Trading Day (as defined below) is used in the calculation. The Index is calculated continuously every Business Day from 9:00 am to 10:30 pm, CET, with updates every 15 seconds. In the event that data cannot be provided to Reuters or to the pricing services of Boerse Stuttgart AG, the Index cannot be distributed. Any incorrect calculation is adjusted on a retrospective basis. At the time of the calculation and publication of the Index, the prices used for the calculation may already have changed.

A committee (the "Committee") composed of staff from Solactive AG is responsible for any amendments to the rules; provided that the starting universe for the composition of an Index and its relevant specifications are established by RAFI Indices, LLC. The future composition of the Index is determined on the last business day of February, May, August and November according to the procedures outlined in the Index rulebook. The Committee shall  decide about the future composition of the Index in the event that any Extraordinary Events (as defined below) should occur and the implementation of any necessary adjustments. Notwithstanding the above, Solactive AG may consult RAFI Indices, LLC for decisions regarding the composition of the Index. Members of the Committee can recommend changes to the guideline and submit them to the Committee for approval.

All specifications and information relevant for calculating the Index are made available on the http://www.solactive.de web page and sub-pages.

With regard to a Component Security, the "Trading Price" in respect of a Trading Day is the closing price on this Trading Day determined in accordance with the Exchange regulations. If the Exchange has no closing price for a Component Security, the Index calculator shall determine the Trading Price and the time of the quote for the share in question in a manner that appears reasonable to the Index calculator.

A "Trading Day" is, in relation to the Index or a Component Security, a Trading Day on the Exchange (or a day that would have been such a day if a market disruption had not occurred), excluding days on which trading may be ceased prior to the normal Exchange closing time. The Index Calculator is ultimately responsible as to whether a certain day is a Trading Day with regard to the Index or a Component Security.

An "Extraordinary Event" is

A merger

A takeover bid

A delisting

The nationalization of a company

Insolvency

The Trading Price for a Component Security on the day the Extraordinary Event came into effect is the last available market price for this Component Security quoted on the Exchange on the day the event came into effect (or, if a market price is not available for the day the event came into effect, the last available market price quoted on the Exchange on a day specified as appropriate by the Index Calculator), as determined by the Index Calculator, and this price is used as the Trading Price of the particular Component Security until the end of the day on which the composition of the Index is next set.

In the event of the insolvency of an issuer of a Component Security, the Component Security shall remain in the Index until the next rebalancing day. As long as a market price for the affected Component Security is available on a Business Day, this shall be applied as the Trading Price for this Component Security on the relevant Business Day, as determined in each case by the Index Calculator. If a market price is not available on a Business Day the Trading Price for this Component Security is set to zero. The Committee may also decide to eliminate the respective Component Security at an earlier point in time prior to the next rebalancing day. The procedure in this case is identical to an elimination due to an Extraordinary Event.

A Component Security is "delisted" if the Exchange announces pursuant to the Exchange regulations that the listing of, the trading in or the issuing of public quotes on the Component Security at the Exchange has ceased immediately or will cease at a later date, for whatever reason (provided delisting is not because of a Merger or a Takeover Bid), and the Component Security is not immediately listed, traded or quoted again on an exchange, trading, or listing system, acceptable to the Index Calculator.

"Insolvency" occurs with regard to a Component Security if (A) all shares of the respective issuer must be transferred to a trustee, liquidator, insolvency administrator, or a similar public officer as result of a voluntary or compulsory liquidation, insolvency or winding-up proceedings, or comparable proceedings affecting the issuer of the Component Security, or (B) the holders of the shares of this issuer are legally enjoined from transferring the shares.

A "Takeover Bid" is a bid to acquire, an exchange offer or any other offer or act of a legal person that results in the related legal person acquiring as part of an exchange or otherwise more than 10% and less than 100% of the voting shares in circulation from the issuer of the Component Security or the right to acquire these shares, as determined by the Index Calculator based on notices submitted to public or self-regulatory authorities or other information considered by the Index Calculator to be relevant.

 

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PIMCO RAFI ESG U.S. ETF

With regard to a Component Security, a "Merger" is: 1. a change in the security class or a conversion of this share class that results in a transfer or an ultimate definite obligation to transfer all the shares in circulation to another legal person; 2. a merger (either by acquisition or through forming a new structure) or a binding obligation on the part of the issuer to exchange shares with another legal person (except in a merger or share exchange under which the issuer of this Component Security is the acquiring or remaining company and which does not involve a change in security class or a conversion of all the shares in circulation); 3. a takeover offer, exchange offer, other offer or another act of a legal person for the purposes of acquiring or otherwise obtaining from the issuer 100% of the shares issued that entails a transfer or the irrevocable obligation to transfer all shares (with the exception of shares which are held and controlled by the legal person); or 4. a merger (either by acquisition or through forming a new structure) or a binding obligation on the part of the issuer of the share or its subsidiaries to exchange shares with another legal person, whereby the issuer of the share is the acquiring or remaining company and it does not involve a change in the class or a conversion of the all shares issued, but the shares in circulation directly prior to such an event (except for shares held and controlled by the legal person) represent in total less than 50% of the shares in circulation directly subsequent to such an event.

The "Merger Date" is the date on which a Merger is concluded or the date specified by the Index Calculator if such a date cannot be determined under the law applicable to the Merger.

"Nationalization" is a process whereby all shares or the majority of the assets of the issuer of the shares are nationalized or are expropriated or otherwise must be transferred to public bodies, authorities, or institutions.

For purposes of this section only, "Exchange" is, in respect of the Index and every Component Security, the respective primary exchange where the Component Security has its primary listing. The Committee may decide to declare a different stock exchange the "Exchange" for trading reasons, even if the company is only listed there via a Stock Substitute. "Stock Substitute" includes, in particular, American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) and Global Depositary Receipts (GDRs).

Disclaimers

The Fund is not sponsored, promoted, offered, sold or supported in any other manner by RAFI Indices, LLC or any of its affiliates, licensors or contractors (the "RAFI Parties") nor do any of the RAFI Parties offer any express or implicit guarantee, warranty or assurance either with regard to the results of using the RAFI Index or the Index prices at any time or in any other respect. The RAFI Index is calculated and published by the RAFI Parties. The RAFI Parties use commercially reasonable efforts to ensure that the RAFI Index is calculated correctly. None of the RAFI Parties shall be liable for any error, omission, inaccuracy, incompleteness, delay, or interruption in the RAFI Index or any data related thereto or have any obligation to point out errors in the RAFI Index to any person. Neither publication of the RAFI Index by the RAFI Parties nor the licensing of the RAFI Index or RAFI Index trademark for the purpose of use in connection with the Fund constitutes a recommendation by any of the RAFI Parties to invest in nor does it in any way represent an assurance, endorsement or opinion of any of the RAFI Parties with regard to any investment in the Fund. The trade name RAFI® is a registered trademark of Research Affiliates, LLC in the U.S. and other countries.

Shares of the Fund are not sponsored, endorsed or promoted by NYSE Arca. NYSE Arca makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of shares of the Fund or any member of the public regarding the ability of the Fund to track the investment results of an Underlying Index or the ability of the Underlying Index to track fixed income performance. NYSE Arca is not responsible for, nor has it participated in, the determination of the compilation or the calculation of the Underlying Index, nor in the determination of the timing of, prices of or quantities of shares of the Fund to be issued, nor in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the shares are redeemable. NYSE Arca has no obligation or liability to owners of shares of the Fund in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of shares of the Fund.  NYSE Arca does not guarantee the accuracy and/or the completeness of the Underlying Index or any data included therein. NYSE Arca makes no warranty, express or implied, as to results to be obtained by the Trust, on behalf of the Fund as licensee, licensee's customers and counterparties, owners of shares of the Fund or any other person or entity, from the use of the Underlying Index or any data included therein in connection with the rights licensed as described herein or for any other use.

NYSE Arca makes no express or implied warranties and hereby expressly disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose with respect to the Underlying Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall NYSE Arca have any liability for any direct, indirect, special, punitive, consequential or any other damages (including lost profits) even if notified of the possibility of such damages.

 

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Financial Highlights

Because the Fund has not operated for a full fiscal period as of the date of this prospectus, audited financial highlights are not available.

 

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INVESTMENT ADVISER

PIMCO, 650 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, CA 92660

SUB-ADVISER

Parametric Portfolio Associates LLC, 1918 8th Ave #3100, Seattle, WA 98101

DISTRIBUTOR

PIMCO Investments LLC, 1633 Broadway, New York, NY 10019

CUSTODIAN

State Street Bank & Trust Co., State Street Financial Center, One Lincoln Street, Boston, MA 02111

TRANSFER AGENT

State Street Bank & Trust Co., State Street Financial Center, One Lincoln Street, Boston, MA 02111

INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, 1100 Walnut Street, Suite 1300, Kansas City, MO 64106-2197

LEGAL COUNSEL

Dechert LLP, 1900 K Street N.W., Washington, D.C. 20006 

For further information about the PIMCO Equity Series, call 888.400.4ETF or visit our Web site at www.pimcoetfs.com.


 

Table of Contents





PIMCO Equity Series
650 Newport Center Drive
Newport Beach, CA 92660

The Trust's Statement of Information ("SAI") includes additional information about the Fund. The SAI is incorporated by reference into this Prospectus, which means it is part of this prospectus for legal purposes. The Fund's annual report, once available, will discuss the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund's performance during its last fiscal year.

You may get free copies of any of these materials or request other information about the Fund by calling the Trust at 888.400.4ETF (888.400.4383), by visiting www.pimcoetfs.com or by writing to:

PIMCO Equity Series
650 Newport Center Drive
Newport Beach, CA 92660

Daily updates on the NAV of the Fund may be obtained by calling 888.400.4ETF (888.400.4383).

You may access reports and other information about the Trust on the EDGAR Database on the Commission's web site at www.sec.gov. You may get copies of additional information about the Trust, including its SAI, with payment of a duplication fee, by e-mailing your request to publicinfo@sec.gov.

You can also visit our web site at www.pimcoetfs.com for additional information about the Fund, including the SAI and, once available, the annual and semi-annual reports, which are available for download free of charge.

Reference the Trust's Investment Company Act file number in your correspondence.

 

Investment Company Act File Number: [ ]

[ ]_[ ]


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PIMCO Equity Series

Statement of Additional Information

October 31, 2018 (as supplemented [ ], 2019)

This Statement of Additional Information is not a prospectus, and should be read in conjunction with the prospectuses of PIMCO Equity Series (the “Trust”), as described below and as supplemented from time to time. The Trust is an open-end management investment company currently consisting of [22] separate portfolios, three of which are discussed in this Statement of Additional Information (each such portfolio discussed in this Statement of Additional Information is referred to herein as a “Fund” and collectively as the “Funds”):

 

Funds and Ticker Symbols

PIMCO RAFI Dynamic Multi-Factor Emerging Markets Equity ETF    MFEM        PIMCO RAFI Dynamic Multi-Factor International Equity ETF    MFDX
PIMCO RAFI Dynamic Multi-Factor U.S. Equity ETF    MFUS        PIMCO RAFI ESG U.S. ETF    [  ]

Shares of the PIMCO RAFI Dynamic Multi-Factor Emerging Markets Equity ETF, PIMCO RAFI Dynamic Multi-Factor U.S. Equity ETF and PIMCO RAFI Dynamic Multi-Factor International Equity ETF (the “RAFI Dynamic Multi-Factor Funds”) are offered through a prospectus dated October 31, 2018, as supplemented from time to time, and shares of the PIMCO RAFI ESG U.S. ETF are offered through a prospectus dated [ ] (collectively, the “Prospectuses”). Copies of the Prospectuses may be obtained free of charge at the address and telephone number listed below.

Each Fund operates as an exchange-traded fund (“ETF”). As identified and described in more detail within the Prospectus and this Statement of Additional Information, the Funds are ETFs that seek to track the investment results of a specified index. Once a Fund commences operations, the shares described in the Prospectus and in this Statement of Additional Information are listed and trade on NYSE Arca, Inc. (“NYSE Arca”), a national securities exchange (the “Listing Exchange”) and other secondary markets.

Pacific Investment Management Company LLC (“PIMCO” or the “Manager”), 650 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, California 92660, is the investment manager of the Funds. PIMCO has engaged Parametric Portfolio Associates LLC (“Parametric” or “Sub-Adviser”) to serve as sub-adviser to each Fund.

[To be updated by amendment.]

 

PIMCO Investments LLC

1633 Broadway

New York, New York 10019

Telephone: (800) 426-0107


Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

     Page  

THE TRUST

     1  

EXCHANGE LISTING AND TRADING

     1  

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES

     2  

Equity Securities

     2  

Convertible Securities

     2  

Preferred Securities

     3  

Depositary Receipts

     4  

Warrants to Purchase Securities

     4  

Real Estate Assets and Related Derivatives

     4  

Foreign Securities

     5  

Foreign Currency Transactions

     13  

Foreign Currency Exchange-Related Securities

     14  

Borrowing

     15  

Derivative Instruments

     16  

Bank Capital Securities

     26  

Trust Preferred Securities

     26  

Master Limited Partnerships (“MLPs”)

     27  

Exchange-Traded Notes

     27  

Illiquid Securities

     27  

Repurchase Agreements

     28  

Loans of Portfolio Securities

     28  

Investments in Business Development Companies (“BDCs”)

     28  

Investment Companies

     28  

Government Intervention in Financial Markets

     29  

Inflation and Deflation

     29  

Regulatory Risk

     29  

Liquidation of Funds

     30  

Participation in Litigation or Arbitration Proceedings

     30  

Fund Operations

     30  

INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS

     31  

Fundamental Investment Restrictions

     31  

Non-Fundamental Investment Restrictions

     32  

UNDERLYING INDEXES

     35  

MANAGEMENT OF THE TRUST

     40  

Trustees and Officers

     40  

Leadership Structure and Risk Oversight Function

     40  

Qualifications of the Trustees

     40  

Trustees of the Trust

     41  

Executive Officers

     42  

Securities Ownership

     44  

Trustee Ownership of the Investment Manager and Principal Underwriter, and Their Control Persons

     45  

Standing Committees

     46  

Trustee Retirement Policy

     47  

Compensation Table

     47  

Investment Manager and Sub-Adviser

     48  

Investment Management Agreement and Sub-Advisory Agreement

     49  

Management Fee Rates

     50  

Management Fee Payments

     51  

Management Fees Waived

     51  


Table of Contents

Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures

     51  

PORTFOLIO MANAGER

     52  

Other Accounts Managed

     52  

Conflicts of Interest

     52  

Portfolio Manager Compensation

     55  

Securities Ownership

     56  

CREATIONS AND REDEMPTIONS

     56  

Distributor

     57  

Continuous Offering

     57  

Fund Deposit

     58  

Procedures for Creating Creation Units

     59  

Placement of Creation Orders Using Clearing Process

     60  

Placement of Creation Orders Outside Clearing Process—Domestic Funds

     60  

Placement of Creation Orders Outside Clearing Process—Foreign Funds

     61  

Acceptance of Creation Orders

     61  

Creation Transaction Fee

     61  

Redemption of Creation Units

     62  

Redemption Transaction Fee

     63  

Placement of Redemption Orders Using Clearing Process

     64  

Placement of Redemption Orders Outside Clearing Process—Domestic Funds

     65  

Placement of Redemption Orders Outside Clearing Process—Foreign Funds

     65  

Distribution and Servicing (12b-1) Plan

     74  

Additional Information About the Shares

     75  

Request for Multiple Copies of Shareholder Documents

     76  

PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS AND BROKERAGE

     76  

Investment Decisions and Portfolio Transactions

     76  

Brokerage and Research Services

     76  

Brokerage Commissions Paid

     77  

Holdings of Securities of the Trust’s Regular Brokers and Dealers

     77  

Portfolio Trading by Authorized Participants

     77  

Portfolio Turnover

     78  

Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings

     78  

Large Trade Notifications

     79  

NET ASSET VALUE

     80  

TAXATION

     80  

Distributions

     81  

Sales of Shares

     82  

Potential Pass-Through of Tax Credits

     82  

Backup Withholding

     82  

Options, Futures and Forward Contracts, and Swap Agreements

     83  

Short Sales

     83  

Passive Foreign Investment Companies

     84  

Foreign Currency Transactions

     84  

Foreign Taxation

     84  

Original Issue Discount and Market Discount

     85  

Investments in REITs and REMICs

     85  

Uncertain Tax Consequences

     86  

Constructive Sales

     86  

IRAs and Other Retirement Plans

     86  

Non-U.S. Shareholders

     86  

Other Taxation

     87  

OTHER INFORMATION

     88  

Capitalization

     88  


Table of Contents

Voting Rights

     88  

Control Persons and Principal Holders of Securities

     89  

Code of Ethics

     89  

Securities Depository for Shares of the Funds

     90  

Disclaimers

     90  

Custodian and Transfer Agent

     91  

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

     91  

Legal Counsel

     91  

Registration Statement

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Financial Statements

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THE TRUST

The Trust is a Delaware statutory trust established under a Declaration of Trust dated March 30, 2010, as amended and restated November 7, 2013. Each Fund operates as an ETF and is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). The offering of the Trust’s shares is registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”).

Each Fund offers and issues shares at their net asset value per share (“NAV”) only in aggregations of a specified number of shares (“Creation Units”), generally in exchange for a basket of securities (the “Deposit Securities”) together with a deposit of a specified cash payment (the “Cash Component”). Alternatively, each Fund may issue and redeem Creation Units in exchange for a specified all-cash payment (“Cash Deposit”). Shares are redeemable by the applicable Fund only in Creation Units, and, generally, in exchange for securities and/or cash. Shares trade in the secondary market and elsewhere at market prices that may be at, above or below NAV. Creation Units typically are a specified number of shares, generally 50,000 or 100,000 and multiples thereof.

The Trust may issue and redeem shares in-kind and/or for cash. A Fund may charge creation/redemption transaction fees for each creation and redemption. In all cases, redemption transaction fees will be limited in accordance with the requirements of the SEC applicable to management investment companies offering redeemable securities. See the “Creations and Redemptions” section below.

The investment objective of each RAFI Dynamic Multi-Factor Fund is to seek to track the investment results of the Fund’s underlying index, and the investment objective of the PIMCO RAFI ESG U.S. ETF is to provide total return that closely corresponds, before fees and expenses, to the total return of the Fund’s underlying index (each an “Underlying Index” and collectively the “Underlying Indexes”) as described in more detail in the Prospectuses. The Funds issue and redeem shares in exchange for in-kind securities or instruments and/or for cash. The Funds are diversified.

EXCHANGE LISTING AND TRADING

Shares of each Fund are listed for trading and trade throughout the day on the Listing Exchange and other secondary markets. Shares of a Fund may also be listed on certain foreign (non-U.S.) exchanges. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Listing Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of shares of the Funds will continue to be met. The Listing Exchange may, but is not required to, remove the shares of a Fund from listing if: (i) following the initial 12-month period beginning upon the commencement of trading of Fund shares, there are fewer than 50 beneficial owners of shares of the Fund for 30 or more consecutive trading days; (ii) the value of the Underlying Index on which a Fund is based is no longer calculated or available; (iii) the intraday indicative value (“IIV”) of the Fund is no longer calculated or available; (iv) the Fund fails to make any filings required by the SEC or is out of compliance with the conditions of any SEC exemptive order or no-action relief granted; or (v) any other event shall occur or condition shall exist that, in the opinion of the Listing Exchange, makes further dealings on the Listing Exchange inadvisable. The Listing Exchange will remove the shares of a Fund from listing and trading upon termination of the Fund. In the event a Fund ceases to be listed on an exchange, the Fund may cease operating as an “exchange-traded” fund and operate as a mutual fund, provided that shareholders are given advance notice.

As in the case of other publicly-traded securities, when you buy or sell shares through a financial intermediary you may incur a brokerage commission determined by that financial intermediary.

In order to provide additional information regarding the intraday value of shares of each Fund, the Listing Exchange or a market data vendor disseminates every 15 seconds through the facilities of the Consolidated Tape Association or other widely disseminated means an updated IIV for each 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 IIV and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the IIV. An IIV is based on a securities component and a cash component (or an all cash amount) which comprises that day’s Fund Deposit (as defined below), as disseminated prior to that Business Day’s (as defined below) commencement of trading (the “IIV Basket”). Unlike a Fund’s NAV, the IIV may not reflect estimated accrued interest, dividends and other income, or Fund expenses.

The Trust reserves the right to adjust the share prices of a Fund in the future to maintain convenient trading ranges for investors. Any adjustments would be accomplished through stock splits or reverse stock splits, which would have no effect on the net assets of the Fund.


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INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES

The investment objectives and general investment policies of the Funds are described in the Prospectus. The following discussion provides additional information about certain strategies and risks associated with the Funds.

Equity Securities

Equity securities, such as common stock, represent an ownership interest, or the right to acquire an ownership interest, in an issuer. Common stock generally takes the form of shares in a corporation. The value of a company’s stock may fall as a result of factors directly relating to that company, such as decisions made by its management or lower demand for the company’s products or services. A stock’s value also may fall because of factors affecting not just the company, but also companies in the same industry or in a number of different industries, such as increases in production costs. The value of a company’s stock also may be affected by changes in financial markets that are relatively unrelated to the company or its industry, such as changes in interest rates or currency exchange rates. In addition, a company’s stock generally pays dividends only after the company invests in its own business and makes required payments to holders of its bonds, other debt and preferred securities. For this reason, the value of a company’s stock will usually react more strongly than its bonds, other debt and preferred securities to actual or perceived changes in the company’s financial condition or prospects. Stocks of smaller companies may be more vulnerable to adverse developments than those of larger companies. Stocks of companies that the portfolio managers believe are fast-growing may trade at a higher multiple of current earnings than other stocks. The value of such stocks may be more sensitive to changes in current or expected earnings than the values of other stocks. The Funds generally consider a small cap company to be a company with a market capitalization of up to $1.5 billion, a mid cap company to be a company with a market capitalization of between $1.5 billion and $10 billion, and a large cap company to be a company with a market capitalization of greater than $10 billion.

Different types of equity securities provide different voting and dividend rights and priority in the event of the bankruptcy and/or insolvency of the issuer. In addition to common stock, equity securities may include preferred securities, convertible securities and warrants, which are discussed elsewhere in the Prospectus and this Statement of Additional Information. Equity securities other than common stock are subject to many of the same risks as common stock, although possibly to different degrees. The risks of equity securities are generally magnified in the case of equity investments in distressed companies.

Convertible Securities

The Funds may invest in convertible securities, which may offer higher income than the common stocks into which they are convertible.

A convertible security is a bond, debenture, note, preferred security, or other security that entitles the holder to acquire common stock or other equity securities of the same or a different issuer. A convertible security generally entitles the holder to receive interest paid or accrued until the convertible security matures or is redeemed, converted or exchanged. Before conversion, convertible securities have characteristics similar to non-convertible debt or preferred securities, as applicable. Convertible securities rank senior to common stock in a corporation’s capital structure and, therefore, generally entail less risk than the corporation’s common stock, although the extent to which such risk is reduced depends in large measure upon the degree to which the convertible security sells above its value as a fixed income security. Convertible securities are subordinate in rank to any senior debt obligations of the issuer, and, therefore, an issuer’s convertible securities entail more risk than its debt obligations. Convertible securities generally offer lower interest or dividend yields than non-convertible debt securities of similar credit quality because of the potential for capital appreciation. In addition, convertible securities are often lower-rated securities.

Because of the conversion feature, the price of the convertible security will normally fluctuate in some proportion to changes in the price of the underlying asset, and as such is subject to risks relating to the activities of the issuer and/or general market and economic conditions. The income component of a convertible security may tend to cushion the security against declines in the price of the underlying asset. However, the income component of convertible securities causes fluctuations based upon changes in interest rates and the credit quality of the issuer.

If the convertible security’s “conversion value,” which is the market value of the underlying common stock that would be obtained upon the conversion of the convertible security, is substantially below the “investment value,” which is the value of a convertible security viewed without regard to its conversion feature (i.e., strictly on the basis of its yield), the price of the convertible security is governed principally by its investment value. If the conversion value of a convertible security increases to a point that approximates or exceeds its investment value, the value of the security will be principally influenced

 

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by its conversion value. A convertible security will sell at a premium over its conversion value to the extent investors place value on the right to acquire the underlying common stock while holding an income-producing security.

A convertible security may be subject to redemption at the option of the issuer at a predetermined price. If a convertible security held by a Fund is called for redemption, the Fund would be required to permit the issuer to redeem the security and convert it to underlying common stock, or would sell the convertible security to a third party, which may have an adverse effect on the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective.

A third party or the Sub-Adviser also may create a “synthetic” convertible security by combining separate securities that possess the two principal characteristics of a traditional convertible security, i.e., an income-producing security (“income-producing component”) and the right to acquire an equity security (“convertible component”). The income-producing component is achieved by investing in non-convertible, income-producing securities such as bonds, preferred securities and money market instruments, which may be represented by derivative instruments. The convertible component is achieved by investing in securities or instruments such as warrants or options to buy common stock at a certain exercise price, or options on a stock index. Unlike a traditional convertible security, which is a single security having a single market value, a synthetic convertible comprises two or more separate securities, each with its own market value. Therefore, the “market value” of a synthetic convertible security is the sum of the values of its income-producing component and its convertible component. For this reason, the values of a synthetic convertible security and a traditional convertible security may respond differently to market fluctuations.

More flexibility is possible in the assembly of a synthetic convertible security than in the purchase of a convertible security. Although synthetic convertible securities may be selected where the two components are issued by a single issuer, thus making the synthetic convertible security similar to the traditional convertible security, the character of a synthetic convertible security allows the combination of components representing distinct issuers, when the Sub-Adviser believes that such a combination may better achieve a Fund’s investment objective. A synthetic convertible security also is a more flexible investment in that its two components may be purchased separately. For example, a Fund may purchase a warrant for inclusion in a synthetic convertible security but temporarily hold short-term investments while postponing the purchase of a corresponding bond pending development of more favorable market conditions.

A holder of a synthetic convertible security faces the risk of a decline in the price of the security or the level of the index involved in the convertible component, causing a decline in the value of the security or instrument, such as a call option or warrant, purchased to create the synthetic convertible security. Should the price of the stock fall below the exercise price and remain there throughout the exercise period, the entire amount paid for the call option or warrant would be lost. Because a synthetic convertible security includes the income-producing component as well, the holder of a synthetic convertible security also faces the risk that interest rates will rise, causing a decline in the value of the income-producing instrument.

The Funds also may purchase synthetic convertible securities created by other parties, including convertible structured notes. Convertible structured notes are income-producing debentures linked to equity, and are typically issued by investment banks. Convertible structured notes have the attributes of a convertible security; however, the investment bank that issues the convertible note, rather than the issuer of the underlying common stock into which the note is convertible, assumes credit risk associated with the underlying investment, and a Fund in turn assumes credit risk associated with the convertible note.

Preferred Securities

The Funds may invest in preferred securities. Preferred securities represent an equity interest in a company that generally entitles the holder to receive, in preference to the holders of other stocks such as common stocks, dividends and a fixed share of the proceeds resulting from a liquidation of the company. Some preferred securities also entitle their holders to receive additional liquidation proceeds on the same basis as holders of a company’s common stock, and thus also represent an ownership interest in that company.

Preferred securities may pay fixed or adjustable rates of return. Preferred securities are subject to issuer-specific and market risks applicable generally to equity securities. In addition, a company’s preferred securities generally pay dividends only after the company makes required payments to holders of its bonds and other debt. For this reason, the value of preferred securities will usually react more strongly than bonds and other debt to actual or perceived changes in the company’s financial condition or prospects. Preferred securities of smaller companies may be more vulnerable to adverse developments than preferred securities of larger companies.

 

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Depositary Receipts

The Funds may invest in American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”), European Depositary Receipts (“EDRs”), Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”) and similar securities that represent interests in a company’s securities that have been deposited with a bank or trust and that trade on an exchange or over-the-counter (“OTC”). For example, ADRs represent interests in a non-U.S. company but trade on a U.S. exchange or OTC and are denominated in U.S. dollars. These securities represent the right to receive securities of the foreign issuer deposited with the bank or trust. ADRs, EDRs and GDRs can be sponsored by the issuing bank or trust company or the issuer of the underlying securities. Although the issuing bank or trust company may impose charges for the collection of dividends and the conversion of such securities into the underlying securities, there are generally no fees imposed on the purchase or sale of these securities, other than transaction fees ordinarily involved with trading stock. Such securities may be less liquid or may trade at a lower price than the underlying securities of the issuer. Additionally, receipt of corporate information about the underlying issuer and proxy disclosure may be untimely.

Warrants to Purchase Securities

The Funds may invest in or acquire warrants to purchase equity or fixed income securities. Warrants are instruments that give the holder the right, but not the obligation, to buy a security at a specific price for a specific period of time. Changes in the value of a warrant do not necessarily correspond to changes in the value of its underlying security. The price of a warrant may be more volatile than the price of its underlying security, and a warrant may offer greater potential for capital appreciation as well as capital loss. Warrants do not entitle a holder to dividends or voting rights with respect to the underlying security and do not represent any rights in the assets of the issuing company. A warrant ceases to have value if it is not exercised prior to its expiration date. These factors can make warrants more speculative than other types of investments. Bonds with warrants attached to purchase equity securities have many characteristics of convertible bonds and their prices may, to some degree, reflect the performance of the underlying stock. Bonds also may be issued with warrants attached to purchase additional fixed income securities at the same coupon rate. A decline in interest rates would permit a Fund to buy additional bonds at the favorable rate or to sell the warrants at a profit. If interest rates rise, the warrants would generally expire with no value.

A Fund may from time to time use non-standard warrants, including low exercise price warrants or low exercise price options (“LEPOs”), to gain exposure to issuers in certain countries. LEPOs are different from standard warrants in that they do not give their holders the right to receive a security of the issuer upon exercise. Rather, LEPOs pay the holder the difference in price of the underlying security between the date the LEPO was purchased and the date it is sold. Additionally, LEPOs entail the same risks as other OTC derivatives, including the risks that the counterparty or issuer of the LEPO may not be able to fulfill its obligations, that the holder and counterparty or issuer may disagree as to the meaning or application of contractual terms, or that the instrument may not perform as expected. Furthermore, while LEPOs may be listed on an exchange, there is no guarantee that a liquid market will exist or that the counterparty or issuer of a LEPO will be willing to repurchase such instrument when the Fund wishes to sell it.

Real Estate Assets and Related Derivatives

The Funds may generally gain exposure to the real estate sector by investing in real estate-linked derivatives, real estate investment trusts (“REITs”), and common, preferred and convertible securities of issuers in real estate-related industries. The Funds may also invest in loans or other investments secured by real estate and may, as a result of default, foreclosure or otherwise, take possession of and hold real estate as a direct owner. Each of these types of investments are subject, directly or indirectly, to risks associated with ownership of real estate, including changes in the general economic climate or local conditions (such as an oversupply of space or a reduction in demand for space), loss to casualty or condemnation, increases in property taxes and operating expenses, zoning law amendments, changes in interest rates, overbuilding and increased competition, including competition based on rental rates, variations in market value, changes in the financial condition of tenants, changes in operating costs, attractiveness and location of the properties, adverse changes in the real estate markets generally or in specific sectors of the real estate industry and possible environmental liabilities. Real estate-related investments may entail leverage and may be highly volatile.

REITs are pooled investment vehicles that own, and typically operate, income-producing real estate. If a REIT meets certain requirements, including distributing to shareholders substantially all of its taxable income (other than net capital gains), then it is not generally taxed on the income distributed to shareholders. REITs are subject to management fees and other expenses, and so the Funds that invest in REITs will bear their proportionate share of the costs of the REITs’ operations.

 

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There are three general categories of REITs: Equity REITs, Mortgage REITs and Hybrid REITs. Equity REITs invest primarily in direct fee ownership or leasehold ownership of real property; they derive most of their income from rents. Mortgage REITs invest mostly in mortgages on real estate, which may secure construction, development or long-term loans, and the main source of their income is mortgage interest payments. Hybrid REITs hold both ownership and mortgage interests in real estate.

Along with the risks common to different types of real estate-related securities, REITs, no matter the type, involve additional risk factors. These include poor performance by the REIT’s manager, changes to the tax laws, and failure by the REIT to qualify for tax-free distribution of income or exemption under the 1940 Act. Furthermore, REITs are not diversified and are heavily dependent on cash flow.

A Fund or some of the REITs in which a Fund may invest may be permitted to hold senior or residual interests in real estate mortgage investment conduits (“REMICs”) or debt or equity interests in taxable mortgage pools (“TMPs”). A Fund may also hold interests in “Re-REMICS,” which are interests in securitizations formed by the contribution of asset backed or other similar securities into a trust which then issues securities in various tranches. The Funds may participate in the creation of a Re-REMIC by contributing assets to the trust and receiving junior and/or senior securities in return. An interest in a Re-REMIC security may be riskier than the securities originally held by and contributed to the trust, and the holders of the Re-REMIC securities will bear the costs associated with the securitization.

Foreign Securities

The PIMCO RAFI Dynamic Multi-Factor Emerging Markets Equity ETF and PIMCO RAFI Dynamic Multi-Factor International Equity ETF may invest in common or preferred or preference stock of foreign issuers, corporate debt securities of foreign issuers, certain foreign bank obligations (see “Bank Obligations”) and U.S. dollar or foreign currency-denominated obligations of foreign governments or their subdivisions, agencies and instrumentalities, international agencies and supranational entities that are economically tied to the following foreign (non-U.S.) countries (which may be amended from time to time pursuant to RAFI Indices, LLC’s (the “Index Provider”) Methodology & Standard Treatment (“rulebook”) for the Underlying Indexes): Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and United Kingdom. Securities and instruments of a company are assigned to a country based on the company’s country of primary listing, domicile, and incorporation. If a company’s primary listing is on a stock exchange in the same country as the company is domiciled and incorporated, then the company is assigned to that country. If the country of domicile is different from the country of incorporation and the primary listing is in the country of domicile, then the company is assigned to the country of primary listing and domicile. If the country of primary listing is different from the country of domicile and the country of primary listing is in the country of incorporation, then the company is assigned to the country of primary listing and incorporation. If the country of primary listing, domicile, and incorporation all differ, country assignment is based on other factors including domicile of parent company, management location, source of sales, trading volume and reporting currency.

To the extent that a Fund invests in instruments economically tied to non-U.S. countries it may invest in a range of countries and, as such, the value of the Fund’s assets may be affected by uncertainties such as international political developments, changes in government policies, changes in taxation, restrictions on foreign investment and currency repatriation, currency fluctuations and other developments in the laws and regulations of countries in which investment may be made.

The PIMCO RAFI Dynamic Multi-Factor Emerging Markets Equity ETF and PIMCO RAFI Dynamic Multi-Factor International Equity ETF may invest in instruments economically tied to the following developing (or “emerging market”) countries (which may be amended from time to time pursuant to the Index Provider’s rulebook for the Underlying Indexes): Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Egypt, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Philippines, Peru, Poland, Qatar, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey and United Arab Emirates. Securities and instruments of a company are assigned to a country based on the company’s country of primary listing, domicile, and incorporation. If a company’s primary listing is on a stock exchange in the same country as the company is domiciled and incorporated, then the company is assigned to that country. If the country of domicile is different from the country of incorporation and the primary listing is in the country of domicile, then the company is assigned to the country of primary listing and domicile. If the country of primary listing is different from the country of domicile and the country of primary listing is in the country of incorporation, then the company is assigned to the country of primary listing and incorporation. If the country of primary listing, domicile, and incorporation all differ, country assignment is based on other factors including domicile of parent company, management location, source of sales, trading volume and reporting currency.

 

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Investment risk may be particularly high to the extent that a Fund invests in instruments economically tied to emerging market countries. These securities may present market, credit, currency, liquidity, legal, political and other risks different from, or greater than, the risks of investing in developed countries. The Funds may invest in emerging markets that may be in the process of opening to trans-national investment, which may increase these risks. Risks particular to emerging market countries include, but are not limited to, the following risks.

General Emerging Market Risk. The securities markets of countries in which a Fund may invest may be relatively small, with a limited number of companies representing a small number of industries. Additionally, issuers in countries in which a Fund may invest may not be subject to a high degree of regulation and the financial institutions with which the Fund may trade may not possess the same degree of financial sophistication, creditworthiness or resources as those in developed markets. Furthermore, the legal infrastructure and accounting, auditing and reporting standards in certain countries in which a Fund may invest may not provide the same degree of investor protection or information to investors as would generally apply in major securities markets.

Nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, political changes or diplomatic developments could adversely affect a Fund’s investments in a foreign country. In the event of nationalization, expropriation or other confiscation, a Fund could lose its entire investment in that country. Adverse conditions in a certain region can adversely affect securities of other countries whose economies appear to be unrelated. To the extent that a Fund invests a portion of its assets in a concentrated geographic area, the Fund will generally have more exposure to regional economic risks associated with that geographic area.

Restrictions on Foreign Investment. A number of emerging securities markets restrict foreign investment to varying degrees. Furthermore, repatriation of investment income, capital and the proceeds of sales by foreign investors may require governmental registration and/or approval in some countries. While a Fund will only invest in markets where these restrictions are considered acceptable, new or additional repatriation or other restrictions might be imposed subsequent to the Fund’s investment. If such restrictions were to be imposed subsequent to a Fund’s investment in the securities markets of a particular country, the Fund’s response might include, among other things, applying to the appropriate authorities for a waiver of the restrictions or engaging in transactions in other markets designed to offset the risks of decline in that country. Such restrictions will be considered in relation to a Fund’s liquidity needs and all other acceptable positive and negative factors. Some emerging markets limit foreign investment, which may decrease returns relative to domestic investors. The Funds may seek exceptions to those restrictions. If those restrictions are present and cannot be avoided by a Fund, the Fund’s returns may be lower.

Settlement Risks. Settlement systems in emerging markets may be less well organized and less transparent than in developed markets and transactions may take longer to settle as a result. Supervisory authorities may also be unable to apply standards which are comparable with those in developed markets. Thus there may be risks that settlement may be delayed and that cash or securities belonging to a Fund may be in jeopardy because of failures of or defects in the systems. In particular, market practice may require that payment shall be made prior to receipt of the security which is being purchased or that delivery of a security must be made before payment is received. In such cases, default by a broker or bank (the “Counterparty”) through whom the relevant transaction is effected might result in a loss being suffered by a Fund. The Funds may not know the identity of a Counterparty, which may increase the possibility of a Fund not receiving payment or delivery of securities in a transaction. The Funds will seek, where possible, to use Counterparties whose financial status is such that this risk is reduced. However, there can be no certainty that a Fund will be successful in eliminating or reducing this risk, particularly as Counterparties operating in emerging market countries frequently lack the substance, capitalization and/or financial resources of those in developed countries.

There may also be a danger that, because of uncertainties in the operation of settlement systems in individual markets, competing claims may arise in respect of securities held by or to be transferred to a Fund. Furthermore, compensation schemes may be non-existent, limited or inadequate to meet a Fund’s claims in any of these events.

Counterparty Risk. Trading in the securities of developing markets presents additional credit and financial risks. The Funds may have limited access to, or there may be a limited number of, potential Counterparties that trade in the securities of emerging market issuers. Governmental regulations may restrict potential Counterparties to certain financial institutions located or operating in the particular emerging market. Potential Counterparties may not possess, adopt or implement creditworthiness standards, financial reporting standards or legal and contractual protections similar to those in developed markets. Currency hedging techniques may not be available or may be limited. The Funds may not be able to reduce or mitigate risks related to trading with emerging market Counterparties. The Funds will seek, where possible, to use Counterparties whose financial status is such that the risk of default is reduced, but the risk of losses resulting from default is still possible.

 

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Government in the Private Sector. Government involvement in the private sector varies in degree among the emerging markets in which a Fund invests. Such involvement may, in some cases, include government ownership of companies in certain sectors, wage and price controls or imposition of trade barriers and other protectionist measures. With respect to any emerging market country, there is no guarantee that some future economic or political crisis will not lead to price controls, forced mergers of companies, expropriation, or creation of government monopolies, to the possible detriment of a Fund’s investment in that country.

Litigation. The Funds may encounter substantial difficulties in obtaining and enforcing judgments against individuals and companies located in certain emerging market countries. It may be difficult or impossible to obtain or enforce legislation or remedies against governments, their agencies and sponsored entities.

Fraudulent Securities. It is possible, particularly in markets in emerging market countries, that purported securities in which a Fund invests may subsequently be found to be fraudulent and as a consequence the Fund could suffer losses.

Taxation. Non-U.S. laws governing the taxation of income and capital gains accruing to non-residents varies among emerging market countries and, in some cases, is comparatively high. In addition, certain emerging market countries may not have well-defined tax laws and procedures, and such laws or procedures may permit retroactive taxation so that a Fund could in the future become subject to local tax liabilities that had not been anticipated in conducting its investment activities or valuing its assets. The Funds will seek to reduce these risks by careful management of their assets. However, there can be no assurance that these efforts will be successful.

Political Risks/Risks of Conflicts. Recently, various countries have seen significant internal conflicts and in some cases, civil wars may have had an adverse impact on the securities markets of the countries concerned. In addition, the occurrence of new disturbances due to acts of war or other political developments cannot be excluded. Apparently stable systems may experience periods of disruption or improbable reversals of policy. Nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, political changes, government regulation, political, regulatory or social instability or uncertainty or diplomatic developments could adversely affect a Fund’s investments. The transformation from a centrally planned, socialist economy to a more market oriented economy has also resulted in many economic and social disruptions and distortions. Moreover, there can be no assurance that the economic, regulatory and political initiatives necessary to achieve and sustain such a transformation will continue or, if such initiatives continue and are sustained, that they will be successful or that such initiatives will continue to benefit foreign (or non-national) investors. Certain instruments, such as inflation index instruments, may depend upon measures compiled by governments (or entities under their influence) which are also the obligors.

Each Fund that may invest in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may invest in Brady Bonds. Brady Bonds are securities created through the exchange of existing commercial bank loans to sovereign entities for new obligations in connection with debt restructurings under a debt restructuring plan introduced by former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, Nicholas F. Brady (the “Brady Plan”). Brady Plan debt restructurings were implemented in a number of countries, including: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Jordan, Mexico, Niger, Nigeria, Panama, Peru, the Philippines, Poland, Uruguay, and Venezuela. Beginning in the early 2000s, certain countries began retiring their Brady Bonds, including Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, the Philippines and Venezuela.

Brady Bonds may be collateralized or uncollateralized, are issued in various currencies (primarily the U.S. dollar) and are actively traded in the OTC secondary market. Brady Bonds are not considered to be U.S. Government securities. U.S. dollar-denominated, collateralized Brady Bonds, which may be fixed rate par bonds or floating rate discount bonds, are generally collateralized in full as to principal by U.S. Treasury zero coupon bonds having the same maturity as the Brady Bonds. Interest payments on these Brady Bonds generally are collateralized on a one-year or longer rolling-forward basis by cash or securities in an amount that, in the case of fixed rate bonds, is equal to at least one year of interest payments or, in the case of floating rate bonds, initially is equal to at least one year’s interest payments based on the applicable interest rate at that time and is adjusted at regular intervals thereafter. Certain Brady Bonds are entitled to “value recovery payments” in certain circumstances, which in effect constitute supplemental interest payments but generally are not collateralized. Brady Bonds are often viewed as having three or four valuation components: (i) the collateralized repayment of principal at final maturity; (ii) the collateralized interest payments; (iii) the uncollateralized interest payments; and (iv) any uncollateralized repayment of principal at maturity (these uncollateralized amounts constitute the “residual risk”).

Brady Bonds involve various risk factors including residual risk and the history of defaults with respect to commercial bank loans by public and private entities of countries issuing Brady Bonds. There can be no assurance that Brady Bonds in which a Fund may invest will not be subject to restructuring arrangements or to requests for new credit, which may cause the Fund to suffer a loss of interest or principal on any of its holdings.

 

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Investment in sovereign debt can involve a high degree of risk. The governmental entity that controls the repayment of sovereign debt may not be able or willing to repay the principal and/or interest when due in accordance with the terms of the debt. A governmental entity’s willingness or ability to repay principal and interest due in a timely manner may be affected by, among other factors, its cash flow situation, 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, the governmental entity’s policy toward the International Monetary Fund, and the political constraints to which a governmental entity may be subject. Governmental entities also may depend on expected disbursements from foreign governments, multilateral agencies and others to reduce principal and interest arrearages on their debt. The commitment on the part of these governments, agencies and others to make such disbursements may be conditioned on a governmental entity’s implementation of economic reforms and/or economic performance and the timely service of such debtor’s obligations. Failure 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 governmental entity, which may further impair such debtor’s ability or willingness to service its debts in a timely manner. Consequently, governmental entities may default on their sovereign debt. Holders of sovereign debt (including a Fund) may be requested to participate in the rescheduling of such debt and to extend further loans to governmental entities. There is no bankruptcy proceeding by which sovereign debt on which governmental entities have defaulted may be collected in whole or in part.

A Fund’s investments in foreign currency denominated debt obligations, if any, and hedging activities would likely produce a difference between its book income and its taxable income. This difference may cause a portion of a Fund’s income distributions to constitute returns of capital for tax purposes or require the Fund to make distributions exceeding book income to qualify as a regulated investment company for federal tax purposes.

Euro- and EU-related risks. The global economic crisis brought several small economies in Europe to the brink of bankruptcy and many other economies into recession and weakened the banking and financial sectors of many European countries. For example, the governments of Greece, Spain, Portugal, and the Republic of Ireland have all experienced large public budget deficits, the effects of which are still yet unknown and may slow the overall recovery of the European economies from the global economic crisis. In addition, due to large public deficits, some European countries may be dependent on assistance from other European governments and institutions or other central banks or supranational agencies such as the International Monetary Fund. Assistance may be dependent on a country’s implementation of reforms or reaching a certain level of performance. Failure to reach those objectives or an insufficient level of assistance could result in a deep economic downturn which could significantly affect the value of a Fund’s European investments.

The Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union (“EMU”) is comprised of the European Union (“EU”) members that have adopted the euro currency. By adopting the euro as its currency, a member state relinquishes control of its own monetary policies. As a result, European countries are significantly affected by fiscal and monetary policies implemented by the EMU and European Central Bank. The euro currency may not fully reflect the strengths and weaknesses of the various economies that comprise the EMU and Europe generally.

It is possible that one or more EMU member countries could abandon the euro and return to a national currency and/or that the euro will cease to exist as a single currency in its current form. The effects of such an abandonment or a country’s forced expulsion from the euro on that country, the rest of the EMU, and global markets are impossible to predict, but are likely to be negative. The exit of any country out of the euro may have an extremely destabilizing effect on other Eurozone countries and their economies and a negative effect on the global economy as a whole. Such an exit by one country may also increase the possibility that additional countries may exit the euro should they face similar financial difficulties. In addition, in the event of one or more countries’ exit from the euro, it may be difficult to value investments denominated in euros or in a replacement currency.

The Funds may face potential risks associated with the referendum on the United Kingdom’s continued membership in the EU, which resulted in a vote for the United Kingdom to leave the EU. The vote to leave the EU may result in substantial volatility in foreign exchange markets and may lead to a sustained weakness in the British pound’s exchange rate against the United States dollar, the euro and other currencies, which may impact Fund returns. The vote to leave the EU may result in a sustained period of market uncertainty, as the United Kingdom seeks to negotiate the terms of its exit. It may also destabilize some or all of the other EU member countries and/or the Eurozone. These developments could result in losses to the Funds, as there may be negative effects on the value of Funds’ investments and/or on Funds’ ability to enter into certain transactions or value certain investments, and these developments may make it more difficult for Funds to exit certain investments at an advantageous time or price. Such events could result from, among other things, increased uncertainty and volatility in the United Kingdom, the EU and other financial markets; fluctuations in asset values; fluctuations in exchange rates; decreased liquidity of investments located, traded or listed within the United Kingdom, the EU or elsewhere; changes in the willingness or ability of financial and other counterparties to enter into transactions or the price and terms on which

 

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other counterparties are willing to transact; and/or changes in legal and regulatory regimes to which Fund investments are or become subject. Any of these events, as well as an exit or expulsion of an EU member state other than the United Kingdom from the EU, could negatively impact Fund returns.

Investments in Russia. Certain Funds may invest in securities and instruments that are economically tied to Russia. In determining whether an instrument is economically tied to Russia, the Sub-Adviser uses the criteria for determining whether an instrument is economically tied to an emerging market country as set forth above under “Foreign Securities.” In addition to the risks listed above under “Foreign Securities,” investing in Russia presents additional risks. In particular, investments in Russia are subject to the risk that the United States and/or other countries may impose economic sanctions. Such sanctions – which may impact companies in many sectors, including energy, financial services and defense, among others – may negatively impact a Fund’s performance and/or ability to achieve its investment objective. For example, certain investments in Russian companies or instruments tied to Russian companies may be prohibited and/or existing investments may become illiquid (e.g., in the event that a Fund is prohibited from transacting in certain existing investments tied to Russia), which could cause a Fund to sell other portfolio holdings at a disadvantageous time or price in order to meet shareholder redemptions. It is also possible that such sanctions may prevent U.S.-based entities that provide services to a Fund from transacting with Russian entities. Under such circumstances, a Fund may not receive payments due with respect to certain investments, such as the payments due in connection with the Fund’s holding of a fixed income security. More generally, investing in Russian securities is highly speculative and involves significant risks and special considerations not typically associated with investing in the securities markets of the U.S. and most other developed countries. Over the past century, Russia has experienced political, social and economic turbulence and has endured decades of communist rule under which tens of millions of its citizens were collectivized into state agricultural and industrial enterprises. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia’s government has been faced with the daunting task of stabilizing its domestic economy, while transforming it into a modern and efficient structure able to compete in international markets and respond to the needs of its citizens. However, to date, many of the country’s economic reform initiatives have floundered. In this environment, there is always the risk that the nation’s government will abandon the current program of economic reform and replace it with radically different political and economic policies that would be detrimental to the interests of foreign investors. This could entail a return to a centrally planned economy and nationalization of private enterprises similar to what existed under the old Soviet Union.

Poor accounting standards, inept management, pervasive corruption, insider trading and crime, and inadequate regulatory protection for the rights of investors all pose a significant risk, particularly to foreign investors. In addition, there is the risk that the Russian tax system will not be reformed to prevent inconsistent, retroactive, and/or exorbitant taxation, or, in the alternative, the risk that a reformed tax system may result in the inconsistent and unpredictable enforcement of the new tax laws. Investments in Russia may be subject to the risk of nationalization or expropriation of assets.

Compared to most national securities markets, the Russian securities market suffers from a variety of problems not encountered in more developed markets. There is little long-term historical data on the Russian securities market because it is relatively new and a substantial proportion of securities transactions in Russia are privately negotiated outside of stock exchanges. The inexperience of the Russian securities market and the limited volume of trading in securities in the market may make obtaining accurate prices on portfolio securities from independent sources more difficult than in more developed markets. Additionally, because of less stringent auditing and financial reporting standards than apply to U.S. companies, there may be little reliable corporate information available to investors. As a result, it may be difficult to assess the value or prospects of an investment in Russian companies. Securities of Russian companies also may experience greater price volatility than securities of U.S. companies.

Because of the recent formation of the Russian securities market as well as the underdeveloped state of the banking and telecommunications systems, settlement, clearing and registration of securities transactions are subject to significant risks. Ownership of shares (except where shares are held through depositories that meet the requirements of the 1940 Act) is defined according to entries in the company’s share register and normally evidenced by extracts from the register or by formal share certificates. However, there is no central securities depository and no central registration system for security holders and these services are carried out by the companies themselves or by registrars located throughout Russia. These registrars are not necessarily subject to effective state supervision nor are they licensed with any governmental entity, and it is possible for a Fund to lose its registration through fraud, negligence, or even mere oversight. Russian securities laws may not recognize foreign nominee accounts held with a custodian bank, and therefore the custodian may be considered the ultimate owner of securities they hold for their clients. While a Fund will endeavor to ensure that its interest continues to be appropriately recorded either itself or through a custodian or other agent inspecting the share register and by obtaining extracts of share registers through regular confirmations, these extracts have no legal enforceability and it is possible that subsequent illegal amendment or other fraudulent act may deprive the Fund of its ownership rights or improperly dilute its interests. In addition, while applicable Russian regulations impose liability on registrars for losses resulting from their errors,

 

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it may be difficult for a Fund to enforce any rights it may have against the registrar or issuer of the securities in the event of loss of share registration. Furthermore, significant delays or problems may occur in registering the transfer of securities, which could cause a Fund to incur losses due to a counterparty’s failure to pay for securities the Fund has delivered or the Fund’s inability to complete its contractual obligations because of theft or other reasons. A Fund also may experience difficulty in obtaining and/or enforcing judgments in Russia.

The Russian economy is heavily dependent upon the export of a range of commodities including most industrial metals, forestry products, oil, and gas. Accordingly, it is strongly affected by international commodity prices and is particularly vulnerable to any weakening in global demand for these products.

Foreign investors also face a high degree of currency risk when investing in Russian securities and a lack of available currency hedging instruments. In addition, there is the risk that the Russian government may impose capital controls on foreign portfolio investments in the event of extreme financial or political crisis. Such capital controls may prevent the sale of a portfolio of foreign assets and the repatriation of investment income and capital.

Investments in the People’s Republic of China. Certain Funds that may invest in emerging market countries may invest in securities and instruments that are economically tied to the People’s Republic of China (excluding Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan for the purpose of this disclosure) (“PRC”). Such investment may be made through various available market access programs including but not limited to PRC qualified foreign institutional investor (“QFII”) program and/or the RMB qualified foreign institutional investor (“RQFII”) program. In determining whether an instrument is economically tied to the PRC, PIMCO uses the criteria for determining whether an instrument is economically tied to an emerging market country as set forth above under “Foreign Securities.” In addition to the risks listed above under “Foreign Securities,” including those associated with investing in emerging markets, investing in the PRC presents additional risks. These additional risks include (without limitation): (a) inefficiencies resulting from erratic growth; (b) the unavailability of consistently-reliable economic data; (c) potentially high rates of inflation; (d) dependence on exports and international trade; (e) relatively high levels of asset price volatility; (f) potential shortage of liquidity and limited accessibility by foreign investors; (g) greater competition from regional economies; (h) fluctuations in currency exchange rates or currency devaluation by the PRC government or central bank, particularly in light of the relative lack of currency hedging instruments and controls on the ability to exchange local currency for U.S. dollars; (i) the relatively small size and absence of operating history of many PRC companies; (j) the developing nature of the legal and regulatory framework for securities markets, custody arrangements and commerce; (k) uncertainty and potential changes with respect to the rules and regulations of the QFII / RQFII program and other market access programs through which such investments are made; (l) the commitment of the PRC government to continue with its economic reforms; and (m) Chinese regulators may suspend trading in Chinese issuers (or permit such issuers to suspend trading) during market disruptions, and that such suspensions may be widespread.

In addition, there is a lack of clarity in the laws and regulations, and a lower level of enforcement activity, in these securities markets compared to more developed international markets. There could potentially be a lack of consistency in interpreting and applying the relevant regulations and a risk that the regulators may impose immediate or rapid changes to existing or introduce new laws, rules, regulations or policies without any prior consultation with or notice to market participants which may severely restrict the Fund’s ability to pursue its investment objectives or strategies. There also exists control on foreign investment in the PRC and limitations on repatriation of invested capital. Under the QFII / RQFII program, there are certain regulatory restrictions particularly on aspects including (without limitation to) investment scope, investment quota, repatriation of funds, foreign shareholding limit and account structure. Although the relevant QFII / RQFII regulations have recently been revised to relax the limitation on repatriation of funds, it is a very new development therefore subject to uncertainties as to whether and how it will be implemented in practice. As a result of PRC regulatory requirements, a Fund may be limited in its ability to invest in securities or instruments tied to the PRC and/or may be required to liquidate its holdings in securities or instruments tied to the PRC. Under certain instances such as when the price of the securities is at a low level, the involuntary liquidations may result in losses for a Fund. In addition, securities exchanges in the PRC typically have the right to suspend or limit trading in any security traded on the relevant exchange. The PRC government or relevant PRC regulators may also implement policies that may adversely affect the PRC financial markets. Such suspensions, limitations or policies may have a negative impact on the performance of a Fund’s investments.

Although the PRC has experienced a relatively stable political environment in recent years, there is no guarantee that such stability will be maintained in the future. As an emerging market, many factors may affect such stability – such as increasing income inequality, agrarian unrest and instability of existing political structures – and may result in adverse consequences to a Fund investing in securities and instruments economically tied to the PRC. Political uncertainty, military intervention, regional conflicts and government corruption could reverse favorable trends toward market and economic reform, privatization and removal of trade barriers, and could result in significant disruption to securities markets.

 

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The PRC is ruled by the Communist Party. Investments in the PRC are subject to risks associated with greater governmental control over and involvement in the economy. Unlike in the United States, the PRC’s currency is not determined by the market, but is instead managed at artificial levels relative to the U.S. dollar. This type of system can lead to sudden and large adjustments in the currency, which, in turn, can have a disruptive and negative effect on foreign investors. The PRC also may restrict the free conversion of its currency into foreign currencies, including the U.S. dollar. Currency repatriation restrictions may have the effect of making securities and instruments tied to the PRC relatively illiquid, particularly in connection with redemption requests. In addition, the government of the PRC exercises significant control over economic growth through direct and heavy involvement in resource allocation and monetary policy, control over payment of foreign currency denominated obligations and provision of preferential treatment to particular industries and/or companies. Economic reform programs in the PRC have contributed to growth, but there is no guarantee that such reforms will continue.

The PRC has historically been prone to natural disasters such as droughts, floods, earthquakes and tsunamis, and the region’s economy may be affected by such environmental events in the future. A Fund’s investment in the PRC is, therefore, subject to the risk of such events. In addition, the relationship between the PRC and Taiwan is particularly sensitive, and hostilities between the PRC and Taiwan may present a risk to a Fund’s investments in the PRC.

The application of tax laws (e.g., the imposition of withholding taxes on dividend or interest payments) or confiscatory taxation may also affect a Fund’s investment in the PRC. Because the rules governing taxation of investments in securities and instruments economically tied to the PRC are not always clear, PIMCO may provide for capital gains taxes on Funds investing in such securities and instruments by reserving both realized and unrealized gains from disposing or holding securities and instruments economically tied to the PRC. This approach is based on current market practice and PIMCO’s understanding of the applicable tax rules. Changes in market practice or understanding of the applicable tax rules may result in the amounts reserved being too great or too small relative to actual tax burdens.

Investing through Stock Connect. Certain Funds may invest in eligible securities (“Stock Connect Securities”) listed and traded on the Shanghai Stock Exchange or the Shenzhen Stock Exchange through the Shanghai - Hong Kong Stock Connect program and the Shenzhen - Hong Kong Stock Connect program (collectively, “Stock Connect”). Stock Connect allows non-Chinese investors (such as the Funds) to purchase certain PRC-listed equities via brokers in Hong Kong. Although Stock Connect is the first program allowing non-Chinese investors to trade Chinese equities without a license, purchases of securities through Stock Connect are subject to market-wide quota limitations, which may prevent a Fund from purchasing Stock Connect securities when it is otherwise advantageous to do so. An investor cannot purchase and sell the same security on the same trading day, which may restrict a Fund’s ability to invest in China A-shares through Stock Connect and to enter into or exit trades where it is advantageous to do so on the same trading day. Because Stock Connect trades are routed through Hong Kong brokers and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, Stock Connect is affected by trading holidays in either the PRC or Hong Kong, and there are trading days in the PRC when Stock Connect investors will not be able to trade. As a result, prices of Stock Connect may fluctuate at times when the Fund is unable to add to or exit its position. Only certain China A-shares are eligible to be accessed through Stock Connect. Such securities may lose their eligibility at any time, in which case they could be sold but could no longer be purchased through Stock Connect. Because Stock Connect is relatively new, its effects on the market for trading China A-shares are uncertain. In addition, the trading, settlement and information technology (“IT”) systems required to operate Stock Connect are relatively new and continuing to evolve. In the event that the relevant systems do not function properly, trading through Stock Connect could be disrupted.

Stock Connect is subject to regulations by both Hong Kong and the PRC. Regulators in both jurisdictions are allowed to suspend Stock Connect trading; Chinese regulators may also suspend trading in Chinese issuers (or permit such issuers to suspend trading) during market disruptions, and such suspensions may be widespread. There can be no assurance that further regulations will not affect the availability of securities under Stock Connect, operational arrangements or other limitations. Stock Connect transactions are not covered by investor protection programs of either the Hong Kong, Shanghai or Shenzhen Stock Exchanges, although any default by a Hong Kong broker should be subject to established Hong Kong law. In the PRC, Stock Connect securities are held on behalf of ultimate investors (such as the Fund) by the Hong Kong Securities Clearing Company Limited (“HKSCC”) as nominee. While Chinese regulators have affirmed that the ultimate investors hold a beneficial interest in Stock Connect securities, the mechanisms that beneficial owners may use to enforce their rights are untested. In addition, courts in China have limited experience in applying the concept of beneficial ownership and the law surrounding beneficial ownership will continue to evolve. A Fund may not be able to participate in corporate actions affecting Stock Connect securities due to time constraints or for other operational reasons. Similarly, a Fund will not be able to vote in shareholders’ meetings except through HKSCC and will not be able to attend shareholders’ meetings. Stock Connect trades are settled in Renminbi (RMB), the Chinese currency, and investors must have timely access to a reliable supply of RMB in Hong Kong, which cannot be guaranteed.

 

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Stock Connect trades are either subject to certain pre-trade requirements or must be placed in special segregated accounts that allow brokers to comply with these pre-trade requirements by confirming that the selling shareholder has sufficient Stock Connect securities to complete the sale. If a Fund does not utilize a special segregated account, a Fund will not be able to sell the shares on any trading day where it fails to comply with the pre-trade checks. In addition, these pre-trade requirements may, as a practical matter, limit the number of brokers that a Fund may use to execute trades. While the Fund may use special segregated accounts in lieu of the pre-trade check, many market participants have yet to fully implement IT systems necessary to complete trades involving securities in such accounts in a timely manner. Market practice with respect to special segregated accounts is continuing to evolve.

Investing through CIBM Direct. To the extent permissible by the relevant PRC regulations or authorities, the Fund may also directly invest in permissible products (which include cash bonds) traded on China inter-bank bond market (“CIBM”) in compliance with the relevant rules issued by the People’s Bank of China (“PBOC”, including its Shanghai Head Office) in 2016 including the Announcement [2016] No.3 and its implementing rules (“CIBM Direct Rules”). An onshore trading and settlement agent shall be engaged by PIMCO as the manager of the Fund to make the filing on behalf of the relevant Fund and conduct trading and settlement agency services for the Fund. PBOC will exercise on-going supervision on the onshore settlement agent and the Fund’s trading under the CIBM Direct Rules and may take relevant administrative actions such as suspension of trading and mandatory exit against the Fund and/or PIMCO in the event of any incompliance with the CIBM Direct Rules. The CIBM Direct Rules are very new and have yet to be tested on the market. At this stage the CIBM Direct Rules are still subject to further clarification and/or changes, which may adversely affect the Fund’s capability to invest in the CIBM.

Investing Through Bond Connect. In addition to the risks described under “Foreign Securities” and “Investments in the People’s Republic of China,” there are risks associated with a Fund’s investment in Chinese government bonds and other PRC-based debt instruments traded on the CIBM through the Bond Connect program. The Bond Connect refers to the arrangement between Hong Kong and PRC that enables the PRC and overseas investors to trade various types of debt securities in each other’s bond markets through connection between the relevant respective financial infrastructure institutions. Trading through Bond Connect is subject to a number of restrictions that may affect a Fund’s investments and returns. Investments made through Bond Connect are subject to order, clearance and settlement procedures that are relatively untested in the PRC, which could pose risks to a Fund. Furthermore, securities purchased via Bond Connect will be held on behalf of ultimate investors (such as a Fund) via a book entry omnibus account in the name of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority Central Money Markets Unit maintained with a PRC-based custodian (either the China Central Depository & Clearing Co. (“CDCC”) or the Shanghai Clearing House (“SCH”)). A Fund’s ownership interest in Bond Connect securities will not be reflected directly in book entry with CSDCC or SCH and will instead only be reflected on the books of its Hong Kong sub-custodian. This recordkeeping system also subjects a Fund to various risks, including the risk that the Fund may have a limited ability to enforce rights as a bondholder as well as the risks of settlement delays and counterparty default of the Hong Kong sub-custodian. While the ultimate investors hold a beneficial interest in Bond Connect securities, the mechanisms that beneficial owners may use to enforce their rights are untested and courts in the PRC have limited experience in applying the concept of beneficial ownership. As such, a Fund may not be able to participate in corporate actions affecting its rights as a bondholder, such as timely payment of distributions, due to time constraints or for other operational reasons. Bond Connect trades are settled in RMB and investors must have timely access to a reliable supply of RMB in Hong Kong, which cannot be guaranteed. Moreover, securities purchased through Bond Connect generally may not be sold, purchased or otherwise transferred other than through Bond Connect in accordance with applicable rules.

A primary feature of Bond Connect is the application of the home market’s laws and rules applicable to investors in Chinese fixed-income instruments. Therefore, a Fund’s investments in securities via Bond Connect are generally subject to Chinese securities regulations and listing rules, among other restrictions. Such securities may lose their eligibility at any time, in which case they could be sold but could no longer be purchased through Bond Connect. A Fund will not benefit from access to Hong Kong investor compensation funds, which are set up to protect against defaults of trades, when investing through Bond Connect. Bond Connect is only available on days when markets in both the PRC and Hong Kong are open. As a result, prices of securities purchased through Bond Connect may fluctuate at times when a Fund is unable to add to or exit its position and, therefore, may limit the Fund’s ability to trade when it would be otherwise attractive to do so. Finally, uncertainties in the PRC tax rules governing taxation of income and gains from investments via Bond Connect could result in unexpected tax liabilities for a Fund. The withholding tax treatment of dividends and capital gains payable to overseas investors currently is unsettled.

The Bond Connect program is a relatively new program and may be subject to further interpretation and guidance. In addition, the trading, settlement and IT systems required for non-Chinese investors in Bond Connect are relatively new and continuing to evolve. In the event that the relevant systems do not function properly, trading through Bond Connect could be disrupted. There can be no assurance that further regulations will not affect the availability of securities in the program, the

 

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frequency of redemptions or other limitations. In addition, the application and interpretation of the laws and regulations of Hong Kong and the PRC, and the rules, policies or guidelines published or applied by relevant regulators and exchanges in respect of the Bond Connect program are uncertain, and they may have a detrimental effect on a Fund’s investments and returns.

Foreign Currency Transactions

A Fund may purchase and sell foreign currency options and foreign currency futures contracts and related options (see “Derivative Instruments”), and may engage in foreign currency transactions either on a spot (cash) basis at the rate prevailing in the currency exchange market at the time or through forward currency contracts (“forwards”). The Funds may engage in these transactions in order to attempt to protect against uncertainty in the level of future foreign exchange rates in the purchase and sale of securities. The Funds also may use foreign currency options and foreign currency forward contracts to increase exposure to a foreign currency or to shift exposure to foreign currency fluctuations from one country to another. Since some foreign exchange transactions for the Funds are directed to the Funds’ custodian for execution, execution of such transactions may be better or worse than comparable transactions effected by other intermediaries.

A forward involves an obligation to purchase or sell a certain amount of a specific currency at a future date, which may be three business days or more from the date of the contract agreed upon by the parties, at a price set at the time of the contract. These contracts may be bought or sold to protect a Fund against a possible loss resulting from an adverse change in the relationship between foreign currencies and the U.S. dollar or to increase exposure to a particular foreign currency. Open positions in forwards used for non-hedging purposes will be covered by the segregation or “earmarking” of assets determined to be liquid in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees, and are marked to market daily. Although forwards are intended to minimize the risk of loss due to a decline in the value of the hedged currencies, at the same time, they tend to limit any potential gain which might result should the value of such currencies increase. Forwards are used primarily to adjust the foreign exchange exposure of a Fund with a view to protecting the outlook, and the Fund might be expected to enter into such contracts under the following circumstances:

Lock In. When the Sub-Adviser desires to lock in the U.S. dollar price on the purchase or sale of a security denominated in a foreign currency.

Cross Hedge. If a particular currency is expected to decrease against another currency, a Fund may sell the currency expected to decrease and purchase a currency which is expected to increase against the currency sold in an amount approximately equal to some or all of the Fund’s portfolio holdings denominated in the currency sold.

Direct Hedge. If the Sub-Adviser wants to eliminate substantially all of the risk of owning a particular currency, and/or if the Sub-Adviser thinks that a Fund can benefit from price appreciation in a given country’s bonds but does not want to hold the currency, it may employ a direct hedge back into the U.S. dollar. In either case, a Fund would enter into a forward contract to sell the currency in which a portfolio security is denominated and purchase U.S. dollars at an exchange rate established at the time it initiated the contract. The cost of the direct hedge transaction may offset most, if not all, of the yield advantage offered by the foreign security, but a Fund would hope to benefit from an increase (if any) in value of the bond.

Proxy Hedge. The Sub-Adviser might choose to use a proxy hedge, which may be less costly than a direct hedge. In this case, a Fund, having purchased a security, will sell a currency whose value is believed to be closely linked to the currency in which the security is denominated. Interest rates prevailing in the country whose currency was sold would be expected to be closer to those in the United States and lower than those of securities denominated in the currency of the original holding. This type of hedging entails greater risk than a direct hedge because it is dependent on a stable relationship between the two currencies paired as proxies and the relationships can be very unstable at times.

Costs of Hedging. When a Fund purchases a foreign bond with a higher interest rate than is available on U.S. bonds of a similar maturity, the additional yield on the foreign bond could be substantially reduced or lost if the Fund were to enter into a direct hedge by selling the foreign currency and purchasing the U.S. dollar. This is what is known as the “cost” of hedging. Proxy hedging attempts to reduce this cost through an indirect hedge back to the U.S. dollar.

It is important to note that hedging costs are treated as capital transactions and are not, therefore, deducted from a Fund’s dividend distribution and are not reflected in its yield. Instead such costs will, over time, be reflected in a Fund’s net asset value per share.

 

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The forecasting of currency market movement is extremely difficult, and whether any hedging strategy will be successful is highly uncertain. Moreover, it is impossible to forecast with precision the market value of portfolio securities at the expiration of a foreign currency forward contract. Accordingly, a Fund may be required to buy or sell additional currency on the spot market (and bear the expense of such transaction) if the Sub-Adviser’s predictions regarding the movement of foreign currency or securities markets prove inaccurate. Also, foreign currency transactions, like currency exchange rates, can be affected unpredictably by intervention (or the failure to intervene) by U.S. or foreign governments or central banks, or by currency controls or political developments. Such events may prevent or restrict a Fund’s ability to enter into foreign currency transactions, force the Fund to exit a foreign currency transaction at a disadvantageous time or price or result in penalties for the Fund, any of which may result in a loss to the Fund. In addition, the use of cross-hedging transactions may involve special risks, and may leave a Fund in a less advantageous position than if such a hedge had not been established. Because foreign currency forward contracts are privately negotiated transactions, there can be no assurance that a Fund will have the flexibility to roll-over a foreign currency forward contract upon its expiration if it desires to do so. Additionally, there can be no assurance that the other party to the contract will perform its services thereunder.

Under definitions adopted by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) and SEC, many non-deliverable foreign currency forwards are considered swaps for certain purposes, including the determination of whether such instruments need to be exchange-traded and centrally cleared as discussed further in “Risks of Potential Government Regulation of Derivatives.” These changes are expected to reduce counterparty risk as compared to bi-laterally negotiated contracts.

The Funds may hold a portion of their assets in bank deposits denominated in foreign currencies, so as to facilitate investment in foreign securities as well as protect against currency fluctuations and the need to convert such assets into U.S. dollars (thereby also reducing transaction costs). To the extent these monies are converted back into U.S. dollars, the value of the assets so maintained will be affected favorably or unfavorably by changes in foreign currency exchange rates and exchange control regulations.

Tax Consequences of Hedging. Under applicable tax law, a Fund may be required to limit its gains from hedging in foreign currency forwards, futures, and options. Although a Fund is expected to comply with such limits, the extent to which these limits apply is subject to tax regulations as yet unissued. Hedging also may result in the application of the mark-to-market and straddle provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Internal Revenue Code”). Those provisions could result in an increase (or decrease) in the amount of taxable dividends paid by a Fund and could affect whether dividends paid by the Fund are classified as capital gains or ordinary income.

Foreign Currency Exchange-Related Securities

Foreign currency warrants. Foreign currency warrants such as Currency Exchange Warrants™ (“CEWs™”) are warrants which entitle the holder to receive from their issuer an amount of cash (generally, for warrants issued in the United States, in U.S. dollars) which is calculated pursuant to a predetermined formula and based on the exchange rate between a specified foreign currency and the U.S. dollar as of the exercise date of the warrant. Foreign currency warrants generally are exercisable upon their issuance and expire as of a specified date and time. Foreign currency warrants have been issued in connection with U.S. dollar-denominated debt offerings by major corporate issuers in an attempt to reduce the foreign currency exchange risk which, from the point of view of prospective purchasers of the securities, is inherent in the international fixed-income marketplace. Foreign currency warrants may attempt to reduce the foreign exchange risk assumed by purchasers of a security by, for example, providing for a supplemental payment in the event that the U.S. dollar depreciates against the value of a major foreign currency such as the Japanese yen or the euro. The formula used to determine the amount payable upon exercise of a foreign currency warrant may make the warrant worthless unless the applicable foreign currency exchange rate moves in a particular direction (e.g., unless the U.S. dollar appreciates or depreciates against the particular foreign currency to which the warrant is linked or indexed). Foreign currency warrants are severable from the debt obligations with which they may be offered, and may be listed on exchanges. Foreign currency warrants may be exercisable only in certain minimum amounts, and an investor wishing to exercise warrants who possesses less than the minimum number required for exercise may be required either to sell the warrants or to purchase additional warrants, thereby incurring additional transaction costs. In the case of any exercise of warrants, there may be a time delay between the time a holder of warrants gives instructions to exercise and the time the exchange rate relating to exercise is determined, during which time the exchange rate could change significantly, thereby affecting both the market and cash settlement values of the warrants being exercised. The expiration date of the warrants may be accelerated if the warrants should be delisted from an exchange or if their trading should be suspended permanently, which would result in the loss of any remaining “time value” of the warrants (i.e., the difference between the current market value and the exercise value of the warrants), and, in the case the warrants were “out-of-the-money,” in a total loss of the purchase price of the warrants. Warrants are generally unsecured obligations of their issuers and are not standardized foreign currency options issued by the Options Clearing Corporation

 

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(“OCC”). Unlike foreign currency options issued by OCC, the terms of foreign exchange warrants generally will not be amended in the event of governmental or regulatory actions affecting exchange rates or in the event of the imposition of other regulatory controls affecting the international currency markets. The initial public offering price of foreign currency warrants is generally considerably in excess of the price that a commercial user of foreign currencies might pay in the interbank market for a comparable option involving significantly larger amounts of foreign currencies. Foreign currency warrants are subject to significant foreign exchange risk, including risks arising from complex political or economic factors.

Principal exchange rate linked securities. Principal exchange rate linked securities (“PERLs™”) are debt obligations the principal on which is payable at maturity in an amount that may vary based on the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and a particular foreign currency at or about that time. The return on “standard” principal exchange rate linked securities is enhanced if the foreign currency to which the security is linked appreciates against the U.S. dollar, and is adversely affected by increases in the foreign exchange value of the U.S. dollar; “reverse” principal exchange rate linked securities are like the “standard” securities, except that their return is enhanced by increases in the value of the U.S. dollar and adversely impacted by increases in the value of foreign currency. Interest payments on the securities are generally made in U.S. dollars at rates that reflect the degree of foreign currency risk assumed or given up by the purchaser of the notes (i.e., at relatively higher interest rates if the purchaser has assumed some of the foreign exchange risk, or relatively lower interest rates if the issuer has assumed some of the foreign exchange risk, based on the expectations of the current market). Principal exchange rate linked securities may in limited cases be subject to acceleration of maturity (generally, not without the consent of the holders of the securities), which may have an adverse impact on the value of the principal payment to be made at maturity.

Performance indexed paper. Performance indexed paper (“PIPs™”) is U.S. dollar-denominated commercial paper the yield of which is linked to certain foreign exchange rate movements. The yield to the investor on performance indexed paper is established at maturity as a function of spot exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and a designated currency as of or about that time (generally, the index maturity two days prior to maturity). The yield to the investor will be within a range stipulated at the time of purchase of the obligation, generally with a guaranteed minimum rate of return that is below, and a potential maximum rate of return that is above, market yields on U.S. dollar-denominated commercial paper, with both the minimum and maximum rates of return on the investment corresponding to the minimum and maximum values of the spot exchange rate two business days prior to maturity.

Borrowing

Except as described below, a Fund may borrow money to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act, and as interpreted, modified or otherwise permitted by regulatory authority having jurisdiction, from time to time. This means that, in general, a Fund may borrow money from banks for any purpose in an amount up to 1/3 of the Fund’s total assets. A Fund also may borrow money for temporary administrative purposes in an amount not to exceed 5% of the Fund’s total assets.

Specifically, provisions of the 1940 Act require a Fund to maintain continuous asset coverage (that is, total assets including borrowings, less liabilities exclusive of borrowings) of 300% of the amount borrowed, with an exception for borrowings not in excess of 5% of the Fund’s total assets made for temporary administrative purposes. Any borrowings for temporary administrative purposes in excess of 5% of a Fund’s total assets must maintain continuous asset coverage. If the 300% asset coverage should decline as a result of market fluctuations or other reasons, a Fund may be required to sell some of its portfolio holdings within three days to reduce the debt and restore the 300% asset coverage, even though it may be disadvantageous from an investment standpoint to sell securities at that time.

A Fund also may enter into certain transactions, including reverse repurchase agreements, mortgage dollar rolls and sale-buybacks, that can be viewed as constituting a form of borrowing or financing transaction by the Fund. To the extent a Fund covers its commitment under a reverse repurchase agreement (or economically similar transaction) by the segregation or “earmarking” of assets determined in accordance with procedures adopted by the Trustees, equal in value to the amount of the Fund’s commitment to repurchase, such an agreement will not be considered a “senior security” by the Fund and therefore will not be subject to the 300% asset coverage requirement otherwise applicable to borrowings by the Fund. Borrowing will tend to exaggerate the effect on net asset value of any increase or decrease in the market value of a Fund’s portfolio. Money borrowed will be subject to interest costs which may or may not be recovered by appreciation of the securities purchased. The Funds also may be required to maintain minimum average balances in connection with such borrowing or to pay a commitment or other fee to maintain a line of credit; either of these requirements would increase the cost of borrowing over the stated interest rate.

The Funds may enter into reverse repurchase agreements, mortgage dollar rolls and economically similar transactions. A reverse repurchase agreement involves the sale of a portfolio-eligible security by a Fund to another party, such as a bank or broker-dealer, coupled with its agreement to repurchase the instrument at a specified time and price. Under

 

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a reverse repurchase agreement, a Fund continues to receive any principal and interest payments on the underlying security during the term of the agreement. A Fund typically will segregate or “earmark” assets determined to be liquid in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees, equal (on a daily mark-to-market basis) to its obligations under reverse repurchase agreements. However, reverse repurchase agreements involve the risk that the market value of securities retained by a Fund may decline below the repurchase price of the securities sold by the Fund which it is obligated to repurchase. With respect to reverse repurchase agreements in which banks are counterparties, a Fund may treat such transactions as bank borrowings, which would be subject to the Fund’s limitations on borrowings. Such treatment would, among other things, restrict the aggregate of such transactions (plus any other borrowings) to one-third of a Fund’s total assets.

A “mortgage dollar roll” is similar to a reverse repurchase agreement in certain respects. In a “dollar roll” transaction a Fund sells a mortgage-related security, such as a security issued by GNMA, to a dealer and simultaneously agrees to repurchase a similar security (but not the same security) in the future at a pre-determined price. A “dollar roll” can be viewed, like a reverse repurchase agreement, as a collateralized borrowing in which a Fund pledges a mortgage-related security to a dealer to obtain cash. Unlike in the case of reverse repurchase agreements, the dealer with which a Fund enters into a dollar roll transaction is not obligated to return the same securities as those originally sold by the Fund, but only securities which are “substantially identical.” To be considered “substantially identical,” the securities returned to a Fund generally must: (1) be collateralized by the same types of underlying mortgages; (2) be issued by the same agency and be part of the same program; (3) have a similar original stated maturity; (4) have identical net coupon rates; (5) have similar market yields (and therefore price); and (6) satisfy “good delivery” requirements, meaning that the aggregate principal amounts of the securities delivered and received back must be within a specified percentage of the initial amount delivered.

A Fund’s obligations under a dollar roll agreement must be covered by segregated or “earmarked” liquid assets equal in value to the securities subject to repurchase by the Fund. As with reverse repurchase agreements, to the extent that positions in dollar roll agreements are not covered by segregated or “earmarked” liquid assets at least equal to the amount of any forward purchase commitment, such transactions would be subject to the Funds’ restrictions on borrowings. Furthermore, because dollar roll transactions may be for terms ranging between one and six months, dollar roll transactions may be deemed “illiquid” and subject to a Fund’s overall limitations on investments in illiquid securities.

The Funds also may effect simultaneous purchase and sale transactions that are known as “sale-buybacks.” A sale-buyback is similar to a reverse repurchase agreement, except that in a sale-buyback, the counterparty that purchases the security is entitled to receive any principal or interest payments made on the underlying security pending settlement of the Fund’s repurchase of the underlying security. A Fund’s obligations under a sale-buyback typically would be offset by liquid assets equal in value to the amount of the Fund’s forward commitment to repurchase the subject security.

It is possible that changing government regulation may affect a Fund’s use of these strategies. Changes in regulatory requirements concerning margin for certain types of financing transactions, such as repurchase agreements, reverse repurchase agreements, and securities lending and borrowing, could impact a Fund’s ability to utilize these investment strategies and techniques.

Derivative Instruments

In pursuing its objective, a Fund may purchase and sell (write) both put options and call options on securities, swap agreements, recovery locks, securities indexes, commodity indexes and foreign currencies, and enter into interest rate, foreign currency, index and commodity futures contracts and purchase and sell options on such futures contracts (“futures options”) for hedging purposes, to seek to replicate the composition and performance of a particular index, or as part of its overall investment strategies. The Funds also may purchase and sell foreign currency options for purposes of increasing exposure to a foreign currency or to shift exposure to foreign currency fluctuations from one country to another. The Funds also may enter into swap agreements with respect to interest rates, commodities, and indexes of securities or commodities, and to the extent it may invest in foreign currency-denominated securities, may enter into swap agreements with respect to foreign currencies. The Funds may invest in structured notes. If other types of financial instruments, including other types of options, futures contracts, or options on futures are traded in the future, a Fund also may use those instruments, provided that the Board of Trustees determines their use is consistent with the Fund’s investment objective.

The value of some derivative instruments in which a Fund invests may be particularly sensitive to changes in prevailing interest rates, and, like the other investments of the Fund, the ability of the Fund to successfully utilize these instruments may depend in part upon the ability of the Sub-Adviser to forecast interest rates and other economic factors correctly. If the Sub-Adviser incorrectly forecasts such factors and has taken positions in derivative instruments contrary to prevailing market trends, a Fund could be exposed to additional, unforeseen risks, including the risk of loss.

 

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The Funds might not employ any of the strategies described herein, and no assurance can be given that any strategy used will succeed. If the Sub-Adviser incorrectly forecasts interest rates, market values or other economic factors in using a derivatives strategy for a Fund, the Fund might have been in a better position if it had not entered into the transaction at all. Also, suitable derivative transactions may not be available in all circumstances. The use of these strategies involves certain special risks, including a possible imperfect correlation, or even no correlation, between price movements of derivative instruments and price movements of related investments. While some strategies involving derivative instruments can reduce the risk of loss, they can also reduce the opportunity for gain or even result in losses by offsetting favorable price movements in related investments or otherwise. This is due, in part, to the possible inability of a Fund to purchase or sell a portfolio security at a time that otherwise would be favorable or the possible need to sell a portfolio security at a disadvantageous time because the Fund is required to maintain asset coverage or offsetting positions in connection with transactions in derivative instruments, and the possible inability of the Fund to close out or to liquidate its derivatives positions. In addition, a Fund’s use of such instruments may cause the Fund to realize higher amounts of short-term capital gains (generally taxed upon distribution at ordinary income tax rates) than if it had not used such instruments. For Funds that gain exposure to an asset class using derivative instruments backed by a collateral portfolio of Fixed Income Instruments, changes in the value of the Fixed Income Instruments may result in greater or lesser exposure to that asset class than would have resulted from a direct investment in securities comprising that asset class.

Participation in the markets for derivative instruments involves investment risks and transaction costs to which a Fund may not be subject absent the use of these strategies. The skills needed to successfully execute derivative strategies may be different from those needed for other types of transactions. If the Fund incorrectly forecasts the value and/or creditworthiness of securities, currencies, interest rates, counterparties or other economic factors involved in a derivative transaction, the Fund might have been in a better position if the Fund had not entered into such derivative transaction. In evaluating the risks and contractual obligations associated with particular derivative instruments, it is important to consider that certain derivative transactions may be modified or terminated only by mutual consent of the Fund and its counterparty and certain derivative transactions may be terminated by the counterparty or the Fund, as the case may be, upon the occurrence of certain Fund-related or counterparty-related events, which may result in losses or gains to the Fund based on the market value of the derivative transactions entered into between the Fund and the counterparty. In addition, such early terminations may result in taxable events and accelerate gain or loss recognition for tax purposes. It may not be possible for a Fund to modify, terminate, or offset the Fund’s obligations or the Fund’s exposure to the risks associated with a derivative transaction prior to its termination or maturity date, which may create a possibility of increased volatility and/or decreased liquidity to the Fund. Upon the expiration or termination of a particular contract, a Fund may wish to retain a Fund’s position in the derivative instrument by entering into a similar contract, but may be unable to do so if the counterparty to the original contract is unwilling to enter into the new contract and no other appropriate counterparty can be found, which could cause the Fund not to be able to maintain certain desired investment exposures or not to be able to hedge other investment positions or risks, which could cause losses to the Fund. Furthermore, after such an expiration or termination of a particular contract, a Fund may have fewer counterparties with which to engage in additional derivative transactions, which could lead to potentially greater counterparty risk exposure to one or more counterparties and which could increase the cost of entering into certain derivatives. In such cases, the Fund may lose money.

A Fund may engage in investment strategies, including the use of derivatives, to, among other things, seek to generate current, distributable income, even if such strategies could potentially result in declines in the Fund’s net asset value. A Fund’s income and gain-generating strategies, including certain derivatives strategies, may generate current income and gains taxable as ordinary income and sufficient to support distributions, even in situations when the Fund has experienced a decline in net assets due to, for example, adverse changes in the broad U.S. or non-U.S. securities markets or the Fund’s portfolio of investments, or arising from its use of derivatives. Consequently, Fund shareholders may receive distributions subject to tax at ordinary income rates at a time when their investment in the Fund has declined in value, which may be economically similar to a taxable return of capital.

The tax treatment of certain derivatives may be open to different interpretations. Any recharacterization of payments made or received by a Fund pursuant to derivatives potentially could affect the amount, timing or characterization of Fund distributions. In addition, the tax treatment of such investment strategies may be changed by regulation or otherwise.

Options on Securities and Indexes. A Fund may, to the extent specified herein or in the Prospectus, purchase and sell both put and call options on equity or other securities or indexes in standardized contracts traded on foreign or domestic securities exchanges, boards of trade, or similar entities, or quoted on NASDAQ or on an OTC market, and agreements, sometimes called cash puts, which may accompany the purchase of a new issue of bonds from a dealer.

An option on a security (or index) is a contract that gives the holder of the option, in return for a premium, the right to buy from (in the case of a call) or sell to (in the case of a put) the writer of the option the security underlying the option (or

 

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the cash value of the index) at a specified exercise price often at any time during the term of the option for American options or only at expiration for European options. The writer of an option on a security has the obligation upon exercise of the option to deliver the underlying security upon payment of the exercise price (in the case of a call) or to pay the exercise price upon delivery of the underlying security (in the case of a put). Certain put options written by a Fund, which counterparties may use as a source of liquidity, may be structured to have an exercise price that is less than the market value of the underlying securities that would be received by the Fund. Upon exercise, the writer of an option on an index is obligated to pay the difference between the cash value of the index and the exercise price multiplied by the specified multiplier for the index option. (An index is designed to reflect features of a particular financial or securities market, a specific group of financial instruments or securities, or certain economic indicators.)

A Fund will “cover” its obligations when it writes call options or put options. In the case of a call option on a debt obligation or other security, the option is covered if the Fund owns the security underlying the call or has an absolute and immediate right to acquire that security without additional cash consideration (or, if additional cash consideration is required, cash or other assets determined to be liquid in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees, in such amount are segregated by its custodian or “earmarked”) upon conversion or exchange of other securities held by a Fund. A call option on a security is also “covered” if a Fund does not hold the underlying security or have the right to acquire it, but the Fund segregates or “earmarks” assets determined to be liquid in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees in an amount equal to the value of the underlying security (minus any collateral deposited with a broker-dealer or other financial institution), on a mark-to-market basis (a so-called “naked” call option).

For a call option on an index, the option is covered if a Fund maintains with its custodian liquid assets in an amount equal to the Fund’s net obligation under the option. A call option is also covered if a Fund holds a call on the same index or security as the call written where the exercise price of the call held is (i) equal to or less than the exercise price of the call written, or (ii) greater than the exercise price of the call written, provided the difference is maintained by the Fund in segregated or “earmarked” liquid assets. A put option on a security or an index is covered if a Fund segregates or “earmarks” liquid assets equal to the exercise price. A put option is also covered if the Fund holds a put on the same security or index as the put written where the exercise price of the put held is (i) equal to or greater than the exercise price of the put written, or (ii) less than the exercise price of the put written, provided the difference is maintained by the Fund in segregated or “earmarked” liquid assets. Obligations under written call and put options so covered will not be construed to be “senior securities” for purposes of the Fund’s investment restrictions concerning senior securities and borrowings.

If an option written by a Fund expires unexercised, the Fund realizes a capital gain equal to the premium received at the time the option was written. If an option purchased by a Fund expires unexercised, the Fund realizes a capital loss equal to the premium paid. Prior to the earlier of exercise or expiration, an exchange-traded option may be closed out by an offsetting purchase or sale of an option of the same series (type, exchange, underlying security or index, exercise price, and expiration). There can be no assurance, however, that a closing purchase or sale transaction can be effected when a Fund desires.

A Fund may sell put or call options it has previously purchased, which could result in a net gain or loss depending on whether the amount realized on the sale is more or less than the premium and other transaction costs paid on the put or call option which is sold. Prior to exercise or expiration, an option may be closed out by an offsetting purchase or sale of an option of the same series. A Fund will realize a capital gain from a closing purchase transaction if the cost of the closing option is less than the premium received from writing the option, or, if it is more, the Fund will realize a capital loss. If the premium received from a closing sale transaction is more than the premium paid to purchase the option, a Fund will realize a capital gain or, if it is less, the Fund will realize a capital loss. The principal factors affecting the market value of a put or a call option include supply and demand, interest rates, the current market price of the underlying security or index in relation to the exercise price of the option, the volatility of the underlying security or index, and the time remaining until the expiration date.

The premium paid for a put or call option purchased by a Fund is an asset of the Fund. The premium received for an option written by a Fund is recorded as a deferred credit. The value of an option purchased or written is marked to market daily and is valued at the closing price on the exchange on which it is traded or, if not traded on an exchange or no closing price is available, at the mean between the last bid and ask prices.

The Funds may write covered straddles consisting of a combination of a call and a put written on the same underlying security. A straddle will be covered when sufficient assets are deposited to meet the Funds’ immediate obligations. The Funds may use the same liquid assets to cover both the call and put options where the exercise price of the call and put are the same, or where the exercise price of the call is higher than that of the put. In such cases, the Funds will also segregate or “earmark” liquid assets equivalent to the amount, if any, by which the put is “in the money.”

 

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Risks Associated with Options on Securities and Indexes. There are several risks associated with transactions in options on securities and on indexes. For example, there are significant differences between the securities and options markets that could result in an imperfect correlation between these markets, causing a given transaction not to achieve its objectives. A decision as to whether, when and how to use options involves the exercise of skill and judgment, and even a well-conceived transaction may be unsuccessful to some degree because of market behavior or unexpected events.

The writer of an American option often has no control over the time when it may be required to fulfill its obligation as a writer of the option. Once an option writer has received an exercise notice, it cannot effect a closing purchase transaction in order to terminate its obligation under the option and must deliver the underlying security at the exercise price. To the extent a Fund writes a put option, the Fund has assumed the obligation during the option period to purchase the underlying investment from the put buyer at the option’s exercise price if the put buyer exercises its option, regardless of whether the value of the underlying investment falls below the exercise price. This means that a Fund that writes a put option may be required to take delivery of the underlying investment and make payment for such investment at the exercise price. This may result in losses to the Fund and may result in the Fund holding the underlying investment for some period of time when it is disadvantageous to do so. If a put or call option purchased by a Fund is not sold when it has remaining value, and if the market price of the underlying security remains equal to or greater than the exercise price (in the case of a put), or remains less than or equal to the exercise price (in the case of a call), the Fund will lose its entire investment in the option. Also, where a put or call option on a particular security is purchased to hedge against price movements in a related security, the price of the put or call option may move more or less than the price of the related security.

There can be no assurance that a liquid market will exist when a Fund seeks to close out an option position. If a Fund were unable to close out an option that it had purchased on a security, it would have to exercise the option in order to realize any profit or the option may expire worthless.

If trading were suspended in an option purchased by a Fund, the Fund would not be able to close out the option. If restrictions on exercise were imposed, the Fund might be unable to exercise an option it has purchased. Except to the extent that a call option on an index written by a Fund is covered by an option on the same index purchased by the Fund, movements in the index may result in a loss to the Fund; however, such losses may be mitigated by changes in the value of the Fund’s securities during the period the option was outstanding.

To the extent that a Fund writes a call option on a security it holds in its portfolio and intends to use such security as the sole means of “covering” its obligation under the call option, the Fund has, in return for the premium on the option, given up the opportunity to profit from a price increase in the underlying security above the exercise price during the option period, but, as long as its obligation under such call option continues, has retained the risk of loss should the price of the underlying security decline. If a Fund were unable to close out such a call option, the Fund would not be able to sell the underlying security unless the option expired without exercise.

Futures Contracts and Options on Futures Contracts. A futures contract is an agreement to buy or sell a security or other asset for a set price on a future date. These contracts are traded on exchanges, so that, in most cases, a party can close out its position on the exchange for cash, without delivering the underlying security or other underlying asset. An option on a futures contract gives the holder of the option the right to buy or sell a position in a futures contract from or to the writer of the option, at a specified price and on or before a specified expiration date.

The Funds may invest in futures contracts and options thereon (“futures options”) with respect to, but not limited to, interest rates and security indexes. To the extent that a Fund may invest in foreign currency-denominated securities, it also may invest in foreign currency futures contracts and options thereon.

An interest rate, foreign currency or index futures contract provides for the future sale or purchase of a specified quantity of a financial instrument, foreign currency or the cash value of an index at a specified price and time. A futures contract on an index is an agreement pursuant to which a party agrees to pay or receive an amount of cash equal to the difference between the value of the index at the close of the last trading day of the contract and the price at which the index contract was originally written. Although the value of an index might be a function of the value of certain specified securities, no physical delivery of these securities is made. A public market exists in futures contracts covering a number of indexes as well as financial instruments and foreign currencies, including , but not limited to: the S&P 500; the S&P Midcap 400; the Nikkei 225; the Markit CDX credit index; the iTraxx credit index; U.S. Treasury bonds; U.S. Treasury notes; U.S. Treasury bills; 90-day commercial paper; bank certificates of deposit; Eurodollar certificates of deposit; the Australian dollar; the Canadian dollar; the British pound; the Japanese yen; the Swiss franc; the Mexican peso; and certain multinational currencies, such as the euro. It is expected that other futures contracts will be developed and traded in the future. Certain

 

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futures contracts on indexes, financial instruments or foreign currencies may represent new investment products that lack performance track records.

A Fund may purchase and write call and put futures options, as specified for the Fund in the Prospectus. Futures options possess many of the same characteristics as options on securities and indexes (discussed above). A futures option gives the holder the right, in return for the premium paid, to assume a long position (call) or short position (put) in a futures contract at a specified exercise price at any time during the period of the option. Upon exercise of a call option, the holder acquires a long position in the futures contract and the writer is assigned the opposite short position. In the case of a put option, the opposite is true. A call option is “in the money” if the value of the futures contract that is the subject of the option exceeds the exercise price. A put option is “in the money” if the exercise price exceeds the value of the futures contract that is the subject of the option.

The Funds claim an exclusion from the definition of the term “commodity pool operator” (“CPO”) under the Commodity Exchange Act, as amended (“CEA”) and, therefore, are not subject to registration or regulation as commodity pools under the CEA. PIMCO is not deemed to be a CPO with respect to its service as investment manager to the Funds.

In 2012, the CFTC adopted certain rule amendments that significantly affected the exemptions that were available to each of the Funds. To the extent any Funds are, or become, ineligible to claim an exclusion from CFTC regulation, these Funds may consider steps in order to continue to qualify for exemption from CFTC regulation, or may determine to operate subject to CFTC regulation.

Limitations on Use of Futures and Futures Options. A Fund that may use futures and futures options will only enter into futures contracts and futures options which are standardized and traded on a U.S. or foreign exchange, board of trade, or similar entity, or quoted on an automated quotation system.

When a purchase or sale of a futures contract is made by a Fund, the Fund is required to deposit with its custodian (or broker, if legally permitted) a specified amount of assets determined to be liquid in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees (“initial margin”). The margin required for a futures contract is set by the exchange on which the contract is traded and may be modified during the term of the contract. Margin requirements on foreign exchanges may be different than U.S. exchanges. The initial margin is in the nature of a performance bond or good faith deposit on the futures contract which is returned to a Fund upon termination of the contract, assuming all contractual obligations have been satisfied. A Fund expects to earn interest income on its initial margin deposits. A futures contract held by a Fund is valued daily at the official settlement price of the exchange on which it is traded. Each day a Fund pays or receives cash, called “variation margin,” equal to the daily change in value of the futures contract. This process is known as “marking to market.” Variation margin does not represent a borrowing or loan by a Fund but is instead a settlement between the Fund and the broker of the amount one would owe the other if the futures contract expired. In computing daily net asset value, a Fund will mark to market its open futures positions.

A Fund is also required to deposit and maintain margin with respect to put and call options on futures contracts written by it. Such margin deposits will vary depending on the nature of the underlying futures contract (and the related initial margin requirements), the current market value of the option, and other futures positions held by a Fund.

Although some futures contracts call for making or taking delivery of the underlying securities or commodities, generally these obligations are closed out prior to delivery by offsetting purchases or sales of matching futures contracts (same exchange, underlying security or index, and delivery month). Closing out a futures contract sale is effected by purchasing an offsetting futures contract for the same aggregate amount of the specific type of financial instrument with the same delivery date. If an offsetting purchase price is less than the original sale price, a Fund realizes a capital gain, or if it is more, the Fund realizes a capital loss. Conversely, if an offsetting sale price is more than the original purchase price, a Fund realizes a capital gain, or if it is less, the Fund realizes a capital loss. The transaction costs must also be included in these calculations.

When purchasing a futures contract that cash settles, a Fund will maintain with its custodian (and mark-to-market on a daily basis) assets determined to be liquid in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees, that, when added to the amounts deposited with a futures commission merchant as margin, are equal to the daily marked-to-market net obligation (if any) of the futures contract. Alternatively, a Fund may “cover” its position by purchasing a put option on the same futures contract with a strike price as high or higher than the price of the contract held by the Fund.

When selling a futures contract that cash settles, a Fund will maintain with its custodian (and mark-to-market on a daily basis) assets determined to be liquid in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees, that are equal

 

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to the daily marked-to-market net obligation of the futures contract. Alternatively, a Fund may “cover” its position by owning the instruments underlying the futures contract (or, in the case of an index futures contract, a portfolio with a volatility substantially similar to that of the index on which the futures contract is based), or by holding a call option permitting the Fund to purchase the same futures contract at a price no higher than the price of the contract written by the Fund (or at a higher price if the difference is maintained in liquid assets with the Trust’s custodian).

With respect to futures contracts that “physically settle,” a Fund may cover the open position by setting aside or “earmarking” liquid assets in an amount equal to the full notional value of the futures contract. With respect to futures that are required to “cash settle,” however, a Fund is permitted to set aside or “earmark” liquid assets in an amount equal to the Fund’s daily marked-to-market (net) obligation, if any (in other words, the Fund’s daily net liability, if any), rather than the full notional value of the futures contract. By setting aside or “earmarking” assets equal to only its net obligation under cash-settled futures, a Fund will have the ability to utilize these contracts to a greater extent than if the Fund were required to segregate or “earmark” assets equal to the full notional value of the futures contract.

When selling a call option on a futures contract, a Fund will maintain with its custodian (and mark-to-market on a daily basis) assets determined to be liquid in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees, that, when added to the amounts deposited with a futures commission merchant as margin, equal the total market value of the futures contract underlying the call option. Alternatively, a Fund may cover its position by entering into a long position in the same futures contract at a price no higher than the strike price of the call option, by owning the instruments underlying the futures contract, or by holding a separate call option permitting the Fund to purchase the same futures contract at a price not higher than the strike price of the call option sold by the Fund.

When selling a put option on a futures contract, a Fund will maintain with its custodian (and mark-to-market on a daily basis) assets determined to be liquid in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees, that equal the purchase price of the futures contract, less any margin on deposit. Alternatively, a Fund may cover the position either by entering into a short position in the same futures contract, or by owning a separate put option permitting it to sell the same futures contract so long as the strike price of the purchased put option is the same or higher than the strike price of the put option sold by the Fund.

To the extent that securities with maturities greater than one year are used to segregate or “earmark” assets to cover a Fund’s obligations under futures contracts and related options, such use will not eliminate the risk of a form of leverage, which may tend to exaggerate the effect on net asset value of any increase or decrease in the market value of the Fund’s portfolio, and may require liquidation of portfolio positions when it is not advantageous to do so. However, any potential risk of leverage resulting from the use of securities with maturities greater than one year may be mitigated by limiting the overall duration of the Fund’s portfolio securities. Thus, the use of a longer-term security may require a Fund to hold offsetting short-term securities to balance the Fund’s portfolio such that the Fund’s duration does not exceed the maximum permitted for the Fund in the Prospectus.

The requirements for qualification as a regulated investment company also may limit the extent to which a Fund may enter into futures, futures options and forward contracts. See “Taxation.”

Risks Associated with Futures and Futures Options. There are several risks associated with the use of futures contracts and futures options as hedging techniques. A purchase or sale of a futures contract may result in losses in excess of the amount invested in the futures contract. There can be no guarantee that there will be a correlation between price movements in the hedging vehicle and in a Fund securities being hedged. In addition, there are significant differences between the securities and futures markets that could result in an imperfect correlation between the markets, causing a given hedge not to achieve its objectives. The degree of imperfection of correlation depends on circumstances such as variations in speculative market demand for futures and futures options on securities, including technical influences in futures trading and futures options, and differences between the financial instruments being hedged and the instruments underlying the standard contracts available for trading in such respects as interest rate levels, maturities, and creditworthiness of issuers. A decision as to whether, when and how to hedge involves the exercise of skill and judgment, and even a well-conceived hedge may be unsuccessful to some degree because of market behavior or unexpected interest rate trends.

Futures contracts on U.S. Government securities historically have reacted to an increase or decrease in interest rates in a manner similar to that in which the underlying U.S. Government securities reacted. To the extent, however, that a Fund enters into such futures contracts, the value of such futures will not vary in direct proportion to the value of the Fund’s holdings of U.S. Government securities. Thus, the anticipated spread between the price of the futures contract and the hedged security may be distorted due to differences in the nature of the markets. The spread also may be distorted by differences in initial and variation margin requirements, the liquidity of such markets and the participation of speculators in such markets.

 

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

There can be no assurance that a liquid market will exist at a time when a Fund seeks to close out a futures or a futures option position, and that Fund would remain obligated to meet margin requirements until the position is closed. In addition, many of the contracts discussed above are relatively new instruments without a significant trading history. As a result, there can be no assurance that an active secondary market will develop or continue to exist.

Additional Risks of Options on Securities, Futures Contracts and Options on Futures Contracts. Options on securities, futures contracts and options on futures contracts may be traded on foreign (non-U.S.) exchanges. Such transactions may not be regulated as effectively as similar transactions in the United States; may not involve a clearing mechanism and related guarantees, and are subject to the risk of governmental actions affecting trading in, or the prices of, foreign (non-U.S.) securities. The value of such positions also could be adversely affected by: (i) other complex foreign political, legal and economic factors; (ii) lesser availability than in the United States of data on which to make trading decisions; (iii) delays in a Fund’s ability to act upon economic events occurring in foreign (non-U.S.) markets during non-business hours in the United States; (iv) the imposition of different exercise and settlement terms and procedures and margin requirements than in the United States; and (v) lesser trading volume.

Swap Agreements and Options on Swap Agreements. The Funds may engage in swap transactions, including, but not limited to, swap agreements on interest rates or security indexes and specific securities. To the extent a Fund may invest in foreign (non-U.S.) currency-denominated securities, it also may invest in currency exchange rate swap agreements. The Funds also may enter into options on swap agreements (“swaptions”).

A Fund may enter into swap transactions for any legal purpose consistent with its investment objectives and policies, such as attempting to obtain or preserve a particular return or spread at a lower cost than obtaining a return or spread through purchases and/or sales of instruments in other markets, to protect against currency fluctuations, as a duration management technique, to protect against any increase in the price of securities the Fund anticipates purchasing at a later date, or to gain exposure to certain markets in a more cost efficient manner.

OTC swap agreements are bilateral contracts entered into primarily by institutional investors for periods ranging from a few weeks to more than one year. In a standard OTC swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the returns (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined investments or instruments. The gross returns to be exchanged or “swapped” between the parties are generally calculated with respect to a “notional amount,” i.e., the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount invested at a particular interest rate, in a particular foreign (non-U.S.) currency, or in a “basket” of securities representing a particular index. A “quanto” or “differential” swap combines both an interest rate and a currency transaction. Certain swap agreements, such as interest rate swaps, are traded on exchanges and cleared through central clearing counterparties. Other forms of swap agreements include interest rate caps, under which, in return for a premium, one party agrees to make payments to the other to the extent that interest rates exceed a specified rate, or “cap”; interest rate floors, under which, in return for a premium, one party agrees to make payments to the other to the extent that interest rates fall below a specified rate, or “floor”; and interest rate collars, under which a party sells a cap and purchases a floor or vice versa in an attempt to protect itself against interest rate movements exceeding given minimum or maximum levels. A total return swap agreement is a contract in which one party agrees to make periodic payments to another party based on the change in market value of underlying assets, which may include a single stock, a basket of stocks, or a stock index during the specified period, in return for periodic payments based on a fixed or variable interest rate or the total return from other underlying assets.

The Funds also may enter into combinations of swap agreements in order to achieve certain economic results. For example, a Fund may enter into two swap transactions, one of which offsets the other for a period of time. After the offsetting swap transaction expires, the Fund would be left with the economic exposure provided by the remaining swap transaction. The intent of such an arrangement would be to lock in certain terms of the remaining swap transaction that a Fund may wish to gain exposure to in the future without having that exposure during the period the offsetting swap is in place.

 

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The Funds also may enter into swaptions. A swaption is a contract that gives a counterparty the right (but not the obligation) in return for payment of a premium to enter into a new swap agreement or to shorten, extend, cancel or otherwise modify an existing swap agreement, at some designated future time on specified terms. The Funds may write (sell) and purchase put and call swaptions.

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

A Fund also may enter into forward volatility agreements, also known as volatility swaps. In a volatility swap, the counterparties agree to make payments in connection with changes in the volatility (i.e., the magnitude of change over a specified period of time) of an underlying reference instrument, such as a currency, rate, index, security or other financial instrument. Volatility swaps permit the parties to attempt to hedge volatility risk and/or take positions on the projected future volatility of an underlying reference instrument. For example, a Fund may enter into a volatility swap in order to take the position that the reference instrument’s volatility will increase over a particular period of time. If the reference instrument’s volatility does increase over the specified time, the Fund will receive a payment from its counterparty based upon the amount by which the reference instrument’s realized volatility level exceeds a volatility level agreed upon by the parties. If the reference instrument’s volatility does not increase over the specified time, the Fund will make a payment to the counterparty based upon the amount by which the reference instrument’s realized volatility level falls below the volatility level agreed upon by the parties. Payments on a volatility swap will be greater if they are based upon the mathematical square of volatility (i.e., the measured volatility multiplied by itself, which is referred to as “variance”). This type of a volatility swap is frequently referred to as a variance swap. The Funds may engage in variance swaps.

Most types of swap agreements entered into by a Fund will calculate the obligations of the parties to the agreement on a “net basis.” Consequently, a Fund’s current obligations (or rights) under a swap agreement will generally be equal only to the net amount to be paid or received under the agreement based on the relative values of the positions held by each party to the agreement (the “net amount”). A Fund’s current obligations under a swap agreement will be accrued daily (offset against any amounts owed to the Fund) and any accrued but unpaid net amounts owed to a swap counterparty will be covered by the segregation or “earmarking” of assets determined to be liquid in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees, to avoid any potential leveraging of the Fund’s portfolio. Obligations under swap agreements so covered will not be construed to be “senior securities” for purposes of a Fund’s investment restriction concerning senior securities.

The Funds also may enter into OTC and cleared credit default swap agreements. A credit default swap agreement may reference one or more debt securities or obligations that are not currently held by a Fund. The protection “buyer” in an OTC credit default swap contract is generally obligated to pay the protection “seller” an upfront or a periodic stream of payments over the term of the contract until a credit event, such as a default, on a reference obligation has occurred. If a credit event occurs, the seller generally must pay the buyer the “par value” (full notional value) of the swap in exchange for an equal face amount of deliverable obligations of the reference entity described in the swap, or the seller may be required to deliver the related net cash amount if the swap is cash settled. A Fund may be either the buyer or seller in the transaction. If a Fund is a buyer and no credit event occurs, the Fund may recover nothing if the swap is held through its termination date. However, if a credit event occurs, the buyer may receive the full notional value of the swap in exchange for an equal face amount of deliverable obligations of the reference entity whose value may have significantly decreased. As a seller, a Fund generally receives an upfront payment or a fixed rate of income throughout the term of the swap provided that there is no credit event. As the seller, a Fund would effectively add leverage to its portfolio because, in addition to its total net assets, the Fund would be subject to investment exposure on the notional amount of the swap.

The spread of a credit default swap is the annual amount the protection buyer must pay the protection seller over the length of the contract, expressed as a percentage of the notional amount. When spreads rise, market-perceived credit risk rises and when spreads fall, market-perceived credit risk falls. Wider credit spreads and decreasing market values, when compared to the notional amount of the swap, represent a deterioration of the credit soundness of the issuer of the reference obligation and a greater likelihood or risk of default or other credit event occurring as defined under the terms of the agreement. For credit default swap agreements on asset-backed securities and credit indices, the quoted market prices and resulting values, as well as the annual payment rate, serve as an indication of the current status of the payment/performance risk.

Credit default swap agreements sold by a Fund may involve greater risks than if a Fund had invested in the reference obligation directly since, in addition to general market risks, credit default swaps are subject to illiquidity risk, counterparty risk (with respect to OTC credit default swaps) and credit risk. A Fund will enter into uncleared credit default swap agreements only with counterparties that meet certain standards of creditworthiness. A buyer generally also will lose its

 

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investment and recover nothing should no credit event occur and the swap is held to its termination date. If a credit event were to occur, the value of any deliverable obligation received by the seller, coupled with the upfront or periodic payments previously received, may be less than the full notional value it pays to the buyer, resulting in a loss of value to the seller. In addition, there may be disputes between the buyer and seller of a credit default swap agreement or within the swaps market as a whole as to whether a credit event has occurred or what the payment should be. Such disputes could result in litigation or other delays, and the outcome could be adverse for the buyer or seller. The Fund’s obligations under a credit default swap agreement will be accrued daily (offset against any amounts owing to the Fund). In connection with credit default swaps in which a Fund is the buyer, the Fund will segregate or “earmark” cash or assets determined to be liquid in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees with a value at least equal to the Fund’s exposure (any accrued but unpaid net amounts owed by the Fund to any counterparty), on a mark-to-market basis. In connection with credit default swaps in which a Fund is the seller, the Fund will segregate or “earmark” cash or assets determined to be liquid in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees, or enter into offsetting positions, with a value at least equal to the full notional amount of the swap (minus any amounts owed to the Fund). Such segregation or “earmarking” will ensure that the Fund has assets available to satisfy its obligations with respect to the transaction and will limit any potential leveraging of the Fund’s portfolio. Such segregation or “earmarking” will not limit the Fund’s exposure to loss.

The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”) and related regulatory developments require the clearing and exchange-trading of certain standardized OTC derivative instruments that the CFTC and SEC have defined as “swaps.” The CFTC has implemented mandatory exchange-trading and clearing requirements under the Dodd-Frank Act, and the CFTC continues to approve contracts for central clearing. Uncleared swaps are subject to certain margin requirements that mandate the posting and collection of minimum margin amounts on certain uncleared swaps transactions, which may result in the Fund and its counterparties posting higher margin amounts for uncleared swaps than would otherwise be the case. PIMCO will continue to monitor developments in this area, particularly to the extent regulatory changes affect the Funds’ ability to enter into swap agreements.

Whether a Fund’s use of swap agreements or swaptions will be successful in furthering its investment objective will depend on the Sub-Adviser’s ability to predict correctly whether certain types of investments are likely to produce greater returns than other investments. Moreover, a Fund bears the risk of loss of the amount expected to be received under a swap agreement in the event of the default or bankruptcy of a swap agreement counterparty. The Funds will enter into OTC swap agreements only with counterparties that meet certain standards of creditworthiness. Certain restrictions imposed on a Fund by the Internal Revenue Code may limit the Fund’s ability to use swap agreements. The swaps market is subject to increasing regulations, in both U.S. and non-U.S. markets. It is possible that developments in the swaps market, including additional government regulation, could adversely affect a Fund’s ability to terminate existing swap agreements or to realize amounts to be received under such agreements.

Swaps are highly specialized instruments that require investment techniques, risk analyses, and tax planning different from those associated with traditional investments. The use of a swap requires an understanding not only of the reference asset, reference rate, or index but also of the swap itself, without the benefit of observing the performance of the swap under all possible market conditions. Because OTC swap agreements are bilateral contracts that may be subject to contractual restrictions on transferability and termination and because they may have remaining terms of greater than seven days, swap agreements may be considered illiquid and subject to a Fund’s limitation on investments in illiquid securities. However, the Trust has adopted procedures pursuant to which swaps may be determined to be liquid under certain circumstances. To the extent that a swap is not liquid, it may not be possible to initiate a transaction or liquidate a position at an advantageous time or price, which may result in significant losses.

Like most other investments, swap agreements are subject to the risk that the market value of the instrument will change in a way detrimental to a Fund’s interest. A Fund bears the risk that the Sub-Adviser will not accurately forecast future market trends or the values of assets, reference rates, indexes, or other economic factors in establishing swap positions for the Fund. If the Sub-Adviser attempts to use a swap as a hedge against, or as a substitute for, a portfolio investment, the Fund will be exposed to the risk that the swap will have or will develop imperfect or no correlation with the portfolio investment. This could cause substantial losses for a Fund. While hedging strategies involving swap instruments can reduce the risk of loss, they can also reduce the opportunity for gain or even result in losses by offsetting favorable price movements in other Fund investments. Many swaps are complex and often valued subjectively.

A Fund also may enter into recovery locks. A recovery lock is an agreement between two parties that provides for a fixed payment by one party and the delivery of a reference obligation, typically a bond, by the other party upon the occurrence of a credit event, such as a default, by the issuer of the reference obligation. Recovery locks are used to “lock in” a recovery amount on the reference obligation at the time the parties enter into the agreement. In contrast to a credit default swap where the final settlement amount may be dependent on the market price for the reference obligation upon the credit

 

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event, a recovery lock fixes the settlement amount in advance and is not dependent on the market price of the reference obligation at the time of the credit event. Unlike certain other types of derivatives, recovery locks generally do not involve upfront or periodic cash payments by either of the parties. Instead, payment and settlement occurs after there has been a credit event. If a credit event does not occur prior to the termination date of a recovery lock, the agreement terminates and no payments are made by either party. A Fund may enter into a recovery lock to purchase or sell a reference obligation upon the occurrence of a credit event.

Recovery locks are subject to the risk that the Sub-Adviser will not accurately forecast the value of a reference obligation upon the occurrence of a credit event. For example, if a Fund enters into a recovery lock and agrees to deliver a reference obligation in exchange for a fixed payment upon the occurrence of a credit event, the value of the reference obligation or eventual recovery on the reference obligation following the credit event may be greater than the fixed payment made by the counterparty to the Fund. If this occurs, the Fund will incur a loss on the transaction. In addition to general market risks, recovery locks are subject to illiquidity risk, counterparty risk and credit risk. The market for recovery locks is relatively new and is smaller and less liquid than the market for credit default swaps and other derivatives. Elements of judgment may play a role in determining the value of a recovery lock. It may not be possible to enter into a recovery lock at an advantageous time or price. A Fund will only enter into recovery locks with counterparties that meet certain standards of creditworthiness.

A Fund’s obligations under a recovery lock will be determined daily. In connection with recovery locks in which a Fund is the seller, the Fund will segregate or “earmark” cash or assets determined to be liquid in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees, or enter into certain offsetting positions, with a value at least equal to the Fund’s obligations, on a mark-to-market basis. In connection with recovery locks in which a Fund is the buyer, the Fund will segregate or “earmark” cash or assets determined to be liquid in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees, or enter into offsetting positions, with a value at least equal to the fixed payment amount of the recovery lock (minus any amounts owed to the Fund, if applicable). Such segregation or “earmarking” will ensure that the Fund has assets available to satisfy its obligations with respect to the transaction and will limit any potential leveraging of the Fund’s portfolio.

Synthetic Equity Swaps. The Funds may also enter into synthetic equity swaps, in which one party to the contract agrees to pay the other party the total return earned or realized on a particular “notional amount” of value of an underlying equity security including any dividends distributed by the underlying security. The other party to the contract makes regular payments, typically at a fixed rate or at a floating rate based on LIBOR or other variable interest rate based on the notional amount. Similar to currency swaps, synthetic equity swaps are generally entered into on a net basis, which means the two payment streams are netted out and a Fund will either pay or receive the net amount. A Fund may enter into a synthetic equity swap instead of purchasing the reference security when the synthetic equity swap provides a more efficient or less expensive way of gaining exposure to a security compared with a direct investment in the security.

Correlation Risk for the Funds. In certain cases, the value of derivatives may not correlate perfectly, or at all, with the value of the assets, reference rates or indexes they are designed to closely track. There are a number of factors which may prevent a fund, or derivatives or other strategies used by a fund, from achieving desired correlation with an index. These may include, but are not limited to: (i) the impact of fund fees, expenses and transaction costs, including borrowing and brokerage costs/bid-ask spreads, which are not reflected in index returns; (ii) differences in the timing of daily calculations of the value of an index and the timing of the valuation of derivatives, securities and other assets held by a fund and the determination of the net asset value of fund shares; (iii) disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for derivative instruments or securities in which a fund invests; (iv) a fund having exposure to or holding less than all of the securities in the underlying index and/or having exposure to or holding securities not included in the underlying index; (v) large or unexpected movements of assets into and out of a fund (due to share purchases or redemptions, for example), potentially resulting in the fund being over- or under-exposed to the index; (vi) the impact of accounting standards or changes thereto; (vii) changes to the applicable index that are not disseminated in advance; (viii) a possible need to conform a fund’s portfolio holdings to comply with investment restrictions or policies or regulatory or tax law requirements; and (ix) fluctuations in currency exchange rates.

Risks of Potential Government Regulation of Derivatives. It is possible that additional government regulation of various types of derivative instruments, including futures, options and swap agreements, may limit or prevent a Fund from using such instruments as a part of its investment strategy, and could ultimately prevent a Fund from being able to achieve its investment objective. It is impossible to fully predict the effects of past, present or future legislation and regulation in this area, but the effects could be substantial and adverse. It is possible that legislative and regulatory activity could limit or restrict the ability of a Fund to use certain instruments as a part of its investment strategy. Limits or restrictions applicable to the counterparties or issuers, as applicable, with which the Funds engage in derivative transactions could also limit or prevent the Funds from using certain instruments.

 

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There is a possibility of future regulatory changes altering, perhaps to a material extent, the nature of an investment in the Funds or the ability of the Funds to continue to implement their investment strategies. The futures, options and swaps markets are subject to comprehensive statutes, regulations, and margin requirements. In addition, the SEC, CFTC and the exchanges are authorized to take extraordinary actions in the event of a market emergency, including, for example, the implementation or reduction of speculative position limits, the implementation of higher margin requirements, the establishment of daily price limits and the suspension of trading. The regulation of futures, options and swaps transactions in the United States is a rapidly changing area of law and is subject to modification by government and judicial action.

In particular, the Dodd-Frank Act sets forth a legislative framework for OTC derivatives, including financial instruments, such as swaps, in which the Funds may invest. Title VII of the Dodd-Frank Act makes broad changes to the OTC derivatives market, grants significant authority to the SEC and the CFTC to regulate OTC derivatives and market participants, and requires clearing and exchange trading of many OTC derivatives transactions.

Provisions in the Dodd-Frank Act include capital and margin requirements and the mandatory use of clearinghouse mechanisms for many OTC derivative transactions. The CFTC, SEC and other federal regulators have been developing the rules and regulations enacting the provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act. However, swap dealers, major market participants and swap counterparties are experiencing, and will continue to experience, new and additional regulations, requirements, compliance burdens and associated costs. The Dodd-Frank Act and the rules to be promulgated thereunder may negatively impact a Fund’s ability to meet its investment objective either through limits or requirements imposed on it or upon its counterparties. In particular, new position limits imposed on a Fund or its counterparties may impact that Fund’s ability to invest in futures, options and swaps in a manner that efficiently meets its investment objective. New requirements even if not directly applicable to the Funds, including margin requirements, changes to the CFTC speculative position limits regime and mandatory clearing, may increase the cost of a Fund’s investments and cost of doing business, which could adversely affect investors.

Bank Capital Securities

The Funds may invest in bank capital securities. Bank capital securities are issued by banks to help fulfill their regulatory capital requirements. There are two common types of bank capital: Tier I and Tier II. Bank capital is generally, but not always, of investment grade quality. Tier I securities often take the form of common and non-cumulative preferred securities. Tier II securities are commonly thought of as hybrids of debt and preferred securities, are often perpetual (with no maturity date), callable and, under certain conditions, allow for the issuer bank to withhold payment of interest until a later date. Subject to certain regulatory requirements, both Tier I and Tier II securities may include trust preferred securities. As a general matter, trust preferred securities are being phased out as Tier I and Tier II capital of banking organizations unless they qualify for grandfather treatment.

Trust Preferred Securities

The Funds may invest in trust preferred securities. Trust preferred securities have the characteristics of both subordinated debt and preferred securities. Generally, trust preferred securities are issued by a trust that is wholly-owned by a financial institution or other corporate entity, typically a bank holding company. The financial institution creates the trust and owns the trust’s common securities. The trust uses the sale proceeds of its common securities to purchase subordinated debt issued by the financial institution. The financial institution uses the proceeds from the subordinated debt sale to increase its capital while the trust receives periodic interest payments from the financial institution for holding the subordinated debt. The trust uses the funds received to make dividend payments to the holders of the trust preferred securities. The primary advantage of this structure is that the trust preferred securities are treated by the financial institution as debt securities for tax purposes and as equity for the calculation of capital requirements.

Trust preferred securities typically bear a market rate coupon comparable to interest rates available on debt of a similarly rated issuer. Typical characteristics include long-term maturities, early redemption by the issuer, periodic fixed or variable interest payments, and maturities at face value. Holders of trust preferred securities have limited voting rights to control the activities of the trust and no voting rights with respect to the financial institution. The market value of trust preferred securities may be more volatile than those of conventional debt securities. Trust preferred securities may be issued in reliance on Rule 144A under the 1933 Act and subject to restrictions on resale. There can be no assurance as to the liquidity of trust preferred securities and the ability of holders, such as a Fund, to sell their holdings. In identifying the risks of the trust preferred securities, the Sub-Adviser will look to the condition of the financial institution as the trust typically has no business operations other than to issue the trust preferred securities. If the financial institution defaults on interest payments to the trust, the trust will not be able to make dividend payments to holders of its securities, such as a Fund.

 

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As a result of trust preferred securities being phased out of Tier I and Tier II capital of banking organizations, a Fund’s ability to invest in trust preferred securities may be limited. This may impact a Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective.

Master Limited Partnerships (“MLPs”)

MLPs are limited partnerships in which ownership units are publicly traded. Generally, an MLP is operated under the supervision of one or more managing general partners. Limited partners are not involved in the day-to-day management of the partnership. Investments in MLPs are generally subject to many of the risks that apply to partnerships. For example, holders of the units of MLPs may have limited control and limited voting rights on matters affecting the partnership. There may be fewer corporate protections afforded investors in an MLP than investors in a corporation. Conflicts of interest may exist among unit holders, subordinated unit holders and the general partner of an MLP, including those arising from incentive distribution payments. MLPs that concentrate in a particular industry or region are subject to risks associated with such industry or region. MLPs holding credit-related investments are subject to interest rate risk and the risk of default on payment obligations by debt issuers. Investments held by MLPs may be illiquid. MLP units may trade infrequently and in limited volume, and they may be subject to abrupt or erratic price movements.

Exchange-Traded Notes

Exchange-traded notes (“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 (e.g., the New York Stock 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 a Fund invests in ETNs it will bear its proportionate share of any fees and expenses borne by the ETN. A Fund’s decision to sell its ETN holdings may be limited by the availability of a secondary market. In addition, although an ETN may be listed on an exchange, the issuer may not be required to maintain the listing and there can be no assurance that a secondary market will exist for an ETN.

ETNs are also subject to tax risk. No assurance can be given that the IRS will accept, or a court will uphold, how the Funds characterize and treat ETNs for tax purposes. Further, the IRS and Congress are considering proposals that would change the timing and character of income and gains from ETNs.

An ETN that is tied to a specific market benchmark or strategy may not be able to replicate and maintain exactly the composition and relative weighting of securities, commodities or other components in the applicable market benchmark or strategy. Some ETNs that use leverage can, at times, be relatively illiquid and, thus, they may be difficult to purchase or sell at a fair price. Leveraged ETNs are subject to the same risk as other instruments that use leverage in any form.

The market value of ETN shares may differ from their market benchmark or strategy. This difference in price may be due to the fact that the supply and demand in the market for ETN shares at any point in time is not always identical to the supply and demand in the market for the securities, commodities or other components underlying the market benchmark or strategy that the ETN seeks to track. As a result, there may be times when an ETN share trades at a premium or discount to its market benchmark or strategy.

Illiquid Securities

A Fund may invest up to 15% of its net assets in illiquid securities. The term “illiquid securities” for this purpose means securities that cannot be disposed of within seven days in the ordinary course of business at approximately the amount at which a Fund has valued the securities. Illiquid securities are considered to include, among other things, repurchase agreements with remaining maturities in excess of seven days, certain loan participation interests, fixed time deposits which are not subject to prepayment or provide for withdrawal penalties upon prepayment (other than overnight deposits), certain purchased OTC options and the assets used to cover certain written OTC options and other securities whose disposition is restricted under the federal securities laws (other than instruments that have been determined to be liquid under procedures approved by the Board of Trustees).

 

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Illiquid securities may include privately placed securities, which are sold directly to a small number of investors, usually institutions. Unlike public offerings, such securities are not registered under the federal securities laws. Although certain of these securities may be readily sold, others may be illiquid, and their sale may involve substantial delays and additional costs.

Repurchase Agreements

Each Fund may enter into repurchase agreements, which involve an agreement to purchase a security and to sell that security back to the original seller at the Fund’s cost of purchasing the security plus interest within a specified time. If the party agreeing to repurchase should default, the Fund may seek to sell the securities which it holds. This could involve procedural costs or delays in addition to a loss on the securities if their value should fall below their repurchase price. Repurchase agreements maturing in more than seven days and which may not be terminated within seven days at approximately the amount at which a Fund has valued the agreements are considered illiquid securities.

Loans of Portfolio Securities

For the purpose of achieving income, a Fund may lend its portfolio securities to brokers, dealers, and other financial institutions, provided: (i) the loan is secured continuously by collateral consisting of U.S. Government securities, cash or cash equivalents (negotiable certificates of deposits, bankers’ acceptances or letters of credit) maintained on a daily mark-to-market basis in an amount at least equal to 102% or the market value (plus accrued interest) of the securities loaned or 105% of the market value (plus accrued interest) of the securities loaned if the borrowed securities are principally cleared and settled outside of the U.S.; (ii) the Fund may at any time call the loan and obtain the return of the securities loaned; (iii) the Fund will receive any interest or dividends paid on the loaned securities; and (iv) the aggregate market value of securities loaned will not at any time exceed 33 1/3% of the total assets of the Fund (including the collateral received with respect to such loans). A Fund’s performance will continue to reflect the receipt of either interest through investment of cash collateral by the Fund in permissible investments, or a fee, if the collateral is U.S. Government securities. Securities lending involves the risk of loss of rights in the collateral or delay in recovery of the collateral should the borrower fail to return the securities loaned or become insolvent. A Fund may pay lending fees to the party arranging the loan. Cash collateral received by a Fund in securities lending transactions may be invested in short-term liquid fixed income instruments or in money market or short-term funds, or similar investment vehicles, including affiliated money market or short-term mutual funds. A Fund bears the risk of such investments.

Investments in Business Development Companies (“BDCs”)

The Funds may invest in BDCs, which typically operate to invest in, or lend capital to, early stage-to-mature private companies as well as small public companies. BDCs are regulated under the 1940 Act and are generally taxed as regulated investment companies under the Internal Revenue Code. BDCs realize operating income when their investments are sold off or as income is received in connection with lending, and therefore maintain complex organizational, operational, tax and compliance requirements. For tax purposes, BDCs generally intend to qualify for taxation as regulated investment companies. To so qualify, BDCs must satisfy certain asset diversification and source of income tests and must generally distribute at least 90% of their taxable earnings as dividends. Under the 1940 Act, BDCs are also required to invest at least 70% of their total assets primarily in securities of private companies or thinly traded U.S. public companies, cash, cash equivalents, U.S. government securities and high quality debt investments that mature in one year or less. Generally, little public information exists for private and thinly traded companies in which a BDC may invest, and therefore there is a risk that investors may not be able to make a fully informed decision. In addition, investments made by BDCs are typically illiquid and may be difficult to value. A BDC may only incur indebtedness in amounts such that the BDC’s asset coverage, subject to certain conditions, equals at least 150% after such incurrence. These limitations on asset mix and leverage may prohibit the way that the BDC raises capital.

Investment Companies

The Funds may invest in the securities of other investment companies (including money market funds) to the extent allowed by law. Under Section 12(d)(1)(A) of the 1940 Act, each Fund’s investment in other investment companies is 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 with respect to investment companies in the aggregate. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a Fund’s investment in units or shares of investment companies and other open-ended collective investment vehicles will be limited to 10% of the Fund’s net assets. To the extent allowed by law or regulation, each Fund may invest its assets in securities of investment companies that are money market funds, including those advised by PIMCO or otherwise affiliated with PIMCO, in excess of the limits discussed above. Other investment companies in which a Fund invests can be expected to incur fees and expenses for operations, such as advisory fees and supervisory and administrative fees, that would be in addition to those fees and expenses incurred by the Fund.

 

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As certain affiliated funds of funds may invest in a Fund beyond the limits discussed above, the Funds may not acquire securities of other registered open-end investment companies in reliance on Section 12(d)(1)(F) or Section 12(d)(1)(G) of the 1940 Act, thus limiting the Fund’s investment flexibility.

Because certain affiliated funds of funds, including series of the Trust, PIMCO Funds and PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust, may invest a significant portion of their assets in the Funds, the affiliated funds of funds may be the predominant or sole shareholders of a particular Fund. In such circumstances investment decisions made with respect to the affiliated funds of funds could, under certain circumstances, negatively impact the Funds.

For instance, the affiliated funds of funds may purchase and redeem shares of a Fund as part of a reallocation or rebalancing strategy, which may result in the Fund having to sell securities or invest cash when it otherwise would not do so. Such transactions could increase a Fund’s transaction costs and accelerate the realization of taxable income if sales of securities resulted in gains.

Government Intervention in Financial Markets

Instability in the financial markets during and after the 2008-2009 financial downturn has led the U.S. Government and governments across the world to take a number of unprecedented actions designed to support certain financial institutions and segments of the financial markets that have experienced extreme volatility, and in some cases a lack of liquidity. Most significantly, the U.S. Government has enacted a broad-reaching regulatory framework over the financial services industry and consumer credit markets, the potential impact of which on the value of securities held by a Fund is unknown. Federal, state, and other governments, their regulatory agencies, or self-regulatory organizations may take actions that affect the regulation of the instruments in which a Fund invests, or the issuers of such instruments, in ways that are unforeseeable. Legislation or regulation may also change the way in which a Fund itself is regulated. Such legislation or regulation could limit or preclude a Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective.

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

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

Inflation and Deflation

The Funds may be subject to inflation and deflation risk. Inflation risk is the risk that the present value of assets or income of a Fund will be worth less in the future as inflation decreases the present value of money. A Fund’s dividend rates or borrowing costs, where applicable, may also increase during periods of inflation. This may further reduce Fund performance. Deflation risk is the risk that prices throughout the economy decline over time creating an economic recession, which could make issuer default more likely and may result in a decline in the value of a Fund’s assets. Generally, securities issued in emerging markets are subject to a greater risk of inflationary or deflationary forces, and more developed markets are better able to use monetary policy to normalize markets.

Regulatory Risk

Financial entities, such as investment companies and investment advisers, are generally subject to extensive government regulation and intervention. Government regulation and/or intervention may change the way a Fund is regulated, affect the expenses incurred directly by the Fund and the value of its investments, and limit and/or preclude a Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective. Government regulation may change frequently and may have significant adverse

 

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consequences. Moreover, government regulation may have unpredictable and unintended effects. Many of the changes required by the Dodd-Frank Act could materially impact the profitability of the Funds and the value of assets they hold, expose the Funds to additional costs, require changes to investment practices, and adversely affect the Funds’ ability to pay dividends. For example, the Volcker Rule’s restrictions on proprietary trading may negatively impact fixed income market making capacity and could, therefore, result in reduced liquidity in fixed income markets. Additional legislative or regulatory actions to address perceived liquidity or other issues in fixed income markets generally, or in particular markets such as the municipal securities market, may alter or impair the Funds’ ability to pursue their investment objectives or utilize certain investment strategies and techniques. While there continues to be uncertainty about the full impact of these and other regulatory changes, it is the case that the Funds will be subject to a more complex regulatory framework, and may incur additional costs to comply with new requirements as well as to monitor for compliance in the future.

Liquidation of Funds

The Board of Trustees of the Trust may determine to close and/or liquidate a Fund at any time, which may have adverse tax consequences to shareholders. In the event of the liquidation of a Fund, shareholders will receive a liquidating distribution in cash or in-kind equal to their proportionate interest in the Fund. The value of an investment in a Fund, and any subsequent distribution in the event of a termination, will be subject to market conditions at that time. A liquidating distribution would generally be a taxable event to shareholders, resulting in a gain or loss for tax purposes, depending upon a shareholder’s basis in his or her shares of the Fund. A shareholder of a liquidating Fund will not be entitled to any refund or reimbursement of expenses borne, directly or indirectly, by the shareholder (such as Fund operating expenses), and a shareholder may receive an amount in liquidation less than the shareholder’s original investment.

It is the intention of any Fund expecting to close or liquidate to retain its qualification as a regulated investment company under the Internal Revenue Code during the liquidation period and, therefore, not to be taxed on any of its net capital gains realized from the sale of its assets or ordinary income earned that it timely distributes to shareholders. In the unlikely event that a Fund should lose its status as a regulated investment company during the liquidation process, the Fund would be subject to taxes which would reduce any or all of the types of liquidating distributions.

Participation in Litigation or Arbitration Proceedings

PIMCO, in its judgment and discretion and based on the considerations deemed by PIMCO to be relevant, may believe that it is in the best interests of a Fund to initiate or settle a claim or join a class of plaintiffs pursuing a claim as lead plaintiff (or opt out of a class and pursue a claim directly). Similarly, PIMCO may determine not to take or not to recommend any such action. To the extent that a Fund has liquidated, PIMCO will generally not take or recommend any such action. Subject to procedures approved by the Board of Trustees, PIMCO may, on behalf of a Fund, directly initiate or participate in litigation or an arbitration proceeding as a named plaintiff or claimant. Pursuant to such procedures, PIMCO may, without limitation, (i) engage legal counsel for a Fund and/or cause a Fund to pay fair and reasonable legal fees and expenses incurred in connection with investigating the validity of a potential claim (or performing other due diligence relating to a potential claim) or taking any actions considered by PIMCO to be necessary or appropriate (a) to protect or preserve a Fund’s rights or interests in connection with (1) defending a claim made against a Fund and (2) initiating or otherwise engaging in preliminary measures intended to facilitate possible future litigation or arbitration or otherwise support a judicial decision favorable to the Fund and (b) to preserve the Fund’s ability to bring a claim and to prevent the expiration of an applicable statute of limitations; and (ii) on behalf of a Fund that is not acting or seeking to act as a named plaintiff or claimant, (a) give direction to a third party (such as trustees or service providers), (b) cause the Fund to advance fair and reasonable legal fees and expenses to such third party, and/or (c) indemnify, on behalf of the Fund, such third party for its fair and reasonable fees and expenses, in each such case in connection with litigation or a claim concerning the Fund’s investment and pursuant to the terms of the investment (including, without limitation, as a result of the Fund’s holding of a certificate issued by a trust where the trustee or other service provider to the trust is commencing litigation or pursuing a claim on behalf of the trust). PIMCO may also vote for or authorize a settlement relating to litigation or a claim described in subparagraph (ii) above. Pursuant to the Board approved procedures, a Fund may directly bear a portion or all of the fees associated with the actions described above.

Fund Operations

Operational Risk. An investment in a Fund, like any fund, can involve operational risks arising from factors such as processing errors, human errors, inadequate or failed internal or external processes, failures in systems and technology, changes in personnel and errors caused by third-party service providers. The occurrence of any of these failures, errors or breaches could result in a loss of information, regulatory scrutiny, reputational damage or other events, any of which could have a material adverse effect on a Fund. While the Funds seek to minimize such events through controls and oversight, there may still be failures that could cause losses to a Fund.

 

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Cyber Security Risk. As the use of technology has become more prevalent in the course of business, the Funds have become potentially more susceptible to operational and information security risks resulting from breaches in cyber security. A breach in cyber security refers to both intentional and unintentional cyber events that may, among other things, cause a Fund to lose proprietary information, suffer data corruption and/or destruction or lose operational capacity, result in the unauthorized release or other misuse of confidential information, or otherwise disrupt normal business operations. Cyber security breaches may involve unauthorized access to a Fund’s digital information systems (e.g., through “hacking” or malicious software coding), but may also result from outside attacks such as denial-of-service attacks (i.e., efforts to make network services unavailable to intended users). In addition, cyber security breaches involving a Fund’s third party service providers (including but not limited to advisers, sub-advisers, administrators, transfer agents, custodians, distributors and other third parties), trading counterparties or issuers in which a Fund invests can also subject a Fund to many of the same risks associated with direct cyber security breaches. Cyber security breaches have the potential to interfere with the processing of Authorized Participant transactions and shareholder transactions in Fund shares on an exchange. Moreover, cyber security breaches involving trading counterparties or issuers in which a Fund invests could adversely impact such counterparties or issuers and cause the Fund’s investment to lose value. Cyber security failures or breaches may result in financial losses to a Fund and its shareholders. These failures or breaches may also result in disruptions to business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses; interference with a Fund’s ability to calculate its net asset value, process shareholder transactions or otherwise transact business with shareholders; impediments to trading; violations of applicable privacy and other laws; regulatory fines; penalties; reputational damage; reimbursement or other compensation costs; additional compliance and cyber security risk management costs and other adverse consequences. In addition, substantial costs may be incurred in order to prevent any cyber incidents in the future.

Like with operational risk in general, the Funds have established business continuity plans and risk management systems designed to reduce the risks associated with cyber security. However, there are inherent limitations in these plans and systems, including that certain risks may not have been identified, in large part because different or unknown threats may emerge in the future. As such, there is no guarantee that such efforts will succeed, especially because the Funds do not directly control the cyber security systems of issuers in which a Fund may invest, trading counterparties or third party service providers to the Funds. There is also a risk that cyber security breaches may not be detected. The Funds and their shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result.

INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS

Fundamental Investment Restrictions

The investment restrictions set forth below are fundamental policies of each Fund and may not be changed with respect to a Fund without shareholder approval by vote of a majority of the outstanding shares of that Fund.

 

(1)

A Fund may not concentrate its investments in a particular industry, as that term is used in the 1940 Act, and as interpreted, modified, or otherwise permitted by regulatory authority having jurisdiction from time to time, except that a Fund will concentrate to approximately the same extent that its Underlying Index concentrates in the securities of such particular industry or group of industries.

 

(2)

A Fund may not, with respect to 75% of the Fund’s total assets, purchase the securities of any issuer, except securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government or any of its agencies or instrumentalities or securities of other investment companies (whether registered or excluded from registration under Section 3(c) of the 1940 Act), if, as a result (i) more than 5% of the Fund’s total assets would be invested in the securities of that issuer, or (ii) the Fund would hold more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of that issuer. For the purpose of this restriction, each state and each separate political subdivision, agency, authority or instrumentality of such state, each multi-state agency or authority, and each guarantor, if any, are treated as separate issuers of Municipal Bonds.

 

(3)

A Fund may not purchase or sell real estate unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments, although it may purchase or sell securities or instruments secured by real estate or interests therein or representing interests in real estate, and may make, purchase or sell real estate mortgage loans, or purchase or sell securities or instruments issued by issuers which invest, deal or otherwise engage in real estate or interests therein.

 

(4)

A Fund may invest in commodities only as permitted by the 1940 Act or other governing statute, by the rules thereunder, or by the SEC or other regulatory agency with authority over the Fund. This restriction shall not prohibit a Fund, subject to restrictions described in the Prospectuses and elsewhere in this Statement of Additional Information, from purchasing or selling securities or other instruments backed by commodities or purchasing, selling or entering into futures contracts, options on futures contracts, foreign currency forward contracts, foreign currency options, hybrid instruments, or any interest rate or securities-related or foreign currency-related hedging instrument, including swap

 

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agreements and other derivative instruments, subject to compliance with any applicable provisions of the federal securities or commodities laws.

 

(5)

A Fund may borrow money or issue any senior security, only as permitted under the 1940 Act, as amended, and as interpreted, modified, or otherwise permitted by regulatory authority having jurisdiction, from time to time.

 

(6)

A Fund may make loans, only as permitted under the 1940 Act, as amended, and as interpreted, modified, or otherwise permitted by regulatory authority having jurisdiction, from time to time.

 

(7)

A Fund may not act as an underwriter of securities of other issuers, except to the extent that in connection with the disposition of portfolio securities, it may be deemed to be an underwriter under the federal securities laws.

 

(8)

Notwithstanding any other fundamental investment policy or limitation, it is a fundamental policy of each Fund that it may pursue its investment objective by investing in one or more underlying investment companies or vehicles that have substantially similar investment objectives, policies and limitations as the Fund.

Non-Fundamental Investment Restrictions

Each Fund’s investment objective, as set forth in the Prospectus under the heading “Investment Objective,” is non-fundamental and may be changed by the Trust’s Board of Trustees without shareholder approval. Each Fund is also subject to the following non-fundamental restrictions and policies (which may be changed by the Trust’s Board of Trustees without shareholder approval) relating to the investment of its assets and activities.

 

(A)

A Fund may not invest more than 15% of its net assets (taken at market value at the time of the investment) in “illiquid securities,” which are defined to include securities subject to legal or contractual restrictions on resale (which may include private placements), repurchase agreements with remaining maturities of more than seven days, certain loan participation interests, fixed time deposits which are not subject to prepayment or provide for withdrawal penalties upon prepayment (other than overnight deposits), certain options traded over the counter that a Fund has purchased, securities or other liquid assets being used to cover such options a Fund has written, securities for which market quotations are not readily available, or other securities which legally or in PIMCO’s opinion may be deemed illiquid (other than any security or instrument that PIMCO has determined to be liquid under procedures adopted by the Board of Trustees).

 

(B)

A Fund may not purchase securities on margin, except for use of short-term credit necessary for clearance of purchases and sales of portfolio securities, but it may make margin deposits in connection with covered transactions in options, futures, options on futures and short positions. For purposes of this restriction, the posting of margin deposits or other forms of collateral in connection with swap agreements is not considered purchasing securities on margin.

 

(C)

A Fund may not maintain a short position, or purchase, write or sell puts, calls, straddles, spreads or combinations thereof, except on such conditions as may be set forth in the Prospectus and in this Statement of Additional Information.

 

(D)

The Trust has adopted the following non-fundamental investment policy that may be changed on 60 days’ notice to shareholders: Each Fund will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its total assets (exclusive of collateral held from securities lending) in the component securities of that Fund’s Underlying Index.

For purposes of the Funds’ investment policies and restrictions, the Funds may value derivative instruments at market value, notional value or full exposure value (i.e., the sum of the notional amount for the contract plus the market value), or any combination of the foregoing (e.g., notional value for purposes of calculating the numerator and market value for purposes of calculating the denominator for compliance with a particular policy or restriction). For example, a Fund may value credit default swaps at full exposure value for purposes of the Fund’s credit quality guidelines because such value in general better reflects the Fund’s actual economic exposure during the term of the credit default swap agreement. As a result, a Fund may, at times, have notional exposure to an asset class (before netting) that is greater or less than the stated limit or restriction noted in the Fund’s prospectus. In this context, both the notional amount and the market value may be positive or negative depending on whether the Fund is selling or buying protection through the credit default swap. The manner in which certain securities or other instruments are valued by the Funds for purposes of applying investment policies and restrictions may differ from the manner in which those investments are valued by other types of investors.

 

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Under the 1940 Act, a “senior security” does not include any promissory note or evidence of indebtedness where such loan is for temporary purposes only and in an amount not exceeding 5% of the value of the total assets of the issuer at the time the loan is made. A loan is presumed to be for temporary purposes if it is repaid within sixty days and is not extended or renewed. To the extent that borrowings for temporary administrative purposes exceed 5% of the total assets of a Fund, such excess shall be subject to the 300% asset coverage requirement.

As noted above, a Fund may enter into certain transactions that can be viewed as constituting a form of borrowing or financing transaction by the Fund. In such event, a Fund covers its commitment under such transactions by segregating or “earmarking” assets determined in accordance with procedures adopted by the Board of Trustees. In addition to covering such commitments in the manner described above, with respect to forwards, futures contracts, options and swaps that are required to cash settle (i.e., where physical delivery of the underlying reference asset is not permitted), a Fund is permitted to segregate or “earmark” liquid assets equal to a Fund’s daily mark-to-market net obligation under the instrument, if any, rather than the instrument’s full notional value (i.e., the market value of the reference asset underlying the forward or derivative). By doing so, such instruments will not be considered a “senior security” by the Fund. By segregating or earmarking liquid assets equal to only its net mark-to-market obligation under forwards or derivatives that are required to cash settle, a Fund will have the ability to utilize such instruments to a greater extent than if a Fund were required to segregate or earmark liquid assets equal to the full notional value of the instrument.

The staff of the SEC has taken the position that purchased OTC options and the assets used as cover for written OTC options should generally be treated as illiquid. However, the staff of the SEC has also taken the position that the determination of whether a particular instrument is liquid should be made under guidelines and standards established by a fund’s board of trustees. The SEC staff has provided examples of factors that may be taken into account in determining whether a particular instrument should be treated as liquid. Pursuant to policies adopted by the Funds’ Board of Trustees, purchased OTC options and the assets used as cover for OTC options written by a Fund may be treated as liquid under certain circumstances, such as when the Sub-Adviser has the contractual right to terminate or close out the OTC option on behalf of a Fund within seven days. These policies are not fundamental policies of the Funds and may be changed or modified by the Board of Trustees without the approval of shareholders, provided that any such change or modification will be consistent with applicable positions of the SEC staff.

Each Fund interprets its policy with respect to concentration in a particular industry under Fundamental Investment Restriction 1, above, to apply to direct investments in the securities of issuers in a particular industry, and to any other investments, such as certain derivatives, that may properly be assigned to a particular industry, as defined by the Trust. For purposes of this restriction, a foreign government is considered to be an industry. Currency positions are not considered to be an investment in a foreign government for industry concentration purposes. Mortgage-backed securities that are issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities are not subject to a Fund’s industry concentration restrictions, by virtue of the exclusion from that test available to all U.S. Government securities. Similarly, Municipal Bonds (as defined in the applicable prospectus) issued by states, municipalities and other political subdivisions, agencies, authorities and instrumentalities of states and multi-state agencies and authorities are not subject to a Fund’s industry concentration restrictions.

A Fund may invest in certain derivative instruments which, while representing a relatively small amount of the Fund’s net assets, provide a greater amount of economic exposure to a particular industry. To the extent that a Fund obtains economic exposure to a particular industry in this manner, it may be subject to similar risks of concentration in that industry as if it had invested in the securities of issuers in that industry directly.

For purposes of applying the Funds’ policy with respect to diversification under Fundamental Investment Restriction 2, above, traditional bond insurance on a security will not be treated as a separate security, and the insurer will not be treated as a separate issuer of the security. Therefore, the Funds’ policy with respect to diversification does not limit the percentage of a Fund’s assets that may be invested in securities insured by a single bond insurer.

With respect to Fundamental Investment Restriction 2, above, the PIMCO RAFI ESG U.S. ETF intends to be diversified in approximately the same proportion as its respective Underlying Index.

Under the Funds’ policy under Fundamental Investment Restriction 3, above, where a Fund purchases a loan or other security secured by real estate or interests therein or representing interests in real estate, in the event of a subsequent default, foreclosure, or similar event, the Fund may take possession of and hold the underlying real estate in accordance with its rights under the initial security and subsequently sell or otherwise dispose of such real estate.

 

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Each Fund interprets its policy with respect to the purchase and sale of commodities or commodities contracts under Fundamental Investment Restriction 4 above to permit the Fund, subject to the Fund’s investment objectives and general investment policies (as stated in the Prospectuses and elsewhere in this Statement of Additional Information), to invest in securities or other instruments backed by commodities, commodity futures contracts and options thereon, commodity-related swap agreements, hybrid instruments, and other commodity-related derivative instruments and to permit the Fund to make direct investments in commodities as permitted by the 1940 Act or other governing statute, by the rules thereunder, or by the SEC or other regulatory agency with authority over the Fund.

The Funds interpret their policies with respect to borrowing and lending to permit such activities as may be lawful for the Funds, to the full extent permitted by the 1940 Act or by exemption from the provisions therefrom pursuant to exemptive order of the SEC. Pursuant to an exemptive order issued by the SEC on November 19, 2001, the Funds may enter into transactions with respect to the investment of daily cash balances of the Funds in shares of PIMCO-sponsored money market and/or short-term bond funds. Pursuant to an exemptive order issued by the SEC, the Funds, along with other registered investment companies in the PIMCO Funds family, may engage in interfund lending transactions, to the extent such participation is consistent with each Fund’s investment objective and investment policies. As part of the interfund lending program, certain PIMCO-sponsored money market and short-term bond funds will have the ability to lend to certain other PIMCO-sponsored non-money market and non-short-term bond funds, as detailed in the exemptive relief (the “Interfund Lending Program”).

Any loan made through the Interfund Lending Program would be preferable to borrowing from a bank from the perspective of a borrowing fund and more beneficial than an alternative short-term investment from the perspective of a lending fund. The term of an interfund loan is limited to the time required to receive payment for securities sold, but in no event more than seven days. In addition, an interfund loan is callable with one business day’s notice. All loans are for temporary cash management or emergency purposes and the interest rates to be charged will be the average of the overnight repurchase agreement rate and the bank loan rate.

The limitations detailed above and the other conditions of the SEC exemptive order permitting interfund lending are designed to minimize the risks associated with interfund lending for both the lending fund and the borrowing fund. No fund may borrow more than the amount permitted by its investment limitations and all loans are subject to numerous conditions designed to ensure fair and equitable treatment of all participating funds. The interfund lending facility is subject to the oversight and periodic review of the Board.

No borrowing or lending activity is without risk. When a fund borrows money from another fund, there is a risk that the interfund loan could be called on one day’s notice or not renewed, in which case the fund may have to borrow from a bank at higher rates if an interfund loan is not available. If a borrowing fund is unable to repay the loan when due, a delay in repayment to the lending fund could result in a lost investment opportunity for the lending fund.

Unless otherwise indicated, all limitations applicable to Fund investments (as stated above and elsewhere in this Statement of Additional Information or in the Prospectuses) apply only at the time of investment. Any subsequent change in the percentage of Fund assets invested in certain securities or other instruments resulting from market fluctuations or other changes in the Fund’s total assets will not require the Fund to dispose of an investment. In the event that ratings services assign different ratings to the same security, the Sub-Adviser will use the highest rating as the credit rating for that security.

From time to time, a Fund may voluntarily participate in actions (for example, rights offerings, conversion privileges, exchange offers, credit event settlements, etc.) where the issuer or counterparty offers securities or instruments to holders or counterparties, such as the Fund, and the acquisition is determined to be beneficial to Fund shareholders (“Voluntary Action”). Notwithstanding any percentage investment limitation listed under this “Investment Restrictions” section or any percentage investment limitation of the 1940 Act or rules thereunder, if a Fund has the opportunity to acquire a permitted security or instrument through a Voluntary Action, and the Fund will exceed a percentage investment limitation following the acquisition, it will not constitute a violation if, prior to the receipt of the securities or instruments and after announcement of the offering, the Fund sells an offsetting amount of assets that are subject to the investment limitation in question at least equal to the value of the securities or instruments to be acquired.

Unless otherwise indicated, all percentage limitations on Fund investments (as stated throughout this Statement of Additional Information or in the Prospectus) that are not: (i) specifically included in this “Investment Restrictions” section or (ii) imposed by the 1940 Act, rules thereunder, the Internal Revenue Code or related regulations (the “Elective Investment Restrictions”), will apply only at the time of investment unless the acquisition is a Voluntary Action. In addition and notwithstanding the foregoing, for purposes of this policy, certain Non-Fundamental Investment Restrictions, as noted above, are also considered Elective Investment Restrictions. The percentage limitations and absolute prohibitions with respect to

 

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Elective Investment Restrictions are not applicable to a Fund’s acquisition of securities or instruments through a Voluntary Action. Certain percentage limitations or absolute prohibitions stated in certain Elective Investment Restrictions by their terms apply only with respect to specific securities or instruments as opposed to asset classes or economic exposures represented by such securities or instruments; for purposes of applying such limitations or prohibitions, the Funds may not count investments in derivatives or other instruments that are not the specific securities or instruments limited or prohibited by the express terms of the Elective Investment Restriction. In such cases, a Fund may obtain greater economic exposure to asset classes represented by such specific securities or instruments because such exposure is not restricted by the express terms of the Elective Investment Restriction.

A Fund may engage in roll-timing strategies where the Fund seeks to extend the expiration or maturity of a position, such as a forward contract, futures contract or to-be-announced (“TBA”) transaction, on an underlying asset by closing out the position before expiration and contemporaneously opening a new position with respect to the same underlying asset that has substantially similar terms except for a later expiration date. Such “rolls” enable the Fund to maintain continuous investment exposure to an underlying asset beyond the expiration of the initial position without delivery of the underlying asset. Similarly, as certain standardized swap agreements transition from OTC trading to mandatory exchange-trading and clearing due to the implementation of Dodd-Frank Act regulatory requirements, a Fund may “roll” an existing OTC swap agreement by closing out the position before expiration and contemporaneously entering into a new exchange-traded and cleared swap agreement on the same underlying asset with substantially similar terms except for a later expiration date. These types of new positions opened contemporaneous with the closing of an existing position on the same underlying asset with substantially similar terms are collectively referred to as “Roll Transactions.” Elective Investment Restrictions (defined in the preceding paragraph), which normally apply at the time of investment, do not apply to Roll Transactions (although Elective Investment Restrictions will apply to the Fund’s entry into the initial position). In addition and notwithstanding the foregoing, for purposes of this policy, those Non-Fundamental Investment Restrictions that are considered Elective Investment Restrictions for purposes of the policy on Voluntary Actions (described in the preceding paragraph) are also Elective Investment Restrictions for purposes of this policy on Roll Transactions. The Funds will test for compliance with Elective Investment Restrictions at the time of a Fund’s initial entry into a position, but the percentage limitations and absolute prohibitions set forth in the Elective Investment Restrictions are not applicable to a Fund’s subsequent acquisition of securities or instruments through a Roll Transaction.

Recently finalized Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) rules include mandatory margin requirements for the TBA market that require a Fund to post collateral in connection with their TBA transactions. There is no similar requirement applicable to a Fund’s TBA counterparties. The required collateralization of TBA trades could increase the cost of TBA transactions to a Fund and impose added operational complexity.

A Fund’s investment policies, limitations, or practices are applicable “normally” or under “normal circumstances” or “normal market conditions” (as stated above and elsewhere in this Statement of Additional Information or in the Prospectus). Pursuant to the discretion of PIMCO and the Sub-Adviser, these investment policies, limitations, or practices may not apply during periods of abnormal purchase or redemption activity or during periods of unusual or adverse market, economic, political or other conditions. Such market, economic or political conditions may include periods of abnormal or heightened market volatility, strained credit and/or liquidity conditions, or increased governmental intervention in the markets or industries. During such periods, a Fund may not invest according to its principal investment strategies or in the manner in which its name may suggest, and may be subject to different and/or heightened risks. It is possible that such unusual or adverse conditions may continue for extended periods of time.

UNDERLYING INDEXES

Each Fund tracks a particular index (“Underlying Index”) constructed by the Index Provider.

RAFI Dynamic Multi-Factor Funds

The Underlying Index for each RAFI Dynamic Multi-Factor Fund is constructed by the Index Provider using a rules-based approach to construct factor portfolios within the Underlying Index. The universe for the Underlying Index construction process starts with all common equity securities traded on primary exchanges, and preferred shares in countries where preferred shares are economically equivalent to common, which meet and pass minimum liquidity and investability (capacity) requirements, issued by companies that are assigned to countries by the Index Provider. The rulebook dated September 2018 indicates that there are 23 developed market countries and 23 emerging market countries eligible for inclusion. The Index Provider assigns companies to countries and promulgates that assignment to securities. Eligible securities are then determined by selecting companies based on fundamental weight, calculated using four accounting measures from company financial statements: (i) de-levered sales, calculated as company sales averaged over the past five

 

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years multiplied by the ratio of average equity to average assets; (ii) cash flow, taken as the company operating cash flow averaged over the past five years; (iii) dividend plus buybacks, calculated using the average dividends paid and share buybacks over the past five years; and (iv) book value, taken as the most recent company book value. At each annual reconstitution, companies that rank in the top 86% of cumulative fundamental weight constitute the large-mid company universe. Companies that rank in the top 98% by fundamental weight, excluding companies in the top 86%, within each region constitute the small company universe.

The Underlying Indexes consist of “factor portfolios,” which emphasize the following factors:

 

Underlying Index

   Factor Portfolios

RAFI Dynamic Multi-Factor Emerging Markets Index

   Value, low volatility, quality, momentum

RAFI Dynamic Multi-Factor Developed Ex-U.S. Index

   Value, low volatility, quality, momentum, size

RAFI Dynamic Multi-Factor U.S. Index

   Value, low volatility, quality, momentum, size

The value factor emphasizes companies with high ratio of company fundamental weight to its market capitalization weight. For each region and size group indicated in the rulebook, the ratio of fundamental weight to market capitalization weight for each stock is calculated as described above. Eligible securities are then ranked in descending order by the ratio, the top 25% by cumulative adjusted fundamental weight are selected for inclusion, subject to a minimum of 15 stocks. Selected companies are then re-weighted by their adjusted fundamental weight subject to the application of liquidity limits and maximum stock weight of 5% for all regions, except for the U.K. region at 15%. The minimum stock weight is 0.05%. Stocks below the minimum weight are removed and the excess weights are distributed across the remaining stocks in the index.

The low volatility factor emphasizes companies with low risk measure calculated as the variance of a company’s daily excess return over five years explained by global, local country groups, and global industry excess returns. For each region and size group indicated in the rulebook, a risk measure for each stock is calculated as described below. Eligible securities are then ranked in ascending order of risk measure, the top 25% by cumulative adjusted fundamental weight are selected for inclusion, subject to a minimum of 15 stocks. Selected companied are then re-weighted by their adjusted fundamental weight subject to the application of liquidity limits and maximum stock weight of 5%, except for the U.K. region at 15%. The minimum stock weight is 0.05%. Stocks below the minimum weight are removed and the excess weights are distributed across the remaining stocks in the index.

The risk measure referenced above is calculated as the variance of a stock’s excess return that is explained by a three-factor regression model, as further described in the rulebook. The excess return is the daily local currency return minus the return investing in local currency for the business days that are common to each component of regression. The linear regression is calculated over the five-year estimation period. A minimum of 510 daily return observations are required for the calculation of the company level risk metric and therefore for the company to be eligible for inclusion in the index.

The quality factor emphasizes companies that are high in Profitability and low in Investment Spending. For each region and size group indicated in the rulebook, a quality measure for each stock is calculated as described below. Eligible securities are then ranked in descending order by quality measure, the top 25% by cumulative adjusted fundamental weight are selected for inclusion, subject to a minimum of 15 stocks. Selected companies are then re-weighted by their adjusted fundamental weight subject to the application of liquidity limits and maximum stock weight of 5% for all regions, except for the U.K. region at 15%. The minimum stock weight is 0.05%. Stocks below the minimum weight are removed and the excess weights are distributed across the remaining stocks in the index.

The quality measure referenced above is the average of Profitability minus the average of Investment. Profitability is the average of the z-scores (a commonly used method for normalizing data in order to combine it with other data) of ROA, ROE and operating profitability. Investment is the average of the z-scores of asset growth and book growth. The outliers of the variables are winsorized (that is, subjected to a statistical method for limiting extreme values in order to reduce their effect) prior to the z-score calculation. ROA is calculated as the ratio of net income before extraordinary items to assets. ROE is calculated as the ratio of net income before extraordinary items to equity book value. Operating profitability is the ratio of operating income minus interest to equity book value. Asset growth is the ratio of current year assets minus previous year assets to previous year assets. Book growth is the ratio of current book value minus previous year book value to previous year book value. To avoid foreign exchange impact during the security selection process, the above variables are calculated using the fundamental data in the company’s reporting currency.

The momentum factor emphasizes stocks with high momentum. For each region and size group indicated in the rulebook, a momentum measure for each stock is calculated as described below. Eligible securities are then ranked in

 

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descending order by momentum measure, the top 50% by cumulative adjusted capitalization weight are selected for inclusion, subject to a minimum of 15 stocks. Selected companies are then re-weighted by their adjusted fundamental weight subject to the application of liquidity limits and maximum stock weight of 5% for all regions, except for the U.K. region at 15%. The minimum stock weight is 0.05%. Stocks below the minimum weight are removed and the excess weights are distributed across the remaining stocks in the index.

The momentum measure referenced above is the average of the z-scores for standard momentum, idiosyncratic momentum and fresh momentum. A company’s stock excess return is used in calculating momentum. The excess return is the company’s daily local currency return minus the return investing in cash for the day. The outliers of the calculated momentums are winsorized prior to the z-score calculation. Standard momentum is momentum investing based on a stock’s recent excess return, which is the past 12 month excess return excluding the most recent month return. The time period for excess return is from trading day -365 calendar days to trading -30 calendar days. Idiosyncratic momentum accounts for a stock’s market exposure by comparing its standard momentum to the beta-forecasted value. Market returns are hedged market returns on the cap-weighted market index for the given company, which are adjusted in the calculation by a corresponding factor sensitivity on that market. The time period for local excess return and the regression calculation for the factor sensitivity is from trading day -365 calendar days to trading -30 calendar days. Fresh momentum is the reversal adjusted measure that indicates if the momentum of a stock is building or diminishing by comparing standard momentum to the previous year’s momentum.

The size factor is the equal weight of the small company portions of the other four factors. After the aggregation, liquidity limits are applied to the stock weights. The minimum stock weight is 0.05%. Stocks below the minimum weight are removed and the excess weights are distributed across the remaining stocks in the index.

A company’s fundamental weight may be adjusted by a “free float factor”, which is the ratio of the total market capitalization of the shares of the company in free float to the total market capitalization of the company.

The Underlying Indexes dynamically allocate to each factor at each quarterly rebalance. Dynamic allocation starts with an equal weighting to each factor plus an additional weight, which is based on a calculation of a factor’s momentum and long-term reversal signal relative to the other factors. Additional weights to a particular factor are capped at a maximum of 15% and minimum of -15% relative to equal weighting.

Each factor (other than momentum) is reconstituted annually on the last business day of March and rebalanced on a quarterly staggered basis on the last business day of March, June, September and third Friday of December. For example, a single factor will be divided into four identical tranches. At the first quarterly rebalance, the first tranche (i.e., 25% of the factor) is rebalanced, but the remaining three tranches (i.e., the other 75% of the factor) are not rebalanced and will continue to drift until the next quarterly rebalance. At the next quarterly rebalance, the second tranche is rebalanced while the other three tranches (including the tranche that was rebalanced at the prior quarter-end) are not rebalanced. This staggered rebalancing is intended to diversify risk and decrease market impact. The momentum factor, unlike the other factors, is reconstituted and fully rebalanced quarterly. At each quarterly rebalance, trading controls are implemented to minimize turnover.

PIMCO RAFI ESG U.S. ETF

The Underlying Index for the PIMCO RAFI ESG U.S. ETF is constructed by the Index Provider using a rules-based approach within publicly traded U.S. equities to create an integrated ESG strategy which overweights companies that rate well across various ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) themes and excludes companies with a major involvement in industries such as tobacco, gaming, weapons and fossil fuels. The universe for the Underlying Index construction process starts with all common equity securities traded on U.S. primary exchanges, which meet and pass minimum liquidity and investability (capacity) requirements, issued by companies that are assigned to the United States by the Index Provider.

The Underlying Index uses five signals to determine a company’s overall ESG score: environment, social, governance, diversity and financial discipline. The environment, social, governance and diversity scores are determined using data provided by a third-party ESG data and ratings provider (the “ESG Data Provider”). The ESG Data Provider assesses hundreds of different factors within a framework of sustainability criteria based on international standards in determining the environment, social and governance scores. The ESG Data Provider also considers numerous different metrics relating to gender diversity in determining the diversity scores. The financial discipline score is determined by the Index Provider and is intended to identify companies with high profitability, low investment, low issuance and low accruals.

 

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To construct the Underlying Index, companies are sorted in descending order by their environment, social, governance, diversity and financial discipline scores, respectively. Companies in the bottom 10% by fundamental weight, for each respective signal, are excluded. In addition, companies classified by the ESG Data Provider as having major involvement in the following areas are excluded: tobacco, gambling, weapons - civilian firearms and military, fossil fuels, coal, tar sands and oil shale. Selected companies are weighted by their fundamental weight, adjusted by the companies’ respective overall ESG scores. As of [ ], the Underlying Index consisted of [ ] Component Securities.

The portfolio of the Underlying Index is reconstituted annually on the last business day of March and rebalanced on a quarterly staggered basis on the last business day of March, June, September and third Friday of December. For example, the model portfolio will be divided into four identical tranches. At the first quarterly rebalance, the first tranche (i.e., 25% of the portfolio) is rebalanced, but the remaining three tranches (i.e., the other 75% of the portfolio) are not rebalanced and will continue to drift until the next quarterly rebalance. At the next quarterly rebalance, the second tranche is rebalanced while the other three tranches (including the tranche that was rebalanced at the prior quarter-end) are not rebalanced. This staggered rebalancing is intended to diversify risk and decrease market impact of trading.

Additional Information about the Underlying Indexes

Solactive AG is the Underlying Index calculator and benchmark administrator. The value of an Underlying Index is calculated on each day on which the U.S. market or U.K. market is open for trading (for purposes of this section only, “Business Day”) based on the prices on the respective Exchanges on which the component securities of such index (“Component Securities”) are listed. For each update, the most recent prices of all Component Securities are used. Prices of Component Securities not listed in U.S. Dollars are converted using spot foreign exchange rates quoted by Reuters. The daily index closing value is calculated using WM/Reuters closing spot rates from 4:00 pm London time. Should there be no current price available on Reuters, the most recent price or the Trading Price (as defined below) on Reuters for the preceding Trading Day (as defined below) is used in the calculation. The Underlying Index is calculated continuously every Business Day from 9:00 am to 10:30 pm, CET, with updates every 15 seconds. In the event that data cannot be provided to Reuters or to the pricing services of Boerse Stuttgart AG the Underlying Index cannot be distributed. Any incorrect calculation is adjusted on a retrospective basis. At the time of the calculation and publication of the Underlying Index, the prices used for the calculation may already have changed.

A committee (the “Committee”) composed of staff from Solactive AG is responsible for any amendments to the rules; provided that the starting universe for the composition of an Underlying Index and its relevant specifications are established by the Index Provider. The future composition of any Underlying Index is determined on the last business day of February, May, August and November according to the procedures outlined in the Underlying Index rulebook. The Committee shall decide about the future composition of the Underlying Index in the event that any Extraordinary Events (as defined below) should occur and the implementation of any necessary adjustments. Notwithstanding the above, Solactive AG may consult the Index Provider for decisions regarding the composition of an Underlying Index. Members of the Committee can recommend changes to the guideline and submit them to the Committee for approval.

All specifications and information relevant for calculating the Underlying Indexes are made available on the http://www.solactive.de web page and sub-pages.

With regard to a Component Security, the “Trading Price” in respect of a Trading Day is the closing price on this Trading Day determined in accordance with the Exchange regulations. If the Exchange has no closing price for a Component Security, the Underlying Index calculator shall determine the Trading Price and the time of the quote for the share in question in a manner that appears reasonable to the Underlying Index calculator.

A “Trading Day” is, in relation to the Underlying Index or a Component Security, a Trading Day on the Exchange (or a day that would have been such a day if a market disruption had not occurred), excluding days on which trading may be ceased prior to the normal Exchange closing time. The Underlying Index calculator is ultimately responsible as to whether a certain day is a Trading Day with regard to the Underlying Index or a Component Security.

An “Extraordinary Event” is

 

   

A merger

 

   

A takeover bid

 

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A delisting

 

   

The nationalization of a company

 

   

Insolvency

The Trading Price for a Component Security on the day the Extraordinary Event came into effect is the last available market price for this Component Security quoted on the Exchange on the day the event came into effect (or, if a market price is not available for the day the event came into effect, the last available market price quoted on the Exchange on a day specified as appropriate by the Underlying Index calculator), as determined by the Underlying Index calculator, and this price is used as the Trading Price of the particular Component Security until the end of the day on which the composition of the Underlying Index is next set.

In the event of the insolvency of an issuer of a Component Security, the Component Security shall remain in the Underlying Index until the next rebalancing day. As long as a market price for the affected Component Security is available on a Business Day, this shall be applied as the Trading Price for this Component Security on the relevant Business Day, as determined in each case by the Underlying Index calculator. If a market price is not available on a Business Day the Trading Price for this Component Security is set to zero. The Committee may also decide to eliminate the respective Component Security at an earlier point in time prior to the next rebalancing day. The procedure in this case is identical to an elimination due to an Extraordinary Event.

A Component Security is “delisted” if the Exchange announces pursuant to the Exchange regulations that the listing of, the trading in or the issuing of public quotes on the Component Security at the Exchange has ceased immediately or will cease at a later date, for whatever reason (provided delisting is not because of a Merger or a Takeover Bid), and the Component Security is not immediately listed, traded or quoted again on an exchange, trading, or listing system, acceptable to the Underlying Index calculator.

“Insolvency” occurs with regard to a Component Security if (A) all shares of the respective issuer must be transferred to a trustee, liquidator, insolvency administrator, or a similar public officer as result of a voluntary or compulsory liquidation, insolvency or winding-up proceedings, or comparable proceedings affecting the issuer of the Component Security, or (B) the holders of the shares of this issuer are legally enjoined from transferring the shares.

A “Takeover Bid” is a bid to acquire, an exchange offer or any other offer or act of a legal person that results in the related legal person acquiring as part of an exchange or otherwise more than 10% and less than 100% of the voting shares in circulation from the issuer of the Component Security or the right to acquire these shares, as determined by the Underlying Index calculator based on notices submitted to public or self-regulatory authorities or other information considered by the Underlying Index calculator to be relevant.

With regard to a Component Security, a “Merger” is: 1. a change in the security class or a conversion of this share class that results in a transfer or an ultimate definite obligation to transfer all the shares in circulation to another legal person; 2. a merger (either by acquisition or through forming a new structure) or a binding obligation on the part of the issuer to exchange shares with another legal person (except in a merger or share exchange under which the issuer of this Component Security is the acquiring or remaining company and which does not involve a change in security class or a conversion of all the shares in circulation); 3. a takeover offer, exchange offer, other offer or another act of a legal person for the purposes of acquiring or otherwise obtaining from the issuer 100% of the shares issued that entails a transfer or the irrevocable obligation to transfer all shares (with the exception of shares which are held and controlled by the legal person); or 4. a merger (either by acquisition or through forming a new structure) or a binding obligation on the part of the issuer of the share or its subsidiaries to exchange shares with another legal person, whereby the issuer of the share is the acquiring or remaining company and it does not involve a change in the class or a conversion of the all shares issued, but the shares in circulation directly prior to such an event (except for shares held and controlled by the legal person) represent in total less than 50% of the shares in circulation directly subsequent to such an event.

The “Merger Date” is the date on which a Merger is concluded or the date specified by the Underlying Index calculator if such a date cannot be determined under the law applicable to the Merger.

“Nationalization” is a process whereby all shares or the majority of the assets of the issuer of the shares are nationalized or are expropriated or otherwise must be transferred to public bodies, authorities, or institutions.

 

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For purposes of this section only, “Exchange” is, in respect of an Underlying Index and every Component Security, the respective primary exchange where the Component Security has its primary listing. The Committee may decide to declare a different stock exchange the “Exchange” for trading reasons, even if the company is only listed there via a Stock Substitute. “Stock Substitute” includes, in particular, American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) and Global Depositary Receipts (GDRs).

Neither the Index Provider nor Solactive AG is affiliated with the Trust, PIMCO, PIMCO Investments LLC, or their affiliates. PIMCO has entered into a license agreement with the Index Provider to use each Underlying Index. The license agreement allows the Trust to use the Underlying Indexes at no charge to the Trust. See the Prospectus for additional disclaimers relating to the Underlying Indexes.

MANAGEMENT OF THE TRUST

Trustees and Officers

The business of the Trust is managed under the direction of the Trust’s Board of Trustees. Subject to the provisions of the Trust’s Trust Instrument, its By-Laws and Delaware law, the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) has all powers necessary and convenient to carry out this responsibility, including the election and removal of the Trust’s officers.

Leadership Structure and Risk Oversight Function

[To be updated by amendment.]

The Board is currently composed of four Trustees, three of whom are not “interested persons” of the Trust (as that term is defined by Section 2(a)(19) of the 1940 Act) (“Independent Trustees”). The Trustees meet periodically throughout the year to discuss and consider matters concerning the Trust and to oversee the Trust’s activities, including its investment performance, compliance program and risks associated with its activities.

Brent R. Harris, a Managing Director of PIMCO, and therefore an “interested person” of the Trust, serves as Chairman of the Board. The Board has established three standing committees to facilitate the Trustees’ oversight of the management of the Trust: an Audit Committee, a Valuation Oversight Committee and a Governance Committee. The scope of each Committee’s responsibilities is discussed in greater detail below. The Board does not have a lead Independent Trustee; however, the Chairs of the Audit Committee and Governance Committee, each of whom is an Independent Trustee, act as liaisons between the Independent Trustees and the Trust’s management between Board Meetings and, with management, are involved in the preparation of agendas for Board and Committee meetings. The Board believes that, as Chairman, Mr. Harris provides skilled executive leadership to the Trust and performs an essential liaison function between the Trust and PIMCO, its investment manager. The Board believes that its governance structure allows all of the Independent Trustees to participate in the full range of the Board’s oversight responsibilities. The Board reviews its structure regularly as part of its annual self-evaluation. The Board has determined that its leadership structure is appropriate in light of the characteristics and circumstances of the Trust because it allocates areas of responsibility among the Committees and the Board in a manner that enhances effective oversight. The Board considered, among other things, the role of PIMCO in the day-to-day management of the Trust’s affairs; the extent to which the work of the Board is conducted through the Committees; the number of portfolios that comprise the Trust and other trusts in the fund complex overseen by members of the Board; the variety of asset classes those portfolios include; the net assets of each Fund, the Trust and the fund complex; and the management, distribution and other service arrangements of each Fund, the Trust and the fund complex.

In its oversight role, the Board has adopted, and periodically reviews, policies and procedures designed to address risks associated with the Trust’s activities. In addition, PIMCO and the Trust’s other service providers have adopted policies, processes and procedures to identify, assess and manage risks associated with the Trust’s activities. The Trust’s senior officers, including, but not limited to, the Chief Compliance Officer (“CCO”) and Treasurer, PIMCO portfolio management personnel and other senior personnel of PIMCO, the Trust’s independent registered public accounting firm (the “independent auditors”) and personnel from the Trust’s third-party service providers make periodic reports to the Board and its Committees with respect to a variety of matters, including matters relating to risk management.

Qualifications of the Trustees

The charts below identify the Trustees and executive officers of the Trust. Unless otherwise indicated, the address of all persons below is 650 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, CA 92660.

 

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Trustees of the Trust

[To be updated by amendment.]

 

Name, Year of Birth
and
Position
Held with Trust*
   Term of Office
and Length of
Time
Served†
   Principal
Occupation(s)
During Past 5 Years
   Number of
Funds in Fund
Complex
Overseen by
Trustee*
   Other Public Company
and Investment Company
Directorships
Held by Trustee During
the Past 5 Years
Interested Trustee1            
Brent R. Harris
(1959) Chairman of the Board and Trustee
   03/2010 to present    Managing Director, PIMCO. Senior Vice President of the Trust, PIMCO Equity Series VIT, PIMCO Funds, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust and PIMCO ETF Trust. Formerly, member of Executive Committee, PIMCO.    161    Chairman and Trustee, PIMCO Equity Series VIT, PIMCO Funds, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust, PIMCO ETF Trust; Director, StocksPLUS® Management, Inc.; and member of Board of Governors, Investment Company Institute.
Independent Trustees            

Jennifer Holden Dunbar
(1963)

Trustee

   02/2016 to present    Managing Director, Dunbar Partners, LLC (business consulting and investments). Formerly, Partner, Leonard Green & Partners, L.P.    161    Trustee, PIMCO Equity Series VIT, PIMCO Funds, PIMCO Variable Insurance and PIMCO ETF Trust; Director, PS Business Parks; Director, Big 5 Sporting Goods Corporation.

Peter B. McCarthy
(1950)

Trustee

   09/2011 to present    Formerly, Assistant Secretary and Chief Financial Officer, United States Department of Treasury; Deputy Managing Director, Institute of International Finance.    161    Trustee, PIMCO Equity Series VIT, PIMCO Funds, PIMCO Variable Insurance and PIMCO ETF Trust.
Ronald C. Parker
(1951) Trustee
   02/2016 to present    Director of Roseburg Forest Products Company. Formerly, Chairman of the Board, The Ford Family Foundation. Formerly President, Chief Executive Officer, Hampton Affiliates (forestry products).    161    Trustee, PIMCO Equity Series VIT; Lead Independent Trustee, PIMCO Funds, PIMCO Variable Insurance and PIMCO ETF Trust.

(*) Unless otherwise noted, the information for the individuals listed is as of September 30, 2018.

(†) Trustees serve until their successors are duly elected and qualified.

(1) Mr. Harris is an “interested person” of the Trust (as that term is defined in the 1940 Act) because of his affiliations with PIMCO.

The Board has determined that each of the Trustees is qualified to serve as a Trustee of the Trust, based on a review of the experience, qualifications, attributes and skills of each Trustee, including those listed in the table above. The Board has

 

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taken into account each Trustee’s commitment to the Board and participation in Board and committee meetings throughout his or her tenure on the Board. The following is a summary of qualifications, experiences and skills of each Trustee (in addition to the principal occupation(s) during the past five years noted in the table above) that support the conclusion that each individual is qualified to serve as a Trustee:

[To be updated by amendment.]

Mr. Harris’s position as a Managing Director of PIMCO and, formerly, as a Member of its Executive Committee give him valuable experience with the day-to-day management of the operation of the Trust as well as other funds within the fund complex, enabling him to provide essential management input to the Board.

Ms. Dunbar has prior financial experience investing and managing private equity fund assets. Additionally, Ms. Dunbar has previously served on the boards of directors of a variety of public and private companies. She currently serves on the boards of directors of two public companies. She also has gained relevant experience as a Trustee of PIMCO Funds, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust and PIMCO ETF Trust since 2015, and as a Trustee of PIMCO Equity Series VIT since 2016.

Mr. McCarthy has experience in the areas of financial reporting and accounting, including prior experience as Assistant Secretary and Chief Financial Officer of the United States Department of the Treasury. He also served as Deputy Managing Director of the Institute of International Finance, a global trade association of financial institutions. Mr. McCarthy also has significant prior experience in corporate banking.

Mr. Parker has prior financial, operations and management experience as the President and Chief Executive Officer of a privately held company. He also has investment experience as the Chairman of a family foundation. He also has valuable experience as a Trustee of PIMCO Funds, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust and PIMCO ETF Trust since 2009, and as a Trustee of PIMCO Equity Series VIT since 2016.

Executive Officers

[To be updated by amendment.]

 

Name, Year of Birth and
Position Held with
Trust*
   Term of Office and Length of
Time Served
   Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years†

Peter G. Strelow (1970)

President

  

02/2014 to present

Senior Vice President

11/2013 to 02/2014

Vice President

03/2010 to 11/2013

   Managing Director and Co-Chief Operating Officer, PIMCO. President, PIMCO Equity Series VIT, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust, PIMCO ETF Trust, PIMCO Funds, PIMCO Managed Accounts Trust, PIMCO-Sponsored Interval Funds and PIMCO-Sponsored Closed-End Funds. Formerly, Chief Administrative Officer, PIMCO.

David C. Flattum (1964)

Chief Legal Officer

   03/2010 to present    Managing Director and General Counsel, PIMCO. Chief Legal Officer, PIMCO Equity Series VIT, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust, PIMCO ETF Trust and PIMCO Funds. Formerly, Managing Director, Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel, Allianz Asset Management of America L.P.

Jennifer E. Durham (1970)

Chief Compliance Officer

   03/2010 to present    Managing Director and Chief Compliance Officer, PIMCO. Chief Compliance Officer, PIMCO Equity Series VIT, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust, PIMCO ETF Trust and PIMCO Funds.

Brent R. Harris (1959)

Senior Vice President

   03/2010 to present    Managing Director, PIMCO. Formerly, member of Executive Committee, PIMCO. Senior Vice President, PIMCO Equity Series VIT, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust, PIMCO ETF Trust and PIMCO Funds.

 

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Name, Year of Birth and
Position Held with
Trust*
   Term of Office and Length of
Time Served
   Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years†

Joshua D. Ratner (1976)**

Vice President—Senior Counsel, Secretary

  

11/2013 to present

Assistant Secretary

03/2010 to 01/2011

   Executive Vice President and Senior Counsel, PIMCO. Chief Legal Officer, PIMCO Investments LLC. Vice President – Senior Counsel, Secretary, PIMCO Equity Series VIT, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust, PIMCO ETF Trust and PIMCO Funds. Vice President, Secretary and Chief Legal Officer, PIMCO Managed Accounts Trust, PIMCO-Sponsored Interval Funds and PIMCO-Sponsored Closed-End Funds.

Ryan G. Leshaw (1980)

Assistant Secretary

   05/2012 to present    Senior Vice President and Senior Counsel, PIMCO. Assistant Secretary, PIMCO Equity Series VIT, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust, PIMCO ETF Trust, PIMCO Funds, PIMCO Managed Accounts Trust, PIMCO-Sponsored Interval Funds and PIMCO-Sponsored Closed-End Funds. Formerly, Associate, Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP.

Wu-Kwan Kit (1981)

Assistant Secretary

   08/2017 to present    Vice President and Counsel, PIMCO. Assistant Secretary, PIMCO Equity Series VIT, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust, PIMCO ETF Trust, PIMCO Funds, PIMCO Managed Accounts Trust, PIMCO-Sponsored Interval Funds and PIMCO-Sponsored Closed-End Funds. Formerly, Assistant General Counsel, VanEck Associates Corp.

Stacie D. Anctil (1969)

Vice President

  

05/2015 to present

Assistant Treasurer

03/2010 to 05/2015

   Executive Vice President, PIMCO. Vice President, PIMCO Equity Series VIT, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust, PIMCO ETF Trust, PIMCO Funds, PIMCO Managed Accounts Trust, PIMCO-Sponsored Interval Funds and PIMCO-Sponsored Closed-End Funds.

William G. Galipeau (1974)

Vice President

   11/2013 to present    Executive Vice President, PIMCO. Vice President, PIMCO Equity Series VIT, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust, PIMCO ETF Trust, PIMCO Funds, PIMCO Managed Accounts Trust, PIMCO-Sponsored Interval Funds and PIMCO-Sponsored Closed-End Funds.

Eric D. Johnson (1970)

Vice President

   05/2011 to present    Executive Vice President, PIMCO. Vice President, PIMCO Equity Series VIT, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust, PIMCO ETF Trust, PIMCO Funds, PIMCO Managed Accounts Trust, PIMCO-Sponsored Interval Funds and PIMCO-Sponsored Closed-End Funds.

Henrik P. Larsen (1970)

Vice President

   03/2010 to present    Senior Vice President, PIMCO. Vice President, PIMCO Equity Series VIT, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust, PIMCO ETF Trust and PIMCO Funds.

Bijal Y. Parikh (1978)

Vice President

   02/2017 to present    Senior Vice President, PIMCO. Vice President, PIMCO Funds, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust, PIMCO ETF Trust, PIMCO Equity Series VIT, PIMCO Managed Accounts Trust, PIMCO-Sponsored Interval Funds and PIMCO-Sponsored Closed-End Funds.

Greggory S. Wolf (1970)

Vice President

   05/2011 to present    Senior Vice President, PIMCO. Vice President, PIMCO Equity Series VIT, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust, PIMCO ETF Trust and PIMCO Funds.

Trent W. Walker (1974)

Treasurer

  

11/2013 to present

Assistant Treasurer

03/2010 to 11/2013

   Executive Vice President, PIMCO. Treasurer, PIMCO Equity Series VIT, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust, PIMCO ETF Trust, PIMCO Funds, PIMCO Managed Accounts Trust, PIMCO-Sponsored Interval Funds and PIMCO-Sponsored Closed-End Funds.

 

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Name, Year of Birth and
Position Held with
Trust*
   Term of Office and Length of
Time Served
   Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years†

Erik C. Brown (1967)**

Assistant Treasurer

   03/2010 to present    Executive Vice President, PIMCO. Assistant Treasurer, PIMCO Equity Series VIT, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust, PIMCO ETF Trust, PIMCO Funds, PIMCO Managed Accounts Trust, PIMCO-Sponsored Interval Funds and PIMCO-Sponsored Closed-End Funds.

Christopher M. Morin (1980)

Assistant Treasurer

   08/2016 to present    Vice President, PIMCO. Assistant Treasurer, PIMCO Equity Series VIT, PIMCO Funds, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust, PIMCO ETF Trust, PIMCO Managed Accounts Trust, PIMCO-Sponsored Interval Funds and PIMCO-Sponsored Closed-End Funds.

Colleen D. Miller (1980)**

Assistant Treasurer

   02/2017 to present    Vice President, PIMCO. Assistant Treasurer, PIMCO Equity Series VIT, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust, PIMCO ETF Trust, PIMCO Funds, PIMCO Managed Accounts Trust, PIMCO-Sponsored Interval Funds and PIMCO-Sponsored Closed-End Funds.

Jason J. Nagler (1982)**

Assistant Treasurer

   05/2015 to present    Vice President, PIMCO. Assistant Treasurer, PIMCO Equity Series VIT, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust, PIMCO ETF Trust, PIMCO Funds, PIMCO Managed Accounts Trust, PIMCO-Sponsored Interval Funds and PIMCO-Sponsored Closed-End Funds. Formerly, Head of Mutual Fund Reporting, GMO and Assistant Treasurer, GMO Trust and GMO Series Trust Funds.

 

 

 

*

Unless otherwise noted, the information for the individuals listed is as of September 30, 2018.

() 

The term “PIMCO-Sponsored Closed-End Funds” as used herein includes: PIMCO California Municipal Income Fund, PIMCO California Municipal Income Fund II, PIMCO California Municipal Income Fund III, PIMCO Municipal Income Fund, PIMCO Municipal Income Fund II, PIMCO Municipal Income Fund III, PIMCO New York Municipal Income Fund, PIMCO New York Municipal Income Fund II, PIMCO New York Municipal Income Fund III, PCM Fund Inc., PIMCO Corporate & Income Opportunity Fund, PIMCO Corporate & Income Strategy Fund, PIMCO Dynamic Credit and Mortgage Income Fund, PIMCO Dynamic Income Fund, PIMCO Global StocksPLUS® & Income Fund, PIMCO High Income Fund, PIMCO Income Opportunity Fund, PIMCO Income Strategy Fund, PIMCO Income Strategy Fund II and PIMCO Strategic Income Fund, Inc.; the term “PIMCO-Sponsored Interval Funds” as used herein includes: PIMCO Flexible Credit Income Fund and PIMCO Flexible Municipal Income Fund.

**

The address of these officers is Pacific Investment Management Company LLC, 1633 Broadway, New York, New York 10019.

Securities Ownership

Listed below for each Trustee is a dollar range of securities beneficially owned in the Funds together with the aggregate dollar range of equity securities in all registered investment companies overseen by the Trustee that are in the same family of investment companies as the Trust, as of December 31, 2017.

 

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

Interested Trustee

              

Brent R. Harris

   None    None    Over $100,000

Independent Trustees

              

Jennifer Holden Dunbar

   PIMCO RAFI Dynamic Multi-Factor U.S. Equity ETF    $10,001-$50,000    Over $100,000

Peter B. McCarthy

   None    None    Over $100,000

Ronald C. Parker

   None    None    Over $100,000

To the best of the Trust’s knowledge, as of September 28, 2018, the Trustees and Officers of the Trust, as a group, owned less than 1% of the shares of each Fund of the Trust.

Trustee Ownership of the Investment Manager and Principal Underwriter, and Their Control Persons

[To be updated by amendment.]

No independent Trustee (or his immediate family members) had any direct or indirect interest, the value of which exceeds $120,000, in the investment manager, the principal underwriter of the Trust, or any entity controlling, controlled by or under common control with the investment manager or the principal underwriter of the Trust (not including registered investment companies). Set forth in the table below is information regarding each independent Trustee’s (and his immediate family members’) share ownership in securities of the investment manager of the Trust, the principal underwriter of the Trust, and any entity controlling, controlled by or under common control with the investment manager or principal underwriter of the Trust (not including registered investment companies), as of December 31, 2017.

 

Name of Independent Trustee    Name of Owners and
Relationships to
Trustee
   Company    Title of Class    Value of
Securities
   Percent of
Class

Jennifer Holden Dunbar

   None    None    None    None    None

Peter B. McCarthy

   None    None    None    None    None

Ronald C. Parker

   None    None    None    None    None

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

 

 

the Funds;

 

 

an officer of the Funds;

 

 

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

 

 

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

 

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the investment adviser or principal underwriter of the Funds;

 

 

an officer of the investment adviser or principal underwriter of the Funds;

 

 

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

 

 

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

With respect to the persons listed in the bullet points above, no independent Trustee or immediate family member has during the two most recently completed calendar years had any direct or indirect relationship, the value of which exceeds $120,000, wherein the relationship included:

(1) Payments for property or services to or from any such person;

(2) Provision of legal services to any such person;

(3) Provision of investment banking services to any such person; and

(4) Any consulting or other relationship that is substantially similar in nature and scope to the relationships listed in (1) through (3) above.

Standing Committees

[To be updated by amendment.]

The Committee membership for each Committee and other information below is listed as of June 30, 2018. However, the members of any Committee may be changed by the Board of Trustees from time to time.

The Trust has a standing Audit Committee that consists of all of the independent Trustees (Ms. Dunbar and Messrs. McCarthy (Chair) and Parker). The Audit Committee’s responsibilities include, but are not limited to, (i) assisting the Board’s oversight of the integrity of the Trust’s financial statements, the Trust’s compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, the qualifications and independence of the Trust’s independent auditors, and the performance of such firm; (ii) overseeing the Trust’s accounting and financial reporting policies and practices, its internal controls and, as appropriate, the internal controls of certain service providers; (iii) overseeing the quality and objectivity of the Trust’s financial statements and the independent audit thereof; and (iv) acting a liaison between the Trust’s independent auditors and the full Board. The Audit Committee also reviews both the audit and non-audit work of the Trust’s independent auditors, submits a recommendation to the Board of Trustees as to the selection of an independent auditor, and reviews generally the maintenance of the Trust’s records and the safekeeping arrangement of the Trust’s custodian. During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2018, there were 4 meetings of the Audit Committee.

The Board of Trustees has formed a Valuation Oversight Committee who has been delegated responsibility by the Board for overseeing determination of the fair value of each Fund’s portfolio securities and other assets on behalf of the Board in accordance with the Fund’s valuation procedures. The Valuation Oversight Committee reviews and approves procedures for the fair valuation of each Fund’s portfolio securities and periodically reviews information from PIMCO regarding fair value determinations made pursuant to Board-approved procedures, and makes related recommendations to the full Board and assists the full Board in resolving particular fair valuation and other valuation matters. In certain circumstances as specified in the Trust’s valuation policies, the Valuation Oversight Committee may also determine the fair value of portfolio holdings after consideration of all relevant factors, which determinations shall be reported to the full Board of Trustees. The Valuation Oversight Committee consists of Ms. Dunbar and Messrs. Harris, McCarthy (Chair) and Parker. During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2018, there were 4 meetings of the Valuation Oversight Committee.

The Trust also has a Governance Committee, which is composed of all of the Trustees and which is responsible for the selection and nomination of candidates to serve as Trustees of the Trust. Only members of the Committee that are Independent Trustees (Ms. Dunbar (Chair) and Messrs. McCarthy and Parker) vote on the nomination of Independent Trustee candidates.

 

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The Governance Committee has a policy in place for considering trustee candidates recommended by shareholders. The Governance Committee may consider potential trustee candidates recommended by shareholders provided that the proposed candidates: (i) satisfy any minimum qualifications of the Trust for its Trustees; and (ii) are not “interested persons” of the Trust or the investment manager within the meaning of the 1940 Act. The Governance Committee will not consider submissions in which the Nominating Shareholder is the trustee candidate.

Any shareholder (a “Nominating Shareholder”) submitting a proposed trustee candidate must continuously own as of record, or beneficially through a financial intermediary, shares of the Trust having a net asset value of not less than $25,000 during the two-year period prior to submitting the proposed trustee candidate. Each of the securities used for purposes of calculating this ownership must have been held continuously for at least two years as of the date of the nomination. In addition, such securities must continue to be held through the date of the special meeting of shareholders to elect trustees.

All trustee candidate submissions by Nominating Shareholders must be received by the Fund by the deadline for submission of any shareholder proposals which would be included in the Fund’s proxy statement for the next special meeting of shareholders of the Fund.

Nominating Shareholders must substantiate compliance with these requirements at the time of submitting their proposed trustee nominee to the attention of the Trust’s Secretary. Notice to the Trust’s Secretary should be provided in accordance with the deadline specified above and include, (i) the Nominating Shareholder’s contact information; (ii) the number of Fund shares which are owned of record and beneficially by the Nominating Shareholder and the length of time which such shares have been so owned by the Nominating Shareholder; (iii) a description of all arrangements and understandings between the Nominating Shareholder and any other person or persons (naming such person or persons) pursuant to which the submission is being made and a description of the relationship, if any, between the Nominating Shareholder and the trustee candidate; (iv) the trustee candidate’s contact information, age, date of birth and the number of Fund shares owned by the trustee candidate; (v) all information regarding the trustee candidate’s qualifications for service on the Board of Trustees as well as any information regarding the trustee candidate that would be required to be disclosed in solicitations of proxies for elections of trustees required by Regulation 14A under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 Act, as amended (“1934 Act”) had the trustee candidate been nominated by the Board; (vi) whether the Nominating Shareholder believes the trustee candidate would or would not be an “interested person” of the Fund, as defined in the 1940 Act and a description of the basis for such belief; and (vii) a notarized letter executed by the trustee candidate, stating his or her intention to serve as a nominee and be named in the Fund’s proxy statement, if nominated by the Board of Trustees, and to be named as a trustee if so elected.

During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2018, there were 2 meetings of the Governance Committee.

Trustee Retirement Policy

The Board has in place a retirement policy for all Trustees who are not “interested persons” of the Trust, as that term is defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the 1940 Act, that seeks to balance the benefits of the experience and institutional memory of existing Trustees against the need for fresh perspectives, and to enhance the overall effectiveness of the Board. No Independent Trustee shall continue service as a Trustee beyond the first Board meeting occurring after his or her 76th birthday, provided that this policy may be waived or modified from time to time at the discretion of the Governance Committee. The continued appropriateness of the retirement policy is reviewed from time to time by the Governance Committee.

Compensation Table

[To be updated by amendment.]

The following table sets forth information regarding compensation received by the Trustees for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2018 and the aggregate compensation paid by the Fund Complex for the one-year period ended June 30, 2018:

 

Name and Position    Aggregate Compensation
from Trust(1)
        Total Compensation from Trust and
Fund Complex Paid to Trustees(2)

Jennifer Holden Dunbar

   $92,500.00       $459,400.00

Peter B. McCarthy

   $102,250.00       $481,800.00

Ronald C. Parker

   $90,750.00       $511,900.00

 

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(1) 

During the Trust’s fiscal year ending June 30, 2018, each Trustee, other than the Trustees affiliated with PIMCO, or its affiliates, received an annual retainer of $62,000, plus $6,250 for each Board of Trustees meeting attended in person, $375 ($750 in the case of the audit committee chair with respect to audit committee meetings) for each committee meeting attended and $750 for each Board of Trustees meeting attended telephonically, plus reimbursement of related expenses. In addition, the audit committee chair received an additional annual retainer of $9,000, the Valuation Oversight Committee co-leads together receive an additional retainer of $2,000, which amount is divided evenly among the co-leads so that each individually receives an additional annual retainer of $1,000, and each other committee chair received an additional annual retainer of $750.

 

(2) 

During the one-year period ending June 30, 2018, each Trustee also served as a Trustee of PIMCO Funds, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust, PIMCO ETF Trust and PIMCO Equity Series VIT, each a registered open-end management investment company.

For their services to PIMCO Funds, each Trustee, other than those affiliated with PIMCO or its affiliates, receives an annual retainer of $152,300, plus $15,750 for each Board of Trustees meeting attended in person, $775 ($2,025 in the case of the audit committee chair with respect to audit committee meetings) for each committee meeting attended and $1,500 for each Board of Trustees meeting attended telephonically, plus reimbursement of related expenses. In addition, the audit committee chair receives an additional annual retainer of $18,000, the Valuation Oversight Committee co-leads together receive an additional retainer of $11,500, which amount is divided evenly among the co-leads so that each individually receives an additional annual retainer of $5,750, and each other committee chair receives an additional annual retainer of $4,500. The Lead Independent Trustee receives an annual retainer of $13,000.

For their services to PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust, each Trustee, other than those affiliated with PIMCO or its affiliates, receives an annual retainer of $36,850, plus $3,800 for each Board of Trustees meeting attended in person, $775 for each committee meeting attended and $750 for each Board of Trustees meeting attended telephonically, plus reimbursement of related expenses. In addition, the audit committee chair receives an additional annual retainer of $6,000, the Valuation Oversight Committee co-leads together receive an additional retainer of $4,250 which amount is divided evenly among the co-leads so that each individually receives an additional annual retainer of $2,125, and each other committee chair receives an additional annual retainer of $2,750. The Lead Independent Trustee receives an annual retainer of $3,500.

For their services to PIMCO ETF Trust, each Trustee, other than those affiliated with PIMCO or its affiliates, receives an annual retainer of $36,850, plus $3,800 for each Board of Trustees meeting attended in person, $775 for each committee meeting attended and $750 for each Board of Trustees meeting attended telephonically, plus reimbursement of related expenses. In addition, the audit committee chair receives an additional annual retainer of $6,000, the Valuation Oversight Committee co-leads together receive an additional retainer of $4,250 which amount is divided evenly among the co-leads so that each individually receives an additional annual retainer of $2,125, and each other committee chair receives an additional annual retainer of $2,750. The Lead Independent Trustee receives an annual retainer of $3,500.

For their services to PIMCO Equity Series VIT, each Trustee, other than those affiliated with PIMCO or its affiliates, receives an annual retainer of $10,500, plus $1,875 for each Board of Trustees meeting attended in person, $250 ($375 in the case of the audit committee chair with respect to audit committee meetings) for each committee meeting attended and $375 for each Board of Trustees meeting attended telephonically, plus reimbursement of related expenses. In addition, the audit committee chair receives an additional annual retainer of $2,400, the Valuation Oversight Committee co-leads together receive an additional retainer of $1,000, which amount is divided evenly among the co-leads so that each individually receives an additional annual retainer of $500, and each other committee chair received an additional annual retainer of $250.

Investment Manager and Sub-Adviser

PIMCO, a Delaware limited liability company, serves as investment manager to the Funds pursuant to an investment management agreement (“Investment Management Agreement”) between PIMCO and the Trust. PIMCO is located at 650 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, California 92660. As of September 30, 2018, PIMCO had approximately $1.72 trillion of assets under management and $1.32 trillion of third-party assets under management.

PIMCO is a majority owned subsidiary of Allianz Asset Management of America L.P. (“Allianz Asset Management”) with minority interests held by Allianz Asset Management of America LLC, by Allianz Asset Management U.S. Holding II LLC, each a Delaware limited liability company, and by certain current and former officers of PIMCO. Allianz Asset Management was organized as a limited partnership under Delaware law in 1987. Through various holding company structures, Allianz Asset Management is majority owned by Allianz SE.

 

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Allianz SE is a European based, multinational insurance and financial services holding company and a publicly traded German company.

The general partner of Allianz Asset Management has substantially delegated its management and control of Allianz Asset Management to a Management Board. The Management Board of Allianz Asset Management is comprised of John C. Maney.

As of the date of this Statement of Additional Information, there are currently no significant institutional shareholders of Allianz SE. Absent an SEC exemption or other regulatory relief, the Funds generally are precluded from effecting principal transactions with brokers that are deemed to be affiliated persons of the Funds, the Manager or the Sub-Adviser, and the Funds’ ability to purchase securities being underwritten by an affiliated broker or a syndicate including an affiliated broker is subject to restrictions. Similarly, the Funds’ ability to utilize the affiliated brokers for agency transactions is subject to the restrictions of Rule 17e-1 under the 1940 Act. PIMCO does not believe that the restrictions on transactions with the affiliated brokers described above will materially adversely affect its ability to provide services to the Funds, the Funds’ ability to take advantage of market opportunities, or the Funds’ overall performance.

PIMCO has engaged Parametric Portfolio Associates LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, to serve as sub-adviser to the Funds pursuant to a sub-advisory agreement between PIMCO and Parametric (“Sub-Advisory Agreement”). Parametric is located at 1918 Eighth Ave., Suite 3100, Seattle WA 98101. Parametric is a majority-owned subsidiary of Eaton Vance Corp. (“EVC”), a publicly held company that is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol EV. Eaton Vance Corp., through its wholly-owned affiliates Eaton Vance Acquisitions and EVA Holdings LLC, maintains 100% voting control of Parametric, a current profit interest of 94.47%, and a current capital interest of 99.17%. Employees of Parametric, through ownership in Parametric Portfolio LP, currently hold a combined indirect profit interest of 5.53% and capital interest of 0.83%. As of June 30, 2018, there are 50 Parametric Portfolio LP equity owners, including six former employees.

PIMCO employs Parametric to provide sub-advisory services to the Funds pursuant to the Sub-Advisory Agreement. Under the Sub-Advisory Agreement, Parametric is responsible for providing, subject to the supervision of PIMCO, investment advisory services to the Funds, including execution of all portfolio transactions on behalf of the Funds necessary to invest the assets of each Fund in the component securities of its Underlying Index. Parametric is not compensated directly by the Funds, but is paid by PIMCO.

Under the terms of the Sub-Advisory Agreement, Parametric is obligated to provide advice to the Funds in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. The Sub-Advisory Agreement will continue in effect with respect to the Funds for two years from its effective date, and thereafter on a yearly basis provided such continuance is approved annually with respect to each such Fund: (i) by the holders of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Trust or by the Board of Trustees; and (ii) by a majority of the independent Trustees. The Sub-Advisory Agreement may be terminated, without penalty, with respect to the applicable Fund by: (i) a vote of the majority of such Fund’s outstanding voting securities; (ii) a vote of a majority of the Board of Trustees upon 60 days’ written notice; (iii) PIMCO upon 60 days’ written notice; or (iv) Parametric upon 60 days’ written notice. The Sub-Advisory Agreement will terminate automatically in the event of its assignment.

Investment Management Agreement and Sub-Advisory Agreement

Each Fund pays for the advisory and supervisory and administrative services it requires under what is essentially an all-in fee structure.

Under the terms of the Investment Management Agreement, PIMCO is obligated to manage the Funds in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. PIMCO also furnishes to the Board of Trustees, which has overall responsibility for the business and affairs of the Trust, periodic reports on the investment performance of each Fund. The investment advisory services of PIMCO to the Trust are not exclusive under the terms of the Investment Management Agreement. PIMCO is free to, and does, render investment advisory services to others.

Following the expiration of the two year period commencing with the effectiveness of the Investment Management Agreement, it will continue in effect on a yearly basis provided such continuance is approved annually: (i) by the holders of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Trust or by the Board of Trustees; and (ii) by a majority of the independent Trustees. The Investment Management Agreement may be terminated without penalty by vote of the Trustees or the shareholders of the Trust, or by PIMCO, on 60 days’ written notice by either party to the contract and will terminate automatically if assigned.

 

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Pursuant to the Investment Management Agreement, PIMCO also provides the Funds with certain supervisory, administrative and shareholder services necessary for Fund operations and is responsible for the supervision of other Fund service providers (“Supervisory and Administrative Services”). PIMCO may in turn use the facilities or assistance of its affiliates to provide certain Supervisory and Administrative Services on terms agreed between PIMCO and such affiliates. The Supervisory and Administrative Services provided by PIMCO include but are not limited to: (1) shareholder servicing functions, including preparation of shareholder reports and communications; (2) regulatory compliance, such as reports and filings with the SEC and state securities commissions; and (3) general supervision of the operations of the Funds, including coordination of the services performed by the Funds’ transfer agent, custodian, legal counsel, independent registered public accounting firm, and others. PIMCO (or an affiliate of PIMCO) also furnishes the Funds with office space facilities required for conducting the business of the Funds, and pays the compensation of those officers, employees and Trustees of the Trust affiliated with PIMCO. In addition, PIMCO, at its own expense, arranges for the provision of legal, audit, custody, transfer agency and other services for the Funds, and is responsible for the costs of registration of the Trust’s shares, the printing of the Prospectus and shareholder reports for current shareholders, the Listing Exchange fees and the Underlying Index licensing fees.

PIMCO employs Parametric to provide sub-advisory services to the Funds pursuant to the Sub-Advisory Agreement. Under the Sub-Advisory Agreement, Parametric is responsible for providing, subject to the supervision of PIMCO, investment advisory services to the Funds, including execution of all portfolio transactions on behalf of the Funds necessary to invest the assets of each Fund in the component securities of its Underlying Index. Parametric is not compensated directly by the Funds, but is paid by PIMCO.

Under the terms of the Sub-Advisory Agreement, Parametric is obligated to provide advice to the Funds in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. The Sub-Advisory Agreement will continue in effect with respect to the Funds for two years from its effective date, and thereafter on a yearly basis provided such continuance is approved annually with respect to each such Fund: (i) by the holders of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Trust or by the Board of Trustees; and (ii) by a majority of the independent Trustees. The Sub-Advisory Agreement may be terminated, without penalty, with respect to the applicable Fund by: (i) a vote of the majority of such Fund’s outstanding voting securities; (ii) a vote of a majority of the Board of Trustees upon 60 days’ written notice; (iii) PIMCO upon 60 days’ written notice; or (iv) Parametric upon 60 days’ written notice. The Sub-Advisory Agreement will terminate automatically in the event of its assignment.

Management Fee Rates

PIMCO has contractually agreed to provide the foregoing services, and to bear these expenses, at the following rates (each expressed as a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets on an annual basis):

 

Fund(*)    Management
Fee Rate
 

PIMCO RAFI Dynamic Multi-Factor Emerging Markets Equity ETF

     0.49%  

PIMCO RAFI Dynamic Multi-Factor International Equity ETF

     0.39%  

PIMCO RAFI Dynamic Multi-Factor U.S. Equity ETF

     0.29%  

PIMCO RAFI ESG U.S. ETF

     [  ]%  

 

(*)

As disclosed in the Funds’ prospectus, the Funds may invest in certain PIMCO-advised money market funds and/or short-term bond funds (“Central Funds”), to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, the rules thereunder or exemptive relief therefrom. The Central Funds are registered investment companies created for use solely by the Funds and certain other series of registered investment companies advised by PIMCO, in connection with their cash management activities. The Central Funds do not pay an investment advisory fee to PIMCO in return for providing investment advisory services. However, when investing in a Central Fund, each such Fund (“Investing Fund”) has agreed that 0.005% of the advisory fee that such Investing Fund is currently obligated to pay to PIMCO under its investment advisory contract will be designated as compensation for the investment advisory services PIMCO provides to the applicable Central Fund.

Except for the expenses paid by PIMCO, the Trust bears all costs of its operations. The Funds are responsible for: (i) salaries and other compensation or expenses of any of the Trust’s executive officers and employees who are not officers, directors, shareholders, members, partners or employees of PIMCO or its subsidiaries or affiliates; (ii) taxes and governmental fees; (iii) brokerage fees and commissions and other portfolio transaction expenses; (iv) costs of borrowing money, including interest expenses; (v) securities lending fees and expenses; (vi) fees and expenses of the Trustees who are not “interested persons” of PIMCO or the Trust, and any counsel retained exclusively for their benefit; (vii) extraordinary

 

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expenses, including costs of litigation and indemnification expenses; and (viii) expenses, such as organizational expenses, which are capitalized in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.

Management Fee Payments

The management fees paid by each Fund that was operational during the period August 31, 2017 – June 30, 2018 is as follows. The Funds were not operational during the fiscal years ended June 30, 2017 and 2016. Accordingly, no management fees were paid by the Funds during these periods.

 

Fund

   Period Ended
6/30/2018

PIMCO RAFI Dynamic Multi-Factor Emerging Markets Equity ETF

   $  935,557

PIMCO RAFI Dynamic Multi-Factor International Equity ETF

   83,499

PIMCO RAFI Dynamic Multi-Factor U.S. Equity ETF

   94,119

Management Fees Waived

PIMCO has contractually agreed, through October 31, 2019, to waive its management fee, or reimburse each Fund, to the extent that the Fund’s organizational expenses, pro rata share of expenses related to obtaining or maintaining a Legal Entity Identifier and pro rata share of Trustee fees exceed 0.0049% (the “Expense Limit”) (calculated as a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets). The Expense Limitation Agreement will automatically renew for one-year terms unless PIMCO provides written notice to the Trust at least 30 days prior to the end of the then current term. In any month in which the investment management agreement is in effect, PIMCO is entitled to reimbursement by each Fund of any portion of the management fee waived or reimbursed as set forth above (the “Reimbursement Amount”) during the previous thirty-six months, provided that such amount paid to PIMCO will not: 1) together with any organizational expenses, pro rata share of expenses related to obtaining or maintaining a Legal Entity Identifier and pro rata Trustee fees, exceed, for such month, the Expense Limit (or the amount of the expense limit in place at the time the amount being recouped was originally waived if lower than the Expense Limit); 2) exceed the total Reimbursement Amount; or 3) include any amounts previously reimbursed to PIMCO.

Management fees waived during the period August 31, 2017 – June 30, 2018 were as follows:

 

Fund    Period
Ended
6/30/18
 
PIMCO RAFI Dynamic Multi-Factor Emerging Markets Equity ETF      $118,968  
PIMCO RAFI Dynamic Multi-Factor International Equity ETF      121,778  
PIMCO RAFI Dynamic Multi-Factor U.S. Equity ETF      121,641  

Management fees, which had been waived, that were recouped during the period August 31, 2017 – June 30, 2018 were as follows:

 

Fund    Period
Ended
6/30/18
 
PIMCO RAFI Dynamic Multi-Factor Emerging Markets Equity ETF      $284  
PIMCO RAFI Dynamic Multi-Factor International Equity ETF      84  
PIMCO RAFI Dynamic Multi-Factor U.S. Equity ETF      63  

Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures

Authority for voting proxies has been delegated to Parametric. Parametric has adopted written proxy voting policies and procedures (“Parametric Proxy Policy”) as required by Rule 206(4)-6 under the Advisers Act, which it believes are reasonably designed to ensure that Parametric votes proxies in the best interests of its clients. Under the Parametric Proxy Policy, written Proxy Voting Guidelines govern proxy voting in connection with management initiatives and shareholder initiatives relating to various corporate actions and circumstances. Parametric will generally vote proxies in accordance with the Proxy Voting Guidelines, which are set and annually reviewed by Parametric’s Proxy Voting Committee in accordance with the Parametric Proxy Policy. Additionally, the Proxy Voting Guidelines provide that Parametric will “take no action”

 

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when it is determined that voting the proxy will result in share blocking, which prevents Parametric from trading that specific security for an uncertain period of time prior to the next annual meeting, or if the economic effect on shareholders’ interests or the value of the portfolio holdings is indeterminable or insignificant. Parametric’s Proxy Voting Committee, which consists of portfolio management, operations and compliance personnel, will identify and actively monitor potential material conflicts of interest that may compromise Parametric’s ability to vote a proxy issue in the best interest of clients. The Parametric Proxy Voting Coordinator, a member of the Parametric Operations Department, reviews each proxy to assess the extent to which there may be a material conflict between Parametric’s interests and those of the client. Conflicts are reported to the Parametric Proxy Voting Committee, which will consider the relevant facts and determine if the conflict is material. When it is determined that no material conflict exists, the proxy will be voted in accordance with the Proxy Voting Guidelines. When it is determined that a material conflict exists, Parametric will refrain from voting the proxy until it has disclosed the conflict to clients and client consent or instruction is obtained as to how to vote the proxy. In the event a client’s consent or instruction is not received, the Proxy Voting Committee shall make a good faith determination as to how to vote the proxy (which may include abstaining from voting the proxy) and shall document the rationale for making its final determination.

Information about how PIMCO voted a Fund’s proxies for the most recent twelve-month period ended June 30th (Form N-PX) will be available no later than the following August 31st, without charge, upon request, by calling the Funds at 1-888-400-4ETF (1-888-400-4383), on the Funds’ website at www.pimcoetfs.com/resources and on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov.

PORTFOLIO MANAGER

Other Accounts Managed

The portfolio manager who is primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Funds also manages other registered investment companies, other pooled investment vehicles and other accounts, as indicated in the table below. The following table identifies, as of June 30, 2018: (i) the portfolio manager of the Funds; (ii) the number of other registered investment companies, pooled investment vehicles and other accounts managed by the portfolio manager (exclusive of the Funds); and (iii) the total assets of such other companies, vehicles and accounts, and the number and total assets of such other companies, vehicles and accounts with respect to which the advisory fee is based on performance. The Funds managed by the portfolio manager, including each Fund’s total assets, are listed in the footnotes following the table.

[Information pertaining to PIMCO RAFI ESG U.S. ETF to be provided by amendment.]

 

    

    Total Number of    

Accounts

 

  Total Assets of  

All Accounts

(in $millions)

 

Number of

  Accounts Paying  

a Performance

Fee  

 

Total Assets of

Accounts Paying

a Performance

    Fee (in $millions)    

Thomas Seto1

               
Registered Investment Companies   42   28,383.41   10   1,344.84
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles   14   4,065.28   2   332.43

Other Accounts

    

  35,166   97,301.94   2   194.11
1 

Mr. Seto manages the PIMCO RAFI Dynamic Multi-Factor Emerging Markets Equity ETF ($357.2 million), PIMCO RAFI Dynamic Multi-Factor International Equity ETF ($34.2 million) and PIMCO RAFI Dynamic Multi-Factor U.S. Equity ETF ($68.5 million).

Conflicts of Interest

It is possible that conflicts of interest may arise in connection with a portfolio manager’s management of the Fund’s investments, on the one hand, and the investments of other accounts for which the portfolio manager is responsible, on the other. For example, a portfolio manager may have conflicts of interest in allocating management time, resources and investment opportunities among the Funds and other accounts he/she advises. In addition, due to differences in the investment strategies or restrictions between the Fund and the other accounts, a portfolio manager may take action with respect to another account that differs from the action taken with respect to the Funds. In some cases, another account managed by a portfolio manager may compensate the investment adviser based on the performance of the securities held by that account. The existence of such a performance-based fee may create additional conflicts of interest for the portfolio manager in the allocation of management time, resources and investment opportunities. Whenever conflicts of interest arise, the portfolio manager will endeavor to exercise

 

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his/her discretion in a manner that he/she believes is equitable to all interested persons. Parametric has adopted several policies and procedures designed to address these potential conflicts, including a code of ethics and policies which govern Parametric’s trading practices, including among other things the aggregation and allocation of trades among clients, brokerage allocation, cross trades and best execution.

Investment Opportunities. A potential conflict of interest may arise as a result of a portfolio manager’s management of a number of accounts with varying investment guidelines. Often, an investment opportunity may be suitable for one or more Funds or other accounts managed by PIMCO (each a “Client,” and collectively, the “Clients”), but may not be available in sufficient quantities for all accounts to participate fully. Similarly, there may be limited opportunity to sell an investment held by a Fund and another Client. PIMCO has adopted policies and procedures reasonably designed to allocate investment opportunities on a fair and equitable basis over time.

Under PIMCO’s allocation procedures, investment opportunities are allocated among various investment strategies based on individual account investment guidelines and PIMCO’s investment outlook. PIMCO has also adopted additional procedures to complement the general trade allocation policy that are designed to address potential conflicts of interest due to the side-by-side management of the Funds and certain pooled investment vehicles, including investment opportunity allocation issues.

From time to time, PIMCO may take an investment position or action for a Client that may be different from, or inconsistent with, an action or position taken for one or more other Clients having similar or differing investment objectives. These positions and actions may adversely impact, or in some instances may benefit, one or more affected Clients, including Clients that are PIMCO affiliates, in which PIMCO has an interest, or which pays PIMCO higher fees or a performance fee. For example, a Client may buy a security and another Client may establish a short position in that same security. The subsequent short sale may result in a decrease in the price of the security that the other Client holds. Similarly, transactions or investments by one or more Clients may have the effect of diluting or otherwise disadvantaging the values, prices or investment strategies of another Client.

When PIMCO implements for one Client a portfolio decision or strategy ahead of, or contemporaneously with, similar portfolio decisions or strategies of another Client, market impact, liquidity constraints or other factors could result in one or more Clients receiving less favorable trading results, the costs of implementing such portfolio decisions or strategies could be increased or such Clients could otherwise be disadvantaged. On the other hand, potential conflicts may also arise because portfolio decisions regarding a Client may benefit other Clients. For example, the sale of a long position or establishment of a short position for a Client may decrease the price of the same security sold short by (and therefore benefit) other Clients, and the purchase of a security or covering of a short position in a security for a Client may increase the price of the same security held by (and therefore benefit) other Clients.

Under certain circumstances, a Client may invest in a transaction in which one or more other Clients are expected to participate, or already have made or will seek to make, an investment. In addition, to the extent permitted by applicable law, a Client may also engage in investment transactions that may result in other Clients being relieved of obligations, or that may cause other Clients to divest certain investments (e.g., a Client may make a loan to, or directly or indirectly acquire securities or indebtedness of, a company that uses the proceeds to refinance or reorganize its capital structure, which could result in repayment of debt held by another Client). Such Clients (or groups of Clients) may have conflicting interests and objectives in connection with such investments, including with respect to views on the operations or activities of the issuer involved, the targeted returns from the investment and the timeframe for, and method of, exiting the investment. When making such investments, PIMCO may do so in a way that favors one Client over another Client, even if both Clients are investing in the same security at the same time. Certain Clients may invest on a “parallel” basis (i.e., proportionately in all transactions at substantially the same time and on substantially the same terms and conditions). In addition, other accounts may expect to invest in many of the same types of investments as another account. However, there may be investments in which one or more of such accounts does not invest (or invests on different terms or on a non-pro rata basis) due to factors such as legal, tax, regulatory, business, contractual or other similar considerations or due to the provisions of a Client’s governing documents. Decisions as to the allocation of investment opportunities among such Clients present numerous conflicts of interest, which may not be resolved in a manner that is favorable to a Client’s interests. To the extent an investment is not allocated pro rata among such entities, a Client could incur a disproportionate amount of income or loss related to such investment relative to such other Client.

In addition, Clients may invest alongside one another in the same underlying investments or otherwise pursuant to a substantially similar investment strategy as one or more other Clients. In such cases, certain Clients may have preferential liquidity and information rights relative to other Clients holding the same investments, with the result that such Clients will be able to withdraw/redeem their interests in underlying investments in priority to Clients who may have more limited access

 

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to information or more restrictive withdrawal/redemption rights. Clients with more limited information rights or more restrictive liquidity may therefore be adversely affected in the event of a downturn in the markets.

Further, potential conflicts may be inherent in PIMCO’s use of multiple strategies. For example, conflicts will arise in cases where different Clients invest in different parts of an issuer’s capital structure, including circumstances in which one or more Clients may own private securities or obligations of an issuer and other Clients may own or seek to acquire private securities of the same issuer. For example, a Client may acquire a loan, loan participation or a loan assignment of a particular borrower in which one or more other Clients have an equity investment, or may invest in senior debt obligations of an issuer for one Client and junior debt obligations or equity of the same issuer for another Client.

PIMCO may also, for example, direct a Client to invest in a tranche of a structured finance vehicle, such as a CLO or CDO, where PIMCO is also, at the same or different time, directing another Client to make investments in a different tranche of the same vehicle, which tranche’s interests may be adverse to other tranches. PIMCO may also cause a Client to purchase from, or sell assets to, an entity, such as a structured finance vehicle, in which other Clients may have an interest, potentially in a manner that will have an adverse effect on the other Clients. There may also be conflicts where, for example, a Client holds certain debt or equity securities of an issuer, and that same issuer has issued other debt, equity or other instruments that are owned by other Clients or by an entity, such as a structured finance vehicle, in which other Clients have an interest.

In each of the situations described above, PIMCO may take actions with respect to the assets held by one Client that are adverse to the other Clients, for example, by foreclosing on loans, by putting an issuer into default, or by exercising rights to purchase or sell to an issuer, causing an issuer to take actions adverse to certain classes of securities, or otherwise. In negotiating the terms and conditions of any such investments, or any subsequent amendments or waivers or taking any other actions, PIMCO may find that the interests of a Client and the interests of one or more other Clients could conflict. In these situations, decisions over items such as whether to make the investment or take an action, proxy voting, corporate reorganization, how to exit an investment, or bankruptcy or similar matters (including, for example, whether to trigger an event of default or the terms of any workout) may result in conflicts of interest. Similarly, if an issuer in which a Client and one or more other Clients directly or indirectly hold different classes of securities (or other assets, instruments or obligations issued by such issuer or underlying investments of such issuer) encounters financial problems, decisions over the terms of any workout will raise conflicts of interests (including, for example, conflicts over proposed waivers and amendments to debt covenants). For example, a debt holder may be better served by a liquidation of the issuer in which it may be paid in full, whereas an equity or junior bond holder might prefer a reorganization that holds the potential to create value for the equity holders. In some cases PIMCO may refrain from taking certain actions or making certain investments on behalf of Clients in order to avoid or mitigate certain conflicts of interest or to prevent adverse regulatory or other effects on PIMCO, or may sell investments for certain Clients (in each case potentially disadvantaging the Clients on whose behalf the actions are not taken, investments not made, or investments sold). In other cases, PIMCO may not refrain from taking actions or making investments on behalf of certain Clients that have the potential to disadvantage other Clients. In addition, PIMCO may take actions or refrain from taking actions in order to mitigate legal risks to PIMCO or its affiliates or its Clients even if disadvantageous to a Client’s account. Moreover, a Client may invest in a transaction in which one or more other Clients are expected to participate, or already have made or will seek to make, an investment.

Additionally, certain conflicts may exist with respect to portfolio managers who make investment decisions on behalf of several different types of Clients. Such portfolio managers may have an incentive to allocate trades, time or resources to certain Clients, including those Clients who pay higher investment management fees or that pay incentive fees or allocations, over other Clients. These conflicts may be heightened with respect to portfolio managers who are eligible to receive a performance allocation under certain circumstances as part of their compensation.

From time to time, PIMCO personnel may come into possession of material non-public information (“MNPI”) which, if disclosed, might affect an investor’s decision to buy, sell or hold a security. Should a PIMCO employee come into possession of MNPI with respect to an issuer, he or she generally will be prohibited from communicating such information to, or using such information for the benefit of, Clients, which could limit the ability of Clients to buy, sell or hold certain investments, thereby limiting the investment opportunities or exit strategies available to Clients. In addition, holdings in the securities or other instruments of an issuer by PIMCO or its affiliates may affect the ability of a Client to make certain acquisitions of or enter into certain transactions with such issuer. PIMCO has no obligation or responsibility to disclose such information to, or use such information for the benefit of, any person (including Clients).

PIMCO maintains one or more restricted lists of companies whose securities are subject to certain trading prohibitions due to PIMCO’s business activities. PIMCO may restrict trading in an issuer’s securities if the issuer is on a restricted list or if PIMCO has MNPI about that issuer. In some situations, PIMCO may restrict Clients from trading in a

 

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particular issuer’s securities in order to allow PIMCO to receive MNPI on behalf of other Clients. A Client may be unable to buy or sell certain securities until the restriction is lifted, which could disadvantage the Client. PIMCO may also be restricted from making (or divesting of) investments in respect of some Clients but not others. In some cases PIMCO may not initiate or recommend certain types of transactions, or may otherwise restrict or limit its advice relating to certain securities if a security is restricted due to MNPI or if PIMCO is seeking to limit receipt of MNPI.

PIMCO may conduct litigation or engage in other legal actions on behalf of one or more Clients. In such cases, Clients may be required to bear certain fees, costs, expenses and liabilities associated with the litigation. Other Clients that are or were investors in, or otherwise involved with, the subject investments may or may not (depending on the circumstances) be parties to such litigation actions, with the result that certain Clients may participate in litigation actions in which not all Clients with similar investments may participate, and such nonparticipating Clients may benefit from the results of such litigation actions without bearing or otherwise being subject to the associated fees, costs, expenses and liabilities. PIMCO, for example, typically does not pursue legal claims on behalf of its separate accounts. Furthermore, in certain situations, litigation or other legal actions pursued by PIMCO on behalf of a Client may be brought against or be otherwise adverse to a portfolio company or other investment held by a Client.

The foregoing is not a complete list of conflicts to which PIMCO or Clients may be subject. PIMCO seeks to review conflicts on a case-by-case basis as they arise. Any review will take into consideration the interests of the relevant Clients, the circumstances giving rise to the conflict, applicable PIMCO policies and procedures, and applicable laws. Clients (and investors in Funds) should be aware that conflicts will not necessarily be resolved in favor of their interests and may in fact be resolved in a manner adverse to their interests. PIMCO will attempt to resolve such matters fairly, but even so, matters may be resolved in favor of other Clients which pay PIMCO higher fees or performance fees or in which PIMCO or its affiliates have a significant proprietary interest. There can be no assurance that any actual or potential conflicts of interest will not result in a particular Client or group of Clients receiving less favorable investment terms in or returns from certain investments than if such conflicts of interest did not exist.

Conflicts like those described above may also occur between Clients, on the one hand, and PIMCO or its affiliates, on the other. These conflicts will not always be resolved in favor of the Client. In addition, because PIMCO is affiliated with Allianz, a large multinational financial institution, conflicts similar to those described above may occur between clients of PIMCO and PIMCO’s affiliates or accounts managed by those affiliates. Those affiliates (or their clients), which generally operate autonomously from PIMCO, may take actions that are adverse to PIMCO’s Clients. In many cases PIMCO will have limited or no ability to mitigate those actions or address those conflicts, which could adversely affect Client performance. In addition, certain regulatory restrictions may prohibit PIMCO from using certain brokers or investing in certain companies (even if such companies are not affiliated with Allianz) because of the applicability of certain laws and regulations applicable to PIMCO, Allianz SE or their affiliates. An account’s willingness to negotiate terms or take actions with respect to an investment may also be, directly or indirectly, constrained or otherwise impacted to the extent Allianz SE, PIMCO, and/or their affiliates, directors, partners, managers, members, officers or personnel are also invested therein or otherwise have a connection to the subject investment (e.g., serving as a trustee or board member thereof).

Portfolio Manager Compensation

Compensation for Parametric’s investment professionals is not based directly on investment performance or assets managed, but rather on the overall performance of responsibilities for all accounts managed. In this way, the interests of portfolio managers are aligned with the interests of investors without providing incentive to take undue or insufficient investment risk. It also removes a potential motivation for fraud. Violations of Parametric’s policies would be a contributing factor when evaluating an employee’s discretionary bonus.

Compensation Structure – Compensation of investment professionals has three primary components: (1) a base salary; (2) an annual cash bonus; and (3) annual equity-based compensation for eligible employees.

Parametric’s investment professionals also receive certain retirement, insurance and other benefits that are broadly available to Parametric employees. Compensation is reviewed on an annual basis. Stock-based compensation awards and adjustments in base salary and bonuses are typically paid and/or put into effect at, or shortly after, the firm’s fiscal year-end, October 31.

Method to Determine Compensation – Parametric seeks to compensate investment professionals commensurate with responsibilities and performance while remaining competitive with other firms within the investment management industry.

 

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Salaries, bonuses and stock-based compensation are also influenced by the operating performance of Parametric and its parent company, Eaton Vance Corp. While the salaries of investment professionals are comparatively fixed, cash bonuses and stock-based compensation may fluctuate from year-to-year, based on changes in financial performance and other factors. Parametric also offers opportunities to move within the organization, as well as incentives to grow within the organization by promotion.

Additionally, Parametric participates in compensation surveys that benchmark salaries against other firms in the industry. This data is for internal use only and is reviewed, along with a number of other factors, so that compensation remains competitive with other firms in the industry.

Securities Ownership

To the best of the Trust’s knowledge, the table below shows the dollar range of shares of the Funds beneficially owned as of September 30, 2018 by each portfolio manager of the Funds.

[Information pertaining to the PIMCO RAFI ESG U.S. ETF to be provided by amendment.]

 

Portfolio Manager    

  

Funds Managed by Portfolio Manager

  

Dollar Range of Shares    

Owned

Seto

  

PIMCO RAFI Dynamic Multi-Factor Emerging Markets Equity ETF

   None
  

PIMCO RAFI Dynamic Multi-Factor International Equity ETF

   None
  

PIMCO RAFI Dynamic Multi-Factor U.S. Equity ETF

   None

CREATIONS AND REDEMPTIONS

The Trust issues and sells shares of the Funds only in Creation Units on a continuous basis through the Distributor (as defined below), without a sales load, at the NAV next determined after receipt of an order in proper form as described in the Participant Agreement (as defined below), on any Business Day (as defined below). The following table sets forth the number of shares of a Fund that constitute a Creation Unit for such Fund:

[Information pertaining to the PIMCO RAFI ESG U.S. ETF to be provided by amendment.]

 

Fund    Creation Unit Size
PIMCO RAFI Dynamic Multi-Factor Emerging Markets Equity ETF    200,000
PIMCO RAFI Dynamic Multi-Factor International Equity ETF    200,000
PIMCO RAFI Dynamic Multi-Factor U.S. Equity ETF    100,000

In its discretion, PIMCO reserves the right to increase or decrease the number of a Fund’s shares that constitute a Creation Unit. The Board reserves the right to declare a split or a consolidation in the number of shares outstanding of a Fund, and to make a corresponding change in the number of shares constituting a Creation Unit, in the event that the per share price in the secondary market rises (or declines) to an amount that falls outside the range deemed desirable by the Board.

A “Business Day” with respect to the Funds is each day the Listing Exchange is open, which excludes weekends and 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. Orders from Authorized Participants to create or redeem Creation Units will only be accepted on a Business Day.

The time at which transactions and shares are priced and the time by which orders must be received may be changed in case of an emergency or if regular trading on the NYSE is stopped at a time other than its regularly scheduled closing time. The Trust reserves the right to reprocess creation and redemption transactions that were initially processed at a NAV other than a Fund’s official closing NAV (as each may be subsequently adjusted), and to recover amounts from (or distribute amounts to) Authorized Participants based on the official closing NAV. The Trust reserves the right to advance the time by which creation and redemption orders must be received for same business day credit as otherwise permitted by the SEC.

 

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Distributor

PIMCO Investments LLC (the “Distributor”) serves as the principal underwriter of the Trust’s shares pursuant to a distribution contract (“Distribution Contract”) with the Trust, which is subject to annual approval by the Board of Trustees. The Distributor is a wholly-owned subsidiary of PIMCO and an indirect subsidiary of Allianz Asset Management. The Distributor does not participate in the distribution of non-PIMCO managed products. Furthermore, representatives of the Distributor may also be employees or associated persons of PIMCO. Because of these affiliations with PIMCO, the interests of the Distributor may conflict with the interests of Fund shareholders. Additionally, certain representatives of the Distributor (“Account Managers”) may receive differing levels of compensation from the sale of various PIMCO products, which may create further conflicts of interest. Levels of compensation for Account Managers do not vary by share class within a PIMCO product, regardless of class differences relating to distribution-related fees, for sales at approved financial firms. Levels of compensation for Account Managers do not vary across products eligible for commissions that fall into a strategy bucket described below (i.e., Equity, Short Term, etc., other than certain PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust (“PVIT”) and PIMCO Equity Series VIT (“PESVIT”) sales). Account Managers are eligible to receive compensation, ascending generally by product type, with respect to sales of the following: PVIT and PESVIT Funds, Short Term Strategies, Select Strategies, and Equity Strategies (each as defined, from time to time, by the Distributor). For certain Account Managers, compensation payable on PVIT and PESVIT Funds equals compensation payable on Short Term Strategies, while, for others, compensation payable on Select Strategies may equal compensation payable on Equity Strategies in certain instances (based on overall Select Strategy sales levels, which vary based on volume). Additionally, Account Managers may receive commissions from the sale of PIMCO closed-end funds and discretionary special bonuses from the sale of certain products such as PIMCO exchange-traded funds, which may offer higher or lower sales-related compensation than the product types noted above. Account Managers eligible for such variable compensation may have a particular incentive to promote, recommend, or solicit the sale of particular Funds over other Funds or products, or other products over Funds of the Trust, which may give rise to a conflict of interest. Where such compensation is based on sales performance, the relevant metric is gross sales (with certain adjustments, including for certain redemptions), which may give the Account Manager a financial interest to market, recommend, or solicit a sale or holding (i.e., refraining from redeeming), if applicable, of certain products. Additionally, from time to time Account Managers may receive discretionary compensation based on sales and/or job performance. Where discretionary compensation is based on job performance, the Distributor uses metrics which are generally indicative of the Account Manager’s success in the areas of, among others, financial advisor satisfaction and Account Manager product knowledge, responsiveness, and/or effectiveness. Under policies applicable to all Account Managers, no Account Manager is permitted to promote, recommend, or solicit the sale of one product over another solely because that product will provide higher revenue or compensation to PIMCO, the Distributor, or to the Account Manager.

The Distributor, located at 1633 Broadway, New York, NY 10019, is a broker-dealer registered with the SEC and is a member of FINRA. All account inquiries should be mailed to the Trust’s Transfer Agent, and should not be mailed to the Distributor.

The Distribution Contract is terminable with respect to a Fund without penalty, at any time, by such Fund by not more than 60 days’ nor less than 30 days’ written notice to the Distributor, or by the Distributor upon not more than 60 days’ nor less than 30 days’ written notice to the Trust. The Distributor distributes Creation Units for the Funds and does not maintain a secondary market in shares of the Funds. The Distributor is not obligated to sell any specific amount of Trust shares.

Following the expiration of the two-year period commencing with the effectiveness of the Distribution Contract, the Distribution Contract will continue in effect with respect to each Fund for successive one-year periods, provided that each such continuance is specifically approved: (i) by the vote of a majority of the Trustees who are not interested persons of the Trust (as defined in the 1940 Act) and who have no direct or indirect financial interest in the Distribution Contract, the Investment Management Agreement or the Distribution and/or Servicing Plans (if any) described below; and (ii) by the vote of a majority of the entire Board of Trustees cast in person at a meeting called for that purpose. If the Distribution Contract is terminated (or not renewed) with respect to one or more Funds, it may continue in effect with respect to any Fund as to which it has not been terminated (or has been renewed).

Continuous Offering

The method by which Creation Units are created and traded may raise certain issues under applicable securities laws. Because new Creation Units are issued and sold by the Funds on an ongoing basis, at any point a “distribution,” as such term is used in the 1933 Act, may occur. Broker-dealers and other persons are cautioned that some activities on their part may, depending on the circumstances, result in their being deemed participants in a distribution in a manner that could render them statutory underwriters and subject them to the prospectus delivery requirement and liability provisions of the 1933 Act.

 

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For example, a broker-dealer firm or its client may be deemed a statutory underwriter if it takes Creation Units, after placing an order with the Distributor, breaks the Creation Units down into constituent shares, and sells such shares directly to customers or if it chooses to couple the creation 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 1933 Act must take into account all the facts and circumstances pertaining to the activities of the broker-dealer or its client in the particular case and the examples mentioned above should not be considered a complete description of all the activities that could lead to a categorization as an underwriter.

Broker-dealer firms should also note that dealers who are not “underwriters” but are effecting transactions in shares, whether or not participating in the distribution of shares, generally are required to deliver a prospectus. This is because the prospectus delivery exemption in Section 4(a)(3) of the 1933 Act is not available in respect of such transactions as a result of Section 24(d) of the 1940 Act. Firms that incur a prospectus delivery obligation with respect to shares of the Funds are reminded that, pursuant to Rule 153 under the 1933 Act, a prospectus delivery obligation under Section 5(b)(2) of the 1933 Act owed to an exchange member in connection with a sale on the Listing Exchange is satisfied by the fact that the prospectus is available at the Listing Exchange upon request. The prospectus delivery mechanism provided in Rule 153 is available only with respect to transactions on an exchange.

Fund Deposit

The consideration for purchase of Creation Units may consist of: (i) Deposit Securities and the Cash Component, which will generally correspond pro rata, to the extent practicable, to the Fund securities, or, alternatively; (ii) the Cash Deposit. Together, the Deposit Securities and Cash Component or, alternatively, the Cash Deposit, constitute the “Fund Deposit,” which represents the minimum initial and subsequent investment amount for a Creation Unit of a Fund.

In the event a Fund requires Deposit Securities in consideration for purchasing a Creation Unit, the portfolio of securities comprising the Deposit Securities may, in certain limited circumstances (such as in connection with pending changes to a Fund’s Underlying Index), be different than the portfolio of securities such Fund will deliver upon redemption of Fund shares.

In the event a Fund requires Deposit Securities and a Cash Component in consideration for purchasing a Creation Unit, the function of the Cash Component is to compensate for any differences between the NAV per Creation Unit and the Deposit Amount (as defined below). The Cash Component would be an amount equal to the difference between the NAV of the shares (per Creation Unit) and the “Deposit Amount,” which is an amount equal to the value of the Deposit Securities, as determined by the Trust on the prior Business Day. If the Cash Component is a positive number (the NAV per Creation Unit exceeds the Deposit Amount), the Authorized Participant will deliver the Cash Component. If the Cash Component is a negative number (the NAV per Creation Unit is less than the Deposit Amount), the Authorized Participant will receive the Cash Component. Computation of the Cash Component excludes any stamp duty or other similar fees and expenses payable upon transfer of beneficial ownership of the Deposit Securities, which shall be the sole responsibility of the Authorized Participant. The Cash Component may also include a “Dividend Equivalent Payment,” which enables each Fund to make a complete distribution of dividends on the next dividend payment date, and is an amount equal, on a per Creation Unit basis, to the dividends on all the securities held by the Fund with ex-dividend dates within the accumulation period for such distribution (the “Accumulation Period”), net of expenses and liabilities for such period, as if all of the securities had been held by the Fund for the entire Accumulation Period. The Accumulation Period begins on the ex-dividend date for each Fund and ends on the next ex-dividend date.

The Sub-Adviser, through the National Securities Clearing Corporation (“NSCC”), makes available on each Business Day, prior to the opening of business (subject to amendments) on the Listing Exchange (currently 9:30 a.m., Eastern time), the identity and the required number of each Deposit Security and the amount of the Cash Component (or Cash Deposit) to be included in the current Fund Deposit (based on information from the end of the previous Business Day).

The Deposit Securities and Cash Component (or Cash Deposit) are subject to any adjustments, as described below, in order to effect purchases of Creation Units of a particular Fund until such time as the next-announced composition of the Deposit Securities and Cash Component (or Cash Deposit) is made available.

The identity and amount of the Deposit Securities and Cash Component (or Cash Deposit) changes pursuant to the changes in the composition of a Fund’s portfolio and as rebalancing adjustments are reflected from time to time by the Sub-Adviser with a view to the investment objective of that Fund. The composition of the Deposit Securities and the amount of the Cash Component (or Cash Deposit) may also change in response to adjustments to the weighting or composition of the component securities of a Fund’s Underlying Index.

 

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The Trust may require the substitution of an amount of cash (a “cash-in-lieu” amount) to replace any Deposit Security of a Fund that is a non-deliverable instrument. The amount of cash contributed will be equivalent to the value of the instrument listed as a Deposit Security, as determined by the Trust. The Trust reserves the right to permit or require the substitution of a “cash-in-lieu” amount to be added to replace any Deposit Security that is a to-be-announced (“TBA”) transaction, that may not be available in sufficient quantity for delivery, that may not be eligible for trading by a Participating Party (defined below), that may not be permitted to be registered in the name of the Trust as a result of an in-kind creation order pursuant to local law or market convention, or that may not be eligible for transfer through the systems of DTC or the Clearing Process (as discussed below), or the Federal Reserve System for U.S. Treasury securities. The Trust also reserves the right to permit or require a “cash-in-lieu” amount where the delivery of Deposit Securities by the Authorized Participant (as described below) would be restricted under the securities laws or where the delivery of Deposit Securities from an investor to the Authorized Participant would result in the disposition of Deposit Securities by the Authorized Participant becoming restricted under the securities laws, and in certain other situations. The Trust may permit a “cash-in-lieu” amount for any reason at the Trust’s sole discretion but is not required to do so. The adjustments to the proportions of Deposit Securities described above will reflect changes known to PIMCO, on the date of announcement to be in effect by the time of delivery of the Fund Deposit, in the composition of the Underlying Index or resulting from stock splits and other corporate actions.

Procedures for Creating Creation Units

To be eligible to place orders with the Transfer Agent (defined below) and to create a Creation Unit of a Fund, an entity must be: (i) a “Participating Party,” i.e. a broker-dealer or other participant in the clearing process through the Continuous Net Settlement System of the NSCC (the “Clearing Process”), a clearing agency that is registered with the SEC; or (ii) a DTC Participant, and must have executed an agreement with the Distributor (and accepted by the Transfer Agent), with respect to creations and redemptions of Creation Units (“Participant Agreement”) (discussed below). A Participating Party or DTC Participant who has executed a Participant Agreement is referred to as an “Authorized Participant.” All shares of the Funds, however created, will be entered on the records of DTC in the name of its nominee for the account of a DTC Participant.

Except as described below, and in all cases subject to the terms of the applicable Participant Agreement, all standard orders to create Creation Units of a Fund must be received by the Transfer Agent no later than the closing time of the regular trading session of the Listing Exchange (“Closing Time”) (ordinarily 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) in each case on the date such order is placed for creation of Creation Units to be effected based on the NAV of shares of such Fund as next determined after receipt of an order in proper form. Orders requesting substitution of a “cash-in-lieu” amount or a Cash Deposit (collectively, “Non-Standard Orders”), generally must be received by the Transfer Agent no later than 3:00 p.m., Eastern time. On days when the Listing Exchange closes earlier than normal (such as the day before a holiday), standard orders to create Creation Units must be placed by the earlier closing time and Non-Standard Orders to create Creation Units generally must be received no later than one (1) hour prior to the earlier closing time. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Trust may, but is not required to, permit Non-Standard Orders until 4:00 p.m., Eastern time, or until the market close (in the event the Listing Exchange closes early). The date on which an order to create Creation Units (or an order to redeem Creation Units, as discussed below) is placed is referred to as the “Transmittal Date.” Orders must be transmitted by an Authorized Participant through the Transfer Agent’s electronic order system or by telephone or other transmission method acceptable to the Transfer Agent pursuant to procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement. Economic or market disruptions or changes, or telephone or other communication failure may impede the ability to reach the Transfer Agent or an Authorized Participant.

All investor orders to create Creation Units shall be placed with an Authorized Participant in the form required by such Authorized Participant. In addition, an Authorized Participant may request that an investor make certain representations or enter into agreements with respect to an order (e.g., to provide for payments of cash). Investors should be aware that their particular broker may not have executed a Participant Agreement and, therefore, orders to create Creation Units of a Fund will have to be placed by the investor’s broker through an Authorized Participant. In such cases, there may be additional charges to such investor. A limited number of broker-dealers are expected to execute a Participant Agreement and only a small number of such Authorized Participants are expected to have international capabilities.

Creation Units may be created in advance of the receipt by a Fund of all or a portion of the Fund Deposit. In such cases, the Authorized Participant will remain liable for the full deposit of the missing portion(s) of the Fund Deposit and will be required to post collateral with the Fund consisting of cash at least equal to a percentage of the marked-to-market value of such missing portion(s) that is specified in the Participant Agreement. The Fund may use such collateral to buy the missing portion(s) of the Fund Deposit at any time and will subject such Authorized Participant to liability for any shortfall between the cost to the Fund of purchasing such missing portion(s) and the value of such collateral. The Fund will have no liability for

 

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any such shortfall. The Fund will return any unused portion of the collateral to the Authorized Participant once the entire Fund Deposit has been properly received by the Transfer Agent and deposited into the Trust.

Orders for Creation Units that are effected outside the Clearing Process are likely to require transmittal by the DTC Participant earlier on the Transmittal Date than orders effected using the Clearing Process. Those persons placing orders outside the Clearing Process should ascertain the deadlines applicable to DTC and the Federal Reserve Bank wire system by contacting the operations department of the broker or depository institution effectuating such transfer of Deposit Securities and Cash Component.

Orders to create Creation Units of a Fund may be placed through the Clearing Process utilizing procedures applicable to domestic funds for domestic securities (“Domestic Funds”) (see “Placement of Creation Orders Using Clearing Process”) or outside the Clearing Process utilizing the procedures applicable to either Domestic Funds or foreign funds for foreign securities (“Foreign Funds”) (see “Placement of Creation Orders Outside Clearing Process—Domestic Funds” and “Placement of Creation Orders Outside Clearing Process—Foreign Funds”). In the event that a Fund includes both domestic and foreign securities, the time for submitting orders is as stated in the “Placement of Creation Orders Outside Clearing Process—Foreign Funds” and “Placement of Redemption Orders Outside Clearing Process—Foreign Funds” sections below.

Placement of Creation Orders Using Clearing Process

Generally, the “Settlement Date” for the Funds is the second (2nd) Business Day after the Transmittal Date (“T”) with respect to creations and redemptions, whether in exchange for securities or cash. With respect to the Foreign Funds, foreign (non-U.S.) securities will settle in accordance with the normal rules of settlement of such securities in the applicable foreign (non-U.S.) market. Accordingly, the Settlement Date for the Foreign Funds may be up to fifteen (15) days after the Transmittal Date for redemptions.

The Participant Agreement authorizes the Transfer Agent to transmit to NSCC on behalf of the Participating Party such trade instructions as are necessary to effect the Participating Party’s creation order. Pursuant to such trade instructions from the Transfer Agent to NSCC, the Participating Party agrees to transfer the requisite Deposit Securities (or contracts to purchase such Deposit Securities that are expected to be delivered in a “regular way” manner by the second (2nd) Business Day) and the Cash Component to the Trust, together with such additional information as may be required by the Transfer Agent and the Distributor as set forth in the Participant Agreement. An order to create Creation Units of the Funds through the Clearing Process is deemed received by the Transfer Agent on the Transmittal Date if (i) such order is received by the Transfer Agent not later than the Order Cutoff Time on such Transmittal Date and (ii) all other procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement are properly followed. All orders are subject to acceptance by the Distributor.

Placement of Creation Orders Outside Clearing Process—Domestic Funds

Fund Deposits created outside the Clearing Process must be delivered through a DTC Participant that has executed a Participant Agreement. A DTC Participant who wishes to place an order creating Creation Units of a Fund to be effected 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 of Creation Units will instead be effected through a transfer of Deposit Securities and the Cash Component. The Fund Deposit transfer must be ordered by the DTC Participant in a timely fashion so as to ensure the delivery of the requisite number of Deposit Securities through DTC to the account of the applicable Fund by no later than 1:00 p.m., Eastern time, on the Settlement Date. All questions as to the number of Deposit Securities to be delivered, and the validity, form and eligibility (including time of receipt) for the deposit of any tendered Deposit Securities, will be determined by the Trust, whose determination shall be final and binding. For Fund Deposits consisting of cash, the amount of cash must be transferred directly to the Custodian (defined below) through the Federal Reserve Bank wire transfer system in a timely manner so as to be received by the Custodian no later than 10:00 a.m., Eastern time, on the Settlement Date. An order to create Creation Units of a Fund outside the Clearing Process is deemed received by the Transfer Agent on the Transmittal Date if (i) such order is received by the Transfer Agent not later than the Order Cutoff Time on such Transmittal Date; and (ii) all other procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement are properly followed. However, if the Transfer Agent does not receive both the requisite Deposit Securities and the Cash Component at least one (1) Business Day prior to the Settlement Date, such order will be cancelled. Upon written notice to the Transfer Agent, such canceled order may be resubmitted the following Business Day using a Fund Deposit, as newly constituted to reflect the then current NAV of the applicable Fund. The delivery of Creation Units so created generally will occur no later than the second (2nd) Business Day following the day on which the purchase order is deemed received by the Transfer Agent.

Additional transaction fees may be imposed with respect to transactions effected outside the Clearing Process (through a DTC participant) and in circumstances in which any cash can be used in lieu of Deposit Securities to create Creation Units. See “Creation Transaction Fee” section below.

 

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Placement of Creation Orders Outside Clearing Process—Foreign Funds

The Transfer Agent will inform the Distributor, PIMCO and the Custodian upon receipt of a creation order. The Custodian will then provide such information to the appropriate sub-custodian. For each Fund, the Custodian will cause the sub-custodian of such Fund to maintain an account into which the Deposit Securities (or the cash value of all or part of such securities, in the case of a permitted or required cash purchase or “cash-in-lieu” amount) will be delivered. Deposit Securities must be delivered to an account maintained at the applicable local custodian. Except for creation orders for the PIMCO RAFI Dynamic Multi-Factor International Equity ETF, the Trust must also receive, on or before the contractual settlement date, immediately available or same day funds estimated by the Custodian to be sufficient to pay the Cash Component next determined after receipt in proper form of the purchase order, together with the creation transaction fee described below.

Once the Transfer Agent has accepted a creation order, the Transfer Agent will confirm the issuance of a Creation Unit of a Fund, at such NAV as will have been calculated after receipt in proper form of such order. The Transfer Agent will then transmit a confirmation of acceptance of such order.

Creation Units will not be issued until the transfer of good title to the Trust of the Deposit Securities and the payment of the Cash Component and applicable transaction fee have been completed. When the sub-custodian has confirmed to the Custodian that the required Deposit Securities (or the cash value thereof) have been delivered to the account of the relevant sub-custodian, the Distributor and PIMCO will be notified of such delivery and the Transfer Agent will issue and cause the delivery of the Creation Units.

Acceptance of Creation Orders

The Trust and the Distributor reserve the absolute right to reject or revoke acceptance of a creation order transmitted to it in respect of a Fund, for example 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 such Fund; (iii) the Fund Deposit delivered is not as disseminated through the facilities of the NSCC for that date by the Sub-Adviser, as described above; (iv) acceptance of the Fund Deposit would have certain adverse tax consequences to such Fund; (v) acceptance of the Fund Deposit would, in the opinion of counsel, be unlawful; (vi) acceptance of the Fund Deposit would otherwise, in the discretion of the Trust or PIMCO, have an adverse effect on the Trust or the rights of beneficial owners of such Fund; (vii) the value of Creation Units to be created exceeds a purchase authorization limit afforded to the Authorized Participant by the Trust and the Authorized Participant has not deposited an amount in excess of such purchase authorization with the Custodian prior to 3:00 p.m. Eastern time, on the Transmittal Date; or (viii) in the event that circumstances outside the control of the Trust, the Transfer Agent, the Distributor, PIMCO or the Sub-Adviser make it, for all practical purposes, impossible to process creation orders. 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, facsimile and computer failures; market conditions or activities causing trading halts; systems failures involving computer or other information systems affecting the Trust, PIMCO, the Sub-Adviser, the Distributor, DTC, the Clearing Process, Federal Reserve, the Transfer Agent or any other participant in the creation process, and other extraordinary events. The Transfer Agent shall notify the Authorized Participant acting on behalf of the creator of a Creation Unit of its rejection of the order of such person. Neither the Trust, Transfer Agent, Distributor, PIMCO nor the Sub-Adviser are under any duty, however, to give notification of any defects or irregularities in the delivery of Fund Deposits nor shall any of them incur any liability for the failure to give any such notification.

All questions as to the number of shares of Deposit Securities and the validity, form, eligibility, and acceptance for deposit of any securities to be delivered and the amount and form of the Cash Component or Cash Deposit, as applicable, shall be determined by the Trust, and the Trust’s determination shall be final and binding.

Creation Transaction Fee

A purchase transaction fee may be imposed for the transfer and other transaction costs associated with the issuance of Creation Units of shares. An Authorized Participant submitting a creation order may be assessed a variable charge on its order up to a maximum amount as indicated in the table below. Authorized Participants will bear the costs of transferring Fund Deposits to the Trust. Investors who use the services of an Authorized Participant, broker or other such intermediary may be charged fees for such services. The following table sets forth the standard and variable creation transaction fees for the Funds:

[Information pertaining to PIMCO RAFI ESG U.S. ETF to be provided by amendment.]

 

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Funds    Standard Creation
Transaction Fee*
  

Maximum Variable Charge for

Creations**

PIMCO RAFI Dynamic Multi-Factor Emerging Markets Equity ETF    $2,250    3.00%
PIMCO RAFI Dynamic Multi-Factor International Equity ETF    $5,000   
PIMCO RAFI Dynamic Multi-Factor U.S. Equity ETF    $2,250   

 

  *

Applicable to in-kind purchases only.

  **

As a percentage of the net asset value per Creation Unit purchased, inclusive of the standard creation transaction fee (if imposed).

The standard creation transaction fee applies to any Creation Unit purchase that includes in-kind securities and is a fixed amount. The variable creation transaction fee may be imposed up to the maximum amount indicated in the table above. Actual transaction costs may vary depending on the time of day a purchase order is received or the nature of the securities to be purchased. PIMCO may adjust the Transaction Fee to ensure that a Fund collects the extra expenses associated with brokerage commissions and other expenses incurred by the Fund to acquire a Deposit Security not part of the Fund Deposit from the Authorized Participant.

Each Fund reserves the right to not impose a standard or variable creation transaction fee or to vary the amount of the variable creation transaction fee imposed, up to the maximum amount listed above, depending on the materiality of the Fund’s actual transaction costs incurred in purchasing securities with the cash received (in the case of a variable creation transaction fee) or where PIMCO believes that not imposing the standard or variable creation transaction fee or varying the variable creation transaction fee would be in a Fund’s and the Fund’s shareholders’ best interests. Considerations relevant to this determination include secondary market trading, Fund strategy, efficient rebalancing of the Funds in connection with an Underlying Index rebalancing and any other considerations PIMCO deems relevant to its determination of a Fund’s and the Fund’s shareholders’ best interests. To the extent a creation transaction fee is not charged, certain costs may be borne by the Fund.

Redemption of Creation Units

Shares may be redeemed only in Creation Units at their NAV next determined after receipt of a redemption request in proper form on a Business Day and only through a Participating Party or DTC Participant who has executed a Participant Agreement. The Funds will not redeem shares in amounts less than Creation Units (except each Fund may redeem shares in amounts less than a Creation Unit in the event the Fund is being liquidated). Beneficial owners must accumulate enough shares to constitute a Creation Unit in order to have such shares redeemed by the Trust. There can be no assurance, however, that there will be sufficient liquidity in the public trading market at any time to permit assembly of a Creation Unit. Authorized Participants should expect to incur brokerage and other costs in connection with assembling a sufficient number of shares to constitute a redeemable Creation Unit. All redemptions are subject to the procedures contained in the applicable Participant Agreement.

With respect to a Fund, the Sub-Adviser, through the NSCC, makes available immediately prior to the opening of business on the Listing Exchange (currently 9:30 a.m., Eastern time) on each Business Day, the identity of each Fund’s securities and/or an amount of cash that will be delivered in exchange for a redemption request received in proper form (as described below) on that day. A Fund’s securities received on redemption will generally correspond pro rata, to the extent practicable, to such Fund’s securities. A Fund’s securities received on redemption (“Fund Securities”) may include securities in different proportions than securities of the Underlying Index or may include securities not currently represented in the Underlying Index. Fund Securities received on redemption may not be identical to Deposit Securities that are used for the creation of Creation Units.

Unless cash-only redemptions are available or specified for a Fund, the redemption proceeds for a Creation Unit will generally consist of Fund Securities – as announced on the Business Day of the request for a redemption order received in proper form – plus cash in an amount equal to the difference between the NAV of the shares being redeemed, as next determined after a receipt of a request in proper form, and the value of the Fund Securities (the “Cash Redemption Amount”), less a redemption transaction fee, if applicable. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Trust will substitute a “cash-in-lieu” amount to replace any Fund Security that is a non-deliverable instrument. The Trust may permit a “cash-in-lieu” amount for any other reason at the Trust’s sole discretion, but is not required to do so. The amount of cash paid out in such cases will be equivalent to the value of the instrument listed as a Fund Security, as determined by the Trust. In the event that the Fund Securities have a value greater than the NAV of the shares, a compensating cash payment equal to the difference is required to be made by an Authorized Participant.

 

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Redemptions of shares for Fund Securities will be subject to compliance with applicable U.S. federal and state securities laws, and each Fund reserves the right to redeem Creation Units for cash to the extent that the Trust could not lawfully deliver specific Fund Securities upon redemption or could not do so without first registering the Fund Securities under such laws. An Authorized Participant, or a beneficial owner of shares for which it is acting, subject to a legal restriction with respect to a particular Fund Security included in the redemption of a Creation Unit, may be paid an equivalent amount of cash. This would specifically prohibit delivery of Fund Securities that, in reliance upon Rule 144A under the 1933 Act are not registered, to a redeeming beneficial owner of shares that is not a “qualified institutional buyer,” as such term is defined under Rule 144A of the 1933 Act. The Authorized Participant 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.

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

Redemption Transaction Fee

A redemption transaction fee may be imposed to offset transfer and other transaction costs. An Authorized Participant submitting a redemption order may be assessed a variable charge on its order up to a maximum amount as indicated in the table below. Authorized Participants will bear the costs of transferring Fund Securities or cash from the Trust to their account or on their order. Investors who use the services of an Authorized Participant, broker or other such intermediary may be charged fees for such services. A DTC Participant may be required to pay a higher transaction fee than would have been charged had the redemption been effected through the NSCC Clearing Process. The following table sets forth the standard and variable redemption transaction fees for the Funds:

[Information pertaining to PIMCO RAFI ESG U.S. ETF to be provided by amendment.]

 

Funds   

Standard Redemption

Transaction Fee*

  

Maximum Variable Charge for

Redemptions**

PIMCO RAFI Dynamic Multi-Factor Emerging Markets Equity ETF    $2,250    2.00%
PIMCO RAFI Dynamic Multi-Factor International Equity ETF    $5,000   
PIMCO RAFI Dynamic Multi-Factor U.S. Equity ETF    $2,250   

 

  *

Applicable to in-kind redemptions only.

  **

As a percentage of the net asset value per Creation Unit redeemed, inclusive of the standard redemption transaction fee (if imposed).

The standard redemption transaction fee applies to any Creation Unit redemption that includes in-kind securities and is a fixed amount. The variable redemption transaction fee may be imposed up to the maximum amount indicated in the table above. Actual transaction costs may vary depending on the time of day a redemption order is received or the nature of the securities to be sold. PIMCO may adjust the transaction fee to ensure that a Fund collects the extra expenses associated with brokerage commissions and other expenses incurred by the Fund to acquire a Deposit Security not part of the Fund Deposit from the Authorized Participant.

Each Fund reserves the right to not impose a standard or variable redemption transaction fee or to vary the amount of the variable redemption transaction fee imposed, up to the maximum amount listed above, depending on the materiality of the Fund’s actual transaction costs incurred in selling securities to raise the cash amount redeemed (in the case of a variable redemption transaction fee) or where PIMCO believes that not imposing the standard or variable redemption transaction fee or varying the variable redemption transaction fee would be in a Fund’s and the Fund’s shareholders’ best interests. Considerations relevant to this determination include secondary market trading, Fund strategy, efficient rebalancing of the Funds in connection with an Underlying Index rebalancing and any other considerations PIMCO deems relevant to its determination of a Fund’s and the Fund’s shareholders’ best interests. To the extent a redemption transaction fee is not charged, certain costs may be borne by the Fund.

 

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Placement of Redemption Orders Using Clearing Process

Orders to redeem Creation Units of a Fund through the Clearing Process, if available, must be delivered through a Participating Party that has executed a Participant Agreement. An order to redeem Creation Units of a Fund using the Clearing Process is deemed received on the Transmittal Date if (i) such order is received by the Transfer Agent not later than 4:00 p.m. Eastern time on such Transmittal Date; and (ii) all other procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement are properly followed; such order will be effected based on the NAV of the Fund as next determined. An order to redeem Creation Units of a Fund using the Clearing Process made in proper form but received by the Fund after 4:00 p.m. Eastern time will be deemed received on the next Business Day immediately following the Transmittal Date. Orders requesting substitution of a “cash-in-lieu” amount or an all-cash payment generally must be received no later than 3:00 p.m. Eastern time. On days when the Listing Exchange closes earlier than normal (such as the day before a holiday), orders to redeem Creation Units must be placed by the earlier closing time and cash redemption orders generally must be received by the Transfer Agent no later than one (1) hour prior to the earlier closing time. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Trust may, but is not required to, permit “cash-in-lieu” or all-cash payments until 4:00 p.m., Eastern time, or until the market close (in the event the Listing Exchange closes early).The requisite Fund Securities (or contracts to purchase such Fund Securities which are expected to be delivered in a “regular way” manner) and the applicable cash payment will be transferred by the second (2nd) Business Day following the date on which such request for redemption is deemed received.

An Authorized Participant submitting a redemption request is deemed to represent to the Trust that it (or its client) (i) owns outright or has full legal authority and legal beneficial right to tender for redemption the requisite number of Fund shares to be redeemed and can receive the entire proceeds of the redemption, and (ii) the Fund shares to be redeemed have not been loaned or pledged to another party nor are they the subject of a repurchase agreement, securities lending agreement or such other arrangement that would preclude the delivery of such Fund shares to the Trust. The Trust reserves the right to verify these representations at its discretion, but will typically require verification with respect to a redemption request from an Authorized Participant in connection with higher levels of redemption activity and/or a short interest in a Fund. If the Trust determines, based on information available to the Trust when a redemption request is submitted by an Authorized Participant, that: (i) the short interest of the Fund in the marketplace is greater than or equal to 100%; and (ii) the orders in the aggregate from all Authorized Participants redeeming Fund shares on a Business Day represent 25% or more of the outstanding shares of the Fund, such Authorized Participant will be required to verify to the Trust the accuracy of its representations that are deemed to have been made by submitting a request for redemption. If, after receiving notice of the verification requirement, the Authorized Participant does not sufficiently verify the accuracy of its representations, as determined by the Trust, that are deemed to have been made by submitting a request for redemption in accordance with this requirement, its redemption request will be considered not to have been received in proper form and may be rejected by the Trust.

In the event the Authorized Participant 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 Transfer Agent, on behalf of a Fund, the Transfer Agent will nonetheless accept the redemption request in reliance on the undertaking by the Authorized Participant to deliver the missing shares as soon as possible, which undertaking shall be secured by the Authorized Participant’s delivery and maintenance of collateral having a value (marked to market daily) at least equal to 115% of the value of the missing shares. The current procedures for collateralization of missing shares require, among other things, that any collateral shall be in the form of U.S. dollars in immediately-available funds and shall be held by the Transfer Agent and marked to market daily, and that the fees of the Transfer Agent in respect of the delivery, maintenance and redelivery of the collateral shall be payable by the Authorized Participant. The Trust is permitted, on behalf of the Funds, to purchase the missing shares or acquire the Deposit Securities and the Cash Component underlying such shares at any time without notice to the Authorized Participant and will subject the Authorized Participant to liability for any shortfall between the cost to the Trust of purchasing such shares, Deposit Securities or Cash Component and the value of the collateral.

The calculation of the value of the Fund Securities and/or Cash Redemption Amount to be delivered upon redemption will be made by the Transfer Agent according to the NAV calculation set forth under “Net Asset Value” below, computed on the Business Day on which a redemption order is deemed received by the Trust. Therefore, if a redemption order in proper form is submitted to the Transfer Agent by a DTC Participant by the specified time on the Transmittal Date, and the requisite number of shares of the applicable Fund are delivered to the Transfer Agent prior to 1:00 p.m. Eastern time on the Settlement Date, then the value of the Fund Securities and the Cash Redemption Amount to be delivered will be determined by the Transfer Agent on such Transmittal Date. A redemption order must be submitted in proper form. If the requisite number of shares of the applicable Fund are not delivered by 1:00 p.m. Eastern time on the Settlement Date, such Fund will not release the Fund Securities for delivery unless collateral is posted in the amount of 115% of the missing shares (marked-to-market daily).

 

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Placement of Redemption Orders Outside Clearing Process—Domestic Funds

Orders to redeem Creation Units of a Fund outside the Clearing Process must be delivered through a DTC Participant that has executed a Participant Agreement. A DTC Participant who wishes to place an order for redemption of Creation Units of a Fund to be effected 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 of Creation Units of the Fund will instead be effected through transfer of Creation Units of the Fund directly through DTC. An order to redeem Creation Units of a Fund outside the Clearing Process is deemed received by the Transfer Agent on the Transmittal Date if (i) such order is received by the Transfer Agent not later than 4:00 p.m. Eastern time on such Transmittal Date; (ii) such order is preceded or accompanied by the requisite number of shares of Creation Units specified in such order, which delivery must be made through DTC to the Transfer Agent no later than 1:00 p.m., Eastern time, on the Settlement Date; and (iii) all other procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement are properly followed.

After the Transfer Agent has deemed an order for redemption outside the Clearing Process received, the Transfer Agent will initiate procedures to transfer the requisite Fund Securities (or contracts to purchase such Fund Securities), which are expected to be delivered within two (2) Business Days and the cash redemption payment to the redeeming Beneficial Owner by the second (2nd) Business Day following the Transmittal Date on which such redemption order is deemed received by the Transfer Agent. Additional transaction fee may be imposed with respect to transactions effected outside the Clearing Process. See “Redemption Transaction Fee” section above.

Placement of Redemption Orders Outside Clearing Process—Foreign Funds

Arrangements satisfactory to the Trust must be in place for the Participating Party to transfer the Creation Units through DTC on or before the settlement date. Redemptions of shares for Fund Securities will be subject to compliance with applicable U.S. federal and state securities laws and a Fund (whether or not it otherwise permits or requires cash redemptions) reserves the right to redeem Creation Units for cash to the extent a cash redemption is in the best interests of the Fund and the Fund’s shareholders, 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.

In connection with taking delivery of shares for Fund Securities upon redemption of Creation Units, a redeeming shareholder or entity acting on behalf of a redeeming shareholder must maintain appropriate custody arrangements with a qualified broker-dealer, bank or other custody providers in each jurisdiction in which any of the Fund Securities are customarily traded, to which account such Fund Securities will be delivered. If neither the redeeming shareholder nor the entity acting on behalf of a redeeming shareholder has appropriate arrangements to take delivery of the Fund Securities in the applicable foreign jurisdiction and it is not possible to make other such arrangements, or if it is not possible to effect deliveries of the Fund Securities in such jurisdictions, the Trust may, in its discretion, exercise its right to redeem such shares in cash, and the redeeming shareholder will be required to receive its redemption proceeds in cash.

Regular Foreign Holidays. The Foreign Funds generally intend to effect deliveries of Creation Units and Fund Securities on a basis of “T” plus two (2) Business Days (i.e., days on which the Listing Exchange is open) (“T+2”). The Foreign Funds 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 within two (2) Business Days of receipt of an order in good form is subject, among other things, to the condition that, within the time period from the date of the order to the date of delivery of the Deposit Securities or Fund Securities (as applicable), there are no days that are holidays in the applicable foreign market. For every occurrence of one or more intervening holidays in the applicable foreign market that are not holidays observed in the U.S. equity market, the redemption settlement cycle may be extended by the number of such intervening holidays. In addition to holidays, other unforeseeable closings in a foreign market due to emergencies may also prevent the Trust from delivering Fund Securities within normal settlement periods. The securities delivery cycles currently practicable for transferring Fund Securities to redeeming Authorized Participants, coupled with foreign market holiday schedules, will require a delivery process longer than seven (7) calendar days for the Foreign Funds, in certain circumstances. The holidays applicable to the Foreign Funds during such periods are listed below, as are instances where more than seven (7) days will be needed to deliver redemption proceeds. Although certain holidays may occur on different dates in subsequent years, the number of days required to deliver redemption proceeds in any given year is not expected to exceed the maximum number of days listed below. The proclamation of new holidays, the treatment by market participants of certain days as “informal holidays” (e.g., days on which no or limited securities transactions occur, as a result of substantially shortened trading hours), the elimination of existing holidays or changes in local securities delivery practices could affect the information set forth herein at some time in the future. Because the portfolio securities of the Foreign Funds may trade on days that the Listing Exchange is closed or on days that are not Business Days for the Funds, Authorized Participants may not be able to redeem their shares of a Fund, or to

 

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purchase and sell shares of a Fund on the Listing Exchange, on days when the NAV of the Fund could be significantly affected by events in the relevant non-U.S. markets.

Calendar Year 2018

 

Australia

January 2

   April 17    October 2   

January 26

   April 25    November 7   

March 13

   June 12    December 25   

April 14

   August 7    December 26   

Austria

January 1

   May 25    August 15    December 8   

April 14

   June 5    October 26    December 25   

April 17

   June 15    November 1    December 26   

May 1

        

Belgium

April 14

   May 26    November 1   

April 17

   June 5    December 25   

May 1

   July 21      

May 25

   August 15      

Canada

January 2

   July 3    December 25   

February 20

   August 7    December 26   

April 14

   September 4      

May 22

   October 9      

China

January 2

   February 1    April 4    October 2   

January 27

   February 2    May 1    October 3   

January 30

   February 3    May 29    October 4   

January 31

   April 3    May 30    October 5   

October 6

           

Denmark

April 13

   May 25    December 26   

April 14

   May 26      

April 17

   June 5      

May 12

   December 25      

Finland

January 6

   May 25      

April 14

   June 23      

April 17

   December 25      

May 1

   December 26      

France

April 14

   May 25    November 1   

April 17

   June 5    December 25   

May 1

   July 14    December 26   

May 8

   August 15      

Germany

April 14

   June 5      

April 17

   October 3      

May 1

   December 25      

May 25

   December 26      

 

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Greece

January 6

   May 1    December 26      

February 27

   June 5         

April 14

   August 15         

April 17

   December 25         

Hong Kong

January 2

   April 14    May 30      

January 30

   April 17    October 2      

January 31

   May 1    October 5      

April 4

   May 3    December 25      
      December 26      

Ireland

January 2

   May 1    December 25      

March 17

   June 5    December 26      

April 14

   August 7         

April 17

   October 30         

Israel

March 12

   May 1    September 20    October 4   

April 10

   May 2    September 21    October 5   

April 11

   May 30    September 22    October 11   

April 16

   May 31    September 29    October 12   

April 17

   August 1    September 30      

 

The Israeli market is closed every Friday.

  

Italy

January 6

   May 1    December 8      

April 14

   June 2    December 25      

April 17

   August 15    December 26      

April 25

   November 1         

Japan

January 2

   May 3    September 18      

January 3

   May 4    October 9      

January 9

   May 5    November 3      

March 20

   July 17    November 23      

Luxembourg

April 14

   May 25    August 15      

April 17

   June 5    November 1      

May 1

   June 23   

December 25

December 26

     

The Netherlands

April 14

   May 1    December 25      

April 17

   May 25    December 26      

April 27

   June 5         

New Zealand

January 2

   April 17    October 23      

January 3

   April 25    December 25      

February 6

   June 5    December 26      

April 14

           

 

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Norway

April 13

   May 1    June 5      

April 14

   May 17    December 25      

April 17

   May 25    December 26      

Poland

January 6

   May 3    November 1      

April 14

   June 15    December 25      

April 17

   August 15    December 26      

May 1

           

Portugal

April 14

   June 15    December 8      

April 17

   August 15    December 25      

April 25

   October 5         

May 1

   November 1         

Singapore

January 2

   May 10    October 18      

January 30

   June 26    December 25      

April 14

   August 9         

May 1

   September 1         

South Africa

January 2

   April 27    September 25      

March 21

   May 1    December 25      

April 14

   June 16    December 26      

April 17

   August 9         

South Korea

January 27

   May 5    October 5      

January 30

   June 6    October 6      

March 1

   August 15    October 9      

May 1

May 3

  

October 3

October 4

  

December 20

December 25

December 29

     

Spain

January 6

   May 1    December 6      

April 13

   August 15    December 8      

April 14

April 17

  

October 12

November 1

  

December 25

December 26

     

Sweden

January 6

   May 1    December 25      

April 14

   May 25    December 26      

April 17

   June 6         

Switzerland

January 2

   May 1    August 1      

April 14

   May 25    December 25      

April 17

   June 5         

 

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The United Kingdom

January 2

   May 1    December 25      

April 14

   May 29    December 26      

April 17

   August 28         

The United States

January 1

   May 29    November 10      

January 16

   July 4    November 23      

February 20

   September 4    December 25      

April 14

   October 9         

Calendar Year 2019

 

Australia

January 1

   April 25    December 26      

January 28

   June 10         

April 19

   October 7         

April 22

   December 25         

Austria

January 1

   May 30    August 15    December 25   

April 19

   June 10    November 1    December 26   

April 22

   June 20       December 31   

May 1

           

Belgium

January 1

   May 30    November 1      

April 19

   May 31         

April 22

   June 10    December 25      

May 1

   August 15         

Brazil

January 1

   April 19    November 15    December 31   

January 25

   May 1    November 20      

March 4

   June 20    December 24      

March 5

   November 1    December 25      

Canada

January 1

   July 1    November 11      

February 18

   August 5    December 25      

April 19

   September 2    December 26      

May 20

   October 14         

Chile

January 1

   August 15    November 1      

April 19

   September 18    December 25      

May 5

   September 19    December 31      

May 21

   October 14         

July 16

   October 31         

China

January 1

   February 8    October 1    December 31   

February 4

   April 5    October 2      

February 5

   May 1    October 3      

February 6

   June 7    October 4      

February 7

   September 13    October 7      

 

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Denmark

January 1

   May 17    June 10    December 31   

April 18

   May 30    December 24      

April 19

   May 31    December 25      

April 22

   June 5    December 26      

Finland

January 1

   May 30    December 25      

April 19

   June 21    December 26      

April 22

   December 12    December 31      

May 1

   December 24         

France

January 1

   May 30    November 11      

April 19

   June 10    December 25      

April 22

   August 15         

May 1

   November 1         

Germany

January 1

   May 10    November 1    December 31   

March 30

   May 21    December 24      

April 2

   May 31    December 25      

May 1, 2018

   October 3    December 26      

Greece

January 1

   May 30    December 25      

April 19

   June 10    December 26      

April 22

   October 3    December 31      

May 1

   December 24         

Hong Kong

January 1

   April 5    May 13    October 7   

February 5

   April 19    June 7    December 25   

February 6

   April 22    July 1    December 26   

February 7

   May 1    October 1      

India

March 4

   April 19    August 15    October 7   

March 21

   May 1    September 2    October 28   

April 16

   June 5    September 10    November 12   

April 17

   August 12    October 2    December 25   

Ireland

January 1

   June 3         

April 19

   December 25         

April 22

   December 26         

May 6

           

Israel

March 21

   September 30         

April 25

   October 1         

April 26

   October 9         

May 8

   October 14         

May 9

   October 21         

 

The Israeli market is closed every Friday.

  

 

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Italy

January 1

   May 1    December 25      

April 19

   August 15    December 26      

April 22

   November 1    December 31      

April 25

   December 24         

Japan

January 1

   February 11    May 6    Setpember 23   

January 2

   March 21    July 15    October 14   

January 3

   April 29    August 12    November   

January 14

   May 3    September 16    December 23   

December 31

           

Luxembourg

January 1

   May 1    August 15    December 26   

April 19

   May 30    November 1      

April 22

   June 10    December 25      

The Netherlands

January 1

   May 1    December 25      

April 19

   May 30    December 26      

April 22

   June 10         

New Zealand

January 1

   April 22    October 28      

January 2

   April 25    December 25      

February 6

   June 3    December 26      

April 19

           

Norway

January 1

   April 22    May 30    December 25   

April 18

   May 1    June 10    December 26   

April 19

   May 17    December 24    December 31   

Poland

January 1

   May 3       December 24   

April 19

   June 20    November 1    December 25   

April 22

   August 15    November 11    December 26   

May 1

         December 31   

Portugal

January 1

   May 1    November 1      

April 19

   June 10    December 25      

April 22

   June 20         

April 25

   August 15         

Singapore

January 1

   May 1    August 12      

February 5

   May 20    October 28      

February 6

   June 5    December 25      

April 19

   August 9         

South Africa

January 1

   May 1    December 26      

March 21

   August 9    December 26      

April 19

   August 12         

April 22

   December 25         

 

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South Korea

January 1

   March 1    June 6    October 3   

February 4

   May 1    August 15    October 9   

February 5

   May 6    September 12    December 25   

February 6

   May 13    September 13    December 31   

Spain

January 1

   May 1         

April 19

   December 25         

April 22

   December 26         

Sweden

January 1

   May 1    December 24    December 31   

April 19

   May 10    December 25      

April 22

   June 6    December 26      

Switzerland

January 1

   May 1    June 21    December 26   

January 2

   May 30    December 24    December 31   

March 30

   June 6    December 25      

The United Kingdom

January 1

   May 6    December 25      

April 19

   May 27    December 26      

April 22

   August 26         

The United States

January 1

   May 27    November 11      

January 21

   July 4    November 28      

February 18

   September 2    December 25      

April 19

   October 14         

Redemptions. The longest redemption cycle for a Fund is a function of the longest redemption cycle among the countries whose securities comprise the Fund’s portfolio.

In calendar year 2018, the dates of regular holidays affecting the following securities markets present the worst-case redemption cycle* for a Fund as follows:

 

Calendar Year 2018

Country/Region

  

Trade Date

  

Settlement Date

  

Number of Days
to Settle

China

   1/24/17    2/6/17    13
   1/25/17    2/7/17    13
   1/26/17    2/8/17    13
   9/27/17    10/9/17    12
   9/28/17    10/10/17    12
   9/29/17    10/11/17    12

Denmark

   4/10/17    4/18/17    8
   4/11/17    4/19/17    8
   4/12/17    4/20/17    8

Japan

   4/28/17    5/8/17    10
   5/1/17    5/9/17    8
   5/2/17    5/10/17    8

 

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Calendar Year 2018

Country/Region

  

Trade Date

  

Settlement Date

  

Number of Days
to Settle

Norway

   4/10/17    4/18/17    8
   4/11/17    4/19/17    8
   4/12/17    4/20/17    8

South Korea

   9/28/17    10/10/17    12
   9/29/17    10/11/17    12
   10/2/17    10/12/17    10

Spain

   4/10/17    4/18/17    8
   4/11/17    4/19/17    8
   4/12/17    4/20/17    8

 

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

In calendar year 2019, the dates of regular holidays affecting the following securities markets present the worst-case redemption cycle* for a Fund as follows:

 

Calendar Year 2019

Country/Region

  

Trade Date

  

Settlement Date

  

Number of Days
to Settle

China

   1/30/2019    2/11/2019    12
   1/31/2019    2/12/2019    12
   2/1/2019    2/13/2019    12
   9/26/2019    10/8/2019    12
   9/27/2019    10/9/2019    12
   9/30/2019    10/10/2019    10

Denmark

   12/19/2019    12/27/2019    8
   12/20/2019    12/30/2019    10
   12/23/2019    1/2/2020    10

Finland

   12/19/2019    12/27/2019    8
   12/20/2019    12/30/2019    10
   12/23/2019    1/2/2020    10

Germany

   12/19/2019    12/27/2019    8
   12/20/2019    12/30/2019    10
   12/23/2019    1/2/2020    10

Greece

   12/19/2019    12/27/2019    8
   12/20/2019    12/30/2019    10
   12/23/2019    12/31/2019    8

Hong Kong

   1/31/2019    2/8/2019    8
   2/1/2019    2/11/2019    10
   2/4/2019    2/12/2019    8

Italy

   12/19/2019    12/27/2019    8
   12/20/2019    12/30/2019    10
   12/23/2019    1/2/2020    10

Japan

   12/26/2018    1/4/2019    9
   12/27/2019    1/7/2020    11
   12/28/2019    1/8/2020    11

Norway

   12/19/2019    12/27/2019    8
   12/20/2019    12/30/2019    10
   12/23/2019    1/2/2020    10

Poland

   12/19/2019    12/27/2019    8
   12/20/2019    12/30/2019    10
   12/23/2019    1/2/2020    10

South Korea

   1/30/2019    2/7/2019    8
   1/31/2019    2/8/2019    8
   2/1/2019    2/11/2019    10

 

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Calendar Year 2019

Country/Region

  

Trade Date

  

Settlement Date

  

Number of Days
to Settle

Switzerland

   12/19/2019    12/27/2019    8
   12/20/2019    12/30/2019    10
   12/23/2019    1/2/2020    10

Sweden

   12/19/2018    12/27/2018    8
   12/20/2018    12/28/2018    8
   12/21/2018    1/2/2019    11

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

Distribution and Servicing (12b-1) Plan

The Trust has adopted a Distribution and Servicing (12b-1) Plan (the “12b-1 Plan”) with respect to shares of the Funds to permit the implementation of the Funds’ method of distribution. However, no 12b-1 Plan fee is currently charged to the Funds, and there are no plans in place to impose a 12b-1 Plan fee.

Under the terms of the 12b-1 Plan, the Trust is permitted to compensate, out of a Fund’s assets, in amounts up to an annual rate of 0.25% of the average daily net assets of a Fund’s shares, financial intermediaries for costs and expenses incurred in connection with the distribution and marketing of the shares and/or the provision of certain shareholder services to its customers that invest in shares of such Fund. Such services may include, but are not limited to, the following: marketing and promotional services including advertising; providing facilities to answer questions from prospective investors about the Funds; receiving and answering correspondence or responding to shareholder inquiries, including requests for prospectuses and statements of additional information; preparing, printing and delivering prospectuses and shareholder reports to prospective shareholders; complying with federal and state securities laws pertaining to the sale of shares; and assisting investors in completing application forms and selecting account options.

Fees paid pursuant to the 12b-1 Plan may be paid for shareholder services and the maintenance of shareholder accounts, and therefore may constitute “service fees” for purposes of applicable rules of the FINRA. The 12b-1 Plan has been adopted in accordance with the requirements of Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act and will be administered in accordance with the provisions of that rule.

The 12b-1 Plan provides that it may not be amended to materially increase the costs which shareholders may bear under the 12b-1 Plan without the approval of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of such Fund and by vote of a majority of both: (i) the Trustees of the Trust; and (ii) those Trustees who are not “interested persons” of the Trust (as defined in the 1940 Act) and who have no direct or indirect financial interest in the operation of the 12b-1 Plan or any agreements related to it (the “Disinterested Trustees”), cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on the 12b-1 Plan and any related amendments. The 12b-1 Plan provides that it may not take effect until approved by vote of a majority of both: (i) the Trustees of the Trust; and (ii) the Disinterested Trustees defined above.

Following the expiration of the one-year period commencing with the effectiveness of the 12b-1 Plan, the 12b-1 Plan shall continue in effect so long as such continuance is specifically approved at least annually by the Trustees and the Disinterested Trustees defined above. The 12b-1 Plan provides that any person authorized to direct the disposition of monies paid or payable pursuant to the 12b-1 Plan or any related agreement shall provide to the Trustees, and the Board of Trustees shall review at least quarterly, a written report of the amounts so expended and the purposes for which such expenditures were made.

Rules of the FINRA limit the amount of distribution fees that may be paid by management investment companies. “Service fees,” defined to mean fees paid for providing shareholder services or the maintenance of accounts (but not transfer agency services) are not subject to the limits. The Trust believes that some, if not all, of the fees paid pursuant to the 12b-1 Plan will qualify as “service fees” and therefore will not be limited by FINRA rules which limit distribution fees. However, service fees are limited by FINRA rules that limit service fees to 0.25% of a Fund’s average annual net assets.

 

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In addition, the Distributor, PIMCO and their affiliates also may make payments out of their own resources, at no cost to the Funds, to financial intermediaries for services which may be deemed to be primarily intended to result in the sale of shares of the Funds. The payments described in this section may be significant to the payors and the payees.

Additional Information About the Shares

Financial Intermediary Compensation. The Distributor may make payments (“Payments”) to certain broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries (“Intermediaries”) related to activities that are designed to make registered representatives, other professionals and individual investors more knowledgeable about the Funds or for other activities, such as participation in marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, the support of technology platforms and/or reporting systems. The Distributor may also make Payments to Intermediaries for certain printing, publishing and mailing costs associated with the Funds or materials relating to exchange-traded funds in general. In addition, the Distributor may make Payments to Intermediaries that make Fund shares available to their clients or for otherwise promoting the Funds. Payments of this type are sometimes referred to as marketing support or revenue-sharing payments. Any Payments made by the Distributor will be made from its own assets and not from the assets of the Funds. Although a portion of the Distributor’s revenue comes indirectly in part from management fees paid by the Funds, Payments do not increase the price paid by investors for the purchase of shares of, or the cost of owning, a Fund. PIMCO and/or the Distributor has established a marketing support arrangement with Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. (“Schwab”). Under this arrangement, Schwab has agreed not to charge their customers any trading commissions when those customers purchase or sell shares of certain Funds online. In addition, Schwab will promote the availability of commission-free trading for certain Funds to their customers.

Payments to an Intermediary may be significant to the Intermediary. As a result, an Intermediary may make decisions about which investment options it will recommend or make available to its clients or what services to provide for various products based on payments it receives or is eligible to receive. Payments create conflicts of interest between the Intermediary and its clients and these financial incentives may cause the Intermediary to recommend the Funds over other investments.

The Distributor may determine to make Payments based on any number of metrics. For example, the Distributor may make Payments at year-end and/or other intervals in a fixed amount, an amount based upon an Intermediary’s services at defined levels, an amount based upon the total assets represented by Funds subject to arrangements with the Intermediary, or an amount based on the Intermediary’s net sales of one or more Funds in a year or other period, any of which arrangements may include an agreed-upon minimum or maximum payment, or any combination of the foregoing. A shareholder should contact his or her Intermediary’s salesperson or other investment professional for more information regarding any Payments the Intermediary firm may receive.

In addition to the payments described above, the Distributor may also make payments to Intermediaries in connection with certain transaction fees (also referred to as “ticket charges”) incurred by Intermediaries.

In addition to the payments described above, the Distributor may make payments in connection with or reimburse Intermediaries’ sponsorship and/or attendance at conferences, seminars or informational meetings (“event support”), provide Intermediaries or their personnel with occasional tickets to events or other entertainment, meals and small gifts (“other non-cash compensation”), and make charitable contributions to valid charitable organizations at the request of Intermediaries (“charitable contributions”) to the extent permitted by applicable law, rules and regulations.

Independent financial intermediaries unaffiliated with PIMCO may perform shareholder servicing functions with respect to certain of their clients whose assets may be invested in the Funds. These services may include the provision of ongoing information concerning the Funds and their investment performance, responding to shareholder inquiries, assisting with purchases and redemptions of Trust shares, and other services. PIMCO may pay fees to such entities for the provision of these services out of PIMCO’s own resources. Although these payments are made out of PIMCO’s own resources, in some cases the levels of such payments may vary by Fund in relation to management fees, total annual operating expenses or other payments made by the Fund to PIMCO. In addition, PIMCO may pay financial firms a flat fee to cover certain set-up costs by Fund. These payments may be made from profits received by PIMCO from management fees paid to PIMCO by the Fund. Such activities by PIMCO may provide incentives to financial institutions to purchase or market shares of the Fund. Additionally, these activities may give PIMCO additional access to sales representatives of such financial institutions, which may increase sales of Fund shares.

From time to time, PIMCO may pay or reimburse broker-dealers, banks, recordkeepers or other financial institutions for PIMCO’s attendance at investment forums sponsored by such firms, or PIMCO may co-sponsor such investment forums with such financial institutions. Payments and reimbursements for such activities are made out of PIMCO’s own assets and

 

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at no cost to the Funds. These payments and reimbursements may be made from profits received by PIMCO from management fees paid to PIMCO by the Trust. Such activities may provide incentives to financial institutions to market shares of the Funds. Additionally, these activities may give PIMCO additional access to sales representatives of such financial institutions, which may increase sales of Fund shares.

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

Request for Multiple Copies of Shareholder Documents

To reduce expenses, it is intended that only one copy of a Fund’s Prospectus and each annual and semi-annual report, when available, will be mailed to those addresses shared by two or more accounts. If you wish to receive individual copies of these documents, please contact the financial intermediary through which you hold your shares.

PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS AND BROKERAGE

Investment Decisions and Portfolio Transactions

Parametric is responsible for effecting all portfolio transactions on behalf of the Funds. Parametric has a fiduciary obligation to act, at all times, in the best interest of its clients and to seek best overall execution in client trading. The firm generally has the authority to execute a trade through any broker-dealer, dealer and/or exchange it deems appropriate, and may negotiate commission and similar fees and expenses. To guide investment personnel in seeking best execution, Parametric only uses brokers or counterparties which have been pre-approved by the firm’s Best Execution Committees. Parametric does not consider the promotion or sale of mutual funds or other products affiliated with or managed by Parametric or its affiliates when selecting brokers to execute client transactions. Parametric carefully monitors and evaluates transaction costs and the quality of execution across all strategies and client portfolios. Parametric utilizes the services of third-party service providers to assist with best execution analysis. In analyzing best overall execution, Parametric considers various factors, including but not limited to: specific market and trading impact, number of shares being traded, share price, trading costs, exchange costs, and other material inputs.

Parametric always seeks to effect transactions at the price and commission that provide the most favorable total overall cost or proceeds reasonably attainable given the circumstances. Parametric may consider various factors when selecting a broker-dealer, including but not limited to: the nature of the portfolio transaction; the size of the transaction; the execution, clearing and settlement capabilities of the broker-dealer; the broker-dealer’s experience and ability to place difficult trades; access to markets; the reputation, financial strength and stability of the broker-dealer; availability of alternative trading platforms; the desired timing of the transaction; and confidentiality. Parametric tracks trade order volumes and commissions paid to approved brokers for use in evaluating the firm’s trading practices and for client reporting purposes.

Parametric may aggregate or “block” trades if, in Parametric’s reasonable judgment, such aggregation may result in an overall economic benefit to each participating client’s account, taking into consideration the more advantageous purchase or selling price, brokerage commissions, and the execution capabilities of the selected broker-dealer. By aggregating trades for multiple client accounts into a larger, single block order, Parametric seeks to ensure that participating client accounts receive the same execution price. In addition, Parametric may be able to obtain a better execution price and more favorable trade execution for all participating client accounts.

Brokerage and Research Services

Parametric does not enter into soft dollar agreements to pay for research and does not otherwise allocate brokerage commissions to pay for research or other products or services. In connection with seeking best execution, Parametric will send trades to brokers that provide brokerage services that directly relate to the execution of trades and satisfy the temporal standard under Section 28(e) of the 1934 Act. These brokerage services include trading software used to route orders electronically to market centers and the provision of fixed connections used to electronically effect securities transactions. These brokerage services are provided at no cost to Parametric. These brokerage services are used for trading for any client, regardless of the selection of broker. Parametric will only continue to use such services if it is satisfied that access to the resources does not increase client costs directly or indirectly.

 

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SEC rules require that commissions paid to an affiliated broker-dealer, or PIMCO, by a Fund on exchange transactions not exceed “usual and customary brokerage commissions.” The rules define “usual and customary” commissions to include amounts that are “reasonable and fair compared to the commission, fee or other remuneration received or to be received by other brokers in connection with comparable transactions involving similar securities being purchased or sold on a securities exchange during a comparable period of time.” The Funds did not pay any commissions to affiliated brokers during the period August 31, 2017 - June 30, 2018. The Funds were not operational during the fiscal years ended June 30, 2017 and 2016. Accordingly, no commissions were paid by the Funds to affiliated brokers during these periods.

Brokerage Commissions Paid

The Funds were not operational during the fiscal years ended June 30, 2017 and 2016. Accordingly, no brokerage commissions were paid by the Funds during these periods. For the period August 31, 2017 - June 30, 2018, the following amount of brokerage commissions was paid by each operational Fund:

 

Fund     
Period Ended
6/30/18

 
PIMCO RAFI Dynamic Multi-Factor U.S. Equity ETF      $7,442.28  
PIMCO RAFI Dynamic Multi-Factor Emerging Markets Equity ETF      614,708.23  
PIMCO RAFI Dynamic Multi-Factor International Equity ETF      10,491.20  

Holdings of Securities of the Trust’s Regular Brokers and Dealers

No Fund held the securities of its regular brokers or dealers for the period August 31, 2017 - June 30, 2018.

Portfolio Trading by Authorized Participants

When creation or redemption transactions consist of cash, the transactions may require the Fund to contemporaneously transact with broker-dealers for purchases or sales of portfolio securities, as applicable. Depending on the timing of the transactions and certain other factors, such transactions may be placed with the purchasing or redeeming Authorized Participant in its capacity as a broker-dealer or with its affiliated broker-dealer and conditioned upon an agreement with the Authorized Participant or its affiliated broker-dealer to transact at guaranteed prices in order to reduce transaction costs incurred as a consequence of settling creations or redemptions in cash rather than in-kind.

Specifically, following a Fund’s receipt of a creation or redemption order, to the extent such purchases or redemptions consist of a cash portion, the Fund may enter an order with the Authorized Participant or its affiliated broker-dealer to purchase or sell the portfolio securities, as applicable. Such Authorized Participant or its affiliated broker-dealer will be required to guarantee that the Fund will achieve execution of its order at a price at least as favorable to the Fund as the Fund’s valuation of the portfolio securities used for purposes of calculating the NAV applied to the creation or redemption transaction giving rise to the order. Whether the execution of the order is at a price at least as favorable to the Fund will depend on the results achieved by the executing firm and will vary depending on market activity, timing and a variety of other factors.

An Authorized Participant is required to deposit an amount with the Fund in order to ensure that the execution of the order on the terms noted above will be honored on orders arising from creation transactions executed by an Authorized Participant or its affiliate as broker-dealer. If the broker-dealer executing the order achieves executions in market transactions at a price equal to or more favorable than a Fund’s valuation of the portfolio securities, the Fund receives the benefit of the favorable executions and the deposit is returned to the Authorized Participant. If, however, the broker-dealer executing the order is unable to achieve a price at least equal to a Fund’s valuation of the securities, the Fund retains the portion of the deposit equal to the full amount of the execution shortfall (including any taxes, brokerage commissions or other costs) and may require the Authorized Participant to deposit any additional amount required to cover the full amount of the actual execution transaction.

An Authorized Participant agrees to pay the shortfall amount in order to ensure that a guarantee on execution will be honored for brokerage orders arising from redemption transactions executed by an Authorized Participant or its affiliate as broker-dealer. If the broker-dealer executing the order achieves executions in market transactions at a price equal to or more favorable than the Fund’s valuation of the portfolio securities, the Fund receives the benefit of the favorable executions. If, however, the broker-dealer is unable to achieve executions in market transactions at a price at least equal to the Fund’s valuation of the securities, the Fund will be entitled to the portion of the offset equal to the full amount of the execution shortfall (including any taxes, brokerage commissions or other costs).

 

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Portfolio Turnover

A change in the securities held by a Fund is known as “portfolio turnover.” PIMCO manages the Funds without regard generally to restrictions on portfolio turnover. See “Taxation” below. Trading in equity securities involves the payment of brokerage commissions, which are transaction costs paid by a Fund. Trading in fixed income securities does not generally involve the payment of brokerage commissions, but does involve indirect transaction costs. The use of futures contracts may involve the payment of commissions to futures commission merchants. High portfolio turnover (e.g., greater than 100%) involves correspondingly greater expenses to a Fund, including brokerage commissions or dealer mark-ups and other transaction costs on the sale of securities and reinvestments in other securities. The higher the rate of portfolio turnover of a Fund, the higher these transaction costs borne by the Fund generally will be. Such sales may result in realization of taxable capital gains (including short-term capital gains which generally would be taxed at ordinary income tax rates when distributed to shareholders).

The portfolio turnover rate of a Fund is calculated by dividing: (a) the lesser of purchases or sales of portfolio securities for the particular fiscal year by; (b) the monthly average of the value of the portfolio securities owned by the Fund during the particular fiscal year. In calculating the rate of portfolio turnover, there is excluded from both (a) and (b) all securities, including options, whose maturities or expiration dates at the time of acquisition were one year or less and any short sales that the Fund does not intend to maintain for more than one year. Proceeds from short sales and assets used to cover short positions undertaken are included in the amounts of securities sold and purchased, respectively, during the year. Portfolio turnover rates for each Fund that was operational as of the Trust’s most recent fiscal year end are provided in the Prospectus under the “Financial Highlights.”

Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings

Policies and Procedures Generally. The Trust has adopted portfolio holdings disclosure policies and procedures to govern the disclosure of the securities holdings of the Funds (the “Disclosure Policy”). The Disclosure Policy is designed to protect the confidentiality of the Funds’ non-public portfolio holdings information, to prevent the selective disclosure of such information, and to ensure compliance by PIMCO and the Funds with the federal securities laws, including the 1940 Act and the rules promulgated thereunder and general principles of fiduciary duty. PIMCO serves as investment adviser to various funds, including other exchange-traded funds, that may have investment objectives, strategies and portfolio holdings that are substantially similar to or overlap with those of the Funds, and in some cases, these funds may publicly disclose portfolio holdings on a more frequent basis than is required for the Funds. For example, portfolio holdings for PIMCO advised actively managed exchange-traded funds are required, by the terms of the applicable SEC exemptive relief, to be publicly disclosed each business day. Similarly, PIMCO serves as an investment adviser to separate accounts that may have investment objectives, strategies and portfolio holdings that are substantially similar to or overlap with those of the Funds, and the separate account holdings that are disclosed to the client or others under the terms of the client’s investment management agreement could be similar or identical to Fund holdings. As a result, it is possible that other market participants may use such information for their own benefit, which could negatively impact the Funds’ execution of purchase and sale transactions.

Monitoring and Oversight. The Trust’s CCO is responsible for ensuring that PIMCO has adopted and implemented policies and procedures reasonably designed to ensure compliance with the Disclosure Policy and, to the extent the CCO considers necessary, the CCO shall monitor PIMCO’s compliance with its policies and procedures.

Any exceptions to the Disclosure Policy may be made only if approved by the CCO upon determining that the exception is in the best interests of the Fund. The CCO must report any exceptions made to the Disclosure Policy to the Trust’s Board of Trustees at its next regularly scheduled meeting.

Quarterly Disclosure. The Funds will publicly disclose the complete schedule of each Fund’s holdings, as reported on a fiscal quarter-end basis, by making the information publicly available in a manner consistent with requirements established by the SEC. You may view a Fund’s complete schedule of portfolio holdings for the most recently completed quarter online at http://www.pimco.com, or obtain a copy of the schedule by calling PIMCO at 1-866-746-2606. This information will be available no earlier than the day on which it is transmitted to shareholders in the Funds’ annual and semi-annual reports, or filed with the SEC on Form N-Q, which will occur on or about the sixtieth day after a fiscal quarter’s end.

The Funds file their complete schedules of securities holdings with the SEC for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year on Form N-Q. The Funds’ Forms N-Q will be available on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov and may be reviewed and copied at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. Information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling 1-202-551-8090.

 

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Defaulted/Distressed Securities. PIMCO may, in its discretion, publicly disclose portfolio holdings information at any time with respect to securities held by the Funds that are in default or experiencing a negative credit event. Any such disclosure will be broadly disseminated via PIMCO’s website at http://www.pimco.com or by similar means.

Daily Disclosure. On each Business Day, before commencement of trading in shares on a national securities exchange (as defined by Section 2(a)(26) of the 1940 Act), PIMCO will disclose each Fund’s IIV Basket (as defined above). PIMCO may make available a Fund’s complete schedule of portfolio holdings and the percentages they represent of the Fund’s net assets. To provide greater transparency, a Fund may disclose its portfolio holdings on each Business Day through financial reporting and news services, including publicly accessible Internet websites.

Confidential Dissemination of Portfolio Holdings Information. No disclosure of non-public portfolio holdings information may be made to any unaffiliated third party except as set forth in the Disclosure Policy. This prohibition does not apply to information sharing with the Funds’ service providers, such as the Funds’ investment adviser, sub-advisers (if any), distributor, custodian, transfer agent, administrator, sub-administrator (if any), accountant, counsel, securities class action claims services administrator, financial printer, proxy voting agent, lender, intraday NAV calculation agent, service providers to PIMCO or to PIMCO affiliates who may perform services or assist PIMCO in the performance of services for or on behalf of a Fund and other select third party service providers (collectively, the “Service Providers”), who generally need access to such information in the performance of their contractual duties and responsibilities. Such Service Providers are subject to duties of confidentiality, including a duty not to trade on non-public information, imposed by law and/or contract.

Each Fund or PIMCO may, to the extent permitted under applicable law, distribute non-public information regarding a Fund, including portfolio holdings information, more frequently to (i) certain third parties that have a legitimate business purpose in receiving such information, including, but not limited to, fund analysts and rating and ranking organizations, pricing information vendors, analytical service providers, certain platform providers and potential Service Providers, or (ii) a redeeming shareholder effecting a redemption-in-kind from one of the Funds as may be permitted by PIMCO from time to time; provided, however, that any recipient of non-public information pursuant to this paragraph shall be subject to a confidentiality agreement meeting the requirements of the Disclosure Policy.

The distribution of non-public information must be authorized by an officer of the Trust after determining the requested disclosure is in the best interests of the Fund and its shareholders and after consulting with and receiving approval from PIMCO’s legal department. The Disclosure Policy does not require a delay between the date of the information and the date on which the information is disclosed; however, any recipient of non-public information will be subject to a confidentiality agreement that contains, at a minimum, provisions specifying that: (1) the Funds’ non-public information provided is the confidential property of the Funds and may not be used for any purpose except in connection with the provision of services to the Funds or for an agreed-upon legitimate business purpose and, in particular, that such information may not be traded upon; (2) except to the extent contemplated by the Disclosure Policy, the recipient of the non-public information agrees to limit access to the information to its employees and agents who are subject to a duty to keep and treat such information as confidential; and (3) upon written request from the Funds or PIMCO, the recipient of the non-public information shall promptly return or destroy the information, except as otherwise required by applicable law or such recipient’s record retention policies and procedures. Neither the Funds nor PIMCO may receive compensation or consideration in connection with the distribution of non-public portfolio holdings information.

Non-Specific Information. Under the Disclosure Policy, the Funds or PIMCO may distribute non-specific information about the Funds and/or summary information about the Funds at any time. Such information will not identify any specific portfolio holding, but may reflect, among other things, the quality or character of a Fund’s holdings.

Required Disclosures. No provision of the Disclosure Policy is intended to restrict or prevent the disclosure of portfolio holdings information as may be required by applicable state or federal law, which are requested by governmental authorities or in connection with litigation involving a Fund’s current or past portfolio holdings.

Large Trade Notifications

A Fund or its agent may from time to time receive notice that a current or prospective Authorized Participant will place an order for the purchase or redemption of a large number of Creation Units. The Fund may determine to enter into portfolio transactions in anticipation of that order, even though the order will not be placed or processed until the following Business Day, as applicable. This practice provides for a closer correlation between the time Authorized Participants place purchase or redemption orders and the time a Fund enters into portfolio transactions based on those orders, and permits the Fund to be more fully invested in investment securities, in the case of purchase orders, and to more orderly liquidate its investment positions, in the case of redemptions. On the other hand, the current or prospective Authorized Participant may

 

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not ultimately place or process the order. In this case, a Fund may be required to borrow assets to settle the portfolio transactions entered into in anticipation of that order, and would therefore incur borrowing costs. The Funds may also suffer investment losses on those portfolio transactions. Conversely, the Funds would benefit from any earnings and investment gains resulting from such portfolio transactions.

NET ASSET VALUE

Net asset value is determined as indicated under “How Net Asset Value Is Determined” in the Prospectus. Net asset value will be determined on each Business Day. On any Business Day when the Listing Exchange closes trading early, the Funds may close early and determine net asset value as of an earlier time.

Portfolio securities and other assets for which market quotations are readily available are valued at market value. Market value is generally determined on the basis of last reported sales prices, or if no sales prices are reported, as is the case for most securities traded OTC, on the basis of either: (i) the mean between representative bid and ask quotations obtained from a quotation reporting system or from established market makers; or (ii) prices (including evaluated prices) supplied by a Fund’s approved pricing services, quotation reporting systems and other third-party sources (together, “Pricing Services”). For exchange-traded securities, market value also may be determined on the basis of the exchange’s Official Closing Price or Settlement instead of the last reported sales prices. Certain exchange-traded equity options may be valued using evaluations from Pricing Services. Fixed income securities, including those to be purchased under firm commitment agreements, are normally valued on the basis of quotes obtained from brokers and dealers or prices provided by Pricing Services, which may take into account appropriate factors such as, without limitation, institutional-sized trading in similar groups of securities, yield, quality, coupon rate, maturity, type of issue, trading characteristics, and other market data.

TAXATION

The following summarizes certain additional federal income tax considerations generally affecting the Funds and their shareholders. The discussion is for general information only and does not purport to consider all aspects of U.S. federal income taxation that might be relevant to beneficial owners of shares of the Funds. The discussion is based upon current provisions of the Internal Revenue Code, existing regulations promulgated thereunder, and administrative and judicial interpretations thereof, all of which are subject to change, which change could be retroactive. The discussion applies only to beneficial owners of Fund shares in whose hands such shares are capital assets within the meaning of Section 1221 of the Internal Revenue Code, and may not apply to certain types of beneficial owners of shares (such as insurance companies, tax exempt organizations, and broker-dealers) who may be subject to special rules. Persons who may be subject to tax in more than one country should consult the provisions of any applicable tax treaty to determine the potential tax consequences to them. Prospective investors should consult their own tax advisers with regard to the federal tax consequences of the purchase, ownership and disposition of Fund shares, as well as the tax consequences arising under the laws of any state, foreign country, or other taxing jurisdiction. The discussion here and in the Prospectus is not intended as a substitute for careful tax planning.

Each Fund intends to qualify annually or will elect to be treated as a regulated investment company under the Internal Revenue Code. To qualify for tax treatment as a regulated investment company, each Fund generally must, among other things, (a) derive in each taxable year at least 90% of its gross income from dividends, interest, payments with respect to securities loans, and gains from the sale or other disposition of stock, securities or foreign currencies, net income from certain “qualified publicly traded partnerships,” or other income derived with respect to its business of investing in such stock, securities or currencies (“Qualifying Income Test”); (b) diversify its holdings so that, at the end of each quarter of the taxable year, (i) at least 50% of the market value of the Fund’s assets is represented by cash, U.S. Government securities, the securities of other regulated investment companies and other securities, with such other securities of any one issuer limited for the purposes of this calculation to an amount not greater than 5% of the value of the Fund’s total assets and 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer, and (ii) not more than 25% of the value of its total assets is invested in the securities of any one issuer (other than U.S. Government securities or the securities of other regulated investment companies), the securities of certain controlled issuers in the same or similar trades or businesses, or the securities of one or more “qualified publicly traded partnerships”; and (c) distribute in each taxable year dividends of an amount at least equal to the sum of (i) 90% of its investment company taxable income (which includes dividends, interest and net short-term capital gains in excess of any net long-term capital losses), determined without regard to any deduction for dividends paid, and (ii) 90% of its tax exempt interest, net of expenses allocable thereto. The Treasury Department is authorized to promulgate regulations under which gains from foreign currencies (and options, futures, and forward contracts on foreign currency) would constitute qualifying income for purposes of the Qualifying Income Test only if such gains are directly related to investing in securities. To date, such regulations have not been issued.

 

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If a Fund failed to qualify as a regulated investment company accorded special tax treatment in any taxable year, a Fund would be subject to tax on its taxable income at corporate rates, and all distributions from earnings and profits, including any distributions of net tax-exempt income and net long-term capital gains, would be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income. Some portions of such distributions may be eligible for the dividends received deduction in the case of corporate shareholders and reduced rates of taxation on qualified dividend income in the case of individuals. In addition, a Fund could be required to recognize unrealized gains, pay substantial taxes and interest and make substantial distributions before requalifying as a regulated investment company that is accorded special tax treatment.

As a regulated investment company, a Fund generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on its investment company taxable income and net capital gains (any net long-term capital gains in excess of the sum of net short-term capital losses and capital loss carryovers from prior years) reported by the Fund as capital gain dividends, if any, that it distributes as dividends to its shareholders on a timely basis. Each Fund intends to distribute to its shareholders, at least annually, all or substantially all of its investment company taxable income and any net capital gains. In addition, amounts not distributed by a Fund on a timely basis in accordance with a calendar year distribution requirement may be subject to a nondeductible 4% excise tax. Unless an applicable exception applies, to avoid the tax, a Fund must distribute dividends in respect of each calendar year to its shareholders of an amount at least equal to the sum of (1) 98% of its ordinary income (taking into account certain deferrals and elections) for the calendar year, (2) 98.2% of its capital gains in excess of its capital losses (and adjusted for certain ordinary losses) generally for the twelve month period ending on October 31, and (3) all ordinary income and capital gains for previous years that were not distributed during such years and on which the Fund paid no U.S. federal income tax. To avoid application of the excise tax, each Fund generally intends, to the extent necessary, to make its distributions in accordance with the calendar year distribution requirement. However, each Fund reserves the right to retain a portion of its earnings and be subject to excise tax on such earnings. A distribution will be treated as paid on December 31 of the calendar year if it is declared by a Fund in October, November, or December of that year to shareholders of record on a date in such a month and paid by the Fund during January of the following calendar year. Such distributions will be taxable to shareholders (other than those not subject to federal income tax) in the calendar year in which the distributions are declared, rather than the calendar year in which the distributions are received.

U.S. federal tax reform legislation, commonly known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Act”), was recently enacted in December 2017. The Act permanently reduces the maximum federal corporate income tax rate beginning after December 31, 2017 and temporarily reduces the maximum individual income tax rate (effective for taxable years 2018 through 2025).

Among other highlights, the Act limits the deductibility of business interest expense, changes the rules regarding both the calculation of net operating loss and carryforward deductions that may be used to offset taxable income, amends the constructive ownership rules of the U.S. controlled foreign corporation regime, reduces the dividends received deduction exclusion of income for corporations, and requires certain accrual basis taxpayers to recognize income for tax purposes no later than the taxable year in which such income is recognized for financial reporting purposes.

The application of the provisions of the Act is uncertain, and any changes in the Act may have indirect and direct effects on a Fund, its investments, and its shareholders, which cannot be predicted. In addition, legislative and regulatory changes could be enacted at any time, which could have either a prospective or retroactive effect. Respective shareholders should consult their tax advisors regarding the implications of the Act on their investments in the Funds.

Distributions

All dividends and distributions of a Fund, other than exempt-interest dividends discussed below, whether received in shares or cash, generally are taxable and must be reported on each shareholder’s federal income tax return. Dividends paid out of a Fund’s investment company taxable income will be taxable to a U.S. shareholder as ordinary income. Distributions received by tax-exempt shareholders will not be subject to federal income tax to the extent permitted under the applicable tax exemption.

Although all or a portion of the dividends paid by certain Funds may qualify for the deduction for dividends received by certain U.S. corporations and/or the reduced tax rate for individuals and other noncorporate taxpayers on certain “qualified dividend income,” it is not expected that any such portion would be significant. Dividends paid by certain other Funds generally are not expected to qualify for the deduction for dividends received by corporations and/or the reduced tax rate for individuals and other noncorporate taxpayers on certain “qualified dividend income.” Distributions of net capital gains, if any, reported as capital gain dividends, are taxable as long-term capital gains, regardless of how long the shareholder has held a Fund’s shares and are not eligible for the dividends received deduction. Any distributions that are not from a Fund’s investment company taxable income or net realized capital gains may be characterized as a return of capital to

 

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shareholders or, in some cases, as capital gain. The tax treatment of dividends and distributions will be the same whether a shareholder reinvests them in additional shares or elects to receive them in cash. The maximum individual rate applicable to “qualified dividend income” and long-term capital gains is generally either 15% or 20%, depending on whether the individual’s income exceeds certain threshold amounts. Any Fund’s participation in a securities lending transaction may affect the amount, timing, and character of distributions derived from such transaction to shareholders. In this case, amounts derived by a Fund in place of dividends earned on a security during the period that such security was not directly held by the Fund may not give rise to qualified dividend income or the deduction for dividends received by certain corporations.

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 Fund 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 certain threshold amounts.

In taxable years when a Fund distributes amounts in excess of its earnings and profits, such distributions may be treated in part as a return of capital. A return of capital is not taxable to a shareholder and has the effect of reducing the shareholder’s basis in the shares.

The tax treatment of income, gains and losses attributable to foreign currencies (and derivatives on such currencies), and various other special tax rules applicable to certain financial transactions and instruments could affect the amount, timing and character of a Fund’s distributions. In some cases, these tax rules could also result in a retroactive change in the tax character of prior distributions and may also possibly cause all, or a portion, of prior distributions to be reclassified as returns of capital for tax purposes.

Sales of Shares

Upon the disposition of shares of a Fund (whether by redemption, sale or exchange), a shareholder may realize a gain or loss. Such gain or loss will be capital gain or loss if the shares are capital assets in the shareholder’s hands, and will be long-term or short-term generally depending upon the shareholder’s holding period for the shares. Any loss realized on a disposition will be disallowed to the extent the shares disposed of are replaced within a period of 61 days beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after the shares are disposed of. In such a case, the basis of the shares acquired will be adjusted to reflect the disallowed loss. Any loss realized by a shareholder on a disposition of shares held by the shareholder for six months or less will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of any distributions of capital gain dividends received by the shareholder with respect to such shares. Additionally, any loss realized upon the sale or exchange of Fund shares with a tax holding period of six months or less may be disallowed to the extent of any distributions treated as exempt-interest dividends with respect to such shares. If a Fund redeems a shareholder in-kind rather than in cash, the shareholder would realize the same gain or loss as if the shareholder had been redeemed in cash. Further, the shareholder’s basis in the securities received in the in-kind redemption would be the securities’ fair market value on the date of the in-kind redemption.

The Internal Revenue Code requires reporting of adjusted cost basis information for covered securities, which generally include shares of a regulated investment company acquired after January 1, 2012, to the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) and to taxpayers. Shareholders should contact their financial intermediaries with respect to reporting of cost basis and available elections for their accounts.

Potential Pass-Through of Tax Credits

If a Fund invests in Build America Bonds, created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, as amended, or any other qualified tax credit bonds, the investment will result in taxable income to such Fund. The applicable Fund may elect to pass through to shareholders the applicable interest income and available tax credits, in which case shareholders will be required to report both the interest income and tax credits as taxable income. Shareholders may be able to claim the tax credits on their federal tax returns against their income tax, including alternative minimum tax, liability. However, such tax credits are generally not refundable. There is no assurance that a Fund will elect to pass through any such income and credits.

Backup Withholding

A Fund may be required to withhold up to 24% of all taxable distributions payable to shareholders who fail to provide the Fund with their correct taxpayer identification number or to make required certifications, or who have been notified by the IRS that they are subject to backup withholding. Corporate shareholders and certain other shareholders specified in the Internal Revenue Code generally are exempt from such backup withholding. Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld may be credited against the shareholder’s U.S. federal tax liability.

 

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Options, Futures and Forward Contracts, and Swap Agreements

Some of the options, futures contracts, forward contracts, and swap agreements used by the Funds may be considered “section 1256 contracts.” Any gains or losses on section 1256 contracts are generally considered 60% long-term and 40% short-term capital gains or losses (“60/40”) although certain foreign currency gains and losses from such contracts may be treated as ordinary in character. Also, section 1256 contracts held by 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 Internal Revenue Code) are “marked to market” with the result that unrealized gains or losses are treated as though they were realized and the resulting gain or loss is treated as ordinary or 60/40 gain or loss.

Generally, the hedging transactions and certain other transactions in options, futures and forward contracts undertaken by a Fund, may result in “straddles” for U.S. federal income tax purposes. In some cases, the straddle rules also could apply in connection with swap agreements. The straddle rules may affect the amount, timing and character of gains (or losses) realized by a Fund. In addition, losses realized by a Fund on positions that are part of a straddle may be deferred under the straddle rules, rather than being taken into account in calculating the Fund’s taxable income for the taxable year in which such losses are realized. Because only a few regulations implementing the straddle rules have been promulgated, the tax consequences of transactions in options, futures, forward contracts, and swap agreements to a Fund are not entirely clear. The transactions may increase the amount of short-term capital gain realized by a Fund which generally would be taxed as ordinary income when distributed to shareholders.

A Fund may make one or more of the elections available under the Internal Revenue Code which are applicable to straddles. If a Fund makes any of the elections, the amount, character and timing of the recognition of gains or losses from the affected straddle positions will be determined under rules that vary according to the election(s) made. The rules applicable under certain of the elections operate to accelerate the recognition of gains or losses from the affected straddle positions.

Because application of the straddle rules may affect the character of gains or losses, defer losses and/or accelerate the recognition of gains or losses from the affected straddle positions, the amount which must be distributed to shareholders, and which generally will be taxed to shareholders either as ordinary income or long-term capital gain, may be increased or decreased substantially as compared to a fund that did not engage in such hedging transactions.

Rules governing the tax aspects of swap agreements are in a developing stage and are not entirely clear in certain respects. Accordingly, while the Funds intend to account for such transactions in a manner they deem to be appropriate, the IRS might not accept such treatment. If it did not, the status of a Fund as a regulated investment company might be affected. The Trust intends to monitor developments in this area.

Certain requirements that must be met under the Internal Revenue Code in order for a Fund to qualify as a regulated investment company, including the qualifying income and diversification requirements applicable to a Fund’s assets may limit the extent to which a Fund will be able to engage in transactions in options, futures contracts, forward contracts, and swap agreements.

In addition, the use of swaps or other derivatives could adversely affect the character (capital gain vs. ordinary income) of the income recognized by the Funds for federal income tax purposes, as well as the amount and timing of such recognition, as compared to a direct investment in underlying securities, and could result in a Fund’s recognition of income prior to the receipt of any corresponding cash. As a result of the use of swaps and derivatives, a larger portion of the Fund’s distributions may be treated as ordinary income than would have been the case if the Fund did not enter into such swaps or derivatives. The tax treatment of swap agreements and other derivatives may also be affected by future legislation or Treasury Regulations and/or guidance issued by the IRS that could affect the character, timing and/or amount of the Fund’s taxable income or gains and distributions made by the Fund.

Short Sales

The Funds may make short sales of securities. In general, gain or loss on a short sale is recognized when a Fund closes the short sale by delivering the borrowed securities to the lender, not when the borrowed securities are sold. Short sales may increase the amount of short-term capital gain realized by a Fund, which generally would be taxed as ordinary income when distributed to shareholders. In addition, these rules may terminate the holding period of “substantially identical property” held by these Funds. Moreover, a loss recognized by a Fund on a short sale will be treated as a long-term capital loss if, on the date of the short sale, “substantially identical property” has been held by the Fund for more than one year. A Fund generally will not be permitted to deduct payments made to reimburse a lender of securities for dividends paid on borrowed securities if the short sale is closed on or before the 45th day after the Fund enters into the short sale. Short sales also may be subject to the “Constructive Sales” rules, discussed below.

 

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Passive Foreign Investment Companies

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

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

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

Foreign Currency Transactions

Under the Internal Revenue Code, gains or losses attributable to fluctuations in exchange rates which occur between the time a Fund accrues income or other receivables or accrues expenses or other liabilities denominated in a foreign currency and the time the Fund actually collects such receivables or pays such liabilities generally are treated as ordinary income or loss. Similarly, on disposition of debt securities denominated in a foreign currency and on disposition of certain other instruments, gains or losses attributable to fluctuations in the value of the foreign currency between the date of acquisition of the security or contract and the date of disposition also are treated as ordinary gain or loss. These gains and losses, referred to under the Internal Revenue Code as “section 988” gains or losses, may increase or decrease the amount of a Fund’s investment company taxable income to be distributed to its shareholders as ordinary income.

Foreign Taxation

Income and gains recognized by the Funds from sources within foreign countries may be subject to withholding and other taxes imposed by such countries. Tax conventions between certain countries and the U.S. may reduce or eliminate such taxes. In addition, PIMCO intends to manage the Funds with the intention of minimizing foreign taxation in cases where it is deemed prudent to do so. If more than 50% of the value of a Fund’s total assets at the close of its taxable year consists of securities of foreign corporations or foreign governments, the Fund will be eligible to elect to “pass-through” to the Fund’s shareholders the amount of foreign income and similar taxes paid by the Fund. If this election is made, a shareholder subject to tax generally will be required to include in gross income (in addition to taxable dividends actually received) his or her pro rata share of the foreign taxes paid by the Fund, and may be entitled either to deduct (as an itemized deduction) his or her pro rata share of foreign taxes in computing his or her taxable income or to use it (subject to limitations) as a foreign tax credit against his or her U.S. federal income tax liability. No deduction for foreign taxes may be claimed by a shareholder who does not itemize deductions. Each shareholder will be notified after the close of the Fund’s taxable year whether any foreign income or related foreign taxes paid by the Fund will “pass-through” for that taxable year.

Generally, a credit for foreign taxes is subject to the limitation that it may not exceed a shareholder’s U.S. tax attributable to such shareholder’s total foreign source taxable income. For this purpose, if the pass-through election is made,

 

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the source of a Fund’s income will flow through to shareholders of the Fund. With respect to such Fund, gains from the sale of securities will be treated as derived from U.S. sources and certain currency fluctuation gains, including fluctuation gains from foreign currency-denominated debt securities, receivables and payables will be treated as ordinary income derived from U.S. sources. Furthermore, any amounts received by a Fund in place of dividends earned and any related withholding taxes incurred on a security while such security was subject to a securities loan, respectively, will not qualify as foreign income and will not qualify as a foreign tax paid by such Fund and, therefore, will not be able to be passed through to shareholders even if the Fund satisfies the requirements described above. The limitation on the foreign tax credit is applied separately to foreign source passive income, and to certain other types of income. Shareholders may be unable to claim a credit for the full amount of their proportionate share of the foreign taxes paid by the Fund. Various other limitations, including a minimum holding period requirement, apply to limit the credit and/or deduction for foreign taxes for purposes of regular federal tax and/or alternative minimum tax.

Original Issue Discount and Market Discount

Some of the debt securities (with a fixed maturity date of more than one year from the date of issuance) that may be acquired by a Fund may be treated as debt securities that are issued originally at a discount. Generally, the amount of the original issue discount (“OID”) is treated as interest income and is included in income over the term of the debt security, even though payment of that amount is not received until a later time, usually when the debt security matures. A portion of the OID includable in income with respect to certain high-yield corporate debt securities may be treated as a dividend for federal income tax purposes.

Some of the debt securities (with a fixed maturity date of more than one year from the date of issuance) that may be acquired by a Fund in the secondary market may be treated as having market discount. Generally, any gain recognized on the disposition of, and any partial payment of principal on, a debt security having market discount is treated as ordinary income to the extent the gain, or principal payment, does not exceed the “accrued market discount” on such debt security. Market discount generally accrues in equal daily installments. A Fund may make one or more of the elections applicable to debt securities having market discount, which could affect the character and timing of recognition of such income.

Some debt securities (with a fixed maturity date of one year or less from the date of issuance) that may be acquired by a Fund may be treated as having acquisition discount, or OID in the case of certain types of debt securities. Generally, the Fund will be required to include the acquisition discount, or OID, in income over the term of the debt security, even though payment of that amount is not received until a later time, usually when the debt security matures. The Fund may make one or more of the elections applicable to debt securities having acquisition discount, or OID, which could affect the character and timing of recognition of such income.

Investments in REITs and REMICs

Some of the Funds may invest in REITs. Such investments in REIT equity securities may require a Fund to accrue and distribute income not yet received. In order to generate sufficient cash to make the requisite distributions, the Fund may be required to sell securities in its portfolio (including when it is not advantageous to do so) that it otherwise would have continued to hold. A Fund’s investments in REIT equity securities may at other times result in the Fund’s receipt of cash in excess of the REIT’s earnings; if the Fund distributes such amounts, such distribution could constitute a return of capital to Fund shareholders for federal income tax purposes. Dividends received by a Fund from a REIT generally will not constitute qualified dividend income.

As discussed above, a Fund or some of the REITs in which a Fund may invest may be permitted to hold senior or residual interests in REMICs or debt or equity interests in TMPs. Under Treasury regulations not yet issued, but that may apply retroactively, a portion of a Fund’s income from a REIT that is attributable to the REIT’s residual interest in a REMIC or a TMP (referred to in the Internal Revenue Code as an “excess inclusion”) will be subject to federal income tax in all events. These regulations are expected to provide that excess inclusion income of a regulated investment company, such as a Fund, will be allocated to shareholders of the regulated investment company in proportion to the dividends received by shareholders, with the same consequences as if shareholders held the related REMIC residual or TMP interest 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 a qualified pension plan, an individual retirement account, a 401(k) plan, a Keogh plan or other tax-exempt entity) subject to tax on unrelated business income, thereby potentially requiring such an entity that is allocated excess inclusion income, and that 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 non-U.S. shareholder, will not qualify for any reduction in U.S. federal withholding tax.

 

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If at any time during any taxable year a “disqualified organization” (as defined in the Internal Revenue Code) is a record holder of a share in a regulated investment company earning excess inclusion income, then the regulated investment company 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 highest federal income tax rate imposed on corporations. It is not expected that a substantial portion of a Fund’s assets will be residual interests in REMICs. Additionally, the Funds do not intend to invest in REITs in which a substantial portion of the assets will consist of residual interests in REMICs.

Under recent tax legislation, individuals (and certain other non-corporate entities) are generally eligible for a 20% deduction with respect to taxable ordinary dividends from REITs and certain taxable income from publicly traded partnerships. Currently, there is not a mechanism for regulated investment companies to pass through the 20% deduction to shareholders although it is possible that a legislative or regulatory approach to do so may be provided in the future. As a result, in comparison, investors investing directly in REITs or publicly traded partnerships would generally be eligible for the 20% deduction for such taxable income from these investments while investors investing in REITs or publicly traded partnerships indirectly through a Fund would not be eligible for the 20% deduction for their share of such taxable income. In addition, under the recent tax legislation, REITs as well as other corporations will be subject to certain leverage limitations regarding the deductibility of interest expense. The recent tax legislation also may, pending further regulatory guidance, require REITs and a Fund to accrue market discount currently or recognize de minimis market discount or original issue discount income, which may affect the taxability of REIT distributions received by a Fund and the amount of taxable distributions paid by a Fund to shareholders. The effects of these and other provisions of the tax legislation on REITs’ operations, on master limited partnerships, or on a Fund, is uncertain at this time.

Uncertain Tax Consequences

A Fund may invest a portion of its net assets in below investment grade instruments. Investments in these types of instruments may present special tax issues for the Fund. U.S. federal income tax rules are not entirely clear about issues such as when the Fund may cease to accrue interest, OID or market discount, when and to what extent deductions may be taken for bad debts or worthless instruments, how payments received on obligations in default should be allocated between principal and income and whether exchanges of debt obligations in a bankruptcy or workout context are taxable. These and other issues will be addressed by the Funds to the extent necessary in order to seek to ensure that they distribute sufficient income that they do not become subject to U.S. federal income or excise tax.

A Fund generally will be required to distribute dividends to shareholders representing discount on debt securities that is currently includable in income, even though cash representing such income may not have been received by the Fund. Cash to pay such dividends may be obtained from sales proceeds of securities held by the Fund.

Constructive Sales

Certain rules may affect the timing and character of gain if a Fund engages in transactions that reduce or eliminate its risk of loss with respect to appreciated financial positions. If a Fund enters into certain transactions in property while holding substantially identical property, the Fund would be treated as if it had sold and immediately repurchased the property and would be subject to tax on any gain (but not loss) from the constructive sale. The character of gain from a constructive sale would depend upon the Fund’s holding period in the property. Loss from a constructive sale would be recognized when the property was subsequently disposed of, and its character would depend on the Fund’s holding period and the application of various loss deferral provisions of the Internal Revenue Code.

IRAs and Other Retirement Plans

If you invest in a Fund through an IRA or other retirement plan, you should consult with your own tax adviser on the applicable rules for such IRA or retirement plan with respect to plan qualification requirements, limits on contributions and distributions, and required distributions from IRAs and retirement plans. As an example, there could be tax penalties on distributions from an IRA or retirement plan prior to age 59 1/2. Certain minimum distribution requirements may also apply to IRAs or retirement plans by April 1 of the year following the calendar year in which you reach age 70 1/2. Failure to follow these requirements and other applicable requirements may result in significant additional taxes and penalties. It is your responsibility to ensure that you comply with these and other requirements.

Non-U.S. Shareholders

Withholding of Income Tax on Dividends: Under U.S. federal tax law, dividends paid on shares beneficially held by a person who is a “foreign person” within the meaning of the Internal Revenue Code, are, in general, subject to withholding of U.S. federal income tax at a rate of 30% of the gross dividend, which may, in some cases, be reduced by an applicable tax treaty. However, if the dividends are effectively connected with the conduct by the beneficial holder of a trade or business in

 

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the United States, the dividend will generally be subject to U.S. federal net income taxation at regular income tax rates. Distributions of long-term net realized capital gains generally will not be subject to withholding of U.S. federal income tax.

A Fund may invest in the securities of corporations that invest in U.S. real property, including U.S. REITs. The sale or other disposition of a U.S. real property interest (“USRPI”) by a Fund, a U.S. REIT, or a U.S. real property holding corporation in which the Fund invests may trigger special tax consequences to the Fund’s non-U.S. shareholders. The Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act, as amended (“FIRPTA”), makes non-U.S. persons subject to U.S. tax on the sale or other disposition of a USRPI as if such person was a U.S. person. Such gain is sometimes referred to as FIRPTA gain. The Internal Revenue Code provides a look-through rule for distributions of FIRPTA gain by certain regulated investment companies received from U.S. REITs. Because each Fund expects to invest less than 50% of its assets at all times, directly or indirectly, in USRPIs, each Fund expects that neither gain on the sale or redemption of Fund shares nor Fund dividends and distributions would be subject to FIRPTA reporting and any related tax withholding.

A Fund is generally able to report certain distributions to non-U.S. shareholders as being derived from certain net interest income or net short-term capital gains and such reported distributions are generally not subject to U.S. tax withholding. However, distributions that are derived from other sources, such as dividends on corporate stock, foreign currency gains, foreign source interest, and ordinary income from swaps or investments in PFICs, would still be subject to U.S. tax withholding when distributed to non-U.S. shareholders. There can be no assurance as to the amount of distributions that would not be subject to U.S. tax withholding when paid to non-U.S. shareholders.

The Funds are required to withhold U.S. tax (at a 30% rate) on payments of taxable dividends and (effective January 1, 2019) redemption proceeds and certain capital gain dividends made to certain non-U.S. entities that fail to comply (or be deemed compliant) with extensive new reporting and withholding requirements designed to inform the U.S. Department of the Treasury of U.S.-owned foreign investment accounts. Shareholders may be requested to provide additional information to the Funds to enable the Funds to determine whether withholding is required.

Income Tax on Sale of a Fund’s shares: Under U.S. federal tax law, a beneficial holder of shares who is a foreign person is not, in general, subject to U.S. federal income tax on gains (and is not allowed a deduction for losses) realized on the sale of such shares unless: (i) the shares in question are effectively connected with a permanent establishment in the United States of the beneficial holder and such gain is effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business carried on by such holder within the United States; or (ii) in the case of an individual holder, the holder is present in the United States for a period or periods aggregating 183 days or more during the year of the sale and certain other conditions are met.

State and Local Tax: A beneficial holder of shares who is a foreign person may be subject to state and local tax in addition to the federal tax on income referred above.

Estate and Gift Taxes: Upon the death of a beneficial holder of shares who is a foreign person, such shares will be deemed to be property situated within the United States and may be subject to U.S. federal estate tax. If at the time of death the deceased holder is a resident of a foreign country and not a citizen or resident of the United States, such tax will be imposed at graduated rates from 18% to 40% on the total value (less allowable deductions and allowable credits) of the decedent’s property situated within the United States. In general, there is no gift tax on gifts of shares by a beneficial holder who is a foreign person.

The availability of reduced U.S. taxation pursuant to any applicable treaties depends upon compliance with established procedures for claiming the benefits thereof and may further, in some circumstances, depend upon making a satisfactory demonstration to U.S. tax authorities that a foreign investor qualifies as a foreign person under U.S. domestic tax law and such treaties.

Other Taxation

Distributions also may be subject to additional state, local and foreign taxes, depending on each shareholder’s particular situation. Under the laws of various states, distributions of investment company taxable income generally are taxable to shareholders even though all or a substantial portion of such distributions may be derived from interest on certain federal obligations which, if the interest were received directly by a resident of such state, would be exempt from such state’s income tax (“qualifying federal obligations”). However, some states may exempt all or a portion of such distributions from income tax to the extent the shareholder is able to establish that the distribution is derived from qualifying federal obligations. Moreover, for state income tax purposes, interest on some federal obligations generally is not exempt from taxation, whether received directly by a shareholder or through distributions of investment company taxable income (for example, interest on FNMA Certificates and GNMA Certificates). Each Fund will provide information annually to shareholders indicating the

 

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amount and percentage of a Fund’s dividend distribution which is attributable to interest on federal obligations, and will indicate to the extent possible from what types of federal obligations such dividends are derived. Shareholders are advised to consult their own tax advisers with respect to the particular tax consequences to them of an investment in a Fund.

OTHER INFORMATION

Capitalization

The capitalization of the Trust consists solely of an unlimited number of shares of beneficial interest with a par value of $0.001 each. The Board of Trustees may establish additional series (with different investment objectives and fundamental policies) at any time in the future. Establishment and offering of additional series will not alter the rights of the Trust’s shareholders. When issued, shares are fully paid, non-assessable, redeemable and freely transferable. Shares do not have preemptive rights or subscription rights. In liquidation of a Fund, each shareholder is entitled to receive his pro rata share of the net assets of the Fund.

Under Delaware law, shareholders are not personally liable for the obligations of the Trust. In addition, the Declaration of Trust disclaims liability of the shareholders, Trustees or officers of the Trust for acts or obligations of the Trust, which are binding only on the assets and property of the Trust.

Voting Rights

Under the Declaration of Trust, the Trust is not required to hold annual meetings of Trust shareholders to elect Trustees or for other purposes. It is not anticipated that the Trust will hold shareholders’ meetings unless required by law or the Declaration of Trust. In this regard, the Trust will be required to hold a meeting to elect Trustees to fill any existing vacancies on the Board of Trustees if, at any time, fewer than a majority of the Trustees have been elected by the shareholders of the Trust. In addition, the Declaration of Trust provides that the holders of not less than two-thirds of the outstanding shares of the Trust may remove a person serving as Trustee at any shareholder meeting. The Trustees are required to call a meeting of shareholders if requested in writing to do so by the holders of not less than ten percent of the outstanding shares of the Trust.

The Trust’s shares do not have cumulative voting rights, so that the holder of more than 50% of the outstanding shares may elect the entire Board of Trustees, in which case the holders of the remaining shares would not be able to elect any Trustees. In addition, to the extent the Funds owns shares of a money market fund or short-term bond fund pursuant to the November 19, 2001 SEC exemptive order discussed above, the Funds will vote such shares in proportion to the votes of all other shareholders of the respective money market or short-term bond fund. If such money market or short-term bond fund has no other shareholders except the Funds and other PIMCO-advised funds, the Funds will vote such shares in proportion to the votes of the respective Fund’s shareholders on the proposal, or if such Fund’s shareholders are not solicited for their vote on the same proposal, such Fund will vote such shares in proportion to the votes of all other shareholders of the respective money market or short-term bond fund.

Pursuant to the terms of the Participant Agreement, an Authorized Participant, to the extent that it is a beneficial owner of Fund shares, will irrevocably appoint the Distributor as its attorney and proxy with full authorization and power to vote (or abstain from voting) its beneficially owned Fund shares. The Distributor intends to vote (or abstain from voting) the Authorized Participant’s beneficially owned Fund shares in the same proportion as the votes (or abstentions) of all other shareholders of such Fund on any matter submitted to the vote of shareholders of such Fund.

Shares entitle their holders to one vote per share (with proportionate voting for fractional shares). As used in the Prospectuses or this Statement of Additional Information, the phrase “vote of a majority of the outstanding shares” of a Fund (or the Trust) means the vote of the lesser of: (i) 67% of the shares of the Fund (or the Trust) present at a meeting, if the holders of more than 50% of the outstanding shares are present in person or by proxy; or (ii) more than 50% of the outstanding shares of the Fund (or the Trust).

The Trust or a Fund may be terminated by a majority vote of the Board of Trustees or the affirmative vote of a supermajority of the holders of the Trust or such Fund entitled to vote on termination. Although the shares are not automatically redeemable upon the occurrence of any specific event, the Trust’s organizational documents provide that the Board will have the unrestricted power to alter the number of shares in a Creation Unit. In the event of a termination of the Trust or a Fund, the Board, in its sole discretion, could determine to permit the shares to be redeemable in aggregations smaller than Creation Units or to be individually redeemable. In such circumstance, the Trust may make redemptions in-kind, for cash or for a combination of cash or securities.

 

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Control Persons and Principal Holders of Securities

Although the Trust does not have information concerning the beneficial ownership of shares nominally held by DTC, the name and percentage ownership of each DTC participant that owned of record 5% or more of the outstanding shares of a Fund, as of October 4, 2018, is set forth below.

 

FUND NAME

   REGISTRATION   

PERCENTAGE OF

OUTSTANDING SHARES OF FUND

    OWNED OF RECORD    

 

PIMCO RAFI Dynamic Multi-Factor U.S. Equity ETF   

CHARLES SCHWAB & CO INC.
101 MONTGOMERY ST
SAN FRANCISCO CA 94104-4151

 

   7.23%
PIMCO RAFI Dynamic Multi-Factor U.S. Equity ETF   

STATE STREET BANK & TRUST
1776 HERITAGE DRIVE
NORTH QUINCY, MA 02171

 

   71.31%
PIMCO RAFI Dynamic Multi-Factor International Equity ETF   

CHARLES SCHWAB & CO INC.
101 MONTGOMERY ST
SAN FRANCISCO CA 94104-4151

 

   13.12%
PIMCO RAFI Dynamic Multi-Factor International Equity ETF   

CITIGROUP GLOBAL MARKETS
390 GREENWICH STREET, 3RD FLOOR
NEW YORK, NY 10013

 

   11.99%
PIMCO RAFI Dynamic Multi-Factor International Equity ETF   

JP MORGAN SECURITIES CORP.
383 MADISON AVENUE
NEW YORK, NY 10179

 

   10.34%
PIMCO RAFI Dynamic Multi-Factor International Equity ETF   

MERRILL LYNCH PROFESSIONAL
CLEARING CORP.
222 BROADWAY
NEW YORK, NY 10038

 

   5.34%
PIMCO RAFI Dynamic Multi-Factor International Equity ETF   

NATIONAL FINANCIAL SERVICES LLC 200 LIBERTY ST, ONE WORLD FINANCIAL CENTER
NEW YORK NY 10281-1003

 

   16.89%
PIMCO RAFI Dynamic Multi-Factor International Equity ETF   

PERSHING LLC
1 PERSHING PLZ
JERSEY CITY, NJ 07399-000

 

   22.29%
PIMCO RAFI Dynamic Multi-Factor International Equity ETF   

SG AMERICAS SECURITIES, LLC
245 PARK AVENUE
NEW YORK, NY 10167

 

   6.14%
PIMCO RAFI Dynamic Multi-Factor International Equity ETF   

TD AMERITRADE INC
PO BOX 2226
OMAHA NE 68103-2226

 

   7.47%
PIMCO RAFI Dynamic Multi-Factor Emerging Markets Equity ETF   

STATE STREET BANK & TRUST
1776 HERITAGE DRIVE
NORTH QUINCY, MA 02171

 

   87.16%

Code of Ethics

The Trust, PIMCO, Parametric and the Distributor each has adopted a Code of Ethics pursuant to the requirements of the 1940 Act and the Advisers Act. These Codes of Ethics permit personnel subject to the Codes of Ethics to invest in securities, including securities that may be purchased or held by a Fund.

 

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Securities Depository for Shares of the Funds

Shares of the Funds are represented by securities registered in the name of DTC or its nominee and deposited with, or on behalf of, DTC.

DTC, a limited-purpose trust company, was created to hold securities of its participants (“DTC Participants”) and to facilitate the clearance and settlement of securities transactions among the DTC Participants in such securities through electronic book-entry changes in accounts of the DTC Participants, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of securities’ certificates. DTC Participants include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and certain other organizations, some of whom (and/or their representatives) own DTC. More specifically, DTC is owned by a number of its DTC Participants and by the NYSE and the FINRA. Access to the DTC system is also available to others such as banks, brokers, dealers and trust companies that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a DTC Participant, either directly or indirectly (“Indirect Participants”).

Beneficial ownership of shares is limited to DTC Participants, Indirect Participants and persons holding interests through DTC Participants and Indirect Participants. Ownership of beneficial interests in shares (owners of such beneficial interests are referred to herein as “Beneficial Owners”) is shown on, and the transfer of ownership is effected only through, records maintained by DTC (with respect to DTC Participants) and on the records of DTC Participants (with respect to Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners that are not DTC Participants). Beneficial Owners will receive from or through the DTC Participant a written confirmation relating to their purchase of shares.

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

Share distributions shall be made to DTC or its nominee as the registered holder of all shares of the Trust. DTC or its nominee, upon receipt of any such distributions, shall credit immediately DTC Participants’ accounts with payments in amounts proportionate to their respective beneficial interests in shares of a Fund 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 of the Trust at any time by giving reasonable notice to the Trust and discharging its responsibilities with respect thereto under applicable law. Under such circumstances, the Trust shall take action to find a replacement for DTC to perform its functions at a comparable cost.

Disclaimers

The Funds are not sponsored, promoted, offered, sold or supported in any other manner by RAFI Indices, LLC or any of its affiliates, licensors or contractors (the “RAFI Parties”) nor do any of the RAFI Parties offer any express or implicit guarantee, warranty or assurance either with regard to the results of using the RAFI Indexes or the Index prices at any time or in any other respect. The RAFI Indexes are calculated and published by the RAFI Parties. The RAFI Parties use commercially reasonable efforts to ensure that each RAFI Index is calculated correctly. None of the RAFI Parties shall be liable for any error, omission, inaccuracy, incompleteness, delay, or interruption in the RAFI Indexes or any data related thereto or have any obligation to point out errors in the RAFI Indexes to any person. Neither publication of the RAFI Indexes by the RAFI Parties nor the licensing of the RAFI Indexes or RAFI Index trademark for the purpose of use in connection with the Funds constitutes a recommendation by any of the RAFI Parties to invest in nor does it in any way represent an assurance, endorsement or opinion of any of the RAFI Parties with regard to any investment in the Funds. The trade name RAFI® is a registered trademark of Research Affiliates, LLC in the U.S. and other countries.

 

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Shares of the Funds are not sponsored, endorsed or promoted by NYSE Arca. NYSE Arca makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of shares of the Funds or any member of the public regarding the ability of the Funds to track the investment results of an Underlying Index or the ability of an Underlying Index to track fixed income performance. NYSE Arca is not responsible for, nor has it participated in, the determination of the compilation or the calculation of an Underlying Index, nor 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. NYSE Arca has no obligation or liability to owners of shares of the Funds in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of shares of the Funds. NYSE Arca does not guarantee the accuracy and/or the completeness of an Underlying Index or any data included therein. NYSE Arca makes no warranty, express or implied, as to results to be obtained by the Trust, on behalf of the Funds as licensee, licensee’s customers and counterparties, owners of shares of the Funds or any other person or entity, from the use of an Underlying Index or any data included therein in connection with the rights licensed as described herein or for any other use.

NYSE Arca makes no express or implied warranties and hereby expressly disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose with respect to an Underlying Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall NYSE Arca have any liability for any direct, indirect, special, punitive, consequential or any other damages (including lost profits) even if notified of the possibility of such damages.

Custodian and Transfer Agent

State Street Bank & Trust Co., State Street Financial Center, One Lincoln Street, Boston, MA 02111, serves as custodian for assets of the Funds and transfer agent for the shares of the Funds.

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, 1100 Walnut Street, Suite 1300, Kansas City, Missouri 64106-2197, serves as the independent registered public accounting firm for the Funds. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP provides audit services, tax assistance and consultation in connection with review of SEC and IRS filings.

Legal Counsel

Dechert LLP, 1900 K Street, NW, Washington, DC 20006-1110, passes upon certain legal matters in connection with the shares offered by the Trust, and also acts as legal counsel to the Trust.

Registration Statement

This Statement of Additional Information and the Prospectus do not contain all of the information included in the Trust’s registration statement filed with the SEC under the 1933 Act with respect to the securities offered hereby, certain portions of which have been omitted pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC. The registration statement, including the exhibits filed therewith, may be examined at the offices of the SEC in Washington, D.C.

Statements contained herein and in the Prospectus as to the contents of any contract or other documents referred to are not necessarily complete, and, in each instance, reference is made to the copy of such contract or other documents filed as an exhibit to the registration statement, each such statement being qualified in all respects by such reference.

Financial Statements

[To be provided by amendment.]

RAFI00SAI_[  ]

 

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PART C.            OTHER INFORMATION

Item 28. Exhibits

 

(a)   (1)   Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust dated May 17, 2017(19)
  (2)   Certificate of Trust dated December 28, 2009(1)
  (3)   Certificate of Amendment to Certificate of Trust dated February 18, 2010(2)
(b)     Amended and Restated By-Laws of Registrant dated May 13, 2015(14)
(c)     Not applicable
(d)   (1)   Investment Advisory Contract dated March 30, 2010(3)
  (2)   Supplement and Amended Exhibit A to Investment Advisory Contract relating to the PIMCO Dividend and Income Fund dated November 7, 2011(7)
  (3)   Supplement and Amended Exhibit A to Investment Advisory Contract relating to the PIMCO EqS® Long/Short Fund dated February 29, 2012(9)
  (4)   Supplement and Amended Exhibit A to Investment Advisory Contract relating to the PIMCO REALPATH® Blend Income Fund, PIMCO REALPATH® Blend 2020 Fund, PIMCO REALPATH® Blend 2025 Fund, PIMCO REALPATH® Blend 2030 Fund, PIMCO REALPATH® Blend 2035 Fund, PIMCO REALPATH® Blend 2040 Fund, PIMCO REALPATH® Blend 2045 Fund, PIMCO REALPATH® Blend 2050 Fund and PIMCO REALPATH® Blend 2055 Fund (collectively, the “PIMCO REALPATH® Blend Funds”) dated November 5, 2014(13)
  (5)   Supplement and Amended Exhibit A to Investment Advisory Contract relating to the PIMCO RAE Emerging Markets Fund, PIMCO RAE Global Fund, PIMCO RAE Global ex-US Fund, PIMCO RAE International Fund, PIMCO RAE US Fund and PIMCO RAE US Small Fund (collectively, the “PIMCO RAE Funds”) dated February 25, 2015(14)
  (6)   Supplement and Amended Exhibit A to Investment Advisory Contract relating to the PIMCO Dividend and Income Fund dated June 16, 2016(17)
  (7)   Supplement and Amended Exhibit A to Investment Advisory Contract relating to the PIMCO Funds: Private Account Portfolio Series – PIMCO Short Asset Portfolio dated February 15, 2017(20)
  (8)   Amended and Restated Sub-Advisory Agreement relating to the PIMCO RAE Funds and PIMCO Dividend and Income Fund dated August 26, 2016(17)
  (9)   Portfolio Implementation Agreement relating to the PIMCO RAE Funds dated March 11, 2015(14)
  (10)   Portfolio Implementation Agreement relating to the PIMCO Dividend and Income Fund dated August 26, 2016(17)
  (11)   Investment Management Agreement dated May 17, 2017(19)
  (12)   Sub-Advisory Agreement relating to the PIMCO RAFI Dynamic Multi-Factor Emerging Markets Equity ETF, PIMCO RAFI Dynamic Multi-Factor International Equity ETF and PIMCO RAFI Dynamic Multi-Factor U.S. Equity ETF dated June 16, 2017(19)
(e)   (1)   Second Amended and Restated Distribution Contract dated February 15, 2017(20)


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  (2)   Amendment to the Second Amended and Restated Distribution Contract dated February 14, 2018.(23)
  (3)   Amendment to the Second Amended and Restated Distribution Contract dated May 17, 2018.(24)
  (4)   Distribution Contract for Exchange-Traded Funds dated May 17, 2017(19)
(f)     Not Applicable
(g)   (1)   Custody and Investment Accounting Agreement, effective as of March 30, 2010(3)
  (2)   Amendment to Custody and Investment Accounting Agreement dated February 8, 2017(20)
  (3)   Amended Appendix A to Custody and Investment Accounting Agreement dated March 21, 2018(24)
  (4)   Custody and Investment Accounting Agreement dated May 22, 2009(19)
  (5)   Amendment to Custody and Investment Accounting Agreement dated June 20, 2017(19)
(h)   (1)   Second Amended and Restated Supervision and Administration Agreement dated February 29, 2012(9)
  (2)   Supplement to the Second Amended and Restated Supervision and Administration Agreement relating to the PIMCO REALPATH® Blend Funds dated November 5, 2014(13)
  (3)   Supplement to the Second Amended and Restated Supervision and Administration Agreement relating to the PIMCO RAE Funds dated February 25, 2015(14)
  (4)   Supplement to the Second Amended and Restated Supervision and Administration Agreement relating to I-3 shares dated February 14, 2018(23)
  (5)   Supplement to the Second Amended and Restated Supervision and Administration Agreement relating to I-3 shares and Class D shares dated May 17, 2018(24)
  (6)   Amended and Restated Transfer Agency and Service Agreement dated May 14, 2015(14)
  (7)   Second Amended and Restated Expense Limitation Agreement dated June 1, 2018(26)
  (8)   Fee Waiver Agreement relating to PIMCO RAE Funds dated February 25, 2015(14)
  (9)   Fee Waiver Agreement relating to PIMCO RAE Global Fund and PIMCO RAE Global ex-US Fund dated February 25, 2015(14)
  (10)   Fee Waiver Agreement relating to I-3 shares of PIMCO EqS® Long/Short Fund dated February 14, 2018(26)
  (11)   Fee Waiver Agreement relating to I-3 shares of PIMCO RAE US Fund and PIMCO Dividend and Income Fund dated May 17, 2018(24)
  (12)   Form of Authorized Participant Agreement(21)
  (13)   Form of Fund of Funds Participation Agreement(19)
  (14)   Transfer Agency and Service Agreement dated May 21, 2009(19)
  (15)   Amendment to Transfer Agency and Service Agreement dated June 20, 2017(19)
  (16)   Amendment to Transfer Agency and Service Agreement dated July 17, 2018(26)
  (17)   Amended and Restated Expense Limitation Agreement for Exchange-Traded Funds dated June 1, 2018(26)


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(i)     Opinion and Consent of Counsel(28)
(j)     Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm(28)
(k)     Not Applicable
(l)     Not Applicable
(m)   (1)   Distribution and Servicing Plan for Class A Shares dated March 30, 2010(3)
  (2)   Distribution and Servicing Plan for Class C Shares dated March 30, 2010(3)
  (3)   Distribution and Servicing Plan for Administrative Class Shares dated April 1, 2012(9)
  (4)   Distribution and Servicing Plan for Class R Shares dated March 30, 2010(3)
  (5)   Distribution and Servicing Plan for Exchange-Traded Funds dated May 17, 2017(19)
(n)     Eighth Amended and Restated Multi-Class Plan adopted pursuant to Rule 18f-3 dated May 17, 2018(24)
(p)   (1)   Revised Code of Ethics for the Registrant(20)
  (2)   Code of Ethics for PIMCO and PIMCO Investments LLC(27)
  (3)   Code of Ethics for Research Affiliates, LLC(27)
  (4)   Code of Ethics for Parametric Portfolio Associates, LLC(25)
  *     Powers of Attorney(27)

 

(1)   

Filed with Registration Statement on Form N-1A on December 30, 2009, and incorporated by reference herein.

(2)   

Filed with Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Registration Statement on February 19, 2010, and incorporated by reference herein.

(3)

(4)

(5)

  

Filed with Pre-Effective Amendment No. 2 to the Registration Statement on March 31, 2010, and incorporated by reference herein.

Filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 6 to the Registration Statement on January 25, 2011, and incorporated by reference herein.

Filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 10 to the Registration Statement on August 31, 2011, and incorporated by reference herein.

(6)   

Filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 12 to the Registration Statement on October 28, 2011, and incorporated by reference herein.

(7)   

Filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 14 to the Registration Statement on November 21, 2011, and incorporated by reference herein.

(8)   

Filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 18 to the Registration Statement on March 2, 2012, and incorporated by reference herein.

(9)   

Filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 20 to the Registration Statement on October 29, 2012, and incorporated by reference herein.

(10)   

Filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 22 to the Registration Statement on October 24, 2013, and incorporated by reference herein.

(11)   

Filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 25 to the Registration Statement on January 27, 2014, and incorporated by reference herein.

(12)   

Filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 28 to the Registration Statement on October 8, 2014, and incorporated by reference herein.

(13)   

Filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 31 to the Registration Statement on November 17, 2014, and incorporated by reference herein.

(14)   

Filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 38 to the Registration Statement on June 4, 2015, and incorporated by reference herein.


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(15)   

Filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 40 to the Registration Statement on October 26, 2015, and incorporated by reference herein.

(16)   

Filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 42 to the Registration Statement on August 25, 2016, and incorporated by reference herein.

(17)   

Filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 43 to the Registration Statement on October 28, 2016, and incorporated by reference herein.

(18)   

Filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 45 to the Registration Statement on January 27, 2017, and incorporated by reference herein.

(19)   

Filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 54 to the Registration Statement on June 21, 2017, and incorporated by reference herein.

(20)   

Filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 58 to the Registration Statement on August 25, 2017, and incorporated by reference herein.

(21)   

Filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 62 to the Registration Statement on October 26, 2017, and incorporated by reference herein.

(22)

(23)

  

Filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 68 to the Registration Statement on February 23, 2018, and incorporated by reference herein.

Filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 71 to the Registration Statement on April 27, 2018, and incorporated by reference herein.

(24)   

Filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 75 to the Registration Statement on July 26, 2018, and incorporated by reference herein.

(25)   

Filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 77 to the Registration Statement on August 24, 2018, and incorporated by reference herein.

(26)   

Filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 78 to the Registration Statement on October 25, 2018, and incorporated by reference herein.

(27)   

Filed herewith.

(28)   

To be filed by amendment.

 

Item 29.

Persons Controlled by or Under Common Control with Registrant.

None

 

Item 30.

Indemnification

Reference is made to Article VII, Section 3 of the Registrant’s Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust which was filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 25 to the Registration Statement on January 27, 2014.

 

Item 31.

Business and Other Connections of the Investment Adviser

Pacific Investment Management Company LLC (“PIMCO”) is an investment adviser registered under the Advisers Act. The list required by this Item 31 of officers and directors of PIMCO, together with any information as to any business, profession, vocation, or employment of a substantial nature engaged in by such officers and directors during the past two years, is incorporated herein by reference from Form ADV filed by PIMCO pursuant to the Advisers Act (SEC File No. 801-48187).

Research Affiliates, LLC (“Research Affiliates”) is an investment adviser registered under the Advisers Act. The list required by this Item 31 of officers and directors of Research Affiliates, together with any information as to any business, profession, vocation, or employment of a substantial nature engaged in by such officers and directors during the past two years, is incorporated herein by reference from Form ADV filed by Research Affiliates pursuant to the Advisers Act (SEC File No. 801-61153).


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Parametric Portfolio Associates LLC (“Parametric”) is an investment adviser registered under the Advisers Act. The list required by this Item 31 of officers and directors of Parametric, together with any information as to any business, profession, vocation, or employment of a substantial nature engaged in by such officers and directors during the past two years, is incorporated herein by reference from Form ADV filed by Parametric pursuant to the Advisers Act (SEC File No. 801-60485).

 

Item 32.

Principal Underwriter

 

  (a)

PIMCO Investments LLC (the “Distributor”) serves as Distributor of Shares of the Trust.

 

  (b)

The officers of the Distributor are:

 

Name and Principal    

Business Address*

   Positions and Offices With
Underwriter
  

  Positions and Offices  

  with Registrant

Mogelof, Eric    Chairman    None
Sutherland, Eric M.    President    None
Martin, Colleen M.    Chief Financial Officer and Financial and Operations Principal    None
Murphy, Jordan M.    Chief Compliance Officer    None
Harry, Seon    Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer    None
Dubitzky, Zvi    Chief Legal Officer    None
Plump, Steven B.    Head of Business Management, Vice President    None

 

 

*

The business address of all officers of the Distributor is 1633 Broadway, New York, New York 10019.

 

Item 33.

Location of Accounts and Records

The account books and other documents required to be maintained by Registrant pursuant to Section 31(a) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the Rules thereunder will be maintained at the offices of Pacific Investment Management Company LLC, 650 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, California 92660, State Street Bank & Trust Co., 801 Pennsylvania Ave., Kansas City, Missouri 64105, State Street Investment Manager Solutions, 46 Discovery, Suite 150, Irvine, California 92618, State Street Bank & Trust Co. c/o Iron Mountain Information Management, Inc., 1000 Campus Boulevard, Collegeville, PA 19426, DST Asset Manager Solutions, Inc., 430 W. 7th Street, STE 219294, Kansas City, MO 64121-9294, DST Asset Manager Solutions, Inc., 430 W. 7th Street, STE 219024 Kansas City, MO 64105-1407, DST Asset Manager Solutions, c/o Recall North America, 5 Beeman Road, Northborough, MA 01532, DST Asset Manager Solutions, c/o Iron Mountain, 175 Bearfoot Road, Northborough, MA 01532, DST Asset Manager Solutions, c/o Iron Mountain, 6119 Dermus, Kansas City, Missouri 64120, and Schick Databank, 2721 Michelle Drive, Tustin, California 92680.

 

Item 34.

Management Services

 

  

Not applicable

 

Item 35.

Undertakings

 

  

Not applicable

 


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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”), and the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, the Registrant certifies that it has duly caused this Post-Effective Amendment No. 80 to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Washington in the District of Columbia on the 26th day of August, 2019.

 

PIMCO EQUITY SERIES  
(Registrant)  
By:  

 

  Eric D. Johnson*, President  
*By:      

/s/ ADAM T. TEUFEL

 
    Adam T. Teufel  
    as attorney-in-fact  

Pursuant to the requirements of the 1933 Act, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated:

 

Signature   Title   Date

                                                           

Brent R. Harris*

        Trustee   August 26, 2019

                                                           

George E. Borst*

        Trustee   August 26, 2019

                                                           

Jennifer H. Dunbar*

        Trustee   August 26, 2019

                                                           

Kym M. Hubbard*

        Trustee   August 26, 2019

                                                           

Gary F. Kennedy*

        Trustee   August 26, 2019

                                                           

Peter B. McCarthy*

        Trustee   August 26, 2019

                                                           

Ronald C. Parker*

        Trustee   August 26, 2019

                                                           

Peter G. Strelow*

        Trustee   August 26, 2019

                                                           

Eric D. Johnson*

 

      President

      (Principal Executive Officer)

  August 26, 2019

                                                           

Bradley A. Todd*

 

      Treasurer

      (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)

  August 26, 2019

 

            

 

* By:      

  

  /s/ ADAM T. TEUFEL

  
    

  Adam T. Teufel

  as attorney-in-fact

  

 

*

Pursuant to powers of attorney filed herewith.


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EXHIBIT LIST

 

(p)(2)

   Code of Ethics for PIMCO and PIMCO Investments LLC

(p)(3)

   Code of Ethics for Research Affiliates, LLC

*

   Powers of Attorney