485BPOS 1 d613047d485bpos.htm 485BPOS 485BPOS

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 3, 2014

Securities Act File No. 333-170122

Investment Company File No. 811-22487

 

 

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, DC 20549

 

 

FORM N-1A

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

 

  UNDER  
  THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933   x
  Pre-Effective Amendment No.   ¨
  Post-Effective Amendment No. 46   x

and/or

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

 

  UNDER  
  THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1940   x
  Amendment No. 48   x

(Check appropriate box or boxes)

 

 

DBX ETF TRUST

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

60 Wall Street

New York, New York 10005

(Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)

Registrant’s Telephone Number, including Area Code: (212) 250-5883

 

 

Alex Depetris

DBX ETF Trust

60 Wall Street

New York, New York 10005

(Name and Address of Agent for Service)

Copy to: Stuart Strauss, Esq.

Dechert LLP

1095 Avenue of the Americas

New York, New York 10036

 

 

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

  x

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

 

 


 

 

db X-trackers MSCI All World ex US Hedged Equity Fund

NYSE Arca, Inc.: DBAW

db X-trackers MSCI South Korea Hedged Equity Fund

NYSE Arca, Inc.: DBKO

db X-trackers MSCI Mexico Hedged Equity Fund

NYSE Arca, Inc.: DBMX

PROSPECTUS

January 3, 2014

The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy of this Prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense. Shares in a Fund are not guaranteed or insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) or any other agency of the U.S. Government, nor are shares deposits or obligations of any bank.

Such shares in a Fund involve investment risks, including the loss of principal.

 

 

 


TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

Fund Summaries

     2   

Additional Information About Funds’ Investment Strategies and Risks

     17   

Portfolio Holdings Information

     24   

Management

     24   

Shareholder Information

     26   

Dividends and Distributions

     28   

Distribution

     30   

Fund Service Providers

     30   

Index Provider

     31   

Disclaimers

     31   

Premium/Discount Information

     32   

Financial Highlights

     32   

 

i


db X-trackers MSCI All World ex US Hedged Equity Fund

 

            Ticker: DBAW                    Stock Exchange: NYSE Arca

Investment Objective

The db X-trackers MSCI All World ex US Hedged Equity Fund (the “Fund”) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the performance, before fees and expenses, of the MSCI All Country World Index ex USA US Dollar Hedged Index (the “Underlying Index”).

Fees and Expenses

The following table describes the fees and expenses that you will incur if you own shares of the Fund.

You will also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the example that follows:

Annual Fund Operating Expenses

(expenses that you pay each year as a

percentage of the value of your investment)

 

Management Fee

     0.40

Other Expenses(1)

     0.00

Total Annual Fund

Operating Expenses

     0.40

 

 

 

(1)

Other expenses are based on estimated amounts for the Fund’s fiscal year ending May 31, 2014.

 

2


Example. This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds.

This example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

 

  1

Year

    

 

3    

Years

  

  

$41

     $128     

Portfolio Turnover. The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Underlying Index is designed to provide exposure to equity securities in developed and emerging stock markets (excluding the United States), while at the same time mitigating exposure to fluctuations between the value of the U.S. dollar and selected non-U.S. currencies. As of December 19, 2013, the Underlying Index consisted of issuers from the following 43 developed and emerging market countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey and the United Kingdom. As of December 19, 2013, the MSCI All Country World Index ex USA US Dollar Hedged Index consisted of 1,825 securities with an average market capitalization of approximately $9.79 billion and a minimum market capitalization of approximately $273.5 million. The Underlying Index hedges each foreign currency in the Underlying Index to the U.S. dollar by reflecting the effect of selling the applicable foreign currency forward at the one-month forward rate published by WM/Reuters.

For U.S. investors, international equity investments include two components of return. The first is the return attributable to stock prices in the non-U.S. market or markets in which an investment is made. The second is the return attributable to the value of non-U.S. currencies in these markets relative to the U.S. dollar. The Underlying Index and the Fund seek to track the performance of equity securities in these developed and emerging markets that is attributable solely to stock prices.

The Fund, using a “passive” or indexing investment approach, attempts to approximate the investment performance of the Underlying Index. The Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser expect that, over time, the correlation between the Fund’s performance and that of the Underlying Index before fees and expenses will be 95% or better. A figure of 100% would indicate perfect correlation.

The Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser use a representative sampling indexing strategy in seeking to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. “Representative sampling” is an indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities included in the Underlying Index that collectively has an investment profile similar to the Underlying Index. The securities selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market capitalization and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as estimated variability of returns and yield) and liquidity measures similar to those of the Underlying Index. The Fund may or may not hold all of the securities in the Underlying Index. The Fund intends to enter into forward currency contracts designed to offset the Fund’s exposure to non-U.S. currencies. A forward currency contract is a contract between two parties to buy or sell a specific currency in the future at an agreed-upon rate. The rate can be higher or lower than the spot rate between the currencies that are the subject of the contract. The amount of forward contracts in the Fund is based on the aggregate exposure of the Fund and Underlying Index to each non-U.S. currency based on currency weights as of the beginning of each month. While this approach is designed to minimize the impact of currency fluctuations on Fund returns, this does not necessarily eliminate exposure to all currency fluctuations. The return of the forward currency contracts may not perfectly offset the actual fluctuations of non-U.S. currencies relative to the U.S. dollar.

The Fund will normally invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in equity securities of issuers from countries other than the United States and in instruments designed to hedge the Fund’s exposure to non-U.S. currencies. In addition, the Fund will invest at least 80% of its total assets (but typically far more) in instruments that comprise the Underlying Index. The Fund may also invest in depositary receipts (which are securities issued by banks representing an issuer’s shares that are publicly traded in another country) in respect of equity securities that comprise the Underlying Index to seek performance that corresponds to the Underlying Index. Investments in such depositary receipts will count towards the 80% investment policy discussed above with respect to instruments that comprise the Underlying Index.

 

 

3


Industry Concentration Policy. The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to the extent that its Underlying Index is concentrated.

As of December 19, 2013, the Underlying Index was substantially comprised of issuers in the financial services sector.

Summary of Principal Risks

As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund’s performance could trail that of other investments. The Fund is subject to the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund’s NAV, trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective, as well as numerous other risks that are described in greater detail in the section of this Prospectus entitled “Further Discussion of Principal Risks” and in the Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”).

Foreign and Emerging Market Securities Risk. The Fund’s investments in foreign and emerging markets may be subject to a greater risk of loss than investments in the U.S. Such risks may include: (i) greater market volatility, (ii) lower trading volume, (iii) political and economic instability, (iv) high levels of inflation, deflation or currency devaluation, (v) greater social, political and economic uncertainty, (vi) greater risk of market shut down, (vii) higher transactional and custody costs (viii) taxation by foreign governments, (ix) decreased market liquidity, (x) various administrative difficulties, such as delays in clearing and settling portfolio transactions, (xi) more governmental limitations on foreign investments and limitations on repatriation of invested capital than those typically found in a developed market, and (xii) the risk that companies may be held to lower disclosure, corporate governance, auditing and financial reporting standards than companies in more developed countries. Because the Fund will invest in securities denominated in foreign currencies and the income received by the Fund will generally be in foreign currency, changes in currency exchange rates may negatively impact the Fund’s return. Each of these factors can make investments in the Fund more volatile and potentially less liquid than other types of investments. The risks of investing in emerging market countries are greater than the risks associated with investments in foreign developed countries.

In addition, the Fund may invest in depositary receipts which involve similar risks to those associated with investments in foreign securities. The underlying issuers of certain depositary receipts, particularly unsponsored or unregistered depositary receipts, are under no obligation to distribute shareholder communications to the holders of such receipts, or to pass through to them any voting rights with respect to the deposited securities. Issuers of unsponsored depositary receipts are not contractually obligated to disclose material information in the U.S. and, therefore, such information may not correlate to the market value of the unsponsored depositary receipt.

Currency Risk. The Fund enters into forward currency contracts to attempt to minimize the impact of changes in the value of the non-U.S. currencies included in the Underlying Index against the U.S. dollar. These contracts may not be successful. Changes in currency exchange rates and the relative value of non-U.S. currencies may affect the value of the Fund’s investment and the value of your Fund shares. To the extent the Fund’s forward currency contracts are not successful in hedging against such changes, the U.S. dollar value of your investment in the Fund may go down if the value of the local currency of the non-U.S. markets in which the Fund invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar. Furthermore, because no changes in the currency weights in the Underlying Index are made during the month to account for changes in the Underlying Index due to price movement of securities, corporate events, additions, deletions or any other changes, changes in the value of the non-U.S. currencies included in the Underlying Index against the U.S. dollar during the month may affect the value of the Fund’s investment. Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably. Therefore, the value of an investment in the Fund may also go up or down quickly and unpredictably and investors may lose money.

Forward Currency Contracts Risk. Hedging the Fund’s currency risks involves the risk of mismatching the Fund’s objectives under a forward contract with the value of securities denominated in a particular currency. Furthermore, such transactions reduce or preclude the opportunity for gain if the value of the currency should move in the direction opposite to the position taken. There is an additional risk to the extent that currency contracts create exposure to currencies in which the Fund’s securities are not denominated. Unanticipated changes in currency prices may result in poorer overall performance for the Fund than if it had not entered into such contracts.

Counterparty Risk. The foreign currency markets in which the Fund effects its transactions are over-the-counter or “interdealer” markets. The counterparty to an over-the-counter spot contract is generally a single bank or other financial institution rather than a clearing organization backed by a group of financial institutions. Participants in over-the-counter markets are typically not subject to the same credit evaluation and regulatory oversight as members of “exchange-based” markets. Because the Fund executes over-the-counter transactions, the Fund constantly takes credit risk with regard to parties with which it trades and may also bear the risk of settlement default.

Equity Securities Risk. An investment in the Fund involves risks similar to those of investing in any fund of equity securities, such as market fluctuations, changes in interest rates and perceived trends in stock prices. Equity securities are subject to volatile changes in value and their values may be more volatile than other asset classes.

 

 

4


Financial Services Sector Risk. As of the date of this Prospectus, the Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in securities of issuers in the financial services sector in order to track the Underlying Index’s allocation to that sector. The financial services sector is subject to extensive government regulation, can be subject to relatively rapid change due to increasingly blurred distinctions between service segments, and can be significantly affected by availability and cost of capital funds, changes in interest rates, the rate of corporate and consumer debt defaults, and price competition. In addition, the deterioration of the credit markets since late 2007 generally has caused an adverse impact in a broad range of markets, including U.S. and international credit and interbank money markets generally, thereby affecting a wide range of financial institutions and markets. In particular, events in the financial sector since late 2008 have resulted, and may continue to result, in an unusually high degree of volatility in the financial markets, both domestic and foreign. This situation has created instability in the financial markets and caused certain financial services companies to incur large losses. Numerous financial services companies have experienced substantial declines in the valuations of their assets, taken action to raise capital (such as the issuance of debt or equity securities), or even ceased operations. These actions have caused the securities of many financial services companies to experience a dramatic decline in value. Moreover, certain financial companies have avoided collapse due to intervention by the U.S. or foreign regulatory authorities, but such interventions have often not averted a substantial decline in the value of such companies’ common stock.

Issuers that have exposure to the real estate, mortgage and credit markets have been particularly affected by the foregoing events and the general market turmoil, and it is uncertain whether or for how long these conditions will continue.

Market Risk. The prices of the securities in the Fund are subject to the risks associated with investing in equity securities, including general economic conditions and sudden and unpredictable drops in value. The Fund’s NAV and market price, like security prices generally, will fluctuate within a wide range in response to these and other factors.

Small and Medium Capitalization Company Risk. Investing in securities of small and medium capitalization companies involves greater risk than customarily is associated with investing in larger, more established companies. These companies’ securities may be more volatile and less liquid than those of more established companies. These securities may have returns that vary, sometimes significantly, from the overall securities market. Often small and medium capitalization companies and the industries in which they focus are still evolving and, as a result, they may be more sensitive to changing market conditions.

Passive Investment Risk. The Fund is managed with a passive investment strategy, attempting to track the performance of an unmanaged index of securities. This differs from an actively managed fund, which typically seeks to outperform a benchmark index. As a result, the Fund may hold constituent securities of the Underlying Index regardless of the current or projected performance of a specific security or a particular industry or market sector. Maintaining investments in securities regardless of market conditions or the performance of individual securities could cause the Fund’s return to be lower than if the Fund employed an active strategy.

Tracking Error Risk. The performance of the Fund may diverge from that of its Underlying Index for a number of reasons, including operating expenses, transaction costs, cash flows and operational inefficiencies. In addition, the Fund’s use of a representative sampling approach may cause the Fund to not be as well correlated with the return of the Underlying Index as would be the case if the Fund purchased all of the securities in the Underlying Index in the proportions represented in the Underlying Index. Because the Fund bears the costs and risks associated with buying and selling securities while such costs and risks are not factored into the return of the Underlying Index, the Fund’s return may deviate significantly from the return of the Underlying Index.

Cash Redemption Risk. Because the Fund invests a portion of its assets in foreign currency forward contracts, the Fund may pay out a portion of its redemption proceeds in cash rather than through the in-kind delivery of portfolio securities. The Fund may be required to unwind such contracts or sell portfolio securities in order to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. This may cause the Fund to recognize a capital gain that it might not have incurred if it had made a redemption in-kind. As a result the Fund may pay out higher annual capital gains distributions than if the in-kind redemption process was used. Only certain institutional investors known as authorized participants who have entered into an agreement with the Fund’s distributor may redeem shares from the Fund directly; all other investors buy and sell shares at market prices on an exchange.

Valuation Risk. The value of the securities in the Fund’s portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund’s shares.

Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is non-diversified and may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund may be more exposed to the risks associated with and developments affecting an individual issuer or a smaller number of issuers than a fund that invests more widely. This may increase the Fund’s volatility and cause the performance of a relatively smaller number of issuers to have a greater impact on the Fund’s performance.

 

 

5


Industry Concentration Risk. To the extent that the Fund’s investments are concentrated in a particular industry, the Fund will be susceptible to loss due to adverse occurrences affecting that industry.

Geographic Concentration Risk. As of December 19, 2013, a significant percentage of the Underlying Index is comprised of securities of issuers from the United Kingdom and Japan. To the extent the Index is significantly comprised of securities of issuers from a single country, and thus the Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in the securities of such country (including the United Kingdom and Japan), the Fund would be more likely to be impacted by events or conditions affecting those countries. For example, political and economic conditions and changes in regulatory, tax or economic policy in a country could significantly affect the market in that country and in surrounding or related countries and have a negative impact on the Fund’s performance.

Performance Information

As of the date of this Prospectus, the Fund has not yet commenced operations and therefore does not report its performance information. Once available, the Fund’s performance information will be accessible on the Fund’s website at www.dbxus.com and will provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance and by showing how the Fund’s returns compare with those of a broad measure of market performance.

Management

Investment Adviser. DBX Advisors LLC.

Sub-Adviser. TDAM USA Inc.

Portfolio Managers. Vishal Bhatia and Dino Bourdos, each a Portfolio Manager, are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund. Each Portfolio Manager functions as a member of a portfolio manager team. Messrs. Bhatia and Bourdos have been Portfolio Managers of the Fund since the Fund’s inception.

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares. The Fund is an exchange-traded fund (commonly referred to as an “ETF”). Individual Fund shares may only be purchased and sold through a brokerage firm. The price of Fund shares is based on market price, and because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than 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 that have been aggregated into blocks of 50,000 shares or multiples thereof (“Creation Units”) to authorized participants who have entered into agreements with the Fund’s distributor.

Tax Information. The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxable to you as ordinary income or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account (“IRA”), in which case distributions from such tax deferred arrangements may be taxable to you. For more information regarding the tax consequences that may be associated with investing in the Fund, please refer to the section of this Prospectus entitled “Taxes on Distributions.”

Payment to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries. If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Adviser or other related companies may pay the intermediary for marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, the support of technology platforms and/or reporting systems or other services related to the sale or promotion of the Fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

 

 

6


db X-trackers MSCI South Korea Hedged Equity Fund

 

            Ticker: DBKO                    Stock Exchange: NYSE Arca

Investment Objective

The db X-trackers MSCI South Korea Hedged Equity Fund (the “Fund”) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the performance, before fees and expenses, of the MSCI Korea US Dollar Hedged Index (the “Underlying Index”).

Fees and Expenses

The following table describes the fees and expenses that you will incur if you own shares of the Fund.

You will also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the example that follows:

Annual Fund Operating Expenses

(expenses that you pay each year as a

percentage of the value of your investment)

 

Management Fee

     0.58

Other Expenses(1)

     0.00

Total Annual Fund

Operating Expenses

     0.58

 

 

 

(1)

Other expenses are based on estimated amounts for the Fund’s fiscal year ending May 31, 2014.

 

7


Example. This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds.

This example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

 

   1
Year
   3
Years
   $59    $186

Portfolio Turnover. The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Underlying Index is designed to provide exposure to South Korean equity markets, while at the same time mitigating exposure to fluctuations between the value of the U.S. dollar and the South Korean won. As of December 19, 2013, the MSCI Korea US Dollar Hedged Index consisted of 105 securities with an average market capitalization of approximately $5.72 billion and a minimum market capitalization of approximately $873.9 million. The Underlying Index hedges South Korean won to the U.S. dollar by reflecting the effect of selling South Korean won currency forwards at the one-month forward rate published by WM/Reuters.

For U.S. investors, international equity investments include two components of return. The first is the return attributable to stock prices in the non-U.S. market or markets in which an investment is made. The second is the return attributable to the value of non-U.S. currencies in these markets relative to the U.S. dollar. The Underlying Index and the Fund seek to track the performance of equity securities in the South Korean markets that is attributable solely to stock prices.

The Fund, using a “passive” or indexing investment approach, attempts to approximate the investment performance of the Underlying Index. The Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser expect that, over time, the correlation between the Fund’s performance and that of the Underlying Index before fees and expenses will be 95% or better. A figure of 100% would indicate perfect correlation.

The Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser use a representative sampling indexing strategy in seeking to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. “Representative sampling” is an indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities included in the Underlying Index that collectively has an investment profile similar to the Underlying Index. The securities selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market capitalization and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as estimated variability of returns and yield) and liquidity measures similar to those of the Underlying Index. The Fund may or may not hold all of the securities in the Underlying Index. The Fund intends to enter into forward currency contracts designed to offset the Fund’s exposure to non-U.S. currencies. A forward currency contract is a contract between two parties to buy or sell a specific currency in the future at an agreed-upon rate. The rate can be higher or lower than the spot rate between the currencies that are the subject of the contract. The amount of forward contracts in the Fund is based on the aggregate exposure of the Fund and Underlying Index to each non-U.S. currency based on currency weights as of the beginning of each month. While this approach is designed to minimize the impact of currency fluctuations on Fund returns, this does not necessarily eliminate exposure to all currency fluctuations. The return of the forward currency contracts may not perfectly offset the actual fluctuations of non-U.S. currencies relative to the U.S. dollar.

The Fund will normally invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in equity securities of issuers from South Korea and in instruments designed to hedge the Fund’s exposure to South Korean won. In addition, the Fund will invest at least 80% of its total assets (but typically far more) in instruments that comprise the Underlying Index. The Fund may also invest in depositary receipts (which are securities issued by banks representing an issuer’s shares that are publicly traded in another country) in respect of equity securities that comprise the Underlying Index to seek performance that corresponds to the Underlying Index. Investments in such depositary receipts will count towards the 80% investment policy discussed above with respect to instruments that comprise the Underlying Index.

Industry Concentration Policy. The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to the extent that its Underlying Index is concentrated.

As of December 19, 2013, the Underlying Index was substantially comprised of issuers in the information technology sector.

 

 

8


Summary of Principal Risks

As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund’s performance could trail that of other investments. The Fund is subject to the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund’s NAV, trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective, as well as numerous other risks that are described in greater detail in the section of this Prospectus entitled “Further Discussion of Principal Risks” and in the Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”).

Risk of Investing in South Korea. Investments in South Korean issuers may subject the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency, security, and economic risks that are specific to South Korea. Substantial political tensions exist between North Korea and South Korea and recently, these political tensions have escalated. The outbreak of hostilities between the two nations, or even the threat of an outbreak of hostilities will likely adversely impact the South Korean economy. In addition, South Korea’s economic growth potential has recently been on a decline, mainly because of a rapidly aging population and structural problems. In addition, economic and political developments of South Korean neighbors may have an adverse effect on the South Korean economy. Economies in emerging market countries generally are heavily dependent upon commodity prices and international trade and, accordingly, have been and may continue to be affected adversely by the economies of their trading partners, trade barriers, exchange controls, managed adjustments in relative currency values, and may suffer from extreme and volatile debt burdens or inflation rates. These countries may be subject to other protectionist measures imposed or negotiated by the countries with which they trade.

In addition, the Fund may invest in depositary receipts which involve similar risks to those associated with investments in foreign securities. The underlying issuers of certain depositary receipts, particularly unsponsored or unregistered depositary receipts, are under no obligation to distribute shareholder communications to the holders of such receipts, or to pass through to them any voting rights with respect to the deposited securities. Issuers of unsponsored depositary receipts are not contractually obligated to disclose material information in the U.S. and, therefore, such information may not correlate to the market value of the unsponsored depositary receipt.

Currency Risk. The Fund enters into forward currency contracts to attempt to minimize the impact of changes in the value of the non-U.S. currencies included in the Underlying Index against the U.S. dollar. These contracts may not be successful. Changes in currency exchange rates and the relative value of non-U.S. currencies may affect the value of the Fund’s investment and the value of your Fund shares. To the extent the Fund’s forward currency contracts are not successful in hedging against such changes, the U.S. dollar value of your investment in the Fund may go down if the value of the local currency of the non-U.S. markets in which

the Fund invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar. Furthermore, because no changes in the currency weights in the Underlying Index are made during the month to account for changes in the Underlying Index due to price movement of securities, corporate events, additions, deletions or any other changes, changes in the value of the non-U.S. currencies included in the Underlying Index against the U.S. dollar during the month may affect the value of the Fund’s investment. Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably. Therefore, the value of an investment in the Fund may also go up or down quickly and unpredictably and investors may lose money.

Forward Currency Contracts Risk. Hedging the Fund’s currency risks involves the risk of mismatching the Fund’s objectives under a forward contract with the value of securities denominated in a particular currency. Furthermore, such transactions reduce or preclude the opportunity for gain if the value of the currency should move in the direction opposite to the position taken. There is an additional risk to the extent that currency contracts create exposure to currencies in which the Fund’s securities are not denominated. Unanticipated changes in currency prices may result in poorer overall performance for the Fund than if it had not entered into such contracts.

Counterparty Risk. The foreign currency markets in which the Fund effects its transactions are over-the-counter or “interdealer” markets. The counterparty to an over-the-counter spot contract is generally a single bank or other financial institution rather than a clearing organization backed by a group of financial institutions. Participants in over-the-counter markets are typically not subject to the same credit evaluation and regulatory oversight as members of “exchange-based” markets. Because the Fund executes over-the-counter transactions, the Fund constantly takes credit risk with regard to parties with which it trades and may also bear the risk of settlement default.

Equity Securities Risk. An investment in the Fund involves risks similar to those of investing in any fund of equity securities, such as market fluctuations, changes in interest rates and perceived trends in stock prices. Equity securities are subject to volatile changes in value and their values may be more volatile than other asset classes.

Information Technology Sector Risk. As of the date of this Prospectus, the Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in securities of issuers in the information technology sector in order to track the Underlying Index’s allocation to that sector. The information technology sector includes companies engaged in developing software and providing data processing and outsourced services, along with manufacturing and distributing communications equipment, computers and other electronic equipment and instruments. Information technology companies are particularly vulnerable to government regulation and competition, both domestically

 

 

9


and internationally, including competition from foreign competitors with lower production costs. Information technology companies also face competition for services of qualified personnel. Additionally, the products of information technology companies may face obsolescence due to rapid technological development and frequent new product introduction by competitors. Finally, information technology companies are heavily dependent on patent and intellectual property rights, the loss or impairment of which may adversely affect profitability.

Market Risk. The prices of the securities in the Fund are subject to the risks associated with investing in equity securities, including general economic conditions and sudden and unpredictable drops in value. The Fund’s NAV and market price, like security prices generally, will fluctuate within a wide range in response to these and other factors.

Small and Medium Capitalization Company Risk. Investing in securities of small and medium capitalization companies involves greater risk than customarily is associated with investing in larger, more established companies. These companies’ securities may be more volatile and less liquid than those of more established companies. These securities may have returns that vary, sometimes significantly, from the overall securities market. Often small and medium capitalization companies and the industries in which they focus are still evolving and, as a result, they may be more sensitive to changing market conditions.

Passive Investment Risk. The Fund is managed with a passive investment strategy, attempting to track the performance of an unmanaged index of securities. This differs from an actively managed fund, which typically seeks to outperform a benchmark index. As a result, the Fund may hold constituent securities of the Underlying Index regardless of the current or projected performance of a specific security or a particular industry or market sector. Maintaining investments in securities regardless of market conditions or the performance of individual securities could cause the Fund’s return to be lower than if the Fund employed an active strategy.

Tracking Error Risk. The performance of the Fund may diverge from that of its Underlying Index for a number of reasons, including operating expenses, transaction costs, cash flows and operational inefficiencies. In addition, the Fund’s use of a representative sampling approach may cause the Fund to not be as well correlated with the return of the Underlying Index as would be the case if the Fund purchased all of the securities in the Underlying Index in the proportions represented in the Underlying Index. Because the Fund bears the costs and risks associated with buying and selling securities while such costs and risks are not factored into the return of the Underlying Index, the Fund’s return may deviate significantly from the return of the Underlying Index.

Cash Redemption Risk. Because the Fund invests a portion of its assets in foreign currency forward contracts, the Fund may pay out a portion of its redemption proceeds in cash rather than through the in-kind delivery of portfolio securities. The Fund may be required to unwind such contracts or sell portfolio securities in order to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. This may cause the Fund to recognize a capital gain that it might not have incurred if it had made a redemption in-kind. As a result the Fund may pay out higher annual capital gains distributions than if the in-kind redemption process was used. Only certain institutional investors known as authorized participants who have entered into an agreement with the Fund’s distributor may redeem shares from the Fund directly; all other investors buy and sell shares at market prices on an exchange.

Valuation Risk. The value of the securities in the Fund’s portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund’s shares.

Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is non-diversified and may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund may be more exposed to the risks associated with and developments affecting an individual issuer or a smaller number of issuers than a fund that invests more widely. This may increase the Fund’s volatility and cause the performance of a relatively smaller number of issuers to have a greater impact on the Fund’s performance.

Industry Concentration Risk. To the extent that the Fund’s investments are concentrated in a particular industry, the Fund will be susceptible to loss due to adverse occurrences affecting that industry.

Geographic Concentration Risk. Because the Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in the securities of a single country, it is more likely to be impacted by events or conditions affecting that country. For example, political and economic conditions and changes in regulatory, tax or economic policy in a country could significantly affect the market in that country and in surrounding or related countries and have a negative impact on the Fund’s performance.

Performance Information

As of the date of this Prospectus, the Fund has not yet commenced operations and therefore does not report its performance information. Once available, the Fund’s performance information will be accessible on the Fund’s website at www.dbxus.com and will provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance and by showing how the Fund’s returns compare with those of a broad measure of market performance.

 

 

10


Management

Investment Adviser. DBX Advisors LLC.

Sub-Adviser. TDAM USA Inc.

Portfolio Managers. Vishal Bhatia and Dino Bourdos, each a Portfolio Manager, are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund. Each Portfolio Manager functions as a member of a portfolio manager team. Messrs. Bhatia and Bourdos have been Portfolio Managers of the Fund since the Fund’s inception.

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares. The Fund is an exchange-traded fund (commonly referred to as an “ETF”). Individual Fund shares may only be purchased and sold through a brokerage firm. The price of Fund shares is based on market price, and because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than 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 that have been aggregated into blocks of 50,000 shares or multiples thereof (“Creation Units”) to authorized participants who have entered into agreements with the Fund’s distributor.

Tax Information. The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxable to you as ordinary income or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account (“IRA”), in which case distributions from such tax deferred arrangements may be taxable to you. For more information regarding the tax consequences that may be associated with investing in the Fund, please refer to the section of this Prospectus entitled “Taxes on Distributions.”

Payment to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries. If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Adviser or other related companies may pay the intermediary for marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, the support of technology platforms and/or reporting systems or other services related to the sale or promotion of the Fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

 

 

11


db X-trackers MSCI Mexico Hedged Equity Fund

            Ticker: DBMX                                                                                                   Stock Exchange: NYSE Arca

Investment Objective

The db X-trackers MSCI Mexico Hedged Equity Fund (the “Fund”) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the performance, before fees and expenses, of the MSCI Mexico US Dollar Hedged Index (the “Underlying Index”).

Fees and Expenses

The following table describes the fees and expenses that you will incur if you own shares of the Fund.

You will also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the example that follows:

Annual Fund Operating Expenses

(expenses that you pay each year as a

percentage of the value of your investment)

 

Management Fee

     0.50

Other Expenses(1)

     0.00

Total Annual Fund

Operating Expenses

     0.50

 

 

(1)

Other expenses are based on estimated amounts for the Fund’s fiscal year ending May 31, 2014.

 

12


Example. This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds.

This example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

 

  1
Year
  3
Years
  $51   $160

Portfolio Turnover. The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Underlying Index is designed to provide exposure to the Mexican equity markets, while at the same time mitigating exposure to fluctuations between the value of the U.S. dollar and Mexican peso. As of December 19, 2013, the MSCI Mexico US Dollar Hedged Index consisted of 48 securities with an average market capitalization of approximately $4.46 billion and a minimum market capitalization of approximately $185.2 million. The Underlying Index hedges Mexican peso to the U.S. dollar by reflecting the effect of selling Mexican peso currency forwards at the one-month forward rate published by WM/Reuters.

For U.S. investors, international equity investments include two components of return. The first is the return attributable to stock prices in the non-U.S. market or markets in which an investment is made. The second is the return attributable to the value of non-U.S. currencies in these markets relative to the U.S. dollar. The Underlying Index and the Fund seek to track the performance of equity securities in the Mexican markets that is attributable solely to stock prices.

The Fund, using a “passive” or indexing investment approach, attempts to approximate the investment performance of the Underlying Index. The Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser expect that, over time, the correlation between the Fund’s performance and that of the Underlying Index before fees and expenses will be 95% or better. A figure of 100% would indicate perfect correlation.

The Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser use a representative sampling indexing strategy in seeking to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. “Representative sampling” is an indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities included in the Underlying Index that collectively has an investment profile similar to the Underlying Index. The securities selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market capitalization and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as estimated variability of returns and yield) and liquidity measures similar to those of the Underlying Index. The Fund may or may not hold all of the securities in the Underlying Index. The Fund intends to enter into forward currency contracts designed to offset the Fund’s exposure to non-U.S. currencies. A forward currency contract is a contract between two parties to buy or sell a specific currency in the future at an agreed-upon rate. The rate can be higher or lower than the spot rate between the currencies that are the subject of the contract. The amount of forward contracts in the Fund is based on the aggregate exposure of the Fund and Underlying Index to each non-U.S. currency based on currency weights as of the beginning of each month. While this approach is designed to minimize the impact of currency fluctuations on Fund returns, this does not necessarily eliminate exposure to all currency fluctuations. The return of the forward currency contracts may not perfectly offset the actual fluctuations of non-U.S. currencies relative to the U.S. dollar.

The Fund will normally invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in equity securities of issuers from Mexico and in instruments designed to hedge the Fund’s exposure to Mexico peso. In addition, the Fund will invest at least 80% of its total assets (but typically far more) in instruments that comprise the Underlying Index. The Fund may also invest in depositary receipts (which are securities issued by banks representing an issuer’s shares that are publicly traded in another country) in respect of equity securities that comprise the Underlying Index to seek performance that corresponds to the Underlying Index. Investments in such depositary receipts will count towards the 80% investment policy discussed above with respect to instruments that comprise the Underlying Index.

Industry Concentration Policy. The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to the extent that its Underlying Index is concentrated.

As of December 19, 2013, the Underlying Index was substantially comprised of issuers in the financial services and consumer staples sectors.

 

 

13


Summary of Principal Risks

As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund’s performance could trail that of other investments. The Fund is subject to the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund’s NAV, trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective, as well as numerous other risks that are described in greater detail in the section of this Prospectus entitled “Further Discussion of Principal Risks” and in the Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”).

Risk of Investing in Mexico. Investments in Mexican issuers involve risks that are specific to Mexico, including legal, regulatory, political, currency, security and economic risks. Mexico has privatized or has begun the process of privatization of certain entities and industries. In some instances, investors in some newly privatized entities have suffered losses due to the inability of the newly privatized entities to adjust quickly to a competitive environment or to changing regulatory and legal standards. There is no assurance that such losses will not recur. The Mexican economy may be significantly affected by the economies of other Central and South American countries. High interest, inflation, government defaults and unemployment rates characterize the economies in some Central and South American countries. Currency devaluations in any Central and South American country can have a significant effect on the entire region. Because commodities such as oil and gas, minerals, and metals represent a significant percentage of the region’s exports, the economies of Central and South American countries are particularly sensitive to fluctuations in commodity prices. As a result, the economies in many Central and South American countries can experience significant volatility. In the past, Mexico has experienced high interest rates, economic volatility and high unemployment rates.

In addition, the Fund may invest in depositary receipts which involve similar risks to those associated with investments in foreign securities. The underlying issuers of certain depositary receipts, particularly unsponsored or unregistered depositary receipts, are under no obligation to distribute shareholder communications to the holders of such receipts, or to pass through to them any voting rights with respect to the deposited securities. Issuers of unsponsored depositary receipts are not contractually obligated to disclose material information in the U.S. and, therefore, such information may not correlate to the market value of the unsponsored depositary receipt.

Currency Risk. The Fund enters into forward currency contracts to attempt to minimize the impact of changes in the value of the non-U.S. currencies included in the Underlying Index against the U.S. dollar. These contracts may not be successful. Changes in currency exchange rates and the relative value of non-U.S. currencies may affect the value of the Fund’s investment and the value of your Fund shares. To the extent the Fund’s forward currency contracts are not successful in hedging against such changes, the U.S. dollar

value of your investment in the Fund may go down if the value of the local currency of the non-U.S. markets in which the Fund invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar. Furthermore, because no changes in the currency weights in the Underlying Index are made during the month to account for changes in the Underlying Index due to price movement of securities, corporate events, additions, deletions or any other changes, changes in the value of the non-U.S. currencies included in the Underlying Index against the U.S. dollar during the month may affect the value of the Fund’s investment. Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably. Therefore, the value of an investment in the Fund may also go up or down quickly and unpredictably and investors may lose money.

Forward Currency Contracts Risk. Hedging the Fund’s currency risks involves the risk of mismatching the Fund’s objectives under a forward contract with the value of securities denominated in a particular currency. Furthermore, such transactions reduce or preclude the opportunity for gain if the value of the currency should move in the direction opposite to the position taken. There is an additional risk to the extent that currency contracts create exposure to currencies in which the Fund’s securities are not denominated. Unanticipated changes in currency prices may result in poorer overall performance for the Fund than if it had not entered into such contracts.

Counterparty Risk. The foreign currency markets in which the Fund effects its transactions are over-the-counter or “interdealer” markets. The counterparty to an over-the-counter spot contract is generally a single bank or other financial institution rather than a clearing organization backed by a group of financial institutions. Participants in over-the-counter markets are typically not subject to the same credit evaluation and regulatory oversight as members of “exchange-based” markets. Because the Fund executes over-the-counter transactions, the Fund constantly takes credit risk with regard to parties with which it trades and may also bear the risk of settlement default.

Equity Securities Risk. An investment in the Fund involves risks similar to those of investing in any fund of equity securities, such as market fluctuations, changes in interest rates and perceived trends in stock prices. Equity securities are subject to volatile changes in value and their values may be more volatile than other asset classes.

Financial Services Sector Risk. As of the date of this Prospectus, the Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in securities of issuers in the financial services sector in order to track the Underlying Index’s allocation to that sector. The financial services sector is subject to extensive government regulation, can be subject to relatively rapid change due to increasingly blurred distinctions between service segments, and can be significantly affected by availability and cost of capital funds, changes in interest rates,

 

 

14


the rate of corporate and consumer debt defaults, and price competition. In addition, the deterioration of the credit markets since late 2007 generally has caused an adverse impact in a broad range of markets, including U.S. and international credit and interbank money markets generally, thereby affecting a wide range of financial institutions and markets. In particular, events in the financial sector since late 2008 have resulted, and may continue to result, in an unusually high degree of volatility in the financial markets, both domestic and foreign. This situation has created instability in the financial markets and caused certain financial services companies to incur large losses. Numerous financial services companies have experienced substantial declines in the valuations of their assets, taken action to raise capital (such as the issuance of debt or equity securities), or even ceased operations. These actions have caused the securities of many financial services companies to experience a dramatic decline in value. Moreover, certain financial companies have avoided collapse due to intervention by the U.S. or foreign regulatory authorities, but such interventions have often not averted a substantial decline in the value of such companies’ common stock.

Issuers that have exposure to the real estate, mortgage and credit markets have been particularly affected by the foregoing events and the general market turmoil, and it is uncertain whether or for how long these conditions will continue.

Consumer Staples Sector Risk. The Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in securities of issuers in the consumer staples sector in order to track the Underlying Index’s allocation to that sector. Companies in the consumer staples sector may be adversely affected by changes in the global economy, consumer spending, competition, demographics and consumer preferences, and production spending. Companies in the consumer staples sector are also affected by changes in government regulation, global economic, environmental and political events, economic conditions and the depletion of resources. In addition, companies in the consumer staples sector may be subject to risks pertaining to the supply of, demand for and prices of raw materials. The prices of raw materials fluctuate in response to a number of factors, including, without limitation, changes in government agricultural support programs, exchange rates, import and export controls, changes in international agricultural and trading policies, and seasonal and weather conditions.

Commodity Exposure Risk. The agricultural and mining sectors of Mexico’s economy account for a large portion of its exports. Mexico is susceptible to fluctuations in the commodity markets and, in particular, in the price and demand for agricultural products and natural resources. Any changes in these sectors or fluctuations in the commodity markets could have an adverse impact on the Mexican economy.

U.S. Economic Risk. The United States is Mexico’s largest trading and investment partner. The Mexican economy is significantly affected by developments in the U.S. economy. Since the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (“NAFTA”) in 1994 among Canada, the United States and Mexico, total merchandise trade between the three countries has increased. To further this relationship, the three NAFTA countries entered into the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America in March 2005, which may further affect Mexico’s dependency on the U.S. economy.

Market Risk. The prices of the securities in the Fund are subject to the risks associated with investing in equity securities, including general economic conditions and sudden and unpredictable drops in value. The Fund’s NAV and market price, like security prices generally, will fluctuate within a wide range in response to these and other factors.

Small and Medium Capitalization Company Risk. Investing in securities of small and medium capitalization companies involves greater risk than customarily is associated with investing in larger, more established companies. These companies’ securities may be more volatile and less liquid than those of more established companies. These securities may have returns that vary, sometimes significantly, from the overall securities market. Often small and medium capitalization companies and the industries in which they focus are still evolving and, as a result, they may be more sensitive to changing market conditions.

Passive Investment Risk. The Fund is managed with a passive investment strategy, attempting to track the performance of an unmanaged index of securities. This differs from an actively managed fund, which typically seeks to outperform a benchmark index. As a result, the Fund may hold constituent securities of the Underlying Index regardless of the current or projected performance of a specific security or a particular industry or market sector. Maintaining investments in securities regardless of market conditions or the performance of individual securities could cause the Fund’s return to be lower than if the Fund employed an active strategy.

Tracking Error Risk. The performance of the Fund may diverge from that of its Underlying Index for a number of reasons, including operating expenses, transaction costs, cash flows and operational inefficiencies. In addition, the Fund’s use of a representative sampling approach may cause the Fund to not be as well correlated with the return of the Underlying Index as would be the case if the Fund purchased all of the securities in the Underlying Index in the proportions represented in the Underlying Index. Because the Fund bears the costs and risks associated with buying and selling securities while such costs and risks are not factored into the return of the Underlying Index, the Fund’s return may deviate significantly from the return of the Underlying Index.

 

 

15


Cash Redemption Risk. Because the Fund invests a portion of its assets in foreign currency forward contracts, the Fund may pay out a portion of its redemption proceeds in cash rather than through the in-kind delivery of portfolio securities. The Fund may be required to unwind such contracts or sell portfolio securities in order to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. This may cause the Fund to recognize a capital gain that it might not have incurred if it had made a redemption in-kind. As a result the Fund may pay out higher annual capital gains distributions than if the in-kind redemption process was used. Only certain institutional investors known as authorized participants who have entered into an agreement with the Fund’s distributor may redeem shares from the Fund directly; all other investors buy and sell shares at market prices on an exchange.

Valuation Risk. The value of the securities in the Fund’s portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund’s shares.

Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is non-diversified and may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund may be more exposed to the risks associated with and developments affecting an individual issuer or a smaller number of issuers than a fund that invests more widely. This may increase the Fund’s volatility and cause the performance of a relatively smaller number of issuers to have a greater impact on the Fund’s performance.

Industry Concentration Risk. To the extent that the Fund’s investments are concentrated in a particular industry, the Fund will be susceptible to loss due to adverse occurrences affecting that industry.

Geographic Concentration Risk. Because the Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in the securities of a single country, it is more likely to be impacted by events or conditions affecting that country. For example, political and economic conditions and changes in regulatory, tax or economic policy in a country could significantly affect the market in that country and in surrounding or related countries and have a negative impact on the Fund’s performance.

Performance Information

As of the date of this Prospectus, the Fund has not yet commenced operations and therefore does not report its performance information. Once available, the Fund’s performance information will be accessible on the Fund’s website at www.dbxus.com and will provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance and by showing how the Fund’s returns compare with those of a broad measure of market performance.

Management

Investment Adviser. DBX Advisors LLC.

Sub-Adviser. TDAM USA Inc.

Portfolio Managers. Vishal Bhatia and Dino Bourdos, each a Portfolio Manager, are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund. Each Portfolio Manager functions as a member of a portfolio manager team. Messrs. Bhatia and Bourdos have been Portfolio Managers of the Fund since the Fund’s inception.

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares. The Fund is an exchange-traded fund (commonly referred to as an “ETF”). Individual Fund shares may only be purchased and sold through a brokerage firm. The price of Fund shares is based on market price, and because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than 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 that have been aggregated into blocks of 50,000 shares or multiples thereof (“Creation Units”) to authorized participants who have entered into agreements with the Fund’s distributor.

Tax Information. The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxable to you as ordinary income or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account (“IRA”) in which case distributions from such tax deferred arrangements may be taxable to you. For more information regarding the tax consequences that may be associated with investing in the Fund, please refer to the section of this Prospectus entitled “Taxes on Distributions.”

Payment to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries. If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Adviser or other related companies may pay the intermediary for marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, the support of technology platforms and/or reporting systems or other services related to the sale or promotion of the Fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

 

 

16


Additional Information About the Funds’ Investment Strategies and Risks

Principal Investment Strategies

Additional Information about each Fund’s Underlying Index construction is set forth below.

MSCI Hedged Indexes

The MSCI Hedged Indexes are calculated and maintained by MSCI Inc. (“Index Provider”).

The MSCI All Country World Index ex USA US Dollar Hedged Index is designed to provide exposure to equity securities in developed and emerging stock markets (excluding the United States), while at the same time mitigating exposure to fluctuations between the value of the U.S. dollar and selected non-U.S. currencies. The MSCI All Country World Index ex USA Hedged Index in USD measures the performance impact of hedging the currency exposure of the following developed and emerging market indexes: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey and the United Kingdom. As of December 19, 2013, the MSCI All Country World Index ex USA US Dollar Hedged Index was significantly comprised of issuers in the financial services sector. As of such date, the two countries with the largest representation in the MSCI All Country World Index ex USA US Dollar Hedged Index were the United Kingdom and Japan, with approximately 15.70% and 15.20%, respectively, representation in the Underlying Index by weight.

The MSCI Korea US Dollar Hedged Index is designed to provide exposure to the South Korean equity markets while at the same time mitigating exposure to fluctuations of the South Korean won relative to the U.S. dollar. As of December 19, 2013, the MSCI Korea US Dollar Hedged Index of 105 securities with an average market capitalization of approximately $5.72 billion. As of such date, the MSCI Korea US Dollar Hedged Index was significantly comprised of issuers in the information technology sector.

The MSCI Mexico US Dollar Hedged Index is designed to provide exposure to the Mexican equity markets while at the same time mitigating exposure to fluctuations of the Mexican peso relative to the U.S. dollar. As of December 19, 2013, the MSCI Mexico US Dollar Hedged Index consisted of 48 securities with an average market capitalization of approximately $4.46 billion. As of such date, the MSCI Mexico US Dollar Hedged Index was significantly comprised of issuers in the financial services and consumer staples sectors.

The MSCI Hedged Indexes hedge each foreign currency in the Underlying Index to the U.S. dollar by selling the applicable foreign currency forward at the one-month forward rate published by WM/Reuters. With respect to each Underlying Index, the weight of each currency corresponds to the relative market cap weight of the securities quoted in that currency in the underlying MSCI Equity Index. More precisely, the weights are derived from the aggregate free-float adjusted market capitalization (which is the market capitalization adjusted for the amount of shares readily available in the market) of the securities quoted in the respective currencies in the underlying MSCI Equity Index as of the close of two business days before the first calendar day of following month, but taking into account any month end changes in the index constituents due to rebalancing and corporate actions. Each Underlying Index is rebalanced monthly on the last trading day of the month, when the index will reflect the effect of rolling into new 1-month forward contracts based on the newly determined weights of currency to be sold for the next month’s index calculation. The currency weights are determined as of the close of two business days before the first calendar day of the following month and remain constant during the month. This means that no changes in the weights are made during the month to account for changes in the indexes due to price movement of securities, corporate events, additions, deletions or any other changes. The daily calculation of each Underlying Index incorporates daily changes in the market value of the one-month forward contracts on a daily basis by using an equal and offsetting forward position.

For U.S. investors, international equity investments include two components of return. The first is the return attributable to stock prices in the non-U.S. market or markets in which an investment is made. The second is the return attributable to the value of non-U.S. currencies in these markets relative to the U.S. dollar. By hedging exposure to the fluctuations in the value of the applicable non-U.S. currency or currencies relative to the U.S. dollar, each Underlying Index seeks to track the performance of equity securities in specified markets that is attributable solely to stock prices.

 

17


A Further Discussion of Principal Risks

Each Fund is subject, unless otherwise indicated, to the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund’s NAV, trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. You could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund could underperform other investments. Risk information is applicable to all Funds unless otherwise noted.

Risks Related to Investing in South Korea. (db X-trackers MSCI South Korea Hedged Equity Fund only) Investments in South Korean issuers may subject the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency, security, and economic risks that are specific to South Korea. Substantial political tensions exist between North Korea and South Korea and recently, these political tensions have escalated. The outbreak of hostilities between the two nations, or even the threat of an outbreak of hostilities will likely adversely impact the South Korean economy. In addition, South Korea’s economic growth potential has recently been on a decline, mainly because of a rapidly aging population and structural problems. In addition, economic and political developments of South Korean neighbors may have an adverse effect on the South Korean economy. Economies in emerging market countries generally are heavily dependent upon commodity prices and international trade and, accordingly, have been and may continue to be affected adversely by the economies of their trading partners, trade barriers, exchange controls, managed adjustments in relative currency values, and may suffer from extreme and volatile debt burdens or inflation rates. These countries may be subject to other protectionist measures imposed or negotiated by the countries with which they trade.

North and South Korea each have substantial military capabilities, and historical tensions between the two present the ongoing risk of war. Recent incidents involving the North Korean military have heightened tensions between North and South Korea. Any outbreak of hostilities between the two countries could have a severe adverse effect on the South Korean economy and its securities markets.

South Korea may be subject to economic and labor risks. Any of these risks, individually or in the aggregate, could adversely affect investments in the Fund:

Economic Risk. Among these structural concerns are the country’s underdeveloped financial markets and a general lack of regulatory transparency. The restructuring of the South Korean economy and the need to create a more liberalized economy with a mechanism for bankrupt firms to exit the market, remain important unfinished economic reform tasks. These factors may adversely affect the South Korean economy and cause a diversion of corporate investment to China and other lower wage countries.

Labor Risk. South Korea’s economic growth potential is susceptible to problems from large scale emigration, rigid labor regulations and ongoing labor relations issues. In addition, the average age of South Korea’s workforce is rapidly increasing.

The United States is a large trading partner of and investor in South Korea. Decreasing U.S. imports, new trade regulations, changes in the U.S. dollar exchange rates or a recession in the United States may have an adverse impact on the South Korean economy and, as a result, securities to which the Fund has exposure.

Risks Related to Investing in Asia. (db X-trackers MSCI All World ex US Hedged Equity Fund and db X-trackers MSCI South Korea Hedged Equity Fund only) Investment in securities of issuers in Asia involves risks and special considerations not typically associated with investment in the U.S. securities markets. Certain Asian economies have experienced over-extension of credit, currency devaluations and restrictions, high unemployment, high inflation, decreased exports and economic recessions. Economic events in any one Asian country can have a significant effect on the entire Asian region as well as on major trading partners outside Asia, and any adverse effect on some or all of the Asian countries and regions in which the Funds invest. The securities markets in some Asian economies are relatively underdeveloped and may subject the Funds to higher action costs or greater uncertainty than investments in more developed securities markets. Such risks may adversely affect the value of the Funds’ investments.

Governments of many Asian countries have implemented significant economic reforms in order to liberalize trade policy, promote foreign investment in their economies, reduce government control of the economy and develop market mechanisms. There can be no assurance these reforms will continue or that they will be effective. Despite recent reform and privatizations, significant regulation of investment and industry is still pervasive in many Asian countries and may restrict foreign ownership of domestic corporations and repatriation of assets, which may adversely affect the Funds’ investments. Governments in some Asian countries are authoritarian in nature, have been installed or removed as a result of military coups or have periodically used force to suppress civil dissent. Disparities of wealth, the pace and success of democratization, and ethnic, religious and racial disaffection have led to social turmoil, violence and labor unrest in some countries. Unanticipated or sudden political or social developments may result in sudden and significant investment losses. Investing in certain Asian countries involves risk of loss due to expropriation, nationalization, or confiscation of assets and property or the imposition of restrictions on foreign investments and on repatriation of capital invested.

 

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Some countries and regions in which the Funds invest have experienced acts of terrorism or strained international relations due to territorial disputes, historical animosities or other defense concerns. For example, North and South Korea each have substantial military capabilities, and historical local tensions between the two countries present the risk of war. Any outbreak of hostilities between the two countries could have a severe adverse effect on the South Korean economy and securities markets. These and other security situations may cause uncertainty in the markets of these geographic areas and may adversely affect the performance of local economies.

European Economic Risk. (db X-trackers MSCI All World ex US Hedged Equity Fund only) The Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union (the “EU”) requires member countries to comply with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, interest rates, debt levels and fiscal and monetary controls, each of which may significantly affect every country in Europe. Decreasing imports or exports, changes in governmental or EU regulations on trade, changes in the exchange rate of the euro, the default or threat of default by an EU member country on its sovereign debt, and/or an economic recession in an EU member country may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of EU member countries and on major trading partners outside Europe. The European financial markets have recently experienced volatility and have been adversely affected by concerns about economic downturns, credit rating downgrades, rising government debt levels and possible default on or restructuring of government debt in several European countries, including Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain. A default or debt restructuring by any European country would adversely impact holders of that country’s debt, and sellers of credit default swaps linked to that country’s creditworthiness (which may be located in countries other than those listed in the previous sentence). These events have adversely affected the value and exchange rate of the euro and may continue to significantly affect the economies of every country in Europe, including EU member countries that do not use the euro and non-EU member countries.

Responses to the financial problems by European governments, central banks and others, including austerity measures and reforms, may not work, may result in social unrest and may limit future growth and economic recovery or have other unintended consequences. Further defaults or restructurings by governments and other entities of their debt could have additional adverse effects on economies, financial markets and asset valuations around the world. In addition, one or more countries may abandon the euro and/or withdraw from the EU. The impact of these actions, especially if they occur in a disorderly fashion, is not clear but could be significant and far-reaching.

Risk of Investing in Mexico. (db X-trackers MSCI Mexico Hedged Equity Fund only) Investments in Mexican issuers involve risks that are specific to Mexico, including legal, regulatory, political, currency, security and economic risks. The Mexican economy, among other things, is dependent upon external trade with other economies, specifically with the United States and certain Latin American countries. As a result, Mexico is dependent on, among other things, the U.S. economy and any change in the price or demand for Mexican exports may have an adverse impact on the Mexican economy. Mexico has privatized or has begun the process of privatization of certain entities and industries. In some instances, investors in some newly privatized entities have suffered losses due to the inability of the newly privatized entities to adjust quickly to a competitive environment or to changing regulatory and legal standards. There is no assurance that such losses will not recur. The Mexican economy may be significantly affected by the economies of other Central and South American countries. High interest, inflation, government defaults and unemployment rates characterize the economies in some Central and South American countries. Currency devaluations in any Central and South American country can have a significant effect on the entire region. Because commodities such as oil and gas, minerals, and metals represent a significant percentage of the region’s exports, the economies of Central and South American countries are particularly sensitive to fluctuations in commodity prices. As a result, the economies in many Central and South American countries can experience significant volatility. In the past, Mexico has experienced high interest rates, economic volatility and high unemployment rates.

Political and Social Risk. Mexico has been destabilized by local insurrections, social upheavals, drug related violence, and the recent public health crisis related to the H1N1 influenza outbreak. Recurrence of these or similar conditions may adversely impact the Mexican economy. In addition, Mexico has had one political party dominating government until the elections of 2000. Recently, Mexican elections have been contentious and have been very closely decided. Changes in political parties or other Mexican political events may affect the economy and cause instability.

Currency Instability Risk. Historically, Mexico has experienced substantial economic instability resulting from, among other things, periods of very high inflation and significant devaluations of the Mexican currency, the peso.

 

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Mexico has historically experienced acts of terrorism, significant criminal activity and strained international relations related to border disputes; historical animosities; the drug trade; and other defense concerns. Recently, criminal gang activity related to the drug trade has been on the rise. These situations may cause uncertainty in the Mexican market and adversely affect the performance of the Mexican economy.

Foreign Securities Risks. Investments in foreign securities involve certain risks that may not be present with investments in U.S. securities. Investments in foreign securities may be subject to risk of loss due to foreign currency fluctuations or to political or economic instability. There may be less information publicly available about a foreign issuer than a U.S. issuer. Foreign issuers may be subject to different accounting, auditing, financial reporting and investor protection standards than U.S. issuers. Investments in foreign securities may be subject to withholding or other taxes and may be subject to additional trading, settlement, custodial, and operational risks. With respect to certain countries, there is the possibility of government intervention and expropriation or nationalization of assets. Because legal systems differ, there is also the possibility that it will be difficult to obtain or enforce legal judgments in certain countries. Since foreign exchanges may be open on days when a Fund does not price its shares, the value of the securities in a Fund’s portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell a Fund’s shares. Conversely, Fund shares may trade on days when foreign exchanges are close. Each of these factors can make investments in a Fund more volatile and potentially less liquid than other types of investments.

Each Fund may invest in depositary receipts, which involve similar risks to those associated with investments in foreign securities. Depositary receipts are issued by banks or trust companies, and entitle the holder to all dividends and capital gains that are paid out on the underlying foreign shares. The underlying issuers of certain depositary receipts, particularly unsponsored or unregistered depositary receipts, are under no obligation to distribute shareholder communications to the holders of such receipts, or to pass through to them any voting rights with respect to the deposited securities. Issuers of unsponsored depositary receipts are not contractually obligated to disclose material information in the U.S. and, therefore, such information may not correlate to the market value of the unsponsored depositary receipt. Investments in depositary receipts may be less liquid than the underlying shares in their primary trading market and may negatively affect the Fund’s ability to replicate the performance of its Underlying Index. In addition, investments in depositary receipts may lead to tracking error.

Currency Risk. Each Fund enters into forward currency contracts to attempt to minimize the impact of changes in the value of the non-U.S. currencies included in its Underlying Index against the U.S. dollar. These contracts may not be successful. In order to minimize transaction costs or for other reasons, a Fund’s exposure to the currencies included in the Underlying Index may not be fully hedged at all times. For example, a Fund may not hedge against exposure to currencies that represent a relatively smaller portion of the Underlying Index. Changes in currency exchange rates and the relative value of non-U.S. currencies may affect the value of a Fund’s investment and the value of your Fund shares. To the extent a Fund’s forward currency contracts are not successful in hedging against such changes, the U.S. dollar value of your investment in the Fund may go down if the value of the local currency of the non-U.S. markets in which the Fund invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar. This is true even if the local currency value of securities in a Fund’s holdings goes up. Conversely, the dollar value of your investment in a Fund may go up if the value of the local currency appreciates against the U.S. dollar. The value of the U.S. dollar measured against other currencies is influenced by a variety of factors. These factors include: interest rates, national debt levels and trade deficits, changes in balances of payments and trade, domestic and foreign interest and inflation rates, global or regional political, economic or financial events, monetary policies of governments, actual or potential government intervention, and global energy prices. Political instability, the possibility of government intervention and restrictive or opaque business and investment policies may also reduce the value of a country’s currency. Government monetary policies and the buying or selling of currency by a country’s government may also influence exchange rates. Furthermore, because no changes in the currency weights in each Fund’s Underlying Index are made during the month to account for changes in each Fund’s Underlying Index due to price movement of securities, corporate events, additions, deletions or any other changes, changes in the value of the non-U.S. currencies included in a Fund’s Underlying Index against the U.S. dollar during the month may affect the value of the Fund’s investment. Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably. Therefore, the value of an investment in a Fund may also go up or down quickly and unpredictably and investors may lose money. Because a Fund’s NAV is determined on the basis of the U.S. dollar, investors may lose money if the local currency depreciates against the U.S. dollar, even if the local currency value of the Fund’s holdings in that market increases.

Emerging Markets Risk. Investment in emerging markets subjects a Fund to a greater risk of loss than investments in a developed market. This is due to, among other things, (i) greater market volatility, (ii) lower trading volume, (iii) political and economic instability, (iv) high levels of inflations, deflation or currency devaluation, (v) greater risk of market shut down, (vi) more governmental limitations on foreign investments and limitations on repatriation of invested capital than those typically found in a developed market, and (vii) the risk that companies may be held to lower disclosure, corporate governance, auditing and financial reporting standards than companies in more developed markets.

 

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The financial stability of issuers (including governments) in emerging market countries may be more precarious than in other countries. As a result, there will tend to be an increased risk of price volatility in a Fund’s investments in emerging market countries, which may be magnified by currency fluctuations relative to the U.S. dollar.

Settlement practices for transactions in foreign markets may differ from those in U.S. markets. Such differences include delays beyond periods customary in the United States and practices, such as delivery of securities prior to receipt of payment, which increase the likelihood of a “failed settlement.” Failed settlements can result in losses to a Fund. Low trading volumes and volatile prices in less developed markets make trades harder to complete and settle, and governments or trade groups may compel local agents to hold securities in designated depositories that are not subject to independent evaluation. Local agents are held only to the standards of care of their local markets.

Forward Currency Contracts Risk. By entering into a forward currency contract for the purchase or sale, for a fixed amount of dollars or other currency, of the amount of foreign currency involved in the underlying security transactions, the Fund may be able to protect itself against a possible loss resulting from an adverse change in the relationship between the U.S. dollar or other currency which is being used for the security purchase and the foreign currency in which the security is denominated during the period between the date on which the security is purchased or sold and the date on which payment is made or received. Furthermore, such transactions reduce or preclude the opportunity for gain if the value of the currency should move in the direction opposite to the position taken. There is an additional risk to the extent that currency contracts create exposure to currencies in which the Fund’s securities are not denominated. Unanticipated changes in currency prices may result in poorer overall performance for the Fund than if it had not entered into such contracts. Forward currency contracts may limit gains on portfolio securities that could otherwise be realized had they not been utilized and could result in losses. The contracts also may increase the Fund’s volatility and may involve a significant amount of risk relative to the investment of cash.

Counterparty Risk. The foreign currency markets in which each Fund effects its transactions are over-the-counter or “interdealer” markets. The counterparty to an over-the-counter spot contract is generally a single bank or other financial institution rather than a clearing organization backed by a group of financial institutions. Participants in over-the-counter markets are typically not subject to the same credit evaluation and regulatory oversight as members of “exchange-based” markets. Because the Funds execute over-the-counter transactions, each Fund constantly takes credit risk with regard to parties with which it trades and may also bear the risk of settlement default. These risks may differ materially from those involved in exchange-traded transactions which generally are characterized by clearing organization guaranties, daily marking-to-market and settlement, and segregation and minimum capital requirements applicable to intermediaries. Transactions entered into directly between two counterparties generally do not benefit from these protections and each Fund is subject to the risk that a counterparty will not settle a transaction in accordance with agreed terms and conditions.

Further, if a counterparty becomes bankrupt or otherwise fails to perform its obligations due to financial difficulties, a Fund may experience significant delays in obtaining any recovery in a bankruptcy or other reorganization proceeding. A Fund may obtain only limited recovery or may obtain no recovery in such circumstances. In addition, a Fund may enter into agreements with a limited number of counterparties which may increase that Fund’s exposure to counterparty credit risk.

In accordance with standard industry practice, a Fund may be required to secure a portion of its obligations to its counterparty. For non-fully funded contracts, this may involve the placing of initial and/or variation margin assets with the counterparty. For contracts that require a Fund to place initial margin assets with a counterparty, such assets may not be segregated from the counterparty’s own assets and, being freely exchangeable and replaceable, the Fund may have a right to the return of equivalent assets rather than the original margin assets deposited with the counterparty. These deposits or assets may exceed the value of the relevant Fund’s obligations to the counterparty in the event that the counterparty requires excess margin or collateral. In addition, as contract terms may provide for collateral to cover the variation margin exposure arising under the contract only if a minimum transfer amount is triggered, the Fund may have an uncollateralized risk exposure to a counterparty.

The use of spot foreign exchange contracts may also expose a Fund to legal risk, which is the risk of loss due to the unexpected application of a law or regulation, or because contracts are not legally enforceable.

Equity Securities Risk. Each Fund invests in equity securities, which are subject to volatile changes in value that may be attributable to market perception of a particular issuer or to general stock market fluctuations that affect all issuers. Investments in equity securities may be more volatile than investments in other asset classes.

 

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Market Risk. An investment in equity securities involves risks similar to those of investing in any fund of equity securities, such as market fluctuations caused by such factors as economic and political developments, changes in interest rates and perceived trends in stock prices. The values of equity securities could decline generally or could underperform other investments. Different types of equity securities tend to go through cycles of outperformance and under-performance in comparison to the general securities markets. In addition, securities may decline in value due to factors affecting a specific issuer, market or securities markets generally.

Small and Medium Capitalization Company Risk. Investing in securities of small and medium capitalization companies involves greater risk than customarily is associated with investing in larger, more established companies. These companies’ securities may be more volatile and less liquid than those of more established companies. These securities may have returns that vary, sometimes significantly, from the overall securities market. Often small and medium capitalization companies and the industries in which they focus are still evolving and, as a result, they may be more sensitive to changing market condition.

Passive Investment Risk. Each Fund is not actively managed and may be affected by a general decline in market segments relating to its Underlying Index. Each Fund invests in securities and other instruments included in, or representative of, its respective Underlying Index regardless of their investment merits. As a result, a Fund may hold constituent securities of its respective Underlying Index regardless of the current or projected performance of a specific security or a particular industry or market sector. Maintaining investments in securities regardless of market conditions or the performance of individual securities could cause the Fund’s return to be lower than if the Fund employed an active strategy.

Tracking Error Risk. Each Fund’s return may not match the return of its Underlying Index for a number of reasons. For example, a Fund incurs a number of operating expenses not applicable to its Underlying Index and incurs costs associated with buying and selling securities, especially when rebalancing the Fund’s securities holdings to reflect changes in the composition of its Underlying Index and raising cash to meet redemptions or deploying cash in connection with newly created Creation Units. Imperfect correlation between a Fund’s portfolio securities and those in its Underlying Index, rounding of prices, changes to the Underlying Index and regulatory requirements may cause tracking error, the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of its Underlying Index. This risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses while its Underlying Index does not. Because each Fund utilizes a representative sampling indexing strategy, each Fund may experience higher tracking error than it would if it held all the securities of its respective Underlying Index with the same weightings as the Underlying Index. In addition, a Fund may not be able to invest in certain securities and other instruments included in its Underlying Index, or invest in them in the exact proportions they represent of its Underlying Index, due to legal restrictions or limitations imposed by the governments of certain countries or a lack of liquidity on stock exchanges in which such securities trade. Moreover, a Fund may be delayed in purchasing or selling securities and other instruments included in its Underlying Index. Any issues a Fund encounters with regard to currency convertibility (including the cost of borrowing funds, if any) and repatriation may also increase the index tracking risk.

Cash Redemption Risk. Because each Fund invests a portion of its assets in foreign currency forward contracts, such Fund may pay out a portion of its redemption proceeds in cash rather than through the in-kind delivery of portfolio securities. Each Fund may be required to unwind such contracts or sell portfolio securities in order to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. This may cause a Fund to recognize a capital gain that it might not have incurred if it had made a redemption in-kind. As a result a Fund may pay out higher annual capital gains distributions than if the in-kind redemption process was used. Only certain institutional investors known as authorized participants who have entered into an agreement with the Fund’s distributor may redeem shares from the Fund directly; all other investors buy and sell shares at market prices on an exchange.

Valuation Risk. Because non-U.S. exchanges may be open on days when a Fund does not price its shares, the value of the securities in the Fund’s portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund’s shares.

Non-Diversification Risk. Each Fund is “non-diversified.” and may invest a larger percentage of its assets in securities of a few issuers or a single issuer than that of a diversified fund. As a result, the Fund may be more susceptible to the risks associated with these particular issuers, or to a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence affecting these issuers. This may increase the Fund’s volatility and cause the performance of a relatively smaller number of issuers to have a greater impact on the Fund’s performance.

Concentration Risk. To the extent that a Fund’s Underlying Index concentrates in the securities of a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund will concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent as its Underlying Index. A Fund that concentrates, or otherwise invests a large portion of its assets in a single industry or group of industries, may be more susceptible to any single economic, market, political or regulatory occurrence affecting that industry or group of industries. In such case, the Fund may be more volatile than funds based on broader or less volatile market segments.

 

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Geographic Investment Risk. To the extent that a Fund’s Underlying Index invests a significant portion of its assets in the securities of a single country or region, it is more likely to be impacted by events or conditions affecting that country or region. For example, political and economic conditions and changes in regulatory, tax, or economic policy in a country could significantly affect the market in that country and in surrounding or related countries and have a negative impact on the Fund’s performance.

Additional Investment Strategies

Each Fund will normally invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in equity securities of issuers located in the markets specified in the applicable Fund’s name and in instruments designed to hedge the Fund’s exposure to non-U.S. currencies. In addition, each Fund will invest at least 80% of its total assets (but typically far more) in instruments that comprise the applicable Underlying Index. Each Fund may also invest in depositary receipts in respect of equity securities that comprise the applicable Underlying Index to seek performance that corresponds to the Fund’s respective Underlying Index. Investments in such depositary receipts will count towards each Fund’s 80% investment policy discussed above with respect to instruments that comprise the Underlying Index.

Each Fund may invest its remaining assets in other securities, including securities not in the Underlying Index, cash and cash equivalents, money market instruments, such as repurchase agreements or money market funds (including money market funds advised by the Adviser, Sub-Adviser or their affiliates (subject to applicable limitations under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), or exemptions therefrom), convertible securities, structured notes (notes on which the amount of principal repayment and interest payments are based on the movement of one or more specified factors, such as the movement of a particular stock or stock index) and in futures contracts, options on futures contracts, other types of options and swaps related to its Underlying Index. Each Fund expects to use futures contracts to a limited extent in seeking performance that corresponds to its Underlying Index. The Funds will not invest in money market instruments or other short-term investments as part of a temporary defensive strategy to protect against potential stock market declines.

Each of the policies described herein, including the investment objective and 80% investment policies of each Fund, constitutes a non-fundamental policy that may be changed by the Board of the Trust without shareholder approval. Each Fund’s 80% investment policies require 60 days’ prior written notice to shareholders before it can be changed. Certain fundamental policies of the Funds are set forth in the SAI.

Borrowing Money

Each Fund may borrow money from a bank up to a limit of 10% of the value of its assets, but only for temporary or emergency purposes.

Additional Risks of Investing in the Funds

Absence of Active Market. Although shares of each Fund are listed for trading on one or more stock exchanges, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such shares will develop or be maintained.

Trading Risks. Secondary market trading in Fund shares may be halted by a stock exchange because of market conditions or other reasons. In addition, trading in Fund shares on a stock exchange or in any market may be subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to “circuit breaker” rules on the exchange or market. There can be no assurance that the requirements necessary to maintain the listing or trading of Fund shares will continue to be met or will remain unchanged.

Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. Shares of the Funds may trade at, above or below their NAV. The per share NAV of each Fund will fluctuate with changes in the market value of such Fund’s holdings. The trading prices of Shares will fluctuate in accordance with changes in its NAV as well as market supply and demand. However, given that shares can be created and redeemed only in Creation Units at NAV (unlike shares of many closed-end funds, which frequently trade at appreciable discounts from, and sometimes at premiums to, their NAVs), the Adviser and Sub-Adviser believe that large discounts or premiums to the NAV of the shares should not be sustained. While the creation/redemption feature is designed to make it likely that shares normally will trade close to the Fund’s NAV, disruptions to creations and redemptions may result in trading prices that differ significantly from NAV. Since foreign exchanges may be open on days when the Funds do not price shares, the value of the securities in a Fund’s portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell shares.

 

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Costs of Buying or Selling Fund Shares. Buying or selling Fund shares involves two types of costs that apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling shares of a Fund through a broker, you will incur a brokerage commission or other charges imposed by brokers as determined by that broker. In addition, you will also incur the cost of the “spread”—that is, the difference between what professional investors are willing to pay for Fund shares (the “bid” price) and the price at which they are willing to sell Fund shares (the “ask” price). Because of the costs inherent in buying or selling Fund shares, frequent trading may detract significantly from investment results and an investment in Fund shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.

Derivatives Risk. Derivatives are financial instruments, such as futures and swaps, whose values are based on the value of one or more indicators, such as a security, asset, currency, interest rate, or index. Derivatives involve risks different from, and possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other more traditional investments. For example, derivatives involve the risk of mispricing or improper valuation and the risk that changes in the value of a derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying indicator. Derivative transactions can create investment leverage, may be highly volatile and a Fund could lose more than the amount it invests. Many derivative transactions are entered into “over-the-counter” (not on an exchange or contract market); as a result, the value of such a derivative transaction will depend on the ability and the willingness of a Fund’s counterparty to perform its obligations under the transaction. If a counterparty were to default on its obligations, the Fund’s contractual remedies against such counterparty may be subject to bankruptcy and insolvency laws, which could affect the Fund’s rights as a creditor (e.g., the Fund may not receive the net amount of payments that it is contractually entitled to receive). A liquid secondary market may not always exist for a Fund’s derivative positions at any time.

Futures. A futures contract is a standardized exchange-traded agreement to buy or sell a specific quantity of an underlying instrument at a specific price at a specific future time. The value of a futures contract tends to increase and decrease in tandem with the value of the underlying instrument. Depending on the terms of the particular contract, futures contracts are settled through either physical delivery of the underlying instrument on the settlement date or by payment of a cash settlement amount on the settlement date. A decision as to whether, when and how to use futures involves the exercise of skill and judgment and even a well-conceived futures transaction may be unsuccessful because of market behavior or unexpected events. In addition to the derivatives risks discussed above, the prices of futures can be highly volatile, using futures can lower total return and the potential loss from futures can exceed a Fund’s initial investment in such contracts.

Portfolio Holdings Information

A description of the Trust’s policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of each Fund’s portfolio securities is available in each Fund’s SAI. The top holdings of a Fund can be found at www.dbxus.com. Fund fact sheets provide information regarding a Fund’s top holdings and may be requested by calling 1-855-329-3837 (1-855-DBX-ETFS).

Management

Investment Adviser and Sub-Adviser. The Adviser has overall responsibility for the general management and administration of the Trust and oversight of the Sub-Adviser.

TDAM USA Inc. (the “Sub-Adviser” or “TDAM”), established in 1995, is a registered investment adviser and serves as the investment sub-adviser for each Fund and, subject to the supervision of the Adviser and the oversight of the Trust’s Board, is responsible for the investment management of the Funds.

For its investment advisory services to each Fund, the Adviser is entitled to receive a unitary management fee from each Fund at an annual rate equal to 0.40% (with respect to db X-trackers MSCI All World ex US Hedged Equity Fund), 0.58% (with respect to db X-trackers MSCI South Korea Hedged Equity Fund) and 0.50% (with respect to db X-trackers MSCI Mexico Hedged Equity Fund) of its average daily net assets.

Pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement between the Adviser and the Trust (entered into on behalf of each Fund), the Adviser is responsible for substantially all expenses of the Funds, including the payments to the Sub-Adviser, the cost of transfer agency, custody, fund administration, compensation paid to the Trustees, legal, audit and other services except for the fee payments under the Investment Advisory Agreement, interest expense, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses, litigation expenses and other extraordinary expenses.

 

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Pursuant to the Sub-Advisory Agreement with TDAM, the Adviser pays the Sub-Adviser on a semi-annual basis a portion of the net advisory fees it receives from the db X-trackers MSCI All World ex US Hedged Equity Fund at the annual rate of 0.15% of the first $100 million of such Fund’s daily net assets, 0.08% of the next $400 million of such Fund’s daily net assets and 0.04% of such Fund’s daily net assets in excess of $500 million. For the db X-trackers MSCI South Korea Hedged Equity Fund, the Adviser pays the Sub-Adviser on a semi-annual basis a portion of the advisory fees it receives from such Fund at an annual rate of 0.20% of the first $100 million of such Fund’s daily net assets, 0.12% of the next $400 million of such Fund’s daily net assets and 0.06% of such Fund’s daily net assets in excess of $500 million. For the db X-trackers MSCI Mexico Hedged Equity Fund, the Adviser pays the Sub-Adviser on a semi-annual basis a portion of the advisory fees it receives from such Fund at an annual rate of 0.20% of the first $100 million of such Fund’s daily net assets, 0.12% of the next $400 million of such Fund’s daily net assets and 0.06% of such Fund’s daily net assets in excess of $500 million.

DBX Advisors LLC is located at 60 Wall Street, New York, New York 10005 and is an, indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of Deutsche Bank AG, a multi-national financial services company. The Adviser has been a registered investment adviser since August 2010, with assets under management totaling approximately $386 million as of September 20, 2013.

TDAM USA Inc. is located at 161 Bay Street, 35th Floor, TD Canada Trust Tower, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5J 2T2, is a direct, wholly-owned subsidiary of The Toronto Dominion Bank. As of September 30, 2013, TDAM USA Inc. had approximately $14.6 billion under management and The Toronto Dominion Bank had approximately $241.7 billion under management.

A discussion regarding the basis for the Board’s approval of the Investment Advisory Agreement and the Sub-Advisory Agreement is available in each Fund’s semi-annual report to shareholders for the six months ending November 30, 2013.

Manager of Managers Structure. The Adviser and the Trust may rely on an exemptive order (the “Order”) from the SEC that permits the Adviser to enter into investment sub-advisory agreements with sub-advisers without obtaining shareholder approval. The Adviser, subject to the review and approval of the Board, selects sub-advisers for each Fund and supervises, monitors and evaluates the performance of the sub-adviser.

The Order also permits the Adviser, subject to the approval of the Board, to replace sub-advisers and amend investment sub-advisory agreements, including fees, without shareholder approval whenever the Adviser and the Board believe such action will benefit a Fund and its shareholders. The Adviser thus has the ultimate responsibility (subject to the ultimate oversight of the Board) to recommend the hiring and replacement of sub-advisers as well as the discretion to terminate any sub-adviser and reallocate a Fund’s assets for management among any other sub-adviser(s) and itself. This means that the Adviser is able to reduce the sub-advisory fees and retain a larger portion of the management fee, or increase the sub-advisory fees and retain a smaller portion of the management fee. The Adviser compensates the sub-adviser out of its management fee.

Portfolio Managers. Vishal Bhatia and Dino Bourdos (the “Portfolio Managers”) are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of each Fund. Each Portfolio Manager is responsible for various functions related to portfolio management, including, but not limited to, investing cash inflows, coordinating with members of his or her team to focus on certain asset classes, implementing investment strategy, researching and reviewing investment strategy and overseeing members of his or her portfolio management team with more limited responsibilities.

Vishal Bhatia, CFA, is a Vice President and Director of TDAM for the past five years. Mr. Bhatia joined TD Asset Management Inc. in December 1996. As the lead of the Structured and Equity Index Team, he oversees research, portfolio management, and daily trading activity for U.S., Canadian and global equity funds. Mr. Bhatia is also a Product Specialist specifically responsible for developing and marketing passive and active fundamental equity strategies. In this capacity he works closely with existing and prospective clients to incorporate these strategies into solutions that meet their needs. Mr. Bhatia graduated from the University of Toronto with an Honours Bachelor of Science in Cell & Molecular Biology and is a CFA charterholder.

Dino Bourdos, CFA, is a Managing Director of TDAM for the past five years. Mr. Bourdos joined TD Asset Management Inc. as part of Canada Trust merger in February 2000. At TDAM, he is responsible for the management of and trading within derivatives-based strategies for a variety of equity, fixed income and currency overlay mandates. He also oversees the Derivatives and Passive & Structured Equity businesses. Mr. Bourdos is also a product specialist and is specifically responsible for developing and marketing

 

25


portable alpha and derivatives-based strategies. In this capacity, he works closely with existing and prospective clients to provide solutions for managing overall portfolio, market and currency exposures. Prior to joining TDAM, Mr. Bourdos was an analyst and trader with Canada Trust Investment Management Group Inc. At CT IMG, his responsibilities included analyzing and trading derivatives, fixed income and currency products. Mr. Bourdos was awarded the CFA designation in 1998, completed the Chartered Market Technicians (CMT) program in 2001 and completed the first level of the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) Program in 2008. He obtained his undergraduate degree in Economics from the University of Toronto in 1994.

The Funds’ SAI provides additional information about the Portfolio Managers’ compensation, other accounts managed by the Portfolio Managers and the Portfolio Managers’ ownership (if any) of shares in the Funds.

Shareholder Information

Additional shareholder information, including how to buy and sell shares of the Funds, is available free of charge by calling toll-free: 1-855-329-3837 (1-855-DBX-ETFS) or visiting our website at www.dbxus.com.

Buying and Selling Shares. Shares of the Funds will be listed for trading on a national securities exchange during the trading day. Shares can be bought and sold throughout the trading day at market prices like shares of other publicly-traded companies. The Trust does not impose any minimum investment for shares of a Fund purchased on an exchange. Buying or selling Fund shares involves two types of costs that may apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling shares of a Fund through a broker, you will likely incur a brokerage commission or other charges determined by your broker. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread”—that is, any difference between the bid price and the ask price. The commission is frequently a fixed amount and may be a significant proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell small amounts of shares. The spread varies over time for shares of a Fund based on its trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the Fund has a lot of trading volume and market liquidity and higher if the Fund has little trading volume and market liquidity. The Funds’ Shares trade on NYSE Arca under the following symbols:

 

Fund

   Ticker Symbol

db X-trackers MSCI All World ex US Hedged Equity Fund

   DBAW

db X-trackers MSCI South Korea Hedged Equity Fund

   DBKO

db X-trackers MSCI Mexico Hedged Equity Fund

   DBMX

Shares of a Fund may be acquired or redeemed directly from the Fund only in Creation Units or multiples thereof, as discussed in the section of this Prospectus entitled “Creations and Redemptions.” Only an Authorized Participant (as defined herein) may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with a Fund. Once created, shares of a Fund generally trade in the secondary market in amounts less than a Creation Unit.

The Board has evaluated the risks of market timing activities by the Funds’ shareholders. The Board noted that a Fund’s Shares can only be purchased and redeemed directly from the Fund in Creation Units by “Authorized Participants” and that the vast majority of trading in the Funds’ Shares occurs on the secondary market. Because the secondary market trades do not involve a Fund directly, it is unlikely those trades would cause many of the harmful effects of market timing, including dilution, disruption of portfolio management, increases in the Funds’ trading costs and the realization of capital gains. With regard to the purchase or redemption of Creation Units directly with the Funds, to the extent effected in-kind (i.e., for securities), such trades do not cause any of the harmful effects (as previously noted) that may result from frequent cash trades. To the extent trades are effected in whole or in part in cash, the Board noted that such trades could result in dilution to a Fund and increased transaction costs, which could negatively impact the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective. However, the Board noted that direct trading by Authorized Participants is critical to ensuring that the Funds’ Shares trade at or close to NAV. In addition, each Fund imposes both fixed and variable transaction fees on purchases and redemptions of Fund Shares to cover the custodial and other costs incurred by a Fund in effecting trades. These fees increase if an investor substitutes cash in part or in whole for securities, reflecting the fact that a Fund’s trading costs increase in those circumstances. Given this structure, the Board determined that with respect to each Fund it is not necessary to adopt policies and procedures to detect and deter market timing of the Funds’ Shares.

The national securities exchange on which a Fund’s shares are listed is open for trading Monday through Friday and is closed on 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.

 

26


Section 12(d)(1) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), restricts investments by registered investment companies in the securities of other investment companies. Registered investment companies are permitted to invest in a Fund beyond the limits set forth in Section 12(d)(1), subject to certain terms and conditions set forth in an SEC exemptive order issued to the Trust, including that such investment companies enter into an agreement with the Trust.

Book-Entry. Shares of the Funds 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 a Fund are beneficial owners as shown on the records of DTC or its participants. DTC serves as the securities depository for shares of the Funds. 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 securities that you hold in book-entry or “street name” form.

Share Prices. The trading prices of a 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, economic conditions and other factors. Information regarding the intraday value of shares of a Fund, also known as the “indicative optimized portfolio value” (“IOPV”), is disseminated every 15 seconds throughout the trading day by the national securities exchange on which the Fund’s shares are listed or by market data vendors or other information providers. The IOPV is based on the current market value of the securities and/or cash required to be deposited in exchange for a Creation Unit. The IOPV does not necessarily reflect the precise composition of the current portfolio of securities held by a Fund at a particular point in time nor the best possible valuation of the current portfolio. Therefore, the IOPV should not be viewed as a “real-time” update of the NAV, which is computed only once a day. The IOPV is generally determined by using both current market quotations and/or price quotations obtained from broker-dealers that may trade in the portfolio securities held by the Fund. The quotations of certain Fund holdings may not be updated during U.S. trading hours if such holdings do not trade in the U.S. The Funds are not involved in, or responsible for, the calculation or dissemination of the IOPV and make no representation or warranty as to its accuracy.

Determination of Net Asset Value. The NAV of each Fund is generally determined once daily Monday through Friday generally as of the regularly scheduled close of business of the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) (normally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) on each day that the NYSE is open for trading. NAV is calculated by deducting all of the Fund’s liabilities from the total value of its assets and dividing the result by the number of shares outstanding, rounding to the nearest cent. All valuations are subject to review by the Trust’s Board or its delegate.

In determining NAV, expenses are accrued and applied daily and securities and other assets for which market quotations are available are valued at market value. Equity investments are valued at market value, which is generally determined using the last reported official closing or last trading price on the exchange or market on which the security is primarily traded at the time of valuation. The approximate value of shares of the applicable Fund, an amount representing on a per share basis the sum of the current value of the deposit securities based on their then current market price and the estimated cash component will be disseminated every 15 seconds throughout the trading day through the facilities of the Consolidated Tape Association. As the respective international local markets close, the market value of the deposit securities will continue to be updated for foreign exchange rates for the remainder of the U.S. trading day at the prescribed 15 second intervals. The value of each Underlying Index will not be calculated and disseminated intra day. The value and return of each Underlying Index is calculated once each trading day by the Index Provider based on prices received from the respective international local markets.

The value of each Fund’s portfolio securities is based on the securities’ closing price on local markets when available. If a security’s market price (or other indicator of market value such as that obtained from a pricing service) is not readily available or does not otherwise accurately reflect the fair value of the security, the security will be valued by another method that the Adviser believes will better reflect fair value in accordance with the Trust’s valuation policies and procedures approved by the Board. Money market securities maturing in 60 days or less will be valued at amortized cost. Each Fund may use fair value pricing in a variety of circumstances, including but not limited to, situations when the value of a security in a Fund’s portfolio has been materially affected by events occurring after the close of the market on which the security is principally traded (such as a corporate action or other news that may materially affect the price of a security) or trading in a security has been suspended or halted. Fair value pricing involves subjective judgments and it is possible that a fair value determination for a security is materially different than the value that could be

 

27


realized upon the sale of the security. In addition, fair value pricing could result in a difference between the prices used to calculate a Fund’s NAV and the prices used by the Fund’s Underlying Index. This may adversely affect a Fund’s ability to track its Underlying Index. With respect to securities that are primarily listed on foreign exchanges, the value of a Fund’s portfolio securities may change on days when you will not be able to purchase or sell your shares.

Dividends and Distributions

General Policies. Dividends from net investment income, if any, are generally declared and paid semi-annually by a Fund. Distributions of net realized capital gains, if any, generally are declared and paid once a year, but the Trust may make distributions on a more frequent basis for the Funds. The Trust reserves the right to declare special distributions if, in its reasonable discretion, such action is necessary or advisable to preserve its status as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) or to avoid imposition of income or excise taxes on undistributed income or realized gains.

Dividends and other distributions on shares of the Funds are distributed on a pro rata basis to beneficial owners of such shares. Dividend payments are made through DTC participants and indirect participants to beneficial owners then of record with proceeds received from the Fund.

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

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

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

Taxes on Distributions. Distributions from a Fund’s net investment income (other than qualified dividend income), including distributions of income from securities lending and distributions out of the Fund’s net short-term capital gains, if any, are taxable to you as ordinary income. Distributions by a Fund of net long-term capital gains in excess of net short-term capital losses (capital gain dividends) are taxable to you as long-term capital gains, regardless of how long you have held such Fund’s shares. Distributions by a Fund that qualify as qualified dividend income are taxable to you at long-term capital gain rates. 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.

Dividends are eligible to be qualified dividend income to you, if you meet certain holding period requirements discussed below, if they are attributable to qualified dividend income received by a Fund. Generally, qualified dividend income includes dividend income from taxable U.S. corporations and qualified non-U.S. corporations, provided that a Fund satisfies certain holding period requirements in respect of the stock of such corporations and has not hedged its position in the stock in certain ways. For this purpose, a qualified non-U.S. corporation means any non-U.S. corporation that is eligible for benefits under a comprehensive income tax treaty with the United States which includes an exchange of information program or if the stock with respect to which the dividend was paid is readily tradable on an established United States security market. The term excludes a corporation that is a passive foreign investment company.

For a dividend to be treated as qualified dividend income, the dividend must be received with respect to a share of stock held without being hedged by a Fund, and to a share of the Fund held without being hedged by you, for 61 days during the 121-day period beginning at the date which is 60 days before the date on which such share becomes ex-dividend with respect to such dividend or in the case of certain preferred stock 91 days during the 181-day period beginning 90 days before such date.

In general, your distributions are subject to U.S. federal income tax for the year when they are paid. Certain distributions paid in January, however, may be treated as paid on December 31 of the prior year.

 

28


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

If you are neither a resident nor a citizen of the United States or if you are a non-U.S. entity, a Fund’s ordinary income dividends (which include distributions of net short- term capital gains) will generally be subject to a 30% U.S. withholding tax, unless a lower treaty rate applies, provided that withholding tax will generally not apply to any gain or income realized by a non-U.S. shareholder in respect of any distributions of long-term capital gains or upon the sale or other disposition of shares of a Fund.

Dividends and interest received by a Fund with respect to non-U.S. securities may give rise to withholding and other taxes imposed by non-U.S. countries. Tax conventions between certain countries and the United States may reduce or eliminate such taxes. If, as is expected, more than 50% of the total assets of a Fund at the close of a year consist of non-U.S. stocks or securities, the Fund may “pass through” to you certain non-U.S. income taxes (including withholding taxes) paid by the Fund. This means that you would be considered to have received as an additional dividend your share of such non-U.S. taxes, but you may, in such case, be entitled to either a corresponding tax deduction in calculating your taxable income, or, subject to certain limitations, a credit in calculating your U.S. federal income tax.

If you are a resident or a citizen of the United States, by law, back-up withholding will apply to your distributions and proceeds if you have not provided a taxpayer identification number or social security number and made other required certifications.

Taxes When Shares are Sold. 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.

Medicare Tax. For taxable years beginning after December 31, 2012, an additional 3.8% Medicare tax will be 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.

The foregoing discussion summarizes some of the consequences under current U.S. federal tax law of an investment in the Funds. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. You may also be subject to state and local taxation on Fund distributions and sales of shares. Consult your personal tax adviser about the potential tax consequences of an investment in shares of the Fund under all applicable tax laws.

Creations and Redemptions. Prior to trading in the secondary market, shares of the Funds are “created” at NAV by market makers, large investors and institutions only in block-size Creation Units of 50,000 shares or multiples thereof (“Creation Units”). The size of a Creation Unit will be subject to change. Each “creator” or “Authorized Participant” enters into an authorized participant agreement with the Fund’s distributor, ALPS Distributors, Inc. (the “Distributor”). Only an Authorized Participant may create or redeem Creation Units directly with the Funds. Creation Units generally are issued and redeemed in exchange for a specific basket of securities approximating the holdings of a Fund and a designated amount of cash. Because each Fund invests a portion of its assets in foreign currency forward contracts, each Fund may pay out a portion of its redemption proceeds in cash rather than through the in-kind delivery of portfolio securities. Except when aggregated in Creation Units, shares are not redeemable by the Fund. The prices at which creations and redemptions occur are based on the next calculation of NAV after an order is received in a form described in the authorized participant agreement.

Orders for creations and redemptions must be made by an Authorized Participant that is either a member of the Continuous Net Settlement System of the National Securities Clearing Corporation or a DTC participant, and in each case, must have executed an agreement with the Distributor with respect to creations and redemptions of Creation Unit aggregations. Information about the procedures regarding creation and redemption of Creation Units (including the cut-off times for receipt of creation and redemption orders) is included in the SAI.

 

29


Each Fund intends to comply with the U.S. federal securities laws in accepting securities for deposits and satisfying redemptions with redemption securities, including that the securities accepted for deposits and the securities used to satisfy redemption requests will be sold in transactions that would be exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”). Further, an Authorized Participant that is not a “qualified institutional buyer,” as such term is defined under Rule 144A of the 1933 Act, will not be able to receive Fund Securities that are restricted securities eligible for resale under Rule 144A.

Authorized Participants and the Continuous Offering of Shares. Because new shares may be created and issued on an ongoing basis, at any point during the life of a Fund a “distribution,” as such term is used in the 1933 Act, may be occurring. 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 to the prospectus delivery and liability provisions of the 1933 Act. Any determination of whether one is an underwriter must take into account all the relevant facts and circumstances of each particular case.

Broker-dealers should also note that dealers who are not “underwriters” but are participating in a distribution (as contrasted to ordinary secondary transactions), and thus dealing with shares that are part of an “unsold allotment” within the meaning of Section 4(3)(C) of the 1933 Act, would be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(3) of the 1933 Act. For delivery of prospectuses to exchange members, the prospectus delivery mechanism of Rule 153 under the 1933 Act is available only with respect to transactions on a national securities exchange.

Transaction Fees. Authorized Participants are charged standard creation and redemption transaction fees to offset transfer and other transaction costs associated with the issuance and redemption of Creation Units. Purchasers and redeemers of Creation Units for cash are required to pay an additional variable charge (up to the maximum amount shown below) to compensate for brokerage and market impact expenses. The standard and maximum creation transaction fees for each of the Funds are $10,500 for db X-trackers MSCI All World ex US Hedged Equity Fund, $1,100 for db X-trackers MSCI South Korea Hedged Equity Fund and $500 for db X-trackers MSCI Mexico Hedged Equity Fund, respectively.

Householding. Householding is an option available to certain Fund investors. Householding is a method of delivery, based on the preference of the individual investor, in which a single copy of certain shareholder documents can be delivered to investors who share the same address, even if their accounts are registered under different names. Please contact your broker-dealer if you are interested in enrolling in householding and receiving a single copy of prospectuses and other shareholder documents, or if you are currently enrolled in householding and wish to change your householding status.

Distribution

The Distributor distributes Creation Units for the Fund on an agency basis. The Distributor does not maintain a secondary market in shares of the Funds. The Distributor has no role in determining the policies of the Funds or the securities that are purchased or sold by the Funds. The Distributor’s principal address is 1290 Broadway, Suite 1100, Denver, Colorado 80203.

The Adviser or its affiliates may make payments to broker-dealers or other financial intermediaries (together, “intermediaries”) related to marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, the support of technology platforms and/or reporting systems or other services relating to the Funds and certain other funds advised by the Adviser or its affiliates. Such payments, which may be significant to the intermediary, are not made by a Fund. Rather, such payments are made by the Adviser or its affiliates from their own resources, which come directly or indirectly in part from fees paid by the Funds and certain other funds advised by the Adviser or its affiliates. Payments of this type are sometimes referred to as revenue sharing payments. A financial 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 revenue sharing 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 a Fund or other funds advised by the Adviser or its affiliates. More information regarding these payments is contained in the Funds’ SAI.

Fund Service Providers

The Bank of New York Mellon, One Wall Street, New York, New York 10286 (“BNY”), is the administrator, custodian and fund accounting and transfer agent for each Fund.

Dechert LLP, 1095 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10036, serves as legal counsel to the Funds.

 

30


Ernst & Young LLP, 5 Times Square, New York, New York 10036, serves as each Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm. The independent registered public accounting firm is responsible for auditing the annual financial statements of the Funds.

Index Provider

MSCI, Inc. (“MSCI”) is a leading provider of global indexes and benchmark related products and services to investors worldwide. MSCI is not affiliated with the Trust, the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser, BNY, the Distributor or any of their respective affiliates.

The Adviser has entered into a license agreement with the Index Provider to use each Underlying Index. The Adviser sublicenses rights in each Underlying Index to the Trust at no charge.

Disclaimers

The Funds are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by MSCI or any affiliate of MSCI. Neither MSCI nor any other party makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of the Funds or any member of the public regarding advisability of investing in funds generally or in this Fund particularly or the ability of each Underlying Index to track general stock market performance. MSCI is the licensor of certain trademarks, service marks and trade names of MSCI and of the Underlying Indexes which are determined, composed and calculated by MSCI without regard to the Trust, the Adviser or the Fund. MSCI has no obligation to take the needs of the Adviser or the owners of the Funds into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the Underlying Indexes. MSCI is not responsible for and has not participated in the determination of the timing of, prices at, or quantities of the Funds to be issued or in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the Funds are redeemable for cash. Neither MSCI nor any other party has any obligation or liability to owners of the Funds in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the Funds.

Although MSCI shall obtain information for inclusion in or for use in the calculation of the Underlying Indexes from sources which MSCI considers reliable, neither MSCI nor any other party guarantees the accuracy and/or the completeness of the Underlying Indexes or any data included therein. Neither MSCI nor any other party makes any warranty, express or implied, as to results to be obtained by licensee, licensee’s customers and counterparties, owners of the Funds, or any other person or entity from the use of the Underlying Indexes or any data included hereunder or for any other use. Neither MSCI nor any other party makes any express or implied warranties, and MSCI hereby expressly disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose with respect to the Underlying Indexes or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall MSCI or any other party have any liability for direct, indirect, special, punitive, consequential or any other damages (including lost profits) even if notified of the possibility of such damages.

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 the shares of the Fund or any member of the public regarding the ability of the Funds to track the total return performance of their Underlying Index or the ability of the Underlying Indexes to track stock market 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 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 the shares of the Funds in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the shares of the Funds.

NYSE Arca does not guarantee the accuracy and/or the completeness of the Underlying Indexes 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 the shares of the Funds, or any other person or entity from the use of the subject 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 Indexes 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.

The Adviser does not guarantee the accuracy or the completeness of the Underlying Indexes or any data included therein and the Adviser shall have no liability for any errors, omissions or interruptions therein.

 

31


The Adviser makes no warranty, express or implied, to the owners of shares of the Funds or to any other person or entity, as to results to be obtained by the Funds from the use of the Underlying Indexes or any data included therein. The Adviser makes no express or implied warranties and expressly disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose or use with respect to the Underlying Indexes or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall the Adviser have any liability for any special, punitive, direct, indirect or consequential damages (including lost profits), even if notified of the possibility of such damages.

Premium/Discount Information

Information regarding how often shares of each Fund traded on NYSE Arca at a price above (i.e., at a premium) or below (i.e., at a discount) the NAV of the Fund during the past calendar year, when available, can be found at www.dbxus.com.

Financial Highlights

Because the Funds have not yet commenced operations, no financial highlights are presented.

 

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For more information:

WWW.DBXUS.COM

1-855-329-3837 (1-855-DBX-ETFS)

Copies of the Prospectus, SAI and recent shareholder reports, when available, can be found on our website at www.dbxus.com. For more information about the Funds, you may request a copy of the SAI. The SAI provides detailed information about the Funds and is incorporated by reference into this Prospectus. This means that the SAI, for legal purposes, is a part of this Prospectus.

If you have any questions about the Trust or shares of the Funds or you wish to obtain the SAI or shareholder report free of charge, please:

 

Call:

  

1-855-329-3837 or 1-855-DBX-ETFS (toll free)

Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. (Eastern time)

E-mail:dbxquestions@list.db.com

Write:

  

DBX ETF Trust

c/o ALPS Distributors, Inc.

1290 Broadway, Suite 1100

Denver, Colorado 80203

Information about the Funds (including the SAI) can be reviewed and copied at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C., and information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling the SEC at 1-202-551-8090. Reports and other information about the Funds are available on the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov, and copies of this information may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by electronic request at the following e-mail address: publicinfo@sec.gov, or by writing to the SEC’s Public Reference Section, Washington, D.C. 20549-1520.

No person is authorized to give any information or to make any representations about the Funds and their shares not contained in this Prospectus and you should not rely on any other information. Read and keep the Prospectus for future reference.

Investment Company Act File No.: 811-22487


 

 

DBX ETF Trust

Statement of Additional Information

Dated January 3, 2014

This combined Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) is not a prospectus. It should be read in conjunction with the current prospectus (the “Prospectus”) for the following funds (each a “Fund” and collectively the “Funds”) of DBX ETF Trust (the “Trust”), as such Prospectus may be revised or supplemented from time to time:

 

Funds

   Ticker    Stock Exchange

db X-trackers MSCI All World ex US Hedged Equity Fund

   DBAW    NYSE Arca, Inc.

db X-trackers MSCI South Korea Hedged Equity Fund

   DBKO    NYSE Arca, Inc.

db X-trackers MSCI Mexico Hedged Equity Fund

   DBMX    NYSE Arca, Inc.

The Prospectus for the Funds included in this SAI is dated January 3, 2014. Capitalized terms used herein that are not defined have the same meaning as in the Prospectus, unless otherwise noted. A copy of the Prospectus may be obtained without charge by writing to the Trust’s distributor, ALPS Distributors, Inc. (the “Distributor”), at 1290 Broadway, Suite 1100, Denver, Colorado 80203, calling 1-855-329-3837 (1-855-DBX-ETFS) or visiting www.dbxus.com.

 

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

General Description of the Trust and its Funds

     1   

Exchange Listing and Trading

     1   

Investment Strategies and Risks

     2   

General Considerations and Risks

     6   

Proxy Voting

     8   

Portfolio Holdings Information

     8   

Construction and Maintenance of the Underlying Indexes

     9   

Investment Limitations

     10   

Management

     11   

Investment Advisory, Sub-Advisory, Administrative and Distribution Services

     15   

Brokerage Transactions

     20   

Additional Information Concerning the Trust

     21   

Creation and Redemption of Creation Units

     22   

Taxes

     28   

Miscellaneous Information

     34   

Financial Statements

     34   

 

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General Description of the Trust and its Funds

The Trust currently consists of fourteen investment series or portfolios. The Trust was organized as a Delaware statutory trust on October 7, 2010 and is authorized to have multiple series or portfolios. The Trust is an open-end management investment company registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). The offering of each Fund’s shares (the “Shares”) is registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”).

The investment objective of each Fund is to provide investment results that correspond generally to the performance, before fees and expenses, of a specified benchmark index (each, an “Underlying Index”). Each Fund is managed by DBX Advisors LLC (the “Adviser”) and is sub-advised by TDAM USA Inc. (the “Sub-Adviser” or “TDAM”).

Each Fund offers and issues Shares at their net asset value (“NAV”) per Share only in aggregations of a specified number of Shares (“Creation Units”), generally in exchange for a basket of securities and other instruments included in its Underlying Index (the “Deposit Securities”), together with the deposit of a specified cash payment (the “Cash Component”). Shares of the Funds are expected to be listed and trade on NYSE Arca, Inc. (the “Exchange”). Shares trade in the secondary market at market prices that may be at, above or below NAV. Shares are redeemable only in Creation Units, and, partially for cash and partially in-kind for securities and other instruments generally included in a Fund’s Underlying Index. A Creation Unit consists of 50,000 Shares thereof.

The Trust reserves the right to offer a “cash” option for creations and redemptions of Shares. Shares may be issued in advance of receipt of Deposit Securities subject to various conditions, including a requirement to maintain with the Trust a cash deposit, equal to at least 115%, which the Adviser may change from time to time, of the market value of the omitted Deposit Securities. See the Creation and Redemption of Creation Units section of this SAI. Transaction fees for cash creations and redemptions may be higher than the transaction fees associated with in-kind creations and redemptions.

Exchange Listing and Trading

A discussion of exchange listing and trading matters associated with an investment in each Fund is contained in the Shareholder Information section of the Funds’ Prospectus. The discussion below supplements, and should be read in conjunction with, that section of the Prospectus.

Shares of each Fund will be listed for trading and will trade throughout the day on the Exchange. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of Shares of any Fund will continue to be met. The 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 “indicative optimized portfolio value” (“IOPV”) of a Fund is no longer calculated or available or (iv) any other event shall occur or condition shall exist that, in the opinion of the Exchange, makes further dealings on the Exchange inadvisable. The Exchange will also remove Shares of a Fund from listing and trading upon termination of the Fund.

As in the case of other publicly-traded securities, when you buy or sell Shares through a broker you will incur a brokerage commission determined by that broker.

In order to provide additional information regarding the indicative value of Shares of the Fund, the 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 IOPV for the 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 IOPVs and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the IOPVs.

An IOPV has a securities component and a cash component. The securities values included in an IOPV are the values of the Deposit Securities for a Fund. While the IOPV reflects the current market value of the Deposit Securities required to be deposited in connection with the purchase of a Creation Unit, it does not necessarily reflect the precise composition of the current portfolio of securities held by a Fund at a particular point in time because the current portfolio of the Fund may include securities that are not a part of the current Deposit Securities. Therefore, a Fund’s IOPV disseminated during the Exchange trading hours should not be viewed as a real-time update of the Fund’s NAV, which is calculated only once a day.

 

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The cash component included in an IOPV consists of estimated accrued interest, dividends and other income, less expenses. If applicable, each IOPV also reflects changes in currency exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and the applicable currency.

The Trust reserves the right to adjust the Share prices of Funds 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.

Investment Strategies and Risks

Each Fund is managed to track the performance of its Underlying Index. Each Fund will normally invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in equity securities of issuers located in the markets and sectors specified in the applicable Fund’s name and in instruments designed to hedge the Fund’s exposure to non-U.S. currencies. In addition, each Fund will invest at least 80% of its total assets (but typically far more) in instruments that comprise its respective Underlying Index. Each Fund may also invest in depositary receipts (which are securities issued by banks representing an issuer’s shares that are publicly traded in another country) in respect of equity securities that comprise the applicable Underlying Index to seek performance that corresponds to the Fund’s respective Underlying Index. Investments in such depositary receipts will count towards each Fund’s 80% investment policy discussed above with respect to instruments that comprise the Underlying Index. Each Fund operates as an index fund and will not be actively managed. Adverse performance of a security in each Fund’s portfolio may not result in the elimination of the security from a Fund’s portfolio.

Each Fund engages in representative sampling, which is investing in a sample of securities selected by the Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser to have a collective investment profile similar to that of the Underlying Index. Securities selected have aggregate investment characteristics (based on market capitalization and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability, earnings valuation and yield) and liquidity measures similar to those of the Underlying Index. Funds that use representative sampling generally do not hold all of the securities that are in the relevant Underlying Index.

Diversification Status. Each Fund is classified as “non-diversified.” A non-diversified fund is a fund that is not limited by the 1940 Act with regard to the percentage of its assets that may be invested in the securities of a single issuer. The securities of a particular issuer (or securities of issuers in particular industries) may dominate the underlying index of such a fund and, consequently, the fund’s investment portfolio. This may adversely affect the fund’s performance or subject the fund’s Shares to greater price volatility than that experienced by more diversified investment companies.

Each Fund intends to maintain the required level of diversification and otherwise conduct its operations so as to qualify as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) for purposes of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), and to relieve the Fund of any liability for U.S. federal income tax to the extent that its earnings are distributed to shareholders, provided that the Fund satisfies a minimum distribution requirement. Compliance with the diversification requirements of the Code may limit the investment flexibility of the Funds and may make it less likely that such Funds will meet their investment objective.

Repurchase Agreements. Each Fund may enter into repurchase agreements. A repurchase agreement is an instrument under which the purchaser (i.e., a Fund) acquires the security and the seller agrees, at the time of the sale, to repurchase the security at a mutually agreed upon time and price, thereby determining the yield during the purchaser’s holding period. Repurchase agreements may be construed to be collateralized loans by the purchaser to the seller secured by the securities transferred to the purchaser. If a repurchase agreement is construed to be a collateralized loan, the underlying securities will not be considered to be owned by each Fund but only to constitute collateral for the seller’s obligation to pay the repurchase price, and, in the event of a default by the seller, each Fund may suffer time delays and incur costs or losses in connection with the disposition of the collateral.

In any repurchase transaction, collateral for a repurchase agreement may include cash items, obligations issued by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities, obligations rated in the highest category by at least two nationally recognized statistical rating organizations (“NRSRO”), or, if unrated, determined to be of comparable quality by the Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser. Collateral, however, is not limited to the foregoing and may include for example obligations rated below the highest category by NRSROs. Collateral for a repurchase agreement may also include securities that a Fund could not hold directly without the repurchase obligation. Irrespective of the type of collateral underlying the repurchase agreement, a repurchase obligation with a particular counterparty must satisfy the credit quality standards applicable to the acquisition of an instrument issued by such counterparty in compliance with Rule 2a-7 under the 1940 Act.

 

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Repurchase agreements pose certain risks for a Fund that utilizes them. Such risks are not unique to the Funds but are inherent in repurchase agreements. The Funds seek to minimize such risks but because of the inherent legal uncertainties involved in repurchase agreements, such risks cannot be eliminated. Lower quality collateral and collateral with longer maturities may be subject to greater price fluctuations than higher quality collateral and collateral with shorter maturities. If the repurchase agreement counterparty were to default, lower quality collateral may be more difficult to liquidate than higher quality collateral. Should the counterparty default and the amount of collateral not be sufficient to cover the counterparty’s repurchase obligation, a Fund would retain the status of an unsecured creditor of the counterparty (i.e., the position the Fund would normally be in if it were to hold, pursuant to its investment policies, other unsecured debt securities of the defaulting counterparty) with respect to the amount of the shortfall. As an unsecured creditor, a Fund would be at risk of losing some or all of the principal and income involved in the transaction.

Reverse Repurchase Agreements. Each Fund may enter into reverse repurchase agreements, which involve the sale of securities with an agreement to repurchase the securities at an agreed-upon price, date and interest payment and have the characteristics of borrowing. Generally the effect of such transactions is that the Fund can recover all or most of the cash invested in the portfolio securities involved during the term of the reverse repurchase agreement, while in many cases the Fund is able to keep some of the interest income associated with those securities. Such transactions are advantageous only if the Fund has an opportunity to earn a rate of interest on the cash derived from these transactions that is greater than the interest cost of obtaining the same amount of cash. Opportunities to realize earnings from the use of the proceeds equal to or greater than the interest required to be paid may not always be available and each Fund intends to use the reverse repurchase technique only when the Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser believe it will be advantageous to the Fund. The use of reverse repurchase agreements may exaggerate any interim increase or decrease in the value of each Fund’s assets. The Fund’s exposure to reverse repurchase agreements will be covered by assets having a value equal to or greater than such commitments. Each Fund maintains liquid assets in connection with reverse repurchase agreements. Under the 1940 Act, reverse repurchase agreements are considered borrowings.

Currency Transactions. Each Fund may enter into forward currency contracts designed to offset a Fund’s exposure to non-U.S. currencies. In addition, the Funds may enter into foreign currency forward contracts and foreign currency futures contracts to facilitate local securities settlements or to protect against currency exposure in connection with distributions to Shareholders. The db X-trackers MSCI All World ex US Hedged Equity Fund invests in forward foreign currency exchange contracts to hedge against changes in the value of the U.S. dollar against specified non-U.S. currencies. Similarly, the db X-trackers MSCI South Korea Hedged Equity Fund invests in forward foreign currency exchange contracts to hedge against changes in the value of the U.S. dollar against the South Korean won and the db X-trackers MSCI Mexico Hedged Equity Fund invests in forward foreign currency exchange contracts to hedge against changes in the value of the U.S. dollar against the Mexican peso.

A foreign currency forward exchange contract (“forward contract”) involves an obligation to purchase or sell a specific currency at a future date, which may be any fixed number of days from the date of the contract agreed upon by the parties, at a price set at the time of the contract. These contracts are principally traded in the interbank market conducted directly between currency traders (usually large, commercial banks) and their customers. A forward contract generally has no margin deposit requirement, and no commissions are charged at any stage for trades.

A non-deliverable forward contract (“NDF”) is a forward contract where there is no physical settlement of two currencies at maturity. NDFs are contracts between parties in which a net settlement amount based on the change in the specified foreign exchange rate is paid by one party to the other. The Fund’s obligations with respect to each NDF is accrued on a daily basis and an amount of cash or liquid securities at least equal to such amount maintained in an account at the Trust’s custodian bank. The risk of loss with respect to NDFs generally is limited to the net amount of payments that a Fund is contractually obligated to make or receive.

A foreign currency futures contract is a contract involving an obligation to deliver or acquire the specified amount of a specific currency, at a specified price and at a specified future time. Futures contracts may be settled on a net cash payment basis rather than by the sale and delivery of the underlying currency.

Short-Term Instruments and Temporary Investments. Each Fund may invest in short-term instruments, including money market instruments, on an ongoing basis to provide liquidity or for other reasons. Money market instruments are generally short-term investments that may include but are not limited to: (i) Shares of money market funds (including those advised by the Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser); (ii) obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities (including government-sponsored enterprises); (iii) negotiable certificates of deposit (“CDs”), bankers’ acceptances, fixed-time deposits and other obligations of U.S. and non-U.S. banks (including non-U.S. branches) and similar institutions; (iv) commercial paper rated, at the date of purchase, “Prime-1” by Moody’s® Investors Service, Inc. or “A-1” by Standard & Poor’s® Rating Service, a division of The

 

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McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. (“S&P®”), or if unrated, of comparable quality as determined by the Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser; (v) non-convertible corporate debt securities (e.g., bonds and debentures) with remaining maturities at the date of purchase of not more than 397 days and that satisfy the rating requirements set forth in Rule 2a-7 under the 1940 Act; (vi) repurchase agreements; and (vii) short-term U.S. dollar-denominated obligations of non-U.S. banks (including U.S. branches) that, in the opinion of the Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser, are of comparable quality to obligations of U.S. banks which may be purchased by a Fund. Any of these instruments may be purchased on a current or forward-settled basis. Time deposits are non-negotiable deposits maintained in banking institutions for specified periods of time at stated interest rates. Bankers’ acceptances are time drafts drawn on commercial banks by borrowers, usually in connection with international transactions.

Foreign Securities. Each Fund intends to purchase publicly-traded common stocks of foreign issuers. To the extent a Fund invests in stocks of foreign issuers, certain of the Funds’ investments in such stocks may be in the form of American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”), Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”) and Non-Voting Depositary Receipts (“NVDRs”) (collectively, “Depositary Receipts”). Depositary Receipts are receipts, typically issued by a bank or trust issuer, which evidence ownership of underlying securities issued by a foreign issuer. For ADRs, the depository is typically a U.S. financial institution and the underlying securities are issued by a foreign issuer. For other forms of Depositary Receipts, the depository may be a foreign or a U.S. entity, and the underlying securities may be issued by a foreign or a U.S. issuer. Depositary Receipts are not necessarily denominated in the same currency as their underlying securities. Generally, ADRs, issued in registered form, are designed for use in the U.S. securities markets, NVDRs are designed for use in the Thai securities market and GDRs are tradable both in the United States and in Europe and are designed for use throughout the world.

The Funds will not invest in any unlisted Depositary Receipt or any Depositary Receipt that the Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser deem illiquid at the time of purchase or for which pricing information is not readily available. In general, Depositary Receipts will be sponsored, but a Fund may invest in unsponsored ADRs under certain circumstances. The issuers of unsponsored Depositary Receipts are not obligated to disclose material information in the United States. Therefore there may be less information available regarding such issuers and there may be no correlation between available information and the market value of the Depositary Receipts.

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

Restricted Securities/Rule 144A Securities. The Funds may invest in securities offered pursuant to Rule 144A under the 1933 Act (“Rule 144A securities”), which are restricted securities. They may be less liquid and more difficult to value than other investments because such securities may not be readily marketable in broad public markets. The Funds may not be able to sell a restricted security promptly or at a reasonable price. Although there is a substantial institutional market for Rule 144A securities, it is not possible to predict exactly how the market for Rule 144A securities will develop. A restricted security that was liquid at the time of purchase may subsequently become illiquid and its value may decline as a result. Restricted securities that are deemed illiquid will count towards a Fund’s 15% limitation on illiquid securities. In addition, transaction costs may be higher for restricted securities than for more liquid securities. The Funds may have to bear the expense of registering Rule 144A securities for resale and the risk of substantial delays in effecting the registration.

Securities of Investment Companies. Each Fund may invest in the securities of other investment companies (including money market funds) and real estate investment trusts (“REITs”) to the extent allowed by law. Pursuant to the 1940 Act, a Fund’s investment in 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. To the extent allowed by law or regulation, each Fund may invest its assets in the securities of investment companies that are money market funds, including those advised by the Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser or otherwise affiliated with the Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser, 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 investment advisory and administration fees that would be in addition to those incurred by the Fund.

 

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Illiquid Securities. Each Fund may invest up to an aggregate amount of 15% of its net assets in illiquid securities (calculated at the time of investment). Illiquid securities include securities subject to contractual or other restrictions on resale and other instruments that lack readily available markets.

Futures and Options. Each Fund may enter into futures contracts and options. These futures contracts and options will be used to simulate investment in the respective Underlying Index, facilitate trading or reduce transaction costs. Each Fund will enter into futures contracts and options that are traded on a U.S. or non-U.S. exchange. No Fund will use futures or options for speculative purposes. Each Fund intends to use futures and options in accordance with Rule 4.5 promulgated under the Commodity Exchange Act (“CEA”). The Adviser, on behalf of each Fund, has claimed an exclusion from the definition of the term “commodity pool operator” in accordance with Rule 4.5 so that each Fund is not subject to registration or regulation as a commodity pool operator under the CEA.

Futures contracts provide for the future sale by one party and purchase by another party of a specified amount of a specific instrument or index at a specified future time and at a specified price. Each Fund may enter into futures contracts to purchase the value of one or more securities indexes when the Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser anticipate purchasing the underlying securities and believe prices will rise before the purchase will be made. To the extent required by law, liquid assets committed to futures contracts will be maintained.

A call option gives a holder the right to purchase a specific security at a specified price (“exercise price”) within a specified period of time. A put option gives a holder the right to sell a specific security at a specified exercise price within a specified period of time. The initial purchaser of a call option pays the “writer” a premium, which is paid at the time of purchase and is retained by the writer whether or not such option is exercised. Each Fund may purchase put options to hedge its portfolio against the risk of a decline in the market value of securities held and may purchase call options to hedge against an increase in the price of securities it is committed to purchase. Each Fund may write put and call options along with a long position in options to increase its ability to hedge against a change in the market value of the securities it holds or is committed to purchase. Investments in futures contracts and other investments that contain leverage may require each Fund to maintain liquid assets. Generally, each Fund maintains an amount of liquid assets equal to its obligations relative to the position involved, adjusted daily on a marked-to-market basis. With respect to futures contracts that are contractually required to “cash-settle,” each Fund maintains liquid assets in an amount at least equal to each Fund’s daily marked-to-market obligation (i.e., each Fund’s daily net liability, if any), rather than the contracts’ notional value. By maintaining assets equal to its net obligation under cash-settled futures contracts, the Fund may employ leverage to a greater extent than if each Fund set aside assets equal to the futures contracts’ full notional value. Each Fund bases its asset maintenance policies on methods permitted by the staff of the SEC and may modify these policies in the future to comply with any changes in the guidance articulated from time to time by the SEC or its staff.

Options on Futures Contracts. An option on a futures contract, as contrasted with the direct investment in such a contract, gives the purchaser the right, in return for the premium paid, to assume a position in the underlying futures contract at a specified exercise price at any time prior to the expiration date of the option. Upon exercise of an option, the delivery of the futures position by the writer of the option to the holder of the option will be accompanied by delivery of the accumulated balance in the writer’s futures margin account that represents the amount by which the market price of the futures contract exceeds (in the case of a call) or is less than (in the case of a put) the exercise price of the option on the futures contract. The potential for loss related to the purchase of an option on a futures contract is limited to the premium paid for the option plus transaction costs. Because the value of the option is fixed at the point of sale, there are no daily cash payments by the purchaser to reflect changes in the value of the underlying contract; however, the value of the option changes daily and that change would be reflected in the NAV of each Fund. The potential for loss related to writing call options is unlimited. The potential for loss related to writing put options is limited to the agreed upon price per Share, also known as the strike price, less the premium received from writing the put.

Each Fund may purchase and write put and call options on futures contracts that are traded on an exchange as a hedge against changes in value of its portfolio securities, or in anticipation of the purchase of securities, and may enter into closing transactions with respect to such options to terminate existing positions. There is no guarantee that such closing transactions can be affected.

Upon entering into a futures contract, a Fund will be required to deposit with the broker an amount of cash or cash equivalents known as “initial margin,” which is in the nature of a performance bond or good faith deposit on the contract and is returned to each Fund upon termination of the futures contract, assuming all contractual obligations have been satisfied. Subsequent payments, known as “variation margin,” to and from the broker will be made daily as the price of the index underlying the futures contract fluctuates, making the long and short positions in the futures contract more or less valuable, a process known as “marking-to-market.” At any time prior to the expiration of a futures contract, each Fund may elect to close the position by taking an opposite position, which will operate to terminate a Fund’s existing position in the contract.

 

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Restrictions on the Use of Futures Contracts and Options on Futures Contracts. Pursuant to a claim for exclusion filed with the National Futures Association (“NFA”) on behalf of each Fund, the Trust is not deemed to be a “commodity pool operator” (“CPO”), under the CEA, and it is not subject to registration or regulation as such under the CEA. The Investment Adviser is not deemed to be a “commodity trading advisor” with respect to its services as an investment adviser to each Fund. In February 2012, the CFTC adopted certain regulatory changes that may subject the Investment Adviser to register with the CFTC as CPO if a Fund is unable to comply with certain trading and marketing limitations on its investments in futures and certain other instruments. With respect to investments in swap transactions, commodity futures, commodity options or certain other derivatives used for purposes other than bona fide hedging purposes, the Trust, on behalf of each Fund must meet one of the following tests under the amended regulations in order to claim an exclusion from the definition of a CPO. First, the aggregate initial margin and premiums required to establish a Fund’s positions in such investments may not exceed five percent of the liquidation value of the Fund’s portfolio (after accounting for unrealized profits and unrealized losses on any such investments). Alternatively, the aggregate net notional value of such instruments, determined at the time of the most recent position established, may not exceed one hundred percent (100%) of the liquidation value of the Fund’s portfolio (after accounting for unrealized profits and unrealized losses on any such positions). In addition to meeting one of the foregoing trading limitations, a Fund may not market itself as a commodity pool or otherwise as a vehicle for trading in the commodity futures, commodity options or swaps and derivatives markets. In the event that the Investment Adviser is required to register as a CPO with respect to a Fund, the disclosure and operations of the Fund would need to comply with all applicable CFTC regulations. Compliance with these additional registration and regulatory requirements could increase operational expenses. Other potentially adverse regulatory initiatives could also develop.

Swap Agreements. Over-the-counter (“OTC”) swap agreements are contracts between parties in which one party agrees to make periodic payments to the other party based on the change in market value or level of a specified rate, index or asset. In return, the other party agrees to make periodic payments to the first party based on the return of a different specified rate, index or asset. Swap agreements will usually be performed on a net basis, with each Fund receiving or paying only the net amount of the two payments. The net amount of the excess, if any, of a Fund’s obligations over its entitlements with respect to each swap is accrued on a daily basis and an amount of liquid assets having an aggregate value at least equal to the accrued excess will be maintained by each Fund. Cleared swap agreements are contracts in which payments are guaranteed by a central clearinghouse.

The use of interest-rate and index swaps is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio security transactions. These transactions generally do not involve the delivery of securities or other underlying assets or principal.

Tracking Stocks. A tracking stock is a separate class of common stock whose value is linked to a specific business unit or operating division within a larger company and which is designed to “track” the performance of such business unit or division. The tracking stock may pay dividends to Shareholders independent of the parent company. The parent company, rather than the business unit or division, generally is the issuer of tracking stock. However, holders of the tracking stock may not have the same rights as holders of the company’s common stock.

Future Developments. The Board may, in the future, authorize each Fund to invest in securities and investments other than those listed in this SAI and in the Funds’ Prospectus, provided they are consistent with each Fund’s investment objective and do not violate any investment restrictions or policies, and do not present material risks other than those listed in this SAI and/or the Funds’ prospectus, as those may be amended or supplemented from time to time.

General Considerations and Risks

A discussion of some of the risks associated with an investment in a Fund is contained in the applicable Prospectus.

An investment in a Fund should be made with an understanding that the value of a Fund’s portfolio securities may fluctuate in accordance with changes in the financial condition of the issuers of the portfolio securities, the value of stocks in general and other factors that affect the market.

Risks of Equity Securities. An investment in a Fund should be made with an understanding of the risks inherent in an investment in equity securities, including the risk that the financial condition of issuers may become impaired or that the general condition of the stock market may deteriorate (either of which may cause a decrease in the value of the portfolio securities and thus in the value of Shares of a Fund). Common stocks are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and to volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence and perceptions of their issuers change. These investor perceptions are based on various and unpredictable factors, including expectations regarding government, economic, monetary and fiscal policies, inflation and interest rates, economic

 

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expansion or contraction, and global or regional political, economic or banking crises. Holders of common stocks incur more risks than holders of preferred stocks and debt obligations because common stockholders generally have rights to receive payments from stock issuers inferior to the rights of creditors, or holders of debt obligations or preferred stocks. Further, unlike debt securities, which typically have a stated principal amount payable at maturity (the value of which, however, is subject to market fluctuations prior to maturity), or preferred stocks, which typically have a liquidation preference and which may have stated optional or mandatory redemption provisions, common stocks have neither a fixed principal amount nor a maturity.

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

Risks of Derivatives. A derivative is a financial contract, the value of which depends on, or is derived from, the value of an underlying asset such as a security or an index. A Fund may invest in stock index futures contracts and other derivatives. Compared to conventional securities, derivatives can be more sensitive to changes in interest rates or to sudden fluctuations in market prices and thus the Funds’ losses may be greater if it invests in derivatives than if it invests only in conventional securities.

Risks of Futures and Options Transactions. There are several risks accompanying the utilization of futures contracts and options on futures contracts. First, a position in futures contracts and options on futures contracts may be closed only on the exchange on which the contract was made (or a linked exchange). While each Fund plans to utilize futures contracts only if an active market exists for such contracts, there is no guarantee that a liquid market will exist for the contract at a specified time. Furthermore, because, by definition, futures contracts project price levels in the future and not current levels of valuation, market circumstances may result in a discrepancy between the price of the stock index future and the movement in the Underlying Index. In the event of adverse price movements, a Fund would continue to be required to make daily cash payments to maintain its required margin. In such situations, if a Fund has insufficient cash, it may have to sell portfolio securities to meet daily margin requirements at a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so. In addition, a Fund may be required to deliver the instruments underlying the future contracts it has sold.

The risk of loss in trading futures contracts or uncovered call options in some strategies (e.g., selling uncovered stock index futures contracts) is potentially unlimited. The Funds do not plan to use futures and options contracts in this way. The risk of a futures position may still be large as traditionally measured due to the low margin deposits required. In many cases, a relatively small price movement in a futures contract may result in immediate and substantial loss or gain to the investor relative to the size of a required margin deposit. The Fund, however, intend to utilize futures and options contracts in a manner designed to limit their risk exposure to levels comparable to a direct investment in the types of stocks in which they invest.

Utilization of futures and options on futures by a Fund involves the risk of imperfect correlation to the Underlying Index if the index underlying the futures contract differs from the Underlying Index. There is also the risk of loss by a Fund of margin deposits in the event of bankruptcy of a broker with whom a Fund has an open position in the futures contract or option. The purchase of put or call options will be based upon predictions by the Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser as to anticipated trends, which predictions could prove to be incorrect.

Because the futures market generally imposes less burdensome margin requirements than the securities market, an increased amount of participation by speculators in the futures market could result in price fluctuations. Certain financial futures exchanges limit the amount of fluctuation permitted in futures contract prices during a single trading day. The daily limit establishes the maximum amount by which the price of a futures contract may vary either up or down from the previous day’s settlement price at the end of a trading session. Once the daily limit has been reached in a particular type of contract, no trades may be made on that day at a price beyond that limit. It is possible that futures contract prices could move to the daily limit for several consecutive trading days with little or no trading, thereby preventing prompt liquidation of futures positions and subjecting each Fund to substantial losses. In the event of adverse price movements, each Fund would be required to make daily cash payments of variation margin.

Risks of Swap Agreements. The risk of loss with respect to OTC swaps generally is limited to the net amount of payments that a Fund is contractually obligated to make. Swap agreements are subject to the risk that the swap counterparty will default on its obligations. If such a default occurs, a Fund will have contractual remedies pursuant to the agreements related to the transaction. However, such remedies may be subject to bankruptcy and insolvency laws which could affect such Fund’s rights as a creditor (e.g., a Fund may not receive the net amount of payments that it contractually is entitled to receive). Cleared swaps are transacted through futures commission merchants (“FCMs”) that are members of central clearinghouses with the clearinghouse serving as a central

 

7


counterparty similar to transactions in futures contracts. Central clearing is expected to decrease counterparty risk and increase liquidity compared to un-cleared swaps because central clearing interposes the central clearinghouse as the counterpart to each participant’s swap. However, central clearing does not eliminate counterparty risk or illiquidity risk entirely. In addition depending on the size of a fund and other factors, the margin required under the rules of a clearinghouse and by a clearing member FCM may be in excess of the collateral required to be posted by a fund to support its obligations under a similar un-cleared swap. It is expected, however, that regulators will adopt rules imposing certain margin requirements, including minimums, on un-cleared swaps in the near future, which could reduce the distinction.

Risks of Currency Transactions. Currency exchange transactions involve a significant degree of risk and the markets in which currency exchange transactions are effected are highly volatile, highly specialized and highly technical. Significant changes, including changes in liquidity and prices, can occur in such markets within very short periods of time, often within minutes. Currency exchange trading risks include, but are not limited to, exchange rate risk, maturity gap, interest rate risk, and potential interference by foreign governments through regulation of local exchange markets, foreign investment or particular transactions in foreign currency. If a Fund utilizes foreign currency transactions at an inappropriate time, such transactions may not serve their intended purpose of improving the correlation of a Fund’s return with the performance of its underlying Index and may lower the Fund’s return. A Fund could experience losses if the value of any currency forwards and futures positions is poorly correlated with its other investments or if it could not close out its positions because of an illiquid market. Such contracts are subject to the risk that the counterparty will default on its obligations. In addition, each Fund will incur transaction costs, including trading commissions, in connection with certain foreign currency transactions.

Risks of Investing in Non-U.S. Equity Securities. An investment in a Fund involves risks similar to those of investing in a broad-based portfolio of equity securities traded on foreign exchanges. These risks include market fluctuations caused by such factors as economic and political developments, changes in interest rates and perceived trends in stock prices. Investing in securities issued by issuers domiciled in countries other than the domicile of the investor and denominated in currencies other than an investor’s local currency entails certain considerations and risks not typically encountered by the investor in making investments in its home country and in that country’s currency. These considerations include favorable or unfavorable changes in interest rates, currency exchange rates, exchange control regulations and the costs that may be incurred in connection with conversions between various currencies. Investing in a Fund also involves certain risks and considerations not typically associated with investing in a fund whose portfolio contains exclusively securities of U.S. issuers. These risks include generally less liquid and less efficient securities markets; generally greater price volatility; less publicly available information about issuers; the imposition of withholding or other taxes; the imposition of restrictions on the expatriation of funds or other assets of the Fund; higher transaction and custody costs; delays and risks attendant in settlement procedures; difficulties in enforcing contractual obligations; lower liquidity and significantly smaller market capitalization; different accounting and disclosure standards; lower levels of regulation of the securities markets; more substantial government interference with the economy; higher rates of inflation; greater social, economic, and political uncertainty; the risk of nationalization or expropriation of assets; and the risk of war.

Dividend Risk. There is no guarantee that the issuer of the stocks held by a Fund will declare dividends in the future or that if declared, they will either remain at current levels or increase over time.

Proxy Voting

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

Information with respect to how the Sub-Adviser voted proxies relating to the Funds’ portfolio securities during the 12-month period ended June 30 will be available: (i) without charge, upon request, by calling 1-855-329-3837 (1-855-DBX-ETFS); and (ii) on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

Portfolio Holdings Information

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

 

8


The Funds’ portfolio holdings are publicly disseminated each day the Funds are open for business through financial reporting and news services, including publicly accessible Internet web sites. In addition, a basket composition file, which includes the security names and share quantities to deliver in exchange for Fund Shares, together with estimates and actual cash components, is publicly disseminated daily prior to the opening of the Exchanges via the National Securities Clearing Corporation (“NSCC”). The basket represents one Creation Unit of each Fund. The Trust, the Adviser and the Administrator will not disseminate non-public information concerning the Trust.

Construction and Maintenance of the Underlying Indexes

Descriptions of the MSCI Hedged Indexes are provided below.

Defining the Equity Universe. MSCI begins with securities listed in countries in the MSCI Global Index Series. Of these countries, 23 are classified as developed markets and 23 as emerging markets. All listed equity securities and listed securities that exhibit characteristics of equity securities, except mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, equity derivatives, limited partnerships and most investment trusts, are eligible for inclusion in the equity universe. REITs in some countries and certain income trusts in Canada are also eligible for inclusion. Each company and its securities (i.e., Share classes) are classified in only one country, which allows for a distinctive sorting of each company by its respective country.

Maintaining the MSCI Hedged Indices. The MSCI Hedged Indices are maintained with an objective of reflecting the evolution of the underlying currency exposures in the MSCI Equity Indexes on a timely basis. In particular, index maintenance involves:

Resetting the weights of the currencies to be sold in the index; and

Rolling the forward contracts over to the next month.

The MSCI Hedged Indices are rebalanced monthly on the last trading day of the month, when the index will take into account the effect of rolling into new 1-month forward contracts based on the newly determined weights of currency to be sold for the next month’s index calculation. The currency weights are determined as of the close of two business days before the first calendar day of following month and remain constant intra month. This means that no changes in the weights are made during the month to account for changes in the indexes due to price movement of securities, corporate events, additions, deletions or any other changes. The daily calculation of MSCI Hedged Indices marks to market the one-month forward contracts on a daily basis by using an equal and offsetting forward position.

MSCI All Country World Index ex USA US Dollar Hedged Index

Number of Components: approximately 1,825

Index Description. The MSCI All Country World Index ex USA US Dollar Hedged Index is designed to provide exposure to equity securities in developed and emerging stock markets (excluding the United States), while at the same time mitigating exposure to fluctuations between the value of the U.S. dollar and selected non-U.S. currencies. As of December 19, 2013, the Underlying Index consisted of issuers from the following 43 developed and emerging market countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey and the United Kingdom.

MSCI Korea US Dollar Hedged Index

Number of Components: approximately 105

Index Description. The MSCI Korea US Dollar Hedged Index is designed to provide exposure to the South Korean equity markets while at the same time mitigating exposure to fluctuations of the South Korean won relative to the U.S. dollar.

 

9


MSCI Mexico US Dollar Hedged Index

Number of Components: approximately 48

Index Description. The MSCI Mexico US Dollar Hedged Index is designed to provide exposure to the Mexican equity markets while at the same time mitigating exposure to fluctuations of the Mexican peso relative to the U.S. dollar.

Additional Information. MSCI and MSCI Index are service marks of MSCI Inc. and have been licensed for use by the Adviser. The Funds are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by MSCI Inc. Nor does MSCI Inc. make any representation regarding the advisability of investing in any of the Funds.

Investment Limitations

The Board has adopted as non-fundamental policies the investment objectives of the Funds discussed in this SAI. Therefore, each of these Funds may change its investment objective and its Underlying Index without a Shareholder vote. The Board has adopted as fundamental policies for each Fund set forth below investment restrictions numbered 1 through 6 below. The restrictions for such Fund cannot be changed without the approval of the holders of a majority of that Fund’s outstanding voting securities. A vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities is defined in the 1940 Act as the lesser of (a) 67% or more of the voting securities present at a fund meeting, if the holders of more than 50% of the outstanding voting securities are present or represented by proxy, and (b) more than 50% of outstanding voting securities.

Each Fund will not:

1.        Concentrate its investments (i.e., invest 25% or more of its total assets in the securities of a particular industry or group of industries), except that a Fund will concentrate to the extent that its underlying index concentrates in the securities of such particular industry or group of industries. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities), repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities, and securities of state or municipal governments and their political sub-divisions are not considered to be issued by members of any industry;

2.        Borrow money, except that (i) each Fund may borrow from banks for temporary or emergency (not leveraging) purposes, including the meeting of redemption requests which might otherwise require the untimely disposition of securities, and (ii) each Fund may, to the extent consistent with its investment policies, enter into repurchase agreements, reverse repurchase agreements, forward roll transactions and similar investment strategies and techniques; to the extent that it engages in transactions described in (i) and (ii), each Fund will be limited so that no more than 33 1/3% of the value of its total assets (including the amount borrowed) is derived from such transactions. Any borrowings which come to exceed this amount will be reduced in accordance with applicable law;

3.        Issue any senior security, except as permitted under the 1940 Act, as amended, and as interpreted, modified or otherwise permitted by regulatory authority having jurisdiction, from time to time;

4.        Make loans, except as permitted under the 1940 Act, as interpreted, modified or otherwise permitted by regulatory authority having jurisdiction, from time to time;

5.        Purchase or sell real estate unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other investments (but this restriction shall not prevent each Fund from investing in securities of companies engaged in the real estate business or securities or other instruments backed by real estate or mortgages), or commodities or commodity contracts (but this restriction shall not prevent each Fund from trading in futures contracts and options on futures contracts, including options on currencies to the extent consistent with each Fund’s investment objectives and policies); or

6.        Engage in the business of underwriting securities issued by other persons, except to the extent that each Fund may technically be deemed to be an underwriter under the 1933 Act, the disposing of portfolio securities.

For purposes of the concentration policy in investment limitation (1), municipal securities with payments of principal or interest backed by the revenue of a specific project are considered to be issued by a member of the industry which includes such specific project.

Senior securities may include any obligation or instrument issued by an investment company evidencing indebtedness. The 1940 Act generally prohibits a fund from issuing senior securities, although it provides allowances for certain borrowings and certain other investments, such as short sales, reverse repurchase agreements, and firm commitment agreements, when such investments are “covered” or with appropriate earmarking or segregation of assets to cover such obligations.

 

10


Under the 1940 Act, an investment company may only make loans if expressly permitted by its investment policies.

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

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

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

3.        Purchase securities of open-end or closed-end investment companies except in compliance with the 1940 Act, although the Fund may not acquire any securities of registered open-end investment companies or registered unit investment trusts in reliance on Sections 12(d)(1)(F) or 12(d)(1)(G) of the 1940 Act;

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

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

If any percentage restriction described above is complied with at the time of investment, a later increase or decrease in percentage resulting from any change in value or total or net assets will not constitute in a violation of such restriction, except that fundamental limitation (2) will be observed continuously in accordance with applicable law.

Each Fund has adopted a non-fundamental investment policy in accordance with Rule 35d-1 under the 1940 Act to invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in equity securities of issuers located in the markets specified in the applicable Fund’s name. Each Fund may also invest in depositary receipts to seek performance that corresponds to its respective Underlying Index. Each Fund also has adopted a policy to provide its shareholders with at least 60 days’ prior written notice of any change in such policy. In addition, the Funds will invest at least 80% of their total assets (but typically far more) in instruments that comprise their respective Underlying Indexes.

Management

Trustees and Officers. The Board has responsibility for the overall management and operations of the Funds, including general supervision of the duties performed by the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser and other service providers. Each Trustee serves until his or her successor is duly elected or appointed and qualified. Each officer serves until he or she resigns, is removed, dies, retires or becomes disqualified.

The Trust currently has four Trustees. Three Trustees have no affiliation or business connection with the Adviser or Sub-Adviser or any of their affiliated persons and do not own any stock or other securities issued by the Adviser or Sub-Adviser. These are the “non-interested” or “independent” Trustees (the “Independent Trustees”). The other Trustee (the “Interested Trustee”) is affiliated with the Adviser.

The Independent Trustees of the Trust, their term of office and length of time served, their principal business occupations during the past five years, the number of portfolios in the Fund Complex (defined below) overseen by each Independent Trustee, and other directorships, if any, held by the Trustee are shown below. The Fund Complex includes all open- and closed-end funds (including all of their portfolios) advised by the Adviser and any funds that have an investment adviser that is an affiliated person of the Adviser. As of the date of this SAI, the Fund Complex consists of the Trust’s fourteen funds and five exchange-traded funds advised by DBX Strategic Advisors LLC, an affiliate of the Adviser, as well as the mutual funds advised by certain other affiliates of the Adviser.

 

11


Independent Trustees

 

Name, Address,
and Age

 

Position(s)
Held with
Fund

 

Terms of
Office and
Length of

Time
Served

 

Principal
Occupation(s)
During Past 5 Years

 

Number of Portfolios
in Fund
Complex Overseen
by Director

 

Other Directorships
held by Director
During Past 5 Years

J. David

Officer

Age: 65

60 Wall Street

New York, New York 10005

  Trustee, Member of the Audit and Nominating Committees   Since
2011
  Independent Director; Formerly, Vice Chairman, The Dreyfus Corporation (1998-2009); Chief Operating Officer, The Dreyfus Corporation (2006-2009); President, The Dreyfus Family of Funds, Inc. (2006-2009).   14   Ilex Partners (Asia), LLC; Old Westbury Funds: & MAN Long/Short Fund; GLG Investment Series Trust; The Dreyfus Corporation; MBSC Securities Corporation; Dreyfus Services Corporation; MBSC, LLC; Dreyfus Transfer, Inc.; Dreyfus Service Organization, Inc.; Mellon Residential Funding Corp.; Mellon United National Bank; Laurel Capital Advisors; Mellon United National Bank; Dreyfus Founders Funds, Inc.; Founders Asset Management.

Independent Trustees

 

Name, Address,
and Age

 

Position(s)
Held with
Fund

 

Terms of
Office and
Length of

Time
Served

 

Principal
Occupation(s)
During Past 5 Years

 

Number of Portfolios
in Fund
Complex Overseen
by Director

 

Other Directorships
held by Director
During Past 5 Years

Stephen R. Byers

Age: 60

60 Wall Street

New York,

New York 10005

  Trustee, Member and Chairman of the Audit and Nominating Committees   Since
2011
  Retired. Previously, Chief Investment Officer, The Dreyfus Corporation (2000-2006).   14   Sierra Income Corporation; College of William and Mary, Graduate School of Business.

George O.

Elston Age: 49

60 Wall Street

New York,

New York 10005

  Trustee, Member of the Audit and Nominating Committees   Since
2011
  M&A Advisor, Chief Financial, Operating and Business Officer, Optherion, Inc. (2008-2010); and Vice President, Finance and Government Affairs, Secretary and Treasurer, Elusys Therapeutics, Inc. (2000-2007).   14   Celldex Therapeutics.

Interested Trustee

 

Name, Address,
and Age

 

Position(s)
Held with
Fund

 

Terms of
Office and
Length of

Time
Served

 

Principal
Occupation(s)
During Past 5 Years

 

Number of Portfolios
in Fund
Complex Overseen
by Director

 

Other Directorships
held by Director
During Past 5 Years

Alex Depetris

Age: 33

60 Wall Street

New York,

New York 10005

  Trustee, Chairman of the Board, President, Chief Executive Officer and Secretary   Since
2010
  Director in the Deutsche Asset and Wealth Management Passive Asset Management Group at Deutsche Bank AG since 2008; Associate, Arnold & Porter, 2006-2008.   19   Director, Chairman of the Board of db-X Exchange Traded Funds Inc.

 

12


Officers

 

Name, Address,
and Age

  

Position(s)
Held with
Fund

  

Terms of
Office and
Length of

Time
Served

  

Principal
Occupation(s)
During Past 5 Years

Michael Gilligan

Age: 47

60 Wall Street

New York,

New York

10005

   Treasurer, Chief Financial Officer and Controller    Since
2010
   Director in the Finance Group at Deutsche Bank AG with CFO responsibility for DBX Strategic Advisors LLC and DB Commodity Services LLC since 2008; Chief Operating Officer, Americas Credit Trading, Credit Suisse, 2007-2008.

Martin Kremenstein

Age: 37

60 Wall Street

New York,

New York

10005

   Chief Operating Officer    Since
2010
   Managing Director in the Deutsche Asset and Wealth Management Passive Asset Management Group at Deutsche Bank AG with responsibility for providing investor solutions to the DB sales force in North America since 2006.

Frank Gecsedi

Age: 46

60 Wall Street

New York,

New York

10005

   Chief Compliance Officer    Since
2010
   Vice President in Deutsche Bank’s Global Markets Legal, Risk and Capital Division since 2010; Vice President and Compliance Manager at Bank of America Merrill Lynch (formerly Merrill Lynch), ( 2000 to 2010).

Board Leadership, Structure and Oversight Responsibilities.

Board Structure. As noted above, the Board is responsible for oversight of the Funds, including oversight of the duties performed by the Adviser for the Funds under the investment advisory agreement (the “Investment Advisory Agreement”). The Board generally meets in regularly scheduled meetings four times a year, and may meet more often as required.

Mr. Depetris, an Interested Trustee, serves as chairman of the Board. The Board is comprised of a super-majority (75 percent) of Independent Trustees. While the Board does not have a lead Independent Trustee, the chairmen of the Audit Committee and Nominating Committee (each of which consists solely of Independent Trustees) serve as liaisons between the Adviser and other service providers and the other Independent Trustees. Each such chairman is an Independent Trustee. The Board regularly reviews its Committee structure and membership and believes that its current structure is appropriate based on the fact that the Independent Trustees constitute a super-majority of the Board, the role of the Committee chairmen (who are Independent Trustees), the assets and number of Funds overseen by the Trustees, as well as the nature of the Funds’ business.

Risk Oversight. The Funds are subject to a number of risks, including operational, investment and compliance risks. The Board, directly and through its Committees, as part of its oversight responsibilities, oversees the services provided by the Adviser and the Trust’s other service providers in connection with the management and operations of the Funds, as well as their associated risks. Under the oversight of the Board, the Trust, the Adviser and other service providers have adopted policies, procedures and controls to address these risks. The Board, directly and through its Committees, receives and reviews information from the Adviser, other service providers, the Trust’s independent registered public accounting firm and Trust counsel to assist it in its oversight responsibilities. This information includes, but is not limited to, reports regarding the Funds’ investments, including Fund performance and investment practices, valuation of Fund portfolio securities, and compliance. The Board also reviews, and must approve any proposed changes to, the Funds’ investment objective, policies and restrictions, and reviews any areas of non-compliance with the Funds’ investment policies and restrictions. The Audit Committee monitors the Trust’s accounting policies, financial reporting and internal control system and reviews any internal audit reports impacting the Trust. As part of its compliance oversight, the Board reviews the annual compliance report issued by the Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer on the policies and procedures of the Trust and its service providers, proposed changes to the policies and procedures and quarterly reports on any material compliance issues that arose during the period.

 

13


Experience, Qualifications and Attributes. The Board has concluded, based on each Trustee’s experience, qualifications and attributes that each Board member should serve as a Trustee. Following is a brief summary of the information that led to this conclusion.

Mr. Stephen Byers. Mr. Byers gained extensive experience with a variety of financial, accounting, management, regulatory and operational issues facing funds through his more than 30 years of experience on the boards and/or in senior management of such companies as The Dreyfus Corporation, Gruntal & Co., LLC, Painewebber, Citibank/Citicorp and American Airlines. Mr. Byers possesses a strong understanding of the regulatory framework under which investment companies must operate and can provide management input and investment guidance to the Board.

Mr. George Elston. Through his prior positions on the boards and in senior management of such companies as Celldex Therapeutics, Optherion, Inc. and Elusys Therapeutics, Mr. Elston has experience with a variety of financial, management, regulatory and operational issues as well as experience with marketing and distribution. Mr. Elston also has experience as a general partner of Chatham Partners LLC.

Mr. David Officer. Mr. Officer has over 30 years of experience in the financial services industry and related fields, including his positions on the boards and/or in senior management of such companies as The Bank of New York Mellon, The Dreyfus Corporation, Laurel Capital Advisors and Bank of New England. In addition to his experience with financial, investment and regulatory matters, Mr. Officer has extensive accounting knowledge through his education and experience as a principal financial officer, principal accounting officer, controller, public accountant or auditor at his previous positions.

Mr. Alex Depetris. In addition to his tenure as Director in the DBX Group at Deutsche Bank AG, Mr. Depetris has experience as an attorney at the law firms of Arnold & Porter and Sullivan & Worcester. Therefore, Mr. Depetris has extensive knowledge of the regulatory framework under which investment companies operate, including with respect to exchange-traded funds.

Committees of the Board of Trustees. The Board has two standing committees, the Audit Committee and the Nominating Committee, and has delegated certain responsibilities to those Committees.

Messrs. Byers, Elston and Officer currently serve as members of the Audit Committee. The Audit Committee has the responsibility, among other things, to: (i) approve and recommend to the Board the selection of the Trust’s independent registered public accounting firm; (ii) review the scope of the independent registered public accounting firm’s audit activity; (iii) review the audited financial statements and (iv) review with such independent registered public accounting firm the adequacy and the effectiveness of the Trust’s internal controls. The Audit Committee met twice during the fiscal year ended May 31, 2013.

Messrs. Byers, Elston and Officer currently serve as members of the Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee has the responsibility, among other things, to identify and recommend individuals for Board membership, and evaluate candidates for Board membership. The Board will consider recommendations for trustees from Shareholders. Nominations from Shareholders should be in writing and sent to the Secretary of the Trust to the attention of the Chairman of the Nominating Committee, as described below under the caption “Shareholder Communications to the Board.” During the fiscal year ended May 31, 2013, the Nominating Committee did not meet.

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

Remuneration of` Trustees. The Trust pays each Independent Trustee (i) an annual retainer of $25,000; (ii) $2,500 for each Board meeting attended in person and $1,500 for each Board meeting attended telephonically; (iii) $1,500 to members of the Board’s Audit Committee for each meeting of the Audit Committee attended; and (iv) a retainer of $2,000 to the chairperson of the Audit Committee. The Trust also reimburses each Trustee for travel and other out-of-pocket expenses incurred by him/her in connection with attending such meetings.

 

14


The table below sets forth the compensation paid to each Trustee for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2013:

 

Name of Trustee

   Aggregate
    Compensation from    
the Trust
     Pension or
Retirement
    Benefits Accrued As    
Part of Trust
Expenses
       Estimated Annual    
Benefits Upon
Retirement
   Total
Compensation
    From the Fund and    
Fund Complex
 
J. David Officer    $ 41,000               Not Applicable    Not Applicable    $ 41,000           
Stephen R. Byers    $ 43,000               Not Applicable    Not Applicable    $ 43,000           
George O. Elston    $ 41,000               Not Applicable    Not Applicable    $ 41,000           

Effective January 1, 2014, the Board approved a new compensation structure pursuant to which the Trust will pay each Independent Trustee (i) an annual retainer of $40,000; (ii) $3,000 for each Board meeting attended in person ($2,000 if the Board meeting is scheduled as in person but a Trustee attends telephonically) and $1,500 for each telephonic Board meeting; (iii) $1,500 to members of the Board’s Audit Committee for each meeting of the Audit Committee attended; and (iv) a retainer of $4,000 to the chairperson of the Audit Committee. The Trust will continue to reimburse each Trustee for travel and other out-of-pocket expenses incurred by him/her in connection with attending such meetings.

Control Persons and Principal Holders of Securities.

As of December 31, 2013, the officers and Trustees, as a group owned beneficially less than 1% of the shares of any of the Funds.

As of the date of this SAI, no person of record owned 5% or more of any Fund’s outstanding Shares.

Potential Conflicts of Interest

The Adviser is owned by Deutsche Bank AG, a multi-national financial services company. Therefore, the Adviser is affiliated with a variety of entities that provide, and/or engage in commercial banking, insurance, brokerage, investment banking, financial advisory, broker-dealer activities (including sales and trading), hedge funds, real estate and private equity investing, in addition to the provision of investment management services to institutional and individual investors. Since Deutsche Bank AG, its affiliates, directors, officers and employees (the “Firm”) are engaged in businesses and have interests in addition to managing asset management accounts, such wide ranging activities involve real, potential or apparent conflicts of interest. These interests and activities include potential advisory, transactional and financial activities and other interests in securities and companies that may be directly or indirectly purchased or sold by the Firm for its clients’ advisory accounts.

The Adviser may take investment positions in securities in which other clients or related persons within the Firm have different investment positions. There may be instances in which the Adviser is purchasing or selling for its client accounts, or pursuing an outcome in the context of a workout or restructuring with respect to, securities in which the Firm is undertaking the same or differing strategy in other businesses or other client accounts. These are considerations of which advisory clients should be aware and which may cause conflicts that could be to the disadvantage of the Adviser’s advisory clients, including the Fund. The Adviser has instituted business and compliance policies, procedures and disclosures that are designed to identify, monitor and mitigate conflicts of interest and, as appropriate, to report them to a Fund’s Board.

Investment Advisory, Sub-Advisory, Administrative and Distribution Services

Investment Adviser and Sub-Adviser. DBX Advisors LLC serves as investment adviser to each Fund pursuant to an Investment Advisory Agreement between the Trust and the Adviser. The Adviser is a Delaware limited liability company and was registered as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended, in August 2010. DBX Advisors LLC was formed in June 2010 and is an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of Deutsche Bank AG. TDAM USA Inc. serves as the investment sub-adviser to each Fund pursuant to a Sub-Advisory Agreement.

Under the Investment Advisory Agreement, the Adviser, subject to the supervision of the Board and in conformity with the stated investment policies of each Fund, manages and administers the Trust and manages the Sub-Adviser and manages or delegates to the Sub-Adviser the duties of the investment and reinvestment of each Fund’s assets. The Sub-Adviser manages the investment and reinvestment of each Fund’s assets on an ongoing basis under the supervision of the Adviser.

 

15


For its investment advisory services to the Funds, the Adviser is entitled to receive a unitary management fee from each Fund based on the Fund’s average daily net assets at an annual rate of: 0.40% with respect to db X-trackers MSCI All World ex US Hedged Equity Fund, 0.58% with respect to db X-trackers MSCI South Korea Hedged Equity Fund and 0.50% with respect to db X-trackers MSCI Mexico Hedged Equity Fund.

Under the Investment Advisory Agreement, the Adviser is responsible for substantially all expenses of the Funds (including the payments to each Sub-Adviser, the cost of transfer agency, custody, fund administration, compensation paid to the Independent Trustees in respect of the Independent Trustees’ service to the Fund (“Independent Trustee Fees”), legal, audit and other services) except for the fee payments under the Investment Advisory Agreement, interest expense, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses, litigation expenses and other extraordinary expenses.

The Investment Advisory Agreement with respect to each Fund continues in effect for two years from its effective date, and thereafter is subject to annual approval by (i) the Board or (ii) the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the applicable Fund, provided that in either event such continuance also is approved by a majority of the Board who are not interested persons (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the applicable Fund, by a vote cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval.

The Investment Advisory Agreement with respect to each Fund is terminable without penalty, on 60 days’ notice, by the Board or by a vote of the holders of a majority of the applicable Fund’s outstanding voting securities (as defined in the 1940 Act). The Investment Advisory Agreement is also terminable upon 60 days’ notice by the Adviser and will terminate automatically in the event of its assignment (as defined in the 1940 Act).

Under the Sub-Advisory Agreement, the Sub-Adviser will not be liable for any error of judgment or mistake of law or for any loss suffered by a Fund in connection with the performance of the Sub-Advisory Agreement, except a loss resulting from willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence on the part of the Sub-Adviser in the performance of its duties or from reckless disregard of its duties and obligations thereunder. The Sub-Advisory Agreement continues in effect until two years from its initial effective date, and thereafter only if approved annually by the Board, including a majority of the Independent Trustees.

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

Pursuant to the Sub-Advisory Agreement with TDAM, the Adviser pays the Sub-Adviser on a quarterly basis a portion of the net advisory fees it receives from the db X-trackers MSCI All World ex US Hedged Equity Fund at the annual rate of 0.15% of the first $100 million of such Fund’s daily net assets, 0.08% of the next $400 million of such Fund’s daily net assets and 0.04% of such Fund’s daily net assets in excess of $500 million. For the db X-trackers MSCI South Korea Hedged Equity Fund, the Adviser pays the Sub-Adviser on a quarterly basis a portion of the advisory fees it receives from such Fund at an annual rate of 0.20% of the first $100 million of such Fund’s daily net assets, 0.12% of the next $400 million of such Fund’s daily net assets and 0.06% of such Fund’s daily net assets in excess of $500 million. For the db X-trackers MSCI Mexico Hedged Equity Fund, the Adviser pays the Sub-Adviser on a quarterly basis a portion of the advisory fees it receives from such Fund at an annual rate of 0.20% of the first $100 million of such Fund’s daily net assets, 0.12% of the next $400 million of such Fund’s daily net assets and 0.06% of such Fund’s daily net assets in excess of $500 million.

TDAM is located at 161 Bay Street, 35th Floor, TD Canada Trust Tower, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5J 2T2.

Manager of Managers Structure. The Adviser and the Trust may rely on an exemptive order (the “Order”) from the SEC that permits the Adviser to enter into investment sub-advisory agreements with sub-advisers without obtaining shareholder approval. The Adviser, subject to the review and approval of the Board, selects sub-advisers for each Fund and supervises, monitors and evaluates the performance of each sub-adviser.

 

16


The Order also permits the Adviser, subject to the approval of the Board, to replace sub-advisers and amend investment sub-advisory agreements, including fees, without shareholder approval whenever the Adviser and the Board believe such action will benefit a Fund and its shareholders. The Adviser thus has the ultimate responsibility (subject to the ultimate oversight of the Board) to recommend the hiring and replacement of sub-advisers as well as the discretion to terminate any sub-adviser and reallocate a Fund’s assets for management among any other sub-adviser(s) and itself. This means that the Adviser is able to reduce the sub-advisory fees and retain a larger portion of the management fee, or increase the sub-advisory fees and retain a smaller portion of the management fee. The Adviser compensates each sub-adviser out of its management fee.

Portfolio Managers.

Set forth below is additional information regarding the individuals identified in the Prospectus as primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Funds (“Portfolio Managers”).

TDAM supervises and manages the investment portfolio of each Fund and directs the purchase and sale of the Funds’ investment securities. TDAM utilizes teams of investment professionals acting together to manage the assets of the Funds. The TDAM Portfolio Managers that have direct oversight responsibility and are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Funds are: Vishal Bhatia and Dino Bourdos.

Vishal Bhatia, CFA, is a Vice President and Director of TDAM for the past five years. Mr. Bhatia joined TD Asset Management Inc. in December 1996. As the lead of the Structured and Equity Index Team, he oversees research, portfolio management, and daily trading activity for U.S., Canadian and global equity funds. Mr. Bhatia is also a Product Specialist specifically responsible for developing and marketing passive and active fundamental equity strategies. In this capacity he works closely with existing and prospective clients to incorporate these strategies into solutions that meet their needs. Mr. Bhatia graduated from the University of Toronto with an Honours Bachelor of Science in Cell & Molecular Biology and is a CFA charterholder.

Dino Bourdos, CFA, is a Managing Director of TDAM for the past five years. Mr. Bourdos joined TD Asset Management Inc. as part of Canada Trust merger in February 2000. At TDAM, he is responsible for the management of and trading within derivatives-based strategies for a variety of equity, fixed income and currency overlay mandates. He also oversees the Derivatives and Passive & Structured Equity businesses. Mr. Bourdos is also a product specialist and is specifically responsible for developing and marketing portable alpha and derivatives-based strategies. In this capacity, he works closely with existing and prospective clients to provide solutions for managing overall portfolio, market and currency exposures. Prior to joining TDAM, Mr. Bourdos was an analyst and trader with Canada Trust Investment Management Group Inc. At CT IMG, his responsibilities included analyzing and trading derivatives, fixed income and currency products. Mr. Bourdos was awarded the CFA designation in 1998, completed the Chartered Market Technicians (CMT) program in 2001 and completed the first level of the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) Program in 2008. He obtained his undergraduate degree in Economics from the University of Toronto in 1994.

Other Accounts Managed

The Portfolio Managers were also primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of other accounts, as set forth in the tables below.

As of September 30, 2013, Mr. Bhatia was responsible for the day-to-day portfolio management of 13 registered investment companies, 20 other pooled investment companies and 20 other accounts managed by TDAM.

As of September 30, 2013, Mr. Bourdos was responsible for the day-to-day portfolio management of 8 other pooled investment companies and 30 other accounts managed by TDAM.

The table below shows the number of other accounts managed by each Portfolio Manager and the total assets in the accounts, as of September 30, 2013, except as otherwise noted, in each of the following categories: registered investment companies, other pooled investment vehicles and other accounts. For each category, the table also shows the number of accounts and the total assets in the accounts with respect to which the advisory fee is based on account performance.

 

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The following table provides information relating to other accounts managed by Mr. Bhatia:

 

     Registered
Investment
Companies
   Other Pooled
Investment
Companies
   Other
Accounts

Number of Accounts Managed

           13            20    20

Number of Accounts Managed with Performance-Based Fees

           0            0    0

Assets Managed (assets in millions)

       $  492        $  16,180    $  2,937

Assets Managed with Performance-Based Fees

       $  0        $  0    $      0    

The following table provides information relating to other accounts managed by Mr. Bourdos:

 

     Registered
Investment
Companies
   Other Pooled
Investment
Companies
   Other
Accounts

Number of Accounts Managed

           0            8    30

Number of Accounts Managed with Performance-Based Fees

           0            0    0

Assets Managed (assets in millions)

       $  0        $  689    $  21,012

Assets Managed with Performance-Based Fees

       $  0        $  0    $  0

Portfolio Manager Compensation

As a member of TD Bank Financial Group (“TDBFG”), TDAM has the following major components in its compensation program for the Portfolio Managers:

 

   

Base Salary

 

   

Annual Incentive Program

 

   

Long Term Incentive Plan

 

   

Profit Sharing Plan

TDAM maintains competitive salaries for all employees, based on independent research of the investment management industry.

Each Portfolio Manager may be eligible to participate in the Long Term Incentive Plan. The purpose of this plan is to encourage employees to increase their interest in TDBFG’s long term success by awarding them “Units” which will provide future compensation related to the price of the common shares of TD Bank at that future time.

The investment performance of products under management does not drive any variable components of compensation. Amounts paid under the Annual Incentive Program will vary. In the case of TDAM, these amounts are based on how well the individual employee and TDAM performed over the course of the most recent fiscal year.

Participation in the Profit Sharing Plan enables employees to share in the profits of TDAM, limited to a certain percentage.

Portfolio Manager Ownership of Fund Shares

As of December 31, 2013, none of the Portfolio Managers beneficially owned any Shares of the Funds.

Potential Conflicts of Interest

Because the Portfolio Managers manage multiple portfolios for multiple clients, the potential for conflicts of interest exists. The Portfolio Managers may manage other portfolios that have a similar investment style as the Funds. However, the portfolios managed by a Portfolio Manager may not have portfolio compositions identical to those of the Funds managed by the Portfolio Manager due, for example, to specific investment limitations or guidelines present in some portfolios or accounts, but not others. The Portfolio

 

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Managers may purchase securities for one portfolio and not another portfolio, and the performance of securities purchased for one portfolio may vary from the performance of securities purchased for other portfolios. A Portfolio Manager may place transactions on behalf of other accounts that are directly or indirectly contrary to investment decisions made on behalf of the Fund, or make investment decisions that are similar to those made for the Fund, both of which have the potential to adversely impact the Fund depending on market conditions. For example, a Portfolio Manager may purchase a security in one portfolio while appropriately selling that same security in another portfolio. In addition, some of these portfolios have fee structures that are or have the potential to be higher than the advisory fees paid by the Fund, which can cause potential conflicts in the allocation of investment opportunities between the Fund and the other accounts. However, the compensation structure for Portfolio Managers does not generally provide incentive to favor one account over another because that part of a manager’s bonus based on performance is not based on the performance of one account to the exclusion of others. There are many other factors considered in determining the Portfolio Manager’s bonus and there is no formula that is applied to weight the factors listed (see “Compensation of Portfolio Managers and Other Accounts Managed”). In addition, current trading practices do not allow TDAM to intentionally favor one portfolio over another as trades are executed as trade orders are received. Portfolios’ rebalancing dates also generally vary between fund families. Program trades created from the portfolio rebalance are executed at market on close. For additional information regarding potential conflicts of interest faced by the Adviser, see “Potential Conflicts of Interest”.

Codes of Ethics. The Trust, the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser and the Distributor have adopted Codes of Ethics pursuant to Rule 17j-1 of the 1940 Act. The Codes of Ethics permit personnel subject to the Codes of Ethics to invest in securities, subject to certain limitations, including securities that may be purchased or held by the Fund. The Codes of Ethics are on public file with, and are available from, the SEC.

Anti-Money Laundering Requirements. The Funds are subject to the USA PATRIOT Act (the “Patriot Act”). The Patriot Act is intended to prevent the use of the U.S. financial system in furtherance of money laundering, terrorism or other illicit activities. Pursuant to requirements under the Patriot Act, a Fund may request information from Authorized Participants to enable it to form a reasonable belief that it knows the true identity of its Authorized Participants. This information will be used to verify the identity of Authorized Participants or, in some cases, the status of financial professionals; it will be used only for compliance with the requirements of the Patriot Act. The Funds reserve the right to reject purchase orders from persons who have not submitted information sufficient to allow the Fund to verify their identity. Each Fund also reserves the right to redeem any amounts in a Fund from persons whose identity it is unable to verify on a timely basis. It is the Funds’ policy to cooperate fully with appropriate regulators in any investigations conducted with respect to potential money laundering, terrorism or other illicit activities.

Administrator, Custodian and Transfer Agent. The Bank of New York Mellon (“BNY”) serves as administrator, custodian and transfer agent for the Funds. BNY’s principal address is One Wall Street, New York, New York 10286. Pursuant to a Fund Administration and Accounting Agreement with the Trust, BNY provides necessary administrative, legal, tax and accounting and financial reporting services for the maintenance and operations of the Trust and each Fund. In addition, BNY makes available the office space, equipment, personnel and facilities required to provide such services. Pursuant to a Custody Agreement with the Trust, BNY maintains in separate accounts cash, securities and other assets of the Trust and each Fund, keeps all necessary accounts and records and provides other services. BNY is required, upon the order of the Trust, to deliver securities held by BNY and to make payments for securities purchased by the Trust for each Fund. Also, pursuant to the Custody Agreement, BNY is authorized to appoint certain foreign custodians or foreign custody managers for Fund investments outside the United States. Pursuant to a Transfer Agency and Service Agreement with the Trust, BNY acts as a transfer agent for each Fund’s authorized and issued Shares of beneficial interest, and as dividend disbursing agent of the Trust. As compensation for these services, BNY receives certain out-of-pocket costs, transaction fees and asset-based fees which are accrued daily and paid monthly the Adviser from its management fee.

Distributor. The Distributor’s principal address is 1290 Broadway, Suite 1100, Denver, Colorado 80203. The Distributor has entered into a Distribution Agreement with the Trust pursuant to which it distributes Shares of each Fund. The Distribution Agreement continues for two years from its effective date and is renewable annually. Shares are continuously offered for sale by the Fund through the Distributor only in Creation Units, as described in the applicable Prospectus and below in the Creation and Redemption of Creation Units section of this SAI. Shares in less than Creation Units are not distributed by the Distributor. The Distributor will deliver the applicable Prospectus and, upon request, the SAI to persons purchasing Creation Units and will maintain records of both orders placed with it and confirmations of acceptance furnished by it. The Distributor is a broker-dealer registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “1934 Act”), and a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”).

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

 

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The Distributor may also enter into agreements with securities dealers (“Soliciting Dealers”) who will solicit purchases of Creation Units of Fund Shares. Such Soliciting Dealers may also be Authorized Participants (as defined below), DTC participants and/or investor services organizations.

The Adviser may, from time to time and from its own resources, pay, defray or absorb costs relating to distribution, including payments out of its own resources to the Distributor, or to otherwise promote the sale of Shares. The Adviser currently pays the Distributor, from the Adviser’s own resources, an amount of approximately $20,000 per year per Fund for such purposes.

The Adviser and/or its subsidiaries or affiliates (“db-X Entities”) may pay certain broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries (“Intermediaries”) for certain marketing activities related to the Fund or other funds advised by the Adviser or its affiliates (“db-X Funds”) (with such payments being “Payments”). Any Payments made by db-X Entities will be made from their own assets and not from the assets of a Fund. Although a portion of db-X Entities’ revenue comes directly or indirectly in part from fees paid by the Funds and other db-X Funds, Payments do not increase the price paid by investors for the purchase of shares of, or the cost of owning, a Fund or other db-X Funds. db-X Entities may make Payments for Intermediaries’ participating in 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 (“Education Costs”). db-X Entities may also make Payments to Intermediaries for certain printing, publishing and mailing costs associated with a Fund or materials relating to other db-X Funds or exchange-traded funds in general (“Publishing Costs”). In addition, db-X Entities may make Payments to Intermediaries that make shares of the Funds and certain other db-X Funds available to their clients or for otherwise promoting the Funds and other db-X Funds. Payments of this type are sometimes referred to as revenue-sharing payments. Payments to an Intermediary may be significant to the Intermediary, and amounts that Intermediaries pay to your salesperson or other investment professional may also be significant for your salesperson or other investment professional. Because 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 and other db-X Funds over other investments. The same conflict of interest exists with respect to your salesperson or other investment professional if he or she receives similar payments from his or her Intermediary firm.

db-X Entities may determine to make Payments based on any number of metrics. For example, db-X Entities may make Payments at year end or other intervals in a fixed amount, based upon an Intermediary’s services at defined levels or an amount based on the Intermediary’s net sales of one or more db-X 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. Any payments made by the db-X Entities to an Intermediary may create the incentive for an Intermediary to encourage customers to buy shares of the Funds or other db-X Funds.

Brokerage Transactions

The Adviser and/or the Sub-Adviser assume general supervision over placing orders on behalf of each Fund for the purchase and sale of portfolio securities. In selecting brokers or dealers for any transaction in portfolio securities, the Adviser’s and/or the Sub-Adviser’s policy is to make such selection based on factors deemed relevant, including but not limited to, the breadth of the market in the security, the price of the security, the reasonableness of the commission or mark-up or mark-down, if any, execution capability, settlement capability, back office efficiency and the financial condition of the broker or dealer, both for the specific transaction and on a continuing basis. The overall reasonableness of brokerage commissions paid is evaluated by the Adviser and/or the Sub-Adviser based upon their knowledge of available information as to the general level of commissions paid by other institutional investors for comparable services. Brokers may also be selected because of their ability to handle special or difficult executions, such as may be involved in large block trades, less liquid securities, broad distributions, or other circumstances. The Trust has adopted policies and procedures that prohibit the consideration of sales of a Fund’s Shares as a factor in the selection of a broker or a dealer to execute its portfolio transactions.

Consistent with Section 28(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and interpretations thereunder, the Sub-Adviser may cause a Fund to pay a higher commission than otherwise obtainable from other brokers or dealers in return for brokerage or research services and products if the Sub-Adviser determines in good faith that the commission is reasonable in relation to the services and products utilized. In addition to agency transactions, the Sub-Adviser may receive brokerage or research services and products in connection with certain riskless principal transactions, in accordance with applicable SEC and other regulatory guidelines. In both

 

20


instances, these services and products may include but are not limited to: economic, industry, or company research reports or investment recommendations; subscriptions to certain financial publications; market data such as stock quotes, last sale prices, trading volumes and similar data; databases and software, including, but not limited to, quantitative analytical software; and products and services that assist in effecting transactions and functions incidental thereto, including services of third-party computer systems directly related to brokerage activities and routing settlement instructions. The Sub-Adviser may use brokerage or research services and products furnished by brokers, dealers or service providers in servicing all client accounts, and not all services and products may necessarily be used in connection with the account that paid the commissions or spreads to the broker or dealer.

The Funds’ purchase and sale orders for securities may be combined with those of other investment companies, clients or accounts that the Adviser and/or the Sub-Adviser manage or advise and for which they have brokerage placement authority. If purchases or sales of portfolio securities of the Funds and one or more other accounts managed or advised by the Adviser and/or the Sub-Adviser are considered at or about the same time, transactions in such securities are allocated among the Fund and the other accounts in a manner deemed equitable to all by the Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser. In some cases, this procedure could have a detrimental effect on the price or volume of the security as far as the Funds are concerned. However, in other cases, it is possible that the ability to participate in volume transactions and to negotiate lower transaction costs will be beneficial to the Fund. The Adviser and/or the Sub-Adviser may deal, trade and invest for their own account in the types of securities in which the Funds may invest. The Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser may, from time to time, affect trades on behalf of and for the account of the Funds with brokers or dealers that are affiliated with the Adviser and/or the Sub-Adviser, in conformity with the 1940 Act and SEC rules and regulations. Under these provisions, any commissions paid to affiliated brokers or dealers must be reasonable and fair compared to the commissions charged by other brokers or dealers in comparable transactions. The Funds will not deal with affiliates in principal transactions unless permitted by applicable SEC rule or regulation or by SEC exemptive order.

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

Additional Information Concerning the Trust

Shares. The Trust currently is comprised of fourteen separate investment series or portfolios called funds. Each series issues Shares of common stock, no par value. The Trust issues Shares of beneficial interests in each fund with no par value. The Board may designate additional funds.

Each Share issued by a fund has a pro rata interest in the assets of that fund. Shares have no preemptive, exchange, subscription or conversion rights and are freely transferable. Each Share is entitled to participate equally in dividends and distributions declared by the Board with respect to the relevant fund, and in the net distributable assets of such fund on liquidation. Each Share has one vote with respect to matters upon which the Shareholder is entitled to vote. In any matter submitted to Shareholders for a vote, each fund shall hold a separate vote, provided that Shareholders of all effected funds will vote together when: (1) required by the 1940 Act or (2) the Trustees determine that the matter affects the interests of more than one fund. Under Delaware law, the Trust is not required to hold an annual meeting of Shareholders unless required to do so under the 1940 Act. The policy of the Trust is not to hold an annual meeting of Shareholders unless required to do so under the 1940 Act. All Shares (regardless of the fund) have noncumulative voting rights in the election of members of the Board. Under Delaware law, Trustees of the Trust may be removed by vote of the Shareholders.

Following the creation of the initial Creation Unit(s) of Shares of a Fund and immediately prior to the commencement of trading in the Fund’s Shares, a holder of Shares may be a “control person” of the Fund, as defined in the 1940 Act. A Fund cannot predict the length of time for which one or more Shareholders may remain a control person of the Fund.

Shareholders may make inquiries by writing to DBX ETF Trust, c/o the Distributor, ALPS Distributors, Inc., 1290 Broadway, Suite 1100, Denver, Colorado 80203, by email by writing to dbxquestions@list.db.com or by telephone by calling 1-855-329-3837 or 1-855-DBX-ETFS (toll free).

Termination of the Trust or a Fund. The Trust or a Fund may be terminated by a majority vote of the Board 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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DTC as Securities Depository for Shares of the Funds. Shares of each Fund are represented by securities registered in the name of DTC or its nominee and deposited with, or on behalf of, DTC.

DTC, a limited-purpose trust company, was created to hold securities of its participants (“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, the NYSE Amex Equities and FINRA. Access to the DTC system is also available to others such as banks, brokers, dealers and trust companies that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a DTC Participant, either directly or indirectly (“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. The laws of some jurisdictions may require that certain purchasers of securities take physical delivery of such securities in definitive form. Such laws may impair the ability of certain investors to acquire beneficial interests in Shares.

Conveyance of all notices, statements and other communications to Beneficial Owners is affected 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 each 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, Cede & Co., 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 each 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.

Creation and Redemption of Creation Units

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

 

Fund

   Shares Per
Creation Unit
 

db X-trackers MSCI All World ex US Hedged Equity Fund

     50,000       

db X-trackers MSCI South Korea Hedged Equity Fund

     50,000       

db X-trackers MSCI Mexico Hedged Equity Fund

     50,000       

 

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The Board reserves the right to declare a split or a consolidation in the number of Shares outstanding of any Fund of the Trust, 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 each Fund is any day on which the Exchange on which the Fund is listed for trading is open for business. As of the date of this SAI, each Exchange observes the following holidays, as observed: New Year’s Day, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.

Fund Deposit. The consideration for purchase of Creation Units of a Fund generally consists of the in-kind deposit of a designated portfolio of securities (i.e., the Deposit Securities), which constitutes an optimized representation of the securities of the relevant Fund’s Underlying Index, and the Cash Component computed as described below. Together, the Deposit Securities and the Cash Component constitute the “Fund Deposit,” which represents the minimum initial and subsequent investment amount for a Creation Unit of any Fund.

The Cash Component is 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 market value of the Deposit Securities, and serves to compensate for any difference between the NAV per Creation Unit and the Deposit Amount. Payment of any stamp duty or other similar fees and expenses payable upon transfer of beneficial ownership of the Deposit Securities shall be the sole responsibility of the Authorized Participant purchasing a Creation Unit.

The Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser makes available through the NSCC on each Business Day, prior to the opening of business on the Exchange, the list of names and the required number of Shares of each Deposit Security to be included in the current Fund Deposit (based on information at the end of the previous Business Day) for each Fund. Such Fund Deposit is applicable, subject to any adjustments as described below, in order to effect purchases of Creation Units of Shares of a given Fund until such time as the next-announced Fund Deposit is made available.

The identity and number of Shares of the Deposit Securities pursuant to changes in composition of a Fund’s portfolio and changes as rebalancing adjustments and corporate action events are reflected from time to time by the Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser with a view to the investment objective of the Fund. The composition of the Deposit Securities may also change in response to adjustments to the weighting or composition of the component securities constituting the relevant Underlying Index.

The Trust reserves the right to permit or require the substitution of a “cash in lieu” amount to be added to the Cash Component to replace any Deposit Security that may not be available in sufficient quantity for delivery or that may not be eligible for transfer through the systems of DTC of the Clearing Process (discussed below). The Trust also reserves the right to permit or require a “cash in lieu” amount where the delivery of the Deposit Security by the Authorized Participant (as described below) would be restricted under applicable securities laws or where the delivery of the Deposit Security to the Authorized Participant would result in the disposition of the Deposit Security by the Authorized Participant becoming restricted under applicable securities laws, or in certain other situations. The adjustments described above will reflect changes, known to the Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser on the date of announcement to be in effect by the time of delivery of the Fund Deposit, in the composition of the subject index being tracked by the relevant Fund, or resulting from stock splits and other corporate actions.

Role of the Authorized Participant. Creation Units may be purchased only by or through a DTC Participant that has entered into an Authorized Participant Agreement with the Distributor (an “Authorized Participant”). Such Authorized Participant will agree, pursuant to the terms of such Authorized Participant Agreement and on behalf of itself or any investor on whose behalf it will act, to certain conditions, including that such Authorized Participant will make available in advance of each purchase of Shares an amount of cash sufficient to pay the Cash Component, once the NAV of a Creation Unit is next determined after receipt of the purchase order in proper form, together with the transaction fee described below. The Authorized Participant may require the investor to enter into an agreement with such Authorized Participant with respect to certain matters, including payment of the Cash Component. Investors who are not Authorized Participants must make appropriate arrangements with an Authorized Participant. Investors should be aware that their particular broker may not be a DTC Participant or may not have executed an Authorized Participant Agreement and that orders to

 

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purchase Creation Units may have to be placed by the investor’s broker through an Authorized Participant. As a result, purchase orders placed through an Authorized Participant may result in additional charges to such investor. The Trust does not expect to enter into an Authorized Participant Agreement with more than a small number of DTC Participants. A list of current Authorized Participants may be obtained from the Distributor.

Purchase Order. To initiate an order for a Creation Unit, an Authorized Participant must submit to the Distributor an irrevocable order to purchase Shares of a Fund. The Distributor will notify the Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser and the Custodian of such order. The Custodian will then provide such information to the appropriate sub-custodian. For each Fund, the Custodian shall cause the sub-custodian to maintain an account into which the Authorized Participant shall deliver, on behalf of itself or the party on whose behalf it is acting, the securities included in the designated Fund Deposit (or the cash value of all or a part of such securities, in the case of a permitted or required cash purchase or “cash in lieu” amount), with any appropriate adjustments as advised by the Trust. Deposit Securities must be delivered to an account maintained at the applicable local sub-custodian. Those placing orders to purchase Creation Units through an Authorized Participant should allow sufficient time to permit proper submission of the purchase order to the Distributor by the cut-off time on such Business Day.

The Authorized Participant must also make available on or before the contractual settlement date, by means satisfactory to the Trust, immediately available or same day funds estimated by the Trust to be sufficient to pay the Cash Component next determined after acceptance of the purchase order, together with the applicable purchase transaction fee. Any excess funds will be returned following settlement of the issue of the Creation Unit. Those placing orders should ascertain the applicable deadline for cash transfers by contacting the operations department of the broker or depositary institution effectuating the transfer of the Cash Component. This deadline is likely to be significantly earlier than the closing time of the regular trading session on the Exchange.

Investors should be aware that an Authorized Participant may require orders for purchases of Shares placed with it to be in the particular form required by the individual Authorized Participant.

Timing of Submission of Purchase Orders. An Authorized Participant must submit an irrevocable purchase order before 4:00 p.m., Eastern time on any Business Day in order to receive that day’s NAV. In the case of custom orders, the order must be received by the Distributor no later than 3:00 p.m., Eastern time on the trade date. With respect to in-kind creations, a custom order may be placed by an Authorized Participant where cash replaces any Deposit Security which may not be available in sufficient quantity for delivery or which may not be eligible for trading by such Authorized Participant or the investor for which it is acting or other relevant reason. Orders to create Shares of a Fund that are submitted on the Business Day immediately preceding a holiday or day (other than a weekend) when the equity markets in the relevant foreign market are closed may not be accepted. The Distributor in its discretion may permit the submission of such orders and requests by or through an Authorized Participant at any time (including on days on which the Exchange is not open for business) via communication through the facilities of the Distributor’s proprietary website maintained for this purpose. Purchase orders and redemption requests, if accepted by the Trust, will be processed based on the NAV next determined after such acceptance in accordance with the Trust’s standard cut-off times as provided in the Authorized Participant Agreement and disclosed in this SAI.

Acceptance of Order for Creation Unit. Subject to the conditions that (i) an irrevocable purchase order has been submitted by the Authorized Participant (either on its own or another investor’s behalf) and (ii) arrangements satisfactory to the Trust are in place for payment of the Cash Component and any other cash amounts which may be due, the Trust will accept the order, subject to its right (and the right of the Distributor and the Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser) to reject any order until acceptance.

Once the Trust has accepted an order, upon next determination of the NAV of the Shares, the Trust will confirm the issuance of a Creation Unit, against receipt of payment, at such NAV. The Distributor will then transmit a confirmation of acceptance to the Authorized Participant that placed the order.

The Trust reserves the absolute right to reject or revoke a creation order transmitted to it by the Distributor in respect of any Fund if (i) the order is not in proper form; (ii) the investor(s) upon obtaining the Shares ordered, would own 80% or more of the currently outstanding Shares of any Fund; (iii) the Deposit Securities delivered do not conform to the identity and number of Shares specified by the Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser, as described above; (iv) acceptance of the Deposit Securities would have certain adverse tax consequences to the Fund; (v) acceptance of the Fund Deposit would, in the opinion of counsel, be unlawful; (vi) acceptance of the Fund Deposit would, in the discretion of the Trust or the Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser, have an adverse effect on the Trust or the rights of beneficial owners; or (vii) circumstances outside the control of the Trust, the Distributor and the Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser make it impracticable to process purchase orders. The Trust shall notify a prospective purchaser of a Creation Unit and/or the Authorized Participant acting on behalf of such purchaser of its rejection of such order. The Trust, the Custodian, the sub-custodian and the Distributor are under no duty, however, to give notification of any defects or irregularities in the delivery of Portfolio Deposits nor shall any of them incur any liability for failure to give such notification.

 

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Issuance of a Creation Unit. Except as provided herein, a Creation Unit will not be issued until the transfer of good title to the Trust of the Deposit Securities and the payment of the Cash Component have been completed. When the sub-custodian has confirmed to the Custodian that the securities included in the Fund Deposit (or the cash value thereof) have been delivered to the account of the relevant sub-custodian or sub-custodians, the Distributor and the Adviser shall be notified of such delivery and the Trust will issue and cause the delivery of the Creation Unit. Creation Units typically are issued on a “T+3 basis” (i.e., three Business Days after trade date).

To the extent contemplated by an Authorized Participant’s agreement with the Distributor, the Trust will issue Creation Units to such Authorized Participant notwithstanding the fact that the corresponding Portfolio Deposits have not been received in part or in whole, in reliance on the undertaking of the Authorized Participant to deliver the missing Deposit Securities as soon as possible, which undertaking shall be secured by such Authorized Participant’s delivery and maintenance of collateral having a value at least equal to 115%, which the Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser may change from time to time, of the value of the missing Deposit Securities in accordance with the Trust’s then-effective procedures. The only collateral that is acceptable to the Trust is cash in U.S. dollars or an irrevocable letter of credit in form, and drawn on a bank, that is satisfactory to the Trust. The cash collateral posted by the Authorized Participant may be invested at the risk of the Authorized Participant, and income, if any, on invested cash collateral will be paid to that Authorized Participant. Information concerning the Trust’s current procedures for collateralization of missing Deposit Securities is available from the Distributor. The Authorized Participant Agreement will permit the Trust to buy the missing Deposit Securities at any time and will subject the Authorized Participant to liability for any shortfall between the cost to the Trust of purchasing such securities and the cash collateral or the amount that may be drawn under any letter of credit.

In certain cases, Authorized Participants may create and redeem Creation Units on the same trade date and in these instances, the Trust reserves the right to settle these transactions on a net basis or require a representation from the Authorized Participants that the creation and redemption transactions are for separate beneficial owners. All questions as to the number of Shares of each security in the Deposit Securities and the validity, form, eligibility and acceptance for deposit of any securities to be delivered shall be determined by the Trust and the Trust’s determination shall be final and binding.

Cash Purchase Method. In the case of a cash purchase, the investor must pay the cash equivalent of the Deposit Securities it would otherwise be required to provide through an in-kind purchase, plus the same Cash Component required to be paid by an in-kind purchaser. In addition, to offset the Trust’s brokerage and other transaction costs associated with using the cash to purchase the requisite Deposit Securities, the investor will be required to pay a fixed purchase transaction fee, plus an additional variable charge for cash purchases, which is expressed as a percentage of the value of the Deposit Securities.

Creation Transaction Fee. A standard creation transaction fee is imposed to offset the transfer and other transaction costs associated with the issuance of Creation Units. The standard creation transaction fee will be the same regardless of the number of Creation Units purchased by a purchaser on the same day. Purchasers of Creation Units for cash are required to pay an additional variable charge to compensate the relevant Fund for brokerage and market impact expenses. When the Trust permits an in-kind purchaser to substitute cash in lieu of depositing a portion of the Deposit Securities, the purchaser will be assessed the additional variable charge for cash purchases on the cash in lieu portion of its investment up to a maximum additional variable charge as indicated in the chart below. Investors will also bear the costs of transferring the Deposit Securities to the Trust. Investors who use the services of a broker or other such intermediary may be charged a fee for such services.

The following table sets forth each Fund’s standard maximum creation transaction fees and maximum additional variable charges:

 

Fund

  Standard Creation
Transaction Fee
    Maximum Additional
Variable Charge*
 

db X-trackers MSCI All World ex US Hedged Equity Fund

      $ 10,500            2%   

db X-trackers MSCI South Korea Hedged Equity Fund

    1,100            2%   

db X-trackers MSCI Mexico Hedged Equity Fund

    500            2%   
*

As a percentage of the amount invested.

Redemption of Creation Units. Shares of a Fund may be redeemed only in Creation Units at their NAV next determined after receipt of a redemption request in proper form by the Distributor and only on a Business Day. The Trust will not redeem Shares in amounts less than Creation Units. Beneficial owners also may sell Shares in the secondary market but must accumulate enough Shares to

 

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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. Investors should expect to incur brokerage and other costs in connection with assembling a sufficient number of Shares to constitute a redeemable Creation Unit.

Redemptions are effected partially for cash and partially in-kind. In the case of in-kind redemptions, the Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser makes available through the NSCC, prior to the opening of business on the Exchange on each Business Day, the identity and number of Shares that will be applicable (subject to possible amendment or correction) to redemption requests received in proper form (as defined below) on that day (“Fund Securities”). Fund Securities received on redemption may not be identical to Deposit Securities that are applicable to creations of Creation Units.

Unless cash redemptions are available or specified for a Fund, the redemption proceeds for a Creation Unit generally consist of Fund Securities 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, less the redemption transaction fee described below.

Redemption Transaction Fee. A standard redemption transaction fee is imposed to offset transfer and other transaction costs that may be incurred by the relevant Fund. The standard redemption transaction fee will be the same regardless of the number of Creation Units redeemed by an investor on the same day. The redeeming investor may be assessed an additional variable charge on the cash in lieu portion of its redemption proceeds. The standard redemption transaction fees are set forth below. Investors will also bear the costs of transferring the Fund Securities from the Trust to their account or on their order. Investors who use the services of a broker or other such intermediary may be charged a fee for such services.

The following table sets forth each Fund’s standard redemption transaction fees:

 

Fund

   Standard Redemption
Transaction Fee
 

db X-trackers MSCI All World ex US Hedged Equity Fund

           $ 10,500           

db X-trackers MSCI South Korea Hedged Equity Fund

     1,100           

db X-trackers MSCI Mexico Hedged Equity Fund

     500           

The maximum redemption fee, as a percentage of the amount redeemed, is 2%. Redemption requests for Creation Units of any Fund must be submitted to the Distributor by or through an Authorized Participant. An Authorized Participant must submit an irrevocable redemption request before 4:00 p.m., Eastern time on any Business Day in order to receive that day’s NAV. In the case of custom redemptions, the order must be received by the Distributor no later than 3:00 p.m., Eastern time. Investors other than through Authorized Participants are responsible for making arrangements for a redemption request to be made through an Authorized Participant. The Distributor will provide a list of current Authorized Participants upon request.

The Authorized Participant must transmit the request for redemption in the form required by the Trust to the Distributor in accordance with procedures set forth in the Authorized Participant Agreement. Investors should be aware that their particular broker may not have executed an Authorized Participant Agreement and that, therefore, requests to redeem Creation Units may have to be placed by the investor’s broker through an Authorized Participant who has executed an Authorized Participant Agreement in effect. At any time, there may be only a limited number of broker-dealers that have an Authorized Participant Agreement. Investors making a redemption request should be aware that such request must be in the form specified by such Authorized Participant. Investors making a request to redeem Creation Units should allow sufficient time to permit proper submission of the request by an Authorized Participant and transfer of the Shares to the Trust’s Transfer Agent; such investors should allow for the additional time that may be required to effect redemptions through their banks, brokers or other financial intermediaries if such intermediaries are not Authorized Participants.

A redemption request is considered to be in “proper form” if (i) an Authorized Participant has transferred or caused to be transferred to the Trust’s Transfer Agent the Creation Unit being redeemed through the book-entry system of DTC so as to be effective by the Exchange closing time on any Business Day, (ii) a request in form satisfactory to the Trust is received by the Distributor from the Authorized Participant on behalf of itself or another redeeming investor within the time periods specified above and (iii) all other procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement are properly followed. If the Transfer Agent does not receive the investor’s Shares through DTC’s facilities by 10:00 a.m., Eastern time, on the Business Day next following the day that the redemption request is received, the redemption request shall be rejected. Investors should be aware that the deadline for such transfers of Shares through the DTC system may be significantly earlier than the close of business on the Exchange. Those making redemption requests should ascertain the deadline applicable to transfers of Shares through the DTC system by contacting the operations department of the broker or depositary institution affecting the transfer of the Shares.

 

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Upon receiving a redemption request, the Distributor shall notify the Trust and the Trust’s Transfer Agent of such redemption request. The tender of an investor’s Shares for redemption and the distribution of the cash redemption payment in respect of Creation Units redeemed will be made through DTC and the relevant Authorized Participant to the beneficial owner thereof as recorded on the book-entry system of DTC or the DTC Participant through which such investor holds, as the case may be, or by such other means specified by the Authorized Participant submitting the redemption request.

A redeeming Beneficial Owner or Authorized Participant acting on behalf of such Beneficial Owner must maintain appropriate security arrangements with a qualified broker-dealer, bank or other custody providers in each jurisdiction in which any of the Portfolio Securities are customarily traded, to which account such Portfolio Securities will be delivered.

If neither the redeeming Beneficial Owner nor the Authorized Participant acting on behalf of such redeeming Beneficial Owner has appropriate arrangements to take delivery of Fund Securities in the applicable non-U.S. jurisdiction and it is not possible to make other such arrangements, or if it is not possible to effect deliveries of Fund Securities in such jurisdiction, the Trust may in its discretion exercise its option to redeem such Shares in cash, and the redeeming Beneficial Owner will be required to receive its redemption proceeds in cash. In such case, the investor will receive a cash payment equal to the NAV of its Shares based on the NAV of Shares of the relevant Fund next determined after the redemption request is received in proper form (minus a redemption transaction fee and additional variable charge for cash redemptions specified above, to offset the Trust’s brokerage and other transaction costs associated with the disposition of Portfolio Securities of the Fund). Redemptions of Shares for Fund Securities will be subject to compliance with applicable U.S. federal and state securities laws and each Fund (whether or not it otherwise permits cash redemptions) reserves the right to redeem Creation Units for cash to the extent that the Fund could not lawfully deliver specific Fund Securities upon redemptions or could not do so without first registering the Fund Securities under such laws.

In the case of cash redemptions, proceeds will be paid to the Authorized Participant redeeming Shares on behalf of the redeeming investor as soon as practicable after the date of redemption (within seven calendar days thereafter).

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

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 a Fund in connection with higher levels of redemption activity and/or short interest in the Fund. If the Authorized Participant, upon receipt of a verification request, does not provide sufficient verification of its representations as determined by the Trust, the redemption request will not be considered to have been received in proper form and may be rejected by the Trust.

Taxation on Creation and Redemptions of Creation Units. An Authorized Participant generally will recognize either gain or loss upon the exchange of Deposit Securities for Creation Units. This gain or loss is calculated by taking the market value of the Creation Units purchased over the Authorized Participant’s aggregate basis in the Deposit Securities exchanged therefor. However, the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) may apply the wash sales rules to determine that any loss realized upon the exchange of Deposit Securities for Creation Units is not currently deductible. Authorized Participants should consult their own tax advisors.

Current federal tax laws dictate that capital gain or loss realized from the redemption of Creation Units will generally create long-term capital gain or loss if the Authorized Participant holds the Creation Units for more than one year, or short-term capital gain or loss if the Creation Units were held for one year or less.

 

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Taxes

Regulated Investment Company Qualifications. Each Fund intends to qualify for treatment as a separate RIC under Subchapter M of the Code. To qualify for treatment as a RIC, each Fund must annually distribute at least 90% of its investment company taxable income (which includes dividends, interest and net short-term capital gains) and meet several other requirements. Among such other requirements are the following: (i) at least 90% of each Fund’s annual gross income must be derived from dividends, interest, payments with respect to securities loans, gains from the sale or other disposition of stock or securities or non-U.S. currencies, other income (including, but not limited to, gains from options, futures or forward contracts) derived with respect to its business of investing in such stock, securities or currencies, and net income derived from interests in qualified publicly-traded partnerships (i.e., partnerships that are traded on an established securities market or tradable on a secondary market, other than partnerships that derive 90% of their income from interest, dividends, capital gains and other traditionally permitted mutual fund income); and (ii) at the close of each quarter of each Fund’s taxable year, (a) at least 50% of the market value of each Fund’s total assets must be represented by cash and cash items, U.S. government securities, securities of other RICs and other securities, with such other securities limited for purposes of this calculation in respect of any one issuer to an amount not greater than 5% of the value of the Fund’s assets and not greater than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer and (b) not more than 25% of the value of each Fund’s total assets may be invested in the securities (other than U.S. government securities or the securities of other RICs) of any one issuer, of two or more issuers of which 20% or more of the voting stock is held by the Fund and that are engaged in the same or similar trades or businesses or related trades or businesses or the securities of one or more qualified publicly-traded partnerships. 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 test described in (i) above only if such gains are directly related to investing in securities. To date, such regulations have not been issued.

Although in general the passive loss rules of the Code do not apply to RICs, such rules do apply to a RIC with respect to items attributable to an interest in a qualified publicly-traded partnership. A Fund’s investments in partnerships, including in qualified publicly-traded partnerships, may result in a Fund being subject to state, local, or non-U.S. income, franchise or withholding tax liabilities.

Taxation of RICs. As a RIC, a Fund will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the portion of its taxable investment income and capital gains that it distributes to its Shareholders, provided that it satisfies a minimum distribution requirement. To satisfy the minimum distribution requirement, a Fund must distribute to its Shareholders at least the sum of (i) 90% of its “investment company taxable income” (i.e., income other than its net realized long-term capital gain over its net realized short-term capital loss), plus or minus certain adjustments, and (ii) 90% of its net tax-exempt income for the taxable year. A Fund will be subject to income tax at regular corporation rates on any taxable income or gains that it does not distribute to its Shareholders. If a Fund fails to qualify for any taxable year as a RIC or fails to meet the distribution requirement, all of its taxable income will be subject to tax at regular corporate income tax rates without any deduction for distributions to Shareholders, and such distributions generally will be taxable to Shareholders as ordinary dividends to the extent of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits. In such event, distributions to individuals should be eligible to be treated as qualified dividend income and distributions to corporate Shareholders generally should be eligible for the dividends received deduction. Although each Fund intends to distribute substantially all of its net investment income and its capital gains for each taxable year, each Fund will be subject to U.S. federal income taxation to the extent any such income or gains are not distributed. If a Fund fails to qualify as a RIC in any year, it must pay out its earnings and profits accumulated in that year in order to qualify again as a RIC. If a Fund fails to qualify as a RIC for a period greater than two taxable years, the Fund may be required to recognize any net built-in gains with respect to certain of its assets (i.e., the excess of the aggregate gains, including items of income, over aggregate losses that would have been realized with respect to such assets if the Fund had been liquidated) if it qualifies as a RIC in a subsequent year.

Excise Tax. A Fund will be subject to a 4% excise tax on certain undistributed income if it does not generally distribute to its Shareholders in each calendar year an amount at least equal to the sum of 98% of its ordinary income for the calendar year (taking into account certain adjustments and deferrals) plus 98.2% of its capital gain net income for the 12 months ended October 31 of such year. For this purpose, however, any ordinary income or capital gain net income retained by a Fund that is subject to corporate income tax in the taxable year ending within the relevant calendar year will be considered to have been distributed. In addition, the minimum amounts that must be distributed in any year to avoid the excise tax will be increased or decreased to reflect any under-distribution or over-distribution, as the case may be, from the previous year. Each Fund intends to declare and distribute dividends and distributions in the amounts and at the times necessary to avoid the application of this 4% excise tax.

Net Capital Loss Carryforwards. Net capital loss carryforwards may be applied against any net realized capital gains in each succeeding year.

 

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Taxation of U.S. Shareholders. Dividends and other distributions by a Fund are generally treated under the Code as received by the Shareholders at the time the dividend or distribution is made. However, any dividend or distribution declared by a Fund in October, November or December of any calendar year and payable to Shareholders of record on a specified date in such a month shall be deemed to have been received by each Shareholder on December 31 of such calendar year and to have been paid by the Fund not later than such December 31, provided such dividend is actually paid by the Fund during January of the following calendar year.

Each Fund intends to distribute annually to its Shareholders substantially all of its investment company taxable income and any net realized long-term capital gains in excess of net realized short-term capital losses (including any capital loss carryovers). However, if a Fund retains for investment an amount equal to all or a portion of its net long-term capital gains in excess of its net short-term capital losses (including any capital loss carryovers), it will be subject to a corporate tax (currently at a maximum rate of 35%) on the amount retained. In that event, the Fund may designate such retained amounts as undistributed capital gains in a notice to its Shareholders who (a) will be required to include in income for U.S. federal income tax purposes, as long-term capital gains, their proportionate Shares of the undistributed amount; (b) will be entitled to credit their proportionate Shares of the 35% tax paid by the Fund on the undistributed amount against their U.S. federal income tax liabilities, if any, and to claim refunds to the extent their credits exceed their liabilities, if any and (c) will be entitled to increase their tax basis, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, in their Shares by an amount equal to 65% of the amount of undistributed capital gains included in the Shareholder’s income. Organizations or persons not subject to U.S. federal income tax on such capital gains will be entitled to a refund of their pro rata Share of such taxes paid by the Fund upon filing appropriate returns or claims for refund with the IRS.

Distributions of net realized long-term capital gains, if any, that a Fund reports as capital gains dividends are taxable as long-term capital gains, whether paid in cash or in Shares and regardless of how long a Shareholder has held Shares of the Fund. All other dividends of a Fund (including dividends from short-term capital gains) from its current and accumulated earnings and profits (“regular dividends”) are generally subject to tax as ordinary income, subject to the discussion of qualified dividend income below.

If an individual receives a regular dividend qualifying for the long-term capital gains rates and such dividend constitutes an “extraordinary dividend,” and the individual subsequently recognizes a loss on the sale or exchange of stock in respect of which the extraordinary dividend was paid, then the loss will be long-term capital loss to the extent of such extraordinary dividend. An “extraordinary dividend” on common stock for this purpose is generally a dividend (i) in an amount greater than or equal to 10% of the taxpayer’s tax basis (or trading value) in a Share of stock, aggregating dividends with ex-dividend dates within an 85-day period or (ii) in an amount greater than 20% of the taxpayer’s tax basis (or trading value) in a Share of stock, aggregating dividends with ex-dividend dates within a 365-day period.

Distributions in excess of a Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits will, as to each Shareholder, be treated as a tax-free return of capital to the extent of a Shareholder’s basis in Shares of the Fund, and as a capital gain thereafter (if the Shareholder holds Shares of the Fund as capital assets). Shareholders receiving dividends or distributions in the form of additional Shares should be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as receiving a distribution in an amount equal to the amount of money that the Shareholders receiving cash dividends or distributions will receive and should have a cost basis in the Shares received equal to such amount.

Investors considering buying Shares just prior to a dividend or capital gain distribution should be aware that, although the price of Shares purchased at that time may reflect the amount of the forthcoming distribution, such dividend or distribution may nevertheless be taxable to them. If a Fund is the holder of record of any security on the record date for any dividends payable with respect to such security, such dividends will be included in the Fund’s gross income not as of the date received but as of the later of (a) the date such security became ex-dividend with respect to such dividends (i.e., the date on which a buyer of the security would not be entitled to receive the declared, but unpaid, dividends); or (b) the date the Fund acquired such security. Accordingly, in order to satisfy its income distribution requirements, a Fund may be required to pay dividends based on anticipated earnings, and Shareholders may receive dividends in an earlier year than would otherwise be the case.

In certain situations, a Fund may, for a taxable year, defer all or a portion of its capital losses, currency losses and certain other losses realized after October until the next taxable year in computing its investment company taxable income and net capital gain, which will defer the recognition of such realized losses. Such deferrals and other rules regarding gains and losses realized after October may affect the tax character of Shareholder distributions.

For taxable years beginning after December 31, 2012, an additional 3.8% Medicare tax will be 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.

 

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Sales of Shares. Upon the sale or exchange of Shares of a Fund, a Shareholder will realize a taxable gain or loss equal to the difference between the amount realized and the Shareholder’s basis in Shares of a Fund. A redemption of Shares by a Fund will be treated as a sale for this purpose. Such gain or loss will be treated as capital gain or loss if the Shares are capital assets in the Shareholder’s hands and will be long-term capital gain or loss if the Shares are held for more than one year and short-term capital gain or loss if the Shares are held for one year or less. Any loss realized on a sale or exchange will be disallowed to the extent the Shares disposed of are replaced, including replacement through the reinvesting of dividends and capital gains distributions in the Fund, within a 61-day period beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after the disposition of the Shares. In such a case, the basis of the Shares acquired will be increased to reflect the disallowed loss. Any loss realized by a Shareholder on the sale of a Fund Share held by the Shareholder for six months or less will be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a long-term capital loss to the extent of any distributions or deemed distributions of long-term capital gains received by the Shareholder with respect to such Share.

If a Shareholder incurs a sales charge in acquiring Shares of a Fund, disposes of those Shares within 90 days and then acquires, prior to February 1 of the following calendar year, shares in a mutual fund for which the otherwise applicable sales charge is reduced by reason of a reinvestment right (e.g., an exchange privilege), the original sales charge will not be taken into account in computing gain/loss on the original Shares to the extent the subsequent sales charge is reduced. Instead, the disregarded portion of the original sales charge will be added to the tax basis of the newly acquired Shares. Furthermore, the same rule also applies to a disposition of the newly acquired Shares made within 90 days of the second acquisition. This provision prevents Shareholders from immediately deducting the sales charge by shifting their investments within a family of mutual funds.

Legislation passed by Congress 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 and to taxpayers. Shareholders should contact their financial intermediaries with respect to reporting of cost basis and available elections for their accounts.

Back-Up Withholding. In certain cases, a Fund will be required to withhold at the applicable withholding rate (currently 28%), and remit to the U.S. Treasury such amounts withheld from any distributions paid to a Shareholder who: (i) has failed to provide a correct taxpayer identification number; (ii) is subject to back-up withholding by the IRS; (iii) has failed to certify to a Fund that such Shareholder is not subject to back-up withholding; or (iv) has not certified that such Shareholder is a U.S. person (including a U.S. resident alien). Back-up withholding is not an additional tax and any amount withheld may be credited against a Shareholder’s U.S. federal income tax liability.

Sections 351 and 362. The Trust, on behalf of each Fund, has the right to reject an order for a purchase of Shares of the Fund if the purchaser (or group of purchasers) would, upon obtaining the Shares so ordered, own 80% or more of the outstanding Shares of a given Fund and if, pursuant to Sections 351 and 362 of the Code, that Fund would have a basis in the securities different from the market value of such securities on the date of deposit. If a Fund’s basis in such securities on the date of deposit was less than market value on such date, the Fund, upon disposition of the securities, would recognize more taxable gain or less taxable loss than if its basis in the securities had been equal to market value. It is not anticipated that the Trust will exercise the right of rejection except in a case where the Trust determines that accepting the order could result in material adverse tax consequences to a Fund or its Shareholders. The Trust also has the right to require information necessary to determine beneficial Share ownership for purposes of the 80% determination.

Taxation of Certain Derivatives. A Fund’s transactions in zero coupon securities, non-U.S. currencies, forward contracts, options and futures contracts (including options and futures contracts on non-U.S. currencies), to the extent permitted, will be subject to special provisions of the Code (including provisions relating to “hedging transactions” and “straddles”) that, among other things, may affect the character of gains and losses realized by the Fund (i.e., may affect whether gains or losses are ordinary or capital), accelerate recognition of income to the Fund and defer Fund losses. These rules could therefore affect the character, amount and timing of distributions to Shareholders. These provisions also (a) will require a Fund to mark-to-market certain types of the positions in its portfolio (i.e., treat them as if they were closed out at the end of each year) and (b) may cause a Fund to recognize income without receiving cash with which to pay dividends or make distributions in amounts necessary to satisfy the distribution requirements for avoiding income and excise taxes. Each Fund will monitor its transactions, will make the appropriate tax elections and will make the appropriate entries in its books and records when it acquires any zero coupon security, non-U.S. currency, forward contract, option, futures contract or hedged investment in order to mitigate the effect of these rules and prevent disqualification of the Fund as a RIC.

 

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A Fund’s investment in so-called “Section 1256 contracts,” such as regulated futures contracts, most non-U.S. currency forward contracts traded in the interbank market and options on most security indexes, are subject to special tax rules. All Section 1256 contracts held by a Fund at the end of its taxable year are required to be marked to their market value, and any unrealized gain or loss on those positions will be included in the Fund’s income as if each position had been sold for its fair market value at the end of the taxable year. The resulting gain or loss will be combined with any gain or loss realized by the Fund from positions in Section 1256 contracts closed during the taxable year. Provided such positions were held as capital assets and were not part of a “hedging transaction” nor part of a “straddle,” 60% of the resulting net gain or loss will be treated as long-term capital gain or loss, and 40% of such net gain or loss will be treated as short-term capital gain or loss, regardless of the period of time the positions were actually held by the Fund.

As a result of entering into swap contracts, a Fund may make or receive periodic net payments. A Fund may also make or receive a payment when a swap is terminated prior to maturity through an assignment of the swap or other closing transaction. Periodic net payments will generally constitute ordinary income or deductions, while termination of a swap will generally result in capital gain or loss (which will be a long-term capital gain or loss if the Fund has been a party to the swap for more than one year). With respect to certain types of swaps, a Fund may be required to currently recognize income or loss with respect to future payments on such swaps or may elect under certain circumstances to mark such swaps to market annually for tax purposes as ordinary income or loss. The tax treatment of many types of credit default swaps is uncertain.

Qualified Dividend Income. Distributions by a Fund of investment company taxable income (including any short-term capital gains), whether received in cash or Shares, will be taxable either as ordinary income or as qualified dividend income, eligible for the reduced maximum rate to individuals of either 15% or 20% (depending on whether the individual’s income exceeds certain threshold amounts) to the extent the Fund receives qualified dividend income on the securities it holds and the Fund designates the distribution as qualified dividend income. Distributions by a Fund of its net short-term capital gains will be taxable as ordinary income. Capital gain distributions consisting of a Fund’s net capital gains will be taxable as long-term capital gains. Qualified dividend income is, in general, dividend income from taxable U.S. corporations (but generally not from U.S. REITs) and certain non-U.S. corporations (e.g., non-U.S. corporations that are not “passive foreign investment companies” and which are incorporated in a possession of the U.S. or in certain countries with a comprehensive tax treaty with the U.S., or the stock of which is readily tradable on an established securities market in the U.S.). Under current IRS guidance, the United States has appropriate comprehensive income tax treaties with the following countries: Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, China (but not with Hong Kong, which is treated as a separate jurisdiction for U.S. tax purposes), Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Morocco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and Venezuela.

A dividend from a Fund will not be treated as qualified dividend income to the extent that (i) the Shareholder has not held the Shares on which the dividend was paid for 61 days during the 121-day period that begins on the date that is 60 days before the date on which the Shares become ex-dividend with respect to such dividend or the Fund fails to satisfy those holding period requirements with respect to the securities it holds that paid the dividends distributed to the Shareholder (or, in the case of certain preferred stocks, the holding requirement of 91 days during the 181-day period beginning on the date that is 90 days before the date on which the stock becomes ex-dividend with respect to such dividend); (ii) the Fund or the Shareholder is under an obligation (whether pursuant to a short sale or otherwise) to make related payments with respect to substantially similar or related property; or (iii) the Shareholder elects to treat such dividend as investment income under Section 163(d)(4)(B) of the Code. Dividends received by a Fund from a REIT or another RIC may be treated as qualified dividend income only to the extent the dividend distributions are attributable to qualified dividend income received by such REIT or other RIC. It is expected that dividends received by a Fund from a REIT and distributed to a Shareholder generally will be taxable to the Shareholder as ordinary income.

If you lend your Fund Shares pursuant to securities lending arrangements you may lose the ability to use non-U.S. tax credits passed through by the Fund or to treat Fund dividends (paid while the Shares are held by the borrower) as qualified dividends. Consult your financial intermediary or tax advisor. If you enter into a short sale with respect to Shares of the Fund, substitute payments made to the lender of such Shares may not be deductible. Consult your financial intermediary or tax advisor.

Corporate Dividends Received Deduction. Each Fund does not expect dividends that are paid to its corporate Shareholders to be eligible, in the hands of such Shareholders, for the corporate dividends received deduction.

 

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Excess Inclusion Income. Under current law, the Funds serve to block unrelated business taxable income from being realized by their tax-exempt Shareholders. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a tax-exempt Shareholder could realize unrelated business taxable income by virtue of its investment in a Fund if Shares in the Fund constitute debt-financed property in the hands of the tax-exempt Shareholder within the meaning of Code Section 514(b). Certain types of income received by a Fund from REITs, real estate mortgage investment conduits, taxable mortgage pools or other investments may cause the Fund to designate some or all of its distributions as “excess inclusion income.” To Fund Shareholders, such excess inclusion income may (i) constitute taxable income, as “unrelated business taxable income” for those Shareholders who would otherwise be tax-exempt such as individual retirement accounts, 401(k) accounts, Keogh plans, pension plans and certain charitable entities; (ii) not be offset by otherwise allowable deductions for tax purposes; (iii) not be eligible for reduced U.S. withholding for non-U.S. Shareholders even from tax treaty countries; and (iv) cause the Fund to be subject to tax if certain “disqualified organizations” as defined by the Code are Fund Shareholders. If a charitable remainder annuity trust or a charitable remainder unitrust (each as defined in Code Section 664) has UBTI for a taxable year, a 100% excise tax on the UBTI is imposed on the trust.

Non-U.S. Investments. Under Section 988 of the Code, gains or losses attributable to fluctuations in exchange rates between the time a Fund accrues income or receivables or expenses or other liabilities denominated in a non-U.S. currency and the time the Fund actually collects such income or pays such liabilities are generally treated as ordinary income or ordinary loss. In general, gains (and losses) realized on debt instruments will be treated as Section 988 gain (or loss) to the extent attributable to changes in exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and the currencies in which the instruments are denominated. Similarly, gain or losses on non-U.S. currency, non-U.S. currency forward contracts and certain non-U.S. currency options or futures contracts denominated in non-U.S currency, to the extent attributable to fluctuations in exchange rates between the acquisition and disposition dates, are also treated as ordinary income or loss unless the Fund were to elect otherwise.

Each Fund may be subject to non-U.S. income taxes withheld at the source. Each Fund, if more than 50% of the value of its total assets at the close of its taxable year consists of securities of foreign corporations, may elect to “pass through” to its investors the amount of non-U.S. income taxes paid by the Fund provided that the Fund held the security on the dividend settlement date and for at least 15 additional days immediately before and/or thereafter, with the result that each investor with respect to Shares of the Fund held for a minimum 16-day holding period at the time of deemed distribution will (i) include in gross income, even though not actually received, the investor’s pro rata Share of the Fund’s non-U.S. income taxes, and (ii) either deduct (in calculating U.S. taxable income) or credit (in calculating U.S. federal income tax) the investor’s pro rata Share of the Fund’s non-U.S. income taxes. A non-U.S. person invested in the Fund in a year that the Fund elects to “pass through” its non-U.S. taxes may be treated as receiving additional dividend income subject to U.S. withholding tax. A non-U.S. tax credit may not exceed the investor’s U.S. federal income tax otherwise payable with respect to the investor’s non-U.S. source income. For this purpose, Shareholders must treat as non-U.S. source gross income (i) their proportionate Shares of non-U.S. taxes paid by the Fund and (ii) the portion of any dividend paid by the Fund that represents income derived from non-U.S. sources; the Fund’s gain from the sale of securities will generally be treated as U.S.-source income. Certain limitations will be imposed to the extent to which the non-U.S. tax credit may be claimed.

Passive Foreign Investment Companies. If a Fund purchases Shares in “passive foreign investment companies” (“PFICs”), it may be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a portion of any “excess distribution” or gain from the disposition of such Shares even if such income is distributed as a taxable dividend by the Fund to its Shareholders. Additional charges in the nature of interest may be imposed on the Fund in respect of deferred taxes arising from such distributions or gains.

If a Fund were to invest in a PFIC and elect to treat the PFIC as a “qualified electing fund” under the Code, in lieu of the foregoing requirements, the Fund might be required to include in income each year a portion of the ordinary earnings and net capital gains of the qualified electing fund, even if not distributed to the Fund, and such amounts would be subject to the 90% and excise tax distribution requirements described above. In order to make this election, the Fund would be required to obtain certain annual information from the PFICs in which it invests, which may be difficult or impossible to obtain.

Alternatively, a Fund may make a mark-to-market election that would result in the Fund being treated as if it had sold and repurchased its PFIC stock at the end of each year. In such case, the Fund would report any such gains as ordinary income and would deduct any such losses as ordinary losses to the extent of previously recognized gains. The election must be made separately for each PFIC owned by the Fund and, once made, would be effective for all subsequent taxable years, unless revoked with the consent of the IRS. By making the election, the Fund could potentially ameliorate the adverse tax consequences with respect to its ownership of Shares in a PFIC, but in any particular year may be required to recognize income in excess of the distributions it receives from PFICs and its proceeds from dispositions of PFIC stock. The Fund may have to distribute this “phantom” income and gain to satisfy the 90% distribution requirement and to avoid imposition of the 4% excise tax.

 

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A Fund will make the appropriate tax elections, if possible, and take any additional steps that are necessary to mitigate the effects of these rules.

Reporting. If a Shareholder recognizes a loss with respect to a Fund’s Shares of $2 million or more for an individual Shareholder or $10 million or more for a corporate Shareholder, the Shareholder must file with the IRS a disclosure statement on Form 8886. Direct Shareholders of portfolio securities are in many cases exempted from this reporting requirement, but under current guidance, Shareholders of a RIC are not exempted. The fact that a loss is reportable under these regulations does not affect the legal determination of whether the taxpayer’s treatment of the loss is proper. Shareholders should consult their tax advisors to determine the applicability of these regulations in light of their individual circumstances.

Other Taxes. Dividends, distributions and redemption proceeds may also be subject to additional state, local and non-U.S. taxes depending on each Shareholder’s particular situation.

Taxation of Non-U.S. Shareholders. Dividends paid by a Fund to non-U.S. Shareholders are generally subject to withholding tax at a 30% rate or a reduced rate specified by an applicable income tax treaty to the extent derived from investment income and short-term capital gains. In order to obtain a reduced rate of withholding, a non-U.S. Shareholder will be required to provide an IRS Form W-8BEN certifying its entitlement to benefits under a treaty. The withholding tax does not apply to regular dividends paid to a non-U.S. Shareholder who provides a Form W-8ECI, certifying that the dividends are effectively connected with the non-U.S. Shareholder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States. Instead, the effectively connected dividends will be subject to regular U.S. income tax as if the non-U.S. Shareholder were a U.S. Shareholder. A non-U.S. corporation receiving effectively connected dividends may also be subject to additional “branch profits tax” imposed at a rate of 30% (or lower treaty rate). A non-U.S. Shareholder who fails to provide an IRS Form W-8BEN or other applicable form may be subject to back-up withholding at the appropriate rate.

In general, U.S. federal withholding tax will not apply to any gain or income realized by a non-U.S. Shareholder in respect of any distributions of net long-term capital gains over net short-term capital losses, exempt-interest dividends, or upon the sale or other disposition of Shares of a Fund.

The Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act of 1980 (“FIRPTA”) makes a non-U.S. person subject to U.S. tax on disposition of a U.S. real property interest as if such person were a U.S. person. Such gain is sometimes referred to as “FIRPTA gain”. The Code provides a look-through rule for distributions of “FIRPTA gain” by a RIC if all of the following requirements are met: (i) the RIC is classified as a “qualified investment entity” (which includes a RIC if, in general, more than 50% of the RIC’s assets consists of interests in REITs and U.S. real property holding corporations); and (ii) you are a non-U.S. shareholder that owns more than 5% of a Fund’s shares at any time during the one-year period ending on the date of the distribution. If these conditions are met, Fund distributions to you to the extent derived from gain from the disposition of a U.S. real property interest (“USRPI”), may also be treated as USRPI gain and therefore subject to U.S. federal income tax, and requiring that you file a nonresident U.S. income tax return. Also, such gain may be subject to a 30% branch profits tax in the hands of a non-U.S. shareholder that is a corporation. Even if a non-U.S. Shareholder does not own more than 5% of a Fund’s shares, Fund distributions that are attributable to gain from the sale or disposition of a USRPI will be taxable as ordinary dividends subject to withholding at a 30% or lower treaty rate.

These rules apply to dividends paid by a Fund before January 1, 2014 (unless such sunset date is extended or made permanent). After such sunset date, Fund distributions from a U.S. REIT attributable to FIRPTA gain will continue to be subject to the withholding rules described above provided the fund would otherwise be classified as a “qualified investment entity”.

Further, if a Fund is a “U.S. real property holding corporation,” any gain realized on the sale or exchange of Fund shares by a foreign shareholder that owns more than 5% of a class of Fund shares would generally be taxed in the same manner as for a U.S. shareholder. A Fund will be a “U.S. real property holding corporation” if, in general, 50% or more of the fair market value of its assets consists of U.S. real property interests, including stock of certain U.S. REITs.

For taxable years beginning before January 1, 2014 (unless further extended by Congress), properly designated dividends received by a nonresident alien or foreign entity are generally exempt from U.S. federal withholding tax when they (a) are paid in respect of a Fund’s “qualified net interest income” (generally, a Fund’s U.S. source interest income, reduced by expenses that are allocable to such income), or (b) are paid in connection with a Fund’s “qualified short-term capital gains” (generally, the excess of a Fund’s net short-term capital gain over the Fund’s long-term capital loss for such taxable year). However, depending on the circumstances, a Fund may designate all, some or none of the Fund’s potentially eligible dividends as such qualified net interest income or as qualified short-term capital gains, and a portion of the Fund’s distributions (e.g., interest from non U.S. sources or any foreign currency gains) would be ineligible for this potential exemption from withholding. There can be no assurance as to whether or not legislation will be enacted to extend this exemption.

 

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Shares of a Fund held by a non-U.S. Shareholder at death will be considered situated within the United States and generally will be subject to the U.S. estate tax.

Effective July 1, 2014, the Funds will be required to withhold U.S. tax (at a 30% rate) on payments of taxable dividends and (effective January 1, 2017) 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.

The foregoing discussion is a summary of certain material U.S. federal income tax considerations only and is not intended as a substitute for careful tax planning. Purchasers of Shares should consult their own tax advisers as to the tax consequences of investing in such Shares, including under state, local and non-U.S tax laws. Finally, the foregoing discussion is based on applicable provisions of the Code, regulations, judicial authority and administrative interpretations in effect on the date of this SAI. Changes in applicable authority could materially affect the conclusions discussed above, and such changes often occur.

Miscellaneous Information

Counsel. Dechert LLP, located at 1095 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10036, is counsel to the Trust.

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm.  Ernst & Young LLP, 5 Times Square, New York, New York 10036, serves as the Trust’s independent registered public accounting firm, audits the Funds’ financial statements, and may perform other services.

Financial Statements

Because the Funds have not commenced operations as of the date of this SAI, financial statements are not provided for the Funds.

 

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APPENDIX A

SUMMARY OF PROXY VOTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES FOR TDAM

Although the Trust generally does not invest in voting securities, the Board of Trustees of the Trust has delegated proxy voting responsibility to the Sub-Adviser and approved the Sub-Adviser’s proxy voting policies and procedures (the “Proxy Voting Policy”). The Sub-Adviser may delegate responsibility for performing certain proxy voting activities to service providers (as discussed below). In all such cases, however, the Sub-Adviser shall retain the final authority over all proxy voting and the fiduciary duties with respect to such voting and the right to make all final decisions.

The objective of the Proxy Voting Policy is to ensure that proxies are voted in the best interests of each Fund. Pursuant to the Proxy Voting Policy, voting decisions are made based on the particular facts and circumstances of each matter. The guidelines discussed below are not intended to be inflexible or all encompassing and may not be applied if their application would not be in the best interests of a Fund. The Sub-Adviser will abstain from voting shares of issuers affiliated with the Sub-Adviser and may abstain from voting from time to time where it determines that to do so is in the best interests of a Fund (i.e. . where adequate notice is not provided or where the estimated costs associated with voting on a particular matter outweighs the expected benefits).

The Proxy Voting Policy provides the following list of general principles (“General Principles”) relating to corporate governance to be generally considered when determining how to vote on a particular matter: (a) corporate management must be accountable to the board of directors. The board of directors is responsible for supervising management. The board of directors reports to shareholders. The board of directors should reinforce these concepts in making its appointments and by appropriately defining the separate roles of board members and management; (b) ownership rights should not be subordinated. Minority shareholders should not be treated differently from controlling shareholders. All shareholders should be treated equally and all shares should have equal voting rights based upon the principle of “one share, one vote”; (c) all shareholders have a right to receive proper notice of corporate actions and to vote on issues that have a material impact upon their investments; and (d) the proxy vote is an important asset of a shareholder. Ownership and voting rights should be used to support ethical conduct but not any particular external, social or political agenda at the expense of long-term returns. Fiduciaries are obliged to exercise their ownership rights in order to optimize the long-term value of their investments.

In general, the Sub-Adviser supports management on the following issues that are generally treated as routine matters: approval of the corporation’s independent registered public accounting firm; standard compensation plans; standard changes in capital or corporate structure; and other standard matters which do not raise issues of principle with respect to corporate governance.

The table on the following pages shows the list of issues, contained in the Proxy Voting Policy, which are grouped into six major categories and are to be used as general guidelines for analysis in reaching an appropriate decision on how to vote in respect of a particular matter. Issues not specifically covered are resolved by the application of the General Principles to the guidelines and/or upon the advice of the proxy voting committee (as defined below) and such appropriately qualified, Proxy Consultants the Sub-Adviser may engage. The Sub-Adviser has retained Institutional Shareholder Services (“ISS”) to vote proxies in accordance with this Proxy Voting Policy.

1. GOVERNANCE

 

Board of Directors, Majority Independent

  

If the majority of nominees are not independent (e.g., do not have a direct relationship, other than a non-majority shareholders’ relationship, with the Corporation), the Sub-Adviser generally opposes the entire slate of nominees or, if possible, selectively opposes directors who are not independent.

Green Mail

  

Oppose entire slate of nominees, or specific nominees, if possible, who previously authorized Green Mail.

Excessive Compensation (“Golden Parachutes”)

  

Typically, the Sub-Adviser recommends opposing Boards or specific nominees, if possible, who previously authorized Golden Parachutes or other excessive compensation/severance.

 

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Management Entrenchment

  

Boards or specific nominees, where applicable, should be opposed if they are found to have adopted an excessive number of defensive measures designed to entrench management.

Appointment of Interim Directors

  

Resolutions which would allow directors to appoint interim directors between annual meetings in order to replace those who resign or are otherwise removed between such meetings should typically be supported. Resolutions which would permit the appointment of interim directors for any other purpose should generally be opposed.

Attendance of Directors

  

If possible to withhold or oppose individual nominees, nominees who have attended less than 75% of Board meetings or less than 75% of applicable Board Committee meetings for two consecutive years should generally be opposed.

Resolution Implementation

  

The Sub-Adviser prefers opposing the slate of nominees or specific nominees, where possible, if they failed to implement the resolution of a shareholder, which received a favorable vote from the majority of shareholders.

Separation of Chairman and CEO

  

Separating the positions of Chairman and CEO is preferred except where the Board has a strong Corporate Governance Committee, comprised solely of independent directors or where the Board has an independent lead director (a non-management, independent board member who leads the independent board members and acts as a chair of board meetings where management is not present). Note: If selective opposition is available, oppose the nominee who is both Chairman and CEO. If selective opposition is not available, do not oppose the entire Board.

Size of Board

  

A Board with a maximum of 16 members is preferred, but priority is given to a competent Board comprised of a majority of independent directors.

Auditors

  

The Sub-Adviser prefers an audit committee comprised solely of independent directors. Auditors are generally expected to be reputable with routine rotation.

Classified Board

  

The annual election of directors is generally supported. Staggered/classified boards are typically opposed. If a staggered/classified board has been approved by shareholders, generally support those directors in conformity with the other guidelines.

Cumulative Voting

  

Cumulative voting, which allows all votes to be cast for a single candidate or for any two or more of them, should generally be opposed.

Liability and Indemnification

  

Generally, support proposals to limit directors’ liability and provide indemnification.

Continuance/Exporting Jurisdictions

  

Resolutions approving the continuance or export of a corporation into another jurisdiction are generally supported when management can demonstrate sound financial or business reasons for the move and opposed when they appear to be part of an anti-takeover defense or solely to limit directors’ liability. Consideration should be given to the effect on shareholders’ rights resulting from the change in jurisdiction.

Supermajority

  

The Sub-Adviser will generally oppose resolutions where management seeks to increase the number of votes required on an issue above the level provided for in local law.

 

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Linked Proposals

  

Proposals which seek to link two elements (e.g., fair price and super majority or governance issue and dividend/right) should generally be opposed except where the two issues being linked are both beneficial to shareholders.

2. REORGANIZATIONS, MERGERS AND ANTI-TAKEOVER DEFENSES

Mergers

  

A merger is generally defined as the combining of two or more entities into one through a purchase, acquisition, amalgamation or a pooling of interests. In each case, consideration will be exchanged in the transaction. In some cases, a shareholder will be offered a choice of the type of consideration he/she wishes to receive (i.e., stock, cash or a combination of the two). Where shareholders are offered a choice of consideration, it would be rare for the voting decision to make reference to the type of consideration desired. Generally speaking, the voting decision involves voting for or against the merger. In general, the Sub-Adviser will vote in the following manner: (a) for mergers where there is only one type of consideration offered, the Sub-Adviser will support the merger if the Company’s board of directors supports the merger and if it appears the board is acting in the best interest of shareholders; (b) for mergers where the shareholder is offered a choice of consideration, the Sub-Adviser will support the merger and, if required, elect the consideration that maximizes value, after consultation with the appropriate business unit.

Fair Price Proposals

  

Generally support proposals which require a bidder to pay every shareholder a fair price for their shares providing: (a) they apply only to two-tier offers; (b) fair price is highest price paid at the time of voting decision; (c) the fair price is not linked to any anti-takeover provisions, provisions restricting shareholder’s rights, or any supermajority amendments; (d) fair price provisions are not applicable if tender offer has been approved by target’s board; and (e) fair price test is two-thirds of outstanding shares voted in favor of “fair price.”

Crown Jewels

  

Crown Jewel Defenses (when a company sells its most valuable assets to a friendly third party in order to frustrate a take-over attempt) are generally opposed. All takeover offers must nonetheless be analyzed on a case-by-case basis in order to assess the best interests of the shareholders.

Leveraged Buyouts

  

Generally support leveraged buyouts by management when it appears management has pursued the best interests of shareholders to seek maximum value. Relevant factors in determining whether management has pursued the best interests of shareholders include: (a) whether other bidders were allowed to make competing bids; (b) whether management used a “lock-up” device to prevent fairness in the bidding process; (c) whether management with control will match or exceed competing offers; and (d) whether a fairness opinion was issued and under what conditions.

Lock-ups

  

Lock-up agreements (e.g., in the context of a take-over bid, an arrangement which prevents competing bids for the offeree corporation’s shares) or similar arrangements must be closely scrutinized and should generally be opposed.

Green Mail

  

Payments from corporate funds of a premium price to selected shareholders without all shareholders being allowed to participate should be opposed. Proposals to prevent such payments of Green Mail should be supported.

 

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Poison Pills (Shareholder Rights Plans)

  

Proposals to adopt Poison Pills must be closely scrutinized to ensure they are not intended to entrench management or unduly hinder a takeover offer. Where a Poison Pill appears to entrench management or hinder further offers, the Sub-Adviser will generally oppose a resolution adopting it. Poison Pills implemented through a plan that meets the following set of allowable criteria will usually be supported by the Investment Manager: (a) the acquiring person must acquire at least 20% of the outstanding shares before a Poison Pill can be triggered; the acquiring person should exclude employee benefit plans, institutional money managers and should exclude or grandfather existing ownership positions; (b) the bid should remain open for a minimum of 45 days and a maximum of 90 days; (c) the plan should contain a sunset clause; reconfirmation by shareholders must occur after no more than five years, preferably three; (d) a board of directors should be required to consider all bids that meet the requirements of permitted bids. The Board should not have the ability to disregard a bid; (e) the plan should not exclude partial bids as long as the partial bid means that the acquirer will own at least 50% of the outstanding voting shares; and (f) the plan should generally contain an exemption for lock-up agreements.

3. STOCK AND COMPENSATION PLANS

Option Dilution

  

The Sub-Adviser believes that the dilution caused by the excessive issuance of stock options is not in the best interests of Clients. Generally stock option plans should be opposed if dilution exceeds greater of 10% or 2% per annum over life of options. Exceptions may occur in highly competitive labor markets. Note that potential dilution is assessed with reference to all of a company’s existing and proposed stock option plans.

Option under Market

  

The Sub-Adviser generally opposes the grant of options or the implementation of stock option plans where the exercise price is less than 100% of the fair market value at the date of grant. The Sub-Adviser may support grants or plans with pre-determined formulas for determining exercise prices based on a weighted average trading price or an average of daily high and low trading prices for a short period of time prior to the time of the grant, provided there are no discounts.

Omnibus Plan

  

The Sub-Adviser prefers option plans that include a shareholder-approved, results driven formula. The Sub-Adviser will generally oppose omnibus plans that include 3 or more types of awards in one plan where the grant or exercise of awards is not linked to performance.

Director Compensation

  

Generally, resolutions approving bonuses/options should be opposed where there is a change of control.

Option Price Change

  

The Sub-Adviser generally opposes share option plans which allow directors or management to lower the exercise price of existing options or resolutions which seek to reduce the exercise price of outstanding options. Proposals to cancel and reissue options which appear to be an attempt to otherwise lower the exercise price of options should also generally be opposed.

Extension of Option Exercise Periods

  

The Sub-Adviser opposes proposals to extend the exercise period for existing options.

Employee Loans

  

Generally vote against proposals permitting a corporation to make loans to employees to buy stock/options with a note or loan from that corporation, unless lending is considered a regular part of the granting corporation’s business.

 

38


Pay for Performance

  

Incentive compensation plans, including restricted stock grants or options which are not related to corporate and/or individual performance, should generally be opposed.

Employee Stock Purchase Plans

   The Sub-Adviser believes that employee stock purchase plans are desirable because they can lead to greater alignment of interests and commitment from employees. The Sub-Adviser will typically approve employee stock purchase plans where: (a) shares available under the plan are purchased on the open market; (b) the voting power of shares available under the plan does not exceed 10% of the aggregate outstanding voting power of shares. Employee stock purchase plans with any of the following characteristics should generally be opposed: (a) a corporate loan is required to enable the purchase of shares, unless lending is considered a regular part of the granting corporation’s business; (b) shares available under the plan are being issued from treasury and may be purchased by employees for less than fair market value; or (c) the voting power of shares available under the plan dilutes aggregate voting power by greater than 10%.

Compensation for Outside Directors

  

In most cases the Sub-Adviser supports approving automatic granting of (unrestricted) stock as part of outside directors’ compensation in lieu of cash. The granting of options as part of outside directors’ compensation should be closely scrutinized. Generally oppose a grant of options to outside directors if there is no shareholder-approved formula or a capping of the options, or options granted on a change of control of the corporation or if issued from treasury.

Golden Parachutes

  

Proposals involving excessive compensation, including excessive golden parachutes for officers, employees or directors, which are contingent upon the merger/acquisition of the corporation with a resulting change in control, should generally be opposed. Support should be given to shareholder proposals seeking shareholder ratification of golden parachutes.

Option / Compensation Plans

  

The Sub-Adviser normally opposes option/compensation plans when full plan text is not included in the circular.

Amendments to Plans

  

Proposed amendments to existing stock option, share purchase or other compensation plans require only a review of the particular amendments, not the entire plan. The restatement or renewal of such a plan is akin to the adoption of a new plan; therefore, all aspects of the plan must be reviewed.

4. CAPITALIZATION   

Dual Class

  

The creation of any new class of shares with voting rights unequal to other series in the class of shares or unequal to those of another class of shares creates concerns regarding management entrenchment and violates the principle of “one share, one vote.” The Sub-Adviser will normally oppose the creation or issuance of dual class voting stock.

Share Authorization

  

The Sub-Adviser supports proposals for the authorization of additional common shares, provided the amount requested is necessary for sound business reasons. Proposals which seek a 100% or more increase in authorized shares when management does not demonstrate a specific need should be closely scrutinized and opposed if not in the best interest of the Fund. In carefully scrutinizing such proposals, consideration should be given to factors, such as the size of the company, the nature of its industry, the number of authorized shares remaining available for issuance, and any anti-takeover effects.

 

39


Blank Cheque Preferreds

  

The Sub-Adviser generally opposes the authorization or increase of blank cheque preferred shares.

Private Placements

  

Ordinarily support resolutions authorizing the corporation to issue over 25% of the issued and outstanding shares by way of private placements if the following criteria are met: (a) the subscription price for any securities issued must be set at market price; and (b) management has provided sound business reasons.

Tracking Stocks

  

Proposals to create tracking stock will be determined on a case-by-case basis. Consideration shall be given to the following factors in addition to any other relevant factors: (a) corporate governance changes — whether management bundling the proposal with other changes that are negative; (b) method of distribution — whether it is by stock dividend or IPO; (c) dilution of voting rights; (d) whether management has provided sound business reasons; and (e) whether management has evaluated other alternatives, such as a spin-off.

5. SHAREHOLDER PROPOSALS

  

Shareholder Proposals Generally

  

As a general policy, where a proposal seeks to alter or constrict the responsibility of directors to supervise management, or to mandate considerations which the directors or management must take into account in making business decisions, the Sub-Adviser will oppose the proposal unless management is in favour of it.

Shareholder Proposal Regarding Voting Procedures

  

The merits of proposals to change voting procedures (i.e. confidentiality) must be considered on a case by case basis.

Shareholder Proposals Regarding the Expensing of Stock Options

  

Shareholder proposals recommending a policy of expensing the cost of all future stock option grants on the company’s income statement are generally supported by the Sub-Adviser, unless management discloses the cost of option grants in notes to the financial statements and provides sound reasons for not expensing stock options.

Shareholder Proposals Regarding Environmental, Social or Ethical Issues

  

The Sub-Adviser is of the view that directors and management of a company are in a good position to consider whether the environmental, social or ethical issues raised in a proposal present material risks, liabilities and/or opportunities in the context of the company’s business. If after considering all relevant factors, TDAM concludes that adopting a proposal will produce a net financial benefit for its clients, the Sub-Adviser will support the proposal.

6. OTHER ISSUES

  

Conflicts of Interest

  

Abstain from voting of shares of The Toronto-Dominion Bank, or related issuers (see above).

Other Business

  

The issue of voting on proposals relating to other business involves a balancing of two competing concerns. First, is the right of all shareholders to receive notice and disclosure of all matters brought before the meeting, and second, is the ability of companies to conduct efficient meetings and to deal with non-substantive issues that may arise. Since it is impossible to evaluate issues that may arise at the shareholders meeting, the Sub-Adviser recommends abstaining, where possible, on proposals relating to other business.

 

40


  

To ensure that the Sub-Adviser resolves all material conflicts of interest between the Fund and the Sub-Adviser and its affiliates and/or individuals making proxy voting decisions, the Proxy Voting Policy requires that all voting decisions are made by individuals who are insulated from the business conducted by the Sub-Adviser and its affiliates, properly trained to identify conflicts of interests and properly instructed on appropriate action in the event a conflict of interest is identified. The Sub-Adviser has employed the services of ISS to provide voting recommendations and to vote routine proxies generally in accordance with the Proxy Voting Policy. A proxy voting committee, composed of employees of or persons providing services to, the Sub-Adviser (the “Committee”) will oversee the actions of ISS and the proxy voting process generally. In the event ISS identifies a conflict of interest or is unable to furnish a reasonable recommendation based on the Proxy Voting Policy (an “Exception”), the chairman of the Committee will review the matter using such information as he deems appropriate. In certain circumstances, including an Exception, the chairman of the Committee shall refer matters to the Committee for consideration. The Committee will review the matter and determine what action is appropriate under the circumstances and in furtherance of the foregoing may consult another outside service provider for advice.

 

41


DBX ETF TRUST (THE “REGISTRANT”)

PART C – OTHER INFORMATION

Item 28. Exhibits.

 

(a)(1)

Certificate of Trust of DBX ETF Trust (the “Registrant” or the “Trust”), dated October 7, 2010, incorporated by reference to the Trust’s Registration Statement, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on October 25, 2010.

 

(a)(2)

Agreement and Declaration of Trust, incorporated by reference to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Trust’s Registration Statement, filed with the SEC on October 25, 2010.

 

(b)

Bylaws of the Trust, incorporated by reference to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Trust’s Registration Statement, filed with the SEC on October 25, 2010.

 

(c)

Not applicable.

 

(d)(1)

Investment Advisory Agreement between the Trust and DBX Advisors LLC, incorporated by reference to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 2, filed with the SEC on May 11, 2011.

 

(d)(2)

Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement between DBX Advisors LLC and TDAM USA Inc., incorporated by reference to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 2, filed with the SEC on May 11, 2011.

 

(d)(3)

Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement between DBX Advisors LLC and RREEF Americas L.L.C., incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 11, filed with the SEC on May 21, 2013.

 

(d)(4)

Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement between DBX Advisors LLC and Deutsche Investment Management Americas Inc., incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 12, filed with the SEC on May 21, 2013.

 

(d)(5)

Form of Investment Advisory Agreement, dated August 15, 2013 between the Trust and DBX Advisors LLC, incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 23, filed with the SEC on August 29, 2013.

 

(d)(6)

Form of Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement, dated August 15, 2013 between DBX Advisors, LLC and Harvest Global Investments Limited, incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 23, filed with the SEC on August 29, 2013.

 

(d)(7)

Form of Amended Schedules A and B, dated July 25, 2013 to the Investment Advisory Agreement, dated January 31, 2011 between the Trust and DBX Advisors LLC, incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 29, filed with the SEC on September 30, 2013.

 

(d)(8)

Form of Amended Schedule A, dated July 25, 2013 to the Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement, dated January 31, 2011 between DBX Advisors LLC and TDAM USA Inc., incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 29, filed with the SEC on September 30, 2013.

 

(d)(9)

Form of Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement, dated March 25, 2013 and revised July 25, 2013 between DBX Advisors LLC and Deutsche Investment Management Americas Inc., incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 29, filed with the SEC on September 30, 2013.

 

(d)(10)

Form of Amended Schedules A and B, dated November 18, 2013 to the Investment Advisory Agreement, dated January 31, 2011 between the Trust and DBX Advisors LLC, filed herewith.

 

(d)(11)

Form of Amended Schedule A, dated November 18, 2013 to the Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement, dated January 31, 2011 between DBX Advisors LLC and TDAM USA Inc., filed herewith.

 

1


(d)(12)

Form of Amended Appendix A to the Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement dated August 15, 2013 between DBX Advisors, LLC and Harvest Global Investments Limited, to be filed by amendment.

 

(e)(1)

Distribution Agreement between the Registrant and ALPS Distributors, Inc. dated as of October 11, 2011, incorporated by reference to Post Effective Amendment No. 2, filed with the SEC on September 28, 2012.

 

(e)(2)

Form of Amendment No. 3, dated August 15, 2013 to the Distribution Agreement dated as of October 11, 2011 between the Registrant and ALPS Distributors, Inc., incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 23, filed with the SEC on August 29, 2013.

 

(f)

Not applicable.

 

(g)(1)

Custody Agreement between the Registrant and The Bank of New York Mellon, incorporated by reference to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 2, filed with the SEC on May 11, 2011.

 

(g)(2)

Foreign Custody Manager Agreement between the Registrant and The Bank of New York Mellon, incorporated by reference to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 2, filed with the SEC on May 11, 2011.

 

(g)(3)

Foreign Custody Manager Agreement, dated January 31, 2011 between the Registrant and The Bank of New York Mellon, incorporated by reference to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 2, as filed with the SEC on May 11, 2011.

 

(g)(4)

Form of Annex I, as revised August 15, 2013, to the Foreign Custody Agreement, dated January 31, 2011 between the Registrant and The Bank of New York Mellon, incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 23, filed with the SEC on August 29, 2013.

 

(h)(1)

Fund Administration and Accounting Agreement between the Registrant and The Bank of New York Mellon, incorporated by reference to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 2, filed with the SEC on May 11, 2011.

 

(h)(2)

Transfer Agency and Service Agreement between the Registrant and The Bank of New York Mellon, incorporated by reference to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 2, filed with the SEC on May 11, 2011.

 

(h)(3)

Form of Participation Agreement, incorporated by reference to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 2, filed with the SEC on May 11, 2011.

 

(h)(4)

Form of Sublicense Agreement between the Registrant and DBX Advisors LLC, incorporated by reference to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 2, filed with the SEC on May 11, 2011.

 

(h)(5)

Expense Limitation Agreement, incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 2, filed with the SEC on September 28, 2012.

 

(h)(6)

Form of Sublicense Agreement between the Registrant and DBX Advisors LLC, incorporated by reference to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 2, filed with the SEC on May 11, 2011.

 

(h)(7)

Expense Limitation Agreement, effective as of September 28, 2012, incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 2, filed with the SEC on September 28, 2012.

 

(i)(1)

Opinion of Dechert LLP, incorporated by reference to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 2, filed with the SEC on May 11, 2011.

 

(i)(2)

Opinion of Dechert LLP, filed herewith.

 

(i)(3)

Opinion of Bingham McCutchen LLP, relating to shares of the db X-trackers Harvest China Fund, incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 23, filed with the SEC on August 29, 2013.

 

(i)(4)

Opinion of Bingham McCutchen LLP, relating to shares of the db X-trackers Harvest China A-Shares Sector Funds, to be filed by amendment.

 

2


(i)(5)

Opinion of Bingham McCutchen LLP, relating to shares of the db X-trackers Harvest China A-Shares Small Cap Fund, to be filed by amendment.

 

(j)

Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm, Ernst & Young LLP, incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 29, filed with the SEC on September 30, 2013.

 

(k)

Not applicable.

 

(l)

Initial Share Purchase Agreement between Registrant and DBX Advisors LLC, incorporated by reference to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 2, filed with the SEC on May 11, 2011.

 

(m)

Not applicable.

 

(n)

Not applicable.

 

(o)

Not applicable.

 

(p)(1)

Code of Ethics of the Registrant, incorporated by reference to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 2, filed with the SEC on May 11, 2011.

 

(p)(2)

Code of Ethics of DBX Advisors LLC, incorporated by reference to Post Effective Amendment No. 2, filed with the SEC on September 28, 2012.

 

(p)(3)

TDAM USA Inc.’s Code of Ethics, incorporated by reference to Post Effective Amendment No. 2, filed with the SEC on September 28, 2012.

 

(p)(4)

RREEF America L.L.C.’s and Deutsche Investment Management Americas Inc.’s Code of Ethics, incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 11, filed with the SEC on May 21, 2013.

 

(p)(5)

Code of Ethics of Harvest Global Investments Limited, incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 23, filed with the SEC on August 29, 2013.

 

(q)

Powers of Attorney of Trustees of the Registrant, incorporated by reference to Post Effective Amendment No. 2, filed with the SEC on September 28, 2012.

Item 29. Persons controlled by or Under Common Control with the Fund.

Not applicable.

Item 30. Indemnification.

(a) Pursuant to Article IX of the Registrant’s Agreement and Declaration of Trust, the Trust has agreed that no person who is or has been a Trustee, officer, or employee of the Trust shall be subject to any personal liability whatsoever to any person, other than the Trust or its Shareholders, in connection with the affairs of the Trust; and all persons shall look solely to the Trust property or property of a Series for satisfaction of claims of any nature arising in connection with the affairs of the Trust or such Series.

Every note, bond, contract, instrument, certificate, Share or undertaking and every other act or thing whatsoever executed or done by or on behalf of the Trust or the Trustees or any of them in connection with the Trust shall be conclusively deemed to have been executed or done only in or with respect to their or his capacity as Trustees or Trustee and neither such Trustees or Trustee nor the Shareholders shall be personally liable thereon.

All Persons extending credit to, contracting with or having any claim against the Trust or a Series shall look only to the assets of the Trust property or the Trust property of such Series for payment under such credit, contract or claim; and neither the Trustees, nor any of the Trust’s officers, employees or agents, whether past, present or future, shall be personally liable therefor.

 

3


No person who is or has been a Trustee, officer or employee of the Trust shall be liable to the Trust or to any Shareholder for any action or failure to act except for his or her own bad faith, willful misfeasance, gross negligence or reckless disregard of his or her duties involved in the conduct of the individual’s office, and for nothing else, and shall not be liable for errors of judgment or mistakes of fact or law.

Without limiting the foregoing limitations of liability, a Trustee shall not be responsible for or liable in any event for any neglect or wrongdoing of any officer, employee, investment adviser, sub-adviser, principal underwriter, custodian or other agent of the Trust, nor shall any Trustee be responsible or liable for the act or omission of any other Trustee (or for the failure to compel in any way any former or acting Trustee to redress any breach of trust), except in the case of such Trustee’s own willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of his or her office.

Item 31. Business and Other Connections of Investment Manager.

With respect to each of DBX Advisors LLC and TDAM USA Inc. (collectively, the “Advisers”), the response to this Item will be incorporated by reference to the Advisers’ Uniform Applications for Investment Adviser Registration (“Form ADV”) on file with the SEC. Each Adviser’s Form ADV may be obtained, free of charge, at the SEC’s website at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov.

Item 32. Principal Underwriters.

(a) ALPS Distributors, Inc. acts as the distributor for the Registrant and the following investment companies: ALPS ETF Trust, Ameristock Mutual Fund, Inc., Arbitrage Funds, AQR Funds, BBH Trust, BLDRS Index Funds Trust, BPV Family of Funds, Brown Management Funds, Caldwell & Orkin Funds, Inc., Campbell Multi-Strategy Trust, Century Capital Management Trust, Columbia ETF Trust, CornerCap Group of Funds, The Cortina Funds, Inc., CRM Mutual Fund Trust, Cullen Funds, Drexel Hamilton Investment Partners LLC, EGA Global Shares Trust, Financial Investors Variable Insurance Trust, Firsthand Funds, GLG Investment Series Trust, Heartland Group, Inc., Henssler Funds, Inc., Holland Balanced Fund, IndexIQ Trust, Index IQ ETF Trust, James Advantage Funds, Laudus Trust, Laudus Institutional Trust, Mairs & Power Funds Trust, Oak Associates Funds, Pax World Series Trust I, Pax World Funds Trust II, PowerShares QQQ 100 Trust Series 1, RiverNorth Funds, Russell Exchange Traded Funds Trust, SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF Trust, SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust, SPDR S&P MidCap 400 ETF Trust, Select Sector SPDR Trust, Stonebridge Funds Trust, Stone Harbor Investment Funds, Tilson Investment Trust, Transparent Value Trust, db-X Exchange-Traded Funds Inc., Trust for Professional Managers, Wakefield Alternative Series Trust, Wasatch Funds, WesMark Funds, Westcore Trust, Whitebox Mutual Funds, Williams Capital Liquid Assets Fund, Wilmington Funds and WisdomTree Trust.

(b) To the best of Registrant’s knowledge, the directors and executive officers of ALPS Distributors, Inc., are as follows:

 

Name*

 

Position with Underwriter

  

Positions with Fund

 

Edmund J. Burke

 

 

Director

  

None

Thomas A. Carter

 

 

President, Director

  

None

Jeremy O. May

 

 

Executive Vice President, Director

  

None

Kevin J. Ireland

 

Senior Vice President, Director of Institutional Sales

 

  

None

Mark R. Kiniry

 

Senior Vice President, National Sales Director – Investments

 

  

None

Bradley J. Swenson

 

Senior Vice President, Chief Compliance Officer

 

  

None

Robert J. Szydlowski

 

Senior Vice President, Chief Technology Officer

 

  

None

Kenneth V. Hager

 

Vice President, Treasurer and Assistant Secretary

 

  

None

Eric Parsons

 

Vice President, Controller and Assistant Treasurer

 

  

None

 

4


Steven Price

 

Vice President, Deputy Chief Compliance Officer

 

  

None

James Stegall

 

Vice President, Institutional Sales Manager

 

  

None

Jeff Brainard

 

Vice President, Regional Sales Manager

 

  

None

Paul F. Leone

 

Vice President, Assistant General Counsel

 

  

None

Erin E. Douglas

 

Vice President, Senior Associate Counsel

 

  

None

JoEllen Legg

 

Vice President, Senior Associate Counsel

 

  

None

David T. Buhler

 

Vice President, Associate Counsel

 

  

None

Rhonda A. Mills

 

Vice President, Associate Counsel

 

  

None

Jennifer Welsh

 

Vice President, Associate Counsel

 

  

None

Randall D. Young

 

Secretary

 

  

None

Gregg Wm. Givens

 

Assistant Treasurer

 

  

None

* The principal business address for each of the above directors and executive officers is 1290 Broadway, Suite 1100, Denver, Colorado 80203.

(c) Not applicable.

Item 33. Location of Accounts and Records.

(a) The Registrant maintains accounts, books and other documents required by Section 31(a) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and the rules thereunder (collectively, “Records”) at its offices at 60 Wall Street, New York, New York 10005.

(b) DBX Advisors LLC maintains all Records relating to its services as investment adviser to the Registrant at 60 Wall Street, New York, New York 10005.

(c) TDAM USA Inc. maintains all Records relating to its services as a sub-adviser to the Registrant at 31 West 52nd Street, New York, NY 10019.

(d) ALPS Distributors, Inc. maintains all Records relating to its services as Distributor of the Registrant at 1290 Broadway, Suite 1100, Denver, Colorado 80203.

(e) The Bank of New York Mellon maintains all Records relating to its services as administrator, transfer agent and custodian of the Registrant at One Wall Street, New York, New York 10286.

Item 34. Management Services.

There are no management related service contracts not discussed in Part A or Part B.

Item 35. Undertakings.

None.

 

5


SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Registrant certifies that it meets all of the requirements for effectiveness of this Registration Statement under Rule 485(b) under the Securities Act and has duly caused this Post-Effective Amendment to the Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the city of New York and state of New York on the 3rd day of January, 2014.

 

DBX ETF Trust
By:    

/s/ Alex Depetris

 

  Alex Depetris

  President and Chief Executive Officer

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities stated and on the dates indicated.

 

SIGNATURE

  

CAPACITY

  

DATE

  /s/ Alex Depetris

  Alex Depetris

  

Trustee and Chairman, President,
Chief Executive Officer and
Secretary

  

January 3, 2014

  /s/ Michael Gilligan

  Michael Gilligan

  

Treasurer, Chief Financial Officer
and Controller

  

January 3, 2014

  /s/ J. David Officer*

  J. David Officer

  

Trustee

  

January 3, 2014

  /s/ Stephen R. Byers*

  Stephen R. Byers

  

Trustee

  

January 3, 2014

  /s/ George O. Elston*

  George O. Elston

  

Trustee

  

 

*By:  

 

/s/ Alex Depetris                                        

     

                                                 January 3, 2014

 

Alex Depetris (attorney-in-fact)