N-CSR 1 d651147dncsr.htm WHITEBOX MUTUAL FUNDS Whitebox Mutual Funds
Table of Contents

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM N-CSR

CERTIFIED SHAREHOLDER REPORT OF REGISTERED

MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES

Investment Company Act file number: 811-22574

WHITEBOX MUTUAL FUNDS

(exact name of registrant as specified in charter)

3033 Excelsior Boulevard, Suite 300

Minneapolis, MN 55416

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip code)

Bruce W. Nordin, President

Whitebox Mutual Funds

3033 Excelsior Boulevard, Suite 300

Minneapolis, MN 55416

(Name and address of agent for service)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: 612-253-6001

Date of fiscal year end:    October 31

Date of reporting period: December 1, 2012 – October 31, 2013

 

Copies to:

Matthew L. Thompson, Esq.

    Peter Fetzer, Esq.

Faegre & Benson LLP

    Foley & Lardner LLP

90 South 7th Street, Suite 2200

    777 East Wisconsin Avenue

Minneapolis, MN 55402

    Milwaukee, WI 53202


Table of Contents
Item 1. Reports to Stockholders.


Table of Contents

LOGO


Table of Contents

LOGO

 

Whitebox Tactical Opportunities Fund

  

Shareholder Letter

     1   

Performance Update

 

    

 

4

 

  

 

Whitebox Long Short Equity Fund

  

Shareholder Letter

     6   

Performance Update

 

    

 

8

 

  

 

Disclosure of Fund Expenses

 

    

 

10

 

  

 

Schedule of Investments

  

Whitebox Tactical Opportunities Fund

     12   

Whitebox Long Short Equity Fund

 

    

 

30

 

  

 

Statements of Assets and Liabilities

 

    

 

44

 

  

 

Statements of Operations

 

    

 

46

 

  

 

Statements of Changes in Net Assets

  

Whitebox Tactical Opportunities Fund

     48   

Whitebox Long Short Equity Fund

 

    

 

50

 

  

 

Financial Highlights

  

Whitebox Tactical Opportunities Fund

     51   

Whitebox Long Short Equity Fund

 

    

 

54

 

  

 

Notes to Financial Statements

 

    

 

57

 

  

 

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

 

    

 

72

 

  

 

Additional Information

 

    

 

73

 

  

 

Trustees & Officers

 

    

 

74

 

  

 

Glossary

 

    

 

77

 

  

 


Table of Contents
Whitebox Tactical Opportunities Fund    Shareholder Letter
   October 31, 2013 (Unaudited)

 

Dear Shareholders,

For the fiscal year ended October 31, 2013, the Whitebox Tactical Opportunities Fund (the “Fund”) generated a positive return of 14.01% for institutional shares (WBMIX), 13.67% for investor shares (WBMAX) and 13.74% for advisor shares (WBMRX). Of the Fund’s two designated benchmarks, the S&P 500 Index returned 24.39% while the Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate Bond Index returned -1.08%.

About the Fund

The objective of the Tactical Opportunities Fund is to provide investors with a combination of capital appreciation and income that is consistent with prudent investment management.

The core of our approach aims to parallel that of what we believe to be the most successful endowments. Through innovative asset allocation, the Fund has the freedom to pursue our best ideas across multiple markets along with the ability to employ non-traditional strategies to deal with the multiple possibilities of an uncertain future.

Fiscal Year in Review

Fiscal year 2013 saw the most significant shift in strategy for the Fund since its launch on December 1, 2011. At the time we launched the Fund we believed the best asset class for our investors was equities, particularly large-cap, blue chip equities with strong balance sheets and free cash flow. We paid even more attention to those companies that exhibited shareholder-friendly behavior, e.g. buybacks and/or dividends.

Early in calendar year 2013, we believed the risk of a severe disruption in the credit markets had significantly increased, and that such a disruption could have serious negative collateral consequences for equity markets. Though we did not believe equity market pricing was unreasonable – in fact we thought there was still significant room to grow within equity markets – we believed the risk of a crack in the credit markets spilling over into equities was too great to ignore. We assumed a slightly more defensive posture, using option straddles to replace some of our long equity exposure and adding a short position on high-yield bond exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and long-dated Treasuries.

Of course, the crack in the credit market didn’t happen and equity markets continued their run through the first 10 months of 2013, aside from a temporary blip in May and another in August. At this point, we began to grow skeptical of equity market pricing generally, especially the pricing of what we’re calling “story” stocks. Story stocks are companies with an unproven profit model that nevertheless appear to have become the darlings of the market, usually due to enthusiasm about the story that would lead the company to become the next big thing in online advertising/home entertainment/voice recognition technology/cloud-based services etc. We believe too many of these companies are being driven to exorbitant multiples. It’s not that it’s impossible for any of them to reach these prospective heights, but rather that it’s impossible for all of them to.

We added a number of shorts on story stocks and other equities, and reduced equity exposure as a percentage of net asset value dramatically. From Q2 2013 to Q3 2013, our long market value equity exposure shrunk from roughly 80% to less than 60%. Over the same time period, our net exposure to equities (long market value minus short market value) decreased from more than 50%

 

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Table of Contents
Whitebox Tactical Opportunities Fund    Shareholder Letter
   October 31, 2013 (Unaudited)

 

to single digits, a result of our reduced long equity positions and significantly increased short equity positions.

Another way to look at this change is to examine the theoretical beta of the portfolio. During the first few quarters of operation, the beta to the S&P 500 Index ranged around 0.7 or even 0.8. That’s quite high. In theory, a portfolio with a beta of 1.0 should have price movements closely correlated to the movement of the larger market. At the end of fiscal year 2013, however, our theoretic beta to the S&P 500 Index was closer to 0.2, indicating that general market direction should have little bearing on the Fund’s returns. The Fund, for the time being, has taken a defensive, more market-neutral approach.

The following themes were a part of the Fund’s portfolio at the end of fiscal year 2013.

 

  1.

Long Industrials – While industrial stocks tend to be high beta, we still like them on the basis of fundamentals and valuation. Thus they seem like an acceptable way to potentially catch some market updraft without buying into massive fundamental uncertainty.

  2.

Long Specialty Financials – Mortgage servicers, life insurance companies and other specialty finance companies continued to benefit from rising rates in Q3.

  3.

Long High-Quality Blue Chips – These companies are cash rich, have strong cash flow, and strong balance sheets. We believe they make a good counterweight to the higher-beta industrial companies.

  4.

Long Auto Parts – Low interest rates and increasing demand continue to boost the automotive industry. Auto parts positions, we believe, should allow us to capture the rising auto market without having to pick the winners from the major automobile manufacturers.

  5.

Long Gold Miners – We believe the market is undervaluing the industry’s improved profitability.

  6.

Long Airlines – We had a significant airline position most of the first half of 2013, selling off early in the summer. However, the high profile delayed merger of US Air and American Airlines over the summer created a temporary dip in airline stocks. We took this as a good time to re-enter the sector.

  7.

Long “The January Effect” – Many stocks have seen increased activity in January due to a number of technical factors as well as buyer/dealer tendencies. We’ve added exposure to a number of positions that we believe will benefit from this effect.

  8.

Short “Story” Stocks – As explained earlier, these are stocks with valuations that appear to be driven not by existing profit models, but by company potential. We believe, in many cases, this potential will likely be unmet.

  9.

Short Small-Cap Stocks – Small-cap stocks still appear overvalued relative to large-cap stocks. We believe they are likely to suffer more significantly in the event of a market downturn. We express this belief via a short position in a small-cap index fund as well as shorts of several individual companies.

  10.

Short Fixed Income Instruments – We continue to believe fixed-income markets are dangerously overbought. To protect capital in the event of credit markets cracking, we are short several high yield bond ETFs. We are also short long-dated Treasuries. Though we’re not sure if investors will flee to safety in these positions given a crack in the markets, we do believe rising rates (which would help our shorts) is a likely outcome if markets don’t crack.

 

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Table of Contents
Whitebox Tactical Opportunities Fund    Shareholder Letter
   October 31, 2013 (Unaudited)

 

  11.

Short Consumer Staples – We believe many fixed-income investors in search of yield have turned their dollars toward these consumer staples, causing a significant increase in valuations. We added a number of shorts in these positions over the course of the year.

  12.

Option Straddles – These puts and calls on several indices and individual stocks carry a modest cost, but should provide significant protection in the event of severe market volatility.

We expect to maintain exposure to these themes for the next several months.

The new year brings with it many uncertainties in the financial markets. The Fund’s positions are the result of more than 30 investment professionals collaborating to find what we believe are the greatest areas of opportunity with the least amount of risk. We take our stewardship over your capital as our core responsibility, and are grateful for your trust.

Sincerely,

Andrew Redleaf CEO, Whitebox Advisors

Bruce Nordin1 President, Whitebox Mutual Funds

 

 

 

  Bruce Nordin is a Registered Representative of ALPS Distributors, Inc. ALPS Distributors, Inc. is not affiliated with Whitebox Advisors LLC

 

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Table of Contents
Whitebox Tactical Opportunities Fund    Performance Update
   October 31, 2013 (Unaudited)

 

Average Annual Total Returns (As of October 31, 2013)

 

    6 Month   1 Year   Since Inception*
Whitebox Tactical Opportunities Fund – Investor Class (NAV)   7.49%   13.67%    14.63%  
Whitebox Tactical Opportunities Fund – Investor Class (MOP)   2.65%   8.55%   11.92%  
Whitebox Tactical Opportunities Fund – Advisor Class   7.48%   13.74%    14.72%  
Whitebox Tactical Opportunities Fund – Institutional Class   7.63%   14.01%    14.96%  
Benchmarks            
S&P 500® Index   9.95%   24.39%    19.68%  
Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index   -1.97%   -1.08%   2.26%

Performance data quoted represents past performance. Past performance is no guarantee of future results and investment returns and principal value of the fund will fluctuate so that shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be higher or lower than the performance quoted. All returns reflect reinvested dividends and capital gains distributions, but do not reflect the deduction of taxes that an investor would pay on distributions or redemptions. Funds redeemed or exchanged within 60 days of purchase are subject to a 2% redemption fee. Performance does not reflect this fee, which if deducted would reduce an individual’s return.

Updated performance information is available by calling 855.296.2866 or by visiting the Fund’s website at www.whiteboxmutualfunds.com.

 

*

Fund inception date of December 1, 2011.

Performance shown for the Investor Class at Maximum Offering Price (MOP) includes the Fund’s maximum sales charge of 4.50% Performance shown at Net Asset Value (NAV) does not include this charge and would have been lower had this charge been taken into account.

The Fund’s investment adviser has contractually agreed to waive its management fee and/or to reimburse expenses of the Fund to the extent necessary to maintain the total annual fund operating expenses at no more than 1.60%, 1.60% and 1.35% of the Fund’s Investor Shares, Advisor Shares and Institutional Shares, respectively, exclusive of interest, taxes, dividend expense, borrowing costs, acquired fund fees and expenses, interest expense related to short sales, and extraordinary expenses. Without such waivers and reimbursements, the Fund’s total annual fund operating expenses would be 9.00%, 9.00% and 8.75% of the Fund’s Investor Shares, Advisor Shares and Institutional Shares, respectively. These numbers are from the Fund’s prospectus dated February 28, 2013 and may vary from the expense ratios shown elsewhere in this report, as they are based on a different time period.

 

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Table of Contents
Whitebox Tactical Opportunities Fund    Performance Update
   October 31, 2013 (Unaudited)

 

Growth of $10,000 (As of October 31, 2013)

 

LOGO

The chart represents historical performance of a hypothetical investment of $10,000 in the Investor share class, which included a sales charge, since inception. Past performance does not guarantee future results. This chart does not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption of Fund shares.

 

    Annual Report  |  October 31, 2013   5    


Table of Contents
Whitebox Long Short Equity Fund    Shareholder Letter
   October 31, 2013 (Unaudited)

 

Dear Shareholders,

For the year ended October 31, 2013, the Whitebox Long Short Equity Fund (the “Fund”) realized a total return of 6.20% for investor shares (WBLSX), 6.10% for advisor shares (WBLRX), and 6.40% for institutional shares (WBLFX). Of the fund’s two designated benchmarks, the HFRI EH Market Neutral Index returned 6.53% and the S&P 500 Index returned 24.39%.

Fund and Market Overview

The Fund’s mandate is to generate positive return regardless of the general direction of the market. Though the very nature of the Fund means we will generally lag equity markets during bull runs, as we enter fiscal year 2014, market conditions appear to be more favorable for investors to consider a market neutral fund like ours.

As 2013 comes to a close, the bullishness with which we at Whitebox used to regard equity markets has tapered significantly. We do not believe that markets are due an immediate, precipitous fall, but we also don’t believe investors can depend upon market direction to generate significant return as they have in the last two to three years. Long positions with what we value as the most desirable characteristics, especially capped downsides and fat right tails, are fewer and farther between than they have been in several years. Nevertheless, the portfolio does contain a number of directional biases in various sectors.

Current Sector Tilts

  1.

Long Specialty Financials – Companies that benefit from a rising rate environment attracted our attention for most of the second half of fiscal year 2013. These included life insurance companies (which in a higher interest rate environment can offer higher guaranteed rates of return on annuities) and mortgage services (which benefit both from an improving housing market and lower rates of refinancing).

  2.

Long Auto Parts – Given our belief that the auto market is likely to continue its recovery, our auto parts position is our way of potentially capturing the rising auto market without having to pick winners from among the major and minor car manufacturers.

  3.

Long Commercial Construction – Commercial construction recoveries have historically lagged residential construction recoveries. We believe companies that build energy and utility infrastructure, manufacturing plants, and manufacturing equipment will have significant increases in business due to this pent up demand.

  4.

Short Apartment Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) – After the housing bubble burst, apartment REITs fell into favor with investors. Over the last 12-18 months, we’d come to believe many of these REITs had no room left to grow. This position has been a part of our portfolio since the relaunch of the fund as a mutual fund.

  5.

Short Consumer Staples – Earlier in the year, we believe investors bid up valuations in this sector to very high levels as they searched for bond-like stability with yields surpassing those available in the fixed-income market.

  6.

Short “Story” Stocks – Firms whose prices appear to be sustained largely by the hope of future increases in top-line growth based on innovation rather than current earnings. Firms like these have become the darlings of some investors, in some cases reaching multiples in the high double digits and even the low triple digits. Regardless of the future path of the market, we believe it is unlikely that most of these companies will justify their exorbitant current valuations.

Changes in the Portfolio

For most of the first three quarters of fiscal year 2013, the portfolio contained a long airlines sector tilt. During the summer, we reduced our exposure to airlines because share prices had run up quite a bit. When the proposed merger between US Air and American Airlines was challenged by the government, airline stocks sold off creating a re-entry point for us. Also throughout the early part of fiscal year 2013, we had a long sector tilt in health care. Over the summer, we

 

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Table of Contents
Whitebox Long Short Equity Fund    Shareholder Letter
   October 31, 2013 (Unaudited)

 

reduced our directional bias; our current health care exposure is largely a matter of stock picking to take advantage of the volatile reactions to massive changes in national health care policy.

In total, Whitebox Mutual Funds ends fiscal year 2013 managing more than $350 million through the combined assets under management of the Long Short Equity Fund and the Tactical Opportunities Fund, an increase of nearly $300 million from the start of the year. As we continue to grow, our primary responsibility remains the prudent stewardship of your capital. We are grateful for the trust you’ve shown in us.

Sincerely,

Jason Cross, Global Head of Equity Strategies, Whitebox Advisors LLC

Bruce Nordin1, President, Whitebox Mutual Funds

 

 

 

1  Bruce Nordin is a Registered Representative of ALPS Distributors, Inc.

ALPS Distributors, Inc. is not affiliated with Whitebox Advisors LLC.

 

    Annual Report  |  October 31, 2013   7    


Table of Contents
Whitebox Long Short Equity Fund    Performance Update
   October 31, 2013 (Unaudited)

 

Average Annual Total Returns (As of October 31,  2013)

 

    1 Year   5 Year   Since Inception*

Whitebox Long Short Equity Fund – Investor Class (NAV)

  6.20%   9.42%   13.59%

Whitebox Long Short Equity Fund – Investor Class (MOP)

  1.43%   8.42%   13.04%

Whitebox Long Short Equity Fund – Advisor Class

  6.10%   9.40%   13.57%

Whitebox Long Short Equity Fund – Institutional Class

  6.40%   9.66%   13.84%

Benchmarks

           

HFRI Equity Hedge Market Neutral

  6.53%   1.65%   2.77%

S&P 500® Index

  24.39%   12.64%   4.88%

Performance data quoted represents past performance. Past performance is no guarantee of future results and investment returns and principal value of the fund will fluctuate so that shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be higher or lower than the performance quoted. All returns reflect reinvested dividends and capital gains distributions, but do not reflect the deduction of taxes that an investor would pay on distributions or redemptions. Funds redeemed or exchanged within 60 days of purchase are subject to a 2% redemption fee. Performance does not reflect this fee, which if deducted would reduce an individual’s return.

Updated performance information is available by calling 855.296.2866 or by visiting the Fund’s website at www.whiteboxmutualfunds.com.

 

*

The Fund’s inception date is October 31, 2012. Returns for periods before November 1, 2012 are based on the Whitebox Long Short Equity Partners, L.P. Fund which had an inception date of June 1, 2004.

Performance shown for the Investor Class at Maximum Offering Price (MOP) includes the Fund’s maximum sales charge of 4.50%. Performance shown at Net Asset Value (NAV) does not include this charge and would have been lower had this charge been taken into account.

The Fund’s investment adviser has contractually agreed to waive its management fee and/or to reimburse expenses of the Fund to the extent necessary to maintain the total annual fund operating expenses at no more than 1.95%, 1.95% and 1.70% of the Fund’s Investor Shares, Advisor Shares and Institutional Shares, respectively, exclusive of interest, taxes, dividend expense, borrowing costs, acquired fund fees and expenses, interest expense related to short sales, and extraordinary expenses. Without such waivers and reimbursements, the Fund’s total annual fund operating expenses would be 2.48%, 2.48% and 2.23% of the Fund’s Investor Shares, Advisor Shares and Institutional Shares, respectively. These numbers are from the Fund’s prospectus dated February 28, 2013 and may vary from the expense ratios shown elsewhere in this report, as they are based on a different time period.

 

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Table of Contents
Whitebox Long Short Equity Fund    Performance Update
   October 31, 2013 (Unaudited)

 

Growth of $10,000* (As of October 31, 2013)

 

LOGO

The chart represents historical performance of a hypothetical investment of $10,000 in the Investor share class, which included a sales charge, since inception. Past performance does not guarantee future results. This chart does not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption of Fund shares.

The Fund is the successor to Whitebox Long Short Equity Fund, L.P (the “Predecessor Fund”), a private investment company managed by the Fund’s investment adviser since June 1, 2004.

 

* Investment returns for periods before 11/1/2012 are based on the returns of the Predecessor Fund.

 

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Table of Contents
Whitebox Mutual Funds    Disclosure of Fund Expenses
   October 31, 2013 (Unaudited)

 

As a shareholder of the Funds, you will incur two types of costs: (1) transaction costs, including applicable sales charges (loads) on purchase payments, reinvested dividends, or other distributions; redemption fees (the Funds impose a 2.00% redemption fee on shares held for 60 calendar days or less after purchase); and exchange fees; and (2) ongoing costs, including management fees; distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees; and other Fund expenses. The following examples are intended to help you understand your ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in the Fund and to compare these costs with the ongoing costs of investing in other mutual funds. The examples are based on an investment of $1,000 invested on May 1, 2013 and held until October 31, 2013.

Actual Expenses. The first line of the table below provides information about actual account values and actual expenses. You may use the information in this line, together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you paid over the period. Simply divide your account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000 = 8.6), then multiply the result by the number in the first line under the heading “Expenses Paid During Period” to estimate the expenses you paid on your account during this period.

Hypothetical Example for Comparison Purposes. The second line of the table below provides information about hypothetical account values and hypothetical expenses based on the Fund’s actual expense ratio and an assumed rate of return of 5% per year before expenses, which is not the Fund’s actual return. The hypothetical account values and expenses may not be used to estimate the actual ending account balance or expenses you paid for the period. You may use this information to compare the ongoing costs of investing in the Fund and other mutual funds. To do so, compare this 5% hypothetical example with the 5% hypothetical examples that appear in the shareholder reports of the other funds.

The expenses shown in the table are meant to highlight ongoing Fund costs only and do not reflect transaction fees, such as redemption fees or exchange fees. Therefore, the second line of each table below is useful in comparing ongoing costs only, and may not help you determine the relative total costs of owning different funds. In addition, if these transactional costs were included, your costs would have been higher.

 

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Whitebox Mutual Funds    Disclosure of Fund Expenses
   October 31, 2013 (Unaudited)

 

    

Beginning

Account Value

May 1, 2013

  

Ending

Account Value

October 31, 2013

   Expense
Ratio(a)
 

Expenses Paid

During Period

May 1, 2013 to
October 31,
2013(b)

Whitebox Tactical Opportunities

                                          

Investor Class

                  

Actual

     $ 1,000.00        $ 1,074.90          2.82 %     $   14.75  

Hypothetical

     $ 1,000.00        $ 1,010.99          2.82 %     $ 14.29  

    

                                          

Advisor Class

                  

Actual

     $ 1,000.00        $ 1,074.80          2.82 %     $ 14.75  

Hypothetical

     $ 1,000.00        $ 1,010.99          2.82 %     $ 14.29  

    

                                          

Institutional Class

                  

Actual

     $ 1,000.00        $ 1,076.30          2.55 %     $ 13.35  

Hypothetical

     $ 1,000.00        $ 1,012.35          2.55 %     $ 12.93  

    

                  

Whitebox Long Short Equity

                                          

Investor Class

                  

Actual

     $ 1,000.00        $ 1,066.30          2.04 %     $ 10.62  

Hypothetical

     $ 1,000.00        $ 1,014.92          2.04 %     $ 10.36  

    

                                          

Advisor Class

                  

Actual

     $ 1,000.00        $ 1,066.30          2.03 %     $ 10.57  

Hypothetical

     $ 1,000.00        $ 1,014.97          2.03 %     $ 10.31  

    

                                          

Institutional Class

                  

Actual

     $ 1,000.00        $ 1,067.20          1.79 %     $ 9.33  

Hypothetical

     $ 1,000.00        $ 1,016.18          1.79 %     $ 9.10  

 

(a)  Annualized, based on the Fund’s most recent fiscal half year expenses.
(b)  Expenses are equal to the Fund’s annualized expense ratio, multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by the number of days in the most recent fiscal year (184), then divided by 365.

 

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Table of Contents
Whitebox Tactical Opportunities Fund    Schedule of Investments
   October 31, 2013

 

 

     Shares      Value  

 

 

COMMON STOCKS (39.93%)

     

Basic Materials (1.88%) 

     

Forest Products & Paper (0.20%)

     

Domtar Corp.

     7,677       $ 650,319  
     

 

 

 

Iron/Steel (0.61%)

     

AK Steel Holding Corp.(a)

     115,708         509,115  

Allegheny Technologies, Inc.

     45,221         1,496,815  
     

 

 

 
        2,005,930  
     

 

 

 

Mining (1.07%)

     

Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold, Inc.

     34,048         1,251,604  

Newmont Mining Corp.

     60,126         1,639,035  

Silver Wheaton Corp.

     27,607         625,851  
     

 

 

 
        3,516,490  
     

 

 

 

Total Basic Materials

        6,172,739  
     

 

 

 

Communications (2.80%) 

     

Internet (1.37%)

     

Angie’s List, Inc.(a)

     209,368         2,949,995  

Symantec Corp.

     9,006         204,797  

Zynga, Inc., Class A(a)

     372,292         1,336,528  
     

 

 

 
        4,491,320  
     

 

 

 

Telecommunications (1.43%)

     

Cisco Systems, Inc.

     119,201         2,682,022  

Corning, Inc.

     44,224         755,788  

Neonode, Inc.(a)

     41,278         223,314  

Verizon Communications, Inc.

     20,070         1,013,736  
     

 

 

 
        4,674,860  
     

 

 

 

Total Communications

        9,166,180  
     

 

 

 

Consumer, Cyclical (10.38%) 

     

Airlines (1.69%)

     

AMR Corp.(a)

     480,000         3,528,000  

Republic Airways Holdings, Inc.(a)

     25,197         296,821  

Spirit Airlines, Inc.(a)

     29,362         1,266,970  

United Continental Holdings, Inc.(a)

     13,106         444,949  
     

 

 

 
        5,536,740  
     

 

 

 

Auto Manufacturers (0.55%)

     

Ford Motor Co.

     55,702         953,061  

 

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Whitebox Tactical Opportunities Fund    Schedule of Investments
   October 31, 2013

 

     Shares      Value  

 

 

Consumer, Cyclical (continued)

     

General Motors Co.(a)

     23,367       $ 863,411  
     

 

 

 
        1,816,472  
     

 

 

 

Auto Parts & Equipment (2.65%)

     

Delphi Automotive PLC

     16,355         935,506  

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.

     50,490         1,059,280  

Lear Corp.

     11,446         885,806  

Magna International, Inc.

     10,835         917,725  

Tenneco, Inc.(a)

     17,170         911,212  

Tower International, Inc.(a)

     90,436         1,919,052  

TRW Automotive Holdings Corp.(a)

     7,972         598,777  

WABCO Holdings, Inc.(a)

     16,958         1,452,961  
     

 

 

 
        8,680,319  
     

 

 

 

Home Furnishings (0.38%)

     

Select Comfort Corp.(a)

     67,758         1,241,326  
     

 

 

 

Retail (5.11%)

     

Barnes & Noble, Inc.(a)

     32,206         455,071  

Bob Evans Farms, Inc.

     34,174         1,950,994  

Coach, Inc.

     44,992         2,280,194  

Conn’s, Inc.(a)

     23,395         1,413,994  

Destination Maternity Corp.

     56,977         1,779,961  

Ezcorp, Inc., Class A(a)

     51,708         813,367  

Foot Locker, Inc.

     37,727         1,309,127  

JC Penney Co., Inc.(a)

     1,893         14,197  

McDonald’s Corp.

     814         78,567  

The Pantry, Inc.(a)

     72,153         966,129  

Pier 1 Imports, Inc.

     132,288         2,762,173  

Rite Aid Corp.(a)

     183,100         975,923  

Roundy’s, Inc.

     104,126         968,372  

Staples, Inc.

     58,759         947,195  

Tiffany & Co.

     286         22,643  
     

 

 

 
        16,737,907  
     

 

 

 

Total Consumer, Cyclical

        34,012,764  
     

 

 

 

Consumer, Non-cyclical (4.16%) 

     

Commercial Services (1.90%)

     

PHH Corp.(a)

     80,806         1,943,384  

RR Donnelley & Sons Co.

     35,691         662,782  

Sotheby’s

     20,289         1,052,999  

 

    Annual Report  |  October 31, 2013   13    


Table of Contents
Whitebox Tactical Opportunities Fund    Schedule of Investments
   October 31, 2013

 

     Shares      Value  

 

 

Consumer, Non-cyclical (continued)

     

Weight Watchers International, Inc.

     79,437       $ 2,550,722  
     

 

 

 
        6,209,887  
     

 

 

 

Healthcare-Products (0.23%)

     

TearLab Corp.(a)

     72,145         752,473  
     

 

 

 

Healthcare-Services (2.01%)

     

Emeritus Corp.(a)

     45,963         880,651  

Humana, Inc.

     10,008         922,237  

UnitedHealth Group, Inc.

     35,025         2,390,807  

WellPoint, Inc.

     28,139         2,386,187  
     

 

 

 
        6,579,882  
     

 

 

 

Pharmaceuticals (0.02%)

     

Herbalife Ltd.

     1,160         75,191  
     

 

 

 

Total Consumer, Non-cyclical

        13,617,433  
     

 

 

 

Energy (4.22%) 

     

(0.38%)

     

Par Petroleum Corp(a)

     532,939         1,252,407  
     

 

 

 

Oil & Gas (3.84%)

     

Bill Barrett Corp.(a)

     28,296         782,950  

Chevron Corp.

     22,327         2,678,347  

EQT Corp.

     8,473         725,373  

Exxon Mobil Corp.

     32,168         2,882,896  

Gran Tierra Energy, Inc.(a)

     204,289         1,550,553  

Range Resources Corp.

     12,208         924,268  

Repsol SA, Sponsored ADR

     9,194         245,848  

SandRidge Energy, Inc.(a)

     73,211         464,158  

Stone Energy Corp.(a)

     23,142         806,730  

Ultra Petroleum Corp.(a)

     28,052         515,035  

Vantage Drilling Co.(a)

     561,970         1,000,307  
     

 

 

 
        12,576,465  
     

 

 

 

Total Energy

        13,828,872  
     

 

 

 

 

    14   www.whiteboxmutualfunds.com    


Table of Contents
Whitebox Tactical Opportunities Fund    Schedule of Investments
   October 31, 2013

 

     Shares      Value  

 

 

Financials (8.41%) 

     

Banks (0.26%)

     

Bank of America Corp.

     59,967       $ 837,139  
     

 

 

 

Diversified Financial Services (1.48%)

     

DFC Global Corp.(a)

     76,302         923,254  

Encore Capital Group, Inc.(a)

     19,697         962,199  

Ocwen Financial Corp.(a)

     16,141         907,608  

Stonegate Mortgage Corp.(a)

     115,971         2,051,527  
     

 

 

 
        4,844,588  
     

 

 

 

Holding Companies-Diversified (0.69%)

     

Leucadia National Corp.

     79,840         2,262,666  
     

 

 

 

Insurance (1.24%)

     

Assured Guaranty Ltd.

     73,674         1,510,317  

Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc.

     15,013         505,938  

HCI Group, Inc.

     6,535         287,148  

ING US, Inc.

     15,543         482,144  

MBIA, Inc.(a)

     39,660         450,934  

MetLife, Inc.

     13,564         641,713  

Prudential Financial, Inc.

     2,303         187,441  
     

 

 

 
        4,065,635  
     

 

 

 

Investment Advisors (0.10%)

     

KKR Financial Holdings LLC

     32,930         326,336  
     

 

 

 

Private Equity (1.54%)

     

American Capital Ltd.(a)

     115,021         1,611,444  

Apollo Global Management LLC, Class A

     35,652         1,150,134  

Blackstone Group LP

     37,783         992,937  

KKR & Co. LP

     59,087         1,296,960  
     

 

 

 
        5,051,475  
     

 

 

 

Real Estate (0.03%)

     

AV Homes, Inc.(a)

     5,585         106,673  
     

 

 

 

Real Estate Investment Trusts (2.06%)

     

American Capital Agency Corp.

     114,063         2,477,449  

American Capital Mortgage Investment Corp.

     33,348         637,280  

Anworth Mortgage Asset Corp.

     116,747         573,228  

 

    Annual Report  |  October 31, 2013   15    


Table of Contents
Whitebox Tactical Opportunities Fund    Schedule of Investments
   October 31, 2013

 

     Shares      Value  

 

 

Financials (continued)

     

Apollo Residential Mortgage, Inc.

     63,636       $ 958,358  

Chatham Lodging Trust

     111,955         2,111,471  
     

 

 

 
        6,757,786  
     

 

 

 

Savings & Loans (0.54%)

     

Flagstar Bancorp, Inc.(a)

     109,000         1,766,890  
     

 

 

 

Specialty Finance (0.47%)

     

Capitol Acquisition Corp. II(a)

     153,254         1,532,540  
     

 

 

 

Total Financials

        27,551,728  
     

 

 

 

Industrials (3.38%) 

     

Aerospace & Defense (0.13%)

     

United Technologies Corp.

     3,888         413,100  
     

 

 

 

Engineering & Construction (0.48%)

     

Fluor Corp.

     21,296         1,580,589  
     

 

 

 

Machinery-Construction & Mining (0.46%)

     

Joy Global, Inc.

     26,416         1,499,108  
     

 

 

 

Miscellaneous Manufacturing (0.64%)

     

3M Co.

     11,000         1,384,350  

Crane Co.

     11,415         724,853  
     

 

 

 
        2,109,203  
     

 

 

 

Packaging & Containers (1.67%)

     

Ball Corp.

     29,654         1,449,784  

Berry Plastics Group, Inc.(a)

     62,292         1,250,823  

Graphic Packaging Holding Co.(a)

     141,097         1,185,215  

Owens-Illinois, Inc.(a)

     50,216         1,596,367  
     

 

 

 
        5,482,189  
     

 

 

 

Total Industrials

        11,084,189  
     

 

 

 

Technology (4.70%) 

     

Computers (1.55%)

     

Apple, Inc.

     8,992         4,696,971  

 

    16   www.whiteboxmutualfunds.com    


Table of Contents
Whitebox Tactical Opportunities Fund    Schedule of Investments
   October 31, 2013

 

     Shares      Value  

 

 

Technology (continued)

     

CACI International, Inc., Class A(a)

     5,568       $ 400,785  
     

 

 

 
        5,097,756  
     

 

 

 

Semiconductors (1.69%)

     

Intel Corp.

     26,531         648,152  

Kulicke & Soffa Industries, Inc.(a)

     100,696         1,298,978  

Lam Research Corp.(a)

     17,879         969,578  

QUALCOMM, Inc.

     24,627         1,710,838  

Silicon Motion Technology Corp., ADR

     73,127         906,044  
     

 

 

 
        5,533,590  
     

 

 

 

Software (1.46%)

     

Microsoft Corp.

     68,745         2,430,136  

Oracle Corp.

     70,255         2,353,542  
     

 

 

 
        4,783,678  
     

 

 

 

Total Technology

        15,415,024  
     

 

 

 

TOTAL COMMON STOCKS

     

(Cost $121,463,821)

        130,848,929  

 

 

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS (9.39%)

     

Equity Funds (9.39%)

     

Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR® Fund

     137,800         5,835,830  

Industrial Select Sector SPDR® Fund

     72,206         3,510,656  

Market Vectors® Gold Miners ETF

     238,745         5,994,887  

Market Vectors® Junior Gold Miners ETF

     90,553         3,404,774  

SPDR® S&P 500® ETF  Trust

     32,195         5,657,627  

Technology Select Sector SPDR® Fund

     189,938         6,391,413  
     

 

 

 
        30,795,187  
     

 

 

 

TOTAL EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS

     

(Cost $31,499,650)

        30,795,187  

 

 

 

    Annual Report  |  October 31, 2013   17    


Table of Contents
Whitebox Tactical Opportunities Fund    Schedule of Investments
   October 31, 2013

 

                 Principal
Amount
     Value  

 

 

CONVERTIBLE CORPORATE BOND (0.40%)

           

Consumer, Cyclical (0.40%) 

           

Airlines (0.40%)

           

AMR Corp., 6.25% 10/15/2014(b)

         $ 1,065,000       $     1,319,934  
           

 

 

 

Total Consumer, Cyclical

              1,319,934  
           

 

 

 

TOTAL CONVERTIBLE CORPORATE BOND

           

(Cost $1,135,784)

              1,319,934  

 

 
     Expiration Date    Exercise Price      Contracts      Value  

 

 

PURCHASED OPTIONS (1.51%) 

           

Purchased Call Options (0.83%)

           

Abbott Laboratories

   12/21/2013    $ 38.00        125      $ 4,250  

Apple, Inc.

   01/18/2014      415.00        6        65,682  

CBOE® SPX® Volatility

           
   11/20/2013      16.00        424        21,200  
   11/20/2013      18.00        37        1,110  

Chevron Corp.

   12/21/2013      125.00        19        1,178  

Cree, Inc.

   11/16/2013      72.50        92        506  

Dollar General Corp.

           
   11/16/2013      50.00        189        151,200  
   11/16/2013      57.50        47        6,580  

Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc.

   11/16/2013      45.00        7        1,680  

Exxon Mobil Corp.

           
   01/18/2014      92.50        35        2,940  
   01/17/2015      92.50        35        14,175  

Facebook, Inc., Class A

           
   11/01/2013      48.00        83        18,592  
   11/01/2013      50.00        42        3,150  
   11/01/2013      52.00        150        2,550  

Herbalife Ltd.

           
   11/16/2013      48.00        176        296,560  
   11/29/2013      65.00        500        176,250  
   01/18/2014      70.00        57        20,178  

Honeywell International, Inc.

           
   11/16/2013      85.00        7        1,771  
   12/21/2013      87.50        625        106,875  

Lorillard, Inc.

           
   12/21/2013      47.50        74        31,450  
   12/21/2013      50.00        89        17,622  

 

    18   www.whiteboxmutualfunds.com    


Table of Contents
Whitebox Tactical Opportunities Fund    Schedule of Investments
   October 31, 2013

 

     Expiration Date    Exercise Price      Contracts      Value  

 

 

Purchased Call Options (continued)

           

McDonald’s Corp.

           
   11/01/2013    $ 90.00        1      $ 652  
   12/21/2013      92.50        10        4,300  
   12/21/2013      95.00        16        3,600  
   11/29/2013      97.00        33        2,904  
   12/21/2013      97.50        11        1,034  
   12/21/2013      100.00        229        6,870  

MGIC Investment Corp.

   11/01/2013      8.00        95        1,568  

Nationstar Mortgage Holdings, Inc.

   11/16/2013      55.00        100        11,500  

Nucor Corp.

   01/17/2015      45.00        33        28,380  

Parker Hannifin Corp.

   11/16/2013      105.00        248        277,512  

Pfizer, Inc.

   01/17/2015      27.00        54        23,328  

Raytheon Co.

   01/17/2015      60.00        25        57,438  

Salesforce.com, Inc.

           
   11/16/2013      52.50        85        17,255  
   11/16/2013      55.00        6        474  

SPDR® S&P 500® ETF  Trust

           
   01/18/2014      170.00        428        331,700  
   12/21/2013      172.00        400        225,600  
   11/01/2013      175.50        1,800        133,200  
   12/21/2013      176.00        1,200        364,800  

Technology Select Sector SPDR® Fund

   01/17/2015      31.00        233        85,627  

United Technologies Corp.

           
   11/16/2013      92.50        100        140,250  
   11/16/2013      105.00        32        8,512  
   11/16/2013      110.00        58        1,508  

Zillow, Inc., Class A

   11/16/2013      90.00        161        29,785  

Zynga, Inc.

           
   01/18/2014      4.00        805        15,295  
   01/18/2014      10.00        728        1,092  
           

 

 

 

Total Purchased Call Options

              2,719,683  
           

 

 

 

Purchased Put Options (0.68%)

           

Abercrombie & Fitch Co.

   12/21/2013      37.00        1,000        292,000  

Angie’s List, Inc.

   11/16/2013      17.50        54        18,360  

Carnival Corp.

   01/18/2014      37.00        1,000        310,000  

CBOE® SPX® Volatility

   01/22/2014      19.00        643        225,050  

 

    Annual Report  |  October 31, 2013   19    


Table of Contents
Whitebox Tactical Opportunities Fund    Schedule of Investments
   October 31, 2013

 

     Expiration Date    Exercise Price      Contracts      Value  

 

 

Purchased Put Options (continued)

           

Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR® Fund

   03/22/2014    $ 43.00         3,146       $ 582,010   

Dollar General Corp.

   11/16/2013      52.50         80         480   

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc.

           
   11/16/2013      55.00         287         16,933   
   11/16/2013      65.00         287         107,625   

iShares® 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF

   01/18/2014      103.00         500         54,000   

JC Penney Co., Inc.

   11/16/2013      16.00         152         129,200   

Nationstar Mortgage Holdings, Inc.

   11/16/2013      55.00         100         48,000   

Newmont Mining Corp.

   11/16/2013      27.00         128         9,472   

SPDR® S&P 500® ETF Trust

           
   12/21/2013      172.00         400         82,800   
   12/21/2013      174.00         1,200         326,400   

Tiffany & Co.

   11/16/2013      77.50         107         5,992   

United Parcel Service, Inc.

   01/18/2014      90.00         500         28,000   

United Technologies Corp.

   11/16/2013      95.00         200         1,600   
           

 

 

 

Total Purchased Put Options

              2,237,922   
           

 

 

 

TOTAL PURCHASED OPTIONS

(Cost $ 5,021,752)

              4,957,605   

 

 
                 Shares      Value  

 

 

RIGHTS: 0.39%

           

Sanofi CVR, Expires: 12/31/2020(a)

           665,264         1,264,002   
           

 

 

 

TOTAL RIGHTS

(Cost $1,175,362)

              1,264,002   

 

 

 

    20   www.whiteboxmutualfunds.com    


Table of Contents
Whitebox Tactical Opportunities Fund    Schedule of Investments
   October 31, 2013

 

     7-Day Yield   Shares      Value  

 

 

SHORT TERM INVESTMENTS (29.62%)

       

Money Market Fund (29.62%)

       

Wells Fargo Advantage 100% Treasury Money Market Fund, Administrator Class

   0.00001%     97,057,247       $ 97,057,247  
       

 

 

 

TOTAL SHORT TERM INVESTMENTS

       

(Cost $97,057,247) 

          97,057,247  

 

 

TOTAL INVESTMENTS (81.24%)

       

(Cost $257,353,616)

          266,242,904  

Other Assets In Excess Of Liabilities (18.76%)(c)

          61,467,698  

 

 

NET ASSETS (100.00%)

        $ 327,710,602  

 

 

 

(a)  Non-income producing security.
(b)  Security is currently in default.
(c)  Includes cash which is being held as collateral for securities sold short, written options and total return swap contracts.

 

SCHEDULE OF SECURITIES SOLD SHORT    Shares      Value  

 

 

COMMON STOCK (-30.01%)

     

Basic Materials (-0.35%)

     

Chemicals (-0.35%)

     

FMC Corp.

     (15,796)        $    (1,149,317)  
     

 

 

 

Total Basic Materials

        (1,149,317)  
     

 

 

 

Communications (-4.82%)

     

Internet (-4.82%)

     

Amazon.com, Inc.

     (9,029)        (3,286,827)  

Equinix, Inc.

     (10,894)        (1,759,163)  

Facebook, Inc., Class A

     (46,211)        (2,322,565)  

Marketo, Inc.

     (31,953)        (1,078,733)  

Netflix, Inc.

     (500)        (161,240)  

Rackspace Hosting, Inc.

     (20,400)        (1,045,092)  

Shutterfly, Inc.

     (20,868)        (1,025,454)  

SPS Commerce, Inc.

     (23,995)        (1,635,259)  

TripAdvisor, Inc.

     (21,557)        (1,782,979)  

Vitacost.com, Inc.

     (44,186)        (349,511)  

 

    Annual Report  |  October 31, 2013   21    


Table of Contents
Whitebox Tactical Opportunities Fund    Schedule of Investments
   October 31, 2013

 

SCHEDULE OF SECURITIES SOLD SHORT    Shares     Value  

 

 

Communications (continued)

    

Zillow, Inc., Class A

     (16,773 )   $ (1,335,634 )
    

 

 

 
       (15,782,457 )
    

 

 

 

Total Communications

       (15,782,457 )
    

 

 

 

Consumer, Cyclical (-8.72%)

    

Airlines (-1.37%)

    

US Airways Group, Inc.

     (205,000 )     (4,503,850 )
    

 

 

 

Apparel (-0.37%)

    

Skechers U.S.A., Inc., Class A

     (41,439 )     (1,207,532 )
    

 

 

 

Entertainment (-0.54%)

    

International Speedway Corp., Class A

     (28,552 )     (933,936 )

Vail Resorts, Inc.

     (11,464 )     (807,639 )
    

 

 

 
       (1,741,575 )
    

 

 

 

Housewares (-0.36%)

    

The Toro Co.

     (19,833 )     (1,168,957 )
    

 

 

 

Leisure Time (-0.71%)

    

Harley-Davidson, Inc.

     (36,076 )     (2,310,307 )
    

 

 

 

Lodging (-0.53%)

    

Wynn Resorts Ltd.

     (10,450 )     (1,737,313 )
    

 

 

 

Retail (-4.84%)

    

Best Buy Co., Inc.

     (53,191 )     (2,276,575 )

Cabela’s, Inc.

     (14,774 )     (876,394 )

CarMax, Inc.

     (22,188 )     (1,042,614 )

Casey’s General Stores, Inc.

     (20,999 )     (1,530,407 )

Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc.

     (5,722 )     (3,015,322 )

PetMed Express, Inc.

     (111,033 )     (1,647,730 )

Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc.

     (30,113 )     (2,294,008 )

Tiffany & Co.

     (12,571 )     (995,246 )

Walgreen Co.

     (36,706 )     (2,174,463 )
    

 

 

 
       (15,852,759 )
    

 

 

 

Total Consumer, Cyclical

       (28,522,293 )
    

 

 

 

 

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Table of Contents
Whitebox Tactical Opportunities Fund    Schedule of Investments
   October 31, 2013

 

SCHEDULE OF SECURITIES SOLD SHORT    Shares     Value  

 

 

Consumer, Non-cyclical (-3.70%)

    

Agriculture (-0.06%)

    

Lorillard, Inc.

     (3,875 )   $ (197,664 )
    

 

 

 

Beverages (-1.29%)

    

Beam, Inc.

     (14,906 )     (1,003,174 )

The Boston Beer Co., Inc., Class A

     (9,037 )     (2,074,805 )

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc.

     (18,168 )     (1,141,132 )
    

 

 

 
       (4,219,111 )
    

 

 

 

Food (-0.46%)

    

Kellogg Co.

     (23,855 )     (1,508,829 )
    

 

 

 

Healthcare-Products (-0.97%)

    

CR Bard, Inc.

     (7,500 )     (1,021,650 )

Hospira, Inc.

     (25,318 )     (1,025,885 )

ResMed, Inc.

     (22,403 )     (1,159,131 )
    

 

 

 
       (3,206,666 )
    

 

 

 

Healthcare-Services (-0.46%)

    

Amedisys, Inc.

     (91,952 )     (1,496,979 )
    

 

 

 

Pharmaceuticals (-0.46%)

    

Abbott Laboratories

     (5,000 )     (182,750 )

Neogen Corp.

     (28,671 )     (1,325,174 )
    

 

 

 
       (1,507,924 )
    

 

 

 

Total Consumer, Non-cyclical

       (12,137,173 )
    

 

 

 

Energy (-0.54%)

    

Oil & Gas Services (-0.54%)

    

Core Laboratories NV

     (9,500 )     (1,778,590 )
    

 

 

 

Total Energy

       (1,778,590 )
    

 

 

 

Financials (-3.71%)

    

Diversified Financial Services (-0.24%)

    

Financial Engines, Inc.

     (14,245 )     (795,868 )
    

 

 

 

Insurance (-0.02%)

    

MGIC Investment Corp.

     (9,500 )     (77,330 )
    

 

 

 

 

    Annual Report  |  October 31, 2013   23    


Table of Contents
Whitebox Tactical Opportunities Fund    Schedule of Investments
   October 31, 2013

 

SCHEDULE OF SECURITIES SOLD SHORT    Shares     Value  

 

 

Financials (continued)

    

Real Estate (-0.12%)

    

The St. Joe Co.

     (21,218 )   $ (396,140 )
    

 

 

 

Real Estate Investment Trusts (-3.33%)

    

AvalonBay Communities, Inc.

     (18,100 )     (2,263,405 )

EastGroup Properties, Inc.

     (29,689 )     (1,890,002 )

Equity One, Inc.

     (65,666 )     (1,583,207 )

Post Properties, Inc.

     (42,644 )     (1,950,537 )

Public Storage

     (10,072 )     (1,681,722 )

Regency Centers Corp.

     (29,873 )     (1,543,239 )
    

 

 

 
       (10,912,112 )
    

 

 

 

Total Financials

       (12,181,450 )
    

 

 

 

Industrials (-4.54%)

    

Building Materials (-1.08%)

    

Lennox International, Inc.

     (30,797 )     (2,404,014 )

Texas Industries, Inc.

     (21,266 )     (1,141,984 )
    

 

 

 
       (3,545,998 )
    

 

 

 

Electrical Components & Equipment (-0.34%)

    

Acuity Brands, Inc.

     (11,160 )     (1,121,692 )
    

 

 

 

Electronics (-0.15%)

    

Honeywell International, Inc.

     (5,800 )     (503,034 )
    

 

 

 

Machinery-Diversified (-1.09%)

    

Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc.

     (19,141 )     (905,561 )

Graco, Inc.

     (14,186 )     (1,096,010 )

Nordson Corp.

     (13,385 )     (964,925 )

Tennant Co.

     (10,471 )     (635,485 )
    

 

 

 
       (3,601,981 )
    

 

 

 

Miscellaneous Manufacturing (-1.88%)

    

AO Smith Corp.

     (45,380 )     (2,343,877 )

CLARCOR, Inc.

     (17,761 )     (1,038,663 )

Parker Hannifin Corp.

     (11,000 )     (1,283,920 )

Trimas Corp.

     (38,743 )     (1,466,810 )
    

 

 

 
       (6,133,270 )
    

 

 

 

Total Industrials

       (14,905,975 )
    

 

 

 

 

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Table of Contents
Whitebox Tactical Opportunities Fund    Schedule of Investments
   October 31, 2013

 

SCHEDULE OF SECURITIES SOLD SHORT    Shares        Value  

 

 

Technology (-3.63%)

       

Computers (-0.74%)

       

Manhattan Associates, Inc.

     (22,657 )      $ (2,413,197 )
       

 

 

 

Semiconductors (-0.30%)

       

Cree, Inc.

     (16,284 )        (989,253 )
       

 

 

 

Software (-2.59%)

       

Blackbaud, Inc.

     (44,217 )        (1,591,812 )

Concur Technologies, Inc.

     (15,279 )        (1,598,183 )

Infoblox, Inc.

     (43,523 )        (1,934,597 )

Salesforce.com, Inc.

     (24,801 )        (1,323,381 )

Tyler Technologies, Inc.

     (21,017 )        (2,032,554 )
       

 

 

 
          (8,480,527 )
       

 

 

 

Total Technology

          (11,882,977 )
       

 

 

 

TOTAL COMMON STOCK 

(Proceeds $94,851,759)

          (98,340,232 )

 

 
EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS (-23.48%)                

Debt Funds (-8.65%)

       

iShares® Barclays 20+ Year Treasury Bond Fund

     (146,372 )        (15,755,482 )

SPDR® Barclays Capital High Yield Bond ETF

     (309,698 )        (12,583,030 )
       

 

 

 
          (28,338,512 )
       

 

 

 

Equity Funds (-14.83%)

       

Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR® Fund

     (153,094 )        (6,483,531 )

iShares® Russell 2000® Index  Fund

     (136,205 )        (14,877,672 )

SPDR® S&P 500® ETF  Trust

     (155,000 )        (27,238,150 )
       

 

 

 
          (48,599,353 )
       

 

 

 

TOTAL EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 

(Proceeds $75,486,446)

          (76,937,865 )

 

 

TOTAL SECURITIES SOLD SHORT 

(Proceeds $170,338,205)

        $   (175,278,097 )

 

 

 

    Annual Report  |  October 31, 2013   25    


Table of Contents
Whitebox Tactical Opportunities Fund    Schedule of Investments
   October 31, 2013

 

SCHEDULE OF WRITTEN OPTIONS

 

     Expiration Date    Exercise Price      Contracts     Value  

 

 

WRITTEN OPTIONS (-0.85%)

          

WRITTEN CALL OPTIONS (-0.52%)

          

Amazon.com, Inc.

   11/01/2013    $ 360.00        (15 )   $ (7,950 )

Apple, Inc.:

          
   01/18/2014      425.00        (14 )     (137,424 )
   11/01/2013      525.00        (20 )     (3,140 )
   11/16/2013      530.00        (25 )     (15,625 )
   11/16/2013      540.00        (7 )     (2,485 )
   11/01/2013      550.00        (20 )     (80 )

CBOE® SPX® Volatility:

          
   11/20/2013      20.00        (349 )     (6,980 )
   11/20/2013      21.00        (500 )     (7,500 )
   11/20/2013      24.00        (75 )     (750 )

Chevron Corp.

   12/21/2013      110.00        (6 )     (6,180 )

Cree, Inc.

   11/16/2013      80.00        (284 )     (852 )

Dollar General Corp.

   11/16/2013      55.00        (261 )     (86,130 )

Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc.

   11/16/2013      40.00        (3 )     (2,220 )

Facebook, Inc., Class A:

          
   12/21/2013      50.00        (50 )     (16,625 )
   11/01/2013      53.00        (425 )     (3,400 )
   11/01/2013      55.00        (250 )     (1,000 )
   11/01/2013      57.00        (300 )     (600 )

Herbalife Ltd.:

          
   11/16/2013      55.00        (193 )     (194,930 )
   11/29/2013      69.50        (1,000 )     (173,000 )
   01/18/2014      85.00        (114 )     (7,524 )

Honeywell International, Inc.:

          
   11/16/2013      80.00        (249 )     (185,007 )
   11/16/2013      82.50        (15 )     (7,740 )
   12/21/2013      85.00        (10 )     (2,875 )

Lorillard, Inc.:

          
   11/16/2013      42.50        (35 )     (30,187 )
   12/21/2013      42.50        (42 )     (37,800 )
   11/16/2013      45.00        (4 )     (2,480 )

McDonald’s Corp.:

          
   11/16/2013      87.50        (18 )     (16,335 )
   11/16/2013      90.00        (12 )     (7,812 )
   12/21/2013      90.00        (96 )     (62,880 )

Nationstar Mortgage Holdings, Inc.:

          
   11/16/2013      50.00        (9 )     (2,970 )
   11/16/2013      60.00        (25 )     (875 )

 

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Table of Contents
Whitebox Tactical Opportunities Fund    Schedule of Investments
   October 31, 2013

 

     Expiration Date    Exercise Price      Contracts     Value  

 

 

WRITTEN CALL OPTIONS (continued)

          

Netflix, Inc.:

          
   11/01/2013    $ 300.00        (20 )   $ (45,400 )
   11/01/2013      325.00        (80 )     (11,200 )
   11/08/2013      325.00        (30 )     (19,200 )

Ocwen Financial Corp.

   11/16/2013      60.00        (250 )     (10,000 )

Parker Hannifin Corp.

   11/16/2013      95.00        (125 )     (273,750 )

Technology Select Sector SPDR® Fund

   12/21/2013      31.00        (43 )     (11,846 )

Uni-Pixel, Inc.

   11/16/2013      20.00        (850 )     (51,000 )

United Technologies Corp.

   11/16/2013      97.50        (185 )     (163,263 )

Zillow, Inc., Class A

   11/16/2013        100.00        (321 )     (16,050 )

Zynga, Inc.:

          
   01/18/2014      3.00        (1,200 )     (80,400 )
   01/18/2014      7.00        (1,476 )     (2,214 )
          

 

 

 

TOTAL WRITTEN CALL OPTIONS 

(Premiums received $2,025,414)

             (1,715,679 )

 

 

WRITTEN PUT OPTIONS (-0.33%)

          

Abercrombie & Fitch Co.

   12/21/2013      34.00        (2,000 )     (332,000 )

American Capital Agency Corp.

   01/17/2015      18.00        (1,000 )     (182,000 )

Angie’s List, Inc.

   11/16/2013      15.00        (98 )     (11,760 )

Carnival Corp.

          
   01/18/2014      32.00        (250 )     (15,625 )
   01/18/2014      34.50        (500 )     (73,000 )

Direxion Daily Gold Miners Bull 3x Shares

          
   01/17/2015      5.00        (31 )     (7,208 )
   01/17/2015      10.00        (119 )     (75,922 )
   01/17/2015      11.00        (2 )     (1,430 )

Dollar General Corp.

          
   11/16/2013      49.00        (160 )     (800 )
   11/16/2013      55.00        (20 )     (520 )
   11/16/2013      57.50        (40 )     (4,000 )

Exxon Mobil Corp.

          
   01/18/2014      80.00        (35 )     (1,050 )
   01/17/2015      80.00        (35 )     (12,110 )

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc.

   11/16/2013      60.00        (575 )     (94,875 )

 

    Annual Report  |  October 31, 2013   27    


Table of Contents
Whitebox Tactical Opportunities Fund    Schedule of Investments
   October 31, 2013

 

     Expiration Date    Exercise Price      Contracts     Value  

 

 

WRITTEN PUT OPTIONS (continued)

          

Honeywell International, Inc.

          
   11/16/2013    $ 82.50        (25 )   $ (325 )
   11/16/2013      85.00        (37 )     (1,554 )

JC Penney Co., Inc.

   11/16/2013      13.00        (276 )     (151,800 )

Nationstar Mortgage Holdings, Inc.

   11/16/2013      50.00        (113 )     (21,470 )

Newmont Mining Corp.

   11/16/2013      25.00        (256 )     (4,864 )

Nucor Corp.

   01/17/2015      40.00        (38 )     (6,270 )

Ocwen Financial Corp.

   11/16/2013      55.00        (150 )     (17,250 )

Pfizer, Inc.

   01/17/2015      22.00        (66 )     (3,234 )

Raytheon Co.

   01/17/2015      57.50        (26 )     (3,315 )

Technology Select Sector SPDR® Fund

   01/17/2015      26.00        (233 )     (13,514 )

The Clorox Co.

   11/16/2013      77.50        (200 )     (800 )

The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.

   11/16/2013      135.00        (150 )     (1,125 )

Tiffany & Co.

   11/16/2013      72.50        (214 )     (2,782 )

United Rentals, Inc.

   11/16/2013      62.50        (400 )     (38,000 )

United Technologies Corp.

          
   11/16/2013      87.50        (400 )     (1,400 )
   11/16/2013      97.50        (40 )     (360 )
          

 

 

 

TOTAL WRITTEN PUT OPTIONS 

(Premiums received $ 1,475,686)

             (1,080,363 )

 

 

TOTAL WRITTEN OPTIONS 

(Premiums received $ 3,501,100)

           $ (2,796,042 )

 

 

TOTAL RETURN SWAP CONTRACTS

 

Swap

Counterparty

  

Reference

Obligation

   Notional
Amount
   Rate Paid
by the Fund(a)
  Rate Paid
to the
Fund(b)
   Termination
Date
   Unrealized
Appreciation
 

 

 

Bank of America Merrill Lynch

   Crocodile Gold Group    $36,077    0.57550%   N/A    04/05/2014    $ 28,662  
                

 

 

 
                 $ 28,662  
                

 

 

 

 

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Table of Contents
Whitebox Tactical Opportunities Fund    Schedule of Investments
   October 31, 2013

 

(a)  U.S. 1 Month LIBOR + 0.40%.
(b)  The Fund receives dividend payments based on any dividend activity of the Reference Obligation.

Common Abbreviations:

ADR - American Depository Receipt.

CBOE- Chicago Board Options Exchange.

CVR - Contingent Value Rights.

ETF - Exchange Traded Fund.

LIBOR - London Interbank Offered Rate.

LLC - Limited Liability Company.

LP - Limited Partnership.

Ltd. - Limited.

PLC - Public Limited Company.

S&P - Standard & Poor’s.

SA - Generally designates corporations in various countries, mostly those employing the civil law.

SPDR - Standard & Poor’s Depositary Receipt.

SPX - S&P 500® Index.

Sector Allocation Chart as of October 31, 2013 (% of Net Assets)

(Cash and Cash equivalents not included)

 

LOGO

 

    See Notes to Financial Statements.

 

    Annual Report  |  October 31, 2013   29    


Table of Contents
Whitebox Long Short Equity Fund    Schedule of Investments
   October 31, 2013

 

 

     Shares      Value  

 

 

COMMON STOCKS (88.67%)

     

Basic Materials (2.57%)

     

Chemicals (0.93%)

     

Kraton Performance Polymers, Inc.(a)

     4,000       $ 85,080   

OM Group, Inc.(a)

     2,250         76,500   

OMNOVA Solutions, Inc.(a)(b)

     13,000         113,100   
     

 

 

 
            274,680   
     

 

 

 

Forest Products & Paper (0.53%)

     

Schweitzer-Mauduit International, Inc.(b)

     2,500         154,700   
     

 

 

 

Iron/Steel (0.25%)

     

Allegheny Technologies, Inc.(b)

     2,250         74,475   
     

 

 

 

Mining (0.86%)

     

Constellium NV, Class A(a)

     5,500         101,585   

Silver Wheaton Corp.

     3,250         73,678   

Stillwater Mining Co.(a)

     7,000         76,370   
     

 

 

 
        251,633   
     

 

 

 

Total Basic Materials

        755,488   
     

 

 

 

Communications (6.76%)

     

Advertising (0.32%)

     

MDC Partners, Inc., Class A

     3,000         92,490   
     

 

 

 

Internet (2.12%)

     

Angie’s List, Inc.(a)

     6,500         91,585   

CyrusOne, Inc., REIT(b)

     6,250         121,812   

eBay, Inc.(a)

     2,750         144,952   

Global Eagle Entertainment, Inc.(a)

     11,000         111,980   

Google, Inc., Class A(a)

     75         77,294   

Safeguard Scientifics, Inc.(a)

     4,250         74,163   
     

 

 

 
        621,786   
     

 

 

 

Media (0.43%)

     

Cumulus Media, Inc., Class A(a)

     11,000         65,780   

Entercom Communications Corp., Class A(a)

     7,000         61,390   
     

 

 

 
        127,170   
     

 

 

 

Telecommunications (3.89%)

     

Alcatel-Lucent, Sponsored ADR(a)

     19,000         72,770   

 

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Table of Contents
Whitebox Long Short Equity Fund    Schedule of Investments
   October 31, 2013

 

     Shares      Value  

 

 

Communications (continued)

     

Allot Communications Ltd.(a)

     6,000       $ 80,880   

Extreme Networks, Inc.(a)(b)

     47,000         251,920   

IPG Photonics Corp.(b)

     1,250         82,838   

Neonode, Inc.(a)(b)

     94,000         508,540   

Vringo, Inc.(a)(b)

     52,000         146,640   
     

 

 

 
        1,143,588   
     

 

 

 

Total Communications

            1,985,034   
     

 

 

 

Consumer, Cyclical (16.62%)

     

Airlines (4.10%)

     

Alaska Air Group, Inc.

     1,250         88,325   

AMR Corp.(a)(b)

     45,000         330,750   

Republic Airways Holdings, Inc.(a)

     11,000         129,580   

Spirit Airlines, Inc.(a)(b)

     13,250         571,737   

United Continental Holdings, Inc.(a)

     2,500         84,875   
     

 

 

 
        1,205,267   
     

 

 

 

Apparel (0.15%)

     

Perry Ellis International, Inc.

     2,300         43,723   
     

 

 

 

Auto Parts & Equipment (2.14%)

     

Motorcar Parts of America, Inc.(a)(b)

     22,105         302,396   

Tenneco, Inc.(a)

     1,750         92,873   

Tower International, Inc.(a)(b)

     11,000         233,420   
     

 

 

 
        628,689   
     

 

 

 

Distribution/Wholesale (0.59%)

     

HD Supply Holdings, Inc.(a)

     5,250         105,998   

Titan Machinery, Inc.(a)

     3,750         66,150   
     

 

 

 
        172,148   
     

 

 

 

Home Builders (0.66%)

     

KB Home(b)

     11,500         195,155   
     

 

 

 

Home Furnishings (3.41%)

     

Harman International Industries, Inc.(b)

     11,000         891,220   

Select Comfort Corp.(a)(b)

     6,000         109,920   
     

 

 

 
        1,001,140   
     

 

 

 

Retail (5.57%)

     

Conn’s, Inc.(a)(b)

     2,500         151,100   

 

    Annual Report  |  October 31, 2013   31    


Table of Contents
Whitebox Long Short Equity Fund    Schedule of Investments
   October 31, 2013

 

     Shares      Value  

 

 

Consumer, Cyclical (continued)

     

Denny’s Corp.(a)(b)

     12,000       $ 76,200   

Dillard’s, Inc., Class A

     1,250         102,475   

Dollar General Corp.(a)

     1,250         72,225   

Dollar Tree, Inc.(a)(b)

     1,000         58,400   

Ezcorp, Inc., Class A(a)(b)

     19,000         298,870   

Haverty Furniture Cos., Inc.(b)

     6,750         187,717   

The Pantry, Inc.(a)(b)

     29,000         388,310   

Pier 1 Imports, Inc.

     6,000         125,280   

Rite Aid Corp.(a)

     18,250         97,273   

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

     1,000         76,750   
     

 

 

 
        1,634,600   
     

 

 

 

Total Consumer, Cyclical

        4,880,722   
     

 

 

 

Consumer, Non-cyclical (16.65%)

     

Biotechnology (1.15%)

     

Gilead Sciences, Inc.(a)(b)

     1,500         106,485   

Ligand Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Class B(a)

     4,500         232,920   
     

 

 

 
        339,405   
     

 

 

 

Commercial Services (4.52%)

     

Corinthian Colleges, Inc.(a)

     39,000         83,460   

Deluxe Corp.(b)

     13,000         612,170   

MasterCard, Inc., Class A

     125         89,637   

Steiner Leisure Ltd.(a)(b)

     3,000         168,060   

TrueBlue, Inc.(a)

     4,000         98,800   

United Rentals, Inc.(a)(b)

     3,000         193,770   

The Western Union Co.

     4,750         80,845   
     

 

 

 
        1,326,742   
     

 

 

 

Cosmetics/Personal Care (0.27%)

     

Colgate-Palmolive Co.

     1,250         80,912   
     

 

 

 

Food (0.42%)

     

Cosan Ltd., Class A

     7,750         122,140   
     

 

 

 

Healthcare-Products (5.87%)

     

Medtronic, Inc.(b)

     2,500         143,500   

MiMedx Group, Inc.(a)(b)

     58,000         307,400   

Sirona Dental Systems, Inc.(a)(b)

     1,250         90,313   

Stryker Corp.(b)

     2,000         147,720   

Syneron Medical Ltd.(a)

     5,000         47,500   

 

    32   www.whiteboxmutualfunds.com    


Table of Contents
Whitebox Long Short Equity Fund    Schedule of Investments
   October 31, 2013

 

     Shares      Value  

 

 

Consumer, Non-cyclical (continued)

     

TearLab Corp.(a)

     8,500       $ 88,655  

Trinity Biotech PLC, Sponsored ADR(b)

     33,000         825,000  

Varian Medical Systems, Inc.(a)

     1,000         72,580  
     

 

 

 
        1,722,668  
     

 

 

 

Healthcare-Services (2.63%)

     

Aetna, Inc.

     1,250         78,375  

Health Net, Inc.(a)

     6,750         205,200  

Healthways, Inc.(a)

     7,250         69,817  

LHC Group, Inc.(a)

     3,000         61,800  

LifePoint Hospitals, Inc.(a)

     1,750         90,370  

RadNet, Inc.(a)(b)

     60,750         148,838  

UnitedHealth Group, Inc.(b)

     1,750         119,455  
     

 

 

 
        773,855  
     

 

 

 

Household Products/Wares (0.80%)

     

ACCO Brands Corp.(a)(b)

     40,000         234,000  
     

 

 

 

Pharmaceuticals (0.99%)

     

Abbott Laboratories

     2,000         73,100  

BioScrip, Inc.(a)

     9,500         66,595  

Perrigo Co.

     500         68,945  

PharMerica Corp.(a)

     5,500         81,180  
     

 

 

 
        289,820  
     

 

 

 

Total Consumer, Non-cyclical

        4,889,542  
     

 

 

 

Energy (5.13%) 

     

Oil & Gas (4.32%)

     

EPL Oil & Gas, Inc.(a)(b)

     3,000         95,640  

Gran Tierra Energy, Inc.(a)(b)

     81,000         614,790  

Hercules Offshore, Inc.(a)

     11,500         78,200  

HollyFrontier Corp.(b)

     2,000         92,120  

Miller Energy Resources, Inc.(a)

     6,500         43,940  

Penn Virginia Corp.(a)(b)

     10,000         85,100  

Superior Energy Services, Inc.(a)(b)

     4,750         127,443  

Vantage Drilling Co.(a)(b)

     75,000         133,500  
     

 

 

 
        1,270,733  
     

 

 

 

 

    Annual Report  |  October 31, 2013   33    


Table of Contents
Whitebox Long Short Equity Fund    Schedule of Investments
   October 31, 2013

 

     Shares      Value  

 

 

Energy (continued)

     

Oil & Gas Services (0.81%)

     

MRC Global, Inc.(a)(b)

     8,500       $ 237,575  
     

 

 

 

Total Energy

        1,508,308  
     

 

 

 

Financials (23.47%) 

     

Banks (0.29%)

     

Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior SA, Class E(b)

     3,250         85,248  
     

 

 

 

Diversified Financial Services (10.53%)

     

AerCap Holdings NV(a)(b)

     7,500         152,175  

DFC Global Corp.(a)(b)

     67,000         810,700  

Encore Capital Group, Inc.(a)(b)

     15,000         732,750  

Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corp., Class C(b)

     8,839         315,464  

Fly Leasing Ltd., ADR

     7,750         111,600  

Nelnet, Inc., Class A(b)

     3,250         138,547  

Ocwen Financial Corp.(a)

     11,000         618,530  

Stonegate Mortgage Corp.(a)

     12,000         212,280  
     

 

 

 
        3,092,046  
     

 

 

 

Insurance (5.20%)

     

Ambac Financial Group, Inc.(a)

     5,500         111,045  

Assured Guaranty Ltd.(b)

     19,250         394,625  

Crawford & Co., Class A

     6,250         52,062  

HCI Group, Inc.(b)

     4,250         186,745  

Lincoln National Corp.

     1,750         79,468  

Maiden Holdings Ltd.

     14,000         153,300  

MBIA, Inc.(a)(b)

     35,000         397,950  

United Insurance Holdings Corp.(b)

     17,000         151,300  
     

 

 

 
        1,526,495  
     

 

 

 

Investment Advisors (0.59%)

     

KKR Financial Holdings LLC(b)

     17,500         173,425  
     

 

 

 

Investment Companies (0.28%)

     

Apollo Investment Corp.

     9,500         81,035  
     

 

 

 

 

    34   www.whiteboxmutualfunds.com    


Table of Contents
Whitebox Long Short Equity Fund    Schedule of Investments
   October 31, 2013

 

     Shares      Value  

 

 

Financials (continued)

     

Private Equity (2.38%)

     

American Capital Ltd.(a)(b)

     50,000       $ 700,500  
     

 

 

 

Real Estate Investment Trusts (2.71%)

     

Ashford Hospitality Trust, Inc.(b)

     25,000         326,500  

Digital Realty Trust, Inc.(b)

     1,750         83,405  

New Residential Investment Corp.

     9,750         64,447  

RAIT Financial Trust(b)

     42,500         320,875  
     

 

 

 
        795,227  
     

 

 

 

Savings & Loans (1.49%)

     

Flagstar Bancorp, Inc.(a)(b)

     27,000         437,670  
     

 

 

 

Total Financials

        6,891,646  
     

 

 

 

Industrials (10.59%) 

     

Building Materials (0.47%)

     

Masco Corp.

     6,500         137,345  
     

 

 

 

Electrical Components & Equipment (0.36%)

     

PowerSecure International, Inc.(a)

     5,750         103,960  
     

 

 

 

Electronics (1.58%)

     

Flextronics International Ltd.(a)(b)

     8,500         67,065  

Methode Electronics, Inc.(b)

     2,750         70,345  

Stoneridge, Inc.(a)(b)

     16,500         210,540  

Tech Data Corp.(a)(b)

     2,250         117,135  
     

 

 

 
        465,085  
     

 

 

 

Engineering & Construction (1.77%)

     

Aegion Corp.(a)

     3,250         66,625  

EMCOR Group, Inc.

     2,000         74,120  

McDermott International, Inc.(a)(b)

     11,500         81,305  

Tutor Perini Corp.(a)(b)

     13,000         298,350  
     

 

 

 
        520,400  
     

 

 

 

Machinery-Diversified (1.54%)

     

Altra Holdings, Inc.

     4,750         144,257  

The Manitowoc Co., Inc.(b)

     3,750         72,975  

 

    Annual Report  |  October 31, 2013   35    


Table of Contents
Whitebox Long Short Equity Fund    Schedule of Investments
   October 31, 2013

 

     Shares      Value  

 

 

Industrials (continued)

     

Power Solutions International, Inc.(a)(b)

     4,050       $ 235,953   
     

 

 

 
        453,185   
     

 

 

 

Metal Fabricate/Hardware (0.96%)

     

Rexnord Corp.(a)(b)

     12,000         282,240   
     

 

 

 

Miscellaneous Manufacturing (0.86%)

     

Crane Co.(b)

     2,000         127,000   

Park-Ohio Holdings Corp.(a)(b)

     3,000         124,230   
     

 

 

 
        251,230   
     

 

 

 

Packaging & Containers (0.68%)

     

Berry Plastics Group, Inc.(a)(b)

     4,750         95,380   

Graphic Packaging Holding Co.(a)

     12,500         105,000   
     

 

 

 
        200,380   
     

 

 

 

Transportation (1.94%)

     

Aegean Marine Petroleum Network, Inc.(b)

     35,250         346,155   

Heartland Express, Inc.

     6,000         86,160   

Navios Maritime Acquisition Corp.

     10,000         39,900   

Safe Bulkers, Inc.

     13,000         96,980   
     

 

 

 
        569,195   
     

 

 

 

Trucking & Leasing (0.43%)

     

Greenbrier Cos., Inc.(a)(b)

     4,750         126,065   
     

 

 

 

Total Industrials

        3,109,085   
     

 

 

 

Technology (6.88%)

     

Computers (1.71%)

     

Icad, Inc.(a)

     23,500         211,265   

International Business Machines Corp.

     500         89,605   

The KEYW Holding Corp.(a)

     6,000         69,000   

Quantum Corp.(a)(b)

     105,000         130,200   
     

 

 

 
        500,070   
     

 

 

 

Office/Business Equipment (0.22%)

     

Eastman Kodak Co.(a)

     2,500         65,000   
     

 

 

 

Semiconductors (3.92%)

     

Atmel Corp.(a)(b)

     19,500         141,960   

 

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Table of Contents
Whitebox Long Short Equity Fund    Schedule of Investments
   October 31, 2013

 

     Shares      Value  

 

 

Technology (continued)

     

Axcelis Technologies, Inc.(a)

     73,000       $ 158,410   

Himax Technologies, Inc., ADR(b)

     6,750         65,407   

Integrated Silicon Solution, Inc.(a)

     5,000         53,900   

Kulicke & Soffa Industries, Inc.(a)(b)

     5,500         70,950   

LTX-Credence Corp.(a)

     15,250         93,483   

Magnachip Semiconductor Corp.(a)(b)

     4,000         74,760   

Silicon Motion Technology Corp., ADR(b)

     20,000         247,800   

Skyworks Solutions, Inc.(a)(b)

     9,500         244,910   
     

 

 

 
        1,151,580   
     

 

 

 

Software (1.03%)

     

Aspen Technology, Inc.(a)(b)

     2,500         95,575   

MedAssets, Inc.(a)(b)

     9,000         207,270   
     

 

 

 
        302,845   
     

 

 

 

Total Technology

        2,019,495   
     

 

 

 

TOTAL COMMON STOCKS

(Cost $24,590,252)

        26,039,320   

 

 

PREFERRED STOCKS (0.01%)

     

Financials (0.01%)

     

Insurance (0.01%)

     

HCI Group, Inc., Series A, 7.000%, 12/31/2049(b)

     97         4,223   
     

 

 

 

Total Financials

        4,223   
     

 

 

 

TOTAL PREFERRED STOCKS

(Cost $2,134)

        4,223   

 

 

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS (3.18%)

     

Equity Funds (3.18%)

     

iShares® Dow Jones® U.S. Technology Sector Index Fund(b)

     1,000         82,300   

iShares® Nasdaq® Biotechnology Index Fund(b)

     3,750         769,200   

Market Vectors® Gold Miners ETF

     3,250         81,608   
     

 

 

 
        933,108   
     

 

 

 

TOTAL EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS

(Cost $864,544)

        933,108   

 

 

 

    Annual Report  |  October 31, 2013   37    


Table of Contents
Whitebox Long Short Equity Fund    Schedule of Investments
   October 31, 2013

 

         Shares      Value  

 

 

RIGHTS: 0.16%

       

Sanofi CVR, Expires: 12/31/2020(a)(b)

       25,000       $ 47,500   
       

 

 

 

TOTAL RIGHTS

(Cost $46,208)

          47,500   

 

 

WARRANTS: 0.01%

       

EnteroMedics, Inc., Strike Price: $1.90, Expires: 09/28/2016(a)

       19,964         1,936   
       

 

 

 

TOTAL WARRANTS

(Cost $26,248)

          1,936   

 

 
     7-Day Yield   Shares      Value  

 

 

SHORT TERM INVESTMENTS (16.65%)

       

Money Market Fund (16.65%)

       

Wells Fargo Advantage 100% Treasury Money Market Fund, Administrator Class

   0.00001%     4,889,003         4,889,003   
       

 

 

 

TOTAL SHORT TERM INVESTMENTS

(Cost $4,889,003)

          4,889,003   

 

 

TOTAL INVESTMENTS (108.68%)

(Cost $30,418,389)

          31,915,090   

Liabilities in Excess of Other Assets (-8.68%)

          (2,549,334)   

 

 

NET ASSETS (100.00%)

        $     29,365,756   

 

 

 

(a)  Non-income producing security.
(b)  Security position is either entirely or partially held in a segregated account as collateral for securities sold short, written options and total return swap contracts aggregating a total market value of $9,384,275.

 

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Table of Contents
Whitebox Long Short Equity Fund    Schedule of Investments
   October 31, 2013

 

SCHEDULE OF WRITTEN OPTIONS

 

     Expiration Date    Exercise Price      Contracts      Value  

 

 

WRITTEN OPTIONS (-0.13%)

           

WRITTEN CALL OPTIONS (-0.12%)

           

Conn’s, Inc.

   11/16/2013    $ 60.00         (25)       $ (6,875)   

EPL Oil & Gas, Inc.

   11/16/2013      40.00         (20)         (250)   

Harman International Industries, Inc.

   11/16/2013      72.50         (30)         (27,600)   

New Residential Investment Corp.

   11/16/2013      7.50         (50)         (250)   

NQ Mobile, Inc.

   11/16/2013      20.00         (4)         (200)   

Select Comfort Corp.

   11/16/2013      28.00         (10)         (25)   
           

 

 

 

TOTAL WRITTEN CALL OPTIONS

(Premiums received $30,381)

              (35,200)   

 

 

WRITTEN PUT OPTIONS (-0.01%)

           

Gogo, Inc.

   02/22/2014      12.50         (30)         (2,100)   

Key Energy Services, Inc.

   11/16/2013      7.50         (120)         (1,200)   
           

 

 

 

TOTAL WRITTEN PUT OPTIONS

(Premiums received $6,586)

              (3,300)   

 

 

TOTAL WRITTEN OPTIONS

(Premiums received $36,967)

            $ (38,500)   

 

 

 

    Annual Report  |  October 31, 2013   39    


Table of Contents
Whitebox Long Short Equity Fund    Schedule of Investments
   October 31, 2013

 

TOTAL RETURN SWAP CONTRACTS

Counterparty: Bank of America Merrill Lynch

Reference Obligation: Whitebox Long/Short Equity Fund - Basket of Securities

Paid by Fund: 1 Month LIBOR plus 40 bps and any negative return of reference basket of securities.

Received by Fund: 1 Month LIBOR less 100 bps and any negative return of reference basket of securities.

Termination Date: November 6, 2013

 

Reference Security    Shares      Notional
Amount
     Unrealized
Appreciation/
(Depreciation)
 

 

 

Acuity Brands, Inc.

     (1,000)       $ (100,510)       $ (2,712)   

Amedisys, Inc.

     (26,000)         (423,280)         39,921   

Ampco-Pittsburgh Corp.

     (400)         (7,364)         (142)   

AO Smith Corp.

     (2,000)         (103,300)         (12,021)   

Armstrong World Industries, Inc.

     (1,500)         (80,145)         1,321   

Arrow Financial Corp.

     (7,000)         (180,670)         (71)   

Astec Industries, Inc.

     (2,250)         (76,073)         4,416   

AvalonBay Communities, Inc., REIT

     (3,000)         (375,150)         13,455   

Bank of the Ozarks, Inc.

     (6,500)         (321,620)         (5,790)   

BankFinancial Corp.

     (9,500)         (88,255)         (697)   

Bankrate, Inc.

     (4,500)         (75,780)         23,503   

Black Diamond, Inc.

     (21,000)         (313,110)         (12,431)   

Blount International, Inc.

     (5,500)         (66,990)         416   

Boingo Wireless, Inc.

     (8,500)         (57,630)         2,135   

Brady Corp., Class A

     (3,500)         (102,165)         2,539   

Bruker Corp.

     (2,500)         (51,125)         (847)   

Cache, Inc.

     (15,000)         (90,450)         6,080   

Cadiz, Inc.

     (14,500)         (74,675)         (2,122)   

Campbell Soup Co.

     (2,000)         (85,140)         (2,838)   

Cape Bancorp, Inc.

     (8,750)         (80,588)         (428)   

Carnival Corp.

     (2,750)         (95,288)         (5,206)   

Cavco Industries, Inc.

     (10,750)         (629,628)         (4,714)   

Cepheid, Inc.

     (10,500)         (427,560)         (28,436)   

CH Robinson Worldwide, Inc.

     (1,250)         (74,675)         (601)   

Citi Trends, Inc.

     (11,000)         (161,480)         11,730   

Citizens, Inc.

     (34,500)         (289,800)         16,891   

Cognex Corp.

     (3,000)         (93,750)         (142)   

Cohen & Steers, Inc.

     (4,250)         (163,030)         (7,116)   

Connecticut Water Service, Inc.

     (2,250)         (72,113)         (1,132)   

Constant Contact, Inc.

     (11,000)         (285,010)         (27,570)   

Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR® Fund

     (15,500)         (982,855)         (40,999)   

Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR® Fund

     (10,000)         (423,500)         (17,459)   

Core Laboratories NV

     (500)         (93,610)         1,947   

Corvel Corp.

     (5,000)         (208,000)         (10,868)   

Costco Wholesale Corp.

     (750)         (88,500)         (1,554)   

 

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Table of Contents
Whitebox Long Short Equity Fund    Schedule of Investments
   October 31, 2013

 

TOTAL RETURN SWAP CONTRACTS (continued)

 

Reference Security

   Shares      Notional
Amount
     Unrealized
Appreciation/
(Depreciation)
 

 

 

Craft Brew Alliance

     (9,500)       $ (154,090)       $ (12,798)   

Deltic Timber Corp.

     (7,500)         (479,100)         7,992   

DENTSPLY International, Inc.

     (1,500)         (70,650)         (3,890)   

Electro Rent Corp.

     (3,000)         (54,420)         912   

Energy Recovery, Inc.

     (27,500)         (160,600)         13,649   

Equity One, Inc., REIT

     (12,500)         (301,375)         (14,481)   

Essex Property Trust, Inc., REIT

     (2,250)         (362,250)         (9,713)   

FactSet Research Systems, Inc.

     (1,500)         (163,410)         (1,127)   

First Cash Financial Services, Inc.

     (1,500)         (90,735)         (3,422)   

Fiserv, Inc.

     (1,000)         (104,730)         (586)   

Forrester Research, Inc.

     (17,750)         (688,878)         (14,453)   

Franklin Electric Co., Inc.

     (1,750)         (66,238)         242   

Gogo, Inc.

     (11,000)         (205,040)         (23,499)   

Graco, Inc.

     (1,250)         (96,575)         (1,306)   

Grand Canyon Education, Inc.

     (2,000)         (94,540)         2,816   

Griffin Land and Nurseries, Inc.

     (2,000)         (66,000)         (1,882)   

Harley-Davidson, Inc.

     (1,500)         (96,060)         2,592   

Hawkins, Inc.

     (6,100)         (219,661)         812   

Health Care Select Sector SPDR® Fund

     (1,250)         (65,925)         328   

Hologic, Inc.

     (3,750)         (83,963)         (948)   

Hospira, Inc.

     (1,500)         (60,780)         853   

Humana, Inc.

     (750)         (69,113)         1,861   

inContact, Inc.

     (8,500)         (64,515)         872   

Industrial Select Sector SPDR® Fund

     (6,000)         (291,720)         (3,702)   

Interactive Intelligence Group, Inc.

     (1,750)         (107,538)         565   

Interface, Inc.

     (4,250)         (86,063)         1,554   

iShares® Russell 2000® Index Fund

     (32,500)         (3,549,965)         (47,261)   

L-3 Communications Holdings, Inc.

     (1,250)         (125,563)         (8,064)   

Landauer, Inc.

     (2,450)         (118,580)         5,611   

Lennox International, Inc.

     (1,250)         (97,575)         (1,236)   

Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc.

     (1,500)         (103,860)         (970)   

Liquid Holdings Group, Inc.

     (2,500)         (18,250)         125   

Lululemon Athletica, Inc.

     (1,000)         (69,050)         4,874   

Manhattan Associates, Inc.

     (1,000)         (106,510)         (8,294)   

McGrath RentCorp

     (3,500)         (124,845)         (3,122)   

Middlesex Water Co.

     (10,250)         (212,483)         3,333   

MWI Veterinary Supply, Inc.

     (750)         (118,980)         968   

Neogen Corp.

     (28,875)         (1,334,603)         (88,904)   

Netscout Systems, Inc.

     (4,500)         (127,440)         (7,936)   

Raven Industries, Inc.

     (9,750)         (325,260)         (13,076)   

RBC Bearings, Inc.

     (1,250)         (85,988)         (3,460)   

Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc.

     (1,500)         (114,270)         (4,483)   

Regency Centers Corp., REIT

     (12,000)         (619,920)         (17,536)   

 

    Annual Report  |  October 31, 2013   41    


Table of Contents
Whitebox Long Short Equity Fund    Schedule of Investments
   October 31, 2013

 

TOTAL RETURN SWAP CONTRACTS (continued)

 

Reference Security    Shares      Notional
Amount
     Unrealized
Appreciation/
(Depreciation)
 

 

 

Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers, Inc.

     (7,500)       $ (148,500)       $ (9,755)   

RLI Corp.

     (11,500)         (1,086,520)         (34,823)   

Saia, Inc.

     (2,500)         (81,325)         1,555   

Sanderson Farms, Inc.

     (2,250)         (142,223)         2,512   

SPDR® S&P MidCap 400® ETF Trust

     (1,500)         (351,780)         (7,641)   

STERIS Corp.

     (2,500)         (112,975)         1,901   

Sun Bancorp, Inc.

     (17,000)         (56,100)         5,742   

Sun Hydraulics Corp.

     (6,500)         (257,920)         (12,780)   

Tenet Healthcare Corp.

     (2,000)         (94,380)         (436)   

Texas Capital Bancshares, Inc.

     (3,250)         (169,163)         (13,030)   

Texas Industries, Inc.

     (11,000)         (590,700)         3,193   

The Boston Beer Co., Inc., Class A

     (2,000)         (459,180)         31,035   

The Cooper Cos., Inc.

     (500)         (64,605)         (839)   

The Gorman-Rupp Co.

     (9,750)         (397,215)         (16,987)   

The St. Joe Co.

     (42,500)         (793,475)         11,946   

The Toro Co.

     (1,750)         (103,145)         (3,479)   

Tile Shop Holdings, Inc.

     (4,500)         (100,485)         11,849   

Tootsie Roll Industries, Inc.

     (26,500)         (848,000)         (25,246)   

Trimas Corp.

     (2,250)         (85,185)         4,450   

Tyler Technologies, Inc.

     (1,000)         (96,710)         1,329   

Ulta Salon Cosmetics & Fragrance, Inc.

     (500)         (64,425)         (164)   

United Parcel Service, Inc., Class B

     (1,500)         (147,360)         (10,317)   

US Airways Group, Inc.

     (20,250)         (444,893)         (19,828)   

Vail Resorts, Inc.

     (3,500)         (246,575)         (4,919)   

ViewPoint Financial Group, Inc.

     (18,500)         (403,485)         (6,063)   

Vitacost.com, Inc.

     (37,500)         (296,625)         21,654   

WD-40 Co.

     (9,250)         (670,533)         (47,141)   

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc.

     (2,500)         (120,875)         (9,441)   

Woodward, Inc.

     (1,750)         (70,158)         17   

York Water Co.

     (3,500)         (72,485)         1,446   
     

 

 

 

Total of Short Equity Positions

      $ (26,976,930)       $ (431,992)   
     

 

 

 

 

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Table of Contents
Whitebox Long Short Equity Fund    Schedule of Investments
   October 31, 2013

 

Common Abbreviations: 

ADR - American Depository Receipt.

CVR - Contingent Value Rights.

ETF - Exchange Traded Fund.

LIBOR - London Interbank Offered Rate.

LLC - Limited Liability Company.

Ltd. - Limited.

NV – Naamloze Vennootschap is the Dutch term for a public limited liability corporation.

PLC - Public Limited Company.

REIT - Real Estate Investment Trust.

S&P - Standard and Poor’s.

SA – Generally designated corporations in various countries, mostly those employing civil law.

SPDR - Standard and Poor’s Depository Receipt.

Sector Allocation Chart as of October 31, 2013  (% of Net Assets)

(Cash and Cash equivalents not included)

 

LOGO

 

    See Notes to Financial Statements.

 

 
    Annual Report  |  October 31, 2013   43    


Table of Contents
Whitebox Mutual Funds    Statements of Assets and Liabilities
   October 31, 2013

 

         Whitebox Tactical    
Opportunities
         Whitebox Long Short    
Equity
 
  

 

 

 

ASSETS:

     

Investments, at value
(cost $257,353,616 and $30,418,389)

   $ 266,242,904       $ 31,915,090   

Deposit with broker for securities sold short, written options and total return swap contracts

     229,647,034           

Unrealized appreciation on total return swap contracts

     28,662           

Receivable for investments sold

     25,285,427         1,125,076   

Receivable for shares sold

     4,113,479         4   

Receivable due from adviser

             18,411   

Dividends receivable

     68,592         6,405   

Prepaid assets

     11,132         26,376   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total Assets

     525,397,230         33,091,362   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

LIABILITIES:

     

Securities sold short
(proceeds $170,338,205 and $–)

     175,278,097           

Written options, at value
(premiums received $3,501,100 and $36,967)

     2,796,042         38,500   

Payable due to broker for written options and total return swap contracts

             1,987,280   

Payable for total return swap contract payments

     9         139,740   

Unrealized depreciation on total return swap contracts

             431,992   

Payable for investments purchased

     19,110,244         1,067,496   

Payable for shares redeemed

     136,935         885   

Payable due to investment adviser

     188,801           

Payable for distribution and service fees

     13,800         1,297   

Payable for chief compliance officer fee

     1,250         1,250   

Accrued expenses and other liabilities

     161,450         57,166   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total Liabilities

     197,686,628         3,725,606   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

NET ASSETS

   $ 327,710,602      $ 29,365,756  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

   See Notes to Financial Statements.

 

 
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Table of Contents
Whitebox Mutual Funds    Statements of Assets and Liabilities (continued)
   October 31, 2013

 

     Whitebox Tactical
Opportunities
    Whitebox Long Short
Equity
 
  

 

 

 

NET ASSETS CONSIST OF:

    

Paid-in capital

   $ 314,444,862      $ 28,339,155   

Accumulated net investment loss

     (92,588)        (696,701)   

Accumulated net realized gain on investments, securities sold short, written options and total return swaps contracts

     8,675,212        660,126   

Net unrealized appreciation on investments, securities sold short, written options and total return swap contracts

     4,683,116        1,063,176   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

NET ASSETS

   $ 327,710,602      $ 29,365,756   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

PRICING OF SHARES

    

Investor Class:

    

Net Asset Value, offering and redemption price per share(a)

   $ 12.77      $ 10.62   

Net Assets

   $ 20,394,320      $ 1,211,419   

Shares of beneficial interest outstanding

     1,597,199        114,049   

Maximum offering price per share (NAV/0.955, based on maximum sales charge of 4.50% of the offering price)

   $ 13.37      $ 11.12   

Advisor Class:

    

Net Asset Value, offering and redemption price per share

   $ 12.79      $ 10.61   

Net Assets

   $ 48,430,574      $ 5,900,946   

Shares of beneficial interest outstanding

     3,785,397        555,942   

Institutional Class:

    

Net Asset Value, offering and redemption price per share

   $ 12.84      $ 10.64   

Net Assets

   $ 258,885,708      $ 22,253,391   

Shares of beneficial interest outstanding

     20,163,450        2,090,765   

 

(a)  Redemption price per share may be reduced for any applicable contingent deferred sales charge. For a description of a possible sales charge, please see the Fund’s Prospectus.

 

 

    See Notes to Financial Statements.

 
    Annual Report  |  October 31, 2013   45    


Table of Contents
Whitebox Mutual Funds    Statements of Operations
   For the Year Ended October 31, 2013

 

     Whitebox Tactical
Opportunities
     Whitebox Long
Short Equity(a)
 
  

 

 

 

INVESTMENT INCOME:

     

Dividends

   $ 1,189,327      $ 204,826  

Foreign taxes withheld

     (3,363)        (205)  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total Investment Income

     1,185,964        204,621  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

EXPENSES:

     

Investment advisory fee

     1,020,351        268,720  

Administration fee

     164,884        54,423  

Distribution and service fees

     

Investor Class

     22,466        1,881  

Advisor Class

     47,317        4,957  

Custodian fee

     11,941        33,234  

Legal and audit fees

     206,067        67,773  

Transfer agent fee

     49,049        35,828  

Trustees’ fees and expenses

     37,500        37,500  

State registration fees

     41,150        9,680  

Chief compliance officer fee

     9,355        9,355  

Dividend expense on securities sold short

     901,458        1,316  

Interest expense

     239,220        12,496  

Offering cost expense

     24,063        136,218  

Other expenses

     79,475        18,175  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total expenses

     2,854,296        691,556  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Less fees waived/reimbursed by investment adviser

     

Investor Class

     (29,395)        (15,117)  

Advisor Class

     (61,580)        (40,503)  

Institutional Class

     (175,385)        (310,744)  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total Net Expenses

     2,587,936        325,192  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

NET INVESTMENT LOSS:

     (1,401,972)        (120,571)  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

    See Notes to Financial Statements.

 
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Table of Contents
Whitebox Mutual Funds    Statements of Operations (continued)
   For the Year Ended October 31, 2013

 

      Whitebox Tactical
Opportunities
     Whitebox Long
Short Equity(a)
 

Net realized gain on investments

   $ 6,439,189       $ 5,045,735   

Net realized gain/(loss) on securities sold short

     1,865,506         (352,238)   

Net realized gain on written options

     1,941,000         22,545   

Net realized loss on total return swap contracts

     (87,273)         (4,738,683)   

Net realized gain on foreign currency transactions

     1,168         397   

Long-term capital gain distributions from other investment companies

             189   

Net change in unrealized appreciation on investments

     8,303,958         1,496,701   

Net change in unrealized depreciation on securities sold short

     (4,858,776)           

Net change in unrealized appreciation/(depreciation) on written options

     634,994         (1,533)   

Net change in unrealized appreciation/(depreciation) on total return swap contracts

     28,662         (431,992)   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net realized and unrealized gain on investments, securities sold short, written options and total return swap contracts

     14,268,428         1,041,121   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net increase in net assets resulting from operations

   $ 12,866,456       $ 920,550   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

(a) The Fund commenced operations on November 1, 2012.

 

    See Notes to Financial Statements.

 
    Annual Report  |  October 31, 2013   47    


Table of Contents
Whitebox Tactical Opportunities Fund    Statements of Changes in Net Assets
  

 

 

 

     For the Year
Ended October 31,
2013
     For the Period
December 1, 2011
(Commencement)
to

October 31, 2012
 

OPERATIONS:

     

Net investment loss

   $ (1,401,972)       $ (22,683)   

Net realized gain on investments, securities sold short, written options, total return swaps, and foreign currency transactions

     10,159,590         154,587   

Net change in unrealized appreciation on investments, securities sold short, written options and total return swap contracts

     4,108,838         574,278   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net increase in net assets resulting from operations

     12,866,456         706,182   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

DISTRIBUTIONS TO SHAREHOLDERS:

     

From net investment income:

     

Investor Class

     (8,138)           

Advisor Class

     (16,034)           

Institutional Class

     (13,650)           

From net realized gains on investments:

     

Investor Class

     (65,834)           

Advisor Class

     (135,241)           

Institutional Class

     (103,910)           
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total distributions

     (342,807)           
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

    See Notes to Financial Statements.

 
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Table of Contents
Whitebox Tactical Opportunities Fund    Statements of Changes in Net Assets (continued)
  

 

     For the Year
Ended October 31,
2013
     For the Period
December 1, 2011
(Commencement)
to

October 31, 2012
 

CAPITAL SHARE TRANSACTIONS (NOTE 8):

     

Investor Class

     

Shares sold

   $ 16,608,565       $ 3,851,833   

Dividends reinvested

     73,576           

Shares redeemed, net of redemption fees

     (1,275,866)         (92,849)   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net increase from share transactions

     15,406,275         3,758,984   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Advisor Class

     

Shares sold

     43,836,862         9,597,212   

Dividends reinvested

     141,628           

Shares redeemed, net of redemption fees

     (5,710,974)         (1,781,298)   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net increase from share transactions

     38,267,516         7,815,914   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Institutional Class

     

Shares sold

     252,947,687         5,314,769   

Dividends reinvested

     114,466           

Shares redeemed, net of redemption fees

     (9,055,154)         (189,686)   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net increase from share transactions

     244,006,999         5,125,083   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net increase in net assets

     310,204,439         17,406,163   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

NET ASSETS:

     

Beginning of period

     17,506,163         100,000   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

End of period (including accumulated net investment income/(loss) of $(92,588) and $1,856)

   $ 327,710,602       $ 17,506,163   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

    See Notes to Financial Statements.

 
    Annual Report  |  October 31, 2013   49    


Table of Contents
Whitebox Long Short Equity Fund    Statement of Changes in Net Assets
  

 

     For the Year Ended
October 31, 2013(a)
 

OPERATIONS:

  

Net investment loss

   $ (120,571)   

Net realized loss on investments, securities sold short, written options, total return swap contracts, and foreign currency transactions

     (22,244)   

Long-term capital gain distributions from other investment companies

     189   

Net change in unrealized appreciation on investments, securities sold short, written options and total return swap contracts

     1,063,176   
  

 

 

 

Net increase in net assets resulting from operations

     920,550   
  

 

 

 

CAPITAL SHARE TRANSACTIONS (NOTE 8):

  

Investor Class

  

Shares sold

     1,359,991   

Shares redeemed, net of redemption fees

     (203,372)   
  

 

 

 

Net increase from share transactions

     1,156,619   
  

 

 

 

Advisor Class

  

Shares sold

     6,750,513   

Shares redeemed, net of redemption fees

     (1,019,297)   
  

 

 

 

Net increase from share transactions

     5,731,216   
  

 

 

 

Institutional Class

  

Shares sold

     35,274,331   

Shares redeemed, net of redemption fees

     (13,716,960)   
  

 

 

 

Net increase from share transactions

     21,557,371   
  

 

 

 

Net increase in net assets

     29,365,756   
  

 

 

 

NET ASSETS:

  

Beginning of period

       
  

 

 

 

End of period (including accumulated net investment loss of $(696,701))

   $ 29,365,756   
  

 

 

 

 

(a)  The Fund commenced operations on November 1, 2012.

 

    See Notes to Financial Statements.

 
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Table of Contents
Whitebox Tactical Opportunities Fund    Financial Highlights

Investor Class

  

 

For a share outstanding throughout the periods presented.

     For the Year Ended
October 31, 2013
    For the Period
December 1, 2011
(Commencement) to
October 31, 2012
 

 

 

NET ASSET VALUE, BEGINNING OF PERIOD

   $ 11.43      $ 10.00   

INCOME/(LOSS) FROM OPERATIONS:

    

Net investment loss(a)

     (0.18)        (0.03)   

Net realized and unrealized gain on investments

     1.72        1.46   
  

 

 

 

Total from Investment Operations

     1.54        1.43   
  

 

 

 

LESS DISTRIBUTIONS:

    

From investment income

     (0.02)          

From net realized gains

     (0.18)          
  

 

 

 

Total Distributions

     (0.20)          
  

 

 

 

REDEMPTION FEES ADDED TO PAID IN CAPITAL

     0.00 (b)      0.00 (b) 
  

 

 

 

NET INCREASE IN NET ASSET VALUE

     1.34        1.43   
  

 

 

 

NET ASSET VALUE, END OF PERIOD

   $ 12.77      $ 11.43   
  

 

 

 

TOTAL RETURN

     13.67     14.30% (c) 

RATIOS/SUPPLEMENTAL DATA:

    

Net assets, End of Period (in 000s)

   $ 20,394          $ 4,031       

RATIOS TO AVERAGE NET ASSETS:

    

Ratio of expenses to average net assets excluding fee waivers and reimbursements(d)

     3.05%        10.16% (e) 

Ratio of expenses to average net assets including fee waivers and reimbursements(d)

     2.72%        1.92% (e) 

Ratio of net investment loss to average net assets

     (1.45)%        (0.34)% (e) 

PORTFOLIO TURNOVER RATE

     163%        74% (c) 

 

(a)    Per share amounts are based upon average shares outstanding.
(b)    Less than $0.005 per share.
(c)    Not Annualized.
(d)    Dividend expense on securities sold short and interest expense totaled 1.12% of the average net assets for the year ended October 31, 2013 and 0.32% (annualized) of the average net assets for the period ended October 31, 2012.
(e)    Annualized.

 

   See Notes to Financial Statements.

    Annual Report  |  October 31, 2013   51    


Table of Contents
Whitebox Tactical Opportunities Fund    Financial Highlights
Advisor Class   

 

For a share outstanding throughout the periods presented.

     For the Year Ended
October 31, 2013
    For the Period
December 1, 2011
(Commencement) to
October 31, 2012
 

 

 

NET ASSET VALUE, BEGINNING OF PERIOD

   $ 11.44      $ 10.00   

INCOME/(LOSS) FROM OPERATIONS:

    

Net investment loss(a)

     (0.18)        (0.05)   

Net realized and unrealized gain on investments

     1.72        1.49   
  

 

 

 

Total from Investment Operations

     1.54        1.44   
  

 

 

 

LESS DISTRIBUTIONS:

    

From investment income

     (0.02)          

From net realized gains

     (0.18)          
  

 

 

 

Total Distributions

     (0.20)          
  

 

 

 

REDEMPTION FEES ADDED TO PAID IN CAPITAL

     0.01        0.00 (b) 
  

 

 

 

NET INCREASE IN NET ASSET VALUE

     1.35        1.44   
  

 

 

 

NET ASSET VALUE, END OF PERIOD

   $ 12.79      $ 11.44   
  

 

 

 

TOTAL RETURN

     13.74     14.40 %(c) 

RATIOS/SUPPLEMENTAL DATA:

    

Net assets, End of Period (in 000s)

   $ 48,431          $ 8,022       

RATIOS TO AVERAGE NET ASSETS:

    

Ratio of expenses to average net assets excluding fee waivers and reimbursements(d)

     3.04     7.28 %(e) 

Ratio of expenses to average net assets including fee waivers and reimbursements(d)

     2.72     1.92 %(e) 

Ratio of net investment loss to average net assets

     (1.49)     (0.46) %(e) 

PORTFOLIO TURNOVER RATE

     163     74 %(c) 

 

(a)    Per share amounts are based upon average shares outstanding.
(b)    Less than $0.005 per share.
(c)    Not Annualized.
(d)    Dividend expense on securities sold short and interest expense totaled 1.12% of the average net assets for the year ended October 31, 2013 and 0.32% (annualized) of the average net assets for the period ended October 31, 2012.
(e)    Annualized.

 

   See Notes to Financial Statements.

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Table of Contents
Whitebox Tactical Opportunities Fund    Financial Highlights
Institutional Class   

 

For a share outstanding throughout the periods presented.

     For the Year Ended
October 31, 2013
    For the Period
December 1, 2011
(Commencement) to
October 31, 2012
 

 

 

NET ASSET VALUE, BEGINNING OF PERIOD

   $ 11.46      $ 10.00   

INCOME/(LOSS) FROM OPERATIONS:

    

Net investment loss(a)

     (0.16)        (0.02)   

Net realized and unrealized gain on investments

     1.74        1.48   
  

 

 

 

Total from Investment Operations

     1.58        1.46   
  

 

 

 

LESS DISTRIBUTIONS:

    

From investment income

     (0.02)          

From net realized gains

     (0.18)          
  

 

 

 

Total Distributions

     (0.20)          
  

 

 

 

REDEMPTION FEES ADDED TO PAID IN CAPITAL

     0.00 (b)      0.00 (b) 
  

 

 

 

NET INCREASE IN NET ASSET VALUE

     1.38        1.46   
  

 

 

 

NET ASSET VALUE, END OF PERIOD

   $ 12.84      $ 11.46   
  

 

 

 

TOTAL RETURN

     14.01     14.60 %(c) 

RATIOS/SUPPLEMENTAL DATA:

    

Net assets, End of Period (in 000s)

   $ 258,886          $ 5,453       

RATIOS TO AVERAGE NET ASSETS:

    

Ratio of expenses to average net assets excluding fee waivers and reimbursements(d)

     2.70     9.44 %(e) 

Ratio of expenses to average net assets including fee waivers and reimbursements(d)

     2.47     1.67 %(e) 

Ratio of net investment loss to average net assets

     (1.34)     (0.17) %(e) 

PORTFOLIO TURNOVER RATE

     163     74 %(c) 

 

 

 

(a)    Per share amounts are based upon average shares outstanding.
(b)    Less than $0.005 per share.
(c)    Not Annualized.
(d)    Dividend expense on securities sold short and interest expense totaled 1.12% of the average net assets for the year ended October 31, 2013 and 0.32% (annualized) of the average net assets for the period ended October 31, 2012.
(e)    Annualized.

 

   See Notes to Financial Statements.

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Table of Contents
Whitebox Long Short Equity Fund    Financial Highlights
Investor Class   

 

For a share outstanding throughout the period presented.

     For the Year Ended
October 31, 2013(a)
 

 

 

NET ASSET VALUE, BEGINNING OF PERIOD

   $ 10.00   

INCOME/(LOSS) FROM OPERATIONS:

  

Net investment loss(b)

     (0.11)   

Net realized and unrealized gain on investments

     0.73   
  

 

 

 

Total from Investment Operations

     0.62   
  

 

 

 

NET INCREASE IN NET ASSET VALUE

     0.62   
  

 

 

 

NET ASSET VALUE, END OF PERIOD

   $ 10.62   
  

 

 

 

TOTAL RETURN

     6.20

RATIOS/SUPPLEMENTAL DATA:

  

Net assets, End of Period (in 000s)

   $ 1,211       

RATIOS TO AVERAGE NET ASSETS:

  

Ratio of expenses to average net assets excluding fee waivers and reimbursements(c)

     4.04

Ratio of expenses to average net assets including fee waivers and reimbursements(c)

     2.03

Ratio of net investment loss to average net assets

     (1.12)

PORTFOLIO TURNOVER RATE

     351

 

(a)    The Fund commenced operations on November 1, 2012.
(b)    Per share amounts are based upon average shares outstanding.
(c)    Dividend expense on securities sold short and interest expense totaled 0.08% (annualized) of the average net assets for the period ended October 31, 2013.

 

   See Notes to Financial Statements.

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Whitebox Long Short Equity Fund    Financial Highlights
Advisor Class   

 

For a share outstanding throughout the period presented.

     For the Year Ended
October 31, 2013(a)
 

 

 

NET ASSET VALUE, BEGINNING OF PERIOD

   $ 10.00   

INCOME/(LOSS) FROM OPERATIONS:

  

Net investment loss(b)

     (0.14)   

Net realized and unrealized gain on investments

     0.75   
  

 

 

 

Total from Investment Operations

     0.61   
  

 

 

 

REDEMPTION FEES ADDED TO PAID IN CAPITAL

     0.00 (c) 
  

 

 

 

NET INCREASE IN NET ASSET VALUE

     0.61   
  

 

 

 

NET ASSET VALUE, END OF PERIOD

   $ 10.61   
  

 

 

 

TOTAL RETURN

     6.10

RATIOS/SUPPLEMENTAL DATA:

  

Net assets, End of Period (in 000s)

   $ 5,901       

RATIOS TO AVERAGE NET ASSETS:

  

Ratio of expenses to average net assets excluding fee waivers and reimbursements(d)

     4.07

Ratio of expenses to average net assets including fee waivers and reimbursements(d)

     2.03

Ratio of net investment loss to average net assets

     (1.35)

PORTFOLIO TURNOVER RATE

     351

 

(a)    The Fund commenced operations on November 1, 2012.
(b)    Per share amounts are based upon average shares outstanding.
(c)    Less than $0.005 per share.
(d)    Dividend expense on securities sold short and interest expense totaled 0.08% (annualized) of the average net assets for the period ended October 31, 2013.

 

   See Notes to Financial Statements.

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Table of Contents
Whitebox Long Short Equity Fund    Financial Highlights
Institutional Class   

 

For a share outstanding throughout the period presented.

 

     For the Year Ended
October 31, 2013(a)
 

 

 

NET ASSET VALUE, BEGINNING OF PERIOD

   $ 10.00   

INCOME/(LOSS) FROM OPERATIONS:

  

Net investment loss(b)

     (0.06)   

Net realized and unrealized gain on investments

     0.70   
  

 

 

 

Total from Investment Operations

     0.64   
  

 

 

 

REDEMPTION FEES ADDED TO PAID IN CAPITAL

     0.00 (c) 
  

 

 

 

NET INCREASE IN NET ASSET VALUE

     0.64   
  

 

 

 

NET ASSET VALUE, END OF PERIOD

   $ 10.64   
  

 

 

 

TOTAL RETURN

     6.40

RATIOS/SUPPLEMENTAL DATA:

  

Net assets, End of Period (in 000s)

   $ 22,253       

RATIOS TO AVERAGE NET ASSETS:

  

Ratio of expenses to average net assets excluding fee waivers and reimbursements(d)

     3.82

Ratio of expenses to average net assets including fee waivers and reimbursements(d)

     1.78

Ratio of net investment loss to average net assets

     (0.56)

PORTFOLIO TURNOVER RATE

     351

 

(a)  The Fund commenced operations on November 1, 2012.
(b) Per share amounts are based upon average shares outstanding.
(c) Less than $0.005 per share.
(d) Dividend expense on securities sold short and interest expense totaled 0.08% (annualized) of the average net assets for the period ended October 31, 2013.

 

    See Notes to Financial Statements.

 

 
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Table of Contents
Whitebox Mutual Funds    Notes to Financial Statements
   October 31, 2013

 

1. ORGANIZATION

 

Whitebox Mutual Funds (the “Trust”) was organized as a Delaware statutory trust and is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), as an open-end management investment company issuing its shares in series, each series representing a distinct portfolio with its own investment objectives and policies. The Trust currently offers shares of beneficial interest of Whitebox Tactical Opportunities Fund and Whitebox Long Short Equity Fund (each, a “Fund” and together, the “Funds”). Whitebox Tactical Opportunities Fund commenced operations on December 1, 2011 and Whitebox Long Short Equity Fund commenced operations on November 1, 2012. The investment objective of Whitebox Tactical Opportunities Fund is to provide investors with a high level of total investment return, consistent with prudent investment management. The investment objective of Whitebox Long Short Equity Fund is to provide investors with consistent investment returns with low correlation to the U.S. equity markets. The Funds are classified as non-diversified as defined in the 1940 Act.

The Funds are authorized to issue shares in three share classes: Investor Shares (offered generally and subject to a front-end sales charge for investments of up to $1 million and a contingent deferred sales charge for investments of $1 million or more), Advisor Shares (offered without a front-end or contingent deferred sales charge only to clients of registered investment advisors and participants in certain employee benefit plans) and Institutional Shares (offered without a front-end or contingent deferred sales charge to institutions and individuals investing at least $5 million). All classes of shares have identical rights to earnings, assets and voting privileges, except for class specific expenses and exclusive rights to vote on matters solely affecting such class.

2. SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

 

The following is a summary of significant accounting policies consistently followed by the Funds. These policies are in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”).

The preparation of financial statements in accordance with GAAP requires management to make certain estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts in the financial statements during the reporting period. Management believes these estimates and security valuations are appropriate; however, actual results may differ from those estimates, and the security valuations reflected in the financial statements may differ from the value the Funds ultimately realize upon sale of the securities.

 

(a)

Portfolio securities traded on a national securities exchange or in the over-the-counter market are valued at the closing price on the principal exchange or market as of the close of regular trading hours on the day the securities are being valued, or, sales price on the Composite Market. Lacking any sales, securities are valued at the mean between the most recent quoted bid and asked prices on the principal exchange or market. Foreign securities are valued on the basis of quotations from the primary market in which they are traded, and are translated from the local currency into U.S. dollars using exchange rates as of the close of the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) or using methods determined by Whitebox Advisors LLC (the “Adviser”) pursuant to procedures established under the general supervision and responsibility of the Board of Trustees (the “Board”). The Fund may use a systematic fair valuation model provided by an independent pricing service to value foreign equity securities in order to capture events occurring between the time a foreign exchange closes and the close of the NYSE that may affect the value of the Fund’s securities traded on those foreign exchanges. These foreign equity securities are generally categorized as Level 2 in the hierarchy when they are fair valued, but are otherwise categorized as Level 1. Debt securities having maturities of 60 days or less may be valued at acquisition cost, plus or

 

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Whitebox Mutual Funds    Notes to Financial Statements
   October 31, 2013

 

 

minus any amortization or accretion. Securities and other assets for which quotations are not readily available or deemed unreliable are valued at their fair value using methods determined by the Adviser. The Board may also make a fair value determination if it reasonably determines that a significant event, which materially affects the value of a security, occurs after the time at which the market price for the security is determined but prior to the time at which the Fund’s net asset value is calculated. Fair valuation of a particular security is an inherently subjective process, with no single standard to utilize when determining a security’s fair value. As such, different mutual funds could reasonably arrive at a different fair value price for the same security. In each case where a security is fair valued, consideration is given to the facts and circumstances relevant to the particular situation. This consideration includes reviewing various factors set forth in the pricing procedures adopted by the Adviser and other factors as warranted. In making a fair value determination, factors that may be considered, among others, include: the type and structure of the security; unusual events or circumstances relating to the security’s issuer; general market conditions; prior day’s valuation; fundamental analytical data; size of the holding; cost of the security on the date of purchase; nature and duration of any restriction on disposition; trading activities and prices of similar securities or financial instruments.

 

(b)

The net asset value (the “NAV”) is generally calculated as of the close of trading on the NYSE (normally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time) every day the NYSE is open. The offering price and redemption price per share is equal to the net asset value per share, except that shares of the Funds are subject to a redemption fee of 2% if redeemed within 60 days of purchase.

 

(c)

The Funds policy is to comply with the requirements under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, applicable to regulated investment companies and each Fund intends to distribute substantially all of its taxable income, as well as net realized gains from the sale of investment securities to shareholders. The Funds accordingly pay no Federal income taxes, and no Federal income tax provision is recorded.

 

  

As of and during the year ended October 31, 2013, the Funds did not have a liability for any unrecognized tax benefits in the accompanying financial statements. The Funds file income tax returns in the U.S. federal jurisdiction and Minnesota.

 

(d)

For financial reporting purposes, transactions are accounted for on trade date on the last business day of the reporting period. Net realized gains and losses on investments are computed on the identified cost basis. The portion of security gains and losses resulting from changes in foreign exchange rates is included with net realized and unrealized gains or losses from investments. Dividend income is recognized on the ex-dividend date, and interest income is recognized on an accrual basis. The Funds amortize premium and accrete discount on investments utilizing the effective interest method. Foreign dividend income may be subject to foreign withholding taxes. Expenses that are specific to a class of shares are charged directly to that share class. Common expenses are allocated daily to each class of shares based upon its proportionate share of total net assets of each Fund.

 

(e)

A restricted security is a security that has been purchased through a private offering and cannot be resold to the general public without prior registration under the Securities Act of 1933 (the “Act”) or pursuant to the resale limitations provided by Rule 144 under the Act, or an exemption from the registration requirements of the Act. Whether a restricted security is illiquid is determined pursuant to guidelines established by the Board. Not all restricted securities are considered to be illiquid. As of October 31, 2013, the Funds did not hold any restricted securities.

 

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Whitebox Mutual Funds    Notes to Financial Statements
   October 31, 2013

 

3. FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS

 

A three-tier hierarchy has been established to classify fair value measurements for disclosure purposes. Inputs refer broadly to the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability, including assumptions about risk. Inputs may be observable or unobservable. Observable inputs are inputs that reflect the assumptions market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability that are developed based on market data obtained from sources independent of the reporting entity. Unobservable inputs are inputs that reflect the reporting entity’s own assumptions about the assumptions market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability that are developed based on the best information available.

Various inputs are used in determining the value of each Funds’ investments as of the reporting period end. These inputs are categorized in the following hierarchy under applicable financial accounting standards:

 

Level 1 -

 

Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical, unrestricted assets or liabilities that the Fund has the ability to access at the measurement date.

Level 2 -

 

Quoted prices from markets which are not active, quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets or inputs other than quoted prices that are observable (either directly or indirectly) for substantially the full term of the asset or liability.

Level 3 -

 

Significant unobservable prices or inputs (including the Board’s own assumptions in determining the fair value of investments) where there is little or no market activity for the asset or liability at measurement date.

The inputs or methodology used for valuing securities are not necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities.

The following is a summary of the inputs used to value each Funds’ investments as of October 31, 2013:

Whitebox Tactical Opportunities

Investments in Securities at Value    Level 1 -
Quoted Prices
     Level 2 -
Other
Significant
Observable
Inputs
     Level 3 -
Significant
Unobservable
Inputs
     Total  

 

 

Common Stocks(a)

           

Energy

   $       $ 1,252,407       $       $ 1,252,407   

Other

     129,596,522                         129,596,522   

Exchange Traded Funds

     30,795,187                         30,795,187   

Convertible Corporate Bond

             1,319,934                 1,319,934   

Purchased Options

     4,957,605                         4,957,605   

Rights

     1,264,002                         1,264,002   

Short Term Investments

     97,057,247                         97,057,247   

 

 

Total

   $ 263,670,563       $ 2,572,341       $       $ 266,242,904   

 

 

 

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Whitebox Mutual Funds    Notes to Financial Statements
   October 31, 2013

 

 

 

Other Financial Instruments

           

 

 

Assets

           

Total Return Swap Contracts

   $       $ 28,662       $       $ 28,662   

Liabilities

           

Securities Sold Short

           

Common Stocks(a)

     (98,340,232)                         (98,340,232)   

Exchange Traded Funds

     (76,937,865)                         (76,937,865)   

Written Options

     (2,796,042)                         (2,796,042)   

 

 

Total

   $ (178,074,139)       $ 28,662       $       $ (178,045,477)   

 

 

 

Whitebox Long Short Equity

 

  

  
Investments in Securities at Value    Level 1 -
Quoted Prices
     Level 2 -
Other
Significant
Observable
Inputs
     Level 3 -
Significant
Unobservable
Inputs
     Total  

 

 

Common Stocks(a)

   $ 26,039,320       $       $       $ 26,039,320   

Preferred Stocks

     4,223                         4,223   

Exchange Traded Funds

     933,108                         933,108   

Rights

     47,500                         47,500   

Warrants

             1,936                 1,936   

Short Term Investments

     4,889,003                         4,889,003   

 

 

Total

   $ 31,913,154       $ 1,936       $       $ 31,915,090   

 

 
           

 

 

Other Financial Instruments

           

 

 

Liabilities

           

Written Options

   $ (38,500)       $       $       $ (38,500)   

Total Return Swap Contracts

             (431,992)                 (431,992)   

 

 

Total

   $ (38,500)       $ (431,992)       $       $ (470,492)   

 

 

 

(a)  For detailed descriptions of industries, see the accompanying Schedule of Investments.

The Funds recognize transfers between levels at the end of the reporting period. There were no transfers between Level 1 and Level 2 during the year ended October 31, 2013. For the year ended October 31, 2013, the Funds did not have unobservable inputs (Level 3) used in determining fair value.

 

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Whitebox Mutual Funds    Notes to Financial Statements
   October 31, 2013

 

4. DERIVATIVE INSTRUMENTS

 

The Funds may invest in a broad array of financial instruments and securities, the value of which is “derived” from the performance of an underlying asset or a “benchmark” such as a security index, an interest rate, or a currency. In particular, the Funds may engage in transactions in options, and total return swaps (a) to hedge against anticipated declines in the market value of its portfolio securities or currencies and against increases in the market values of securities or currencies it intends to acquire, (b) to manage exposure to changing interest rates (duration management), (c) to enhance total return or (d) to invest in eligible asset classes with a greater efficiency and lower cost than is possible through direct investment.

Fair values of derivatives presented in the financial statements are not netted with the fair value of other derivatives or with any collateral amounts posted by the Funds or any counterparty.

Market Risk Factors: In pursuit of its investment objectives, each Fund may seek to use derivatives to increase or decrease its exposure to the following market risk factors:

Equity Risk: Equity risk relates to the change in value of equity securities as they relate to increases or decreases in the general market.

Risk of Investing in Derivatives: The Funds use of derivatives can result in losses due to unanticipated changes in the market risk factors and the overall market. In instances where the Funds are using derivatives to decrease or hedge exposures to market risk factors for securities held by the Funds, there are also risks that those derivatives may not perform as expected, resulting in losses for the combined or hedged positions.

Derivatives may have little or no initial cash investment relative to their market value exposure and therefore can produce significant gains or losses in excess of their cost. This use of embedded leverage allows the Funds to increase market value exposure relative to net assets and can substantially increase the volatility of the Funds’ performance.

Additional associated risks from investing in derivatives also exist and potentially could have significant effects on the valuation of the derivatives and the Funds. Typically, the associated risks are not the risks that the Funds are attempting to increase or decrease exposure to, per their investment objectives, but are the additional risks from investing in derivatives.

Examples of these associated risks are liquidity risk, which is the risk that a Fund will not be able to sell the derivative in the open market in a timely manner, and counterparty credit risk, which is the risk that the counterparty will not fulfill its obligation to a Fund. Associated risks can be different for each type of derivative and are discussed by each derivative type in the notes that follow.

Purchased and Written Options: Options can be highly volatile investments and involve certain risks. These strategies require the ability to anticipate future movements in securities prices, interest rates, currency exchange rates and other economic factors. Attempts to use such investments may not be successful and could result in reduction of a Fund’s total return. The Funds could experience losses if the prices of options positions move in a direction different than anticipated, or if the Funds were unable to close out positions due to disruptions in the market or lack of liquidity. Over-the-counter options generally involve greater credit and liquidity risks than

 

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Whitebox Mutual Funds    Notes to Financial Statements
   October 31, 2013

 

exchange-traded options. Options traded on foreign exchanges generally are not regulated by U.S. authorities, and may offer less liquidity and less protection to the Funds if the other party to the contract defaults.

The Funds’ use of options and other investment techniques for hedging purposes involves the risk that changes in the value of a hedging investment will not match those of the asset or security being hedged. Hedging is the use of one investment to offset the effects of another investment. Imperfect or no correlation of the values of the hedging instrument and the hedged security or asset might occur because of characteristics of the instruments themselves or unrelated factors involving, for example, the markets on which the instruments are traded. As a result, hedging strategies may not always be successful. While hedging strategies can help reduce or eliminate portfolio losses, they can also reduce or eliminate portfolio gains.

Written option activity for the year ended October 31, 2013 was as follows:

Whitebox Tactical Opportunities

 

     Written Call Options     Written Put Options  
     Contracts     Premiums     Contracts     Premiums  

 

 

Outstanding, October 31, 2012

     526      $ 106,015        255      $ 48,308   

Positions opened

     21,729        4,945,914        21,036        3,457,348   

Exercised

     (5,641     (1,647,921     (1,229     (296,641

Expired

     (3,535     (632,849     (9,932     (1,321,581

Closed

     (4,084     (745,745     (2,641     (411,748

Split

     11                        

 

 

Outstanding, October 31, 2013

     9,006      $ 2,025,414        7,489      $ 1,475,686   

 

 

Market Value, October 31, 2013

     $ (1,715,679     $ (1,080,363

 

 

 

Whitebox Long Short Equity

 

        
     Written Call Options     Written Put Options  
     Contracts     Premiums     Contracts     Premiums  

 

 

Outstanding, October 31, 2012

          $             $   

Positions opened

     1,022        91,547        479        28,641   

Exercised

     (628     (50,231     (115     (9,648

Expired

     (292     (10,920     (194     (11,697

Closed

     (3     (15     (20     (710

Split

     40                        

 

 

Outstanding, October 31, 2013

     139      $ 30,381        150      $ 6,586   

 

 

Market Value, October 31, 2013

     $ (35,200     $ (3,300

 

 

Swap Agreements: The Funds may enter into swap agreements for hedging and non-hedging purposes. These transactions would be entered into in an attempt to obtain a particular return when it is considered desirable to do so, possibly at a lower cost to the Funds than if the Funds had invested directly in the asset that yielded the desired return. In a standard swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the returns (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined investments or instruments, which may be adjusted for an interest

 

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   October 31, 2013

 

factor. The gross returns to be exchanged or “swapped” between the parties are generally calculated with respect to a “notional amount” (i.e., the return on or increase in value of a particular dollar amount invested at a particular interest rate, in a particular foreign currency, or in a “basket” of securities representing a particular index). All outstanding swap agreements are reported in each Fund’s schedule of investments.

International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc. Master Agreements (“ISDA Master Agreements”) govern OTC financial derivative transactions entered into by the Funds and those counterparties. The ISDA Master Agreements maintain provisions for general obligations, representations, agreements, collateral and events of default or termination. Events of termination include conditions that may entitle counterparties to elect to terminate early and cause settlement of all outstanding transactions under the applicable ISDA Master Agreement. Any election to early terminate could be material to the financial statements.

Total Return Swaps: Certain Funds may invest in total return swaps. Total return swaps are contracts in which one party agrees to make periodic payments to another party based on the change in market value of the assets underlying the contract, which may include a specified security, basket of securities or securities indices during the specified period, in return for periodic payments based on a fixed or variable interest rate or the total return from other underlying assets. Total return swap agreements may be used to obtain exposure to a security or market without owning or taking physical custody of such security or investing directly in such market. Total return swap agreements may effectively add leverage to a Fund’s portfolio because, in addition to its total net assets, a Fund would be subject to investment exposure on the notional amount of the swap. Generally, a Fund will enter into total return swaps on a net basis (i.e., the two payment streams are netted against one another with the Fund receiving or paying, as the case may be, 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 total return swap will be accrued on a daily basis, and an amount of liquid assets having an aggregate net asset value at least equal to the accrued excess will be segregated by the Fund.

Total return swaps are subject to the risk that a counterparty will default on its payment obligations to the Fund thereunder. Swap agreements also bear the risk that the Fund will not be able to meet its obligation to the counterparty. If the total return swap transaction is entered into on other than a net basis, the full amount of a Fund’s obligations will be accrued on a daily basis, and the full amount of a Fund’s obligations will be segregated by each Fund in an amount equal to or greater than the market value of the liabilities under the total return swap agreement or the amount it would have cost each Fund initially to make an equivalent direct investment, plus or minus any amount each Fund is obligated to pay or is to receive under the total return swap agreement.

Use of Segregated and Other Special Accounts: Use of many derivatives by the Funds will require, among other things, that the Funds designate liquid assets to cover its obligations under the derivative to the extent a Fund’s obligations are not otherwise “covered” through ownership of the underlying security, financial instrument or currency or otherwise. In general, either the full amount of any obligation by the Funds to pay or deliver securities or assets must be covered at all times by the securities, instruments or currency required to be delivered, or, subject to any regulatory restrictions, an amount of liquid assets at least equal to the current amount of the obligation (determined each business day) must be designated.

 

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Whitebox Mutual Funds    Notes to Financial Statements
   October 31, 2013

 

The effect of derivative instruments on the Statements of Assets and Liabilities as of October 31, 2013:

 

Derivatives Not

Accounted for as

Hedging Instruments

  

Asset Derivatives

Statement of

Assets and

Liabilities Location

   Fair Value     

Liability Derivatives

Statement of Assets and

Liabilities Location

   Fair Value  

 

 

Whitebox Tactical Opportunities

  

     

Equity Contracts (Purchased Options)

   Investments, at value    $ 4,957,605       N/A      N/A   

Equity Contracts (Rights)

   Investments, at value      1,264,002       N/A      N/A   

Equity Contracts (Written Options)

   N/A      N/A       Written options, at value    $ 2,796,042   

Equity Contracts (Total Return Swap Contracts)

   Unrealized appreciation on total return swap contracts      28,662       Unrealized depreciation on total return swap contracts        

 

 
      $     6,250,269          $     2,796,042   

 

 

Whitebox Long Short Equity

  

     

Equity Contracts (Rights)

   Investments, at value    $ 47,500       N/A      N/A   

Equity Contracts (Written Options)

   N/A      N/A       Written options, at value    $ 38,500   

Equity Contracts (Warrants)

   Investments, at value      1,936       N/A      N/A   

Equity Contracts (Total Return Swap Contracts)

   Unrealized appreciation on total return swap contracts            Unrealized depreciation on total return swap contracts      431,992   

 

 
      $ 49,436          $ 470,492   

 

 

 

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Table of Contents
Whitebox Mutual Funds    Notes to Financial Statements
   October 31, 2013

 

The effect of derivatives instruments on the Statements of Operations for the year ended October 31, 2013:

 

Derivatives Not

Accounted for as

Hedging Instruments

 

Location of Gain/(Loss) on

Derivatives Recognized in

Income

   Realized
Gain/(Loss)
on Derivatives
Recognized in
Income
     Change in
Unrealized
Gain/(Loss) on
Derivatives
Recognized in
Income
 

 

 

Whitebox Tactical Opportunities

  

Equity Contracts (Purchased Options)

 

Net realized gain on investments/Net change in unrealized appreciation on investments

   $ (2,699,926)       $ (90,450)   

Equity Contracts (Rights)

 

Net realized gain on investments/Net change in unrealized appreciation on investments

             60,662   

Equity Contracts (Written Options)

 

Net realized gain on written options/Net change in unrealized appreciation/(depreciation) on written options

     1,941,000         634,994   

Equity Contracts (Total Return Swap Contracts)

 

Net realized loss on total return swap contracts/Net change in unrealized appreciation/(depreciation) on total return swap contracts

     (87,273)         28,662   

 

 

Total

     $ (846,199)       $ 633,868   

 

 

Whitebox Long Short Equity

  

Equity Contracts (Purchased Options)

 

Net realized gain on investments/Net change in unrealized appreciation on investments

   $ 33,864       $   

Equity Contracts (Rights)

 

Net realized gain on investments/Net change in unrealized appreciation on investments

     (80)         1,292   

Equity Contracts (Warrants)

 

Net realized gain on investments/Net change in unrealized appreciation on investments

     (63,009)         (24,312)   

Equity Contracts (Written Options)

 

Net realized gain on written options/Net change in unrealized appreciation/(depreciation) on written options

     22,545         (1,533)   

Equity Contracts (Total Return Swap Contracts)

 

Net realized loss on total return swap contracts/Net change in unrealized appreciation/(depreciation) on total return swap contracts

     (4,738,683)         (431,992)   

 

 

Total

     $ (4,745,363)       $ (456,545)   

 

 

 

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Table of Contents
Whitebox Mutual Funds    Notes to Financial Statements
   October 31, 2013

 

Volume of Derivative Instruments for the Funds for the year ended October 31, 2013 was as follows:

 

Derivative Type    Unit of Measurement    Monthly Average

Whitebox Tactical Opportunities

       

Purchased Options

   Contracts        9,130  

Rights

   Shares        402,859  

Written Options

   Contracts        (5,859 )

Total Return Swap Contracts

   Notional Quantity        500,000  

Whitebox Long Short Equity

       

Purchased Options

   Contracts        49  

Rights

   Shares        15,853  

Warrants

   Shares        26,467  

Written Options

   Contracts        (161 )

Total Return Swap Contracts

   Notional Quantity        (464,276 )

5. INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENTS AND OTHER TRANSACTIONS WITH AFFILIATES

 

The Funds have an Investment Advisory Agreement (the “Agreement”) with the Advisor, with whom certain officers and one trustee of the Trust are affiliated, to furnish investment advisory services to the Funds. Under the terms of the Agreement, the Whitebox Tactical Opportunities Fund and the Whitebox Long Short Equity Fund compensates the Adviser for its management services at the annual rate of 1.00% and 1.50%, respectively, of each Fund’s average daily net assets.

The Funds have entered into a Fee Waiver and Expense Limitation Agreement with the Adviser whereby the Adviser has contractually agreed, at least until February 28th, 2015, to waive its advisory fee and/or reimburse the Funds’ other expenses to the extent that total operating expenses (exclusive of dividend expense, interest expense and other extraordinary expenses) exceed the annual rate of the Funds’ average daily net assets attributable to each share class as shown in the table below:

 

      Whitebox Tactical Opportunities   Whitebox Long Short Equity

Investor Class

   1.60%   1.95%

Advisor Class

   1.60%   1.95%

Institutional Class

   1.35%   1.70%

Any such waiver or reimbursement is subject to later adjustment to allow the Adviser to recoup amounts waived or reimbursed to the extent actual fees and expenses for a fiscal year are less than the respective expense cap limitations, provided, however, that the Adviser shall only be entitled to recoup such amounts for a period of three years from the date such amount was waived or reimbursed. The Funds may at times reimburse the Adviser for legal fees, which the Adviser has incurred on the Funds’ behalf.

 

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Whitebox Mutual Funds    Notes to Financial Statements
   October 31, 2013

 

As of October 31, 2013, the Adviser may in the future recoup the amounts as follows:

 

Fund    Expires October 31, 2015    Expires October 31, 2016

Whitebox Tactical Opportunities

         

Investor Class

     $         197,550        $ 29,395  

Advisor Class

       129,539          61,580  

Institutional Class

       153,610                  175,385  

Whitebox Long Short Equity

         

Investor Class

       N/A            $ 15,117  

Advisor Class

       N/A              40,503  

Institutional Class

       N/A              310,744  

ALPS Fund Services, Inc. acts the Funds administrator, accountant, and transfer agent. ALPS Distributors, Inc., an affiliate of ALPS Fund Services, Inc., provides distribution services for the Funds. Fees for administration, accounting and distribution services are 0.05% on the first $500 million of managed assets in the Trust, 0.025% on the next $500 million of managed assets and 0.015% on managed assets in excess of $1 billion, subject to an annual minimum fee of $197,000. Fees for transfer agent services include annual open account fees of $7 or $9 per account (depending on the type of account), and are likewise subject to an annual minimum fee of $25,000. In addition to the fees described, there are various additional out-of-pocket expenses that are paid for these services provided to the Fund.

The Funds’ Investor Shares are assessed a front-end sales charge (based on maximum sale charge of 4.50% of the offering price) for investments of up to $1 million, and a contingent deferred sales charge for investments of $1 million or more. Neither the Funds’ Advisor Shares nor Institutional Shares bear any front-end or contingent deferred sales charges. The Funds’ Investor Shares and Advisor Shares bear Rule 12b-1 shareholder servicing fees of 0.25% per annum on the average daily net assets attributed to each such class of Shares. The Institutional Shares are not subject to any sales charges or Rule 12b-1 fees. As distributor of the Funds’ shares, ALPS Distributors, Inc. receives all front-end and contingent deferred sales charges and Rule 12b-1 fees, and retains the portion of such charges and fees not passed through to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries involved in selling each Funds’ shares and servicing Fund shareholders.

The Funds have entered into an agreement with a third-party custodian to provide custody services to the Funds. The Funds will pay the custodian a fee of 0.0075% of each Funds’ first $500 million of average daily net assets and 0.005% on the next $500 million of average daily net assets, plus daily transaction fees and out-of-pocket expenses, subject to an annual minimum fee of $20,000 for the Whitebox Tactical Opportunities Fund and $10,000 for the Whitebox Long Short Equity Fund.

 

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Table of Contents
Whitebox Mutual Funds    Notes to Financial Statements
   October 31, 2013

 

6. FEDERAL INCOME TAXES

 

Components of Distributable Earnings on a Tax Basis: At October 31, 2013, permanent differences in book and tax accounting were reclassified. These differences had no effect on net assets and were primarily attributed to differences in the treatment of organizational costs, net operating loss offset on short term capital gains, swap adjustments and dividend expense on securities sold short. The reclassifications were as follows:

 

      Accumulated Net
Investment Income
     Accumulated Net
Realized Gain
     Paid-in Capital  

Whitebox Tactical Opportunities

   $ 1,345,350       $ (1,332,445)       $ (12,905)   

Whitebox Long Short Equity

     (576,130)         682,181         (106,051)   

As of October 31, 2013, the components of distributable earnings were as follows:

 

      Undistributed
Ordinary
Income
     Accumulated
Capital Gains
     Unrealized
Appreciation
     Other
Cumulative
Effect of
Timing
Differences
    Total  

Whitebox Tactical Opportunities

   $ 7,945,655       $ 1,658,844       $ 4,541,340       $ (880,099   $ 13,265,740   

Whitebox Long Short Equity

             816,200         904,814         (694,413     1,026,601   

The tax components of distributable earnings are determined in accordance with income tax regulations which may differ from the composition of net assets reported under GAAP. These differences were primarily due to the differing tax treatment of wash sales and certain investments.

The Whitebox Long Short Equity Fund elected to defer to the period ending October 31, 2014, late year ordinary losses in the amount of $693,829.

As of October 31, 2013, the Funds had no accumulated capital loss carryforwards.

Unrealized Appreciation and Depreciation on Investments: The amount of net unrealized appreciation/(depreciation) and the cost of investment securities for tax purposes, including short-term securities at October 31, 2013, are displayed in the table below. The difference between book and tax basis unrealized appreciation/(depreciation) for the Funds is attributable primarily to the tax deferral of losses on wash sales and the tax inclusion of constructive sale gains.

 

      Tax Cost of
Investments
     Gross
Unrealized
Appreciation of
Investments
     Gross
Unrealized
Depreciation of
Investments
    Net
Depreciation of
Foreign
Currency and
Derivatives
    Net Tax
Unrealized
Appreciation
 

Whitebox Tactical Opportunities

   $ 257,495,392       $ 15,191,481       $ (6,443,969   $ (4,206,172   $ 4,541,340   

Whitebox Long Short Equity

     30,576,751         2,245,330         (906,991)        (433,525)        904,814   

 

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Table of Contents
Whitebox Mutual Funds    Notes to Financial Statements
   October 31, 2013

 

Tax Distributions: The tax character of the distributions paid by the Funds during the year ended October 31, 2013, were as follows:

 

      Ordinary Income      Long-Term Capital
Gain
 

Whitebox Tactical Opportunities

   $ 302,032       $ 40,775   

Whitebox Long Short Equity

               

The Whitebox Tactical Opportunities Fund did not make any distributions for the period ended October 31, 2012.

7. PURCHASES AND SALES OF INVESTMENT SECURITIES

 

For the year ended October 31, 2013, the aggregate cost of purchases and proceeds from sales of investment securities (excluding any short-term securities, transfers in-kind, short sales and cover shorts) were as follows:

 

Fund    Purchases of Securities    Proceeds From Sales of
Securities

Whitebox Tactical Opportunities

     $         241,563,660        $         109,578,345  

Whitebox Long Short Equity

       56,855,297          57,221,086  

8. CAPITAL SHARE TRANSACTIONS

 

Shares redeemed within 60 days of purchase may incur a 2% short-term redemption fee deducted from the redemption amount. For the year ended October 31, 2013, the amounts listed below were retained by the Funds.

 

Fund    Redemption Fee Retained

Whitebox Tactical Opportunities Fund - Investor Class

     $ 3,050  

Whitebox Tactical Opportunities Fund - Advisor Class

               12,258  

Whitebox Tactical Opportunities Fund - Institutional Class

       9,532  

Whitebox Long Short Equity Fund - Advisor Class

       445  

Whitebox Long Short Equity Fund - Institutional Class

       530  

 

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Table of Contents
Whitebox Mutual Funds    Notes to Financial Statements
   October 31, 2013

 

Transactions in shares of capital stock were as follows:

     For the Year Ended
October 31, 2013
     For the Period
December 1, 2011
(Commencement)
to
October 31, 2012
 

Whitebox Tactical Opportunities

     

Investor Class

     

Shares sold

     1,342,696         360,936   

Dividends reinvested

     6,420           

Shares redeemed

     (104,655)         (8,198)   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net increase in shares outstanding

     1,244,461         352,738   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Advisor Class

     

Shares sold

     3,540,971         859,650   

Dividends reinvested

     12,348           

Shares redeemed

     (469,343)         (158,229)   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net increase in shares outstanding

     3,083,976         701,421   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Institutional Class

     

Shares sold

     20,417,766         482,530   

Dividends reinvested

     9,962           

Shares redeemed

     (740,197)         (16,611)   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net increase in shares outstanding

     19,687,531         465,919   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 
     For the Year Ended
October 31, 2013 (a)
        

Whitebox Long Short Equity

     

Investor Class

     

Shares sold

     134,181      

Shares redeemed

     (20,132)      
  

 

 

    

Net increase in shares outstanding

     114,049      
  

 

 

    

Advisor Class

     

Shares sold

     657,147      

Shares redeemed

     (101,205)      
  

 

 

    

Net increase in shares outstanding

     555,942      
  

 

 

    

Institutional Class

     

Shares sold

     3,462,810      

Shares redeemed

     (1,372,045)      
  

 

 

    

Net increase in shares outstanding

     2,090,765      
  

 

 

    

 

(a)  The Fund commenced operations on November 1, 2012.

 

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Whitebox Mutual Funds    Notes to Financial Statements
   October 31, 2013

 

9. TRUSTEE FEES

 

The Independent Trustees of the Trust receive an annual fee in the amount of $15,000 and an additional $2,500 for attending each regularly scheduled Board or combined Board and Audit Committee meeting. The Trustees are also reimbursed for all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses relating to attendance at meetings. No Interested Trustee, officer or employee of the Adviser or any of its affiliates receives any compensation from the Trust or the Funds for serving as an Interested Trustee, officer or employee of the Trust or the Funds.

10. NEW ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS

 

In December 2011, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued ASU No. 2011-11, Disclosures about Offsetting Assets and Liabilities. The objective of the FASB is to enhance current disclosure requirements on offsetting of certain assets and liabilities and to enable financial statement users to compare financial statements prepared under U.S GAAP and International Financial Reporting Standards.

Specifically, ASU No. 2011-11 requires an entity to disclose both gross and net information for derivatives and other financial instruments that are subject to a master netting arrangement or similar agreement. The standard requires disclosure of collateral received in connection with the master netting arrangements or similar agreements. The effective date of ASU No. 2011-11 is for interim and annual periods beginning on or after January 1, 2013. At this time, management is evaluating the implications of this guidance and the impact it will have on the financial statement amounts and footnote disclosures, if any.

In January 2013, FASB released ASU 2013-01 “Clarifying the Scope of Disclosures about Offsetting Assets and Liabilities”. The objective of this ASU is to clarify the scope of ASU 2011-11 and address any unintended consequences resulting from implementation of ASU 2011-11. ASU 2011-11 and ASU 2013-01 are effective for the annual periods beginning on or after January 1, 2013 and the interim periods within those annual periods. Management is currently evaluating the impact of these ASU’s will have on the Funds’ financial statements.

11. CONTINGENCIES AND COMMITMENTS

 

Pursuant to the Funds’ Declaration of Trust, Investment Advisory Agreement and Distribution Agreement, officers, trustees, employees and agents of the Funds will not be liable to the Funds, any shareholder, officer, trustee, employee, agent or other person for any action or failure to act, except for bad faith, willful misfeasance, gross negligence or reckless disregard of duties, and those individuals may be indemnified against liabilities in connection with the Funds, subject to the same exceptions. The Funds have purchased an insurance policy insuring its officers and trustees against liabilities, and certain costs of defending claims against such officers and trustees, to the extent such officers and trustees are not found to have committed conduct constituting willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard in the performance of their duties. The insurance policy also insures the Funds against the cost of indemnification payments to officers under certain circumstances.

12. SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

 

The Investment Advisor has evaluated the need for disclosures and/or adjustments resulting from subsequent events relating to the Funds. There were no such events or transactions requiring adjustments to or disclosure in the Funds’ financial statements.

 

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Table of Contents
Whitebox Mutual Funds   

Report of Independent Registered

Public Accounting Firm

  

 

The Board of Trustees and Shareholders of

Whitebox Mutual Funds

We have audited the accompanying statements of assets and liabilities, including the schedules of investments, of Whitebox Tactical Opportunities Fund and Whitebox Long Short Equity Fund (each a series of Whitebox Mutual Funds) as of October 31, 2013, and the related statements of operations and changes in net assets and financial highlights for the year then ended. These financial statements and financial highlights are the responsibility of management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements and financial highlights based on our audits. The accompanying financial statements of the Whitebox Tactical Opportunities Fund as of October 31, 2012 and for the period then ended were audited by other auditors whose report thereon dated December 21, 2012, expressed an unqualified opinion on those financial statements.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements and financial highlights are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our procedures included confirmation of securities owned as of October 31, 2013, by correspondence with the custodian and brokers, or by other appropriate auditing procedures. An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

In our opinion, the financial statements and financial highlights referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the aforementioned Whitebox Mutual Funds as of October 31, 2013, the results of their operations, the changes in their net assets, and the financial highlights for the year then ended, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

 

LOGO

Minneapolis, Minnesota

December 20, 2013

 

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Table of Contents
Whitebox Mutual Funds    Additional Information
   October 31, 2013 (Unaudited)

 

1. PROXY VOTING POLICIES AND VOTING RECORD

 

A copy of the Trust’s Proxy Voting and Disclosure Policy and the Advisor’s Proxy Voting and Disclosure Policy are included as Appendix B to the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information and are available, (1) without charge, upon request, by calling 1–855–296–2866 and (2) on the SEC’s website at http://ww.sec.gov. Information regarding how the Fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the most recent 12–month period ended June 30 will be available (1) without charge, upon request, by calling the Funds at the number above and (2) on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov.

2. QUARTERLY PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS

 

The Fund files its complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the SEC for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year on Form N–Q. The Fund’s Forms N–Q are available on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. You may review and make copies at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. Additionally, you may obtain copies of the Fund’s form N–Q by calling the Fund at 1-855-296-2866. Information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling the SEC at 1–800–SEC–0330, (1–800–732–0330).

3. TAX INFORMATION (UNAUDITED)

 

The Fund designates the following for federal income tax purposes for distributions made during the calendar year ended December 31, 2012:

 

      QDI           DRD       

Whitebox Tactical Opportunities Fund

     28.20        24.84  

In early 2013, if applicable, shareholders of record received this information for the distribution paid to them by the Fund during the calendar year 2012 via Form 1099. The Fund will notify shareholders in early 2014 of amounts paid to them by the Funds, if any, during the calendar year 2013.

Pursuant to Section 852(b)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, the Whitebox Tactical Opportunities Fund designated $40,775 as long-term capital gain distribution.

4. CHANGE IN INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

 

On September 6, 2013, the Audit Committee of the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of the Trust recommended, and the Board appointed, KPMG LLP as the Trust’s independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2013. At the same meeting, the Board of the Trust approved the dismissal of Ernst & Young LLP (“Ernst & Young”) as independent registered public accounting firm of the Trust . The previous reports issued by Ernst & Young on the Trust’s financial statements for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2012 contained no adverse opinion or disclaimer of opinion nor were they qualified or modified as to uncertainty, audit scope or accounting principles. During the fiscal year referred to above and the subsequent interim period through September 6, 2013 (i) there were no disagreements with Ernst & Young on any matter of accounting principles or practices, financial statement disclosure or auditing scope or procedure, which disagreements, if not resolved to the satisfaction of Ernst & Young, would have caused it to make reference to the subject matter of the disagreements in connection with its reports on the Trust’s financial statements for such years; and (ii) there were no reportable events. The Trust has requested Ernst & Young to furnish it a letter addressed to the Commission stating whether it agrees with the above statements.

 

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Table of Contents
Whitebox Mutual Funds    Trustees & Officers
   October 31, 2013

 

The business and affairs of the Fund are managed under the direction of its Board. The Board approves all significant agreements between a Fund and the persons or companies that furnish services to the Fund, including agreements with its distributor, Adviser, administrator, custodian and transfer agent. The day-to-day operations of the Fund are delegated to the Fund’s Adviser and administrator.

The name, address, age and principal occupations for the past five years of the Trustees and officers of the Trust are listed below, along with the number of portfolios in the Fund complex overseen by each Trustee. During the past five years none of the Independent Trustees has served as a director of a public company or mutual fund.

INDEPENDENT TRUSTEES

 

Name, Address* and Age    Length of
Time
Served
   Position
with Trust
  

Principal Occupation During

The Past Five Years

   Number of
Portfolios
in the Fund
Complex
Overseen by
Trustee**

Lee Liberman Otis

c/o Whitebox Mutual Funds

3033 Excelsior Boulevard

Suite 300

Minneapolis, MN 55416

Age: 57

  

Since

June

2011

   Trustee    Since 2007, Senior Vice President and Director, Faculty Division of The Federalist Society.    2

Joseph M. Barsky III

c/o Whitebox Mutual Funds

3033 Excelsior Boulevard

Suite 300

Minneapolis, MN 55416

Age: 64

  

Since

June

2011

   Trustee    Since October 2011, Executive Vice President of Twele Capital Management. From 2003 to 2011, Program Director of Carlson Funds Enterprise at Carlson School of Management – University of Minnesota.    2

Timothy J. Healy

c/o Whitebox Mutual Funds

3033 Excelsior Boulevard

Suite 300

Minneapolis, MN 55416

Age: 48

  

Since

June

2011

   Trustee    Since 2004, President and Owner of Team Spine (a distributor of medical equipment).    2

 

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Whitebox Mutual Funds    Trustees & Officers
   October 31, 2013

 

INTERESTED TRUSTEE          
Name, Address* and Age    Length of
Time
Served
  

Position

with Trust

  

Principal Occupation During

The Past Five Years

  

Number of
Portfolios

in the Fund
Complex
Overseen by
Trustee**

Mark M. Strefling

Whitebox Mutual Funds

3033 Excelsior Boulevard

Suite 300

Minneapolis, MN 55416

Age: 44

  

Since

June

2011

   Chairman; Trustee    General Counsel and Chief Operating Officer of the Adviser since June 2013; General Counsel and Chief Legal Officer of the Adviser from February 2008 to June 2013; Partner of Faegre & Benson LLP (now Faegre Baker Daniels LLP), legal counsel to the Adviser and the Trust, from 2005 to 2008; Associate at Faegre & Benson LLP from 1999 to 2005.    2

OFFICERS

 

Name, Address* and Age    Length of Time
Served
  

Position

with Trust

  

Principal Occupation During

The Past Five Years

Bruce W. Nordin

3033 Excelsior Boulevard

Suite 300

Minneapolis, MN 55416

Age: 58

  

Indefinite term;

served since

March 2012

   President    Managing Director of special situations and workouts of the Adviser since 2005.

Lucas Foss

1290 Broadway

Denver, CO 80203

Age: 36

  

Indefinite term;

served since

February 2013

   Chief Compliance Officer    Deputy Chief Compliance Officer of ALPS Fund Services since August 2012; Compliance Manager for ALPS from January 2010 until August 2012; Senior Compliance Analyst from June 2006 until December 2009; Fund Accounting Supervisor from November 2004 until May 2006.

 

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Whitebox Mutual Funds    Trustees & Officers
   October 31, 2013

 

OFFICERS (continued)          
Name, Address* and Age    Length of Time
Served
  

Position

with Trust

  

Principal Occupation During

The Past Five Years

Michael McCormick

3033 Excelsior Boulevard

Suite 300

Minneapolis, MN 55416

Age: 50

  

Indefinite term;

served since

November 2013

   Treasurer and Secretary    Chief Financial Officer of the Adviser since September 2013; Director in the Global Markets, Financing and Futures business at Bank of America/Merrill Lynch from 2010 to 2013; Executive Director at UBS from 2006 to 2010; Director at UBS from 2005 to 2006.

Matthew L. Thompson

90 South Seventh Street

Suite 2200

Minneapolis, MN 55402

Age: 56

  

Indefinite term;

served since

Trust’s inception (2011)

   Assistant Secretary    Partner of Faegre Baker Daniels LLP, legal counsel to the Adviser and the Trust, since 1995.

 

* 

All communications to Trustees and Officers may be directed to Mark M. Strefling, Trustee and Chairman, Whitebox Mutual Funds, 3033 Excelsior Boulevard, Suite 300, Minneapolis, MN 55416.

** 

The Fund Complex for all Trustees consists of Whitebox Tactical Opportunities Fund and the Whitebox Long Short Equity Fund, the only active registered investment companies for which the Adviser provides investment advisory services.

Additional information about members of the Board of Trustees & Officers is available in the Statement of Additional Information (SAI). To obtain a free copy of the SAI, please call 1-855-296-2866.

 

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Whitebox Mutual Funds    Glossary
   October 31, 2013 (Unaudited)

 

Barclay’s U.S. Aggregate Bond Index: A fixed income, market-value-weighted index generally representative of investment grade fixed-rate debt issues, including government, corporate, asset-backed, and mortgage-backed securities with maturities of at least one year.

Beta: A measure of a fund’s sensitivity to market movements. The beta of the market is 1.00 by definition. A beta above 1 is more volatile than the overall market, while a beta below 1 is less volatile.

Blue chip: Well-known, financially sound companies with large capitalization that have a history of growth and dividend payments. These companies typically comprise the top 100 in terms of market capitalization.

Call: As it relates to options, the right to buy a specific number of shares at a specified price by a fixed date.

Free cash flow: A measure of financial performance calculated as operating cash flow minus capital expenditures.

HFRI EH Equity Market Neutral Index: Comprised of funds which utilize equity market neutral strategies. Equity Market Neutral strategies employ sophisticated quantitative techniques of analyzing price data to ascertain information about future price movement and relationships between securities, select securities for purchase and sale. These can include both Factor-based and Statistical Arbitrage/Trading strategies. Factor-based investment strategies include strategies in which the investment thesis is predicated on the systematic analysis of common relationships between securities. In many but not all cases, portfolios are constructed to be neutral to one or multiple variables, such as broader equity markets in dollar or beta terms, and leverage is frequently employed to enhance the return profile of the positions identified. Statistical Arbitrage/Trading strategies consist of strategies in which the investment thesis is predicated on exploiting pricing anomalies which may occur as a function of expected mean reversion inherent in security prices; high frequency techniques may be employed and trading strategies may also be employed on the basis on technical analysis or opportunistically to exploit new information the investment manager believes has not been fully, completely or accurately discounted into current security prices. Equity Market Neutral Strategies typically maintain characteristic net equity market exposure no greater than 10% long or short.

Long-Dated Treasury Bond: A negotiable, coupon-bearing debt obligation issued by the U.S. government and backed by its full faith and credit, where maturity of the bond is at least 15 years or more.

Option straddle: An options strategy with which the investor holds a position in both a call and put with the same strike price and expiration date.

Put: As it relates to options, a contract that grants the right to sell at a specified price a specific number of shares by a certain date.

S&P 500 Index: Comprised of 500 common stocks chosen for market size, liquidity, and industry group representation. It is a market-value weighted index (stock price times number of shares outstanding), with each stock’s weight in the Index proportionate to its market value.

Fat Right Tail: A fat tail, or fat-tailed distribution, is a short-hand term describing a particular probability distribution in which moderately extreme outcomes are more likely than might otherwise be expected. In finance, the term often refers to potential movement in a stock’s price that greatly exceeds what would be predicted by the normal distribution. A right tail refers to a positive surprise; a left tail refers to a negative surprise.

 

    Annual Report  |  October 31, 2013   77    


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Item 2.   Code of Ethics.
 

(a)    The Registrant, as of the end of the period covered by the report, has adopted a code of ethics that applies to the Registrant’s principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer or controller or any persons performing similar functions on behalf of the Registrant.

 

(b)    Not applicable.

 

(c)    During the period covered by this report, no amendments were made to the provisions of the code of ethics adopted in 2(a) above.

 

(d)    During the period covered by this report, no implicit or explicit waivers to the provisions of the code of ethics adopted in 2(a) above were granted.

 

(e)    Not applicable.

 

(f)    The Registrant’s Code of Ethics is attached as an Exhibit hereto.

Item 3.  

Audit Committee Financial Expert.

 

The Board of Trustees of the Registrant has determined that the Registrant has at least one audit committee financial expert serving on its audit committee. The Board of Trustees has designated Mr. Joseph M. Barsky as the Trust’s “audit committee financial expert,” as defined in Form N-CSR under the 1940 Act, based on the Board’s review of his qualifications.

  Mr. Barsky is “independent” as defined in paragraph (a)(2) of Item 3 to Form N-CSR


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Item 4.   Principal Accountant Fees and Services.
 

(a)      Audit Fees: For the Registrant’s fiscal years ended October 31, 2013 and October 31, 2012, the aggregate fees billed for professional services rendered by the principal accountant for the audit of the Registrant’s annual financial statements were $53,000 and $19,800, respectively. For the Registrant’s fiscal year ended October 31, 2013 KPMG LLP served as the principal accountant and for the Registrant’s fiscal year ended October 31, 2012 Ernst & Young LLP served as the principle accountant. In 2013, the amount of $53,000 was paid to KPMG LLP and in 2012; the amount of $19,800 was paid to Ernst & Young LLP.

 

(b)      Audit-Related Fees: For the Registrant’s fiscal years ended October 31, 2013 and October 31, 2012, the aggregate fees billed for assurance and related services by the principal accountant that are reasonably related to the performance of the audit of the Registrant’s annual financial statements and are not reported under paragraph a of this Item were $0 and $9,250, respectively. For the Registrant’s fiscal year ended October 31, 2013 KPMG LLP served as the principal accountant and for the Registrant’s fiscal year ended October 31, 2012 Ernst & Young LLP served as the principle accountant. In 2013, no audit related fees were paid to KPMG LLP and in 2012; the amount of $9,250 was paid to Ernst & Young LLP.

 

(c)      Tax Fees: For the Registrant’s fiscal years ended October 31, 2013 and October 31, 2012, aggregate fees of $8,400 and $4,600, respectively, were billed for professional services rendered by the principal accountant for tax compliance, tax advice, and tax planning. In the fiscal years 2013 and 2012 tax fees were for services for dividend calculation, excise tax preparation and tax return preparation. For the Registrant’s fiscal year ended October 31, 2013 KPMG LLP served as the principal accountant and for the Registrant’s fiscal year ended October 31, 2012 Ernst & Young LLP served as the principle accountant. In 2013, the amount of $8,400 was paid to KPMG LLP and in 2012; the amount of $4,600 was paid to Ernst & Young LLP.

 

(d)    

 

(e)      All Other Fees: For the Registrant’s fiscal years ended October 31, 2013 and October 31, 2012, no fees were billed to Registrant by the principal accountant for services other than the services reported in paragraphs (a) through (c) of this item.

 

(e)(1) Audit Committee Pre-Approval Policies and Procedures: All services to be performed by the Registrant’s principal auditors must be pre-approved by the Registrant’s audit committee.

 

(e)(2) No services described in paragraphs (b) through (d) were approved pursuant to paragraph (c)(7)(i)(C) of Rule 2-01 of Regulation S-X.

 

(f)      Not applicable.


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(a)      The aggregate non-audit fees billed by the Registrant’s principle accountant for the fiscal years ended October 31, 2013 and October 31, 2012 were $8,400 and $13,850, respectively. For the Registrant’s fiscal year ended October 31, 2013 KPMG LLP served as the principal accountant and for the Registrant’s fiscal year ended October 31, 2012 Ernst & Young LLP served as the principle accountant. In 2013, the amount of $8,400 paid to KPMG LLP and in 2012; the amount of $13,850 was paid to Ernst & Young LLP.

 

(g)    

 

(h)      Not applicable.

Item 5.  

Audit  Committee of Listed Registrants.

Not applicable.
Item 6.   Schedule of Investments.
The Schedule of Investments is included as part of the Report to Stockholders filed under Item 1 of this form.
Item 7.  

Disclosure of Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures for Closed-End Management

Investment Companies.

Not applicable.
Item 8.   Portfolio Managers of Closed-End Management Investment Companies.
Not applicable.
Item 9.   Purchases of Equity Securities by Closed-End Management Investment Company and
Affiliated Purchasers.
Not applicable.
Item 10.   Submission of Matters to Vote of Security Holders.
There have been no material changes to the procedures by which shareholders may recommend nominees to the registrant’s Board of Trustees.
Item 11.   Controls and Procedures.
 

(a)      The Registrant’s principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, have concluded that the Registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 30a-3(c) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”) (17 CFR 270.30a-3(c))) are effective, as of a date within 90 days of the filing


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date of the report that includes the disclosure required by this paragraph, based on their evaluation of these controls and procedures required by Rule 30a-3(b) under the 1940 Act (17 CFR 270.30a-3(b)) and Rules 13a-15(b) or 15d-15(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (17 CFR 240.13a-15(b) or 240.15d-15(b)).

 

(b)      No changes in the Registrant’s internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 30a-3(d) under the 1940 Act (17 CFR 270.30a-3(d)) occurred during the Registrant’s second fiscal quarter of the period covered by this report that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

Item 12.   Exhibits.
 

(a)(1) The code of ethics that applies to the registrant’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer is attached hereto as EX-12.A.1.

 

(a)(2) The certifications required by Rule 30a-2(a) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 are attached hereto as Ex99.Cert.

 

(a)(3) Not applicable.

 

(b)      The certifications by the registrant’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer, as required by Rule 30a-2(b) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 are attached hereto as Ex99.906Cert.


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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

WHITEBOX MUTUAL FUNDS

 

By:  

/s/ Bruce W. Nordin

  Bruce W. Nordin
  President
Date:   January 6, 2014

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

 

By:  

/s/ Bruce W. Nordin

  Bruce W. Nordin
  President (Principal Executive Officer)
Date:   January 6, 2014

 

By:  

/s/ Michael McCormick

 

Michael McCormick

  Treasurer
Date:   January 6, 2014