N-1A/A 1 vst-n1aa_051122.htm AMENDMENT TO FORM N-1A

 

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 11, 2022

 

1933 Act Registration No. 333-263619

1940 Act Registration No. 811-23785

 

United States

Securities and Exchange Commission

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

Form N-1A

 

 

Registration Statement Under the Securities Act of 1933

Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1

Post-Effective Amendment No. __

and/or

Registration Statement Under the Investment Company Act of 1940

Amendment No. 1

 

Volatility Shares Trust

 (Exact name of registrant as specified in charter)

2000 PGA Blvd

Suite 4400

Palm Beach Gardens, Florida 33408

(Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)

 

Registrant’s Telephone Number, including Area Code: (202) 854-1343

 

Corporation Service Company

251 Little Falls Drive
Wilmington, New Castle County, Delaware 19808

(Name and Address of Agent for Service)

 

Copy to:

 

Morrison C. Warren
Chapman and Cutler LLP
320 South Canal Street
Chicago, Illinois 60606

 

Approximate Date of Proposed Public Offering: As soon as practicable after the effective date of this Registration Statement.

 

The Registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 or until the Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.

 

 

 

 

Contents of Registration Statement

 

This Registration Statement comprises the following papers and contents:

 

The Facing Sheet

 

Part A - Prospectus for Volatility Shares S&P 500 High Volatility Index ETF

 

Part B – Statement of Additional Information for Volatility Shares S&P 500 High Volatility Index ETF

 

Part C - Other Information

 

Signatures

 

Index to Exhibits

 

Exhibits

- i -

 

 

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

 

Subject to Completion

Dated May 11, 2022

 

PROSPECTUS

 

Volatility Shares S&P 500 High Volatility Index ETF
(Ticker: [   ])

 

 

__________, 2022

 

Volatility Shares S&P 500 High Volatility Index ETF (the “Fund”), a series of Volatility Shares Trust, intends to list and principally trade its shares on CBOE BZX Exchange, Inc. (the “Exchange”). Shares of the Fund trade on the Exchange at market prices that may be below, at or above the Fund’s net asset value.

 

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

 
 

 

 


Table of Contents

 

Summary Information 1
Additional Information About the Fund’s Investment Strategies 9
Additional Risks of Investing in the Fund 10
Management of the Fund 16
How to Buy and Sell Shares 18
Dividends, Distributions and Taxes 19
Distributor 22
Net Asset Value 22
Fund Service Providers 24
Index Information 24
Financial Highlights 26
Premium/Discount Information 26
Investments by Other Investment Companies 26

 

 
 

 

 

 

Volatility Shares S&P 500 High Volatility Index ETF

 

 

Investment Objective

 

The Fund seeks investment results, before fees and expenses, that track the performance of the S&P 500 Volatility – Highest Quintile Index (the “Index”).

 

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

 

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). Investors may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and example set forth below.

 

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

 

Management Fees 0.65%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees 0.00%
Other Expenses(1) 0.00%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.65%
(1)“Other Expenses” are estimates based on the expenses the Fund expects to incur for the current fiscal year.

 

Example

 

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

 

This example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain at current levels. This example does not include the brokerage commissions that investors may pay to buy and sell Shares.

 

Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, your costs, based on these assumptions, would be: 1 Year 3 Years
$66 $208

 

Portfolio Turnover

 

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

 

1

 

 

Principal Investment Strategies

 

The Fund will normally invest at least 80% of its net assets (including investment borrowings) in the equity securities that comprise the S&P 500 Volatility – Highest Quintile Index (the “Index”), which has been developed by S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC (the “Index Provider” or “SPDJI”). The Fund employs a “passive management”—or indexing— investment approach to track the performance of the Index. The Index is designed to measure the performance of the 100 most-volatile stocks in the S&P 500 Index. Constituents in the Index are selected based on their volatility and then weighted by their corresponding volatility.

 

The Index’s starting universe is the common stock of U.S. companies included in the S&P 500 Index as of each rebalancing reference date (“Rebalance Date”). In order to be eligible for inclusion in the Index, a stock must have been issued and trading for at least one calendar year leading up to a Rebalance Date and the issuing company is represented only once on its primary exchange.

 

Once the Index universe is defined based on the eligibility criteria, the volatilities of each of the eligible constituents is calculated based on available price return data for the trailing one year of trading days leading up to each Rebalancing Date. Eligible constituents are then ranked in descending order and the 100 most volatile stocks are selected for inclusion in the Index and are weighted based on their realized volatilities.

 

The Index is rebalance quarterly in February, May, August and November. For additional information regarding the Index, see “Index Information” below.

 

To the extent the Index concentrates (i.e., holds 25% or more of its total assets) in the securities of a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund will concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent as the Index. As of [    ], 2022, a significant portion of the Index is represented by securities of companies in the consumer discretionary, energy and information technology sectors.

 

The Fund is classified as “non-diversified” under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “1940 Act”).

 

Principal Risks

 

As with all investments, there are certain risks of investing in the Fund. The Fund’s Shares will change in value and you could lose money by investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund does not represent a complete investment program. An investment in the Fund is not a bank deposit and it is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency, the Adviser or any of its affiliates. You should consider carefully the following risks before investing in the Fund.

 

Index Performance Risk. The Fund seeks to track the Index, which is maintained by a third-party provider that is unaffiliated with the Fund or the Adviser. There can be no guarantee or assurance that the methodology used by the third-party provider to create the Index will result in the Fund achieving positive returns. Further, there can be no guarantee that the methodology underlying the Index or the daily calculation of the Index will be free from error. The Index used by the Fund may underperform other asset classes and may underperform other similar indices. Each of these factors could have a negative impact on the performance of the Fund.

 

Equity Securities Risk. The value of the Shares will fluctuate with changes in the value of the equity securities in which it invests. Equity securities prices fluctuate for several reasons, including changes in investors’ perceptions of the financial condition of an issuer or the general condition of the relevant stock market, such as the current market volatility, or when political or economic events affecting the issuers occur.

 

2

 

  

High Volatility Risk. Volatility is the characteristic of a security, an index or a market to fluctuate significantly in price within a short period of time. Investments in equity securities can be highly volatile and may experience sudden, large and unexpected losses. The Fund tracks an Index that seeks to measure the performance of the 100 most-volatile stocks in the S&P 500 Index, therefore the Fund may invest in securities that exhibit more volatility than the market as a whole. Such exposures could cause the Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”) to experience significant increases or declines in value over short periods of time. High volatility may have an adverse impact on the performance of the Fund. An investor in the Fund could experience substantial losses and even potentially lose the full principal of his or her investment, the risk of which is heightened during periods of high market volatility.

 

Passive Management Risk. The Fund is not actively managed and instead seeks to track the performance of the Index. Passive management has the following risks associated with it:

 

The Fund invests in the securities included in, or representative of, the Index. The Index Provider or the index calculation agent may make errors, including in selecting index constituents or incorrectly weighting index constituents. This may result in the Fund, in turn, being correctly positioned to an index that has been incorrectly calculated, which could lead to losses to the Fund.

 

In seeking to track the Index’s performance, the Fund may be subject to tracking error, which is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of the Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities and other instruments held in the Fund’s portfolio and those included in the Index, pricing differences, differences in transaction costs, the Fund’s holding of uninvested cash, differences in timing of the accrual of or the valuation of dividends or interest, the requirements to maintain pass-through tax treatment, portfolio transactions carried out to minimize the distribution of capital gains to shareholders, changes to the Index or the costs to the Fund of complying with various new or existing regulatory requirements. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Index does not. This risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. Funds that track indices with significant weight in highly volatile securities may experience higher tracking error than other index ETFs that do not track such indices.

 

The Fund generally will not attempt to take defensive positions in declining markets and generally will not sell a security because its issuer is in financial trouble unless that security is removed from (or was no longer useful in tracking a component of) the Index.

 

Active Market Risk. Although the Shares are listed for trading on the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for the Shares will develop or be maintained. Shares trade on the Exchange at market prices that may be below (a discount), at, or above (a premium) the Fund’s NAV. Securities, including the Shares, are subject to market fluctuations and liquidity constraints that may be caused by such factors as economic, political, or regulatory developments, changes in interest rates, and/or perceived trends in securities prices. Shares of the Fund could decline in value or underperform other investments.

 

3

 

 

Authorized Participant Concentration Risk. Only an authorized participant (“AP”) may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. The Fund has a limited number of institutions that act as APs on an agency basis (i.e., on behalf of other market participants). To the extent that these institutions exit the business or are unable to proceed with creation and/or redemption orders with respect to the Fund and no other AP is able to step forward to create or redeem “Creation Units” (large blocks of a specified number of Shares), in either of these cases, Shares may be more likely to trade at a premium or a discount to the Fund’s NAV and possibly face trading halts and/or delisting.

 

Consumer Discretionary Sector Risk. The Fund has significant exposure to companies in the consumer discretionary sector. Companies in the consumer discretionary sector may be affected by changes in domestic and international economies, exchange and interest rates, competition, consumers’ disposable income, consumer preferences, social trends and marketing campaigns. The Fund is subject to the risk that economic, political, or other conditions that have a negative impact on companies in the consumer discretionary sector which may in turn adversely affect the Fund to a greater extent than if the Fund did not have such significant exposure to the consumer discretionary sector.

 

Cyber Security Risk. The Fund is susceptible to operational risks through breaches in cyber security. A breach in cyber security refers to both intentional and unintentional events that may cause the Fund to lose proprietary information, suffer data corruption or lose operational capacity. Such events could cause the Fund to incur regulatory penalties, reputational damage, additional compliance costs associated with corrective measures and/or financial loss. Cyber security breaches may involve unauthorized access to the Fund’s digital information systems through “hacking” or malicious software coding, but may also result from outside attacks such as denial-of-service attacks through efforts to make network services unavailable to intended users. In addition, cyber security breaches of the Fund’s third-party service providers, such as its administrator, transfer agent, custodian, or Index Provider, as applicable, or issuers in which the Fund invests, can also subject the Fund to many of the same risks associated with direct cyber security breaches. While the Fund has established business continuity plans and risk management systems designed to reduce the risks associated with cyber security, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems. Additionally, there is no guarantee that such efforts will succeed, especially because the Fund does not directly control the cyber security systems of issuers or third-party service providers.

 

Energy Sector Risk. The Fund has significant exposure to companies in the energy sector. The energy sector has historically experienced substantial price volatility. Master limited partnerships (“MLPs”), energy infrastructure companies and other companies operating in the energy sector are subject to specific risks, including, among others: fluctuations in commodity prices and/or interest rates; increased governmental or environmental regulation; reduced availability of natural gas or other commodities for transporting, processing, storing or delivering; declines in domestic or foreign production; slowdowns in new construction; extreme weather or other natural disasters; and threats of attack by terrorists on energy assets. Energy companies can be significantly affected by the supply of, and demand for, particular energy products (such as oil and natural gas), which may result in overproduction or underproduction. Additionally, changes in the regulatory environment for energy companies may adversely impact their profitability. Over time, depletion of natural gas reserves and other energy reserves may also affect the profitability of energy companies.

  

4

 

 

Information Technology Sector Risk. The Fund has significant exposure to companies in the information technology sector. The Fund is subject to the risk that market or economic factors impacting technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technology advances could have a major effect on the value of the Fund’s investments. The value of stocks of technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technology is particularly vulnerable to rapid changes in technology product cycles, rapid product obsolescence, the loss of patent, copyright and trademark protections, government regulation and competition, both domestically and internationally, including competition from foreign competitors with lower production costs. Information technology company stocks, especially those which are Internet related, have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that are often unrelated to their operating performance.

 

Market Maker Risk. If the Fund has lower average daily trading volumes, it may rely on a small number of third-party market makers to provide a market for the purchase and sale of Shares. Any trading halt or other problem relating to the trading activity of these market makers could result in a dramatic change in the spread between the Fund’s NAV and the price at which the Shares are trading on the Exchange, which could result in a decrease in value of the Shares. In addition, decisions by market makers or APs to reduce their role or step away from these activities in times of market stress could inhibit the effectiveness of the arbitrage process in maintaining the relationship between the underlying values of the Fund’s portfolio securities and the Fund’s market price. This reduced effectiveness could result in Shares trading at a discount or a premium to NAV and also in greater than normal intra-day bid-ask spreads for Shares.

 

Market Risk. Market risk is the risk that a particular security, or Shares of the Fund in general, may fall in value. Securities are subject to market fluctuations caused by such factors as economic, political, regulatory or market developments, changes in interest rates and perceived trends in securities prices. Shares of the Fund could decline in value or underperform other investments. In addition, local, regional or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, spread of infectious diseases or other public health issues, recessions, or other events could have a significant negative impact on the Fund and its investments. For example, the novel coronavirus disease first detected in 2019 (“COVID-19”) resulted in a global pandemic that resulted in aggressive responses taken by many governments, including closing borders, restricting international and domestic travel, and the imposition of prolonged quarantines or similar restrictions, which had negative impacts, and in many cases severe impacts, on markets worldwide. While the development of vaccines slowed the spread of COVID-19 and allowed for the resumption of normal business activity in the United States, many countries continue to impose lockdown measures in an attempt to slow the spread. Additionally, there is no guarantee that vaccines will be effective against emerging variants of the disease. As this global pandemic illustrated, such events may affect certain geographic regions, countries, sectors and industries more significantly than others. These events also adversely affect the prices and liquidity of the Fund’s portfolio securities or other instruments and could result in disruptions in the trading markets. Any of such circumstances could have a material negative impact on the value of the Fund’s Shares and result in increased market volatility. During any such events, the Fund’s Shares may trade at increased premiums or discounts to their NAV.

 

Natural Disaster/Epidemic Risk. Natural or environmental disasters, such as earthquakes, fires, floods, hurricanes, tsunamis and other severe weather-related phenomena generally, and widespread disease, including pandemics and epidemics (for example, COVID-19), have been and can be highly disruptive to economies and markets and have recently led, and may continue to lead, to increased market volatility and significant market losses. Such natural disaster and health crises could exacerbate political, social, and economic risks, and result in significant breakdowns, delays, shutdowns, social isolation, and other disruptions to important global, local and regional supply chains affected, with potential corresponding results on the operating performance of the Fund and its investments. A climate of uncertainty and panic, including the contagion of infectious viruses or diseases, may adversely affect global, regional, and local economies and reduce the availability of potential investment opportunities, and increases the difficulty of performing due diligence and modeling market conditions, potentially reducing the accuracy of financial projections. Under these circumstances, the Fund may have difficulty achieving its investment objectives which may adversely impact Fund performance. Further, such events can be highly disruptive to economies and markets, significantly disrupt the operations of individual companies (including, but not limited to, the Fund’s investment adviser, third party service providers, and counterparties), sectors, industries, markets, securities and commodity exchanges, currencies, interest and inflation rates, credit ratings, investor sentiment, and other factors affecting the value of the Fund’s investments. These factors can cause substantial market volatility, exchange trading suspensions and closures, changes in the availability of and the margin requirements for certain instruments, and can impact the ability of the Fund to complete redemptions and otherwise affect Fund performance and Fund trading in the secondary market.

 

5

 

  

New Fund Risk. As of the date of this prospectus, the Fund has no operating history and currently has fewer assets than larger funds. Like other new funds, large inflows and outflows may impact the Fund’s market exposure for limited periods of time. This impact may be positive or negative, depending on the direction of market movement during the period affected.

 

Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is classified as “non-diversified” under the 1940 Act. As a result, the Fund is only limited as to the percentage of its assets which may be invested in the securities of any one issuer by the diversification requirements imposed by the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). The Fund therefore may invest a relatively higher percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers as compared to an investment company classified as “diversified”. As a result, the Fund may be more susceptible to a single adverse economic or regulatory occurrence affecting one or more of these issuers, experience increased volatility and be highly invested in certain issuers.

 

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

 

Premium/Discount Risk. The market price of the Fund’s Shares will generally fluctuate in accordance with changes in the Fund’s NAV as well as the relative supply of and demand for Shares on the Exchange. Shares trade on the Exchange at market prices and not at NAV. Price differences between the Fund’s Share price and NAV may be due, in large part, to the fact that supply and demand forces at work in the secondary trading market for Shares will be closely related, but not identical, to the same forces influencing the prices of the holdings of the Fund trading individually or in the aggregate at any point in time. However, given that Shares can only be purchased and redeemed in Creation Units, and only to and from broker-dealers and large institutional investors that have entered into participation agreements, the Adviser believes that large discounts or premiums to the NAV of Shares should not be sustained. During stressed market conditions, the market for the Fund’s Shares may become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in the market for the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings, which could in turn lead to differences between the market price of the Fund’s Shares and their NAV.

 

6

 

 

Tax Risk. The Fund intends to elect and to qualify each year to be treated as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) under Subchapter M of the Code. As a RIC, the Fund will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the portion of its net investment income and net capital gain that it distributes to Shareholders, provided that it satisfies certain requirements of the Code. If the Fund does not qualify as a RIC for any taxable year and certain relief provisions are not available, the Fund’s taxable income will be subject to tax at the Fund level and to a further tax at the shareholder level when such income is distributed.

 

Trading Issues Risk. Trading in Fund Shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in Fund Shares on the Exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to the Exchange’s “circuit breaker” rules. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged. The Fund may have difficulty maintaining its listing on the Exchange in the event the Fund’s assets are small, the Fund does not have enough shareholders, or if the Fund is unable to proceed with creation and/or redemption orders.

 

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

 

Performance

 

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

 

Management

 

InvestmentAdviser

 

Volatility Shares LLC (the “Adviser” or “Volatility Shares”)

 

Portfolio  Managers

 

Thefollowing persons serve as portfolio managers of the Fund.

 

Stuart Barton — Principal, Volatility Shares LLC

 

Chang Kim — Chief Operating Officer, Volatility Shares LLC

 

Justin Young — Principal, Volatility Shares LLC

 

Each of the portfolio managers is primarily and jointly responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund and has served in such capacity since the Fund’s inception in [month] 2022.

 

7

 

 

Purchase and Sale of Shares

 

The Fund issues and redeems Shares on a continuous basis, at NAV, only in large blocks of shares called “Creation Units.” Individual Shares of the Fund may only be purchased and sold on the secondary market through a broker-dealer at a market price. Since Shares of the Fund trade on securities exchanges in the secondary market at their market price rather than their NAV, the Fund’s Shares may trade at a price greater than (premium) or less than (discount) the Fund’s NAV. An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares of the Fund (ask) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). Recent information, including the Fund’s NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads, is available online at www.volatilityshares.com.

 

Tax Information

 

The Fund’s distributions will generally be taxable as ordinary income, returns of capital or capital gains. A sale of Shares may result in capital gain or loss.

 

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

 

If you purchase Shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Adviser and [DISTRIBUTOR], the Fund’s distributor, may pay the intermediary for the sale of Shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

 

8

 

 

 Additional Information About the Fund’s Investment Strategies 

 

The Fund is a series of Volatility Shares Trust (the “Trust”), and is regulated as an “investment company” under the 1940 Act. The Fund’s investment objective is non-fundamental and may be changed without approval by the holders of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. Unless an investment policy is identified as being fundamental, all investment policies included in this prospectus and the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) are non-fundamental and may be changed by the Board of Trustees of the Trust (the “Board”) without shareholder approval. If there is a material change to the Fund’s investment objective or principal investment strategies, you should consider whether the Fund remains an appropriate investment for you. There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.

 

Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings

 

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

 

Additional Information Regarding the Fund’s Principal Strategy

 

The Fund’s investment objective may be changed by the Board without shareholder approval. Additionally, the Fund may liquidate and terminate at any time without shareholder approval.

 

The Fund uses an “indexing” investment approach to attempt to replicate, before fees and expenses, the performance of the Index. One means of evaluating the relationship between the returns of the Fund and the Index is to assess the “tracking error” between the two. Tracking error means the variation between the Fund’s annual return and the return of the Index, expressed in terms of standard deviation. The Fund seeks to have a tracking error of less than 5%, measured on a monthly basis over a one-year period by taking the standard deviation of the difference in the Fund’s returns versus the Index’s returns.

 

The Fund generally invests in all of the securities comprising the Index in proportion to the weightings of the securities in the Index. However, under various circumstances, it may not be possible or practicable to purchase all of those securities in those same weightings. In those circumstances, the Fund may employ a representative sampling indexing strategy to track the Index. “Representative sampling” is an indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to that of the Index. If the Fund employs a “representative sampling” strategy, securities selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market capitalization and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability and yield) and liquidity measures similar to those of the Index. The Fund may or may not hold all of the securities in the Index.

 

Principal Investments

 

Equity Securities

 

The Fund invests in equity securities, which primarily includes common stocks. Common stock represents an ownership position in a company. Holders of common stock are entitled to the income and increase in the value of the assets and business of the issuer after all debt obligations and obligations to preferred stockholders are satisfied. The prices of equity securities fluctuate based on, among other things, events specific to their issuers and market, economic, and other conditions.

 

9

 

 

Non-Principal Investments

 

Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments

 

The Fund may invest in securities with maturities of less than two years or cash equivalents, or it may hold cash, in order to collateralize its investments or for temporary defensive purposes. The percentage of the Fund invested in such holdings varies and depends on several factors, including market conditions. For temporary defensive purposes and during periods of high cash inflows or outflows, the Fund may depart from its principal investment strategies and invest part or all of its assets in these securities or it may hold cash. During such periods, the Fund may not be able to achieve its investment objective. The Fund may adopt a defensive strategy when the portfolio managers believe instruments in which the Fund normally invests have elevated risks due to political or economic factors and in other extraordinary circumstances.

 

Additional Risks of Investing in the Fund 

 

Risk is inherent in all investing. Investing in the Fund involves risk, including the risk that you may lose all or part of your investment. There can be no assurance that the Fund will meet its stated objective. Before you invest, you should consider the following supplemental disclosure pertaining to the Principal Risks set forth above.

 

Principal Risks

 

Index Performance Risk. The Fund seeks to track the Index, which is maintained by a third-party provider that is unaffiliated with the Fund or the Adviser. There can be no guarantee or assurance that the methodology used by the third-party provider to create the Index will result in the Fund achieving positive returns. Further, there can be no guarantee that the methodology underlying the Index or the daily calculation of the Index will be free from error. It is also possible that the value of the Index may be subject to intentional manipulation by third-party market participants. The Index used by the Fund may underperform other asset classes and may underperform other similar indices. Each of these factors could have a negative impact on the performance of the Fund.

 

Equity Securities Risk. Equity securities risk is the risk that the value of equity securities, including common stocks, will fall. The value of an equity security may fall due to changes in general economic conditions that impact the market as a whole and that are relatively unrelated to an issuer or its industry. These conditions include changes in interest rates, specific periods of overall market turbulence or instability, or general and prolonged periods of economic decline and cyclical change. An issuer’s common stock in particular may be especially sensitive to, and more adversely affected by, these general movements in the stock market; it is possible that a drop in the stock market may depress the price of most or all of the common stocks that a Fund holds. In addition, equity risk includes the risk that investor sentiment toward, and perceptions regarding, particular industries or economic sectors will become negative. Price changes of equity securities may occur in a particular region, industry, or sector of the market, and as a result, the value of an issuer’s common stock may fall solely because of factors, such as increases in production costs, that negatively impact other companies in the same industry or in a number of different industries. Equity securities risk also includes the financial risks of a specific company, including that the value of the company’s securities may fall as a result of factors directly relating to that company, such as decisions made by its management or lower demand for the company’s products or services. In particular, the common stock of a company may decline significantly in price over short periods of time. For example, an adverse event, such as an unfavorable earnings report, may depress the value of common stock; similarly, the common stock of an issuer may decline in price if the issuer fails to make anticipated dividend payments because, among other reasons, the issuer experiences a decline in its financial condition.

 

10

 

  

High Volatility Risk. Volatility is the characteristic of a security, an index or a market to fluctuate significantly in price within a short period of time. Investments in equity securities, including the Fund’s investments, can be highly volatile and may experience sudden, large and unexpected losses. The Fund tracks an Index that seeks to measure the performance of the 100 most-volatile stocks in the S&P 500 Index, therefore the Fund may invest in securities that exhibit more volatility than the market as a whole. Such exposures could cause the Fund’s NAV to experience significant increases or declines in value over short periods of time. Volatility can be caused by many factors, including changes in the economy or financial markets or for reasons specific to a particular issuer. High volatility may have an adverse impact on the performance of the Fund. An investor in the Fund could experience substantial losses and even potentially lose the full principal of his or her investment, the risk of which is heightened during periods of high market volatility.

 

Passive Management Risk. The Fund is not actively managed and instead seeks to track the performance of the Index. Passive management has the following risks associated with it:

 

The Fund invests in the securities included in, or representative of, the Index. The Index Provider or the index calculation agent may make errors. The Index Provider may include index constituents that should have been excluded, or it may exclude index constituents that should have been included. It also may include or exclude constituents at incorrect levels. This may result in the Fund, in turn, being correctly positioned to an index that has been incorrectly calculated. This could lead to losses to the Fund.

 

In seeking to track the Index’s performance, the Fund may be subject to tracking error, which is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of the Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities and other instruments held in the Fund’s portfolio and those included in the Index, pricing differences (including, as applicable, differences between a security’s price at the local market close and the Fund’s valuation of a security at the time of calculation of the Fund’s NAV), differences in transaction costs, the Fund’s holding of uninvested cash, differences in timing of the accrual of or the valuation of dividends or interest, the requirements to maintain pass-through tax treatment, portfolio transactions carried out to minimize the distribution of capital gains to shareholders, changes to the Index or the costs to the Fund of complying with various new or existing regulatory requirements. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Index does not. This risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. Funds that track indices with significant weight in highly volatile securities may experience higher tracking error than other index ETFs that do not track such indices.

 

The Fund generally will not attempt to take defensive positions in declining markets and generally will not sell a security because its issuer is in financial trouble, unless that security is removed from (or was no longer useful in tracking a component of) the Index.

 

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Active Market Risk. Although the Shares are listed for trading on the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for the Shares will develop or be maintained. Shares trade on the Exchange at market prices that may be below (a discount), at, or above (a premium) the Fund’s NAV. Securities, including the Shares, are subject to market fluctuations and liquidity constraints that may be caused by such factors as economic, political, or regulatory developments, changes in interest rates, and/or perceived trends in securities prices. Shares of the Fund could decline in value or underperform other investments.

 

Authorized Participant Concentration Risk. Only an AP may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. The Fund has a limited number of institutions that act as APs on an agency basis (i.e., on behalf of other market participants). To the extent that these institutions exit the business or are unable to proceed with creation and/or redemption orders with respect to the Fund and no other AP is able to step forward to create or redeem Creation Units, in either of these cases, Shares may be more likely to trade at a premium or a discount to the Fund’s NAV and possibly face trading halts and/or delisting.

 

Consumer Discretionary Sector Risk. The Fund has significant exposure to companies in the consumer discretionary sector. The success of consumer product manufacturers and retailers is tied closely to the performance of domestic and international economies, interest rates, exchange rates, competition, consumer confidence, changes in demographics and consumer preferences. Companies in the consumer discretionary sector depend heavily on disposable household income and consumer spending, and may be strongly affected by social trends and marketing campaigns. These companies may be subject to severe competition, which may have an adverse impact on their profitability. The Fund is subject to the risk that economic, political, or other conditions that have a negative impact on companies in the consumer discretionary sector which may in turn adversely affect the Fund to a greater extent than if the Fund did not have such significant exposure to the consumer discretionary sector.

 

Cyber Security Risk. The Fund, Adviser, service providers, APs and the Exchange are susceptible to operational, information security and related “cyber” risks both directly and through their service providers. Similar types of cyber security risks are also present for issuers of securities in which the Fund invests, which could result in material adverse consequences for such issuers and may cause the Fund’s investment in such portfolio companies to lose value. Unlike many other types of risks faced by the Fund, these risks typically are not covered by insurance. In general, cyber incidents can result from deliberate attacks or unintentional events. Cyber incidents include, but are not limited to, gaining unauthorized access to digital systems (e.g., through “hacking” or malicious software coding) for purposes of misappropriating assets or sensitive information, corrupting data, or causing operational disruption. Cyber attacks may also be carried out in a manner that does not require gaining unauthorized access, such as causing denial-of-service attacks on websites (i.e., efforts to make network services unavailable to intended users). Cyber security failures by or breaches of the systems of the Adviser, distributor and other service providers (including, but not limited to, fund accountants, custodians, transfer agents, administrators and/or the Index Provider), market makers, APs or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests, have the ability to cause disruptions and impact business operations, potentially resulting in: financial losses, interference with the Fund’s ability to calculate its NAV, disclosure of confidential trading information, impediments to trading, submission of erroneous trades or erroneous creation or redemption orders, the inability of the Fund or its service providers to transact business, violations of applicable privacy and other laws, regulatory fines, penalties, reputational damage, reimbursement or other compensation costs, or additional compliance costs. In addition, cyber attacks may render records of Fund assets and transactions, shareholder ownership of Shares, and other data integral to the functioning of the Fund inaccessible or inaccurate or incomplete. Substantial costs may be incurred by the Fund in order to resolve or prevent cyber incidents in the future. While the Fund has established business continuity plans in the event of, and risk management systems to prevent, such cyber attacks, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems, including the possibility that certain risks have not been identified and that prevention and remediation efforts will not be successful. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cyber security plans and systems put in place by service providers to the Fund, issuers in which the Fund invests, market makers or APs. The Fund and its shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result.

 

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Energy Sector Risk. The Fund has significant exposure to companies in the energy sector. The energy sector has historically experienced substantial price volatility. Master limited partnerships (“MLPs”), energy infrastructure companies and other companies operating in the energy sector are subject to specific risks, including, among others: fluctuations in commodity prices and/or interest rates; increased governmental or environmental regulation; reduced availability of natural gas or other commodities for transporting, processing, storing or delivering; declines in domestic or foreign production; slowdowns in new construction; extreme weather or other natural disasters; and threats of attack by terrorists on energy assets. Energy companies can be significantly affected by the supply of, and demand for, particular energy products (such as oil and natural gas), which may result in overproduction or underproduction. Additionally, changes in the regulatory environment for energy companies may adversely impact their profitability. Over time, depletion of natural gas reserves and other energy reserves may also affect the profitability of energy companies. During periods of heightened volatility, energy producers that are burdened with debt may seek bankruptcy relief. Bankruptcy laws may permit the revocation or renegotiation of contracts between energy producers and MLPs/energy infrastructure companies, which could have a dramatic impact on the ability of MLPs/energy infrastructure companies to pay distributions to its investors, including the Fund, which in turn could impact the ability of the Fund to pay dividends and dramatically impact the value of the Fund’s investments.

 

Information Technology Sector Risk. The Fund has significant exposure to companies in the information technology sector. The Fund is subject to the risk that market or economic factors impacting technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technology advances could have a major effect on the value of the Fund’s investments. The value of stocks of technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technology is particularly vulnerable to rapid changes in technology product cycles, rapid product obsolescence, the loss of patent, copyright and trademark protections, government regulation and competition, both domestically and internationally, including competition from foreign competitors with lower production costs. Technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technology, especially those of smaller, less-seasoned companies, tend to be more volatile than the overall market. Technology companies are heavily dependent on patent and intellectual property rights, the loss or impairment of which may adversely affect profitability. Additionally, companies in the technology sector may face dramatic and often unpredictable changes in growth rates and competition for the services of qualified personnel.

 

Market Maker Risk. If the Fund has lower average daily trading volumes, it may rely on a small number of third-party market makers to provide a market for the purchase and sale of Shares. Any trading halt or other problem relating to the trading activity of these market makers could result in a dramatic change in the spread between the Fund’s NAV and the price at which the Shares are trading on the Exchange, which could result in a decrease in value of the Shares. In addition, decisions by market makers or APs to reduce their role or step away from these activities in times of market stress could inhibit the effectiveness of the arbitrage process in maintaining the relationship between the underlying values of the Fund’s portfolio securities and the Fund’s market price. This reduced effectiveness could result in Shares trading at a discount or a premium to NAV and also in greater than normal intra-day bid-ask spreads for Shares.

 

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Market Risk. Market risk is the risk that a particular security, or Shares of the Fund in general, may fall in value. Securities are subject to market fluctuations caused by such factors as economic, political, regulatory or market developments, changes in interest rates and perceived trends in securities prices. Shares of the Fund could decline in value or underperform other investments. In addition, local, regional or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, spread of infectious diseases or other public health issues, recessions, or other events could have a significant negative impact on the Fund and its investments. For example, COVID-19 resulted in a global pandemic that resulted in aggressive responses taken by many governments, including closing borders, restricting international and domestic travel, and the imposition of prolonged quarantines or similar restrictions, which had negative impacts, and in many cases severe impacts, on markets worldwide. While the development of vaccines has slowed the spread of COVID-19 and allowed for the resumption of normal business activity in the United States, many countries continue to impose lockdown measures in an attempt to slow the spread. Additionally, there is no guarantee that vaccines will be effective against emerging variants of the disease. As this global pandemic illustrated, such events may affect certain geographic regions, countries, sectors and industries more significantly than others. These events also adversely affect the prices and liquidity of the Fund’s portfolio securities or other instruments and could result in disruptions in the trading markets. Any of such circumstances could have a material negative impact on the value of the Fund’s Shares and result in increased market volatility. During any such events, the Fund’s Shares may trade at increased premiums or discounts to their NAV.

 

Natural Disaster/Epidemic Risk. Natural or environmental disasters, such as earthquakes, fires, floods, hurricanes, tsunamis and other severe weather-related phenomena generally, and widespread disease, including pandemics and epidemics (for example, COVID- 19), have been and can be highly disruptive to economies and markets and have recently led, and may continue to lead, to increased market volatility and significant market losses. Such natural disaster and health crises could exacerbate political, social, and economic risks, and result in significant breakdowns, delays, shutdowns, social isolation, and other disruptions to important global, local and regional supply chains affected, with potential corresponding results on the operating performance of the Fund and its investments. A climate of uncertainty and panic, including the contagion of infectious viruses or diseases, may adversely affect global, regional, and local economies and reduce the availability of potential investment opportunities, and increases the difficulty of performing due diligence and modeling market conditions, potentially reducing the accuracy of financial projections. Under these circumstances, the Fund may have difficulty achieving its investment objectives which may adversely impact Fund performance. Further, such events can be highly disruptive to economies and markets, significantly disrupt the operations of individual companies (including, but not limited to, the Fund’s investment adviser, third party service providers, and counterparties), sectors, industries, markets, securities and commodity exchanges, currencies, interest and inflation rates, credit ratings, investor sentiment, and other factors affecting the value of the Fund’s investments. These factors can cause substantial market volatility, exchange trading suspensions and closures, changes in the availability of and the margin requirements for certain instruments, and can impact the ability of the Fund to complete redemptions and otherwise affect Fund performance and Fund trading in the secondary market. A widespread crisis would also affect the global economy in ways that cannot necessarily be foreseen. How long such events will last and whether they will continue or recur cannot be predicted. Impacts from these could have a significant impact on the Fund’s performance, resulting in losses to your investment.

 

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New Fund Risk. As of the date of this prospectus, the Fund has no operating history and currently has fewer assets than larger funds. Like other new funds, large inflows and outflows may impact the Fund’s market exposure for limited periods of time. This impact may be positive or negative, depending on the direction of market movement during the period affected.

 

Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is classified as “non-diversified” under the 1940 Act. As a result, the Fund is only limited as to the percentage of its assets which may be invested in the securities of any one issuer by the diversification requirements imposed by the Code. The Fund therefore may invest a relatively higher percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers as compared to an investment company classified as “diversified”. As a result, the Fund may be more susceptible to a single adverse economic or regulatory occurrence affecting one or more of these issuers, experience increased volatility and be highly invested in certain issuers.

 

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

 

Premium/Discount Risk. The market price of the Fund’s Shares will generally fluctuate in accordance with changes in the Fund’s NAV as well as the relative supply of and demand for Shares on the Exchange. The Adviser cannot predict whether Shares will trade below, at or above their NAV because the Shares trade on the Exchange at market prices and not at NAV. Price differences may be due, in large part, to the fact that supply and demand forces at work in the secondary trading market for Shares will be closely related, but not identical, to the same forces influencing the prices of the holdings of the Fund trading individually or in the aggregate at any point in time. However, given that Shares can only be purchased and redeemed in Creation Units, and only to and from broker-dealers and large institutional investors that have entered into participation agreements (unlike shares of closed-end funds, which frequently trade at appreciable discounts from, and sometimes at premiums to, their NAV), the Adviser believe that large discounts or premiums to the NAV of Shares should not be sustained. During stressed market conditions, the market for the Fund’s Shares may become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in the market for the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings, which could in turn lead to differences between the market price of the Fund’s Shares and their NAV.

 

Tax Risk. The Fund intends to elect and to qualify each year to be treated as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code. As a RIC, the Fund will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the portion of its net investment income and net capital gain that it distributes to shareholders, provided that it satisfies certain requirements of the Code. If the Fund does not qualify as a RIC for any taxable year and certain relief provisions are not available, the Fund’s taxable income will be subject to tax at the Fund level and to a further tax at the shareholder level when such income is distributed. Additionally, buying securities shortly before the record date for a taxable dividend or capital gain distribution is commonly known as “buying the dividend.” In the event a shareholder purchases Shares shortly before such a distribution, the entire distribution may be taxable to the shareholder even though a portion of the distribution effectively represents a return of the purchase price.

 

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Trading Issues Risk. Trading in Fund Shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in Fund Shares on the Exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to the Exchange’s “circuit breaker” rules. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged. The Fund may have difficulty maintaining its listing on the Exchange in the event the Fund’s assets are small, the Fund does not have enough shareholders, or if the Fund is unable to proceed with creation and/or redemption orders.

 

Management of the Fund

 

The Fund is a series of Volatility Shares Trust, an investment company registered under the 1940 Act. The Fund is treated as a separate fund with its own investment objectives and policies. The Trust is organized as a Delaware statutory trust. The Board is responsible for the overall management and direction of the Trust. The Board elects the Trust’s officers and approves all significant agreements, including those with the Adviser, custodian and fund administrative and accounting agent.

 

Investment Adviser

 

Volatility Shares LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, serves as the Trust’s adviser pursuant to an investment management agreement (the “Investment Advisory Agreement”) and is registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The Adviser was formed for the purpose of sponsoring volatility-linked exchange-traded funds.

 

In its capacity as Adviser, Volatility Shares manages the Fund’s investments subject to the supervision of the Board. The Adviser also arranges for sub-advisory, transfer agency, custody, fund administration, distribution and all other services necessary for the Fund to operate. Further, the Adviser continuously reviews, supervises, and administers the Fund’s investment program.

 

The principal office of the Adviser and the Fund is located at 2000 PGA Blvd, Suite 4400, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida 33408. The telephone number of the Adviser and the Fund is (866) 261-0273. The registration of the Adviser with the CFTC and its membership in the NFA must not be taken as an indication that either the CFTC or the NFA has recommended or approved the Adviser, the Trust and the Fund.

 

Portfolio Managers

 

Stuart Barton, Chang Kim and Justin Young serve as portfolio managers for the Fund.

  

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Stuart Barton holds a PhD in Economic History from the University of Cambridge, an MBA from the University of Surrey, and a B.Sc in engineering from the University of Cape Town. Since March 2017, he has served as Managing Partner of Invest in Vol LLC (overseeing operations at an investment adviser); from September 2016 to March 2017 he was Chief Investment Officer of Rex Shares (overseeing investments at an ETF sponsor); from September 2014 to September 2017 he was Managing Partner at Corpus Capital Partners LLC (overseeing operations at a commodity pool operator); from October 2010 to September 2014 he was a Ph.D. Candidate (completed Ph.D.) at the University of Cambridge, UK; from January 2008 to October 2010 he was unemployed and engaged in travel; from June 2007 to January 2008 he was Senior Equity Derivatives Trader at HSBC’s Hong Kong office (traded derivatives at an investment bank); from September 2004 to June 2007 he was Senior Equity Derivatives Trader at Barclays Capital PLC in New York (traded derivatives at a broker-dealer); and from August 2001 to September 2004 he was Equity Derivatives Trader at Barclays Capital PLC in London.

 

Chang Kim holds a BA in Film Studies from Yale University. From January 2022, he has served as Chief Investment Officer of Invest in Vol LLC (overseeing operations at an investment adviser); from January 2021 to December 2021, he served as the CEO of The Library Shop, Inc. (overseeing operations at an e-commerce business); from September 2009 to December 2020, he served as a Portfolio Manager and the COO at Global X Management Company LLC (overseeing operations at an ETF sponsor).

 

Justin Young holds a BA in American Studies from Georgetown University. Since April 2017, he has served as Managing Partner of Invest in Vol LLC (overseeing operations at an investment adviser); from August 2015 to April 2017, he was Vice President of Rex Shares LLC (overseeing product development at an ETF sponsor); from April 2011 to August 2015 he was Head of Capital Markets for Global X Management Co., (overseeing capital markets operations for an ETF sponsor); and from July 2009 to April 2011 he was an Associate of NYSE Euronext (working on a number of listing matters for a national securities exchange).

 

For additional information concerning the Adviser, including a description of the services provided to the Fund, please see the Fund’s SAI. Additional information regarding the portfolio managers’ compensation, other accounts managed by the portfolio managers and the portfolio managers’ ownership of Shares may also be found in the SAI.

 

Management Fee

 

Pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement between the Adviser and the Trust, on behalf of the Fund, the Adviser manages the Fund’s assets. The Adviser is paid an annual management fee of 0.65% of the Fund’s average daily net assets and is responsible for the Fund’s expenses, including the cost of transfer agency, custody, fund administration, legal, audit and other services, but excluding fee payments under the Investment Management Agreement, interest, taxes, acquired fund fees and expenses, if any, brokerage commissions and other expenses connected with the execution of portfolio transactions, distribution and service fees pursuant to a Rule 12b-1 plan, if any, and extraordinary expenses.

 

A discussion regarding the basis for the Board’s approval of the Investment Advisory Agreement on behalf of the Fund will be available in the Fund’s [Annual] Report to shareholders for the fiscal period ended [    ].

 

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How to Buy and Sell Shares 

 

The Fund will issue or redeem its Shares at NAV per Share only in Creation Units. Most investors will buy and sell Shares in secondary market transactions through brokers. Shares will be listed for trading on the secondary market on the Exchange. Shares can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like other publicly traded shares. Share prices are reported in dollars and cents per Share. There is no minimum investment. When buying or selling Shares through a broker, you will incur customary brokerage commissions and charges, and you may pay some or all of the spread between the bid and the offered price in the secondary market on each leg of a round trip (purchase and sale) transaction. Because Shares trade at market price rather than NAV, an investor may pay more than NAV when purchasing Shares and receive less than NAV when selling Shares.

 

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

 

Book Entry

 

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

 

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

 

Share Trading Prices

 

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

 

Frequent Purchases and Redemptions of Shares

 

Shares may be purchased and redeemed directly from the Fund only in Creation Units by APs that have entered into agreements with the Fund’s distributor. The vast majority of trading in Shares occurs on the secondary market and does not involve the Fund directly. Cash trades on the secondary market are unlikely to cause many of the harmful effects of frequent purchases and/or redemptions of Shares. Cash purchases and/or redemptions of Creation Units, however, can result in disruption of portfolio management, dilution to the Fund and increased transaction costs, which could negatively impact the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objectives, and may lead to the realization of capital gains. These consequences may increase as the frequency of cash purchases and redemptions of Creation Units by APs increases. However, direct trading by APs is critical to ensuring that Shares trade at or close to NAV.

 

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To minimize these potential consequences of frequent purchases and redemptions of Shares, the Fund imposes transaction fees on purchases and redemptions of Creation Units to cover the custodial and other costs the Fund incurs in effecting trades. In addition, the Fund reserves the right to not accept orders from APs that the Adviser has determined may be disruptive to the management of the Fund or otherwise are not in the best interests of the Fund. For these reasons, the Board has not adopted policies and procedures with respect to frequent purchases and redemptions of Shares.

 

Dividends, Distributions and Taxes

 

Ordinarily, dividends from net investment income, if any, are declared and paid at least annually by the Fund. The Fund distributes its net realized capital gains, if any, to shareholders annually.

 

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

 

Taxes

 

This section summarizes some of the main U.S. federal income tax consequences of owning shares of the Fund. This section is current as of the date of this prospectus. Tax laws and interpretations change frequently, and these summaries do not describe all of the tax consequences to all taxpayers. For example, these summaries generally do not describe your situation if you are a corporation, a non-U.S. person, a broker-dealer, or other investor with special circumstances. In addition, this section does not describe your state, local or non-U.S. tax consequences.

 

This federal income tax summary is based in part on the advice of counsel to the Fund. The Internal Revenue Service could disagree with any conclusions set forth in this section. In addition, counsel to the Fund was not asked to review, and has not reached a conclusion with respect to, the federal income tax treatment of the assets to be included in the Fund. This may not be sufficient for you to use as the purpose of avoiding penalties under federal tax law.

 

As with any investment, you should seek advice based on your individual circumstances from your own tax advisor.

 

The Fund intends to qualify as a “regulated investment company” under the federal tax laws. If the Fund qualifies as a regulated investment company and distributes its income as required by the tax law, the Fund generally will not pay federal income taxes.

 

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

 

Unless your investment in Shares is made through a tax-exempt entity or tax-deferred retirement account, such as an IRA plan, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when:

 

Your Fund makes distributions,

 

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You sell your Shares listed on the Exchange, and

 

You purchase or redeem Creation Units.

 

Taxes on Distributions

 

The Fund’s distributions are generally taxable. After the end of each year, you will receive a tax statement that separates the distributions of the Fund into two categories, ordinary income distributions and capital gain dividends. Ordinary income distributions are generally taxed at your ordinary tax rate; however, as further discussed below, certain ordinary income distributions received from the Fund may be taxed at the capital gains tax rates. Generally, you will treat all capital gain dividends as long-term capital gains regardless of how long you have owned your Shares. To determine your actual tax liability for your capital gain dividends, you must calculate your total net capital gain or loss for the tax year after considering all of your other taxable transactions, as described below. In addition, the Fund may make distributions that represent a return of capital for tax purposes and thus will generally not be taxable to you; however, such distributions may reduce your tax basis in your Shares, which could result in you having to pay higher taxes in the future when Shares are sold, even if you sell the Shares at a loss from your original investment. The tax status of your distributions from the Fund is not affected by whether you reinvest your distributions in additional Shares or receive them in cash. The income from the Fund that you must take into account for federal income tax purposes is not reduced by amounts used to pay a deferred sales fee, if any. The tax laws may require you to treat distributions made to you in January as if you had received them on December 31 of the previous year.

 

Income from the Fund may also be subject to a 3.8% “Medicare tax.” This tax generally applies to your net investment income if your adjusted gross income exceeds certain threshold amounts, which are $250,000 in the case of married couples filing joint returns and $200,000 in the case of single individuals.

 

A corporation that owns Shares generally will not be entitled to the dividends received deduction with respect to many dividends received from the Fund because the dividends received deduction is generally not available for distributions from regulated investment companies.

 

If you are an individual, the maximum marginal stated federal tax rate for net capital gain is generally 20% (15% or 0% for taxpayers with taxable incomes below certain thresholds). Capital gains may also be subject to the Medicare tax described above.

 

Net capital gain equals net long-term capital gain minus net short-term capital loss for the taxable year. Capital gain or loss is long-term if the holding period for the asset is more than one year and is short-term if the holding period for the asset is one year or less. You must exclude the date you purchase your Shares to determine your holding period. However, if you receive a capital gain dividend from the Fund and sell your Shares at a loss after holding it for six months or less, the loss will be recharacterized as long-term capital loss to the extent of the capital gain dividend received. The tax rates for capital gains realized from assets held for one year or less are generally the same as for ordinary income. The Code treats certain capital gains as ordinary income in special situations.

 

An election may be available to Shareholders to defer recognition of the gain attributable to a capital gain dividend if they make certain qualifying investments within a limited time. Shareholders should talk to their tax advisor about the availability of this deferral election and its requirements.

 

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Ordinary income dividends received by an individual shareholder from a regulated investment company such as the Fund are generally taxed at the same rates that apply to net capital gain (as discussed above), provided certain holding period requirements are satisfied and provided the dividends are attributable to qualifying dividends received by the Fund itself. The Fund will provide notice to its shareholders of the amount of any distribution which may be taken into account as a dividend which is eligible for the capital gains tax rates.

 

Taxes on Exchange Listed Shares

 

If you sell or redeem your Shares, you will generally recognize a taxable gain or loss. To determine the amount of this gain or loss, you must subtract your tax basis in your Shares from the amount you receive in the transaction. Your tax basis in your Shares is generally equal to the cost of your Shares, generally including sales charges. In some cases, however, you may have to adjust your tax basis after you purchase your Shares.

 

Taxes and Purchases and Redemptions of Creation Units

 

If you exchange securities for Creation Units you will generally recognize a gain or a loss. The gain or loss will be equal to the difference between the market value of the Creation Units at the time and your aggregate basis in the securities surrendered and the cash component paid. If you exchange Creation Units for securities, you will generally recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between your basis in the Creation Units and the aggregate market value of the securities received and any cash redemption amount. The Internal Revenue Service, however, may assert that a loss realized upon an exchange of securities for Creation Units or Creation Units for securities cannot be deducted currently under the rules governing “wash sales,” or on the basis that there has been no significant change in economic position.

 

Treatment of Fund Expenses

 

Expenses incurred and deducted by the Fund will generally not be treated as income taxable to you. In some cases, however, you may be required to treat your portion of these Fund expenses as income. You may not be able to take a deduction for some or all of these expenses, even if the cash you receive is reduced by such expenses.

 

Backup Withholding

 

The Fund may be required to withhold U.S. federal income tax (“backup withholding”) from dividends and capital gains distributions paid to Shareholders. Federal tax will be withheld if (1) the Shareholder fails to furnish the Fund with the Shareholder’s correct taxpayer identification number or social security number, (2) the IRS notifies the Shareholder or the Fund that the shareholder has failed to report properly certain interest and dividend income to the IRS and to respond to notices to that effect, or (3) when required to do so, the Shareholder fails to certify to the Fund that he or she is not subject to backup withholding. The current backup withholding rate is 24%. Any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules may be credited against the Shareholder’s U.S. federal income tax liability.

 

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Non-U.S. Investors

 

If you are a non-U.S. investor (i.e., an investor other than a U.S. citizen or resident or a U.S. corporation, partnership, estate or trust), you should be aware that, generally, subject to applicable tax treaties, distributions from the Fund will generally be characterized as dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes (other than dividends which the Fund properly reports as capital gain dividends) and will be subject to U.S. federal income taxes, including withholding taxes, subject to certain exceptions described below.

 

However, distributions received by a non-U.S. investor from the Fund that are properly reported by the Fund as capital gain dividends may not be subject to U.S. federal income taxes, including withholding taxes, provided that the Fund makes certain elections and certain other conditions are met. Distributions from the Fund that are properly reported by the Fund as an interest-related dividend attributable to certain interest income received by the Fund or as a short-term capital gain dividend attributable to certain net short-term capital gain income received by the Fund may not be subject to U.S. federal income taxes, including withholding taxes when received by certain non-U.S. investors, provided that the Fund makes certain elections and certain other conditions are met.

 

Distributions to, and gross proceeds from dispositions of Shares by, (i) certain non-U.S. financial institutions that have not entered into an agreement with the U.S. Treasury to collect and disclose certain information and are not resident in a jurisdiction that has entered into such an agreement with the U.S. Treasury and (ii) certain other non-U.S. entities that do not provide certain certifications and information about the entity’s U.S. owners may be subject to a U.S. withholding tax of 30%. However, proposed regulations may eliminate the requirement to withhold on payments of gross proceeds from dispositions.

 

The foregoing discussion summarizes some of the possible consequences under current federal tax law of an investment in the Fund. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. You also may be subject to state and local taxes on Fund distributions and sales of Shares.

 

Consult your personal tax advisor about the potential tax consequences of an investment in Shares under all applicable tax laws. See “Distributions and Taxes” in the SAI for more information.

 

Distributor

 

[DISTRIBUTOR] (the “Distributor”) serves as the distributor of Creation Units for the Fund on an agency basis. The Distributor does not maintain a secondary market in Shares.

 

Net Asset Value 

 

The Fund’s NAV is determined as of the close of trading (normally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) on each day the New York Stock Exchange is open for business. NAV is calculated for the Fund by taking the market price of the Fund’s total assets, including interest or dividends accrued but not yet collected, less all liabilities, and dividing such amount by the total number of Shares outstanding. The result, rounded to the nearest cent, is the NAV per Share. All valuations are subject to review by the Trust’s Board or its delegate.

 

The Fund’s investments are valued daily in accordance with valuation procedures adopted by the Board, and in accordance with provisions of the 1940 Act. Certain securities in which the Fund may invest are not listed on any securities exchange or board of trade. Such securities are typically bought and sold by institutional investors in individually negotiated private transactions that function in many respects like an over the counter secondary market, although typically no formal market makers exist. Certain securities, particularly debt securities, have few or no trades, or trade infrequently, and information regarding a specific security may not be widely available or may be incomplete. Accordingly, determinations of the fair value of debt securities may be based on infrequent and dated information. Because there is less reliable, objective data available, elements of judgment may play a greater role in valuation of debt securities than for other types of securities. Typically, debt securities are valued using information provided by a third-party pricing service. The third-party pricing service primarily uses broker quotes to value the securities.

 

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The Fund’s investments will be valued daily at market value or, in the absence of market value with respect to any investment, at fair value in accordance with valuation procedures adopted by the Board and in accordance with the 1940 Act. Market value prices represent last sale or official closing prices from a national or foreign exchange (i.e., a regulated market) and are primarily obtained from third-party pricing services.

 

Certain securities may not be able to be priced by pre-established pricing methods. Such securities may be valued by the Board or its delegate at fair value. The use of fair value pricing by the Fund is governed by valuation procedures adopted by the Board and in accordance with the provisions of the 1940 Act. These securities generally include, but are not limited to, certain restricted securities (securities which may not be publicly sold without registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”)) for which a pricing service is unable to provide a market price; securities whose trading has been formally suspended; a security whose market price is not available from a pre-established pricing source; a security with respect to which an event has occurred that is likely to materially affect the value of the security after the market has closed but before the calculation of the Fund’s NAV or make it difficult or impossible to obtain a reliable market quotation; and a security whose price, as provided by the pricing service, does not reflect the security’s “fair value.” As a general principle, the current “fair value” of a security would appear to be the amount which the owner might reasonably expect to receive for the security upon its current sale. The use of fair value prices by the Fund generally results in the prices used by the Fund that may differ from current market quotations or official closing prices on the applicable exchange. A variety of factors may be considered in determining the fair value of such securities. Valuing the Fund’s securities using fair value pricing will result in using prices for those securities that may differ from current market valuations.

 

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

 

23

 

 

For more information about how the Fund’s NAV is determined, please see the section in the statement of information entitled “Determination of Net Asset Value.”

 

Fund Service Providers 

 

[     ] is the administrator and transfer agent for the Trust. [     ]serves as the custodian for the Trust.

 

Chapman and Cutler LLP, 320 South Canal Street, Chicago, Illinois 60606, serves as legal counsel to the Trust.

 

[AUDITOR AND ADDRESS], serves as the Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm and is responsible for auditing the annual financial statements of the Fund.

 

Index Information

 

SPDJI is the Index Provider for the Index. The Index is compiled and calculated by SPDJI. Neither Volatility Shares nor any affiliate of Volatility Shares has any rights to influence the selection of the securities in the Index. SPDJI is not affiliated with the Trust, Volatility Shares or the Distributor. No entity that creates, compiles, sponsors or maintains an index is or will be an affiliated person, as defined in Section 2(a)(3) of the 1940 Act, or an affiliated person of an affiliated person, of the Trust, Volatility Shares, the Distributor or a promoter of the Fund.

 

Volatility Shares has entered into a license agreement with SPDJI pursuant to which Volatility Shares pays a fee to use the Index and the use of SPDJI’s marketing names and licensed trademarks. The Fund is entitled to use the Index pursuant to a sub-licensing agreement with Volatility Shares.

 

Index Methodology

 

The Index. The Index is designed to measure the performance of the 100 most-volatile stocks in the S&P 500.

 

Index Methodology. The Index’s starting universe is the common stock of U.S. companies included in the S&P 500 Index as of each Rebalance Date. In order to be eligible for inclusion in the Index, a stock must have been issued and trading for at least one calendar year leading up to a Rebalance Date and the issuing company is represented only once on its primary exchange.

 

Once the Index universe is defined based on the eligibility criteria, the volatilities of each of the eligible constituents is calculated based on available price return data for the trailing one year of trading days leading up to each Rebalancing Date. Eligible constituents are then ranked in descending order and weighted based on their realized volatilities.

 

Rebalancing. The Index is rebalance quarterly in February, May, August and November.

 

24

 

 

Disclaimers

 

The Index is a product of SPDJI, and has been licensed for use by Volatility Shares. Standard & Poor’s® and S&P® are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor’s Financial Services LLC (“S&P”); and Dow Jones® is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC (“Dow Jones”). The trademarks have been licensed to SPDJA and have been sublicensed for use for certain purposes for use for certain purposes by Volatility Shares. The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by SPDJI, Dow Jones, S&P, or any of their respective affiliates (collectively, “S&P Dow Jones Indices”). S&P Dow Jones Indices does not make any representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of the Fund or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally or in the Fund particularly or the ability of the Index to track general market performance. S&P Dow Jones Indices’ only relationship to Volatility Shares with respect to the Index is the licensing of the Index and certain trademarks, service marks and/or trade names of S&P Dow Jones Indices and/or its licensors. The Index is determined, composed and calculated by Dow Jones Indices without regard to Volatility Shares or the Fund. S&P Dow Jones Indices has no obligation to take the needs of Volatility Shares or the Fund into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the Index. S&P Dow Jones Indices are not responsible for and have not participated in the determination of the prices, and amount of shares of the Fund or the timing of the issuance or sale of Fund shares or in the determination or calculation of the equation by which shares of the Fund are to be converted into cash, surrendered or redeemed, as the case may be. S&P Dow Jones Indices have no obligation or liability in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of shares of the Fund. There is no assurance that investment products based on the Index will accurately track index performance or provide positive investment returns. S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC is not an investment adviser. Inclusion of a security within an index is not a recommendation by S&P Dow Jones Indices to buy, sell, or hold such security, nor is it considered to be investment advice.

 

S&P DOW JONES INDICES DO NOT GUARANTEE THE ADEQUACY, ACCURACY, TIMELINESS AND/OR THE COMPLETENESS OF THE INDEX OR ANY DATA RELATED THERETO OR ANY COMMUNICATION, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ORAL OR WRITTEN COMMUNICATION (INCLUDING ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS) WITH RESPECT THERETO. S&P DOW JONES INDICES SHALL NOT BE SUBJECT TO ANY DAMAGES OR LIABILITY FOR ANY ERRORS, OMISSIONS, OR DELAYS THEREIN. S&P DOW JONES INDICES MAKE NO EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR USE OR AS TO RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED BY VOLATILITY SHARES, OWNERS OF SHARES OF THE FUND, OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY FROM THE USE OF THE INDEX OR WITH RESPECT TO ANY DATA RELATED THERETO. WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OF THE FOREGOING, IN NO EVENT WHATSOEVER SHALL S&P DOW JONES INDICES BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, PUNITIVE, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, LOSS OF PROFITS, TRADING LOSSES, LOST TIME OR GOODWILL, EVEN IF THEY HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, TORT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR OTHERWISE. THERE ARE NO THIRD PARTY BENEFICIARIES OF ANY AGREEMENTS OR ARRANGEMENTS BETWEEN S&P DOW JONES INDICES AND VOLATILITY SHARES, OTHER THAN THE LICENSORS OF S&P DOW JONES INDICES.

 

Volatility Shares does not guarantee the accuracy and/or the completeness of the Index or any data included therein, and Volatility Shares shall have no liability for any errors, omissions, restatements, re-calculations or interruptions therein. Volatility Shares makes no warranty, express or implied, as to results to be obtained by the Fund, owners of the Shares any other person or entity from the use of the Index or any data included therein. Volatility Shares makes no express or implied warranties, and expressly disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose or use with respect to the Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall Volatility Shares have any liability for any special, punitive, direct, indirect or consequential damages (including lost profits) arising out of matters relating to the use of the Index even if notified of the possibility of such damages.

 

25

 

  

Financial Highlights

 

The Fund is new and has no performance history as of the date of this prospectus. Financial information therefore is not available.

 

Premium/Discount Information 

 

The market prices of the Shares generally will fluctuate in accordance with changes in NAV, as well as the relative supply of and demand for Shares on the Exchange. The Adviser cannot predict whether the Shares will trade below, at or above their NAV. The approximate value of the Shares, which is an amount representing on a per Share basis the sum of the current market price of the securities held by the Fund, will be disseminated every 15 seconds throughout the trading day through the facilities of the Consolidated Tape Association. This approximate value should not be viewed as a “real-time” update of the NAV per Share of the Fund because the approximate value may not be calculated in the same manner as the NAV, which is computed once a day, generally at the end of the business day. The Fund is not involved with, or responsible for, the calculation or dissemination of the approximate value, and the Fund does not make any warranty as to its accuracy.

 

Information showing the number of days the market price of the Fund’s Shares was greater (at a premium) and less (at a discount) than the Fund’s NAV for the most recently completed calendar year, and the most recently completed calendar quarters since that year (or the life of the Fund, if shorter), is available at www.volatilityshares.com.

 

Investments by Other Investment Companies

 

Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act restricts investments by investment companies in the securities of other investment companies, including Shares. The SEC adopted Rule 12d1-4 under the 1940 Act on November 19, 2020, which became effective January 19, 2021.  The Fund is required to comply with the conditions of Rule 12d1-4, which allows, subject to certain conditions, the Fund to invest in other registered investment companies and other registered investment companies to invest in the Fund beyond the limits contained in Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act.  

 

26

 

 

 

Volatility Shares S&P 500 High Volatility Index ETF

  

For more detailed information on the Fund, several additional sources of information are available to you. The SAI, incorporated by reference into this Prospectus, contains detailed information on the Fund’s policies and operation. Additional information about the Fund’s investments is available in the annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders. In the Fund’s annual reports, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly impacted the Fund’s performance during the last fiscal year. The Fund’s most recent SAI, annual or semi-annual reports and certain other information are available free of charge by calling the Fund at (866) 261-0273, on the Fund’s website at www.volatilityshares.com or through your financial advisor. Shareholders may call the toll-free number above with any inquiries.

 

You may obtain this and other information regarding the Fund, including the SAI and Codes of Ethics adopted by the Adviser, Distributor and the Trust, directly from the SEC. Information on the SEC’s website is free of charge. Visit the SEC’s on-line EDGAR database at http://www.sec.gov. You may also request information regarding the Fund by sending a request (along with a duplication fee) to the SEC by sending an electronic request to publicinfo@sec.gov.

 

Volatility Shares LLC
2000 PGA Blvd, Suite 4400
Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33408
[TOLL FREE NUMBER]
www.volatilityshares.com
SEC File #: 333-263619
811-23785

 

 

 

 

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

 

Preliminary Statement of Additional Information

Dated May 11, 2022

Subject to Completion

 

Statement of Additional Information

 

Volatility Shares Trust
Investment Company Act File No. 811-23785

 

 

  Ticker Symbol Exchange
     
Volatility Shares S&P 500 High Volatility Index ETF [     ] CBOE BZX Exchange, Inc.

 

Dated _____, 2022

 

This Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) is not a prospectus. It should be read in conjunction with the prospectus dated ______________, 2022, as it may be revised from time to time (the “Prospectus”), for the Volatility Shares S&P 500 High Volatility Index ETF (the “Fund”), a series of the Volatility Shares Trust (the “Trust”). Capitalized terms used herein that are not defined have the same meanings as in the Prospectus, unless otherwise noted. A copy of the Prospectus may be obtained without charge by writing to the Trust’s distributor, [DISTRIBUTOR], at [DISTRIBUTOR ADDRESS], or by calling toll free at [DISTRIBUTOR PHONE NUMBER].

 

 

 

 

Table of Contents

 

Glossary of Terms 1
   
General Description of the Trust and the Fund 4
   
The Index 4
   
Exchange Listing and Trading 6
   
Investment Objective and Policies 6
   
Investment Strategies 8
Portfolio Turnover 10
   
Investment Risks 11
   
Management of the Fund 15
   
Control Persons and Principal Holders of Securities 20
   
Investment Adviser and Other Service Providers 20
Investment Adviser 20
Portfolio Managers 21
Other Fund Service Providers 23
   
Brokerage Allocations 26
   
Additional Information 27
   
Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures 29
   
Creation and Redemption of Creation Units 30
   
Federal Tax Matters 33
   
Determination of Net Asset Value 39
   
Dividends and Distributions 41
   
Performance Information 42
   
Financial Statements 42
   
Exhibit A - Proxy Voting Guidelines A-1

 

- ii

 

 

Glossary of Terms

 

“1933 Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended

 

“1934 Act” means The Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended

 

“1940 Act” means the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended

 

“12b-1 Plan” means a Plan of Distribution under Rule 12b-1 of the 1940 Act

 

“Administration Agreement” means the fund administration servicing agreement between the Trust and USBFS

 

“Administrator” ,“Fund Accountant”, “Transfer Agent” and “[       ]” means [      ].

 

“Adviser” means Volatility Shares LLC

 

“AIM” means the London Stock Exchange Alternative Investment Market

 

“AP” means authorized participant

 

“Authorized Participants” means those financial entities (specifically those members or participants of a clearing agency registered with the SEC) that have contractual arrangements with an ETF or one of the ETF’s service providers to purchase and redeem ETF shares directly with the ETF in Creation Units

 

“Beneficial Owners” means owners of beneficial interests in Shares

 

“Board of Trustees” or “Board” means the Board of Trustees of the Trust

 

“Business Day” means any day on which the NYSE, the Exchange and the Trust are open for business. As of the date of this SAI, the NYSE observes the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth National Independence Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.

 

“CCO” means the Chief Compliance Officer of the Trust

 

“Closing Time” means no later than 2:00 p.m., Eastern time

 

The “Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended

 

“Creation Unit” means aggregations of specified numbers of Shares for which the Fund offers, issues and redeems Shares

 

“Custodian” means [       ]

 

“Distributor” means [_________]

 

 

 

 

“DTC” means The Depository Trust Company, a limited-purpose trust company

 

“DTC Participants” means those participants who utilize the facilities of DTC

 

“EU” means the European Union

 

“Exchange” means CBOE BZX Exchange

 

“FINRA” means the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority

 

The “Fund” means the Volatility Shares S&P 500 High Volatility Index ETF

 

“Fund Accounting Agreement” means the fund accounting servicing agreement between the Trust and [       ]

 

“Independent Trustees” means those Trustees of the Trust who are not officers or employees of the Adviser or any of its affiliates

 

“Index” means the S&P 500 Volatility – Highest Quintile Index

 

“Index Sponsor” means S&P 500 Dow Jones Indices LLC

 

“Indirect Participants” means entities such as banks, brokers, dealers and trust companies that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a DTC Participant, either directly or indirectly

 

“Investment Management Agreement” means the investment management agreement between Volatility Shares and the Trust, on behalf of the Fund

 

“Interested Trustee” means those Trustees of the Trust whom are “interested persons” as such term is defined under the 1940 Act.

 

“NAV” means net asset value

 

“Non-U.S. Shareholder” means a Fund shareholder who is a nonresident alien or foreign entity

 

“NSCC” means the National Securities Clearing Corporation

 

“NYSE” means the New York Stock Exchange

 

“OTC” means over-the-counter

 

“Participant Agreement” means the written agreement between and Authorized Participant and the Fund or one of its service providers that allows the Authorized Participant to place orders for the purchase or redemption of Creation Units

 

The “Prospectus” means the Fund’s prospectus dated [______], 2022, as it may be revised from time to time

 

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“SAI” means this Statement of Additional Information

 

“SEC” means the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

 

“Shares” means the shares of the Fund

 

“Transmittal Date” means the Business Day on which an order to purchase or redeem Creation Units is received in proper form

 

The “Trust” means the Volatility Shares Trust

 

“Volatility Shares” means Volatility Shares LLC

 

“Volatility Shares Fund Complex” means those funds advised by Volatility Shares

 

- 3 -

 

 

General Description of the Trust and the Fund

 

The Trust is a Delaware statutory trust organized on August 20, 2021. The Trust is an open-end management investment company, registered under the 1940 Act. The Trust currently offers shares of a single series. This SAI relates solely to the Fund, which is non-diversified.

 

The Fund is advised by Volatility Shares.

 

Shares list and principally trade on the Exchange. The Shares will trade on the Exchange at market prices that may be below, at or above NAV. ETFs, such as the Fund, do not sell or redeem individual shares of the Fund. Instead, The Fund offers, issues and redeems Shares at NAV only in Creation Units. Authorized Participants (which are discussed in greater detail below) have contractual arrangements with the Fund or the Distributor to purchase and redeem Fund Shares directly with the Fund in Creation Units in exchange for the securities comprising the Fund and/or cash, or some combination thereof. An Authorized Participant that purchases a Creation Unit of Fund Shares deposits with the Fund a “basket” of securities and other assets identified by the Fund that day, and then receives the Creation Unit of Fund Shares in return for those assets. The redemption process is the reverse of the purchase process: the Authorized Participant redeems a Creation Unit of Fund Shares for a basket of securities and/or other assets. The basket is generally representative of the Fund’s portfolio, and together with a cash balancing amount, it is equal to the NAV of the Fund Shares comprising the Creation Unit. Pursuant to Rule 6c-11 of the 1940 Act, the Fund may utilize baskets that are not representative of the Fund’s portfolio. Such “custom baskets” are discussed in the section entitled “Creations and Redemptions of Creation Units.” Transaction fees and other costs associated with creations or redemptions that include cash may be higher than the transaction fees and other costs associated with in-kind creations or redemptions. In all cases, conditions with respect to creations and redemptions of shares and fees will be limited in accordance with the requirements of SEC rules and regulations applicable to management investment companies offering redeemable securities.

 

The Fund is a separate mutual fund, and each Share represents an equal proportionate interest in the Fund. All consideration received by the Trust for Shares and all assets of the Fund belong solely to the Fund and would be subject to liabilities related thereto. The Board has the right to establish additional series in the future, to determine the preferences, voting powers, rights and privileges thereof and to modify such preferences, voting powers, rights and privileges without shareholder approval. Shares of any series may also be divided into one or more classes at the discretion of the Trustees. The Trust or any series or class thereof may be terminated at any time by the Board of Trustees upon written notice to the shareholders.

 

The Index

 

SPDJI is the Index Provider for the Index. The Index is compiled and calculated by SPDJI. Neither Volatility Shares nor any affiliate of Volatility Shares has any rights to influence the selection of the securities in the Index. SPDJI is not affiliated with the Trust, Volatility Shares or the Distributor. No entity that creates, compiles, sponsors or maintains an index is or will be an affiliated person, as defined in Section 2(a)(3) of the 1940 Act, or an affiliated person of an affiliated person, of the Trust, Volatility Shares, the Distributor or a promoter of the Fund.

 

- 4 -

 

 

Volatility Shares has entered into a license agreement with SPDJI pursuant to which Volatility Shares pays a fee to use the Index and the use of SPDJI’s marketing names and licensed trademarks. The Fund is entitled to use the Index pursuant to a sub-licensing agreement with Volatility Shares.

 

The Index. The Index is designed to measure the performance of the 100 most-volatile stocks in the S&P 500.

 

Index Eligibility. The Index’s starting universe is the common stock of U.S. companies included in the S&P 500 Index as of each rebalancing reference date (“Rebalance Date”). In order to be eligible for inclusion in the Index, a stock must have been issued and trading for at least one calendar year leading up to a Rebalance Date and the issuing company is represented only once on its primary exchange.

 

Constituent Selection. Using available price return data for the trailing one year of trading days leading up to each Rebalance Date, the volatilities of the constituents within the underlying index are calculated. Constituents meeting the eligibility requirements as described above are, then, ranked in descending order based on their realized volatilities. The N stocks with the greatest volatility are selected and form the Index.

  

Constituent Weightings. The methodology employs a volatility-weighting scheme. At each rebalance, the weight, w, for each index constituent, i, is set proportional to its volatility.

 

 

 

where

 

N = The number of index constituents, as specified pursuant to the methodology

 

Volatility is defined as the standard deviation of the security’s daily price returns over the prior one year of trading days. It can be mathematically expressed as:

 

 

 

- 5 -

 

 

where:

 

 

 

Exchange Listing and Trading

 

The Exchange may, but is not required to, remove the Shares of the Fund from listing if: (1) following the initial twelve-month period beginning upon the commencement of trading of the Fund, there are fewer than 50 beneficial holders of the Shares; (2) the Exchange becomes aware that the Fund is no longer eligible to operate in reliance on Rule 6c-11 under the 1940 Act; (3) the Fund no longer complies with certain listing exchange rules; or (4) such other event shall occur or condition exists that, in the opinion of the Exchange, makes further dealings on the Exchange inadvisable. In addition, the Exchange will remove the Shares of the Fund from listing and trading upon termination of the Trust or the Fund.

 

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

 

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

 

The Fund is required by the Exchange to comply with certain listing standards (which includes certain investment parameters) in order to maintain its listing on the Exchange. Compliance with these listing standards may compel the Fund to sell securities at an inopportune time or for a price other than the security’s then-current market value. The sale of securities in such circumstances could limit the Fund’s profit or require the Fund to incur a loss, and as a result, the Fund’s performance could be impacted.

 

Investment Objective and Policies

 

The Prospectus describes the investment objective and certain policies of the Fund. The following supplements the information contained in the Prospectus concerning the investment objective and policies of the Fund.

 

The Fund is subject to the following fundamental policies, which may not be changed without approval of the holders of a majority of the outstanding voting securities (as such term is defined in the 1940 Act) of the Fund:

 

(1)The Fund may not issue senior securities, except as permitted under the 1940 Act.

 

- 6 -

 

 

(2)The Fund may not borrow money, except as permitted under the 1940 Act.

 

(3)The Fund will not underwrite the securities of other issuers except to the extent the Fund may be considered an underwriter under the 1933 Act in connection with the purchase and sale of portfolio securities.

 

(4)The Fund will not purchase or sell real estate or interests therein, unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments (but this shall not prohibit the Fund from purchasing or selling securities or other instruments backed by real estate or of issuers engaged in real estate activities).

 

(5)The Fund may not make loans, except as permitted under the 1940 Act and exemptive orders granted thereunder.

 

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

 

(7)The Fund will not concentrate its investments in securities of issuers in the industry or group of industries, as the term “concentrate” is used in the 1940 Act, except to the extent the Index concentrates in an industry or group of industries. This restriction does not apply to obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities, or securities of other investment companies.

 

For purposes of applying restriction (1) above, under the 1940 Act as currently in effect, the Fund is not permitted to issue senior securities, except that the Fund may borrow from any bank if immediately after such borrowing the value of the Fund’s total assets is at least 300% of the principal amount of all of the Fund’s borrowings (i.e., the principal amount of the borrowings may not exceed 33 1/3% of the Fund’s total assets). In the event that such asset coverage shall at any time fall below 300% the Fund shall, within three days thereafter (not including Sundays and holidays), reduce the amount of its borrowings to an extent that the asset coverage of such borrowings shall be at least 300%. The fundamental investment limitations set forth above limit the Fund’s ability to engage in certain investment practices and purchase securities or other instruments to the extent permitted by, or consistent with, applicable law. As such, these limitations will change as the statute, rules, regulations or orders (or, if applicable, interpretations) change, and no shareholder vote will be required or sought.

 

Except for restriction (2), if a percentage restriction is adhered to at the time of investment, a later increase in percentage resulting from a change in market value of the investment or the total assets will not constitute a violation of that restriction. With respect to restriction (2), if the limitations are exceeded as a result of a change in market value then the Fund will reduce the amount of borrowings within three days thereafter to the extent necessary to comply with the limitations (not including Sundays and holidays).

 

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For purposes of applying restriction (5) above, the Fund may not make loans to other persons, except through (i) the purchase of debt securities permissible under the Fund’s investment policies, (ii) repurchase agreements, or (iii) the lending of portfolio securities, provided that no such loan of portfolio securities may be made by the Fund if, as a result, the aggregate of such loans would exceed 33-1/3% of the value of the Fund’s total assets.

 

The foregoing fundamental policies of the Fund may not be changed without the affirmative vote of the majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. The 1940 Act defines a majority vote as the vote of the lesser of (i) 67% or more of the voting securities represented at a meeting at which more than 50% of the outstanding securities are represented; or (ii) more than 50% of the outstanding voting securities. With respect to the submission of a change in an investment policy to the holders of outstanding voting securities of the Fund, such matter shall be deemed to have been effectively acted upon with respect to the Fund if a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund vote for the approval of such matter, notwithstanding that such matter has not been approved by the holders of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of any other series of the Trust affected by such matter.

 

In addition to the foregoing fundamental policies, the Fund is also subject to strategies and policies discussed herein which, unless otherwise noted, are non-fundamental policies and may be changed by the Board of Trustees.

 

Investment Strategies

 

The following information supplements the discussion of the Fund’s investment objective, policies and strategies that appear in the Fund’s Prospectus.

 

Types of Investments

 

Common Stocks

 

Common stock represents an ownership position in a company. Common stock may or may not pay dividends and may or may not carry voting rights. Common stock occupies the most junior position in a company’s capital structure. Holders of common stocks incur more risk than holders of preferred stocks and debt obligations because common stockholders, as owners of the issuer, generally have inferior rights to receive payments from the issuer in comparison with the rights of creditors, or holders of debt obligations or preferred stocks. Unlike debt securities, which typically have a stated principal amount payable at maturity (whose value, however, is subject to market fluctuations prior thereto), or preferred stocks, which typically have a liquidation preference and which may have stated optional or mandatory redemption provisions, common stocks have neither a fixed principal amount nor a maturity.

 

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Illiquid Investments

 

Pursuant to Rule 22e-4 under the 1940 Act, the Fund may not acquire any “illiquid investment” if, immediately after the acquisition, the Fund would have invested more than 15% of its net assets in illiquid investments that are assets. An “illiquid investment” is any investment that the Fund reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without the sale or disposition significantly changing the market value of the investment. Illiquid investments include repurchase agreements with a notice or demand period of more than seven days, certain stripped mortgage-backed securities, certain municipal leases, certain over-the-counter derivative instruments, securities and other financial instruments that are not readily marketable, and restricted securities unless, based upon a review of the relevant market, trading and investment-specific considerations, those investments are determined not to be illiquid. The Trust has implemented a liquidity risk management program and related procedures to identify illiquid investments pursuant to Rule 22e-4, and the Board of Trustees has approved the designation of the Adviser to administer the Trust’s liquidity risk management program and related procedures. In determining whether an investment is an illiquid investment, the Adviser will take into account actual or estimated daily transaction volume of an investment, group of related investments or asset class and other relevant market, trading, and investment-specific considerations. In addition, in determining the liquidity of an investment, the Adviser must determine whether trading varying portions of a position in a particular portfolio investment or asset class, in sizes that the Fund would reasonably anticipate trading, is reasonably expected to significantly affect its liquidity, and if so, the Fund must take this determination into account when classifying the liquidity of that investment or asset class.

 

In addition to actual or estimated daily transaction volume of an investment, group of related investments or asset class and other relevant market, trading, and investment-specific considerations, the following factors, among others, will generally impact the classification of an investment as an “illiquid investment”: (i) any investment that is placed on the Adviser’s restricted trading list; and (ii) any investment that is delisted or for which there is a trading halt at the close of the trading day on the primary listing exchange at the time of classification (and in respect of which no active secondary market exists). Investments purchased by the Fund that are liquid at the time of purchase may subsequently become illiquid due to these and other events and circumstances. If one or more investments in the Fund’s portfolio become illiquid, the Fund may exceed the 15% limitation in illiquid investments. In the event that changes in the portfolio or other external events cause the Fund to exceed this limit, the Fund must take steps to bring its illiquid investments that are assets to or below 15% of its net assets within a reasonable period of time. This requirement would not force the Fund to liquidate any portfolio instrument where the Fund would suffer a loss on the sale of that instrument.

 

Non-U.S. Securities.

 

The Fund may have exposure to non-U.S. securities. Non-U.S. securities include securities issued or guaranteed by companies organized under the laws of countries other than the United States (including emerging markets), securities issued or guaranteed by foreign, national, provincial, state, municipal or other governments with taxing authority or by their agencies or instrumentalities and debt obligations of supranational governmental entities such as the World Bank or European Union. Foreign securities may also include U.S. dollar-denominated debt obligations, such as “Yankee Dollar” obligations, of non-U.S. issuers and of supra-national government entities. Yankee Dollar obligations are U.S. dollar-denominated obligations issued in the U.S. capital markets by foreign corporations, banks and governments. Foreign securities also may be traded on foreign securities exchanges or in OTC capital markets.

 

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Certain of the Fund’s investment in foreign securities may be denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. To the extent the Fund invests in such instruments, the value of the assets of the Fund as measured in U.S. dollars will be affected by changes in exchange rates. Generally, the Fund’s currency exchange transactions will be conducted on a spot (i.e., cash) basis at the spot rate prevailing in the currency exchange market. The cost of the Fund’s currency exchange transactions will generally be the difference between the bid and offer spot rate of the currency being purchased or sold. In order to protect against uncertainty in the level of future currency exchange rates, the Fund is authorized to enter into various currency exchange transactions.

 

Short-Term Instruments and Temporary Investments

 

The Fund may invest in short-term instruments, including money market instruments, on an ongoing basis to provide liquidity, in connection with collateral received by the Fund in its securities lending activities, or for other reasons. Money market instruments are generally short-term investments that may include, but are not limited to: (i) shares of money market funds; (ii) obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities (including government-sponsored enterprises); (iii) negotiable certificates of deposit, bankers’ acceptances, fixed-time deposits and other obligations of U.S. and non-U.S. banks (including non-U.S. branches) and similar institutions; (iv) commercial paper rated, at the date of purchase, “Prime-1” by Moody’s® Investors Service, Inc., “F-1” by Fitch Ratings, Inc., or “A-1” by Standard & Poor’s® Financial Services LLC, a subsidiary of S&P Global, Inc., or if unrated, of comparable quality as determined by the Adviser; (v) non-convertible corporate debt securities (e.g., bonds and debentures) with remaining maturities at the date of purchase of not more than 397 days and that satisfy the rating requirements set forth in Rule 2a-7 under the 1940 Act; (vi) repurchase agreements; and (vii) short-term U.S. dollar denominated obligations of non-U.S. banks (including U.S. branches) that, in the opinion of the Adviser, are of comparable quality to obligations of U.S. banks that may be purchased by the Fund. Any of these instruments may be purchased on a current or forward-settled basis. Time deposits are non-negotiable deposits maintained in banking institutions for specified periods of time at stated interest rates. Bankers’ acceptances are time drafts drawn on commercial banks by borrowers, usually in connection with international transactions.

 

U.S. Government Securities

 

The Fund may invest in short-term U.S. government securities. U.S. government securities include U.S. Treasury obligations and securities issued or guaranteed by various agencies of the U.S. government, or by various instrumentalities that have been established or sponsored by the U.S. government. U.S. Treasury obligations are backed by the “full faith and credit” of the U.S. government. Securities issued or guaranteed by federal agencies and U.S. government sponsored instrumentalities may or may not be backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government.

 

Portfolio Turnover

 

The Fund buys and sells portfolio securities in the normal course of its investment activities. The proportion of the Fund’s investment portfolio that is bought and sold during a year is known as the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate. A turnover rate of 100% would occur, for example, if the Fund bought and sold securities valued at 100% of its net assets within one year. A high portfolio turnover rate could result in the payment by the Fund of increased brokerage costs, expenses and taxes. As of the date of this prospectus, the Fund does not have an operating history and therefore turnover date is not available.

 

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Investment Risks

 

Overview

 

An investment in the Fund should be made with an understanding of the risks that an investment in the Fund shares entails, including the risk that the financial condition of the issuers of the equity securities or the general condition of the securities market may worsen and the value of the securities and therefore the value of the Fund may decline. The Fund may not be an appropriate investment for those who are unable or unwilling to assume the risks involved generally with such an investment. The past market and earnings performance of any of the securities included in the Fund is not predictive of their future performance.

 

Borrowing and Leverage Risk

 

When the Fund borrows money, it must pay interest and other fees, which will reduce the Fund’s returns if such costs exceed the returns on the portfolio securities purchased or retained with such borrowings. Any such borrowings are intended to be temporary. However, under certain market conditions, including periods of low demand or decreased liquidity, such borrowings might be outstanding for longer periods of time. As prescribed by the 1940 Act, the Fund will be required to maintain specified asset coverage of at least 300% with respect to any bank borrowing immediately following such borrowing. The Fund may be required to dispose of assets on unfavorable terms if market fluctuations or other factors reduce the Fund’s asset coverage to less than the prescribed amount.

 

Common Stocks Risk

 

Common stocks are especially susceptible to general market movements and to volatile increases and decreases of value as market confidence in and perceptions of the issuers change. These perceptions are based on unpredictable factors including expectations regarding government, economic, monetary and fiscal policies, inflation and interest rates, economic expansion or contraction, and global or regional political, economic or banking crises. The Adviser cannot predict the direction or scope of any of these factors. Shareholders of common stocks have rights to receive payments from the issuers of those common stocks that are generally subordinate to those of creditors of, or holders of debt obligations or preferred stocks of, such issuers.

 

Shareholders of common stocks of the type held by the Fund have a right to receive dividends only when and if, and in the amounts, declared by the issuer’s board of directors and have a right to participate in amounts available for distribution by the issuer only after all other claims on the issuer have been paid. Common stocks do not represent an obligation of the issuer and, therefore, do not offer any assurance of income or provide the same degree of protection of capital as do debt securities. The issuance of additional debt securities or preferred stock will create prior claims for payment of principal, interest and dividends which could adversely affect the ability and inclination of the issuer to declare or pay dividends on its common stock or the rights of holders of common stock with respect to assets of the issuer upon liquidation or bankruptcy. The value of common stocks is subject to market fluctuations for as long as the common stocks remain outstanding, and thus the value of the equity securities in the Fund will fluctuate over the life of the Fund and may be more or less than the price at which they were purchased by the Fund. The equity securities held in the Fund may appreciate or depreciate in value (or pay dividends) depending on the full range of economic and market influences affecting these securities, including the impact of the Fund’s purchase and sale of the equity securities and other factors.

 

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Holders of common stocks incur more risk than holders of preferred stocks and debt obligations because common stockholders, as owners of the entity, have generally inferior rights to receive payments from the issuer in comparison with the rights of creditors of, or holders of debt obligations or preferred stocks issued by, the issuer. Cumulative preferred stock dividends must be paid before common stock dividends and any cumulative preferred stock dividend omitted is added to future dividends payable to the holders of cumulative preferred stock. Preferred stockholders are also generally entitled to rights on liquidation, which are senior to those of common stockholders.

 

Cyber Security Risk

 

As the use of Internet technology has become more prevalent in the course of business, The Fund have become more susceptible to potential operational risks through breaches in cyber security. A breach in cyber security refers to both intentional and unintentional events that may cause the Fund to lose proprietary information, suffer data corruption or lose operational capacity. Such events could cause the Fund to incur regulatory penalties, reputational damage, additional compliance costs associated with corrective measures and/or financial loss. Cyber security breaches may involve unauthorized access to the Fund’s digital information systems through “hacking” or malicious software coding, but may also result from outside attacks such as denial-of-service attacks through efforts to make network services unavailable to intended users. In addition, cyber security breaches of the Fund’s third party service providers, such as its administrator, transfer agent, custodian, or sub-adviser, as applicable, or issuers in which the Fund invests, can also subject the Fund to many of the same risks associated with direct cyber security breaches. The Fund has established risk management systems designed to reduce the risks associated with cyber security. However, there is no guarantee that such efforts will succeed, especially because the Fund does not directly control the cyber security systems of issuers or third party service providers.

 

Failure to Qualify as a Regulated Investment Company Risk

 

If, in any year, the Fund fails to qualify as a regulated investment company under the applicable tax laws, the Fund would be taxed as an ordinary corporation. In such circumstances, the Fund could be required to recognize unrealized gains, pay substantial taxes and interest and make substantial distributions before requalifying as a regulated investment company that is accorded special tax treatment. If the Fund fails to qualify as a regulated investment company, distributions to the Fund’s shareholders generally would be eligible for the dividends received deduction in the case of corporate shareholders.

 

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Inflation Risk

 

Inflation may reduce the intrinsic value of increases in the value of the Fund. Inflation risk is the risk that the value of assets or income from investments will be less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money. As inflation increases, the value of the Fund’s assets can decline as can the value of the Fund’s distributions.

 

Legislation and Litigation Risk

 

Legislation or litigation that affects the value of securities held by the Fund may reduce the value of the Fund. From time to time, various legislative initiatives are proposed that may have a negative impact on certain securities in which the Fund invests. In addition, litigation regarding any of the securities owned by the Fund may negatively impact the value of the Shares. Such legislation or litigation may cause the Fund to lose value or may result in higher portfolio turnover if the Adviser determines to sell such a holding.

 

Listing Standards Risk

 

The Fund is required by the Exchange to comply with certain listing standards (which includes certain investment parameters) in order to maintain its listing on the Exchange. Compliance with these listing standards may compel the Fund to sell securities at an inopportune time or for a price other than the security’s then-current market value. The sale of securities in such circumstances could limit the Fund’s profit or require the Fund to incur a loss, and as a result, the Fund’s performance could be impacted.

 

Market Events Risk

 

Turbulence in the economic, political and financial system has historically resulted, and may continue to result, in an unusually high degree of volatility in the capital markets. Both domestic and non-U.S. capital markets have been experiencing increased volatility and turmoil, with issuers that have exposure to the real estate, mortgage and credit markets particularly affected, and it is uncertain whether or for how long these conditions could continue. Reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed-income markets may adversely affect many issuers worldwide. This reduced liquidity may result in less money being available to purchase raw materials, goods and services from emerging markets, which may, in turn, bring down the prices of these economic staples. It may also result in small or emerging market issuers having more difficulty obtaining financing, which may, in turn, cause a decline in their security prices. These events and possible continued market turbulence may have an adverse effect on the Fund.

 

In addition, local, regional or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, spread of infectious diseases or other public health issues, recessions, or other events could have a significant negative impact on the Fund and its investments. Such events may affect certain geographic regions, countries, sectors and industries more significantly than others. Such events could adversely affect the prices and liquidity of the Fund’s portfolio securities or other instruments and could result in disruptions in the trading markets. Any of such circumstances could have a materially negative impact on the value of the Fund’s Shares and result in increased market volatility. During any such events, the Fund’s Shares may trade at increased premiums or discounts to their NAV.

 

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Health crises caused by the outbreak of infectious diseases or other public health issues, may exacerbate other pre-existing political, social, economic, market and financial risks. The impact of any such events, could negatively affect the global economy, as well as the economies of individual countries or regions, the financial performance of individual companies, sectors and industries, and the markets in general in significant and unforeseen ways. Any such impact could adversely affect the prices and liquidity of the securities and other instruments in which the Fund invests and negatively impact the Fund’s investment return.

 

For example, an outbreak of a respiratory disease designated as COVID-19 was first detected in China in December 2019 and subsequently spread internationally. The transmission of COVID19 and efforts to contain its spread have resulted in international, national and local border closings and other significant travel restrictions and disruptions, significant disruptions to business operations, supply chains and customer activity, event cancellations and restrictions, service cancellations, reductions and other changes, significant challenges in healthcare service preparation and delivery, and quarantines, as well as general concern and uncertainty that has negatively affected the economic environment. These impacts also have caused significant volatility and declines in global financial markets, which have caused losses for investors. The impact of this COVID-19 pandemic may be short term or may last for an extended period of time, and in either case could result in a substantial economic downturn or recession.

 

In addition, the operations of the Fund, the Adviser and the Fund’s other service providers may be significantly impacted, or even temporarily or permanently halted, as a result of government quarantine measures, voluntary and precautionary restrictions on travel or meetings and other factors related to a public health emergency, including its potential adverse impact on the health of any such entity’s personnel.

 

Non-U.S. Securities Risk

 

The Fund’s non-U.S. investments may be adversely affected by political and social instability, changes in economic or taxation policies, difficulty in enforcing obligations, decreased liquidity or increased volatility. Non-U.S. investments also involve the risk of the possible seizure, nationalization or expropriation of the issuer or non-U.S. deposits (in which an underlying fund could lose its entire investments in a certain market) and the possible adoption of non-U.S. governmental restrictions such as exchange controls. Unless the Fund has hedged its non-U.S. securities risk, non-U.S. securities risk also involves the risk of negative non-U.S. currency rate fluctuations, which may cause the value of securities denominated in such non-U.S. currency (or other instruments through which an underlying fund has exposure to non-U.S. currencies) to decline in value. Currency exchange rates may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time. Currency hedging strategies, if used, are not always successful.

 

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Portfolio Turnover Risk

 

The Fund may incur high portfolio turnover to manage the Fund’s investment exposure. Additionally, active market trading of the Fund’s shares may cause more frequent creation or redemption activities that could, in certain circumstances, increase the number of portfolio transactions. High levels of portfolio transactions increase brokerage and other transaction costs and may result in increased taxable capital gains. Each of these factors could have a negative impact on the performance of the Fund.

 

Security Issuer Risk

 

Issuer-specific attributes may cause a security held by the Fund to be more volatile than the market generally. The value of an individual security or particular type of security may be more volatile than the market as a whole and may perform differently from the value of the market as a whole.

 

Management of the Fund

 

Trustees and Officers

 

The general supervision of the duties performed for the Fund under the Investment Management Agreement is the responsibility of the Board of Trustees. There are [          ] Trustees of the Trust, [          ] of whom are Interested Trustees and [          ] of whom are Independent Trustees. The Trustees serve for indefinite terms until their resignation, death or removal. [The Trust has not established a lead Independent Trustee position]. The Trustees set broad policies for the Fund, choose the Trust’s officers and hired the Fund’s investment adviser. [          ] is deemed an Interested Trustee of the Trust due to his positions as [_____] of the Adviser and the Trust. The officers of the Trust manage its day-to-day operations, are responsible to the Board of Trustees and serve indefinite terms. The following is a list of the Trustees and executive officers of the Trust and a statement of their present positions and principal occupations during the past five years, the number of portfolios each Trustee oversees and the other directorships they have held during the past five years, if applicable.

 

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Name, Address
and Year of Birth
Position and Offices with Trust Term of Office and Year First Elected or Appointed Principal Occupations
During Past 5 Years
Number of Portfolios in the Volatility Shares Fund Complex Overseen by Trustee Other Trusteeships or Directorships Held by Trustee During the Past 5 Years
Interested Trustees
           
           
Independent Trustees
           
           
           
Officers of the Trust
           
           
           

 

 

 

Unitary Board Leadership Structure

 

It is anticipated that each Trustee will serve as a trustee of all funds in the Volatility Shares Fund Complex, which is known as a “unitary” board leadership structure. Each Trustee currently serves as a trustee of the Fund and is anticipated to serve as a trustee for future funds in the Volatility Shares Fund Complex. None of the Trustees who are not “interested persons” of the Trust, nor any of their immediate family members, have ever been a director, officer or employee of, or consultant to, Volatility Shares or any of its affiliates. [          ], an Interested Trustee, serves as the Chair of the Board for each Fund in the Volatility Shares Fund Complex. The same [      ] persons serve as Trustees on the Board and are anticipated to serve on the Boards of all other Volatility Shares Funds. It is anticipated that the unitary board structure will be adopted for the Volatility Shares Funds because of the efficiencies it achieves with respect to the governance and oversight of the Volatility Shares Funds.

 

Annually, the Board of Trustees will review its governance structure and the committee structures, its performance and functions and any processes that would enhance board governance over the business of the Volatility Shares Funds.

 

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Board Committees

 

The Board of Trustees has established two standing committees (as described below) and has delegated certain of its responsibilities to those committees. The Board of Trustees and its committees meet frequently throughout the year to oversee the activities of the Fund, review contractual arrangements with and the performance of service providers, oversee compliance with regulatory requirements and review Fund performance. The Independent Trustees are represented by independent legal counsel at all Board and committee meetings. Generally, the Board of Trustees acts by majority vote of the Trustees present at a meeting, assuming a quorum is present, unless otherwise required by applicable law.

 

The two standing committees of the Board of Trustees are the Nominating and Governance Committee and the Audit Committee.

 

The Nominating and Governance Committee is responsible for appointing and nominating non-interested persons to the Board of Trustees. Messrs. [        ], [        ] and [        ] are members of the Nominating and Governance Committee. If there is no vacancy on the Board of Trustees, the Board of Trustees will not actively seek recommendations from other parties, including shareholders. [The Nominating and Governance Committee will not consider new trustee candidates who are 70 years of age or older or will turn 70 years old during the initial term]. When a vacancy on the Board of Trustees occurs and nominations are sought to fill such vacancy, the Nominating and Governance Committee may seek nominations from those sources it deems appropriate in its discretion, including shareholders of the Fund. To submit a recommendation for nomination as a candidate for a position on the Board of Trustees, shareholders of the Fund should mail such recommendation to [             ], Secretary, at the Trust’s address, [                          ]. Such recommendation shall include the following information: (i) a statement in writing setting forth (A) the name, age, date of birth, business address, residence address and nationality of the person or persons to be nominated; (B) the class or series and number of all Shares of the Fund owned of record or beneficially by each such person or persons, as reported to such shareholder by such nominee(s); (C) any other information regarding each such person required by paragraphs (a), (d), (e) and (f) of Item 401 of Regulation S-K or paragraph (b) of Item 22 of Rule 14a-101 (Schedule 14A) under the 1934 Act; (D) any other information regarding the person or persons to be nominated that would be required to be disclosed in a proxy statement or other filings required to be made in connection with solicitation of proxies for election of trustees or directors pursuant to Section 14 of the 1934 Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder; and (E) whether such shareholder believes any nominee is or will be an “interested person” of the Fund (as defined in the 1940 Act) and, if not an “interested person,” information regarding each nominee that will be sufficient for the Fund to make such determination; and (ii) the written and signed consent of any person to be nominated to be named as a nominee and to serve as a trustee if elected. In addition, the Trustees may require any proposed nominee to furnish such other information as they may reasonably require or deem necessary to determine the eligibility of such proposed nominee to serve as a Trustee.

 

The Audit Committee is responsible for overseeing the Fund’s accounting and financial reporting process, the system of internal controls and audit process and for evaluating and appointing independent auditors (subject also to approval of the Board of Trustees). Messrs. [        ], [        ] and [        ] serve on the Audit Committee.

 

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Risk Oversight

 

As part of the general oversight of the Fund, the Board of Trustees is involved in the risk oversight of the Fund. The Board of Trustees has adopted and periodically reviews policies and procedures designed to address the Fund’s risks. Oversight of investment and compliance risk, including, if applicable, oversight of any sub-adviser, is performed primarily at the Board level in conjunction with the Adviser’s investment oversight group and the Trust’s CCO, [        ]

 

Oversight of other risks also occurs at the committee level. The Adviser’s investment oversight group reports to the Board of Trustees at quarterly meetings regarding, among other things, Fund performance and the various drivers of such performance as well as information related to the Adviser and its operations and processes. The Board of Trustees reviews reports on the Fund’s and the service providers’ compliance policies and procedures at each quarterly Board meeting and receives an annual report from the CCO regarding the operations of the Fund’s and the service providers’ compliance programs. In addition, the Independent Trustees meet privately each quarter with the CCO. The Audit Committee reviews with the Adviser the Fund’s major financial risk exposures and the steps the Adviser has taken to monitor and control these exposures, including the Fund’s risk assessment and risk management policies and guidelines. The Audit Committee also, as appropriate, reviews in a general manner the processes other Board committees have in place with respect to risk assessment and risk management. The Nominating and Governance Committee monitors all matters related to the corporate governance of the Trust.

 

Not all risks that may affect the Fund can be identified nor can controls be developed to eliminate or mitigate their occurrence or effects. It may not be practical or cost effective to eliminate or mitigate certain risks, the processes and controls employed to address certain risks may be limited in their effectiveness, and some risks are simply beyond the reasonable control of the Fund or the Adviser or other service providers. Moreover, it is necessary to bear certain risks (such as investment-related risks) to achieve the Fund’s goals. As a result of the foregoing and other factors, the Fund’s ability to manage risk is subject to substantial limitations.

 

Board Diversification and Trustee Qualifications

 

As described above, the Nominating and Governance Committee of the Board of Trustees oversees matters related to the nomination of Trustees. The Nominating and Governance Committee seeks to establish an effective Board with an appropriate range of skills and diversity, including, as appropriate, differences in background, professional experience, education, vocations, and other individual characteristics and traits in the aggregate. Each Trustee must meet certain basic requirements, including relevant skills and experience, time availability and, if qualifying as an Independent Trustee, independence from the Adviser, underwriters or other service providers, including any affiliates of these entities.

 

Listed below for each current Trustee are the experiences, qualifications and attributes that led to the conclusion, as of the date of this SAI, that each current Trustee should serve as a Trustee in light of the Trust’s business and structure.

 

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Independent Trustees

 

[          ]

 

[          ]

 

[          ]

 

Interested Trustees

 

[          ]

 

[          ]

 

Trustee Compensation

 

[For the ___ [fiscal] year, each Independent Trustee was paid a fixed annual retainer of $[       ]]. The fixed annual retainer was allocated equally among each Fund in the Volatility Shares Fund Complex. Trustees are also reimbursed for travel and out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with all meetings.

 

The following table sets forth the estimated compensation to be earned by each Independent Trustee (including reimbursement for travel and out-of-pocket expenses) for services to the Fund and the aggregate compensation paid to them for services to the Volatility Shares Fund Complex, for the fiscal year ended [        ]. The Trust has no retirement or pension plans. The officers and Trustees who are “interested persons” as designated above serve without any compensation from the Trust. The Trust has no employees. Its officers are compensated by Volatility Shares.

 

Name of Trustee
Estimated
Compensation from The Fund
Estimated Total Compensation from the
Volatility Shares Fund Complex
[                 ] $___ $___
[                 ] $___ $___
[                 ] $___ $___

 

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Interested and Independent Trustees Ownership

 

The following table sets forth the dollar range of equity securities beneficially owned by the Interested and Independent Trustees in the Fund and all funds overseen by the Trustees in the Volatility Shares Fund Complex as of _________:

Trustee Dollar Range of Equity Securities in the Fund

Aggregate Dollar Range of Equity Securities in All Registered Investment Companies Overseen by Trustee in the Volatility Shares Fund Complex

Interested Trustees    
[                 ] $___ $___
[                 ] $___ $___
Independent Trustees    
[                 ] $___ $___
[                 ] $___ $___
[                 ] $___ $___

 

As of __________, ____, the Independent Trustees of the Trust and immediate family members did not own beneficially or of record any class of securities of an investment adviser or principal underwriter of the Fund or any person directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by, or under common control with an investment adviser or principal underwriter of the Fund.

 

As of _________, 2022, the officers and Trustees, in the aggregate, owned less than 1% of the shares of the Fund.

 

Control Persons and Principal Holders of Securities

 

A principal shareholder is any person who owns (either of record or beneficially) 5% or more of the outstanding shares of a fund. A control person is one who owns, either directly or indirectly, more than 25% of the voting securities of a company or acknowledges the existence of control.

 

Investment Adviser and Other Service Providers

 

Investment Adviser

 

Volatility Shares LLC, 2000 PGA Blvd, Suite 4400, Palm Beach Gardens, FL, 33408, serves as the investment adviser to the Fund. Volatility Shares is a Delaware limited liability company. The Adviser was formed for the purpose of sponsoring volatility-linked exchange-traded funds. Prior to its engagement as Adviser of the Fund, the Adviser had no operating experience. Volatility Shares discharges its responsibilities subject to the policies of the Board of Trustees. Volatility Shares also administers the Trust’s business affairs, provides office facilities and equipment and certain clerical, bookkeeping and administrative services, and permits any of its officers or employees to serve without compensation as Trustees or officers of the Trust if elected to such positions.

 

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Pursuant to the Investment Management Agreement, Volatility Shares oversees the investment of the Fund’s assets and is responsible for paying all expenses of the Fund, excluding the fee payments under the Investment Management Agreement, interest, taxes, brokerage commissions, acquired fund fees and expenses and other expenses connected with the execution of portfolio transactions, distribution and service fees payable pursuant to a Rule 12b-1 plan, if any, and extraordinary expenses. The Fund has agreed to pay Volatility Shares an annual management fee equal to a percentage of its daily net assets, as detailed in the below table.

 

Management Fee
Fund Fee
Volatility Shares S&P 500 High Volatility Index ETF 0.65%

 

[Under the Investment Management Agreement, Volatility Shares shall not be liable for any loss sustained by reason of the purchase, sale or retention of any security, whether or not such purchase, sale or retention shall have been based upon the investigation and research made by any other individual, firm or corporation, if such recommendation shall have been selected with due care and in good faith, except loss resulting from willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence on the part of Volatility Shares in the performance of its obligations and duties, or by reason of its reckless disregard of its obligations and duties. The Investment Management Agreement is in place for the original initial two year term, and thereafter only if approved annually by the Board of Trustees, including a majority of the Independent Trustees. The Investment Management Agreement terminates automatically upon assignment and is terminable at any time without penalty as to the Fund by the Board of Trustees, including a majority of the Independent Trustees, or by vote of the holders of a majority of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities on 60 days’ written notice to Volatility Shares, or by Volatility Shares on 60 days’ written notice to the Fund.]

 

Portfolio Managers

 

The portfolio managers are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund. There are currently three portfolio managers, as follows:

 

Stuart Barton holds a PhD in Economic History from the University of Cambridge, an MBA from the University of Surrey, and a B.Sc in engineering from the University of Cape Town. Since March 2017, he has served as Managing Partner of Invest in Vol LLC (overseeing operations at an investment adviser); from September 2016 to March 2017 he was Chief Investment Officer of Rex Shares (overseeing investments at an ETF sponsor); from September 2014 to September 2017 he was Managing Partner at Corpus Capital Partners LLC (overseeing operations at a commodity pool operator); from October 2010 to September 2014 he was a Ph.D. Candidate (completed Ph.D.) at the University of Cambridge, UK; from January 2008 to October 2010 he was unemployed and engaged in travel; from June 2007 to January 2008 he was Senior Equity Derivatives Trader at HSBC’s Hong Kong office (traded derivatives at an investment bank); from September 2004 to June 2007 he was Senior Equity Derivatives Trader at Barclays Capital PLC in New York (traded derivatives at a broker-dealer); and from August 2001 to September 2004 he was Equity Derivatives Trader at Barclays Capital PLC in London.

 

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Chang Kim holds a BA in Film Studies from Yale University. From January 2022, he has served as Chief Investment Officer of Invest in Vol LLC (overseeing operations at an investment adviser); from January 2021 to December 2021, he served as the CEO of The Library Shop, Inc. (overseeing operations at an e-commerce business); from September 2009 to December 2020, he served as a Portfolio Manager and the COO at Global X Management Company LLC (overseeing operations at an ETF sponsor).

 

Justin Young holds a BA in American Studies from Georgetown University. Since April 2017, he has served as Managing Partner of Invest in Vol LLC (overseeing operations at an investment adviser); from August 2015 to April 2017, he was Vice President of Rex Shares LLC (overseeing product development at an ETF sponsor); from April 2011 to August 2015 he was Head of Capital Markets for Global X Management Co., (overseeing capital markets operations for an ETF sponsor); and from July 2009 to April 2011 he was an Associate of NYSE Euronext (working on a number of listing matters for a national securities exchange).

 

Portfolio Manager Compensation

 

Messrs. Barton, Kim, and Young are compensated by Volatility Shares LLC. Each is paid a fixed salary and discretionary bonus that is not based on the performance of the Fund.

 

Ownership of Fund Securities

 

As of ______, 2022, none of the portfolio managers owned any Shares of the Fund.

 

Accounts Managed by the Portfolio Managers

 

In addition to the Fund, the portfolio managers are responsible for the day-to-day management of certain other accounts, as listed below. The information below is provided as of ___________, 2022.

 

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Portfolio Managers Registered Investment
Companies
Number of Accounts
($ assets)
Other Pooled
Investment Vehicles
Number of
Accounts
($ assets)
Other Accounts
Number of Accounts
($ Assets)
Stuart Barton      
Chang Kim      
Justin Young      

 

Conflicts of Interest

 

The Adviser’s portfolio managers’ management of other accounts may give rise to potential conflicts of interest in connection with their management of the Fund’s investments, on the one hand, and the investments of the other accounts, on the other. The other accounts might have similar investment objectives as the Fund or hold, purchase or sell securities that are eligible to be held, purchased or sold by the Fund. While the portfolio managers’ management of other accounts may give rise to the following potential conflicts of interest, the Adviser does not believe that the conflicts, if any, are material or, to the extent any such conflicts are material, the Adviser believes that it has designed policies and procedures to manage those conflicts in an appropriate way.

 

Other Fund Service Providers

 

[Fund Administrator and Fund Accountant

 

The administrator, fund accountant and transfer agent for the Fund is ______________, which has its principal office at ____________ and is primarily in the business of providing administrative, fund accounting and stock transfer services to retail and institutional mutual funds. [       ] performs these services pursuant to three separate agreements, a fund administration servicing agreement, a fund accounting servicing agreement and a transfer agent servicing agreement.

 

Fund Administration Agreement

 

Pursuant to the Administration Agreement, _____ provides all administrative services necessary for the Fund, other than those provided by Volatility Shares, subject to the supervision of the Board of Trustees. _____ employees generally will not be officers of the Fund for which they provide services.

 

The Administration Agreement is terminable by the Board or Volatility Shares on ninety (90) days’ written notice and may be assigned provided the non-assigning party provides prior written consent. The Administration Agreement shall remain in effect for three years from the date of its initial approval, unless amended, and its renewal is subject to approval of the Board for periods thereafter. The Administration Agreement provides that in the absence of the ________’s refusal or willful failure to comply with the Agreement or bad faith, negligence or willful misconduct on the part of ______, _____ shall not be liable for any action or failure to act in accordance with its duties thereunder.

 

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Under the Administration Agreement, _____ provides all administrative services, including, without limitation: (i) providing services of persons competent to perform such administrative and clerical functions as are necessary to provide effective administration of the Fund; (ii) overseeing the performance of administrative and professional services to the Fund by others, including the Fund’s custodian, as applicable; (iii) preparing, but not paying for, the periodic updating of the Fund’s Registration Statement, Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information in conjunction with Fund counsel, including the printing of such documents for the purpose of filings with the SEC and state securities administrators, preparing the Fund’s tax returns, and preparing reports to the Fund’s shareholders and the SEC; (iv) calculation of yield and total return for the Fund; (v) monitoring and evaluating daily income and expense accruals, and sales and redemptions of Shares of the Fund; (vi) preparing in conjunction with Fund counsel, but not paying for, all filings under the securities or “Blue Sky” laws of such states or countries as are designated by the Distributor, which may be required to register or qualify, or continue the registration or qualification, of the Fund and/or its Shares under such laws; (vii) preparing notices and agendas for meetings of the Fund’s Board and minutes of such meetings in all matters required by the 1940 Act to be acted upon by the Board; and (viii) monitoring periodic compliance with respect to all requirements and restrictions of the 1940 Act, the Internal Revenue Code and the Prospectus.

 

Fund Accounting Agreement

 

Pursuant to the Fund Accounting Agreement provides the Fund with all accounting services, including, without limitation: (i) daily computation of NAV; (ii) maintenance of security ledgers and books and records as required by the 1940 Act; (iii) production of the Fund’s listing of portfolio securities and general ledger reports; (iv) reconciliation of accounting records; and (v) maintaining certain books and records described in Rule 31a-1 under the 1940 Act, and reconciling account information and balances among the custodian and Volatility Shares.

 

For the administrative and fund accounting services rendered to the Fund by _____, _____ is paid an annual fee based on the average net assets of the Fund, subject to a minimum annual fee. Pursuant to the Fund’s unitary management fee structure, Volatility Shares is responsible for paying for the services provided by ______, and the Fund does not directly pay USBFS.

 

Transfer and Dividend Agent

 

_____ acts as the Fund’s transfer and dividend agent. The Fund pays _____ for its services as its transfer and dividend agent.

 

Custodian

 

_____________, ________________________, serves as custodian for the Fund’s cash and securities. Pursuant to a custodian servicing agreement with the Fund, the Custodian is responsible for maintaining the books and records of the Fund’s portfolio securities and cash. The Custodian does not assist in, and is not responsible for, investment decisions involving the assets of the Fund.]

 

[Securities Lending Agent

 

The Fund may participate in securities lending arrangements whereby the Fund lends certain of its portfolio securities to brokers, dealers, and financial institutions (not with individuals) to receive additional income and increase the rate of return of its portfolio. [_________] serves as the Fund’s securities lending agent and is responsible for (i) negotiating the fees (rebates) of securities loans within parameters approved by the Board; (ii) delivering loaned securities to the applicable borrower(s), a list of which has been approved by the Board; (iii) investing any cash collateral received for a securities loan in investments pre-approved by the Board; (iv) receiving the returned securities at the expiration of a loan’s term; (v) daily monitoring of the value of the loaned securities and the collateral received; (vi) notifying borrowers to make additions to the collateral, when required; (vii) accounting and recordkeeping services as necessary for the operation of the securities lending program, and (viii) establishing and operating a system of controls and procedures to ensure compliance with its obligations under the Fund’s securities lending program.]

 

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Distributor

 

________ serves as distributor and principal underwriter of the Creation Units of the Fund. Its principal address is __________________. The Distributor has entered into a Distribution Agreement with the Trust pursuant to which it distributes Fund shares. Shares are continuously offered for sale by the Fund through the Distributor only in Creation Units, as described below under the heading “Creation and Redemption of Creation Units.” Volatility Shares may, from time to time and from its own resources, pay, defray or absorb costs relating to distribution, including payments out of its own resources to the Distributor, or to otherwise promote the sale of shares. Volatility Shares’s available resources to make these payments include profits from advisory fees received from the Fund. The services Volatility Shares may pay for include, but are not limited to, advertising and attaining access to certain conferences and seminars, as well as being presented with the opportunity to address investors and industry professionals through speeches and written marketing materials. Since the inception of the Fund, there has been no underwriting commissions with respect to the sale of Fund Shares, and the Distributor did not receive compensation on redemptions for the Fund for that period.

 

Aggregations

 

Shares of the Fund in less than Creation Units are not distributed by the Distributor. The Distributor will deliver the Prospectus and, upon request, this SAI to Authorized Participants purchasing Creation Units and will maintain records of both orders placed with it and confirmations of acceptance furnished by it. The Distributor is a broker-dealer registered under the 1934 Act and a member of FINRA.

 

Distribution Agreement

 

The Distribution Agreement provides that it may be terminated at any time, without the payment of any penalty, on at least 60 days’ written notice by the Trust to the Distributor (i) by vote of a majority of the Independent Trustees; or (ii) by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Fund. The Distribution Agreement will terminate automatically in the event of its assignment (as defined in the 1940 Act). The Distributor may also enter into agreements with DTC Participants, which have international, operational, capabilities and place orders for Creation Units of the Fund’s shares.

 

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Counsel

 

Chapman and Cutler LLP, 320 South Canal Street, Chicago, Illinois 60606, is counsel to the Fund.

 

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

 

[             ], serves as the Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm. The firm audits the Fund’s financial statements and performs other related audit services.

 

Brokerage Allocations

 

The Adviser is responsible for decisions to buy and sell securities for the Fund and for the placement of the Fund’s securities business, the negotiation of the commissions to be paid on brokered transactions, the prices for principal trades in securities, and the allocation of portfolio brokerage and principal business. It is the policy of Volatility Shares to seek the best execution at the best security price available with respect to each transaction, and with respect to brokered transactions in light of the overall quality of brokerage and research services provided to Volatility Shares and its clients. The best price to the Fund means the best net price without regard to the mix between purchase or sale price and commission, if any. Purchases may be made from underwriters, dealers, and, on occasion, the issuers. Commissions will be paid on the Fund’s futures transactions, if any. The purchase price of portfolio securities purchased from an underwriter or dealer may include underwriting commissions and dealer spreads. The Fund may pay mark-ups on principal transactions. In selecting broker-dealers and in negotiating commissions, the Adviser considers, among other things, the firm’s reliability, the quality of its execution services on a continuing basis and its financial condition.

 

Section 28(e) of the 1934 Act permits an investment adviser, under certain circumstances, to cause an account to pay a broker or dealer who supplies brokerage and research services a commission for effecting a transaction in excess of the amount of commission another broker or dealer would have charged for effecting the transaction. Brokerage and research services include (i) furnishing advice as to the value of securities, the advisability of investing, purchasing or selling securities, and the availability of securities or purchasers or sellers of securities; (ii) furnishing analyses and reports concerning issuers, industries, securities, economic factors and trends, portfolio strategy, and the performance of accounts; and (iii) effecting securities transactions and performing functions incidental thereto (such as clearance, settlement, and custody). Such brokerage and research services are often referred to as “soft dollars.” [Volatility Shares has advised the Board of Trustees that it does not currently intend to use soft dollars.]

 

Notwithstanding the foregoing, in selecting brokers, the Adviser may in the future consider investment and market information and other research, such as economic, securities and performance measurement research, provided by such brokers, and the quality and reliability of brokerage services, including execution capability, performance, and financial responsibility. Accordingly, the commissions charged by any such broker may be greater than the amount another firm might charge if the Adviser determines in good faith that the amount of such commissions is reasonable in relation to the value of the research information and brokerage services provided by such broker to the Adviser or the Trust. In addition, the Adviser must determine that the research information received in this manner provides the Fund with benefits by supplementing the research otherwise available to the Fund. The Investment Management Agreement provides that such higher commissions will not be paid by the Fund unless the Adviser determines in good faith that the amount is reasonable in relation to the services provided. The investment advisory fees paid by the Fund to Volatility Shares under the Investment Management Agreement would not be reduced as a result of receipt by Volatility Shares of research services.

 

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The Adviser places portfolio transactions for other advisory accounts advised by it, and research services furnished by firms through which the Fund effects securities transactions may be used by the Adviser in servicing all of its accounts; not all of such services may be used by the Adviser in connection with the Fund. The Adviser believes it is not possible to measure separately the benefits from research services to each of the accounts (including the Fund) advised by it. Because the volume and nature of the trading activities of the accounts are not uniform, the amount of commissions in excess of those charged by another broker paid by each account for brokerage and research services will vary. However, the Adviser believes such costs to the Fund will not be disproportionate to the benefits received by the Fund on a continuing basis. The Adviser seeks to allocate portfolio transactions equitably whenever concurrent decisions are made to purchase or sell securities by the Fund and another advisory account. In some cases, this procedure could have an adverse effect on the price or the amount of securities available to the Fund. In making such allocations between the Fund and other advisory accounts, the main factors considered by the Adviser are the respective investment objectives, the relative size of portfolio holding of the same or comparable securities, the availability of cash for investment and the size of investment commitments generally held.

 

Additional Information

 

The following information supplements and should be read in conjunction with the Prospectus.

 

Securities Depository for Fund Shares

 

Shares of the Fund are represented by securities registered in the name of DTC or its nominee, Cede & Co., and deposited with, or on behalf of, DTC.

 

DTC was created to hold securities of DTC Participants and to facilitate the clearance and settlement of securities transactions among the DTC Participants in such securities through electronic book-entry changes in accounts of the DTC Participants, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of securities, certificates. DTC Participants include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and certain other organizations, some of whom (and/or their representatives) own DTC. More specifically, DTC is owned by a number of its DTC Participants and by the NYSE and FINRA. Access to the DTC system is also available to Indirect Participants.

 

Beneficial ownership of Shares is limited to DTC Participants, Indirect Participants and persons holding interests through DTC Participants and Indirect Participants. Ownership of beneficial interests in Shares is shown on, and the transfer of ownership is effected only through, records maintained by DTC (with respect to DTC Participants) and on the records of DTC Participants (with respect to Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners that are not DTC Participants). Beneficial Owners will receive from or through the DTC Participant a written confirmation relating to their purchase and sale of Shares.

 

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Conveyance of all notices, statements and other communications to Beneficial Owners is effected as follows. Pursuant to a letter agreement between DTC and the Trust, DTC is required to make available to the Trust upon request and for a fee to be charged to the Trust a listing of the Shares of the Fund held by each DTC Participant. The Trust shall inquire of each such DTC Participant as to the number of Beneficial Owners holding Shares, directly or indirectly, through such DTC Participant. The Trust shall provide each such DTC Participant with copies of such notice, statement or other communication, in such form, number and at such place as such DTC Participant may reasonably request, in order that such notice, statement or communication may be transmitted by such DTC Participant, directly or indirectly, to such Beneficial Owners. In addition, the Trust shall pay to each such DTC Participants a fair and reasonable amount as reimbursement for the expenses attendant to such transmittal, all subject to applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.

 

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

 

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

 

DTC may decide to discontinue providing its service with respect to shares at any time by giving reasonable notice to the Trust and discharging its responsibilities with respect thereto under applicable law. Under such circumstances, the Trust shall take action to find a replacement for DTC to perform its functions at a comparable cost.

 

Policy Regarding Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings

 

The Trust has adopted a policy regarding the disclosure of information about the Fund’s portfolio holdings. The Board of Trustees must approve all material amendments to this policy. The Fund’s portfolio holdings are publicly disseminated each day the Fund is open for business through financial reporting and news services, including publicly accessible Internet websites. In addition, a basket composition file, which includes the security names and share quantities to deliver in exchange for Fund Shares, together with estimates and actual cash components, is publicly disseminated each day [        ] is open for trading via the NSCC. The basket represents one Creation Unit of the Fund. The Fund’s portfolio holdings are also available on the Fund’s website at http://www.volatilityshares.com. The Trust, Volatility Shares, and the Distributor will not disseminate non-public information concerning the Trust.

 

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Quarterly Portfolio Schedule

 

The Trust is required to disclose on a quarterly basis the complete schedule of the Fund’s monthly portfolio holdings with the SEC on Form N-PORT. Form N-PORT for the Trust is available on the SEC’s website at https://www.sec.gov. The Fund’ Form N-PORT may also be reviewed and copied at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. and information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling 1-800-SEC-0330. The Trust’s Forms N-PORT are available without charge, upon request, by calling [(866) 261-0273] or by writing to Volatility Shares Trust, 2000 PGA Blvd, Suite 4400, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida 33408.

 

Codes of Ethics

 

In order to mitigate the possibility that the Fund will be adversely affected by personal trading, the Trust, Volatility Shares, and the Distributor have adopted Codes of Ethics under Rule 17j-1 of the 1940 Act. These Codes of Ethics contain policies restricting securities trading in personal accounts access persons, Trustees and others who normally come into possession of information on portfolio transactions. Personnel subject to the Codes of Ethics may invest in securities that may be purchased or held by the Fund; however, the Codes of Ethics require that each transaction in such securities be reviewed by the Compliance Department. These Codes of Ethics are on public file with, and are available from, the SEC.

 

Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures

 

The Trust has adopted a proxy voting policy that seeks to ensure that proxies for securities held by the Fund are voted consistently with the best interests of the Fund.

 

[The Board has delegated to Volatility Shares the proxy voting responsibilities for the Fund and has directed Volatility Shares to vote proxies consistent with the Fund’s best interests. In order to facilitate the proxy voting process, [                    ] (“[                    ]”) has been retained to provide access to a selection of third-party providers that are available to provide proxy vote recommendations and research. Votes are cast through the [                    ] (“[                    ]”). With the assistance of [                    ], [                    ] (“[                    ]”) (“[                    ]”) has been selected to provide vote recommendations based on its own internal guidelines. The services provided to Volatility Shares through [          ] include access to [        ]’ research analysis and their voting recommendations. Services provided to Volatility Shares through [        ] include receipt of proxy ballots, vote execution based upon the recommendations of [        ], access to the voting recommendations of [        ], as well as reporting, auditing, working with custodian banks, and consulting assistance for the handling of proxy voting responsibilities. [        ] also maintains proxy voting records and provides Volatility Shares with reports that reflect the proxy voting activities of client portfolios.]

 

The fundamental guideline followed by Volatility Shares in voting proxies is to make every effort to confirm that the manner in which shares are voted is in the best interest of clients and the value of the investment. Absent special circumstances of the types described below, it is the policy of Adviser to exercise its proxy voting discretion in accordance with the [          ] Proxy Voting Principles and Guidelines set forth in Exhibit A.

 

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Information regarding how the Fund voted proxies (if any) relating to portfolio securities during the most recent 12-month period ended [     ] is available upon request and without charge on the Fund’s website at https://www.volatilityshares.com, by calling (866) 261-0273 or by accessing the SEC’s website at https://www.sec.gov.

 

Creation and Redemption of Creation Units

 

General

 

ETFs, such as the Fund, generally issue and redeem their shares in primary market transactions through a creation and redemption mechanism and do not sell or redeem individual shares. Instead, authorized participants can purchase and redeem ETF shares directly with the ETF in Creation Units. Prior to start of trading on every business day, an ETF publishes through NSCC the “basket” of securities, cash or other assets that it will accept in exchange for a Creation Unit of the ETF’s shares. An authorized participant that wishes to effectuate a creation of an ETF’s shares deposits with the ETF the “basket” of securities, cash or other assets identified by the ETF that day, and then receives the Creation Unit of the ETF’s shares in return for those assets. After purchasing a Creation Unit, the authorized participant may continue to hold the ETF’s shares or sell them in the secondary market. The redemption process is the reverse of the purchase process: the authorized participant redeems a Creation Unit of ETF shares for a basket of securities, cash or other assets. The combination of the creation and redemption process with secondary market trading in ETF shares and underlying securities provides arbitrage opportunities that are designed to help keep the market price of ETF shares at or close to the NAV per share of the ETF.

 

Authorized Participants

 

An Authorized Participant has a written agreement with the Fund or one of its service providers that allows the Authorized Participant to place orders for the purchase or redemption of Creation Unit, called a Participant Agreement. Orders to purchase Creation Units must be delivered through an Authorized Participant that has executed a Participant Agreement and must comply with the applicable provisions of such Participant Agreement. Investors wishing to purchase or sell shares generally do so on an exchange. Institutional investors other than Authorized Participants are responsible for making arrangements for a redemption request to be made through an Authorized Participant.

 

Business Day

 

A “Business Day” is generally any day on which the NYSE, the Exchange and the Trust are open for business. As of the date of this SAI, the NYSE observes the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth National Independence Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. The Business Day on which an order to purchase or redeem Creation Units is received in proper form is referred to as the “Transmittal Date.”

 

Basket Composition

 

Rule 6c-11(c)(3) under of the 1940 Act requires an ETF relying on the exemptions offered by Rule 6c-11 to adopt and implement written policies and procedures governing the construction of baskets and the process that the ETF will use for the acceptance of baskets. In general, in connection with the construction and acceptance of baskets, the Advisor may consider various factors, including, but not limited to: (1) whether the securities, assets and other positions comprising a basket are consistent with the ETF’s investment objective(s), policies and disclosure; (2) whether the securities, assets and other positions can legally and readily be acquired, transferred and held by the ETF and/or Authorized Participant(s), as applicable; (3) whether to utilize cash, either in lieu of securities or other instruments or as a cash balancing amount; and (4) in the case of an ETF that tracks an index, whether the securities, assets and other positions aid index tracking.

 

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The Fund expects that the baskets used for the purchase and sale of Creation Units will be comprised entirely of cash.

 

Basket Dissemination

 

Basket files are published for consumption through the NSCC, a subsidiary of Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation, and can be utilized for pricing, creations, redemptions, rebalancing and custom scenarios. In most instances, baskets are calculated and supplied by the ETF’s custodial bank or by the Fund’s investment adviser and disseminated by the ETF’s custodial bank through the NSCC process.

 

Placement of Creation or Redemption Orders

 

All orders to purchase or redeem Creation Units are to be governed according to the applicable Participant Agreement that each Authorized Participant has executed. In general, all orders to purchase or redeem Creation Units must be received by the transfer agent in the proper form required by the Participant Agreement no later than Closing Time in order for the purchase or redemption of Creation Units to be effected based on the NAV of shares of the Fund as next determined on such date after receipt of the order in proper form. However, at its discretion, the Fund may require an Authorized Participant to submit orders to purchase or redeem Creation Units be placed earlier in the day (such as instances where an applicable market for a security comprising a creation or redemption basket closes earlier than usual). The cut-off time may be earlier if, for example, the Exchange or other exchange material to the valuation or operation of the Fund closes before the cut-off time. If a creation order is received after the Closing Time, the creation order will be the next Business Day. If a redemption order is received after the Closing Tie, the redemption order date will be the next day. By placing a redemption order, an Authorized Participant agrees to deliver the Creation Units to be redeemed through DTC’s book-entry system to the Fund not later than noon (Eastern Time), on the first Business Day immediately following that redemption order date (T+1). The Adviser reserves the right to extend the deadline for the Fund to receive Creation Units required for settlement up to the second Business Day following the redemption order date (T+2). At its sole discretion, the Adviser may agree to a delivery date other than T+2.

 

Delivery of Redemption Proceeds

 

Deliveries of securities to Authorized Participants in connection with redemption orders are generally expected to be made within two Business Days.

 

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Creation Transaction Fees

 

The Fund imposes fees in connection with the purchase of Creation Units, including a fixed transaction fee of up to $500. These fees may vary based upon various facts-based circumstances, including, but not limited to, the composition of the securities included in the Creation Unit or the countries in which the transactions are settled. Authorized Participants may also pay a variable transaction fee to the Fund of up to [0.20]% of the value of the Creation Unit that is created unless the transaction fee is waived or otherwise adjusted by the Adviser. The Adviser will provide such Authorized Participant with prompt notice in advance of any such waiver or adjustment of the transaction fee. The Adviser may waive a fixed or variable transaction fee for any number of reasons, including, but not limited to, to maintain similar cost structures as competitive investment vehicles. The price for each Creation Unit will equal the daily NAV per share of the Fund times the number of shares in a Creation Unit, plus the fees described above and, if applicable, any operational processing and brokerage costs, transfer fees, stamp taxes and part or all of the spread between the expected bid and offer side of the market related to the securities comprising the creation basket.

 

Redemption Transaction Fees

 

The Fund also imposes fees in connection with the redemption of Creation Units, including a fixed transaction fee of up to $500. These fees may vary based upon various facts-based circumstances, including, but not limited to, the composition of the securities included in the Creation Unit or the countries in which the transactions are settled. Authorized Participants may also pay a variable transaction fee to the Fund of up to [0.20]% of the value of the Creation Unit that is redeemed unless the transaction fee is waived or otherwise adjusted by the Adviser. The Adviser will provide such Authorized Participant with prompt notice in advance of any such waiver or adjustment of the transaction fee. The Adviser may waive a fixed or variable transaction fee for any number of reasons, including, but not limited to, to maintain similar cost structures as competitive investment vehicles. The price received for each Creation Unit will equal the daily NAV per share of the Fund times the number of shares in a Creation Unit, minus the fees described above and, if applicable, any operational processing and brokerage costs, transfer fees, stamp taxes and part or all of the spread between the expected bid and offer side of the market related to the securities comprising the redemption basket. Investors who use the services of a broker or other such intermediary in addition to an Authorized Participant to effect a redemption of a Creation Unit may also be assessed an amount to cover the cost of such services. The redemption fee charged by the Fund will comply with Rule 22c-2 of the 1940 Act which limits redemption fees to no more than 2% of the value of the shares redeemed.

 

Suspension of Creations

 

The SEC has stated its position that an ETF generally may suspend the issuance of Creation Units only for a limited time and only due to extraordinary circumstances, such as when the markets on which the ETF’s portfolio holdings are traded are closed for a limited period of time. The SEC has also stated that an ETF could not set transaction fees so high as to effectively suspend the issuance of Creation Units. Circumstances in which the Fund may suspend creations include, but are not limited to: (i) the order is not in proper form; (ii) the purchaser or group of related purchasers, upon obtaining the Creation Units of Fund shares ordered, would own 80% or more of the currently outstanding shares of the Fund; (iii) the required consideration is not delivered; (iv) the acceptance of the Fund Deposit would have certain adverse tax consequences; (v) the acceptance of the Fund Deposit would, in the opinion of the Fund, be unlawful; (vi) the acceptance of the Fund Deposit would otherwise, in the discretion of the Fund, Volatility Shares and/or any sub-advisor, have an adverse effect on the Fund or the rights of the Fund’s Beneficial Owners; or (vii) there exist circumstances outside the control of the Fund that make it impossible to process purchases of Creation Units for all practical purposes. Examples of such circumstances include: acts of God or public service or utility problems such as fires, floods, extreme weather conditions and power outages resulting in telephone, telecopy and computer failures; market conditions or activities causing trading halts; systems failures involving computer or other information systems affecting the Fund, Volatility Shares, the Distributor, DTC, NSCC, the transfer agent, the custodian, any sub-custodian or any other participant in the purchase process; and similar extraordinary events. The Fund reserves the absolute right to reject a creation order transmitted to it if: The Transfer Agent shall notify a prospective creator of a Creation Unit and/or the Authorized Participant acting on behalf of such prospective creator of the rejection of the order of such person. The Trust, the Fund, the Transfer Agent, the custodian, any sub-custodian and the Distributor are under no duty, however, to give notification of any defects or irregularities in the delivery of Fund Deposits, nor shall any of them incur any liability for the failure to give any such notification.

 

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Suspension of Redemptions

 

An ETF may suspend the redemption of Creation Units only in accordance with Section 22(e) of the 1940 Act. Section 22(e) stipulates that no registered investment company shall suspend the right of redemption, or postpone the date of payment or satisfaction upon redemption of any redeemable security in accordance with its terms for more than seven days after the tender of such security to the company or its agent designated for that purpose for redemption, except (1) for any period (A) during which the NYSE is closed other than customary week-end and holiday closings or (B) during which trading on the NYSE is restricted; (2) for any period during which an emergency exists as a result of which (A) disposal by the investment company of securities owned by it is not reasonably practicable or (B) it is not reasonably practicable for such company fairly to determine the value of its net assets; or (3) for such other periods as the SEC may by order permit for the protection of security holders of the investment company.

 

Exceptions to Use of Creation Units

 

Under Rule 6c-11 of the 1940 Act, ETFs are permitted to sell or redeem individual shares on the day of consummation of a reorganization, merger, conversion, or liquidation. In these limited circumstances, an ETF may need to issue or redeem individual shares and may need to transact without utilizing Authorized Participants.

 

Federal Tax Matters

 

This section summarizes some of the main U.S. federal income tax consequences of owning Shares of the Fund. This section is current as of the date of this SAI. Tax laws and interpretations change frequently, and these summaries do not describe all of the tax consequences to all taxpayers. For example, these summaries generally do not describe your situation if you are a corporation, a non-U.S. person, a broker-dealer, or other investor with special circumstances. In addition, this section does not describe your state, local or foreign tax consequences.

 

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This federal income tax summary is based in part on the advice of counsel to the Fund. The Internal Revenue Service could disagree with any conclusions set forth in this section. In addition, our counsel was not asked to review, and has not reached a conclusion with respect to the federal income tax treatment of the assets to be deposited in the Fund. This may not be sufficient for prospective investors to use for the purpose of avoiding penalties under federal tax law.

 

As with any investment, prospective investors should seek advice based on their individual circumstances from their own tax advisor.

 

The Fund intends to qualify annually and to elect to be treated as a regulated investment company under the Code.

 

To qualify for the favorable U.S. federal income tax treatment generally accorded to regulated investment companies, the Fund must, among other things, (i) derive in each taxable year at least 90% of its gross income from dividends, interest, payments with respect to securities loans and gains from the sale or other disposition of stock, securities or foreign currencies or other income derived with respect to its business of investing in such stock, securities or currencies, or net income derived from interests in certain publicly traded partnerships; (ii) diversify its holdings so that, at the end of each quarter of the taxable year, (a) at least 50% of the market value of the Fund’s assets is represented by cash and cash items (including receivables), U.S. government securities, the securities of other regulated investment companies and other securities, with such other securities of any one issuer generally limited for the purposes of this calculation to an amount not greater than 5% of the value of the Fund’s total assets and not greater than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer, and (b) not more than 25% of the value of its total assets is invested in the securities (other than U.S. government securities or the securities of other regulated investment companies) of any one issuer, or two or more issuers which the Fund controls which are engaged in the same, similar or related trades or businesses, or the securities of one or more of certain publicly traded partnerships; and (iii) distribute at least 90% of its investment company taxable income (which includes, among other items, dividends, interest and net short-term capital gains in excess of net long-term capital losses) and at least 90% of its net tax-exempt interest income each taxable year. There are certain exceptions for failure to qualify if the failure is for reasonable cause or is de minimis, and certain corrective action is taken and certain tax payments are made by the Fund.

 

As a regulated investment company, the Fund generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on its investment company taxable income (as that term is defined in the Code, but without regard to the deduction for dividends paid) and net capital gain (the excess of net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss), if any, that it distributes to shareholders. The Fund intends to distribute to its shareholders, at least annually, substantially all of its investment company taxable income and net capital gain. If the Fund retains any net capital gain or investment company taxable income, it will generally be subject to federal income tax at regular corporate rates on the amount retained. In addition, amounts not distributed on a timely basis in accordance with a calendar year distribution requirement are subject to a nondeductible 4% excise tax unless, generally, the Fund distributes during each calendar year an amount equal to the sum of (1) at least 98% of its ordinary income (not taking into account any capital gains or losses) for the calendar year, (2) at least 98.2% of its capital gains in excess of its capital losses (adjusted for certain ordinary losses) for the one-year period ending October 31 of the calendar year, and (3) any ordinary income and capital gains for previous years that were not distributed during those years. In order to prevent application of the excise tax, the Fund intends to make its distributions in accordance with the calendar year distribution requirement. A distribution will be treated as paid on December 31 of the current calendar year if it is declared by the Fund in October, November or December with a record date in such a month and paid by the Fund during January of the following calendar year. Such distributions will be taxable to shareholders in the calendar year in which the distributions are declared, rather than the calendar year in which the distributions are received.

 

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Subject to certain reasonable cause and de minimis exceptions, if the Fund fails to qualify as a regulated investment company or failed to satisfy the 90% distribution requirement in any taxable year, the Fund would be taxed as an ordinary corporation on its taxable income (even if such income were distributed to its shareholders) and all distributions out of earnings and profits would be taxed to shareholders as ordinary income.

 

Distributions

 

Dividends paid out of the Fund’s investment company taxable income are generally taxable to a shareholder as ordinary income to the extent of the Fund’s earnings and profits, whether paid in cash or reinvested in additional shares. However, certain ordinary income distributions received from the Fund may be taxed at capital gains tax rates. In particular, ordinary income dividends received by an individual shareholder from a regulated investment company such as the Fund are generally taxed at the same rates that apply to net capital gain, provided that certain holding period requirements are satisfied and provided the dividends are attributable to qualifying dividends received by the Fund itself.

 

The Fund will provide notice to its shareholders of the amount of any distributions that may be taken into account as a dividend, which is eligible for the capital gains tax rates. The Fund cannot make any guarantees as to the amount of any distribution, which will be regarded as a qualifying dividend.

 

Income from the Fund may also be subject to a 3.8% “Medicare tax.” This tax generally applies to net investment income if the taxpayer’s adjusted gross income exceeds certain threshold amounts, which are $250,000 in the case of married couples filing joint returns and $200,000 in the case of single individuals.

 

A corporation that owns Shares generally will not be entitled to the dividends received deduction with respect to many dividends received from the Fund because the dividends received deduction is generally not available for distributions from regulated investment companies. However, certain ordinary income dividends on Shares that are attributable to qualifying dividends received by the Fund from certain domestic corporations may be reported by the Fund as being eligible for the dividends received deduction.

 

Distributions of net capital gain (the excess of net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss), if any, properly reported as capital gain dividends are taxable to a shareholder as long-term capital gains, regardless of how long the shareholder has held Fund Shares. An election may be available to you to defer recognition of the gain attributable to a capital gain dividend if you make certain qualifying investments within a limited time. You should talk to your tax advisor about the availability of this deferral election and its requirements. Shareholders receiving distributions in the form of additional Shares, rather than cash, generally will have a tax basis in each such share equal to the value of a Share of the Fund on the reinvestment date. A distribution of an amount in excess of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits will be treated by a shareholder as a return of capital which is applied against and reduces the shareholder’s basis in his or her Shares. To the extent that the amount of any such distribution exceeds the shareholder’s basis in his or her Shares, the excess will be treated by the shareholder as gain from a sale or exchange of the Shares.

 

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Shareholders will be notified annually as to the U.S. federal income tax status of distributions, and shareholders receiving distributions in the form of additional shares will receive a report as to the value of those Shares.

 

Sale or Exchange of Fund Shares

 

Upon the sale or other disposition of Shares of the Fund, which a shareholder holds as a capital asset, such a shareholder may realize a capital gain or loss, which will be long-term or short-term, depending upon the shareholder’s holding period for the Shares. Generally, a shareholder’s gain or loss will be a long-term gain or loss if the Shares have been held for more than one year.

 

Any loss realized on a sale or exchange will be disallowed to the extent that Shares disposed of are replaced (including through reinvestment of dividends) within a period of 61 days beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after disposition of shares or to the extent that the shareholder, during such period, acquires or enters into an option or contract to acquire, substantially identical stock or securities. In such a case, the basis of the shares acquired will be adjusted to reflect the disallowed loss. Any loss realized by a shareholder on a disposition of Fund Shares held by the shareholder for six months or less will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of any distributions of long-term capital gain received by the shareholder with respect to such Shares.

 

Taxes on Purchase and Redemption of Creation Units

 

If a shareholder exchanges securities for Creation Units the shareholder will generally recognize a gain or a loss. The gain or loss will be equal to the difference between the market value of the Creation Units at the time and the shareholder’s aggregate basis in the securities surrendered and the Cash Component paid. If a shareholder exchanges Creation Units for securities, then the shareholder will generally recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the shareholder’s basis in the Creation Units and the aggregate market value of the securities received and the Cash Redemption Amount. The Internal Revenue Service, however, may assert that a loss realized upon an exchange of securities for Creation Units or Creation Units for securities cannot be deducted currently under the rules governing “wash sales,” or on the basis that there has been no significant change in economic position.

 

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Nature of Fund Investments

 

Certain of the Fund’s investment practices are subject to special and complex federal income tax provisions that may, among other things, (i) disallow, suspend or otherwise limit the allowance of certain losses or deductions; (ii) convert lower taxed long-term capital gain into higher taxed short-term capital gain or ordinary income; (iii) convert an ordinary loss or a deduction into a capital loss (the deductibility of which is more limited); (iv) cause the Fund to recognize income or gain without a corresponding receipt of cash; (v) adversely affect the time as to when a purchase or sale of stock or securities is deemed to occur; and (vi) adversely alter the characterization of certain complex financial transactions.

 

Investments in Certain Non-U.S. Corporations

 

If the Fund holds an equity interest in any “passive foreign investment companies” (“PFICs”), which are generally certain non-U.S. corporations that receive at least 75% of their annual gross income from passive sources (such as interest, dividends, certain rents and royalties or capital gains) or that hold at least 50% of their assets in investments producing such passive income, the Fund could be subject to U.S. federal income tax and additional interest charges on gains and certain distributions with respect to those equity interests, even if all the income or gain is timely distributed to its shareholders. The Fund will not be able to pass through to its shareholders any credit or deduction for such taxes. The Fund may be able to make an election that could ameliorate these adverse tax consequences. In this case, the Fund would recognize as ordinary income any increase in the value of such PFIC shares, and as ordinary loss any decrease in such value to the extent it did not exceed prior increases included in income. Under this election, the Fund might be required to recognize in a year income in excess of its distributions from PFICs and its proceeds from dispositions of PFIC stock during that year, and such income would nevertheless be subject to the distribution requirement and would be taken into account for purposes of the 4% excise tax (described above). Dividends paid by PFICs are not treated as qualified dividend income.

 

Backup Withholding

 

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

 

Non-U.S. Shareholders

 

U.S. taxation of a shareholder who, as to the United States, is a nonresident alien individual, a non-U.S. trust or estate, a non-U.S. corporation or non-U.S. partnership (“non-U.S. shareholder”) depends on whether the income of the Fund is “effectively connected” with a U.S. trade or business carried on by the shareholder.

 

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In addition to the rules described in this section concerning the potential imposition of withholding on distributions to non-U.S. persons, distributions to non-U.S. persons that are “financial institutions” may be subject to a withholding tax of 30% unless an agreement is in place between the financial institution and the U.S. Treasury to collect and disclose information about accounts, equity investments, or debt interests in the financial institution held by one or more U.S. persons or the institution is resident in a jurisdiction that has entered into such an agreement with the U.S. Treasury. For these purposes, a “financial institution” means any entity that (i) accepts deposits in the ordinary course of a banking or similar business; (ii) holds financial assets for the account of others as a substantial portion of its business; or (iii) is engaged (or holds itself out as being engaged) primarily in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading in securities, partnership interests, commodities or any interest (including a futures contract or option) in such securities, partnership interests or commodities. This withholding tax is also currently scheduled to apply to the gross proceeds from the disposition of securities that produce U.S. source interest or dividends. However, proposed regulations may eliminate the requirement to withhold on payments of gross proceeds from dispositions.

 

Distributions to non-financial non-U.S. entities (other than publicly traded non-U.S. entities, entities owned by residents of U.S. possessions, non-U.S. governments, international organizations, or non-U.S. central banks), will also be subject to a withholding tax of 30% if the entity does not certify that the entity does not have any substantial U.S. owners or provide the name, address and TIN of each substantial U.S. owner.  This withholding tax is also currently scheduled to apply to the gross proceeds from the disposition of securities that produce U.S. source interest or dividends. However, proposed regulations may eliminate the requirement to withhold on payments of gross proceeds from dispositions.

 

Income Not Effectively Connected. If the income from the Fund is not “effectively connected” with a U.S. trade or business carried on by the non-U.S. shareholder, distributions of investment company taxable income will generally be subject to a U.S. tax of 30% (or lower treaty rate), which tax is generally withheld from such distributions.

 

Distributions of capital gain dividends and any amounts retained by the Fund which are properly reported by the Fund as undistributed capital gains will not be subject to U.S. tax at the rate of 30% (or lower treaty rate) unless the non-U.S. shareholder is a nonresident alien individual and is physically present in the United States for more than 182 days during the taxable year and meets certain other requirements. However, this 30% tax on capital gains of nonresident alien individuals who are physically present in the United States for more than the 182 day period only applies in exceptional cases because any individual present in the United States for more than 182 days during the taxable year is generally treated as a resident for U.S. income tax purposes; in that case, he or she would be subject to U.S. income tax on his or her worldwide income at the graduated rates applicable to U.S. citizens, rather than the 30% U.S. tax. In the case of a non-U.S. shareholder who is a nonresident alien individual, the Fund may be required to withhold U.S. income tax from distributions of net capital gain unless the non-U.S. shareholder certifies his or her non-U.S. status under penalties of perjury or otherwise establishes an exemption. If a non-U.S. shareholder is a nonresident alien individual, any gain such shareholder realizes upon the sale or exchange of such shareholder’s Shares of the Fund in the United States will ordinarily be exempt from U.S. tax unless the gain is U.S. source income and such shareholder is physically present in the United States for more than 182 days during the taxable year and meets certain other requirements.

 

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Distributions from the Fund that are properly reported by the Fund as an interest-related dividend attributable to certain interest income received by the Fund or as a short-term capital gain dividend attributable to certain net short-term capital gain income received by the Fund may not be subject to U.S. federal income taxes, including withholding taxes when received by certain non-U.S. investors, provided that the Fund makes certain elections and certain other conditions are met.

 

In addition, capital gain distributions attributable to gains from U.S. real property interests (including certain U.S. real property holding corporations) will generally be subject to United States withholding tax and will give rise to an obligation on the part of the non-U.S. shareholder to file a United States tax return.

 

Income Effectively Connected. If the income from the Fund is “effectively connected” with a U.S. trade or business carried on by a non-U.S. shareholder, then distributions of investment company taxable income and capital gain dividends, any amounts retained by the Fund which are properly reported by the Fund as undistributed capital gains and any gains realized upon the sale or exchange of Shares of the Fund will be subject to U.S. income tax at the graduated rates applicable to U.S. citizens, residents and domestic corporations. Non-U.S. corporate shareholders may also be subject to the branch profits tax imposed by the Code. The tax consequences to a non-U.S. shareholder entitled to claim the benefits of an applicable tax treaty may differ from those described herein. Non-U.S. shareholders are advised to consult their own tax advisors with respect to the particular tax consequences to them of an investment in the Fund.

 

Capital Loss Carryforward

 

Net capital gains of the Fund that are available for distribution to shareholders will be computed by taking into account any applicable capital loss carryforward.

 

Other Taxation

 

Fund shareholders may be subject to state, local and foreign taxes on their Fund distributions. Shareholders are advised to consult their own tax advisors with respect to the particular tax consequences to them of an investment in the Fund.

 

Determination of Net Asset Value

 

The following information supplements and should be read in conjunction with the section in the Prospectus entitled “Net Asset Value.”

 

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The per Share NAV of the Fund is determined by dividing the total value of the securities and other assets, less liabilities, by the total number of shares outstanding. Market value prices represent last sale or official closing prices from a national or foreign exchange (i.e., a regulated market) and are primarily obtained from third party pricing services. Under normal circumstances, daily calculation of the net asset value will utilize the last closing price of each security held by the Fund at the close of the market on which such security is principally listed. In determining NAV, portfolio securities for the Fund for which accurate market quotations are readily available will be valued by the Fund accounting agent as follows:

 

(1)          Common stocks and other equity securities listed on any national or foreign exchange other than NASDAQ and AIM will be valued at the last sale price on the business day as of which such value is being determined. Securities listed on NASDAQ or AIM are valued at the official closing price on the business day as of which such value is being determined. If there has been no sale on such day, or no official closing price in the case of securities traded on NASDAQ and AIM, the securities are valued at the midpoint between the most recent bid and ask prices on such day. Portfolio securities traded on more than one securities exchange are valued at the last sale price or official closing price, as applicable, on the business day as of which such value is being determined at the close of the exchange representing the principal market for such securities.

 

(2)          Securities traded in the OTC market are valued at the midpoint between the bid and asked price, if available, and otherwise at their closing bid prices.

 

In addition, the following types of securities will be valued as follows:

 

(1)          Fixed income securities with a remaining maturity of 60 days or more will be valued by the fund accounting agent using a pricing service. When price quotes are not available, fair value is based on prices of comparable securities.

 

(2)          Fixed income securities maturing within 60 days are valued by the Fund accounting agent on an amortized cost basis.

 

The value of any portfolio security held by the Fund for which market quotations are not readily available will be determined by Volatility Shares in a manner that most fairly reflects fair market value of the security on the valuation date, based on a consideration of all available information.

 

Certain securities may not be able to be priced by pre-established pricing methods. Such securities may be valued by the Board of Trustees or its delegate at fair value. These securities generally include but are not limited to, restricted securities (securities which may not be publicly sold without registration under the 1933 Act) for which a pricing service is unable to provide a market price; securities whose trading has been formally suspended; a security whose market price is not available from a pre-established pricing source; a security with respect to which an event has occurred that is likely to materially affect the value of the security after the market has closed but before the calculation of Fund net asset value (as may be the case in foreign markets on which the security is primarily traded) or make it difficult or impossible to obtain a reliable market quotation; and a security whose price, as provided by the pricing service, does not reflect the security’s “fair value.” As a general principle, the current “fair value” of an issue of securities would appear to be the amount, that the owner might reasonably expect to receive for them upon their current sale. A variety of factors may be considered in determining the fair value of such securities. Rule 2a-5 addresses a board’s valuation policies and the role of the board with respect to the fair value of a fund’s investments. It further provides requirements for determining fair value in good faith under the 1940 Act. It is expected that the Fund will be required to comply with the requirements of Rule 2a-5 by September 8, 2022.

 

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Valuing the Fund’s investments using fair value pricing will result in using prices for those investments that may differ from current market valuations. Use of fair value prices and certain current market valuations could result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund’s NAV and the prices used in secondary market transactions.

 

Because foreign markets may be open on different days than the days during which a shareholder may purchase the shares of the Fund, the value of the Fund’s investments may change on the days when shareholders are not able to purchase the shares of the Fund.

 

The Fund may suspend the right of redemption for the Fund only under the following unusual circumstances: (i) when the NYSE is closed (other than weekends and holidays) or trading is restricted; (ii) when trading in the markets normally utilized is restricted, or when an emergency exists as determined by the SEC so that disposal of the Fund’s investments or determination of its net assets is not reasonably practicable; or (iii) during any period when the SEC may permit.

 

Dividends and Distributions

 

The following information supplements and should be read in conjunction with the section in the Prospectus entitled “Dividends, Distributions and Taxes.”

 

General Policies

 

Dividends from net investment income of the Fund, if any, are declared and paid at least annually. Distributions of net realized securities gains, if any, generally are declared and paid once a year, but the Trust may make distributions on a more frequent basis. The Trust reserves the right to declare special distributions if, in its reasonable discretion, such action is necessary or advisable to preserve the status of the Fund as a regulated investment company or to avoid imposition of income or excise taxes on undistributed income.

 

Dividends and other distributions of Fund shares are distributed, as described below, on a pro rata basis to Beneficial Owners of such shares. Dividend payments are made through DTC Participants and Indirect Participants to Beneficial Owners then of record with proceeds received from the Fund.

 

Dividend Reinvestment Service

 

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

 

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Performance Information

 

To obtain the Fund’s most current performance information, please call (866) 261-0273 or visit the Fund’s website at www.volatilityshares.com. From time to time, the Fund’s performance information, such as yield or total return, may be quoted in advertisements or in communications to present or prospective shareholders. Performance quotations represent the Fund’s past performance and should not be considered as representative of future results. The Fund will calculate its performance in accordance with the requirements of the rules and regulations under the 1940 Act, as they may be revised from time to time.

 

Financial Statements

 

The Fund has not yet commenced investment operations; therefore, financial information is not available at this time.

 

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Exhibit A - Proxy Voting Guidelines

 

[To Be Provided By Amendment]

 

A-1

 

Volatility Shares Trust

Part C – Other Information

 

Item 28.Exhibits

 

Exhibit No. Description

 

(a)Agreement and Declaration of Trust of the Registrant. (1)

 

(b)By-Laws of the Registrant. (1)

 

(c)Not applicable

 

(d)(1) Investment Management Agreement between the Registrant and Volatility Shares LLC (1)

 

(e)Distribution Agreement between the Registrant and [   ]. (1)

 

(f)Not Applicable.

 

(g)Custodian Agreement between the Registrant and [ ]. (1)

 

(h)(1) Fund Accounting Servicing Agreement by and between the Registrant [ ].(1)

 

(2)Fund Administration Servicing Agreement between the Registrant and [ ]. (1)

 

(3)Transfer Agent Servicing Agreement by and between the Registrant and [ ]. (1)

 

(4)Form of Authorized Participant Agreement. (1)

 

(i)Opinion of Legal Counsel. (1)

 

(j)Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm. (1)

 

(k)Not Applicable.

 

(l)Not Applicable.

 

(m)Not Applicable.

 

(n)Not Applicable.

 

(o)Not Applicable.

 

(p)(1) Code of Ethics of Registrant (1)

 

 C-1

 

(2)Code of Ethics of Volatility Shares LLC (1)

 

(q)Powers of Attorney (1)

 

 
(1)To be filed by amendment.

 

Item 29.Persons Controlled By or Under Common Control with Registrant

 

Not Applicable.

 

Item 30.Indemnification

 

[To Be Provided by Amendment]

 

Insofar as indemnification for liability arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

 

Item 31.Business and Other Connections of the Investment Adviser

 

Certain information pertaining to the business and other connections of Volatility Shares LLC (“Volatility Shares”), the investment adviser to the Fund, is hereby incorporated by reference from the Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information contained herein. The information required by this Item with respect to any director, officer or partner of Volatility Shares is incorporated by reference to the Form ADV filed by Volatility Shares with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (File No.    -       ).

 

Item 32.Principal Underwriter

 

(a)Not applicable.

 

(b)[To Be Provided By Amendment]

 

(c)Not Applicable.

 

 C-2

 

Item 33.Location of Accounts and Records

 

Volatility Shares LLC, 2000 PGA Blvd, Suite 4400, Palm Beach Gardens, FL, 33408, maintains the Registrant’s organizational documents, minutes of meetings, contracts of the Registrant and all advisory material of the investment adviser.

 

Item 34.Management Services

 

Not Applicable.

 

Item 35.Undertakings

 

Not Applicable.

 

 C-3

 

Signatures

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, the Registrant has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, duly authorized in the City of Palm Beach Gardens, and State of Florida on the 11th day of May, 2022.

 

  Volatility Shares Trust
   
  By: /s/ Justin Young
   

Justin Young, Trustee

 

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

 

Signature

 

Capacity

 

Date 

     

/s/ Justin Young

Justin Young

 

  Sole Trustee, Principal Executive
Officer and Principal Accounting
Officer
  May 11, 2022