VANECK NDR MANAGED ALLOCATION FUND
Class A: NDRMX / Class I: NDRUX / Class Y: NDRYX
SUMMARY PROSPECTUS MAY 1, 2019
00228999
Before you invest, you may want to review the Fund’s prospectus, which contains more information about the Fund and its risks. You can find the Fund’s prospectus and other information about the Fund online at http://www.vaneck.com/ library/mutualfunds/. You can also get this information at no cost by calling 800.826.2333, or by sending an email request to info@vaneck.com. The Fund’s prospectus and statement of additional information, both dated May 1, 2019, as may be supplemented from time to time, are incorporated by reference into this summary prospectus.
The VanEck NDR Managed Allocation Fund seeks capital appreciation.
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund. You may qualify for Class A sales charge discounts if you and your family (includes spouse and children under age 21) invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $25,000, in the aggregate, in Class A of the VanEck Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in the “Shareholder Information–Sales Charges” section of this prospectus, in the “Availability of Discounts” section of the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) and, with respect to purchases of shares through specific intermediaries, in Appendix A to this prospectus, entitled “Intermediary Sales Charge Discounts and Waivers.”
Shareholder Fees
(fees paid directly from your investment)
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Class A |
Class I |
Class Y |
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Maximum Sales Charge (load) imposed on purchases (as a percentage |
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5.75 |
% |
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0.00 |
% |
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0.00 |
% |
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Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (load) (as a percentage of the lesser |
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0.00 |
%1 |
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0.00 |
% |
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0.00 |
% |
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Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
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Class A |
Class I |
Class Y |
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Management Fees |
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0.80 |
% |
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0.80 |
% |
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0.80 |
% |
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Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees |
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0.25 |
% |
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0.00 |
% |
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0.00 |
% |
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Other Expenses |
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0.57 |
% |
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0.56 |
% |
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0.53 |
% |
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Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses (AFFE) |
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0.21 |
% |
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0.21 |
% |
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0.21 |
% |
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Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses |
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1.83 |
% |
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1.57 |
% |
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1.54 |
% |
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Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements2 |
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-0.47 |
% |
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-0.51 |
% |
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-0.43 |
% |
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Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and/or |
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1.36 |
% |
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1.06 |
% |
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1.11 |
% |
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1 |
A contingent deferred sales charge for Class A shares of 1.00% for one year applies to redemptions of qualified commissionable shares purchased at or above the $1 million breakpoint level. |
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2 |
Van Eck Associates Corporation (the “Adviser”) has agreed to waive fees and/or pay Fund expenses to the extent necessary to prevent the operating expenses of the Fund (excluding acquired fund fees and expenses, interest expense, trading expenses, dividends and interest payments on securities sold short, taxes and extraordinary expenses) from exceeding 1.15% for Class A, 0.85% for Class I, and 0.90% for Class Y of the Fund’s average daily net assets per year until May 1, 2020. During such time, the expense limitation is expected to continue until the Board of Trustees acts to discontinue all or a portion of such expense limitation. |
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Expense Example
The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then either redeem all of your shares at the end of these periods or continue to hold them. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same, and applies fee waivers
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and/or expense reimbursements, if any, for the periods indicated above under “Annual Fund Operating Expenses”. Although your actual expenses may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:
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Share Status |
1 Year |
3 Years |
5 Years |
10 Years |
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Class A |
Sold or Held |
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$ |
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706 |
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$ |
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1,074 |
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$ |
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1,467 |
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$ |
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2,563 |
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Class I |
Sold or Held |
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$ |
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108 |
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$ |
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446 |
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$ |
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807 |
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$ |
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1,824 |
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Class Y |
Sold or Held |
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$ |
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113 |
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$ |
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444 |
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$ |
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799 |
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$ |
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1,798 |
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The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate that the Fund pays higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 202% of the average value of its portfolio.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
The Adviser seeks to achieve the Fund’s investment objective by investing, under normal conditions, primarily in (i) exchange traded products that are registered under the federal securities laws (“Exchange Traded Products”) and invest in domestic and foreign equity and debt securities, including exchange traded funds (“ETFs”) and exchange traded notes (“ETNs”); and (ii) cash or cash equivalents. The securities held by the Exchange Traded Products include equity securities of companies of any market capitalization, debt securities of any credit quality, duration and maturity and emerging market securities. The Adviser expects to invest the Fund’s assets primarily in unaffiliated, passively-managed Exchange Traded Products.
The Adviser uses a customized version of a global tactical asset allocation model (the “VE NDR Model”) developed by Ned Davis Research, Inc. (“NDR”). The VE NDR Model uses customized parameters to guide asset allocation decisions. The VE NDR Model combines the signals generated by various NDR sub-models, which, in the aggregate, aim to enhance asset allocation by tilting portfolio weightings toward asset classes believed to be more attractive than others given perceived market trends, current opportunities and/or risks in the market. The sub-models use fundamental, macroeconomic and technical indicators to generate allocation signals among (i) stocks, bonds and cash, (ii) geographical locations and (iii) market capitalization (e.g., company size) and investment style (e.g., value and growth). As used herein, the term “signals” refers to allocation percentages generated by the VE NDR Model.
Fundamental and macroeconomic indicators used by the sub-models may include, but are not limited to, investor sentiment, earnings, monetary policy, inflation and yield curves. Technical indicators used by the sub-models include, but are not limited to, trend, mean reversion, momentum and seasonality. The Adviser allocates the Fund’s assets to those Exchange Traded Products that it believes will have returns that, in the aggregate, closely correlate (before fees and expenses) to the return of the VE NDR Model. The VE NDR Model typically adjusts its signals on a monthly basis.
A significant portion of the Fund’s assets may be held in cash or cash equivalents including, but not limited to, money market instruments, U.S. Treasury bills, interests in short-term investment funds or shares of money market or short-term bond funds. The Fund may engage in active and frequent trading of portfolio securities.
There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. The Fund’s share price and return will fluctuate with changes in the market value of the Fund’s portfolio securities. Accordingly, an investment in the Fund involves the risk of losing money. Also, because the Fund invests directly in Exchange Traded Products, which, in turn, invest directly in or have exposure to equity and debt securities and other asset categories, the following principal risks are those of the Fund and Exchange Traded Products, as appropriate. As a result of the Fund’s direct investment in Exchange Traded Products, the Fund is indirectly exposed to the risks of the securities held by and other investments made by the Exchange Traded Products.
Cash and Cash Equivalents. To the extent the Fund holds cash and cash equivalents positions, the Fund risks achieving lower returns and potential lost opportunities to participate in market appreciation, which could negatively impact the Fund’s performance and ability to achieve its investment objective. Holding cash subjects the Fund to the credit risk of the depositary institution.
Debt Securities. Debt securities are subject to credit risk and interest rate risk. Credit risk refers to the possibility that the issuer of a debt security will be unable to make interest payments or repay principal when it becomes due. Interest rate risk refers to fluctuations in the value of a debt security resulting from changes in the general level of interest rates.
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Exchange Traded Products. While the risks of owning shares of an Exchange Traded Product generally reflect the risks of owning the underlying investments of the Exchange Traded Product, lack of liquidity in the Exchange Traded Product can result in its value being more volatile than its underlying portfolio investments. An Exchange Traded Product can trade at prices higher or lower than the value of its underlying assets. In addition, an active trading market for shares of an Exchange Traded Product may not develop or be maintained and trading in the Exchange Traded Product may be halted by the exchange on which it trades.
Exchange Traded Products’ Underlying Investments. Through its investment in an Exchange Traded Product, the Fund is subject to the risks associated with the Exchange Traded Product’s underlying investments, including the possibility that the value of the securities or other assets held by the Exchange Traded Product could decrease. These risks include any combination of the risks described herein, although the Fund’s exposure to a particular risk will be proportionate to the Fund’s overall allocation and an Exchange Traded Product’s asset allocation. Additionally, the Fund will bear additional expenses based on its pro rata share of the Exchange Traded Product’s operating expenses. Consequently, an investment in the Fund entails more direct and indirect expenses than a direct investment in an Exchange Traded Product.
Below Investment Grade Securities. Below investment grade securities (sometimes referred to as “junk bonds”) are more speculative than higher-rated securities. These securities have a much greater risk of default and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity. These securities may be less liquid and more difficult to value than higher-rated securities.
Commodities and Commodity-Linked Derivatives. Exposure to the commodities markets, such as precious metals, industrial metals, gas and other energy products and natural resources, may subject the Exchange Traded Product to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. The commodities markets may fluctuate widely based on a variety of factors including changes in overall market movements, political and economic events and policies, war, acts of terrorism, natural disasters and changes in interest rates or inflation rates. Because the value of a commodity-linked derivative instrument and structured note typically are based upon the price movements of physical commodities, the value of these securities will rise or fall in response to changes in the underlying commodities or related index of investment.
Commodities and Commodity-Linked Derivatives Tax Risk. The tax treatment of commodity-linked derivative instruments may be adversely affected by changes in legislation, regulations or other legally binding authority. If, as a result of any such adverse action, the income of the Fund from certain commodity-linked derivatives was treated as non-qualifying income, the Fund might fail to qualify as a regulated investment company and/or be subject to federal income tax at the Fund level. The uncertainty surrounding the treatment of certain derivative instruments under the qualification tests for a regulated investment company may limit the Fund’s use of such derivative instruments.
Common Stock. Common stocks are subject to greater fluctuations in market value than certain other asset classes as a result of such factors as a company’s business performance, investor perceptions, stock market trends and general economic conditions.
Concentration. An Exchange Traded Product that concentrates its investments in an industry or group of industries is more vulnerable to adverse market, economic, regulatory, political or other developments affecting such industry or group of industries than a fund that invests its assets more broadly.
Derivatives. The use of derivatives, such as swap agreements, options, warrants, futures contracts, currency forwards and structured notes, presents risks different from, and possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in traditional securities. The use of derivatives can lead to losses because of adverse movements in the price or value of the underlying currency, security, asset, index or reference rate. Derivative strategies often involve leverage, which may exaggerate a loss, potentially causing an Exchange Traded Product to lose more money than it would have lost had it invested in the underlying security. Also, a liquid secondary market may not always exist for the Exchange Traded Product’s derivative positions at times when the Exchange Traded Product might wish to terminate or sell such positions and over-the-counter instruments may be illiquid and are subject to counterparty risk.
Emerging Markets. Investments in the securities of emerging markets typically present even greater exposure to the risks described under “Foreign Securities” and may be particularly sensitive to certain economic changes. Emerging market securities are exposed to a number of risks that may make these investments volatile in price or difficult to trade.
Foreign Currency. Investments in global markets or securities that are denominated in foreign currencies give rise to foreign currency exposure. The U.S. dollar value of these investments will vary depending on changes in exchange rates and the performance of the underlying assets.
Foreign Securities. Investments in securities of foreign issuers are subject to greater risks than U.S. domestic investments. These additional risks may include exchange rate fluctuations and exchange controls; less publicly available information; more volatile or less liquid securities markets; and the possibility of arbitrary action by foreign governments, or political, economic or social instability. Foreign companies also may be subject to significantly higher levels of taxation than
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U.S. companies, including potentially confiscatory levels of taxation, thereby reducing the earnings potential of such foreign companies.
Investment Style. Securities of a particular investment style, such as a growth style or value style, tend to perform differently and shift into and out of favor with investors depending on changes in market and economic conditions.
Large-Capitalization Companies. Securities of large-capitalization companies could fall out of favor with the market and underperform securities of small- or medium-capitalization companies. Larger, more established companies may be slow to respond to challenges and may grow more slowly than smaller companies.
Small- and Medium-Capitalization Companies. Securities of small- and medium-sized companies often have greater price volatility, lower trading volume and less liquidity than larger more established companies. The stocks of small and medium-sized companies may have returns that vary, sometimes significantly, from the overall stock market.
Limited Number of Holdings Risk. The Fund may hold a limited number of securities. Therefore, a change in the value of these securities could significantly affect the value of your investment in the Fund.
Market. Market risk refers to the risk that the market prices of securities that the Fund or an Exchange Traded Product holds will rise or fall, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. In general, equity securities tend to have greater price volatility than debt securities. The Exchange Traded Products, including ETFs and ETNs, may trade at a premium or discount to their net asset values.
Model and Data Risk: Given the complexity of the investments and strategies of the Fund, the Adviser relies heavily on quantitative models and information and data supplied by NDR (“Models and Data”). Models and Data are used to construct sets of transactions and investments, and to provide risk management insights. When Models and Data prove to be incorrect or incomplete, any decisions made in reliance thereon expose the Fund to potential risks.
Operational. The Fund is exposed to operational risk arising from a number of factors, including but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or system failures.
Portfolio Turnover. The Fund may engage in active and frequent trading of portfolio securities and thus may experience a high portfolio turnover rate. This may result in significant taxable capital gains as a result of the frequent trading of the Fund’s portfolio securities and the Fund will incur transaction costs in connection with buying and selling the securities, which may lower the Fund’s return.
Regulatory. Changes in the laws or regulations of the United States, including any changes to applicable tax laws and regulations, could impair the ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective and could increase the operating expenses of the Fund. For example, in 2012, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) adopted amendments to its rules that affect the ability of certain investment advisers to registered investment companies and other entities to rely on previously available exclusions or exemptions from registration under the Commodity Exchange Act of 1936, as amended (“CEA”) and regulations thereunder. Specifically, these amendments, which became effective on January 1, 2013, require an investment adviser of a registered investment company to register with the CFTC as a “commodity pool operator” (“CPO”) if the investment company either markets itself as a vehicle for trading commodity interests or conducts more than a de minimis amount of speculative trading in commodity interests. The staff of the CFTC issued temporary no-action relief (the “No-Action Relief”) from CPO registration to operators of funds-of-funds that cannot reasonably know whether indirect exposure to commodity interests would prevent them from qualifying for an exemption from registration as a CPO. In reliance on the No-Action Relief, the Adviser has claimed a temporary exemption from registration as a CPO. To the extent the Fund and the Adviser are required to comply with applicable CFTC disclosure, reporting and recordkeeping regulations, compliance with such regulations could increase the Fund’s expenses, adversely affecting the Fund’s total return.
The following chart and table provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund’s average annual total returns compare with those of a broad measure of market performance and one or more other performance measures. For instance, the blended index shown below is an unmanaged index calculated by the Adviser that is comprised of 60% MSCI AC World Daily TR Gross USD Index (ACWI) and 40% Bloomberg Barclays US Aggregate Total Return Value Unhedged USD Index (Bloomberg Barclays Index). The ACWI represents large- and mid-cap companies across 23 developed and 24 emerging market countries. The Bloomberg Barclays Index is a broad-based benchmark that measures the performance of the investment grade, U.S. dollar-denominated, fixed-rate taxable bond market. The Fund’s past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. The annual returns in the bar chart are for the Fund’s Class A shares and do not reflect sales loads. If sales loads were reflected, returns would be lower than those shown.
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Additionally, large purchases and/or redemptions of shares of a class, relative to the amount of assets represented by the class, may cause the annual returns for each class to differ. Updated performance information for the Fund is available on the VanEck website at vaneck.com.
Class A: Annual Total Returns (%) as of 12/31
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Best Quarter: |
+4.35 |
1Q ’17 |
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Worst Quarter: |
-8.91 |
4Q ’18 |
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Average Annual Total Returns as of 12/31/18 |
1 Year |
Life of |
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Class A Shares (5/11/16) |
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Before Taxes |
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-13.42 |
% |
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1.85 |
% |
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After Taxes on Distributions1 |
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-13.74 |
% |
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1.16 |
% |
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After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares |
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-7.77 |
% |
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1.21 |
% |
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Class I Shares (5/11/16) |
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Before Taxes |
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-7.85 |
% |
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4.47 |
% |
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Class Y Shares (5/11/16) |
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Before Taxes |
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-7.90 |
% |
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4.42 |
% |
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60% MSCI AC World Daily TR Gross USD Index/40% Bloomberg Barclays US Agg Total Return Value Unhedged USD Index |
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-5.22 |
% |
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5.17 |
% |
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MSCI AC World Daily TR Gross USD Index |
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-8.93 |
% |
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7.89 |
% |
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Bloomberg Barclays US Agg Total Return Value Unhedged USD Index |
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0.01 |
% |
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0.89 |
% |
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1 |
After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. These returns are shown for one class of shares only; after-tax returns for the other classes may vary. Actual after-tax returns depend on your individual tax situation and may differ from those shown in the preceding table. The after-tax return information shown above does not apply to Fund shares held through a tax-deferred account, such as a 401(k) plan or Investment Retirement Account. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Investment Adviser. Van Eck Associates Corporation
Portfolio Managers.
David Schassler and John Lau have been the Portfolio Manager and Deputy Portfolio Manager of the Fund, respectively, since its inception in 2016.
PURCHASE AND SALE OF FUND SHARES
In general, shares of the Fund may be purchased or redeemed on any business day, primarily through financial representatives such as brokers or advisers, or directly by eligible investors through the Fund’s transfer agent. Purchase minimums for Classes A and Y shares are $1,000 for an initial purchase and $100 for a subsequent purchase, with no purchase minimums for any purchase through a retirement or pension plan account, for any “wrap fee” account and similar programs offered without a sales charge by certain financial institutions and third-party record keepers and/or administrators, and for any account using the Automatic Investment Plan, or for any other periodic purchase program. Purchase minimums for Class I shares are $1 million for an initial purchase and no minimum for a subsequent purchase; the initial minimum may be reduced or waived at the Adviser’s discretion.
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The Fund normally distributes net investment income and net realized capital gains, if any, to shareholders. These distributions are generally taxable to you as ordinary income or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax- advantaged retirement account, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account (IRA), in which case your distributions may be taxed as ordinary income when withdrawn from such account.
PAYMENTS TO BROKER-DEALERS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES
If you purchase the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Fund and/or its affiliates may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your financial professional to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your financial professional or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
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800.544.4653
vaneck.com
(05/19)