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GUGGENHEIM FUNDS TRUST | Guggenheim Market Neutral Real Estate Fund
Guggenheim Market Neutral Real Estate Fund
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
The Guggenheim Market Neutral Real Estate Fund (the “Fund”) seeks to provide capital appreciation, while limiting exposure to general stock market risk.
FEES AND EXPENSES OF THE FUND
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $100,000 in the Family of Funds, as defined on page 43 of the Fund’s prospectus. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in the “Sales Charges-Class A Shares” section on page 24 of the Fund’s prospectus and the “How to Purchase Shares” section on page 47 of the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information.
SHAREHOLDER FEES (fees paid directly from your investment)
Shareholder Fees - GUGGENHEIM FUNDS TRUST - Guggenheim Market Neutral Real Estate Fund
Class A
Class C
Institutional
Class P
Maximum Cumulative Sales Charge (as a percentage of Offering Price) 4.75% none none none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (as a percentage of Offering Price) none 1.00% none none
ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Annual Fund Operating Expenses - GUGGENHEIM FUNDS TRUST - Guggenheim Market Neutral Real Estate Fund
Class A
Class C
Institutional
Class P
Management Fees (as a percentage of Assets) 1.10% 1.10% 1.10% 1.10%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees 0.25% 1.00% none 0.25%
Other Expenses (as a percentage of Assets): [1] 1.14% 1.24% 0.99% 1.12%
Expenses (as a percentage of Assets) 2.49% 3.34% 2.09% 2.47%
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement [2] 0.84% 0.94% 0.69% 0.82%
Net Expenses (as a percentage of Assets) 1.65% 2.40% 1.40% 1.65%
[1] Amounts are based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year.
[2] Guggenheim Partners Investment Management, LLC, also known as Guggenheim Investments (the “Investment Manager”), has contractually agreed through February 1, 2018 to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses to the extent necessary to limit the ordinary operating expenses (including distribution (12b-1) fees (if any), but exclusive of brokerage costs, dividends on securities sold short, acquired fund fees and expenses, interest, taxes, litigation, indemnification, and extraordinary expenses) (“Operating Expenses”) of the Fund to the annual percentage of average daily net assets for each class of shares as follows: Class A-1.65%, Class C-2.40%, Institutional Class-1.40% and Class P-1.65%. The Investment Manager is entitled to reimbursement by the Fund of fees waived or expenses reimbursed during any of the previous 36 months beginning on the date of the expense limitation agreement, provided that the Operating Expenses do not exceed the then-applicable expense cap. The agreement will expire when it reaches its termination or when the Investment Manager ceases to serve as such and it can be terminated by the Fund’s Board of Trustees, with certain waived fees and reimbursed expenses subject to the recoupment rights of the Investment Manager.
EXAMPLE
This 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 $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although the actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Expense Example - GUGGENHEIM FUNDS TRUST - Guggenheim Market Neutral Real Estate Fund - USD ($)
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years
Class A 635 1,137
Class C 343 940
Institutional 143 588
Class P 168 691
Expense Example, No Redemption - GUGGENHEIM FUNDS TRUST - Guggenheim Market Neutral Real Estate Fund - USD ($)
Expense Example, No Redemption, 1 Year
Expense Example, No Redemption, 3 Years
Class A 635 1,137
Class C 243 940
Institutional 143 588
Class P 168 691
The above Example reflects applicable contractual fee waiver/expense reimbursement arrangements for the duration of the arrangements only.
PORTFOLIO TURNOVER
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. As the Fund commenced operations on or about the date of this Prospectus, no history of the portfolio turnover rate is available.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
The Fund will employ a fundamental long-short real estate strategy that seeks to neutralize exposure to general stock market risk and volatility by taking both long and short positions in real estate investments. The Fund’s investment approach seeks to provide positive returns that are neutral with regard to general stock market risk and volatility, but the Fund’s returns may be negative during certain periods.
The Fund pursues its investment objective by investing, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets (net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes) in: (i) long and short equity securities of issuers primarily engaged in the real estate industry, such as real estate investment trusts (“REITs”); and (ii) equity-like securities, including individual securities, exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) and derivatives, giving long and short exposure to (i.e., economic characteristics similar to) issuers primarily engaged in the real estate industry.
The Fund will consider an issuer to be primarily engaged in the real estate industry if: (i) at least 50% of its assets, income, sales or profits are committed to, or derived from, the ownership, construction, management, financing, leasing, brokering, or sale of residential, or commercial real estate, or the provision of products and services related to the real estate industry, such as building supply manufacturers, mortgage lenders, or mortgage servicing companies or (ii) a third party has given the company an industry or sector classification consistent with the real estate industry.
Equity securities in which the Fund may invest include common stocks, REITs and other investment vehicles primarily engaged in the real estate industry, ETFs, and American Depositary Receipts ("ADRs"). The Fund may also invest in exchange-traded notes ("ETNs") giving exposure to real estate markets. The Fund may take a long position by buying a security that Guggenheim Partners Investment Management, LLC, also known as Guggenheim Investments (the “Investment Manager”), believes will appreciate, or it may sell a security short by first borrowing it from a third party with the intention to sell it later at a market price. The Fund will usually obtain exposure to short positions by entering into derivative instruments. Short positions may be used either to hedge long positions or to seek positive returns where the Investment Manager believes the security will depreciate.
The Investment Manager will make investment decisions based primarily on a relative value fundamental framework. These investment decisions will be guided by a top-down approach to allocating the Fund’s assets among geographic regions and property sectors. The Investment Manager will then select individual securities using a bottom-up approach, focused primarily on a relative value-oriented process that reflects the macro-level investment themes and a due diligence process that includes, among other analytical components, an assessment of issuer-specific factors such as management acumen and strategic direction.
The Fund may dynamically adjust its level of long and short exposure to the real estate markets over time based on macroeconomic, industry-specific, and other factors. The Fund pursues a strategy commonly referred to as “market neutral” because it is intended to maintain long and short positions that offset one another. As a result, the Fund’s net market exposure will normally approximate zero. The Fund’s long-short strategy is designed to reduce the Fund’s overall exposure to general stock market movements and produce returns that are uncorrelated to the general stock market. The Fund may reinvest the proceeds of its short sales by taking additional long positions.
To enhance the Fund’s exposure to real estate markets and to seek to increase the Fund’s returns, at the discretion of the Investment Manager, the Fund’s long and short positions in equities may be combined with investments in derivatives. The derivatives in which the Fund invests include, among other derivatives, swap agreements; options on securities, futures contracts, and stock indices; and stock index futures contracts (some of these instruments may be traded in the over-the-counter market). These investments will be used to obtain the Fund's short exposure and may also be used to hedge the Fund’s portfolio, to maintain long exposure to the equity markets, to increase returns, to generate income, or to seek to manage volatility of the portfolio.
The Fund may also invest a substantial portion of its assets, including proceeds of its short sales, in short-term fixed-income investment companies advised by the Investment Manager, or an affiliate of the Investment Manager, that are designed primarily to provide an alternative to investing directly in various short-term fixed-income instruments. Investments by the Fund in these investment companies may increase the Fund’s exposure to asset categories in which each underlying fund may invest as a principal investment and certain other asset categories, including high yield, high risk debt securities rated below the top four long-term rating categories by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization or, if unrated, determined by the Investment Manager, to be of comparable quality (also known as “junk bonds”), asset-backed securities (“ABS”) and commercial paper and other short-term fixed-income securities. Such investments will expose the Fund to the risks of these asset categories.
While the Fund will principally invest in securities listed, traded or dealt in the United States, it may also invest without limitation in securities listed, traded or dealt in other countries, including emerging markets countries. Such securities may be denominated in foreign currencies.
The Fund is non-diversified and, therefore, may invest a greater percentage of its assets in a particular issuer in comparison to a diversified fund.
The Fund will concentrate its investments in the real estate industry (i.e., invest more than 25% of its total assets in securities of issuers considered to be primarily engaged in the real estate industry).
Under adverse, unstable or abnormal market conditions, the Fund could invest some or all of its assets in cash, derivatives, fixed-income securities, government bonds, money market securities, repurchase agreements or securities of other investment companies. The Fund may be unable to pursue or achieve its investment objective during that time and temporary investments could reduce the benefit from any upswing in the market.
PRINCIPAL RISKS
The value of an investment in the Fund will fluctuate and is subject to investment risks, which means investors could lose money. The principal risks of investing in the Fund are summarized below.
Asset-Backed Securities RiskInvestors in asset-backed securities, including mortgage-backed securities and structured finance investments, generally receive payments that are part interest and part return of principal. These payments may vary based on the rate at which the underlying borrowers pay off their loans. Some asset-backed securities, including mortgage-backed securities, may have structures that make their reaction to interest rates and other factors difficult to predict, making their prices very volatile and they are particularly subject to credit, liquidity and valuation risks.
Collateralized Loan Obligations and Collateralized Debt Obligations Risk—Collateralized loan obligations (“CLOs”) bear many of the same risks as other forms of asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, credit risk and default risk. As they are backed by pools of loans, CLOs also bear similar risks to investing in loans directly. CLOs issue classes or “tranches” that vary in risk and yield. CLOs may experience substantial losses attributable to loan defaults. Losses caused by defaults on underlying assets are borne first by the holders of subordinate tranches. The Fund’s investment in CLOs may decrease in market value when the CLO experiences loan defaults or credit impairment, the disappearance of a subordinate tranche, or market anticipation of defaults and investor aversion to CLO securities as a class.
Collateralized debt obligations (“CDOs”) are structured similarly to CLOs and bear the same risks as CLOs including interest rate risk, credit risk and default risk. CDOs are subject to additional risks because they are backed by pools of assets other than loans including securities (such as other asset-backed securities), synthetic instruments or bonds and may be highly leveraged. Like CLOs, losses incurred by a CDO are borne first by holders of subordinate tranches. Accordingly, the risks of CDOs depend largely on the type of underlying collateral and the tranche of CDOs in which the Fund invests. For example, CDOs that obtain their exposure through synthetic investments entail the risks associated with derivative instruments.
Commercial Paper RiskThe value of the Fund’s investment in commercial paper, which is an unsecured promissory note that generally has a maturity date between one and 270 days and is issued by a U.S. or foreign entity, is susceptible to changes in the issuer’s financial condition or credit quality. Investments in commercial paper are usually discounted from their value at maturity. Commercial paper can be fixed-rate or variable rate and can be adversely affected by changes in interest rates.
Concentration Risk—Real estate companies may lack diversification due to ownership of a limited number of properties and concentration in a particular geographic region or property type. By concentrating in the real estate industry, the Fund is subject to the risks specifically affecting that industry more than a fund that invests across a variety of industries.
Counterparty Credit RiskThe Fund makes investments in financial instruments and OTC-traded derivatives involving counterparties to gain exposure to a particular group of securities, index or asset class without actually purchasing those securities or investments, or to hedge a position. Through these investments, the Fund is exposed to credit risks that the counterparty may be unwilling or unable to make timely payments to meet its contractual obligations or may fail to return holdings that are subject to the agreement with the counterparty. If the counterparty becomes bankrupt or defaults on its payment obligations to the Fund, the Fund may not receive the full amount that it is entitled to receive. If this occurs, the value of your shares in the Fund will decrease.
Depositary Receipt Risk—The Fund may hold the securities of non-U.S. companies in the form of ADRs and GDRs. The underlying securities of the ADRs and Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”) in the Fund’s portfolio are subject to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates that may affect the value of the Fund’s portfolio. In addition, the value of the securities underlying the ADRs and GDRs may change materially when the U.S. markets are not open for trading. Investments in the underlying foreign securities also involve political and economic risks distinct from those associated with investing in the securities of U.S. issuers.
Derivatives Risk—Derivatives may pose risks in addition to and greater than those associated with investing directly in securities, currencies or other investments, including risks relating to leverage, imperfect correlations with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, high price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty credit, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions. Their use is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The Fund's use of derivatives to obtain short exposure may result in greater volatility. If the Investment Manager is incorrect about its expectations of market conditions, the use of derivatives could also result in a loss, which in some cases may be unlimited. In addition, the Fund’s use of derivatives may cause the Fund to realize higher amounts of short term capital gains (generally taxed at ordinary income tax rates) than if the Fund had not used such instruments. Some of the derivatives in which the Fund invests are traded (and privately negotiated) in the over-the-counter ("OTC") market. OTC derivatives are subject to heightened credit, liquidity and valuation risks. Certain risks also are specific to the derivatives in which the Fund invests.
Swap Agreements Risk—Swap agreements are contracts among the Fund and a counterparty to exchange the return of the pre-determined underlying investment (such as the rate of return of the underlying index). Swap agreements may be negotiated bilaterally and traded OTC between two parties or, in some instances, must be transacted through a futures commission merchant and cleared through a clearinghouse that serves as a central counterparty. Risks associated with the use of swap agreements are different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions, due in part to the fact they could be considered illiquid and many swaps trade on the OTC market. Swaps are particularly subject to counterparty credit, correlation, valuation, liquidity and leveraging risks. Certain standardized swaps are subject to mandatory central clearing. Central clearing is intended to reduce counterparty credit risk and increase liquidity, but central clearing does not make swap transactions risk-free.
Futures Contracts Risk—Futures contracts are typically exchange-traded contracts that call for the future delivery of an asset at a certain price and date, or cash settlement of the terms of the contract. Risks of futures contracts may be caused by an imperfect correlation between movements in the price of the instruments and the price of the underlying securities. In addition, there is the risk that the Fund may not be able to enter into a closing transaction because of an illiquid market. Exchanges can limit the number of positions that can be held or controlled by the Fund or its Investment Manager, thus limiting the ability to implement the Fund’s strategies. Futures markets are highly volatile and the use of futures may increase the volatility of the Fund’s NAV. Futures are also subject to leverage risks and to liquidity risk.
Options Risk—Options or options on futures contracts give the holder of the option the right to buy (or to sell) a position in a security or in a contract to the writer of the option, at a certain price. They are subject to correlation risk because there may be an imperfect correlation between the options and the securities markets that cause a given transaction to fail to achieve its objectives. The successful use of options depends on the Investment Manager’s ability to predict correctly future price fluctuations and the degree of correlation between the options and securities markets. Exchanges can limit the number of positions that can be held or controlled by the Fund or its Investment Manager, thus limiting the ability to implement the Fund’s strategies. Options are also particularly subject to leverage risk and can be subject to liquidity risk.
Emerging Markets Risk—Investments in or exposure to emerging markets securities are generally subject to a greater level of those risks associated with investing in foreign securities, as emerging markets are considered less developed than developing countries. Furthermore, investments in emerging market countries are generally subject to additional risks, including trading on smaller markets, having lower volumes of trading, and being subject to lower levels of government regulation and less extensive accounting, financial and other reporting requirements.
Equity Securities Risk—Equity securities include common stocks and other equity and equity-related securities (and securities convertible into stocks). The prices of equity securities generally fluctuate in value more than other investments. The prices of equity securities may rise or fall rapidly or unpredictably and reflect changes in the issuing company’s financial condition and changes in the overall market. A decline in the value of equity securities held by the Fund will adversely affect the value of your investment in the Fund. Common stocks generally represent the riskiest investment in a company. The Fund may lose a substantial part, or even all, of its investment in a company’s stock.
Exchange-Traded Notes Risk—The value of an ETN may be influenced by time to maturity, level of supply and demand for the ETN, volatility and lack of liquidity in underlying investments, changes in the applicable interest rates, changes in the issuer’s credit rating and economic, legal, political or geographic events that affect the referenced investments. The Fund’s decision to sell its ETN holdings may also be limited by the availability of a secondary market. If the Fund must sell some or all of its ETN holdings and the secondary market is weak, it may have to sell such holdings at a discount. ETNs also are subject to counterparty credit risk (which includes the risk that the issuer may fail).
Foreign Securities and Currency Risk—Foreign securities carry unique or additional risks when compared to U.S. securities, including currency fluctuations, adverse political and economic developments, unreliable or untimely information, less liquidity, limited legal recourse and higher transactional costs. The Fund may hold the securities of non-U.S. companies in the form of ADRs. The underlying securities of the ADRs in the Fund’s portfolio are subject to risks common to foreign securities as well as fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates that may affect the value of the Fund’s portfolio. In addition, the value of the securities underlying the ADRs may change materially when the U.S. markets are not open for trading.
High Yield and Unrated Securities RiskHigh yield, below investment grade and unrated high risk debt securities (which also may be known as "junk bonds") may present additional risks because these securities may be less liquid, and therefore more difficult to value accurately and sell at an advantageous price or time, and present more credit risk than investment grade bonds. The price of high yield securities tends to be subject to greater volatility due to issuer-specific operating results and outlook and to real or perceived adverse economic and competitive industry conditions. This exposure may be obtained through investments in other investment companies.
Interest Rate Risk—Investments in fixed-income securities are subject to the possibility that interest rates could rise sharply, causing the value of the Fund’s securities and share price to decline. The risks associated with rising interest rates are heightened given the historically low interest rate environment. Fixed-income securities with longer durations are subject to more volatility than those with shorter durations.
Investment in Investment Vehicles Risk—Investing in other investment vehicles, including ETFs, closed-end funds and other mutual funds, subjects the Fund to those risks affecting the investment vehicle, including the possibility that the value of the underlying securities held by the investment vehicle could decrease or the portfolio becomes illiquid. Moreover, the Fund and its shareholders will incur its pro rata share of the underlying vehicles’ expenses, which will reduce the Fund's performance. In addition, investments in an ETF are subject to, among other risks, the risk that the ETF's shares may trade at a discount or premium relative to the net asset value of the shares and the listing exchange may halt trading of the ETF's shares.
Leverage Risk—The Fund’s use of leverage, through borrowings or instruments such as derivatives, may cause the Fund to be more volatile and riskier than if it had not been leveraged.
Liquidity and Valuation Risk—In certain circumstances, it may be difficult for the Fund to purchase and sell particular investments within a reasonable time at a fair price, or the price at which it has been valued by the Investment Manager for purposes of the Fund’s net asset value, causing the Fund to be less liquid and unable to realize what the Investment Manager believes should be the price of the investment.
Management Risk—The Fund is actively managed, which means that investment decisions are made based on investment views. There is no guarantee that the investment views will produce the desired results or expected returns, causing the Fund to fail to meet its investment objective or underperform its benchmark index or funds with similar investment objectives and strategies. Furthermore, active trading that can accompany active management, also called “high turnover,” may have a negative impact on performance. Active trading may result in higher brokerage costs or mark-up charges, which are ultimately passed on to shareholders of the Fund. Active trading may also result in adverse tax consequences.
There is no guarantee that the Fund will be able to neutralize or limit exposure to general stock market risk. The Fund’s use of short sales in combination with its long positions in an attempt to limit direct market exposure and improve performance may be unsuccessful and may result in greater losses or lower positive returns than if the Fund held only long positions. During times when the overall market is performing strongly, the Fund may underperform the market because the Fund’s short positions may be more likely to lose money than during other market conditions.
Market Risk—The value of, or income generated by, the securities held by the Fund may fluctuate rapidly and unpredictably as a result of factors affecting individual companies or changing economic, political, social or financial market conditions throughout the world because of the interconnected global economies and financial markets.
Non-Diversification Risk—The Fund is considered non-diversified because it invests a large portion of its assets in a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund is more susceptible to risks associated with those issuers and the Fund may experience greater losses and volatility than a more diversified portfolio.
Real Estate Investments Risk—The Fund may invest in securities of real estate companies and companies related to the real estate industry, which are subject to the same risks as direct investments in real estate. These risks include, among others: changes in national, state or local real estate conditions; obsolescence of properties; changes in the availability, cost and terms of mortgage funds; changes in the real estate values and interest rates; and the generation of sufficient income. Real estate companies tend to have micro-, small- or mid-capitalization, making their securities more volatile and less liquid than those of companies with larger-capitalizations. Real estate companies may use leverage (and some may be highly leveraged), which increases investment risk and the risks normally associated with debt financing and could adversely affect a real estate company’s operations and market value in periods of rising interest rates. These risks are especially applicable in conditions of declining real estate values, such as those experienced during 2007 through 2009.
Regulatory and Legal Risk—U.S. and other regulators and governmental agencies may implement additional regulations and legislators may pass new laws that affect the investments held by the Fund, the strategies used by the Fund or the level of regulation or taxation applying to the Fund (such as regulations related to investments in derivatives and other transactions). These may impact the investment strategies, performance, costs and operations of the Fund or taxation of shareholders.
REITs Risk—In addition to the risks pertaining to real estate investments more generally, REITs are subject to additional risks. The value of a REIT can depend on the structure of and cash flow generated by the REIT. REITs whose investments are concentrated in a limited number or type of properties, investments or narrow geographic area are subject to the risks affecting those properties or areas to a greater extent than a REIT with less concentrated investments. REITs are also subject to certain provisions under federal tax law. In addition, REITs may have expenses, including advisory and administration expenses, and the Fund and its shareholders will incur its pro rata share of the underlying expenses.
Short Sale and Short Exposure Risk—Short selling a security involves selling a borrowed security with the expectation that the value of that security will decline, so that the security may be purchased at a lower price when returning the borrowed security. A short exposure through a derivative exposes the Fund to counterparty credit risk and leverage risk. The risk for loss on a short sale or other short exposure is greater than a direct investment in the security itself because the price of the borrowed security may rise, thereby increasing the price at which the security must be purchased. The risk of loss through a short sale or other short exposure may in some cases be theoretically unlimited. Government actions also may affect the Fund’s ability to engage in short selling.
PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
As the Fund does not have a full calendar year of performance as of the date of this Prospectus, no performance information is shown. Updated performance information will be available on the Fund’s website at www.guggenheiminvestments.com or by calling 800.820.0888.