SUMMARY OF PRINCIPAL RISKS
As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund’s performance could trail that of other investments. There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. The Fund is subject to the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective, as well as other risks that are described in greater detail in the Additional Information About the Fund section of this Prospectus and in the Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”). The order of the below risk factors does not indicate the significance of any particular risk factor.
Active Management Risk: The Fund is actively managed using proprietary investment strategies and processes. There can be no guarantee that these strategies and processes will be successful or that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.
Asset Class Risk: Securities and other assets held in the Fund's portfolio may underperform in comparison to the general securities markets, a particular securities market or other asset classes.
Bond Investment Risk: Investments in debt securities are generally affected by changes in prevailing interest rates and the creditworthiness of the issuer. Prices of debt securities fall when prevailing interest rates rise. The Fund’s yield on investments in debt securities will fluctuate as the securities in the Fund are rebalanced and reinvested in securities with different interest rates. Investments in bonds are also subject to credit risk. Credit risk is the risk that an issuer of debt securities will be unable to pay principal and interest when due, or that the value of the security will suffer because investors believe the issuer is less able to make required principal and interest payments. This is broadly gauged by the credit ratings of the debt securities in which the Fund invests. However, credit ratings are only the opinions of the rating agencies issuing them, do not purport to reflect the risk of fluctuations in market value and are not absolute guarantees as to the payment of interest and the repayment of principal.
Callable Debt Risk: During periods of falling interest rates, an issuer of a callable bond held by the Fund may “call” or repay the security before its stated maturity, and the Fund may have to reinvest the proceeds in securities with lower yields, which would result in a decline in the Fund’s income, or in securities with greater risks or with other less favorable features.
Inflation-Linked Bonds Investment Risk: Inflation-linked bonds are income-generating instruments whose interest and principal payments are adjusted for inflation – a sustained increase in prices that erodes the purchasing power of money. The inflation adjustment, which is typically applied monthly to the principal of the bond, follows a designated inflation index, such as the consumer price index. Because of this inflation adjustment feature, inflation-protected bonds typically have lower yields than conventional fixed-rate bonds.
Non-U.S. Agency Debt Risk: The Fund invests in uncollateralized bonds issued by agencies, subdivisions or instrumentalities of foreign governments. Bonds issued by foreign government agencies, subdivisions or instrumentalities are generally backed only by the general creditworthiness and reputation of the entity issuing the bonds and may not be backed by the full faith and credit of the foreign government. Moreover, a foreign government that explicitly provides its full faith and credit to a particular entity may be, due to changed circumstances, unable or unwilling to provide that support. A non-U.S. agency’s operations and financial condition are influenced by the foreign government’s economic and other policies.
Senior Loans Investment Risk: Investments in senior loans are subject to credit risk and general investment risk. Credit risk refers to the possibility that the borrower of a senior loan will be unable and/or unwilling to make timely interest payments and/or repay the principal on its obligation. Default in the payment of interest or principal on a senior loan will result in a reduction in the value of the
senior loan. Senior loans are also subject to the risk that the value of the collateral securing a senior loan may decline, be insufficient to meet the obligations of the borrower or be difficult to liquidate. In addition, access to the collateral may be limited by bankruptcy or other insolvency laws. Further, loans held by the portfolio may not be considered securities and, therefore, purchasers may not be entitled to rely on the strong anti-fraud protections of the federal securities laws. Some senior loans are subject to the risk that a court, pursuant to fraudulent conveyance or other similar laws, could subordinate the senior loans to presently existing or future indebtedness of the borrower or take other action detrimental to lenders, such as invalidation of senior loans or causing interest previously paid to be refunded to the borrower.
Sovereign and Quasi-Sovereign Obligations Risk: The Fund invests in securities issued by or guaranteed by non-U.S. sovereign governments and by entities affiliated with or backed by non U.S. sovereign governments, which may be unable or unwilling to repay principal or interest when due. In times of economic uncertainty, the prices of these securities may be more volatile than those of corporate debt obligations or of other government debt obligations.
U.S. Treasury Obligations Risks: U.S. Treasury obligations may differ in their interest rates, maturities times of issuance and other characteristics. Similar to other issuers, changes to the financial condition or credit rating of the U.S. government may cause the value of investments in U.S. Treasury obligations to decline.
Variable and Floating Rate Securities Risk: During periods of increasing interest rates, changes in the coupon rates of variable or floating rate securities may lag behind the changes in market rates or may have limits on the maximum increases in coupon rates. Alternatively, during periods of declining interest rates, the coupon rates on such securities will typically readjust downward resulting in a lower yield. Floating rate securities may trade infrequently, and their value may be impaired when the Fund needs to liquidate such securities.
Zero-Coupon Bond Risk: Zero-coupon bonds usually trade at a deep discount from their face or par values and are subject to greater market value fluctuations from changing interest rates than debt obligations of comparable maturities that make current distributions of interest. Zero-coupon bonds may also be subject to unique tax considerations for the Fund.
Capital Controls and Sanctions Risk: Economic conditions, such as volatile currency exchange rates and interest rates, political events, military action and other conditions may, without prior warning, lead to foreign government intervention (including intervention by the U.S. government with respect to foreign governments, economic sectors, foreign companies and related securities and interests) and the imposition of capital controls (i.e., government measures designed to limit the flow of foreign capital in and out of the domestic economy) and/or sanctions, which may also include retaliatory actions of one government against another government, such as seizure of assets. Capital controls and/or sanctions include the prohibition of, or restrictions on, the ability to transfer currency, securities or other assets. Capital controls and/or sanctions may also impact the ability of the Fund to buy, sell or otherwise transfer securities or currency, negatively impact the value and/or liquidity of such instruments, adversely affect the trading market and price for Shares of the Fund, and cause the Fund to decline in value.
Cash Transaction Risk: Unlike most exchange-traded funds ("ETFs"), the Fund intends to effect a significant portion of creations and redemptions for cash, rather than in-kind securities. As a result, an investment in the Fund may be less tax-efficient than an investment in a more conventional ETF.
Custody Risk: Less developed markets are more likely to experience problems with the clearing and settling of trades and the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories.
Credit Risk: Credit risk refers to the possibility that the issuer of the security will not be able to make principal and interest payments when due. Changes in an issuer’s credit rating or the market’s perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness may also affect the value of the Fund’s investment in that issuer. Securities rated in the four highest categories by the rating agencies are considered investment grade but they may also have some speculative characteristics. Investment grade ratings do not guarantee that bonds will not lose value.
Currency Risk: The Fund may invest in securities denominated in foreign currencies. Because the Fund's NAV is determined in U.S. dollars, the Fund's NAV could decline if currencies of the underlying securities depreciate against the U.S. dollar or if there are delays or limits on repatriation of such currencies. Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably. As a result, the Fund's NAV may change quickly and without warning, which could have a significant negative impact on the Fund.
Extension Risk: Extension risk is the risk that, when interest rates rise, certain obligations will be paid off by the issuer (or other obligated party) more slowly than anticipated, causing the value of these debt securities to fall. Rising interest rates tend to extend the duration of debt securities, making their market value more sensitive to changes in interest rates. The value of longer-term debt securities generally changes more in
response to changes in interest rates than shorter-term debt securities. As a result, in a period of rising interest rates, securities may exhibit additional volatility and may lose value.
Foreign Securities Risk: The Fund may invest, without limit, in foreign securities. The Fund's investments in foreign securities can be riskier than U.S. securities investments. Investments in the securities of foreign issuers (including investments in ADRs and GDRs) are subject to the risks associated with investing in those foreign markets, such as heightened risks of inflation or nationalization. The prices of foreign securities and the prices of U.S. securities have, at times, moved in opposite directions. In addition, securities of foreign issuers may lose value due to political, economic and geographic events affecting a foreign issuer or market. During periods of social, political or economic instability in a country or region, the value of a foreign security traded on U.S. exchanges could be affected by, among other things, increasing price volatility, illiquidity, or the closure of the primary market on which the security (or the security underlying the ADR or GDR) is traded. You may lose money due to political, economic and geographic events affecting a foreign issuer or market.
Geographic Risk: A natural, biological or other disaster could occur in a geographic region in which the Fund invests, which could affect the economy or particular business operations of companies in the specific geographic region, causing an adverse impact on the Fund’s investments in the affected region or in a region economically tied to the affected region. The securities in which the Fund invests and, consequently, the Fund are also subject to specific risks as a result of their business operations, including, but not limited to:
Risk of Investing in Brazil: Investment in Brazilian issuers involves risks that are specific to Brazil, including legal, regulatory, political and economic risks. The Brazilian economy has historically been exposed to high rates of inflation, debt, and violence, each of which may reduce and/or prevent economic growth.
Risk of Investing in Chile: Investments in Chilean issuers involve risks that are specific to Chile, including legal, regulatory, political, currency, environmental and economic risks. Among other things, the Chilean economy is heavily dependent on the export of certain commodities.
Risk of Investing in China: Investment exposure to China subjects the Fund to risks specific to China. China may be subject to considerable degrees of economic, political and social instability. Concerns about the rising government and household debt levels could impact the stability of the Chinese economy. China is an emerging market and demonstrates significantly higher volatility from time to time in comparison to developed markets. Over the last few decades, the Chinese government has undertaken reform of economic and market practices, including recent reforms to liberalize its capital markets and expand the sphere for private ownership of property in China. However, Chinese markets generally continue to experience inefficiency, volatility and pricing anomalies resulting from governmental influence, a lack of publicly available information and/or political and social instability. Internal social unrest or confrontations with other neighboring countries, including military conflicts in response to such events, may also disrupt economic development in China and result in a greater risk of currency fluctuations, currency convertibility, interest rate fluctuations and higher rates of inflation. China has experienced security concerns, such as terrorism and strained international relations, as well as major health crises. These health crises include, but are not limited to, the rapid and pandemic spread of novel viruses commonly known as SARS, MERS, and COVID-19 (Coronavirus). Such health crises could exacerbate political, social, and economic risks previously mentioned. Additionally, China is alleged to have participated in state-sponsored cyberattacks against foreign companies and foreign governments. Actual and threatened responses to such activity, including purchasing restrictions, sanctions, tariffs or cyberattacks on the Chinese government or Chinese companies, may impact China’s economy and Chinese issuers of securities in which the Fund invests. Incidents involving China’s or the region’s security, including the contagion of infectious viruses or diseases, may cause uncertainty in Chinese markets and may adversely affect the Chinese economy and the Fund’s investments. Export growth continues to be a major driver of China’s rapid economic growth. Elevated trade tensions between China and its trading partners, including the imposition of U.S. tariffs on certain Chinese goods and increased international pressure related to Chinese trade policy and forced technology transfers and intellectual property protections, may have a substantial impact on the Chinese economy. Reduction in spending on Chinese products and services, institution of additional tariffs or other trade barriers (including as a result of heightened trade tensions between China and the U.S. or in response to actual or alleged Chinese cyber activity), or a downturn in any of the economies of China’s key trading partners may have an adverse impact on the Chinese economy. Investments in China may be subject to loss due to expropriation or nationalization of assets and property or the imposition of restrictions on foreign investments and repatriation of capital. China has implemented a number of tax reforms in recent years and may amend or revise its existing tax laws and/or procedures in the future, possibly with retroactive effect. Changes in applicable Chinese tax law could reduce the after-tax profits of the Fund, directly or indirectly, including by reducing the after-tax profits of companies in China in which the Fund invests. Uncertainties in Chinese tax rules could result in unexpected tax liabilities for the Fund.
Risk of Investing in Colombia: Investment in Colombian issuers and companies that have significant operations in Colombia involves risks that are specific to Colombia, including legal, regulatory, political and economic risks. The Colombian economy has grown steadily during the past several years, but there can be no assurance that economic growth will continue. The Colombian economy depends heavily on oil, coal and other commodity exports, making it vulnerable to commodity prices. Armed conflict and terrorism related to Colombia’s recently ended civil war and the ongoing drug trade may impact the economy. Likewise, there are spillover risks associated with the ongoing political and humanitarian crisis in neighboring Venezuela which may adversely impact social, political, and economic stability in Colombia.
Risk of Investing in Emerging Markets: Investments in emerging markets may be subject to a greater risk of loss than investments in developed markets. Securities markets of emerging market countries are less liquid, subject to greater price volatility, have smaller market capitalizations, have less government regulation, and are not subject to as extensive and frequent accounting, financial, and other reporting requirements as the securities markets of more developed countries, and there may be greater risk associated with the custody of securities in emerging markets. Emerging markets may be more likely to experience inflation, political turmoil and rapid changes in economic conditions than more developed markets. Certain emerging market countries may have privatized, or have begun the process of privatizing, certain entities and industries. Privatized entities may lose money or be re-nationalized.
Risk of Investing in India: Political and legal uncertainty, greater government control over the economy, currency fluctuations or blockage, relatively underdeveloped securities markets and the risk of nationalization or expropriation of assets may result in higher potential for losses for investments in Indian securities.
Risk of Investing in Indonesia: Investments in Indonesian issuers may subject the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, security and economic risk specific to Indonesia. Among other things, the Indonesian economy is heavily dependent on trading relationships with certain key trading partners, including China, Japan, Singapore and the United States. In the past, Indonesia has experienced acts of terrorism, predominantly targeted at foreigners. Such acts of terrorism have had a negative impact on tourism, an important sector of the Indonesian economy.
Risk of Investing in Mexico: Investments in Mexican issuers involve risks that are specific to Mexico, including legal, regulatory, political, currency, security and economic risks. In the past, Mexico has experienced high interest rates, economic volatility and high unemployment rates. Recent political developments in the U.S. have potential implications for the current trade arrangements between the U.S. and Mexico, which could negatively affect the value of securities held by the Fund.
Risk of Investing in Peru: The Peruvian economy is dependent on commodity prices and the economies of its trading partners in Central and South America, Europe, Asia and the United States. Peru has historically experienced high rates of inflation and may continue to do so in the future.
Risk of Investing in South Africa: Investing in South African securities involves significant risks, including legal, regulatory and economic risks specific to South Africa. Among other things, South Africa’s economy is heavily dependent on its agriculture and mining sectors, and, thus, susceptible to fluctuations in the commodity markets.
Risk of Investing in Turkey: The Turkish economy is heavily dependent on relationships with certain key trading partners, including European Union countries, China and Russia. The Turkish economy has certain significant economic weaknesses, such as its relatively high current account deficit and currency volatility. Turkey has historically experienced acts of terrorism and strained relations related to border disputes with certain neighboring countries. The continuation of the conflict on the Turkish-Syrian border, for example, could have an adverse impact on the Turkish economy. Turkey may be subject to considerable degrees of social and political instability. Unanticipated or sudden political or social developments may cause uncertainty in the Turkish stock market and as a result adversely affect issuers to which the Fund has exposure.
High Yield Securities Risk: Securities that are rated below investment grade (commonly referred to as "junk bonds", including those bonds rated lower than "BBB-" by Standard & Poor’s® (a division of the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.) ("S&P") and Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch"), "Baa3" by Moody’s® Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody’s"), or "BBBL" by Dominion Bond Rating Service Limited ("Dominion")), or are unrated but judged by the Adviser (as defined below) or the Sub-Adviser to be of comparable quality, at the time of purchase, may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity. Investing in junk bonds is speculative.
Income Risk: Income risk is the risk that the Fund’s income will decline because of falling interest rates.
Inflation-Indexed Securities Tax Risk: Any increase in the principal amount of an inflation-indexed security may be included for tax purposes in the Fund’s gross income, even though no cash attributable to such gross income has been received by the Fund. In such event, the Fund may be required to make annual distributions to shareholders that exceed the cash it has otherwise received. In order to pay such distributions, the Fund may be required to raise cash by selling portfolio investments. The sale of such investments could result in capital gains to the Fund and additional capital gain distributions to shareholders. In addition, adjustments during the taxable year for deflation to an inflation-indexed bond held by the Fund may cause amounts previously distributed to shareholders in the taxable year as income to be characterized as a return of capital.
Interest Rate Risk: Interest rate risk is the risk that prices of fixed income securities generally increase when interest rates decline and decrease when interest rates increase. The Fund may lose money if short-term or long-term interest rates rise sharply.
International Closed Market Trading Risk: To the extent that the underlying investments held by the Fund trade on foreign exchanges that may be closed when the securities exchange on which the Fund’s Shares trade is open, there are likely to be deviations between the current price of such an underlying security and the last quoted price for the underlying security (i.e., the Fund’s quote from the closed foreign market). These deviations could result in premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV that may be greater than those experienced by other exchange-traded funds ("ETFs").
Issuer Risk: Fund performance depends on the performance of individual companies in which the Fund invests. Changes to the financial condition of any of those companies may cause the value of their securities to decline.
Market Risk: Turbulence in the financial markets and reduced liquidity may negatively affect issuers, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund. If the securities held by the Fund experience poor liquidity, the Fund may be unable to transact at advantageous times or prices, which may decrease the Fund’s returns. In addition, there is a risk that policy changes by the U.S. Government, Federal Reserve, or other government actors, which could include increasing interest rates, could cause increased volatility in financial markets and lead to higher levels of Fund redemptions, which could have a negative impact on the Fund. Furthermore, local, regional or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, the spread of infectious illness or other public health issue, recessions, or other events could have a significant impact on the Fund and its investments and trading of its Shares. The Fund’s NAV could decline over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during market downturns.
New Fund Risk: The Fund is a new fund, with no operating history, which may result in additional risks for investors in the Fund. There can be no assurance that the Fund will grow to or maintain an economically viable size, in which case the Board of Trustees may determine to liquidate the Fund. While shareholder interests will be the paramount consideration, the timing of any liquidation may not be favorable to certain individual shareholders. New funds are also subject to Large Shareholder Risk.
Non-Diversification Risk: The Fund is classified as a “non-diversified” investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940 ("1940 Act"). As a result, the Fund is subject to the risk that it may be more volatile than a diversified fund because the Fund may invest its assets in a smaller number of issuers or may invest a larger proportion of its assets in a single issuer. As a result, the gains and losses on a single investment may have a greater impact on the Fund’s NAV and may make the Fund more volatile than more diversified funds.
Operational Risk: 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 systems failures. Additionally, cyber security failures or breaches of the electronic systems of the Fund, the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser and the Fund's other service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests have the ability to cause disruptions and negatively impact the Fund's business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses to the Fund and its shareholders. The Fund, the Adviser and the Sub-Adviser seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate for those risks that they are intended to address.
Risks Associated with Exchange-Traded Funds: As an ETF, the Fund is subject to the following risks:
Authorized Participants Concentration Risk: The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants and engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund, and none of those Authorized Participants is obligated to engage in creation and/or redemption transactions. To the extent that those Authorized Participants exit the business or are unable to process creation and/or redemption orders, Shares may be more likely to trade at a premium or discount to NAV, and possibly face trading halts and/or delisting from an exchange. Authorized Participants Concentration Risk may be heightened because the Fund invests in non-U.S. securities.
Large Shareholder Risk: Redemptions by large shareholders could have a significant negative impact on the Fund. If a large shareholder were to redeem all, or a large portion, of its Shares, there is no guarantee that the Fund will be able to maintain sufficient assets to continue operations in which case the Board of Trustees may determine to liquidate the Fund. In addition, transactions by large shareholders may account for a large percentage of the trading volume on a national securities exchange and may, therefore, have a material upward or downward effect on the market price of the Shares.
Listing Standards Risk: Under continuous listing standards adopted by the Fund’s listing exchange, the Fund may face the risk of being delisted if the Fund does not meet certain conditions of the listing exchange. In the event that the Fund does not comply with the applicable listing requirements, the Fund would be required to rectify such non-compliance by revising its portfolio holdings or obtaining relief from the SEC. Failure to rectify such non-compliance may result in the Fund being delisted by the listing exchange. Any resulting liquidation of the Fund could cause the Fund to incur elevated transaction costs and negative tax consequences for its shareholders.
Market Trading Risks and Premium/Discount Risks: Shares of the Fund are publicly traded on a national securities exchange, which may subject shareholders to numerous market trading risks. Disruptions to creations and redemptions, the existence of extreme market volatility or potential lack of assets in the Fund or an active trading market for Shares may result in Shares trading at a significant premium or discount to NAV. If a shareholder purchases Shares at a time when the market price is at a premium to the NAV or sells Shares at a time when the market price is at a discount to the NAV, the shareholder may sustain losses.
Trading Halt Risk: An exchange or market may close or issue trading halts on specific securities, or the ability to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments may be restricted, which may result in the Fund being unable to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments. In such circumstances, the Fund may be unable to rebalance its portfolio, may be unable to accurately price its investments and/or may incur substantial trading losses.
Valuation Risk: The sales price the Fund could receive for a security may differ from the Fund’s valuation of the security, particularly for securities that trade in low value or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair value methodology (such as during trading halts). The value of the securities in the Fund's portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund's Shares.