forward to create or redeem Creation Units (as defined below), this may result in a significantly diminished trading market for shares, and shares may be more likely to trade at a premium or discount to the Fund's net asset value and to face trading halts and/or delisting. This risk may be heightened during periods of volatility or market disruptions.
Cash Transactions Risk: The Fund will effect some or all of its creations and redemptions for cash rather than in-kind. As a result, an investment in the Fund may be less tax-efficient than an investment in an ETF that effects all of its creations and redemptions in-kind. Because the Fund may effect redemptions for cash, it may be required to sell portfolio securities or other financial instruments in order to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. A sale of portfolio securities or other financial instruments may result in capital gains or losses and may also result in higher brokerage costs. To the extent costs are not offset by transaction fees charged by the Fund to APs, the costs of cash transactions will be borne by the Fund.
Risks Associated with Exchange-Traded Funds: As an ETF, the Fund is subject to the following risks:
Authorized Participant Concentration/Trading Risk: Only authorized participants ("APs") may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. The Fund has a limited number of institutions that may act as APs and such APs have no obligation to submit creation or redemption orders. Consequently, there is no assurance that APs will establish or maintain an active trading market for the shares. This risk may be heightened to the extent that securities or other financial instruments held by the Fund are traded outside a collateralized settlement system. In that case, APs may be required to post collateral on certain trades on an agency basis (i.e., on behalf of other market participants), which only a limited number of APs may be able to do. In addition, to the extent that APs 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 (as defined below), this may result in a significantly diminished trading market for shares, and shares may be more likely to trade at a premium or discount to the Fund's net asset value and to face trading halts and/or delisting. This risk may be heightened during periods of volatility or market disruptions.
Cash Transactions Risk: The Fund will effect some or all of its creations and redemptions for cash rather than in-kind. As a result, an investment in the Fund may be less tax-efficient than an investment in an ETF that effects all of its creations and redemptions in-kind. Because the Fund may effect redemptions for cash, it may be required to sell portfolio securities or other financial instruments in order to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. A sale of portfolio securities or other financial instruments may result in capital gains or losses and may also result in higher brokerage costs. To the extent costs are not offset by transaction fees charged by the Fund to APs, the costs of cash transactions will be borne by the Fund.
Premium/Discount Risk: The market price of the Fund's shares will generally fluctuate in accordance with changes in the Fund's net asset value as well as the relative supply of and demand for shares on the Exchange. The Advisor cannot predict whether shares will trade below, at or above their net asset value because the shares trade on the Exchange at market prices and not at net asset value. 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. This may
result in the Fund's shares trading significantly above (premium) or below (discount) the Fund's net asset value, which will be reflected in the intraday bid/ask spreads and/or the closing price of shares as compared to net asset value. 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 net asset value.
Counterparty Risk: A counterparty, including a counterparty to an over-the-counter derivative instrument, may be unwilling or unable to meet its contractual obligations. If the counterparty or its affiliate becomes insolvent, bankrupt or defaults on its payment obligations to the Fund, the value of an investment held by the Fund may decline. The Fund may also not be able to exercise remedies, such as the termination of transactions, netting of obligations and realization on collateral if such remedies are stayed or eliminated under special resolutions adopted in the United States or other jurisdictions.
In addition, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with a limited number of counterparties, which may increase the Fund's exposure to counterparty credit risk. Counterparties may be less willing to enter into transactions in stressed or volatile market conditions or may alter the terms they are willing to accept in such conditions. Further, there is a risk that no suitable counterparties will be willing to enter into, or continue to enter into, transactions with the Fund, which may cause the Fund not to be able to achieve its investment objective or to change its investment objective.
Foreign Currency Risk: As a result of the Fund's investments in securities or other financial instruments denominated in, and/or receiving revenues in, foreign currencies, the Fund will be subject to currency risk. Currency risk is the risk that foreign currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar or, in the case of hedging positions, that the U.S. dollar will decline in value relative to the currency hedged. In either event, the dollar value of an investment in the Fund would be adversely affected.
Interest Rate Risk: As interest rates rise, the values of fixed income securities held by the Fund are likely to decrease and reduce the value of the Fund's portfolio. Securities with longer durations tend to be more sensitive to changes in interest rates and are usually more volatile than securities with shorter durations. For example, a 5 year average duration generally means the price of a fixed income security will decrease in value by 5% if interest rates rise by 1%. Rising interest rates may lead to increased redemptions, increased volatility and decreased liquidity in the fixed income markets, making it more difficult for the Fund to sell its fixed income securities when the Subadvisor may wish to sell or must sell to meet redemptions. During periods when interest rates are low or there are negative interest rates, the Fund's yield (and total return) also may be low or the Fund may be unable to maintain positive returns or minimize the volatility of the Fund's net asset value per share. Changing interest rates may have unpredictable effects on the markets, may result in heightened market volatility and may detract from Fund performance. In addition, changes in monetary policy may exacerbate the risks associated with changing interest rates.
Market Risk: Securities markets are volatile and can decline significantly in response to adverse market, economic, political, regulatory or other developments, which may lower the value of securities or other financial instruments held by the Fund, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. Events such as war, military conflict, geopolitical disputes, acts of terrorism, social or political unrest, natural disasters, recessions, inflation, rapid interest rate changes, supply chain disruptions, tariffs and other restrictions on trade,