As with all funds, a shareholder is subject to the risk that his or her investment could lose money. The Fund is not a complete investment program and is designed for inclusion in a diversified investment portfolio. The principal risks affecting shareholders’ investments in the Fund are set forth below. An investment in the Fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the FDIC or any government agency. The principal risks described herein pertain to direct risks of making an investment in the Fund and/or risks of the issuers in which the Fund invests.
Equity Securities Risk. Since it purchases equity securities, the Fund is subject to the risk that stock prices will fall over short or extended periods of time. Historically, the equity markets have moved in cycles, and the value of the Fund’s equity securities may fluctuate from day to day. Individual companies may report poor results or be negatively affected by industry and/or economic trends and developments. The prices of securities issued by such companies may suffer a decline in response. These factors contribute to price volatility, which is a principal risk of investing in the Fund.
Other Investment Companies Risk. To the extent that the Fund invests in other ETFs or investment companies, the value of an investment in the Fund is based on the performance of the underlying funds in which the Fund invests and the allocation of its assets among those ETFs or investment companies. The underlying ETFs and investment companies may change their investment goals, policies or practices and there can be no assurance that the underlying ETFs or investment companies will achieve their respective investment goals. Because the Fund invests in ETFs and other investment companies, shareholders indirectly bear a proportionate share of the expenses charged by the underlying funds in which it invests which impacts the Fund’s performance. The principal risks of an investment in the Fund include the principal risks of investing in the underlying ETFs and investment companies.
The Fund is exposed to the risks of the underlying ETFs and investment companies in which it invests in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Fund allocates to each underlying fund. One underlying fund may buy the same security that another underlying fund is selling. You would indirectly bear the costs of both trades. In addition, you may receive taxable gains from portfolio transactions by the underlying funds, as well as taxable gains from the Fund’s transactions in shares of the underlying funds. The Fund’s ability to achieve its investment goal depends, in part, upon the- Adviser’s skill in selecting an optimal mix of underlying funds.
Sector Risk. To the extent the Fund invests more heavily in particular sectors of the economy, its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that significantly affect those sectors.
Technology Sector Risk. The market prices of technology-related securities tend to exhibit a greater degree of market risk and sharp price fluctuations than other types of securities. These securities may fall in and out of favor with investors rapidly, which may cause sudden selling and dramatically lower market prices. Technology securities may be affected by intense competition, obsolescence of existing technology, general economic conditions and government regulation and may have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. Technology companies may experience dramatic and often unpredictable changes in growth rates and competition for qualified personnel. These companies are also heavily dependent on patent and intellectual property rights, the loss or impairment of which may adversely impact a company’s profitability. A small number of companies represent a large portion of the technology industry. In addition, a rising interest rate environment tends to negatively affect technology companies, those technology companies seeking to finance expansion would have increased borrowing costs, which may negatively impact earnings. Technology companies having high market valuations may appear less attractive to investors, which may cause sharp decreases in their market prices.
Industry Focus Risk. The Fund from time to time may be focused to a significant degree in securities of issuers located in a single industry or industry group. By concentrating its investments in an industry or industry group, the Fund may face more risks than if it were diversified broadly over numerous industries or industry groups. Such industry-based risks may include, but are not limited to, the following: general economic conditions or cyclical market patterns that could negatively affect supply and demand in a particular industry; competition for resources; adverse labor relations; political or world events; obsolescence of technologies; and increased competition or new product introductions that may affect the profitability or viability of companies in an industry. In addition, at times, such industry or industry group may be out of favor and underperform other industries or the market as a whole.
Aerospace and Defense Industry Risk. The aerospace and defense industry may be significantly affected by changes in government regulations and spending policies, changes in economic conditions and industry consolidation.
Advanced Energy Risk. Companies in the advanced energy sector, including those involved in renewable energy, alternative fuels, energy storage, and related technologies, may be adversely affected by fluctuations in energy prices, changes in government policies, and regulatory incentives. The sector is highly dependent on continued innovation, technological advancement, and capital investment, which may not always yield commercially viable products or services. Companies may face significant competition from both traditional energy providers and emerging technologies, as well as risks related to supply chain disruptions, raw material shortages, and infrastructure limitations. In addition, shifts in public policy, tax incentives, or subsidies, as well as changes in environmental regulations, could materially impact profitability and valuations. Securities in this sector can be volatile and are often sensitive to interest rate movements, economic cycles, and investor sentiment toward growth-oriented industries.
Materials Science Risk. Companies in the materials science sector may be significantly affected by changes in commodity prices, supply chain dynamics, energy costs, and global economic conditions. These companies often face risks related to raw material availability, regulatory changes, environmental compliance, and technological obsolescence. Materials science firms may also be heavily dependent on research and development, which involves high costs and uncertain outcomes. Rapid innovation or disruptive technologies could render certain processes or products less competitive. Additionally, these companies can be sensitive to fluctuations in industrial demand, trade policies, and geopolitical events, leading to increased volatility in their securities.
Derivatives Risk. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive their performance from an underlying reference asset, such as an index, interest rate or inflation rate. Generally, derivatives are sophisticated investments that may pose risks that are different from or greater than those posed by investing directly in the underlying reference asset. For example, the return on a derivative instrument may not correlate with that of its underlying reference asset, and minimal requisite initial investments necessary to purchase derivatives positions may expose the Fund to losses in excess of those amounts. Derivatives also can be volatile and may be less liquid than other investments. As a result, the value of an investment in the Fund may change quickly and without warning and you may lose money. The Fund expects to use put options to implement its principal investment strategies. Other risks specific to options, as well as other risks of derivatives, generally, such as counterparty and issuer credit risk, interest rate risk, market risk and issuer-specific risk, are described in greater detail elsewhere in the Fund’s Prospectus.
Options Risk. The prices of options may change rapidly over time and do not necessarily move in tandem with the price of their underlying securities. Writing call options may reduce the Fund’s ability to profit from increases in the value of the Fund’s portfolio securities. When writing call options on a portfolio security, the Fund receives a premium; however, the premium may not be enough to offset a loss incurred by the Fund if the price of the portfolio security is above the strike price by an amount equal to or greater than the premium. The Fund’s option strategy is designed to provide the Fund with income by taking in options premiums, but it is not designed to mitigate losses to the Fund in the event of a market decline.
Liquidity Risk. The Fund is subject to liquidity risk primarily due to its investments in derivatives. Investments in illiquid assets involve the risk that the Fund may be unable to sell such assets or sell them at a reasonable price. Derivatives, especially when traded in large amounts, may not always be liquid. In such cases, in volatile markets the Fund may not be able to close out a position without incurring a loss. Daily limits on price fluctuations and speculative position limits on exchanges on which the Fund may conduct its transactions in derivatives may prevent profitable liquidation of positions, subjecting the Fund to potentially greater losses.
Active Management Risk. The Fund is actively-managed and its performance reflects investment decisions that the Adviser makes for the Fund. In managing the Fund’s investment portfolio, the portfolio managers will apply investment techniques and risk analyses, including through the use of technology, automated processes, algorithms, or other management systems, that may not operate as intended or produce the desired result. Such judgments about the Fund’s investments may prove to be incorrect. If the investments selected and the strategies employed by the Fund fail to produce the intended results, the Fund could underperform as compared to other funds with similar investment objectives and/or strategies, or could have negative returns.
Shorting Risk. A short position is a financial transaction in which an investor sells an asset that the investor does not own. In such a transaction, an investor’s short position appreciates when a reference asset falls in value. By contrast, the short position loses value when the reference asset’s value increases. Because historically most assets have risen in value over the long term, short positions are expected to depreciate in value. Accordingly, short positions may be riskier and more speculative than traditional investments. In addition, any income, dividends, or payments by reference assets in which the Fund has a short position will impose expenses on the Fund that reduce returns.
Investment Risk. As with all investments, an investment in the Fund is subject to loss, including the possible loss of the entire principal amount of an investment, over short or long periods of time.
Market Risk. The market price of instruments owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. Securities and other financial instruments may decline in value due to factors affecting markets generally or particular industries represented in the markets. The value of a financial instrument may decline due to general market conditions that are not specifically related to a particular company, such as real or perceived adverse economic conditions, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest rates, adverse changes to credit markets or adverse investor sentiment generally. The value of a security may also decline due to factors that affect a particular industry or industries, such as labor shortages or increased production costs and competitive conditions within an industry.
Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is non-diversified, which means that it may invest a greater percentage of its assets in a particular issuer than a diversified fund. Non-diversification increases the risk that the value of the Fund could go down because of the poor performance of a single investment or limited number of investments.
ETF Structure Risk. The Fund is structured as an ETF and is therefore subject to special risks. Such risks include:
- Trading Issues Risk. Trading in ETF shares on an exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the exchange, make trading in the ETF’s shares inadvisable, such as extraordinary market volatility. There can be no assurance that an ETF’s shares will continue to meet the listing requirements of its exchange or will trade with any volume. There is no guarantee that an active secondary market will develop for shares of an ETF. In stressed market conditions, the liquidity of shares of an ETF may begin to mirror the liquidity of the ETF’s underlying portfolio holdings, which can be significantly less liquid than shares of the ETF. This adverse effect on liquidity for the ETF’s shares in turn could lead to differences between the market price of the ETF’s shares and the underlying value of those shares.
- Market Price Variance Risk. The market prices of shares of an ETF will fluctuate in response to changes in the ETF’s NAV, and supply and demand for ETF shares and will include a “bid-ask spread” charged by the exchange specialists, market makers or other participants that trade the particular security. There may be times when the market price and the NAV vary significantly. This means that ETF shares may trade at a discount to NAV. The market price of an ETF’s shares may deviate from the value of the ETF’s underlying portfolio holdings, particularly in times of market stress, with the result that investors may pay significantly more or receive significantly less than the underlying value of the shares of the ETF bought or sold.
Authorized Participants (“APs”), Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Risk. ETFs have a limited number of financial institutions that may act as APs. In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, shares of an ETF may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.
Costs of Buying or Selling Shares of an ETF. Due to the costs of buying or selling shares of an ETF, including brokerage commissions imposed by brokers and bid/ask spreads, frequent trading of shares of an ETF may significantly reduce investment results and an investment in shares of an ETF may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk. The Fund may incur high portfolio turnover to manage the Fund’s investment exposure. Additionally, active market trading of the Fund’s Shares may cause more frequent creation or redemption activities that could, in certain circumstances, increase the number of portfolio transactions. High levels of portfolio transactions increase brokerage and other transaction costs and may result in increased taxable capital gains. Each of these factors could have a negative impact on the performance of the Fund.
New Fund Risk. The Fund is a recently organized management investment company with no operating history. As a result, prospective investors do not have a track record or history on which to base their investment decisions.
Investors should consider the investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses carefully before investing. For a prospectus with this and other information about the fund, please call (833) 759-6110. Please read the prospectus carefully before investing.
Distributor: Foreside Fund Services
