Fund had significant exposure to the
industrials and financials sectors. The Fund's portfolio holdings, and the extent to which it concentrates its investments, are likely to change over time.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund
The following summarizes the principal risks of investing in the Fund.
The Shares will change in value, and you could lose money by investing in the Fund. The Fund may not achieve its investment objective.
Market Risk. Securities in the Underlying Index are subject to market fluctuations. You should anticipate that the value
of the Shares will decline, more or less, in correlation with any decline in value of the securities in the Underlying Index. Additionally, natural or environmental disasters, widespread disease or other public health
issues, war, military conflicts, acts of terrorism, economic crises or other events could result in increased premiums or discounts to the Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”). Certain changes in the U.S.
economy in particular, such as when the U.S. economy weakens or when its financial markets decline, may have a material adverse effect on global financial markets as a whole, and on the securities to which the Underlying Index has
exposure. Increasingly strained relations between the U.S. and foreign countries, including as a result of economic sanctions and tariffs, may also adversely affect U.S. issuers, as well as non-U.S. issuers.
During a general downturn in the financial markets, multiple asset classes may decline in value. When markets perform well, there can be no assurance that specific investments
held by the Underlying Index will rise in value.
Index Risk. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund
does not utilize an investing strategy that seeks returns in excess of its Underlying Index.
Therefore, the Fund would not necessarily buy or sell a security unless that security is added to or removed from, respectively, its Underlying Index, even if that security generally is underperforming. Additionally, the Fund generally rebalances its
portfolio in accordance with its Underlying Index, and, therefore, any changes to its Underlying Index’s rebalance schedule will typically result in corresponding changes to the Fund’s rebalance schedule.
Foreign Investment Risk. Investments in the securities of non-U.S. issuers involve risks beyond those associated with investments in
U.S. securities. Foreign securities may have relatively low market liquidity, greater market
volatility, decreased publicly available information and less reliable financial information about issuers, and inconsistent and potentially less stringent accounting, auditing and financial reporting requirements and standards of practice, including
recordkeeping standards, comparable to those applicable to domestic issuers. Foreign securities also are subject to the risks of possible seizure, expropriation, nationalization, political or social instability, changes in
economic or taxation policies or other adverse political or economic developments (in which the Fund could lose its entire investment in a certain market) and the difficulty of enforcing obligations in other countries, including the
possible adoption of foreign governmental restrictions such as exchange controls. Investments in foreign securities also may be subject to dividend withholding or confiscatory taxes, currency blockage and/or transfer
restrictions and higher transactional costs. To the extent the Fund invests in securities denominated in foreign currencies, fluctuations in the value of the U.S. dollar relative to the values of other currencies may adversely affect
investments in foreign securities and may negatively impact the Fund’s returns. Foreign companies generally may be subject to less stringent regulations than U.S. companies, including financial reporting requirements and
auditing and accounting controls, and may therefore be more susceptible to fraud or corruption. There may be less public information available about foreign companies than U.S. companies, making it difficult to evaluate
those foreign companies.
From time to time, certain companies in which the Fund invests may operate in, or have dealings with, countries subject to sanctions or embargoes imposed by the U.S. government
and the United Nations and/or in countries the U.S. government identified as state sponsors of terrorism.
One or more of these companies may be
subject to constraints under U.S. law or regulations that could negatively affect the company’s performance. Additionally, one or more of these companies could suffer damage to its reputation if the market identifies it
as a company that invests or deals with countries that the U.S. government identifies as state sponsors of terrorism or is subject to sanctions.
Equity Risk. Equity risk is the risk that the value of
equity securities, including common stocks, may fall due to both changes in general economic
conditions that impact the market as a whole, as well as factors that directly relate to a specific company or its industry. Such general economic conditions include changes in interest rates, periods of market turbulence or instability, or general
and prolonged periods of economic decline and cyclical change. It is possible that a drop in the stock market may depress the price of most or all of the common stocks that the Fund holds. In addition, equity risk
includes the risk that investor sentiment toward one or more industries will become negative, resulting in those investors exiting their investments in those industries, which could cause a reduction in the value of
companies in those industries more broadly. Equity risk also includes the risk of large-capitalization companies, which may adapt more slowly to new competitive challenges or may be more mature and subject to more limited growth
potential, and consequently may underperform other segments of the equity market or the market as a
whole. The value of a company's common stock may fall solely because of factors, such as an
increase in production costs, that negatively impact other companies in the same region, industry or sector of the market. A company's common stock also may decline significantly in price over a short period of time due to factors
specific to that company, including decisions made by its management or lower demand for the company's products or services. For example, an adverse event, such as an unfavorable earnings report or the failure to
make anticipated dividend payments, may depress the value of common stock.
Mid-Capitalization Companies
Risk. Investing in securities of mid-capitalization companies typically involves greater risk than is associated with investing in securities of larger, more
established companies. Mid-capitalization companies’ securities may be more volatile and less liquid than those of larger, more established companies and may have returns that vary, sometimes significantly, from
the overall securities market. Mid-capitalization companies may have less experienced management, more limited product and market diversification, and fewer financial resources compared to larger capitalization
companies. Often mid-capitalization companies and the industries in which they focus are still evolving and, as a result, they may be more sensitive to changing market conditions.
Geographic Concentration Risk. The Fund may from time to
time have a substantial amount of its assets invested in securities of issuers located in a
single country or a limited number of countries. Adverse economic, political or social conditions in those countries or regions may therefore have a significant negative impact on the Fund’s investment performance. For example, a
natural or other disaster could occur in a country or geographic region in which the Fund invests, which could affect the economy or particular business operations of companies in that specific country or geographic region and
adversely impact the Fund’s investments in the affected region.
Asia Pacific Investment Risk. The level of development of
the economies of countries in the Asia Pacific region varies greatly. Furthermore, since the
economies of the countries in the region are largely intertwined, if an economic recession is experienced by any of these countries, it will likely adversely impact the economic performance of other countries in the region.
Certain economies in the region may be adversely affected by increased competition, high
inflation rates, undeveloped financial services sectors, currency fluctuations or restrictions,
political and social instability and increased economic volatility. Due to heavy reliance on international trade, a