VANECK VECTORSä CHINAAMC CHINA BOND ETF
Ticker: CBON®
Principal U.S. Listing Exchange: NYSE Arca, Inc.
SUMMARY PROSPECTUS
SEPTEMBER 1, 2015, as revised on FEBRUARY 1, 2016 and MAY 1, 2016
CBONSUM
Before you invest, you may want to review the Fund’s prospectus, which contains more information about the Fund and its risks. You can find the Fund’s prospectus and other information about the Fund online at http://www.vaneck.com/ library/etfs/. You can also get this information at no cost by calling 800.826.2333, or by sending an email request to info@vaneck.com. The Fund’s prospectus and statement of additional information, both dated September 1, 2015, as supplemented, are incorporated by reference into this summary prospectus.
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
VanEck Vectors ChinaAMC China Bond ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to replicate as closely as possible, before fees and expenses, the price and yield performance of the ChinaBond China High Quality Bond Index (the “Index”).
FUND FEES AND EXPENSES
The following tables describe the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund (“Shares”).
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Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment) |
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None |
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Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
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Management Fee |
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0.40 |
% |
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Other Expenses(a) |
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0.47 |
% |
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Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses(b) |
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0.87 |
% |
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Fee Waivers and Expense Reimbursement(b) |
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-0.37 |
% |
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Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and Expense Reimbursement(b) |
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0.50 |
% |
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(a) |
“Other Expenses” are based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year. |
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(b) |
Van Eck Associates Corporation (the “Adviser”) has agreed to waive fees and/or pay Fund expenses to the extent necessary to prevent the operating expenses of the Fund (excluding acquired fund fees and expenses, interest expense, offering costs, trading expenses, taxes and extraordinary expenses) from exceeding 0.50% of the Fund’s average daily net assets per year until at least September 1, 2016. During such time, the expense limitation is expected to continue until the Fund’s Board of Trustees acts to discontinue all or a portion of such expense limitation. |
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EXPENSE EXAMPLE
This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. This example does not take into account brokerage commissions that you pay when purchasing or selling Shares of the Fund.
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% annual return and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:
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1 YEAR |
3 YEARS |
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$51 |
$241 |
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PORTFOLIO TURNOVER
The Fund will pay transaction costs, such as commissions, when it purchases and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover will cause the Fund to incur additional 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
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in the example, may affect the Fund’s performance. During the period November 10, 2014 (the Fund’s commencement of operations) through April 30, 2015, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 58% of the average value of its portfolio.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
The Fund normally invests at least 80% of its total assets in securities that comprise the Fund’s benchmark index. The Index is comprised of fixed-rate, Renminbi (“RMB”)-denominated bonds issued in the People’s Republic of China (“China” or the “PRC”) by Chinese credit, governmental or quasi-governmental (e.g., policy banks) issuers (“RMB Bonds”). Chinese credit issuers are generally considered to be issuers of central enterprise bonds, local enterprise bonds, medium-term notes, corporate bonds and railway debt. Credit RMB Bonds must have at least one AAA rating by one of the Chinese local rating agencies recognized by the relevant authorities in the PRC to be included in the Index. China currently has three policy banks, which are state-owned banks responsible for financing economic and trade development and state-invested projects. As of June 30, 2015, the Index was comprised of 1,580 bonds of 281 issuers. The Fund’s 80% investment policy is non-fundamental and may be changed without shareholder approval upon 60 days’ prior written notice to shareholders.
The Fund, using a “passive” or indexing investment approach, attempts to approximate the investment performance of the Index. Because of the practical difficulties and expense of purchasing all of the securities in the Index, the Fund does not purchase all of the securities in the Index. Instead, the Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser (defined below) utilize a “sampling” methodology in seeking to achieve the Fund’s objective. As such, the Fund may purchase a subset of the bonds in the Index in an effort to hold a portfolio of bonds with generally the same risk and return characteristics of the Index.
RMB Bonds are traded on the inter-bank bond market or the exchange-traded bond market in the PRC. Currently, the inter-bank bond market is much larger with respect to trading volume and is generally considered more liquid than the exchange-traded bond market. The inter-bank bond market is a quote-driven over-the-counter (“OTC”) market for institutional investors, while the exchange-traded bond market is an electronic automatic matching system where securities are traded on the Shanghai Stock Exchange or the Shenzhen Stock Exchange. These RMB Bonds are made available to domestic PRC investors and certain foreign investors, including principally those that have been approved as a Renminbi Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor (“RQFII”) or a Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor (“QFII”). An RQFII or QFII license may be obtained by application to the China Securities Regulatory Commission (“CSRC”). After obtaining a RQFII or QFII license, the RQFII or QFII would also apply to China’s State Administration of Foreign Exchange (“SAFE”) for a specific aggregate dollar amount investment quota in which the RQFII or QFII can invest in RMB Bonds. Investment companies are not currently within the types of entities that are eligible for a RQFII or QFII license.
The Fund will seek to achieve its investment objective by primarily investing in RMB Bonds. Because the Fund does not satisfy the criteria to qualify as a RQFII or QFII itself, the Fund intends to invest directly in RMB Bonds via the RQFII quota of China Asset Management (Hong Kong) Limited (the “Sub-Adviser”), the Fund’s Sub-Adviser. The Sub-Adviser has obtained RQFII status and has been granted an RQFII quota, which the Sub-Adviser will use to invest the Fund’s assets in RMB Bonds. At such time that the Sub-Adviser has utilized its entire RQFII quota, the Sub-Adviser may, subject to applicable regulations, apply for an increase of the RQFII quota. The size of the Fund’s direct investment in RMB Bonds will be limited by the size of the RQFII quota of the Sub-Adviser unless the Fund is able to enter into another sub-advisory agreement with another sub-adviser who has an RQFII quota.
The Fund may concentrate its investments in a particular industry or group of industries to the extent that the Index concentrates in an industry or group of industries. As of April 30, 2015, the Fund was concentrated in the financial services sector, and each of the industrials and energy sectors represented a significant portion of the Fund.
PRINCIPAL RISKS OF INVESTING IN THE FUND
Investors in the Fund should be willing to accept a high degree of volatility in the price of the Fund’s Shares and the possibility of significant losses. An investment in the Fund involves a substantial degree of risk. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit with a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. Therefore, you should consider carefully the following risks before investing in the Fund, each of which could significantly and adversely affect the value of an investment in the Fund.
Risk of Investing in RMB Bonds. Investing in RMB Bonds involves additional risks, including, but not limited to, the fact that the economy of China differs, often unfavorably, from the U.S. economy, including, among other things, structure, general development, government involvement, wealth distribution, rate of inflation, growth rate, allocation of resources and capital reinvestment, among others; the central government has historically exercised substantial control over virtually every sector of the Chinese economy through administrative regulation and/or state ownership; actions of the Chinese central and local government authorities continue to have a substantial effect on economic conditions in China; the risk of nationalization or expropriation of assets; the risk that the Chinese government may decide not to continue to support economic reform programs; and the risk of increased trade tariffs, embargoes and other trade limitations. In addition, previously the Chinese government has from time to time taken actions that influence the prices at which certain goods may be sold, encourage companies to invest or concentrate in particular industries, induce mergers between companies in certain industries and
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induce private companies to publicly offer their securities to increase or continue the rate of economic growth, control the rate of inflation or otherwise regulate economic expansion. It may do so in the future as well, potentially having a significant adverse effect on economic conditions in China, the economic prospects for, and the market prices and liquidity of, RMB Bonds. Investment and trading restrictions may make it difficult for non-Chinese investors to directly access securities by Chinese issuers. These restrictions may impact the availability, liquidity, and pricing of certain RMB-denominated securities, including RMB Bonds. Additionally, the Chinese government maintains strict currency controls and regularly intervenes in the currency market. The Chinese government’s actions may not be transparent or predictable. As a result, the value of the RMB and the value of RMB Bonds may change quickly and arbitrarily.
The financial market of the PRC is at an early stage of development, and many of the RMB Bonds in which the Fund may invest are unrated by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”), Standard & Poor’s Rating Services (“S&P”) and Fitch International Rating Agency (“Fitch”), which may expose the Fund to greater risks because of generally reduced liquidity, greater price volatility and greater credit risk. RMB Bonds are generally rated by local credit rating agencies. The rating industry in the PRC is still in its early development stage. The rating process may lack transparency and the rating standards may be significantly different from and weaker than those adopted by internationally recognized credit rating agencies. The value of such RMB Bonds may be more difficult to ascertain and thus the Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”) may be more volatile. Additionally, the Chinese securities markets are emerging markets characterized by relatively low trading volume, resulting in substantially less liquidity and greater price volatility than developed markets generally. There is also less regulation and governmental monitoring of Chinese securities markets and the activities of investors, brokers and other participants than in developed markets generally. A downturn or halt in trading in any Chinese securities market may adversely affect the value of RMB Bonds. Accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards in China are different from U.S. standards and, therefore, disclosure of certain material information may not be made. In addition, less information may be available to the Fund and other investors than would be the case if the Fund’s investments were restricted to securities of U.S. issuers. There is also generally less governmental regulation of the securities industry in China, and less enforcement of regulatory provisions relating thereto, than in the United States.
The Fund may also encounter difficulties or delays in enforcing its rights against issuers of RMB Bonds that are organized in the PRC and therefore only subject to the laws of the PRC. Mainland China’s legal system is based on statutes enacted by various state bodies dealing with economic matters such as foreign investment, company organization and governance, taxation and trade. These laws are quite recent with published court opinions based on these being limited and non-binding. This makes the interpretation and enforcement of these laws and regulations uncertain. With respect to laws pertaining to bankruptcy proceedings, such laws in mainland China are generally less developed than and different from such laws in the United States. Therefore, bankruptcy proceedings can take more time to resolve than similar proceedings in the United States and results can be unpredictable. These and other factors could have a negative impact on the Fund’s performance and increase the volatility of an investment in the Fund.
Risk of the RQFII Regime and the Fund’s Principal Investment Strategy. The Index is comprised of RMB Bonds. In seeking to track the Index, the Fund intends to primarily invest in RMB Bonds through the Sub-Adviser’s RQFII quota. Because the Fund will not be able to invest in these RMB Bonds in excess of the Sub-Adviser’s RQFII quota, the size of the Fund’s investment in such RMB Bonds may be limited. In addition, the RQFII quota of the Sub-Adviser may be reduced or revoked by the Chinese regulators if, among other things, the Sub-Adviser fails to observe SAFE and other applicable Chinese regulations. There can be no assurance the Fund could retain a replacement sub-adviser with an RQFII quota if that were to become necessary or appropriate for any reason. The Fund cannot predict what would occur if the RQFII quota of the Sub-Adviser or RQFII or QFII quotas generally were reduced or eliminated, although such an occurrence would likely have a material adverse effect on the Fund, including the requirement that the Sub-Adviser on behalf of the Fund dispose of certain or all of its RMB Bonds. Therefore, any such reduction or elimination may have a material adverse effect on the ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective. If the Fund is unable to obtain sufficient exposure to the performance of the Index due to the limited availability of the Sub-Adviser’s RQFII quota or for other reasons, the Fund, subject to any necessary regulatory relief, could, among other things, as a defensive measure limit or suspend creations until the Adviser and/or the Sub-Adviser determine that the requisite exposure to RMB Bonds is obtainable. If any of the above events were to occur, the Fund could trade at a significant premium or discount to its NAV and could experience substantial redemptions, and the Fund could, among other things, change its investment objective by, for example, seeking to track an alternative index focused on Chinese-related bonds or other appropriate investments, or decide to liquidate.
The regulations which regulate investments by RQFIIs in the PRC and the repatriation of capital from RQFII investments are relatively new. The application and interpretation of such investment regulations are therefore relatively untested and there is no certainty as to how they will be applied. The PRC authorities and regulators have been given wide discretion in applying and interpreting such investment regulations and there is no precedent or certainty as to how such discretion may be exercised now or in the future. The application and interpretation of such investment regulations may adversely affect the Fund.
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In addition, there are custody risks associated with investing through a RQFII, where, due to requirements regarding establishing a custody account in the joint names of the Fund and the Sub-Adviser, the Fund’s assets may not be as well protected from the claims of the Sub-Adviser’s creditors than if the Fund had an account in its name only.
There are still some uncertainties in the Chinese tax rules governing taxation of income and gains from investments in the PRC due to the lack of formal guidance from the PRC’s tax authorities that could result in unexpected tax liabilities for the Fund. China generally imposes withholding income tax (“WHT”) at a rate of 10% (which may be reduced by the double taxation agreement/arrangement) on dividends and interest derived by nonresidents, including QFIIs and RQFIIs, from issuers resident in China. Under the PRC Corporate Income Tax regime, China also imposes WHT at a rate of 10% (subject to treaty relief) on PRC-sourced capital gains derived by nonresident enterprises, provided that the nonresident enterprises (i) do not have places of business, establishments or permanent establishments in the PRC; and (ii) are not PRC tax resident enterprises. The Fund currently considers capital gains derived from RMB Bonds to be non PRC-sourced and not subject to WHT.
PRC rules for taxation of RQFIIs (and QFIIs) are evolving and certain of the tax regulations to be issued by the PRC State Administration of Taxation and/or PRC Ministry of Finance to clarify the subject matter may apply retrospectively, even if such rules are adverse to the Fund and their shareholders.
If the PRC tax authorities were to issue differing formal guidance or tax rules regarding the taxation of capital gains from RMB Bonds to RQFIIs, such as the Sub-Adviser, and/or begin collecting WHT on gains from such investments, the Fund could be subject to WHT liability. The impact of any such tax liability on the Fund’s return could be substantial. The Fund may also be liable to the Sub-Adviser for any tax that is imposed on the Sub-Adviser by the PRC with respect to the Fund’s investments.
The Sub-Adviser, as a licensed RQFII, is currently permitted to repatriate RMB daily and is not subject to RMB repatriation restrictions or prior approval. However, there is no assurance that RQFIIs may not be subject to restrictions or prior approval requirements in the future. Any additional restrictions imposed on the Sub-Adviser or RQFIIs generally may have an adverse effect on the Fund’s ability to invest directly in RMB Bonds and its ability to meet redemption requests. If the Fund’s investments in RMB Bonds through the Sub-Adviser’s RQFII quota become subject to repatriation restrictions, the Fund may be unable to satisfy distribution requirements applicable to regulated investment companies (“RICs”) under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Internal Revenue Code”), and be subject to income and excise tax at the Fund level. In addition, the Fund could be required to recognize unrealized gains, pay taxes and make distributions before re-qualifying for taxation as a RIC. See the section of this Prospectus entitled “Shareholder Information—Tax Information—Taxes on Distributions” for more information. The Fund may elect, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, to treat Chinese taxes (including withholding taxes) paid by the Fund as paid by its shareholders. Even if the Fund is qualified to make that election and does so this treatment will not apply with respect to amounts the Fund reserves in anticipation of the imposition of withholding taxes not currently in effect (as discussed above). If these amounts are used to pay any tax liability of the Fund in a later year, they will be treated as paid by the shareholders in such later year, even if they are imposed with respect to income of an earlier year. See the section of this Prospectus entitled “Shareholder Information—Tax Information” for a further description of this risk.
Renminbi Currency Risk. Emerging markets such as China can experience high rates of inflation, deflation and currency devaluation. The value of the RMB may be subject to a high degree of fluctuation due to, among other things, changes in interest rates, the effects of monetary policies issued by the PRC, the United States, foreign governments, central banks or supranational entities, the imposition of currency controls or other national or global political or economic developments. The Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in investments denominated in RMB and the income received by the Fund will principally be in RMB. The Fund’s exposure to the RMB and changes in value of the RMB versus the U.S. dollar may result in reduced returns for the Fund. Moreover, the Fund may incur costs in connection with conversions between U.S. dollars and RMB. The RMB is currently not a freely convertible currency. The Chinese government places strict regulation on the RMB and sets the value of the RMB to levels dependent on the value of the U.S. dollar, but the Chinese government has been under pressure to manage the currency in a less restrictive fashion so that it is less correlated to the U.S. dollar. The Chinese government’s imposition of restrictions on the repatriation of RMB out of mainland China may limit the depth of the offshore RMB market and reduce the liquidity of the Fund’s investments. There may not be sufficient amounts of RMB for the Fund to be fully invested because the Fund has to convert U.S. dollars received from the purchase of Creation Units (defined herein) into RMB to purchase RMB Bonds. As a result, these restrictions may adversely affect the Fund and its investments and may increase the risk of Index tracking error. The international community has requested that China ease its restrictions on currency exchange, but it is unclear whether the Chinese government will change its policy. These restrictions may adversely affect the Fund and its investments.
Chinese Banking Industry Risk. The Chinese banking industry is a highly regulated industry and is subject to laws and regulations touching all aspects of the banking business. The principal regulators include the China Banking Regulatory Commission (“CBRC”) and the People’s Bank of China (“PBOC”). These regulators are given wide discretion in exercising their authority. The banking regulatory regime in China is currently undergoing significant changes, including changes in laws and regulations, as it moves toward a more transparent regulatory process. Some of these changes may have an adverse
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impact on the performance of Chinese banks that issued RMB Bonds and thus may adversely affect their capacity to honor their commitments under the RMB Bonds to the holders of such bonds, which may include the Fund.
Risk of Investing in the Financial Services Sector. To the extent that the Fund continues to be concentrated in the financial services sector, the Fund will be sensitive to changes in, and its performance will depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the financial services sector. Companies in the financial services sector may be subject to extensive government regulation that affects the scope of their activities, the prices they can charge and the amount of capital they must maintain. The profitability of companies in the financial services sector may be adversely affected by increases in interest rates, by loan losses, which usually increase in economic downturns, and by credit rating downgrades. In addition, the financial services sector is undergoing numerous changes, including continuing consolidations, development of new products and structures and changes to its regulatory framework. Furthermore, some companies in the financial services sector perceived as benefitting from government intervention in the past may be subject to future government-imposed restrictions on their businesses or face increased government involvement in their operations. Increased government involvement in the financial services sector, including measures such as taking ownership positions in financial institutions, could result in a dilution of the Fund’s investments in financial institutions. Recent developments in the credit markets may cause companies operating in the financial services sector to incur large losses, experience declines in the value of their assets and even cease operations.
Risk of Investing in the Industrials Sector. To the extent that the industrials sector continues to represent a significant portion of the Fund, the Fund will be sensitive to changes in, and its performance may depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the industrials sector. Companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by changes in government regulation, world events and economic conditions. In addition, companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by environmental damages, product liability claims and exchange rates.
Risk of Investing in the Energy Sector. To the extent that the energy sector continues to represent a significant portion of the Fund, the Fund will be sensitive to changes in, and its performance may depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the energy sector. Companies operating in the energy sector are subject to risks including, but not limited to, economic growth, worldwide demand, political instability in the regions that the companies operate, government regulation stipulating rates charged by utilities, interest rate sensitivity, oil price volatility, energy conservation, environmental policies, depletion of resources and the cost of providing the specific utility services. Recently, the price of oil has declined significantly and experienced significant volatility, which has adversely impacted companies operating in the energy sector. In addition, these companies are at risk of civil liability from accidents resulting in injury, loss of life or property, pollution or other environmental damage claims and risk of loss from terrorism and natural disasters.
Sovereign and Quasi-Sovereign Bond Risk. Investments in sovereign and quasi-sovereign bonds involve special risks not present in corporate bonds. The governmental authority that controls the repayment of the bonds may be unable or unwilling to make interest payments and/or repay the principal on its bonds or to otherwise honor its obligations. If an issuer of sovereign or quasi-sovereign bonds defaults on payments of principal and/or interest, the Fund may have limited recourse against the issuer. During periods of economic uncertainty, the market prices of sovereign and quasi-sovereign bonds, and the Fund’s NAV, may be more volatile than prices of corporate bonds, which may result in losses. In the past, certain governments of emerging market countries have declared themselves unable to meet their financial obligations on a timely basis, which has resulted in losses for holders of such sovereign and quasi-sovereign bonds.
Credit Risk. Bonds are subject to credit risk. Credit risk refers to the possibility that the issuer of a security will be unable and/or unwilling to make timely interest payments and/or repay the principal on its debt or to otherwise honor its obligations. Bonds are subject to varying degrees of credit risk which may be reflected in credit ratings. There is a possibility that the credit rating of a bond may be downgraded after purchase or the perception of an issuer’s credit worthiness may decline, which may adversely affect the value of the security.
Interest Rate Risk. Bonds are also subject to interest rate risk. Interest rate risk refers to fluctuations in the value of a bond resulting from changes in the general level of interest rates. When the general level of interest rates goes up, the prices of most bonds go down. When the general level of interest rates goes down, the prices of most bonds go up. The historically low interest rate environment increases the risk associated with rising interest rates, including the potential for periods of volatility and increased redemptions. The Fund may face a heightened level of interest rate risk, since the U.S. Federal Reserve Board recently ended its quantitative easing program and may begin to raise rates. In addition, bonds with longer durations tend to be more sensitive to interest rate changes, usually making them more volatile than bonds with shorter durations.
Risk of Subordinated Obligations. Payments under some RMB Bonds may be structurally subordinated to all existing and future liabilities and obligations of each of the respective subsidiaries and associated companies of an issuer of a RMB Bond. Claims of creditors of such subsidiaries and associated companies will have priority as to the assets of such subsidiaries and associated companies over the issuer and its creditors, including the Fund, who seek to enforce the terms of the RMB Bond.
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Certain RMB Bonds do not contain any restrictions on the ability of the subsidiaries of the issuers to incur additional unsecured indebtedness.
Risk of Investing in Foreign Securities. Investments in the securities of foreign issuers involve risks beyond those associated with investments in U.S. securities. These additional risks include greater market volatility, the availability of less reliable financial information, higher transactional and custody costs, taxation by foreign governments, decreased market liquidity and political instability. Because certain foreign securities markets may be limited in size, the activity of large traders may have an undue influence on the prices of securities that trade in such markets. The risks of investing in emerging market countries are greater than risks associated with investments in foreign developed countries.
Risk of Investing in Emerging Market Issuers. Investments in emerging markets issuers are exposed to a number of risks that may make these investments volatile in price or difficult to trade. Political risks may include unstable governments, nationalization, restrictions on foreign ownership, laws that prevent investors from getting their money out of a country and legal systems that do not protect property rights as well as the laws of the United States. Market risks may include economies that concentrate in only a few industries, securities issues that are held by only a few investors, liquidity issues and limited trading capacity in local exchanges and the possibility that markets or issues may be manipulated by foreign nationals who have inside information.
Market Risk. The prices of the securities in the Fund are subject to the risks associated with investing in bonds, including general economic conditions and sudden and unpredictable drops in value. An investment in the Fund may lose money.
Sampling Risk. The Fund’s use of a representative sampling approach will result in its holding a smaller number of securities than are in the Index. As a result, an adverse development respecting an issuer of securities held by the Fund could result in a greater decline in NAV than would be the case if the Fund held all of the securities in the Index. Conversely, a positive development relating to an issuer of securities in the Index that is not held by the Fund could cause the Fund to underperform the Index. To the extent the assets in the Fund are smaller, these risks will be greater.
Risk of Cash Transactions. Unlike other exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), the Fund expects to effect its creations and redemptions principally for cash, rather than in-kind securities. As such, investments in Shares may be less tax-efficient than an investment in a conventional ETF.
Index Tracking Risk. The Fund’s return may not match the return of the Index for a number of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs a number of operating expenses not applicable to the Index and incurs costs associated with buying and selling securities, especially when rebalancing the Fund’s securities holdings to reflect changes in the composition of the Index and raising cash to meet redemptions or deploying cash in connection with newly created Creation Units (defined herein). The Fund also bears the costs and risks associated with buying and selling securities while such costs are not factored into the return of the Index. The Fund may not be fully invested at times either as a result of cash flows into the Fund or reserves of cash held by the Fund to meet redemptions or pay expenses. In addition, the Fund’s use of a representative sampling approach may cause the Fund to not be as well correlated with the return of the Index as would be the case if the Fund purchased all of the securities in the Index in the proportions in which they are represented in the Index. To the extent the Fund calculates its NAV based on fair value prices and the value of the Index is based on securities’ closing prices on local foreign markets (i.e., the value of the Index is not based on fair value prices), the Fund’s ability to track the Index may be adversely affected. The Fund will be required to remit RMB to settle the purchase of RMB Bonds and repatriate RMB to U.S. dollars to settle redemption orders. In the event such remittance is delayed or disrupted, the Fund will not be able to fully replicate the Index by investing in their relevant RMB Bonds, which may lead to increased tracking error, and may need to rely on borrowings to meet redemptions, which may lead to increased expenses. Because the Index is priced in Chinese RMB and the Fund is priced in U.S. dollars, the ability of the Fund to track the Index is in part subject to foreign exchange fluctuations as between the U.S. dollar and the RMB. The Fund may underperform the Index when the value of the U.S. dollar increases relative to the value of the RMB. For tax efficiency purposes, the Fund may sell certain securities, and such sale may cause the Fund to realize a loss and deviate from the performance of the Index. In light of the factors discussed above, the Fund’s return may deviate significantly from the return of the Index.
Replication Management Risk. An investment in the Fund involves risks similar to those of investing in any bond fund, such as market fluctuations caused by such factors as economic and political developments, changes in interest rates and perceived trends in security prices. However, because the Fund is not “actively” managed, unless a specific security is removed from the Index, the Fund generally would not sell a security because the security’s issuer was in financial trouble. Therefore, the Fund’s performance could be lower than funds that may actively shift their portfolio assets to take advantage of market opportunities or to lessen the impact of a market decline or a decline in the value of one or more issuers.
Premium/Discount Risk. Disruptions to creations and redemptions, the existence of extreme market volatility or potential lack of 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. Because the Fund’s underlying securities
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trade in markets that are closed when the NYSE Arca, Inc. (“NYSE Arca”) (i.e., the exchange that Shares of the Fund trade on) is open, there are likely to be deviations between the current pricing of an underlying security and the closing security’s price (i.e., the last quote from its closed foreign market) resulting in premiums or discounts to NAV that may be greater than those experienced by other ETFs.
Non-Diversified Risk. The Fund is classified as a “non-diversified” investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). Therefore, the Fund may invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in a smaller number of issuers or may invest a larger proportion of its assets in obligations of 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.
Concentration Risk. The Fund’s assets may be concentrated in a particular sector or sectors or industry or group of industries to the extent the Index concentrates in a particular sector or sectors or industry or group of industries. To the extent that the Fund’s investments continue to be concentrated in the financial services sector, the Fund will be subject to the risk that economic, political or other conditions that have a negative effect on that sector will negatively impact the Fund to a greater extent than if the Fund’s assets were invested in a wider variety of sectors or industries.
PERFORMANCE
The Fund commenced operations on November 10, 2014 and therefore does not have a performance history for a full calendar year. The Fund’s financial performance for the Fund’s first fiscal period is included in the “Financial Highlights” section of the Prospectus. Visit www.vaneck.com for current performance figures.
PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT
Investment Adviser. Van Eck Associates Corporation.
Investment Sub-Adviser. China Asset Management (Hong Kong) Limited.
Portfolio Managers. The following individuals are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio:
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Name |
Title with Sub-Adviser |
Date Began Managing the Fund |
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David Lai |
Portfolio Manager |
November 2014 |
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Name |
Title with Adviser |
Date Began Managing the Fund |
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Francis G. Rodilosso |
Portfolio Manager |
November 2014 |
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Eric Isenberg |
Portfolio Manager |
February 2016 |
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PURCHASE AND SALE OF FUND SHARES
The Fund issues and redeems Shares at NAV only in a large specified number of Shares each called a “Creation Unit,” or multiples thereof. A Creation Unit consists of 100,000 Shares.
Individual Shares of the Fund may only be purchased and sold in secondary market transactions through brokers. Shares of the Fund are expected to be approved for listing, subject to notice of issuance, on NYSE Arca and because Shares will trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares of the Fund may trade at a price greater than or less than NAV.
TAX INFORMATION
The Fund’s distributions are taxable and will generally be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains.
PAYMENTS TO BROKER-DEALERS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES
The Adviser and its related companies may pay broker-dealers or other financial intermediaries (such as a bank) for the sale of the Fund Shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing your broker-dealer or other intermediary or its employees or associated persons to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your financial adviser or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
vaneck.com | 7 |
800.826.2333
vaneck.com
(05/16)