asset are added to the available supply based on the completion of certain complex mathematical problems — a process known as digital asset “mining”. The Fund is classified as a non-diversified fund under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “1940 Act”) and, therefore, may invest a greater percentage of its assets in a particular issuer than if it were a diversified fund. To the extent the Index concentrates ( i.e. , holds more than 25% of its total assets) in the securities of a particular industry or group of related industries, the Fund will concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent as the Index. As of December 31, 2024, the Information Technology sector represented a significant portion of the Index. The Fund generally employs a “passive management” investment strategy in seeking to achieve its investment objective and fully replicate the Index. However, under various circumstances, the Fund may use a representative sampling strategy, whereby the Fund would invest in what it believes to be a representative sample of the component securities of the Index. The Fund may use a representative sampling strategy when a replication strategy might be detrimental to shareholders, such as when there are practical difficulties or substantial costs involved in compiling a portfolio of securities to follow the Index; or, in certain instances, when a component security of the Index becomes temporarily illiquid, unavailable or less liquid. The Fund may also use a representative sampling strategy to exclude less liquid component securities contained in the Index from the Fund’s portfolio in order to create a more tradable portfolio and improve arbitrage opportunities. To the extent the Fund uses a representative sampling strategy, it may not track the Index with the same degree of accuracy as would an investment vehicle replicating the entire Index. Additional Information About the Fund’s Principal Risks This section provides additional information regarding the principal risks described in the Fund Summary. The principal risks below are presented in alphabetical order to facilitate finding particular risks and comparing them with other funds. Each risk described below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears. Each of the factors below could have a negative impact on the Fund’s performance and trading prices. ● Concentration in Bitcoin Mining Companies Risk. The Index, and consequently the Fund, is expected to concentrate its investments ( i.e. , hold more than 25% of its total assets) in the securities of Bitcoin Mining Companies. As a result, the value of the Fund’s shares may rise and fall more than the value of shares of a fund that invests in securities of companies in a broader range of industries. In addition, at times, Bitcoin Mining Companies may be out of favor and underperform other industries or groups of industries or the market as a whole. In such event, the value of the Shares may rise and fall more than the value of shares of a fund that invests in securities of companies in a broader range of industries. An investment in a Bitcoin Mining Company may be subject to the following risks: ○ Bitcoin Miners Risk. Bitcoin miners and other necessary hardware are subject to malfunction, technological obsolescence, the global supply chain and difficulty and cost in obtaining new hardware. Bitcoin miners are subject to malfunctions and normal wear and tear, and, at any point in time, a certain number of bitcoin miners are typically off-line for maintenance or repair. The physical degradation of miners will require replacement of miners that are no longer functional. If there is a model wide component malfunction whether in the hardware or the software that powers these miners, the percentage of offline miners could increase substantially, disrupting mining operations. Any major bitcoin miner malfunction out of the typical range of downtime for normal maintenance and repair could cause significant economic damage. Additionally, as technology evolves, there may be a need to acquire newer models of miners to remain competitive in the market. New miners can be costly and may be in short supply. Given the long production period to manufacture and assemble bitcoin miners and the current global semiconductor chip shortage, there can be no assurance that miners can acquire enough bitcoin mining computers or replacement parts on a cost-effective basis for the maintenance and expansion necessary for efficient bitcoin mining operations. Many engaged in mining rely on third parties, principally located in China, to supply bitcoin miners and shortages of bitcoin miners or their component parts, material increases in bitcoin miner costs, or delays in delivery of orders, including due to trade restrictions and supply chain disruptions, could significantly interrupt plans for expanding bitcoin mining capacity in the near term and future. Shortages of bitcoin mining computers could result in reduced bitcoin mining capacity and increased operating costs, which could materially delay the completion of any planned bitcoin mining capacity expansion and result in a competitive disadvantage. Global bitcoin supply, which is influenced by similar factors as global bitcoin demand, in addition to fiat currency (i.e., government currency not backed by an asset such as gold) may be effected by miners and taxpayers who may liquidate bitcoin holdings to meet tax obligations. In addition, the dedication of mining power to the Bitcoin network and the willingness of bitcoin miners to clear bitcoin transactions for relatively low fees may impact the supply and price. An acute cessation of mining operations would reduce the collective processing power on the blockchain, which would adversely affect the transaction verification process by temporarily decreasing the speed at which blocks are added to the blockchain and make the blockchain more vulnerable to a malicious actor obtaining control in excess of 50 percent of the processing power on the blockchain. Reductions in processing power could result in material, though temporary, delays in transaction confirmation
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