CONCENTRATION RISK. The Fund will be concentrated in an industry or a group of industries to the extent that the Index is so concentrated. To the extent the Fund has significant exposure in a single asset class or the securities of issuers within the same country, state, region, industry or sector, an adverse economic, business or political development may affect the value of the Fund’s investments more than if the Fund were more broadly diversified. A significant exposure makes the Fund more susceptible to any single occurrence and may subject the Fund to greater market risk than a fund that is more broadly diversified.

CURRENCY RISK. Changes in currency exchange rates affect the value of investments denominated in a foreign currency, and therefore the value of such investments in the Fund’s portfolio. The Fund’s net asset value could decline if a currency to which the Fund has exposure depreciates against the U.S. dollar or if there are delays or limits on repatriation of such currency. Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably. As a result, the value of an investment in the Fund may change quickly and without warning.

DEPOSITARY RECEIPTS RISK. Depositary receipts represent equity interests in a foreign company that trade on a local stock exchange. Depositary receipts may be less liquid than the underlying shares in their primary trading market. Any distributions paid to the holders of depositary receipts are usually subject to a fee charged by the depositary. Holders of depositary receipts may have limited voting rights, and investment restrictions in certain countries may adversely impact the value of depositary receipts because such restrictions may limit the ability to convert the equity shares into depositary receipts and vice versa. Such restrictions may cause the equity shares of the underlying issuer to trade at a discount or premium to the market price of the depositary receipts. 

DRONE AND UAV COMPANIES RISK. Drone and UAV companies are closely tied to the economic fortunes of such companies’ research, design, manufacture, operation, or enabling technologies of drones and other unmanned aerial systems. The market for drone and UAV-related products and services is nascent, highly competitive, and characterized by rapid technological change, evolving regulatory frameworks, and heightened geopolitical sensitivities. Many drone and UAV companies are smaller, less seasoned issuers that may be more vulnerable than larger, diversified companies to fluctuations in demand, supply-chain disruptions, product obsolescence, patent or trade-secret litigation, and may have limited access to capital. Additionally, because commercial and military adoption of UAV technologies remains subject to intensive governmental oversight (including aviation safety standards, export controls, privacy protections, cybersecurity mandates, and national security reviews), adverse regulatory actions or delays in obtaining permits or certifications could materially impair an issuer’s prospects. Drone and UAV companies also face reputational and liability risks arising from high-profile accidents, unauthorized surveillance, or malicious use of autonomous systems, any of which could prompt stricter regulation, substantial litigation costs, or diminished customer acceptance. Furthermore, a significant portion of drone and UAV companies are non-U.S. companies, which exposes such companies to risks associated with currency fluctuations, political instability, trade tensions, and less robust disclosure or shareholder protections.

Drone and UAV companies may derive a significant portion of their revenue from supplying drones, sub-assemblies, sensors, or software to military or intelligence customers. As a result, their financial performance is heavily dependent on national defense budgets, foreign-military-sales approvals, and shifting geopolitical priorities, any of which can be affected by changes in administrations, congressional appropriations, multilateral treaty obligations, or fiscal austerity measures. Military-focused drone and UAV companies are also exposed to strict export-control regimes, heightened sanctions risks, and enhanced compliance obligations under anticorruption, anti-boycott, and anti-money laundering laws; violations or compliance failures can result in substantial fines, loss of export privileges, or debarment from future government contracts. Moreover, military-focused drone and UAV companies may attract significant public scrutiny, reputational damage, and potential exclusion from certain investment mandates or government procurement programs.

HIGH PORTFOLIO TURNOVER RISK. The Fund may actively and frequently trade all or a significant portion of the Fund’s holdings. A high portfolio turnover rate increases transaction costs, which may increase the Fund’s expenses. Frequent trading may also cause adverse tax consequences for investors in the Fund due to an increase in short-term capital gains.

INDUSTRIALS COMPANIES RISK. Industrials companies convert unfinished goods into finished durables used to manufacture other goods or provide services. The value of securities issued by industrials companies may be adversely affected by supply and demand related to their specific products or services and industrials sector products in general. General risks of industrials companies include the general state of the economy, exchange rates, commodity prices, intense competition, consolidation, domestic and international politics, government regulation, import controls, excess capacity, consumer demand and spending trends. In addition, industrials companies may also be significantly affected by overall capital spending levels, economic cycles, rapid technological changes, delays in modernization, labor relations, environmental liabilities, governmental and product liability and e-commerce initiatives. The products of manufacturing companies may face obsolescence due to rapid technological developments and frequent new product introduction. Industrials companies may also be adversely affected by government spending policies because companies in this sector tend to rely to a significant extent on government demand for their products and services.

LARGE CAPITALIZATION COMPANIES RISK. Large capitalization companies may be less able than smaller capitalization companies to adapt to changing market conditions. Large capitalization companies may be more mature and subject to more limited growth potential compared with smaller capitalization companies. During different market cycles, the performance of large capitalization companies has trailed the overall performance of the broader securities markets.

Market Risk. Market risk is the risk that a particular investment, or Fund Shares in general, may fall in value. Securities are subject to market fluctuations caused by real or perceived adverse economic, political, and regulatory factors or market developments, changes in interest rates and perceived trends in securities prices. Fund Shares could decline in value or underperform other investments. In addition, local, regional or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, market manipulation, government defaults, government shutdowns, regulatory actions, political changes, diplomatic developments, the imposition of sanctions and other similar measures, spread of infectious diseases or other public health issues, recessions, natural disasters, or other events could have a significant negative impact on the Fund and its investments. Any of such circumstances could have a materially negative impact on the value of the Fund Shares, the liquidity of an investment, and may result in increased market volatility. During any such events, Fund Shares may trade at increased premiums or discounts to their NAV, the bid/ask spread on Fund Shares may widen and the returns on investment may fluctuate.

NON-CORRELATION RISK. The Fund’s return may not match the return of the Index for a number of reasons. The Fund incurs operating expenses not applicable to the Index, and may incur costs in buying and selling securities, especially when rebalancing the Fund’s portfolio holdings to reflect changes in the composition of the Index. In addition, the Fund’s portfolio holdings may not exactly replicate the securities included in the Index or the ratios between the securities included in the Index. Additionally, in order to comply with its investment strategies and policies, the Fund portfolio may deviate from the composition of the Index. Accordingly, the Fund’s return may underperform the return of the Index.

OPERATIONAL RISK. The Fund is subject to risks arising from various operational factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund relies on third-parties for a range of services, including custody. Any delay or failure relating to engaging or maintaining such service providers may affect the Fund’s ability to meet its investment objective. Although the Fund, Adviser, and Sub-Adviser seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures, there is no way to completely protect against such risks.

PREMIUM/DISCOUNT RISK. As with all ETFs, Fund Shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of Fund Shares will approximate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price of Fund Shares is more than the NAV intraday (premium) or less than the NAV intraday (discount) due to supply and demand of Fund Shares or during periods of market volatility. This risk is heightened in times of market volatility and volatility in the Fund’s portfolio holdings, periods of steep market declines, and periods when there is limited trading activity for Fund Shares in the secondary market, in which case such premiums or discounts may be significant. If an investor purchases Fund Shares at a time when the market price is at a premium to the NAV of Fund Shares or sells at a time when the market price is at a discount to the NAV of Fund Shares, then the investor may sustain losses that are in addition to any losses caused by a decrease in NAV.

TRADING ISSUES RISK. Although Fund Shares are listed for trading on a national securities exchange, and may be traded on other U.S. exchanges, there can be no assurance that Fund Shares will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. In stressed market conditions, the liquidity of Shares may begin to mirror the liquidity of the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings, which can be significantly less liquid than Fund Shares. Trading in Fund Shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Fund Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in Fund Shares on the Exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to the Exchange’s “circuit breaker” rules. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged. The Fund may have difficulty maintaining its listing on the Exchange in the event the Fund’s assets are small, the Fund does not have enough shareholders, or if the Fund is unable to proceed with creation and/or redemption orders.