include,
for example, companies that provide the following products or services: air
transport; defense electronics; aircraft or
spacecraft production; missile design; data processing or computer-related
services; communications systems; research; development
and manufacture of military weapons and transportation; general aviation
equipment, missiles, space launch vehicles,
and spacecraft; units for guidance, propulsion, and control of flight vehicles;
and equipment components and airborne and
ground-based equipment essential to the testing, operation, and maintenance of
flight vehicles. Aerospace and defense companies
are subject to numerous risks, including fierce competition, consolidation,
adverse political, economic and governmental
developments, substantial research and development costs, cuts in government
funding, product and technology obsolescence,
limited numbers of potential customers and decreased demand for new equipment.
In addition, companies involved
in the commercial aerospace industry are also subject to aircraft order
cancellations, changes in aircraft-leasing contracts,
excess capacity, cutbacks in profitable business travel, fuel price hikes, labor
union settlements, adverse changes in international
politics and relations, intense global competition, government regulation and
cyclical market patterns.
Aerospace
and defense companies rely heavily on U.S. Government and other government
demand for their products and services.
As a result, these companies could be adversely impacted by future reductions or
changes in government spending. Such
government spending on aerospace and defense is not generally correlated with
economic cycles, but rather with general political
support for this type of spending. There is no assurance that future levels of
spending on aerospace and defense will increase
or that such spending will not decrease in the future. Competition, labor
relations and the price of fuel can impact aerospace
and defense companies. In addition, deregulation of airlines has substantially
decreased the U.S. Government’s role
in the air transport industry while promoting competition. However, the
profitability of individual carriers as well as the entire industry could
be impacted by the regulations and policies of various domestic and foreign
governments.
ARTIFICIAL
INTELLIGENCE COMPANIES RISK. The Fund may have
exposure to companies that utilize Artificial Intelligence companies,
which may have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel
and are subject to the risks of changes
in business cycles, world economic growth, technological progress, and
government regulation. These companies are
also heavily dependent on intellectual property rights, and challenges to or
misappropriation of such rights, including a loss
or impairment of such rights, could have a material adverse effect on such
companies. Securities of Artificial Intelligence companies
tend to be more volatile than securities of companies that rely less heavily on
technology. Many of these companies are
also reliant on the end-user demand of products and services in various
industries that may in part utilize Artificial Intelligence.
If the content, analyses, or recommendations that Artificial Intelligence
applications assist companies in producing are
or are alleged to be deficient, inaccurate, or biased, the Fund may be adversely
affected. Additionally, Artificial Intelligence tools
used by such companies may produce inaccurate, misleading or incomplete
responses that could lead to errors in decision-making
or other business activities, which could have a negative impact on the
performance of such companies. Artificial
Intelligence companies typically engage in significant amounts of spending on
research and development, as well as
mergers and acquisitions, and rapid changes to the field could have a material
adverse effect on a company’s operating results.
As such, companies engaged in Artificial Intelligence typically face intense
competition and potentially rapid product obsolescence.
Artificial Intelligence companies are potential targets for cyberattacks, which
can have a materially adverse impact
on the performance of these companies. Additionally, Artificial Intelligence
technology could face increased regulatory scrutiny
in the future, which may limit the development of this technology and impede the
growth of companies that develop and/or
utilize Artificial Intelligence. Artificial Intelligence companies may face
regulatory fines and penalties through antitrust laws
that could impede the ability of these companies to operate on an ongoing basis.
The customers and/or suppliers of Artificial Intelligence
companies may be concentrated in a particular country, region, sector or
industry. Any adverse event affecting one of these
countries, regions, sectors or industries could have a negative impact on
Artificial Intelligence companies.
AUTHORIZED
PARTICIPANT CONCENTRATION RISK. Only an authorized
participant may engage in creation or redemption transactions
directly with the Fund. A limited number of institutions act as authorized
participants for the Fund. However, participants
are not obligated to make a market in the Fund’s shares or submit purchase and
redemption orders for creation units.
To the extent that these institutions exit the business, reduce their role or
are unable to proceed with creation and/or redemption
orders and no other authorized participant steps forward to create or redeem,
the Fund’s shares may trade at a premium
or discount to the Fund’s net asset value and possibly face delisting and the
bid/ask spread on the Fund’s shares may
widen.
COMMUNICATION
SERVICES COMPANIES RISK. Communication
services companies may be subject to specific risks associated
with legislative or regulatory changes, adverse market conditions, and/or
increased competition. Communication services
companies are particularly vulnerable to rapid advancements in technology, the
innovation of competitors, rapid product
obsolescence and government regulation and competition, both domestically and
internationally. Communication services
companies also rely on the use of intellectual property such as patents,
copyrights and trademarks owned internationally
or licensed through third-parties. Legal check-ups or claims regarding
infringement of intellectual property