SUBJECT TO
COMPLETION
Dated November 12, 2025
THE INFORMATION HEREIN IS NOT COMPLETE AND MAY BE CHANGED. WE MAY NOT SELL THESE SECURITIES UNTIL THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT FILED WITH THE U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION IS EFFECTIVE. THIS PROSPECTUS IS NOT AN OFFER TO SELL THESE SECURITIES AND IS NOT SOLICITING AN OFFER TO BUY THESE SECURITIES IN ANY JURISDICTION IN WHICH THE OFFER OR SALE IS NOT PERMITTED.
Defiance Daily Target 2X Long CLF ETF ( )
Defiance Daily Target 2X Long PLUG ETF ( )
Defiance Daily Target 2X Long UUUU ETF ( )
Defiance Daily Target 2X Long CCJ ETF ( )
Defiance Daily Target 2X Long DNN ETF ( )
Defiance Daily Target 2X Long HL ETF ( )
Defiance Daily Target 2X Long NDAQ ETF ( )
Defiance Daily Target 2X Long PAAS ETF ( )
Defiance Daily Target 2X Long PATH ETF ( )
Defiance Daily Target 2X Long POET ETF ( )
Defiance Daily Target 2X Long COMM ETF ( )
Defiance Daily Target 2X Long AMKR ETF ( )
listed on [ ]
PROSPECTUS
[ ], 2025
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) has not approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this Prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
Each Fund seeks daily leveraged investment results and is intended to be used as a short-term trading vehicle.
Each Fund attempts to provide daily investment results that correspond to two times (200%) the share price performance of an underlying stock (an “Underlying Security”).
The Funds are not intended to be used by, and are not appropriate for, investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. The Funds are very different from most mutual funds and exchange-traded funds. Investors should note that:
(1) Each Fund pursues a daily leveraged investment objective, which means that the Fund is riskier than alternatives that do not use leverage because the Fund magnify the performance of its Underlying Security.
(2) Seeking to replicate daily leveraged performances of an Underlying Security’s share price means that the return of a Fund for a period longer than a full trading day will be the product of a series of daily returns for each trading day during such period held.
As a consequence, especially in periods of market volatility, the volatility of an Underlying Security’s share price may affect the corresponding Fund’s return as much as, or more than, the return of the Underlying Security’s shares. The performance of a Fund for periods longer or shorter than a single day will very likely differ in amount, and possibly even direction, from 200% of the daily return of its Underlying Security’s shares for the same period, before accounting for fees and expenses. The Funds may not perform as expected.
The Funds are not suitable for all investors. The Funds are designed to be utilized only by sophisticated investors, such as traders and active investors employing dynamic strategies. Investors in the Funds should:
(a) understand the risks associated with the use of leverage;
(b) understand the consequences of seeking daily leveraged investment results; and
(c) intend to actively monitor and manage their investments.
Investors who do not understand the Funds, or do not intend to actively manage their funds and monitor their investments, should not buy shares of the Funds.
There is no assurance that any Fund will achieve its investment objective and an investment in a Fund could lose a substantial amount of money over a short period of time. The Funds are not a complete investment program.
The Funds’ investment adviser will not attempt to position a Fund’s portfolio to ensure that the Fund does not gain or lose more than a maximum percentage of its net asset value on a given trading day.
As a consequence, if an Underlying Security’s share price referenced by a Fund decreases by more than 50% on a given trading day, the corresponding Fund’s investors could lose all of their money.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
DEFIANCE DAILY TARGET 2X LONG CLF ETF – FUND SUMMARY
Important Information About the Fund
The Defiance Daily Target 2X Long CLF ETF (the “Fund”) seeks daily leveraged investment results of two times (200%) the daily percentage change in the share price of Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. (NYSE: CLF) (the “Underlying Security” or “CLF”). Because the Fund seeks daily leveraged investment results, it is very different from most other exchange-traded funds. It is also riskier than alternatives that do not use leverage.
The return for investors that invest for periods longer or shorter than a trading day should not be expected to be 200% of the performance of the Underlying Security’s shares for the period. The return of the Fund for a period longer than a trading day will be the result of each trading day’s compounded return during such period held, which will very likely differ from 200% of the return of the Underlying Security’s shares for that period. Holding shares of the Fund for longer than a single day and higher volatility of the Underlying Security’s shares increase the impact of compounding on an investor’s returns, which may have a negative or positive impact on an investor’s returns. During periods of higher Underlying Security share price volatility, the volatility of the Underlying Security’s shares may affect the Fund’s return as much as, or more than, the return of the Underlying Security’s shares. The impact of compounding will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Fund is held and the volatility of the Underlying Security’s shares during a shareholder’s holding period of an investment in the Fund. See “Principal Investment Risks – Compounding and Market Volatility Risk” below for an example of how volatility of the Underlying Security’s shares may affect the Fund’s return as much as, or more than, the return of the Underlying Security’s shares.
The Fund is not suitable for all investors. The Fund is designed to be utilized only by knowledgeable investors who understand the potential consequences of seeking daily leveraged (2X) investment results, understand the risks associated with the use of leverage, and are willing to monitor their portfolios frequently. The Fund is not intended to be used by, and is not appropriate for, investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. For periods longer than a single day, the Fund will lose money if the Underlying Security’s performance is flat, and it is possible that the Fund will lose money even if the Underlying Security’s performance increases over a period longer than a single day. An investor could lose the full principal value of his/her investment within a single day.
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of two times (200%) the daily percentage change in the share price of Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. (NYSE: CLF). The Fund does not seek to achieve its stated investment objective for a period other than a single trading day.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below.
| Annual Fund Operating Expenses(1) (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) | |||||
| Management Fee | [ ] | % | |||
| Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees | None | ||||
| Other Expenses(2) | [ ] | % | |||
| Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses(3) | [ ] | % | |||
| (1) | The Fund’s investment adviser, Tidal Investments LLC (the “Adviser”), a Tidal Financial Group company, will pay, or require a sub-adviser to pay, all expenses incurred by the Fund (except for advisory fees and sub-advisory fees, as the case may be) excluding interest charges on any borrowings made for investment purposes, dividends and other expenses on securities sold short, taxes, brokerage commissions and other expenses incurred in placing orders for the purchase and sale of securities and other investment instruments, acquired fund fees and expenses, accrued deferred tax liability, distribution fees and expenses paid by the Fund under any distribution plan adopted pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), and litigation expenses and other non-routine or extraordinary expenses. |
| (2) | Based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year. |
| (3) | The cost of investing in swaps, including the embedded cost of the swap and the operating expenses of the referenced assets, is an indirect expense that is not included in the above fee table and is not reflected in the expense example. |
1
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. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem or hold all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. The Example does not take into account brokerage commissions that you may pay on your purchases and sales of Shares. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years |
| $[ ] | $[ ] |
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in total annual fund operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund is newly organized, portfolio turnover information is not yet available.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund is an actively managed exchange traded fund (“ETF”) that attempts to achieve two times (200%) the daily percentage change in the share price of the Underlying Security by employing derivatives, namely swap agreements and/or listed options contracts. The Fund aims to achieve this daily percentage change for a single day, and not for any other period. A “single day” means the period “from the close of regular trading on one trading day to the close on the next trading day.”
If the Fund encounters limitations in implementing its strategies, whether due to market conditions, derivative availability, counterparty issues, or other factors, the Fund may not achieve investment results, before fees and expenses, that correspond to two times (2x) the daily performance of the Underlying Security, and may return substantially less during such periods. During such periods, the Fund’s actual leverage levels may differ substantially from its intended target, both intraday and at the close of trading, potentially resulting in significantly lower returns.
The Fund may enter into one or more swap agreements with financial institutions for a specified period, which may range from one day to longer than a year. Through each swap agreement, the Fund and the financial institution will agree to exchange the return (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on the Underlying Security’s share price. The gross return (meaning the return before deducting any fees or expenses) to be exchanged or “swapped” between the parties is calculated with respect to a “notional amount,” (meaning the face amount of the instrument) e.g., the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount representing the Underlying Security.
The Fund may also utilize listed options to seek to achieve leveraged 2X exposure to the Underlying Security. The Fund will primarily employ short-dated (a month or less) in-the-money call options (options with strike prices below the current market price of the Underlying Security, offering immediate intrinsic value). Additionally, the Fund may use other option strategies to produce similar exposure to the Underlying Security, like buying calls and selling puts with identical strike prices. These options allow the Fund to adjust its leverage strategy in response to market conditions, liquidity constraints, or other factors that may affect the availability or pricing of swap agreements. The use of listed options provides additional flexibility in pursuing the Fund’s daily investment objective. In situations where swap availability is constrained, the Fund may rely more heavily on options contracts. Additionally, the Fund may use options in response to changing market dynamics. However, the use of option contracts is typically less efficient than swaps and may increase the likelihood that the Fund is unable to achieve its daily 2X objective.
At the end of each day, the Fund’s swaps and options are valued using market valuations and the Fund’s investment adviser rebalances the Fund’s holdings in an attempt to maintain leveraged exposure for the Fund equal to approximately 200% of the Underlying Security’s share price. This daily rebalancing is expected to result in high portfolio turnover.
For examples of a hypothetical investment in the Fund, see the section in the Fund’s Prospectus titled see “Additional Information About the Fund – Principal Investment Strategies.”
Fund performance for periods greater than one single day is primarily (but not solely) a function of the following factors: a) the Underlying Security volatility; b) the Underlying Security’s performance; c) period of time; d) financing rates associated with leveraged exposure; and e) other Fund expenses.
The Fund will hold assets to serve as collateral for its derivatives positions. For those collateral holdings, the Fund may invest in (1) U.S. Government securities, such as bills, notes and bonds issued by the U.S. Treasury; (2) money market funds; (3) short term bond ETFs; and/or (4) corporate debt securities, such as commercial paper and other short-term unsecured promissory notes issued by businesses that are rated investment grade or of comparable quality.
2
The Fund has adopted a policy to have at least 80% exposure to financial instruments with economic characteristics that should perform 2X the daily performance of the Underlying Security’s shares. The Fund is expected to allocate between 40% and 60% of its assets as collateral for swap agreements or as premiums for purchased options contracts.
The Fund is classified as “non-diversified” under the 1940 Act. The Fund’s investment strategy is expected to result in a high annual portfolio turnover rate.
Because of daily rebalancing and the compounding of each day’s return over time, the return of the Fund for periods longer than a single day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which will very likely differ from 200% of the return of the Underlying Security’s shares over the same period. The Fund will lose money if the Underlying Security’s performance is flat over time, and because of daily rebalancing, the Underlying Security’s shares’ volatility and the effects of compounding, the Fund may lose money over time while the Underlying Security’s performance increases over a period longer than a single day. As a consequence, investors should not plan to hold shares of the Fund unmonitored for periods longer than a single trading day.
Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. (“CLF”)
Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. is a leading North America-based steel producer with focus on value-added sheet products, particularly for the automative industry. CLF is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”). Per CLF’s most recent 10-K filing, as of June 28, 2024, the aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common shares held by non-affiliates, based on the closing price of $15.39 per share as reported on the New York Stock Exchange — Composite Index, was $7,077,318,531 .
CLF is registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Information provided to or filed with the SEC by CLF pursuant to the Exchange Act can be located by reference to SEC file number 001-08944 through the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. In addition, information regarding CLF may be obtained from other sources including, but not limited to, press releases, newspaper articles and other publicly disseminated documents.
This document relates only to the securities offered hereby and does not relate to the shares of CLF or other securities of CLF. The Fund has derived all disclosures contained in this document regarding CLF from the publicly available documents. None of the Fund, Tidal Trust II (the “Trust”), or the Adviser, or their respective affiliates has participated in the preparation of such publicly available offering documents or made any due diligence inquiry regarding such documents with respect to CLF. None of the Fund, the Trust, or the Adviser, or their respective affiliates makes any representation that such publicly available documents or any other publicly available information regarding CLF is accurate or complete. Furthermore, the Fund cannot give any assurance that all events occurring prior to the date hereof (including events that would affect the accuracy or completeness of the publicly available documents described above) that would affect the trading price of CLF (and therefore the share price of the Fund at the time we price the securities) have been publicly disclosed. Subsequent disclosure of any such events or the disclosure of or failure to disclose material future events concerning CLF could affect the value received with respect to the securities and therefore the value of the securities.
None of the Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates makes any representation to you as to the performance of CLF.
NONE OF THE FUND, TIDAL TRUST II, OR TIDAL INVESTMENTS LLC IS AFFILIATED, CONNECTED, OR ASSOCIATED WITH CLF. THE FUND WAS NOT DEVELOPED OR CREATED BY, AND IS NOT SPONSORED, ENDORSED, OR APPROVED BY, CLF.
Moreover, CLF has not participated in the development of the Fund’s investment strategy. CLF does not select or approve the Fund’s portfolio holdings, nor does it participate in the construction, design, or implementation of the Fund. CLF does not provide any assurances, guarantees, or representations regarding the Fund or its performance. Nothing herein shall be construed as an offer of any security by CLF.
None of the Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates claim any ownership interest in any trademarks owned by CLF or its affiliates. All rights in the trademarks are reserved by their respective owners.
Due to the Fund’s investment strategy, the Fund’s investment exposure is concentrated in the same industry as that assigned to the Underlying Security. As of the date of the Prospectus, CLF is assigned to the metals and mining industry.
3
Principal Investment Risks
The principal risks of investing in the Fund are summarized below. As with any investment, there is a risk that you could lose all or a portion of your investment in the Fund. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”) per Share, trading price, yield, total return, and/or ability to meet its investment objective. For more information about the risks of investing in the Fund, see the section in the Fund’s Prospectus titled “Additional Information About the Fund—Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund.”
An investment in the Fund entails risk. The Fund may not achieve its investment objective and there is a risk that you could lose all of your money invested in the Fund. The Fund is not a complete investment program. In addition, the Fund presents risks not traditionally associated with other ETFs. It is important that investors closely review all of the risks listed below and understand them before making an investment in the Fund.
Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears.
CLF Risks. The Fund invests in swap contracts and options that are based on the share price of CLF. This subjects the Fund to certain of the same risks as if it owned shares of CLF, even though it does not. By virtue of the Fund’s investments in swap contracts and options that are based on the value of CLF, the Fund may also be subject to the following risks:
| ● | Indirect Investment in CLF Risk. CLF is not affiliated with the Trust, the Fund, or the Adviser, or their respective affiliates and is not involved with this offering in any way and has no obligation to consider your Shares in taking any corporate actions that might affect the value of Shares. Investors in the Fund will not have voting rights or influence over the management of CLF but will be exposed to the performance of CLF (the Underlying Security). Investors will also not have the right to receive dividends or other distributions from CLF, but will remain subject to price fluctuations and other risks associated with ownership of the Underlying Security. |
| ● | CLF Trading Risk. The trading price of CLF may be subject to volatility and could experience wide fluctuations due to various factors. Short sellers may also influence CLF’s trading activity, contributing to market instability. Public perception and external factors beyond the company’s control may influence CLF’s stock price disproportionately. Additionally, following periods of market volatility, companies have faced securities class action litigation. Any adverse judgment or future stockholder litigation could result in substantial costs and divert management’s attention and resources. In the event of a trading halt, delisting, or significant disruption in the market for CLF’s shares, the Fund may experience difficulty entering, modifying, or liquidating its exposures. These conditions could impair the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective, result in significant tracking error, or, in extreme cases, force the Fund to liquidate entirely. |
| ● |
CLF Performance Risk. CLF may fail to meet its publicly announced guidelines or other expectations about its business, which could cause the price of CLF to decline. Correctly identifying key factors affecting business conditions and predicting future events is inherently an uncertain process, and the guidance CLF provides may not ultimately be accurate. If CLF’s guidance is not accurate or varies from actual results due to its inability to meet the assumptions or the impact on its financial performance that could occur as a result of various risks and uncertainties, the market value of common stock issued by CLF could decline significantly.
|
| ● | Commodity Price Risk. The volatility of commodity prices, including steel, scrap metal and iron ore, directly and indirectly affects CLF’s ability to generate revenue, maintain stable cash flows and fund its operations. CLF’s profitability is dependent upon the historically volatile market prices of steel, scrap metal and iron ore. The prices of steel, scrap metal and iron ore have fluctuated significantly in the recent past, and these pricing shifts are unpredictable and affected by factors beyond the company’s control, including: international demand for, and the impact of higher rates of inflation on, raw materials used in steel production; availability of scrap metal substitutes such as pig iron; commodity price speculation; rates of global economic growth, especially construction and infrastructure activity that requires significant amounts of steel; changes in the levels of economic activity in the U.S., China, India, Europe and other industrialized or developing economies, including as a result of geopolitical conflicts or otherwise; changes in China’s emissions policies and environmental compliance enforcement practices; changes in the production capacity, production rate and inventory levels of other steel producers, distributors, iron ore suppliers and scrap metal processors and traders; changes in trade laws; volumes of unfairly traded imports; imposition or termination of duties or tariffs, including tariffs and retaliatory tariffs that have recently been and may in the future be instituted following the recent change in U.S. presidential administrations, which among other things may affect cross-border shipments, import and export controls, and other trade barriers impacting the steel and iron ore markets; climate change and other weather-related disruptions, infectious disease outbreaks or natural disasters that may impact the global supply of steel, scrap metal or iron ore; and the proximity, capacity and cost of infrastructure and transportation. |
| ● | Global Steelmaking Overcapacity Risk. Significant existing global steel capacity and new or expanded production capacity in recent years could potentially cause capacity to exceed demand globally. Although certain American steel producers have shut down production capacity, certain of CLF’s competitors have announced and are moving ahead with plans to develop new steelmaking capacity in the near term. In addition, certain foreign competitors, which may have cost advantages due to being owned, controlled or subsidized by foreign governments, have substantially increased their steelmaking capacity and/or production in the last few years and in some instances appear to have targeted the U.S. market for imports. The risk of even greater levels of imports may continue, depending upon foreign market and economic conditions, changes in trade agreements and treaties, laws, regulations or government policies affecting trade, the ability of foreign producers to circumvent U.S. trade sanctions and policy (including in the markets for electrical steels), the value of the U.S. dollar relative to other currencies and other variables beyond our control. In addition, higher sustained market prices of steel and iron ore products could cause new producers to enter the market or existing producers to further expand productive capacity, which could in turn lead to lower steel prices and increasing prices of steelmaking inputs, such as scrap metal. Excess steel and iron ore supply combined with reduced global steel demand and increased imports could also lead to lower steel and iron ore prices. Downward pressure on steel and/or iron ore prices could have an adverse effect on CLF’s results of operations, financial condition and profitability. |
4
| ● | Automotive Industry Risk. The largest end user for CLF’s steel products is the automotive industry in North America. Beyond these direct sales to the automotive industry, CLF makes additional sales to distributors and converters, which may ultimately resell some of that volume to the automotive market. In addition to the magnitude of its exposure to the automotive industry, CLF faces risks arising from its relative concentration of sales to certain specific automotive manufacturers, and its sales volumes and revenues may be adversely affected if it is unable to renew our fixed price contracts with one or more significant automotive customers or if those customers choose to move certain portions of their parts business to alternate suppliers. Automotive production and sales are cyclical and sensitive to general economic conditions and other factors, including interest rates, consumer credit, spending and preferences, and supply chain disruptions. If automotive production and sales decline, whether due to consumers facing reduced purchasing power caused by inflation, higher interest rates or otherwise, CLF’s sales and shipments to the automotive market are likely to decline in a corresponding manner. Adverse impacts that CLF may sustain as a result include, without limitation, lower margins because of the need to sell its steel to less profitable customers and markets, higher fixed costs from lower steel production if CLF is unable to sell the same amount of steel to other customers and markets, and lower sales, shipments, pricing and margins generally as its competitors face similar challenges and compete vigorously in other markets that we serve. These adverse impacts could negatively affect our revenues, financial results and cash flows. |
| ● | Metals and Mining Industry Risk. Metals and mining companies can be significantly affected by events relating to international political and economic developments, energy conservation, the success of exploration projects, commodity prices, and tax and other government regulations. Investments in metals and mining companies may be speculative and may be subject to greater price volatility than investments in other types of companies. Risks of metals and mining investments include: changes in international monetary policies or economic and political conditions that can affect the supply of natural resources and consequently the value of metals and mining company investments; the United States or foreign governments may pass laws or regulations limiting metals investments for strategic or other policy reasons; and increased environmental or labor costs may depress the value of metals and mining investments. |
| ● | Regulatory Risk. CLF must obtain, maintain and comply with numerous permits and licenses that require approval of operational plans and impose strict conditions on various environmental, health and safety matters in connection with its steel production and processing and mining and other operations. These include permits and approvals issued by various agencies and regulatory bodies, with which CLJ may not always be able to comply. Heightened levels of regulatory oversight focused on addressing climate change and industrial activities that generate greenhouse gas emissions, such as a company’s steelmaking, cokemaking and mining operations, could impact, delay, or disrupt its ability to obtain new or renewed permits or modifications to existing permits. New laws or regulations, or changes in existing laws or regulations, or the manner of their interpretation or enforcement, could increase the cost of doing business and restrict a company’s ability to operate its businesses or execute its strategies. CLF’s operations currently use, and have in the past used, hazardous materials and substances, and has generated, and expects to continue to generate, solid and hazardous waste. CLF has been, and may in the future be, subject to claims under laws and regulations for toxic torts, natural resource damages and other damages as well as for the investigation and clean-up of soil, surface water, sediments, groundwater and other natural resources and reclamation of properties. Such claims for damages, as well as investigation, remediation and reclamation requirements, have arisen and may arise in the future out of current, future or former conditions at sites that CLF or its acquired companies own, lease or operate, as well as sites that CLF or its acquired companies formerly owned, leased or operated, and at contaminated sites that are or have been owned, leased or operated by CLF’s joint venture partners. CLF may also have liability for contamination at third-party sites where it has sent hazardous wastes. CLF’s liability for these claims may be strict and/or joint and several, such that it may be held responsible for more than its share of the contamination or other damages, or even for entire claims regardless of fault. |
| ● | Indebtedness Risk. CLF has a substantial amount of indebtedness and other obligations. These substantial indebtedness and other obligations may make it difficult for CLF to satisfy its financial obligations, including making scheduled principal and interest payments on its indebtedness and obligations, and also limit CLF’s ability to use its cash flow for working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions or other general business purposes, which could negatively impact the company’s financial condition. |
5
| ● | Operating Expenses Risk. CLF’s operations require significant use of energy, water and raw materials. Although it is largely self-sufficient in iron ore and partially self-sufficient in coke, metallurgical coal and scrap metal, CLF is wholly or partially dependent on third-party suppliers for certain critical raw materials and production inputs, including industrial gases, graphite electrodes, chrome, zinc, coke, metallurgical coal, scrap metal, fluxing compounds and other alloys. A disruption in the transmission of energy, inadequate energy transmission infrastructure, or the termination of any of CLF’s energy supply contracts could interrupt its energy supply and adversely affect its operations. |
Single Issuer Risk. Issuer-specific attributes may cause an investment in the Fund to be more volatile than a traditional pooled investment which diversifies risk or the market generally. The value of the Fund, which focuses on an individual security, may be more volatile than a traditional pooled investment or the market as a whole and may perform differently from the value of a traditional pooled investment or the market as a whole. Additionally, the Fund will seek to employ its investment strategy as it relates to the underlying issuer regardless of whether there are significant corporate actions such as restructurings, enforcement activity, or acquisitions or periods adverse market, economic, or other conditions and will not seek to take temporary defensive positions during such periods.
Compounding and Market Volatility Risk. The Fund has a daily leveraged investment objective and the Fund’s performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which is very likely to differ from two times (200%) the Underlying Security’s performance, before the Fund’s management fee and other expenses. Compounding affects all investments but has a more significant impact on funds that aim to replicate leveraged daily returns and that rebalance daily. For the Fund aiming to replicate two times the daily performance of an Underlying Security, if adverse daily performance of the Underlying Security reduces the amount of a shareholder’s investment, any further adverse daily performance will lead to a smaller dollar loss because the shareholder’s investment had already been reduced by the prior adverse performance. Equally, however, if favorable daily performance of the Underlying Security increases the amount of a shareholder’s investment, the dollar amount lost due to future adverse performance will increase because the shareholder’s investment has increased.
The effect of compounding becomes more pronounced as the Underlying Security’s volatility and the holding period increase. The impact of compounding will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Fund is held and the volatility of the Underlying Security during a shareholder’s holding period of an investment in the Fund.
The chart below provides examples of how the Underlying Security’s volatility could affect the Fund’s performance. The chart illustrates the impact of two factors that affect the Fund’s performance – the Underlying Security’s volatility and the Underlying Security’s performance. The Underlying Security’s performance shows the percentage change in the share price of the Underlying Security over the specified time period, while the Underlying Security’s volatility is a statistical measure of the magnitude of fluctuations in the returns during that time period. As illustrated below, even if the Underlying Security’s performance over two equal time periods is identical, different Underlying Security volatility (i.e., in magnitude of fluctuations in the share price of the Underlying Security) during the two time periods could result in drastically different Fund performance for the two time periods because of compounding daily returns during the time periods.
Fund performance for periods greater than one single day can be estimated given any set of assumptions for the following factors: a) the Underlying Security volatility; b) the Underlying Security performance; c) period of time; d) financing rates associated with leveraged exposure; and e) other Fund expenses. The chart shows estimated Fund returns for a number of combinations of Underlying Security volatility and Underlying Security performance over a one-year period. Performance shown in the chart assumes that: (i) there were no Fund expenses; (ii) borrowing/lending rates (to obtain leveraged exposure) of 0%. If Fund expenses and/or actual borrowing/lending rates were reflected the estimated returns would be different than those shown. Particularly during periods of higher Underlying Security volatility, compounding will cause results for periods longer than a trading day to vary from two times (200%) the performance of the Underlying Security.
As shown in the chart below, the Fund would be expected to lose 6.1% if there was no change in the share price of the Underlying Security over a one-year period during which the Underlying Security experienced annualized volatility of 25%. If the Underlying Security’s annualized volatility were to rise to 75%, the hypothetical loss for a one-year period would widen to approximately -43%. At higher ranges of volatility, there is a chance of a significant loss of value in the Fund, even if there were no change in the share price of the Underlying Security. For instance, if the Underlying Security’s annualized volatility is 100%, the Fund would be expected to lose 63.2% of its value, even if the cumulative Underlying Security change in the share price of the Underlying Security for the year was 0%.
Areas shaded red (or dark gray) represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return less than two times (200%) the performance of the Underlying Security and those shaded green (or light gray) represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return more than two times (200%) the performance of the Underlying Security. The Fund’s actual performance may be significantly better or worse than the performance shown below as a result of any of the factors discussed above or in the “Daily Correlation/Tracking Risk” below.
6
| Estimated
Returns of 200% or Two Times Performance of the Underlying Security |
|||||||
| Underlying Security Performance | One Year Volatility Rate | ||||||
| One
Year Underlying Security |
2X
Times (200%) the One Year Performance |
10% | 25% | 50% | 75% | 100% | |
| -60% | -120% | -84.2% | -85.0% | -87.5% | -90.9% | -94.1% | |
| -50% | -100% | -75.2% | -76.5% | -80.5% | -85.8% | -90.8% | |
| -40% | -80% | -64.4% | -66.2% | -72.0% | -79.5% | -86.8% | |
| -30% | -60% | -51.5% | -54.0% | -61.8% | -72.1% | -82.0% | |
| -20% | -40% | -36.6% | -39.9% | -50.2% | -63.5% | -76.5% | |
| -10% | -20% | -19.8% | -23.9% | -36.9% | -53.8% | -70.2% | |
| 0% | 0% | -1.0% | -6.1% | -22.1% | -43.0% | -63.2% | |
| 10% | 20% | 19.8% | 13.7% | -5.8% | -31.1% | -55.5% | |
| 20% | 40% | 42.6% | 35.3% | 12.1% | -18.0% | -47.0% | |
| 30% | 60% | 67.3% | 58.8% | 31.6% | -3.7% | -37.8% | |
| 40% | 80% | 94.0% | 84.1% | 52.6% | 11.7% | -27.9% | |
| 50% | 100% | 122.8% | 111.4% | 75.2% | 28.2% | -17.2% | |
| 60% | 120% | 153.5% | 140.5% | 99.4% | 45.9% | -5.8% | |
The Underlying Security’s annualized historical volatility rate for the period from [ ] (the earliest date available) to [ ] was [ ]%. The Underlying Security’s annualized performance during this period was [ ]%. Historical Underlying Security volatility and performance are not indications of what Underlying Security volatility and performance will be in the future.
Daily Correlation/Tracking Risk. There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of leveraged correlation to the Underlying Security and therefore achieve its daily leveraged investment objective. To achieve a high degree of leveraged correlation with the Underlying Security, the Fund seeks to rebalance its portfolio daily to keep exposure consistent with its daily leveraged investment objective. The possibility of the Fund being materially over- or under-exposed to the Underlying Security increases on days when the Underlying Security is volatile near the close of the trading day. Market disruptions, regulatory restrictions and extreme volatility will also adversely affect the Fund’s ability to adjust exposure to the required levels. If there is a significant intra-day market event and/or the Underlying Security experiences a significant increase or decline, the Fund may not meet its investment objective, be able to rebalance its portfolio appropriately, or may experience significant premiums or discounts, or widened bid-ask spreads.
The Fund may have difficulty achieving its daily leveraged investment objective due to fees, expenses, transaction costs, financing costs related to the use of derivatives, investments in ETFs, directly or indirectly, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities or derivatives held by the Fund. The Fund may be subject to large movements of assets into and out of the Fund, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or under-exposed to the Underlying Security. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions to improve the tax efficiency or to comply with various regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively impact the Fund’s leveraged correlation to the Underlying Security.
Leverage Risk. The Fund obtains investment exposure in excess of its net assets by utilizing leverage and may lose more money in market conditions that are adverse to its investment objective than a fund that does not utilize leverage. An investment in the Fund is exposed to the risk that a decline in the daily performance of the Underlying Security will be magnified. This means that an investment in the Fund will be reduced by an amount equal to 2% for every 1% daily decline in the share price of the Underlying Security, not including the costs of financing leverage and other operating expenses, which would further reduce its value. The Fund could theoretically lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event the share price of the Underlying Security declines more than 50%. Leverage will also have the effect of magnifying any differences in the Fund performance’s correlation with the Underlying Security’s share price.
Derivatives Risk. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds (including ETFs), interest rates or indexes. The Fund’s investments in derivatives may pose risks in addition to, and greater than, those associated with directly investing in securities or other ordinary investments, including risk related to the market, leverage, imperfect daily correlations with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, higher price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty risk, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions. The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of derivatives may result in larger losses or smaller gains than directly investing in securities. When the Fund uses derivatives, there may be imperfect correlation between the share price of the Underlying Security and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. Because derivatives often require only a limited initial investment, the use of derivatives may expose the Fund to losses in excess of those amounts initially invested.
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The Fund will be subject to regulatory constraints relating to level of value at risk that the Fund may incur through its derivative portfolio. To the extent the Fund exceeds these regulatory thresholds over an extended period, the Fund may determine that it is necessary to make adjustments to the Fund’s investment strategy, including the desired daily leveraged performance for the Fund.
In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
Swap Agreements. The use of swap transactions is a highly specialized activity, which involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. Whether the Fund will be successful in using swap agreements to achieve its investment goal depends on the ability of the Adviser to structure such swap agreements in accordance with the Fund’s investment objective and to identify counterparties for those swap agreements. If the Adviser is unable to enter into swap agreements that provide leveraged exposure to the Underlying Security, the Fund may not meet its stated investment objective. Additionally, any financing, borrowing or other costs associated with using swap transactions may also have the effect of lowering the Fund’s return.
The swap agreements in which the Fund invests are generally traded in the over-the-counter market, which generally has less transparency than exchange-traded derivatives instruments. In a standard swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the return (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined reference assets or underlying securities or instruments. The gross return to be exchanged or swapped between the parties is calculated based on a notional amount or the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount invested in a basket of securities.
If the Underlying Security has a dramatic move that causes a material decline in the Fund’s net assets, the terms of a swap agreement between the Fund and its counterparty may permit the counterparty to immediately close out the swap transaction with the Fund. In that event, the Fund may be unable to enter into another swap agreement or invest in other derivatives to achieve exposure consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. This may prevent the Fund from achieving its leveraged investment objective, even if the Underlying Security later reverses all or a portion of its movement.
Options Contracts. The use of options contracts involves investment strategies and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The prices of options are volatile and are influenced by, among other things, actual and anticipated changes in the value of the underlying instrument, including the anticipated volatility, which are affected by fiscal and monetary policies and by national and international political, changes in the actual or implied volatility or the reference asset, the time remaining until the expiration of the option contract and economic events. The value of the options contracts in which the Fund invests are substantially influenced by the value of the Underlying Security. The Fund may experience substantial downside from specific option positions and certain option positions held by the Fund may expire worthless. The options held by the Fund are exercisable at the strike price on their expiration date. As an option approaches its expiration date, its value typically increasingly moves with the value of the underlying instrument. However, prior to such date, the value of an option generally does not increase or decrease at the same rate as the underlying instrument. There may at times be an imperfect correlation between the movement in values options contracts and the underlying instrument, and there may at times not be a liquid secondary market for certain options contracts. The value of the options held by the Fund will be determined based on market quotations or other recognized pricing methods. Additionally, as the Fund intends to continuously maintain indirect exposure to the Underlying Security through the use of options contracts, as the options contracts it holds are exercised or expire it will enter into new options contracts, a practice referred to as “rolling.” If the expiring options contracts do not generate proceeds enough to cover the cost of entering into new options contracts, the Fund may experience losses. The use of options to generate leverage introduces additional risks, including significant potential losses if the market moves unfavorably. The leverage inherent in options can amplify both gains and losses, leading to increased volatility and potential for substantial losses, particularly in periods of market uncertainty or low liquidity. Additionally, the Fund may incur losses if the value of the Underlying Security moves against its positions, potentially resulting in a complete loss of the premium paid.
Counterparty Risk. The Fund is subject to counterparty risk by virtue of its investments in derivatives which exposes the Fund to the risk that the counterparty will not fulfill its obligation to the Fund. Counterparty risk may arise because of the counterparty’s financial condition (i.e., financial difficulties, bankruptcy, or insolvency), market activities and developments, or other reasons, whether foreseen or not. A counterparty’s inability to fulfill its obligation may result in significant financial loss to the Fund and the Fund may be unable to recover its investment from such counterparty or may obtain a limited and/or delayed recovery.
Counterparties may seek to hedge their exposure to individual clients (such as the Fund) by establishing offsetting exposures with other clients, however, there is no guarantee that counterparties will do so under all circumstances. Should a counterparty (e.g., a swap counterparty) terminate its relationship with the Fund, the Fund will seek to utilize other counterparties to seek to maintain its exposures. In addition, the Fund may use options contracts to seek to generate the leverage necessary to implement its strategy. The use of options contracts introduces distinct risks, including heightened volatility, particularly intraday. While options may provide an ancillary benefit of mitigating some losses under specific scenarios, such as severe market downturns, their inherent leverage and rapid price fluctuations can amplify the Fund’s performance volatility and lead to greater risks of substantial losses. Refer to “Derivatives Risk – Options Contracts” for additional information on the risks of investing in options.
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In addition, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with a limited number of counterparties, which may increase the Fund’s exposure to counterparty credit risk. Further, there is a risk that no suitable counterparties will be willing to enter into, or continue to enter into, transactions with the Fund and, as a result, the Fund may not be able to achieve its investment objective.
Intra-Day Investment Risk. The Fund seeks investment results from the close of the market on a given trading day until the close of the market on the subsequent trading day. The exact exposure of an investment in the Fund intraday in the secondary market is a function of the difference between the share price of the Underlying Security at the market close on the first trading day and the share price of the Underlying Security at the time of purchase. If the share price of the Underlying Security rises, the Fund’s net assets will rise by approximately twice the amount as the Fund’s exposure. Conversely, if the share price of the Underlying Security declines, the Fund’s net assets will decline by approximately two times the amount as the Fund’s exposure. Thus, an investor that purchases Shares intra-day may experience performance that is greater than, or less than, the Fund’s stated leveraged performance of the Underlying Security.
If there is a significant intra-day market event and/or the securities of the Underlying Security experience a significant increase or decrease, the Fund may not meet its investment objective or rebalance its portfolio appropriately.
Fixed Income Securities Risk. When the Fund invests in fixed income securities, the value of your investment in the Fund will fluctuate with changes in interest rates. Typically, a rise in interest rates causes a decline in the value of fixed income securities owned by the Fund. In general, the market price of fixed income securities with longer maturities will increase or decrease more in response to changes in interest rates than shorter-term securities. Other risk factors include credit risk (the debtor may default), extension risk (an issuer may exercise its right to repay principal on a fixed rate obligation held by the Fund later than expected), and prepayment risk (the debtor may pay its obligation early, reducing the amount of interest payments). These risks could affect the value of a particular investment by the Fund, possibly causing the Fund’s Share price and total return to be reduced and fluctuate more than other types of investments.
Rebalancing Risk. If for any reason the Fund is unable to rebalance all or a portion of its portfolio, or if all or a portion of the portfolio is rebalanced incorrectly, the Fund’s investment exposure may not be consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. In these instances, the Fund may have investment exposure to the Underlying Security that is significantly greater or less than its stated investment objective. As a result, the Fund may be exposed to leverage risk because it had not been properly rebalanced and may not achieve its investment objective.
ETF Risks
Authorized Participants, Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that are authorized to purchase and redeem Shares directly from the Fund (known as “Authorized Participants” or “APs”). In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, Shares may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services; or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.
Cash Redemption Risk. The Fund’s investment strategy may require it to redeem Shares for cash or to otherwise include cash as part of its redemption proceeds. For example, the Fund may not be able to redeem in-kind certain securities held by the Fund (e.g., derivative instruments). In such a case, the Fund may be required to sell or unwind portfolio investments to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. This may cause the Fund to recognize a capital gain that it might not have recognized if it had made a redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher annual capital gain distributions than if the in-kind redemption process was used. By paying out higher annual capital gain distributions, investors may be subjected to increased capital gains taxes. The costs associated with cash redemptions may include brokerage costs that the Fund may not have incurred if it had made the redemptions in-kind. These costs could be imposed on the Fund, decreasing its NAV, to the extent these costs are not offset by a transaction fee payable by an authorized participant.
Costs of Buying or Selling Shares. Buying or selling Shares involves certain costs, including brokerage commissions, other charges imposed by brokers, and bid-ask spreads. The bid-ask spread represents the difference between the price at which an investor is willing to buy Shares and the price at which an investor is willing to sell Shares. The spread varies over time based on the Shares’ trading volume and market liquidity. The spread is generally lower if Shares have more trading volume and market liquidity and higher if Shares have little trading volume and market liquidity. Due to the costs of buying or selling Shares, frequent trading of Shares may reduce investment results and an investment in Shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.
Shares May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all ETFs, Shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of Shares will approximate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price of Shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount) due to supply and demand of Shares or during periods of market volatility. This risk is heightened in times of market volatility, periods of steep market declines, and periods when there is limited trading activity for Shares in the secondary market, in which case such premiums or discounts may be significant.
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Trading. Although Shares are listed on a national securities exchange, such as [ ] (the “Exchange”), and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that 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 Shares. This adverse effect on liquidity for the Fund’s shares may lead to wider bid-ask spreads and differences between the market price of the Fund’s shares and the underlying value of the shares.
Liquidity Risk. In certain circumstances, such as the disruption of the orderly markets for the financial instruments in which the Fund invests, the Fund might not be able to acquire or dispose of certain holdings quickly or at prices that represent true market value in the judgment of the Adviser. Markets for the financial instruments in which the Fund invests may be disrupted by a number of events, including but not limited to economic crises, health crises, natural disasters, excessive volatility, new legislation, or regulatory changes inside or outside of the U.S. These situations may have an impact on the liquidity of the Fund’s own shares.”
Economic and Market Risk. Economies and financial markets throughout the world are becoming increasingly interconnected, which increases the likelihood that events or conditions in one country or region will adversely impact markets or issuers in other countries or regions. Securities in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform in comparison to securities in the general financial markets, a particular financial market, or other asset classes, due to a number of factors, including inflation (or expectations for inflation), deflation (or expectations for deflation), interest rates, global demand for particular products or resources, market instability, financial system instability, debt crises and downgrades, embargoes, tariffs, sanctions and other trade barriers, regulatory events, other governmental trade or market control programs and related geopolitical events. In addition, the value of the Fund’s investments may be negatively affected by the occurrence of global events such as war, terrorism, environmental disasters, natural disasters or events, country instability, and infectious disease epidemics or pandemics. The imposition by the U.S. of tariffs on goods imported from foreign countries and reciprocal tariffs levied on U.S. goods by those countries also may lead to volatility and instability in domestic and foreign markets.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk. Daily rebalancing of the Fund’s holdings pursuant to its daily investment objective causes a much greater number of portfolio transactions when compared to most ETFs. Additionally, active market trading of the Fund’s Shares on exchanges (such as the Exchange), could cause more frequent creation and redemption activities, which could increase the number of portfolio transactions. Frequent and active trading may lead to higher transaction costs because of increased broker commissions resulting from such transactions. In addition, there is the possibility of significantly increased short-term capital gains (which will be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income when distributed to them). The Fund calculates portfolio turnover without including the short-term cash instruments or derivative transactions that comprise the majority of the Fund’s trading. As such, if the Fund’s extensive use of derivative instruments were reflected, the calculated portfolio turnover rate would be significantly higher.
Tracking Error Risk. Tracking error is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of its investment objective which aims to replicate two times the daily percentage change in the price of the Underlying Security. Tracking error may occur for a number of reasons. Tracking error may occur because of transaction costs, the Fund’s holding of cash, differences in accrual of dividends, being under- or overexposed to the Underlying Security or the need to meet new or existing regulatory requirements. Tracking error risk may be heightened during times of market volatility or other unusual market conditions such as market disruptions. The Fund may be required to deviate from its investment objectives, and therefore experience tracking error, as a result of market restrictions or other legal reasons, including regulatory limits or other restrictions on securities that may be purchased by the Adviser and its affiliates.
Liquidity Risk. Some securities held by the Fund may be difficult to sell or be illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including, but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, epidemics/pandemics, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the United States. Illiquid securities may be difficult to value, especially in changing or volatile markets. If the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid security at an unfavorable time or price, the Fund may be adversely impacted. Certain market conditions or restrictions may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Underlying Security. There is no assurance that a security that is deemed liquid when purchased will continue to be liquid. Market illiquidity may cause losses for the Fund.
Money Market Instrument Risk. The Fund may use a variety of money market instruments for cash management purposes, including money market funds, depositary accounts and repurchase agreements. Repurchase agreements are contracts in which a seller of securities agrees to buy the securities back at a specified time and price. Repurchase agreements may be subject to market and credit risk related to the collateral securing the repurchase agreement. Money market instruments may lose money.
New Fund Risk. The Fund is a recently organized management investment company with no operating history. As a result, prospective investors do not have a track record or history on which to base their investment decisions.
Non-Diversification Risk. Because the Fund is “non-diversified,” it may invest a greater percentage of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it was a diversified fund. As a result, a decline in the value of an investment in a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers could cause the Fund’s overall value to decline to a greater degree than if the Fund held a more diversified portfolio. This may increase the Fund’s volatility and cause the performance of a relatively smaller number of issuers to have a greater impact on the Fund’s performance.
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Trading Halt Risk. Although the Underlying Security’s shares are listed for trading on an exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such shares will be available at all times and the Exchange may halt trading of such shares in certain circumstances. A halt in trading in the Underlying Security’s shares is expected, in turn, to result in a halt in the trading in the Fund’s Shares. Trading in the Underlying Security’s and/or Fund’s Shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in the Underlying Security’s and/or Fund’s Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in Underlying Security’s and/or Fund’s Shares on an exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to exchange “circuit breaker” rules.” In the event of a trading halt for an extended period of time, the Fund may be unable to execute arrangements with swap counterparties that are necessary to implement the Fund’s investment strategy.
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 and the Fund’s investment advisor seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures, there is no way to completely protect against such risks.
U.S. Government and U.S. Agency Obligations Risk. The Fund may invest in securities issued by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities. U.S. Government obligations include securities issued or guaranteed as to principal and interest by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities, such as the U.S. Treasury. Payment of principal and interest on U.S. Government obligations may be backed by the full faith and credit of the United States or may be backed solely by the issuing or guaranteeing agency or instrumentality itself. In the latter case, the investor must look principally to the agency or instrumentality issuing or guaranteeing the obligation for ultimate repayment, which agency or instrumentality may be privately owned. There can be no assurance that the U.S. Government would provide financial support to its agencies or instrumentalities (including government-sponsored enterprises) where it is not obligated to do so.
Tax Risk. The Fund intends to elect and to qualify each year to be treated as a regulated investment company (a “RIC”) under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (“Code”). As a RIC, the Fund will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the portion of its net investment income and net capital gain that it distributes to shareholders, provided that it satisfies certain requirements of the Code. If the Fund does not qualify as a RIC for any taxable year and certain relief provisions are not available, the Fund’s taxable income will be subject to tax at the Fund level and to a further tax at the shareholder level when such income is distributed. To comply with the asset diversification test applicable to a RIC, the Fund will attempt to ensure that the value of swap contracts and options on shares of a single issuer does not exceed 25% of the Fund’s value at the close of any quarter. If the value of swap contracts and options on shares of a single issuer were to exceed 25% of the Fund’s total assets at the end of a tax quarter, the Fund, generally, has a grace period to cure such lack of compliance. If the Fund fails to timely cure, it may no longer be eligible to be treated as a RIC.
Performance
Performance information for the Fund is not included because the Fund has not completed a full calendar year of operations as of the date of this Prospectus. When such information is included, this section will provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance history from year to year and showing how the Fund’s average annual total returns compare with those of a broad measure of market performance. Although past performance of the Fund is no guarantee of how it will perform in the future, historical performance may give you some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. Updated performance information will be available on the Fund’s website at https://www.defianceetfs.com.
Management
Investment Adviser: Tidal Investments LLC serves as investment adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers:
The following individuals are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund.
Stephen Foy, Portfolio Manager for the Adviser, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in 2025.
Christopher P. Mullen, Portfolio Manager for the Adviser, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in 2025.
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Purchase and Sale of Shares
The Fund issues and redeems Shares at NAV only in large blocks known as “Creation Units,” which only APs (typically, broker-dealers) may purchase or redeem. The Fund generally issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities (the “Deposit Securities”) and/or a designated amount of U.S. cash.
Shares are listed on a national securities exchange, such as the Exchange, and individual Shares may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through brokers at market prices, rather than NAV. Because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).
An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares (the “bid” price) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares (the “ask” price) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market. This difference in bid and ask prices is often referred to as the “bid-ask spread.”
When available, information regarding the Fund’s NAV, market price, how often Shares traded on the Exchange at a premium or discount, and bid-ask spreads can be found on the Fund’s website at https://www.defianceetfs.com.
Tax Information
Fund distributions are generally taxable as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains (or a combination), unless an investment is in an individual retirement account (“IRA”) or other tax-advantaged account. Distributions on investments made through tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal of assets from those accounts.
Financial Intermediary Compensation
If you purchase Shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank) (an “Intermediary”), the Adviser or its affiliates may pay Intermediaries for certain activities related to the Fund, including participation in activities that are designed to make Intermediaries more knowledgeable about exchange-traded products, including the Fund, or for other activities, such as marketing, educational training, or other initiatives related to the sale or promotion of Shares. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the Intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Any such arrangements do not result in increased Fund expenses. Ask your salesperson or visit the Intermediary’s website for more information.
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SUMMARY INFORMATION
DEFIANCE DAILY TARGET 2X LONG PLUG ETF – FUND SUMMARY
Important Information About the Fund
The Defiance Daily Target 2X Long PLUG ETF (the “Fund”) seeks daily leveraged investment results of two times (200%) the daily percentage change in the share price of Plug Power Inc. (NASDAQ: PLUG) (the “Underlying Security” or “PLUG”). Because the Fund seeks daily leveraged investment results, it is very different from most other exchange-traded funds. It is also riskier than alternatives that do not use leverage.
The return for investors that invest for periods longer or shorter than a trading day should not be expected to be 200% of the performance of the Underlying Security’s shares for the period. The return of the Fund for a period longer than a trading day will be the result of each trading day’s compounded return during such period held, which will very likely differ from 200% of the return of the Underlying Security’s shares for that period. Holding shares of the Fund for longer than a single day and higher volatility of the Underlying Security’s shares increase the impact of compounding on an investor’s returns, which may have a negative or positive impact on an investor’s returns. During periods of higher Underlying Security share price volatility, the volatility of the Underlying Security’s shares may affect the Fund’s return as much as, or more than, the return of the Underlying Security’s shares. The impact of compounding will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Fund is held and the volatility of the Underlying Security’s shares during a shareholder’s holding period of an investment in the Fund. See “Principal Investment Risks – Compounding and Market Volatility Risk” below for an example of how volatility of the Underlying Security’s shares may affect the Fund’s return as much as, or more than, the return of the Underlying Security’s shares.
The Fund is not suitable for all investors. The Fund is designed to be utilized only by knowledgeable investors who understand the potential consequences of seeking daily leveraged (2X) investment results, understand the risks associated with the use of leverage, and are willing to monitor their portfolios frequently. The Fund is not intended to be used by, and is not appropriate for, investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. For periods longer than a single day, the Fund will lose money if the Underlying Security’s performance is flat, and it is possible that the Fund will lose money even if the Underlying Security’s performance increases over a period longer than a single day. An investor could lose the full principal value of his/her investment within a single day.
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of two times (200%) the daily percentage change in the share price of Plug Power, Inc. (NASDAQ: PLUG). The Fund does not seek to achieve its stated investment objective for a period other than a single trading day.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below.
| Annual Fund Operating Expenses(1) (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) | |||||
| Management Fee | [ ] | % | |||
| Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees | None | ||||
| Other Expenses(2) | [ ] | % | |||
| Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses(3) | [ ] | % | |||
| (1) | The Fund’s investment adviser, Tidal Investments LLC (the “Adviser”), a Tidal Financial Group company, will pay, or require a sub-adviser to pay, all expenses incurred by the Fund (except for advisory fees and sub-advisory fees, as the case may be) excluding interest charges on any borrowings made for investment purposes, dividends and other expenses on securities sold short, taxes, brokerage commissions and other expenses incurred in placing orders for the purchase and sale of securities and other investment instruments, acquired fund fees and expenses, accrued deferred tax liability, distribution fees and expenses paid by the Fund under any distribution plan adopted pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), and litigation expenses and other non-routine or extraordinary expenses. |
| (2) | Based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year. |
| (3) | The cost of investing in swaps, including the embedded cost of the swap and the operating expenses of the referenced assets, is an indirect expense that is not included in the above fee table and is not reflected in the expense example. |
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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. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem or hold all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. The Example does not take into account brokerage commissions that you may pay on your purchases and sales of Shares. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years |
| $[ ] | $[ ] |
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in total annual fund operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund is newly organized, portfolio turnover information is not yet available.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund is an actively managed exchange traded fund (“ETF”) that attempts to achieve two times (200%) the daily percentage change in the share price of the Underlying Security by employing derivatives, namely swap agreements and/or listed options contracts. The Fund aims to achieve this daily percentage change for a single day, and not for any other period. A “single day” means the period “from the close of regular trading on one trading day to the close on the next trading day.”
If the Fund encounters limitations in implementing its strategies, whether due to market conditions, derivative availability, counterparty issues, or other factors, the Fund may not achieve investment results, before fees and expenses, that correspond to two times (2x) the daily performance of the Underlying Security, and may return substantially less during such periods. During such periods, the Fund’s actual leverage levels may differ substantially from its intended target, both intraday and at the close of trading, potentially resulting in significantly lower returns.
The Fund may enter into one or more swap agreements with financial institutions for a specified period, which may range from one day to longer than a year. Through each swap agreement, the Fund and the financial institution will agree to exchange the return (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on the Underlying Security’s share price. The gross return (meaning the return before deducting any fees or expenses) to be exchanged or “swapped” between the parties is calculated with respect to a “notional amount,” (meaning the face amount of the instrument) e.g., the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount representing the Underlying Security.
The Fund may also utilize listed options to seek to achieve leveraged 2X exposure to the Underlying Security. The Fund will primarily employ short-dated (a month or less) in-the-money call options (options with strike prices below the current market price of the Underlying Security, offering immediate intrinsic value). Additionally, the Fund may use other option strategies to produce similar exposure to the Underlying Security, like buying calls and selling puts with identical strike prices. These options allow the Fund to adjust its leverage strategy in response to market conditions, liquidity constraints, or other factors that may affect the availability or pricing of swap agreements. The use of listed options provides additional flexibility in pursuing the Fund’s daily investment objective. In situations where swap availability is constrained, the Fund may rely more heavily on options contracts. Additionally, the Fund may use options in response to changing market dynamics. However, the use of option contracts is typically less efficient than swaps and may increase the likelihood that the Fund is unable to achieve its daily 2X objective.
At the end of each day, the Fund’s swaps and options are valued using market valuations and the Fund’s investment adviser rebalances the Fund’s holdings in an attempt to maintain leveraged exposure for the Fund equal to approximately 200% of the Underlying Security’s share price. This daily rebalancing is expected to result in high portfolio turnover.
For examples of a hypothetical investment in the Fund, see the section in the Fund’s Prospectus titled see “Additional Information About the Fund – Principal Investment Strategies.”
Fund performance for periods greater than one single day is primarily (but not solely) a function of the following factors: a) the Underlying Security volatility; b) the Underlying Security’s performance; c) period of time; d) financing rates associated with leveraged exposure; and e) other Fund expenses.
The Fund will hold assets to serve as collateral for its derivatives positions. For those collateral holdings, the Fund may invest in (1) U.S. Government securities, such as bills, notes and bonds issued by the U.S. Treasury; (2) money market funds; (3) short term bond ETFs; and/or (4) corporate debt securities, such as commercial paper and other short-term unsecured promissory notes issued by businesses that are rated investment grade or of comparable quality.
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The Fund has adopted a policy to have at least 80% exposure to financial instruments with economic characteristics that should perform 2X the daily performance of the Underlying Security’s shares. The Fund is expected to allocate between 40% and 60% of its assets as collateral for swap agreements or as premiums for purchased options contracts.
The Fund is classified as “non-diversified” under the 1940 Act. The Fund’s investment strategy is expected to result in a high annual portfolio turnover rate.
Because of daily rebalancing and the compounding of each day’s return over time, the return of the Fund for periods longer than a single day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which will very likely differ from 200% of the return of the Underlying Security’s shares over the same period. The Fund will lose money if the Underlying Security’s performance is flat over time, and because of daily rebalancing, the Underlying Security’s shares’ volatility and the effects of compounding, the Fund may lose money over time while the Underlying Security’s performance increases over a period longer than a single day. As a consequence, investors should not plan to hold shares of the Fund unmonitored for periods longer than a single trading day.
Plug Power Inc. (“PLUG”)
PLUG is building an end-to-end clean hydrogen ecosystem, from production, storage, and delivery to energy generation, to help its customers meet their business goals and decarbonize the economy. In creating the first commercially viable market for hydrogen fuel cells, PLUG has deployed more than 72,000 fuel cell systems for forklifts and more than 275 fueling stations. PLUG is focused on delivering a number of hydrogen solutions to its customers. PLUG is listed on The Nasdaq Capital Market (“NASDAQ”).
Per PLUG’s most recent Form 10-K filing, the aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates of PLUG was approximately $1.3 billion based on the last reported sale of the common stock on The NASDAQ Capital Market on June 28, 2024, the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter.
PLUG is registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Information provided to or filed with the SEC by PLUG pursuant to the Exchange Act can be located by reference to SEC file number 001-34392 through the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. In addition, information regarding PLUG may be obtained from other sources including, but not limited to, press releases, newspaper articles and other publicly disseminated documents.
This document relates only to the securities offered hereby and does not relate to the shares of PLUG or other securities of Plug Power Inc. The Fund has derived all disclosures contained in this document regarding PLUG from the publicly available documents. None of the Fund, Tidal Trust II (the “Trust”), or the Adviser, or their respective affiliates has participated in the preparation of such publicly available offering documents or made any due diligence inquiry regarding such documents with respect to PLUG. None of the Fund, the Trust, or the Adviser, or their respective affiliates makes any representation that such publicly available documents or any other publicly available information regarding PLUG is accurate or complete. Furthermore, the Fund cannot give any assurance that all events occurring prior to the date hereof (including events that would affect the accuracy or completeness of the publicly available documents described above) that would affect the trading price of PLUG (and therefore the share price of the Fund at the time we price the securities) have been publicly disclosed. Subsequent disclosure of any such events or the disclosure of or failure to disclose material future events concerning PLUG could affect the value received with respect to the securities and therefore the value of the securities.
None of the Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates makes any representation to you as to the performance of PLUG.
NONE OF THE FUND, TIDAL TRUST II, OR TIDAL INVESTMENTS LLC IS AFFILIATED, CONNECTED, OR ASSOCIATED WITH PLUG POWER INC. THE FUND WAS NOT DEVELOPED OR CREATED BY, AND IS NOT SPONSORED, ENDORSED, OR APPROVED BY, PLUG POWER INC.
Moreover, Plug Power Inc. has not participated in the development of the Fund’s investment strategy. Plug Power Inc. does not select or approve the Fund’s portfolio holdings, nor does it participate in the construction, design, or implementation of the Fund. Plug Power Inc. does not provide any assurances, guarantees, or representations regarding the Fund or its performance. Nothing herein shall be construed as an offer of any security by Plug Power Inc.
None of the Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates claim any ownership interest in any trademarks owned by PLUG or its affiliates. All rights in the trademarks are reserved by their respective owners.
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Due to the Fund’s investment strategy, the Fund’s investment exposure is concentrated in the same industry as that assigned to the Underlying Security. As of the date of the Prospectus, PLUG is assigned to the electrical equipment industry.
Principal Investment Risks
The principal risks of investing in the Fund are summarized below. As with any investment, there is a risk that you could lose all or a portion of your investment in the Fund. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”) per Share, trading price, yield, total return, and/or ability to meet its investment objective. For more information about the risks of investing in the Fund, see the section in the Fund’s Prospectus titled “Additional Information About the Fund—Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund.”
An investment in the Fund entails risk. The Fund may not achieve its investment objective and there is a risk that you could lose all of your money invested in the Fund. The Fund is not a complete investment program. In addition, the Fund presents risks not traditionally associated with other ETFs. It is important that investors closely review all of the risks listed below and understand them before making an investment in the Fund.
Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears.
PLUG Risks. The Fund invests in swap contracts and options that are based on the share price of PLUG. This subjects the Fund to certain of the same risks as if it owned shares of PLUG, even though it does not. By virtue of the Fund’s investments in swap contracts and options that are based on the value of PLUG, the Fund may also be subject to the following risks:
| ● | Indirect Investment in PLUG Risk. PLUG is not affiliated with the Trust, the Fund, or the Adviser, or their respective affiliates and is not involved with this offering in any way and has no obligation to consider your Shares in taking any corporate actions that might affect the value of Shares. Investors in the Fund will not have voting rights or influence over the management of PLUG but will be exposed to the performance of PLUG (the Underlying Security). Investors will also not have the right to receive dividends or other distributions from PLUG, but will remain subject to price fluctuations and other risks associated with ownership of the Underlying Security. |
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PLUG Trading Risk. The trading price of PLUG may be subject to volatility and could experience wide fluctuations due to various factors. Short sellers may also influence PLUG’s trading activity, contributing to market instability. Public perception and external factors beyond the company’s control may influence PLUG’s stock price disproportionately. Additionally, following periods of market volatility, companies have faced securities class action litigation. Any adverse judgment or future stockholder litigation could result in substantial costs and divert management’s attention and resources. In the event of a trading halt, delisting, or significant disruption in the market for PLUG’s shares, the Fund may experience difficulty entering, modifying, or liquidating its exposures. These conditions could impair the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective, result in significant tracking error, or, in extreme cases, force the Fund to liquidate entirely.
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| ● | PLUG Performance Risk. PLUG may fail to meet its publicly announced guidelines or other expectations about its business, which could cause the price of PLUG to decline. Correctly identifying key factors affecting business conditions and predicting future events is inherently an uncertain process, and the guidance PLUG provides may not ultimately be accurate. If PLUG’s guidance is not accurate or varies from actual results due to its inability to meet the assumptions or the impact on its financial performance that could occur as a result of various risks and uncertainties, the market value of common stock issued by PLUG could decline significantly. |
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Hydrogen Production Risk. As part of its vertical integration strategy, PLUG is developing and constructing hydrogen production facilities at locations across the United States and Europe. PLUG’s ability to successfully complete, operate these projects and obtain green certification for some of these facilities is not guaranteed. These projects will impact PLUG’s ability to meet and supplement the hydrogen demands for its products and services, for both existing and prospective customers. PLUG’s hydrogen production projects are dependent, in part, upon its ability to meet its internal demand for electrolyzers and liquefiers required for such projects. The timing and cost to complete the construction of its hydrogen production projects are also subject to a number of factors outside of PLUG’s control such as delays related to contractors, suppliers or other third parties. Such projects may take longer and cost more to complete and become operational than PLUG expected.
The viability and competitiveness of PLUG’s hydrogen production facilities will depend, in part, upon favorable laws, regulations, and policies related to hydrogen production. Additionally, its facilities are subject to numerous and new permitting, regulations, laws, and policies, many of which might vary by jurisdiction. Hydrogen production facilities are also subject to robust competition from well-established multinational companies in the energy industry. There is no guarantee that PLUG’s hydrogen production strategy will be successful, amidst this competitive environment. PLUG’s products and performance depend largely on the availability of hydrogen and recent insufficient supplies of hydrogen could negatively affect sales and deployment of its products and services.
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| ● | Electrical Equipment Industry Risk. The electrical equipment industry can be significantly affected by general economic trends, including employment, economic growth, interest rates, and changes in commodity prices. Electrical equipment companies are subject to the risks of technical obsolescence, and their profitability may be affected by government regulation and spending, import controls and worldwide competition. Companies in these industries also can be adversely affected by liability for environmental damage, depletion of resources, and mandated expenditures for safety and pollution control. These factors may result in a material adverse impact on the Fund’s portfolio securities and the performance of the Fund. |
| ● | Commodity Risk. Some of PLUG’s products contain commodity-priced materials. Commodity prices and supply levels affect its costs. Platinum, titanium, and iridium are scarce natural resources, and PLUG is dependent upon a sufficient supply of these commodities. These resources may become increasingly difficult to source due to various cost, geopolitical, or other reasons, which in turn might have a material adverse effect on PLUG’s business. |
| ● | Operational Risk. PLUG’s ability to source parts and raw materials from its suppliers could be disrupted or delayed in its supply chain which could adversely affect our results of operations. PLUG’s operations require significant amounts of necessary parts and raw materials. Reduced availability or interruption in supplies, whether resulting from more stringent regulatory requirements, supplier financial condition, increases in duties and tariff costs, disruptions in transportation, an outbreak of a severe public health pandemic, severe weather, or the occurrence or threat of wars or other conflicts, could have an adverse effect on PLUG’s financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. |
| ● | Third Party Supplier Risk. PLUG will continue to be dependent on certain third-party key suppliers for components of its products, hydrogen generation projects, and manufacturing facilities. The failure of a supplier to develop and supply components on mutually agreeable terms or at all, or our inability to obtain substitute sources of these components on a timely basis or on terms acceptable to PLUG, could impair its ability to manufacture its products, could increase the cost of production or could affect the ability to generate hydrogen, which would in turn negatively affect PLUG’s sales and deployment of its products and services. |
| ● | Operating Losses Risk. PLUG has incurred losses and anticipates continuing to incur losses. The company has not achieved operating profitability in any quarter since its formation and it will continue to incur net losses until it can produce sufficient revenue to cover its costs. |
Single Issuer Risk. Issuer-specific attributes may cause an investment in the Fund to be more volatile than a traditional pooled investment which diversifies risk or the market generally. The value of the Fund, which focuses on an individual security, may be more volatile than a traditional pooled investment or the market as a whole and may perform differently from the value of a traditional pooled investment or the market as a whole. Additionally, the Fund will seek to employ its investment strategy as it relates to the underlying issuer regardless of whether there are significant corporate actions such as restructurings, enforcement activity, or acquisitions or periods adverse market, economic, or other conditions and will not seek to take temporary defensive positions during such periods.
Compounding and Market Volatility Risk. The Fund has a daily leveraged investment objective and the Fund’s performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which is very likely to differ from two times (200%) the Underlying Security’s performance, before the Fund’s management fee and other expenses. Compounding affects all investments but has a more significant impact on funds that aim to replicate leveraged daily returns and that rebalance daily. For the Fund aiming to replicate two times the daily performance of an Underlying Security, if adverse daily performance of the Underlying Security reduces the amount of a shareholder’s investment, any further adverse daily performance will lead to a smaller dollar loss because the shareholder’s investment had already been reduced by the prior adverse performance. Equally, however, if favorable daily performance of the Underlying Security increases the amount of a shareholder’s investment, the dollar amount lost due to future adverse performance will increase because the shareholder’s investment has increased.
The effect of compounding becomes more pronounced as the Underlying Security’s volatility and the holding period increase. The impact of compounding will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Fund is held and the volatility of the Underlying Security during a shareholder’s holding period of an investment in the Fund.
The chart below provides examples of how the Underlying Security’s volatility could affect the Fund’s performance. The chart illustrates the impact of two factors that affect the Fund’s performance – the Underlying Security’s volatility and the Underlying Security’s performance. The Underlying Security’s performance shows the percentage change in the share price of the Underlying Security over the specified time period, while the Underlying Security’s volatility is a statistical measure of the magnitude of fluctuations in the returns during that time period. As illustrated below, even if the Underlying Security’s performance over two equal time periods is identical, different Underlying Security volatility (i.e., in magnitude of fluctuations in the share price of the Underlying Security) during the two time periods could result in drastically different Fund performance for the two time periods because of compounding daily returns during the time periods.
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Fund performance for periods greater than one single day can be estimated given any set of assumptions for the following factors: a) the Underlying Security volatility; b) the Underlying Security performance; c) period of time; d) financing rates associated with leveraged exposure; and e) other Fund expenses. The chart shows estimated Fund returns for a number of combinations of Underlying Security volatility and Underlying Security performance over a one-year period. Performance shown in the chart assumes that: (i) there were no Fund expenses; (ii) borrowing/lending rates (to obtain leveraged exposure) of 0%. If Fund expenses and/or actual borrowing/lending rates were reflected the estimated returns would be different than those shown. Particularly during periods of higher Underlying Security volatility, compounding will cause results for periods longer than a trading day to vary from two times (200%) the performance of the Underlying Security.
As shown in the chart below, the Fund would be expected to lose 6.1% if there was no change in the share price of the Underlying Security over a one-year period during which the Underlying Security experienced annualized volatility of 25%. If the Underlying Security’s annualized volatility were to rise to 75%, the hypothetical loss for a one-year period would widen to approximately -43%. At higher ranges of volatility, there is a chance of a significant loss of value in the Fund, even if there were no change in the share price of the Underlying Security. For instance, if the Underlying Security’s annualized volatility is 100%, the Fund would be expected to lose 63.2% of its value, even if the cumulative Underlying Security change in the share price of the Underlying Security for the year was 0%.
Areas shaded red (or dark gray) represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return less than two times (200%) the performance of the Underlying Security and those shaded green (or light gray) represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return more than two times (200%) the performance of the Underlying Security. The Fund’s actual performance may be significantly better or worse than the performance shown below as a result of any of the factors discussed above or in the “Daily Correlation/Tracking Risk” below.
| Estimated
Returns of 200% or Two Times Performance of the Underlying Security |
|||||||
| Underlying Security Performance | One Year Volatility Rate | ||||||
| One
Year Underlying Security |
2X
Times (200%) the One Year Performance |
10% | 25% | 50% | 75% | 100% | |
| -60% | -120% | -84.2% | -85.0% | -87.5% | -90.9% | -94.1% | |
| -50% | -100% | -75.2% | -76.5% | -80.5% | -85.8% | -90.8% | |
| -40% | -80% | -64.4% | -66.2% | -72.0% | -79.5% | -86.8% | |
| -30% | -60% | -51.5% | -54.0% | -61.8% | -72.1% | -82.0% | |
| -20% | -40% | -36.6% | -39.9% | -50.2% | -63.5% | -76.5% | |
| -10% | -20% | -19.8% | -23.9% | -36.9% | -53.8% | -70.2% | |
| 0% | 0% | -1.0% | -6.1% | -22.1% | -43.0% | -63.2% | |
| 10% | 20% | 19.8% | 13.7% | -5.8% | -31.1% | -55.5% | |
| 20% | 40% | 42.6% | 35.3% | 12.1% | -18.0% | -47.0% | |
| 30% | 60% | 67.3% | 58.8% | 31.6% | -3.7% | -37.8% | |
| 40% | 80% | 94.0% | 84.1% | 52.6% | 11.7% | -27.9% | |
| 50% | 100% | 122.8% | 111.4% | 75.2% | 28.2% | -17.2% | |
| 60% | 120% | 153.5% | 140.5% | 99.4% | 45.9% | -5.8% | |
The Underlying Security’s annualized historical volatility rate for the period from [ ] (the earliest date available) to [ ] was [ ]%. The Underlying Security’s highest volatility rate for any one calendar year during this period was [ ]%. The Underlying Security’s annualized performance during this period was [ ]%. Historical Underlying Security volatility and performance are not indications of what Underlying Security volatility and performance will be in the future.
Daily Correlation/Tracking Risk. There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of leveraged correlation to the Underlying Security and therefore achieve its daily leveraged investment objective. To achieve a high degree of leveraged correlation with the Underlying Security, the Fund seeks to rebalance its portfolio daily to keep exposure consistent with its daily leveraged investment objective. The possibility of the Fund being materially over- or under-exposed to the Underlying Security increases on days when the Underlying Security is volatile near the close of the trading day. Market disruptions, regulatory restrictions and extreme volatility will also adversely affect the Fund’s ability to adjust exposure to the required levels. If there is a significant intra-day market event and/or the Underlying Security experiences a significant increase or decline, the Fund may not meet its investment objective, be able to rebalance its portfolio appropriately, or may experience significant premiums or discounts, or widened bid-ask spreads.
The Fund may have difficulty achieving its daily leveraged investment objective due to fees, expenses, transaction costs, financing costs related to the use of derivatives, investments in ETFs, directly or indirectly, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities or derivatives held by the Fund. The Fund may be subject to large movements of assets into and out of the Fund, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or under-exposed to the Underlying Security. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions to improve the tax efficiency or to comply with various regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively impact the Fund’s leveraged correlation to the Underlying Security.
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Leverage Risk. The Fund obtains investment exposure in excess of its net assets by utilizing leverage and may lose more money in market conditions that are adverse to its investment objective than a fund that does not utilize leverage. An investment in the Fund is exposed to the risk that a decline in the daily performance of the Underlying Security will be magnified. This means that an investment in the Fund will be reduced by an amount equal to 2% for every 1% daily decline in the share price of the Underlying Security, not including the costs of financing leverage and other operating expenses, which would further reduce its value. The Fund could theoretically lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event the share price of the Underlying Security declines more than 50%. Leverage will also have the effect of magnifying any differences in the Fund performance’s correlation with the Underlying Security’s share price.
Derivatives Risk. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds (including ETFs), interest rates or indexes. The Fund’s investments in derivatives may pose risks in addition to, and greater than, those associated with directly investing in securities or other ordinary investments, including risk related to the market, leverage, imperfect daily correlations with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, higher price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty risk, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions. The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of derivatives may result in larger losses or smaller gains than directly investing in securities. When the Fund uses derivatives, there may be imperfect correlation between the share price of the Underlying Security and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. Because derivatives often require only a limited initial investment, the use of derivatives may expose the Fund to losses in excess of those amounts initially invested.
The Fund will be subject to regulatory constraints relating to level of value at risk that the Fund may incur through its derivative portfolio. To the extent the Fund exceeds these regulatory thresholds over an extended period, the Fund may determine that it is necessary to make adjustments to the Fund’s investment strategy, including the desired daily leveraged performance for the Fund.
In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
Swap Agreements. The use of swap transactions is a highly specialized activity, which involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. Whether the Fund will be successful in using swap agreements to achieve its investment goal depends on the ability of the Adviser to structure such swap agreements in accordance with the Fund’s investment objective and to identify counterparties for those swap agreements. If the Adviser is unable to enter into swap agreements that provide leveraged exposure to the Underlying Security, the Fund may not meet its stated investment objective. Additionally, any financing, borrowing or other costs associated with using swap transactions may also have the effect of lowering the Fund’s return.
The swap agreements in which the Fund invests are generally traded in the over-the-counter market, which generally has less transparency than exchange-traded derivatives instruments. In a standard swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the return (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined reference assets or underlying securities or instruments. The gross return to be exchanged or swapped between the parties is calculated based on a notional amount or the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount invested in a basket of securities.
If the Underlying Security has a dramatic move that causes a material decline in the Fund’s net assets, the terms of a swap agreement between the Fund and its counterparty may permit the counterparty to immediately close out the swap transaction with the Fund. In that event, the Fund may be unable to enter into another swap agreement or invest in other derivatives to achieve exposure consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. This may prevent the Fund from achieving its leveraged investment objective, even if the Underlying Security later reverses all or a portion of its movement.
Options Contracts. The use of options contracts involves investment strategies and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The prices of options are volatile and are influenced by, among other things, actual and anticipated changes in the value of the underlying instrument, including the anticipated volatility, which are affected by fiscal and monetary policies and by national and international political, changes in the actual or implied volatility or the reference asset, the time remaining until the expiration of the option contract and economic events. The value of the options contracts in which the Fund invests are substantially influenced by the value of the Underlying Security. The Fund may experience substantial downside from specific option positions and certain option positions held by the Fund may expire worthless. The options held by the Fund are exercisable at the strike price on their expiration date. As an option approaches its expiration date, its value typically increasingly moves with the value of the underlying instrument. However, prior to such date, the value of an option generally does not increase or decrease at the same rate as the underlying instrument. There may at times be an imperfect correlation between the movement in values options contracts and the underlying instrument, and there may at times not be a liquid secondary market for certain options contracts. The value of the options held by the Fund will be determined based on market quotations or other recognized pricing methods. Additionally, as the Fund intends to continuously maintain indirect exposure to the Underlying Security through the use of options contracts, as the options contracts it holds are exercised or expire it will enter into new options contracts, a practice referred to as “rolling.” If the expiring options contracts do not generate proceeds enough to cover the cost of entering into new options contracts, the Fund may experience losses. The use of options to generate leverage introduces additional risks, including significant potential losses if the market moves unfavorably. The leverage inherent in options can amplify both gains and losses, leading to increased volatility and potential for substantial losses, particularly in periods of market uncertainty or low liquidity. Additionally, the Fund may incur losses if the value of the Underlying Security moves against its positions, potentially resulting in a complete loss of the premium paid.
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Counterparty Risk. The Fund is subject to counterparty risk by virtue of its investments in derivatives which exposes the Fund to the risk that the counterparty will not fulfill its obligation to the Fund. Counterparty risk may arise because of the counterparty’s financial condition (i.e., financial difficulties, bankruptcy, or insolvency), market activities and developments, or other reasons, whether foreseen or not. A counterparty’s inability to fulfill its obligation may result in significant financial loss to the Fund and the Fund may be unable to recover its investment from such counterparty or may obtain a limited and/or delayed recovery.
Counterparties may seek to hedge their exposure to individual clients (such as the Fund) by establishing offsetting exposures with other clients, however, there is no guarantee that counterparties will do so under all circumstances. Should a counterparty (e.g., a swap counterparty) terminate its relationship with the Fund, the Fund will seek to utilize other counterparties to seek to maintain its exposures. In addition, the Fund may use options contracts to seek to generate the leverage necessary to implement its strategy. The use of options contracts introduces distinct risks, including heightened volatility, particularly intraday. While options may provide an ancillary benefit of mitigating some losses under specific scenarios, such as severe market downturns, their inherent leverage and rapid price fluctuations can amplify the Fund’s performance volatility and lead to greater risks of substantial losses. Refer to “Derivatives Risk – Options Contracts” for additional information on the risks of investing in options.
In addition, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with a limited number of counterparties, which may increase the Fund’s exposure to counterparty credit risk. Further, there is a risk that no suitable counterparties will be willing to enter into, or continue to enter into, transactions with the Fund and, as a result, the Fund may not be able to achieve its investment objective.
Intra-Day Investment Risk. The Fund seeks investment results from the close of the market on a given trading day until the close of the market on the subsequent trading day. The exact exposure of an investment in the Fund intraday in the secondary market is a function of the difference between the share price of the Underlying Security at the market close on the first trading day and the share price of the Underlying Security at the time of purchase. If the share price of the Underlying Security rises, the Fund’s net assets will rise by approximately twice the amount as the Fund’s exposure. Conversely, if the share price of the Underlying Security declines, the Fund’s net assets will decline by approximately two times the amount as the Fund’s exposure. Thus, an investor that purchases Shares intra-day may experience performance that is greater than, or less than, the Fund’s stated leveraged performance of the Underlying Security.
If there is a significant intra-day market event and/or the securities of the Underlying Security experience a significant increase or decrease, the Fund may not meet its investment objective or rebalance its portfolio appropriately.
Fixed Income Securities Risk. When the Fund invests in fixed income securities, the value of your investment in the Fund will fluctuate with changes in interest rates. Typically, a rise in interest rates causes a decline in the value of fixed income securities owned by the Fund. In general, the market price of fixed income securities with longer maturities will increase or decrease more in response to changes in interest rates than shorter-term securities. Other risk factors include credit risk (the debtor may default), extension risk (an issuer may exercise its right to repay principal on a fixed rate obligation held by the Fund later than expected), and prepayment risk (the debtor may pay its obligation early, reducing the amount of interest payments). These risks could affect the value of a particular investment by the Fund, possibly causing the Fund’s Share price and total return to be reduced and fluctuate more than other types of investments.
Rebalancing Risk. If for any reason the Fund is unable to rebalance all or a portion of its portfolio, or if all or a portion of the portfolio is rebalanced incorrectly, the Fund’s investment exposure may not be consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. In these instances, the Fund may have investment exposure to the Underlying Security that is significantly greater or less than its stated investment objective. As a result, the Fund may be exposed to leverage risk because it had not been properly rebalanced and may not achieve its investment objective.
ETF Risks
Authorized Participants, Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that are authorized to purchase and redeem Shares directly from the Fund (known as “Authorized Participants” or “APs”). In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, Shares may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services; or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.
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Cash Redemption Risk. The Fund’s investment strategy may require it to redeem Shares for cash or to otherwise include cash as part of its redemption proceeds. For example, the Fund may not be able to redeem in-kind certain securities held by the Fund (e.g., derivative instruments). In such a case, the Fund may be required to sell or unwind portfolio investments to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. This may cause the Fund to recognize a capital gain that it might not have recognized if it had made a redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher annual capital gain distributions than if the in-kind redemption process was used. By paying out higher annual capital gain distributions, investors may be subjected to increased capital gains taxes. The costs associated with cash redemptions may include brokerage costs that the Fund may not have incurred if it had made the redemptions in-kind. These costs could be imposed on the Fund, decreasing its NAV, to the extent these costs are not offset by a transaction fee payable by an authorized participant.
Costs of Buying or Selling Shares. Buying or selling Shares involves certain costs, including brokerage commissions, other charges imposed by brokers, and bid-ask spreads. The bid-ask spread represents the difference between the price at which an investor is willing to buy Shares and the price at which an investor is willing to sell Shares. The spread varies over time based on the Shares’ trading volume and market liquidity. The spread is generally lower if Shares have more trading volume and market liquidity and higher if Shares have little trading volume and market liquidity. Due to the costs of buying or selling Shares, frequent trading of Shares may reduce investment results and an investment in Shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.
Shares May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all ETFs, Shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of Shares will approximate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price of Shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount) due to supply and demand of Shares or during periods of market volatility. This risk is heightened in times of market volatility, periods of steep market declines, and periods when there is limited trading activity for Shares in the secondary market, in which case such premiums or discounts may be significant.
Trading. Although Shares are listed on a national securities exchange, such as [ ] (the “Exchange”), and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that 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 Shares. This adverse effect on liquidity for the Fund’s shares may lead to wider bid-ask spreads and differences between the market price of the Fund’s shares and the underlying value of the shares.
Liquidity Risk. In certain circumstances, such as the disruption of the orderly markets for the financial instruments in which the Fund invests, the Fund might not be able to acquire or dispose of certain holdings quickly or at prices that represent true market value in the judgment of the Adviser. Markets for the financial instruments in which the Fund invests may be disrupted by a number of events, including but not limited to economic crises, health crises, natural disasters, excessive volatility, new legislation, or regulatory changes inside or outside of the U.S. These situations may have an impact on the liquidity of the Fund’s own shares.”
Economic and Market Risk. Economies and financial markets throughout the world are becoming increasingly interconnected, which increases the likelihood that events or conditions in one country or region will adversely impact markets or issuers in other countries or regions. Securities in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform in comparison to securities in the general financial markets, a particular financial market, or other asset classes, due to a number of factors, including inflation (or expectations for inflation), deflation (or expectations for deflation), interest rates, global demand for particular products or resources, market instability, financial system instability, debt crises and downgrades, embargoes, tariffs, sanctions and other trade barriers, regulatory events, other governmental trade or market control programs and related geopolitical events. In addition, the value of the Fund’s investments may be negatively affected by the occurrence of global events such as war, terrorism, environmental disasters, natural disasters or events, country instability, and infectious disease epidemics or pandemics. The imposition by the U.S. of tariffs on goods imported from foreign countries and reciprocal tariffs levied on U.S. goods by those countries also may lead to volatility and instability in domestic and foreign markets.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk. Daily rebalancing of the Fund’s holdings pursuant to its daily investment objective causes a much greater number of portfolio transactions when compared to most ETFs. Additionally, active market trading of the Fund’s Shares on exchanges (such as the Exchange), could cause more frequent creation and redemption activities, which could increase the number of portfolio transactions. Frequent and active trading may lead to higher transaction costs because of increased broker commissions resulting from such transactions. In addition, there is the possibility of significantly increased short-term capital gains (which will be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income when distributed to them). The Fund calculates portfolio turnover without including the short-term cash instruments or derivative transactions that comprise the majority of the Fund’s trading. As such, if the Fund’s extensive use of derivative instruments were reflected, the calculated portfolio turnover rate would be significantly higher.
Tracking Error Risk. Tracking error is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of its investment objective which aims to replicate two times the daily percentage change in the price of the Underlying Security. Tracking error may occur for a number of reasons. Tracking error may occur because of transaction costs, the Fund’s holding of cash, differences in accrual of dividends, being under- or overexposed to the Underlying Security or the need to meet new or existing regulatory requirements. Tracking error risk may be heightened during times of market volatility or other unusual market conditions such as market disruptions. The Fund may be required to deviate from its investment objectives, and therefore experience tracking error, as a result of market restrictions or other legal reasons, including regulatory limits or other restrictions on securities that may be purchased by the Adviser and its affiliates.
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Liquidity Risk. Some securities held by the Fund may be difficult to sell or be illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including, but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, epidemics/pandemics, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the United States. Illiquid securities may be difficult to value, especially in changing or volatile markets. If the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid security at an unfavorable time or price, the Fund may be adversely impacted. Certain market conditions or restrictions may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Underlying Security. There is no assurance that a security that is deemed liquid when purchased will continue to be liquid. Market illiquidity may cause losses for the Fund.
Money Market Instrument Risk. The Fund may use a variety of money market instruments for cash management purposes, including money market funds, depositary accounts and repurchase agreements. Repurchase agreements are contracts in which a seller of securities agrees to buy the securities back at a specified time and price. Repurchase agreements may be subject to market and credit risk related to the collateral securing the repurchase agreement. Money market instruments may lose money.
New Fund Risk. The Fund is a recently organized management investment company with no operating history. As a result, prospective investors do not have a track record or history on which to base their investment decisions.
Non-Diversification Risk. Because the Fund is “non-diversified,” it may invest a greater percentage of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it was a diversified fund. As a result, a decline in the value of an investment in a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers could cause the Fund’s overall value to decline to a greater degree than if the Fund held a more diversified portfolio. This may increase the Fund’s volatility and cause the performance of a relatively smaller number of issuers to have a greater impact on the Fund’s performance.
Trading Halt Risk. Although the Underlying Security’s shares are listed for trading on an exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such shares will be available at all times and the Exchange may halt trading of such shares in certain circumstances. A halt in trading in the Underlying Security’s shares is expected, in turn, to result in a halt in the trading in the Fund’s Shares. Trading in the Underlying Security’s and/or Fund’s Shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in the Underlying Security’s and/or Fund’s Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in Underlying Security’s and/or Fund’s Shares on an exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to exchange “circuit breaker” rules.” In the event of a trading halt for an extended period of time, the Fund may be unable to execute arrangements with swap counterparties that are necessary to implement the Fund’s investment strategy.
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 and the Fund’s investment advisor seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures, there is no way to completely protect against such risks.
U.S. Government and U.S. Agency Obligations Risk. The Fund may invest in securities issued by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities. U.S. Government obligations include securities issued or guaranteed as to principal and interest by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities, such as the U.S. Treasury. Payment of principal and interest on U.S. Government obligations may be backed by the full faith and credit of the United States or may be backed solely by the issuing or guaranteeing agency or instrumentality itself. In the latter case, the investor must look principally to the agency or instrumentality issuing or guaranteeing the obligation for ultimate repayment, which agency or instrumentality may be privately owned. There can be no assurance that the U.S. Government would provide financial support to its agencies or instrumentalities (including government-sponsored enterprises) where it is not obligated to do so.
Tax Risk. The Fund intends to elect and to qualify each year to be treated as a regulated investment company (a “RIC”) under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (“Code”). As a RIC, the Fund will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the portion of its net investment income and net capital gain that it distributes to shareholders, provided that it satisfies certain requirements of the Code. If the Fund does not qualify as a RIC for any taxable year and certain relief provisions are not available, the Fund’s taxable income will be subject to tax at the Fund level and to a further tax at the shareholder level when such income is distributed. To comply with the asset diversification test applicable to a RIC, the Fund will attempt to ensure that the value of swap contracts and options on shares of a single issuer does not exceed 25% of the Fund’s value at the close of any quarter. If the value of swap contracts and options on shares of a single issuer were to exceed 25% of the Fund’s total assets at the end of a tax quarter, the Fund, generally, has a grace period to cure such lack of compliance. If the Fund fails to timely cure, it may no longer be eligible to be treated as a RIC.
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Performance
Performance information for the Fund is not included because the Fund has not completed a full calendar year of operations as of the date of this Prospectus. When such information is included, this section will provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance history from year to year and showing how the Fund’s average annual total returns compare with those of a broad measure of market performance. Although past performance of the Fund is no guarantee of how it will perform in the future, historical performance may give you some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. Updated performance information will be available on the Fund’s website at https://www.defianceetfs.com.
Management
Investment Adviser: Tidal Investments LLC serves as investment adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers:
The following individuals are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund.
Stephen Foy, Portfolio Manager for the Adviser, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in 2025.
Christopher P. Mullen, Portfolio Manager for the Adviser, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in 2025.
Purchase and Sale of Shares
The Fund issues and redeems Shares at NAV only in large blocks known as “Creation Units,” which only APs (typically, broker-dealers) may purchase or redeem. The Fund generally issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities (the “Deposit Securities”) and/or a designated amount of U.S. cash.
Shares are listed on a national securities exchange, such as the Exchange, and individual Shares may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through brokers at market prices, rather than NAV. Because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).
An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares (the “bid” price) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares (the “ask” price) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market. This difference in bid and ask prices is often referred to as the “bid-ask spread.”
When available, information regarding the Fund’s NAV, market price, how often Shares traded on the Exchange at a premium or discount, and bid-ask spreads can be found on the Fund’s website at https://www.defianceetfs.com.
Tax Information
Fund distributions are generally taxable as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains (or a combination), unless an investment is in an individual retirement account (“IRA”) or other tax-advantaged account. Distributions on investments made through tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal of assets from those accounts.
Financial Intermediary Compensation
If you purchase Shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank) (an “Intermediary”), the Adviser or its affiliates may pay Intermediaries for certain activities related to the Fund, including participation in activities that are designed to make Intermediaries more knowledgeable about exchange-traded products, including the Fund, or for other activities, such as marketing, educational training, or other initiatives related to the sale or promotion of Shares. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the Intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Any such arrangements do not result in increased Fund expenses. Ask your salesperson or visit the Intermediary’s website for more information.
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SUMMARY INFORMATION
DEFIANCE DAILY TARGET 2X LONG UUUU ETF – FUND SUMMARY
Important Information About the Fund
The Defiance Daily Target 2X Long UUUU ETF (the “Fund”) seeks daily leveraged investment results of two times (200%) the daily percentage change in the share price of Energy Fuels Inc. (NYSE American: UUUU) (the “Underlying Security” or “UUUU”). Because the Fund seeks daily leveraged investment results, it is very different from most other exchange-traded funds. It is also riskier than alternatives that do not use leverage.
The return for investors that invest for periods longer or shorter than a trading day should not be expected to be 200% of the performance of the Underlying Security’s shares for the period. The return of the Fund for a period longer than a trading day will be the result of each trading day’s compounded return during such period held, which will very likely differ from 200% of the return of the Underlying Security’s shares for that period. Holding shares of the Fund for longer than a single day and higher volatility of the Underlying Security’s shares increase the impact of compounding on an investor’s returns, which may have a negative or positive impact on an investor’s returns. During periods of higher Underlying Security share price volatility, the volatility of the Underlying Security’s shares may affect the Fund’s return as much as, or more than, the return of the Underlying Security’s shares. The impact of compounding will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Fund is held and the volatility of the Underlying Security’s shares during a shareholder’s holding period of an investment in the Fund. See “Principal Investment Risks – Compounding and Market Volatility Risk” below for an example of how volatility of the Underlying Security’s shares may affect the Fund’s return as much as, or more than, the return of the Underlying Security’s shares.
The Fund is not suitable for all investors. The Fund is designed to be utilized only by knowledgeable investors who understand the potential consequences of seeking daily leveraged (2X) investment results, understand the risks associated with the use of leverage, and are willing to monitor their portfolios frequently. The Fund is not intended to be used by, and is not appropriate for, investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. For periods longer than a single day, the Fund will lose money if the Underlying Security’s performance is flat, and it is possible that the Fund will lose money even if the Underlying Security’s performance increases over a period longer than a single day. An investor could lose the full principal value of his/her investment within a single day.
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of two times (200%) the daily percentage change in the share price of Energy Fuels Inc. (NYSE American: UUUU). The Fund does not seek to achieve its stated investment objective for a period other than a single trading day.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below.
| Annual Fund Operating Expenses(1) (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) | |||||
| Management Fee | [ ] | % | |||
| Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees | None | ||||
| Other Expenses(2) | [ ] | % | |||
| Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses(3) | [ ] | % | |||
| (1) | The Fund’s investment adviser, Tidal Investments LLC (the “Adviser”), a Tidal Financial Group company, will pay, or require a sub-adviser to pay, all expenses incurred by the Fund (except for advisory fees and sub-advisory fees, as the case may be) excluding interest charges on any borrowings made for investment purposes, dividends and other expenses on securities sold short, taxes, brokerage commissions and other expenses incurred in placing orders for the purchase and sale of securities and other investment instruments, acquired fund fees and expenses, accrued deferred tax liability, distribution fees and expenses paid by the Fund under any distribution plan adopted pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), and litigation expenses and other non-routine or extraordinary expenses. |
| (2) | Based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year. |
| (3) | The cost of investing in swaps, including the embedded cost of the swap and the operating expenses of the referenced assets, is an indirect expense that is not included in the above fee table and is not reflected in the expense example. |
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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. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem or hold all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. The Example does not take into account brokerage commissions that you may pay on your purchases and sales of Shares. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years |
| $[ ] | $[ ] |
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in total annual fund operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund is newly organized, portfolio turnover information is not yet available.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund is an actively managed exchange traded fund (“ETF”) that attempts to achieve two times (200%) the daily percentage change in the share price of the Underlying Security by employing derivatives, namely swap agreements and/or listed options contracts. The Fund aims to achieve this daily percentage change for a single day, and not for any other period. A “single day” means the period “from the close of regular trading on one trading day to the close on the next trading day.”
If the Fund encounters limitations in implementing its strategies, whether due to market conditions, derivative availability, counterparty issues, or other factors, the Fund may not achieve investment results, before fees and expenses, that correspond to two times (2x) the daily performance of the Underlying Security, and may return substantially less during such periods. During such periods, the Fund’s actual leverage levels may differ substantially from its intended target, both intraday and at the close of trading, potentially resulting in significantly lower returns.
The Fund may enter into one or more swap agreements with financial institutions for a specified period, which may range from one day to longer than a year. Through each swap agreement, the Fund and the financial institution will agree to exchange the return (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on the Underlying Security’s share price. The gross return (meaning the return before deducting any fees or expenses) to be exchanged or “swapped” between the parties is calculated with respect to a “notional amount,” (meaning the face amount of the instrument) e.g., the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount representing the Underlying Security.
The Fund may also utilize listed options to seek to achieve leveraged 2X exposure to the Underlying Security. The Fund will primarily employ short-dated (a month or less) in-the-money call options (options with strike prices below the current market price of the Underlying Security, offering immediate intrinsic value). Additionally, the Fund may use other option strategies to produce similar exposure to the Underlying Security, like buying calls and selling puts with identical strike prices. These options allow the Fund to adjust its leverage strategy in response to market conditions, liquidity constraints, or other factors that may affect the availability or pricing of swap agreements. The use of listed options provides additional flexibility in pursuing the Fund’s daily investment objective. In situations where swap availability is constrained, the Fund may rely more heavily on options contracts. Additionally, the Fund may use options in response to changing market dynamics. However, the use of option contracts is typically less efficient than swaps and may increase the likelihood that the Fund is unable to achieve its daily 2X objective.
At the end of each day, the Fund’s swaps and options are valued using market valuations and the Fund’s investment adviser rebalances the Fund’s holdings in an attempt to maintain leveraged exposure for the Fund equal to approximately 200% of the Underlying Security’s share price. This daily rebalancing is expected to result in high portfolio turnover.
For examples of a hypothetical investment in the Fund, see the section in the Fund’s Prospectus titled see “Additional Information About the Fund – Principal Investment Strategies.”
Fund performance for periods greater than one single day is primarily (but not solely) a function of the following factors: a) the Underlying Security volatility; b) the Underlying Security’s performance; c) period of time; d) financing rates associated with leveraged exposure; and e) other Fund expenses.
The Fund will hold assets to serve as collateral for its derivatives positions. For those collateral holdings, the Fund may invest in (1) U.S. Government securities, such as bills, notes and bonds issued by the U.S. Treasury; (2) money market funds; (3) short term bond ETFs; and/or (4) corporate debt securities, such as commercial paper and other short-term unsecured promissory notes issued by businesses that are rated investment grade or of comparable quality.
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The Fund has adopted a policy to have at least 80% exposure to financial instruments with economic characteristics that should perform 2X the daily performance of the Underlying Security’s shares. The Fund is expected to allocate between 40% and 60% of its assets as collateral for swap agreements or as premiums for purchased options contracts.
The Fund is classified as “non-diversified” under the 1940 Act. The Fund’s investment strategy is expected to result in a high annual portfolio turnover rate.
Because of daily rebalancing and the compounding of each day’s return over time, the return of the Fund for periods longer than a single day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which will very likely differ from 200% of the return of the Underlying Security’s shares over the same period. The Fund will lose money if the Underlying Security’s performance is flat over time, and because of daily rebalancing, the Underlying Security’s shares’ volatility and the effects of compounding, the Fund may lose money over time while the Underlying Security’s performance increases over a period longer than a single day. As a consequence, investors should not plan to hold shares of the Fund unmonitored for periods longer than a single trading day.
Energy Fuels Inc. (“UUUU”)
Energy Fuels Inc. is an Ontario corporation with its corporate offices located in Lakewood, Colorado (a city in the Denver metropolitan area). Energy Fuels Inc. is a global critical mineral company. The company responsibly produces several of the raw materials needed for clean energy and advanced technologies, including uranium, vanadium, Heavy Mineral Sand (HMS) and Rare Earth Elements (REE). The company owns conventional uranium, uranium/vanadium and HMS properties and projects in various stages of operation, development, exploration and permitting, as well as fully permitted uranium and uranium/vanadium projects on standby.
UUUU is listed on the NYSE American. Per UUUU’s most recent Form 10-K filing, the aggregate market value of voting and non-voting common equity, as of the most recent available data at time of drafting this prospectus (June 30, 2024), held by non-affiliates of UUUU was approximately $971.30 million.
UUUU is registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Information provided to or filed with the SEC by UUUU pursuant to the Exchange Act can be located by reference to the SEC file number 001-36204 through the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. In addition, information regarding UUUU may be obtained from other sources including, but not limited to, press releases, newspaper articles and other publicly disseminated documents.
This document relates only to the securities offered hereby and does not relate to the shares of UUUU or other securities of Moderna, Inc. The Fund has derived all disclosures contained in this document regarding UUUU from the publicly available documents. None of the Fund, Tidal Trust II (the “Trust”), or the Adviser, or their respective affiliates has participated in the preparation of such publicly available offering documents or made any due diligence inquiry regarding such documents with respect to UUUU. None of the Fund, the Trust, or the Adviser, or their respective affiliates makes any representation that such publicly available documents or any other publicly available information regarding UUUU is accurate or complete. Furthermore, the Fund cannot give any assurance that all events occurring prior to the date hereof (including events that would affect the accuracy or completeness of the publicly available documents described above) that would affect the trading price of UUUU (and therefore the share price of the Fund at the time we price the securities) have been publicly disclosed. Subsequent disclosure of any such events or the disclosure of or failure to disclose material future events concerning UUUU could affect the value received with respect to the securities and therefore the value of the securities.
None of the Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates makes any representation to you as to the performance of UUUU.
NONE OF THE FUND, TIDAL TRUST II, OR TIDAL INVESTMENTS LLC IS AFFILIATED, CONNECTED, OR ASSOCIATED WITH ENERGY FUELS INC. THE FUND WAS NOT DEVELOPED OR CREATED BY, AND IS NOT SPONSORED, ENDORSED, OR APPROVED BY, ENERGY FUELS INC.
Moreover, Energy Fuels Inc. has not participated in the development of the Fund’s investment strategy. Moderna, Inc. does not select or approve the Fund’s portfolio holdings, nor does it participate in the construction, design, or implementation of the Fund. Moderna, Inc. does not provide any assurances, guarantees, or representations regarding the Fund or its performance. Nothing herein shall be construed as an offer of any security by Energy Fuels Inc.
None of the Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates claim any ownership interest in any trademarks owned by UUUU or its affiliates. All rights in the trademarks are reserved by their respective owners.
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Due to the Fund’s investment strategy, the Fund’s investment exposure is concentrated in the same industry as that assigned to the Underlying Security. As of the date of the Prospectus, UUUU is assigned to the oil, gas & consumable fuels industry.
Principal Investment Risks
The principal risks of investing in the Fund are summarized below. As with any investment, there is a risk that you could lose all or a portion of your investment in the Fund. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”) per Share, trading price, yield, total return, and/or ability to meet its investment objective. For more information about the risks of investing in the Fund, see the section in the Fund’s Prospectus titled “Additional Information About the Fund—Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund.”
An investment in the Fund entails risk. The Fund may not achieve its investment objective and there is a risk that you could lose all of your money invested in the Fund. The Fund is not a complete investment program. In addition, the Fund presents risks not traditionally associated with other ETFs. It is important that investors closely review all of the risks listed below and understand them before making an investment in the Fund.
Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears.
UUUU Risks. The Fund invests in swap contracts and options that are based on the share price of UUUU. This subjects the Fund to certain of the same risks as if it owned shares of UUUU, even though it does not. By virtue of the Fund’s investments in swap contracts and options that are based on the value of UUUU, the Fund may also be subject to the following risks:
| ● | Indirect Investment in UUUU Risk. UUUU is not affiliated with the Trust, the Fund, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates and is not involved with this offering in any way and has no obligation to consider your Shares in taking any corporate actions that might affect the value of Shares. Investors in the Fund will not have voting rights and will not be able to influence management of UUUU but will be exposed to the performance of UUUU (the underlying stock). Investors in the Fund will not have rights to receive dividends or other distributions or any other rights with respect to the underlying stock but will be subject to declines in the performance of the underlying stock. |
| ● | UUUU Trading Risk. The trading price of UUUU may be highly volatile and could continue to be subject to wide fluctuations in response to various factors. The stock market in general, and the market for energy companies in particular, has experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have often been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of those companies. In particular, a large proportion of UUUU may be traded by short sellers which may put pressure on the supply and demand for the common stock of UUUU, further influencing volatility in its market price. Public perception and other factors outside of the control of UUUU may additionally impact UUUU’s stock price due to UUUU garnering a disproportionate degree of public attention, regardless of actual operating performance. In addition, in the past, following periods of volatility in the overall market and the market price of a particular company’s securities, securities class action litigation has often been instituted against companies such as these. Moreover, stockholder litigation like this has been filed against UUUU in the past. While UUUU continues to defend such actions, any judgment against UUUU, or any future stockholder litigation could result in substantial costs and a diversion of the management of UUUU’s attention and resources. If UUUU trading is halted, trading in Shares of the Fund may be impacted, either temporarily or indefinitely. |
| ● | UUUU Performance Risk. UUUU may fail to meet its publicly announced guidelines or other expectations about its business, which could cause the price of UUUU to decline. UUUU provides guidance regarding its expected financial and business performance, such as projections regarding sales and production, as well as anticipated future revenues, gross margins, profitability and cash flows. Correctly identifying key factors affecting business conditions and predicting future events is inherently an uncertain process, and the guidance UUUU provides may not ultimately be accurate and has in the past been inaccurate in certain respects, such as the timing of new product manufacturing ramps. The guidance is based on certain assumptions such as those relating to global and local economic conditions, anticipated production and sales volumes (which generally are not linear throughout a given period), average sales prices, supplier and commodity costs, and planned cost reductions. If UUUU’s guidance is not accurate or varies from actual results due to its inability to meet the assumptions or the impact on its financial performance that could occur as a result of various risks and uncertainties, the market value of common stock issued by UUUU could decline significantly. |
| ● | Oil, Gas and Consumable Fuels Industry Risk. The oil, gas and consumable fuels industry is cyclical and highly dependent on the market price of fuel. The market value of companies in the oil, gas and consumable fuels industry are strongly affected by the levels and volatility of global commodity prices, supply and demand, capital expenditures on exploration and production, energy conservation efforts, the prices of alternative fuels, exchange rates and technological advances. Companies in this industry are subject to substantial government regulation and contractual fixed pricing, which may increase the cost of business and limit these companies’ earnings. Actions taken by central governments may dramatically impact supply and demand forces that influence the market price of fuel, resulting in sudden decreases in value for companies in the oil, gas and consumable fuels industry. A significant portion of their revenues depends on a relatively small number of customers, including governmental entities and utilities. As a result, governmental budget restraints may have a material adverse effect on the stock prices of companies in the industry. |
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| ● | Operational Risks. UUUU’s results of operations are significantly affected by the market prices of uranium, vanadium, rare earth elements and heavy mineral sands, which are cyclical and subject to substantial price fluctuations. UUUU’s earnings and operating cash flow are and will be particularly sensitive to the long- and short-term changes in the market prices of uranium, vanadium and REEs, as well as HMS and their components. Among other factors, these prices also affect the value of UUUU’s resources, reserves and inventories, as well as the market price of its common shares and therefore the Fund. Market prices are affected by numerous factors beyond UUUU’s control. |
| ● | Regulatory Risks. UUUU’s operations are subject to extensive international, federal, state and local laws and regulations. These regulations govern, among other things: acquisition of the property or mineral interests; maintenance of claims; tenure; expropriation; prospecting; exploration; development; construction; extraction and mining; recovery, processing, milling and production; price controls; exports and imports; taxes and royalties; labor standards; occupational health; waste disposal; toxic substances; water use; land use; American Indian or other foreign indigenous peoples consultations and accommodations; environmental protection and remediation; endangered and protected species; mine, mill and other facility decommissioning and reclamation; mine safety; transportation safety and emergency response; and other matters. Compliance with such laws and regulations has increased the costs of exploring, drilling, developing, constructing, operating and closing of UUUU’s mines, mills, plants and other extraction, recovery and processing facilities. It is possible that, in the future, the costs, delays and other effects associated with such laws and regulations may impact UUUU’s decision as to whether to operate existing mines or facilities, or, with respect to exploration, development or construction properties, whether to proceed with exploration, development or construction. It is also possible that such laws and regulations may result in UUUU incurring significant costs to remediate or decommission properties if it is determined they do not comply with applicable environmental standards at such time. |
Single Issuer Risk. Issuer-specific attributes may cause an investment in the Fund to be more volatile than a traditional pooled investment which diversifies risk or the market generally. The value of the Fund, which focuses on an individual security, may be more volatile than a traditional pooled investment or the market as a whole and may perform differently from the value of a traditional pooled investment or the market as a whole. Additionally, the Fund will seek to employ its investment strategy as it relates to the underlying issuer regardless of whether there are significant corporate actions such as restructurings, enforcement activity, or acquisitions or periods adverse market, economic, or other conditions and will not seek to take temporary defensive positions during such periods.
Compounding and Market Volatility Risk. The Fund has a daily leveraged investment objective and the Fund’s performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which is very likely to differ from two times (200%) the Underlying Security’s performance, before the Fund’s management fee and other expenses. Compounding affects all investments but has a more significant impact on funds that aim to replicate leveraged daily returns and that rebalance daily. For the Fund aiming to replicate two times the daily performance of an Underlying Security, if adverse daily performance of the Underlying Security reduces the amount of a shareholder’s investment, any further adverse daily performance will lead to a smaller dollar loss because the shareholder’s investment had already been reduced by the prior adverse performance. Equally, however, if favorable daily performance of the Underlying Security increases the amount of a shareholder’s investment, the dollar amount lost due to future adverse performance will increase because the shareholder’s investment has increased.
The effect of compounding becomes more pronounced as the Underlying Security’s volatility and the holding period increase. The impact of compounding will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Fund is held and the volatility of the Underlying Security during a shareholder’s holding period of an investment in the Fund.
The chart below provides examples of how the Underlying Security’s volatility could affect the Fund’s performance. The chart illustrates the impact of two factors that affect the Fund’s performance – the Underlying Security’s volatility and the Underlying Security’s performance. The Underlying Security’s performance shows the percentage change in the share price of the Underlying Security over the specified time period, while the Underlying Security’s volatility is a statistical measure of the magnitude of fluctuations in the returns during that time period. As illustrated below, even if the Underlying Security’s performance over two equal time periods is identical, different Underlying Security volatility (i.e., in magnitude of fluctuations in the share price of the Underlying Security) during the two time periods could result in drastically different Fund performance for the two time periods because of compounding daily returns during the time periods.
Fund performance for periods greater than one single day can be estimated given any set of assumptions for the following factors: a) the Underlying Security volatility; b) the Underlying Security performance; c) period of time; d) financing rates associated with leveraged exposure; and e) other Fund expenses. The chart shows estimated Fund returns for a number of combinations of Underlying Security volatility and Underlying Security performance over a one-year period. Performance shown in the chart assumes that: (i) there were no Fund expenses; (ii) borrowing/lending rates (to obtain leveraged exposure) of 0%. If Fund expenses and/or actual borrowing/lending rates were reflected the estimated returns would be different than those shown. Particularly during periods of higher Underlying Security volatility, compounding will cause results for periods longer than a trading day to vary from two times (200%) the performance of the Underlying Security.
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As shown in the chart below, the Fund would be expected to lose 6.1% if there was no change in the share price of the Underlying Security over a one-year period during which the Underlying Security experienced annualized volatility of 25%. If the Underlying Security’s annualized volatility were to rise to 75%, the hypothetical loss for a one-year period would widen to approximately -43%. At higher ranges of volatility, there is a chance of a significant loss of value in the Fund, even if there were no change in the share price of the Underlying Security. For instance, if the Underlying Security’s annualized volatility is 100%, the Fund would be expected to lose 63.2% of its value, even if the cumulative Underlying Security change in the share price of the Underlying Security for the year was 0%.
Areas shaded red (or dark gray) represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return less than two times (200%) the performance of the Underlying Security and those shaded green (or light gray) represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return more than two times (200%) the performance of the Underlying Security. The Fund’s actual performance may be significantly better or worse than the performance shown below as a result of any of the factors discussed above or in the “Daily Correlation/Tracking Risk” below.
| Estimated
Returns of 200% or Two Times Performance of the Underlying Security |
|||||||
| Underlying Security Performance | One Year Volatility Rate | ||||||
| One
Year Underlying Security |
2X
Times (200%) the One Year Performance |
10% | 25% | 50% | 75% | 100% | |
| -60% | -120% | -84.2% | -85.0% | -87.5% | -90.9% | -94.1% | |
| -50% | -100% | -75.2% | -76.5% | -80.5% | -85.8% | -90.8% | |
| -40% | -80% | -64.4% | -66.2% | -72.0% | -79.5% | -86.8% | |
| -30% | -60% | -51.5% | -54.0% | -61.8% | -72.1% | -82.0% | |
| -20% | -40% | -36.6% | -39.9% | -50.2% | -63.5% | -76.5% | |
| -10% | -20% | -19.8% | -23.9% | -36.9% | -53.8% | -70.2% | |
| 0% | 0% | -1.0% | -6.1% | -22.1% | -43.0% | -63.2% | |
| 10% | 20% | 19.8% | 13.7% | -5.8% | -31.1% | -55.5% | |
| 20% | 40% | 42.6% | 35.3% | 12.1% | -18.0% | -47.0% | |
| 30% | 60% | 67.3% | 58.8% | 31.6% | -3.7% | -37.8% | |
| 40% | 80% | 94.0% | 84.1% | 52.6% | 11.7% | -27.9% | |
| 50% | 100% | 122.8% | 111.4% | 75.2% | 28.2% | -17.2% | |
| 60% | 120% | 153.5% | 140.5% | 99.4% | 45.9% | -5.8% | |
The Underlying Security’s annualized historical volatility rate for the period from [ ] (the earliest date available) to [ ] was [ ]%. The Underlying Security’s highest volatility rate for any one calendar year during this period was [ ]%. The Underlying Security’s annualized performance during this period was [ ]%. Historical Underlying Security volatility and performance are not indications of what Underlying Security volatility and performance will be in the future.
Daily Correlation/Tracking Risk. There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of leveraged correlation to the Underlying Security and therefore achieve its daily leveraged investment objective. To achieve a high degree of leveraged correlation with the Underlying Security, the Fund seeks to rebalance its portfolio daily to keep exposure consistent with its daily leveraged investment objective. The possibility of the Fund being materially over- or under-exposed to the Underlying Security increases on days when the Underlying Security is volatile near the close of the trading day. Market disruptions, regulatory restrictions and extreme volatility will also adversely affect the Fund’s ability to adjust exposure to the required levels. If there is a significant intra-day market event and/or the Underlying Security experiences a significant increase or decline, the Fund may not meet its investment objective, be able to rebalance its portfolio appropriately, or may experience significant premiums or discounts, or widened bid-ask spreads.
The Fund may have difficulty achieving its daily leveraged investment objective due to fees, expenses, transaction costs, financing costs related to the use of derivatives, investments in ETFs, directly or indirectly, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities or derivatives held by the Fund. The Fund may be subject to large movements of assets into and out of the Fund, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or under-exposed to the Underlying Security. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions to improve the tax efficiency or to comply with various regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively impact the Fund’s leveraged correlation to the Underlying Security.
Leverage Risk. The Fund obtains investment exposure in excess of its net assets by utilizing leverage and may lose more money in market conditions that are adverse to its investment objective than a fund that does not utilize leverage. An investment in the Fund is exposed to the risk that a decline in the daily performance of the Underlying Security will be magnified. This means that an investment in the Fund will be reduced by an amount equal to 2% for every 1% daily decline in the share price of the Underlying Security, not including the costs of financing leverage and other operating expenses, which would further reduce its value. The Fund could theoretically lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event the share price of the Underlying Security declines more than 50%. Leverage will also have the effect of magnifying any differences in the Fund performance’s correlation with the Underlying Security’s share price.
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Derivatives Risk. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds (including ETFs), interest rates or indexes. The Fund’s investments in derivatives may pose risks in addition to, and greater than, those associated with directly investing in securities or other ordinary investments, including risk related to the market, leverage, imperfect daily correlations with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, higher price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty risk, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions. The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of derivatives may result in larger losses or smaller gains than directly investing in securities. When the Fund uses derivatives, there may be imperfect correlation between the share price of the Underlying Security and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. Because derivatives often require only a limited initial investment, the use of derivatives may expose the Fund to losses in excess of those amounts initially invested.
The Fund will be subject to regulatory constraints relating to level of value at risk that the Fund may incur through its derivative portfolio. To the extent the Fund exceeds these regulatory thresholds over an extended period, the Fund may determine that it is necessary to make adjustments to the Fund’s investment strategy, including the desired daily leveraged performance for the Fund.
In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
Swap Agreements. The use of swap transactions is a highly specialized activity, which involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. Whether the Fund will be successful in using swap agreements to achieve its investment goal depends on the ability of the Adviser to structure such swap agreements in accordance with the Fund’s investment objective and to identify counterparties for those swap agreements. If the Adviser is unable to enter into swap agreements that provide leveraged exposure to the Underlying Security, the Fund may not meet its stated investment objective. Additionally, any financing, borrowing or other costs associated with using swap transactions may also have the effect of lowering the Fund’s return.
The swap agreements in which the Fund invests are generally traded in the over-the-counter market, which generally has less transparency than exchange-traded derivatives instruments. In a standard swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the return (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined reference assets or underlying securities or instruments. The gross return to be exchanged or swapped between the parties is calculated based on a notional amount or the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount invested in a basket of securities.
If the Underlying Security has a dramatic move that causes a material decline in the Fund’s net assets, the terms of a swap agreement between the Fund and its counterparty may permit the counterparty to immediately close out the swap transaction with the Fund. In that event, the Fund may be unable to enter into another swap agreement or invest in other derivatives to achieve exposure consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. This may prevent the Fund from achieving its leveraged investment objective, even if the Underlying Security later reverses all or a portion of its movement.
Options Contracts. The use of options contracts involves investment strategies and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The prices of options are volatile and are influenced by, among other things, actual and anticipated changes in the value of the underlying instrument, including the anticipated volatility, which are affected by fiscal and monetary policies and by national and international political, changes in the actual or implied volatility or the reference asset, the time remaining until the expiration of the option contract and economic events. The value of the options contracts in which the Fund invests are substantially influenced by the value of the Underlying Security. The Fund may experience substantial downside from specific option positions and certain option positions held by the Fund may expire worthless. The options held by the Fund are exercisable at the strike price on their expiration date. As an option approaches its expiration date, its value typically increasingly moves with the value of the underlying instrument. However, prior to such date, the value of an option generally does not increase or decrease at the same rate as the underlying instrument. There may at times be an imperfect correlation between the movement in values options contracts and the underlying instrument, and there may at times not be a liquid secondary market for certain options contracts. The value of the options held by the Fund will be determined based on market quotations or other recognized pricing methods. Additionally, as the Fund intends to continuously maintain indirect exposure to the Underlying Security through the use of options contracts, as the options contracts it holds are exercised or expire it will enter into new options contracts, a practice referred to as “rolling.” If the expiring options contracts do not generate proceeds enough to cover the cost of entering into new options contracts, the Fund may experience losses. The use of options to generate leverage introduces additional risks, including significant potential losses if the market moves unfavorably. The leverage inherent in options can amplify both gains and losses, leading to increased volatility and potential for substantial losses, particularly in periods of market uncertainty or low liquidity. Additionally, the Fund may incur losses if the value of the Underlying Security moves against its positions, potentially resulting in a complete loss of the premium paid.
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Counterparty Risk. The Fund is subject to counterparty risk by virtue of its investments in derivatives which exposes the Fund to the risk that the counterparty will not fulfill its obligation to the Fund. Counterparty risk may arise because of the counterparty’s financial condition (i.e., financial difficulties, bankruptcy, or insolvency), market activities and developments, or other reasons, whether foreseen or not. A counterparty’s inability to fulfill its obligation may result in significant financial loss to the Fund and the Fund may be unable to recover its investment from such counterparty or may obtain a limited and/or delayed recovery.
Counterparties may seek to hedge their exposure to individual clients (such as the Fund) by establishing offsetting exposures with other clients, however, there is no guarantee that counterparties will do so under all circumstances. Should a counterparty (e.g., a swap counterparty) terminate its relationship with the Fund, the Fund will seek to utilize other counterparties to seek to maintain its exposures. In addition, the Fund may use options contracts to seek to generate the leverage necessary to implement its strategy. The use of options contracts introduces distinct risks, including heightened volatility, particularly intraday. While options may provide an ancillary benefit of mitigating some losses under specific scenarios, such as severe market downturns, their inherent leverage and rapid price fluctuations can amplify the Fund’s performance volatility and lead to greater risks of substantial losses. Refer to “Derivatives Risk – Options Contracts” for additional information on the risks of investing in options.
In addition, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with a limited number of counterparties, which may increase the Fund’s exposure to counterparty credit risk. Further, there is a risk that no suitable counterparties will be willing to enter into, or continue to enter into, transactions with the Fund and, as a result, the Fund may not be able to achieve its investment objective.
Intra-Day Investment Risk. The Fund seeks investment results from the close of the market on a given trading day until the close of the market on the subsequent trading day. The exact exposure of an investment in the Fund intraday in the secondary market is a function of the difference between the share price of the Underlying Security at the market close on the first trading day and the share price of the Underlying Security at the time of purchase. If the share price of the Underlying Security rises, the Fund’s net assets will rise by approximately twice the amount as the Fund’s exposure. Conversely, if the share price of the Underlying Security declines, the Fund’s net assets will decline by approximately two times the amount as the Fund’s exposure. Thus, an investor that purchases Shares intra-day may experience performance that is greater than, or less than, the Fund’s stated leveraged performance of the Underlying Security.
If there is a significant intra-day market event and/or the securities of the Underlying Security experience a significant increase or decrease, the Fund may not meet its investment objective or rebalance its portfolio appropriately.
Fixed Income Securities Risk. When the Fund invests in fixed income securities, the value of your investment in the Fund will fluctuate with changes in interest rates. Typically, a rise in interest rates causes a decline in the value of fixed income securities owned by the Fund. In general, the market price of fixed income securities with longer maturities will increase or decrease more in response to changes in interest rates than shorter-term securities. Other risk factors include credit risk (the debtor may default), extension risk (an issuer may exercise its right to repay principal on a fixed rate obligation held by the Fund later than expected), and prepayment risk (the debtor may pay its obligation early, reducing the amount of interest payments). These risks could affect the value of a particular investment by the Fund, possibly causing the Fund’s Share price and total return to be reduced and fluctuate more than other types of investments.
Rebalancing Risk. If for any reason the Fund is unable to rebalance all or a portion of its portfolio, or if all or a portion of the portfolio is rebalanced incorrectly, the Fund’s investment exposure may not be consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. In these instances, the Fund may have investment exposure to the Underlying Security that is significantly greater or less than its stated investment objective. As a result, the Fund may be exposed to leverage risk because it had not been properly rebalanced and may not achieve its investment objective.
ETF Risks
Authorized Participants, Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that are authorized to purchase and redeem Shares directly from the Fund (known as “Authorized Participants” or “APs”). In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, Shares may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services; or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.
Cash Redemption Risk. The Fund’s investment strategy may require it to redeem Shares for cash or to otherwise include cash as part of its redemption proceeds. For example, the Fund may not be able to redeem in-kind certain securities held by the Fund (e.g., derivative instruments). In such a case, the Fund may be required to sell or unwind portfolio investments to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. This may cause the Fund to recognize a capital gain that it might not have recognized if it had made a redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher annual capital gain distributions than if the in-kind redemption process was used. By paying out higher annual capital gain distributions, investors may be subjected to increased capital gains taxes. The costs associated with cash redemptions may include brokerage costs that the Fund may not have incurred if it had made the redemptions in-kind. These costs could be imposed on the Fund, decreasing its NAV, to the extent these costs are not offset by a transaction fee payable by an authorized participant.
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Costs of Buying or Selling Shares. Buying or selling Shares involves certain costs, including brokerage commissions, other charges imposed by brokers, and bid-ask spreads. The bid-ask spread represents the difference between the price at which an investor is willing to buy Shares and the price at which an investor is willing to sell Shares. The spread varies over time based on the Shares’ trading volume and market liquidity. The spread is generally lower if Shares have more trading volume and market liquidity and higher if Shares have little trading volume and market liquidity. Due to the costs of buying or selling Shares, frequent trading of Shares may reduce investment results and an investment in Shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.
Shares May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all ETFs, Shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of Shares will approximate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price of Shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount) due to supply and demand of Shares or during periods of market volatility. This risk is heightened in times of market volatility, periods of steep market declines, and periods when there is limited trading activity for Shares in the secondary market, in which case such premiums or discounts may be significant.
Trading. Although Shares are listed on a national securities exchange, such as [ ] (the “Exchange”), and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that 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 Shares. This adverse effect on liquidity for the Fund’s shares may lead to wider bid-ask spreads and differences between the market price of the Fund’s shares and the underlying value of the shares.
Liquidity Risk. In certain circumstances, such as the disruption of the orderly markets for the financial instruments in which the Fund invests, the Fund might not be able to acquire or dispose of certain holdings quickly or at prices that represent true market value in the judgment of the Adviser. Markets for the financial instruments in which the Fund invests may be disrupted by a number of events, including but not limited to economic crises, health crises, natural disasters, excessive volatility, new legislation, or regulatory changes inside or outside of the U.S. These situations may have an impact on the liquidity of the Fund’s own shares.”
Economic and Market Risk. Economies and financial markets throughout the world are becoming increasingly interconnected, which increases the likelihood that events or conditions in one country or region will adversely impact markets or issuers in other countries or regions. Securities in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform in comparison to securities in the general financial markets, a particular financial market, or other asset classes, due to a number of factors, including inflation (or expectations for inflation), deflation (or expectations for deflation), interest rates, global demand for particular products or resources, market instability, financial system instability, debt crises and downgrades, embargoes, tariffs, sanctions and other trade barriers, regulatory events, other governmental trade or market control programs and related geopolitical events. In addition, the value of the Fund’s investments may be negatively affected by the occurrence of global events such as war, terrorism, environmental disasters, natural disasters or events, country instability, and infectious disease epidemics or pandemics. The imposition by the U.S. of tariffs on goods imported from foreign countries and reciprocal tariffs levied on U.S. goods by those countries also may lead to volatility and instability in domestic and foreign markets.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk. Daily rebalancing of the Fund’s holdings pursuant to its daily investment objective causes a much greater number of portfolio transactions when compared to most ETFs. Additionally, active market trading of the Fund’s Shares on exchanges (such as the Exchange), could cause more frequent creation and redemption activities, which could increase the number of portfolio transactions. Frequent and active trading may lead to higher transaction costs because of increased broker commissions resulting from such transactions. In addition, there is the possibility of significantly increased short-term capital gains (which will be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income when distributed to them). The Fund calculates portfolio turnover without including the short-term cash instruments or derivative transactions that comprise the majority of the Fund’s trading. As such, if the Fund’s extensive use of derivative instruments were reflected, the calculated portfolio turnover rate would be significantly higher.
Tracking Error Risk. Tracking error is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of its investment objective which aims to replicate two times the daily percentage change in the price of the Underlying Security. Tracking error may occur for a number of reasons. Tracking error may occur because of transaction costs, the Fund’s holding of cash, differences in accrual of dividends, being under- or overexposed to the Underlying Security or the need to meet new or existing regulatory requirements. Tracking error risk may be heightened during times of market volatility or other unusual market conditions such as market disruptions. The Fund may be required to deviate from its investment objectives, and therefore experience tracking error, as a result of market restrictions or other legal reasons, including regulatory limits or other restrictions on securities that may be purchased by the Adviser and its affiliates.
Liquidity Risk. Some securities held by the Fund may be difficult to sell or be illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including, but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, epidemics/pandemics, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the United States. Illiquid securities may be difficult to value, especially in changing or volatile markets. If the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid security at an unfavorable time or price, the Fund may be adversely impacted. Certain market conditions or restrictions may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Underlying Security. There is no assurance that a security that is deemed liquid when purchased will continue to be liquid. Market illiquidity may cause losses for the Fund.
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Money Market Instrument Risk. The Fund may use a variety of money market instruments for cash management purposes, including money market funds, depositary accounts and repurchase agreements. Repurchase agreements are contracts in which a seller of securities agrees to buy the securities back at a specified time and price. Repurchase agreements may be subject to market and credit risk related to the collateral securing the repurchase agreement. Money market instruments may lose money.
New Fund Risk. The Fund is a recently organized management investment company with no operating history. As a result, prospective investors do not have a track record or history on which to base their investment decisions.
Non-Diversification Risk. Because the Fund is “non-diversified,” it may invest a greater percentage of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it was a diversified fund. As a result, a decline in the value of an investment in a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers could cause the Fund’s overall value to decline to a greater degree than if the Fund held a more diversified portfolio. This may increase the Fund’s volatility and cause the performance of a relatively smaller number of issuers to have a greater impact on the Fund’s performance.
Trading Halt Risk. Although the Underlying Security’s shares are listed for trading on an exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such shares will be available at all times and the Exchange may halt trading of such shares in certain circumstances. A halt in trading in the Underlying Security’s shares is expected, in turn, to result in a halt in the trading in the Fund’s Shares. Trading in the Underlying Security’s and/or Fund’s Shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in the Underlying Security’s and/or Fund’s Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in Underlying Security’s and/or Fund’s Shares on an exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to exchange “circuit breaker” rules.” In the event of a trading halt for an extended period of time, the Fund may be unable to execute arrangements with swap counterparties that are necessary to implement the Fund’s investment strategy.
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 and the Fund’s investment advisor seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures, there is no way to completely protect against such risks.
U.S. Government and U.S. Agency Obligations Risk. The Fund may invest in securities issued by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities. U.S. Government obligations include securities issued or guaranteed as to principal and interest by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities, such as the U.S. Treasury. Payment of principal and interest on U.S. Government obligations may be backed by the full faith and credit of the United States or may be backed solely by the issuing or guaranteeing agency or instrumentality itself. In the latter case, the investor must look principally to the agency or instrumentality issuing or guaranteeing the obligation for ultimate repayment, which agency or instrumentality may be privately owned. There can be no assurance that the U.S. Government would provide financial support to its agencies or instrumentalities (including government-sponsored enterprises) where it is not obligated to do so.
Tax Risk. The Fund intends to elect and to qualify each year to be treated as a regulated investment company (a “RIC”) under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (“Code”). As a RIC, the Fund will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the portion of its net investment income and net capital gain that it distributes to shareholders, provided that it satisfies certain requirements of the Code. If the Fund does not qualify as a RIC for any taxable year and certain relief provisions are not available, the Fund’s taxable income will be subject to tax at the Fund level and to a further tax at the shareholder level when such income is distributed. To comply with the asset diversification test applicable to a RIC, the Fund will attempt to ensure that the value of swap contracts and options on shares of a single issuer does not exceed 25% of the Fund’s value at the close of any quarter. If the value of swap contracts and options on shares of a single issuer were to exceed 25% of the Fund’s total assets at the end of a tax quarter, the Fund, generally, has a grace period to cure such lack of compliance. If the Fund fails to timely cure, it may no longer be eligible to be treated as a RIC.
Performance
Performance information for the Fund is not included because the Fund has not completed a full calendar year of operations as of the date of this Prospectus. When such information is included, this section will provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance history from year to year and showing how the Fund’s average annual total returns compare with those of a broad measure of market performance. Although past performance of the Fund is no guarantee of how it will perform in the future, historical performance may give you some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. Updated performance information will be available on the Fund’s website at https://www.defianceetfs.com.
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Management
Investment Adviser: Tidal Investments LLC serves as investment adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers:
The following individuals are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund.
Stephen Foy, Portfolio Manager for the Adviser, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in 2025.
Christopher P. Mullen, Portfolio Manager for the Adviser, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in 2025.
Purchase and Sale of Shares
The Fund issues and redeems Shares at NAV only in large blocks known as “Creation Units,” which only APs (typically, broker-dealers) may purchase or redeem. The Fund generally issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities (the “Deposit Securities”) and/or a designated amount of U.S. cash.
Shares are listed on a national securities exchange, such as the Exchange, and individual Shares may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through brokers at market prices, rather than NAV. Because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).
An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares (the “bid” price) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares (the “ask” price) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market. This difference in bid and ask prices is often referred to as the “bid-ask spread.”
When available, information regarding the Fund’s NAV, market price, how often Shares traded on the Exchange at a premium or discount, and bid-ask spreads can be found on the Fund’s website at https://www.defianceetfs.com.
Tax Information
Fund distributions are generally taxable as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains (or a combination), unless an investment is in an individual retirement account (“IRA”) or other tax-advantaged account. Distributions on investments made through tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal of assets from those accounts.
Financial Intermediary Compensation
If you purchase Shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank) (an “Intermediary”), the Adviser or its affiliates may pay Intermediaries for certain activities related to the Fund, including participation in activities that are designed to make Intermediaries more knowledgeable about exchange-traded products, including the Fund, or for other activities, such as marketing, educational training, or other initiatives related to the sale or promotion of Shares. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the Intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Any such arrangements do not result in increased Fund expenses. Ask your salesperson or visit the Intermediary’s website for more information.
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SUMMARY INFORMATION
DEFIANCE DAILY TARGET 2X LONG CCJ ETF – FUND SUMMARY
Important Information About the Fund
The Defiance Daily Target 2X Long CCJ ETF (the “Fund”) seeks daily leveraged investment results of two times (200%) the daily percentage change in the share price of Cameco Corporation (NYSE: CCJ) (the “Underlying Security” or “CCJ”). Because the Fund seeks daily leveraged investment results, it is very different from most other exchange-traded funds. It is also riskier than alternatives that do not use leverage.
The return for investors that invest for periods longer or shorter than a trading day should not be expected to be 200% of the performance of the Underlying Security’s shares for the period. The return of the Fund for a period longer than a trading day will be the result of each trading day’s compounded return during such period held, which will very likely differ from 200% of the return of the Underlying Security’s shares for that period. Holding shares of the Fund for longer than a single day and higher volatility of the Underlying Security’s shares increase the impact of compounding on an investor’s returns, which may have a negative or positive impact on an investor’s returns. During periods of higher Underlying Security share price volatility, the volatility of the Underlying Security’s shares may affect the Fund’s return as much as, or more than, the return of the Underlying Security’s shares. The impact of compounding will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Fund is held and the volatility of the Underlying Security’s shares during a shareholder’s holding period of an investment in the Fund. See “Principal Investment Risks – Compounding and Market Volatility Risk” below for an example of how volatility of the Underlying Security’s shares may affect the Fund’s return as much as, or more than, the return of the Underlying Security’s shares.
The Fund is not suitable for all investors. The Fund is designed to be utilized only by knowledgeable investors who understand the potential consequences of seeking daily leveraged (2X) investment results, understand the risks associated with the use of leverage, and are willing to monitor their portfolios frequently. The Fund is not intended to be used by, and is not appropriate for, investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. For periods longer than a single day, the Fund will lose money if the Underlying Security’s performance is flat, and it is possible that the Fund will lose money even if the Underlying Security’s performance increases over a period longer than a single day. An investor could lose the full principal value of his/her investment within a single day.
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of two times (200%) the daily percentage change in the share price of Cameco Corporation (NYSE: CCJ). The Fund does not seek to achieve its stated investment objective for a period other than a single trading day.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below.
| Annual Fund Operating Expenses(1) (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) | |||||
| Management Fee | [ ] | % | |||
| Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees | None | ||||
| Other Expenses(2) | [ ] | % | |||
| Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses(3) | [ ] | % | |||
| (1) | The Fund’s investment adviser, Tidal Investments LLC (the “Adviser”), a Tidal Financial Group company, will pay, or require a sub-adviser to pay, all expenses incurred by the Fund (except for advisory fees and sub-advisory fees, as the case may be) excluding interest charges on any borrowings made for investment purposes, dividends and other expenses on securities sold short, taxes, brokerage commissions and other expenses incurred in placing orders for the purchase and sale of securities and other investment instruments, acquired fund fees and expenses, accrued deferred tax liability, distribution fees and expenses paid by the Fund under any distribution plan adopted pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), and litigation expenses and other non-routine or extraordinary expenses. |
| (2) | Based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year. |
| (3) | The cost of investing in swaps, including the embedded cost of the swap and the operating expenses of the referenced assets, is an indirect expense that is not included in the above fee table and is not reflected in the expense example. |
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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. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem or hold all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. The Example does not take into account brokerage commissions that you may pay on your purchases and sales of Shares. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years |
| $[ ] | $[ ] |
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in total annual fund operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund is newly organized, portfolio turnover information is not yet available.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund is an actively managed exchange traded fund (“ETF”) that attempts to achieve two times (200%) the daily percentage change in the share price of the Underlying Security by employing derivatives, namely swap agreements and/or listed options contracts. The Fund aims to achieve this daily percentage change for a single day, and not for any other period. A “single day” means the period “from the close of regular trading on one trading day to the close on the next trading day.”
If the Fund encounters limitations in implementing its strategies, whether due to market conditions, derivative availability, counterparty issues, or other factors, the Fund may not achieve investment results, before fees and expenses, that correspond to two times (2x) the daily performance of the Underlying Security, and may return substantially less during such periods. During such periods, the Fund’s actual leverage levels may differ substantially from its intended target, both intraday and at the close of trading, potentially resulting in significantly lower returns.
The Fund may enter into one or more swap agreements with financial institutions for a specified period, which may range from one day to longer than a year. Through each swap agreement, the Fund and the financial institution will agree to exchange the return (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on the Underlying Security’s share price. The gross return (meaning the return before deducting any fees or expenses) to be exchanged or “swapped” between the parties is calculated with respect to a “notional amount,” (meaning the face amount of the instrument) e.g., the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount representing the Underlying Security.
The Fund may also utilize listed options to seek to achieve leveraged 2X exposure to the Underlying Security. The Fund will primarily employ short-dated (a month or less) in-the-money call options (options with strike prices below the current market price of the Underlying Security, offering immediate intrinsic value). Additionally, the Fund may use other option strategies to produce similar exposure to the Underlying Security, like buying calls and selling puts with identical strike prices. These options allow the Fund to adjust its leverage strategy in response to market conditions, liquidity constraints, or other factors that may affect the availability or pricing of swap agreements. The use of listed options provides additional flexibility in pursuing the Fund’s daily investment objective. In situations where swap availability is constrained, the Fund may rely more heavily on options contracts. Additionally, the Fund may use options in response to changing market dynamics. However, the use of option contracts is typically less efficient than swaps and may increase the likelihood that the Fund is unable to achieve its daily 2X objective.
At the end of each day, the Fund’s swaps and options are valued using market valuations and the Fund’s investment adviser rebalances the Fund’s holdings in an attempt to maintain leveraged exposure for the Fund equal to approximately 200% of the Underlying Security’s share price. This daily rebalancing is expected to result in high portfolio turnover.
For examples of a hypothetical investment in the Fund, see the section in the Fund’s Prospectus titled see “Additional Information About the Fund – Principal Investment Strategies.”
Fund performance for periods greater than one single day is primarily (but not solely) a function of the following factors: a) the Underlying Security volatility; b) the Underlying Security’s performance; c) period of time; d) financing rates associated with leveraged exposure; and e) other Fund expenses.
The Fund will hold assets to serve as collateral for its derivatives positions. For those collateral holdings, the Fund may invest in (1) U.S. Government securities, such as bills, notes and bonds issued by the U.S. Treasury; (2) money market funds; (3) short term bond ETFs; and/or (4) corporate debt securities, such as commercial paper and other short-term unsecured promissory notes issued by businesses that are rated investment grade or of comparable quality.
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The Fund has adopted a policy to have at least 80% exposure to financial instruments with economic characteristics that should perform 2X the daily performance of the Underlying Security’s shares. The Fund is expected to allocate between 40% and 60% of its assets as collateral for swap agreements or as premiums for purchased options contracts.
The Fund is classified as “non-diversified” under the 1940 Act. The Fund’s investment strategy is expected to result in a high annual portfolio turnover rate.
Because of daily rebalancing and the compounding of each day’s return over time, the return of the Fund for periods longer than a single day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which will very likely differ from 200% of the return of the Underlying Security’s shares over the same period. The Fund will lose money if the Underlying Security’s performance is flat over time, and because of daily rebalancing, the Underlying Security’s shares’ volatility and the effects of compounding, the Fund may lose money over time while the Underlying Security’s performance increases over a period longer than a single day. As a consequence, investors should not plan to hold shares of the Fund unmonitored for periods longer than a single trading day.
Cameco Corporation (“CCJ”)
CCJ’s operations span the nuclear fuel cycle from exploration to fuel services, which include uranium production, refining, uranium dioxide (UO2) and uranium hexafluoride (UF6) conversion services. CCJ further enhanced its ability to meet its customers’ growing demand for reliable and secure nuclear fuel supplies, services and technologies by investing in Westinghouse. Westinghouse’s assets augment the core of CCJ’s business, providing operating plant services to the installed global base of reactors, the design fabrication and supply of fuel assemblies and the design, development, engineering and procurement of equipment for new reactors. CCJ also has made an investment in a third-generation enrichment technology, that if successful CCJ expects will allow it to participate in the entire nuclear fuel value chain. CCJ is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”). Per CCJ’s most recent 40-F filing, as of December 31, 2024, CCJ had 435,312,083 Common Shares outstanding.
CCJ is registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Information provided to or filed with the SEC by CCJ pursuant to the Exchange Act can be located by reference to SEC file number 001-14228 through the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. In addition, information regarding CCJ may be obtained from other sources including, but not limited to, press releases, newspaper articles and other publicly disseminated documents.
This document relates only to the securities offered hereby and does not relate to the shares of CCJ or other securities of CCJ. The Fund has derived all disclosures contained in this document regarding CCJ from the publicly available documents. None of the Fund, Tidal Trust II (the “Trust”), or the Adviser, or their respective affiliates has participated in the preparation of such publicly available offering documents or made any due diligence inquiry regarding such documents with respect to CCJ. None of the Fund, the Trust, or the Adviser, or their respective affiliates makes any representation that such publicly available documents or any other publicly available information regarding CCJ is accurate or complete. Furthermore, the Fund cannot give any assurance that all events occurring prior to the date hereof (including events that would affect the accuracy or completeness of the publicly available documents described above) that would affect the trading price of CCJ (and therefore the share price of the Fund at the time we price the securities) have been publicly disclosed. Subsequent disclosure of any such events or the disclosure of or failure to disclose material future events concerning CCJ could affect the value received with respect to the securities and therefore the value of the securities.
None of the Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates makes any representation to you as to the performance of CCJ.
NONE OF THE FUND, TIDAL TRUST II, OR TIDAL INVESTMENTS LLC IS AFFILIATED, CONNECTED, OR ASSOCIATED WITH CCJ. THE FUND WAS NOT DEVELOPED OR CREATED BY, AND IS NOT SPONSORED, ENDORSED, OR APPROVED BY CCJ.
Moreover, CCJ has not participated in the development of the Fund’s investment strategy. CCJ does not select or approve the Fund’s portfolio holdings, nor does it participate in the construction, design, or implementation of the Fund. CCJ does not provide any assurances, guarantees, or representations regarding the Fund or its performance. Nothing herein shall be construed as an offer of any security by CCJ.
None of the Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates claim any ownership interest in any trademarks owned by CCJ or its affiliates. All rights in the trademarks are reserved by their respective owners.
Due to the Fund’s investment strategy, the Fund’s investment exposure is concentrated in the same industry as that assigned to the Underlying Security. As of the date of the Prospectus, CCJ is assigned to the oil, gas and consumable fuels industry.
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Principal Investment Risks
The principal risks of investing in the Fund are summarized below. As with any investment, there is a risk that you could lose all or a portion of your investment in the Fund. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”) per Share, trading price, yield, total return, and/or ability to meet its investment objective. For more information about the risks of investing in the Fund, see the section in the Fund’s Prospectus titled “Additional Information About the Fund—Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund.”
An investment in the Fund entails risk. The Fund may not achieve its investment objective and there is a risk that you could lose all of your money invested in the Fund. The Fund is not a complete investment program. In addition, the Fund presents risks not traditionally associated with other ETFs. It is important that investors closely review all of the risks listed below and understand them before making an investment in the Fund.
Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears.
CCJ Risks. The Fund invests in swap contracts and options that are based on the share price of CCJ. This subjects the Fund to certain of the same risks as if it owned shares of CCJ, even though it does not. By virtue of the Fund’s investments in swap contracts and options that are based on the value of CCJ, the Fund may also be subject to the following risks:
| ● | Indirect Investment in CCJ Risk. CCJ is not affiliated with the Trust, the Fund, or the Adviser, or their respective affiliates and is not involved with this offering in any way and has no obligation to consider your Shares in taking any corporate actions that might affect the value of Shares. Investors in the Fund will not have voting rights or influence over the management of CCJ but will be exposed to the performance of CCJ (the Underlying Security). Investors will also not have the right to receive dividends or other distributions from CCJ, but will remain subject to price fluctuations and other risks associated with ownership of the Underlying Security. |
| ● | CCJ Trading Risk. The trading price of CCJ may be subject to volatility and could experience wide fluctuations due to various factors. Short sellers may also influence CCJ’s trading activity, contributing to market instability. Public perception and external factors beyond the company’s control may influence CCJ’s stock price disproportionately. Additionally, following periods of market volatility, companies have faced securities class action litigation. Any adverse judgment or future stockholder litigation could result in substantial costs and divert management’s attention and resources. In the event of a trading halt, delisting, or significant disruption in the market for CCJ’s shares, the Fund may experience difficulty entering, modifying, or liquidating its exposures. These conditions could impair the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective, result in significant tracking error, or, in extreme cases, force the Fund to liquidate entirely. |
| ● |
CCJ Performance Risk. CCJ may fail to meet its publicly announced guidelines or other expectations about its business, which could cause the price of CCJ to decline. Correctly identifying key factors affecting business conditions and predicting future events is inherently an uncertain process, and the guidance CCJ provides may not ultimately be accurate. If CCJ’s guidance is not accurate or varies from actual results due to its inability to meet the assumptions or the impact on its financial performance that could occur as a result of various risks and uncertainties, the market value of common stock issued by CCJ could decline significantly. |
| ● | Mining Uranium Risk. CCJ’s business segments are concentrated in the nuclear fuel and reactor cycles, with the largest segment being uranium mining. As such, CCJ is sensitive to changes in, and its performance and future prospects, will depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the nuclear energy industry and the public acceptance of nuclear energy. CCJ may be susceptible to increased risks, compared to diversified metals trading companies or diversified mining companies, as a result of the fact that its operations are concentrated in the nuclear fuel business. |
| ● | Oil, Gas and Consumable Fuels Industry Risk. The oil, gas and consumable fuels industry is cyclical and highly dependent on the market price of fuel. The market value of companies in the oil, gas and consumable fuels industry are strongly affected by the levels and volatility of global commodity prices, supply and demand, capital expenditures on exploration and production, energy conservation efforts, the prices of alternative fuels, exchange rates and technological advances. Companies in this industry are subject to substantial government regulation and contractual fixed pricing, which may increase the cost of business and limit these companies’ earnings. Actions taken by central governments may dramatically impact supply and demand forces that influence the market price of fuel, resulting in sudden decreases in value for companies in the oil, gas and consumable fuels industry. A significant portion of their revenues depends on a relatively small number of customers, including governmental entities and utilities. As a result, governmental budget restraints may have a material adverse effect on the stock prices of companies in the industry. |
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| ● | Commodity Price Risk. Because CCJ derives the majority of its revenues from sales of nuclear fuel products and services, its results of operations and cash flows will fluctuate as the price of nuclear fuel products and services increases or decreases. A sustained period of declining prices across the nuclear fuel cycle would materially and adversely affect CCJ’s results of operations and cash flows. Additionally, if the market price for nuclear fuel declines or remains at relatively low levels for a sustained period, CCJ may have to revise its operating plans, including reducing operating costs and capital expenditures, terminating, or suspending mining operations at one or more of properties, and discontinuing certain exploration and development plans. In the past, CCJ has been impacted by the sustained period of low prices. In a sustained period of low prices, CCJ may be unable to decrease its costs in an amount sufficient to offset reductions in revenues and may incur losses. |
| ● | Regulatory Risk. Since 2008, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has disputed CCJ’s marketing and trading structure and the related transfer pricing methodology CCJ has used for certain intercompany uranium sale and purchase agreements. CCJ’s expectations relating to this transfer pricing dispute, including its confidence that the courts would reject any attempt by CRA to utilize the same or similar positions for other tax years currently in dispute, and its belief that CRA should return the full amount of cash and security that has been paid or otherwise secured by CCJ, may be incorrect and could adversely affect the company. |
| ● | Foreign Issuer Risk. CCJ is a Canadian company. Because the Fund has indirect exposure to a foreign company, the Fund may be subject to risks associated with foreign investments. |
| ○ | Currency Risk. Indirect exposure to foreign currencies subjects the Fund to the risk that currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar. Currency rates in foreign countries may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time for a number of reasons, including changes in interest rates and the imposition of currency controls or other political developments in the U.S. or abroad. |
| ○ | Foreign Securities Risk. Investments in securities of non-U.S. issuers involve certain risks that may not be present with investments in securities of U.S. issuers, such as risk of loss due to foreign currency fluctuations or to political or economic instability, as well as varying regulatory requirements applicable to investments in non-U.S. issuers. There may be less information publicly available about a non-U.S. issuer than a U.S. issuer. Non-U.S. issuers may also be subject to different regulatory, accounting, auditing, financial reporting and investor protection standards than U.S. issuers. |
Single Issuer Risk. Issuer-specific attributes may cause an investment in the Fund to be more volatile than a traditional pooled investment which diversifies risk or the market generally. The value of the Fund, which focuses on an individual security, may be more volatile than a traditional pooled investment or the market as a whole and may perform differently from the value of a traditional pooled investment or the market as a whole. Additionally, the Fund will seek to employ its investment strategy as it relates to the underlying issuer regardless of whether there are significant corporate actions such as restructurings, enforcement activity, or acquisitions or periods adverse market, economic, or other conditions and will not seek to take temporary defensive positions during such periods.
Compounding and Market Volatility Risk. The Fund has a daily leveraged investment objective and the Fund’s performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which is very likely to differ from two times (200%) the Underlying Security’s performance, before the Fund’s management fee and other expenses. Compounding affects all investments but has a more significant impact on funds that aim to replicate leveraged daily returns and that rebalance daily. For the Fund aiming to replicate two times the daily performance of an Underlying Security, if adverse daily performance of the Underlying Security reduces the amount of a shareholder’s investment, any further adverse daily performance will lead to a smaller dollar loss because the shareholder’s investment had already been reduced by the prior adverse performance. Equally, however, if favorable daily performance of the Underlying Security increases the amount of a shareholder’s investment, the dollar amount lost due to future adverse performance will increase because the shareholder’s investment has increased.
The effect of compounding becomes more pronounced as the Underlying Security’s volatility and the holding period increase. The impact of compounding will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Fund is held and the volatility of the Underlying Security during a shareholder’s holding period of an investment in the Fund.
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The chart below provides examples of how the Underlying Security’s volatility could affect the Fund’s performance. The chart illustrates the impact of two factors that affect the Fund’s performance – the Underlying Security’s volatility and the Underlying Security’s performance. The Underlying Security’s performance shows the percentage change in the share price of the Underlying Security over the specified time period, while the Underlying Security’s volatility is a statistical measure of the magnitude of fluctuations in the returns during that time period. As illustrated below, even if the Underlying Security’s performance over two equal time periods is identical, different Underlying Security volatility (i.e., in magnitude of fluctuations in the share price of the Underlying Security) during the two time periods could result in drastically different Fund performance for the two time periods because of compounding daily returns during the time periods.
Fund performance for periods greater than one single day can be estimated given any set of assumptions for the following factors: a) the Underlying Security volatility; b) the Underlying Security performance; c) period of time; d) financing rates associated with leveraged exposure; and e) other Fund expenses. The chart shows estimated Fund returns for a number of combinations of Underlying Security volatility and Underlying Security performance over a one-year period. Performance shown in the chart assumes that: (i) there were no Fund expenses; (ii) borrowing/lending rates (to obtain leveraged exposure) of 0%. If Fund expenses and/or actual borrowing/lending rates were reflected the estimated returns would be different than those shown. Particularly during periods of higher Underlying Security volatility, compounding will cause results for periods longer than a trading day to vary from two times (200%) the performance of the Underlying Security.
As shown in the chart below, the Fund would be expected to lose 6.1% if there was no change in the share price of the Underlying Security over a one-year period during which the Underlying Security experienced annualized volatility of 25%. If the Underlying Security’s annualized volatility were to rise to 75%, the hypothetical loss for a one-year period would widen to approximately -43%. At higher ranges of volatility, there is a chance of a significant loss of value in the Fund, even if there were no change in the share price of the Underlying Security. For instance, if the Underlying Security’s annualized volatility is 100%, the Fund would be expected to lose 63.2% of its value, even if the cumulative Underlying Security change in the share price of the Underlying Security for the year was 0%.
Areas shaded red (or dark gray) represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return less than two times (200%) the performance of the Underlying Security and those shaded green (or light gray) represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return more than two times (200%) the performance of the Underlying Security. The Fund’s actual performance may be significantly better or worse than the performance shown below as a result of any of the factors discussed above or in the “Daily Correlation/Tracking Risk” below.
| Estimated
Returns of 200% or Two Times Performance of the Underlying Security |
|||||||
| Underlying Security Performance | One Year Volatility Rate | ||||||
| One
Year Underlying Security |
2X
Times (200%) the One Year Performance |
10% | 25% | 50% | 75% | 100% | |
| -60% | -120% | -84.2% | -85.0% | -87.5% | -90.9% | -94.1% | |
| -50% | -100% | -75.2% | -76.5% | -80.5% | -85.8% | -90.8% | |
| -40% | -80% | -64.4% | -66.2% | -72.0% | -79.5% | -86.8% | |
| -30% | -60% | -51.5% | -54.0% | -61.8% | -72.1% | -82.0% | |
| -20% | -40% | -36.6% | -39.9% | -50.2% | -63.5% | -76.5% | |
| -10% | -20% | -19.8% | -23.9% | -36.9% | -53.8% | -70.2% | |
| 0% | 0% | -1.0% | -6.1% | -22.1% | -43.0% | -63.2% | |
| 10% | 20% | 19.8% | 13.7% | -5.8% | -31.1% | -55.5% | |
| 20% | 40% | 42.6% | 35.3% | 12.1% | -18.0% | -47.0% | |
| 30% | 60% | 67.3% | 58.8% | 31.6% | -3.7% | -37.8% | |
| 40% | 80% | 94.0% | 84.1% | 52.6% | 11.7% | -27.9% | |
| 50% | 100% | 122.8% | 111.4% | 75.2% | 28.2% | -17.2% | |
| 60% | 120% | 153.5% | 140.5% | 99.4% | 45.9% | -5.8% | |
The Underlying Security’s annualized historical volatility rate for the period from [ ] (the earliest date available) to [ ] was [ ]%. The Underlying Security’s annualized performance during this period was [ ]%. Historical Underlying Security volatility and performance are not indications of what Underlying Security volatility and performance will be in the future.
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Daily Correlation/Tracking Risk. There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of leveraged correlation to the Underlying Security and therefore achieve its daily leveraged investment objective. To achieve a high degree of leveraged correlation with the Underlying Security, the Fund seeks to rebalance its portfolio daily to keep exposure consistent with its daily leveraged investment objective. The possibility of the Fund being materially over- or under-exposed to the Underlying Security increases on days when the Underlying Security is volatile near the close of the trading day. Market disruptions, regulatory restrictions and extreme volatility will also adversely affect the Fund’s ability to adjust exposure to the required levels. If there is a significant intra-day market event and/or the Underlying Security experiences a significant increase or decline, the Fund may not meet its investment objective, be able to rebalance its portfolio appropriately, or may experience significant premiums or discounts, or widened bid-ask spreads.
The Fund may have difficulty achieving its daily leveraged investment objective due to fees, expenses, transaction costs, financing costs related to the use of derivatives, investments in ETFs, directly or indirectly, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities or derivatives held by the Fund. The Fund may be subject to large movements of assets into and out of the Fund, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or under-exposed to the Underlying Security. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions to improve the tax efficiency or to comply with various regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively impact the Fund’s leveraged correlation to the Underlying Security.
Leverage Risk. The Fund obtains investment exposure in excess of its net assets by utilizing leverage and may lose more money in market conditions that are adverse to its investment objective than a fund that does not utilize leverage. An investment in the Fund is exposed to the risk that a decline in the daily performance of the Underlying Security will be magnified. This means that an investment in the Fund will be reduced by an amount equal to 2% for every 1% daily decline in the share price of the Underlying Security, not including the costs of financing leverage and other operating expenses, which would further reduce its value. The Fund could theoretically lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event the share price of the Underlying Security declines more than 50%. Leverage will also have the effect of magnifying any differences in the Fund performance’s correlation with the Underlying Security’s share price.
Derivatives Risk. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds (including ETFs), interest rates or indexes. The Fund’s investments in derivatives may pose risks in addition to, and greater than, those associated with directly investing in securities or other ordinary investments, including risk related to the market, leverage, imperfect daily correlations with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, higher price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty risk, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions. The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of derivatives may result in larger losses or smaller gains than directly investing in securities. When the Fund uses derivatives, there may be imperfect correlation between the share price of the Underlying Security and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. Because derivatives often require only a limited initial investment, the use of derivatives may expose the Fund to losses in excess of those amounts initially invested.
The Fund will be subject to regulatory constraints relating to level of value at risk that the Fund may incur through its derivative portfolio. To the extent the Fund exceeds these regulatory thresholds over an extended period, the Fund may determine that it is necessary to make adjustments to the Fund’s investment strategy, including the desired daily leveraged performance for the Fund.
In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
Swap Agreements. The use of swap transactions is a highly specialized activity, which involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. Whether the Fund will be successful in using swap agreements to achieve its investment goal depends on the ability of the Adviser to structure such swap agreements in accordance with the Fund’s investment objective and to identify counterparties for those swap agreements. If the Adviser is unable to enter into swap agreements that provide leveraged exposure to the Underlying Security, the Fund may not meet its stated investment objective. Additionally, any financing, borrowing or other costs associated with using swap transactions may also have the effect of lowering the Fund’s return.
The swap agreements in which the Fund invests are generally traded in the over-the-counter market, which generally has less transparency than exchange-traded derivatives instruments. In a standard swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the return (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined reference assets or underlying securities or instruments. The gross return to be exchanged or swapped between the parties is calculated based on a notional amount or the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount invested in a basket of securities.
If the Underlying Security has a dramatic move that causes a material decline in the Fund’s net assets, the terms of a swap agreement between the Fund and its counterparty may permit the counterparty to immediately close out the swap transaction with the Fund. In that event, the Fund may be unable to enter into another swap agreement or invest in other derivatives to achieve exposure consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. This may prevent the Fund from achieving its leveraged investment objective, even if the Underlying Security later reverses all or a portion of its movement.
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Options Contracts. The use of options contracts involves investment strategies and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The prices of options are volatile and are influenced by, among other things, actual and anticipated changes in the value of the underlying instrument, including the anticipated volatility, which are affected by fiscal and monetary policies and by national and international political, changes in the actual or implied volatility or the reference asset, the time remaining until the expiration of the option contract and economic events. The value of the options contracts in which the Fund invests are substantially influenced by the value of the Underlying Security. The Fund may experience substantial downside from specific option positions and certain option positions held by the Fund may expire worthless. The options held by the Fund are exercisable at the strike price on their expiration date. As an option approaches its expiration date, its value typically increasingly moves with the value of the underlying instrument. However, prior to such date, the value of an option generally does not increase or decrease at the same rate as the underlying instrument. There may at times be an imperfect correlation between the movement in values options contracts and the underlying instrument, and there may at times not be a liquid secondary market for certain options contracts. The value of the options held by the Fund will be determined based on market quotations or other recognized pricing methods. Additionally, as the Fund intends to continuously maintain indirect exposure to the Underlying Security through the use of options contracts, as the options contracts it holds are exercised or expire it will enter into new options contracts, a practice referred to as “rolling.” If the expiring options contracts do not generate proceeds enough to cover the cost of entering into new options contracts, the Fund may experience losses. The use of options to generate leverage introduces additional risks, including significant potential losses if the market moves unfavorably. The leverage inherent in options can amplify both gains and losses, leading to increased volatility and potential for substantial losses, particularly in periods of market uncertainty or low liquidity. Additionally, the Fund may incur losses if the value of the Underlying Security moves against its positions, potentially resulting in a complete loss of the premium paid.
Counterparty Risk. The Fund is subject to counterparty risk by virtue of its investments in derivatives which exposes the Fund to the risk that the counterparty will not fulfill its obligation to the Fund. Counterparty risk may arise because of the counterparty’s financial condition (i.e., financial difficulties, bankruptcy, or insolvency), market activities and developments, or other reasons, whether foreseen or not. A counterparty’s inability to fulfill its obligation may result in significant financial loss to the Fund and the Fund may be unable to recover its investment from such counterparty or may obtain a limited and/or delayed recovery.
Counterparties may seek to hedge their exposure to individual clients (such as the Fund) by establishing offsetting exposures with other clients, however, there is no guarantee that counterparties will do so under all circumstances. Should a counterparty (e.g., a swap counterparty) terminate its relationship with the Fund, the Fund will seek to utilize other counterparties to seek to maintain its exposures. In addition, the Fund may use options contracts to seek to generate the leverage necessary to implement its strategy. The use of options contracts introduces distinct risks, including heightened volatility, particularly intraday. While options may provide an ancillary benefit of mitigating some losses under specific scenarios, such as severe market downturns, their inherent leverage and rapid price fluctuations can amplify the Fund’s performance volatility and lead to greater risks of substantial losses. Refer to “Derivatives Risk – Options Contracts” for additional information on the risks of investing in options.
In addition, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with a limited number of counterparties, which may increase the Fund’s exposure to counterparty credit risk. Further, there is a risk that no suitable counterparties will be willing to enter into, or continue to enter into, transactions with the Fund and, as a result, the Fund may not be able to achieve its investment objective.
Intra-Day Investment Risk. The Fund seeks investment results from the close of the market on a given trading day until the close of the market on the subsequent trading day. The exact exposure of an investment in the Fund intraday in the secondary market is a function of the difference between the share price of the Underlying Security at the market close on the first trading day and the share price of the Underlying Security at the time of purchase. If the share price of the Underlying Security rises, the Fund’s net assets will rise by approximately twice the amount as the Fund’s exposure. Conversely, if the share price of the Underlying Security declines, the Fund’s net assets will decline by approximately two times the amount as the Fund’s exposure. Thus, an investor that purchases Shares intra-day may experience performance that is greater than, or less than, the Fund’s stated leveraged performance of the Underlying Security.
If there is a significant intra-day market event and/or the securities of the Underlying Security experience a significant increase or decrease, the Fund may not meet its investment objective or rebalance its portfolio appropriately.
Fixed Income Securities Risk. When the Fund invests in fixed income securities, the value of your investment in the Fund will fluctuate with changes in interest rates. Typically, a rise in interest rates causes a decline in the value of fixed income securities owned by the Fund. In general, the market price of fixed income securities with longer maturities will increase or decrease more in response to changes in interest rates than shorter-term securities. Other risk factors include credit risk (the debtor may default), extension risk (an issuer may exercise its right to repay principal on a fixed rate obligation held by the Fund later than expected), and prepayment risk (the debtor may pay its obligation early, reducing the amount of interest payments). These risks could affect the value of a particular investment by the Fund, possibly causing the Fund’s Share price and total return to be reduced and fluctuate more than other types of investments.
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Rebalancing Risk. If for any reason the Fund is unable to rebalance all or a portion of its portfolio, or if all or a portion of the portfolio is rebalanced incorrectly, the Fund’s investment exposure may not be consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. In these instances, the Fund may have investment exposure to the Underlying Security that is significantly greater or less than its stated investment objective. As a result, the Fund may be exposed to leverage risk because it had not been properly rebalanced and may not achieve its investment objective.
ETF Risks
Authorized Participants, Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that are authorized to purchase and redeem Shares directly from the Fund (known as “Authorized Participants” or “APs”). In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, Shares may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services; or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.
Cash Redemption Risk. The Fund’s investment strategy may require it to redeem Shares for cash or to otherwise include cash as part of its redemption proceeds. For example, the Fund may not be able to redeem in-kind certain securities held by the Fund (e.g., derivative instruments). In such a case, the Fund may be required to sell or unwind portfolio investments to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. This may cause the Fund to recognize a capital gain that it might not have recognized if it had made a redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher annual capital gain distributions than if the in-kind redemption process was used. By paying out higher annual capital gain distributions, investors may be subjected to increased capital gains taxes. The costs associated with cash redemptions may include brokerage costs that the Fund may not have incurred if it had made the redemptions in-kind. These costs could be imposed on the Fund, decreasing its NAV, to the extent these costs are not offset by a transaction fee payable by an authorized participant.
Costs of Buying or Selling Shares. Buying or selling Shares involves certain costs, including brokerage commissions, other charges imposed by brokers, and bid-ask spreads. The bid-ask spread represents the difference between the price at which an investor is willing to buy Shares and the price at which an investor is willing to sell Shares. The spread varies over time based on the Shares’ trading volume and market liquidity. The spread is generally lower if Shares have more trading volume and market liquidity and higher if Shares have little trading volume and market liquidity. Due to the costs of buying or selling Shares, frequent trading of Shares may reduce investment results and an investment in Shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.
Shares May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all ETFs, Shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of Shares will approximate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price of Shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount) due to supply and demand of Shares or during periods of market volatility. This risk is heightened in times of market volatility, periods of steep market declines, and periods when there is limited trading activity for Shares in the secondary market, in which case such premiums or discounts may be significant.
Trading. Although Shares are listed on a national securities exchange, such as [ ] (the “Exchange”), and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that 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 Shares. This adverse effect on liquidity for the Fund’s shares may lead to wider bid-ask spreads and differences between the market price of the Fund’s shares and the underlying value of the shares.
Liquidity Risk. In certain circumstances, such as the disruption of the orderly markets for the financial instruments in which the Fund invests, the Fund might not be able to acquire or dispose of certain holdings quickly or at prices that represent true market value in the judgment of the Adviser. Markets for the financial instruments in which the Fund invests may be disrupted by a number of events, including but not limited to economic crises, health crises, natural disasters, excessive volatility, new legislation, or regulatory changes inside or outside of the U.S. These situations may have an impact on the liquidity of the Fund’s own shares.”
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Economic and Market Risk. Economies and financial markets throughout the world are becoming increasingly interconnected, which increases the likelihood that events or conditions in one country or region will adversely impact markets or issuers in other countries or regions. Securities in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform in comparison to securities in the general financial markets, a particular financial market, or other asset classes, due to a number of factors, including inflation (or expectations for inflation), deflation (or expectations for deflation), interest rates, global demand for particular products or resources, market instability, financial system instability, debt crises and downgrades, embargoes, tariffs, sanctions and other trade barriers, regulatory events, other governmental trade or market control programs and related geopolitical events. In addition, the value of the Fund’s investments may be negatively affected by the occurrence of global events such as war, terrorism, environmental disasters, natural disasters or events, country instability, and infectious disease epidemics or pandemics. The imposition by the U.S. of tariffs on goods imported from foreign countries and reciprocal tariffs levied on U.S. goods by those countries also may lead to volatility and instability in domestic and foreign markets.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk. Daily rebalancing of the Fund’s holdings pursuant to its daily investment objective causes a much greater number of portfolio transactions when compared to most ETFs. Additionally, active market trading of the Fund’s Shares on exchanges (such as the Exchange), could cause more frequent creation and redemption activities, which could increase the number of portfolio transactions. Frequent and active trading may lead to higher transaction costs because of increased broker commissions resulting from such transactions. In addition, there is the possibility of significantly increased short-term capital gains (which will be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income when distributed to them). The Fund calculates portfolio turnover without including the short-term cash instruments or derivative transactions that comprise the majority of the Fund’s trading. As such, if the Fund’s extensive use of derivative instruments were reflected, the calculated portfolio turnover rate would be significantly higher.
Tracking Error Risk. Tracking error is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of its investment objective which aims to replicate two times the daily percentage change in the price of the Underlying Security. Tracking error may occur for a number of reasons. Tracking error may occur because of transaction costs, the Fund’s holding of cash, differences in accrual of dividends, being under- or overexposed to the Underlying Security or the need to meet new or existing regulatory requirements. Tracking error risk may be heightened during times of market volatility or other unusual market conditions such as market disruptions. The Fund may be required to deviate from its investment objectives, and therefore experience tracking error, as a result of market restrictions or other legal reasons, including regulatory limits or other restrictions on securities that may be purchased by the Adviser and its affiliates.
Liquidity Risk. Some securities held by the Fund may be difficult to sell or be illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including, but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, epidemics/pandemics, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the United States. Illiquid securities may be difficult to value, especially in changing or volatile markets. If the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid security at an unfavorable time or price, the Fund may be adversely impacted. Certain market conditions or restrictions may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Underlying Security. There is no assurance that a security that is deemed liquid when purchased will continue to be liquid. Market illiquidity may cause losses for the Fund.
Money Market Instrument Risk. The Fund may use a variety of money market instruments for cash management purposes, including money market funds, depositary accounts and repurchase agreements. Repurchase agreements are contracts in which a seller of securities agrees to buy the securities back at a specified time and price. Repurchase agreements may be subject to market and credit risk related to the collateral securing the repurchase agreement. Money market instruments may lose money.
New Fund Risk. The Fund is a recently organized management investment company with no operating history. As a result, prospective investors do not have a track record or history on which to base their investment decisions.
Non-Diversification Risk. Because the Fund is “non-diversified,” it may invest a greater percentage of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it was a diversified fund. As a result, a decline in the value of an investment in a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers could cause the Fund’s overall value to decline to a greater degree than if the Fund held a more diversified portfolio. This may increase the Fund’s volatility and cause the performance of a relatively smaller number of issuers to have a greater impact on the Fund’s performance.
Trading Halt Risk. Although the Underlying Security’s shares are listed for trading on an exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such shares will be available at all times and the Exchange may halt trading of such shares in certain circumstances. A halt in trading in the Underlying Security’s shares is expected, in turn, to result in a halt in the trading in the Fund’s Shares. Trading in the Underlying Security’s and/or Fund’s Shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in the Underlying Security’s and/or Fund’s Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in Underlying Security’s and/or Fund’s Shares on an exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to exchange “circuit breaker” rules.” In the event of a trading halt for an extended period of time, the Fund may be unable to execute arrangements with swap counterparties that are necessary to implement the Fund’s investment strategy.
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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 and the Fund’s investment advisor seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures, there is no way to completely protect against such risks.
U.S. Government and U.S. Agency Obligations Risk. The Fund may invest in securities issued by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities. U.S. Government obligations include securities issued or guaranteed as to principal and interest by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities, such as the U.S. Treasury. Payment of principal and interest on U.S. Government obligations may be backed by the full faith and credit of the United States or may be backed solely by the issuing or guaranteeing agency or instrumentality itself. In the latter case, the investor must look principally to the agency or instrumentality issuing or guaranteeing the obligation for ultimate repayment, which agency or instrumentality may be privately owned. There can be no assurance that the U.S. Government would provide financial support to its agencies or instrumentalities (including government-sponsored enterprises) where it is not obligated to do so.
Tax Risk. The Fund intends to elect and to qualify each year to be treated as a regulated investment company (a “RIC”) under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (“Code”). As a RIC, the Fund will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the portion of its net investment income and net capital gain that it distributes to shareholders, provided that it satisfies certain requirements of the Code. If the Fund does not qualify as a RIC for any taxable year and certain relief provisions are not available, the Fund’s taxable income will be subject to tax at the Fund level and to a further tax at the shareholder level when such income is distributed. To comply with the asset diversification test applicable to a RIC, the Fund will attempt to ensure that the value of swap contracts and options on shares of a single issuer does not exceed 25% of the Fund’s value at the close of any quarter. If the value of swap contracts and options on shares of a single issuer were to exceed 25% of the Fund’s total assets at the end of a tax quarter, the Fund, generally, has a grace period to cure such lack of compliance. If the Fund fails to timely cure, it may no longer be eligible to be treated as a RIC.
Performance
Performance information for the Fund is not included because the Fund has not completed a full calendar year of operations as of the date of this Prospectus. When such information is included, this section will provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance history from year to year and showing how the Fund’s average annual total returns compare with those of a broad measure of market performance. Although past performance of the Fund is no guarantee of how it will perform in the future, historical performance may give you some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. Updated performance information will be available on the Fund’s website at https://www.defianceetfs.com.
Management
Investment Adviser: Tidal Investments LLC serves as investment adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers:
The following individuals are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund.
Stephen Foy, Portfolio Manager for the Adviser, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in 2025.
Christopher P. Mullen, Portfolio Manager for the Adviser, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in 2025.
Purchase and Sale of Shares
The Fund issues and redeems Shares at NAV only in large blocks known as “Creation Units,” which only APs (typically, broker-dealers) may purchase or redeem. The Fund generally issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities (the “Deposit Securities”) and/or a designated amount of U.S. cash.
Shares are listed on a national securities exchange, such as the Exchange, and individual Shares may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through brokers at market prices, rather than NAV. Because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).
An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares (the “bid” price) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares (the “ask” price) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market. This difference in bid and ask prices is often referred to as the “bid-ask spread.”
When available, information regarding the Fund’s NAV, market price, how often Shares traded on the Exchange at a premium or discount, and bid-ask spreads can be found on the Fund’s website at https://www.defianceetfs.com.
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Tax Information
Fund distributions are generally taxable as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains (or a combination), unless an investment is in an individual retirement account (“IRA”) or other tax-advantaged account. Distributions on investments made through tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal of assets from those accounts.
Financial Intermediary Compensation
If you purchase Shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank) (an “Intermediary”), the Adviser or its affiliates may pay Intermediaries for certain activities related to the Fund, including participation in activities that are designed to make Intermediaries more knowledgeable about exchange-traded products, including the Fund, or for other activities, such as marketing, educational training, or other initiatives related to the sale or promotion of Shares. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the Intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Any such arrangements do not result in increased Fund expenses. Ask your salesperson or visit the Intermediary’s website for more information.
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SUMMARY INFORMATION
DEFIANCE DAILY TARGET 2X LONG DNN ETF – FUND SUMMARY
Important Information About the Fund
The Defiance Daily Target 2X Long DNN ETF (the “Fund”) seeks daily leveraged investment results of two times (200%) the daily percentage change in the share price of Denison Mines Corp. (NYSE American: DNN) (the “Underlying Security” or “DNN”). Because the Fund seeks daily leveraged investment results, it is very different from most other exchange-traded funds. It is also riskier than alternatives that do not use leverage.
The return for investors that invest for periods longer or shorter than a trading day should not be expected to be 200% of the performance of the Underlying Security’s shares for the period. The return of the Fund for a period longer than a trading day will be the result of each trading day’s compounded return during such period held, which will very likely differ from 200% of the return of the Underlying Security’s shares for that period. Holding shares of the Fund for longer than a single day and higher volatility of the Underlying Security’s shares increase the impact of compounding on an investor’s returns, which may have a negative or positive impact on an investor’s returns. During periods of higher Underlying Security share price volatility, the volatility of the Underlying Security’s shares may affect the Fund’s return as much as, or more than, the return of the Underlying Security’s shares. The impact of compounding will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Fund is held and the volatility of the Underlying Security’s shares during a shareholder’s holding period of an investment in the Fund. See “Principal Investment Risks – Compounding and Market Volatility Risk” below for an example of how volatility of the Underlying Security’s shares may affect the Fund’s return as much as, or more than, the return of the Underlying Security’s shares.
The Fund is not suitable for all investors. The Fund is designed to be utilized only by knowledgeable investors who understand the potential consequences of seeking daily leveraged (2X) investment results, understand the risks associated with the use of leverage, and are willing to monitor their portfolios frequently. The Fund is not intended to be used by, and is not appropriate for, investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. For periods longer than a single day, the Fund will lose money if the Underlying Security’s performance is flat, and it is possible that the Fund will lose money even if the Underlying Security’s performance increases over a period longer than a single day. An investor could lose the full principal value of his/her investment within a single day.
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of two times (200%) the daily percentage change in the share price of Denison Mines Corp. (NYSE American: DNN). The Fund does not seek to achieve its stated investment objective for a period other than a single trading day.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below.
| Annual Fund Operating Expenses(1) (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) | |||||
| Management Fee | [ ] | % | |||
| Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees | None | ||||
| Other Expenses(2) | [ ] | % | |||
| Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses(3) | [ ] | % | |||
| (1) | The Fund’s investment adviser, Tidal Investments LLC (the “Adviser”), a Tidal Financial Group company, will pay, or require a sub-adviser to pay, all expenses incurred by the Fund (except for advisory fees and sub-advisory fees, as the case may be) excluding interest charges on any borrowings made for investment purposes, dividends and other expenses on securities sold short, taxes, brokerage commissions and other expenses incurred in placing orders for the purchase and sale of securities and other investment instruments, acquired fund fees and expenses, accrued deferred tax liability, distribution fees and expenses paid by the Fund under any distribution plan adopted pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), and litigation expenses and other non-routine or extraordinary expenses. |
| (2) | Based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year. |
| (3) | The cost of investing in swaps, including the embedded cost of the swap and the operating expenses of the referenced assets, is an indirect expense that is not included in the above fee table and is not reflected in the expense example. |
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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. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem or hold all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. The Example does not take into account brokerage commissions that you may pay on your purchases and sales of Shares. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years |
| $[ ] | $[ ] |
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in total annual fund operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund is newly organized, portfolio turnover information is not yet available.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund is an actively managed exchange traded fund (“ETF”) that attempts to achieve two times (200%) the daily percentage change in the share price of the Underlying Security by employing derivatives, namely swap agreements and/or listed options contracts. The Fund aims to achieve this daily percentage change for a single day, and not for any other period. A “single day” means the period “from the close of regular trading on one trading day to the close on the next trading day.”
If the Fund encounters limitations in implementing its strategies, whether due to market conditions, derivative availability, counterparty issues, or other factors, the Fund may not achieve investment results, before fees and expenses, that correspond to two times (2x) the daily performance of the Underlying Security, and may return substantially less during such periods. During such periods, the Fund’s actual leverage levels may differ substantially from its intended target, both intraday and at the close of trading, potentially resulting in significantly lower returns.
The Fund may enter into one or more swap agreements with financial institutions for a specified period, which may range from one day to longer than a year. Through each swap agreement, the Fund and the financial institution will agree to exchange the return (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on the Underlying Security’s share price. The gross return (meaning the return before deducting any fees or expenses) to be exchanged or “swapped” between the parties is calculated with respect to a “notional amount,” (meaning the face amount of the instrument) e.g., the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount representing the Underlying Security.
The Fund may also utilize listed options to seek to achieve leveraged 2X exposure to the Underlying Security. The Fund will primarily employ short-dated (a month or less) in-the-money call options (options with strike prices below the current market price of the Underlying Security, offering immediate intrinsic value). Additionally, the Fund may use other option strategies to produce similar exposure to the Underlying Security, like buying calls and selling puts with identical strike prices. These options allow the Fund to adjust its leverage strategy in response to market conditions, liquidity constraints, or other factors that may affect the availability or pricing of swap agreements. The use of listed options provides additional flexibility in pursuing the Fund’s daily investment objective. In situations where swap availability is constrained, the Fund may rely more heavily on options contracts. Additionally, the Fund may use options in response to changing market dynamics. However, the use of option contracts is typically less efficient than swaps and may increase the likelihood that the Fund is unable to achieve its daily 2X objective.
At the end of each day, the Fund’s swaps and options are valued using market valuations and the Fund’s investment adviser rebalances the Fund’s holdings in an attempt to maintain leveraged exposure for the Fund equal to approximately 200% of the Underlying Security’s share price. This daily rebalancing is expected to result in high portfolio turnover.
For examples of a hypothetical investment in the Fund, see the section in the Fund’s Prospectus titled see “Additional Information About the Fund – Principal Investment Strategies.”
Fund performance for periods greater than one single day is primarily (but not solely) a function of the following factors: a) the Underlying Security volatility; b) the Underlying Security’s performance; c) period of time; d) financing rates associated with leveraged exposure; and e) other Fund expenses.
The Fund will hold assets to serve as collateral for its derivatives positions. For those collateral holdings, the Fund may invest in (1) U.S. Government securities, such as bills, notes and bonds issued by the U.S. Treasury; (2) money market funds; (3) short term bond ETFs; and/or (4) corporate debt securities, such as commercial paper and other short-term unsecured promissory notes issued by businesses that are rated investment grade or of comparable quality.
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The Fund has adopted a policy to have at least 80% exposure to financial instruments with economic characteristics that should perform 2X the daily performance of the Underlying Security’s shares. The Fund is expected to allocate between 40% and 60% of its assets as collateral for swap agreements or as premiums for purchased options contracts.
The Fund is classified as “non-diversified” under the 1940 Act. The Fund’s investment strategy is expected to result in a high annual portfolio turnover rate.
Because of daily rebalancing and the compounding of each day’s return over time, the return of the Fund for periods longer than a single day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which will very likely differ from 200% of the return of the Underlying Security’s shares over the same period. The Fund will lose money if the Underlying Security’s performance is flat over time, and because of daily rebalancing, the Underlying Security’s shares’ volatility and the effects of compounding, the Fund may lose money over time while the Underlying Security’s performance increases over a period longer than a single day. As a consequence, investors should not plan to hold shares of the Fund unmonitored for periods longer than a single trading day.
Denison Mines Corp. (“DNN”)
DNN is engaged in uranium exploration, development and mining. DNN is listed on the NYSE American Exchange. Per DNN’s most recent 40-F filing, as of December 31, 2024, DNN had 895,713,101 common shares outstanding.
DNN is registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Information provided to or filed with the SEC by DNN pursuant to the Exchange Act can be located by reference to SEC file number 1-33414 through the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. In addition, information regarding DNN may be obtained from other sources including, but not limited to, press releases, newspaper articles and other publicly disseminated documents.
This document relates only to the securities offered hereby and does not relate to the shares of DNN or other securities of DNN. The Fund has derived all disclosures contained in this document regarding DNN from the publicly available documents. None of the Fund, Tidal Trust II (the “Trust”), or the Adviser, or their respective affiliates has participated in the preparation of such publicly available offering documents or made any due diligence inquiry regarding such documents with respect to DNN. None of the Fund, the Trust, or the Adviser, or their respective affiliates makes any representation that such publicly available documents or any other publicly available information regarding DNN is accurate or complete. Furthermore, the Fund cannot give any assurance that all events occurring prior to the date hereof (including events that would affect the accuracy or completeness of the publicly available documents described above) that would affect the trading price of DNN (and therefore the share price of the Fund at the time we price the securities) have been publicly disclosed. Subsequent disclosure of any such events or the disclosure of or failure to disclose material future events concerning DNN could affect the value received with respect to the securities and therefore the value of the securities.
None of the Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates makes any representation to you as to the performance of DNN.
NONE OF THE FUND, TIDAL TRUST II, OR TIDAL INVESTMENTS LLC IS AFFILIATED, CONNECTED, OR ASSOCIATED WITH DNN. THE FUND WAS NOT DEVELOPED OR CREATED BY, AND IS NOT SPONSORED, ENDORSED, OR APPROVED BY DNN.
Moreover, DNN has not participated in the development of the Fund’s investment strategy. DNN does not select or approve the Fund’s portfolio holdings, nor does it participate in the construction, design, or implementation of the Fund. DNN does not provide any assurances, guarantees, or representations regarding the Fund or its performance. Nothing herein shall be construed as an offer of any security by DNN.
None of the Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates claim any ownership interest in any trademarks owned by DNN or its affiliates. All rights in the trademarks are reserved by their respective owners.
Due to the Fund’s investment strategy, the Fund’s investment exposure is concentrated in the same industry as that assigned to the Underlying Security. As of the date of the Prospectus, DNN is assigned to the oil, gas and consumable fuels industry.
Principal Investment Risks
The principal risks of investing in the Fund are summarized below. As with any investment, there is a risk that you could lose all or a portion of your investment in the Fund. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”) per Share, trading price, yield, total return, and/or ability to meet its investment objective. For more information about the risks of investing in the Fund, see the section in the Fund’s Prospectus titled “Additional Information About the Fund—Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund.”
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An investment in the Fund entails risk. The Fund may not achieve its investment objective and there is a risk that you could lose all of your money invested in the Fund. The Fund is not a complete investment program. In addition, the Fund presents risks not traditionally associated with other ETFs. It is important that investors closely review all of the risks listed below and understand them before making an investment in the Fund.
Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears.
DNN Risks. The Fund invests in swap contracts and options that are based on the share price of DNN. This subjects the Fund to certain of the same risks as if it owned shares of DNN, even though it does not. By virtue of the Fund’s investments in swap contracts and options that are based on the value of DNN, the Fund may also be subject to the following risks:
| ● | Indirect Investment in DNN Risk. DNN is not affiliated with the Trust, the Fund, or the Adviser, or their respective affiliates and is not involved with this offering in any way and has no obligation to consider your Shares in taking any corporate actions that might affect the value of Shares. Investors in the Fund will not have voting rights or influence over the management of DNN but will be exposed to the performance of DNN (the Underlying Security). Investors will also not have the right to receive dividends or other distributions from DNN, but will remain subject to price fluctuations and other risks associated with ownership of the Underlying Security. |
| ● | DNN Trading Risk. The trading price of DNN may be subject to volatility and could experience wide fluctuations due to various factors. Short sellers may also influence DNN’s trading activity, contributing to market instability. Public perception and external factors beyond the company’s control may influence DNN’s stock price disproportionately. Additionally, following periods of market volatility, companies have faced securities class action litigation. Any adverse judgment or future stockholder litigation could result in substantial costs and divert management’s attention and resources. In the event of a trading halt, delisting, or significant disruption in the market for DNN’s shares, the Fund may experience difficulty entering, modifying, or liquidating its exposures. These conditions could impair the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective, result in significant tracking error, or, in extreme cases, force the Fund to liquidate entirely. |
| ● | DNN Performance Risk. DNN may fail to meet its publicly announced guidelines or other expectations about its business, which could cause the price of DNN to decline. Correctly identifying key factors affecting business conditions and predicting future events is inherently an uncertain process, and the guidance DNN provides may not ultimately be accurate. If DNN’s guidance is not accurate or varies from actual results due to its inability to meet the assumptions or the impact on its financial performance that could occur as a result of various risks and uncertainties, the market value of common stock issued by DNN could decline significantly. |
| ● | Mining Industry Risk. The exploration and development of mineral properties and operation of mines and associated facilities requires a substantial amount of capital and the ability of DNN to proceed with any of its plans with respect thereto depends on its ability to: (a) obtain financing through joint ventures, equity financing, debt financing or other means, (b) monetize current uranium investments, and/or (c) produce income from the sale of future produced uranium inventory. For example, general market conditions, volatile uranium markets, changing international policies, a claim against the Company, a significant disruption to the Company’s business or operations, or other factors may make it difficult to secure the financing necessary to fund the substantial capital that is typically required in order to advance a mineral project, such as Wheeler River, through the testing, feasibility, engineering, and permitting processes necessary to support a production decision, or to place a property into commercial production. |
| ● | Mining Uranium Risk. Exploration for minerals and the development of mineral properties are speculative and involve significant uncertainties and financial risks that even a combination of careful evaluation, experience and technical knowledge may not eliminate. While the discovery of an ore body may result in substantial rewards, few properties which are explored result in the discovery of a commercially mineable deposit and/or are ultimately developed into producing mines. As at the date hereof, many of Denison’s projects are preliminary in nature and mineral resource estimates include inferred mineral resources, which are considered too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied that would enable them to be categorized as mineral reserves. Mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. DNN’s project viability and operational outlook could be negatively impacted by the volatility and sensitivity to fluctuations in uranium market prices. The value of DNN’s current physical uranium holdings, its estimates of mineral resources and mineral reserves, and the viability of future production for its projects are heavily influenced by long and short term market prices of U3O8. Historically, these prices have seen significant fluctuations, and have been and will continue to be affected by numerous factors beyond Denison’s control. Such factors include, among others: demand for nuclear power, political, economic and social conditions in uranium producing and consuming countries, public and political response to nuclear incidents, reprocessing of used reactor fuel and the re-enrichment of depleted uranium tails, sales of excess civilian and military inventories (including from the dismantling of nuclear weapons) by governments and industry participants, uranium supplies from other secondary sources, production levels and costs of production from primary uranium suppliers, and forward contracts of U3O8 supplies. |
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| ● | Regulation Risk. Uranium mining and milling operations and exploration activities, as well as the transportation and handling of the products produced, are subject to extensive regulation by federal, provincial, and state governments. Such regulations relate to production, development, exploration, exports, imports, taxes and royalties, labour standards, occupational health, waste disposal, protection and remediation of the environment, mine decommissioning and reclamation, mine safety, toxic substances, transportation safety and emergency response, engagement with Indigenous peoples, and other matters. Compliance with such laws and regulations is currently, and has historically, increased the costs of exploring, drilling, developing, constructing, operating and closing DNN’s mines and processing facilities. |
DNN expends significant financial and managerial resources to comply with such laws and regulations. Denison anticipates it will have to continue to do so as the trend toward stricter government regulation may continue. Because legal requirements are frequently changing and subject to interpretation, Denison is unable to predict the ultimate cost of compliance with these requirements or their effect on operations. While the Company has taken great care to ensure full compliance with its legal obligations, there can be no assurance that the Company has been or will be in full compliance with all of these laws and regulations, or with all permits and approvals that it is required to have.
| ● | Oil, Gas and Consumable Fuels Industry Risk. The oil, gas and consumable fuels industry is cyclical and highly dependent on the market price of fuel. The market value of companies in the oil, gas and consumable fuels industry are strongly affected by the levels and volatility of global commodity prices, supply and demand, capital expenditures on exploration and production, energy conservation efforts, the prices of alternative fuels, exchange rates and technological advances. Companies in this industry are subject to substantial government regulation and contractual fixed pricing, which may increase the cost of business and limit these companies’ earnings. Actions taken by central governments may dramatically impact supply and demand forces that influence the market price of fuel, resulting in sudden decreases in value for companies in the oil, gas and consumable fuels industry. A significant portion of their revenues depends on a relatively small number of customers, including governmental entities and utilities. As a result, governmental budget restraints may have a material adverse effect on the stock prices of companies in the industry. |
| ● | Operating Loss Risk. DNN had negative operating cash flow for recent past financial reporting periods. DNN anticipates that it will continue to have negative operating cash flow until such time, if at all, its Wheeler River project goes into production. To the extent that DNN has negative operating cash flow in future periods, DNN may need to allocate a portion of its cash reserves and/or physical uranium holdings to fund such negative cash flow. DNN may also be required to raise additional funds through the issuance of equity or debt securities, or asset sales. There can be no assurance that additional capital or other types of financing will be available when needed or that these financings will be on terms favourable to DNN. |
| ● | Foreign Issuer Risk. DNN is a Canadian company. Because the Fund has indirect exposure to a foreign company, the Fund may be subject to risks associated with foreign investments. |
| ○ | Currency Risk. Indirect exposure to foreign currencies subjects the Fund to the risk that currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar. Currency rates in foreign countries may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time for a number of reasons, including changes in interest rates and the imposition of currency controls or other political developments in the U.S. or abroad. |
| ○ | Foreign Securities Risk. Investments in securities of non-U.S. issuers involve certain risks that may not be present with investments in securities of U.S. issuers, such as risk of loss due to foreign currency fluctuations or to political or economic instability, as well as varying regulatory requirements applicable to investments in non-U.S. issuers. There may be less information publicly available about a non-U.S. issuer than a U.S. issuer. Non-U.S. issuers may also be subject to different regulatory, accounting, auditing, financial reporting and investor protection standards than U.S. issuers. |
Single Issuer Risk. Issuer-specific attributes may cause an investment in the Fund to be more volatile than a traditional pooled investment which diversifies risk or the market generally. The value of the Fund, which focuses on an individual security, may be more volatile than a traditional pooled investment or the market as a whole and may perform differently from the value of a traditional pooled investment or the market as a whole. Additionally, the Fund will seek to employ its investment strategy as it relates to the underlying issuer regardless of whether there are significant corporate actions such as restructurings, enforcement activity, or acquisitions or periods adverse market, economic, or other conditions and will not seek to take temporary defensive positions during such periods.
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Compounding and Market Volatility Risk. The Fund has a daily leveraged investment objective and the Fund’s performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which is very likely to differ from two times (200%) the Underlying Security’s performance, before the Fund’s management fee and other expenses. Compounding affects all investments but has a more significant impact on funds that aim to replicate leveraged daily returns and that rebalance daily. For the Fund aiming to replicate two times the daily performance of an Underlying Security, if adverse daily performance of the Underlying Security reduces the amount of a shareholder’s investment, any further adverse daily performance will lead to a smaller dollar loss because the shareholder’s investment had already been reduced by the prior adverse performance. Equally, however, if favorable daily performance of the Underlying Security increases the amount of a shareholder’s investment, the dollar amount lost due to future adverse performance will increase because the shareholder’s investment has increased.
The effect of compounding becomes more pronounced as the Underlying Security’s volatility and the holding period increase. The impact of compounding will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Fund is held and the volatility of the Underlying Security during a shareholder’s holding period of an investment in the Fund.
The chart below provides examples of how the Underlying Security’s volatility could affect the Fund’s performance. The chart illustrates the impact of two factors that affect the Fund’s performance – the Underlying Security’s volatility and the Underlying Security’s performance. The Underlying Security’s performance shows the percentage change in the share price of the Underlying Security over the specified time period, while the Underlying Security’s volatility is a statistical measure of the magnitude of fluctuations in the returns during that time period. As illustrated below, even if the Underlying Security’s performance over two equal time periods is identical, different Underlying Security volatility (i.e., in magnitude of fluctuations in the share price of the Underlying Security) during the two time periods could result in drastically different Fund performance for the two time periods because of compounding daily returns during the time periods.
Fund performance for periods greater than one single day can be estimated given any set of assumptions for the following factors: a) the Underlying Security volatility; b) the Underlying Security performance; c) period of time; d) financing rates associated with leveraged exposure; and e) other Fund expenses. The chart shows estimated Fund returns for a number of combinations of Underlying Security volatility and Underlying Security performance over a one-year period. Performance shown in the chart assumes that: (i) there were no Fund expenses; (ii) borrowing/lending rates (to obtain leveraged exposure) of 0%. If Fund expenses and/or actual borrowing/lending rates were reflected the estimated returns would be different than those shown. Particularly during periods of higher Underlying Security volatility, compounding will cause results for periods longer than a trading day to vary from two times (200%) the performance of the Underlying Security.
As shown in the chart below, the Fund would be expected to lose 6.1% if there was no change in the share price of the Underlying Security over a one-year period during which the Underlying Security experienced annualized volatility of 25%. If the Underlying Security’s annualized volatility were to rise to 75%, the hypothetical loss for a one-year period would widen to approximately -43%. At higher ranges of volatility, there is a chance of a significant loss of value in the Fund, even if there were no change in the share price of the Underlying Security. For instance, if the Underlying Security’s annualized volatility is 100%, the Fund would be expected to lose 63.2% of its value, even if the cumulative Underlying Security change in the share price of the Underlying Security for the year was 0%.
Areas shaded red (or dark gray) represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return less than two times (200%) the performance of the Underlying Security and those shaded green (or light gray) represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return more than two times (200%) the performance of the Underlying Security. The Fund’s actual performance may be significantly better or worse than the performance shown below as a result of any of the factors discussed above or in the “Daily Correlation/Tracking Risk” below.
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| Estimated
Returns of 200% or Two Times Performance of the Underlying Security |
|||||||
| Underlying Security Performance | One Year Volatility Rate | ||||||
| One
Year Underlying Security |
2X
Times (200%) the One Year Performance |
10% | 25% | 50% | 75% | 100% | |
| -60% | -120% | -84.2% | -85.0% | -87.5% | -90.9% | -94.1% | |
| -50% | -100% | -75.2% | -76.5% | -80.5% | -85.8% | -90.8% | |
| -40% | -80% | -64.4% | -66.2% | -72.0% | -79.5% | -86.8% | |
| -30% | -60% | -51.5% | -54.0% | -61.8% | -72.1% | -82.0% | |
| -20% | -40% | -36.6% | -39.9% | -50.2% | -63.5% | -76.5% | |
| -10% | -20% | -19.8% | -23.9% | -36.9% | -53.8% | -70.2% | |
| 0% | 0% | -1.0% | -6.1% | -22.1% | -43.0% | -63.2% | |
| 10% | 20% | 19.8% | 13.7% | -5.8% | -31.1% | -55.5% | |
| 20% | 40% | 42.6% | 35.3% | 12.1% | -18.0% | -47.0% | |
| 30% | 60% | 67.3% | 58.8% | 31.6% | -3.7% | -37.8% | |
| 40% | 80% | 94.0% | 84.1% | 52.6% | 11.7% | -27.9% | |
| 50% | 100% | 122.8% | 111.4% | 75.2% | 28.2% | -17.2% | |
| 60% | 120% | 153.5% | 140.5% | 99.4% | 45.9% | -5.8% | |
The Underlying Security’s annualized historical volatility rate for the period from [ ] (the earliest date available) to [ ] was [ ]%. The Underlying Security’s annualized performance during this period was [ ]%. Historical Underlying Security volatility and performance are not indications of what Underlying Security volatility and performance will be in the future.
Daily Correlation/Tracking Risk. There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of leveraged correlation to the Underlying Security and therefore achieve its daily leveraged investment objective. To achieve a high degree of leveraged correlation with the Underlying Security, the Fund seeks to rebalance its portfolio daily to keep exposure consistent with its daily leveraged investment objective. The possibility of the Fund being materially over- or under-exposed to the Underlying Security increases on days when the Underlying Security is volatile near the close of the trading day. Market disruptions, regulatory restrictions and extreme volatility will also adversely affect the Fund’s ability to adjust exposure to the required levels. If there is a significant intra-day market event and/or the Underlying Security experiences a significant increase or decline, the Fund may not meet its investment objective, be able to rebalance its portfolio appropriately, or may experience significant premiums or discounts, or widened bid-ask spreads.
The Fund may have difficulty achieving its daily leveraged investment objective due to fees, expenses, transaction costs, financing costs related to the use of derivatives, investments in ETFs, directly or indirectly, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities or derivatives held by the Fund. The Fund may be subject to large movements of assets into and out of the Fund, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or under-exposed to the Underlying Security. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions to improve the tax efficiency or to comply with various regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively impact the Fund’s leveraged correlation to the Underlying Security.
Leverage Risk. The Fund obtains investment exposure in excess of its net assets by utilizing leverage and may lose more money in market conditions that are adverse to its investment objective than a fund that does not utilize leverage. An investment in the Fund is exposed to the risk that a decline in the daily performance of the Underlying Security will be magnified. This means that an investment in the Fund will be reduced by an amount equal to 2% for every 1% daily decline in the share price of the Underlying Security, not including the costs of financing leverage and other operating expenses, which would further reduce its value. The Fund could theoretically lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event the share price of the Underlying Security declines more than 50%. Leverage will also have the effect of magnifying any differences in the Fund performance’s correlation with the Underlying Security’s share price.
Derivatives Risk. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds (including ETFs), interest rates or indexes. The Fund’s investments in derivatives may pose risks in addition to, and greater than, those associated with directly investing in securities or other ordinary investments, including risk related to the market, leverage, imperfect daily correlations with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, higher price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty risk, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions. The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of derivatives may result in larger losses or smaller gains than directly investing in securities. When the Fund uses derivatives, there may be imperfect correlation between the share price of the Underlying Security and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. Because derivatives often require only a limited initial investment, the use of derivatives may expose the Fund to losses in excess of those amounts initially invested.
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The Fund will be subject to regulatory constraints relating to level of value at risk that the Fund may incur through its derivative portfolio. To the extent the Fund exceeds these regulatory thresholds over an extended period, the Fund may determine that it is necessary to make adjustments to the Fund’s investment strategy, including the desired daily leveraged performance for the Fund.
In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
Swap Agreements. The use of swap transactions is a highly specialized activity, which involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. Whether the Fund will be successful in using swap agreements to achieve its investment goal depends on the ability of the Adviser to structure such swap agreements in accordance with the Fund’s investment objective and to identify counterparties for those swap agreements. If the Adviser is unable to enter into swap agreements that provide leveraged exposure to the Underlying Security, the Fund may not meet its stated investment objective. Additionally, any financing, borrowing or other costs associated with using swap transactions may also have the effect of lowering the Fund’s return.
The swap agreements in which the Fund invests are generally traded in the over-the-counter market, which generally has less transparency than exchange-traded derivatives instruments. In a standard swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the return (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined reference assets or underlying securities or instruments. The gross return to be exchanged or swapped between the parties is calculated based on a notional amount or the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount invested in a basket of securities.
If the Underlying Security has a dramatic move that causes a material decline in the Fund’s net assets, the terms of a swap agreement between the Fund and its counterparty may permit the counterparty to immediately close out the swap transaction with the Fund. In that event, the Fund may be unable to enter into another swap agreement or invest in other derivatives to achieve exposure consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. This may prevent the Fund from achieving its leveraged investment objective, even if the Underlying Security later reverses all or a portion of its movement.
Options Contracts. The use of options contracts involves investment strategies and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The prices of options are volatile and are influenced by, among other things, actual and anticipated changes in the value of the underlying instrument, including the anticipated volatility, which are affected by fiscal and monetary policies and by national and international political, changes in the actual or implied volatility or the reference asset, the time remaining until the expiration of the option contract and economic events. The value of the options contracts in which the Fund invests are substantially influenced by the value of the Underlying Security. The Fund may experience substantial downside from specific option positions and certain option positions held by the Fund may expire worthless. The options held by the Fund are exercisable at the strike price on their expiration date. As an option approaches its expiration date, its value typically increasingly moves with the value of the underlying instrument. However, prior to such date, the value of an option generally does not increase or decrease at the same rate as the underlying instrument. There may at times be an imperfect correlation between the movement in values options contracts and the underlying instrument, and there may at times not be a liquid secondary market for certain options contracts. The value of the options held by the Fund will be determined based on market quotations or other recognized pricing methods. Additionally, as the Fund intends to continuously maintain indirect exposure to the Underlying Security through the use of options contracts, as the options contracts it holds are exercised or expire it will enter into new options contracts, a practice referred to as “rolling.” If the expiring options contracts do not generate proceeds enough to cover the cost of entering into new options contracts, the Fund may experience losses. The use of options to generate leverage introduces additional risks, including significant potential losses if the market moves unfavorably. The leverage inherent in options can amplify both gains and losses, leading to increased volatility and potential for substantial losses, particularly in periods of market uncertainty or low liquidity. Additionally, the Fund may incur losses if the value of the Underlying Security moves against its positions, potentially resulting in a complete loss of the premium paid.
Counterparty Risk. The Fund is subject to counterparty risk by virtue of its investments in derivatives which exposes the Fund to the risk that the counterparty will not fulfill its obligation to the Fund. Counterparty risk may arise because of the counterparty’s financial condition (i.e., financial difficulties, bankruptcy, or insolvency), market activities and developments, or other reasons, whether foreseen or not. A counterparty’s inability to fulfill its obligation may result in significant financial loss to the Fund and the Fund may be unable to recover its investment from such counterparty or may obtain a limited and/or delayed recovery.
Counterparties may seek to hedge their exposure to individual clients (such as the Fund) by establishing offsetting exposures with other clients, however, there is no guarantee that counterparties will do so under all circumstances. Should a counterparty (e.g., a swap counterparty) terminate its relationship with the Fund, the Fund will seek to utilize other counterparties to seek to maintain its exposures. In addition, the Fund may use options contracts to seek to generate the leverage necessary to implement its strategy. The use of options contracts introduces distinct risks, including heightened volatility, particularly intraday. While options may provide an ancillary benefit of mitigating some losses under specific scenarios, such as severe market downturns, their inherent leverage and rapid price fluctuations can amplify the Fund’s performance volatility and lead to greater risks of substantial losses. Refer to “Derivatives Risk – Options Contracts” for additional information on the risks of investing in options.
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In addition, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with a limited number of counterparties, which may increase the Fund’s exposure to counterparty credit risk. Further, there is a risk that no suitable counterparties will be willing to enter into, or continue to enter into, transactions with the Fund and, as a result, the Fund may not be able to achieve its investment objective.
Intra-Day Investment Risk. The Fund seeks investment results from the close of the market on a given trading day until the close of the market on the subsequent trading day. The exact exposure of an investment in the Fund intraday in the secondary market is a function of the difference between the share price of the Underlying Security at the market close on the first trading day and the share price of the Underlying Security at the time of purchase. If the share price of the Underlying Security rises, the Fund’s net assets will rise by approximately twice the amount as the Fund’s exposure. Conversely, if the share price of the Underlying Security declines, the Fund’s net assets will decline by approximately two times the amount as the Fund’s exposure. Thus, an investor that purchases Shares intra-day may experience performance that is greater than, or less than, the Fund’s stated leveraged performance of the Underlying Security.
If there is a significant intra-day market event and/or the securities of the Underlying Security experience a significant increase or decrease, the Fund may not meet its investment objective or rebalance its portfolio appropriately.
Fixed Income Securities Risk. When the Fund invests in fixed income securities, the value of your investment in the Fund will fluctuate with changes in interest rates. Typically, a rise in interest rates causes a decline in the value of fixed income securities owned by the Fund. In general, the market price of fixed income securities with longer maturities will increase or decrease more in response to changes in interest rates than shorter-term securities. Other risk factors include credit risk (the debtor may default), extension risk (an issuer may exercise its right to repay principal on a fixed rate obligation held by the Fund later than expected), and prepayment risk (the debtor may pay its obligation early, reducing the amount of interest payments). These risks could affect the value of a particular investment by the Fund, possibly causing the Fund’s Share price and total return to be reduced and fluctuate more than other types of investments.
Rebalancing Risk. If for any reason the Fund is unable to rebalance all or a portion of its portfolio, or if all or a portion of the portfolio is rebalanced incorrectly, the Fund’s investment exposure may not be consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. In these instances, the Fund may have investment exposure to the Underlying Security that is significantly greater or less than its stated investment objective. As a result, the Fund may be exposed to leverage risk because it had not been properly rebalanced and may not achieve its investment objective.
ETF Risks
Authorized Participants, Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that are authorized to purchase and redeem Shares directly from the Fund (known as “Authorized Participants” or “APs”). In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, Shares may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services; or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.
Cash Redemption Risk. The Fund’s investment strategy may require it to redeem Shares for cash or to otherwise include cash as part of its redemption proceeds. For example, the Fund may not be able to redeem in-kind certain securities held by the Fund (e.g., derivative instruments). In such a case, the Fund may be required to sell or unwind portfolio investments to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. This may cause the Fund to recognize a capital gain that it might not have recognized if it had made a redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher annual capital gain distributions than if the in-kind redemption process was used. By paying out higher annual capital gain distributions, investors may be subjected to increased capital gains taxes. The costs associated with cash redemptions may include brokerage costs that the Fund may not have incurred if it had made the redemptions in-kind. These costs could be imposed on the Fund, decreasing its NAV, to the extent these costs are not offset by a transaction fee payable by an authorized participant.
Costs of Buying or Selling Shares. Buying or selling Shares involves certain costs, including brokerage commissions, other charges imposed by brokers, and bid-ask spreads. The bid-ask spread represents the difference between the price at which an investor is willing to buy Shares and the price at which an investor is willing to sell Shares. The spread varies over time based on the Shares’ trading volume and market liquidity. The spread is generally lower if Shares have more trading volume and market liquidity and higher if Shares have little trading volume and market liquidity. Due to the costs of buying or selling Shares, frequent trading of Shares may reduce investment results and an investment in Shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.
Shares May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all ETFs, Shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of Shares will approximate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price of Shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount) due to supply and demand of Shares or during periods of market volatility. This risk is heightened in times of market volatility, periods of steep market declines, and periods when there is limited trading activity for Shares in the secondary market, in which case such premiums or discounts may be significant.
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Trading. Although Shares are listed on a national securities exchange, such as [ ] (the “Exchange”), and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that 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 Shares. This adverse effect on liquidity for the Fund’s shares may lead to wider bid-ask spreads and differences between the market price of the Fund’s shares and the underlying value of the shares.
Liquidity Risk. In certain circumstances, such as the disruption of the orderly markets for the financial instruments in which the Fund invests, the Fund might not be able to acquire or dispose of certain holdings quickly or at prices that represent true market value in the judgment of the Adviser. Markets for the financial instruments in which the Fund invests may be disrupted by a number of events, including but not limited to economic crises, health crises, natural disasters, excessive volatility, new legislation, or regulatory changes inside or outside of the U.S. These situations may have an impact on the liquidity of the Fund’s own shares.”
Economic and Market Risk. Economies and financial markets throughout the world are becoming increasingly interconnected, which increases the likelihood that events or conditions in one country or region will adversely impact markets or issuers in other countries or regions. Securities in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform in comparison to securities in the general financial markets, a particular financial market, or other asset classes, due to a number of factors, including inflation (or expectations for inflation), deflation (or expectations for deflation), interest rates, global demand for particular products or resources, market instability, financial system instability, debt crises and downgrades, embargoes, tariffs, sanctions and other trade barriers, regulatory events, other governmental trade or market control programs and related geopolitical events. In addition, the value of the Fund’s investments may be negatively affected by the occurrence of global events such as war, terrorism, environmental disasters, natural disasters or events, country instability, and infectious disease epidemics or pandemics. The imposition by the U.S. of tariffs on goods imported from foreign countries and reciprocal tariffs levied on U.S. goods by those countries also may lead to volatility and instability in domestic and foreign markets.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk. Daily rebalancing of the Fund’s holdings pursuant to its daily investment objective causes a much greater number of portfolio transactions when compared to most ETFs. Additionally, active market trading of the Fund’s Shares on exchanges (such as the Exchange), could cause more frequent creation and redemption activities, which could increase the number of portfolio transactions. Frequent and active trading may lead to higher transaction costs because of increased broker commissions resulting from such transactions. In addition, there is the possibility of significantly increased short-term capital gains (which will be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income when distributed to them). The Fund calculates portfolio turnover without including the short-term cash instruments or derivative transactions that comprise the majority of the Fund’s trading. As such, if the Fund’s extensive use of derivative instruments were reflected, the calculated portfolio turnover rate would be significantly higher.
Tracking Error Risk. Tracking error is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of its investment objective which aims to replicate two times the daily percentage change in the price of the Underlying Security. Tracking error may occur for a number of reasons. Tracking error may occur because of transaction costs, the Fund’s holding of cash, differences in accrual of dividends, being under- or overexposed to the Underlying Security or the need to meet new or existing regulatory requirements. Tracking error risk may be heightened during times of market volatility or other unusual market conditions such as market disruptions. The Fund may be required to deviate from its investment objectives, and therefore experience tracking error, as a result of market restrictions or other legal reasons, including regulatory limits or other restrictions on securities that may be purchased by the Adviser and its affiliates.
Liquidity Risk. Some securities held by the Fund may be difficult to sell or be illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including, but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, epidemics/pandemics, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the United States. Illiquid securities may be difficult to value, especially in changing or volatile markets. If the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid security at an unfavorable time or price, the Fund may be adversely impacted. Certain market conditions or restrictions may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Underlying Security. There is no assurance that a security that is deemed liquid when purchased will continue to be liquid. Market illiquidity may cause losses for the Fund.
Money Market Instrument Risk. The Fund may use a variety of money market instruments for cash management purposes, including money market funds, depositary accounts and repurchase agreements. Repurchase agreements are contracts in which a seller of securities agrees to buy the securities back at a specified time and price. Repurchase agreements may be subject to market and credit risk related to the collateral securing the repurchase agreement. Money market instruments may lose money.
New Fund Risk. The Fund is a recently organized management investment company with no operating history. As a result, prospective investors do not have a track record or history on which to base their investment decisions.
Non-Diversification Risk. Because the Fund is “non-diversified,” it may invest a greater percentage of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it was a diversified fund. As a result, a decline in the value of an investment in a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers could cause the Fund’s overall value to decline to a greater degree than if the Fund held a more diversified portfolio. This may increase the Fund’s volatility and cause the performance of a relatively smaller number of issuers to have a greater impact on the Fund’s performance.
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Trading Halt Risk. Although the Underlying Security’s shares are listed for trading on an exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such shares will be available at all times and the Exchange may halt trading of such shares in certain circumstances. A halt in trading in the Underlying Security’s shares is expected, in turn, to result in a halt in the trading in the Fund’s Shares. Trading in the Underlying Security’s and/or Fund’s Shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in the Underlying Security’s and/or Fund’s Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in Underlying Security’s and/or Fund’s Shares on an exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to exchange “circuit breaker” rules.” In the event of a trading halt for an extended period of time, the Fund may be unable to execute arrangements with swap counterparties that are necessary to implement the Fund’s investment strategy.
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 and the Fund’s investment advisor seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures, there is no way to completely protect against such risks.
U.S. Government and U.S. Agency Obligations Risk. The Fund may invest in securities issued by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities. U.S. Government obligations include securities issued or guaranteed as to principal and interest by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities, such as the U.S. Treasury. Payment of principal and interest on U.S. Government obligations may be backed by the full faith and credit of the United States or may be backed solely by the issuing or guaranteeing agency or instrumentality itself. In the latter case, the investor must look principally to the agency or instrumentality issuing or guaranteeing the obligation for ultimate repayment, which agency or instrumentality may be privately owned. There can be no assurance that the U.S. Government would provide financial support to its agencies or instrumentalities (including government-sponsored enterprises) where it is not obligated to do so.
Tax Risk. The Fund intends to elect and to qualify each year to be treated as a regulated investment company (a “RIC”) under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (“Code”). As a RIC, the Fund will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the portion of its net investment income and net capital gain that it distributes to shareholders, provided that it satisfies certain requirements of the Code. If the Fund does not qualify as a RIC for any taxable year and certain relief provisions are not available, the Fund’s taxable income will be subject to tax at the Fund level and to a further tax at the shareholder level when such income is distributed. To comply with the asset diversification test applicable to a RIC, the Fund will attempt to ensure that the value of swap contracts and options on shares of a single issuer does not exceed 25% of the Fund’s value at the close of any quarter. If the value of swap contracts and options on shares of a single issuer were to exceed 25% of the Fund’s total assets at the end of a tax quarter, the Fund, generally, has a grace period to cure such lack of compliance. If the Fund fails to timely cure, it may no longer be eligible to be treated as a RIC.
Performance
Performance information for the Fund is not included because the Fund has not completed a full calendar year of operations as of the date of this Prospectus. When such information is included, this section will provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance history from year to year and showing how the Fund’s average annual total returns compare with those of a broad measure of market performance. Although past performance of the Fund is no guarantee of how it will perform in the future, historical performance may give you some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. Updated performance information will be available on the Fund’s website at https://www.defianceetfs.com.
Management
Investment Adviser: Tidal Investments LLC serves as investment adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers:
The following individuals are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund.
Stephen Foy, Portfolio Manager for the Adviser, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in 2025.
Christopher P. Mullen, Portfolio Manager for the Adviser, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in 2025.
Purchase and Sale of Shares
The Fund issues and redeems Shares at NAV only in large blocks known as “Creation Units,” which only APs (typically, broker-dealers) may purchase or redeem. The Fund generally issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities (the “Deposit Securities”) and/or a designated amount of U.S. cash.
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Shares are listed on a national securities exchange, such as the Exchange, and individual Shares may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through brokers at market prices, rather than NAV. Because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).
An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares (the “bid” price) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares (the “ask” price) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market. This difference in bid and ask prices is often referred to as the “bid-ask spread.”
When available, information regarding the Fund’s NAV, market price, how often Shares traded on the Exchange at a premium or discount, and bid-ask spreads can be found on the Fund’s website at https://www.defianceetfs.com.
Tax Information
Fund distributions are generally taxable as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains (or a combination), unless an investment is in an individual retirement account (“IRA”) or other tax-advantaged account. Distributions on investments made through tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal of assets from those accounts.
Financial Intermediary Compensation
If you purchase Shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank) (an “Intermediary”), the Adviser or its affiliates may pay Intermediaries for certain activities related to the Fund, including participation in activities that are designed to make Intermediaries more knowledgeable about exchange-traded products, including the Fund, or for other activities, such as marketing, educational training, or other initiatives related to the sale or promotion of Shares. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the Intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Any such arrangements do not result in increased Fund expenses. Ask your salesperson or visit the Intermediary’s website for more information.
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SUMMARY INFORMATION
DEFIANCE DAILY TARGET 2X LONG HL ETF – FUND SUMMARY
Important Information About the Fund
The Defiance Daily Target 2X Long HL ETF (the “Fund”) seeks daily leveraged investment results of two times (200%) the daily percentage change in the share price of Hecla Mining Company (NYSE: HL) (the “Underlying Security” or “HL”). Because the Fund seeks daily leveraged investment results, it is very different from most other exchange-traded funds. It is also riskier than alternatives that do not use leverage.
The return for investors that invest for periods longer or shorter than a trading day should not be expected to be 200% of the performance of the Underlying Security’s shares for the period. The return of the Fund for a period longer than a trading day will be the result of each trading day’s compounded return during such period held, which will very likely differ from 200% of the return of the Underlying Security’s shares for that period. Holding shares of the Fund for longer than a single day and higher volatility of the Underlying Security’s shares increase the impact of compounding on an investor’s returns, which may have a negative or positive impact on an investor’s returns. During periods of higher Underlying Security share price volatility, the volatility of the Underlying Security’s shares may affect the Fund’s return as much as, or more than, the return of the Underlying Security’s shares. The impact of compounding will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Fund is held and the volatility of the Underlying Security’s shares during a shareholder’s holding period of an investment in the Fund. See “Principal Investment Risks – Compounding and Market Volatility Risk” below for an example of how volatility of the Underlying Security’s shares may affect the Fund’s return as much as, or more than, the return of the Underlying Security’s shares.
The Fund is not suitable for all investors. The Fund is designed to be utilized only by knowledgeable investors who understand the potential consequences of seeking daily leveraged (2X) investment results, understand the risks associated with the use of leverage, and are willing to monitor their portfolios frequently. The Fund is not intended to be used by, and is not appropriate for, investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. For periods longer than a single day, the Fund will lose money if the Underlying Security’s performance is flat, and it is possible that the Fund will lose money even if the Underlying Security’s performance increases over a period longer than a single day. An investor could lose the full principal value of his/her investment within a single day.
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of two times (200%) the daily percentage change in the share price of the Hecla Mining Company (NYSE: HL). The Fund does not seek to achieve its stated investment objective for a period other than a single trading day.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below.
| Annual Fund Operating Expenses(1) (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) | |||||
| Management Fee | [ ] | % | |||
| Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees | None | ||||
| Other Expenses(2) | [ ] | % | |||
| Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses(3) | [ ] | % | |||
| (1) | The Fund’s investment adviser, Tidal Investments LLC (the “Adviser”), a Tidal Financial Group company, will pay, or require a sub-adviser to pay, all expenses incurred by the Fund (except for advisory fees and sub-advisory fees, as the case may be) excluding interest charges on any borrowings made for investment purposes, dividends and other expenses on securities sold short, taxes, brokerage commissions and other expenses incurred in placing orders for the purchase and sale of securities and other investment instruments, acquired fund fees and expenses, accrued deferred tax liability, distribution fees and expenses paid by the Fund under any distribution plan adopted pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), and litigation expenses and other non-routine or extraordinary expenses. |
| (2) | Based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year. |
| (3) | The cost of investing in swaps, including the embedded cost of the swap and the operating expenses of the referenced assets, is an indirect expense that is not included in the above fee table and is not reflected in the expense example. |
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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. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem or hold all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. The Example does not take into account brokerage commissions that you may pay on your purchases and sales of Shares. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years |
| $[ ] | $[ ] |
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in total annual fund operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund is newly organized, portfolio turnover information is not yet available.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund is an actively managed exchange traded fund (“ETF”) that attempts to achieve two times (200%) the daily percentage change in the share price of the Underlying Security by employing derivatives, namely swap agreements and/or listed options contracts. The Fund aims to achieve this daily percentage change for a single day, and not for any other period. A “single day” means the period “from the close of regular trading on one trading day to the close on the next trading day.”
If the Fund encounters limitations in implementing its strategies, whether due to market conditions, derivative availability, counterparty issues, or other factors, the Fund may not achieve investment results, before fees and expenses, that correspond to two times (2x) the daily performance of the Underlying Security, and may return substantially less during such periods. During such periods, the Fund’s actual leverage levels may differ substantially from its intended target, both intraday and at the close of trading, potentially resulting in significantly lower returns.
The Fund may enter into one or more swap agreements with financial institutions for a specified period, which may range from one day to longer than a year. Through each swap agreement, the Fund and the financial institution will agree to exchange the return (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on the Underlying Security’s share price. The gross return (meaning the return before deducting any fees or expenses) to be exchanged or “swapped” between the parties is calculated with respect to a “notional amount,” (meaning the face amount of the instrument) e.g., the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount representing the Underlying Security.
The Fund may also utilize listed options to seek to achieve leveraged 2X exposure to the Underlying Security. The Fund will primarily employ short-dated (a month or less) in-the-money call options (options with strike prices below the current market price of the Underlying Security, offering immediate intrinsic value). Additionally, the Fund may use other option strategies to produce similar exposure to the Underlying Security, like buying calls and selling puts with identical strike prices. These options allow the Fund to adjust its leverage strategy in response to market conditions, liquidity constraints, or other factors that may affect the availability or pricing of swap agreements. The use of listed options provides additional flexibility in pursuing the Fund’s daily investment objective. In situations where swap availability is constrained, the Fund may rely more heavily on options contracts. Additionally, the Fund may use options in response to changing market dynamics. However, the use of option contracts is typically less efficient than swaps and may increase the likelihood that the Fund is unable to achieve its daily 2X objective.
At the end of each day, the Fund’s swaps and options are valued using market valuations and the Fund’s investment adviser rebalances the Fund’s holdings in an attempt to maintain leveraged exposure for the Fund equal to approximately 200% of the Underlying Security’s share price. This daily rebalancing is expected to result in high portfolio turnover.
For examples of a hypothetical investment in the Fund, see the section in the Fund’s Prospectus titled see “Additional Information About the Fund – Principal Investment Strategies.”
Fund performance for periods greater than one single day is primarily (but not solely) a function of the following factors: a) the Underlying Security volatility; b) the Underlying Security’s performance; c) period of time; d) financing rates associated with leveraged exposure; and e) other Fund expenses.
The Fund will hold assets to serve as collateral for its derivatives positions. For those collateral holdings, the Fund may invest in (1) U.S. Government securities, such as bills, notes and bonds issued by the U.S. Treasury; (2) money market funds; (3) short term bond ETFs; and/or (4) corporate debt securities, such as commercial paper and other short-term unsecured promissory notes issued by businesses that are rated investment grade or of comparable quality.
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The Fund has adopted a policy to have at least 80% exposure to financial instruments with economic characteristics that should perform 2X the daily performance of the Underlying Security’s shares. The Fund is expected to allocate between 40% and 60% of its assets as collateral for swap agreements or as premiums for purchased options contracts.
The Fund is classified as “non-diversified” under the 1940 Act. The Fund’s investment strategy is expected to result in a high annual portfolio turnover rate.
Because of daily rebalancing and the compounding of each day’s return over time, the return of the Fund for periods longer than a single day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which will very likely differ from 200% of the return of the Underlying Security’s shares over the same period. The Fund will lose money if the Underlying Security’s performance is flat over time, and because of daily rebalancing, the Underlying Security’s shares’ volatility and the effects of compounding, the Fund may lose money over time while the Underlying Security’s performance increases over a period longer than a single day. As a consequence, investors should not plan to hold shares of the Fund unmonitored for periods longer than a single trading day.
Hecla Mining Company (“HL”)
Hecla Mining Company and its subsidiaries have provided precious and base metals to the U.S. and the world since 1891 The company discovers, acquires and develops mines and other mineral interests and produce and market (i) concentrates containing silver, gold, lead, zinc and copper, (ii) carbon material containing silver and gold, and (iii) unrefined doré containing silver and gold. HL is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”). Per HL’s most recent 10-K filing, the aggregate market value of HL’s common stock held by non-affiliates was $2,979,623,680 as of June 30, 2024.
HL is registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Information provided to or filed with the SEC by HL pursuant to the Exchange Act can be located by reference to SEC file number 001-08491 through the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. In addition, information regarding HL may be obtained from other sources including, but not limited to, press releases, newspaper articles and other publicly disseminated documents.
This document relates only to the securities offered hereby and does not relate to the shares of HL or other securities of HL. The Fund has derived all disclosures contained in this document regarding HL from the publicly available documents. None of the Fund, Tidal Trust II (the “Trust”), or the Adviser, or their respective affiliates has participated in the preparation of such publicly available offering documents or made any due diligence inquiry regarding such documents with respect to HL. None of the Fund, the Trust, or the Adviser, or their respective affiliates makes any representation that such publicly available documents or any other publicly available information regarding HL is accurate or complete. Furthermore, the Fund cannot give any assurance that all events occurring prior to the date hereof (including events that would affect the accuracy or completeness of the publicly available documents described above) that would affect the trading price of HL (and therefore the share price of the Fund at the time we price the securities) have been publicly disclosed. Subsequent disclosure of any such events or the disclosure of or failure to disclose material future events concerning HL could affect the value received with respect to the securities and therefore the value of the securities.
None of the Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates makes any representation to you as to the performance of HL.
NONE OF THE FUND, TIDAL TRUST II, OR TIDAL INVESTMENTS LLC IS AFFILIATED, CONNECTED, OR ASSOCIATED WITH HL. THE FUND WAS NOT DEVELOPED OR CREATED BY, AND IS NOT SPONSORED, ENDORSED, OR APPROVED BY HL.
Moreover, HL has not participated in the development of the Fund’s investment strategy. HL does not select or approve the Fund’s portfolio holdings, nor does it participate in the construction, design, or implementation of the Fund. HL does not provide any assurances, guarantees, or representations regarding the Fund or its performance. Nothing herein shall be construed as an offer of any security by HL.
None of the Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates claim any ownership interest in any trademarks owned by HL or its affiliates. All rights in the trademarks are reserved by their respective owners.
Due to the Fund’s investment strategy, the Fund’s investment exposure is concentrated in the same industry as that assigned to the Underlying Security. As of the date of the Prospectus, HL is assigned to the metals and mining industry.
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Principal Investment Risks
The principal risks of investing in the Fund are summarized below. As with any investment, there is a risk that you could lose all or a portion of your investment in the Fund. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”) per Share, trading price, yield, total return, and/or ability to meet its investment objective. For more information about the risks of investing in the Fund, see the section in the Fund’s Prospectus titled “Additional Information About the Fund—Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund.”
An investment in the Fund entails risk. The Fund may not achieve its investment objective and there is a risk that you could lose all of your money invested in the Fund. The Fund is not a complete investment program. In addition, the Fund presents risks not traditionally associated with other ETFs. It is important that investors closely review all of the risks listed below and understand them before making an investment in the Fund.
Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears.
HL Risks. The Fund invests in swap contracts and options that are based on the share price of HL. This subjects the Fund to certain of the same risks as if it owned shares of HL, even though it does not. By virtue of the Fund’s investments in swap contracts and options that are based on the value of HL, the Fund may also be subject to the following risks:
| ● | Indirect Investment in HL Risk. HL is not affiliated with the Trust, the Fund, or the Adviser, or their respective affiliates and is not involved with this offering in any way and has no obligation to consider your Shares in taking any corporate actions that might affect the value of Shares. Investors in the Fund will not have voting rights or influence over the management of HL but will be exposed to the performance of HL (the Underlying Security). Investors will also not have the right to receive dividends or other distributions from HL, but will remain subject to price fluctuations and other risks associated with ownership of the Underlying Security. |
| ● | HL Trading Risk. The trading price of HL may be subject to volatility and could experience wide fluctuations due to various factors. Short sellers may also influence HL’s trading activity, contributing to market instability. Public perception and external factors beyond the company’s control may influence HL’s stock price disproportionately. Additionally, following periods of market volatility, companies have faced securities class action litigation. Any adverse judgment or future stockholder litigation could result in substantial costs and divert management’s attention and resources. In the event of a trading halt, delisting, or significant disruption in the market for HL’s shares, the Fund may experience difficulty entering, modifying, or liquidating its exposures. These conditions could impair the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective, result in significant tracking error, or, in extreme cases, force the Fund to liquidate entirely. |
| ● | HL Performance Risk. HL may fail to meet its publicly announced guidelines or other expectations about its business, which could cause the price of HL to decline. Correctly identifying key factors affecting business conditions and predicting future events is inherently an uncertain process, and the guidance HL provides may not ultimately be accurate. If HL’s guidance is not accurate or varies from actual results due to its inability to meet the assumptions or the impact on its financial performance that could occur as a result of various risks and uncertainties, the market value of common stock issued by HL could decline significantly. |
| ● | Metals and Mining Industry Risks. Substantial or extended decline in metals prices would have a material adverse effect on HL. The company’s revenue is derived primarily from the sale of concentrates and doré containing silver, gold, lead, zinc and copper and, as a result, our earnings are directly related to the prices of these metals. Silver, gold, lead, zinc and copper prices fluctuate widely and are affected by numerous factors, including: speculative activities; relative exchange rates of the U.S. dollar; global and regional demand and production; political instability; inflation, recession or increased or reduced economic activity; and other political, regulatory and economic conditions. These factors are largely beyond HL’s control and are difficult to predict. If the market prices for these metals fall below its production or development costs for a sustained period of time, HL will experience losses and may have to discontinue exploration, development or operations, and the company may also incur asset write-downs at one or more of its properties. An extended decline in metals prices, an increase in operating or capital costs or treatment charges, mine accidents or closures, increasing regulatory obligations, or HL’s inability to convert resources or exploration targets to reserves may cause it to record write-downs, which could negatively impact our results of operations. |
| ● | Operational Losses Risk. HL has experienced volatility in its net income (loss) reported in the last three years. Many of the factors affecting the company’s operating results are beyond its control, including, but not limited to, the volatility of metals prices; smelter terms; rock and soil conditions; seismic events; cybersecurity attacks; availability of hydroelectric power; diesel fuel prices; interest rates; foreign exchange rates; global or regional political or economic policies; inflation; availability and cost of labor; economic developments and crises; governmental regulations; continuity of orebodies; ore grades; recoveries; performance of equipment; uninsured losses; price speculation by certain investors; and purchases and sales by central banks and other holders and producers of gold and silver in response to these factors. There is no assurance that HL will not incur losses in the future. |
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| ● | Regulatory Risk. HL’s business is subject to extensive U.S. and foreign federal, state, provincial and local laws and regulations governing environmental protection, natural resources, prospecting, development, production, post-closure reclamation, taxes, labor standards and occupational health and safety laws and regulations, including mine safety, toxic substances and other matters. The costs associated with compliance with such laws and regulations are substantial. Possible future laws and regulations, or more restrictive interpretations of current laws and regulations by governmental authorities, could cause additional expense, capital expenditures, restrictions on or suspensions of operations and delays in the development of new properties. |
| ● | Litigation Risk. There are several ongoing legal disputes in which HL is involved, including a putative class action lawsuit filed against it and certain current and former directors and officers. Further, HL has experienced in the past, and could experience in the future, claims regarding environmental damage or compliance, safety conditions or other matters at our mines. The outcomes of these pending and potential claims are uncertain. HL may not resolve these claims favorably. Depending on the outcome, these actions could cause adverse financial effects or reputational harm to the company. If any of these disputes result in a substantial monetary judgment against HL, are settled on terms unfavorable to HL, or otherwise impact HL’s operations (such as by limiting the ability to obtain permits or approvals), its financial results or condition could be materially adversely affected. |
Single Issuer Risk. Issuer-specific attributes may cause an investment in the Fund to be more volatile than a traditional pooled investment which diversifies risk or the market generally. The value of the Fund, which focuses on an individual security, may be more volatile than a traditional pooled investment or the market as a whole and may perform differently from the value of a traditional pooled investment or the market as a whole. Additionally, the Fund will seek to employ its investment strategy as it relates to the underlying issuer regardless of whether there are significant corporate actions such as restructurings, enforcement activity, or acquisitions or periods adverse market, economic, or other conditions and will not seek to take temporary defensive positions during such periods.
Compounding and Market Volatility Risk. The Fund has a daily leveraged investment objective and the Fund’s performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which is very likely to differ from two times (200%) the Underlying Security’s performance, before the Fund’s management fee and other expenses. Compounding affects all investments but has a more significant impact on funds that aim to replicate leveraged daily returns and that rebalance daily. For the Fund aiming to replicate two times the daily performance of an Underlying Security, if adverse daily performance of the Underlying Security reduces the amount of a shareholder’s investment, any further adverse daily performance will lead to a smaller dollar loss because the shareholder’s investment had already been reduced by the prior adverse performance. Equally, however, if favorable daily performance of the Underlying Security increases the amount of a shareholder’s investment, the dollar amount lost due to future adverse performance will increase because the shareholder’s investment has increased.
The effect of compounding becomes more pronounced as the Underlying Security’s volatility and the holding period increase. The impact of compounding will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Fund is held and the volatility of the Underlying Security during a shareholder’s holding period of an investment in the Fund.
The chart below provides examples of how the Underlying Security’s volatility could affect the Fund’s performance. The chart illustrates the impact of two factors that affect the Fund’s performance – the Underlying Security’s volatility and the Underlying Security’s performance. The Underlying Security’s performance shows the percentage change in the share price of the Underlying Security over the specified time period, while the Underlying Security’s volatility is a statistical measure of the magnitude of fluctuations in the returns during that time period. As illustrated below, even if the Underlying Security’s performance over two equal time periods is identical, different Underlying Security volatility (i.e., in magnitude of fluctuations in the share price of the Underlying Security) during the two time periods could result in drastically different Fund performance for the two time periods because of compounding daily returns during the time periods.
Fund performance for periods greater than one single day can be estimated given any set of assumptions for the following factors: a) the Underlying Security volatility; b) the Underlying Security performance; c) period of time; d) financing rates associated with leveraged exposure; and e) other Fund expenses. The chart shows estimated Fund returns for a number of combinations of Underlying Security volatility and Underlying Security performance over a one-year period. Performance shown in the chart assumes that: (i) there were no Fund expenses; (ii) borrowing/lending rates (to obtain leveraged exposure) of 0%. If Fund expenses and/or actual borrowing/lending rates were reflected the estimated returns would be different than those shown. Particularly during periods of higher Underlying Security volatility, compounding will cause results for periods longer than a trading day to vary from two times (200%) the performance of the Underlying Security.
As shown in the chart below, the Fund would be expected to lose 6.1% if there was no change in the share price of the Underlying Security over a one-year period during which the Underlying Security experienced annualized volatility of 25%. If the Underlying Security’s annualized volatility were to rise to 75%, the hypothetical loss for a one-year period would widen to approximately -43%. At higher ranges of volatility, there is a chance of a significant loss of value in the Fund, even if there were no change in the share price of the Underlying Security. For instance, if the Underlying Security’s annualized volatility is 100%, the Fund would be expected to lose 63.2% of its value, even if the cumulative Underlying Security change in the share price of the Underlying Security for the year was 0%.
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Areas shaded red (or dark gray) represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return less than two times (200%) the performance of the Underlying Security and those shaded green (or light gray) represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return more than two times (200%) the performance of the Underlying Security. The Fund’s actual performance may be significantly better or worse than the performance shown below as a result of any of the factors discussed above or in the “Daily Correlation/Tracking Risk” below.
| Estimated
Returns of 200% or Two Times Performance of the Underlying Security |
|||||||
| Underlying Security Performance | One Year Volatility Rate | ||||||
| One
Year Underlying Security |
2X
Times (200%) the One Year Performance |
10% | 25% | 50% | 75% | 100% | |
| -60% | -120% | -84.2% | -85.0% | -87.5% | -90.9% | -94.1% | |
| -50% | -100% | -75.2% | -76.5% | -80.5% | -85.8% | -90.8% | |
| -40% | -80% | -64.4% | -66.2% | -72.0% | -79.5% | -86.8% | |
| -30% | -60% | -51.5% | -54.0% | -61.8% | -72.1% | -82.0% | |
| -20% | -40% | -36.6% | -39.9% | -50.2% | -63.5% | -76.5% | |
| -10% | -20% | -19.8% | -23.9% | -36.9% | -53.8% | -70.2% | |
| 0% | 0% | -1.0% | -6.1% | -22.1% | -43.0% | -63.2% | |
| 10% | 20% | 19.8% | 13.7% | -5.8% | -31.1% | -55.5% | |
| 20% | 40% | 42.6% | 35.3% | 12.1% | -18.0% | -47.0% | |
| 30% | 60% | 67.3% | 58.8% | 31.6% | -3.7% | -37.8% | |
| 40% | 80% | 94.0% | 84.1% | 52.6% | 11.7% | -27.9% | |
| 50% | 100% | 122.8% | 111.4% | 75.2% | 28.2% | -17.2% | |
| 60% | 120% | 153.5% | 140.5% | 99.4% | 45.9% | -5.8% | |
The Underlying Security’s annualized historical volatility rate for the period from [ ] (the earliest date available) to [ ] was [ ]%. The Underlying Security’s annualized performance during this period was [ ]%. Historical Underlying Security volatility and performance are not indications of what Underlying Security volatility and performance will be in the future.
Daily Correlation/Tracking Risk. There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of leveraged correlation to the Underlying Security and therefore achieve its daily leveraged investment objective. To achieve a high degree of leveraged correlation with the Underlying Security, the Fund seeks to rebalance its portfolio daily to keep exposure consistent with its daily leveraged investment objective. The possibility of the Fund being materially over- or under-exposed to the Underlying Security increases on days when the Underlying Security is volatile near the close of the trading day. Market disruptions, regulatory restrictions and extreme volatility will also adversely affect the Fund’s ability to adjust exposure to the required levels. If there is a significant intra-day market event and/or the Underlying Security experiences a significant increase or decline, the Fund may not meet its investment objective, be able to rebalance its portfolio appropriately, or may experience significant premiums or discounts, or widened bid-ask spreads.
The Fund may have difficulty achieving its daily leveraged investment objective due to fees, expenses, transaction costs, financing costs related to the use of derivatives, investments in ETFs, directly or indirectly, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities or derivatives held by the Fund. The Fund may be subject to large movements of assets into and out of the Fund, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or under-exposed to the Underlying Security. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions to improve the tax efficiency or to comply with various regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively impact the Fund’s leveraged correlation to the Underlying Security.
Leverage Risk. The Fund obtains investment exposure in excess of its net assets by utilizing leverage and may lose more money in market conditions that are adverse to its investment objective than a fund that does not utilize leverage. An investment in the Fund is exposed to the risk that a decline in the daily performance of the Underlying Security will be magnified. This means that an investment in the Fund will be reduced by an amount equal to 2% for every 1% daily decline in the share price of the Underlying Security, not including the costs of financing leverage and other operating expenses, which would further reduce its value. The Fund could theoretically lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event the share price of the Underlying Security declines more than 50%. Leverage will also have the effect of magnifying any differences in the Fund performance’s correlation with the Underlying Security’s share price.
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Derivatives Risk. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds (including ETFs), interest rates or indexes. The Fund’s investments in derivatives may pose risks in addition to, and greater than, those associated with directly investing in securities or other ordinary investments, including risk related to the market, leverage, imperfect daily correlations with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, higher price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty risk, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions. The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of derivatives may result in larger losses or smaller gains than directly investing in securities. When the Fund uses derivatives, there may be imperfect correlation between the share price of the Underlying Security and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. Because derivatives often require only a limited initial investment, the use of derivatives may expose the Fund to losses in excess of those amounts initially invested.
The Fund will be subject to regulatory constraints relating to level of value at risk that the Fund may incur through its derivative portfolio. To the extent the Fund exceeds these regulatory thresholds over an extended period, the Fund may determine that it is necessary to make adjustments to the Fund’s investment strategy, including the desired daily leveraged performance for the Fund.
In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
Swap Agreements. The use of swap transactions is a highly specialized activity, which involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. Whether the Fund will be successful in using swap agreements to achieve its investment goal depends on the ability of the Adviser to structure such swap agreements in accordance with the Fund’s investment objective and to identify counterparties for those swap agreements. If the Adviser is unable to enter into swap agreements that provide leveraged exposure to the Underlying Security, the Fund may not meet its stated investment objective. Additionally, any financing, borrowing or other costs associated with using swap transactions may also have the effect of lowering the Fund’s return.
The swap agreements in which the Fund invests are generally traded in the over-the-counter market, which generally has less transparency than exchange-traded derivatives instruments. In a standard swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the return (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined reference assets or underlying securities or instruments. The gross return to be exchanged or swapped between the parties is calculated based on a notional amount or the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount invested in a basket of securities.
If the Underlying Security has a dramatic move that causes a material decline in the Fund’s net assets, the terms of a swap agreement between the Fund and its counterparty may permit the counterparty to immediately close out the swap transaction with the Fund. In that event, the Fund may be unable to enter into another swap agreement or invest in other derivatives to achieve exposure consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. This may prevent the Fund from achieving its leveraged investment objective, even if the Underlying Security later reverses all or a portion of its movement.
Options Contracts. The use of options contracts involves investment strategies and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The prices of options are volatile and are influenced by, among other things, actual and anticipated changes in the value of the underlying instrument, including the anticipated volatility, which are affected by fiscal and monetary policies and by national and international political, changes in the actual or implied volatility or the reference asset, the time remaining until the expiration of the option contract and economic events. The value of the options contracts in which the Fund invests are substantially influenced by the value of the Underlying Security. The Fund may experience substantial downside from specific option positions and certain option positions held by the Fund may expire worthless. The options held by the Fund are exercisable at the strike price on their expiration date. As an option approaches its expiration date, its value typically increasingly moves with the value of the underlying instrument. However, prior to such date, the value of an option generally does not increase or decrease at the same rate as the underlying instrument. There may at times be an imperfect correlation between the movement in values options contracts and the underlying instrument, and there may at times not be a liquid secondary market for certain options contracts. The value of the options held by the Fund will be determined based on market quotations or other recognized pricing methods. Additionally, as the Fund intends to continuously maintain indirect exposure to the Underlying Security through the use of options contracts, as the options contracts it holds are exercised or expire it will enter into new options contracts, a practice referred to as “rolling.” If the expiring options contracts do not generate proceeds enough to cover the cost of entering into new options contracts, the Fund may experience losses. The use of options to generate leverage introduces additional risks, including significant potential losses if the market moves unfavorably. The leverage inherent in options can amplify both gains and losses, leading to increased volatility and potential for substantial losses, particularly in periods of market uncertainty or low liquidity. Additionally, the Fund may incur losses if the value of the Underlying Security moves against its positions, potentially resulting in a complete loss of the premium paid.
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Counterparty Risk. The Fund is subject to counterparty risk by virtue of its investments in derivatives which exposes the Fund to the risk that the counterparty will not fulfill its obligation to the Fund. Counterparty risk may arise because of the counterparty’s financial condition (i.e., financial difficulties, bankruptcy, or insolvency), market activities and developments, or other reasons, whether foreseen or not. A counterparty’s inability to fulfill its obligation may result in significant financial loss to the Fund and the Fund may be unable to recover its investment from such counterparty or may obtain a limited and/or delayed recovery.
Counterparties may seek to hedge their exposure to individual clients (such as the Fund) by establishing offsetting exposures with other clients, however, there is no guarantee that counterparties will do so under all circumstances. Should a counterparty (e.g., a swap counterparty) terminate its relationship with the Fund, the Fund will seek to utilize other counterparties to seek to maintain its exposures. In addition, the Fund may use options contracts to seek to generate the leverage necessary to implement its strategy. The use of options contracts introduces distinct risks, including heightened volatility, particularly intraday. While options may provide an ancillary benefit of mitigating some losses under specific scenarios, such as severe market downturns, their inherent leverage and rapid price fluctuations can amplify the Fund’s performance volatility and lead to greater risks of substantial losses. Refer to “Derivatives Risk – Options Contracts” for additional information on the risks of investing in options.
In addition, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with a limited number of counterparties, which may increase the Fund’s exposure to counterparty credit risk. Further, there is a risk that no suitable counterparties will be willing to enter into, or continue to enter into, transactions with the Fund and, as a result, the Fund may not be able to achieve its investment objective.
Intra-Day Investment Risk. The Fund seeks investment results from the close of the market on a given trading day until the close of the market on the subsequent trading day. The exact exposure of an investment in the Fund intraday in the secondary market is a function of the difference between the share price of the Underlying Security at the market close on the first trading day and the share price of the Underlying Security at the time of purchase. If the share price of the Underlying Security rises, the Fund’s net assets will rise by approximately twice the amount as the Fund’s exposure. Conversely, if the share price of the Underlying Security declines, the Fund’s net assets will decline by approximately two times the amount as the Fund’s exposure. Thus, an investor that purchases Shares intra-day may experience performance that is greater than, or less than, the Fund’s stated leveraged performance of the Underlying Security.
If there is a significant intra-day market event and/or the securities of the Underlying Security experience a significant increase or decrease, the Fund may not meet its investment objective or rebalance its portfolio appropriately.
Fixed Income Securities Risk. When the Fund invests in fixed income securities, the value of your investment in the Fund will fluctuate with changes in interest rates. Typically, a rise in interest rates causes a decline in the value of fixed income securities owned by the Fund. In general, the market price of fixed income securities with longer maturities will increase or decrease more in response to changes in interest rates than shorter-term securities. Other risk factors include credit risk (the debtor may default), extension risk (an issuer may exercise its right to repay principal on a fixed rate obligation held by the Fund later than expected), and prepayment risk (the debtor may pay its obligation early, reducing the amount of interest payments). These risks could affect the value of a particular investment by the Fund, possibly causing the Fund’s Share price and total return to be reduced and fluctuate more than other types of investments.
Rebalancing Risk. If for any reason the Fund is unable to rebalance all or a portion of its portfolio, or if all or a portion of the portfolio is rebalanced incorrectly, the Fund’s investment exposure may not be consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. In these instances, the Fund may have investment exposure to the Underlying Security that is significantly greater or less than its stated investment objective. As a result, the Fund may be exposed to leverage risk because it had not been properly rebalanced and may not achieve its investment objective.
ETF Risks
Authorized Participants, Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that are authorized to purchase and redeem Shares directly from the Fund (known as “Authorized Participants” or “APs”). In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, Shares may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services; or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.
Cash Redemption Risk. The Fund’s investment strategy may require it to redeem Shares for cash or to otherwise include cash as part of its redemption proceeds. For example, the Fund may not be able to redeem in-kind certain securities held by the Fund (e.g., derivative instruments). In such a case, the Fund may be required to sell or unwind portfolio investments to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. This may cause the Fund to recognize a capital gain that it might not have recognized if it had made a redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher annual capital gain distributions than if the in-kind redemption process was used. By paying out higher annual capital gain distributions, investors may be subjected to increased capital gains taxes. The costs associated with cash redemptions may include brokerage costs that the Fund may not have incurred if it had made the redemptions in-kind. These costs could be imposed on the Fund, decreasing its NAV, to the extent these costs are not offset by a transaction fee payable by an authorized participant.
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Costs of Buying or Selling Shares. Buying or selling Shares involves certain costs, including brokerage commissions, other charges imposed by brokers, and bid-ask spreads. The bid-ask spread represents the difference between the price at which an investor is willing to buy Shares and the price at which an investor is willing to sell Shares. The spread varies over time based on the Shares’ trading volume and market liquidity. The spread is generally lower if Shares have more trading volume and market liquidity and higher if Shares have little trading volume and market liquidity. Due to the costs of buying or selling Shares, frequent trading of Shares may reduce investment results and an investment in Shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.
Shares May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all ETFs, Shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of Shares will approximate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price of Shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount) due to supply and demand of Shares or during periods of market volatility. This risk is heightened in times of market volatility, periods of steep market declines, and periods when there is limited trading activity for Shares in the secondary market, in which case such premiums or discounts may be significant.
Trading. Although Shares are listed on a national securities exchange, such as [ ] (the “Exchange”), and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that 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 Shares. This adverse effect on liquidity for the Fund’s shares may lead to wider bid-ask spreads and differences between the market price of the Fund’s shares and the underlying value of the shares.
Liquidity Risk. In certain circumstances, such as the disruption of the orderly markets for the financial instruments in which the Fund invests, the Fund might not be able to acquire or dispose of certain holdings quickly or at prices that represent true market value in the judgment of the Adviser. Markets for the financial instruments in which the Fund invests may be disrupted by a number of events, including but not limited to economic crises, health crises, natural disasters, excessive volatility, new legislation, or regulatory changes inside or outside of the U.S. These situations may have an impact on the liquidity of the Fund’s own shares.”
Economic and Market Risk. Economies and financial markets throughout the world are becoming increasingly interconnected, which increases the likelihood that events or conditions in one country or region will adversely impact markets or issuers in other countries or regions. Securities in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform in comparison to securities in the general financial markets, a particular financial market, or other asset classes, due to a number of factors, including inflation (or expectations for inflation), deflation (or expectations for deflation), interest rates, global demand for particular products or resources, market instability, financial system instability, debt crises and downgrades, embargoes, tariffs, sanctions and other trade barriers, regulatory events, other governmental trade or market control programs and related geopolitical events. In addition, the value of the Fund’s investments may be negatively affected by the occurrence of global events such as war, terrorism, environmental disasters, natural disasters or events, country instability, and infectious disease epidemics or pandemics. The imposition by the U.S. of tariffs on goods imported from foreign countries and reciprocal tariffs levied on U.S. goods by those countries also may lead to volatility and instability in domestic and foreign markets.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk. Daily rebalancing of the Fund’s holdings pursuant to its daily investment objective causes a much greater number of portfolio transactions when compared to most ETFs. Additionally, active market trading of the Fund’s Shares on exchanges (such as the Exchange), could cause more frequent creation and redemption activities, which could increase the number of portfolio transactions. Frequent and active trading may lead to higher transaction costs because of increased broker commissions resulting from such transactions. In addition, there is the possibility of significantly increased short-term capital gains (which will be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income when distributed to them). The Fund calculates portfolio turnover without including the short-term cash instruments or derivative transactions that comprise the majority of the Fund’s trading. As such, if the Fund’s extensive use of derivative instruments were reflected, the calculated portfolio turnover rate would be significantly higher.
Tracking Error Risk. Tracking error is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of its investment objective which aims to replicate two times the daily percentage change in the price of the Underlying Security. Tracking error may occur for a number of reasons. Tracking error may occur because of transaction costs, the Fund’s holding of cash, differences in accrual of dividends, being under- or overexposed to the Underlying Security or the need to meet new or existing regulatory requirements. Tracking error risk may be heightened during times of market volatility or other unusual market conditions such as market disruptions. The Fund may be required to deviate from its investment objectives, and therefore experience tracking error, as a result of market restrictions or other legal reasons, including regulatory limits or other restrictions on securities that may be purchased by the Adviser and its affiliates.
Liquidity Risk. Some securities held by the Fund may be difficult to sell or be illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including, but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, epidemics/pandemics, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the United States. Illiquid securities may be difficult to value, especially in changing or volatile markets. If the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid security at an unfavorable time or price, the Fund may be adversely impacted. Certain market conditions or restrictions may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Underlying Security. There is no assurance that a security that is deemed liquid when purchased will continue to be liquid. Market illiquidity may cause losses for the Fund.
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Money Market Instrument Risk. The Fund may use a variety of money market instruments for cash management purposes, including money market funds, depositary accounts and repurchase agreements. Repurchase agreements are contracts in which a seller of securities agrees to buy the securities back at a specified time and price. Repurchase agreements may be subject to market and credit risk related to the collateral securing the repurchase agreement. Money market instruments may lose money.
New Fund Risk. The Fund is a recently organized management investment company with no operating history. As a result, prospective investors do not have a track record or history on which to base their investment decisions.
Non-Diversification Risk. Because the Fund is “non-diversified,” it may invest a greater percentage of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it was a diversified fund. As a result, a decline in the value of an investment in a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers could cause the Fund’s overall value to decline to a greater degree than if the Fund held a more diversified portfolio. This may increase the Fund’s volatility and cause the performance of a relatively smaller number of issuers to have a greater impact on the Fund’s performance.
Trading Halt Risk. Although the Underlying Security’s shares are listed for trading on an exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such shares will be available at all times and the Exchange may halt trading of such shares in certain circumstances. A halt in trading in the Underlying Security’s shares is expected, in turn, to result in a halt in the trading in the Fund’s Shares. Trading in the Underlying Security’s and/or Fund’s Shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in the Underlying Security’s and/or Fund’s Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in Underlying Security’s and/or Fund’s Shares on an exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to exchange “circuit breaker” rules.” In the event of a trading halt for an extended period of time, the Fund may be unable to execute arrangements with swap counterparties that are necessary to implement the Fund’s investment strategy.
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 and the Fund’s investment advisor seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures, there is no way to completely protect against such risks.
U.S. Government and U.S. Agency Obligations Risk. The Fund may invest in securities issued by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities. U.S. Government obligations include securities issued or guaranteed as to principal and interest by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities, such as the U.S. Treasury. Payment of principal and interest on U.S. Government obligations may be backed by the full faith and credit of the United States or may be backed solely by the issuing or guaranteeing agency or instrumentality itself. In the latter case, the investor must look principally to the agency or instrumentality issuing or guaranteeing the obligation for ultimate repayment, which agency or instrumentality may be privately owned. There can be no assurance that the U.S. Government would provide financial support to its agencies or instrumentalities (including government-sponsored enterprises) where it is not obligated to do so.
Tax Risk. The Fund intends to elect and to qualify each year to be treated as a regulated investment company (a “RIC”) under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (“Code”). As a RIC, the Fund will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the portion of its net investment income and net capital gain that it distributes to shareholders, provided that it satisfies certain requirements of the Code. If the Fund does not qualify as a RIC for any taxable year and certain relief provisions are not available, the Fund’s taxable income will be subject to tax at the Fund level and to a further tax at the shareholder level when such income is distributed. To comply with the asset diversification test applicable to a RIC, the Fund will attempt to ensure that the value of swap contracts and options on shares of a single issuer does not exceed 25% of the Fund’s value at the close of any quarter. If the value of swap contracts and options on shares of a single issuer were to exceed 25% of the Fund’s total assets at the end of a tax quarter, the Fund, generally, has a grace period to cure such lack of compliance. If the Fund fails to timely cure, it may no longer be eligible to be treated as a RIC.
Performance
Performance information for the Fund is not included because the Fund has not completed a full calendar year of operations as of the date of this Prospectus. When such information is included, this section will provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance history from year to year and showing how the Fund’s average annual total returns compare with those of a broad measure of market performance. Although past performance of the Fund is no guarantee of how it will perform in the future, historical performance may give you some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. Updated performance information will be available on the Fund’s website at https://www.defianceetfs.com.
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Management
Investment Adviser: Tidal Investments LLC serves as investment adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers:
The following individuals are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund.
Stephen Foy, Portfolio Manager for the Adviser, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in 2025.
Christopher P. Mullen, Portfolio Manager for the Adviser, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in 2025.
Purchase and Sale of Shares
The Fund issues and redeems Shares at NAV only in large blocks known as “Creation Units,” which only APs (typically, broker-dealers) may purchase or redeem. The Fund generally issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities (the “Deposit Securities”) and/or a designated amount of U.S. cash.
Shares are listed on a national securities exchange, such as the Exchange, and individual Shares may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through brokers at market prices, rather than NAV. Because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).
An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares (the “bid” price) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares (the “ask” price) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market. This difference in bid and ask prices is often referred to as the “bid-ask spread.”
When available, information regarding the Fund’s NAV, market price, how often Shares traded on the Exchange at a premium or discount, and bid-ask spreads can be found on the Fund’s website at https://www.defianceetfs.com.
Tax Information
Fund distributions are generally taxable as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains (or a combination), unless an investment is in an individual retirement account (“IRA”) or other tax-advantaged account. Distributions on investments made through tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal of assets from those accounts.
Financial Intermediary Compensation
If you purchase Shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank) (an “Intermediary”), the Adviser or its affiliates may pay Intermediaries for certain activities related to the Fund, including participation in activities that are designed to make Intermediaries more knowledgeable about exchange-traded products, including the Fund, or for other activities, such as marketing, educational training, or other initiatives related to the sale or promotion of Shares. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the Intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Any such arrangements do not result in increased Fund expenses. Ask your salesperson or visit the Intermediary’s website for more information.
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SUMMARY INFORMATION
DEFIANCE DAILY TARGET 2X LONG NDAQ ETF – FUND SUMMARY
Important Information About the Fund
The Defiance Daily Target 2X Long NDAQ ETF (the “Fund”) seeks daily leveraged investment results of two times (200%) the daily percentage change in the share price of Nasdaq, Inc. (NASDAQ: NDAQ) (the “Underlying Security” or “NDAQ”). Because the Fund seeks daily leveraged investment results, it is very different from most other exchange-traded funds. It is also riskier than alternatives that do not use leverage.
The return for investors that invest for periods longer or shorter than a trading day should not be expected to be 200% of the performance of the Underlying Security’s shares for the period. The return of the Fund for a period longer than a trading day will be the result of each trading day’s compounded return during such period held, which will very likely differ from 200% of the return of the Underlying Security’s shares for that period. Holding shares of the Fund for longer than a single day and higher volatility of the Underlying Security’s shares increase the impact of compounding on an investor’s returns, which may have a negative or positive impact on an investor’s returns. During periods of higher Underlying Security share price volatility, the volatility of the Underlying Security’s shares may affect the Fund’s return as much as, or more than, the return of the Underlying Security’s shares. The impact of compounding will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Fund is held and the volatility of the Underlying Security’s shares during a shareholder’s holding period of an investment in the Fund. See “Principal Investment Risks – Compounding and Market Volatility Risk” below for an example of how volatility of the Underlying Security’s shares may affect the Fund’s return as much as, or more than, the return of the Underlying Security’s shares.
The Fund is not suitable for all investors. The Fund is designed to be utilized only by knowledgeable investors who understand the potential consequences of seeking daily leveraged (2X) investment results, understand the risks associated with the use of leverage, and are willing to monitor their portfolios frequently. The Fund is not intended to be used by, and is not appropriate for, investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. For periods longer than a single day, the Fund will lose money if the Underlying Security’s performance is flat, and it is possible that the Fund will lose money even if the Underlying Security’s performance increases over a period longer than a single day. An investor could lose the full principal value of his/her investment within a single day.
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of two times (200%) the daily percentage change in the share price of Nasdaq, Inc. (NASDAQ: NDAQ). The Fund does not seek to achieve its stated investment objective for a period other than a single trading day.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below.
| Annual Fund Operating Expenses(1) (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) | |||||
| Management Fee | [ ] | % | |||
| Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees | None | ||||
| Other Expenses(2) | [ ] | % | |||
| Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses(3) | [ ] | % | |||
| (1) | The Fund’s investment adviser, Tidal Investments LLC (the “Adviser”), a Tidal Financial Group company, will pay, or require a sub-adviser to pay, all expenses incurred by the Fund (except for advisory fees and sub-advisory fees, as the case may be) excluding interest charges on any borrowings made for investment purposes, dividends and other expenses on securities sold short, taxes, brokerage commissions and other expenses incurred in placing orders for the purchase and sale of securities and other investment instruments, acquired fund fees and expenses, accrued deferred tax liability, distribution fees and expenses paid by the Fund under any distribution plan adopted pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), and litigation expenses and other non-routine or extraordinary expenses. |
| (2) | Based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year. |
| (3) | The cost of investing in swaps, including the embedded cost of the swap and the operating expenses of the referenced assets, is an indirect expense that is not included in the above fee table and is not reflected in the expense example. |
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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. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem or hold all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. The Example does not take into account brokerage commissions that you may pay on your purchases and sales of Shares. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years |
| $[ ] | $[ ] |
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in total annual fund operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund is newly organized, portfolio turnover information is not yet available.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund is an actively managed exchange traded fund (“ETF”) that attempts to achieve two times (200%) the daily percentage change in the share price of the Underlying Security by employing derivatives, namely swap agreements and/or listed options contracts. The Fund aims to achieve this daily percentage change for a single day, and not for any other period. A “single day” means the period “from the close of regular trading on one trading day to the close on the next trading day.”
If the Fund encounters limitations in implementing its strategies, whether due to market conditions, derivative availability, counterparty issues, or other factors, the Fund may not achieve investment results, before fees and expenses, that correspond to two times (2x) the daily performance of the Underlying Security, and may return substantially less during such periods. During such periods, the Fund’s actual leverage levels may differ substantially from its intended target, both intraday and at the close of trading, potentially resulting in significantly lower returns.
The Fund may enter into one or more swap agreements with financial institutions for a specified period, which may range from one day to longer than a year. Through each swap agreement, the Fund and the financial institution will agree to exchange the return (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on the Underlying Security’s share price. The gross return (meaning the return before deducting any fees or expenses) to be exchanged or “swapped” between the parties is calculated with respect to a “notional amount,” (meaning the face amount of the instrument) e.g., the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount representing the Underlying Security.
The Fund may also utilize listed options to seek to achieve leveraged 2X exposure to the Underlying Security. The Fund will primarily employ short-dated (a month or less) in-the-money call options (options with strike prices below the current market price of the Underlying Security, offering immediate intrinsic value). Additionally, the Fund may use other option strategies to produce similar exposure to the Underlying Security, like buying calls and selling puts with identical strike prices. These options allow the Fund to adjust its leverage strategy in response to market conditions, liquidity constraints, or other factors that may affect the availability or pricing of swap agreements. The use of listed options provides additional flexibility in pursuing the Fund’s daily investment objective. In situations where swap availability is constrained, the Fund may rely more heavily on options contracts. Additionally, the Fund may use options in response to changing market dynamics. However, the use of option contracts is typically less efficient than swaps and may increase the likelihood that the Fund is unable to achieve its daily 2X objective.
At the end of each day, the Fund’s swaps and options are valued using market valuations and the Fund’s investment adviser rebalances the Fund’s holdings in an attempt to maintain leveraged exposure for the Fund equal to approximately 200% of the Underlying Security’s share price. This daily rebalancing is expected to result in high portfolio turnover.
For examples of a hypothetical investment in the Fund, see the section in the Fund’s Prospectus titled see “Additional Information About the Fund – Principal Investment Strategies.”
Fund performance for periods greater than one single day is primarily (but not solely) a function of the following factors: a) the Underlying Security volatility; b) the Underlying Security’s performance; c) period of time; d) financing rates associated with leveraged exposure; and e) other Fund expenses.
The Fund will hold assets to serve as collateral for its derivatives positions. For those collateral holdings, the Fund may invest in (1) U.S. Government securities, such as bills, notes and bonds issued by the U.S. Treasury; (2) money market funds; (3) short term bond ETFs; and/or (4) corporate debt securities, such as commercial paper and other short-term unsecured promissory notes issued by businesses that are rated investment grade or of comparable quality.
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The Fund has adopted a policy to have at least 80% exposure to financial instruments with economic characteristics that should perform 2X the daily performance of the Underlying Security’s shares. The Fund is expected to allocate between 40% and 60% of its assets as collateral for swap agreements or as premiums for purchased options contracts.
The Fund is classified as “non-diversified” under the 1940 Act. The Fund’s investment strategy is expected to result in a high annual portfolio turnover rate.
Because of daily rebalancing and the compounding of each day’s return over time, the return of the Fund for periods longer than a single day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which will very likely differ from 200% of the return of the Underlying Security’s shares over the same period. The Fund will lose money if the Underlying Security’s performance is flat over time, and because of daily rebalancing, the Underlying Security’s shares’ volatility and the effects of compounding, the Fund may lose money over time while the Underlying Security’s performance increases over a period longer than a single day. As a consequence, investors should not plan to hold shares of the Fund unmonitored for periods longer than a single trading day.
Nasdaq, Inc. (“NDAQ”)
NDAQ is a global technology company serving corporate clients, investment managers, banks, brokers, and exchange operators as they navigate and interact with the global capital markets and the broader financial system. Per NDAQ’s most recent 10-K filing, as of June 30, 2024, the aggregate market value of the NDAQ’s common stock held by non-affiliates was approximately $22.3 billion (this amount represents approximately 370.0 million shares of Nasdaq, Inc.’s common stock based on the last reported sales price of $60.26 of the common stock on NASDAQ on such date).
NDAQ is registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Information provided to or filed with the SEC by NDAQ pursuant to the Exchange Act can be located by reference to SEC file number 001-38855 through the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. In addition, information regarding NDAQ may be obtained from other sources including, but not limited to, press releases, newspaper articles and other publicly disseminated documents.
This document relates only to the securities offered hereby and does not relate to the shares of NDAQ or other securities of NDAQ. The Fund has derived all disclosures contained in this document regarding NDAQ from the publicly available documents. None of the Fund, Tidal Trust II (the “Trust”), or the Adviser, or their respective affiliates has participated in the preparation of such publicly available offering documents or made any due diligence inquiry regarding such documents with respect to NDAQ. None of the Fund, the Trust, or the Adviser, or their respective affiliates makes any representation that such publicly available documents or any other publicly available information regarding NDAQ is accurate or complete. Furthermore, the Fund cannot give any assurance that all events occurring prior to the date hereof (including events that would affect the accuracy or completeness of the publicly available documents described above) that would affect the trading price of NDAQ (and therefore the share price of the Fund at the time we price the securities) have been publicly disclosed. Subsequent disclosure of any such events or the disclosure of or failure to disclose material future events concerning NDAQ could affect the value received with respect to the securities and therefore the value of the securities.
None of the Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates makes any representation to you as to the performance of NDAQ.
NONE OF THE FUND, TIDAL TRUST II, OR TIDAL INVESTMENTS LLC IS AFFILIATED, CONNECTED, OR ASSOCIATED WITH NDAQ. THE FUND WAS NOT DEVELOPED OR CREATED BY, AND IS NOT SPONSORED, ENDORSED, OR APPROVED BY NDAQ.
Moreover, NDAQ has not participated in the development of the Fund’s investment strategy. NDAQ does not select or approve the Fund’s portfolio holdings, nor does it participate in the construction, design, or implementation of the Fund. NDAQ does not provide any assurances, guarantees, or representations regarding the Fund or its performance. Nothing herein shall be construed as an offer of any security by NDAQ.
None of the Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates claim any ownership interest in any trademarks owned by NDAQ or its affiliates. All rights in the trademarks are reserved by their respective owners.
Due to the Fund’s investment strategy, the Fund’s investment exposure is concentrated in the same industry as that assigned to the Underlying Security. As of the date of the Prospectus, NDAQ is assigned to the capital markets industry.
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Principal Investment Risks
The principal risks of investing in the Fund are summarized below. As with any investment, there is a risk that you could lose all or a portion of your investment in the Fund. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”) per Share, trading price, yield, total return, and/or ability to meet its investment objective. For more information about the risks of investing in the Fund, see the section in the Fund’s Prospectus titled “Additional Information About the Fund—Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund.”
An investment in the Fund entails risk. The Fund may not achieve its investment objective and there is a risk that you could lose all of your money invested in the Fund. The Fund is not a complete investment program. In addition, the Fund presents risks not traditionally associated with other ETFs. It is important that investors closely review all of the risks listed below and understand them before making an investment in the Fund.
Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears.
NDAQ Risks. The Fund invests in swap contracts and options that are based on the share price of NDAQ. This subjects the Fund to certain of the same risks as if it owned shares of NDAQ, even though it does not. By virtue of the Fund’s investments in swap contracts and options that are based on the value of NDAQ, the Fund may also be subject to the following risks:
| ● | Indirect Investment in NDAQ Risk. NDAQ is not affiliated with the Trust, the Fund, or the Adviser, or their respective affiliates and is not involved with this offering in any way and has no obligation to consider your Shares in taking any corporate actions that might affect the value of Shares. Investors in the Fund will not have voting rights or influence over the management of NDAQ but will be exposed to the performance of NDAQ (the Underlying Security). Investors will also not have the right to receive dividends or other distributions from NDAQ, but will remain subject to price fluctuations and other risks associated with ownership of the Underlying Security. |
| ● | NDAQ Trading Risk. The trading price of NDAQ may be subject to volatility and could experience wide fluctuations due to various factors. Short sellers may also influence NDAQ’s trading activity, contributing to market instability. Public perception and external factors beyond the company’s control may influence NDAQ’s stock price disproportionately. Additionally, following periods of market volatility, companies have faced securities class action litigation. Any adverse judgment or future stockholder litigation could result in substantial costs and divert management’s attention and resources. In the event of a trading halt, delisting, or significant disruption in the market for NDAQ’s shares, the Fund may experience difficulty entering, modifying, or liquidating its exposures. These conditions could impair the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective, result in significant tracking error, or, in extreme cases, force the Fund to liquidate entirely. |
| ● | NDAQ Performance Risk. NDAQ may fail to meet its publicly announced guidelines or other expectations about its business, which could cause the price of NDAQ to decline. Correctly identifying key factors affecting business conditions and predicting future events is inherently an uncertain process, and the guidance NDAQ provides may not ultimately be accurate. If NDAQ’s guidance is not accurate or varies from actual results due to its inability to meet the assumptions or the impact on its financial performance that could occur as a result of various risks and uncertainties, the market value of common stock issued by NDAQ could decline significantly. |
| ● | Operations Risk. A decline in trading and clearing volumes or values or market share will decrease NDAQ’s trading and clearing revenues. Trading and clearing volumes and values are directly affected by economic, political and market conditions, broad trends in business and finance, unforeseen market closures or other disruptions in trading, the level and volatility of interest rates, inflation, changes in price levels of securities and the overall level of investor confidence. Over the past several years, trading and clearing volumes and values across markets have fluctuated significantly depending on market conditions and other factors beyond NDAQ’s control. Because a significant percentage of NDAQ’s revenues are tied directly to the volume or value of securities traded and cleared on NDAQ markets, it is likely that a general decline in trading and clearing volumes or values would lower revenues and may adversely affect NDAQ’s operating results if it is unable to offset falling volumes or values through pricing changes. Declines in trading and clearing volumes or values may also impact NDAQ’s market share or pricing structures and adversely affect its business and financial condition. If total market share in securities decreases relative to competitors, NDAQ venues may be viewed as less attractive sources of liquidity. If the exchanges are perceived to be less liquid, then the business, financial condition and operating results could be adversely affected. |
| ● | Technology Risk. System limitations or failures could harm NDAQ’s business. NDAQ’s businesses depend on the integrity and performance of the technology, computer and communications systems supporting them. If new systems fail to operate as intended or existing systems cannot expand to cope with increased demand or otherwise fail to perform, NDAQ could experience unanticipated disruptions in service, slower response times and delays in the introduction of new products and services. NDAQ could experience a systems failure due to human error by its employees, contractors or vendors, electrical or telecommunications failures or disruptions, hardware or software failures or defects, cyberattacks, sabotage or similar unexpected events. These consequences could result in service outages, lower trading volumes or values, financial losses, decreased customer satisfaction, litigation and regulatory sanctions. NDAQ markets and the markets that rely on its technology have experienced system failures and delays in the past and could occur in the future. |
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| ● | Capital Markets Industry Risk. Capital markets companies may be significantly affected by stock and bank trading activity, changes in governmental regulation, continuing increases in price competition, decreases in fees or fee-related business, including investment banking, brokerage, asset management and other servicing fees, fluctuation in interest rates and other factors which could adversely affect financial markets. |
| ● | Cybersecurity Risk. NDAQ’s role in the global marketplace positions it at greater risk for a cyberattack. NDAQ’s systems and operations are vulnerable to damage, misappropriation or disruption from security breaches. Some of these threats include attacks from foreign governments, hacktivists, insiders and criminal organizations. Foreign governments may seek to obtain a foothold in U.S. critical infrastructure, hacktivists may seek to deploy denial of service attacks to bring attention to their cause, insiders may pose a risk of human error or malicious activity and criminal organizations may seek to profit by gaining control of company systems or accounts or from stolen data via ransomware or other means, such as social engineering, including deepfake scams, compromised business email or other methods. |
| ● | Changing Technology Risk. The markets in which NDAQ competes is characterized by rapidly changing technology, evolving industry and regulatory standards, frequent enhancements to existing products and services, the adoption of new services and products and changing customer demands. NDAQ may not be able to keep up with rapid technological and other competitive changes affecting its industry. |
| ● | Regulatory Risk. Under current U.S. federal securities laws, changes in the rules and operations of the securities markets, including pricing structure, must be reviewed and in many cases explicitly approved by the SEC. The SEC may approve, disapprove, or recommend changes to proposals that NDAQ submits. In addition, the SEC may delay either the approval process or the initiation of the public comment process. Favorable SEC rulings and interpretations can be challenged in and reversed by federal courts of appeals, reducing or eliminating the value of such prior interpretations. Any delay in approving changes, or the altering of any proposed change, could have an adverse effect on NDAQ’s business, financial condition and operating results. |
Single Issuer Risk. Issuer-specific attributes may cause an investment in the Fund to be more volatile than a traditional pooled investment which diversifies risk or the market generally. The value of the Fund, which focuses on an individual security, may be more volatile than a traditional pooled investment or the market as a whole and may perform differently from the value of a traditional pooled investment or the market as a whole. Additionally, the Fund will seek to employ its investment strategy as it relates to the underlying issuer regardless of whether there are significant corporate actions such as restructurings, enforcement activity, or acquisitions or periods adverse market, economic, or other conditions and will not seek to take temporary defensive positions during such periods.
Compounding and Market Volatility Risk. The Fund has a daily leveraged investment objective and the Fund’s performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which is very likely to differ from two times (200%) the Underlying Security’s performance, before the Fund’s management fee and other expenses. Compounding affects all investments but has a more significant impact on funds that aim to replicate leveraged daily returns and that rebalance daily. For the Fund aiming to replicate two times the daily performance of an Underlying Security, if adverse daily performance of the Underlying Security reduces the amount of a shareholder’s investment, any further adverse daily performance will lead to a smaller dollar loss because the shareholder’s investment had already been reduced by the prior adverse performance. Equally, however, if favorable daily performance of the Underlying Security increases the amount of a shareholder’s investment, the dollar amount lost due to future adverse performance will increase because the shareholder’s investment has increased.
The effect of compounding becomes more pronounced as the Underlying Security’s volatility and the holding period increase. The impact of compounding will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Fund is held and the volatility of the Underlying Security during a shareholder’s holding period of an investment in the Fund.
The chart below provides examples of how the Underlying Security’s volatility could affect the Fund’s performance. The chart illustrates the impact of two factors that affect the Fund’s performance – the Underlying Security’s volatility and the Underlying Security’s performance. The Underlying Security’s performance shows the percentage change in the share price of the Underlying Security over the specified time period, while the Underlying Security’s volatility is a statistical measure of the magnitude of fluctuations in the returns during that time period. As illustrated below, even if the Underlying Security’s performance over two equal time periods is identical, different Underlying Security volatility (i.e., in magnitude of fluctuations in the share price of the Underlying Security) during the two time periods could result in drastically different Fund performance for the two time periods because of compounding daily returns during the time periods.
Fund performance for periods greater than one single day can be estimated given any set of assumptions for the following factors: a) the Underlying Security volatility; b) the Underlying Security performance; c) period of time; d) financing rates associated with leveraged exposure; and e) other Fund expenses. The chart shows estimated Fund returns for a number of combinations of Underlying Security volatility and Underlying Security performance over a one-year period. Performance shown in the chart assumes that: (i) there were no Fund expenses; (ii) borrowing/lending rates (to obtain leveraged exposure) of 0%. If Fund expenses and/or actual borrowing/lending rates were reflected the estimated returns would be different than those shown. Particularly during periods of higher Underlying Security volatility, compounding will cause results for periods longer than a trading day to vary from two times (200%) the performance of the Underlying Security.
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As shown in the chart below, the Fund would be expected to lose 6.1% if there was no change in the share price of the Underlying Security over a one-year period during which the Underlying Security experienced annualized volatility of 25%. If the Underlying Security’s annualized volatility were to rise to 75%, the hypothetical loss for a one-year period would widen to approximately -43%. At higher ranges of volatility, there is a chance of a significant loss of value in the Fund, even if there were no change in the share price of the Underlying Security. For instance, if the Underlying Security’s annualized volatility is 100%, the Fund would be expected to lose 63.2% of its value, even if the cumulative Underlying Security change in the share price of the Underlying Security for the year was 0%.
Areas shaded red (or dark gray) represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return less than two times (200%) the performance of the Underlying Security and those shaded green (or light gray) represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return more than two times (200%) the performance of the Underlying Security. The Fund’s actual performance may be significantly better or worse than the performance shown below as a result of any of the factors discussed above or in the “Daily Correlation/Tracking Risk” below.
| Estimated
Returns of 200% or Two Times Performance of the Underlying Security |
|||||||
| Underlying Security Performance | One Year Volatility Rate | ||||||
| One
Year Underlying Security |
2X
Times (200%) the One Year Performance |
10% | 25% | 50% | 75% | 100% | |
| -60% | -120% | -84.2% | -85.0% | -87.5% | -90.9% | -94.1% | |
| -50% | -100% | -75.2% | -76.5% | -80.5% | -85.8% | -90.8% | |
| -40% | -80% | -64.4% | -66.2% | -72.0% | -79.5% | -86.8% | |
| -30% | -60% | -51.5% | -54.0% | -61.8% | -72.1% | -82.0% | |
| -20% | -40% | -36.6% | -39.9% | -50.2% | -63.5% | -76.5% | |
| -10% | -20% | -19.8% | -23.9% | -36.9% | -53.8% | -70.2% | |
| 0% | 0% | -1.0% | -6.1% | -22.1% | -43.0% | -63.2% | |
| 10% | 20% | 19.8% | 13.7% | -5.8% | -31.1% | -55.5% | |
| 20% | 40% | 42.6% | 35.3% | 12.1% | -18.0% | -47.0% | |
| 30% | 60% | 67.3% | 58.8% | 31.6% | -3.7% | -37.8% | |
| 40% | 80% | 94.0% | 84.1% | 52.6% | 11.7% | -27.9% | |
| 50% | 100% | 122.8% | 111.4% | 75.2% | 28.2% | -17.2% | |
| 60% | 120% | 153.5% | 140.5% | 99.4% | 45.9% | -5.8% | |
The Underlying Security’s annualized historical volatility rate for the period from [ ] (the earliest date available) to [ ] was [ ]%. The Underlying Security’s annualized performance during this period was [ ]%. Historical Underlying Security volatility and performance are not indications of what Underlying Security volatility and performance will be in the future.
Daily Correlation/Tracking Risk. There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of leveraged correlation to the Underlying Security and therefore achieve its daily leveraged investment objective. To achieve a high degree of leveraged correlation with the Underlying Security, the Fund seeks to rebalance its portfolio daily to keep exposure consistent with its daily leveraged investment objective. The possibility of the Fund being materially over- or under-exposed to the Underlying Security increases on days when the Underlying Security is volatile near the close of the trading day. Market disruptions, regulatory restrictions and extreme volatility will also adversely affect the Fund’s ability to adjust exposure to the required levels. If there is a significant intra-day market event and/or the Underlying Security experiences a significant increase or decline, the Fund may not meet its investment objective, be able to rebalance its portfolio appropriately, or may experience significant premiums or discounts, or widened bid-ask spreads.
The Fund may have difficulty achieving its daily leveraged investment objective due to fees, expenses, transaction costs, financing costs related to the use of derivatives, investments in ETFs, directly or indirectly, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities or derivatives held by the Fund. The Fund may be subject to large movements of assets into and out of the Fund, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or under-exposed to the Underlying Security. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions to improve the tax efficiency or to comply with various regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively impact the Fund’s leveraged correlation to the Underlying Security.
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Leverage Risk. The Fund obtains investment exposure in excess of its net assets by utilizing leverage and may lose more money in market conditions that are adverse to its investment objective than a fund that does not utilize leverage. An investment in the Fund is exposed to the risk that a decline in the daily performance of the Underlying Security will be magnified. This means that an investment in the Fund will be reduced by an amount equal to 2% for every 1% daily decline in the share price of the Underlying Security, not including the costs of financing leverage and other operating expenses, which would further reduce its value. The Fund could theoretically lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event the share price of the Underlying Security declines more than 50%. Leverage will also have the effect of magnifying any differences in the Fund performance’s correlation with the Underlying Security’s share price.
Derivatives Risk. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds (including ETFs), interest rates or indexes. The Fund’s investments in derivatives may pose risks in addition to, and greater than, those associated with directly investing in securities or other ordinary investments, including risk related to the market, leverage, imperfect daily correlations with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, higher price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty risk, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions. The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of derivatives may result in larger losses or smaller gains than directly investing in securities. When the Fund uses derivatives, there may be imperfect correlation between the share price of the Underlying Security and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. Because derivatives often require only a limited initial investment, the use of derivatives may expose the Fund to losses in excess of those amounts initially invested.
The Fund will be subject to regulatory constraints relating to level of value at risk that the Fund may incur through its derivative portfolio. To the extent the Fund exceeds these regulatory thresholds over an extended period, the Fund may determine that it is necessary to make adjustments to the Fund’s investment strategy, including the desired daily leveraged performance for the Fund.
In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
Swap Agreements. The use of swap transactions is a highly specialized activity, which involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. Whether the Fund will be successful in using swap agreements to achieve its investment goal depends on the ability of the Adviser to structure such swap agreements in accordance with the Fund’s investment objective and to identify counterparties for those swap agreements. If the Adviser is unable to enter into swap agreements that provide leveraged exposure to the Underlying Security, the Fund may not meet its stated investment objective. Additionally, any financing, borrowing or other costs associated with using swap transactions may also have the effect of lowering the Fund’s return.
The swap agreements in which the Fund invests are generally traded in the over-the-counter market, which generally has less transparency than exchange-traded derivatives instruments. In a standard swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the return (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined reference assets or underlying securities or instruments. The gross return to be exchanged or swapped between the parties is calculated based on a notional amount or the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount invested in a basket of securities.
If the Underlying Security has a dramatic move that causes a material decline in the Fund’s net assets, the terms of a swap agreement between the Fund and its counterparty may permit the counterparty to immediately close out the swap transaction with the Fund. In that event, the Fund may be unable to enter into another swap agreement or invest in other derivatives to achieve exposure consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. This may prevent the Fund from achieving its leveraged investment objective, even if the Underlying Security later reverses all or a portion of its movement.
Options Contracts. The use of options contracts involves investment strategies and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The prices of options are volatile and are influenced by, among other things, actual and anticipated changes in the value of the underlying instrument, including the anticipated volatility, which are affected by fiscal and monetary policies and by national and international political, changes in the actual or implied volatility or the reference asset, the time remaining until the expiration of the option contract and economic events. The value of the options contracts in which the Fund invests are substantially influenced by the value of the Underlying Security. The Fund may experience substantial downside from specific option positions and certain option positions held by the Fund may expire worthless. The options held by the Fund are exercisable at the strike price on their expiration date. As an option approaches its expiration date, its value typically increasingly moves with the value of the underlying instrument. However, prior to such date, the value of an option generally does not increase or decrease at the same rate as the underlying instrument. There may at times be an imperfect correlation between the movement in values options contracts and the underlying instrument, and there may at times not be a liquid secondary market for certain options contracts. The value of the options held by the Fund will be determined based on market quotations or other recognized pricing methods. Additionally, as the Fund intends to continuously maintain indirect exposure to the Underlying Security through the use of options contracts, as the options contracts it holds are exercised or expire it will enter into new options contracts, a practice referred to as “rolling.” If the expiring options contracts do not generate proceeds enough to cover the cost of entering into new options contracts, the Fund may experience losses. The use of options to generate leverage introduces additional risks, including significant potential losses if the market moves unfavorably. The leverage inherent in options can amplify both gains and losses, leading to increased volatility and potential for substantial losses, particularly in periods of market uncertainty or low liquidity. Additionally, the Fund may incur losses if the value of the Underlying Security moves against its positions, potentially resulting in a complete loss of the premium paid.
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Counterparty Risk. The Fund is subject to counterparty risk by virtue of its investments in derivatives which exposes the Fund to the risk that the counterparty will not fulfill its obligation to the Fund. Counterparty risk may arise because of the counterparty’s financial condition (i.e., financial difficulties, bankruptcy, or insolvency), market activities and developments, or other reasons, whether foreseen or not. A counterparty’s inability to fulfill its obligation may result in significant financial loss to the Fund and the Fund may be unable to recover its investment from such counterparty or may obtain a limited and/or delayed recovery.
Counterparties may seek to hedge their exposure to individual clients (such as the Fund) by establishing offsetting exposures with other clients, however, there is no guarantee that counterparties will do so under all circumstances. Should a counterparty (e.g., a swap counterparty) terminate its relationship with the Fund, the Fund will seek to utilize other counterparties to seek to maintain its exposures. In addition, the Fund may use options contracts to seek to generate the leverage necessary to implement its strategy. The use of options contracts introduces distinct risks, including heightened volatility, particularly intraday. While options may provide an ancillary benefit of mitigating some losses under specific scenarios, such as severe market downturns, their inherent leverage and rapid price fluctuations can amplify the Fund’s performance volatility and lead to greater risks of substantial losses. Refer to “Derivatives Risk – Options Contracts” for additional information on the risks of investing in options.
In addition, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with a limited number of counterparties, which may increase the Fund’s exposure to counterparty credit risk. Further, there is a risk that no suitable counterparties will be willing to enter into, or continue to enter into, transactions with the Fund and, as a result, the Fund may not be able to achieve its investment objective.
Intra-Day Investment Risk. The Fund seeks investment results from the close of the market on a given trading day until the close of the market on the subsequent trading day. The exact exposure of an investment in the Fund intraday in the secondary market is a function of the difference between the share price of the Underlying Security at the market close on the first trading day and the share price of the Underlying Security at the time of purchase. If the share price of the Underlying Security rises, the Fund’s net assets will rise by approximately twice the amount as the Fund’s exposure. Conversely, if the share price of the Underlying Security declines, the Fund’s net assets will decline by approximately two times the amount as the Fund’s exposure. Thus, an investor that purchases Shares intra-day may experience performance that is greater than, or less than, the Fund’s stated leveraged performance of the Underlying Security.
If there is a significant intra-day market event and/or the securities of the Underlying Security experience a significant increase or decrease, the Fund may not meet its investment objective or rebalance its portfolio appropriately.
Fixed Income Securities Risk. When the Fund invests in fixed income securities, the value of your investment in the Fund will fluctuate with changes in interest rates. Typically, a rise in interest rates causes a decline in the value of fixed income securities owned by the Fund. In general, the market price of fixed income securities with longer maturities will increase or decrease more in response to changes in interest rates than shorter-term securities. Other risk factors include credit risk (the debtor may default), extension risk (an issuer may exercise its right to repay principal on a fixed rate obligation held by the Fund later than expected), and prepayment risk (the debtor may pay its obligation early, reducing the amount of interest payments). These risks could affect the value of a particular investment by the Fund, possibly causing the Fund’s Share price and total return to be reduced and fluctuate more than other types of investments.
Rebalancing Risk. If for any reason the Fund is unable to rebalance all or a portion of its portfolio, or if all or a portion of the portfolio is rebalanced incorrectly, the Fund’s investment exposure may not be consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. In these instances, the Fund may have investment exposure to the Underlying Security that is significantly greater or less than its stated investment objective. As a result, the Fund may be exposed to leverage risk because it had not been properly rebalanced and may not achieve its investment objective.
ETF Risks
Authorized Participants, Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that are authorized to purchase and redeem Shares directly from the Fund (known as “Authorized Participants” or “APs”). In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, Shares may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services; or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.
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Cash Redemption Risk. The Fund’s investment strategy may require it to redeem Shares for cash or to otherwise include cash as part of its redemption proceeds. For example, the Fund may not be able to redeem in-kind certain securities held by the Fund (e.g., derivative instruments). In such a case, the Fund may be required to sell or unwind portfolio investments to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. This may cause the Fund to recognize a capital gain that it might not have recognized if it had made a redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher annual capital gain distributions than if the in-kind redemption process was used. By paying out higher annual capital gain distributions, investors may be subjected to increased capital gains taxes. The costs associated with cash redemptions may include brokerage costs that the Fund may not have incurred if it had made the redemptions in-kind. These costs could be imposed on the Fund, decreasing its NAV, to the extent these costs are not offset by a transaction fee payable by an authorized participant.
Costs of Buying or Selling Shares. Buying or selling Shares involves certain costs, including brokerage commissions, other charges imposed by brokers, and bid-ask spreads. The bid-ask spread represents the difference between the price at which an investor is willing to buy Shares and the price at which an investor is willing to sell Shares. The spread varies over time based on the Shares’ trading volume and market liquidity. The spread is generally lower if Shares have more trading volume and market liquidity and higher if Shares have little trading volume and market liquidity. Due to the costs of buying or selling Shares, frequent trading of Shares may reduce investment results and an investment in Shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.
Shares May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all ETFs, Shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of Shares will approximate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price of Shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount) due to supply and demand of Shares or during periods of market volatility. This risk is heightened in times of market volatility, periods of steep market declines, and periods when there is limited trading activity for Shares in the secondary market, in which case such premiums or discounts may be significant.
Trading. Although Shares are listed on a national securities exchange, such as [ ] (the “Exchange”), and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that 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 Shares. This adverse effect on liquidity for the Fund’s shares may lead to wider bid-ask spreads and differences between the market price of the Fund’s shares and the underlying value of the shares.
Liquidity Risk. In certain circumstances, such as the disruption of the orderly markets for the financial instruments in which the Fund invests, the Fund might not be able to acquire or dispose of certain holdings quickly or at prices that represent true market value in the judgment of the Adviser. Markets for the financial instruments in which the Fund invests may be disrupted by a number of events, including but not limited to economic crises, health crises, natural disasters, excessive volatility, new legislation, or regulatory changes inside or outside of the U.S. These situations may have an impact on the liquidity of the Fund’s own shares.”
Economic and Market Risk. Economies and financial markets throughout the world are becoming increasingly interconnected, which increases the likelihood that events or conditions in one country or region will adversely impact markets or issuers in other countries or regions. Securities in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform in comparison to securities in the general financial markets, a particular financial market, or other asset classes, due to a number of factors, including inflation (or expectations for inflation), deflation (or expectations for deflation), interest rates, global demand for particular products or resources, market instability, financial system instability, debt crises and downgrades, embargoes, tariffs, sanctions and other trade barriers, regulatory events, other governmental trade or market control programs and related geopolitical events. In addition, the value of the Fund’s investments may be negatively affected by the occurrence of global events such as war, terrorism, environmental disasters, natural disasters or events, country instability, and infectious disease epidemics or pandemics. The imposition by the U.S. of tariffs on goods imported from foreign countries and reciprocal tariffs levied on U.S. goods by those countries also may lead to volatility and instability in domestic and foreign markets.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk. Daily rebalancing of the Fund’s holdings pursuant to its daily investment objective causes a much greater number of portfolio transactions when compared to most ETFs. Additionally, active market trading of the Fund’s Shares on exchanges (such as the Exchange), could cause more frequent creation and redemption activities, which could increase the number of portfolio transactions. Frequent and active trading may lead to higher transaction costs because of increased broker commissions resulting from such transactions. In addition, there is the possibility of significantly increased short-term capital gains (which will be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income when distributed to them). The Fund calculates portfolio turnover without including the short-term cash instruments or derivative transactions that comprise the majority of the Fund’s trading. As such, if the Fund’s extensive use of derivative instruments were reflected, the calculated portfolio turnover rate would be significantly higher.
Tracking Error Risk. Tracking error is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of its investment objective which aims to replicate two times the daily percentage change in the price of the Underlying Security. Tracking error may occur for a number of reasons. Tracking error may occur because of transaction costs, the Fund’s holding of cash, differences in accrual of dividends, being under- or overexposed to the Underlying Security or the need to meet new or existing regulatory requirements. Tracking error risk may be heightened during times of market volatility or other unusual market conditions such as market disruptions. The Fund may be required to deviate from its investment objectives, and therefore experience tracking error, as a result of market restrictions or other legal reasons, including regulatory limits or other restrictions on securities that may be purchased by the Adviser and its affiliates.
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Liquidity Risk. Some securities held by the Fund may be difficult to sell or be illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including, but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, epidemics/pandemics, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the United States. Illiquid securities may be difficult to value, especially in changing or volatile markets. If the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid security at an unfavorable time or price, the Fund may be adversely impacted. Certain market conditions or restrictions may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Underlying Security. There is no assurance that a security that is deemed liquid when purchased will continue to be liquid. Market illiquidity may cause losses for the Fund.
Money Market Instrument Risk. The Fund may use a variety of money market instruments for cash management purposes, including money market funds, depositary accounts and repurchase agreements. Repurchase agreements are contracts in which a seller of securities agrees to buy the securities back at a specified time and price. Repurchase agreements may be subject to market and credit risk related to the collateral securing the repurchase agreement. Money market instruments may lose money.
New Fund Risk. The Fund is a recently organized management investment company with no operating history. As a result, prospective investors do not have a track record or history on which to base their investment decisions.
Non-Diversification Risk. Because the Fund is “non-diversified,” it may invest a greater percentage of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it was a diversified fund. As a result, a decline in the value of an investment in a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers could cause the Fund’s overall value to decline to a greater degree than if the Fund held a more diversified portfolio. This may increase the Fund’s volatility and cause the performance of a relatively smaller number of issuers to have a greater impact on the Fund’s performance.
Trading Halt Risk. Although the Underlying Security’s shares are listed for trading on an exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such shares will be available at all times and the Exchange may halt trading of such shares in certain circumstances. A halt in trading in the Underlying Security’s shares is expected, in turn, to result in a halt in the trading in the Fund’s Shares. Trading in the Underlying Security’s and/or Fund’s Shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in the Underlying Security’s and/or Fund’s Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in Underlying Security’s and/or Fund’s Shares on an exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to exchange “circuit breaker” rules.” In the event of a trading halt for an extended period of time, the Fund may be unable to execute arrangements with swap counterparties that are necessary to implement the Fund’s investment strategy.
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 and the Fund’s investment advisor seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures, there is no way to completely protect against such risks.
U.S. Government and U.S. Agency Obligations Risk. The Fund may invest in securities issued by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities. U.S. Government obligations include securities issued or guaranteed as to principal and interest by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities, such as the U.S. Treasury. Payment of principal and interest on U.S. Government obligations may be backed by the full faith and credit of the United States or may be backed solely by the issuing or guaranteeing agency or instrumentality itself. In the latter case, the investor must look principally to the agency or instrumentality issuing or guaranteeing the obligation for ultimate repayment, which agency or instrumentality may be privately owned. There can be no assurance that the U.S. Government would provide financial support to its agencies or instrumentalities (including government-sponsored enterprises) where it is not obligated to do so.
Tax Risk. The Fund intends to elect and to qualify each year to be treated as a regulated investment company (a “RIC”) under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (“Code”). As a RIC, the Fund will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the portion of its net investment income and net capital gain that it distributes to shareholders, provided that it satisfies certain requirements of the Code. If the Fund does not qualify as a RIC for any taxable year and certain relief provisions are not available, the Fund’s taxable income will be subject to tax at the Fund level and to a further tax at the shareholder level when such income is distributed. To comply with the asset diversification test applicable to a RIC, the Fund will attempt to ensure that the value of swap contracts and options on shares of a single issuer does not exceed 25% of the Fund’s value at the close of any quarter. If the value of swap contracts and options on shares of a single issuer were to exceed 25% of the Fund’s total assets at the end of a tax quarter, the Fund, generally, has a grace period to cure such lack of compliance. If the Fund fails to timely cure, it may no longer be eligible to be treated as a RIC.
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Performance
Performance information for the Fund is not included because the Fund has not completed a full calendar year of operations as of the date of this Prospectus. When such information is included, this section will provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance history from year to year and showing how the Fund’s average annual total returns compare with those of a broad measure of market performance. Although past performance of the Fund is no guarantee of how it will perform in the future, historical performance may give you some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. Updated performance information will be available on the Fund’s website at https://www.defianceetfs.com.
Management
Investment Adviser: Tidal Investments LLC serves as investment adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers:
The following individuals are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund.
Stephen Foy, Portfolio Manager for the Adviser, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in 2025.
Christopher P. Mullen, Portfolio Manager for the Adviser, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in 2025.
Purchase and Sale of Shares
The Fund issues and redeems Shares at NAV only in large blocks known as “Creation Units,” which only APs (typically, broker-dealers) may purchase or redeem. The Fund generally issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities (the “Deposit Securities”) and/or a designated amount of U.S. cash.
Shares are listed on a national securities exchange, such as the Exchange, and individual Shares may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through brokers at market prices, rather than NAV. Because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).
An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares (the “bid” price) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares (the “ask” price) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market. This difference in bid and ask prices is often referred to as the “bid-ask spread.”
When available, information regarding the Fund’s NAV, market price, how often Shares traded on the Exchange at a premium or discount, and bid-ask spreads can be found on the Fund’s website at https://www.defianceetfs.com.
Tax Information
Fund distributions are generally taxable as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains (or a combination), unless an investment is in an individual retirement account (“IRA”) or other tax-advantaged account. Distributions on investments made through tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal of assets from those accounts.
Financial Intermediary Compensation
If you purchase Shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank) (an “Intermediary”), the Adviser or its affiliates may pay Intermediaries for certain activities related to the Fund, including participation in activities that are designed to make Intermediaries more knowledgeable about exchange-traded products, including the Fund, or for other activities, such as marketing, educational training, or other initiatives related to the sale or promotion of Shares. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the Intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Any such arrangements do not result in increased Fund expenses. Ask your salesperson or visit the Intermediary’s website for more information.
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SUMMARY INFORMATION
DEFIANCE DAILY TARGET 2X LONG PAAS ETF – FUND SUMMARY
Important Information About the Fund
The Defiance Daily Target 2X Long PAAS ETF (the “Fund”) seeks daily leveraged investment results of two times (200%) the daily percentage change in the share price of the Pan American Silver Corp. (NYSE: PAAS) (the “Underlying Security” or “PAAS”). Because the Fund seeks daily leveraged investment results, it is very different from most other exchange-traded funds. It is also riskier than alternatives that do not use leverage.
The return for investors that invest for periods longer or shorter than a trading day should not be expected to be 200% of the performance of the Underlying Security’s shares for the period. The return of the Fund for a period longer than a trading day will be the result of each trading day’s compounded return during such period held, which will very likely differ from 200% of the return of the Underlying Security’s shares for that period. Holding shares of the Fund for longer than a single day and higher volatility of the Underlying Security’s shares increase the impact of compounding on an investor’s returns, which may have a negative or positive impact on an investor’s returns. During periods of higher Underlying Security share price volatility, the volatility of the Underlying Security’s shares may affect the Fund’s return as much as, or more than, the return of the Underlying Security’s shares. The impact of compounding will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Fund is held and the volatility of the Underlying Security’s shares during a shareholder’s holding period of an investment in the Fund. See “Principal Investment Risks – Compounding and Market Volatility Risk” below for an example of how volatility of the Underlying Security’s shares may affect the Fund’s return as much as, or more than, the return of the Underlying Security’s shares.
The Fund is not suitable for all investors. The Fund is designed to be utilized only by knowledgeable investors who understand the potential consequences of seeking daily leveraged (2X) investment results, understand the risks associated with the use of leverage, and are willing to monitor their portfolios frequently. The Fund is not intended to be used by, and is not appropriate for, investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. For periods longer than a single day, the Fund will lose money if the Underlying Security’s performance is flat, and it is possible that the Fund will lose money even if the Underlying Security’s performance increases over a period longer than a single day. An investor could lose the full principal value of his/her investment within a single day.
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of two times (200%) the daily percentage change in the share price of Pan American Silver Corp. (NYSE: PAAS). The Fund does not seek to achieve its stated investment objective for a period other than a single trading day.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below.
| Annual Fund Operating Expenses(1) (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) | |||||
| Management Fee | [ ] | % | |||
| Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees | None | ||||
| Other Expenses(2) | [ ] | % | |||
| Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses(3) | [ ] | % | |||
| (1) | The Fund’s investment adviser, Tidal Investments LLC (the “Adviser”), a Tidal Financial Group company, will pay, or require a sub-adviser to pay, all expenses incurred by the Fund (except for advisory fees and sub-advisory fees, as the case may be) excluding interest charges on any borrowings made for investment purposes, dividends and other expenses on securities sold short, taxes, brokerage commissions and other expenses incurred in placing orders for the purchase and sale of securities and other investment instruments, acquired fund fees and expenses, accrued deferred tax liability, distribution fees and expenses paid by the Fund under any distribution plan adopted pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), and litigation expenses and other non-routine or extraordinary expenses. |
| (2) | Based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year. |
| (3) | The cost of investing in swaps, including the embedded cost of the swap and the operating expenses of the referenced assets, is an indirect expense that is not included in the above fee table and is not reflected in the expense example. |
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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. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem or hold all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. The Example does not take into account brokerage commissions that you may pay on your purchases and sales of Shares. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years |
| $[ ] | $[ ] |
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in total annual fund operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund is newly organized, portfolio turnover information is not yet available.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund is an actively managed exchange traded fund (“ETF”) that attempts to achieve two times (200%) the daily percentage change in the share price of the Underlying Security by employing derivatives, namely swap agreements and/or listed options contracts. The Fund aims to achieve this daily percentage change for a single day, and not for any other period. A “single day” means the period “from the close of regular trading on one trading day to the close on the next trading day.”
If the Fund encounters limitations in implementing its strategies, whether due to market conditions, derivative availability, counterparty issues, or other factors, the Fund may not achieve investment results, before fees and expenses, that correspond to two times (2x) the daily performance of the Underlying Security, and may return substantially less during such periods. During such periods, the Fund’s actual leverage levels may differ substantially from its intended target, both intraday and at the close of trading, potentially resulting in significantly lower returns.
The Fund may enter into one or more swap agreements with financial institutions for a specified period, which may range from one day to longer than a year. Through each swap agreement, the Fund and the financial institution will agree to exchange the return (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on the Underlying Security’s share price. The gross return (meaning the return before deducting any fees or expenses) to be exchanged or “swapped” between the parties is calculated with respect to a “notional amount,” (meaning the face amount of the instrument) e.g., the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount representing the Underlying Security.
The Fund may also utilize listed options to seek to achieve leveraged 2X exposure to the Underlying Security. The Fund will primarily employ short-dated (a month or less) in-the-money call options (options with strike prices below the current market price of the Underlying Security, offering immediate intrinsic value). Additionally, the Fund may use other option strategies to produce similar exposure to the Underlying Security, like buying calls and selling puts with identical strike prices. These options allow the Fund to adjust its leverage strategy in response to market conditions, liquidity constraints, or other factors that may affect the availability or pricing of swap agreements. The use of listed options provides additional flexibility in pursuing the Fund’s daily investment objective. In situations where swap availability is constrained, the Fund may rely more heavily on options contracts. Additionally, the Fund may use options in response to changing market dynamics. However, the use of option contracts is typically less efficient than swaps and may increase the likelihood that the Fund is unable to achieve its daily 2X objective.
At the end of each day, the Fund’s swaps and options are valued using market valuations and the Fund’s investment adviser rebalances the Fund’s holdings in an attempt to maintain leveraged exposure for the Fund equal to approximately 200% of the Underlying Security’s share price. This daily rebalancing is expected to result in high portfolio turnover.
For examples of a hypothetical investment in the Fund, see the section in the Fund’s Prospectus titled see “Additional Information About the Fund – Principal Investment Strategies.”
Fund performance for periods greater than one single day is primarily (but not solely) a function of the following factors: a) the Underlying Security volatility; b) the Underlying Security’s performance; c) period of time; d) financing rates associated with leveraged exposure; and e) other Fund expenses.
The Fund will hold assets to serve as collateral for its derivatives positions. For those collateral holdings, the Fund may invest in (1) U.S. Government securities, such as bills, notes and bonds issued by the U.S. Treasury; (2) money market funds; (3) short term bond ETFs; and/or (4) corporate debt securities, such as commercial paper and other short-term unsecured promissory notes issued by businesses that are rated investment grade or of comparable quality.
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The Fund has adopted a policy to have at least 80% exposure to financial instruments with economic characteristics that should perform 2X the daily performance of the Underlying Security’s shares. The Fund is expected to allocate between 40% and 60% of its assets as collateral for swap agreements or as premiums for purchased options contracts.
The Fund is classified as “non-diversified” under the 1940 Act. The Fund’s investment strategy is expected to result in a high annual portfolio turnover rate.
Because of daily rebalancing and the compounding of each day’s return over time, the return of the Fund for periods longer than a single day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which will very likely differ from 200% of the return of the Underlying Security’s shares over the same period. The Fund will lose money if the Underlying Security’s performance is flat over time, and because of daily rebalancing, the Underlying Security’s shares’ volatility and the effects of compounding, the Fund may lose money over time while the Underlying Security’s performance increases over a period longer than a single day. As a consequence, investors should not plan to hold shares of the Fund unmonitored for periods longer than a single trading day.
Pan American Silver Corp. (“PAAS”)
Pan American Silver Corp is principally engaged in the operation and development of, and exploration for, silver and gold producing properties and assets. Its principal products are silver and gold, although it also produces and sells zinc, lead, and copper. As of December 31, 2024, PAAS operated mines and developed mining projects in Mexico, Peru, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Bolivia, and had control over non-producing assets in each of those jurisdictions, in addition to Guatemala and the United States. Per PAAS’ most recent 40-F filing, PAAS had 363,040,341 Common Shares outstanding as of December 31, 2024.
PAAS is registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Information provided to or filed with the SEC by PAAS pursuant to the Exchange Act can be located by reference to SEC file number 001-41683 through the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. In addition, information regarding PAAS may be obtained from other sources including, but not limited to, press releases, newspaper articles and other publicly disseminated documents.
This document relates only to the securities offered hereby and does not relate to the shares of PAAS or other securities of PAAS. The Fund has derived all disclosures contained in this document regarding PAAS from the publicly available documents. None of the Fund, Tidal Trust II (the “Trust”), or the Adviser, or their respective affiliates has participated in the preparation of such publicly available offering documents or made any due diligence inquiry regarding such documents with respect to PAAS. None of the Fund, the Trust, or the Adviser, or their respective affiliates makes any representation that such publicly available documents or any other publicly available information regarding PAAS is accurate or complete. Furthermore, the Fund cannot give any assurance that all events occurring prior to the date hereof (including events that would affect the accuracy or completeness of the publicly available documents described above) that would affect the trading price of PAAS (and therefore the share price of the Fund at the time we price the securities) have been publicly disclosed. Subsequent disclosure of any such events or the disclosure of or failure to disclose material future events concerning PAAS could affect the value received with respect to the securities and therefore the value of the securities.
None of the Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates makes any representation to you as to the performance of PAAS.
NONE OF THE FUND, TIDAL TRUST II, OR TIDAL INVESTMENTS LLC IS AFFILIATED, CONNECTED, OR ASSOCIATED WITH PAAS. THE FUND WAS NOT DEVELOPED OR CREATED BY, AND IS NOT SPONSORED, ENDORSED, OR APPROVED BY PAAS.
Moreover, PAAS has not participated in the development of the Fund’s investment strategy. PAAS does not select or approve the Fund’s portfolio holdings, nor does it participate in the construction, design, or implementation of the Fund. PAAS does not provide any assurances, guarantees, or representations regarding the Fund or its performance. Nothing herein shall be construed as an offer of any security by PAAS.
None of the Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates claim any ownership interest in any trademarks owned by PAAS or its affiliates. All rights in the trademarks are reserved by their respective owners.
Due to the Fund’s investment strategy, the Fund’s investment exposure is concentrated in the same industry as that assigned to the Underlying Security. As of the date of the Prospectus, PAAS is assigned to the metals and mining industry.
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Principal Investment Risks
The principal risks of investing in the Fund are summarized below. As with any investment, there is a risk that you could lose all or a portion of your investment in the Fund. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”) per Share, trading price, yield, total return, and/or ability to meet its investment objective. For more information about the risks of investing in the Fund, see the section in the Fund’s Prospectus titled “Additional Information About the Fund—Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund.”
An investment in the Fund entails risk. The Fund may not achieve its investment objective and there is a risk that you could lose all of your money invested in the Fund. The Fund is not a complete investment program. In addition, the Fund presents risks not traditionally associated with other ETFs. It is important that investors closely review all of the risks listed below and understand them before making an investment in the Fund.
Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears.
PAAS Risks. The Fund invests in swap contracts and options that are based on the share price of PAAS. This subjects the Fund to certain of the same risks as if it owned shares of PAAS, even though it does not. By virtue of the Fund’s investments in swap contracts and options that are based on the value of PAAS, the Fund may also be subject to the following risks:
| ● | Indirect Investment in PAAS Risk. PAAS is not affiliated with the Trust, the Fund, or the Adviser, or their respective affiliates and is not involved with this offering in any way and has no obligation to consider your Shares in taking any corporate actions that might affect the value of Shares. Investors in the Fund will not have voting rights or influence over the management of PAAS but will be exposed to the performance of PAAS (the Underlying Security). Investors will also not have the right to receive dividends or other distributions from PAAS, but will remain subject to price fluctuations and other risks associated with ownership of the Underlying Security. |
| ● | PAAS Trading Risk. The trading price of PAAS may be subject to volatility and could experience wide fluctuations due to various factors. Short sellers may also influence PAAS’s trading activity, contributing to market instability. Public perception and external factors beyond the company’s control may influence PAAS’s stock price disproportionately. Additionally, following periods of market volatility, companies have faced securities class action litigation. Any adverse judgment or future stockholder litigation could result in substantial costs and divert management’s attention and resources. In the event of a trading halt, delisting, or significant disruption in the market for PAAS’s shares, the Fund may experience difficulty entering, modifying, or liquidating its exposures. These conditions could impair the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective, result in significant tracking error, or, in extreme cases, force the Fund to liquidate entirely. |
| ● | PAAS Performance Risk. PAAS may fail to meet its publicly announced guidelines or other expectations about its business, which could cause the price of PAAS to decline. Correctly identifying key factors affecting business conditions and predicting future events is inherently an uncertain process, and the guidance PAAS provides may not ultimately be accurate. If PAAS’s guidance is not accurate or varies from actual results due to its inability to meet the assumptions or the impact on its financial performance that could occur as a result of various risks and uncertainties, the market value of common stock issued by PAAS could decline significantly. |
| ● | Metals and Mining Industry Risk. The majority of PAAS’ revenue is derived from the sale of silver, gold, zinc, copper and lead, and therefore fluctuations in the prices of these metals significantly affects its operations and profitability. Its sales are directly dependent on metal prices, and metal prices have historically shown significant volatility and are beyond its control. The prices of silver, gold, and other metals are affected by numerous factors beyond our control, including: global and regional levels of supply and demand; sales by government holders and other third parties; metal stock levels maintained by producers and others; increased production due to new mine developments and improved mining and production methods; speculative activities; inventory carrying costs; availability, demand and costs of metal substitutes; international economic and political conditions; interest rates, inflation and currency values; the emergence of cryptocurrencies as a store of value and hedge against inflation in competition with precious metals increased demand for silver, gold, or other metals for new technologies; and reduced demand resulting from obsolescence of technologies and processes utilizing silver, gold, and other metals. PAAS’s business segments are concentrated in the nuclear fuel and reactor cycles, with the largest segment being uranium mining. As such, PAAS is sensitive to changes in, and its performance and future prospects, will depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the nuclear energy industry and the public acceptance of nuclear energy. PAAS may be susceptible to increased risks, compared to diversified metals trading companies or diversified mining companies, as a result of the fact that its operations are concentrated in the nuclear fuel business. |
| ● | International Business Risks. In 2024, a significant portion of PAAS’ production and revenues were derived from its operations in Peru, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Brazil, and Bolivia. As a result, PAAS is exposed to a number of risks and uncertainties, including: expropriation, nationalization, and the cancellation, revocation, renegotiation, or forced modification of existing contracts, permits, licenses, approvals, or title, particularly without adequate compensation; changing political and fiscal regimes and administration, including with respect to taxation, sometimes unexpectedly or as a result of precipitous events, and economic and regulatory instability; unanticipated adverse changes to constitutional rights and protections, and other laws and policies, including those relating to mineral title, royalties and taxation; delays or inability to obtain or maintain necessary permits, licenses or approvals; opposition to mine development projects from governments, Indigenous peoples, communities, and other groups, which may include frivolous or vexatious claims, misinformation, and the potential for violence and property damage; restrictions on foreign investment; limitations on repatriation of operating cash flows, including currency controls and other legal and practical restrictions to transfer funds from foreign jurisdictions; extreme fluctuations in currency exchange rates and restrictions on foreign exchange; unreliable or undeveloped infrastructure; labour unrest and scarcity; human rights violations, which may include Indigenous rights claims; inability of governments or governmental bodies to complete, or properly complete, consultation processes and to comply with national and international laws, protocols, standards and/or norms; difficulty obtaining key equipment and components for equipment; regulations and restrictions with respect to imports and exports; high rates of inflation; inability to obtain fair dispute resolution or judicial determinations because of bias, corruption or abuse of power; abuse of power of foreign governments who impose, or threaten to impose, fines, penalties or other similar mechanisms, without regard to the rule of law; difficulties enforcing judgments, particularly judgments obtained in Canada or the United States, with respect to assets located outside of those jurisdictions; difficulty understanding and complying with the regulatory and legal framework with respect to mineral properties, mines and mining operations, and permitting; violence and criminal activity, including organized crime, theft, trespassing, and illegal mining; civil unrest, terrorism and hostage taking; government, union and community pressures to maintain unprofitable operations; military repression and increased likelihood of international conflicts or aggression; and increased public health concerns, including the impact of COVID-19 or other pandemics. |
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| ● | Title to Assets Risk. The validity of mining or exploration titles or claims or rights, which constitute most of PAAS’ property holdings, can be uncertain and may be contested. Properties may be subject to prior unregistered liens, agreements or transfers, Indigenous land claims, or undetected title defects. No assurance can be given that applicable governments will not revoke or significantly alter the conditions of the applicable exploration and mining titles or claims, or that such exploration and mining titles or claims will not be challenged or impugned by third parties. PAAS may be unable to operate our properties as expected, or to enforce its rights to its properties. Any defects in title to its properties, or the revocation of its rights to mine, could have a material adverse effect on its operations and financial condition. |
| ● | Regulatory Risk. PAAS is subject to environmental laws and regulation in the various jurisdictions in which it operates that impose requirements or restrictions on its activities, such as mine development, water management, use of hazardous substances, reclamation, and waste transportation, storage and disposal. Compliance with environmental laws and regulations may require significant costs and may cause material changes or delays in operations. There is no assurance that PAAS will be in full compliance with environmental legislation at all times. Failure to comply with applicable environmental legislation could lead to adverse consequences. |
| ● | Foreign Issuer Risk. PAAS is a Canadian company. Because the Fund has indirect exposure to a foreign company, the Fund may be subject to risks associated with foreign investments. |
| ○ | Currency Risk. Indirect exposure to foreign currencies subjects the Fund to the risk that currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar. Currency rates in foreign countries may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time for a number of reasons, including changes in interest rates and the imposition of currency controls or other political developments in the U.S. or abroad. |
| ○ | Foreign Securities Risk. Investments in securities of non-U.S. issuers involve certain risks that may not be present with investments in securities of U.S. issuers, such as risk of loss due to foreign currency fluctuations or to political or economic instability, as well as varying regulatory requirements applicable to investments in non-U.S. issuers. There may be less information publicly available about a non-U.S. issuer than a U.S. issuer. Non-U.S. issuers may also be subject to different regulatory, accounting, auditing, financial reporting and investor protection standards than U.S. issuers. |
Single Issuer Risk. Issuer-specific attributes may cause an investment in the Fund to be more volatile than a traditional pooled investment which diversifies risk or the market generally. The value of the Fund, which focuses on an individual security, may be more volatile than a traditional pooled investment or the market as a whole and may perform differently from the value of a traditional pooled investment or the market as a whole. Additionally, the Fund will seek to employ its investment strategy as it relates to the underlying issuer regardless of whether there are significant corporate actions such as restructurings, enforcement activity, or acquisitions or periods adverse market, economic, or other conditions and will not seek to take temporary defensive positions during such periods.
Compounding and Market Volatility Risk. The Fund has a daily leveraged investment objective and the Fund’s performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which is very likely to differ from two times (200%) the Underlying Security’s performance, before the Fund’s management fee and other expenses. Compounding affects all investments but has a more significant impact on funds that aim to replicate leveraged daily returns and that rebalance daily. For the Fund aiming to replicate two times the daily performance of an Underlying Security, if adverse daily performance of the Underlying Security reduces the amount of a shareholder’s investment, any further adverse daily performance will lead to a smaller dollar loss because the shareholder’s investment had already been reduced by the prior adverse performance. Equally, however, if favorable daily performance of the Underlying Security increases the amount of a shareholder’s investment, the dollar amount lost due to future adverse performance will increase because the shareholder’s investment has increased.
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The effect of compounding becomes more pronounced as the Underlying Security’s volatility and the holding period increase. The impact of compounding will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Fund is held and the volatility of the Underlying Security during a shareholder’s holding period of an investment in the Fund.
The chart below provides examples of how the Underlying Security’s volatility could affect the Fund’s performance. The chart illustrates the impact of two factors that affect the Fund’s performance – the Underlying Security’s volatility and the Underlying Security’s performance. The Underlying Security’s performance shows the percentage change in the share price of the Underlying Security over the specified time period, while the Underlying Security’s volatility is a statistical measure of the magnitude of fluctuations in the returns during that time period. As illustrated below, even if the Underlying Security’s performance over two equal time periods is identical, different Underlying Security volatility (i.e., in magnitude of fluctuations in the share price of the Underlying Security) during the two time periods could result in drastically different Fund performance for the two time periods because of compounding daily returns during the time periods.
Fund performance for periods greater than one single day can be estimated given any set of assumptions for the following factors: a) the Underlying Security volatility; b) the Underlying Security performance; c) period of time; d) financing rates associated with leveraged exposure; and e) other Fund expenses. The chart shows estimated Fund returns for a number of combinations of Underlying Security volatility and Underlying Security performance over a one-year period. Performance shown in the chart assumes that: (i) there were no Fund expenses; (ii) borrowing/lending rates (to obtain leveraged exposure) of 0%. If Fund expenses and/or actual borrowing/lending rates were reflected the estimated returns would be different than those shown. Particularly during periods of higher Underlying Security volatility, compounding will cause results for periods longer than a trading day to vary from two times (200%) the performance of the Underlying Security.
As shown in the chart below, the Fund would be expected to lose 6.1% if there was no change in the share price of the Underlying Security over a one-year period during which the Underlying Security experienced annualized volatility of 25%. If the Underlying Security’s annualized volatility were to rise to 75%, the hypothetical loss for a one-year period would widen to approximately -43%. At higher ranges of volatility, there is a chance of a significant loss of value in the Fund, even if there were no change in the share price of the Underlying Security. For instance, if the Underlying Security’s annualized volatility is 100%, the Fund would be expected to lose 63.2% of its value, even if the cumulative Underlying Security change in the share price of the Underlying Security for the year was 0%.
Areas shaded red (or dark gray) represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return less than two times (200%) the performance of the Underlying Security and those shaded green (or light gray) represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return more than two times (200%) the performance of the Underlying Security. The Fund’s actual performance may be significantly better or worse than the performance shown below as a result of any of the factors discussed above or in the “Daily Correlation/Tracking Risk” below.
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| Estimated
Returns of 200% or Two Times Performance of the Underlying Security |
|||||||
| Underlying Security Performance | One Year Volatility Rate | ||||||
| One
Year Underlying Security |
2X
Times (200%) the One Year Performance |
10% | 25% | 50% | 75% | 100% | |
| -60% | -120% | -84.2% | -85.0% | -87.5% | -90.9% | -94.1% | |
| -50% | -100% | -75.2% | -76.5% | -80.5% | -85.8% | -90.8% | |
| -40% | -80% | -64.4% | -66.2% | -72.0% | -79.5% | -86.8% | |
| -30% | -60% | -51.5% | -54.0% | -61.8% | -72.1% | -82.0% | |
| -20% | -40% | -36.6% | -39.9% | -50.2% | -63.5% | -76.5% | |
| -10% | -20% | -19.8% | -23.9% | -36.9% | -53.8% | -70.2% | |
| 0% | 0% | -1.0% | -6.1% | -22.1% | -43.0% | -63.2% | |
| 10% | 20% | 19.8% | 13.7% | -5.8% | -31.1% | -55.5% | |
| 20% | 40% | 42.6% | 35.3% | 12.1% | -18.0% | -47.0% | |
| 30% | 60% | 67.3% | 58.8% | 31.6% | -3.7% | -37.8% | |
| 40% | 80% | 94.0% | 84.1% | 52.6% | 11.7% | -27.9% | |
| 50% | 100% | 122.8% | 111.4% | 75.2% | 28.2% | -17.2% | |
| 60% | 120% | 153.5% | 140.5% | 99.4% | 45.9% | -5.8% | |
The Underlying Security’s annualized historical volatility rate for the period from [ ] (the earliest date available) to [ ] was [ ]%. The Underlying Security’s annualized performance during this period was [ ]%. Historical Underlying Security volatility and performance are not indications of what Underlying Security volatility and performance will be in the future.
Daily Correlation/Tracking Risk. There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of leveraged correlation to the Underlying Security and therefore achieve its daily leveraged investment objective. To achieve a high degree of leveraged correlation with the Underlying Security, the Fund seeks to rebalance its portfolio daily to keep exposure consistent with its daily leveraged investment objective. The possibility of the Fund being materially over- or under-exposed to the Underlying Security increases on days when the Underlying Security is volatile near the close of the trading day. Market disruptions, regulatory restrictions and extreme volatility will also adversely affect the Fund’s ability to adjust exposure to the required levels. If there is a significant intra-day market event and/or the Underlying Security experiences a significant increase or decline, the Fund may not meet its investment objective, be able to rebalance its portfolio appropriately, or may experience significant premiums or discounts, or widened bid-ask spreads.
The Fund may have difficulty achieving its daily leveraged investment objective due to fees, expenses, transaction costs, financing costs related to the use of derivatives, investments in ETFs, directly or indirectly, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities or derivatives held by the Fund. The Fund may be subject to large movements of assets into and out of the Fund, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or under-exposed to the Underlying Security. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions to improve the tax efficiency or to comply with various regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively impact the Fund’s leveraged correlation to the Underlying Security.
Leverage Risk. The Fund obtains investment exposure in excess of its net assets by utilizing leverage and may lose more money in market conditions that are adverse to its investment objective than a fund that does not utilize leverage. An investment in the Fund is exposed to the risk that a decline in the daily performance of the Underlying Security will be magnified. This means that an investment in the Fund will be reduced by an amount equal to 2% for every 1% daily decline in the share price of the Underlying Security, not including the costs of financing leverage and other operating expenses, which would further reduce its value. The Fund could theoretically lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event the share price of the Underlying Security declines more than 50%. Leverage will also have the effect of magnifying any differences in the Fund performance’s correlation with the Underlying Security’s share price.
Derivatives Risk. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds (including ETFs), interest rates or indexes. The Fund’s investments in derivatives may pose risks in addition to, and greater than, those associated with directly investing in securities or other ordinary investments, including risk related to the market, leverage, imperfect daily correlations with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, higher price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty risk, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions. The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of derivatives may result in larger losses or smaller gains than directly investing in securities. When the Fund uses derivatives, there may be imperfect correlation between the share price of the Underlying Security and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. Because derivatives often require only a limited initial investment, the use of derivatives may expose the Fund to losses in excess of those amounts initially invested.
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The Fund will be subject to regulatory constraints relating to level of value at risk that the Fund may incur through its derivative portfolio. To the extent the Fund exceeds these regulatory thresholds over an extended period, the Fund may determine that it is necessary to make adjustments to the Fund’s investment strategy, including the desired daily leveraged performance for the Fund.
In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
Swap Agreements. The use of swap transactions is a highly specialized activity, which involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. Whether the Fund will be successful in using swap agreements to achieve its investment goal depends on the ability of the Adviser to structure such swap agreements in accordance with the Fund’s investment objective and to identify counterparties for those swap agreements. If the Adviser is unable to enter into swap agreements that provide leveraged exposure to the Underlying Security, the Fund may not meet its stated investment objective. Additionally, any financing, borrowing or other costs associated with using swap transactions may also have the effect of lowering the Fund’s return.
The swap agreements in which the Fund invests are generally traded in the over-the-counter market, which generally has less transparency than exchange-traded derivatives instruments. In a standard swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the return (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined reference assets or underlying securities or instruments. The gross return to be exchanged or swapped between the parties is calculated based on a notional amount or the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount invested in a basket of securities.
If the Underlying Security has a dramatic move that causes a material decline in the Fund’s net assets, the terms of a swap agreement between the Fund and its counterparty may permit the counterparty to immediately close out the swap transaction with the Fund. In that event, the Fund may be unable to enter into another swap agreement or invest in other derivatives to achieve exposure consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. This may prevent the Fund from achieving its leveraged investment objective, even if the Underlying Security later reverses all or a portion of its movement.
Options Contracts. The use of options contracts involves investment strategies and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The prices of options are volatile and are influenced by, among other things, actual and anticipated changes in the value of the underlying instrument, including the anticipated volatility, which are affected by fiscal and monetary policies and by national and international political, changes in the actual or implied volatility or the reference asset, the time remaining until the expiration of the option contract and economic events. The value of the options contracts in which the Fund invests are substantially influenced by the value of the Underlying Security. The Fund may experience substantial downside from specific option positions and certain option positions held by the Fund may expire worthless. The options held by the Fund are exercisable at the strike price on their expiration date. As an option approaches its expiration date, its value typically increasingly moves with the value of the underlying instrument. However, prior to such date, the value of an option generally does not increase or decrease at the same rate as the underlying instrument. There may at times be an imperfect correlation between the movement in values options contracts and the underlying instrument, and there may at times not be a liquid secondary market for certain options contracts. The value of the options held by the Fund will be determined based on market quotations or other recognized pricing methods. Additionally, as the Fund intends to continuously maintain indirect exposure to the Underlying Security through the use of options contracts, as the options contracts it holds are exercised or expire it will enter into new options contracts, a practice referred to as “rolling.” If the expiring options contracts do not generate proceeds enough to cover the cost of entering into new options contracts, the Fund may experience losses. The use of options to generate leverage introduces additional risks, including significant potential losses if the market moves unfavorably. The leverage inherent in options can amplify both gains and losses, leading to increased volatility and potential for substantial losses, particularly in periods of market uncertainty or low liquidity. Additionally, the Fund may incur losses if the value of the Underlying Security moves against its positions, potentially resulting in a complete loss of the premium paid.
Counterparty Risk. The Fund is subject to counterparty risk by virtue of its investments in derivatives which exposes the Fund to the risk that the counterparty will not fulfill its obligation to the Fund. Counterparty risk may arise because of the counterparty’s financial condition (i.e., financial difficulties, bankruptcy, or insolvency), market activities and developments, or other reasons, whether foreseen or not. A counterparty’s inability to fulfill its obligation may result in significant financial loss to the Fund and the Fund may be unable to recover its investment from such counterparty or may obtain a limited and/or delayed recovery.
Counterparties may seek to hedge their exposure to individual clients (such as the Fund) by establishing offsetting exposures with other clients, however, there is no guarantee that counterparties will do so under all circumstances. Should a counterparty (e.g., a swap counterparty) terminate its relationship with the Fund, the Fund will seek to utilize other counterparties to seek to maintain its exposures. In addition, the Fund may use options contracts to seek to generate the leverage necessary to implement its strategy. The use of options contracts introduces distinct risks, including heightened volatility, particularly intraday. While options may provide an ancillary benefit of mitigating some losses under specific scenarios, such as severe market downturns, their inherent leverage and rapid price fluctuations can amplify the Fund’s performance volatility and lead to greater risks of substantial losses. Refer to “Derivatives Risk – Options Contracts” for additional information on the risks of investing in options.
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In addition, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with a limited number of counterparties, which may increase the Fund’s exposure to counterparty credit risk. Further, there is a risk that no suitable counterparties will be willing to enter into, or continue to enter into, transactions with the Fund and, as a result, the Fund may not be able to achieve its investment objective.
Intra-Day Investment Risk. The Fund seeks investment results from the close of the market on a given trading day until the close of the market on the subsequent trading day. The exact exposure of an investment in the Fund intraday in the secondary market is a function of the difference between the share price of the Underlying Security at the market close on the first trading day and the share price of the Underlying Security at the time of purchase. If the share price of the Underlying Security rises, the Fund’s net assets will rise by approximately twice the amount as the Fund’s exposure. Conversely, if the share price of the Underlying Security declines, the Fund’s net assets will decline by approximately two times the amount as the Fund’s exposure. Thus, an investor that purchases Shares intra-day may experience performance that is greater than, or less than, the Fund’s stated leveraged performance of the Underlying Security.
If there is a significant intra-day market event and/or the securities of the Underlying Security experience a significant increase or decrease, the Fund may not meet its investment objective or rebalance its portfolio appropriately.
Fixed Income Securities Risk. When the Fund invests in fixed income securities, the value of your investment in the Fund will fluctuate with changes in interest rates. Typically, a rise in interest rates causes a decline in the value of fixed income securities owned by the Fund. In general, the market price of fixed income securities with longer maturities will increase or decrease more in response to changes in interest rates than shorter-term securities. Other risk factors include credit risk (the debtor may default), extension risk (an issuer may exercise its right to repay principal on a fixed rate obligation held by the Fund later than expected), and prepayment risk (the debtor may pay its obligation early, reducing the amount of interest payments). These risks could affect the value of a particular investment by the Fund, possibly causing the Fund’s Share price and total return to be reduced and fluctuate more than other types of investments.
Rebalancing Risk. If for any reason the Fund is unable to rebalance all or a portion of its portfolio, or if all or a portion of the portfolio is rebalanced incorrectly, the Fund’s investment exposure may not be consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. In these instances, the Fund may have investment exposure to the Underlying Security that is significantly greater or less than its stated investment objective. As a result, the Fund may be exposed to leverage risk because it had not been properly rebalanced and may not achieve its investment objective.
ETF Risks
Authorized Participants, Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that are authorized to purchase and redeem Shares directly from the Fund (known as “Authorized Participants” or “APs”). In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, Shares may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services; or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.
Cash Redemption Risk. The Fund’s investment strategy may require it to redeem Shares for cash or to otherwise include cash as part of its redemption proceeds. For example, the Fund may not be able to redeem in-kind certain securities held by the Fund (e.g., derivative instruments). In such a case, the Fund may be required to sell or unwind portfolio investments to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. This may cause the Fund to recognize a capital gain that it might not have recognized if it had made a redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher annual capital gain distributions than if the in-kind redemption process was used. By paying out higher annual capital gain distributions, investors may be subjected to increased capital gains taxes. The costs associated with cash redemptions may include brokerage costs that the Fund may not have incurred if it had made the redemptions in-kind. These costs could be imposed on the Fund, decreasing its NAV, to the extent these costs are not offset by a transaction fee payable by an authorized participant.
Costs of Buying or Selling Shares. Buying or selling Shares involves certain costs, including brokerage commissions, other charges imposed by brokers, and bid-ask spreads. The bid-ask spread represents the difference between the price at which an investor is willing to buy Shares and the price at which an investor is willing to sell Shares. The spread varies over time based on the Shares’ trading volume and market liquidity. The spread is generally lower if Shares have more trading volume and market liquidity and higher if Shares have little trading volume and market liquidity. Due to the costs of buying or selling Shares, frequent trading of Shares may reduce investment results and an investment in Shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.
Shares May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all ETFs, Shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of Shares will approximate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price of Shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount) due to supply and demand of Shares or during periods of market volatility. This risk is heightened in times of market volatility, periods of steep market declines, and periods when there is limited trading activity for Shares in the secondary market, in which case such premiums or discounts may be significant.
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Trading. Although Shares are listed on a national securities exchange, such as [ ] (the “Exchange”), and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that 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 Shares. This adverse effect on liquidity for the Fund’s shares may lead to wider bid-ask spreads and differences between the market price of the Fund’s shares and the underlying value of the shares.
Liquidity Risk. In certain circumstances, such as the disruption of the orderly markets for the financial instruments in which the Fund invests, the Fund might not be able to acquire or dispose of certain holdings quickly or at prices that represent true market value in the judgment of the Adviser. Markets for the financial instruments in which the Fund invests may be disrupted by a number of events, including but not limited to economic crises, health crises, natural disasters, excessive volatility, new legislation, or regulatory changes inside or outside of the U.S. These situations may have an impact on the liquidity of the Fund’s own shares.”
Economic and Market Risk. Economies and financial markets throughout the world are becoming increasingly interconnected, which increases the likelihood that events or conditions in one country or region will adversely impact markets or issuers in other countries or regions. Securities in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform in comparison to securities in the general financial markets, a particular financial market, or other asset classes, due to a number of factors, including inflation (or expectations for inflation), deflation (or expectations for deflation), interest rates, global demand for particular products or resources, market instability, financial system instability, debt crises and downgrades, embargoes, tariffs, sanctions and other trade barriers, regulatory events, other governmental trade or market control programs and related geopolitical events. In addition, the value of the Fund’s investments may be negatively affected by the occurrence of global events such as war, terrorism, environmental disasters, natural disasters or events, country instability, and infectious disease epidemics or pandemics. The imposition by the U.S. of tariffs on goods imported from foreign countries and reciprocal tariffs levied on U.S. goods by those countries also may lead to volatility and instability in domestic and foreign markets.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk. Daily rebalancing of the Fund’s holdings pursuant to its daily investment objective causes a much greater number of portfolio transactions when compared to most ETFs. Additionally, active market trading of the Fund’s Shares on exchanges (such as the Exchange), could cause more frequent creation and redemption activities, which could increase the number of portfolio transactions. Frequent and active trading may lead to higher transaction costs because of increased broker commissions resulting from such transactions. In addition, there is the possibility of significantly increased short-term capital gains (which will be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income when distributed to them). The Fund calculates portfolio turnover without including the short-term cash instruments or derivative transactions that comprise the majority of the Fund’s trading. As such, if the Fund’s extensive use of derivative instruments were reflected, the calculated portfolio turnover rate would be significantly higher.
Tracking Error Risk. Tracking error is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of its investment objective which aims to replicate two times the daily percentage change in the price of the Underlying Security. Tracking error may occur for a number of reasons. Tracking error may occur because of transaction costs, the Fund’s holding of cash, differences in accrual of dividends, being under- or overexposed to the Underlying Security or the need to meet new or existing regulatory requirements. Tracking error risk may be heightened during times of market volatility or other unusual market conditions such as market disruptions. The Fund may be required to deviate from its investment objectives, and therefore experience tracking error, as a result of market restrictions or other legal reasons, including regulatory limits or other restrictions on securities that may be purchased by the Adviser and its affiliates.
Liquidity Risk. Some securities held by the Fund may be difficult to sell or be illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including, but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, epidemics/pandemics, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the United States. Illiquid securities may be difficult to value, especially in changing or volatile markets. If the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid security at an unfavorable time or price, the Fund may be adversely impacted. Certain market conditions or restrictions may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Underlying Security. There is no assurance that a security that is deemed liquid when purchased will continue to be liquid. Market illiquidity may cause losses for the Fund.
Money Market Instrument Risk. The Fund may use a variety of money market instruments for cash management purposes, including money market funds, depositary accounts and repurchase agreements. Repurchase agreements are contracts in which a seller of securities agrees to buy the securities back at a specified time and price. Repurchase agreements may be subject to market and credit risk related to the collateral securing the repurchase agreement. Money market instruments may lose money.
New Fund Risk. The Fund is a recently organized management investment company with no operating history. As a result, prospective investors do not have a track record or history on which to base their investment decisions.
Non-Diversification Risk. Because the Fund is “non-diversified,” it may invest a greater percentage of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it was a diversified fund. As a result, a decline in the value of an investment in a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers could cause the Fund’s overall value to decline to a greater degree than if the Fund held a more diversified portfolio. This may increase the Fund’s volatility and cause the performance of a relatively smaller number of issuers to have a greater impact on the Fund’s performance.
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Trading Halt Risk. Although the Underlying Security’s shares are listed for trading on an exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such shares will be available at all times and the Exchange may halt trading of such shares in certain circumstances. A halt in trading in the Underlying Security’s shares is expected, in turn, to result in a halt in the trading in the Fund’s Shares. Trading in the Underlying Security’s and/or Fund’s Shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in the Underlying Security’s and/or Fund’s Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in Underlying Security’s and/or Fund’s Shares on an exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to exchange “circuit breaker” rules.” In the event of a trading halt for an extended period of time, the Fund may be unable to execute arrangements with swap counterparties that are necessary to implement the Fund’s investment strategy.
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 and the Fund’s investment advisor seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures, there is no way to completely protect against such risks.
U.S. Government and U.S. Agency Obligations Risk. The Fund may invest in securities issued by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities. U.S. Government obligations include securities issued or guaranteed as to principal and interest by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities, such as the U.S. Treasury. Payment of principal and interest on U.S. Government obligations may be backed by the full faith and credit of the United States or may be backed solely by the issuing or guaranteeing agency or instrumentality itself. In the latter case, the investor must look principally to the agency or instrumentality issuing or guaranteeing the obligation for ultimate repayment, which agency or instrumentality may be privately owned. There can be no assurance that the U.S. Government would provide financial support to its agencies or instrumentalities (including government-sponsored enterprises) where it is not obligated to do so.
Tax Risk. The Fund intends to elect and to qualify each year to be treated as a regulated investment company (a “RIC”) under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (“Code”). As a RIC, the Fund will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the portion of its net investment income and net capital gain that it distributes to shareholders, provided that it satisfies certain requirements of the Code. If the Fund does not qualify as a RIC for any taxable year and certain relief provisions are not available, the Fund’s taxable income will be subject to tax at the Fund level and to a further tax at the shareholder level when such income is distributed. To comply with the asset diversification test applicable to a RIC, the Fund will attempt to ensure that the value of swap contracts and options on shares of a single issuer does not exceed 25% of the Fund’s value at the close of any quarter. If the value of swap contracts and options on shares of a single issuer were to exceed 25% of the Fund’s total assets at the end of a tax quarter, the Fund, generally, has a grace period to cure such lack of compliance. If the Fund fails to timely cure, it may no longer be eligible to be treated as a RIC.
Performance
Performance information for the Fund is not included because the Fund has not completed a full calendar year of operations as of the date of this Prospectus. When such information is included, this section will provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance history from year to year and showing how the Fund’s average annual total returns compare with those of a broad measure of market performance. Although past performance of the Fund is no guarantee of how it will perform in the future, historical performance may give you some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. Updated performance information will be available on the Fund’s website at https://www.defianceetfs.com.
Management
Investment Adviser: Tidal Investments LLC serves as investment adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers:
The following individuals are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund.
Stephen Foy, Portfolio Manager for the Adviser, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in 2025.
Christopher P. Mullen, Portfolio Manager for the Adviser, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in 2025.
Purchase and Sale of Shares
The Fund issues and redeems Shares at NAV only in large blocks known as “Creation Units,” which only APs (typically, broker-dealers) may purchase or redeem. The Fund generally issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities (the “Deposit Securities”) and/or a designated amount of U.S. cash.
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Shares are listed on a national securities exchange, such as the Exchange, and individual Shares may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through brokers at market prices, rather than NAV. Because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).
An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares (the “bid” price) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares (the “ask” price) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market. This difference in bid and ask prices is often referred to as the “bid-ask spread.”
When available, information regarding the Fund’s NAV, market price, how often Shares traded on the Exchange at a premium or discount, and bid-ask spreads can be found on the Fund’s website at https://www.defianceetfs.com.
Tax Information
Fund distributions are generally taxable as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains (or a combination), unless an investment is in an individual retirement account (“IRA”) or other tax-advantaged account. Distributions on investments made through tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal of assets from those accounts.
Financial Intermediary Compensation
If you purchase Shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank) (an “Intermediary”), the Adviser or its affiliates may pay Intermediaries for certain activities related to the Fund, including participation in activities that are designed to make Intermediaries more knowledgeable about exchange-traded products, including the Fund, or for other activities, such as marketing, educational training, or other initiatives related to the sale or promotion of Shares. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the Intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Any such arrangements do not result in increased Fund expenses. Ask your salesperson or visit the Intermediary’s website for more information.
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SUMMARY INFORMATION
DEFIANCE DAILY TARGET 2X LONG PATH ETF – FUND SUMMARY
Important Information About the Fund
The Defiance Daily Target 2X Long PATH ETF (the “Fund”) seeks daily leveraged investment results of two times (200%) the daily percentage change in the share price of UiPath, Inc. (NYSE: PATH) (the “Underlying Security” or “PATH”). Because the Fund seeks daily leveraged investment results, it is very different from most other exchange-traded funds. It is also riskier than alternatives that do not use leverage.
The return for investors that invest for periods longer or shorter than a trading day should not be expected to be 200% of the performance of the Underlying Security’s shares for the period. The return of the Fund for a period longer than a trading day will be the result of each trading day’s compounded return during such period held, which will very likely differ from 200% of the return of the Underlying Security’s shares for that period. Holding shares of the Fund for longer than a single day and higher volatility of the Underlying Security’s shares increase the impact of compounding on an investor’s returns, which may have a negative or positive impact on an investor’s returns. During periods of higher Underlying Security share price volatility, the volatility of the Underlying Security’s shares may affect the Fund’s return as much as, or more than, the return of the Underlying Security’s shares. The impact of compounding will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Fund is held and the volatility of the Underlying Security’s shares during a shareholder’s holding period of an investment in the Fund. See “Principal Investment Risks – Compounding and Market Volatility Risk” below for an example of how volatility of the Underlying Security’s shares may affect the Fund’s return as much as, or more than, the return of the Underlying Security’s shares.
The Fund is not suitable for all investors. The Fund is designed to be utilized only by knowledgeable investors who understand the potential consequences of seeking daily leveraged (2X) investment results, understand the risks associated with the use of leverage, and are willing to monitor their portfolios frequently. The Fund is not intended to be used by, and is not appropriate for, investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. For periods longer than a single day, the Fund will lose money if the Underlying Security’s performance is flat, and it is possible that the Fund will lose money even if the Underlying Security’s performance increases over a period longer than a single day. An investor could lose the full principal value of his/her investment within a single day.
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of two times (200%) the daily percentage change in the share price of UiPath, Inc. (NYSE: PATH). The Fund does not seek to achieve its stated investment objective for a period other than a single trading day.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below.
| Annual Fund Operating Expenses(1) (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) | |||||
| Management Fee | [ ] | % | |||
| Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees | None | ||||
| Other Expenses(2) | [ ] | % | |||
| Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses(3) | [ ] | % | |||
| (1) | The Fund’s investment adviser, Tidal Investments LLC (the “Adviser”), a Tidal Financial Group company, will pay, or require a sub-adviser to pay, all expenses incurred by the Fund (except for advisory fees and sub-advisory fees, as the case may be) excluding interest charges on any borrowings made for investment purposes, dividends and other expenses on securities sold short, taxes, brokerage commissions and other expenses incurred in placing orders for the purchase and sale of securities and other investment instruments, acquired fund fees and expenses, accrued deferred tax liability, distribution fees and expenses paid by the Fund under any distribution plan adopted pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), and litigation expenses and other non-routine or extraordinary expenses. |
| (2) | Based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year. |
| (3) | The cost of investing in swaps, including the embedded cost of the swap and the operating expenses of the referenced assets, is an indirect expense that is not included in the above fee table and is not reflected in the expense example. |
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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. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem or hold all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. The Example does not take into account brokerage commissions that you may pay on your purchases and sales of Shares. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years |
| $[ ] | $[ ] |
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in total annual fund operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund is newly organized, portfolio turnover information is not yet available.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund is an actively managed exchange traded fund (“ETF”) that attempts to achieve two times (200%) the daily percentage change in the share price of the Underlying Security by employing derivatives, namely swap agreements and/or listed options contracts. The Fund aims to achieve this daily percentage change for a single day, and not for any other period. A “single day” means the period “from the close of regular trading on one trading day to the close on the next trading day.”
If the Fund encounters limitations in implementing its strategies, whether due to market conditions, derivative availability, counterparty issues, or other factors, the Fund may not achieve investment results, before fees and expenses, that correspond to two times (2x) the daily performance of the Underlying Security, and may return substantially less during such periods. During such periods, the Fund’s actual leverage levels may differ substantially from its intended target, both intraday and at the close of trading, potentially resulting in significantly lower returns.
The Fund may enter into one or more swap agreements with financial institutions for a specified period, which may range from one day to longer than a year. Through each swap agreement, the Fund and the financial institution will agree to exchange the return (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on the Underlying Security’s share price. The gross return (meaning the return before deducting any fees or expenses) to be exchanged or “swapped” between the parties is calculated with respect to a “notional amount,” (meaning the face amount of the instrument) e.g., the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount representing the Underlying Security.
The Fund may also utilize listed options to seek to achieve leveraged 2X exposure to the Underlying Security. The Fund will primarily employ short-dated (a month or less) in-the-money call options (options with strike prices below the current market price of the Underlying Security, offering immediate intrinsic value). Additionally, the Fund may use other option strategies to produce similar exposure to the Underlying Security, like buying calls and selling puts with identical strike prices. These options allow the Fund to adjust its leverage strategy in response to market conditions, liquidity constraints, or other factors that may affect the availability or pricing of swap agreements. The use of listed options provides additional flexibility in pursuing the Fund’s daily investment objective. In situations where swap availability is constrained, the Fund may rely more heavily on options contracts. Additionally, the Fund may use options in response to changing market dynamics. However, the use of option contracts is typically less efficient than swaps and may increase the likelihood that the Fund is unable to achieve its daily 2X objective.
At the end of each day, the Fund’s swaps and options are valued using market valuations and the Fund’s investment adviser rebalances the Fund’s holdings in an attempt to maintain leveraged exposure for the Fund equal to approximately 200% of the Underlying Security’s share price. This daily rebalancing is expected to result in high portfolio turnover.
For examples of a hypothetical investment in the Fund, see the section in the Fund’s Prospectus titled see “Additional Information About the Fund – Principal Investment Strategies.”
Fund performance for periods greater than one single day is primarily (but not solely) a function of the following factors: a) the Underlying Security volatility; b) the Underlying Security’s performance; c) period of time; d) financing rates associated with leveraged exposure; and e) other Fund expenses.
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The Fund will hold assets to serve as collateral for its derivatives positions. For those collateral holdings, the Fund may invest in (1) U.S. Government securities, such as bills, notes and bonds issued by the U.S. Treasury; (2) money market funds; (3) short term bond ETFs; and/or (4) corporate debt securities, such as commercial paper and other short-term unsecured promissory notes issued by businesses that are rated investment grade or of comparable quality.
The Fund has adopted a policy to have at least 80% exposure to financial instruments with economic characteristics that should perform 2X the daily performance of the Underlying Security’s shares. The Fund is expected to allocate between 40% and 60% of its assets as collateral for swap agreements or as premiums for purchased options contracts.
The Fund is classified as “non-diversified” under the 1940 Act. The Fund’s investment strategy is expected to result in a high annual portfolio turnover rate.
Because of daily rebalancing and the compounding of each day’s return over time, the return of the Fund for periods longer than a single day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which will very likely differ from 200% of the return of the Underlying Security’s shares over the same period. The Fund will lose money if the Underlying Security’s performance is flat over time, and because of daily rebalancing, the Underlying Security’s shares’ volatility and the effects of compounding, the Fund may lose money over time while the Underlying Security’s performance increases over a period longer than a single day. As a consequence, investors should not plan to hold shares of the Fund unmonitored for periods longer than a single trading day.
UiPath, Inc. (“PATH”)
First established in a Bucharest, Romania apartment in 2005, UiPath was incorporated in Delaware in 2015 as a company principally focused on building and managing automations, starting with computer vision technology and user interface automations in its initial robotic process automation (RPA) offering, which remains the foundation of our platform today. Over the course of the past several years, UiPath has followed a strategy of leveraging advances in AI to broaden its automation capabilities and have expanded, through both internal product development and strategic acquisitions, from RPA as a tool to automation as a platform.
Per PATH’s most recent 10-K filing, the aggregate market value of voting stock held by non-affiliates on July 31, 2024, based on the closing price of $12.17 for shares of Class A common stock as reported by the New York Stock Exchange on July 31, 2024 was approximately $5.3 billion. PATH is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”).
PATH is registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Information provided to or filed with the SEC by PATH pursuant to the Exchange Act can be located by reference to SEC file number 001-40348 through the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. In addition, information regarding PATH may be obtained from other sources including, but not limited to, press releases, newspaper articles and other publicly disseminated documents.
This document relates only to the securities offered hereby and does not relate to the shares of PATH or other securities of PATH. The Fund has derived all disclosures contained in this document regarding PATH from the publicly available documents. None of the Fund, Tidal Trust II (the “Trust”), or the Adviser, or their respective affiliates has participated in the preparation of such publicly available offering documents or made any due diligence inquiry regarding such documents with respect to PATH. None of the Fund, the Trust, or the Adviser, or their respective affiliates makes any representation that such publicly available documents or any other publicly available information regarding PATH is accurate or complete. Furthermore, the Fund cannot give any assurance that all events occurring prior to the date hereof (including events that would affect the accuracy or completeness of the publicly available documents described above) that would affect the trading price of PATH (and therefore the share price of the Fund at the time we price the securities) have been publicly disclosed. Subsequent disclosure of any such events or the disclosure of or failure to disclose material future events concerning PATH could affect the value received with respect to the securities and therefore the value of the securities.
None of the Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates makes any representation to you as to the performance of PATH.
NONE OF THE FUND, TIDAL TRUST II, OR TIDAL INVESTMENTS LLC IS AFFILIATED, CONNECTED, OR ASSOCIATED WITH PATH. THE FUND WAS NOT DEVELOPED OR CREATED BY, AND IS NOT SPONSORED, ENDORSED, OR APPROVED BY PATH.
Moreover, PATH has not participated in the development of the Fund’s investment strategy. PATH does not select or approve the Fund’s portfolio holdings, nor does it participate in the construction, design, or implementation of the Fund. PATH does not provide any assurances, guarantees, or representations regarding the Fund or its performance. Nothing herein shall be construed as an offer of any security by PATH.
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None of the Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates claim any ownership interest in any trademarks owned by PATH or its affiliates. All rights in the trademarks are reserved by their respective owners.
Due to the Fund’s investment strategy, the Fund’s investment exposure is concentrated in the same industry as that assigned to the Underlying Security. As of the date of the Prospectus, PATH is assigned to the software industry.
Principal Investment Risks
The principal risks of investing in the Fund are summarized below. As with any investment, there is a risk that you could lose all or a portion of your investment in the Fund. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”) per Share, trading price, yield, total return, and/or ability to meet its investment objective. For more information about the risks of investing in the Fund, see the section in the Fund’s Prospectus titled “Additional Information About the Fund—Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund.”
An investment in the Fund entails risk. The Fund may not achieve its investment objective and there is a risk that you could lose all of your money invested in the Fund. The Fund is not a complete investment program. In addition, the Fund presents risks not traditionally associated with other ETFs. It is important that investors closely review all of the risks listed below and understand them before making an investment in the Fund.
Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears.
PATH Risks. The Fund invests in swap contracts and options that are based on the share price of PATH. This subjects the Fund to certain of the same risks as if it owned shares of PATH, even though it does not. By virtue of the Fund’s investments in swap contracts and options that are based on the value of PATH, the Fund may also be subject to the following risks:
| ● | Indirect Investment in PATH Risk. PATH is not affiliated with the Trust, the Fund, or the Adviser, or their respective affiliates and is not involved with this offering in any way and has no obligation to consider your Shares in taking any corporate actions that might affect the value of Shares. Investors in the Fund will not have voting rights or influence over the management of PATH but will be exposed to the performance of PATH (the Underlying Security). Investors will also not have the right to receive dividends or other distributions from PATH, but will remain subject to price fluctuations and other risks associated with ownership of the Underlying Security. |
| ● | PATH Trading Risk. The trading price of PATH may be subject to volatility and could experience wide fluctuations due to various factors. Short sellers may also influence PATH’s trading activity, contributing to market instability. Public perception and external factors beyond the company’s control may influence PATH’s stock price disproportionately. Additionally, following periods of market volatility, companies have faced securities class action litigation. Any adverse judgment or future stockholder litigation could result in substantial costs and divert management’s attention and resources. In the event of a trading halt, delisting, or significant disruption in the market for PATH’s shares, the Fund may experience difficulty entering, modifying, or liquidating its exposures. These conditions could impair the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective, result in significant tracking error, or, in extreme cases, force the Fund to liquidate entirely. |
| ● | PATH Performance Risk. PATH may fail to meet its publicly announced guidelines or other expectations about its business, which could cause the price of PATH to decline. Correctly identifying key factors affecting business conditions and predicting future events is inherently an uncertain process, and the guidance PATH provides may not ultimately be accurate. If PATH’s guidance is not accurate or varies from actual results due to its inability to meet the assumptions or the impact on its financial performance that could occur as a result of various risks and uncertainties, the market value of common stock issued by PATH could decline significantly. |
| ● | Software Industry Risk. The software industry can be significantly affected by intense competition, aggressive pricing, technological innovations, and product obsolescence. Companies in the software industry are subject to significant competitive pressures, such as aggressive pricing, new market entrants, competition for market share, short product cycles due to an accelerated rate of technological developments and the potential for limited earnings and/or falling profit margins. These companies also face the risks that new services, equipment or technologies will not be accepted by consumers and businesses or will become rapidly obsolete. These factors can affect the profitability of these companies and, as a result, the value of their securities. Also, patent protection is integral to the success of many companies in this industry, and profitability can be affected materially by, among other things, the cost of obtaining (or failing to obtain) patent approvals, the cost of litigating patent infringement and the loss of patent protection for products (which significantly increases pricing pressures and can materially reduce profitability with respect to such products). In addition, many software companies have limited operating histories. Prices of these companies’ securities historically have been more volatile than other securities, especially over the short term. |
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| ● | Operations Risk. PATH derives and expects to continue to derive substantially all of our revenue from its UiPath Platform™. As such, market adoption of its automation platform is critical to its continued success. Demand for its platform may be affected by a number of factors, many of which are beyond its control, including continued market acceptance and integration of the platform into the customers’ operations; the continued volume, variety, and velocity of automations that are generated through use of the platform; timing of development, and release of new offerings by competitors; technological change, including in the areas of AI and ML systems, and the rate of growth in the market. |
| ● | Artificial Intelligence Risk. The markets and use cases for products with AI capabilities have been rapidly evolving, are difficult to predict, and may impact demand for products, sales cycles, ability to forecast results from sales of these products, and the preferences of customers and potential customers. The significant investments PATH has made to develop products and software to address what it believes will be increasing demand for AI capabilities may be insufficient, and the company may face significant hurdles, including whether demand will materialize, whether third-party software providers will develop functionality that allows their software to utilize the AI capabilities of PATH’s products, and whether the company will be successful in developing, pricing, and packaging products that can compete with offerings by established competitors. Additionally, use of AI technology in general may subject us to reputational, financial, legal, or regulatory risks. |
| ● | Data Privacy and Cybersecurity Risk. PATH and third parties with whom it does business are subject to stringent and evolving U.S. and foreign laws, regulations, and rules, contractual obligations, industry standards, policies, and other obligations related to data privacy and security. PATH’s actual or perceived failure to comply with such obligations could lead to adverse business consequences, including regulatory investigations or actions; litigation (including class claims) and mass arbitration demands; fines and penalties; business disruptions; reputational harm; loss of revenue or profits; and loss of customers or sales. |
| ● | Intellectual Property Risks. Any failure to obtain, maintain, protect, or enforce PATH’s intellectual property and proprietary rights could impair its ability to protect its proprietary technology and its brand. PATH’s success depends to a significant degree on its ability to obtain, maintain, protect, and enforce intellectual property rights, including its proprietary technology, know-how, and brand. PATH may not be able to protect its intellectual property rights if, for example, it is unable to enforce its rights against infringement or misappropriation, or if it does not detect unauthorized use of our intellectual property rights. If PATH fails to protect its intellectual property rights adequately, its competitors may gain access to its proprietary technology and develop and commercialize substantially identical products, services, or technologies, and business, financial condition, results of operations, or growth prospects may be harmed. |
| ● | International Business Risks. PATH has sales, product, and engineering operations in many countries, and some of its business activities are concentrated in one or more geographic areas. Moreover, sales outside the U.S. accounted for 56% of the company’s revenue for fiscal year 2025. As a result, PATH’s operations and its financial results, including its ability to execute its business strategy, design, develop, or sell products, and the demand for its products, are at times adversely affected by a number of global and regional factors outside of its control. |
| ● | Dual Class Common Stock Risk. The dual class structure of PATH’s common stock has the effect of concentrating voting control with Daniel Dines, Chief Executive Officer, co-founder, and Chairman of PATH, which will limit stockholders’ ability to influence the outcome of important decisions. |
Single Issuer Risk. Issuer-specific attributes may cause an investment in the Fund to be more volatile than a traditional pooled investment which diversifies risk or the market generally. The value of the Fund, which focuses on an individual security, may be more volatile than a traditional pooled investment or the market as a whole and may perform differently from the value of a traditional pooled investment or the market as a whole. Additionally, the Fund will seek to employ its investment strategy as it relates to the underlying issuer regardless of whether there are significant corporate actions such as restructurings, enforcement activity, or acquisitions or periods adverse market, economic, or other conditions and will not seek to take temporary defensive positions during such periods.
Compounding and Market Volatility Risk. The Fund has a daily leveraged investment objective and the Fund’s performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which is very likely to differ from two times (200%) the Underlying Security’s performance, before the Fund’s management fee and other expenses. Compounding affects all investments but has a more significant impact on funds that aim to replicate leveraged daily returns and that rebalance daily. For the Fund aiming to replicate two times the daily performance of an Underlying Security, if adverse daily performance of the Underlying Security reduces the amount of a shareholder’s investment, any further adverse daily performance will lead to a smaller dollar loss because the shareholder’s investment had already been reduced by the prior adverse performance. Equally, however, if favorable daily performance of the Underlying Security increases the amount of a shareholder’s investment, the dollar amount lost due to future adverse performance will increase because the shareholder’s investment has increased.
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The effect of compounding becomes more pronounced as the Underlying Security’s volatility and the holding period increase. The impact of compounding will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Fund is held and the volatility of the Underlying Security during a shareholder’s holding period of an investment in the Fund.
The chart below provides examples of how the Underlying Security’s volatility could affect the Fund’s performance. The chart illustrates the impact of two factors that affect the Fund’s performance – the Underlying Security’s volatility and the Underlying Security’s performance. The Underlying Security’s performance shows the percentage change in the share price of the Underlying Security over the specified time period, while the Underlying Security’s volatility is a statistical measure of the magnitude of fluctuations in the returns during that time period. As illustrated below, even if the Underlying Security’s performance over two equal time periods is identical, different Underlying Security volatility (i.e., in magnitude of fluctuations in the share price of the Underlying Security) during the two time periods could result in drastically different Fund performance for the two time periods because of compounding daily returns during the time periods.
Fund performance for periods greater than one single day can be estimated given any set of assumptions for the following factors: a) the Underlying Security volatility; b) the Underlying Security performance; c) period of time; d) financing rates associated with leveraged exposure; and e) other Fund expenses. The chart shows estimated Fund returns for a number of combinations of Underlying Security volatility and Underlying Security performance over a one-year period. Performance shown in the chart assumes that: (i) there were no Fund expenses; (ii) borrowing/lending rates (to obtain leveraged exposure) of 0%. If Fund expenses and/or actual borrowing/lending rates were reflected the estimated returns would be different than those shown. Particularly during periods of higher Underlying Security volatility, compounding will cause results for periods longer than a trading day to vary from two times (200%) the performance of the Underlying Security.
As shown in the chart below, the Fund would be expected to lose 6.1% if there was no change in the share price of the Underlying Security over a one-year period during which the Underlying Security experienced annualized volatility of 25%. If the Underlying Security’s annualized volatility were to rise to 75%, the hypothetical loss for a one-year period would widen to approximately -43%. At higher ranges of volatility, there is a chance of a significant loss of value in the Fund, even if there were no change in the share price of the Underlying Security. For instance, if the Underlying Security’s annualized volatility is 100%, the Fund would be expected to lose 63.2% of its value, even if the cumulative Underlying Security change in the share price of the Underlying Security for the year was 0%.
Areas shaded red (or dark gray) represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return less than two times (200%) the performance of the Underlying Security and those shaded green (or light gray) represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return more than two times (200%) the performance of the Underlying Security. The Fund’s actual performance may be significantly better or worse than the performance shown below as a result of any of the factors discussed above or in the “Daily Correlation/Tracking Risk” below.
| Estimated
Returns of 200% or Two Times Performance of the Underlying Security |
|||||||
| Underlying Security Performance | One Year Volatility Rate | ||||||
| One
Year Underlying Security |
2X
Times (200%) the One Year Performance |
10% | 25% | 50% | 75% | 100% | |
| -60% | -120% | -84.2% | -85.0% | -87.5% | -90.9% | -94.1% | |
| -50% | -100% | -75.2% | -76.5% | -80.5% | -85.8% | -90.8% | |
| -40% | -80% | -64.4% | -66.2% | -72.0% | -79.5% | -86.8% | |
| -30% | -60% | -51.5% | -54.0% | -61.8% | -72.1% | -82.0% | |
| -20% | -40% | -36.6% | -39.9% | -50.2% | -63.5% | -76.5% | |
| -10% | -20% | -19.8% | -23.9% | -36.9% | -53.8% | -70.2% | |
| 0% | 0% | -1.0% | -6.1% | -22.1% | -43.0% | -63.2% | |
| 10% | 20% | 19.8% | 13.7% | -5.8% | -31.1% | -55.5% | |
| 20% | 40% | 42.6% | 35.3% | 12.1% | -18.0% | -47.0% | |
| 30% | 60% | 67.3% | 58.8% | 31.6% | -3.7% | -37.8% | |
| 40% | 80% | 94.0% | 84.1% | 52.6% | 11.7% | -27.9% | |
| 50% | 100% | 122.8% | 111.4% | 75.2% | 28.2% | -17.2% | |
| 60% | 120% | 153.5% | 140.5% | 99.4% | 45.9% | -5.8% | |
The Underlying Security’s annualized historical volatility rate for the period from [ ] (the earliest date available) to [ ] was [ ]%. The Underlying Security’s annualized performance during this period was [ ]%. Historical Underlying Security volatility and performance are not indications of what Underlying Security volatility and performance will be in the future.
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Daily Correlation/Tracking Risk. There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of leveraged correlation to the Underlying Security and therefore achieve its daily leveraged investment objective. To achieve a high degree of leveraged correlation with the Underlying Security, the Fund seeks to rebalance its portfolio daily to keep exposure consistent with its daily leveraged investment objective. The possibility of the Fund being materially over- or under-exposed to the Underlying Security increases on days when the Underlying Security is volatile near the close of the trading day. Market disruptions, regulatory restrictions and extreme volatility will also adversely affect the Fund’s ability to adjust exposure to the required levels. If there is a significant intra-day market event and/or the Underlying Security experiences a significant increase or decline, the Fund may not meet its investment objective, be able to rebalance its portfolio appropriately, or may experience significant premiums or discounts, or widened bid-ask spreads.
The Fund may have difficulty achieving its daily leveraged investment objective due to fees, expenses, transaction costs, financing costs related to the use of derivatives, investments in ETFs, directly or indirectly, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities or derivatives held by the Fund. The Fund may be subject to large movements of assets into and out of the Fund, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or under-exposed to the Underlying Security. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions to improve the tax efficiency or to comply with various regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively impact the Fund’s leveraged correlation to the Underlying Security.
Leverage Risk. The Fund obtains investment exposure in excess of its net assets by utilizing leverage and may lose more money in market conditions that are adverse to its investment objective than a fund that does not utilize leverage. An investment in the Fund is exposed to the risk that a decline in the daily performance of the Underlying Security will be magnified. This means that an investment in the Fund will be reduced by an amount equal to 2% for every 1% daily decline in the share price of the Underlying Security, not including the costs of financing leverage and other operating expenses, which would further reduce its value. The Fund could theoretically lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event the share price of the Underlying Security declines more than 50%. Leverage will also have the effect of magnifying any differences in the Fund performance’s correlation with the Underlying Security’s share price.
Derivatives Risk. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds (including ETFs), interest rates or indexes. The Fund’s investments in derivatives may pose risks in addition to, and greater than, those associated with directly investing in securities or other ordinary investments, including risk related to the market, leverage, imperfect daily correlations with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, higher price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty risk, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions. The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of derivatives may result in larger losses or smaller gains than directly investing in securities. When the Fund uses derivatives, there may be imperfect correlation between the share price of the Underlying Security and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. Because derivatives often require only a limited initial investment, the use of derivatives may expose the Fund to losses in excess of those amounts initially invested.
The Fund will be subject to regulatory constraints relating to level of value at risk that the Fund may incur through its derivative portfolio. To the extent the Fund exceeds these regulatory thresholds over an extended period, the Fund may determine that it is necessary to make adjustments to the Fund’s investment strategy, including the desired daily leveraged performance for the Fund.
In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
Swap Agreements. The use of swap transactions is a highly specialized activity, which involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. Whether the Fund will be successful in using swap agreements to achieve its investment goal depends on the ability of the Adviser to structure such swap agreements in accordance with the Fund’s investment objective and to identify counterparties for those swap agreements. If the Adviser is unable to enter into swap agreements that provide leveraged exposure to the Underlying Security, the Fund may not meet its stated investment objective. Additionally, any financing, borrowing or other costs associated with using swap transactions may also have the effect of lowering the Fund’s return.
The swap agreements in which the Fund invests are generally traded in the over-the-counter market, which generally has less transparency than exchange-traded derivatives instruments. In a standard swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the return (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined reference assets or underlying securities or instruments. The gross return to be exchanged or swapped between the parties is calculated based on a notional amount or the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount invested in a basket of securities.
If the Underlying Security has a dramatic move that causes a material decline in the Fund’s net assets, the terms of a swap agreement between the Fund and its counterparty may permit the counterparty to immediately close out the swap transaction with the Fund. In that event, the Fund may be unable to enter into another swap agreement or invest in other derivatives to achieve exposure consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. This may prevent the Fund from achieving its leveraged investment objective, even if the Underlying Security later reverses all or a portion of its movement.
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Options Contracts. The use of options contracts involves investment strategies and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The prices of options are volatile and are influenced by, among other things, actual and anticipated changes in the value of the underlying instrument, including the anticipated volatility, which are affected by fiscal and monetary policies and by national and international political, changes in the actual or implied volatility or the reference asset, the time remaining until the expiration of the option contract and economic events. The value of the options contracts in which the Fund invests are substantially influenced by the value of the Underlying Security. The Fund may experience substantial downside from specific option positions and certain option positions held by the Fund may expire worthless. The options held by the Fund are exercisable at the strike price on their expiration date. As an option approaches its expiration date, its value typically increasingly moves with the value of the underlying instrument. However, prior to such date, the value of an option generally does not increase or decrease at the same rate as the underlying instrument. There may at times be an imperfect correlation between the movement in values options contracts and the underlying instrument, and there may at times not be a liquid secondary market for certain options contracts. The value of the options held by the Fund will be determined based on market quotations or other recognized pricing methods. Additionally, as the Fund intends to continuously maintain indirect exposure to the Underlying Security through the use of options contracts, as the options contracts it holds are exercised or expire it will enter into new options contracts, a practice referred to as “rolling.” If the expiring options contracts do not generate proceeds enough to cover the cost of entering into new options contracts, the Fund may experience losses. The use of options to generate leverage introduces additional risks, including significant potential losses if the market moves unfavorably. The leverage inherent in options can amplify both gains and losses, leading to increased volatility and potential for substantial losses, particularly in periods of market uncertainty or low liquidity. Additionally, the Fund may incur losses if the value of the Underlying Security moves against its positions, potentially resulting in a complete loss of the premium paid.
Counterparty Risk. The Fund is subject to counterparty risk by virtue of its investments in derivatives which exposes the Fund to the risk that the counterparty will not fulfill its obligation to the Fund. Counterparty risk may arise because of the counterparty’s financial condition (i.e., financial difficulties, bankruptcy, or insolvency), market activities and developments, or other reasons, whether foreseen or not. A counterparty’s inability to fulfill its obligation may result in significant financial loss to the Fund and the Fund may be unable to recover its investment from such counterparty or may obtain a limited and/or delayed recovery.
Counterparties may seek to hedge their exposure to individual clients (such as the Fund) by establishing offsetting exposures with other clients, however, there is no guarantee that counterparties will do so under all circumstances. Should a counterparty (e.g., a swap counterparty) terminate its relationship with the Fund, the Fund will seek to utilize other counterparties to seek to maintain its exposures. In addition, the Fund may use options contracts to seek to generate the leverage necessary to implement its strategy. The use of options contracts introduces distinct risks, including heightened volatility, particularly intraday. While options may provide an ancillary benefit of mitigating some losses under specific scenarios, such as severe market downturns, their inherent leverage and rapid price fluctuations can amplify the Fund’s performance volatility and lead to greater risks of substantial losses. Refer to “Derivatives Risk – Options Contracts” for additional information on the risks of investing in options.
In addition, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with a limited number of counterparties, which may increase the Fund’s exposure to counterparty credit risk. Further, there is a risk that no suitable counterparties will be willing to enter into, or continue to enter into, transactions with the Fund and, as a result, the Fund may not be able to achieve its investment objective.
Intra-Day Investment Risk. The Fund seeks investment results from the close of the market on a given trading day until the close of the market on the subsequent trading day. The exact exposure of an investment in the Fund intraday in the secondary market is a function of the difference between the share price of the Underlying Security at the market close on the first trading day and the share price of the Underlying Security at the time of purchase. If the share price of the Underlying Security rises, the Fund’s net assets will rise by approximately twice the amount as the Fund’s exposure. Conversely, if the share price of the Underlying Security declines, the Fund’s net assets will decline by approximately two times the amount as the Fund’s exposure. Thus, an investor that purchases Shares intra-day may experience performance that is greater than, or less than, the Fund’s stated leveraged performance of the Underlying Security.
If there is a significant intra-day market event and/or the securities of the Underlying Security experience a significant increase or decrease, the Fund may not meet its investment objective or rebalance its portfolio appropriately.
Fixed Income Securities Risk. When the Fund invests in fixed income securities, the value of your investment in the Fund will fluctuate with changes in interest rates. Typically, a rise in interest rates causes a decline in the value of fixed income securities owned by the Fund. In general, the market price of fixed income securities with longer maturities will increase or decrease more in response to changes in interest rates than shorter-term securities. Other risk factors include credit risk (the debtor may default), extension risk (an issuer may exercise its right to repay principal on a fixed rate obligation held by the Fund later than expected), and prepayment risk (the debtor may pay its obligation early, reducing the amount of interest payments). These risks could affect the value of a particular investment by the Fund, possibly causing the Fund’s Share price and total return to be reduced and fluctuate more than other types of investments.
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Rebalancing Risk. If for any reason the Fund is unable to rebalance all or a portion of its portfolio, or if all or a portion of the portfolio is rebalanced incorrectly, the Fund’s investment exposure may not be consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. In these instances, the Fund may have investment exposure to the Underlying Security that is significantly greater or less than its stated investment objective. As a result, the Fund may be exposed to leverage risk because it had not been properly rebalanced and may not achieve its investment objective.
ETF Risks
Authorized Participants, Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that are authorized to purchase and redeem Shares directly from the Fund (known as “Authorized Participants” or “APs”). In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, Shares may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services; or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.
Cash Redemption Risk. The Fund’s investment strategy may require it to redeem Shares for cash or to otherwise include cash as part of its redemption proceeds. For example, the Fund may not be able to redeem in-kind certain securities held by the Fund (e.g., derivative instruments). In such a case, the Fund may be required to sell or unwind portfolio investments to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. This may cause the Fund to recognize a capital gain that it might not have recognized if it had made a redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher annual capital gain distributions than if the in-kind redemption process was used. By paying out higher annual capital gain distributions, investors may be subjected to increased capital gains taxes. The costs associated with cash redemptions may include brokerage costs that the Fund may not have incurred if it had made the redemptions in-kind. These costs could be imposed on the Fund, decreasing its NAV, to the extent these costs are not offset by a transaction fee payable by an authorized participant.
Costs of Buying or Selling Shares. Buying or selling Shares involves certain costs, including brokerage commissions, other charges imposed by brokers, and bid-ask spreads. The bid-ask spread represents the difference between the price at which an investor is willing to buy Shares and the price at which an investor is willing to sell Shares. The spread varies over time based on the Shares’ trading volume and market liquidity. The spread is generally lower if Shares have more trading volume and market liquidity and higher if Shares have little trading volume and market liquidity. Due to the costs of buying or selling Shares, frequent trading of Shares may reduce investment results and an investment in Shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.
Shares May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all ETFs, Shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of Shares will approximate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price of Shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount) due to supply and demand of Shares or during periods of market volatility. This risk is heightened in times of market volatility, periods of steep market declines, and periods when there is limited trading activity for Shares in the secondary market, in which case such premiums or discounts may be significant.
Trading. Although Shares are listed on a national securities exchange, such as [ ] (the “Exchange”), and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that 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 Shares. This adverse effect on liquidity for the Fund’s shares may lead to wider bid-ask spreads and differences between the market price of the Fund’s shares and the underlying value of the shares.
Liquidity Risk. In certain circumstances, such as the disruption of the orderly markets for the financial instruments in which the Fund invests, the Fund might not be able to acquire or dispose of certain holdings quickly or at prices that represent true market value in the judgment of the Adviser. Markets for the financial instruments in which the Fund invests may be disrupted by a number of events, including but not limited to economic crises, health crises, natural disasters, excessive volatility, new legislation, or regulatory changes inside or outside of the U.S. These situations may have an impact on the liquidity of the Fund’s own shares.”
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Economic and Market Risk. Economies and financial markets throughout the world are becoming increasingly interconnected, which increases the likelihood that events or conditions in one country or region will adversely impact markets or issuers in other countries or regions. Securities in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform in comparison to securities in the general financial markets, a particular financial market, or other asset classes, due to a number of factors, including inflation (or expectations for inflation), deflation (or expectations for deflation), interest rates, global demand for particular products or resources, market instability, financial system instability, debt crises and downgrades, embargoes, tariffs, sanctions and other trade barriers, regulatory events, other governmental trade or market control programs and related geopolitical events. In addition, the value of the Fund’s investments may be negatively affected by the occurrence of global events such as war, terrorism, environmental disasters, natural disasters or events, country instability, and infectious disease epidemics or pandemics. The imposition by the U.S. of tariffs on goods imported from foreign countries and reciprocal tariffs levied on U.S. goods by those countries also may lead to volatility and instability in domestic and foreign markets.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk. Daily rebalancing of the Fund’s holdings pursuant to its daily investment objective causes a much greater number of portfolio transactions when compared to most ETFs. Additionally, active market trading of the Fund’s Shares on exchanges (such as the Exchange), could cause more frequent creation and redemption activities, which could increase the number of portfolio transactions. Frequent and active trading may lead to higher transaction costs because of increased broker commissions resulting from such transactions. In addition, there is the possibility of significantly increased short-term capital gains (which will be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income when distributed to them). The Fund calculates portfolio turnover without including the short-term cash instruments or derivative transactions that comprise the majority of the Fund’s trading. As such, if the Fund’s extensive use of derivative instruments were reflected, the calculated portfolio turnover rate would be significantly higher.
Tracking Error Risk. Tracking error is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of its investment objective which aims to replicate two times the daily percentage change in the price of the Underlying Security. Tracking error may occur for a number of reasons. Tracking error may occur because of transaction costs, the Fund’s holding of cash, differences in accrual of dividends, being under- or overexposed to the Underlying Security or the need to meet new or existing regulatory requirements. Tracking error risk may be heightened during times of market volatility or other unusual market conditions such as market disruptions. The Fund may be required to deviate from its investment objectives, and therefore experience tracking error, as a result of market restrictions or other legal reasons, including regulatory limits or other restrictions on securities that may be purchased by the Adviser and its affiliates.
Liquidity Risk. Some securities held by the Fund may be difficult to sell or be illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including, but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, epidemics/pandemics, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the United States. Illiquid securities may be difficult to value, especially in changing or volatile markets. If the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid security at an unfavorable time or price, the Fund may be adversely impacted. Certain market conditions or restrictions may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Underlying Security. There is no assurance that a security that is deemed liquid when purchased will continue to be liquid. Market illiquidity may cause losses for the Fund.
Money Market Instrument Risk. The Fund may use a variety of money market instruments for cash management purposes, including money market funds, depositary accounts and repurchase agreements. Repurchase agreements are contracts in which a seller of securities agrees to buy the securities back at a specified time and price. Repurchase agreements may be subject to market and credit risk related to the collateral securing the repurchase agreement. Money market instruments may lose money.
New Fund Risk. The Fund is a recently organized management investment company with no operating history. As a result, prospective investors do not have a track record or history on which to base their investment decisions.
Non-Diversification Risk. Because the Fund is “non-diversified,” it may invest a greater percentage of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it was a diversified fund. As a result, a decline in the value of an investment in a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers could cause the Fund’s overall value to decline to a greater degree than if the Fund held a more diversified portfolio. This may increase the Fund’s volatility and cause the performance of a relatively smaller number of issuers to have a greater impact on the Fund’s performance.
Trading Halt Risk. Although the Underlying Security’s shares are listed for trading on an exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such shares will be available at all times and the Exchange may halt trading of such shares in certain circumstances. A halt in trading in the Underlying Security’s shares is expected, in turn, to result in a halt in the trading in the Fund’s Shares. Trading in the Underlying Security’s and/or Fund’s Shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in the Underlying Security’s and/or Fund’s Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in Underlying Security’s and/or Fund’s Shares on an exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to exchange “circuit breaker” rules.” In the event of a trading halt for an extended period of time, the Fund may be unable to execute arrangements with swap counterparties that are necessary to implement the Fund’s investment strategy.
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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 and the Fund’s investment advisor seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures, there is no way to completely protect against such risks.
U.S. Government and U.S. Agency Obligations Risk. The Fund may invest in securities issued by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities. U.S. Government obligations include securities issued or guaranteed as to principal and interest by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities, such as the U.S. Treasury. Payment of principal and interest on U.S. Government obligations may be backed by the full faith and credit of the United States or may be backed solely by the issuing or guaranteeing agency or instrumentality itself. In the latter case, the investor must look principally to the agency or instrumentality issuing or guaranteeing the obligation for ultimate repayment, which agency or instrumentality may be privately owned. There can be no assurance that the U.S. Government would provide financial support to its agencies or instrumentalities (including government-sponsored enterprises) where it is not obligated to do so.
Tax Risk. The Fund intends to elect and to qualify each year to be treated as a regulated investment company (a “RIC”) under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (“Code”). As a RIC, the Fund will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the portion of its net investment income and net capital gain that it distributes to shareholders, provided that it satisfies certain requirements of the Code. If the Fund does not qualify as a RIC for any taxable year and certain relief provisions are not available, the Fund’s taxable income will be subject to tax at the Fund level and to a further tax at the shareholder level when such income is distributed. To comply with the asset diversification test applicable to a RIC, the Fund will attempt to ensure that the value of swap contracts and options on shares of a single issuer does not exceed 25% of the Fund’s value at the close of any quarter. If the value of swap contracts and options on shares of a single issuer were to exceed 25% of the Fund’s total assets at the end of a tax quarter, the Fund, generally, has a grace period to cure such lack of compliance. If the Fund fails to timely cure, it may no longer be eligible to be treated as a RIC.
Performance
Performance information for the Fund is not included because the Fund has not completed a full calendar year of operations as of the date of this Prospectus. When such information is included, this section will provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance history from year to year and showing how the Fund’s average annual total returns compare with those of a broad measure of market performance. Although past performance of the Fund is no guarantee of how it will perform in the future, historical performance may give you some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. Updated performance information will be available on the Fund’s website at https://www.defianceetfs.com.
Management
Investment Adviser: Tidal Investments LLC serves as investment adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers:
The following individuals are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund.
Stephen Foy, Portfolio Manager for the Adviser, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in 2025.
Christopher P. Mullen, Portfolio Manager for the Adviser, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in 2025.
Purchase and Sale of Shares
The Fund issues and redeems Shares at NAV only in large blocks known as “Creation Units,” which only APs (typically, broker-dealers) may purchase or redeem. The Fund generally issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities (the “Deposit Securities”) and/or a designated amount of U.S. cash.
Shares are listed on a national securities exchange, such as the Exchange, and individual Shares may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through brokers at market prices, rather than NAV. Because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).
An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares (the “bid” price) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares (the “ask” price) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market. This difference in bid and ask prices is often referred to as the “bid-ask spread.”
When available, information regarding the Fund’s NAV, market price, how often Shares traded on the Exchange at a premium or discount, and bid-ask spreads can be found on the Fund’s website at https://www.defianceetfs.com.
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Tax Information
Fund distributions are generally taxable as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains (or a combination), unless an investment is in an individual retirement account (“IRA”) or other tax-advantaged account. Distributions on investments made through tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal of assets from those accounts.
Financial Intermediary Compensation
If you purchase Shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank) (an “Intermediary”), the Adviser or its affiliates may pay Intermediaries for certain activities related to the Fund, including participation in activities that are designed to make Intermediaries more knowledgeable about exchange-traded products, including the Fund, or for other activities, such as marketing, educational training, or other initiatives related to the sale or promotion of Shares. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the Intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Any such arrangements do not result in increased Fund expenses. Ask your salesperson or visit the Intermediary’s website for more information.
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SUMMARY INFORMATION
DEFIANCE DAILY TARGET 2X LONG POET ETF – FUND SUMMARY
Important Information About the Fund
The Defiance Daily Target 2X Long POET ETF (the “Fund”) seeks daily leveraged investment results of two times (200%) the daily percentage change in the share price of Poet Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: POET) (the “Underlying Security” or “POET”). Because the Fund seeks daily leveraged investment results, it is very different from most other exchange-traded funds. It is also riskier than alternatives that do not use leverage.
The return for investors that invest for periods longer or shorter than a trading day should not be expected to be 200% of the performance of the Underlying Security’s shares for the period. The return of the Fund for a period longer than a trading day will be the result of each trading day’s compounded return during such period held, which will very likely differ from 200% of the return of the Underlying Security’s shares for that period. Holding shares of the Fund for longer than a single day and higher volatility of the Underlying Security’s shares increase the impact of compounding on an investor’s returns, which may have a negative or positive impact on an investor’s returns. During periods of higher Underlying Security share price volatility, the volatility of the Underlying Security’s shares may affect the Fund’s return as much as, or more than, the return of the Underlying Security’s shares. The impact of compounding will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Fund is held and the volatility of the Underlying Security’s shares during a shareholder’s holding period of an investment in the Fund. See “Principal Investment Risks – Compounding and Market Volatility Risk” below for an example of how volatility of the Underlying Security’s shares may affect the Fund’s return as much as, or more than, the return of the Underlying Security’s shares.
The Fund is not suitable for all investors. The Fund is designed to be utilized only by knowledgeable investors who understand the potential consequences of seeking daily leveraged (2X) investment results, understand the risks associated with the use of leverage, and are willing to monitor their portfolios frequently. The Fund is not intended to be used by, and is not appropriate for, investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. For periods longer than a single day, the Fund will lose money if the Underlying Security’s performance is flat, and it is possible that the Fund will lose money even if the Underlying Security’s performance increases over a period longer than a single day. An investor could lose the full principal value of his/her investment within a single day.
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of two times (200%) the daily percentage change in the share price of Poet Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: POET). The Fund does not seek to achieve its stated investment objective for a period other than a single trading day.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below.
| Annual Fund Operating Expenses(1) (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) | |||||
| Management Fee | [ ] | % | |||
| Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees | None | ||||
| Other Expenses(2) | [ ] | % | |||
| Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses(3) | [ ] | % | |||
| (1) | The Fund’s investment adviser, Tidal Investments LLC (the “Adviser”), a Tidal Financial Group company, will pay, or require a sub-adviser to pay, all expenses incurred by the Fund (except for advisory fees and sub-advisory fees, as the case may be) excluding interest charges on any borrowings made for investment purposes, dividends and other expenses on securities sold short, taxes, brokerage commissions and other expenses incurred in placing orders for the purchase and sale of securities and other investment instruments, acquired fund fees and expenses, accrued deferred tax liability, distribution fees and expenses paid by the Fund under any distribution plan adopted pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), and litigation expenses and other non-routine or extraordinary expenses. |
| (2) | Based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year. |
| (3) | The cost of investing in swaps, including the embedded cost of the swap and the operating expenses of the referenced assets, is an indirect expense that is not included in the above fee table and is not reflected in the expense example. |
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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. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem or hold all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. The Example does not take into account brokerage commissions that you may pay on your purchases and sales of Shares. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years |
| $[ ] | $[ ] |
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in total annual fund operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund is newly organized, portfolio turnover information is not yet available.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund is an actively managed exchange traded fund (“ETF”) that attempts to achieve two times (200%) the daily percentage change in the share price of the Underlying Security by employing derivatives, namely swap agreements and/or listed options contracts. The Fund aims to achieve this daily percentage change for a single day, and not for any other period. A “single day” means the period “from the close of regular trading on one trading day to the close on the next trading day.”
If the Fund encounters limitations in implementing its strategies, whether due to market conditions, derivative availability, counterparty issues, or other factors, the Fund may not achieve investment results, before fees and expenses, that correspond to two times (2x) the daily performance of the Underlying Security, and may return substantially less during such periods. During such periods, the Fund’s actual leverage levels may differ substantially from its intended target, both intraday and at the close of trading, potentially resulting in significantly lower returns.
The Fund may enter into one or more swap agreements with financial institutions for a specified period, which may range from one day to longer than a year. Through each swap agreement, the Fund and the financial institution will agree to exchange the return (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on the Underlying Security’s share price. The gross return (meaning the return before deducting any fees or expenses) to be exchanged or “swapped” between the parties is calculated with respect to a “notional amount,” (meaning the face amount of the instrument) e.g., the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount representing the Underlying Security.
The Fund may also utilize listed options to seek to achieve leveraged 2X exposure to the Underlying Security. The Fund will primarily employ short-dated (a month or less) in-the-money call options (options with strike prices below the current market price of the Underlying Security, offering immediate intrinsic value). Additionally, the Fund may use other option strategies to produce similar exposure to the Underlying Security, like buying calls and selling puts with identical strike prices. These options allow the Fund to adjust its leverage strategy in response to market conditions, liquidity constraints, or other factors that may affect the availability or pricing of swap agreements. The use of listed options provides additional flexibility in pursuing the Fund’s daily investment objective. In situations where swap availability is constrained, the Fund may rely more heavily on options contracts. Additionally, the Fund may use options in response to changing market dynamics. However, the use of option contracts is typically less efficient than swaps and may increase the likelihood that the Fund is unable to achieve its daily 2X objective.
At the end of each day, the Fund’s swaps and options are valued using market valuations and the Fund’s investment adviser rebalances the Fund’s holdings in an attempt to maintain leveraged exposure for the Fund equal to approximately 200% of the Underlying Security’s share price. This daily rebalancing is expected to result in high portfolio turnover.
For examples of a hypothetical investment in the Fund, see the section in the Fund’s Prospectus titled see “Additional Information About the Fund – Principal Investment Strategies.”
Fund performance for periods greater than one single day is primarily (but not solely) a function of the following factors: a) the Underlying Security volatility; b) the Underlying Security’s performance; c) period of time; d) financing rates associated with leveraged exposure; and e) other Fund expenses.
The Fund will hold assets to serve as collateral for its derivatives positions. For those collateral holdings, the Fund may invest in (1) U.S. Government securities, such as bills, notes and bonds issued by the U.S. Treasury; (2) money market funds; (3) short term bond ETFs; and/or (4) corporate debt securities, such as commercial paper and other short-term unsecured promissory notes issued by businesses that are rated investment grade or of comparable quality.
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The Fund has adopted a policy to have at least 80% exposure to financial instruments with economic characteristics that should perform 2X the daily performance of the Underlying Security’s shares. The Fund is expected to allocate between 40% and 60% of its assets as collateral for swap agreements or as premiums for purchased options contracts.
The Fund is classified as “non-diversified” under the 1940 Act. The Fund’s investment strategy is expected to result in a high annual portfolio turnover rate.
Because of daily rebalancing and the compounding of each day’s return over time, the return of the Fund for periods longer than a single day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which will very likely differ from 200% of the return of the Underlying Security’s shares over the same period. The Fund will lose money if the Underlying Security’s performance is flat over time, and because of daily rebalancing, the Underlying Security’s shares’ volatility and the effects of compounding, the Fund may lose money over time while the Underlying Security’s performance increases over a period longer than a single day. As a consequence, investors should not plan to hold shares of the Fund unmonitored for periods longer than a single trading day.
Poet Technologies, Inc. (“POET”)
POET Technologies is a Canada-based design and development company offering photonic integrated packaging solutions based on the POET Optical Interposer™ (“Optical Interposer”), a novel platform that allows the seamless integration of electronic and photonic devices onto a single chip using advanced wafer-level semiconductor manufacturing techniques. Per POET’s most recent 20-F filing, the company had 76,507,157 common shares outstanding.
POET is registered as a foreign private issuer under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Information provided to or filed with the SEC by POET pursuant to the Exchange Act can be located by reference to SEC file number 001-41319 through the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. In addition, information regarding POET may be obtained from other sources including, but not limited to, press releases, newspaper articles and other publicly disseminated documents.
This document relates only to the securities offered hereby and does not relate to the shares of POET or other securities of POET. The Fund has derived all disclosures contained in this document regarding POET from the publicly available documents. None of the Fund, Tidal Trust II (the “Trust”), or the Adviser, or their respective affiliates has participated in the preparation of such publicly available offering documents or made any due diligence inquiry regarding such documents with respect to POET. None of the Fund, the Trust, or the Adviser, or their respective affiliates makes any representation that such publicly available documents or any other publicly available information regarding POET is accurate or complete. Furthermore, the Fund cannot give any assurance that all events occurring prior to the date hereof (including events that would affect the accuracy or completeness of the publicly available documents described above) that would affect the trading price of POET (and therefore the share price of the Fund at the time we price the securities) have been publicly disclosed. Subsequent disclosure of any such events or the disclosure of or failure to disclose material future events concerning POET could affect the value received with respect to the securities and therefore the value of the securities.
None of the Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates makes any representation to you as to the performance of POET.
NONE OF THE FUND, TIDAL TRUST II, OR TIDAL INVESTMENTS LLC IS AFFILIATED, CONNECTED, OR ASSOCIATED WITH POET. THE FUND WAS NOT DEVELOPED OR CREATED BY, AND IS NOT SPONSORED, ENDORSED, OR APPROVED BY POET.
Moreover, POET has not participated in the development of the Fund’s investment strategy. POET does not select or approve the Fund’s portfolio holdings, nor does it participate in the construction, design, or implementation of the Fund. POET does not provide any assurances, guarantees, or representations regarding the Fund or its performance. Nothing herein shall be construed as an offer of any security by POET.
None of the Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates claim any ownership interest in any trademarks owned by POET or its affiliates. All rights in the trademarks are reserved by their respective owners.
Due to the Fund’s investment strategy, the Fund’s investment exposure is concentrated in the same industry as that assigned to the Underlying Security. As of the date of the Prospectus, POET is assigned to the semiconductors and semiconductor equipment industry.
Principal Investment Risks
The principal risks of investing in the Fund are summarized below. As with any investment, there is a risk that you could lose all or a portion of your investment in the Fund. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”) per Share, trading price, yield, total return, and/or ability to meet its investment objective. For more information about the risks of investing in the Fund, see the section in the Fund’s Prospectus titled “Additional Information About the Fund—Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund.”
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An investment in the Fund entails risk. The Fund may not achieve its investment objective and there is a risk that you could lose all of your money invested in the Fund. The Fund is not a complete investment program. In addition, the Fund presents risks not traditionally associated with other ETFs. It is important that investors closely review all of the risks listed below and understand them before making an investment in the Fund.
Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears.
POET Risks. The Fund invests in swap contracts and options that are based on the share price of POET. This subjects the Fund to certain of the same risks as if it owned shares of POET, even though it does not. By virtue of the Fund’s investments in swap contracts and options that are based on the value of POET, the Fund may also be subject to the following risks:
| ● | Indirect Investment in POET Risk. POET is not affiliated with the Trust, the Fund, or the Adviser, or their respective affiliates and is not involved with this offering in any way and has no obligation to consider your Shares in taking any corporate actions that might affect the value of Shares. Investors in the Fund will not have voting rights or influence over the management of POET but will be exposed to the performance of POET (the Underlying Security). Investors will also not have the right to receive dividends or other distributions from POET, but will remain subject to price fluctuations and other risks associated with ownership of the Underlying Security. |
| ● | POET Trading Risk. The trading price of POET may be subject to volatility and could experience wide fluctuations due to various factors. Short sellers may also influence POET’s trading activity, contributing to market instability. Public perception and external factors beyond the company’s control may influence POET’s stock price disproportionately. Additionally, following periods of market volatility, companies have faced securities class action litigation. Any adverse judgment or future stockholder litigation could result in substantial costs and divert management’s attention and resources. In the event of a trading halt, delisting, or significant disruption in the market for POET’s shares, the Fund may experience difficulty entering, modifying, or liquidating its exposures. These conditions could impair the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective, result in significant tracking error, or, in extreme cases, force the Fund to liquidate entirely. |
| ● | POET Performance Risk. POET may fail to meet its publicly announced guidelines or other expectations about its business, which could cause the price of POET to decline. Correctly identifying key factors affecting business conditions and predicting future events is inherently an uncertain process, and the guidance POET provides may not ultimately be accurate. If POET’s guidance is not accurate or varies from actual results due to its inability to meet the assumptions or the impact on its financial performance that could occur as a result of various risks and uncertainties, the market value of common stock issued by POET could decline significantly. |
| ● | Semiconductors Industry Risks. Semiconductor companies may face intense competition, both domestically and internationally, and such competition may have an adverse effect on their profit margins. Semiconductor companies may have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. Semiconductor companies’ supply chain and operations are dependent on the availability of materials that meet exacting standards and the use of third parties to provide components and services. Semiconductor companies may rely on a limited number of suppliers, or upon suppliers in a single location, for certain materials, equipment or tools. Finding and qualifying alternate or additional suppliers can be a lengthy process that can cause production delays or impose unforeseen costs, and such alternatives may not be available at all. Production can be disrupted by the unavailability of resources, such as water, silicon, electricity, gases and other materials. Suppliers may also increase prices or encounter cybersecurity or other issues that can disrupt production or increase production costs. Semiconductor and display and related industries have historically been cyclical and are subject to volatility in customer demand. |
| ● | Operating Loss History. POET has a history of large operating losses. The company has historically incurred losses and negative cash flows from operations since its inception. As of December 31, 2024, POET had an accumulated deficit of approximately $271,000,000. POET may not be able to achieve or sustain profitability in the future and as a result may not be able to maintain sufficient levels of liquidity. |
| ● | “Fab-light” Strategy Risk. POET has divested its major operating asset and adopted a “fab-light” strategy, under which it plans to focus on the Optical Interposer as its main business. A “fab-light” strategy is where a company owns some internal chip manufacturing capabilities (“fabs”) for specialized or high demand products, while simultaneously outsourcing a significant portion of its less critical or leading-edge chip production to third parties. There are substantial risks associated with the adoption of a “fab-light” strategy, including the loss of revenue associated with the divested operation, the loss of control over an internal development asset, and the loss of key technical knowledge available from personnel who will no longer be employed by the company, many of whom the company may have to replace. There is no guarantee that this approach to operating a company will be successful. Further, POET’s strategy will be solely dependent on the future market acceptance and sale of Optical Interposer-based solutions, which in some cases are neither fully developed nor in qualification stages. There can be no assurance that POET will be successful in addressing these or any other significant risks we may encounter in the adoption of a “fab-light” strategy or the focus of its business solely on the Optical Interposer. |
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| ● | Technology Risk. The development of new, technologically advanced products is a complex and uncertain process requiring frequent innovation, highly-skilled engineering and development personnel and significant capital, as well as the accurate anticipation of technological and market trends. There is no assurance that the company will be able to identify, develop, manufacture, market or support new or enhanced products successfully or on a timely basis. Further, there is no assurance that new products will gain market acceptance or that the company will be able to respond effectively to product introductions by competitors, technological changes or emerging industry standards. POET also may not be able to develop the underlying core technologies necessary to create new products and enhancements, license these technologies from third parties, or remain competitive in its markets. |
| ● | Limited Operating History. The initial target market for the Optical Interposer-based optical engine is the data center market for data communications within the data center and beyond. POET has limited experience in selling products in this market. It may not be successful in developing a product for this market and even if it does, it may never gain widespread acceptance by large data center operators. If POET’s expectations for the growth of the data center / datacom market are not realized, its financial condition or results of operations may be adversely affected. |
| ● | Third Party Supplier Risk. POET depends on a limited number of suppliers in the operation of its business. Some of these suppliers are sole source suppliers. POET typically has not entered into long-term agreements with its suppliers. As a result, these suppliers generally may stop supplying materials and other components at any time. POET’s reliance on a sole supplier or limited number of suppliers could result in delivery problems, reduced control over technology development, product development, pricing and quality, and an inability to identify and qualify another supplier in a timely manner. |
| ● | International Business Risks. POET has significant tangible assets located outside Canada and the United States. Conducting business outside Canada and the United States subjects the company to a number of additional risks and challenges, including: periodic changes in a specific country’s or region’s economic conditions, such as recession; licenses and other trade barriers; the provision of services may require export licenses; environmental regulations; certification requirements; fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; inadequate protection of intellectual property rights in some countries; preferences of certain customers for locally produced products; potential political, legal and economic instability, foreign conflicts, and the impact of regional and global infectious illnesses in the countries in which we and our customers, suppliers and contract manufacturers are located; Canadian and U. S. and foreign anticorruption laws; seasonal reductions in business activities in certain countries or regions; and fluctuations in freight rates and transportation disruptions. These factors, individually or in combination, could impair POET’s ability to effectively operate one or more of its foreign facilities or deliver its products, result in unexpected and material expenses, or cause an unexpected decline in the demand for its products in certain countries or regions. POET’s business segments are concentrated in the nuclear fuel and reactor cycles, with the largest segment being uranium mining. As such, POET is sensitive to changes in, and its performance and future prospects, will depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the nuclear energy industry and the public acceptance of nuclear energy. POET may be susceptible to increased risks, compared to diversified metals trading companies or diversified mining companies, as a result of the fact that its operations are concentrated in the nuclear fuel business. |
| ● | Foreign Issuer Risk. POET is a Canadian company. Because the Fund has indirect exposure to a foreign company, the Fund may be subject to risks associated with foreign investments. |
| ○ | Currency Risk. Indirect exposure to foreign currencies subjects the Fund to the risk that currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar. Currency rates in foreign countries may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time for a number of reasons, including changes in interest rates and the imposition of currency controls or other political developments in the U.S. or abroad. |
| ○ | Foreign Securities Risk. Investments in securities of non-U.S. issuers involve certain risks that may not be present with investments in securities of U.S. issuers, such as risk of loss due to foreign currency fluctuations or to political or economic instability, as well as varying regulatory requirements applicable to investments in non-U.S. issuers. There may be less information publicly available about a non-U.S. issuer than a U.S. issuer. Non-U.S. issuers may also be subject to different regulatory, accounting, auditing, financial reporting and investor protection standards than U.S. issuers. |
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Single Issuer Risk. Issuer-specific attributes may cause an investment in the Fund to be more volatile than a traditional pooled investment which diversifies risk or the market generally. The value of the Fund, which focuses on an individual security, may be more volatile than a traditional pooled investment or the market as a whole and may perform differently from the value of a traditional pooled investment or the market as a whole. Additionally, the Fund will seek to employ its investment strategy as it relates to the underlying issuer regardless of whether there are significant corporate actions such as restructurings, enforcement activity, or acquisitions or periods adverse market, economic, or other conditions and will not seek to take temporary defensive positions during such periods.
Compounding and Market Volatility Risk. The Fund has a daily leveraged investment objective and the Fund’s performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which is very likely to differ from two times (200%) the Underlying Security’s performance, before the Fund’s management fee and other expenses. Compounding affects all investments but has a more significant impact on funds that aim to replicate leveraged daily returns and that rebalance daily. For the Fund aiming to replicate two times the daily performance of an Underlying Security, if adverse daily performance of the Underlying Security reduces the amount of a shareholder’s investment, any further adverse daily performance will lead to a smaller dollar loss because the shareholder’s investment had already been reduced by the prior adverse performance. Equally, however, if favorable daily performance of the Underlying Security increases the amount of a shareholder’s investment, the dollar amount lost due to future adverse performance will increase because the shareholder’s investment has increased.
The effect of compounding becomes more pronounced as the Underlying Security’s volatility and the holding period increase. The impact of compounding will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Fund is held and the volatility of the Underlying Security during a shareholder’s holding period of an investment in the Fund.
The chart below provides examples of how the Underlying Security’s volatility could affect the Fund’s performance. The chart illustrates the impact of two factors that affect the Fund’s performance – the Underlying Security’s volatility and the Underlying Security’s performance. The Underlying Security’s performance shows the percentage change in the share price of the Underlying Security over the specified time period, while the Underlying Security’s volatility is a statistical measure of the magnitude of fluctuations in the returns during that time period. As illustrated below, even if the Underlying Security’s performance over two equal time periods is identical, different Underlying Security volatility (i.e., in magnitude of fluctuations in the share price of the Underlying Security) during the two time periods could result in drastically different Fund performance for the two time periods because of compounding daily returns during the time periods.
Fund performance for periods greater than one single day can be estimated given any set of assumptions for the following factors: a) the Underlying Security volatility; b) the Underlying Security performance; c) period of time; d) financing rates associated with leveraged exposure; and e) other Fund expenses. The chart shows estimated Fund returns for a number of combinations of Underlying Security volatility and Underlying Security performance over a one-year period. Performance shown in the chart assumes that: (i) there were no Fund expenses; (ii) borrowing/lending rates (to obtain leveraged exposure) of 0%. If Fund expenses and/or actual borrowing/lending rates were reflected the estimated returns would be different than those shown. Particularly during periods of higher Underlying Security volatility, compounding will cause results for periods longer than a trading day to vary from two times (200%) the performance of the Underlying Security.
As shown in the chart below, the Fund would be expected to lose 6.1% if there was no change in the share price of the Underlying Security over a one-year period during which the Underlying Security experienced annualized volatility of 25%. If the Underlying Security’s annualized volatility were to rise to 75%, the hypothetical loss for a one-year period would widen to approximately -43%. At higher ranges of volatility, there is a chance of a significant loss of value in the Fund, even if there were no change in the share price of the Underlying Security. For instance, if the Underlying Security’s annualized volatility is 100%, the Fund would be expected to lose 63.2% of its value, even if the cumulative Underlying Security change in the share price of the Underlying Security for the year was 0%.
Areas shaded red (or dark gray) represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return less than two times (200%) the performance of the Underlying Security and those shaded green (or light gray) represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return more than two times (200%) the performance of the Underlying Security. The Fund’s actual performance may be significantly better or worse than the performance shown below as a result of any of the factors discussed above or in the “Daily Correlation/Tracking Risk” below.
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| Estimated
Returns of 200% or Two Times Performance of the Underlying Security |
|||||||
| Underlying Security Performance | One Year Volatility Rate | ||||||
| One
Year Underlying Security |
2X
Times (200%) the One Year Performance |
10% | 25% | 50% | 75% | 100% | |
| -60% | -120% | -84.2% | -85.0% | -87.5% | -90.9% | -94.1% | |
| -50% | -100% | -75.2% | -76.5% | -80.5% | -85.8% | -90.8% | |
| -40% | -80% | -64.4% | -66.2% | -72.0% | -79.5% | -86.8% | |
| -30% | -60% | -51.5% | -54.0% | -61.8% | -72.1% | -82.0% | |
| -20% | -40% | -36.6% | -39.9% | -50.2% | -63.5% | -76.5% | |
| -10% | -20% | -19.8% | -23.9% | -36.9% | -53.8% | -70.2% | |
| 0% | 0% | -1.0% | -6.1% | -22.1% | -43.0% | -63.2% | |
| 10% | 20% | 19.8% | 13.7% | -5.8% | -31.1% | -55.5% | |
| 20% | 40% | 42.6% | 35.3% | 12.1% | -18.0% | -47.0% | |
| 30% | 60% | 67.3% | 58.8% | 31.6% | -3.7% | -37.8% | |
| 40% | 80% | 94.0% | 84.1% | 52.6% | 11.7% | -27.9% | |
| 50% | 100% | 122.8% | 111.4% | 75.2% | 28.2% | -17.2% | |
| 60% | 120% | 153.5% | 140.5% | 99.4% | 45.9% | -5.8% | |
The Underlying Security’s annualized historical volatility rate for the period from [ ] (the earliest date available) to [ ] was [ ]%. The Underlying Security’s annualized performance during this period was [ ]%. Historical Underlying Security volatility and performance are not indications of what Underlying Security volatility and performance will be in the future.
Daily Correlation/Tracking Risk. There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of leveraged correlation to the Underlying Security and therefore achieve its daily leveraged investment objective. To achieve a high degree of leveraged correlation with the Underlying Security, the Fund seeks to rebalance its portfolio daily to keep exposure consistent with its daily leveraged investment objective. The possibility of the Fund being materially over- or under-exposed to the Underlying Security increases on days when the Underlying Security is volatile near the close of the trading day. Market disruptions, regulatory restrictions and extreme volatility will also adversely affect the Fund’s ability to adjust exposure to the required levels. If there is a significant intra-day market event and/or the Underlying Security experiences a significant increase or decline, the Fund may not meet its investment objective, be able to rebalance its portfolio appropriately, or may experience significant premiums or discounts, or widened bid-ask spreads.
The Fund may have difficulty achieving its daily leveraged investment objective due to fees, expenses, transaction costs, financing costs related to the use of derivatives, investments in ETFs, directly or indirectly, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities or derivatives held by the Fund. The Fund may be subject to large movements of assets into and out of the Fund, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or under-exposed to the Underlying Security. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions to improve the tax efficiency or to comply with various regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively impact the Fund’s leveraged correlation to the Underlying Security.
Leverage Risk. The Fund obtains investment exposure in excess of its net assets by utilizing leverage and may lose more money in market conditions that are adverse to its investment objective than a fund that does not utilize leverage. An investment in the Fund is exposed to the risk that a decline in the daily performance of the Underlying Security will be magnified. This means that an investment in the Fund will be reduced by an amount equal to 2% for every 1% daily decline in the share price of the Underlying Security, not including the costs of financing leverage and other operating expenses, which would further reduce its value. The Fund could theoretically lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event the share price of the Underlying Security declines more than 50%. Leverage will also have the effect of magnifying any differences in the Fund performance’s correlation with the Underlying Security’s share price.
Derivatives Risk. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds (including ETFs), interest rates or indexes. The Fund’s investments in derivatives may pose risks in addition to, and greater than, those associated with directly investing in securities or other ordinary investments, including risk related to the market, leverage, imperfect daily correlations with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, higher price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty risk, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions. The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of derivatives may result in larger losses or smaller gains than directly investing in securities. When the Fund uses derivatives, there may be imperfect correlation between the share price of the Underlying Security and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. Because derivatives often require only a limited initial investment, the use of derivatives may expose the Fund to losses in excess of those amounts initially invested.
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The Fund will be subject to regulatory constraints relating to level of value at risk that the Fund may incur through its derivative portfolio. To the extent the Fund exceeds these regulatory thresholds over an extended period, the Fund may determine that it is necessary to make adjustments to the Fund’s investment strategy, including the desired daily leveraged performance for the Fund.
In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
Swap Agreements. The use of swap transactions is a highly specialized activity, which involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. Whether the Fund will be successful in using swap agreements to achieve its investment goal depends on the ability of the Adviser to structure such swap agreements in accordance with the Fund’s investment objective and to identify counterparties for those swap agreements. If the Adviser is unable to enter into swap agreements that provide leveraged exposure to the Underlying Security, the Fund may not meet its stated investment objective. Additionally, any financing, borrowing or other costs associated with using swap transactions may also have the effect of lowering the Fund’s return.
The swap agreements in which the Fund invests are generally traded in the over-the-counter market, which generally has less transparency than exchange-traded derivatives instruments. In a standard swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the return (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined reference assets or underlying securities or instruments. The gross return to be exchanged or swapped between the parties is calculated based on a notional amount or the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount invested in a basket of securities.
If the Underlying Security has a dramatic move that causes a material decline in the Fund’s net assets, the terms of a swap agreement between the Fund and its counterparty may permit the counterparty to immediately close out the swap transaction with the Fund. In that event, the Fund may be unable to enter into another swap agreement or invest in other derivatives to achieve exposure consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. This may prevent the Fund from achieving its leveraged investment objective, even if the Underlying Security later reverses all or a portion of its movement.
Options Contracts. The use of options contracts involves investment strategies and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The prices of options are volatile and are influenced by, among other things, actual and anticipated changes in the value of the underlying instrument, including the anticipated volatility, which are affected by fiscal and monetary policies and by national and international political, changes in the actual or implied volatility or the reference asset, the time remaining until the expiration of the option contract and economic events. The value of the options contracts in which the Fund invests are substantially influenced by the value of the Underlying Security. The Fund may experience substantial downside from specific option positions and certain option positions held by the Fund may expire worthless. The options held by the Fund are exercisable at the strike price on their expiration date. As an option approaches its expiration date, its value typically increasingly moves with the value of the underlying instrument. However, prior to such date, the value of an option generally does not increase or decrease at the same rate as the underlying instrument. There may at times be an imperfect correlation between the movement in values options contracts and the underlying instrument, and there may at times not be a liquid secondary market for certain options contracts. The value of the options held by the Fund will be determined based on market quotations or other recognized pricing methods. Additionally, as the Fund intends to continuously maintain indirect exposure to the Underlying Security through the use of options contracts, as the options contracts it holds are exercised or expire it will enter into new options contracts, a practice referred to as “rolling.” If the expiring options contracts do not generate proceeds enough to cover the cost of entering into new options contracts, the Fund may experience losses. The use of options to generate leverage introduces additional risks, including significant potential losses if the market moves unfavorably. The leverage inherent in options can amplify both gains and losses, leading to increased volatility and potential for substantial losses, particularly in periods of market uncertainty or low liquidity. Additionally, the Fund may incur losses if the value of the Underlying Security moves against its positions, potentially resulting in a complete loss of the premium paid.
Counterparty Risk. The Fund is subject to counterparty risk by virtue of its investments in derivatives which exposes the Fund to the risk that the counterparty will not fulfill its obligation to the Fund. Counterparty risk may arise because of the counterparty’s financial condition (i.e., financial difficulties, bankruptcy, or insolvency), market activities and developments, or other reasons, whether foreseen or not. A counterparty’s inability to fulfill its obligation may result in significant financial loss to the Fund and the Fund may be unable to recover its investment from such counterparty or may obtain a limited and/or delayed recovery.
Counterparties may seek to hedge their exposure to individual clients (such as the Fund) by establishing offsetting exposures with other clients, however, there is no guarantee that counterparties will do so under all circumstances. Should a counterparty (e.g., a swap counterparty) terminate its relationship with the Fund, the Fund will seek to utilize other counterparties to seek to maintain its exposures. In addition, the Fund may use options contracts to seek to generate the leverage necessary to implement its strategy. The use of options contracts introduces distinct risks, including heightened volatility, particularly intraday. While options may provide an ancillary benefit of mitigating some losses under specific scenarios, such as severe market downturns, their inherent leverage and rapid price fluctuations can amplify the Fund’s performance volatility and lead to greater risks of substantial losses. Refer to “Derivatives Risk – Options Contracts” for additional information on the risks of investing in options.
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In addition, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with a limited number of counterparties, which may increase the Fund’s exposure to counterparty credit risk. Further, there is a risk that no suitable counterparties will be willing to enter into, or continue to enter into, transactions with the Fund and, as a result, the Fund may not be able to achieve its investment objective.
Intra-Day Investment Risk. The Fund seeks investment results from the close of the market on a given trading day until the close of the market on the subsequent trading day. The exact exposure of an investment in the Fund intraday in the secondary market is a function of the difference between the share price of the Underlying Security at the market close on the first trading day and the share price of the Underlying Security at the time of purchase. If the share price of the Underlying Security rises, the Fund’s net assets will rise by approximately twice the amount as the Fund’s exposure. Conversely, if the share price of the Underlying Security declines, the Fund’s net assets will decline by approximately two times the amount as the Fund’s exposure. Thus, an investor that purchases Shares intra-day may experience performance that is greater than, or less than, the Fund’s stated leveraged performance of the Underlying Security.
If there is a significant intra-day market event and/or the securities of the Underlying Security experience a significant increase or decrease, the Fund may not meet its investment objective or rebalance its portfolio appropriately.
Fixed Income Securities Risk. When the Fund invests in fixed income securities, the value of your investment in the Fund will fluctuate with changes in interest rates. Typically, a rise in interest rates causes a decline in the value of fixed income securities owned by the Fund. In general, the market price of fixed income securities with longer maturities will increase or decrease more in response to changes in interest rates than shorter-term securities. Other risk factors include credit risk (the debtor may default), extension risk (an issuer may exercise its right to repay principal on a fixed rate obligation held by the Fund later than expected), and prepayment risk (the debtor may pay its obligation early, reducing the amount of interest payments). These risks could affect the value of a particular investment by the Fund, possibly causing the Fund’s Share price and total return to be reduced and fluctuate more than other types of investments.
Rebalancing Risk. If for any reason the Fund is unable to rebalance all or a portion of its portfolio, or if all or a portion of the portfolio is rebalanced incorrectly, the Fund’s investment exposure may not be consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. In these instances, the Fund may have investment exposure to the Underlying Security that is significantly greater or less than its stated investment objective. As a result, the Fund may be exposed to leverage risk because it had not been properly rebalanced and may not achieve its investment objective.
ETF Risks
Authorized Participants, Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that are authorized to purchase and redeem Shares directly from the Fund (known as “Authorized Participants” or “APs”). In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, Shares may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services; or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.
Cash Redemption Risk. The Fund’s investment strategy may require it to redeem Shares for cash or to otherwise include cash as part of its redemption proceeds. For example, the Fund may not be able to redeem in-kind certain securities held by the Fund (e.g., derivative instruments). In such a case, the Fund may be required to sell or unwind portfolio investments to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. This may cause the Fund to recognize a capital gain that it might not have recognized if it had made a redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher annual capital gain distributions than if the in-kind redemption process was used. By paying out higher annual capital gain distributions, investors may be subjected to increased capital gains taxes. The costs associated with cash redemptions may include brokerage costs that the Fund may not have incurred if it had made the redemptions in-kind. These costs could be imposed on the Fund, decreasing its NAV, to the extent these costs are not offset by a transaction fee payable by an authorized participant.
Costs of Buying or Selling Shares. Buying or selling Shares involves certain costs, including brokerage commissions, other charges imposed by brokers, and bid-ask spreads. The bid-ask spread represents the difference between the price at which an investor is willing to buy Shares and the price at which an investor is willing to sell Shares. The spread varies over time based on the Shares’ trading volume and market liquidity. The spread is generally lower if Shares have more trading volume and market liquidity and higher if Shares have little trading volume and market liquidity. Due to the costs of buying or selling Shares, frequent trading of Shares may reduce investment results and an investment in Shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.
Shares May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all ETFs, Shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of Shares will approximate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price of Shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount) due to supply and demand of Shares or during periods of market volatility. This risk is heightened in times of market volatility, periods of steep market declines, and periods when there is limited trading activity for Shares in the secondary market, in which case such premiums or discounts may be significant.
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Trading. Although Shares are listed on a national securities exchange, such as [ ] (the “Exchange”), and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that 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 Shares. This adverse effect on liquidity for the Fund’s shares may lead to wider bid-ask spreads and differences between the market price of the Fund’s shares and the underlying value of the shares.
Liquidity Risk. In certain circumstances, such as the disruption of the orderly markets for the financial instruments in which the Fund invests, the Fund might not be able to acquire or dispose of certain holdings quickly or at prices that represent true market value in the judgment of the Adviser. Markets for the financial instruments in which the Fund invests may be disrupted by a number of events, including but not limited to economic crises, health crises, natural disasters, excessive volatility, new legislation, or regulatory changes inside or outside of the U.S. These situations may have an impact on the liquidity of the Fund’s own shares.”
Economic and Market Risk. Economies and financial markets throughout the world are becoming increasingly interconnected, which increases the likelihood that events or conditions in one country or region will adversely impact markets or issuers in other countries or regions. Securities in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform in comparison to securities in the general financial markets, a particular financial market, or other asset classes, due to a number of factors, including inflation (or expectations for inflation), deflation (or expectations for deflation), interest rates, global demand for particular products or resources, market instability, financial system instability, debt crises and downgrades, embargoes, tariffs, sanctions and other trade barriers, regulatory events, other governmental trade or market control programs and related geopolitical events. In addition, the value of the Fund’s investments may be negatively affected by the occurrence of global events such as war, terrorism, environmental disasters, natural disasters or events, country instability, and infectious disease epidemics or pandemics. The imposition by the U.S. of tariffs on goods imported from foreign countries and reciprocal tariffs levied on U.S. goods by those countries also may lead to volatility and instability in domestic and foreign markets.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk. Daily rebalancing of the Fund’s holdings pursuant to its daily investment objective causes a much greater number of portfolio transactions when compared to most ETFs. Additionally, active market trading of the Fund’s Shares on exchanges (such as the Exchange), could cause more frequent creation and redemption activities, which could increase the number of portfolio transactions. Frequent and active trading may lead to higher transaction costs because of increased broker commissions resulting from such transactions. In addition, there is the possibility of significantly increased short-term capital gains (which will be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income when distributed to them). The Fund calculates portfolio turnover without including the short-term cash instruments or derivative transactions that comprise the majority of the Fund’s trading. As such, if the Fund’s extensive use of derivative instruments were reflected, the calculated portfolio turnover rate would be significantly higher.
Tracking Error Risk. Tracking error is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of its investment objective which aims to replicate two times the daily percentage change in the price of the Underlying Security. Tracking error may occur for a number of reasons. Tracking error may occur because of transaction costs, the Fund’s holding of cash, differences in accrual of dividends, being under- or overexposed to the Underlying Security or the need to meet new or existing regulatory requirements. Tracking error risk may be heightened during times of market volatility or other unusual market conditions such as market disruptions. The Fund may be required to deviate from its investment objectives, and therefore experience tracking error, as a result of market restrictions or other legal reasons, including regulatory limits or other restrictions on securities that may be purchased by the Adviser and its affiliates.
Liquidity Risk. Some securities held by the Fund may be difficult to sell or be illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including, but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, epidemics/pandemics, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the United States. Illiquid securities may be difficult to value, especially in changing or volatile markets. If the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid security at an unfavorable time or price, the Fund may be adversely impacted. Certain market conditions or restrictions may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Underlying Security. There is no assurance that a security that is deemed liquid when purchased will continue to be liquid. Market illiquidity may cause losses for the Fund.
Money Market Instrument Risk. The Fund may use a variety of money market instruments for cash management purposes, including money market funds, depositary accounts and repurchase agreements. Repurchase agreements are contracts in which a seller of securities agrees to buy the securities back at a specified time and price. Repurchase agreements may be subject to market and credit risk related to the collateral securing the repurchase agreement. Money market instruments may lose money.
New Fund Risk. The Fund is a recently organized management investment company with no operating history. As a result, prospective investors do not have a track record or history on which to base their investment decisions.
Non-Diversification Risk. Because the Fund is “non-diversified,” it may invest a greater percentage of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it was a diversified fund. As a result, a decline in the value of an investment in a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers could cause the Fund’s overall value to decline to a greater degree than if the Fund held a more diversified portfolio. This may increase the Fund’s volatility and cause the performance of a relatively smaller number of issuers to have a greater impact on the Fund’s performance.
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Trading Halt Risk. Although the Underlying Security’s shares are listed for trading on an exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such shares will be available at all times and the Exchange may halt trading of such shares in certain circumstances. A halt in trading in the Underlying Security’s shares is expected, in turn, to result in a halt in the trading in the Fund’s Shares. Trading in the Underlying Security’s and/or Fund’s Shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in the Underlying Security’s and/or Fund’s Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in Underlying Security’s and/or Fund’s Shares on an exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to exchange “circuit breaker” rules.” In the event of a trading halt for an extended period of time, the Fund may be unable to execute arrangements with swap counterparties that are necessary to implement the Fund’s investment strategy.
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 and the Fund’s investment advisor seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures, there is no way to completely protect against such risks.
U.S. Government and U.S. Agency Obligations Risk. The Fund may invest in securities issued by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities. U.S. Government obligations include securities issued or guaranteed as to principal and interest by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities, such as the U.S. Treasury. Payment of principal and interest on U.S. Government obligations may be backed by the full faith and credit of the United States or may be backed solely by the issuing or guaranteeing agency or instrumentality itself. In the latter case, the investor must look principally to the agency or instrumentality issuing or guaranteeing the obligation for ultimate repayment, which agency or instrumentality may be privately owned. There can be no assurance that the U.S. Government would provide financial support to its agencies or instrumentalities (including government-sponsored enterprises) where it is not obligated to do so.
Tax Risk. The Fund intends to elect and to qualify each year to be treated as a regulated investment company (a “RIC”) under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (“Code”). As a RIC, the Fund will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the portion of its net investment income and net capital gain that it distributes to shareholders, provided that it satisfies certain requirements of the Code. If the Fund does not qualify as a RIC for any taxable year and certain relief provisions are not available, the Fund’s taxable income will be subject to tax at the Fund level and to a further tax at the shareholder level when such income is distributed. To comply with the asset diversification test applicable to a RIC, the Fund will attempt to ensure that the value of swap contracts and options on shares of a single issuer does not exceed 25% of the Fund’s value at the close of any quarter. If the value of swap contracts and options on shares of a single issuer were to exceed 25% of the Fund’s total assets at the end of a tax quarter, the Fund, generally, has a grace period to cure such lack of compliance. If the Fund fails to timely cure, it may no longer be eligible to be treated as a RIC.
Performance
Performance information for the Fund is not included because the Fund has not completed a full calendar year of operations as of the date of this Prospectus. When such information is included, this section will provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance history from year to year and showing how the Fund’s average annual total returns compare with those of a broad measure of market performance. Although past performance of the Fund is no guarantee of how it will perform in the future, historical performance may give you some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. Updated performance information will be available on the Fund’s website at https://www.defianceetfs.com.
Management
Investment Adviser: Tidal Investments LLC serves as investment adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers:
The following individuals are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund.
Stephen Foy, Portfolio Manager for the Adviser, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in 2025.
Christopher P. Mullen, Portfolio Manager for the Adviser, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in 2025.
Purchase and Sale of Shares
The Fund issues and redeems Shares at NAV only in large blocks known as “Creation Units,” which only APs (typically, broker-dealers) may purchase or redeem. The Fund generally issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities (the “Deposit Securities”) and/or a designated amount of U.S. cash.
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Shares are listed on a national securities exchange, such as the Exchange, and individual Shares may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through brokers at market prices, rather than NAV. Because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).
An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares (the “bid” price) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares (the “ask” price) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market. This difference in bid and ask prices is often referred to as the “bid-ask spread.”
When available, information regarding the Fund’s NAV, market price, how often Shares traded on the Exchange at a premium or discount, and bid-ask spreads can be found on the Fund’s website at https://www.defianceetfs.com.
Tax Information
Fund distributions are generally taxable as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains (or a combination), unless an investment is in an individual retirement account (“IRA”) or other tax-advantaged account. Distributions on investments made through tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal of assets from those accounts.
Financial Intermediary Compensation
If you purchase Shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank) (an “Intermediary”), the Adviser or its affiliates may pay Intermediaries for certain activities related to the Fund, including participation in activities that are designed to make Intermediaries more knowledgeable about exchange-traded products, including the Fund, or for other activities, such as marketing, educational training, or other initiatives related to the sale or promotion of Shares. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the Intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Any such arrangements do not result in increased Fund expenses. Ask your salesperson or visit the Intermediary’s website for more information.
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SUMMARY INFORMATION
DEFIANCE DAILY TARGET 2X LONG COMM ETF – FUND SUMMARY
Important Information About the Fund
The Defiance Daily Target 2X Long COMM ETF (the “Fund”) seeks daily leveraged investment results of two times (200%) the daily percentage change in the share price of CommScope Holding Company, Inc. (Nasdaq: COMM) (the “Underlying Security” or “COMM”). Because the Fund seeks daily leveraged investment results, it is very different from most other exchange-traded funds. It is also riskier than alternatives that do not use leverage.
The return for investors that invest for periods longer or shorter than a trading day should not be expected to be 200% of the performance of the Underlying Security’s shares for the period. The return of the Fund for a period longer than a trading day will be the result of each trading day’s compounded return during such period held, which will very likely differ from 200% of the return of the Underlying Security’s shares for that period. Holding shares of the Fund for longer than a single day and higher volatility of the Underlying Security’s shares increase the impact of compounding on an investor’s returns, which may have a negative or positive impact on an investor’s returns. During periods of higher Underlying Security share price volatility, the volatility of the Underlying Security’s shares may affect the Fund’s return as much as, or more than, the return of the Underlying Security’s shares. The impact of compounding will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Fund is held and the volatility of the Underlying Security’s shares during a shareholder’s holding period of an investment in the Fund. See “Principal Investment Risks – Compounding and Market Volatility Risk” below for an example of how volatility of the Underlying Security’s shares may affect the Fund’s return as much as, or more than, the return of the Underlying Security’s shares.
The Fund is not suitable for all investors. The Fund is designed to be utilized only by knowledgeable investors who understand the potential consequences of seeking daily leveraged (2X) investment results, understand the risks associated with the use of leverage, and are willing to monitor their portfolios frequently. The Fund is not intended to be used by, and is not appropriate for, investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. For periods longer than a single day, the Fund will lose money if the Underlying Security’s performance is flat, and it is possible that the Fund will lose money even if the Underlying Security’s performance increases over a period longer than a single day. An investor could lose the full principal value of his/her investment within a single day.
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of two times (200%) the daily percentage change in the share price of CommScope Holding Company, Inc. (Nasdaq: COMM). The Fund does not seek to achieve its stated investment objective for a period other than a single trading day.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below.
| Annual Fund Operating Expenses(1) (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) | |||||
| Management Fee | [ ] | % | |||
| Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees | None | ||||
| Other Expenses(2) | [ ] | % | |||
| Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses(3) | [ ] | % | |||
| (1) | The Fund’s investment adviser, Tidal Investments LLC (the “Adviser”), a Tidal Financial Group company, will pay, or require a sub-adviser to pay, all expenses incurred by the Fund (except for advisory fees and sub-advisory fees, as the case may be) excluding interest charges on any borrowings made for investment purposes, dividends and other expenses on securities sold short, taxes, brokerage commissions and other expenses incurred in placing orders for the purchase and sale of securities and other investment instruments, acquired fund fees and expenses, accrued deferred tax liability, distribution fees and expenses paid by the Fund under any distribution plan adopted pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), and litigation expenses and other non-routine or extraordinary expenses. |
| (2) | Based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year. |
| (3) | The cost of investing in swaps, including the embedded cost of the swap and the operating expenses of the referenced assets, is an indirect expense that is not included in the above fee table and is not reflected in the expense example. |
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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. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem or hold all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. The Example does not take into account brokerage commissions that you may pay on your purchases and sales of Shares. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years |
| $[ ] | $[ ] |
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in total annual fund operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund is newly organized, portfolio turnover information is not yet available.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund is an actively managed exchange traded fund (“ETF”) that attempts to achieve two times (200%) the daily percentage change in the share price of the Underlying Security by employing derivatives, namely swap agreements and/or listed options contracts. The Fund aims to achieve this daily percentage change for a single day, and not for any other period. A “single day” means the period “from the close of regular trading on one trading day to the close on the next trading day.”
If the Fund encounters limitations in implementing its strategies, whether due to market conditions, derivative availability, counterparty issues, or other factors, the Fund may not achieve investment results, before fees and expenses, that correspond to two times (2x) the daily performance of the Underlying Security, and may return substantially less during such periods. During such periods, the Fund’s actual leverage levels may differ substantially from its intended target, both intraday and at the close of trading, potentially resulting in significantly lower returns.
The Fund may enter into one or more swap agreements with financial institutions for a specified period, which may range from one day to longer than a year. Through each swap agreement, the Fund and the financial institution will agree to exchange the return (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on the Underlying Security’s share price. The gross return (meaning the return before deducting any fees or expenses) to be exchanged or “swapped” between the parties is calculated with respect to a “notional amount,” (meaning the face amount of the instrument) e.g., the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount representing the Underlying Security.
The Fund may also utilize listed options to seek to achieve leveraged 2X exposure to the Underlying Security. The Fund will primarily employ short-dated (a month or less) in-the-money call options (options with strike prices below the current market price of the Underlying Security, offering immediate intrinsic value). Additionally, the Fund may use other option strategies to produce similar exposure to the Underlying Security, like buying calls and selling puts with identical strike prices. These options allow the Fund to adjust its leverage strategy in response to market conditions, liquidity constraints, or other factors that may affect the availability or pricing of swap agreements. The use of listed options provides additional flexibility in pursuing the Fund’s daily investment objective. In situations where swap availability is constrained, the Fund may rely more heavily on options contracts. Additionally, the Fund may use options in response to changing market dynamics. However, the use of option contracts is typically less efficient than swaps and may increase the likelihood that the Fund is unable to achieve its daily 2X objective.
At the end of each day, the Fund’s swaps and options are valued using market valuations and the Fund’s investment adviser rebalances the Fund’s holdings in an attempt to maintain leveraged exposure for the Fund equal to approximately 200% of the Underlying Security’s share price. This daily rebalancing is expected to result in high portfolio turnover.
For examples of a hypothetical investment in the Fund, see the section in the Fund’s Prospectus titled see “Additional Information About the Fund – Principal Investment Strategies.”
Fund performance for periods greater than one single day is primarily (but not solely) a function of the following factors: a) the Underlying Security volatility; b) the Underlying Security’s performance; c) period of time; d) financing rates associated with leveraged exposure; and e) other Fund expenses.
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The Fund will hold assets to serve as collateral for its derivatives positions. For those collateral holdings, the Fund may invest in (1) U.S. Government securities, such as bills, notes and bonds issued by the U.S. Treasury; (2) money market funds; (3) short term bond ETFs; and/or (4) corporate debt securities, such as commercial paper and other short-term unsecured promissory notes issued by businesses that are rated investment grade or of comparable quality.
The Fund has adopted a policy to have at least 80% exposure to financial instruments with economic characteristics that should perform 2X the daily performance of the Underlying Security’s shares. The Fund is expected to allocate between 40% and 60% of its assets as collateral for swap agreements or as premiums for purchased options contracts.
The Fund is classified as “non-diversified” under the 1940 Act. The Fund’s investment strategy is expected to result in a high annual portfolio turnover rate.
Because of daily rebalancing and the compounding of each day’s return over time, the return of the Fund for periods longer than a single day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which will very likely differ from 200% of the return of the Underlying Security’s shares over the same period. The Fund will lose money if the Underlying Security’s performance is flat over time, and because of daily rebalancing, the Underlying Security’s shares’ volatility and the effects of compounding, the Fund may lose money over time while the Underlying Security’s performance increases over a period longer than a single day. As a consequence, investors should not plan to hold shares of the Fund unmonitored for periods longer than a single trading day.
CommScope Holding Company, Inc. (“COMM”)
CommScope Holding Company, Inc. was incorporated in Delaware on October 22, 2010, and the initial public offering for its common stock was on October 25, 2013. Since COMM’s founding as an independent company in 1976, it has consistently played a significant role in many of the world’s leading communication networks. COMM is a global provider of infrastructure solutions for communication, data center and entertainment networks. COMM’s solutions for wired and wireless networks enable service providers, including cable, telephone and digital broadcast satellite operators and media programmers, to deliver media, voice, Internet Protocol (IP) data services and Wi-Fi to their subscribers and allow enterprises to experience constant wireless and wired connectivity across complex and varied networking environments. COMM is a leader in digital video and IP television (IPTV) distribution systems, broadband access infrastructure platforms and equipment that delivers data and voice networks to homes including fiber to the home technologies (FTTH). COMM is listed on The Nasdaq Capital Market (“NASDAQ”). Per COMM’s most recent 10-K filing, the aggregate market value of shares of common stock held by non-affiliates of COMM was approximately $260.1 million as of June 30, 2024.
COMM is registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Information provided to or filed with the SEC by COMM pursuant to the Exchange Act can be located by reference to SEC file number 001-36146 through the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. In addition, information regarding COMM may be obtained from other sources including, but not limited to, press releases, newspaper articles and other publicly disseminated documents.
This document relates only to the securities offered hereby and does not relate to the shares of COMM or other securities of COMM. The Fund has derived all disclosures contained in this document regarding COMM from the publicly available documents. None of the Fund, Tidal Trust II (the “Trust”), or the Adviser, or their respective affiliates has participated in the preparation of such publicly available offering documents or made any due diligence inquiry regarding such documents with respect to COMM. None of the Fund, the Trust, or the Adviser, or their respective affiliates makes any representation that such publicly available documents or any other publicly available information regarding COMM is accurate or complete. Furthermore, the Fund cannot give any assurance that all events occurring prior to the date hereof (including events that would affect the accuracy or completeness of the publicly available documents described above) that would affect the trading price of COMM (and therefore the share price of the Fund at the time we price the securities) have been publicly disclosed. Subsequent disclosure of any such events or the disclosure of or failure to disclose material future events concerning COMM could affect the value received with respect to the securities and therefore the value of the securities.
None of the Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates makes any representation to you as to the performance of COMM.
NONE OF THE FUND, TIDAL TRUST II, OR TIDAL INVESTMENTS LLC IS AFFILIATED, CONNECTED, OR ASSOCIATED WITH COMM. THE FUND WAS NOT DEVELOPED OR CREATED BY, AND IS NOT SPONSORED, ENDORSED, OR APPROVED BY COMM.
Moreover, COMM has not participated in the development of the Fund’s investment strategy. COMM does not select or approve the Fund’s portfolio holdings, nor does it participate in the construction, design, or implementation of the Fund. COMM does not provide any assurances, guarantees, or representations regarding the Fund or its performance. Nothing herein shall be construed as an offer of any security by COMM.
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None of the Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates claim any ownership interest in any trademarks owned by COMM or its affiliates. All rights in the trademarks are reserved by their respective owners.
Due to the Fund’s investment strategy, the Fund’s investment exposure is concentrated in the same industry as that assigned to the Underlying Security. As of the date of the Prospectus, COMM is assigned to the communications equipment industry.
Principal Investment Risks
The principal risks of investing in the Fund are summarized below. As with any investment, there is a risk that you could lose all or a portion of your investment in the Fund. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”) per Share, trading price, yield, total return, and/or ability to meet its investment objective. For more information about the risks of investing in the Fund, see the section in the Fund’s Prospectus titled “Additional Information About the Fund—Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund.”
An investment in the Fund entails risk. The Fund may not achieve its investment objective and there is a risk that you could lose all of your money invested in the Fund. The Fund is not a complete investment program. In addition, the Fund presents risks not traditionally associated with other ETFs. It is important that investors closely review all of the risks listed below and understand them before making an investment in the Fund.
Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears.
COMM Risks. The Fund invests in swap contracts and options that are based on the share price of COMM. This subjects the Fund to certain of the same risks as if it owned shares of COMM, even though it does not. By virtue of the Fund’s investments in swap contracts and options that are based on the value of COMM, the Fund may also be subject to the following risks:
| ● | Indirect Investment in COMM Risk. COMM is not affiliated with the Trust, the Fund, or the Adviser, or their respective affiliates and is not involved with this offering in any way and has no obligation to consider your Shares in taking any corporate actions that might affect the value of Shares. Investors in the Fund will not have voting rights or influence over the management of COMM but will be exposed to the performance of COMM (the Underlying Security). Investors will also not have the right to receive dividends or other distributions from COMM, but will remain subject to price fluctuations and other risks associated with ownership of the Underlying Security. |
| ● | COMM Trading Risk. The trading price of COMM may be subject to volatility and could experience wide fluctuations due to various factors. Short sellers may also influence COMM’s trading activity, contributing to market instability. Public perception and external factors beyond the company’s control may influence COMM’s stock price disproportionately. Additionally, following periods of market volatility, companies have faced securities class action litigation. Any adverse judgment or future stockholder litigation could result in substantial costs and divert management’s attention and resources. In the event of a trading halt, delisting, or significant disruption in the market for COMM’s shares, the Fund may experience difficulty entering, modifying, or liquidating its exposures. These conditions could impair the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective, result in significant tracking error, or, in extreme cases, force the Fund to liquidate entirely. |
| ● | COMM Performance Risk. COMM may fail to meet its publicly announced guidelines or other expectations about its business, which could cause the price of COMM to decline. Correctly identifying key factors affecting business conditions and predicting future events is inherently an uncertain process, and the guidance COMM provides may not ultimately be accurate. If COMM’s guidance is not accurate or varies from actual results due to its inability to meet the assumptions or the impact on its financial performance that could occur as a result of various risks and uncertainties, the market value of common stock issued by COMM could decline significantly. |
| ● | Communications Equipment Industry Risks. Failure to obtain, or delays in obtaining, financing or regulatory approval, intense competition, product compatibility, consumer preferences, corporate capital expenditures, and rapid obsolescence can significantly affect the communications equipment industry. Communications services companies are subject to extensive government regulation. The costs of complying with governmental regulations, delays or failure to receive required regulatory approvals, or the enactment of new adverse regulatory requirements may adversely affect the business of such companies. These companies can also be significantly affected by competition with alternative technologies, product compatibility, consumer preferences, rapid product obsolescence, and research and development of new products. Technological innovations may make the products and services of such companies obsolete. |
| ● | Risks Relating to Reliance on Third Parties. COMM’s performance is dependent on third parties’ capital spending for constructing, rebuilding, maintaining or upgrading data, communication and entertainment networks, which can be volatile and difficult to forecast. Capital spending in the communications industry is cyclical and can be curtailed or deferred on short notice. COMM experienced a decrease in customer capital spending in 2024, which negatively impacted its results of operations, and it may continue to experience significant fluctuations in sales and operating income due to the volatility in our industry. |
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| ● | Regulatory Risks. The telecommunications and cable television industries are subject to significant and changing federal and state regulation, both in the U.S. and other countries. Many of COMM’s customers, such as internet service providers, are subject to various rules and regulations, and changes to such rules and regulations could adversely impact its customers’ decisions regarding capital spending. COMM, as well as some of its customers, also participate in and benefit from government funded programs that encourage the development of network infrastructures such as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) and American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Changes in government programs in the industry or uncertainty regarding future changes could adversely impact its customers’ decisions regarding capital spending, which could decrease demand for COMM’s products and could materially and adversely affect its business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and stock price. |
| ● | Commodity Price Risks. COMM is dependent on certain raw materials and components linked to the commodity markets, and its profitability may be materially affected by changes in the market price. The principal raw materials and components we purchase are aluminum, copper, steel, bimetals, optical fiber, plastics and other polymers, capacitors, memory devices and silicon chips. Prices for aluminum, copper, steel, silicon, fluoropolymers and certain other polymers have experienced significant volatility in the past as a result of changes in the levels of global demand, supply disruptions, including port, transportation and distribution delays or interruptions, and other factors. |
| ● | Supplier Risks. COMM utilizes a limited number of key suppliers for logistics support of certain of its raw material and component purchases, including certain semiconductors, memory and chip capacitors, polymers, copper rod, copper and aluminum tapes, fine aluminum wire, steel wire, optical fiber, circuit boards and other electronic components, subassemblies and modules. Certain of its suppliers are sole source suppliers, and a number of its agreements with suppliers are short-term in nature. COMM’s reliance on sole or limited suppliers and its reliance on subcontractors involves several risks, including a potential inability to obtain an adequate supply of required materials, components and other products, and reduced control over pricing, quality, terms and conditions of purchase and timely delivery. |
Single Issuer Risk. Issuer-specific attributes may cause an investment in the Fund to be more volatile than a traditional pooled investment which diversifies risk or the market generally. The value of the Fund, which focuses on an individual security, may be more volatile than a traditional pooled investment or the market as a whole and may perform differently from the value of a traditional pooled investment or the market as a whole. Additionally, the Fund will seek to employ its investment strategy as it relates to the underlying issuer regardless of whether there are significant corporate actions such as restructurings, enforcement activity, or acquisitions or periods adverse market, economic, or other conditions and will not seek to take temporary defensive positions during such periods.
Compounding and Market Volatility Risk. The Fund has a daily leveraged investment objective and the Fund’s performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which is very likely to differ from two times (200%) the Underlying Security’s performance, before the Fund’s management fee and other expenses. Compounding affects all investments but has a more significant impact on funds that aim to replicate leveraged daily returns and that rebalance daily. For the Fund aiming to replicate two times the daily performance of an Underlying Security, if adverse daily performance of the Underlying Security reduces the amount of a shareholder’s investment, any further adverse daily performance will lead to a smaller dollar loss because the shareholder’s investment had already been reduced by the prior adverse performance. Equally, however, if favorable daily performance of the Underlying Security increases the amount of a shareholder’s investment, the dollar amount lost due to future adverse performance will increase because the shareholder’s investment has increased.
The effect of compounding becomes more pronounced as the Underlying Security’s volatility and the holding period increase. The impact of compounding will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Fund is held and the volatility of the Underlying Security during a shareholder’s holding period of an investment in the Fund.
The chart below provides examples of how the Underlying Security’s volatility could affect the Fund’s performance. The chart illustrates the impact of two factors that affect the Fund’s performance – the Underlying Security’s volatility and the Underlying Security’s performance. The Underlying Security’s performance shows the percentage change in the share price of the Underlying Security over the specified time period, while the Underlying Security’s volatility is a statistical measure of the magnitude of fluctuations in the returns during that time period. As illustrated below, even if the Underlying Security’s performance over two equal time periods is identical, different Underlying Security volatility (i.e., in magnitude of fluctuations in the share price of the Underlying Security) during the two time periods could result in drastically different Fund performance for the two time periods because of compounding daily returns during the time periods.
Fund performance for periods greater than one single day can be estimated given any set of assumptions for the following factors: a) the Underlying Security volatility; b) the Underlying Security performance; c) period of time; d) financing rates associated with leveraged exposure; and e) other Fund expenses. The chart shows estimated Fund returns for a number of combinations of Underlying Security volatility and Underlying Security performance over a one-year period. Performance shown in the chart assumes that: (i) there were no Fund expenses; (ii) borrowing/lending rates (to obtain leveraged exposure) of 0%. If Fund expenses and/or actual borrowing/lending rates were reflected the estimated returns would be different than those shown. Particularly during periods of higher Underlying Security volatility, compounding will cause results for periods longer than a trading day to vary from two times (200%) the performance of the Underlying Security.
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As shown in the chart below, the Fund would be expected to lose 6.1% if there was no change in the share price of the Underlying Security over a one-year period during which the Underlying Security experienced annualized volatility of 25%. If the Underlying Security’s annualized volatility were to rise to 75%, the hypothetical loss for a one-year period would widen to approximately -43%. At higher ranges of volatility, there is a chance of a significant loss of value in the Fund, even if there were no change in the share price of the Underlying Security. For instance, if the Underlying Security’s annualized volatility is 100%, the Fund would be expected to lose 63.2% of its value, even if the cumulative Underlying Security change in the share price of the Underlying Security for the year was 0%.
Areas shaded red (or dark gray) represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return less than two times (200%) the performance of the Underlying Security and those shaded green (or light gray) represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return more than two times (200%) the performance of the Underlying Security. The Fund’s actual performance may be significantly better or worse than the performance shown below as a result of any of the factors discussed above or in the “Daily Correlation/Tracking Risk” below.
| Estimated
Returns of 200% or Two Times Performance of the Underlying Security |
|||||||
| Underlying Security Performance | One Year Volatility Rate | ||||||
| One
Year Underlying Security |
2X
Times (200%) the One Year Performance |
10% | 25% | 50% | 75% | 100% | |
| -60% | -120% | -84.2% | -85.0% | -87.5% | -90.9% | -94.1% | |
| -50% | -100% | -75.2% | -76.5% | -80.5% | -85.8% | -90.8% | |
| -40% | -80% | -64.4% | -66.2% | -72.0% | -79.5% | -86.8% | |
| -30% | -60% | -51.5% | -54.0% | -61.8% | -72.1% | -82.0% | |
| -20% | -40% | -36.6% | -39.9% | -50.2% | -63.5% | -76.5% | |
| -10% | -20% | -19.8% | -23.9% | -36.9% | -53.8% | -70.2% | |
| 0% | 0% | -1.0% | -6.1% | -22.1% | -43.0% | -63.2% | |
| 10% | 20% | 19.8% | 13.7% | -5.8% | -31.1% | -55.5% | |
| 20% | 40% | 42.6% | 35.3% | 12.1% | -18.0% | -47.0% | |
| 30% | 60% | 67.3% | 58.8% | 31.6% | -3.7% | -37.8% | |
| 40% | 80% | 94.0% | 84.1% | 52.6% | 11.7% | -27.9% | |
| 50% | 100% | 122.8% | 111.4% | 75.2% | 28.2% | -17.2% | |
| 60% | 120% | 153.5% | 140.5% | 99.4% | 45.9% | -5.8% | |
The Underlying Security’s annualized historical volatility rate for the period from [ ] (the earliest date available) to [ ] was [ ]%. The Underlying Security’s annualized performance during this period was [ ]%. Historical Underlying Security volatility and performance are not indications of what Underlying Security volatility and performance will be in the future.
Daily Correlation/Tracking Risk. There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of leveraged correlation to the Underlying Security and therefore achieve its daily leveraged investment objective. To achieve a high degree of leveraged correlation with the Underlying Security, the Fund seeks to rebalance its portfolio daily to keep exposure consistent with its daily leveraged investment objective. The possibility of the Fund being materially over- or under-exposed to the Underlying Security increases on days when the Underlying Security is volatile near the close of the trading day. Market disruptions, regulatory restrictions and extreme volatility will also adversely affect the Fund’s ability to adjust exposure to the required levels. If there is a significant intra-day market event and/or the Underlying Security experiences a significant increase or decline, the Fund may not meet its investment objective, be able to rebalance its portfolio appropriately, or may experience significant premiums or discounts, or widened bid-ask spreads.
The Fund may have difficulty achieving its daily leveraged investment objective due to fees, expenses, transaction costs, financing costs related to the use of derivatives, investments in ETFs, directly or indirectly, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities or derivatives held by the Fund. The Fund may be subject to large movements of assets into and out of the Fund, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or under-exposed to the Underlying Security. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions to improve the tax efficiency or to comply with various regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively impact the Fund’s leveraged correlation to the Underlying Security.
Leverage Risk. The Fund obtains investment exposure in excess of its net assets by utilizing leverage and may lose more money in market conditions that are adverse to its investment objective than a fund that does not utilize leverage. An investment in the Fund is exposed to the risk that a decline in the daily performance of the Underlying Security will be magnified. This means that an investment in the Fund will be reduced by an amount equal to 2% for every 1% daily decline in the share price of the Underlying Security, not including the costs of financing leverage and other operating expenses, which would further reduce its value. The Fund could theoretically lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event the share price of the Underlying Security declines more than 50%. Leverage will also have the effect of magnifying any differences in the Fund performance’s correlation with the Underlying Security’s share price.
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Derivatives Risk. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds (including ETFs), interest rates or indexes. The Fund’s investments in derivatives may pose risks in addition to, and greater than, those associated with directly investing in securities or other ordinary investments, including risk related to the market, leverage, imperfect daily correlations with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, higher price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty risk, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions. The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of derivatives may result in larger losses or smaller gains than directly investing in securities. When the Fund uses derivatives, there may be imperfect correlation between the share price of the Underlying Security and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. Because derivatives often require only a limited initial investment, the use of derivatives may expose the Fund to losses in excess of those amounts initially invested.
The Fund will be subject to regulatory constraints relating to level of value at risk that the Fund may incur through its derivative portfolio. To the extent the Fund exceeds these regulatory thresholds over an extended period, the Fund may determine that it is necessary to make adjustments to the Fund’s investment strategy, including the desired daily leveraged performance for the Fund.
In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
Swap Agreements. The use of swap transactions is a highly specialized activity, which involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. Whether the Fund will be successful in using swap agreements to achieve its investment goal depends on the ability of the Adviser to structure such swap agreements in accordance with the Fund’s investment objective and to identify counterparties for those swap agreements. If the Adviser is unable to enter into swap agreements that provide leveraged exposure to the Underlying Security, the Fund may not meet its stated investment objective. Additionally, any financing, borrowing or other costs associated with using swap transactions may also have the effect of lowering the Fund’s return.
The swap agreements in which the Fund invests are generally traded in the over-the-counter market, which generally has less transparency than exchange-traded derivatives instruments. In a standard swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the return (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined reference assets or underlying securities or instruments. The gross return to be exchanged or swapped between the parties is calculated based on a notional amount or the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount invested in a basket of securities.
If the Underlying Security has a dramatic move that causes a material decline in the Fund’s net assets, the terms of a swap agreement between the Fund and its counterparty may permit the counterparty to immediately close out the swap transaction with the Fund. In that event, the Fund may be unable to enter into another swap agreement or invest in other derivatives to achieve exposure consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. This may prevent the Fund from achieving its leveraged investment objective, even if the Underlying Security later reverses all or a portion of its movement.
Options Contracts. The use of options contracts involves investment strategies and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The prices of options are volatile and are influenced by, among other things, actual and anticipated changes in the value of the underlying instrument, including the anticipated volatility, which are affected by fiscal and monetary policies and by national and international political, changes in the actual or implied volatility or the reference asset, the time remaining until the expiration of the option contract and economic events. The value of the options contracts in which the Fund invests are substantially influenced by the value of the Underlying Security. The Fund may experience substantial downside from specific option positions and certain option positions held by the Fund may expire worthless. The options held by the Fund are exercisable at the strike price on their expiration date. As an option approaches its expiration date, its value typically increasingly moves with the value of the underlying instrument. However, prior to such date, the value of an option generally does not increase or decrease at the same rate as the underlying instrument. There may at times be an imperfect correlation between the movement in values options contracts and the underlying instrument, and there may at times not be a liquid secondary market for certain options contracts. The value of the options held by the Fund will be determined based on market quotations or other recognized pricing methods. Additionally, as the Fund intends to continuously maintain indirect exposure to the Underlying Security through the use of options contracts, as the options contracts it holds are exercised or expire it will enter into new options contracts, a practice referred to as “rolling.” If the expiring options contracts do not generate proceeds enough to cover the cost of entering into new options contracts, the Fund may experience losses. The use of options to generate leverage introduces additional risks, including significant potential losses if the market moves unfavorably. The leverage inherent in options can amplify both gains and losses, leading to increased volatility and potential for substantial losses, particularly in periods of market uncertainty or low liquidity. Additionally, the Fund may incur losses if the value of the Underlying Security moves against its positions, potentially resulting in a complete loss of the premium paid.
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Counterparty Risk. The Fund is subject to counterparty risk by virtue of its investments in derivatives which exposes the Fund to the risk that the counterparty will not fulfill its obligation to the Fund. Counterparty risk may arise because of the counterparty’s financial condition (i.e., financial difficulties, bankruptcy, or insolvency), market activities and developments, or other reasons, whether foreseen or not. A counterparty’s inability to fulfill its obligation may result in significant financial loss to the Fund and the Fund may be unable to recover its investment from such counterparty or may obtain a limited and/or delayed recovery.
Counterparties may seek to hedge their exposure to individual clients (such as the Fund) by establishing offsetting exposures with other clients, however, there is no guarantee that counterparties will do so under all circumstances. Should a counterparty (e.g., a swap counterparty) terminate its relationship with the Fund, the Fund will seek to utilize other counterparties to seek to maintain its exposures. In addition, the Fund may use options contracts to seek to generate the leverage necessary to implement its strategy. The use of options contracts introduces distinct risks, including heightened volatility, particularly intraday. While options may provide an ancillary benefit of mitigating some losses under specific scenarios, such as severe market downturns, their inherent leverage and rapid price fluctuations can amplify the Fund’s performance volatility and lead to greater risks of substantial losses. Refer to “Derivatives Risk – Options Contracts” for additional information on the risks of investing in options.
In addition, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with a limited number of counterparties, which may increase the Fund’s exposure to counterparty credit risk. Further, there is a risk that no suitable counterparties will be willing to enter into, or continue to enter into, transactions with the Fund and, as a result, the Fund may not be able to achieve its investment objective.
Intra-Day Investment Risk. The Fund seeks investment results from the close of the market on a given trading day until the close of the market on the subsequent trading day. The exact exposure of an investment in the Fund intraday in the secondary market is a function of the difference between the share price of the Underlying Security at the market close on the first trading day and the share price of the Underlying Security at the time of purchase. If the share price of the Underlying Security rises, the Fund’s net assets will rise by approximately twice the amount as the Fund’s exposure. Conversely, if the share price of the Underlying Security declines, the Fund’s net assets will decline by approximately two times the amount as the Fund’s exposure. Thus, an investor that purchases Shares intra-day may experience performance that is greater than, or less than, the Fund’s stated leveraged performance of the Underlying Security.
If there is a significant intra-day market event and/or the securities of the Underlying Security experience a significant increase or decrease, the Fund may not meet its investment objective or rebalance its portfolio appropriately.
Fixed Income Securities Risk. When the Fund invests in fixed income securities, the value of your investment in the Fund will fluctuate with changes in interest rates. Typically, a rise in interest rates causes a decline in the value of fixed income securities owned by the Fund. In general, the market price of fixed income securities with longer maturities will increase or decrease more in response to changes in interest rates than shorter-term securities. Other risk factors include credit risk (the debtor may default), extension risk (an issuer may exercise its right to repay principal on a fixed rate obligation held by the Fund later than expected), and prepayment risk (the debtor may pay its obligation early, reducing the amount of interest payments). These risks could affect the value of a particular investment by the Fund, possibly causing the Fund’s Share price and total return to be reduced and fluctuate more than other types of investments.
Rebalancing Risk. If for any reason the Fund is unable to rebalance all or a portion of its portfolio, or if all or a portion of the portfolio is rebalanced incorrectly, the Fund’s investment exposure may not be consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. In these instances, the Fund may have investment exposure to the Underlying Security that is significantly greater or less than its stated investment objective. As a result, the Fund may be exposed to leverage risk because it had not been properly rebalanced and may not achieve its investment objective.
ETF Risks
Authorized Participants, Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that are authorized to purchase and redeem Shares directly from the Fund (known as “Authorized Participants” or “APs”). In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, Shares may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services; or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.
Cash Redemption Risk. The Fund’s investment strategy may require it to redeem Shares for cash or to otherwise include cash as part of its redemption proceeds. For example, the Fund may not be able to redeem in-kind certain securities held by the Fund (e.g., derivative instruments). In such a case, the Fund may be required to sell or unwind portfolio investments to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. This may cause the Fund to recognize a capital gain that it might not have recognized if it had made a redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher annual capital gain distributions than if the in-kind redemption process was used. By paying out higher annual capital gain distributions, investors may be subjected to increased capital gains taxes. The costs associated with cash redemptions may include brokerage costs that the Fund may not have incurred if it had made the redemptions in-kind. These costs could be imposed on the Fund, decreasing its NAV, to the extent these costs are not offset by a transaction fee payable by an authorized participant.
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Costs of Buying or Selling Shares. Buying or selling Shares involves certain costs, including brokerage commissions, other charges imposed by brokers, and bid-ask spreads. The bid-ask spread represents the difference between the price at which an investor is willing to buy Shares and the price at which an investor is willing to sell Shares. The spread varies over time based on the Shares’ trading volume and market liquidity. The spread is generally lower if Shares have more trading volume and market liquidity and higher if Shares have little trading volume and market liquidity. Due to the costs of buying or selling Shares, frequent trading of Shares may reduce investment results and an investment in Shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.
Shares May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all ETFs, Shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of Shares will approximate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price of Shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount) due to supply and demand of Shares or during periods of market volatility. This risk is heightened in times of market volatility, periods of steep market declines, and periods when there is limited trading activity for Shares in the secondary market, in which case such premiums or discounts may be significant.
Trading. Although Shares are listed on a national securities exchange, such as [ ] (the “Exchange”), and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that 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 Shares. This adverse effect on liquidity for the Fund’s shares may lead to wider bid-ask spreads and differences between the market price of the Fund’s shares and the underlying value of the shares.
Liquidity Risk. In certain circumstances, such as the disruption of the orderly markets for the financial instruments in which the Fund invests, the Fund might not be able to acquire or dispose of certain holdings quickly or at prices that represent true market value in the judgment of the Adviser. Markets for the financial instruments in which the Fund invests may be disrupted by a number of events, including but not limited to economic crises, health crises, natural disasters, excessive volatility, new legislation, or regulatory changes inside or outside of the U.S. These situations may have an impact on the liquidity of the Fund’s own shares.”
Economic and Market Risk. Economies and financial markets throughout the world are becoming increasingly interconnected, which increases the likelihood that events or conditions in one country or region will adversely impact markets or issuers in other countries or regions. Securities in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform in comparison to securities in the general financial markets, a particular financial market, or other asset classes, due to a number of factors, including inflation (or expectations for inflation), deflation (or expectations for deflation), interest rates, global demand for particular products or resources, market instability, financial system instability, debt crises and downgrades, embargoes, tariffs, sanctions and other trade barriers, regulatory events, other governmental trade or market control programs and related geopolitical events. In addition, the value of the Fund’s investments may be negatively affected by the occurrence of global events such as war, terrorism, environmental disasters, natural disasters or events, country instability, and infectious disease epidemics or pandemics. The imposition by the U.S. of tariffs on goods imported from foreign countries and reciprocal tariffs levied on U.S. goods by those countries also may lead to volatility and instability in domestic and foreign markets.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk. Daily rebalancing of the Fund’s holdings pursuant to its daily investment objective causes a much greater number of portfolio transactions when compared to most ETFs. Additionally, active market trading of the Fund’s Shares on exchanges (such as the Exchange), could cause more frequent creation and redemption activities, which could increase the number of portfolio transactions. Frequent and active trading may lead to higher transaction costs because of increased broker commissions resulting from such transactions. In addition, there is the possibility of significantly increased short-term capital gains (which will be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income when distributed to them). The Fund calculates portfolio turnover without including the short-term cash instruments or derivative transactions that comprise the majority of the Fund’s trading. As such, if the Fund’s extensive use of derivative instruments were reflected, the calculated portfolio turnover rate would be significantly higher.
Tracking Error Risk. Tracking error is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of its investment objective which aims to replicate two times the daily percentage change in the price of the Underlying Security. Tracking error may occur for a number of reasons. Tracking error may occur because of transaction costs, the Fund’s holding of cash, differences in accrual of dividends, being under- or overexposed to the Underlying Security or the need to meet new or existing regulatory requirements. Tracking error risk may be heightened during times of market volatility or other unusual market conditions such as market disruptions. The Fund may be required to deviate from its investment objectives, and therefore experience tracking error, as a result of market restrictions or other legal reasons, including regulatory limits or other restrictions on securities that may be purchased by the Adviser and its affiliates.
Liquidity Risk. Some securities held by the Fund may be difficult to sell or be illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including, but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, epidemics/pandemics, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the United States. Illiquid securities may be difficult to value, especially in changing or volatile markets. If the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid security at an unfavorable time or price, the Fund may be adversely impacted. Certain market conditions or restrictions may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Underlying Security. There is no assurance that a security that is deemed liquid when purchased will continue to be liquid. Market illiquidity may cause losses for the Fund.
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Money Market Instrument Risk. The Fund may use a variety of money market instruments for cash management purposes, including money market funds, depositary accounts and repurchase agreements. Repurchase agreements are contracts in which a seller of securities agrees to buy the securities back at a specified time and price. Repurchase agreements may be subject to market and credit risk related to the collateral securing the repurchase agreement. Money market instruments may lose money.
New Fund Risk. The Fund is a recently organized management investment company with no operating history. As a result, prospective investors do not have a track record or history on which to base their investment decisions.
Non-Diversification Risk. Because the Fund is “non-diversified,” it may invest a greater percentage of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it was a diversified fund. As a result, a decline in the value of an investment in a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers could cause the Fund’s overall value to decline to a greater degree than if the Fund held a more diversified portfolio. This may increase the Fund’s volatility and cause the performance of a relatively smaller number of issuers to have a greater impact on the Fund’s performance.
Trading Halt Risk. Although the Underlying Security’s shares are listed for trading on an exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such shares will be available at all times and the Exchange may halt trading of such shares in certain circumstances. A halt in trading in the Underlying Security’s shares is expected, in turn, to result in a halt in the trading in the Fund’s Shares. Trading in the Underlying Security’s and/or Fund’s Shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in the Underlying Security’s and/or Fund’s Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in Underlying Security’s and/or Fund’s Shares on an exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to exchange “circuit breaker” rules.” In the event of a trading halt for an extended period of time, the Fund may be unable to execute arrangements with swap counterparties that are necessary to implement the Fund’s investment strategy.
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 and the Fund’s investment advisor seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures, there is no way to completely protect against such risks.
U.S. Government and U.S. Agency Obligations Risk. The Fund may invest in securities issued by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities. U.S. Government obligations include securities issued or guaranteed as to principal and interest by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities, such as the U.S. Treasury. Payment of principal and interest on U.S. Government obligations may be backed by the full faith and credit of the United States or may be backed solely by the issuing or guaranteeing agency or instrumentality itself. In the latter case, the investor must look principally to the agency or instrumentality issuing or guaranteeing the obligation for ultimate repayment, which agency or instrumentality may be privately owned. There can be no assurance that the U.S. Government would provide financial support to its agencies or instrumentalities (including government-sponsored enterprises) where it is not obligated to do so.
Tax Risk. The Fund intends to elect and to qualify each year to be treated as a regulated investment company (a “RIC”) under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (“Code”). As a RIC, the Fund will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the portion of its net investment income and net capital gain that it distributes to shareholders, provided that it satisfies certain requirements of the Code. If the Fund does not qualify as a RIC for any taxable year and certain relief provisions are not available, the Fund’s taxable income will be subject to tax at the Fund level and to a further tax at the shareholder level when such income is distributed. To comply with the asset diversification test applicable to a RIC, the Fund will attempt to ensure that the value of swap contracts and options on shares of a single issuer does not exceed 25% of the Fund’s value at the close of any quarter. If the value of swap contracts and options on shares of a single issuer were to exceed 25% of the Fund’s total assets at the end of a tax quarter, the Fund, generally, has a grace period to cure such lack of compliance. If the Fund fails to timely cure, it may no longer be eligible to be treated as a RIC.
Performance
Performance information for the Fund is not included because the Fund has not completed a full calendar year of operations as of the date of this Prospectus. When such information is included, this section will provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance history from year to year and showing how the Fund’s average annual total returns compare with those of a broad measure of market performance. Although past performance of the Fund is no guarantee of how it will perform in the future, historical performance may give you some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. Updated performance information will be available on the Fund’s website at https://www.defianceetfs.com.
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Management
Investment Adviser: Tidal Investments LLC serves as investment adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers:
The following individuals are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund.
Stephen Foy, Portfolio Manager for the Adviser, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in 2025.
Christopher P. Mullen, Portfolio Manager for the Adviser, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in 2025.
Purchase and Sale of Shares
The Fund issues and redeems Shares at NAV only in large blocks known as “Creation Units,” which only APs (typically, broker-dealers) may purchase or redeem. The Fund generally issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities (the “Deposit Securities”) and/or a designated amount of U.S. cash.
Shares are listed on a national securities exchange, such as the Exchange, and individual Shares may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through brokers at market prices, rather than NAV. Because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).
An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares (the “bid” price) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares (the “ask” price) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market. This difference in bid and ask prices is often referred to as the “bid-ask spread.”
When available, information regarding the Fund’s NAV, market price, how often Shares traded on the Exchange at a premium or discount, and bid-ask spreads can be found on the Fund’s website at https://www.defianceetfs.com.
Tax Information
Fund distributions are generally taxable as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains (or a combination), unless an investment is in an individual retirement account (“IRA”) or other tax-advantaged account. Distributions on investments made through tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal of assets from those accounts.
Financial Intermediary Compensation
If you purchase Shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank) (an “Intermediary”), the Adviser or its affiliates may pay Intermediaries for certain activities related to the Fund, including participation in activities that are designed to make Intermediaries more knowledgeable about exchange-traded products, including the Fund, or for other activities, such as marketing, educational training, or other initiatives related to the sale or promotion of Shares. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the Intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Any such arrangements do not result in increased Fund expenses. Ask your salesperson or visit the Intermediary’s website for more information.
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SUMMARY INFORMATION
DEFIANCE DAILY TARGET 2X LONG AMKR ETF – FUND SUMMARY
Important Information About the Fund
The Defiance Daily Target 2X Long AMKR ETF (the “Fund”) seeks daily leveraged investment results of two times (200%) the daily percentage change in the share price of Amkor Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq: AMKR) (the “Underlying Security” or “AMKR”). Because the Fund seeks daily leveraged investment results, it is very different from most other exchange-traded funds. It is also riskier than alternatives that do not use leverage.
The return for investors that invest for periods longer or shorter than a trading day should not be expected to be 200% of the performance of the Underlying Security’s shares for the period. The return of the Fund for a period longer than a trading day will be the result of each trading day’s compounded return during such period held, which will very likely differ from 200% of the return of the Underlying Security’s shares for that period. Holding shares of the Fund for longer than a single day and higher volatility of the Underlying Security’s shares increase the impact of compounding on an investor’s returns, which may have a negative or positive impact on an investor’s returns. During periods of higher Underlying Security share price volatility, the volatility of the Underlying Security’s shares may affect the Fund’s return as much as, or more than, the return of the Underlying Security’s shares. The impact of compounding will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Fund is held and the volatility of the Underlying Security’s shares during a shareholder’s holding period of an investment in the Fund. See “Principal Investment Risks – Compounding and Market Volatility Risk” below for an example of how volatility of the Underlying Security’s shares may affect the Fund’s return as much as, or more than, the return of the Underlying Security’s shares.
The Fund is not suitable for all investors. The Fund is designed to be utilized only by knowledgeable investors who understand the potential consequences of seeking daily leveraged (2X) investment results, understand the risks associated with the use of leverage, and are willing to monitor their portfolios frequently. The Fund is not intended to be used by, and is not appropriate for, investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. For periods longer than a single day, the Fund will lose money if the Underlying Security’s performance is flat, and it is possible that the Fund will lose money even if the Underlying Security’s performance increases over a period longer than a single day. An investor could lose the full principal value of his/her investment within a single day.
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of two times (200%) the daily percentage change in the share price of Amkor Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq: AMKR). The Fund does not seek to achieve its stated investment objective for a period other than a single trading day.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below.
| Annual Fund Operating Expenses(1) (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) | |||||
| Management Fee | [ ] | % | |||
| Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees | None | ||||
| Other Expenses(2) | [ ] | % | |||
| Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses(3) | [ ] | % | |||
| (1) | The Fund’s investment adviser, Tidal Investments LLC (the “Adviser”), a Tidal Financial Group company, will pay, or require a sub-adviser to pay, all expenses incurred by the Fund (except for advisory fees and sub-advisory fees, as the case may be) excluding interest charges on any borrowings made for investment purposes, dividends and other expenses on securities sold short, taxes, brokerage commissions and other expenses incurred in placing orders for the purchase and sale of securities and other investment instruments, acquired fund fees and expenses, accrued deferred tax liability, distribution fees and expenses paid by the Fund under any distribution plan adopted pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), and litigation expenses and other non-routine or extraordinary expenses. |
| (2) | Based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year. |
| (3) | The cost of investing in swaps, including the embedded cost of the swap and the operating expenses of the referenced assets, is an indirect expense that is not included in the above fee table and is not reflected in the expense example. |
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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. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem or hold all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. The Example does not take into account brokerage commissions that you may pay on your purchases and sales of Shares. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years |
| $[ ] | $[ ] |
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in total annual fund operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund is newly organized, portfolio turnover information is not yet available.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund is an actively managed exchange traded fund (“ETF”) that attempts to achieve two times (200%) the daily percentage change in the share price of the Underlying Security by employing derivatives, namely swap agreements and/or listed options contracts. The Fund aims to achieve this daily percentage change for a single day, and not for any other period. A “single day” means the period “from the close of regular trading on one trading day to the close on the next trading day.”
If the Fund encounters limitations in implementing its strategies, whether due to market conditions, derivative availability, counterparty issues, or other factors, the Fund may not achieve investment results, before fees and expenses, that correspond to two times (2x) the daily performance of the Underlying Security, and may return substantially less during such periods. During such periods, the Fund’s actual leverage levels may differ substantially from its intended target, both intraday and at the close of trading, potentially resulting in significantly lower returns.
The Fund may enter into one or more swap agreements with financial institutions for a specified period, which may range from one day to longer than a year. Through each swap agreement, the Fund and the financial institution will agree to exchange the return (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on the Underlying Security’s share price. The gross return (meaning the return before deducting any fees or expenses) to be exchanged or “swapped” between the parties is calculated with respect to a “notional amount,” (meaning the face amount of the instrument) e.g., the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount representing the Underlying Security.
The Fund may also utilize listed options to seek to achieve leveraged 2X exposure to the Underlying Security. The Fund will primarily employ short-dated (a month or less) in-the-money call options (options with strike prices below the current market price of the Underlying Security, offering immediate intrinsic value). Additionally, the Fund may use other option strategies to produce similar exposure to the Underlying Security, like buying calls and selling puts with identical strike prices. These options allow the Fund to adjust its leverage strategy in response to market conditions, liquidity constraints, or other factors that may affect the availability or pricing of swap agreements. The use of listed options provides additional flexibility in pursuing the Fund’s daily investment objective. In situations where swap availability is constrained, the Fund may rely more heavily on options contracts. Additionally, the Fund may use options in response to changing market dynamics. However, the use of option contracts is typically less efficient than swaps and may increase the likelihood that the Fund is unable to achieve its daily 2X objective.
At the end of each day, the Fund’s swaps and options are valued using market valuations and the Fund’s investment adviser rebalances the Fund’s holdings in an attempt to maintain leveraged exposure for the Fund equal to approximately 200% of the Underlying Security’s share price. This daily rebalancing is expected to result in high portfolio turnover.
For examples of a hypothetical investment in the Fund, see the section in the Fund’s Prospectus titled see “Additional Information About the Fund – Principal Investment Strategies.”
Fund performance for periods greater than one single day is primarily (but not solely) a function of the following factors: a) the Underlying Security volatility; b) the Underlying Security’s performance; c) period of time; d) financing rates associated with leveraged exposure; and e) other Fund expenses.
The Fund will hold assets to serve as collateral for its derivatives positions. For those collateral holdings, the Fund may invest in (1) U.S. Government securities, such as bills, notes and bonds issued by the U.S. Treasury; (2) money market funds; (3) short term bond ETFs; and/or (4) corporate debt securities, such as commercial paper and other short-term unsecured promissory notes issued by businesses that are rated investment grade or of comparable quality.
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The Fund has adopted a policy to have at least 80% exposure to financial instruments with economic characteristics that should perform 2X the daily performance of the Underlying Security’s shares. The Fund is expected to allocate between 40% and 60% of its assets as collateral for swap agreements or as premiums for purchased options contracts.
The Fund is classified as “non-diversified” under the 1940 Act. The Fund’s investment strategy is expected to result in a high annual portfolio turnover rate.
Because of daily rebalancing and the compounding of each day’s return over time, the return of the Fund for periods longer than a single day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which will very likely differ from 200% of the return of the Underlying Security’s shares over the same period. The Fund will lose money if the Underlying Security’s performance is flat over time, and because of daily rebalancing, the Underlying Security’s shares’ volatility and the effects of compounding, the Fund may lose money over time while the Underlying Security’s performance increases over a period longer than a single day. As a consequence, investors should not plan to hold shares of the Fund unmonitored for periods longer than a single trading day.
Amkor Technology, Inc. (“AMKR”)
Amkor Technology, Inc. is the world’s largest U.S. headquartered OSAT (outsourced semiconductor assembly and test) service provider. Since its founding in 1968, Amkor has pioneered the outsourcing of integrated circuit (“IC”) packaging and test services and is a strategic manufacturing partner for the world’s leading semiconductor companies, foundries, and electronics original equipment manufacturers (“OEMs”). Amkor provides turnkey manufacturing services for the communication, computing, automotive and industrial and consumer markets, including smartphones, data centers, artificial intelligence, electric vehicles and wearables. Amkor’s operational base includes production facilities, research and development centers and sales and support offices located in key electronics manufacturing regions in Asia, Europe and the United States. AMKR is listed on The Nasdaq Global Select Market (“NASDAQ”). Per AMKR’s most recent 10-K filing, the aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates of the registrant as of June 30, 2024, based upon the closing price of the common stock as reported by the Nasdaq Global Select Market on that date, was approximately $4,545 million.
AMKR is registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Information provided to or filed with the SEC by AMKR pursuant to the Exchange Act can be located by reference to SEC file number 000-29472 through the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. In addition, information regarding AMKR may be obtained from other sources including, but not limited to, press releases, newspaper articles and other publicly disseminated documents.
This document relates only to the securities offered hereby and does not relate to the shares of AMKR or other securities of AMKR. The Fund has derived all disclosures contained in this document regarding AMKR from the publicly available documents. None of the Fund, Tidal Trust II (the “Trust”), or the Adviser, or their respective affiliates has participated in the preparation of such publicly available offering documents or made any due diligence inquiry regarding such documents with respect to AMKR. None of the Fund, the Trust, or the Adviser, or their respective affiliates makes any representation that such publicly available documents or any other publicly available information regarding AMKR is accurate or complete. Furthermore, the Fund cannot give any assurance that all events occurring prior to the date hereof (including events that would affect the accuracy or completeness of the publicly available documents described above) that would affect the trading price of AMKR (and therefore the share price of the Fund at the time we price the securities) have been publicly disclosed. Subsequent disclosure of any such events or the disclosure of or failure to disclose material future events concerning AMKR could affect the value received with respect to the securities and therefore the value of the securities.
None of the Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates makes any representation to you as to the performance of AMKR.
NONE OF THE FUND, TIDAL TRUST II, OR TIDAL INVESTMENTS LLC IS AFFILIATED, CONNECTED, OR ASSOCIATED WITH AMKR. THE FUND WAS NOT DEVELOPED OR CREATED BY, AND IS NOT SPONSORED, ENDORSED, OR APPROVED BY AMKR.
Moreover, AMKR has not participated in the development of the Fund’s investment strategy. AMKR does not select or approve the Fund’s portfolio holdings, nor does it participate in the construction, design, or implementation of the Fund. AMKR does not provide any assurances, guarantees, or representations regarding the Fund or its performance. Nothing herein shall be construed as an offer of any security by AMKR.
None of the Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates claim any ownership interest in any trademarks owned by AMKR or its affiliates. All rights in the trademarks are reserved by their respective owners.
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Due to the Fund’s investment strategy, the Fund’s investment exposure is concentrated in the same industry as that assigned to the Underlying Security. As of the date of the Prospectus, AMKR is assigned to the semiconductors and semiconductor equipment industry.
Principal Investment Risks
The principal risks of investing in the Fund are summarized below. As with any investment, there is a risk that you could lose all or a portion of your investment in the Fund. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”) per Share, trading price, yield, total return, and/or ability to meet its investment objective. For more information about the risks of investing in the Fund, see the section in the Fund’s Prospectus titled “Additional Information About the Fund—Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund.”
An investment in the Fund entails risk. The Fund may not achieve its investment objective and there is a risk that you could lose all of your money invested in the Fund. The Fund is not a complete investment program. In addition, the Fund presents risks not traditionally associated with other ETFs. It is important that investors closely review all of the risks listed below and understand them before making an investment in the Fund.
Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears.
AMKR Risks. The Fund invests in swap contracts and options that are based on the share price of AMKR. This subjects the Fund to certain of the same risks as if it owned shares of AMKR, even though it does not. By virtue of the Fund’s investments in swap contracts and options that are based on the value of AMKR, the Fund may also be subject to the following risks:
| ● | Indirect Investment in AMKR Risk. AMKR is not affiliated with the Trust, the Fund, or the Adviser, or their respective affiliates and is not involved with this offering in any way and has no obligation to consider your Shares in taking any corporate actions that might affect the value of Shares. Investors in the Fund will not have voting rights or influence over the management of AMKR but will be exposed to the performance of AMKR (the Underlying Security). Investors will also not have the right to receive dividends or other distributions from AMKR, but will remain subject to price fluctuations and other risks associated with ownership of the Underlying Security. |
| ● | AMKR Trading Risk. The trading price of AMKR R may be subject to volatility and could experience wide fluctuations due to various factors. Short sellers may also influence AMKR’s trading activity, contributing to market instability. Public perception and external factors beyond the company’s control may influence AMKR’s stock price disproportionately. Additionally, following periods of market volatility, companies have faced securities class action litigation. Any adverse judgment or future stockholder litigation could result in substantial costs and divert management’s attention and resources. In the event of a trading halt, delisting, or significant disruption in the market for AMKR shares, the Fund may experience difficulty entering, modifying, or liquidating its exposures. These conditions could impair the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective, result in significant tracking error, or, in extreme cases, force the Fund to liquidate entirely. |
| ● | AMKR Performance Risk. AMKR may fail to meet its publicly announced guidelines or other expectations about its business, which could cause the price of AMKR to decline. Correctly identifying key factors affecting business conditions and predicting future events is inherently an uncertain process, and the guidance AMKR provides may not ultimately be accurate. If AMKR’s guidance is not accurate or varies from actual results due to its inability to meet the assumptions or the impact on its financial performance that could occur as a result of various risks and uncertainties, the market value of common stock issued by AMKR could decline significantly. |
| ● | Semiconductors Industry Risks. Semiconductor companies may face intense competition, both domestically and internationally, and such competition may have an adverse effect on their profit margins. Semiconductor companies may have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. Semiconductor companies’ supply chain and operations are dependent on the availability of materials that meet exacting standards and the use of third parties to provide components and services. Semiconductor companies may rely on a limited number of suppliers, or upon suppliers in a single location, for certain materials, equipment or tools. Finding and qualifying alternate or additional suppliers can be a lengthy process that can cause production delays or impose unforeseen costs, and such alternatives may not be available at all. Production can be disrupted by the unavailability of resources, such as water, silicon, electricity, gases and other materials. Suppliers may also increase prices or encounter cybersecurity or other issues that can disrupt production or increase production costs. Semiconductor and display and related industries have historically been cyclical and are subject to volatility in customer demand. |
| ● | Supplier Risks. AMKR obtains the materials and equipment required for the packaging and test services performed by its factories from various vendors. AMKR sources most of its materials, including critical materials such as leadframes, laminate substrates and gold wire, from a limited group of suppliers. A disruption to the operations of one or more of its suppliers could extend lead times for materials and equipment and have a negative impact on AMKR’s business. For example, the Covid-19 pandemic and resulting supply chain disruptions and economic turbulence created extended lead times for some materials and equipment, and furthermore, fire, severe weather, earthquakes, flooding and tsunamis in the past have impacted the supply of specialty chemicals, substrates, silicon wafers, equipment and other supplies to the electronics industry. AMKR’s business may be harmed if it cannot obtain materials and other supplies from its vendors in a timely manner, in sufficient quantities, at acceptable quality or at competitive prices or are unable to increase its prices sufficiently to recover inflationary price increases in materials or supplies. |
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| ● | Regulatory Risks. In recent years, the U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security announced new export control regulations applicable to the sale of U.S. semiconductor technology in China (collectively, the “BIS Regulations”). The BIS Regulations and other similarly restrictive trade barriers adopted by U.S. and foreign governments applicable to the semiconductor supply chain, could impact AMKR’s business and the businesses of its customers. These factors may have a material and adverse effect on AMKR’s business, liquidity, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows or lead to significant volatility in quarterly or annual operating results. In addition, these factors may materially and adversely affect AMKR’s credit ratings, which could make it more difficult and expensive for us to raise capital and could materially and adversely affect the price of our securities. |
| ● | Automotive Industry Risks. A significant portion of AMKR’s sales is to customers within the automotive industry. The automotive industry is cyclical, and, as a result, its customers in the automotive end-market are sensitive to changes in general economic conditions, inflationary pressure, disruptive innovation and end-market preferences, which can adversely affect sales of AMKR’s products and, correspondingly, its results of operations. Lower sales to customers in the automotive end-market may have a material adverse effect on AMKR”s business and results of operations. |
Single Issuer Risk. Issuer-specific attributes may cause an investment in the Fund to be more volatile than a traditional pooled investment which diversifies risk or the market generally. The value of the Fund, which focuses on an individual security, may be more volatile than a traditional pooled investment or the market as a whole and may perform differently from the value of a traditional pooled investment or the market as a whole. Additionally, the Fund will seek to employ its investment strategy as it relates to the underlying issuer regardless of whether there are significant corporate actions such as restructurings, enforcement activity, or acquisitions or periods adverse market, economic, or other conditions and will not seek to take temporary defensive positions during such periods.
Compounding and Market Volatility Risk. The Fund has a daily leveraged investment objective and the Fund’s performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which is very likely to differ from two times (200%) the Underlying Security’s performance, before the Fund’s management fee and other expenses. Compounding affects all investments but has a more significant impact on funds that aim to replicate leveraged daily returns and that rebalance daily. For the Fund aiming to replicate two times the daily performance of an Underlying Security, if adverse daily performance of the Underlying Security reduces the amount of a shareholder’s investment, any further adverse daily performance will lead to a smaller dollar loss because the shareholder’s investment had already been reduced by the prior adverse performance. Equally, however, if favorable daily performance of the Underlying Security increases the amount of a shareholder’s investment, the dollar amount lost due to future adverse performance will increase because the shareholder’s investment has increased.
The effect of compounding becomes more pronounced as the Underlying Security’s volatility and the holding period increase. The impact of compounding will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Fund is held and the volatility of the Underlying Security during a shareholder’s holding period of an investment in the Fund.
The chart below provides examples of how the Underlying Security’s volatility could affect the Fund’s performance. The chart illustrates the impact of two factors that affect the Fund’s performance – the Underlying Security’s volatility and the Underlying Security’s performance. The Underlying Security’s performance shows the percentage change in the share price of the Underlying Security over the specified time period, while the Underlying Security’s volatility is a statistical measure of the magnitude of fluctuations in the returns during that time period. As illustrated below, even if the Underlying Security’s performance over two equal time periods is identical, different Underlying Security volatility (i.e., in magnitude of fluctuations in the share price of the Underlying Security) during the two time periods could result in drastically different Fund performance for the two time periods because of compounding daily returns during the time periods.
Fund performance for periods greater than one single day can be estimated given any set of assumptions for the following factors: a) the Underlying Security volatility; b) the Underlying Security performance; c) period of time; d) financing rates associated with leveraged exposure; and e) other Fund expenses. The chart shows estimated Fund returns for a number of combinations of Underlying Security volatility and Underlying Security performance over a one-year period. Performance shown in the chart assumes that: (i) there were no Fund expenses; (ii) borrowing/lending rates (to obtain leveraged exposure) of 0%. If Fund expenses and/or actual borrowing/lending rates were reflected the estimated returns would be different than those shown. Particularly during periods of higher Underlying Security volatility, compounding will cause results for periods longer than a trading day to vary from two times (200%) the performance of the Underlying Security.
As shown in the chart below, the Fund would be expected to lose 6.1% if there was no change in the share price of the Underlying Security over a one-year period during which the Underlying Security experienced annualized volatility of 25%. If the Underlying Security’s annualized volatility were to rise to 75%, the hypothetical loss for a one-year period would widen to approximately -43%. At higher ranges of volatility, there is a chance of a significant loss of value in the Fund, even if there were no change in the share price of the Underlying Security. For instance, if the Underlying Security’s annualized volatility is 100%, the Fund would be expected to lose 63.2% of its value, even if the cumulative Underlying Security change in the share price of the Underlying Security for the year was 0%.
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Areas shaded red (or dark gray) represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return less than two times (200%) the performance of the Underlying Security and those shaded green (or light gray) represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return more than two times (200%) the performance of the Underlying Security. The Fund’s actual performance may be significantly better or worse than the performance shown below as a result of any of the factors discussed above or in the “Daily Correlation/Tracking Risk” below.
| Estimated
Returns of 200% or Two Times Performance of the Underlying Security |
|||||||
| Underlying Security Performance | One Year Volatility Rate | ||||||
| One
Year Underlying Security |
2X
Times (200%) the One Year Performance |
10% | 25% | 50% | 75% | 100% | |
| -60% | -120% | -84.2% | -85.0% | -87.5% | -90.9% | -94.1% | |
| -50% | -100% | -75.2% | -76.5% | -80.5% | -85.8% | -90.8% | |
| -40% | -80% | -64.4% | -66.2% | -72.0% | -79.5% | -86.8% | |
| -30% | -60% | -51.5% | -54.0% | -61.8% | -72.1% | -82.0% | |
| -20% | -40% | -36.6% | -39.9% | -50.2% | -63.5% | -76.5% | |
| -10% | -20% | -19.8% | -23.9% | -36.9% | -53.8% | -70.2% | |
| 0% | 0% | -1.0% | -6.1% | -22.1% | -43.0% | -63.2% | |
| 10% | 20% | 19.8% | 13.7% | -5.8% | -31.1% | -55.5% | |
| 20% | 40% | 42.6% | 35.3% | 12.1% | -18.0% | -47.0% | |
| 30% | 60% | 67.3% | 58.8% | 31.6% | -3.7% | -37.8% | |
| 40% | 80% | 94.0% | 84.1% | 52.6% | 11.7% | -27.9% | |
| 50% | 100% | 122.8% | 111.4% | 75.2% | 28.2% | -17.2% | |
| 60% | 120% | 153.5% | 140.5% | 99.4% | 45.9% | -5.8% | |
The Underlying Security’s annualized historical volatility rate for the period from [ ] (the earliest date available) to [ ] was [ ]%. The Underlying Security’s annualized performance during this period was [ ]%. Historical Underlying Security volatility and performance are not indications of what Underlying Security volatility and performance will be in the future.
Daily Correlation/Tracking Risk. There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of leveraged correlation to the Underlying Security and therefore achieve its daily leveraged investment objective. To achieve a high degree of leveraged correlation with the Underlying Security, the Fund seeks to rebalance its portfolio daily to keep exposure consistent with its daily leveraged investment objective. The possibility of the Fund being materially over- or under-exposed to the Underlying Security increases on days when the Underlying Security is volatile near the close of the trading day. Market disruptions, regulatory restrictions and extreme volatility will also adversely affect the Fund’s ability to adjust exposure to the required levels. If there is a significant intra-day market event and/or the Underlying Security experiences a significant increase or decline, the Fund may not meet its investment objective, be able to rebalance its portfolio appropriately, or may experience significant premiums or discounts, or widened bid-ask spreads.
The Fund may have difficulty achieving its daily leveraged investment objective due to fees, expenses, transaction costs, financing costs related to the use of derivatives, investments in ETFs, directly or indirectly, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities or derivatives held by the Fund. The Fund may be subject to large movements of assets into and out of the Fund, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or under-exposed to the Underlying Security. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions to improve the tax efficiency or to comply with various regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively impact the Fund’s leveraged correlation to the Underlying Security.
Leverage Risk. The Fund obtains investment exposure in excess of its net assets by utilizing leverage and may lose more money in market conditions that are adverse to its investment objective than a fund that does not utilize leverage. An investment in the Fund is exposed to the risk that a decline in the daily performance of the Underlying Security will be magnified. This means that an investment in the Fund will be reduced by an amount equal to 2% for every 1% daily decline in the share price of the Underlying Security, not including the costs of financing leverage and other operating expenses, which would further reduce its value. The Fund could theoretically lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event the share price of the Underlying Security declines more than 50%. Leverage will also have the effect of magnifying any differences in the Fund performance’s correlation with the Underlying Security’s share price.
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Derivatives Risk. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds (including ETFs), interest rates or indexes. The Fund’s investments in derivatives may pose risks in addition to, and greater than, those associated with directly investing in securities or other ordinary investments, including risk related to the market, leverage, imperfect daily correlations with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, higher price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty risk, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions. The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of derivatives may result in larger losses or smaller gains than directly investing in securities. When the Fund uses derivatives, there may be imperfect correlation between the share price of the Underlying Security and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. Because derivatives often require only a limited initial investment, the use of derivatives may expose the Fund to losses in excess of those amounts initially invested.
The Fund will be subject to regulatory constraints relating to level of value at risk that the Fund may incur through its derivative portfolio. To the extent the Fund exceeds these regulatory thresholds over an extended period, the Fund may determine that it is necessary to make adjustments to the Fund’s investment strategy, including the desired daily leveraged performance for the Fund.
In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
Swap Agreements. The use of swap transactions is a highly specialized activity, which involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. Whether the Fund will be successful in using swap agreements to achieve its investment goal depends on the ability of the Adviser to structure such swap agreements in accordance with the Fund’s investment objective and to identify counterparties for those swap agreements. If the Adviser is unable to enter into swap agreements that provide leveraged exposure to the Underlying Security, the Fund may not meet its stated investment objective. Additionally, any financing, borrowing or other costs associated with using swap transactions may also have the effect of lowering the Fund’s return.
The swap agreements in which the Fund invests are generally traded in the over-the-counter market, which generally has less transparency than exchange-traded derivatives instruments. In a standard swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the return (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined reference assets or underlying securities or instruments. The gross return to be exchanged or swapped between the parties is calculated based on a notional amount or the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount invested in a basket of securities.
If the Underlying Security has a dramatic move that causes a material decline in the Fund’s net assets, the terms of a swap agreement between the Fund and its counterparty may permit the counterparty to immediately close out the swap transaction with the Fund. In that event, the Fund may be unable to enter into another swap agreement or invest in other derivatives to achieve exposure consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. This may prevent the Fund from achieving its leveraged investment objective, even if the Underlying Security later reverses all or a portion of its movement.
Options Contracts. The use of options contracts involves investment strategies and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The prices of options are volatile and are influenced by, among other things, actual and anticipated changes in the value of the underlying instrument, including the anticipated volatility, which are affected by fiscal and monetary policies and by national and international political, changes in the actual or implied volatility or the reference asset, the time remaining until the expiration of the option contract and economic events. The value of the options contracts in which the Fund invests are substantially influenced by the value of the Underlying Security. The Fund may experience substantial downside from specific option positions and certain option positions held by the Fund may expire worthless. The options held by the Fund are exercisable at the strike price on their expiration date. As an option approaches its expiration date, its value typically increasingly moves with the value of the underlying instrument. However, prior to such date, the value of an option generally does not increase or decrease at the same rate as the underlying instrument. There may at times be an imperfect correlation between the movement in values options contracts and the underlying instrument, and there may at times not be a liquid secondary market for certain options contracts. The value of the options held by the Fund will be determined based on market quotations or other recognized pricing methods. Additionally, as the Fund intends to continuously maintain indirect exposure to the Underlying Security through the use of options contracts, as the options contracts it holds are exercised or expire it will enter into new options contracts, a practice referred to as “rolling.” If the expiring options contracts do not generate proceeds enough to cover the cost of entering into new options contracts, the Fund may experience losses. The use of options to generate leverage introduces additional risks, including significant potential losses if the market moves unfavorably. The leverage inherent in options can amplify both gains and losses, leading to increased volatility and potential for substantial losses, particularly in periods of market uncertainty or low liquidity. Additionally, the Fund may incur losses if the value of the Underlying Security moves against its positions, potentially resulting in a complete loss of the premium paid.
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Counterparty Risk. The Fund is subject to counterparty risk by virtue of its investments in derivatives which exposes the Fund to the risk that the counterparty will not fulfill its obligation to the Fund. Counterparty risk may arise because of the counterparty’s financial condition (i.e., financial difficulties, bankruptcy, or insolvency), market activities and developments, or other reasons, whether foreseen or not. A counterparty’s inability to fulfill its obligation may result in significant financial loss to the Fund and the Fund may be unable to recover its investment from such counterparty or may obtain a limited and/or delayed recovery.
Counterparties may seek to hedge their exposure to individual clients (such as the Fund) by establishing offsetting exposures with other clients, however, there is no guarantee that counterparties will do so under all circumstances. Should a counterparty (e.g., a swap counterparty) terminate its relationship with the Fund, the Fund will seek to utilize other counterparties to seek to maintain its exposures. In addition, the Fund may use options contracts to seek to generate the leverage necessary to implement its strategy. The use of options contracts introduces distinct risks, including heightened volatility, particularly intraday. While options may provide an ancillary benefit of mitigating some losses under specific scenarios, such as severe market downturns, their inherent leverage and rapid price fluctuations can amplify the Fund’s performance volatility and lead to greater risks of substantial losses. Refer to “Derivatives Risk – Options Contracts” for additional information on the risks of investing in options.
In addition, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with a limited number of counterparties, which may increase the Fund’s exposure to counterparty credit risk. Further, there is a risk that no suitable counterparties will be willing to enter into, or continue to enter into, transactions with the Fund and, as a result, the Fund may not be able to achieve its investment objective.
Intra-Day Investment Risk. The Fund seeks investment results from the close of the market on a given trading day until the close of the market on the subsequent trading day. The exact exposure of an investment in the Fund intraday in the secondary market is a function of the difference between the share price of the Underlying Security at the market close on the first trading day and the share price of the Underlying Security at the time of purchase. If the share price of the Underlying Security rises, the Fund’s net assets will rise by approximately twice the amount as the Fund’s exposure. Conversely, if the share price of the Underlying Security declines, the Fund’s net assets will decline by approximately two times the amount as the Fund’s exposure. Thus, an investor that purchases Shares intra-day may experience performance that is greater than, or less than, the Fund’s stated leveraged performance of the Underlying Security.
If there is a significant intra-day market event and/or the securities of the Underlying Security experience a significant increase or decrease, the Fund may not meet its investment objective or rebalance its portfolio appropriately.
Fixed Income Securities Risk. When the Fund invests in fixed income securities, the value of your investment in the Fund will fluctuate with changes in interest rates. Typically, a rise in interest rates causes a decline in the value of fixed income securities owned by the Fund. In general, the market price of fixed income securities with longer maturities will increase or decrease more in response to changes in interest rates than shorter-term securities. Other risk factors include credit risk (the debtor may default), extension risk (an issuer may exercise its right to repay principal on a fixed rate obligation held by the Fund later than expected), and prepayment risk (the debtor may pay its obligation early, reducing the amount of interest payments). These risks could affect the value of a particular investment by the Fund, possibly causing the Fund’s Share price and total return to be reduced and fluctuate more than other types of investments.
Rebalancing Risk. If for any reason the Fund is unable to rebalance all or a portion of its portfolio, or if all or a portion of the portfolio is rebalanced incorrectly, the Fund’s investment exposure may not be consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. In these instances, the Fund may have investment exposure to the Underlying Security that is significantly greater or less than its stated investment objective. As a result, the Fund may be exposed to leverage risk because it had not been properly rebalanced and may not achieve its investment objective.
ETF Risks
Authorized Participants, Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that are authorized to purchase and redeem Shares directly from the Fund (known as “Authorized Participants” or “APs”). In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, Shares may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services; or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.
Cash Redemption Risk. The Fund’s investment strategy may require it to redeem Shares for cash or to otherwise include cash as part of its redemption proceeds. For example, the Fund may not be able to redeem in-kind certain securities held by the Fund (e.g., derivative instruments). In such a case, the Fund may be required to sell or unwind portfolio investments to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. This may cause the Fund to recognize a capital gain that it might not have recognized if it had made a redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher annual capital gain distributions than if the in-kind redemption process was used. By paying out higher annual capital gain distributions, investors may be subjected to increased capital gains taxes. The costs associated with cash redemptions may include brokerage costs that the Fund may not have incurred if it had made the redemptions in-kind. These costs could be imposed on the Fund, decreasing its NAV, to the extent these costs are not offset by a transaction fee payable by an authorized participant.
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Costs of Buying or Selling Shares. Buying or selling Shares involves certain costs, including brokerage commissions, other charges imposed by brokers, and bid-ask spreads. The bid-ask spread represents the difference between the price at which an investor is willing to buy Shares and the price at which an investor is willing to sell Shares. The spread varies over time based on the Shares’ trading volume and market liquidity. The spread is generally lower if Shares have more trading volume and market liquidity and higher if Shares have little trading volume and market liquidity. Due to the costs of buying or selling Shares, frequent trading of Shares may reduce investment results and an investment in Shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.
Shares May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all ETFs, Shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of Shares will approximate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price of Shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount) due to supply and demand of Shares or during periods of market volatility. This risk is heightened in times of market volatility, periods of steep market declines, and periods when there is limited trading activity for Shares in the secondary market, in which case such premiums or discounts may be significant.
Trading. Although Shares are listed on a national securities exchange, such as [ ] (the “Exchange”), and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that 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 Shares. This adverse effect on liquidity for the Fund’s shares may lead to wider bid-ask spreads and differences between the market price of the Fund’s shares and the underlying value of the shares.
Liquidity Risk. In certain circumstances, such as the disruption of the orderly markets for the financial instruments in which the Fund invests, the Fund might not be able to acquire or dispose of certain holdings quickly or at prices that represent true market value in the judgment of the Adviser. Markets for the financial instruments in which the Fund invests may be disrupted by a number of events, including but not limited to economic crises, health crises, natural disasters, excessive volatility, new legislation, or regulatory changes inside or outside of the U.S. These situations may have an impact on the liquidity of the Fund’s own shares.”
Economic and Market Risk. Economies and financial markets throughout the world are becoming increasingly interconnected, which increases the likelihood that events or conditions in one country or region will adversely impact markets or issuers in other countries or regions. Securities in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform in comparison to securities in the general financial markets, a particular financial market, or other asset classes, due to a number of factors, including inflation (or expectations for inflation), deflation (or expectations for deflation), interest rates, global demand for particular products or resources, market instability, financial system instability, debt crises and downgrades, embargoes, tariffs, sanctions and other trade barriers, regulatory events, other governmental trade or market control programs and related geopolitical events. In addition, the value of the Fund’s investments may be negatively affected by the occurrence of global events such as war, terrorism, environmental disasters, natural disasters or events, country instability, and infectious disease epidemics or pandemics. The imposition by the U.S. of tariffs on goods imported from foreign countries and reciprocal tariffs levied on U.S. goods by those countries also may lead to volatility and instability in domestic and foreign markets.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk. Daily rebalancing of the Fund’s holdings pursuant to its daily investment objective causes a much greater number of portfolio transactions when compared to most ETFs. Additionally, active market trading of the Fund’s Shares on exchanges (such as the Exchange), could cause more frequent creation and redemption activities, which could increase the number of portfolio transactions. Frequent and active trading may lead to higher transaction costs because of increased broker commissions resulting from such transactions. In addition, there is the possibility of significantly increased short-term capital gains (which will be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income when distributed to them). The Fund calculates portfolio turnover without including the short-term cash instruments or derivative transactions that comprise the majority of the Fund’s trading. As such, if the Fund’s extensive use of derivative instruments were reflected, the calculated portfolio turnover rate would be significantly higher.
Tracking Error Risk. Tracking error is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of its investment objective which aims to replicate two times the daily percentage change in the price of the Underlying Security. Tracking error may occur for a number of reasons. Tracking error may occur because of transaction costs, the Fund’s holding of cash, differences in accrual of dividends, being under- or overexposed to the Underlying Security or the need to meet new or existing regulatory requirements. Tracking error risk may be heightened during times of market volatility or other unusual market conditions such as market disruptions. The Fund may be required to deviate from its investment objectives, and therefore experience tracking error, as a result of market restrictions or other legal reasons, including regulatory limits or other restrictions on securities that may be purchased by the Adviser and its affiliates.
Liquidity Risk. Some securities held by the Fund may be difficult to sell or be illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including, but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, epidemics/pandemics, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the United States. Illiquid securities may be difficult to value, especially in changing or volatile markets. If the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid security at an unfavorable time or price, the Fund may be adversely impacted. Certain market conditions or restrictions may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Underlying Security. There is no assurance that a security that is deemed liquid when purchased will continue to be liquid. Market illiquidity may cause losses for the Fund.
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Money Market Instrument Risk. The Fund may use a variety of money market instruments for cash management purposes, including money market funds, depositary accounts and repurchase agreements. Repurchase agreements are contracts in which a seller of securities agrees to buy the securities back at a specified time and price. Repurchase agreements may be subject to market and credit risk related to the collateral securing the repurchase agreement. Money market instruments may lose money.
New Fund Risk. The Fund is a recently organized management investment company with no operating history. As a result, prospective investors do not have a track record or history on which to base their investment decisions.
Non-Diversification Risk. Because the Fund is “non-diversified,” it may invest a greater percentage of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it was a diversified fund. As a result, a decline in the value of an investment in a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers could cause the Fund’s overall value to decline to a greater degree than if the Fund held a more diversified portfolio. This may increase the Fund’s volatility and cause the performance of a relatively smaller number of issuers to have a greater impact on the Fund’s performance.
Trading Halt Risk. Although the Underlying Security’s shares are listed for trading on an exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such shares will be available at all times and the Exchange may halt trading of such shares in certain circumstances. A halt in trading in the Underlying Security’s shares is expected, in turn, to result in a halt in the trading in the Fund’s Shares. Trading in the Underlying Security’s and/or Fund’s Shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in the Underlying Security’s and/or Fund’s Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in Underlying Security’s and/or Fund’s Shares on an exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to exchange “circuit breaker” rules.” In the event of a trading halt for an extended period of time, the Fund may be unable to execute arrangements with swap counterparties that are necessary to implement the Fund’s investment strategy.
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 and the Fund’s investment advisor seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures, there is no way to completely protect against such risks.
U.S. Government and U.S. Agency Obligations Risk. The Fund may invest in securities issued by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities. U.S. Government obligations include securities issued or guaranteed as to principal and interest by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities, such as the U.S. Treasury. Payment of principal and interest on U.S. Government obligations may be backed by the full faith and credit of the United States or may be backed solely by the issuing or guaranteeing agency or instrumentality itself. In the latter case, the investor must look principally to the agency or instrumentality issuing or guaranteeing the obligation for ultimate repayment, which agency or instrumentality may be privately owned. There can be no assurance that the U.S. Government would provide financial support to its agencies or instrumentalities (including government-sponsored enterprises) where it is not obligated to do so.
Tax Risk. The Fund intends to elect and to qualify each year to be treated as a regulated investment company (a “RIC”) under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (“Code”). As a RIC, the Fund will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the portion of its net investment income and net capital gain that it distributes to shareholders, provided that it satisfies certain requirements of the Code. If the Fund does not qualify as a RIC for any taxable year and certain relief provisions are not available, the Fund’s taxable income will be subject to tax at the Fund level and to a further tax at the shareholder level when such income is distributed. To comply with the asset diversification test applicable to a RIC, the Fund will attempt to ensure that the value of swap contracts and options on shares of a single issuer does not exceed 25% of the Fund’s value at the close of any quarter. If the value of swap contracts and options on shares of a single issuer were to exceed 25% of the Fund’s total assets at the end of a tax quarter, the Fund, generally, has a grace period to cure such lack of compliance. If the Fund fails to timely cure, it may no longer be eligible to be treated as a RIC.
Performance
Performance information for the Fund is not included because the Fund has not completed a full calendar year of operations as of the date of this Prospectus. When such information is included, this section will provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance history from year to year and showing how the Fund’s average annual total returns compare with those of a broad measure of market performance. Although past performance of the Fund is no guarantee of how it will perform in the future, historical performance may give you some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. Updated performance information will be available on the Fund’s website at https://www.defianceetfs.com.
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Management
Investment Adviser: Tidal Investments LLC serves as investment adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers:
The following individuals are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund.
Stephen Foy, Portfolio Manager for the Adviser, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in 2025.
Christopher P. Mullen, Portfolio Manager for the Adviser, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in 2025.
Purchase and Sale of Shares
The Fund issues and redeems Shares at NAV only in large blocks known as “Creation Units,” which only APs (typically, broker-dealers) may purchase or redeem. The Fund generally issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities (the “Deposit Securities”) and/or a designated amount of U.S. cash.
Shares are listed on a national securities exchange, such as the Exchange, and individual Shares may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through brokers at market prices, rather than NAV. Because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).
An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares (the “bid” price) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares (the “ask” price) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market. This difference in bid and ask prices is often referred to as the “bid-ask spread.”
When available, information regarding the Fund’s NAV, market price, how often Shares traded on the Exchange at a premium or discount, and bid-ask spreads can be found on the Fund’s website at https://www.defianceetfs.com.
Tax Information
Fund distributions are generally taxable as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains (or a combination), unless an investment is in an individual retirement account (“IRA”) or other tax-advantaged account. Distributions on investments made through tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal of assets from those accounts.
Financial Intermediary Compensation
If you purchase Shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank) (an “Intermediary”), the Adviser or its affiliates may pay Intermediaries for certain activities related to the Fund, including participation in activities that are designed to make Intermediaries more knowledgeable about exchange-traded products, including the Fund, or for other activities, such as marketing, educational training, or other initiatives related to the sale or promotion of Shares. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the Intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Any such arrangements do not result in increased Fund expenses. Ask your salesperson or visit the Intermediary’s website for more information.
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUNDS
Investment Objectives
The investment objective of each Fund is to seek daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of two times (200%) the daily percentage change in the share price of its Underlying Security.
An investment objective is fundamental if it cannot be changed without the consent of the holders of a majority of the outstanding Shares. The Fund’s investment objective has not been adopted as a fundamental investment policy and therefore the Fund’s investment objective may be changed without the consent of that Fund’s shareholders upon approval by the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of Tidal Trust II (the “Trust”) and at least 60 days’ written notice to shareholders.
Each Fund has adopted a policy to have at least 80% exposure to financial instruments with economic characteristics that should perform 2X the daily performance of its Underlying Security’s shares. Each Fund’s 80% policy is non-fundamental and can be changed without shareholder approval. However, Fund shareholders would be given at least 60 days’ notice prior to any such change. To the extent swaps are used to meet the Fund’s 80% policy, the notional value of the swaps will be used when determining the Fund’s compliance.
Each Fund engages in transactions with counterparties, which may include subsidiaries of public companies. Investors should be aware that a Fund may not have recourse to the parent company for obligations of such counterparties. Consequently, a Fund is exposed to the credit risk of these counterparties, and their inability to meet the terms of their agreements could result in financial loss to the Fund.
Each Fund seeks to provide a return of up to two times the daily performance of the share price its Underlying Security.
No Fund attempts to, and no Fund should be expected to, achieve this daily percentage change for periods other than a single day. Each Fund rebalances its implied exposure on a daily basis, increasing exposure to the Underlying Security in response to that day’s gains or reducing exposure in the Underlying Security in response to that day’s losses.
The exposure to the Underlying Security received by an investor who purchases a Fund intra-day will differ from such Fund’s stated daily investment objective by an amount determined by the movement of such Underlying Security from its share price at the end of the prior day. If the Underlying Security’s share price moves in a direction favorable to the Fund between the close of the market on one trading day through the time on the next trading day when the investor purchases Fund Shares, the investor will receive less exposure to the Underlying Security than the Fund’s stated daily investment objective. Conversely, if the Underlying Security’s share price moves in a direction adverse to the Fund, the investor will receive more exposure to the Underlying Security than the Fund’s stated daily investment objective.
As used in this Prospectus, the terms “daily,” “day,” and “trading day,” mean the period from the regular close of the markets on one trading day to the regular close of the markets on the next trading day.
Each Fund is designed as a short-term trading vehicle. The Funds are intended to be used by investors who intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios.
Shares of each Fund upon commencement of operations will be listed and traded on the Exchange, where the market prices for the Shares may be different from the intra-day value of the Shares disseminated by the Exchange and from their NAV. Unlike conventional mutual funds, Shares are not individually redeemable directly with the applicable Fund. Rather, each Fund issues and redeems Shares on a continuous basis at NAV only in large blocks of Shares called “Creation Units.” Creation Units of the Funds are issued and redeemed for cash. As a result, retail investors generally will not be able to purchase or redeem Shares directly from, or with, a Fund. Most retail investors will purchase or sell Shares in the secondary market through a broker.
The Funds are not suitable for all investors. In particular, the Funds are not suitable for investors with longer-term investment objectives. Each Fund is designed to be utilized only by sophisticated investors, such as traders and active investors employing dynamic strategies. Such investors are expected to monitor and manage their portfolios frequently. Investors in the Funds should: (a) understand the consequences of seeking daily leveraged investment results and (b) understand the risks associated with the use of leverage. Investors who do not understand the Funds or do not intend to actively manage their funds and monitor their investments should not buy any Fund.
There is no assurance that any Fund will achieve its investment objective and an investment in any Fund could lose a substantial amount of money over a short period of time. No single fund is a complete investment program.
Principal Investment Strategies
In order to achieve each Fund’s investment objective, the Adviser invests in a manner that is designed to correspond to two times (200%) the daily performance of the share price of such Fund’s Underlying Security.
Each Fund attempts to achieve its investment objective by investing a substantial amount of its assets in financial instruments that provide exposure to its Underlying Security, such as swap agreements. At the end of each trading day, it is expected that for the 2X leveraged exposure each Fund seeks, the swap notional exposure against the Underlying Security will be approximately equal to two times the Fund’s NAV.
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To achieve a swap notional exposure equal two times a Fund’s NAV at the end of each trading day, the Adviser will adjust the swap notional exposure daily by sending orders to the swap provider(s) for execution at close. Such transactions will result in trading fees to be paid by the Fund.
Each Fund will enter into swap agreements with major financial institutions for a specified period ranging from one day to more than one year whereby the respective Fund and the global financial institution will agree to exchange the return earned or realized on the underlying security. The gross returns to be exchanged or “swapped” between the parties are calculated with respect to a “notional amount,” e.g., the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount representing the underlying security. Each trading day, the Adviser adjusts each Fund’s exposure to its underlying security consistent with the Fund’s daily leveraged investment objective. The impact of market movements during the day determines whether the portfolio needs to be repositioned. If the share price of the underlying security has risen on a given day, the value of the Fund’s net assets should rise, meaning its exposure will typically need to be increased. Conversely, if the share price of the underlying security has fallen on a given day, the value of the Fund’s net assets should fall, meaning its exposure will typically need to be reduced.
The time and manner in which a Fund rebalances its portfolio may vary from day to day at the sole discretion of the Adviser depending upon market conditions and other circumstances. Generally, at or near the close of the market at each trading day, each Fund will position its portfolio to seek to ensure that the Fund’s exposure to its underlying security is consistent with its stated investment objective. Each Fund reviews its notional exposure under each of its swap agreements, which reflects the extent of the Fund’s total investment exposure under the swap, to seek to ensure that the Fund’s exposure is in-line with its stated investment objective. The gross returns to be exchanged are calculated with respect to the notional amount and the underlying security share price returns to which the swap is linked. Swaps are typically closed out on a net basis. Thus, while the notional amount reflects a Fund’s total investment exposure under the swap, the net amount is the Fund’s current obligations (or rights) under the swap. That is the amount to be paid or received under the agreement based on the relative values of the positions held by each party to the agreement. If for any reason a Fund is unable to rebalance all or a portion of its portfolio, or if all or a portion of the portfolio is rebalanced incorrectly, the Fund’s investment exposure may not be consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. As a result, a Fund may be more or less exposed to leverage risk than if it had been properly rebalanced and may not achieve its investment objective. To the extent that a Fund needs to “roll” its swap positions (i.e., enter into new swap positions with a later expiration date as the current positions approach expiration), it could be subjected to increased costs, which could negatively impact the Fund’s performance.
Additionally, to complement each Fund’s primary strategy of using swap agreements to achieve leveraged exposure, a Fund may employ listed options contracts as an additional tool to generate leverage on an as-needed basis. By incorporating listed options, such as call options, a Fund can gain leveraged exposure to the Underlying Security without relying solely on swaps. This flexibility allows the Fund to adjust its leverage strategy in response to market conditions, liquidity constraints, or other factors that may impact the availability or pricing of swap agreements. The use of options may help the Fund meet its daily investment objective more effectively under varying market conditions.
Each Fund will hold assets to serve as collateral for such Fund’s swap agreements. For those collateral holdings, each Fund may invest in (1) U.S. Government securities, such as bills, notes and bonds issued by the U.S. Treasury; (2) money market funds; (3) short term bond exchange-traded fund (ETFs); and/or (4) corporate debt securities, such as commercial paper and other short-term unsecured promissory notes issued by businesses that are rated investment grade or of comparable quality.
The Effects of Fees and Expenses on the Return of the Fund for a Single Trading Day
To create the necessary exposure, the Funds will enter into one or more swap agreements with financial institutions. The Funds will incur borrowing costs associated with the use of swaps. For instance, if an Underlying Security returns 1% on a given day, the gross expected return of applicable 2X Fund would be 2%, but the net expected return, which factors in the cost of financing the portfolio and the impact of operating expenses, would be lower.
The Funds may have difficulty in achieving their daily leveraged investment objective due to fees, expenses, transaction costs, income items, accounting standards, significant purchase and redemption activity by respective Fund shareholders and/or disruptions or a temporary lack of liquidity in the markets for the securities held by such Fund.
A Fund will be subject to regulatory constraints relating to level of value at risk that a Fund may incur through its derivative portfolio.
An exchange or market may close or issue trading halts on specific securities, or the ability to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments may be restricted, which may result in a Fund being unable to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments. In such circumstances, such Fund may be unable to rebalance its portfolio, may be unable to accurately price its investments and/or may incur substantial trading losses.
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If a Fund is unable to obtain sufficient exposure to its Underlying Security due to the limited availability of necessary investments or financial instruments, such Fund could, among other things, fail to meet its daily investment objective or experience increased transaction fees. Under such circumstances, the Fund could trade at significant bid-ask spreads, premiums or discounts to its NAV and could experience substantial redemptions.
A Cautionary Note to Investor’s Regarding Dramatic Underlying Security Movement. The Adviser will not attempt to position each Fund’s portfolio to ensure that a Fund does not gain or lose more than maximum percentage of its NAV on a given day. A Fund could lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event of a movement of an Underlying Security’s share price in excess of 50% in a direction adverse to the Fund (meaning a loss in the value of the Underlying Security). As a result, the risk of total loss exists.
If an Underlying Security’s share price has a dramatic loss that causes a material decline in a Fund’s net assets, the terms of the Fund’s swap agreements may permit the counterparty to immediately close out the swap transaction. In that event, a Fund may be unable to enter into another swap agreement or invest in other derivatives to achieve exposure consistent with a Fund’s investment objective. This may prevent a Fund from achieving its investment objective, even if the Underlying Security later reverses all or a portion the move, and result in significant losses.
Examples
Examples of the Impact of Daily Compounding. Because each Fund’s exposure to the applicable Underlying Security’s share price is repositioned on a daily basis, for a holding period longer than one day, the pursuit of the daily investment objective will result in daily compounding for each Fund. This means that the return of the applicable Underlying Security’s share price over a period of time greater than one day multiplied by the Fund’s daily investment objective (e.g., 200% of such return) generally will not equal such Fund’s performance over that same period. As a consequence, investors should not plan to hold shares of a Fund unmonitored for periods longer than a single trading day. This deviation increases with higher volatility in the applicable Underlying Security’s share price and longer holding periods. Further, the return for investors that invest for periods less than a full trading day or for a period different than a trading day will not be the product of the return of such Fund’s stated daily leveraged investment objective and the performance of the applicable Underlying Security’s share price for the full trading day. The actual exposure will largely be a function of the performance of the applicable Underlying Security’s share price from the end of the prior trading day. The examples assume a full daily leveraged amount of exactly 2X to the applicable Underlying Security’s share price.
Consider the following examples (each of which assumes the investor purchases and sells shares at NAV):
Example A
Amy is considering investments in two Funds, Funds A and B. Fund A is an ETF which seeks (before fees and expenses) to match the performance of the hypothetical underlying security’s share price. Fund B is a leveraged ETF and seeks daily leveraged investment results (before fees and expenses) that correspond to 200% of the daily performance of the hypothetical underlying security’s share price.
On Day 1, the hypothetical underlying security’s share price increases in value from $100 to $105, a gain of 5%. On Day 2, the hypothetical underlying security’s share price declines from $105 back to $100, a loss of 4.76%. In the aggregate, the share price of the hypothetical underlying security has not moved.
An investment in Fund A would be expected to gain 5% on Day 1 and lose 4.76% on Day 2, returning the investment its original value. The following example assumes a $100 investment in Fund A when the hypothetical underlying security’s share price is $100:
| Day | Underlying Security Share Price | Underlying
Security Performance |
Value of Fund A Investment |
| $100.00 | |||
| 1 | $105.00 | 5.00% | $105.00 |
| 2 | $100.00 | -4.76% | $100.00 |
The same $100 investment in Fund B would be expected to gain 10% on Day 1 (200% of 5%) but decline 9.52% on Day 2.
| Day | Underlying Security Performance | 200%
of Underlying Security Performance |
Value of Fund B Investment |
| $100.00 | |||
| 1 | 5.00% | 10.0% | $110.00 |
| 2 | -4.76% | -9.52% | $99.52 |
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Although the percentage decline in Fund B is smaller on Day 2 than the percentage gain on Day 1, the loss is applied to a higher principal amount, so the investment in Fund B experiences a loss even when the share price of the underlying security for the two-day period has not declined (these calculations do not include the charges for fund fees and expenses).
As you can see, an investment in Fund B has additional risks due to the effects of leverage and compounding.
An investor who purchases shares of a Fund intra-day will generally receive more, or less, than the applicable exposure to the underlying security’s share price from that point until the end of the trading day. The actual exposure will be largely a function of the performance of the underlying security from the end of the prior trading day. If a Fund’s shares are held for a period longer than a single trading day, the Fund’s performance is likely to deviate from the respective multiple return of the underlying security’s performance for the longer period. This deviation will increase with higher underlying security volatility and longer holding periods.
Examples of the Impact of Volatility of an Underlying Security. Each Fund rebalances its portfolio on a daily basis, increasing exposure in response to that day’s gains or reducing exposure in response to that day’s losses. Daily rebalancing will typically cause a Fund to lose money if the Underlying Security’s shares experience volatility. A volatility rate is a statistical measure of the magnitude of fluctuations in the underlying security’s share price returns over a defined period. For periods longer than a trading day, volatility in the performance of the Underlying Security shares from day to day is the primary cause of any disparity between a Fund’s actual returns and the returns of the share of the Underlying Security for such period. Volatility causes such disparity because it exacerbates the effects of compounding on a Fund’s returns. In addition, the effects of volatility are magnified in the Funds due to leverage. Consider the following three examples that demonstrate the effect of volatility on a hypothetical fund (each of which assumes the investor purchases and sells shares at NAV):
Example 1 – Underlying Security Experiences Low Volatility
Amy invests $10.00 in a Hypothetical 2X Fund at the close of trading on Day 1. During Day 2, the hypothetical underlying security’s share price rises from 100 to 102, a 2% gain. Amy’s investment rises 4% to $10.40. Amy holds her investment through the close of trading on Day 3, during which the hypothetical underlying security’s share price rises from 102 to 104, a gain of 1.96%. Amy’s investment rises to $10.81, a gain during Day 3 of 3.92%. For the two-day period since Amy invested in the Hypothetical 2X Fund, the hypothetical underlying security gained 4% although Amy’s investment increased by 8.1%. Because the hypothetical underlying security’s shares continued to trend upwards with low volatility, Amy’s return closely correlates to the 200% return of the return of the hypothetical underlying security’s shares for the period.
Example 2 – Underlying Security Experiences High Volatility
Now Amy invests $10.00 in a Hypothetical 2X Fund after the close of trading on Day 1. During Day 2, the hypothetical underlying security’s share price rises from 100 to 102, a 2% gain, and Amy’s investment rises 4% to $10.40. Amy continues to hold her investment through the end of Day 3, during which the hypothetical underlying security’s shares decline from 102 to 98, a loss of 3.92%. Amy’s investment declines by 7.84%, from $10.40 to $9.58. For the two-day period since Amy invested in the Hypothetical 2X Fund, the hypothetical underlying security lost 2% while Amy’s investment decreased from $10 to $9.58, a 4.2% loss. The volatility of the hypothetical underlying security’s shares affected the correlation between the hypothetical underlying security’s return for the two-day period and Amy’s return. In this situation, Amy lost more than two times the return of the hypothetical underlying security.
Example 3 – Intra-day Investment with Volatility
Examples 1 and 2 assumed that Amy purchased the Hypothetical 2X Fund at the close of trading on Day 1 and sold her investment at the close of trading on a subsequent day. However, if she made an investment intra-day, she would have received notional exposure to the underlying security’s shares determined by the performance of the underlying security’s shares from the end of the prior trading day until her time of purchase on the next trading day.
Consider the following example.
Amy invests $10.00 in a Hypothetical 2X Fund at 11 a.m. on Day 2. From the close of trading on Day 1 until 11 a.m. on Day 2, the hypothetical underlying security’s share price moved from 100 to 102, a 2% gain. In light of that gain, the Hypothetical 2X Fund beta at the point at which Amy invests is 196%. During the remainder of Day 2, the hypothetical underlying security’s share price rises from 102 to 110, a gain of 7.84%, and Amy’s investment rises 15.4% (which is the hypothetical underlying security gain of 7.84% multiplied by the 196% beta that she received) to $11.54. Amy continues to hold her investment through the close of trading on Day 3, during which the hypothetical underlying security’s share price declines from 110 to 90, a loss of 18.18%. Amy’s investment declines by 36.4%, from $11.54 to $7.34. For the period of Amy’s investment, the hypothetical underlying security’s share price declined from 102 to 90, a loss of 11.76%, while Amy’s investment decreased from $10.00 to $7.34, a 27% loss. The volatility of the hypothetical underlying security’s shares affected the correlation between the hypothetical underlying security’s return for period and Amy’s return. In this situation, Amy lost more than two times the return of the hypothetical underlying security. Amy was also hurt because she missed the first 2% move of the hypothetical underlying security and had a beta of 196% for the remainder of Day 2.
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Market Volatility. The Funds seek to provide a return which is two times the daily performance of the applicable Underlying Security’s share price. The Funds do not attempt to, and should not be expected to, provide returns which are two times the return of the applicable Underlying Security’s share price for periods other than a single day. The Funds rebalance their respective portfolios on a daily basis, increasing exposure in response to that day’s gains or reducing exposure in response to that day’s losses.
Daily rebalancing will impair each Fund’s performance if its Underlying Security’s shares experience volatility. For instance, a Fund would be expected to lose 4% (as shown in Table 1 below) if its Underlying Security’s shares provided no return over a one-year period and experienced annualized volatility of 20%. If an Underlying Security’s shares’ annualized volatility were to rise to 40%, the hypothetical loss for a one-year period for the applicable Fund widens to approximately -15%.
| Table 1 | |
| Volatility | Fund |
| Range | Loss |
| 10% | -1% |
| 20% | -4% |
| 30% | -9% |
| 40% | -15% |
| 50% | -23% |
| 60% | -33% |
| 70% | -47% |
| 80% | -55% |
| 90% | -76% |
| 100% | -84% |
Note that at higher volatility levels, there is a chance of a complete loss of Fund assets even if the share price of the applicable Underlying Security is flat. For instance, if annualized volatility of an Underlying Security’s shares were 90%, the applicable Fund would be expected to lose 76%, even if the underlying security returned 0% for the year.
Table 2 shows the annualized historical volatility rate for each Underlying Security’s shares over the periods noted.
Since market volatility has negative implications for the Funds which rebalance daily, investors should be sure to monitor and manage their investments in the Funds particularly in volatile markets. The negative implications of volatility in Table 1 can be combined with the recent volatility ranges of the shares of the Underlying Securities in Table 2 to give investors some sense of the risks of holding the Funds for longer periods. Historical volatility and performance for the Underlying Securities are not likely indicative of future volatility and performance.
Table 2 – Historic Volatility of the Underlying Securities
| Underlying Security Name/Ticker | Historical Volatility Rate | Period |
| Cleveland-Cliffs Inc: CLF | ||
| Plug Power Inc.: PLUG | ||
| Energy Fuels Inc.: UUUU | ||
| Cameco Corporation: CCJ | ||
| Denison Mines Corporation: DNN | ||
| Hecla Mining Co: HL | ||
| Nasdaq, Inc.: NDAQ | ||
| Pan American Silver Corporation: PAAS | ||
| UiPath Inc.: PATH | ||
| POET Technologies Inc.: POET | ||
| CommScopre Holding Company, Inc.: COMM | ||
| Amkor Technology, Inc.: AMKR |
The Projected Returns of the Funds for Intra-Day Purchases. Because each Fund rebalances its portfolio once daily, an investor who purchases Shares intra-day will likely have more, or less, than 200% investment exposure to the share price applicable Underlying Security. The exposure to the applicable Underlying Security’s shares received by an investor who purchases the Fund intra-day will differ from the Fund’s stated daily investment objective (e.g., 200%) by an amount determined by the movement of the applicable Underlying Security’s from its share price at the end of the prior day. If the Underlying Security’s share price moves in a direction favorable to the applicable Fund between the close of the market on one trading day through the time on the next trading day when the investor purchases Fund shares, the investor will receive less exposure to such Underlying Security than the stated Fund’s daily investment objective (e.g., 200%). Conversely, if an Underlying Security’s shares move in a direction adverse to the funds, the investor will receive more exposure to such Underlying Security than the stated fund daily leveraged investment objective (e.g., 200%).
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Table 3 below indicates the hypothetical exposure to the share price of the underlying security that an intra-day purchase of the Hypothetical 2X Fund would be expected to provide based upon the movement in the share price of the underlying security from the close of the market on the prior trading day. Such exposure holds until a subsequent sale on that same trading day or until the close of the market on that trading day. For instance, if the underlying security’s share price has moved 5% in a direction favorable to a Hypothetical 2X Fund, the investor would receive exposure to the performance of the underlying security from that point until the investor sells later that day or the end of the day equal to approximately 191% of the investor’s investment.
Conversely, if the underlying security’s share price moves 5% in a direction unfavorable to the Hypothetical 2X Fund, an investor at that point would receive exposure to the performance of the underlying security from that point until the investor sells later that day or the end of the day equal to approximately 211% of the investor’s investment.
The table below includes a range of hypothetical underlying security share price moves from 20% to -20% and the corresponding exposure for the Hypothetical 2X Fund. Movement of the share price of an underlying security beyond the range noted below will result in exposure further from the Hypothetical 2X Fund’s daily investment objective.
Table 3
|
Underlying Share Price Move |
Resulting
Exposure for Hypothetical 2X Fund |
| -20% | 267% |
| -15% | 243% |
| -10% | 225% |
| -5% | 211% |
| 0% | 200% |
| 5% | 191% |
| 10% | 183% |
| 15% | 177% |
| 20% | 171% |
The Projected Returns of the Funds for Periods Other Than a Single Trading Day. Each Fund seeks leveraged investment results on a daily basis — from the close of regular trading on one trading day to the close on the next trading day — which should not be equated with seeking an investment objective for any other period. For instance, if an Underlying Security’s shares gain 10% for a week, the applicable Fund should not be expected to provide a return of 20% for the week even if it meets its daily investment objective throughout the week. This is true because of the financing charges noted above but also because the pursuit of daily goals may result in daily compounding, which means that the return of the applicable Underlying Security over a period of time greater than one day multiplied by such Fund’s daily investment objective (e.g., 200%) will not generally equal the Fund’s performance over that same period. In addition, the effects of compounding become greater the longer shares of a Fund are held beyond a single trading day.
The following tables set out a range of hypothetical daily performances during a given 10 trading days for a Hypothetical 2X Fund compared to the underlying security and demonstrate how changes in the underlying security’s hypothetical performance would compare to the performance of a Hypothetical 2X Fund for a trading day and cumulatively up to, and including, the entire 10 trading day period. The charts are based on a hypothetical $100 investment in hypothetical funds at NAV over a 10-trading day period and do not reflect fees or expenses of any kind.
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Table 4a – The Underlying Security Lacks a Clear Trend
| Underlying Security | Hypothetical 2X Fund | |||||
| NAV | Daily Performance |
Cumulative Performance |
NAV | Daily Performance |
Cumulative Performance | |
| $100.00 | $100.00 | |||||
| Day 1 | $105.00 | 5.00% | 5.00% | $110.00 | 10.00% | 10.00% |
| Day 2 | $110.00 | 4.76% | 10.00% | $120.48 | 9.52% | 20.47% |
| Day 3 | $100.00 | -9.09% | 0.00% | $ 98.57 | -18.18% | -1.43% |
| Day 4 | $90.00 | -10.00% | -10.00% | $ 78.86 | -20.00% | -21.14% |
| Day 5 | $85.00 | -5.56% | -15.00% | $ 70.10 | -11.12% | -29.91% |
| Day 6 | $100.00 | 17.65% | 0.00% | $ 94.83 | 35.30% | -5.17% |
| Day 7 | $95.00 | -5.00% | -5.00% | $ 85.35 | -10.00% | -14.65% |
| Day 8 | $100.00 | 5.26% | 0.00% | $ 94.34 | 10.52% | -5.68% |
| Day 9 | $105.00 | 5.00% | 5.00% | $103.77 | 10.00% | 3.76% |
| Day 10 | $100.00 | -4.76% | 0.00% | $ 93.89 | -9.52% | -6.12% |
The cumulative performance of the hypothetical underlying security’s shares in Table 5 is 0% for 10 trading days. The return of the Hypothetical 2X Fund for the 10-trading day period is -6.12%. The volatility of the underlying security’s performance and lack of a clear trend results in performance for the Hypothetical 2X Fund for the period which bears little relationship to the performance of the underlying security for the 10-trading day period.
Table 5 – The Underlying Security Rises in a Clear Trend
| Underlying Security | Hypothetical 2X Fund | |||||
| NAV | Daily Performance |
Cumulative Performance |
NAV | Daily Performance |
Cumulative Performance | |
| $100.00 | $100.00 | |||||
| Day 1 | $102.00 | 2.00% | 2.00% | $104.00 | 4.00% | 4.00% |
| Day 2 | $104.00 | 1.96% | 4.00% | $108.08 | 3.92% | 8.08% |
| Day 3 | $106.00 | 1.92% | 6.00% | $112.24 | 3.84% | 12.23% |
| Day 4 | $108.00 | 1.89% | 8.00% | $116.47 | 3.78% | 16.47% |
| Day 5 | $110.00 | 1.85% | 10.00% | $120.78 | 3.70% | 20.78% |
| Day 6 | $112.00 | 1.82% | 12.00% | $125.18 | 3.64% | 25.17% |
| Day 7 | $114.00 | 1.79% | 14.00% | $129.65 | 3.58% | 29.66% |
| Day 8 | $116.00 | 1.75% | 16.00% | $134.20 | 3.50% | 34.19% |
| Day 9 | $118.00 | 1.72% | 18.00% | $138.82 | 3.44% | 38.81% |
| Day 10 | $120.00 | 1.69% | 20.00% | $143.53 | 3.38% | 43.50% |
The cumulative performance of the underlying security’s share price in Table 5 is 20% for 10 trading days. The return of the Hypothetical 2X Fund for the 10-trading day period is 43.50%. In this case, because of the positive underlying security trend, the Hypothetical 2X Fund’s gain is greater than 200% of the underlying security’s share price gain for the 10-trading day period.
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Table 6 – The Underlying Security Declines in a Clear Trend
| Underlying Security | Hypothetical 2X Fund | |||||
| NAV | Daily Performance |
Cumulative Performance |
NAV | Daily Performance |
Cumulative Performance | |
| $100.00 | $100.00 | |||||
| Day 1 | $98.00 | -2.00% | -2.00% | $ 96.00 | -4.00% | -4.00% |
| Day 2 | $96.00 | -2.04% | -4.00% | $ 92.08 | -4.08% | -7.92% |
| Day 3 | $94.00 | -2.08% | -6.00% | $ 88.24 | -4.16% | -11.75% |
| Day 4 | $92.00 | -2.13% | -8.00% | $ 84.49 | -4.26% | -15.51% |
| Day 5 | $90.00 | -2.17% | -10.00% | $ 80.82 | -4.34% | -19.17% |
| Day 6 | $88.00 | -2.22% | -12.00% | $ 77.22 | -4.44% | -22.76% |
| Day 7 | $86.00 | -2.27% | -14.00% | $ 73.71 | -4.54% | -26.27% |
| Day 8 | $84.00 | -2.33% | -16.00% | $ 70.29 | -4.66% | -29.71% |
| Day 9 | $82.00 | -2.38% | -18.00% | $ 66.94 | -4.76% | -33.05% |
| Day 10 | $80.00 | -2.44% | -20.00% | $ 63.67 | -4.88% | -36.32% |
The cumulative performance of the underlying security’s share price in Table 6 is -20% for 10 trading days. The return of the Hypothetical 2X Fund for the 10-trading day period is -36.62%. In this case, because of the negative hypothetical underlying security’s share price trend, the Hypothetical 2X Fund’s loss is less than 200% of the hypothetical underlying security’s decline for the 10-trading day period.
Manager of Managers Structure
Although the Funds are not currently sub-advised, the Funds and the Adviser have received exemptive relief from the SEC permitting the Adviser (subject to certain conditions and the approval of the Board) to change or select new unaffiliated sub-advisers without obtaining shareholder approval. The relief also permits the Adviser to materially amend the terms of agreements with an unaffiliated sub-adviser (including an increase in the fee paid by the Adviser to the unaffiliated sub-adviser (and not paid by the Fund)) or to continue the employment of an unaffiliated sub-adviser after an event that would otherwise cause the automatic termination of services with Board approval, but without shareholder approval. Shareholders will be notified of any unaffiliated sub-adviser changes. The Adviser has the ultimate responsibility, subject to oversight by the Board, to oversee a sub-adviser and recommend their hiring, termination and replacement. The exemptive relief applies to sub-advisers that are either wholly-owned by the Adviser or its parent company, as well as to unaffiliated sub-advisers, including those whose affiliation arises solely from their sub-advisory relationship.
Investments by Registered Investment Companies
Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act restricts investments by investment companies in the securities of other investment companies. However, registered investment companies are permitted to invest in other investment companies beyond the limits set forth in Section 12(d)(1) in rules under the 1940 Act, subject to certain conditions. The Fund may rely on Rule 12d1-4 of the 1940 Act, which provides an exemption from Section 12(d)(1) that allows the Fund to invest beyond the limits set forth in Section 12(d)(1) if the Fund satisfies certain conditions specified in Rule 12d1-4, including, among other conditions, that the Fund and its advisory group will not control (individually or in the aggregate) an acquired fund (e.g., hold more than 25% of the outstanding voting securities of an acquired fund that is a registered open-end management investment company).
Principal Risks of Investing in the Funds
There can be no assurance that the Funds will achieve their respective investment objectives. The following information is in addition to, and should be read along with, the description of each Fund’s principal investment risks in the section titled “Fund Summary—Principal Investment Risks” above. Following the underlying security risks, the Funds’ remaining principal risks are presented in alphabetical order to facilitate finding particular risks and comparing them with those of other funds. Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Funds, regardless of the order in which it appears.
UNDERLYING SECURITY RISKS
CLF Risks. The Fund invests in swap contracts and options that are based on the share price of CLF. This subjects the Fund to certain of the same risks as if it owned shares of CLF, even though it does not. By virtue of the Fund’s investments in swap contracts and options that are based on the value of CLF, the Fund may also be subject to the following risks:
| ● | Indirect Investment in CLF Risk. CLF is not affiliated with the Trust, the Fund, or the Adviser, or their respective affiliates and is not involved with this offering in any way and has no obligation to consider your Shares in taking any corporate actions that might affect the value of Shares. Investors in the Fund will not have voting rights or influence over the management of CLF but will be exposed to the performance of CLF (the Underlying Security). Investors will also not have the right to receive dividends or other distributions from CLF, but will remain subject to price fluctuations and other risks associated with ownership of the Underlying Security. |
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| ● | CLF Trading Risk. The trading price of CLF may be subject to volatility and could experience wide fluctuations due to various factors. Short sellers may also influence CLF’s trading activity, contributing to market instability. Public perception and external factors beyond the company’s control may influence CLF’s stock price disproportionately. Additionally, following periods of market volatility, companies have faced securities class action litigation. Any adverse judgment or future stockholder litigation could result in substantial costs and divert management’s attention and resources. In the event of a trading halt, delisting, or significant disruption in the market for CLF’s shares, the Fund may experience difficulty entering, modifying, or liquidating its exposures. These conditions could impair the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective, result in significant tracking error, or, in extreme cases, force the Fund to liquidate entirely. | |
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CLF Performance Risk. CLF may fail to meet its publicly announced guidelines or other expectations about its business, which could cause the price of CLF to decline. Correctly identifying key factors affecting business conditions and predicting future events is inherently an uncertain process, and the guidance CLF provides may not ultimately be accurate. If CLF’s guidance is not accurate or varies from actual results due to its inability to meet the assumptions or the impact on its financial performance that could occur as a result of various risks and uncertainties, the market value of common stock issued by CLF could decline significantly.
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| ● | Commodity Price Risk. The volatility of commodity prices, including steel, scrap metal and iron ore, directly and indirectly affects CLF’s ability to generate revenue, maintain stable cash flows and fund its operations. CLF’s profitability is dependent upon the historically volatile market prices of steel, scrap metal and iron ore. The prices of steel, scrap metal and iron ore have fluctuated significantly in the recent past, and these pricing shifts are unpredictable and affected by factors beyond the company’s control, including: international demand for, and the impact of higher rates of inflation on, raw materials used in steel production; availability of scrap metal substitutes such as pig iron; commodity price speculation; rates of global economic growth, especially construction and infrastructure activity that requires significant amounts of steel; changes in the levels of economic activity in the U.S., China, India, Europe and other industrialized or developing economies, including as a result of geopolitical conflicts or otherwise; changes in China’s emissions policies and environmental compliance enforcement practices; changes in the production capacity, production rate and inventory levels of other steel producers, distributors, iron ore suppliers and scrap metal processors and traders; changes in trade laws; volumes of unfairly traded imports; imposition or termination of duties or tariffs, including tariffs and retaliatory tariffs that have recently been and may in the future be instituted following the recent change in U.S. presidential administrations, which among other things may affect cross-border shipments, import and export controls, and other trade barriers impacting the steel and iron ore markets; climate change and other weather-related disruptions, infectious disease outbreaks or natural disasters that may impact the global supply of steel, scrap metal or iron ore; and the proximity, capacity and cost of infrastructure and transportation. |
| ● | Global Steelmaking Overcapacity Risk. Significant existing global steel capacity and new or expanded production capacity in recent years could potentially cause capacity to exceed demand globally. Although certain American steel producers have shut down production capacity, certain of CLF’s competitors have announced and are moving ahead with plans to develop new steelmaking capacity in the near term. In addition, certain foreign competitors, which may have cost advantages due to being owned, controlled or subsidized by foreign governments, have substantially increased their steelmaking capacity and/or production in the last few years and in some instances appear to have targeted the U.S. market for imports. The risk of even greater levels of imports may continue, depending upon foreign market and economic conditions, changes in trade agreements and treaties, laws, regulations or government policies affecting trade, the ability of foreign producers to circumvent U.S. trade sanctions and policy (including in the markets for electrical steels), the value of the U.S. dollar relative to other currencies and other variables beyond our control. In addition, higher sustained market prices of steel and iron ore products could cause new producers to enter the market or existing producers to further expand productive capacity, which could in turn lead to lower steel prices and increasing prices of steelmaking inputs, such as scrap metal. Excess steel and iron ore supply combined with reduced global steel demand and increased imports could also lead to lower steel and iron ore prices. Downward pressure on steel and/or iron ore prices could have an adverse effect on CLF’s results of operations, financial condition and profitability. |
| ● | Automotive Industry Risk. The largest end user for CLF’s steel products is the automotive industry in North America. Beyond these direct sales to the automotive industry, CLF makes additional sales to distributors and converters, which may ultimately resell some of that volume to the automotive market. In addition to the magnitude of its exposure to the automotive industry, CLF faces risks arising from its relative concentration of sales to certain specific automotive manufacturers, and its sales volumes and revenues may be adversely affected if it is unable to renew our fixed price contracts with one or more significant automotive customers or if those customers choose to move certain portions of their parts business to alternate suppliers. Automotive production and sales are cyclical and sensitive to general economic conditions and other factors, including interest rates, consumer credit, spending and preferences, and supply chain disruptions. If automotive production and sales decline, whether due to consumers facing reduced purchasing power caused by inflation, higher interest rates or otherwise, CLF’s sales and shipments to the automotive market are likely to decline in a corresponding manner. Adverse impacts that CLF may sustain as a result include, without limitation, lower margins because of the need to sell its steel to less profitable customers and markets, higher fixed costs from lower steel production if CLF is unable to sell the same amount of steel to other customers and markets, and lower sales, shipments, pricing and margins generally as its competitors face similar challenges and compete vigorously in other markets that we serve. These adverse impacts could negatively affect our revenues, financial results and cash flows. |
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| ● | Metals and Mining Industry Risk. Metals and mining companies can be significantly affected by events relating to international political and economic developments, energy conservation, the success of exploration projects, commodity prices, and tax and other government regulations. Investments in metals and mining companies may be speculative and may be subject to greater price volatility than investments in other types of companies. Risks of metals and mining investments include: changes in international monetary policies or economic and political conditions that can affect the supply of natural resources and consequently the value of metals and mining company investments; the United States or foreign governments may pass laws or regulations limiting metals investments for strategic or other policy reasons; and increased environmental or labor costs may depress the value of metals and mining investments. |
| ● | Regulatory Risk. CLF must obtain, maintain and comply with numerous permits and licenses that require approval of operational plans and impose strict conditions on various environmental, health and safety matters in connection with its steel production and processing and mining and other operations. These include permits and approvals issued by various agencies and regulatory bodies, with which CLJ may not always be able to comply. Heightened levels of regulatory oversight focused on addressing climate change and industrial activities that generate greenhouse gas emissions, such as a company’s steelmaking, cokemaking and mining operations, could impact, delay, or disrupt its ability to obtain new or renewed permits or modifications to existing permits. New laws or regulations, or changes in existing laws or regulations, or the manner of their interpretation or enforcement, could increase the cost of doing business and restrict a company’s ability to operate its businesses or execute its strategies. CLF’s operations currently use, and have in the past used, hazardous materials and substances, and has generated, and expects to continue to generate, solid and hazardous waste. CLF has been, and may in the future be, subject to claims under laws and regulations for toxic torts, natural resource damages and other damages as well as for the investigation and clean-up of soil, surface water, sediments, groundwater and other natural resources and reclamation of properties. Such claims for damages, as well as investigation, remediation and reclamation requirements, have arisen and may arise in the future out of current, future or former conditions at sites that CLF or its acquired companies own, lease or operate, as well as sites that CLF or its acquired companies formerly owned, leased or operated, and at contaminated sites that are or have been owned, leased or operated by CLF’s joint venture partners. CLF may also have liability for contamination at third-party sites where it has sent hazardous wastes. CLF’s liability for these claims may be strict and/or joint and several, such that it may be held responsible for more than its share of the contamination or other damages, or even for entire claims regardless of fault. |
| ● | Indebtedness Risk. CLF has a substantial amount of indebtedness and other obligations. These substantial indebtedness and other obligations may make it difficult for CLF to satisfy its financial obligations, including making scheduled principal and interest payments on its indebtedness and obligations, and also limit CLF’s ability to use its cash flow for working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions or other general business purposes, which could negatively impact the company’s financial condition. |
| ● | Operating Expenses Risk. CLF’s operations require significant use of energy, water and raw materials. Although it is largely self-sufficient in iron ore and partially self-sufficient in coke, metallurgical coal and scrap metal, CLF is wholly or partially dependent on third-party suppliers for certain critical raw materials and production inputs, including industrial gases, graphite electrodes, chrome, zinc, coke, metallurgical coal, scrap metal, fluxing compounds and other alloys. A disruption in the transmission of energy, inadequate energy transmission infrastructure, or the termination of any of CLF’s energy supply contracts could interrupt its energy supply and adversely affect its operations. |
PLUG Risks. The Fund invests in swap contracts and options that are based on the share price of PLUG. This subjects the Fund to certain of the same risks as if it owned shares of PLUG, even though it does not. By virtue of the Fund’s investments in swap contracts and options that are based on the value of PLUG, the Fund may also be subject to the following risks:
| ● | Indirect Investment in PLUG Risk. PLUG is not affiliated with the Trust, the Fund, or the Adviser, or their respective affiliates and is not involved with this offering in any way and has no obligation to consider your Shares in taking any corporate actions that might affect the value of Shares. Investors in the Fund will not have voting rights or influence over the management of PLUG but will be exposed to the performance of PLUG (the Underlying Security). Investors will also not have the right to receive dividends or other distributions from PLUG, but will remain subject to price fluctuations and other risks associated with ownership of the Underlying Security. |
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PLUG Trading Risk. The trading price of PLUG may be subject to volatility and could experience wide fluctuations due to various factors. Short sellers may also influence PLUG’s trading activity, contributing to market instability. Public perception and external factors beyond the company’s control may influence PLUG’s stock price disproportionately. Additionally, following periods of market volatility, companies have faced securities class action litigation. Any adverse judgment or future stockholder litigation could result in substantial costs and divert management’s attention and resources. In the event of a trading halt, delisting, or significant disruption in the market for PLUG’s shares, the Fund may experience difficulty entering, modifying, or liquidating its exposures. These conditions could impair the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective, result in significant tracking error, or, in extreme cases, force the Fund to liquidate entirely.
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| ● | PLUG Performance Risk. PLUG may fail to meet its publicly announced guidelines or other expectations about its business, which could cause the price of PLUG to decline. Correctly identifying key factors affecting business conditions and predicting future events is inherently an uncertain process, and the guidance PLUG provides may not ultimately be accurate. If PLUG’s guidance is not accurate or varies from actual results due to its inability to meet the assumptions or the impact on its financial performance that could occur as a result of various risks and uncertainties, the market value of common stock issued by PLUG could decline significantly. |
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Hydrogen Production Risk. As part of its vertical integration strategy, PLUG is developing and constructing hydrogen production facilities at locations across the United States and Europe. PLUG’s ability to successfully complete, operate these projects and obtain green certification for some of these facilities is not guaranteed. These projects will impact PLUG’s ability to meet and supplement the hydrogen demands for its products and services, for both existing and prospective customers. PLUG’s hydrogen production projects are dependent, in part, upon its ability to meet its internal demand for electrolyzers and liquefiers required for such projects. The timing and cost to complete the construction of its hydrogen production projects are also subject to a number of factors outside of PLUG’s control such as delays related to contractors, suppliers or other third parties. Such projects may take longer and cost more to complete and become operational than PLUG expected.
The viability and competitiveness of PLUG’s hydrogen production facilities will depend, in part, upon favorable laws, regulations, and policies related to hydrogen production. Additionally, its facilities are subject to numerous and new permitting, regulations, laws, and policies, many of which might vary by jurisdiction. Hydrogen production facilities are also subject to robust competition from well-established multinational companies in the energy industry. There is no guarantee that PLUG’s hydrogen production strategy will be successful, amidst this competitive environment. PLUG’s products and performance depend largely on the availability of hydrogen and recent insufficient supplies of hydrogen could negatively affect sales and deployment of its products and services.
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Electrical Equipment Industry Risk. The electrical equipment industry can be significantly affected by general economic trends, including employment, economic growth, interest rates, and changes in commodity prices. Electrical equipment companies are subject to the risks of technical obsolescence, and their profitability may be affected by government regulation and spending, import controls and worldwide competition. Companies in these industries also can be adversely affected by liability for environmental damage, depletion of resources, and mandated expenditures for safety and pollution control. These factors may result in a material adverse impact on the Fund’s portfolio securities and the performance of the Fund.
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| ● | Commodity Risk. Some of PLUG’s products contain commodity-priced materials. Commodity prices and supply levels affect its costs. Platinum, titanium, and iridium are scarce natural resources, and PLUG is dependent upon a sufficient supply of these commodities. These resources may become increasingly difficult to source due to various cost, geopolitical, or other reasons, which in turn might have a material adverse effect on PLUG’s business. | |
| ● | Operational Risk. PLUG’s ability to source parts and raw materials from its suppliers could be disrupted or delayed in its supply chain which could adversely affect our results of operations. PLUG’s operations require significant amounts of necessary parts and raw materials. Reduced availability or interruption in supplies, whether resulting from more stringent regulatory requirements, supplier financial condition, increases in duties and tariff costs, disruptions in transportation, an outbreak of a severe public health pandemic, severe weather, or the occurrence or threat of wars or other conflicts, could have an adverse effect on PLUG’s financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. | |
| ● | Third Party Supplier Risk. PLUG will continue to be dependent on certain third-party key suppliers for components of its products, hydrogen generation projects, and manufacturing facilities. The failure of a supplier to develop and supply components on mutually agreeable terms or at all, or our inability to obtain substitute sources of these components on a timely basis or on terms acceptable to PLUG, could impair its ability to manufacture its products, could increase the cost of production or could affect the ability to generate hydrogen, which would in turn negatively affect PLUG’s sales and deployment of its products and services. | |
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| ● | Operating Losses Risk. PLUG has incurred losses and anticipates continuing to incur losses. The company has not achieved operating profitability in any quarter since its formation and it will continue to incur net losses until it can produce sufficient revenue to cover its costs. |
UUUU Risks. The Fund invests in swap contracts and options that are based on the share price of UUUU. This subjects the Fund to certain of the same risks as if it owned shares of UUUU, even though it does not. By virtue of the Fund’s investments in swap contracts and options that are based on the value of UUUU, the Fund may also be subject to the following risks:
| ● | Indirect Investment in UUUU Risk. UUUU is not affiliated with the Trust, the Fund, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates and is not involved with this offering in any way and has no obligation to consider your Shares in taking any corporate actions that might affect the value of Shares. Investors in the Fund will not have voting rights and will not be able to influence management of UUUU but will be exposed to the performance of UUUU (the underlying stock). Investors in the Fund will not have rights to receive dividends or other distributions or any other rights with respect to the underlying stock but will be subject to declines in the performance of the underlying stock. | |
| ● | UUUU Trading Risk. The trading price of UUUU may be highly volatile and could continue to be subject to wide fluctuations in response to various factors. The stock market in general, and the market for energy companies in particular, has experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have often been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of those companies. In particular, a large proportion of UUUU may be traded by short sellers which may put pressure on the supply and demand for the common stock of UUUU, further influencing volatility in its market price. Public perception and other factors outside of the control of UUUU may additionally impact UUUU’s stock price due to UUUU garnering a disproportionate degree of public attention, regardless of actual operating performance. In addition, in the past, following periods of volatility in the overall market and the market price of a particular company’s securities, securities class action litigation has often been instituted against companies such as these. Moreover, stockholder litigation like this has been filed against UUUU in the past. While UUUU continues to defend such actions, any judgment against UUUU, or any future stockholder litigation could result in substantial costs and a diversion of the management of UUUU’s attention and resources. If UUUU trading is halted, trading in Shares of the Fund may be impacted, either temporarily or indefinitely. | |
| ● | UUUU Performance Risk. UUUU may fail to meet its publicly announced guidelines or other expectations about its business, which could cause the price of UUUU to decline. UUUU provides guidance regarding its expected financial and business performance, such as projections regarding sales and production, as well as anticipated future revenues, gross margins, profitability and cash flows. Correctly identifying key factors affecting business conditions and predicting future events is inherently an uncertain process, and the guidance UUUU provides may not ultimately be accurate and has in the past been inaccurate in certain respects, such as the timing of new product manufacturing ramps. The guidance is based on certain assumptions such as those relating to global and local economic conditions, anticipated production and sales volumes (which generally are not linear throughout a given period), average sales prices, supplier and commodity costs, and planned cost reductions. If UUUU’s guidance is not accurate or varies from actual results due to its inability to meet the assumptions or the impact on its financial performance that could occur as a result of various risks and uncertainties, the market value of common stock issued by UUUU could decline significantly. | |
| ● | Oil, Gas and Consumable Fuels Industry Risk. The oil, gas and consumable fuels industry is cyclical and highly dependent on the market price of fuel. The market value of companies in the oil, gas and consumable fuels industry are strongly affected by the levels and volatility of global commodity prices, supply and demand, capital expenditures on exploration and production, energy conservation efforts, the prices of alternative fuels, exchange rates and technological advances. Companies in this industry are subject to substantial government regulation and contractual fixed pricing, which may increase the cost of business and limit these companies’ earnings. Actions taken by central governments may dramatically impact supply and demand forces that influence the market price of fuel, resulting in sudden decreases in value for companies in the oil, gas and consumable fuels industry. A significant portion of their revenues depends on a relatively small number of customers, including governmental entities and utilities. As a result, governmental budget restraints may have a material adverse effect on the stock prices of companies in the industry. |
| ● | Operational Risks. UUUU’s results of operations are significantly affected by the market prices of uranium, vanadium, rare earth elements and heavy mineral sands, which are cyclical and subject to substantial price fluctuations. UUUU’s earnings and operating cash flow are and will be particularly sensitive to the long- and short-term changes in the market prices of uranium, vanadium and REEs, as well as HMS and their components. Among other factors, these prices also affect the value of UUUU’s resources, reserves and inventories, as well as the market price of its common shares and therefore the Fund. Market prices are affected by numerous factors beyond UUUU’s control. |
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| ● | Regulatory Risks. UUUU’s operations are subject to extensive international, federal, state and local laws and regulations. These regulations govern, among other things: acquisition of the property or mineral interests; maintenance of claims; tenure; expropriation; prospecting; exploration; development; construction; extraction and mining; recovery, processing, milling and production; price controls; exports and imports; taxes and royalties; labor standards; occupational health; waste disposal; toxic substances; water use; land use; American Indian or other foreign indigenous peoples consultations and accommodations; environmental protection and remediation; endangered and protected species; mine, mill and other facility decommissioning and reclamation; mine safety; transportation safety and emergency response; and other matters. Compliance with such laws and regulations has increased the costs of exploring, drilling, developing, constructing, operating and closing of UUUU’s mines, mills, plants and other extraction, recovery and processing facilities. It is possible that, in the future, the costs, delays and other effects associated with such laws and regulations may impact UUUU’s decision as to whether to operate existing mines or facilities, or, with respect to exploration, development or construction properties, whether to proceed with exploration, development or construction. It is also possible that such laws and regulations may result in UUUU incurring significant costs to remediate or decommission properties if it is determined they do not comply with applicable environmental standards at such time. |
CCJ Risks. The Fund invests in swap contracts and options that are based on the share price of CCJ. This subjects the Fund to certain of the same risks as if it owned shares of CCJ, even though it does not. By virtue of the Fund’s investments in swap contracts and options that are based on the value of CCJ, the Fund may also be subject to the following risks:
| ● | Indirect Investment in CCJ Risk. CCJ is not affiliated with the Trust, the Fund, or the Adviser, or their respective affiliates and is not involved with this offering in any way and has no obligation to consider your Shares in taking any corporate actions that might affect the value of Shares. Investors in the Fund will not have voting rights or influence over the management of CCJ but will be exposed to the performance of CCJ (the Underlying Security). Investors will also not have the right to receive dividends or other distributions from CCJ, but will remain subject to price fluctuations and other risks associated with ownership of the Underlying Security. |
| ● | CCJ Trading Risk. The trading price of CCJ may be subject to volatility and could experience wide fluctuations due to various factors. Short sellers may also influence CCJ’s trading activity, contributing to market instability. Public perception and external factors beyond the company’s control may influence CCJ’s stock price disproportionately. Additionally, following periods of market volatility, companies have faced securities class action litigation. Any adverse judgment or future stockholder litigation could result in substantial costs and divert management’s attention and resources. In the event of a trading halt, delisting, or significant disruption in the market for CCJ’s shares, the Fund may experience difficulty entering, modifying, or liquidating its exposures. These conditions could impair the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective, result in significant tracking error, or, in extreme cases, force the Fund to liquidate entirely. | |
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CCJ Performance Risk. CCJ may fail to meet its publicly announced guidelines or other expectations about its business, which could cause the price of CCJ to decline. Correctly identifying key factors affecting business conditions and predicting future events is inherently an uncertain process, and the guidance CCJ provides may not ultimately be accurate. If CCJ’s guidance is not accurate or varies from actual results due to its inability to meet the assumptions or the impact on its financial performance that could occur as a result of various risks and uncertainties, the market value of common stock issued by CCJ could decline significantly.
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| ● | Mining Uranium Risk. CCJ’s business segments are concentrated in the nuclear fuel and reactor cycles, with the largest segment being uranium mining. As such, CCJ is sensitive to changes in, and its performance and future prospects, will depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the nuclear energy industry and the public acceptance of nuclear energy. CCJ may be susceptible to increased risks, compared to diversified metals trading companies or diversified mining companies, as a result of the fact that its operations are concentrated in the nuclear fuel business. |
| ● | Oil, Gas and Consumable Fuels Industry Risk. The oil, gas and consumable fuels industry is cyclical and highly dependent on the market price of fuel. The market value of companies in the oil, gas and consumable fuels industry are strongly affected by the levels and volatility of global commodity prices, supply and demand, capital expenditures on exploration and production, energy conservation efforts, the prices of alternative fuels, exchange rates and technological advances. Companies in this industry are subject to substantial government regulation and contractual fixed pricing, which may increase the cost of business and limit these companies’ earnings. Actions taken by central governments may dramatically impact supply and demand forces that influence the market price of fuel, resulting in sudden decreases in value for companies in the oil, gas and consumable fuels industry. A significant portion of their revenues depends on a relatively small number of customers, including governmental entities and utilities. As a result, governmental budget restraints may have a material adverse effect on the stock prices of companies in the industry. |
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| ● | Commodity Price Risk. Because CCJ derives the majority of its revenues from sales of nuclear fuel products and services, its results of operations and cash flows will fluctuate as the price of nuclear fuel products and services increases or decreases. A sustained period of declining prices across the nuclear fuel cycle would materially and adversely affect CCJ’s results of operations and cash flows. Additionally, if the market price for nuclear fuel declines or remains at relatively low levels for a sustained period, CCJ may have to revise its operating plans, including reducing operating costs and capital expenditures, terminating, or suspending mining operations at one or more of properties, and discontinuing certain exploration and development plans. In the past, CCJ has been impacted by the sustained period of low prices. In a sustained period of low prices, CCJ may be unable to decrease its costs in an amount sufficient to offset reductions in revenues and may incur losses. |
| ● | Regulatory Risk. Since 2008, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has disputed CCJ’s marketing and trading structure and the related transfer pricing methodology CCJ has used for certain intercompany uranium sale and purchase agreements. CCJ’s expectations relating to this transfer pricing dispute, including its confidence that the courts would reject any attempt by CRA to utilize the same or similar positions for other tax years currently in dispute, and its belief that CRA should return the full amount of cash and security that has been paid or otherwise secured by CCJ, may be incorrect and could adversely affect the company. |
| ● | Foreign Issuer Risk. CCJ is a Canadian company. Because the Fund has indirect exposure to a foreign company, the Fund may be subject to risks associated with foreign investments. |
| ○ | Currency Risk. Indirect exposure to foreign currencies subjects the Fund to the risk that currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar. Currency rates in foreign countries may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time for a number of reasons, including changes in interest rates and the imposition of currency controls or other political developments in the U.S. or abroad. |
| ○ | Foreign Securities Risk. Investments in securities of non-U.S. issuers involve certain risks that may not be present with investments in securities of U.S. issuers, such as risk of loss due to foreign currency fluctuations or to political or economic instability, as well as varying regulatory requirements applicable to investments in non-U.S. issuers. There may be less information publicly available about a non-U.S. issuer than a U.S. issuer. Non-U.S. issuers may also be subject to different regulatory, accounting, auditing, financial reporting and investor protection standards than U.S. issuers. |
DNN Risks. The Fund invests in swap contracts and options that are based on the share price of DNN. This subjects the Fund to certain of the same risks as if it owned shares of DNN, even though it does not. By virtue of the Fund’s investments in swap contracts and options that are based on the value of DNN, the Fund may also be subject to the following risks:
| ● | Indirect Investment in DNN Risk. DNN is not affiliated with the Trust, the Fund, or the Adviser, or their respective affiliates and is not involved with this offering in any way and has no obligation to consider your Shares in taking any corporate actions that might affect the value of Shares. Investors in the Fund will not have voting rights or influence over the management of DNN but will be exposed to the performance of DNN (the Underlying Security). Investors will also not have the right to receive dividends or other distributions from DNN, but will remain subject to price fluctuations and other risks associated with ownership of the Underlying Security. |
| ● | DNN Trading Risk. The trading price of DNN may be subject to volatility and could experience wide fluctuations due to various factors. Short sellers may also influence DNN’s trading activity, contributing to market instability. Public perception and external factors beyond the company’s control may influence DNN’s stock price disproportionately. Additionally, following periods of market volatility, companies have faced securities class action litigation. Any adverse judgment or future stockholder litigation could result in substantial costs and divert management’s attention and resources. In the event of a trading halt, delisting, or significant disruption in the market for DNN’s shares, the Fund may experience difficulty entering, modifying, or liquidating its exposures. These conditions could impair the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective, result in significant tracking error, or, in extreme cases, force the Fund to liquidate entirely. | |
| ● | DNN Performance Risk. DNN may fail to meet its publicly announced guidelines or other expectations about its business, which could cause the price of DNN to decline. Correctly identifying key factors affecting business conditions and predicting future events is inherently an uncertain process, and the guidance DNN provides may not ultimately be accurate. If DNN’s guidance is not accurate or varies from actual results due to its inability to meet the assumptions or the impact on its financial performance that could occur as a result of various risks and uncertainties, the market value of common stock issued by DNN could decline significantly. | |
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| ● | Mining Industry Risk. The exploration and development of mineral properties and operation of mines and associated facilities requires a substantial amount of capital and the ability of DNN to proceed with any of its plans with respect thereto depends on its ability to: (a) obtain financing through joint ventures, equity financing, debt financing or other means, (b) monetize current uranium investments, and/or (c) produce income from the sale of future produced uranium inventory. For example, general market conditions, volatile uranium markets, changing international policies, a claim against the Company, a significant disruption to the Company’s business or operations, or other factors may make it difficult to secure the financing necessary to fund the substantial capital that is typically required in order to advance a mineral project, such as Wheeler River, through the testing, feasibility, engineering, and permitting processes necessary to support a production decision, or to place a property into commercial production. |
| ● | Mining Uranium Risk. Exploration for minerals and the development of mineral properties are speculative and involve significant uncertainties and financial risks that even a combination of careful evaluation, experience and technical knowledge may not eliminate. While the discovery of an ore body may result in substantial rewards, few properties which are explored result in the discovery of a commercially mineable deposit and/or are ultimately developed into producing mines. As at the date hereof, many of Denison’s projects are preliminary in nature and mineral resource estimates include inferred mineral resources, which are considered too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied that would enable them to be categorized as mineral reserves. Mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. DNN’s project viability and operational outlook could be negatively impacted by the volatility and sensitivity to fluctuations in uranium market prices. The value of DNN’s current physical uranium holdings, its estimates of mineral resources and mineral reserves, and the viability of future production for its projects are heavily influenced by long and short term market prices of U3O8. Historically, these prices have seen significant fluctuations, and have been and will continue to be affected by numerous factors beyond Denison’s control. Such factors include, among others: demand for nuclear power, political, economic and social conditions in uranium producing and consuming countries, public and political response to nuclear incidents, reprocessing of used reactor fuel and the re-enrichment of depleted uranium tails, sales of excess civilian and military inventories (including from the dismantling of nuclear weapons) by governments and industry participants, uranium supplies from other secondary sources, production levels and costs of production from primary uranium suppliers, and forward contracts of U3O8 supplies. |
| ● | Regulation Risk. Uranium mining and milling operations and exploration activities, as well as the transportation and handling of the products produced, are subject to extensive regulation by federal, provincial, and state governments. Such regulations relate to production, development, exploration, exports, imports, taxes and royalties, labour standards, occupational health, waste disposal, protection and remediation of the environment, mine decommissioning and reclamation, mine safety, toxic substances, transportation safety and emergency response, engagement with Indigenous peoples, and other matters. Compliance with such laws and regulations is currently, and has historically, increased the costs of exploring, drilling, developing, constructing, operating and closing DNN’s mines and processing facilities. |
DNN expends significant financial and managerial resources to comply with such laws and regulations. Denison anticipates it will have to continue to do so as the trend toward stricter government regulation may continue. Because legal requirements are frequently changing and subject to interpretation, Denison is unable to predict the ultimate cost of compliance with these requirements or their effect on operations. While the Company has taken great care to ensure full compliance with its legal obligations, there can be no assurance that the Company has been or will be in full compliance with all of these laws and regulations, or with all permits and approvals that it is required to have.
| ● | Oil, Gas and Consumable Fuels Industry Risk. The oil, gas and consumable fuels industry is cyclical and highly dependent on the market price of fuel. The market value of companies in the oil, gas and consumable fuels industry are strongly affected by the levels and volatility of global commodity prices, supply and demand, capital expenditures on exploration and production, energy conservation efforts, the prices of alternative fuels, exchange rates and technological advances. Companies in this industry are subject to substantial government regulation and contractual fixed pricing, which may increase the cost of business and limit these companies’ earnings. Actions taken by central governments may dramatically impact supply and demand forces that influence the market price of fuel, resulting in sudden decreases in value for companies in the oil, gas and consumable fuels industry. A significant portion of their revenues depends on a relatively small number of customers, including governmental entities and utilities. As a result, governmental budget restraints may have a material adverse effect on the stock prices of companies in the industry. |
| ● | Operating Loss Risk. DNN had negative operating cash flow for recent past financial reporting periods. DNN anticipates that it will continue to have negative operating cash flow until such time, if at all, its Wheeler River project goes into production. To the extent that DNN has negative operating cash flow in future periods, DNN may need to allocate a portion of its cash reserves and/or physical uranium holdings to fund such negative cash flow. DNN may also be required to raise additional funds through the issuance of equity or debt securities, or asset sales. There can be no assurance that additional capital or other types of financing will be available when needed or that these financings will be on terms favourable to DNN. |
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| ● | Foreign Issuer Risk. DNN is a Canadian company. Because the Fund has indirect exposure to a foreign company, the Fund may be subject to risks associated with foreign investments. |
| ○ | Currency Risk. Indirect exposure to foreign currencies subjects the Fund to the risk that currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar. Currency rates in foreign countries may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time for a number of reasons, including changes in interest rates and the imposition of currency controls or other political developments in the U.S. or abroad. |
| ○ | Foreign Securities Risk. Investments in securities of non-U.S. issuers involve certain risks that may not be present with investments in securities of U.S. issuers, such as risk of loss due to foreign currency fluctuations or to political or economic instability, as well as varying regulatory requirements applicable to investments in non-U.S. issuers. There may be less information publicly available about a non-U.S. issuer than a U.S. issuer. Non-U.S. issuers may also be subject to different regulatory, accounting, auditing, financial reporting and investor protection standards than U.S. issuers. |
HL Risks. The Fund invests in swap contracts and options that are based on the share price of HL. This subjects the Fund to certain of the same risks as if it owned shares of HL, even though it does not. By virtue of the Fund’s investments in swap contracts and options that are based on the value of HL, the Fund may also be subject to the following risks:
| ● | Indirect Investment in HL Risk. HL is not affiliated with the Trust, the Fund, or the Adviser, or their respective affiliates and is not involved with this offering in any way and has no obligation to consider your Shares in taking any corporate actions that might affect the value of Shares. Investors in the Fund will not have voting rights or influence over the management of HL but will be exposed to the performance of HL (the Underlying Security). Investors will also not have the right to receive dividends or other distributions from HL, but will remain subject to price fluctuations and other risks associated with ownership of the Underlying Security. |
| ● | HL Trading Risk. The trading price of HL may be subject to volatility and could experience wide fluctuations due to various factors. Short sellers may also influence HL’s trading activity, contributing to market instability. Public perception and external factors beyond the company’s control may influence HL’s stock price disproportionately. Additionally, following periods of market volatility, companies have faced securities class action litigation. Any adverse judgment or future stockholder litigation could result in substantial costs and divert management’s attention and resources. In the event of a trading halt, delisting, or significant disruption in the market for HL’s shares, the Fund may experience difficulty entering, modifying, or liquidating its exposures. These conditions could impair the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective, result in significant tracking error, or, in extreme cases, force the Fund to liquidate entirely. | |
| ● | HL Performance Risk. HL may fail to meet its publicly announced guidelines or other expectations about its business, which could cause the price of HL to decline. Correctly identifying key factors affecting business conditions and predicting future events is inherently an uncertain process, and the guidance HL provides may not ultimately be accurate. If HL’s guidance is not accurate or varies from actual results due to its inability to meet the assumptions or the impact on its financial performance that could occur as a result of various risks and uncertainties, the market value of common stock issued by HL could decline significantly. | |
| ● | Metals and Mining Industry Risks. Substantial or extended decline in metals prices would have a material adverse effect on HL. The company’s revenue is derived primarily from the sale of concentrates and doré containing silver, gold, lead, zinc and copper and, as a result, our earnings are directly related to the prices of these metals. Silver, gold, lead, zinc and copper prices fluctuate widely and are affected by numerous factors, including: speculative activities; relative exchange rates of the U.S. dollar; global and regional demand and production; political instability; inflation, recession or increased or reduced economic activity; and other political, regulatory and economic conditions. These factors are largely beyond HL’s control and are difficult to predict. If the market prices for these metals fall below its production or development costs for a sustained period of time, HL will experience losses and may have to discontinue exploration, development or operations, and the company may also incur asset write-downs at one or more of its properties. An extended decline in metals prices, an increase in operating or capital costs or treatment charges, mine accidents or closures, increasing regulatory obligations, or HL’s inability to convert resources or exploration targets to reserves may cause it to record write-downs, which could negatively impact our results of operations. |
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| ● | Operational Losses Risk. HL has experienced volatility in its net income (loss) reported in the last three years. Many of the factors affecting the company’s operating results are beyond its control, including, but not limited to, the volatility of metals prices; smelter terms; rock and soil conditions; seismic events; cybersecurity attacks; availability of hydroelectric power; diesel fuel prices; interest rates; foreign exchange rates; global or regional political or economic policies; inflation; availability and cost of labor; economic developments and crises; governmental regulations; continuity of orebodies; ore grades; recoveries; performance of equipment; uninsured losses; price speculation by certain investors; and purchases and sales by central banks and other holders and producers of gold and silver in response to these factors. There is no assurance that HL will not incur losses in the future. |
| ● | Regulatory Risk. HL’s business is subject to extensive U.S. and foreign federal, state, provincial and local laws and regulations governing environmental protection, natural resources, prospecting, development, production, post-closure reclamation, taxes, labor standards and occupational health and safety laws and regulations, including mine safety, toxic substances and other matters. The costs associated with compliance with such laws and regulations are substantial. Possible future laws and regulations, or more restrictive interpretations of current laws and regulations by governmental authorities, could cause additional expense, capital expenditures, restrictions on or suspensions of operations and delays in the development of new properties. |
| ● | Litigation Risk. There are several ongoing legal disputes in which HL is involved, including a putative class action lawsuit filed against it and certain current and former directors and officers. Further, HL has experienced in the past, and could experience in the future, claims regarding environmental damage or compliance, safety conditions or other matters at our mines. The outcomes of these pending and potential claims are uncertain. HL may not resolve these claims favorably. Depending on the outcome, these actions could cause adverse financial effects or reputational harm to the company. If any of these disputes result in a substantial monetary judgment against HL, are settled on terms unfavorable to HL, or otherwise impact HL’s operations (such as by limiting the ability to obtain permits or approvals), its financial results or condition could be materially adversely affected. |
NDAQ Risks. The Fund invests in swap contracts and options that are based on the share price of NDAQ. This subjects the Fund to certain of the same risks as if it owned shares of NDAQ, even though it does not. By virtue of the Fund’s investments in swap contracts and options that are based on the value of NDAQ, the Fund may also be subject to the following risks:
| ● | Indirect Investment in NDAQ Risk. NDAQ is not affiliated with the Trust, the Fund, or the Adviser, or their respective affiliates and is not involved with this offering in any way and has no obligation to consider your Shares in taking any corporate actions that might affect the value of Shares. Investors in the Fund will not have voting rights or influence over the management of NDAQ but will be exposed to the performance of NDAQ (the Underlying Security). Investors will also not have the right to receive dividends or other distributions from NDAQ, but will remain subject to price fluctuations and other risks associated with ownership of the Underlying Security. |
| ● | NDAQ Trading Risk. The trading price of NDAQ may be subject to volatility and could experience wide fluctuations due to various factors. Short sellers may also influence NDAQ’s trading activity, contributing to market instability. Public perception and external factors beyond the company’s control may influence NDAQ’s stock price disproportionately. Additionally, following periods of market volatility, companies have faced securities class action litigation. Any adverse judgment or future stockholder litigation could result in substantial costs and divert management’s attention and resources. In the event of a trading halt, delisting, or significant disruption in the market for NDAQ’s shares, the Fund may experience difficulty entering, modifying, or liquidating its exposures. These conditions could impair the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective, result in significant tracking error, or, in extreme cases, force the Fund to liquidate entirely. | |
| ● | NDAQ Performance Risk. NDAQ may fail to meet its publicly announced guidelines or other expectations about its business, which could cause the price of NDAQ to decline. Correctly identifying key factors affecting business conditions and predicting future events is inherently an uncertain process, and the guidance NDAQ provides may not ultimately be accurate. If NDAQ’s guidance is not accurate or varies from actual results due to its inability to meet the assumptions or the impact on its financial performance that could occur as a result of various risks and uncertainties, the market value of common stock issued by NDAQ could decline significantly. | |
| ● | Operations Risk. A decline in trading and clearing volumes or values or market share will decrease NDAQ’s trading and clearing revenues. Trading and clearing volumes and values are directly affected by economic, political and market conditions, broad trends in business and finance, unforeseen market closures or other disruptions in trading, the level and volatility of interest rates, inflation, changes in price levels of securities and the overall level of investor confidence. Over the past several years, trading and clearing volumes and values across markets have fluctuated significantly depending on market conditions and other factors beyond NDAQ’s control. Because a significant percentage of NDAQ’s revenues are tied directly to the volume or value of securities traded and cleared on NDAQ markets, it is likely that a general decline in trading and clearing volumes or values would lower revenues and may adversely affect NDAQ’s operating results if it is unable to offset falling volumes or values through pricing changes. Declines in trading and clearing volumes or values may also impact NDAQ’s market share or pricing structures and adversely affect its business and financial condition. If total market share in securities decreases relative to competitors, NDAQ venues may be viewed as less attractive sources of liquidity. If the exchanges are perceived to be less liquid, then the business, financial condition and operating results could be adversely affected. |
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| ● | Technology Risk. System limitations or failures could harm NDAQ’s business. NDAQ’s businesses depend on the integrity and performance of the technology, computer and communications systems supporting them. If new systems fail to operate as intended or existing systems cannot expand to cope with increased demand or otherwise fail to perform, NDAQ could experience unanticipated disruptions in service, slower response times and delays in the introduction of new products and services. NDAQ could experience a systems failure due to human error by its employees, contractors or vendors, electrical or telecommunications failures or disruptions, hardware or software failures or defects, cyberattacks, sabotage or similar unexpected events. These consequences could result in service outages, lower trading volumes or values, financial losses, decreased customer satisfaction, litigation and regulatory sanctions. NDAQ markets and the markets that rely on its technology have experienced system failures and delays in the past and could occur in the future. |
| ● | Capital Markets Industry Risk. Capital markets companies may be significantly affected by stock and bank trading activity, changes in governmental regulation, continuing increases in price competition, decreases in fees or fee-related business, including investment banking, brokerage, asset management and other servicing fees, fluctuation in interest rates and other factors which could adversely affect financial markets. |
| ● | Cybersecurity Risk. NDAQ’s role in the global marketplace positions it at greater risk for a cyberattack. NDAQ’s systems and operations are vulnerable to damage, misappropriation or disruption from security breaches. Some of these threats include attacks from foreign governments, hacktivists, insiders and criminal organizations. Foreign governments may seek to obtain a foothold in U.S. critical infrastructure, hacktivists may seek to deploy denial of service attacks to bring attention to their cause, insiders may pose a risk of human error or malicious activity and criminal organizations may seek to profit by gaining control of company systems or accounts or from stolen data via ransomware or other means, such as social engineering, including deepfake scams, compromised business email or other methods. |
| ● | Changing Technology Risk. The markets in which NDAQ competes is characterized by rapidly changing technology, evolving industry and regulatory standards, frequent enhancements to existing products and services, the adoption of new services and products and changing customer demands. NDAQ may not be able to keep up with rapid technological and other competitive changes affecting its industry. |
| ● | Regulatory Risk. Under current U.S. federal securities laws, changes in the rules and operations of the securities markets, including pricing structure, must be reviewed and in many cases explicitly approved by the SEC. The SEC may approve, disapprove, or recommend changes to proposals that NDAQ submits. In addition, the SEC may delay either the approval process or the initiation of the public comment process. Favorable SEC rulings and interpretations can be challenged in and reversed by federal courts of appeals, reducing or eliminating the value of such prior interpretations. Any delay in approving changes, or the altering of any proposed change, could have an adverse effect on NDAQ’s business, financial condition and operating results. |
PAAS Risks. The Fund invests in swap contracts and options that are based on the share price of PAAS. This subjects the Fund to certain of the same risks as if it owned shares of PAAS, even though it does not. By virtue of the Fund’s investments in swap contracts and options that are based on the value of PAAS, the Fund may also be subject to the following risks:
| ● | Indirect Investment in PAAS Risk. PAAS is not affiliated with the Trust, the Fund, or the Adviser, or their respective affiliates and is not involved with this offering in any way and has no obligation to consider your Shares in taking any corporate actions that might affect the value of Shares. Investors in the Fund will not have voting rights or influence over the management of PAAS but will be exposed to the performance of PAAS (the Underlying Security). Investors will also not have the right to receive dividends or other distributions from PAAS, but will remain subject to price fluctuations and other risks associated with ownership of the Underlying Security. |
| ● | PAAS Trading Risk. The trading price of PAAS may be subject to volatility and could experience wide fluctuations due to various factors. Short sellers may also influence PAAS’s trading activity, contributing to market instability. Public perception and external factors beyond the company’s control may influence PAAS’s stock price disproportionately. Additionally, following periods of market volatility, companies have faced securities class action litigation. Any adverse judgment or future stockholder litigation could result in substantial costs and divert management’s attention and resources. In the event of a trading halt, delisting, or significant disruption in the market for PAAS’s shares, the Fund may experience difficulty entering, modifying, or liquidating its exposures. These conditions could impair the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective, result in significant tracking error, or, in extreme cases, force the Fund to liquidate entirely. |
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| ● | PAAS Performance Risk. PAAS may fail to meet its publicly announced guidelines or other expectations about its business, which could cause the price of PAAS to decline. Correctly identifying key factors affecting business conditions and predicting future events is inherently an uncertain process, and the guidance PAAS provides may not ultimately be accurate. If PAAS’s guidance is not accurate or varies from actual results due to its inability to meet the assumptions or the impact on its financial performance that could occur as a result of various risks and uncertainties, the market value of common stock issued by PAAS could decline significantly. | |
| ● | Metals and Mining Industry Risk. The majority of PAAS’ revenue is derived from the sale of silver, gold, zinc, copper and lead, and therefore fluctuations in the prices of these metals significantly affects its operations and profitability. Its sales are directly dependent on metal prices, and metal prices have historically shown significant volatility and are beyond its control. The prices of silver, gold, and other metals are affected by numerous factors beyond our control, including: global and regional levels of supply and demand; sales by government holders and other third parties; metal stock levels maintained by producers and others; increased production due to new mine developments and improved mining and production methods; speculative activities; inventory carrying costs; availability, demand and costs of metal substitutes; international economic and political conditions; interest rates, inflation and currency values; the emergence of cryptocurrencies as a store of value and hedge against inflation in competition with precious metals increased demand for silver, gold, or other metals for new technologies; and reduced demand resulting from obsolescence of technologies and processes utilizing silver, gold, and other metals. PAAS’s business segments are concentrated in the nuclear fuel and reactor cycles, with the largest segment being uranium mining. As such, PAAS is sensitive to changes in, and its performance and future prospects, will depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the nuclear energy industry and the public acceptance of nuclear energy. PAAS may be susceptible to increased risks, compared to diversified metals trading companies or diversified mining companies, as a result of the fact that its operations are concentrated in the nuclear fuel business. |
| ● | International Business Risks. In 2024, a significant portion of PAAS’ production and revenues were derived from its operations in Peru, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Brazil, and Bolivia. As a result, PAAS is exposed to a number of risks and uncertainties, including: expropriation, nationalization, and the cancellation, revocation, renegotiation, or forced modification of existing contracts, permits, licenses, approvals, or title, particularly without adequate compensation; changing political and fiscal regimes and administration, including with respect to taxation, sometimes unexpectedly or as a result of precipitous events, and economic and regulatory instability; unanticipated adverse changes to constitutional rights and protections, and other laws and policies, including those relating to mineral title, royalties and taxation; delays or inability to obtain or maintain necessary permits, licenses or approvals; opposition to mine development projects from governments, Indigenous peoples, communities, and other groups, which may include frivolous or vexatious claims, misinformation, and the potential for violence and property damage; restrictions on foreign investment; limitations on repatriation of operating cash flows, including currency controls and other legal and practical restrictions to transfer funds from foreign jurisdictions; extreme fluctuations in currency exchange rates and restrictions on foreign exchange; unreliable or undeveloped infrastructure; labour unrest and scarcity; human rights violations, which may include Indigenous rights claims; inability of governments or governmental bodies to complete, or properly complete, consultation processes and to comply with national and international laws, protocols, standards and/or norms; difficulty obtaining key equipment and components for equipment; regulations and restrictions with respect to imports and exports; high rates of inflation; inability to obtain fair dispute resolution or judicial determinations because of bias, corruption or abuse of power; abuse of power of foreign governments who impose, or threaten to impose, fines, penalties or other similar mechanisms, without regard to the rule of law; difficulties enforcing judgments, particularly judgments obtained in Canada or the United States, with respect to assets located outside of those jurisdictions; difficulty understanding and complying with the regulatory and legal framework with respect to mineral properties, mines and mining operations, and permitting; violence and criminal activity, including organized crime, theft, trespassing, and illegal mining; civil unrest, terrorism and hostage taking; government, union and community pressures to maintain unprofitable operations; military repression and increased likelihood of international conflicts or aggression; and increased public health concerns, including the impact of COVID-19 or other pandemics. |
| ● | Title to Assets Risk. The validity of mining or exploration titles or claims or rights, which constitute most of PAAS’ property holdings, can be uncertain and may be contested. Properties may be subject to prior unregistered liens, agreements or transfers, Indigenous land claims, or undetected title defects. No assurance can be given that applicable governments will not revoke or significantly alter the conditions of the applicable exploration and mining titles or claims, or that such exploration and mining titles or claims will not be challenged or impugned by third parties. PAAS may be unable to operate our properties as expected, or to enforce its rights to its properties. Any defects in title to its properties, or the revocation of its rights to mine, could have a material adverse effect on its operations and financial condition. |
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| ● | Regulatory Risk. PAAS is subject to environmental laws and regulation in the various jurisdictions in which it operates that impose requirements or restrictions on its activities, such as mine development, water management, use of hazardous substances, reclamation, and waste transportation, storage and disposal. Compliance with environmental laws and regulations may require significant costs and may cause material changes or delays in operations. There is no assurance that PAAS will be in full compliance with environmental legislation at all times. Failure to comply with applicable environmental legislation could lead to adverse consequences. |
| ● | Foreign Issuer Risk. PAAS is a Canadian company. Because the Fund has indirect exposure to a foreign company, the Fund may be subject to risks associated with foreign investments. |
| ○ | Currency Risk. Indirect exposure to foreign currencies subjects the Fund to the risk that currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar. Currency rates in foreign countries may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time for a number of reasons, including changes in interest rates and the imposition of currency controls or other political developments in the U.S. or abroad. |
| ○ | Foreign Securities Risk. Investments in securities of non-U.S. issuers involve certain risks that may not be present with investments in securities of U.S. issuers, such as risk of loss due to foreign currency fluctuations or to political or economic instability, as well as varying regulatory requirements applicable to investments in non-U.S. issuers. There may be less information publicly available about a non-U.S. issuer than a U.S. issuer. Non-U.S. issuers may also be subject to different regulatory, accounting, auditing, financial reporting and investor protection standards than U.S. issuers. |
PATH Risks. The Fund invests in swap contracts and options that are based on the share price of PATH. This subjects the Fund to certain of the same risks as if it owned shares of PATH, even though it does not. By virtue of the Fund’s investments in swap contracts and options that are based on the value of PATH, the Fund may also be subject to the following risks:
| ● | Indirect Investment in PATH Risk. PATH is not affiliated with the Trust, the Fund, or the Adviser, or their respective affiliates and is not involved with this offering in any way and has no obligation to consider your Shares in taking any corporate actions that might affect the value of Shares. Investors in the Fund will not have voting rights or influence over the management of PATH but will be exposed to the performance of PATH (the Underlying Security). Investors will also not have the right to receive dividends or other distributions from PATH, but will remain subject to price fluctuations and other risks associated with ownership of the Underlying Security. |
| ● | PATH Trading Risk. The trading price of PATH may be subject to volatility and could experience wide fluctuations due to various factors. Short sellers may also influence PATH’s trading activity, contributing to market instability. Public perception and external factors beyond the company’s control may influence PATH’s stock price disproportionately. Additionally, following periods of market volatility, companies have faced securities class action litigation. Any adverse judgment or future stockholder litigation could result in substantial costs and divert management’s attention and resources. In the event of a trading halt, delisting, or significant disruption in the market for PATH’s shares, the Fund may experience difficulty entering, modifying, or liquidating its exposures. These conditions could impair the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective, result in significant tracking error, or, in extreme cases, force the Fund to liquidate entirely. | |
| ● | PATH Performance Risk. PATH may fail to meet its publicly announced guidelines or other expectations about its business, which could cause the price of PATH to decline. Correctly identifying key factors affecting business conditions and predicting future events is inherently an uncertain process, and the guidance PATH provides may not ultimately be accurate. If PATH’s guidance is not accurate or varies from actual results due to its inability to meet the assumptions or the impact on its financial performance that could occur as a result of various risks and uncertainties, the market value of common stock issued by PATH could decline significantly. | |
| ● | Software Industry Risk. The software industry can be significantly affected by intense competition, aggressive pricing, technological innovations, and product obsolescence. Companies in the software industry are subject to significant competitive pressures, such as aggressive pricing, new market entrants, competition for market share, short product cycles due to an accelerated rate of technological developments and the potential for limited earnings and/or falling profit margins. These companies also face the risks that new services, equipment or technologies will not be accepted by consumers and businesses or will become rapidly obsolete. These factors can affect the profitability of these companies and, as a result, the value of their securities. Also, patent protection is integral to the success of many companies in this industry, and profitability can be affected materially by, among other things, the cost of obtaining (or failing to obtain) patent approvals, the cost of litigating patent infringement and the loss of patent protection for products (which significantly increases pricing pressures and can materially reduce profitability with respect to such products). In addition, many software companies have limited operating histories. Prices of these companies’ securities historically have been more volatile than other securities, especially over the short term. |
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| ● | Operations Risk. PATH derives and expects to continue to derive substantially all of our revenue from its UiPath Platform™. As such, market adoption of its automation platform is critical to its continued success. Demand for its platform may be affected by a number of factors, many of which are beyond its control, including continued market acceptance and integration of the platform into the customers’ operations; the continued volume, variety, and velocity of automations that are generated through use of the platform; timing of development, and release of new offerings by competitors; technological change, including in the areas of AI and ML systems, and the rate of growth in the market. |
| ● | Artificial Intelligence Risk. The markets and use cases for products with AI capabilities have been rapidly evolving, are difficult to predict, and may impact demand for products, sales cycles, ability to forecast results from sales of these products, and the preferences of customers and potential customers. The significant investments PATH has made to develop products and software to address what it believes will be increasing demand for AI capabilities may be insufficient, and the company may face significant hurdles, including whether demand will materialize, whether third-party software providers will develop functionality that allows their software to utilize the AI capabilities of PATH’s products, and whether the company will be successful in developing, pricing, and packaging products that can compete with offerings by established competitors. Additionally, use of AI technology in general may subject us to reputational, financial, legal, or regulatory risks. |
| ● | Data Privacy and Cybersecurity Risk. PATH and third parties with whom it does business are subject to stringent and evolving U.S. and foreign laws, regulations, and rules, contractual obligations, industry standards, policies, and other obligations related to data privacy and security. PATH’s actual or perceived failure to comply with such obligations could lead to adverse business consequences, including regulatory investigations or actions; litigation (including class claims) and mass arbitration demands; fines and penalties; business disruptions; reputational harm; loss of revenue or profits; and loss of customers or sales. |
| ● | Intellectual Property Risks. Any failure to obtain, maintain, protect, or enforce PATH’s intellectual property and proprietary rights could impair its ability to protect its proprietary technology and its brand. PATH’s success depends to a significant degree on its ability to obtain, maintain, protect, and enforce intellectual property rights, including its proprietary technology, know-how, and brand. PATH may not be able to protect its intellectual property rights if, for example, it is unable to enforce its rights against infringement or misappropriation, or if it does not detect unauthorized use of our intellectual property rights. If PATH fails to protect its intellectual property rights adequately, its competitors may gain access to its proprietary technology and develop and commercialize substantially identical products, services, or technologies, and business, financial condition, results of operations, or growth prospects may be harmed. |
| ● | International Business Risks. PATH has sales, product, and engineering operations in many countries, and some of its business activities are concentrated in one or more geographic areas. Moreover, sales outside the U.S. accounted for 56% of the company’s revenue for fiscal year 2025. As a result, PATH’s operations and its financial results, including its ability to execute its business strategy, design, develop, or sell products, and the demand for its products, are at times adversely affected by a number of global and regional factors outside of its control. |
| ● | Dual Class Common Stock Risk. The dual class structure of PATH’s common stock has the effect of concentrating voting control with Daniel Dines, Chief Executive Officer, co-founder, and Chairman of PATH, which will limit stockholders' ability to influence the outcome of important decisions. |
POET Risks. The Fund invests in swap contracts and options that are based on the share price of POET. This subjects the Fund to certain of the same risks as if it owned shares of POET, even though it does not. By virtue of the Fund’s investments in swap contracts and options that are based on the value of POET, the Fund may also be subject to the following risks:
| ● | Indirect Investment in POET Risk. POET is not affiliated with the Trust, the Fund, or the Adviser, or their respective affiliates and is not involved with this offering in any way and has no obligation to consider your Shares in taking any corporate actions that might affect the value of Shares. Investors in the Fund will not have voting rights or influence over the management of POET but will be exposed to the performance of POET (the Underlying Security). Investors will also not have the right to receive dividends or other distributions from POET, but will remain subject to price fluctuations and other risks associated with ownership of the Underlying Security. |
| ● | POET Trading Risk. The trading price of POET may be subject to volatility and could experience wide fluctuations due to various factors. Short sellers may also influence POET’s trading activity, contributing to market instability. Public perception and external factors beyond the company’s control may influence POET’s stock price disproportionately. Additionally, following periods of market volatility, companies have faced securities class action litigation. Any adverse judgment or future stockholder litigation could result in substantial costs and divert management’s attention and resources. In the event of a trading halt, delisting, or significant disruption in the market for POET’s shares, the Fund may experience difficulty entering, modifying, or liquidating its exposures. These conditions could impair the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective, result in significant tracking error, or, in extreme cases, force the Fund to liquidate entirely. |
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| ● | POET Performance Risk. POET may fail to meet its publicly announced guidelines or other expectations about its business, which could cause the price of POET to decline. Correctly identifying key factors affecting business conditions and predicting future events is inherently an uncertain process, and the guidance POET provides may not ultimately be accurate. If POET’s guidance is not accurate or varies from actual results due to its inability to meet the assumptions or the impact on its financial performance that could occur as a result of various risks and uncertainties, the market value of common stock issued by POET could decline significantly. | |
| ● | Semiconductors Industry Risks. Semiconductor companies may face intense competition, both domestically and internationally, and such competition may have an adverse effect on their profit margins. Semiconductor companies may have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. Semiconductor companies’ supply chain and operations are dependent on the availability of materials that meet exacting standards and the use of third parties to provide components and services. Semiconductor companies may rely on a limited number of suppliers, or upon suppliers in a single location, for certain materials, equipment or tools. Finding and qualifying alternate or additional suppliers can be a lengthy process that can cause production delays or impose unforeseen costs, and such alternatives may not be available at all. Production can be disrupted by the unavailability of resources, such as water, silicon, electricity, gases and other materials. Suppliers may also increase prices or encounter cybersecurity or other issues that can disrupt production or increase production costs. Semiconductor and display and related industries have historically been cyclical and are subject to volatility in customer demand. |
| ● | Operating Loss History. POET has a history of large operating losses. The company has historically incurred losses and negative cash flows from operations since its inception. As of December 31, 2024, POET had an accumulated deficit of approximately $271,000,000. POET may not be able to achieve or sustain profitability in the future and as a result may not be able to maintain sufficient levels of liquidity. |
| ● | “Fab-light” Strategy Risk. POET has divested its major operating asset and adopted a “fab-light” strategy, under which it plans to focus on the Optical Interposer as its main business. A “fab-light” strategy is where a company owns some internal chip manufacturing capabilities (“fabs”) for specialized or high demand products, while simultaneously outsourcing a significant portion of its less critical or leading-edge chip production to third parties. There are substantial risks associated with the adoption of a “fab-light” strategy, including the loss of revenue associated with the divested operation, the loss of control over an internal development asset, and the loss of key technical knowledge available from personnel who will no longer be employed by the company, many of whom the company may have to replace. There is no guarantee that this approach to operating a company will be successful. Further, POET’s strategy will be solely dependent on the future market acceptance and sale of Optical Interposer-based solutions, which in some cases are neither fully developed nor in qualification stages. There can be no assurance that POET will be successful in addressing these or any other significant risks we may encounter in the adoption of a “fab-light” strategy or the focus of its business solely on the Optical Interposer. |
| ● | Technology Risk. The development of new, technologically advanced products is a complex and uncertain process requiring frequent innovation, highly-skilled engineering and development personnel and significant capital, as well as the accurate anticipation of technological and market trends. There is no assurance that the company will be able to identify, develop, manufacture, market or support new or enhanced products successfully or on a timely basis. Further, there is no assurance that new products will gain market acceptance or that the company will be able to respond effectively to product introductions by competitors, technological changes or emerging industry standards. POET also may not be able to develop the underlying core technologies necessary to create new products and enhancements, license these technologies from third parties, or remain competitive in its markets. |
| ● | Limited Operating History. The initial target market for the Optical Interposer-based optical engine is the data center market for data communications within the data center and beyond. POET has limited experience in selling products in this market. It may not be successful in developing a product for this market and even if it does, it may never gain widespread acceptance by large data center operators. If POET’s expectations for the growth of the data center / datacom market are not realized, its financial condition or results of operations may be adversely affected. |
| ● | Third Party Supplier Risk. POET depends on a limited number of suppliers in the operation of its business. Some of these suppliers are sole source suppliers. POET typically has not entered into long-term agreements with its suppliers. As a result, these suppliers generally may stop supplying materials and other components at any time. POET’s reliance on a sole supplier or limited number of suppliers could result in delivery problems, reduced control over technology development, product development, pricing and quality, and an inability to identify and qualify another supplier in a timely manner. |
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| ● | International Business Risks. POET has significant tangible assets located outside Canada and the United States. Conducting business outside Canada and the United States subjects the company to a number of additional risks and challenges, including: periodic changes in a specific country’s or region’s economic conditions, such as recession; licenses and other trade barriers; the provision of services may require export licenses; environmental regulations; certification requirements; fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; inadequate protection of intellectual property rights in some countries; preferences of certain customers for locally produced products; potential political, legal and economic instability, foreign conflicts, and the impact of regional and global infectious illnesses in the countries in which we and our customers, suppliers and contract manufacturers are located; Canadian and U. S. and foreign anticorruption laws; seasonal reductions in business activities in certain countries or regions; and fluctuations in freight rates and transportation disruptions. These factors, individually or in combination, could impair POET’s ability to effectively operate one or more of its foreign facilities or deliver its products, result in unexpected and material expenses, or cause an unexpected decline in the demand for its products in certain countries or regions. POET’s business segments are concentrated in the nuclear fuel and reactor cycles, with the largest segment being uranium mining. As such, POET is sensitive to changes in, and its performance and future prospects, will depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the nuclear energy industry and the public acceptance of nuclear energy. POET may be susceptible to increased risks, compared to diversified metals trading companies or diversified mining companies, as a result of the fact that its operations are concentrated in the nuclear fuel business. |
| ● | Foreign Issuer Risk. POET is a Canadian company. Because the Fund has indirect exposure to a foreign company, the Fund may be subject to risks associated with foreign investments. |
| ○ | Currency Risk. Indirect exposure to foreign currencies subjects the Fund to the risk that currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar. Currency rates in foreign countries may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time for a number of reasons, including changes in interest rates and the imposition of currency controls or other political developments in the U.S. or abroad. |
| ○ | Foreign Securities Risk. Investments in securities of non-U.S. issuers involve certain risks that may not be present with investments in securities of U.S. issuers, such as risk of loss due to foreign currency fluctuations or to political or economic instability, as well as varying regulatory requirements applicable to investments in non-U.S. issuers. There may be less information publicly available about a non-U.S. issuer than a U.S. issuer. Non-U.S. issuers may also be subject to different regulatory, accounting, auditing, financial reporting and investor protection standards than U.S. issuers. |
COMM Risks. The Fund invests in swap contracts and options that are based on the share price of COMM. This subjects the Fund to certain of the same risks as if it owned shares of COMM, even though it does not. By virtue of the Fund’s investments in swap contracts and options that are based on the value of COMM, the Fund may also be subject to the following risks:
| ● | Indirect Investment in COMM Risk. COMM is not affiliated with the Trust, the Fund, or the Adviser, or their respective affiliates and is not involved with this offering in any way and has no obligation to consider your Shares in taking any corporate actions that might affect the value of Shares. Investors in the Fund will not have voting rights or influence over the management of COMM but will be exposed to the performance of COMM (the Underlying Security). Investors will also not have the right to receive dividends or other distributions from COMM, but will remain subject to price fluctuations and other risks associated with ownership of the Underlying Security. |
| ● | COMM Trading Risk. The trading price of COMM may be subject to volatility and could experience wide fluctuations due to various factors. Short sellers may also influence COMM’s trading activity, contributing to market instability. Public perception and external factors beyond the company’s control may influence COMM’s stock price disproportionately. Additionally, following periods of market volatility, companies have faced securities class action litigation. Any adverse judgment or future stockholder litigation could result in substantial costs and divert management’s attention and resources. In the event of a trading halt, delisting, or significant disruption in the market for COMM’s shares, the Fund may experience difficulty entering, modifying, or liquidating its exposures. These conditions could impair the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective, result in significant tracking error, or, in extreme cases, force the Fund to liquidate entirely. | |
| ● | COMM Performance Risk. COMM may fail to meet its publicly announced guidelines or other expectations about its business, which could cause the price of COMM to decline. Correctly identifying key factors affecting business conditions and predicting future events is inherently an uncertain process, and the guidance COMM provides may not ultimately be accurate. If COMM’s guidance is not accurate or varies from actual results due to its inability to meet the assumptions or the impact on its financial performance that could occur as a result of various risks and uncertainties, the market value of common stock issued by COMM could decline significantly. |
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| ● | Communications Equipment Industry Risks. Failure to obtain, or delays in obtaining, financing or regulatory approval, intense competition, product compatibility, consumer preferences, corporate capital expenditures, and rapid obsolescence can significantly affect the communications equipment industry. Communications services companies are subject to extensive government regulation. The costs of complying with governmental regulations, delays or failure to receive required regulatory approvals, or the enactment of new adverse regulatory requirements may adversely affect the business of such companies. These companies can also be significantly affected by competition with alternative technologies, product compatibility, consumer preferences, rapid product obsolescence, and research and development of new products. Technological innovations may make the products and services of such companies obsolete. |
| ● | Risks Relating to Reliance on Third Parties. COMM’s performance is dependent on third parties’ capital spending for constructing, rebuilding, maintaining or upgrading data, communication and entertainment networks, which can be volatile and difficult to forecast. Capital spending in the communications industry is cyclical and can be curtailed or deferred on short notice. COMM experienced a decrease in customer capital spending in 2024, which negatively impacted its results of operations, and it may continue to experience significant fluctuations in sales and operating income due to the volatility in our industry. |
| ● | Regulatory Risks. The telecommunications and cable television industries are subject to significant and changing federal and state regulation, both in the U.S. and other countries. Many of COMM’s customers, such as internet service providers, are subject to various rules and regulations, and changes to such rules and regulations could adversely impact its customers’ decisions regarding capital spending. COMM, as well as some of its customers, also participate in and benefit from government funded programs that encourage the development of network infrastructures such as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) and American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Changes in government programs in the industry or uncertainty regarding future changes could adversely impact its customers’ decisions regarding capital spending, which could decrease demand for COMM’s products and could materially and adversely affect its business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and stock price. |
| ● | Commodity Price Risks. COMM is dependent on certain raw materials and components linked to the commodity markets, and its profitability may be materially affected by changes in the market price. The principal raw materials and components we purchase are aluminum, copper, steel, bimetals, optical fiber, plastics and other polymers, capacitors, memory devices and silicon chips. Prices for aluminum, copper, steel, silicon, fluoropolymers and certain other polymers have experienced significant volatility in the past as a result of changes in the levels of global demand, supply disruptions, including port, transportation and distribution delays or interruptions, and other factors. |
| ● | Supplier Risks. COMM utilizes a limited number of key suppliers for logistics support of certain of its raw material and component purchases, including certain semiconductors, memory and chip capacitors, polymers, copper rod, copper and aluminum tapes, fine aluminum wire, steel wire, optical fiber, circuit boards and other electronic components, subassemblies and modules. Certain of its suppliers are sole source suppliers, and a number of its agreements with suppliers are short-term in nature. COMM’s reliance on sole or limited suppliers and its reliance on subcontractors involves several risks, including a potential inability to obtain an adequate supply of required materials, components and other products, and reduced control over pricing, quality, terms and conditions of purchase and timely delivery. |
AMKR Risks. The Fund invests in swap contracts and options that are based on the share price of AMKR. This subjects the Fund to certain of the same risks as if it owned shares of AMKR, even though it does not. By virtue of the Fund’s investments in swap contracts and options that are based on the value of AMKR, the Fund may also be subject to the following risks:
| ● | Indirect Investment in AMKR Risk. AMKR is not affiliated with the Trust, the Fund, or the Adviser, or their respective affiliates and is not involved with this offering in any way and has no obligation to consider your Shares in taking any corporate actions that might affect the value of Shares. Investors in the Fund will not have voting rights or influence over the management of AMKR but will be exposed to the performance of AMKR (the Underlying Security). Investors will also not have the right to receive dividends or other distributions from AMKR, but will remain subject to price fluctuations and other risks associated with ownership of the Underlying Security. |
| ● | AMKR Trading Risk. The trading price of AMKR R may be subject to volatility and could experience wide fluctuations due to various factors. Short sellers may also influence AMKR’s trading activity, contributing to market instability. Public perception and external factors beyond the company’s control may influence AMKR’s stock price disproportionately. Additionally, following periods of market volatility, companies have faced securities class action litigation. Any adverse judgment or future stockholder litigation could result in substantial costs and divert management’s attention and resources. In the event of a trading halt, delisting, or significant disruption in the market for AMKR shares, the Fund may experience difficulty entering, modifying, or liquidating its exposures. These conditions could impair the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective, result in significant tracking error, or, in extreme cases, force the Fund to liquidate entirely. |
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| ● | AMKR Performance Risk. AMKR may fail to meet its publicly announced guidelines or other expectations about its business, which could cause the price of AMKR to decline. Correctly identifying key factors affecting business conditions and predicting future events is inherently an uncertain process, and the guidance AMKR provides may not ultimately be accurate. If AMKR’s guidance is not accurate or varies from actual results due to its inability to meet the assumptions or the impact on its financial performance that could occur as a result of various risks and uncertainties, the market value of common stock issued by AMKR could decline significantly. |
| ● | Semiconductors Industry Risks. Semiconductor companies may face intense competition, both domestically and internationally, and such competition may have an adverse effect on their profit margins. Semiconductor companies may have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. Semiconductor companies’ supply chain and operations are dependent on the availability of materials that meet exacting standards and the use of third parties to provide components and services. Semiconductor companies may rely on a limited number of suppliers, or upon suppliers in a single location, for certain materials, equipment or tools. Finding and qualifying alternate or additional suppliers can be a lengthy process that can cause production delays or impose unforeseen costs, and such alternatives may not be available at all. Production can be disrupted by the unavailability of resources, such as water, silicon, electricity, gases and other materials. Suppliers may also increase prices or encounter cybersecurity or other issues that can disrupt production or increase production costs. Semiconductor and display and related industries have historically been cyclical and are subject to volatility in customer demand. |
| ● | Supplier Risks. AMKR obtains the materials and equipment required for the packaging and test services performed by its factories from various vendors. AMKR sources most of its materials, including critical materials such as leadframes, laminate substrates and gold wire, from a limited group of suppliers. A disruption to the operations of one or more of its suppliers could extend lead times for materials and equipment and have a negative impact on AMKR’s business. For example, the Covid-19 pandemic and resulting supply chain disruptions and economic turbulence created extended lead times for some materials and equipment, and furthermore, fire, severe weather, earthquakes, flooding and tsunamis in the past have impacted the supply of specialty chemicals, substrates, silicon wafers, equipment and other supplies to the electronics industry. AMKR’s business may be harmed if it cannot obtain materials and other supplies from its vendors in a timely manner, in sufficient quantities, at acceptable quality or at competitive prices or are unable to increase its prices sufficiently to recover inflationary price increases in materials or supplies. |
| ● | Regulatory Risks. In recent years, the U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security announced new export control regulations applicable to the sale of U.S. semiconductor technology in China (collectively, the “BIS Regulations”). The BIS Regulations and other similarly restrictive trade barriers adopted by U.S. and foreign governments applicable to the semiconductor supply chain, could impact AMKR’s business and the businesses of its customers. These factors may have a material and adverse effect on AMKR’s business, liquidity, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows or lead to significant volatility in quarterly or annual operating results. In addition, these factors may materially and adversely affect AMKR’s credit ratings, which could make it more difficult and expensive for us to raise capital and could materially and adversely affect the price of our securities. |
| ● | Automotive Industry Risks. A significant portion of AMKR’s sales is to customers within the automotive industry. The automotive industry is cyclical, and, as a result, its customers in the automotive end-market are sensitive to changes in general economic conditions, inflationary pressure, disruptive innovation and end-market preferences, which can adversely affect sales of AMKR’s products and, correspondingly, its results of operations. Lower sales to customers in the automotive end-market may have a material adverse effect on AMKR”s business and results of operations. |
ADDITIONAL RISKS
Compounding and Market Volatility Risk. Each Fund has a daily leveraged investment objective and a Fund’s performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which is very likely to differ from two times (200%) the Underlying Security’s performance, before a Fund’s management fee and other expenses. Compounding affects all investments but has a more significant impact on funds that aim to replicate leveraged daily returns and that rebalance daily. For each Fund aiming to replicate two times the daily performance of its Underlying Security, if adverse daily performance of the Underlying Security reduces the amount of a shareholder’s investment, any further adverse daily performance will lead to a smaller dollar loss because the shareholder’s investment had already been reduced by the prior adverse performance. Equally, however, if favorable daily performance of the Underlying Security increases the amount of a shareholder’s investment, the dollar amount lost due to future adverse performance will increase because the shareholder’s investment has increased.
The effect of compounding becomes more pronounced as an Underlying Security’s volatility and the holding period increase. The impact of compounding will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in a Fund is held and the volatility of the Underlying Security during a shareholder’s holding period of an investment in the Fund.
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The chart below provides examples of how an Underlying Security’s volatility could affect the corresponding Fund’s performance. The chart illustrates the impact of two factors that affect a Fund’s performance – its Underlying Security’s volatility and performance. The Underlying Security’s performance shows the percentage change in the share price of the Underlying Security over the specified time period, while the Underlying Security’s volatility is a statistical measure of the magnitude of fluctuations in the returns during that time period. As illustrated below, even if the Underlying Security’s performance over two equal time periods is identical, different Underlying Security volatility (i.e., in magnitude of fluctuations in the value of the Underlying Security) during the two time periods could result in drastically different Fund performance for the two time periods because of compounding daily returns during the time periods.
Fund performance for periods greater than one single day can be estimated given any set of assumptions for the following factors: a) the Underlying Security volatility; b) the Underlying Security performance; c) period of time; d) financing rates associated with leveraged exposure; and e) other Fund expenses. The chart shows estimated Fund returns for a number of combinations of Underlying Security volatility and Underlying Security performance over a one-year period. Performance shown in the chart assumes that: (i) there were no Fund expenses; (ii) borrowing/lending rates (to obtain leveraged exposure) of 0%. If Fund expenses and/or actual borrowing/lending rates were reflected the estimated returns would be different than those shown. Particularly during periods of higher Underlying Security volatility, compounding will cause results for periods longer than a trading day to vary from two times (200%) the performance of its Underlying Security.
As shown in the chart below, a Fund would be expected to lose 6.1% if there was no change in the share price of the Underlying Security over a one-year period during which the Underlying Security experienced annualized volatility of 25%. If the Underlying Security’s annualized volatility were to rise to 75%, the hypothetical loss for a one-year period would widen to approximately -43%. At higher ranges of volatility, there is a chance of a significant loss of value in the Fund, even if there were no change in the share price of the Underlying Security. For instance, if the Underlying Security’s annualized volatility is 100%, the Fund would be expected to lose 63.2% of its value, even if the cumulative Underlying Security change in the share price of the Underlying Security for the year was 0%.
Areas shaded red (or dark gray) represent those scenarios where a Fund can be expected to return less than two times (200%) the performance of its Underlying Security and those shaded green (or light gray) represent those scenarios where the Fund can be expected to return more than two times (200%) the performance of its Underlying Security. A Fund’s actual performance may be significantly better or worse than the performance shown below as a result of any of the factors discussed above or in the “Daily Correlation/Tracking Risk” below.
| Estimated
Returns of 200% or Two Times Performance of the Underlying Security |
|||||||
| Underlying Security Performance | One Year Volatility Rate | ||||||
| One
Year Underlying Stock |
2X
Times (200%) the One Year Performance |
10% | 25% | 50% | 75% | 100% | |
| -60% | -120% | -84.2% | -85.0% | -87.5% | -90.9% | -94.1% | |
| -50% | -100% | -75.2% | -76.5% | -80.5% | -85.8% | -90.8% | |
| -40% | -80% | -64.4% | -66.2% | -72.0% | -79.5% | -86.8% | |
| -30% | -60% | -51.5% | -54.0% | -61.8% | -72.1% | -82.0% | |
| -20% | -40% | -36.6% | -39.9% | -50.2% | -63.5% | -76.5% | |
| -10% | -20% | -19.8% | -23.9% | -36.9% | -53.8% | -70.2% | |
| 0% | 0% | -1.0% | -6.1% | -22.1% | -43.0% | -63.2% | |
| 10% | 20% | 19.8% | 13.7% | -5.8% | -31.1% | -55.5% | |
| 20% | 40% | 42.6% | 35.3% | 12.1% | -18.0% | -47.0% | |
| 30% | 60% | 67.3% | 58.8% | 31.6% | -3.7% | -37.8% | |
| 40% | 80% | 94.0% | 84.1% | 52.6% | 11.7% | -27.9% | |
| 50% | 100% | 122.8% | 111.4% | 75.2% | 28.2% | -17.2% | |
| 60% | 120% | 153.5% | 140.5% | 99.4% | 45.9% | -5.8% | |
Each Underlying Security’s annualized historical volatility rate for the periods noted was as shown in the table below. Also, each Underlying Security’s highest volatility rate for any one calendar year during this period was as shown in the applicable Fund’s summary section above and volatility for a shorter period of time may have been substantially higher. The Underlying Security’s annualized performance during this period was as shown in the applicable Fund’s summary section above. Historical Underlying Security volatility and performance are not indications of what Underlying Security volatility and performance will be in the future.
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| Underlying Security Name/Ticker | Historical Volatility Rate | Period |
| Cleveland-Cliffs Inc: CLF | ||
| Plug Power Inc.: PLUG | ||
| Energy Fuels Inc.: UUUU | ||
| Cameco Corporation: CCJ | ||
| Denison Mines Corporation: DNN | ||
| Hecla Mining Co: HL | ||
| Nasdaq, Inc.: NDAQ | ||
| Pan American Silver Corporation: PAAS | ||
| UiPath Inc.: PATH | ||
| POET Technologies Inc.: POET | ||
| CommScope Holding Company, Inc.: COMM | ||
| Amkor Technology, Inc.: AMKR |
Counterparty Risk. Each Fund is subject to counterparty risk by virtue of its investments in derivatives which exposes the Fund to the risk that the counterparty will not fulfill its obligation to the Fund. Counterparty risk may arise because of the counterparty’s financial condition (i.e., financial difficulties, bankruptcy, or insolvency), market activities and developments, or other reasons, whether foreseen or not. A counterparty’s inability to fulfill its obligation may result in significant financial loss to a Fund and the Fund may be unable to recover its investment from such counterparty or may obtain a limited and/or delayed recovery.
Counterparties may seek to hedge their exposure to individual clients (such as a Fund) by establishing offsetting exposures with other clients, however, there is no guarantee that counterparties will do so under all circumstances. Should a counterparty (e.g., a swap counterparty) terminate its relationship with a Fund, the Fund will seek to utilize other counterparties to seek to maintain its exposures. In addition, a Fund may use options contracts to seek to generate the leverage necessary to implement its strategy. The use of options contracts introduces distinct risks, including heightened volatility, particularly intraday. While options may provide an ancillary benefit of mitigating some losses under specific scenarios, such as severe market downturns, their inherent leverage and rapid price fluctuations can amplify a Fund’s performance volatility and lead to greater risks of substantial losses. Refer to “Derivatives Risk – Options Contracts” for additional information on the risks of investing in options.
In addition, each Fund may enter into swap agreements with a limited number of counterparties, which may increase the Fund’s exposure to counterparty credit risk. Further, there is a risk that no suitable counterparties will be willing to enter into, or continue to enter into, transactions with a Fund and, as a result, the Fund may not be able to achieve its investment objective.
Daily Correlation/Tracking Risk. There is no guarantee that a Fund will achieve a high degree of leveraged correlation to the Underlying Security and therefore achieve its daily leveraged investment objective. To achieve a high degree of leveraged correlation with the Underlying Security, each Fund seeks to rebalance its portfolio daily to keep exposure consistent with its daily leveraged investment objective. The possibility of a Fund being materially over- or under-exposed to its Underlying Security increases on days when the Underlying Security is volatile near the close of the trading day. Market disruptions, regulatory restrictions and extreme volatility will also adversely affect a Fund’s ability to adjust exposure to the required levels. If there is a significant intra-day market event and/or the Underlying Security experiences a significant increase or decline, a Fund may not meet its investment objective, be able to rebalance its portfolio appropriately, or may experience significant premiums or discounts, or widened bid-ask spreads.
Each Fund may have difficulty achieving its daily leveraged investment objective due to fees, expenses, transaction costs, financing costs related to the use of derivatives, investments in ETFs, directly or indirectly, income items, valuation methodology, accounting standards and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for the securities or derivatives held by the Fund. Each Fund may be subject to large movements of assets into and out of the Fund, potentially resulting in the Fund being over- or under-exposed to its Underlying Security. Each Fund may take or refrain from taking positions to improve the tax efficiency or to comply with various regulatory restrictions, either of which may negatively impact the Fund’s leveraged correlation to the Underlying Security.
Derivatives Risk. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds (including ETFs), interest rates or indexes. Each Fund’s investments in derivatives may pose risks in addition to, and greater than, those associated with directly investing in securities or other ordinary investments, including risk related to the market, leverage, imperfect daily correlations with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, higher price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty risk, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions. The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of derivatives may result in larger losses or smaller gains than directly investing in securities. When a Fund uses derivatives, there may be imperfect correlation between the share price of its Underlying Security and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. Because derivatives often require only a limited initial investment, the use of derivatives may expose the Fund to losses in excess of those amounts initially invested.
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Each Fund will be subject to regulatory constraints relating to level of value at risk that the Fund may incur through its derivative portfolio. To the extent a Fund exceeds these regulatory thresholds over an extended period, the Fund may determine that it is necessary to make adjustments to the Fund’s investment strategy, including the desired daily leveraged performance for the Fund.
In addition, each Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
Swap Agreements. The use of swap transactions is a highly specialized activity, which involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. Whether a Fund will be successful in using swap agreements to achieve its investment goal depends on the ability of the Adviser to structure such swap agreements in accordance with the Fund’s investment objective and to identify counterparties for those swap agreements. If the Adviser is unable to enter into swap agreements that provide leveraged exposure to the relevant Underlying Security, the corresponding Fund may not meet its stated investment objective. Additionally, any financing, borrowing or other costs associated with using swap transactions may also have the effect of lowering a Fund’s return.
The swap agreements in which each Fund invests are generally traded in the over-the-counter market, which generally has less transparency than exchange-traded derivatives instruments. In a standard swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the return (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined reference assets or underlying securities or instruments. The gross return to be exchanged or swapped between the parties is calculated based on a notional amount or the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount invested in a basket of securities.
If an Underlying Security has a dramatic move that causes a material decline in the corresponding Fund’s net assets, the terms of a swap agreement between the Fund and its counterparty may permit the counterparty to immediately close out the swap transaction with the Fund. In that event, the Fund may be unable to enter into another swap agreement or invest in other derivatives to achieve exposure consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. This may prevent the Fund from achieving its leveraged investment objective, even if its Underlying Security later reverses all or a portion of its movement.
Options Contracts. The use of options contracts involves investment strategies and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The prices of options are volatile and are influenced by, among other things, actual and anticipated changes in the value of the underlying instrument, including the anticipated volatility, which are affected by fiscal and monetary policies and by national and international political, changes in the actual or implied volatility or the reference asset, the time remaining until the expiration of the option contract and economic events. The value of the options contracts in which the Fund invests are substantially influenced by the value of the Underlying Security. The Fund may experience substantial downside from specific option positions and certain option positions held by the Fund may expire worthless. The options held by the Fund are exercisable at the strike price on their expiration date. As an option approaches its expiration date, its value typically increasingly moves with the value of the underlying instrument. However, prior to such date, the value of an option generally does not increase or decrease at the same rate as the underlying instrument. There may at times be an imperfect correlation between the movement in values options contracts and the underlying instrument, and there may at times not be a liquid secondary market for certain options contracts. The value of the options held by the Fund will be determined based on market quotations or other recognized pricing methods. Additionally, as the Fund intends to continuously maintain indirect exposure to the Underlying Security through the use of options contracts, as the options contracts it holds are exercised or expire it will enter into new options contracts, a practice referred to as “rolling.” If the expiring options contracts do not generate proceeds enough to cover the cost of entering into new options contracts, the Fund may experience losses. The use of options to generate leverage introduces additional risks, including significant potential losses if the market moves unfavorably. The leverage inherent in options can amplify both gains and losses, leading to increased volatility and potential for substantial losses, particularly in periods of market uncertainty or low liquidity. Additionally, the Fund may incur losses if the value of the Underlying Security moves against its positions, potentially resulting in a complete loss of the premium paid.
Economic and Market Risk. Economies and financial markets throughout the world are becoming increasingly interconnected, which increases the likelihood that events or conditions in one country or region will adversely impact markets or issuers in other countries or regions. Securities in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform in comparison to securities in the general financial markets, a particular financial market, or other asset classes, due to a number of factors, including inflation (or expectations for inflation), deflation (or expectations for deflation), interest rates, global demand for particular products or resources, market instability, financial system instability, debt crises and downgrades, embargoes, tariffs, sanctions and other trade barriers, regulatory events, other governmental trade or market control programs and related geopolitical events. In addition, the value of the Fund’s investments may be negatively affected by the occurrence of global events such as war, terrorism, environmental disasters, natural disasters or events, country instability, and infectious disease epidemics or pandemics. The imposition by the U.S. of tariffs on goods imported from foreign countries and reciprocal tariffs levied on U.S. goods by those countries also may lead to volatility and instability in domestic and foreign markets.
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ETF Risks
Authorized Participants, Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. Each Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that are authorized to purchase and redeem Shares directly from the Fund (known as “Authorized Participants” or “APs”). In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, Shares may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services; or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.
Cash Redemption Risk. Each Fund’s investment strategy may require it to redeem Shares for cash or to otherwise include cash as part of its redemption proceeds. For example, a Fund may not be able to redeem in-kind certain securities held by the Fund (e.g., derivative instruments). In such a case, a Fund may be required to sell or unwind portfolio investments to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. This may cause the Fund to recognize a capital gain that it might not have recognized if it had made a redemption in-kind. As a result, a Fund may pay out higher annual capital gain distributions than if the in-kind redemption process was used. By paying out higher annual capital gain distributions, investors may be subjected to increased capital gains taxes. The costs associated with cash redemptions may include brokerage costs that the Fund may not have incurred if it had made the redemptions in-kind. These costs could be imposed on a Fund, decreasing its NAV, to the extent these costs are not offset by a transaction fee payable by an authorized participant.
Costs of Buying or Selling Shares. Buying or selling Shares involves certain costs, including brokerage commissions, other charges imposed by brokers, and bid-ask spreads. The bid-ask spread represents the difference between the price at which an investor is willing to buy Shares and the price at which an investor is willing to sell Shares. The spread varies over time based on the Shares’ trading volume and market liquidity. The spread is generally lower if Shares have more trading volume and market liquidity and higher if Shares have little trading volume and market liquidity. Due to the costs of buying or selling Shares, frequent trading of Shares may reduce investment results and an investment in Shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.
Shares May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all ETFs, Shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of Shares will approximate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price of Shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount) due to supply and demand of Shares or during periods of market volatility. This risk is heightened in times of market volatility, periods of steep market declines, and periods when there is limited trading activity for Shares in the secondary market, in which case such premiums or discounts may be significant.
Trading. Although Shares are listed on a national securities exchange, such as the Exchange, and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that 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 a Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings, which can be significantly less liquid than Shares. This adverse effect on liquidity for a Fund’s shares may lead to wider bid-ask spreads and differences between the market price of the Fund’s shares and the underlying value of the shares.
Liquidity Risk. In certain circumstances, such as the disruption of the orderly markets for the financial instruments in which a Fund invests, the Fund might not be able to acquire or dispose of certain holdings quickly or at prices that represent true market value in the judgment of the Adviser. Markets for the financial instruments in which a Fund invests may be disrupted by a number of events, including but not limited to economic crises, health crises, natural disasters, excessive volatility, new legislation, or regulatory changes inside or outside of the U.S. These situations may have an impact on the liquidity of the Fund’s own shares.”
Fixed Income Securities Risk. When a Fund invests in fixed income securities, the value of your investment in that Fund will fluctuate with changes in interest rates. Typically, a rise in interest rates causes a decline in the value of fixed income securities owned by the Fund. In general, the market price of fixed income securities with longer maturities will increase or decrease more in response to changes in interest rates than shorter-term securities. Other risk factors include credit risk (the debtor may default), extension risk (an issuer may exercise its right to repay principal on a fixed rate obligation held by the Fund later than expected), and prepayment risk (the debtor may pay its obligation early, reducing the amount of interest payments). These risks could affect the value of a particular investment by a Fund, possibly causing the Fund’s Share price and total return to be reduced and fluctuate more than other types of investments.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk. Daily rebalancing of each Fund’s holdings pursuant to its daily investment objective causes a much greater number of portfolio transactions when compared to most ETFs. Additionally, active market trading of each Fund’s Shares on exchanges (such as the Exchange), could cause more frequent creation and redemption activities, which could increase the number of portfolio transactions. Frequent and active trading may lead to higher transaction costs because of increased broker commissions resulting from such transactions. In addition, there is the possibility of significantly increased short-term capital gains (which will be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income when distributed to them). Each Fund calculates portfolio turnover without including the short-term cash instruments or derivative transactions that comprise the majority of the Fund’s trading. As such, if a Fund’s extensive use of derivative instruments were reflected, the calculated portfolio turnover rate would be significantly higher.
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Intra-Day Investment Risk. Each Fund seeks investment results from the close of the market on a given trading day until the close of the market on the subsequent trading day. The exact exposure of an investment in a Fund intraday in the secondary market is a function of the difference between the share price of its Underlying Security at the market close on the first trading day and the share price of the Underlying Security at the time of purchase. If the share price of the Underlying Security rises, the Fund’s net assets will rise by approximately twice the amount as the Fund’s exposure. Conversely, if the share price of the Underlying Security declines, the Fund’s net assets will decline by approximately two times the amount as the Fund’s exposure. Thus, an investor that purchases Shares intra-day may experience performance that is greater than, or less than, the Fund’s stated leveraged performance of the Underlying Security.
If there is a significant intra-day market event and/or the securities of the Underlying Security experience a significant increase or decrease, a Fund may not meet its investment objective or rebalance its portfolio appropriately.
Leverage Risk. Each Fund obtains investment exposure in excess of its net assets by utilizing leverage and may lose more money in market conditions that are adverse to its investment objective than a fund that does not utilize leverage. An investment in a Fund is exposed to the risk that a decline in the daily performance of its Underlying Security will be magnified. This means that an investment in a Fund will be reduced by an amount equal to 2% for every 1% daily decline in the share prices of the Underlying Security, not including the costs of financing leverage and other operating expenses, which would further reduce its value. The Fund could theoretically lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event the share price of the Underlying Security declines more than 50%. Leverage will also have the effect of magnifying any differences in the Fund performance’s correlation with the Underlying Security’s share price.
Liquidity Risk. Some securities held by a Fund may be difficult to sell or be illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including, but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, epidemics/pandemics, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the United States. Illiquid securities may be difficult to value, especially in changing or volatile markets. If a Fund is forced to sell an illiquid security at an unfavorable time or price, the Fund may be adversely impacted. Certain market conditions or restrictions may prevent a Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Underlying Security. There is no assurance that a security that is deemed liquid when purchased will continue to be liquid. Market illiquidity may cause losses for the Funds.
Money Market Instrument Risk. Each Fund may use a variety of money market instruments for cash management purposes, including money market funds, depositary accounts and repurchase agreements. Repurchase agreements are contracts in which a seller of securities agrees to buy the securities back at a specified time and price. Repurchase agreements may be subject to market and credit risk related to the collateral securing the repurchase agreement. Money market instruments may lose money.
New Fund Risk. Each Fund is a recently organized management investment company with no operating history. As a result, prospective investors do not have any (or only a limited) track record or history on which to base their investment decisions.
Non-Diversification Risk. Because each Fund is “non-diversified,” it may invest a greater percentage of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it was a diversified fund. As a result, a decline in the value of an investment in a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers could cause a Fund’s overall value to decline to a greater degree than if the Fund held a more diversified portfolio. This may increase a Fund’s volatility and cause the performance of a relatively smaller number of issuers to have a greater impact on the Fund’s performance.
Operational Risk. Each 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. Each 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 a Fund’s ability to meet its investment objective. Although the Funds and the Funds’ investment advisor seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures, there is no way to completely protect against such risks.
Rebalancing Risk. If for any reason a Fund is unable to rebalance all or a portion of its portfolio, or if all or a portion of the portfolio is rebalanced incorrectly, the Fund’s investment exposure may not be consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. In these instances, the Fund may have investment exposure to its Underlying Security that is significantly greater or less than its stated investment objective. As a result, a Fund may be exposed to leverage risk because it had not been properly rebalanced and may not achieve its investment objective.
Single Issuer Risk. Issuer-specific attributes may cause an investment in a Fund to be more volatile than a traditional pooled investment which diversifies risk or the market generally. The value of each Fund, which focuses on an individual security, may be more volatile than a traditional pooled investment or the market as a whole and may perform differently from the value of a traditional pooled investment or the market as a whole. Additionally, each Fund will seek to employ its investment strategy as it relates to the underlying issuer regardless of whether there are significant corporate actions such as restructurings, enforcement activity, or acquisitions or periods adverse market, economic, or other conditions and will not seek to take temporary defensive positions during such periods.
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Tax Risk. Each Fund intends to elect and to qualify each year to be treated as a regulated investment company (a “RIC”) under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (“Code”). As a RIC, a Fund will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the portion of its net investment income and net capital gain that it distributes to Shareholders, provided that it satisfies certain requirements of the Code. If the Fund does not qualify as a RIC for any taxable year and certain relief provisions are not available, the Fund’s taxable income will be subject to tax at the Fund level and to a further tax at the shareholder level when such income is distributed. To comply with the asset diversification test applicable to a RIC, each Fund will attempt to ensure that the value of swap contracts and options on shares of a single issuer does not exceed 25% of the Fund’s value at the close of any quarter. If the value of swap contracts and options on shares of a single issuer were to exceed 25% of the Fund’s total assets at the end of a tax quarter, the Fund, generally, has a grace period to cure such lack of compliance. If a Fund fails to timely cure, it may no longer be eligible to be treated as a RIC. In order to qualify for the favorable tax treatment generally available to regulated investment companies, a Fund must satisfy certain diversification and other requirements. In particular, each Fund generally may not acquire a security if, as a result of the acquisition, more than 50% of the value of the Fund’s assets would be invested in (a) issuers in which the Fund has, in each case, invested more than 5% of the Fund’s assets and (b) issuers more than 10% of whose outstanding voting securities are owned by the Fund. The application of these requirements to certain investments (including swaps) that may be entered into by the Funds is unclear. The IRS has never definitively stated how assets such as swaps or futures or forward contracts should be valued for purposes of these diversification tests. The better view is that such contracts should be valued for these purposes at the amount for which a Fund could settle them, and not the full value of any reference security. In addition, the application of these requirements to a Fund’s investment objective is not clear, particularly because the Fund’s investment objective focuses on the performance of the stock of a single issuer. If a Fund were to fail to qualify as a regulated investment company, it would be taxed in the same manner as an ordinary corporation, and distributions to its shareholders would not be deductible by the Fund in computing its taxable income.
Tracking Error Risk. Tracking error is the divergence of a Fund’s performance from that of its investment objective which aims to replicate two times the daily percentage change in the price of its Underlying Security. Tracking error may occur for a number of reasons. Tracking error may occur because of transaction costs, a Fund’s holding of cash, differences in accrual of dividends, being under- or overexposed to the Underlying Security or the need to meet new or existing regulatory requirements. Tracking error risk may be heightened during times of market volatility or other unusual market conditions such as market disruptions. Each Fund may be required to deviate from its investment objectives, and therefore experience tracking error, as a result of market restrictions or other legal reasons, including regulatory limits or other restrictions on securities that may be purchased by the Adviser and its affiliates.
Trading Halt Risk. Although each Underlying Security’s shares are listed for trading on an exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such shares will be available at all times and the Exchange may halt trading of such shares in certain circumstances. A halt in trading in an Underlying Security’s shares is expected, in turn, to result in a halt in the trading in the corresponding Fund’s Shares. Trading in an Underlying Security’s and/or the corresponding Fund’s Shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in the Underlying Security’s and/or Fund’s Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in each Underlying Security’s and/or Fund’s Shares on an exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to exchange “circuit breaker” rules.” In the event of a trading halt for an extended period of time, the relevant Fund may be unable to execute arrangements with swap counterparties that are necessary to implement the Fund’s investment strategy.
U.S. Government and U.S. Agency Obligations Risk. Each Fund may invest in securities issued by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities. U.S. Government obligations include securities issued or guaranteed as to principal and interest by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities, such as the U.S. Treasury. Payment of principal and interest on U.S. Government obligations may be backed by the full faith and credit of the United States or may be backed solely by the issuing or guaranteeing agency or instrumentality itself. In the latter case, the investor must look principally to the agency or instrumentality issuing or guaranteeing the obligation for ultimate repayment, which agency or instrumentality may be privately owned. There can be no assurance that the U.S. Government would provide financial support to its agencies or instrumentalities (including government-sponsored enterprises) where it is not obligated to do so.
Information about each Fund’s daily portfolio holdings is, or will be, available on the Funds’ website at https://www.defianceetfs.com.
A complete description of each Fund’s policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of a Fund’s portfolio holdings is available in the Funds’ Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”).
Investment Adviser
Tidal Investments LLC (“Tidal” or the “Adviser”), a Tidal Financial Group company, located at 234 West Florida Street, Suite 203, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53204, is an SEC registered investment adviser and a Delaware limited liability company. Tidal was founded in March 2012 and is dedicated to understanding, researching and managing assets within the expanding ETF universe. As of [ ], Tidal had assets under management of approximately $[ ] billion and served as the investment adviser or sub-adviser for [ ] registered funds.
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Tidal serves as investment adviser to the Funds and has overall responsibility for the general management and administration of the Funds pursuant to an investment advisory agreement with the Trust, on behalf of each Fund (the “Advisory Agreement”). The Adviser is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Funds’ portfolios, including determining the securities and financial instruments purchased and sold by each Fund and trading portfolio securities and financial instruments for each Fund, subject to the supervision of the Board. The Adviser also arranges for sub-advisory, transfer agency, custody, fund administration, and all other related services necessary for the Fund to operate. For the services provided to the Funds, each Fund pays the Adviser a unitary management fee of []%, which is calculated daily and paid monthly, at an annual rate based on such Fund’s average daily net assets.
Under the Advisory Agreement, in exchange for a single unitary management fee from the Fund, the Adviser has agreed to pay all expenses incurred by such Fund (except for advisory fees and sub-advisory fees, as the case may be) except for interest charges on any borrowings made for investment purposes, dividends and other expenses on securities sold short, taxes, brokerage commissions and other expenses incurred in placing orders for the purchase and sale of securities and other investment instruments, acquired fund fees and expenses, accrued deferred tax liability, distribution fees and expenses paid by a Fund under any distribution plan adopted pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act, and litigation expenses, and other non-routine or extraordinary expenses (collectively, the “Excluded Expenses”).
A discussion regarding the basis for the Board’s approval of each Fund’s Investment Advisory Agreement will be available in the Funds’ Annual Certified Shareholder report to shareholders on Form N-CSR for the period ended [ ], 2026.
Portfolio Managers
The following individuals (each, a “Portfolio Manager”) have served as portfolio manager of each Fund since inception. Each of Mr. Foy and Mr. Mullen is jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of each Fund.
Stephen Foy, Portfolio Manager for the Adviser
Mr. Foy joined Tidal in 2024 and is Senior Vice President of Trading and Co-Head of Tidal’s ETF Trading and Portfolio Management team. He previously oversaw Invesco ETF Services from 2021 to 2024, including middle and back-office operations as well as portfolio implementation for all equity and alternative ETFs. Mr. Foy holds an MBA from Johns Hopkins University and spent five years in ETF Portfolio Management at ProShares from 2016 to 2021. He brings a robust portfolio management background across a wide array of strategies and asset classes. Throughout his career, he has led global teams through hundreds of product launches, organizational changes, and technological and operational transformations.
Christopher P. Mullen, Portfolio Manager for the Adviser
Christopher P. Mullen serves as Portfolio Manager at the Adviser, having joined the firm in January 2024. From September 2019 to December 2023, he was a Portfolio Manager at Vest Financial LLC, where he managed exchange-traded funds, mutual funds and retirement fund portfolios. Mr. Mullen previously served as a Senior Portfolio Analyst at ProShares Advisors LLC from September 2016 until September 2019. Prior to that, Mr. Mullen served as associate portfolio manager at USCF Investments LLC from February 2013 to September 2016. Mr. Mullen received a Master of Business Administration from the University of Maryland. He also holds a dual bachelor’s degree in global politics and history from Marquette University.
The Funds’ SAI provides additional information about the portfolio managers’ compensation structure, other accounts that each portfolio manager manages, and the portfolio managers’ ownership of Shares.
Fund Sponsor
The Adviser has entered into a fund sponsorship agreement with Defiance ETFs, LLC (“Defiance”) pursuant to which Defiance is a sponsor to the Funds. Under these arrangements, Defiance has agreed to provide financial support (as described below) to the Funds. Every month, unitary management fees for the Funds are calculated and paid to the Adviser, and the Adviser retains a portion of the unitary management fees from the Funds.
In return for their financial support for the Funds, the Adviser has agreed to pay Defiance a portion of any remaining profits generated by unitary management fee the Funds. If the amount of the unitary management fees for a Fund exceeds the Fund’s operating expenses and the Adviser-retained amount, that excess amount is considered “remaining profit.” In that case, the Adviser will pay a portion of the remaining profits to Defiance.
Further, if the amount of the unitary management fee for a Fund is less than the Fund’s operating expenses and the Adviser-retained amount, Defiance is obligated to reimburse the Adviser for a portion of the shortfall.
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Each Fund issues and redeems Shares only in Creation Units at the NAV per share next determined after receipt of an order from an AP. Only APs may acquire Shares directly from a Fund, and only APs may tender their Shares for redemption directly to the Funds, at NAV. APs must be a member or participant of a clearing agency registered with the SEC and must execute a Participant Agreement that has been agreed to by the Distributor (defined below), and that has been accepted by a Fund’s transfer agent, with respect to purchases and redemptions of Creation Units. Once created, Shares trade in the secondary market in quantities less than a Creation Unit.
In order to purchase Creation Units of a Fund, an AP must generally deposit a designated portfolio of equity securities (the “Deposit Securities”) and/or a designated amount of U.S. cash. Purchases and redemptions of Creation Units primarily with cash, rather than through in-kind delivery of portfolio securities, may cause the Funds to incur certain costs. These costs could include brokerage costs or taxable gains or losses that it might not have incurred if it had made redemption in-kind. These costs could be imposed on a Fund, and thus decrease the Fund’s NAV, to the extent that the costs are not offset by a transaction fee payable by an AP.
Most investors buy and sell Shares in secondary market transactions through brokers. Individual Shares are listed for trading on the secondary market on the Exchange and can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like other publicly traded securities.
When buying or selling Shares through a broker, you will incur customary brokerage commissions and charges, and you may pay some or all of the spread between the bid and the offer price in the secondary market on each leg of a round trip (purchase and sale) transaction. In addition, because secondary market transactions occur at market prices, you may pay more than NAV when you buy Shares, and receive less than NAV when you sell those Shares.
Book Entry
Shares are held in book-entry form, which means that no stock certificates are issued. The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) or its nominee is the record owner of all outstanding Shares.
Investors owning Shares are beneficial owners as shown on the records of DTC or its participants. DTC serves as the securities depository for all Shares. DTC’s participants include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and other institutions that directly or indirectly maintain a custodial relationship with DTC. As a beneficial owner of Shares, you are not entitled to receive physical delivery of stock certificates or to have Shares registered in your name, and you are not considered a registered owner of Shares. Therefore, to exercise any right as an owner of Shares, you must rely upon the procedures of DTC and its participants. These procedures are the same as those that apply to any other securities that you hold in book-entry or “street name” through your brokerage account.
Frequent Purchases and Redemptions of Shares
None of the Funds imposes any restrictions on the frequency of purchases and redemptions of Shares. In determining not to approve a written, established policy, the Board evaluated the risks of market timing activities by a Fund’s shareholders. Purchases and redemptions by APs, who are the only parties that may purchase or redeem Shares directly with a Fund, are an essential part of the ETF process and help keep Share trading prices in line with the NAV. As such, the Funds accommodate frequent purchases and redemptions by APs. However, the Board has also determined that frequent purchases and redemptions for cash may increase tracking error and portfolio transaction costs and may lead to the realization of capital gains. To minimize these potential consequences of frequent purchases and redemptions, each Fund employs fair value pricing and may impose transaction fees on purchases and redemptions of Creation Units to cover the custodial and other costs incurred by such Fund in effecting trades. In addition, the Funds and the Adviser reserve the right to reject any purchase order at any time.
Determination of Net Asset Value
Each Fund’s NAV is calculated as of the scheduled close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”), generally 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, each day the NYSE is open for regular business. The NAV for the Funds is calculated by dividing such Fund’s net assets by its Shares outstanding.
In calculating its NAV, each Fund generally value its assets on the basis of market quotations, last sale prices, or estimates of value furnished by a pricing service or brokers who make markets in such instruments. If such information is not available for a security or other assets held by a Fund or is determined to be unreliable, the security will be valued at fair value estimates under guidelines established by the Adviser (as described below).
Additionally, each Fund values swap agreements based on the nature of the underlying reference asset or index. The Funds may use the closing price of the underlying reference asset, as provided by independent pricing services, or evaluated prices generated by pricing vendors’ models. The Funds value exchange-traded options at the composite mean price, calculated as the average of the highest bid and lowest ask prices across the exchanges on which the option is principally traded.
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Fair Value Pricing
The Board has designated the Adviser as the “valuation designee” for the Fund under Rule 2a-5 of the 1940 Act, subject to its oversight. The Adviser has adopted procedures and methodologies, which have been approved by the Board, to fair value Fund investments whose market prices are not “readily available” or are deemed to be unreliable. For example, such circumstances may arise when: (i) an investment has been delisted or has had its trading halted or suspended; (ii) an investment’s primary pricing source is unable or unwilling to provide a price; (iii) an investment’s primary trading market is closed during regular market hours; or (iv) an investment’s value is materially affected by events occurring after the close of the investment’s primary trading market. Generally, when fair valuing an investment, the Adviser will take into account all reasonably available information that may be relevant to a particular valuation including, but not limited to, fundamental analytical data regarding the issuer, information relating to the issuer’s business, recent trades or offers of the investment, general and/or specific market conditions, and the specific facts giving rise to the need to fair value the investment. Fair value determinations are made in good faith and in accordance with the fair value methodologies included in the Adviser’s valuation procedures. The Adviser will fair value Fund investments whose market prices are not “readily available” or are deemed to be unreliable. Due to the subjective and variable nature of fair value pricing, there can be no assurance that the Adviser will be able to obtain the fair value assigned to the investment upon the sale of such investment.
Delivery of Shareholder Documents – Householding
Householding is an option available to certain investors of the Funds. Householding is a method of delivery, based on the preference of the individual investor, in which a single copy of certain shareholder documents can be delivered to investors who share the same address, even if their accounts are registered under different names. Householding for the Funds is available through certain broker-dealers. If you are interested in enrolling in householding and receiving a single copy of prospectuses and other shareholder documents, please contact your broker-dealer. If you are currently enrolled in householding and wish to change your householding status, please contact your broker-dealer.
DIVIDENDS, DISTRIBUTIONS, AND TAXES
Dividends and Distributions
Each Fund intends to pay out dividends and interest income, if any, annually, and distribute any net realized capital gains to its shareholders at least annually.
The Funds will declare and pay income and capital gain distributions, if any, in cash. Distributions in cash may be reinvested automatically in additional whole Shares only if the broker through whom you purchased Shares makes such option available. Your broker is responsible for distributing the income and capital gain distributions to you.
Taxes
The following discussion is a summary of some important U.S. federal income tax considerations generally applicable to investments in the Funds. Your investment in a Fund may have other tax implications. Please consult your tax advisor about the tax consequences of an investment in Shares, including the possible application of foreign, state, and local tax laws.
Each Fund intends to qualify each year for treatment as a RIC under the Code. If it meets certain minimum distribution requirements, a RIC is not subject to tax at the fund level on income and gains from investments that are timely distributed to shareholders. However, a Fund’s failure to qualify as a RIC or to meet minimum distribution requirements would result (if certain relief provisions were not available) in fund-level taxation and, consequently, a reduction in income available for distribution to shareholders.
Unless your investment in Shares is made through a tax-exempt entity or tax-advantaged account, such as an IRA plan, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when a Fund makes distributions, when you sell your Shares listed on the Exchange, and when you purchase or redeem Creation Units (institutional investors only).
The following general discussion of certain U.S. federal income tax consequences is based on provisions of the Code and the regulations issued thereunder as in effect on the date of this Prospectus. New legislation, as well as administrative changes or court decisions, may significantly change the conclusions expressed herein, and may have a retroactive effect with respect to the transactions contemplated herein.
Taxes on Distributions. For federal income tax purposes, distributions of net investment income are generally taxable to shareholders as ordinary income or qualified dividend income. Taxes on distributions of net capital gains (if any) are determined by how long the Fund owned the investments that generated them, rather than how long a shareholder has owned their Shares. Sales of assets held by a Fund for more than one year generally result in long-term capital gains and losses, and sales of assets held by such Fund for one year or less generally result in short-term capital gains and losses. Distributions of a Fund’s net capital gain (the excess of net long-term capital gains over net short-term capital losses) that are reported by such Fund as capital gain dividends (“Capital Gain Dividends”) will be taxable to shareholders as long-term capital gains. Distributions of short-term capital gain will generally be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income. Dividends and distributions are generally taxable to you whether you receive them in cash or reinvest them in additional Shares.
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Distributions reported by a Fund as “qualified dividend income” are generally taxed to non-corporate shareholders at rates applicable to long-term capital gains, provided certain holding period and other requirements are met. “Qualified dividend income” generally is income derived from dividends paid by U.S. corporations or certain foreign corporations that are either incorporated in a U.S. possession or eligible for tax benefits under certain U.S. income tax treaties. In addition, dividends that a Fund receives in respect of stock of certain foreign corporations may be qualified dividend income if that stock is readily tradable on an established U.S. securities market. Corporate shareholders may be entitled to a dividends-received deduction for the portion of dividends they receive from a Fund that are attributable to dividends received by such Fund from U.S. corporations, subject to certain limitations. Given the investment strategies of the Funds, it is unlikely that any dividends paid by a Fund will be qualified dividends or be eligible for the corporate dividends paid deduction.
Shortly after the close of each calendar year, you will be informed of the character of any distributions received from a Fund.
In addition to the federal income tax, certain individuals, trusts, and estates may be subject to a Net Investment Income (“NII”) tax of 3.8%. The NII tax is imposed on the lesser of: (i) a taxpayer’s investment income, net of deductions properly allocable to such income; or (ii) the amount by which such taxpayer’s modified adjusted gross income exceeds certain thresholds ($250,000 for married individuals filing jointly, $200,000 for unmarried individuals and $125,000 for married individuals filing separately). Each Fund’s distributions are includable in a shareholder’s investment income for purposes of this NII tax. In addition, any capital gain realized by a shareholder upon a sale or redemption of shares of a Fund is includable in such shareholder’s investment income for purposes of this NII tax.
In general, your distributions are subject to federal income tax for the year in which they are paid. Certain distributions paid in January, however, may be treated as paid on December 31 of the prior year. Distributions are generally taxable to you even if they are paid from income or gains earned by a Fund before your investment (and thus were included in the Shares’ NAV when you purchased your Shares).
You may wish to avoid investing in a Fund shortly before a dividend or other distribution, because such a distribution will generally be taxable to you even though it may economically represent a return of a portion of your investment.
If you are neither a resident nor a citizen of the United States or if you are a foreign entity, distributions (other than Capital Gain Dividends) paid to you by a Fund will generally be subject to a U.S. withholding tax at the rate of 30%, unless a lower treaty rate applies. The Funds may, under certain circumstances, report all or a portion of a dividend as an “interest-related dividend” or a “short-term capital gain dividend,” which would generally be exempt from this 30% U.S. withholding tax, provided certain other requirements are met.
Under the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (“FATCA”), the Funds may be required to withhold a generally nonrefundable 30% tax on distributions of net taxable income paid to (A) certain “foreign financial institutions” unless such foreign financial institution agrees to verify, monitor, and report to the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) the identity of certain of its account-holders, among other items (or unless such entity is otherwise deemed compliant under the terms of an intergovernmental agreement between the United States and the foreign financial institution’s country of residence), and (B) certain “non-financial foreign entities” unless such entity certifies to the Fund that it does not have any substantial U.S. owners or provides the name, address, and taxpayer identification number of each substantial U.S. owner, among other items. This FATCA withholding tax could also affect a Fund’s return on its investments in foreign securities or affect a shareholder’s return if the shareholder holds its Fund shares through a foreign intermediary. You are urged to consult your tax adviser regarding the application of this FATCA withholding tax to your investment in a Fund and the potential certification, compliance, due diligence, reporting, and withholding obligations to which you may become subject in order to avoid this withholding tax.
Each Fund (or a financial intermediary, such as a broker, through which a shareholder owns Shares) generally is required to withhold and remit to the U.S. Treasury a percentage of the taxable distributions and sale or redemption proceeds paid to any shareholder who fails to properly furnish a correct taxpayer identification number, who has underreported dividend or interest income, or who fails to certify that they are not subject to such withholding.
Taxes When Shares are Sold on the Exchange
Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Shares generally is treated as a long-term capital gain or loss if Shares have been held for more than one year and as a short-term capital gain or loss if Shares have been held for one year or less. However, any capital loss on a sale of Shares held for six months or less is treated as long-term capital loss to the extent of Capital Gain Dividends paid with respect to such Shares. Any loss realized on a sale will be disallowed to the extent Shares of a Fund are acquired, including through reinvestment of dividends, within a 61-day period beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after the sale of substantially identical Shares.
Taxes on Purchases and Redemptions of Creation Units
An AP having the U.S. dollar as its functional currency for U.S. federal income tax purposes who exchanges securities for Creation Units generally recognizes a gain or a loss. The gain or loss will be equal to the difference between the value of the Creation Units at the time of the exchange and the exchanging AP’s aggregate basis in the securities delivered plus the amount of any cash paid for the Creation Units. An AP who exchanges Creation Units for securities will generally recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the exchanging AP’s basis in the Creation Units and the aggregate U.S. dollar market value of the securities received, plus any cash received for such Creation Units. The IRS may assert, however, that a loss that is realized upon an exchange of securities for Creation Units may not be currently deducted under the rules governing “wash sales” (for an AP who does not mark-to-market their holdings) or on the basis that there has been no significant change in economic position. Persons exchanging securities should consult their own tax advisor with respect to whether wash sale rules apply and when a loss might be deductible.
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Any capital gain or loss realized upon redemption of Creation Units is generally treated as long-term capital gain or loss if Shares comprising the Creation Units have been held for more than one year and as a short-term capital gain or loss if such Shares have been held for one year or less.
The Funds may include a payment of cash in addition to, or in place of, the delivery of a basket of securities upon the redemption of Creation Units. The Funds may sell portfolio securities to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. This may cause the Funds to recognize investment income and/or capital gains or losses that they might not have recognized if they had completely satisfied the redemption in-kind. As a result, the Funds may be less tax efficient if they include such a cash payment in the proceeds paid upon the redemption of Creation Units.
Important Tax Considerations When Purchasing Fund Shares
If you are investing through a taxable account, you should carefully consider the timing of your investment relative to a Fund’s distribution schedule. Purchasing Fund shares shortly before a distribution may increase your tax liability, a situation commonly referred to as “buying a dividend.”
When a Fund makes a distribution, its share price typically drops by an amount roughly equal to the distribution. As a hypothetical example, if you invest $5,000 to purchase 250 shares at $20 per share on December 15, and the Funds pays a $1 per share distribution on December 16, the share price would adjust to $19 (ignoring market fluctuations). Although your total investment value remains $5,000 (250 shares × $19 in share value plus 250 shares × $1 distribution), you would owe taxes on the $250 distribution, even if you reinvest the distribution rather than receiving it in cash.
Distributions are taxable to shareholders even if they are paid from income or gains realized by a Fund before you invested, and even if they were reflected in the purchase price of the shares. Consequently, you may incur taxes on income or gains that accrued before your investment, without corresponding benefit.
Unless you are investing through a tax-advantaged account, such as an IRA or an employer-sponsored retirement plan, you may wish to avoid purchasing Fund shares shortly before a distribution. You can minimize the potential tax impact by reviewing the relevant Fund’s distribution schedule prior to investing. When available, information about the Fund’s distribution schedule can be found on a Funds’ website at www.defianceetfs.com.
The foregoing discussion summarizes some of the possible consequences under current federal tax law of an investment in the Funds. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. You also may be subject to foreign, state and local tax on Fund distributions and sales of Shares. Consult your personal tax advisor about the potential tax consequences of an investment in Shares under all applicable tax laws. For more information, please see the section entitled “Federal Income Taxes” in the SAI.
Foreside Fund Services, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Foreside Financial Group (dba ACA Group) (the “Distributor”), the Funds’ distributor, is a broker-dealer registered with the SEC. The Distributor distributes Creation Units for the Fund on an agency basis and does not maintain a secondary market in Shares. The Distributor has no role in determining the policies of the Funds or the securities that are purchased or sold by the Funds. The Distributor’s principal address is 190 Middle Street, Suite 301, Portland, Maine 04101.
The Board has adopted a Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Plan (the “Plan”) pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act. In accordance with the Plan, the Funds are authorized to pay an amount up to 0.25% of its average daily net assets each year to pay distribution fees for the sale and distribution of its Shares.
No Rule 12b-1 fees are currently paid by the Funds, and there are no plans to impose these fees. However, in the event Rule 12b-1 fees are charged in the future, because the fees are paid out of assets of the respective Fund on an ongoing basis, over time these fees will increase the cost of your investment and may cost you more than certain other types of sales charges.
When available, information regarding how often Shares of the Funds traded on the Exchange at a price above (i.e., at a premium) or below (i.e., at a discount) the NAV of such Fund can be found on the Funds’ website at https://www.defianceetfs.com.
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When available, information regarding the number of days in the prior six months that a Fund failed to provide the sought after leveraged returns (subject to a de minimis threshold) as well as the highest positive and negative variances during the period can be found on the Funds’ website at www.defianceetfs.com.
Shares are not sponsored, endorsed, or promoted by the Exchange. The Exchange is not responsible for, nor has it participated in the determination of, the timing, prices, or quantities of Shares to be issued, nor in the determination or calculation of the equation by which Shares are redeemable. The Exchange has no obligation or liability to owners of Shares in connection with the administration, marketing, or trading of Shares.
Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall the Exchange have any liability for any lost profits or indirect, punitive, special, or consequential damages even if notified of the possibility thereof.
The Adviser and the Funds make no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of Shares or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally or in any Fund particularly.
The Third Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust (“Declaration of Trust”) provides a detailed process for the bringing of derivative or direct actions by shareholders in order to permit legitimate inquiries and claims while avoiding the time, expense, distraction, and other harm that can be caused to a Fund or its shareholders as a result of spurious shareholder demands and derivative actions. Prior to bringing a derivative action, a demand by three unrelated shareholders must first be made on a Fund’s Trustees. The Declaration of Trust details various information, certifications, undertakings and acknowledgments that must be included in the demand. Following receipt of the demand, the trustees have a period of 90 days, which may be extended by an additional 60 days, to consider the demand. If a majority of the Trustees who are considered independent for the purposes of considering the demand determine that maintaining the suit would not be in the best interests of the Fund, the Trustees are required to reject the demand and the complaining shareholders may not proceed with the derivative action unless the shareholders are able to sustain the burden of proof to a court that the decision of the Trustees not to pursue the requested action was not a good faith exercise of their business judgment on behalf of the Fund. The Declaration of Trust further provides that shareholders owning Shares representing no less than a majority of a Fund’s outstanding shares must join in bringing the derivative action. If a demand is rejected, the complaining shareholders will be responsible for the costs and expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by the Fund in connection with the consideration of the demand, if a court determines that the demand was made without reasonable cause or for an improper purpose. If a derivative action is brought in violation of the Declaration of Trust, the shareholders bringing the action may be responsible for the Fund’s costs, including attorneys’ fees, if a court determines that the action was brought without reasonable cause or for an improper purpose. The Declaration of Trust provides that no shareholder may bring a direct action claiming injury as a shareholder of the Trust, or any Fund, where the matters alleged (if true) would give rise to a claim by the Trust or by the Trust on behalf of a Fund, unless the shareholder has suffered an injury distinct from that suffered by the shareholders of the Trust, or the Fund, generally. Under the Declaration of Trust, a shareholder bringing a direct claim must be a shareholder of the Fund with respect to which the direct action is brought at the time of the injury complained of or have acquired the shares afterwards by operation of law from a person who was a shareholder at that time. The Declaration of Trust further provides that a Fund shall be responsible for payment of attorneys’ fees and legal expenses incurred by a complaining shareholder only if required by law, and any attorneys’ fees that the Fund is obligated to pay shall be calculated using reasonable hourly rates. These provisions do not apply to claims brought under the federal securities laws.
The Declaration of Trust also requires that actions by shareholders against a Fund be brought exclusively in a federal or state court located within the State of Delaware. This provision will not apply to claims brought under the federal securities laws. Limiting shareholders’ ability to bring actions only in courts located in Delaware may cause shareholders economic hardship to litigate the action in those courts, including paying for travel expenses of witnesses and counsel, requiring retaining local counsel, and may limit shareholders’ ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that shareholders find favorable for disputes, which may discourage such actions.
This section would ordinarily include Financial Highlights. The Financial Highlights table is intended to help you understand the performance of the Funds for their periods of operations. Because the Funds have not yet completed their initial fiscal period as of the date of this Prospectus, no Financial Highlights are shown.
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Defiance ETFs
| Adviser | Tidal
Investments LLC 234 West Florida Street, Suite 203 Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53204 |
Administrator | Tidal
ETF Services LLC 234 West Florida Street, Suite 203 Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53204 |
| Distributor | Foreside
Fund Services, LLC 190 Middle Street, Suite 301 Portland, Maine 04101 |
Sub-Administrator,
Fund Accountant, and Transfer Agent |
U.S.
Bancorp Fund Services, LLC, doing business as U.S. Bank Global Fund Services 615 East Michigan Street Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202 |
| Legal Counsel | Sullivan
& Worcester LLP 1251 Avenue of the Americas 19th Floor New York, New York 10020 |
Custodian | U.S.
Bank National Association 1555 North Rivercenter Dr. Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53212 |
| Independent
Registered Public Accounting Firm |
[ ] |
Investors may find more information about the Funds in the following documents:
Statement of Additional Information: The Funds’ SAI provides additional details about the investments of each Fund and certain other additional information. A current SAI dated [ ], 2025, as supplemented from time to time, is on file with the SEC and is herein incorporated by reference into this Prospectus. It is legally considered a part of this Prospectus.
Annual/Semi-Annual Reports: Additional information about the Funds’ investments is available in the Funds’ annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders and in Form N-CSR. In the annual report you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected each Fund’s performance. In Form N-CSR, you will find the Fund’s annual and semi-annual financial statements after the first fiscal year each Fund is in operation.
You can obtain free copies of these documents request other information or make general inquiries about the Funds by contacting the Funds at the Defiance ETFs, c/o U.S. Bank Global Fund Services, PO Box 219252, Kansas City, Missouri 64121-9252.
Shareholder reports and other information about the Funds are also available:
| ● | Free of charge from the SEC’s EDGAR database on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov; or |
| ● | Free of charge from the Funds’ Internet website at https://www.defianceetfs.com; or |
| ● | For a fee, by e-mail request to [email protected]. |
The SAI and other information are also available from a financial intermediary (such as a broker-dealer or bank) through which each Fund’s shares may be purchased or sold.
(SEC Investment Company Act File No. 811-23793)