GRANITESHARES FUNDS
Prospectus
| GRANITESHARES FUNDS | TICKER SYMBOL | |
| GraniteShares YieldBOOST QQQ ETF | TQQY | |
| GraniteShares YieldBOOST SPY ETF | YSPY | |
| GraniteShares YieldBOOST Small Cap ETF | RYY | |
| GraniteShares YieldBOOST Biotech ETF | BIOY | |
| GraniteShares YieldBOOST Financials ETF | FINY | |
| GraniteShares YieldBOOST Gold Miners ETF | NUGY | |
| GraniteShares YieldBOOST Semiconductor ETF | SEMY | |
| GraniteShares YieldBOOST Technology ETF | TECY | |
| GraniteShares YieldBOOST China ETF | CNYY | |
| GraniteShares YieldBOOST 20Y+ Treasuries ETF | FIYY | |
| GraniteShares YieldBOOST Bitcoin ETF | XBTY | |
| GraniteShares YieldBOOST AAPL ETF | APYY | |
| GraniteShares YieldBOOST AMD ETF | AMYY | |
| GraniteShares YieldBOOST AMZN ETF | AZYY | |
| GraniteShares YieldBOOST BABA ETF | BBYY | |
| GraniteShares YieldBOOST COIN ETF | COYY | |
| GraniteShares YieldBOOST META ETF | FBYY | |
| GraniteShares YieldBOOST MSFT ETF | MSYY | |
| GraniteShares YieldBOOST NVDA ETF | NVYY | |
| GraniteShares YieldBOOST TSLA ETF | TSYY |
The Securities and Exchange Commission has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
GraniteShares Funds are advised by GraniteShares Advisors LLC.
An investment in a Fund is not an investment in the corresponding Underlying Leveraged ETF. However, each Fund’s performance may be significantly dependent on the return of its corresponding Underlying Leveraged ETF, especially in periods of market volatility.
Investors who do not understand the Funds, or do not intend to monitor their investments, should not buy the Funds.
There is no assurance that any Fund will achieve its investment objective and an investment in a Fund could lose money. No single Fund is a complete investment program.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
| i |
GraniteShares YIELDBOOST QQQ ETF – Summary
The Fund’s primary investment objective is to achieve 3 times (300%) the income generated from selling options on the Nasdaq-100® Index (the “Underlying Index”) by selling options on leveraged exchange-traded funds designed to deliver 3 times (300%) the daily performance of the Underlying Index (the “Underlying Leveraged ETF”). The Fund’s secondary investment objective is to gain exposure to the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, subject to a cap on potential investment gains. A downside protection may be implemented which could affect the net income level.
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). The fees are expressed as a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets. Investors may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and example below.
| Management Fee | 0.99 | % | ||
|
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) | ||||
| Management Fee | % | |||
| Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees | % | |||
| Other Expenses | % | |||
| Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses (1) | % | |||
| Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | % | |||
| Fee Waiver/Reimbursements (2) | - |
% | ||
| Net Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver/Reimbursements (1), (2) (1)(2) | % | |||
| (1) | |
| (2) |
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in mutual funds and other exchange-traded funds.
The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell 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 figures shown would be the same whether or not you sold your Shares at the end of each period.
Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years | |||||||||||
| $ | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||||
| 1 |
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 annual fund operating
expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most
recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was
The Fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to pay weekly distributions by selling put options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF, which provides exposure to 3 times the daily performance of the Underlying Index. It is expected that the implied volatility on the Underlying Leveraged ETF to be three times the level of the Underlying Index’s implied volatility and selling options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF to generate, over the same time horizon and for the same strike levels, three times the premium generated by selling options on the Underlying Index. The premium received by the Fund from selling options will be distributed at least partially before the maturity of the options. This allows the Fund to make distributions on a weekly basis even if the options sold have longer maturity (such as monthly maturity for instance). This approach may result in the distributions being treated fiscally as return of capital (see “Distribution Risk” under the section “Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund”). There is no guarantee that the Fund will generate twice the level of premium that would be generated by selling options on the Underlying Index.
The Fund is subject to the losses from the Underlying Leveraged ETF, which would likely be three times the losses compared to the Underlying Index. In case a Put Spread Strategy (as defined under the section “The Fund’s Use of the Underlying Leveraged ETF Derivatives Contracts”) is implemented, the Fund may benefit from a limited downside protection against a negative price variation in the Underlying Leveraged ETF. Such protection will negatively affect the Fund’s overall income level. A put spread strategy with a narrow spread (the difference between the strikes of the put option sold and put option bought) may provide better protection but will have a higher negative impact on the Fund’s income level. A put spread strategy with a large spread will provide a lower protection but may have less negative impact on the Fund’s income level.
The Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in derivatives contracts that utilize the Underlying Leveraged ETF as their reference asset. For purposes of compliance with this investment policy, derivative contracts will be valued at their notional value.
For more information, see section “The Fund’s Use of the Underlying Leveraged ETF Derivatives Contracts” below.
The Fund’s cash balance may be invested in the following instruments: (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; (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 as collateral for the Fund’s swap agreements; (5) repurchase transactions, which are transactions under which the purchaser (i.e., the Fund) acquires securities and the seller agrees, at the time of the sale, to repurchase the securities at a mutually agreed-upon time and price, thereby determining the yield during the purchaser’s holding period, and/or; (6) US large cap equities listed on a national security exchange, sovereign fixed income securities with a credit rating at least equal to the United States Federal Government, or corporate debt securities, such as commercial paper and other short-term unsecured promissory notes issued by businesses that are rated investment grade for the purposes of entering into swap agreements with the Fund’s swap counterparties. The Fund may enter into such swap agreements to improve its operational efficiency.
The Fund is classified as “non-diversified” under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “1940 Act”).
The Fund will be subject to regulatory constraints relating to the level of value at risk that the Fund may incur through its derivatives 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 and the Fund may not achieve its investment objective.
The Fund’s investment objective has not been adopted as a fundamental investment policy and therefore the Fund’s investment objective along with its respective 80% investment policy may be changed without the consent of that Fund’s shareholders upon approval by the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of GraniteShares ETF Trust (the “Trust”) and 60 days’ written notice to shareholders.
There is no guarantee that the Fund’s investment strategy will be properly implemented or that the Fund will pay weekly distributions, and an investor may lose some or all of its investment. Even when the Fund makes a distribution it could be fiscally treated as return of capital (see “Distribution Risk” under the section “Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund”).
An Investment in the Fund is not an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF.
| - | The Fund’s strategy will cap its potential gain to the premium received from selling options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF, | |
| - | The Fund’s strategy is exposed to all potential losses if the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share declines, subject to a potential downside protection if a Put Spread Strategy is used (as defined in ten next section). The potential losses may not be offset by the premium received by the Fund, | |
| - | The Fund does not invest directly in the Underlying Leveraged ETF, | |
| - | Fund shareholders are not entitled to any distribution paid by Underlying Leveraged ETF. |
Additional information regarding the Underlying Leveraged ETF is set forth below.
The Fund’s Use of the Underlying Leveraged ETF Derivatives Contracts
| - | Put Spread Strategy: The Fund will enter in put spread options contracts, either directly or through swap contracts, on the Underlying Leveraged ETF and for which the Fund will receive a net premium. A put spread consists of selling a put option contract while buying a put option contract with the same maturity but a lower strike price. The Fund’s protection against a potential decrease in the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF only applies if it falls below the strike price of the option contract bought by the Fund. Buying a put option contract results in a cost that negatively affects the Fund’s income level. It is unlikely for a put spread strategy to generate twice the level of income that would be obtained by selling options on the Underlying Index directly. The put options contracts sold by the Fund may vary in regard to their strike price from 0 to 15% above the then-current price of the Leveraged ETF. The put options contracts bought by the Fund will have a lower strike price, ranging from 50% out-of-the-money to at-the-money. The put options sold and bought by the Fund will generally have 1- month or less expiration dates. |
| - | Put Write Strategy: The Fund will sell put options contracts, either directly or through swap contracts, on the Underlying Leveraged ETF and for which it will receive a premium. The put options contracts sold by the Fund may vary in regard to their strike prices from 40% out-of-the-money to 15% in-the-money. The put options sold and bought by the Fund will generally have 1- month or less expiration dates. The Adviser will primarily employ this put write strategy when it believes that the share price of its Underlying Leveraged ETF is likely to rise significantly in the short term (e.g., following a substantial selloff or overall positive market news). |
| 2 |
Example 1 – Put Write Strategy - Selling In-the-money Put Option Contract with a One-month Maturity
Assume for simplicity that the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s shares are trading at $100.00 at the time the Fund sells an in-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $105.00 and a one-month maturity. The Fund receives a $5.50 premium for selling the put option contract.
| Case 1: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increases to $105.00 before expiration. |
The Fund would keep the $5.50 premium received.
| |
| Case 2: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increase exceeded $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.50 premium received but would not participate in any of the additional upside. | |
| Case 3: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops to $99.50 before expiration. | The $5.50 premium received is equal to the drop in price in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price, resulting in a return of zero. | |
| Case 4: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $99.50, that is the strike price ($105.00) reduced by the premium received ($5.50). | The Fund would lose money and be exposed to the drop in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price. |
Example 2 – Put Write Strategy - Selling Out-of-the-money Put Options Contracts with a One-week Maturity
Assume for simplicity that the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s shares are trading at $100.00 at the time the Fund sells an out-of-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $95.00 and a one-week maturity. The Fund receives a $0.50 premium for selling the put option contract.
| Case 1: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increases above $100.00 before expiration. |
The Fund would keep the $0.50 premium received but would not participate in the increased in the Underlying Leveraged ETFs’ share price. | |
| Case 2: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $94.50, that is the strike price ($95.00) reduced by the premium received ($0.50). | The Fund would lose money and be exposed to the drop in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price. |
Example 3 – Put Spread Strategy - Selling At-the-money Put Options Contracts and buy an Out-of-the-money Put Options Contracts with both with a One-month Maturity
Assume for simplicity that the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s shares are trading at $100.00 at the time the Fund sells an in-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $105.00 and buy an out-of-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $95.00 both with a one-month maturity. The Fund receives a $5.50 premium for selling the put option contract and pays $0.50 premium for buying the put option contract. Hence the Fund receives a $5.00 net premium.
| Case 1: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increases to $105.00 before expiration. |
The Fund would keep the $5.00 net premium received.
| |
| Case 2: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increase exceeded $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.00 net premium received but would not participate in any of the additional upside. | |
| Case 3: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $100.00, that is the strike price of the option sold ($105.00) reduced by the net premium received ($5.00) but remains above $95.00 before expiration. | The Fund would lose up to $5.00, which is the difference between the 2 strike levels reduced by the net premium received | |
| Case 4: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $95.00 | The Fund would lose $5.00, which is the difference between the 2 strike levels reduced by the net premium received. |
The comparison between the Put Write Strategy Put Write Strategy in Example 1 and the Put Spread Strategy in Example 3 shows that the Put Spread Strategy has a narrower range of outcomes. It has limited participation in a potential increase or decrease in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price.
In examples 1 and 2, if the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s price were to drop to zero, the Fund’s NAV would be equal, before fees and costs, to the value of premium received.
Types of Options Contracts Used by the Fund
As part of the Fund’s strategy, the Fund may sell FLexible EXchange® (“FLEX”) put options contracts that are based on the value of the price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The Fund will only sell options contracts that are listed for trading on regulated U.S. exchanges. Traditional exchange-traded options contracts have standardized terms, such as the type (call or put), the reference asset, the strike price and expiration date. Exchange-listed options contracts are guaranteed for settlement by the Options Clearing Corporation (“OCC”). FLEX Options are a type of exchange-listed options contract with uniquely customizable terms that allow investors to customize key terms like type, strike price and expiration date that are standardized in a typical options contract. FLEX Options are also guaranteed for settlement by the OCC.
In general, an option is a contract that gives the purchaser (holder) of the option, in return for a premium, the right to buy from (call) or sell to (put) the seller (writer) of the option the security or currency underlying (in this case, the Underlying Leveraged ETF) the option at a specified exercise price. The writer of an option has the obligation upon exercise of the option to deliver the underlying security or currency upon payment of the exercise price (call) or to pay the exercise price upon delivery of the underlying security or currency (put). An option is said to be “European Style” when it can be exercised only at expiration whereas an “American Style” option can be exercised at any time prior to expiration. The Fund might use either European or American style options. The Fund intends to primarily utilize European style options.
Swap agreements Used by the Fund
As part of the Fund’s strategy, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with major financial institutions that provide the same exposure as to selling put options contracts on the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The swap agreements may reference standardized exchange-traded, FLEX, European Style or American Style put options contracts that are based on the values of the price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. All put options contracts referenced in a swap agreement will be listed for trading on regulated U.S. exchanges.
The swap performance will settle in cash only irrespective of the types of the put options contracts referenced in the swap agreement.
Underlying Leveraged ETF
The Underlying Leveraged ETF, the ProShares UltraPro® QQQ, is a passively managed fund that seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of 300% of the performance of the Nasdaq-100® (the “Underlying Index”).
The Underlying Index is constructed and maintained by Nasdaq Inc. The Underlying Index includes 100 of the largest domestic and international non-financial companies listed on The Nasdaq Stock Market based on market capitalization. The Underlying Index reflects companies across major industry groups including computer hardware and software, telecommunications, retail/wholesale trade and biotechnology.
| 3 |
The Underlying Leveraged ETF may invest in the securities of the Underlying Index, a representative sample of the securities in the Underlying Index that has aggregate characteristics similar to those of the Underlying Index, an ETF that tracks the Underlying Index or a substantially similar index, and may utilize derivatives, such as swaps or futures on the Underlying Index or on an ETF that tracks the same Underlying Index or a substantially similar index, that provide leveraged exposure to the above.
Investors can access information about the Underlying Leveraged ETF, including its prospectus and the most recent shareholder reports, online through the SEC’s website, using Registration Statement Nos. 333-89822 and 811-2114. This information, derived from the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s filings with the SEC, is essential for investors to understand the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s operations, investment strategy, and financial prospects. The description of the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s principal investment strategies as outlined here is directly sourced from its prospectus.
This document relates only to the securities offered hereby and does not relate to the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The Fund has derived all disclosures contained in this document regarding the Underlying Leveraged ETF from publicly available documents. In connection with the offering of the securities, none of the Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates has participated in the preparation of such documents or made any due diligence inquiry with respect to the Underlying Leveraged ETF. None of the Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates makes any representation that such publicly available documents or any other publicly available information regarding the Underlying Leveraged ETF 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 the Underlying Leveraged ETF have been publicly disclosed. Subsequent disclosure of any such events or the disclosure of or failure to disclose material future events concerning the Underlying Leveraged ETF could affect the value received with respect to your Shares and therefore the value of your Shares.
The Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, and their respective affiliates do not provide any representation regarding the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF.
THE FUND, TRUST AND ADVISER ARE NOT AFFILIATED WITH PROSHARES TRUST, THE UNDERLYING LEVERAGED ETF, PROSHARES ADVISORS LLC OR NASDAQ INC.
PRINCIPAL RISKS OF INVESTING IN THE FUND
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. Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its investment objectives. 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.”
The Underlying Leveraged ETF Risk. The Fund invests in options contracts that are based on the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF shares. This subjects the Fund to certain of the same risks as if it owned shares of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, even though it may not. By virtue of the Fund’s investments in options contracts that are based on the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF shares, the Fund may also be subject to the following risks:
Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk — The Underlying Leveraged ETF shares’ performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which is likely to differ from 300% of the Underlying Index’s performance, before fees and expenses. Compounding has a significant impact on funds that are leveraged and that rebalance daily. The impact of compounding becomes more pronounced as volatility and holding periods increase and will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF is held and the volatility of the Underlying Index during the shareholder’s holding period of an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF.
| 4 |
Leverage Risk — The Underlying Leveraged ETF 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 Underlying Leveraged ETF is exposed to the risk that a decline in the daily performance of the Underlying Index will be magnified. This means that an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF will be reduced by an amount equal to 3% for every 1% daily decline in the Underlying Index, not including the costs of financing leverage and other operating expenses, which would further reduce its value. The Underlying Leveraged ETF could lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event of an Underlying Index decline of more than 33%.
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. Investing in derivatives may be considered aggressive and may expose the Underlying Leveraged ETF to greater risks, and may result in larger losses or smaller gains, than investing directly in the reference assets underlying those derivatives, which may prevent the Underlying Leveraged ETF from achieving its investment objective.
Counterparty Risk — If a counterparty is unwilling or unable to make timely payments to meet its contractual obligations or fails to return holdings that are subject to the agreement with the counterparty resulting in the Underlying Leveraged ETF losing money or not being able to meet its daily leveraged investment objective.
Industry Concentration Risk — The Underlying Index may have a significant portion of its value in issuers in an industry or group of industries. The Underlying Leveraged ETF will allocate its investments to approximately the same extent as the Underlying Index. As a result, the Fund may be subject to greater market fluctuations than a fund that is more broadly invested across industries. As of July 31, 2025, the Underlying Index had a significant portion of its value in issuers in the information technology and communication services industry groups.
Indirect Investments in the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The Underlying Leveraged ETF is not affiliated with the Trust, the Fund, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates and is not involved with the offering of the Fund in any way and has no obligation to consider your Shares in taking any corporate action that might affect the value of Shares. Investors in the Fund will not have rights to receive dividends or other distributions or any other rights with respect to the Underlying Leveraged ETF but will be subject to declines in the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. Although the Fund invests in the Underlying Leveraged ETF only indirectly, the Fund’s investments are subject to loss as a result of these risks.
Passive Investment and Underlying Index Performance Risk. Investment in the Fund should be made with the understanding that the passive Underlying Leveraged ETF in which the Fund invests will not be able to replicate exactly the performance of the indices they track because the total return generated by the securities will be reduced by transaction costs incurred in adjusting the actual balance of the securities. In addition, the passive Underlying Leveraged ETF in which the Fund invests will incur expenses not incurred by their applicable indices. Certain securities comprising the indices tracked by the passive Underlying Leveraged ETF may, from time to time, temporarily be unavailable, which may further impede the passive Underlying Leveraged ETF’s ability to track their applicable indices.
Derivatives Risk. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds, 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, imperfect correlation with underlying investments, 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 an imperfect correlation between the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objectives. 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. In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
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. For the Fund, in particular, the value of the options contracts in which it invests is substantially influenced by the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. Selling put options exposes the Fund to the risk of potential loss if the market value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF falls below the strike price before the option expires. The Fund may experience substantial downside from specific option positions and certain option positions held by the Fund may expire worthless. 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 at the underlying instrument. There may at times be an imperfect correlation between the movement in values of 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, the Fund’s practice of “rolling” may cause the Fund to experience losses if the expiring contracts do not generate proceeds enough to cover the costs of entering into new options contracts. Rolling refers to the practice of closing out one options position and opening another with a different expiration date and/or a different strike price. Further, if an option is exercised, the seller (writer) of a put option is obligated to purchase the underlying asset at the strike price, which can result in significant financial and regulatory obligations for the Fund if the market value of the asset has fallen substantially. Furthermore, when the Fund seeks to trade out of puts, especially near expiration, there is an added risk that the Fund may be required to allocate resources unexpectedly to fulfill these obligations. This potential exposure to physical settlement can significantly impact the Fund’s liquidity and market exposure, particularly in volatile market conditions.
Flex Option Risk: Trading FLEX Options involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities. The Fund may experience losses from specific FLEX Option positions and certain FLEX Option positions may expire worthless. The FLEX Options are listed on an exchange; however, no one can guarantee that a liquid secondary trading market will exist for the FLEX Options. In the event that trading in the FLEX Options is limited or absent, the value of the Fund’s FLEX Options may decrease. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, liquidating the FLEX Options may require the payment of a premium (for written FLEX Options) or acceptance of a discounted price (for purchased FLEX Options) and may take longer to complete. A less liquid trading market may adversely impact the value of the FLEX Options and Fund shares and result in the Fund being unable to achieve its investment objective. Less liquidity in the trading of the Fund’s FLEX Options could have an impact on the prices paid or received by the Fund for the FLEX Options in connection with creations and redemptions of the Fund’s shares. Depending on the nature of this impact to pricing, the Fund may be forced to pay more for redemptions (or receive less for creations) than the price at which it currently values the FLEX Options. Such overpayment or under collection could reduce the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective. Additionally, in a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the liquidation of a large number of options may more significantly impact the price. A less liquid trading market may adversely impact the value of the FLEX Options and the value of your investment. The trading in FLEX Options may be less deep and liquid than the market for certain other exchange-traded options, non-customized options or other securities.
Swap Risk: Swaps are subject to tracking risk because they may not be perfect substitutes for the instruments they are intended to hedge or replace. Over the counter swaps are subject to counterparty default. Leverage inherent in derivatives will tend to magnify the Fund’s losses. The swap agreements may reference standardized exchange-traded, FLEX, European Style or American Style put options contracts that are based on the values of the price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. that generate specific risks.
| 5 |
Counterparty Risk. The Fund is subject to counterparty risk by virtue of its investments in options contracts. Transactions in some types of derivatives, including options, are required to be centrally cleared (“cleared derivatives”). In a transaction involving cleared derivatives, the Fund’s counterparty is a clearing house rather than a bank or broker. Since the Fund is not a member of clearing houses and only members of a clearing house (“clearing members”) can participate directly in the clearing house, the Fund will hold cleared derivatives through accounts at clearing members. In cleared derivatives positions, the Fund will make payments (including margin payments) to and receive payments from a clearing house through their accounts at clearing members. Customer funds held at a clearing organization in connection with any options contracts are held in a commingled omnibus account and are not identified to the name of the clearing member’s individual customers. As a result, assets deposited by the Fund with any clearing member as margin for options may, in certain circumstances, be used to satisfy losses of other clients of the Fund’s clearing member. In addition, although clearing members guarantee performance of their clients’ obligations to the clearing house, there is a risk that the assets of the Fund might not be fully protected in the event of the clearing member’s bankruptcy, as the Fund would be limited to recovering only a pro rata share of all available funds segregated on behalf of the clearing member’s customers for the relevant account class. The Fund is also subject to the risk that a limited number of clearing members are willing to transact on the Fund’s behalf, which heightens the risks associated with a clearing member’s default. If a clearing member defaults the Fund could lose some or all of the benefits of a transaction entered into by the Fund with the clearing member. If the Fund cannot find a clearing member to transact with on the Fund’s behalf, the Fund may be unable to effectively implement its investment strategy.
In addition, a counterparty (the other party to a transaction or an agreement or the party with whom the Fund executes transactions) to a transaction (including repurchase transaction) with the Fund may be unable or unwilling to make timely principal, interest or settlement payments, or otherwise honor its obligations.
Price Participation Risk. The Fund employs an investment strategy that includes the sale of in-the-money put options contracts, which limits the degree to which the Fund will participate in increases in value experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF over the Call Period. This means that if the Underlying Leveraged ETF experiences an increase in value above the strike price of the sold put options during a Call Period, the Fund will likely not experience that increase to the same extent and may significantly underperform the Underlying Leveraged ETF over the Call Period. Additionally, because the Fund is limited in the degree to which it will participate in increases in value experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF over each Call Period, but has full exposure to any decreases in value experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF over the Call Period, the NAV of the Fund may decrease over any given time period. The Fund’s NAV is dependent on the value of each options portfolio, which is based principally upon the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The degree of participation in the Underlying Leveraged ETF gains the Fund will experience will depend on prevailing market conditions, especially market volatility, at the time the Fund enters into the sold put options contracts and will vary from Call Period to Call Period. The value of the options contracts is affected by changes in the value and dividend rates of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, changes in interest rates, changes in the actual or perceived volatility of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and the remaining time to the options’ expiration, as well as trading conditions in the options market. As the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF share changes and time moves towards the expiration of each Call Period, the value of the options contracts, and therefore the Fund’s NAV, will change. However, it is not expected for the Fund’s NAV to directly correlate on a day-to-day basis with the returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price. The amount of time remaining until the options contract’s expiration date affects the impact of the potential options contract income on the Fund’s NAV, which may not be in full effect until the expiration date of the Fund’s options contracts. Therefore, while changes in the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF share will result in changes to the Fund’s NAV, the Fund generally anticipates that the rate of change in the Fund’s NAV will be different than that experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price.
Distribution Risk. As part of the Fund’s investment objective, the Fund seeks to provide current weekly income. There is no assurance that the Fund will make a distribution in any given month. If the Fund makes distributions, the amounts of such distributions will likely vary greatly from one distribution to the next. Additionally, the weekly distributions, if any, may consist of returns of capital, which would decrease the Fund’s NAV and trading price over time. As a result, an investor may suffer significant losses to their investment.
| 6 |
NAV Erosion Risk Due to Distributions. When the Fund makes a distribution, the Fund’s NAV will typically drop by the amount of the distribution on the related ex-dividend date. The repeated payment of distributions by the Fund, if any, may significantly erode the Fund’s NAV and trading price over time. As a result, an investor may suffer significant losses to their investment.
Put Writing Strategy Risk. The path dependency (i.e., the continued use) of the Fund’s put writing strategy will impact the extent that the Fund participates in the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and, in turn, the Fund’s returns, both during the term of the sold put options and over longer time periods. The put options contracts sold by the Fund may vary in regard to their strike prices from 40% out-of-the-money to 10% in-the-money and their maturity from 1-week to 1-month. Selling put option contracts with longer maturities may increase the volatility of the strategy. Selling put option contracts that are more in-the-money may increase the volatility of the strategy.
If, for example, the Fund were to sell 10% in-the-money put options having a one-month term, the Fund’s participation in the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF will be capped at 10% for that month. However, over a longer period (e.g., a three-month period), the Fund should not be expected to participate fully in the first 30% (i.e., 3 months x 10%) of the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, or the Fund may even lose money, even if the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price has appreciated by at least that much over such period, if during any particular month or months over that period the Underlying Leveraged ETF had a return less than 10%. This example illustrates that both the Fund’s participation in the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and its returns will depend not only on the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF but also on the path that the Underlying Leveraged ETF takes over time.
If, for example, the Fund were to sell 5% out-of-the-money put options having a one-week term, the Fund’s downward protection against the negative price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF will be capped at 5% for that week. However, over a longer period (e.g., a four-week period), the Fund should not be expected to be protected fully in the first 25% (i.e., 4 weeks x 5%) of the negative price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, and the Fund may lose money, even if the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price has appreciated over such period, if during any particular week or weeks over that period the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price had decreases by more than 5%. This example illustrates that both the Fund’s protection against the negative price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and its returns will depend not only on the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF but also on the path that the Underlying Leveraged ETF takes over time.
Under both cases the Fund may be fully exposed to the downward movements of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, offset only by the premiums received from selling put contracts. The Fund does not seek to offer any downside protection, except for the fact that the premiums from the sold options may offset some or all of the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s decline.
Put Spread Strategy Risk. Similarly to a put writing strategy (see relevant risk factor), a put spread strategy will subject the Fund’s performance to path dependency.
Option Market Liquidity Risk. The trading activity in the option market of the Underlying Leveraged ETF may be limited and the option contracts may trade at levels significantly different from their economic value. The lack of liquidity may negatively affect the ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective. This risk may increase if the portfolio turnover is elevated, for instance because of frequent changes in the number of Shares outstanding, and if the net asset value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF is modest. For the 12-month period ending July 31, 2025, the net asset value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF ranged from $14,545m to $28,739m.
Concentration Risk. To the extent that the Underlying Leveraged ETF concentrates its investments in a particular industry, the Fund will be subject to the risks associated with that industry.
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”). There are a limited number of financial institutions that post collateral for certain trades on an agency basis (i.e. on behalf of other market participants). Accordingly, there are a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants that post collateral for certain trades on an agency basis (i.e. on behalf of other market participants. In such circumstances, the Fund’s market price may be significantly different than its underlying net asset value. 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 currently expects to effect a significant portion of its creations and redemptions for cash, rather than in-kind securities. Paying redemption proceeds in cash rather than through in-kind delivery of portfolio securities may require the Fund to dispose of or sell portfolio securities or other assets at an inopportune time to obtain the cash needed to meet redemption orders. This may cause the Fund to sell a security and recognize a capital gain or loss that might not have been incurred if it had made a redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher or lower annual capital gains distributions than ETFs that redeem in-kind. The use of cash creations and redemptions may also cause the Fund’s Shares to trade in the market at greater bid-ask spreads or greater premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV. Furthermore, the Fund may not be able to execute cash transactions for creation and redemption purposes at the same price used to determine the Fund’s NAV. To the extent that the maximum additional charge for creation or redemption transactions is insufficient to cover the execution shortfall, the Fund’s performance could be negatively impacted.
Costs of Buying or Selling Shares. Due to the costs of buying or selling Shares, including brokerage commissions imposed by brokers and bid-ask spreads, frequent trading of Shares may significantly 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.
| 7 |
Trading. Although Shares are listed on a national securities exchange, such as The Nasdaq Stock Market, LLC (the “Exchange”), and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for the Shares will develop or be maintained or that the Shares will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. This risk may be greater for the Fund as it seeks to have exposure to a single underlying stock as opposed to a more diverse portfolio like a traditional pooled investment. 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. Shares trade on the Exchange at a market price that may be below, at or above the Fund’s NAV. Trading in Shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in Shares on the Exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to the Exchange “circuit breaker” rules. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged. In the event of an unscheduled market close for options contracts that reference a single stock, such as the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s securities being halted or a market wide closure, settlement prices will be determined by the procedures of the listing exchange of the options contracts. As a result, the Fund could be adversely affected and be unable to implement its investment strategies in the event of an unscheduled closing.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk. The Fund may actively and frequently trade all or a significant portion of the Fund’s holdings. A high portfolio turnover rate increases transaction costs, which may increase the Fund’s expenses. Frequent trading may also cause adverse tax consequences for investors in the Fund due to an increase in short-term capital gains.
Inflation Risk. Inflation risk is the risk that the value of assets or income from investments will be less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money. As inflation increases, the present value of the Fund’s assets and distributions, if any, may decline.
Liquidity Risk. Some securities held by the Fund, including options contracts, may be difficult to sell or be illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. This risk is greater for the Fund as it will hold options contracts on a single security, and not a broader range of options contracts. 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, such as market rules related to short sales, may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Underlying Leveraged ETF. 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.
Management Risk. The Fund is subject to management risk because it is an actively managed portfolio. In managing the Fund’s investment portfolio, the portfolio managers will apply investment techniques and risk analyses that may not produce the desired result. There can be no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective.
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, including money market funds, may lose money through fees or other means.
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.
| 8 |
Operational Risk. The Fund is subject to risks arising from various operational factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund relies on third-parties for a range of services, including custody. Any delay or failure relating to engaging or maintaining such service providers may affect the Fund’s ability to meet its investment objective. Although the Fund, Adviser, and Sub-Adviser seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures, there is no way to completely protect against such risks.
Recent Market Events Risk. U.S. and international markets have experienced significant periods of volatility in recent years and months due to a number of economic, political and global macro factors including the impact of COVID-19 as a global pandemic, which has resulted in a public health crisis, disruptions to business operations and supply chains, stress on the global healthcare system, growth concerns in the U.S. and overseas, staffing shortages and the inability to meet consumer demand, and widespread concern and uncertainty. The global recovery from COVID-19 is proceeding at slower than expected rates due to the emergence of variant strains and may last for an extended period of time. Continuing uncertainties regarding interest rates, rising inflation, political events, rising government debt in the U.S. and trade tensions also contribute to market volatility. Conflict, loss of life and disaster connected to ongoing armed conflict between Ukraine and Russia in Europe and Israel and Hamas in the Middle East could have severe adverse effects on the region, including significant adverse effects on the regional or global economies and the markets for certain securities. The U.S. and the European Union have imposed sanctions on certain Russian individuals and companies, including certain financial institutions, and have limited certain exports and imports to and from Russia. The war has contributed to recent market volatility and may continue to do so. U.S. trade disputes or other disputes with specific countries that could result in additional tariffs, trade barriers and/or investment restrictions in certain securities in those countries.
Single Issuer Risk. Issuer-specific attributes may cause an investment in the Fund to be more volatile than a traditional pooled investment vehicle which diversifies risk or the market generally. The value of the Fund, which focuses on an individual security (the Underlying Leveraged ETF), 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.
Tax Risk. The Fund intends to elect and to qualify each year to be treated as a RIC under Subchapter M of the 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 the derivatives it holds is never 25% of the total value of Fund assets at the close of any quarter. If the Fund’s investments in the derivatives 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. In addition, distributions received by the Fund from the Underlying Leveraged ETF may generate “bad income” that could prevent the Fund from meeting the “Income Requirement” of Subchapter M of the Code, which may cause the Fund to fail to qualify as a RIC. The Fund intends to treat any income it may derive from the options and swap contracts as “qualifying income” under the provisions of the Code applicable to RICs. If the income is not qualifying income the Fund may lose its status as a RIC. The Fund will, for each year, distribute substantially all of its net investment income and net capital gains.
Investing in U.S. Equities Risk. Investing in U.S. issuers subjects the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency, security, and economic risks that are specific to the U.S. Certain changes in the U.S., such as a weakening of the U.S. economy or a decline in its financial markets, may have an adverse effect on U.S. issuers.
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.
Fixed Income Securities Risk. The market value of Fixed Income Securities will change in response to interest rate changes and other factors, such as changes in the effective maturities and credit ratings of fixed income investments. During periods of falling interest rates, the values of outstanding Fixed Income Securities and related financial instruments generally rise. Conversely, during periods of rising interest rates, the values of such securities and related financial instruments generally decline. Fixed Income Securities are also subject to credit risk.
| 9 |
Investments in Fixed Income Securities may also involve the following risks, depending on the instrument involved:
| - | Asset-Backed/Mortgage-Backed Securities Risk – The market value and yield of asset-backed and mortgage-backed securities can vary due to market interest rate fluctuations and early prepayments of underlying instruments. | |
| - | Credit Risk – An investment in the Fund also involves the risk that the issuer of a Fixed Income Security that the Fund holds will fail to make timely payments of interest or principal or go bankrupt, or that the value of the securities will decline because of a market perception that the issuer may not make payments on time, thus potentially reducing the Fund’s return. | |
| - | Event Risk – Event risk is the risk that corporate issuers may undergo restructurings, such as mergers, leveraged buyouts, takeovers, or similar events financed by increased debt. As a result of the added debt, the credit quality and market value of a company’s bonds and/or other debt securities may decline significantly. | |
| - | Extension Risk – Payment on the loans underlying Fixed Income Securities held by the Fund may be made more slowly when interest rates are rising. | |
| - | Interest Rate Risk – Generally, the value of Fixed Income Securities will change inversely with changes in interest rates. As interest rates rise, the market value of Fixed Income Securities tends to decrease. Conversely, as interest rates fall, the market value of Fixed Income Securities tends to increase. This risk will be greater for long-term securities than for short-term securities. In recent periods, governmental financial regulators, including the U.S. Federal Reserve, have taken steps to maintain historically low interest rates. Very low or negative interest rates may magnify interest rate risk. Changes in government intervention may have adverse effects on investments, volatility, and illiquidity in debt markets. | |
| - | Prepayment Risk – When interest rates are declining, issuers of Fixed Income Securities held by the Fund may prepay principal earlier than scheduled. |
Performance:
The Fund has not
yet completed a full calendar year as of the date of this prospectus and
therefore does not have a performance history for a full calendar year. Once
available, the Fund’s performance information will be accessible on the Fund’s
website at
Portfolio Managers: Jeff Klearman and Ryan Dofflemeyer have been portfolio managers of the Fund since the Fund’s inception in 2025.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares: The Fund is an ETF. Individual Shares of the Fund may only be bought and sold in the secondary market (i.e., on a national securities exchange) through a broker-dealer at a market price. Because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than at NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (at a premium), at NAV or less than NAV (at a discount). An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares of the Fund (ask) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). The bid-ask spread varies over time for Shares based on trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the Fund’s Shares have more trading volume and market liquidity and higher if the Fund’s Shares have little trading volume and market liquidity. Recent information regarding the Fund, including its NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid/ask spreads, is available on the Fund’s website at www.granteshares.com.
Tax Information: The Fund’s distributions will be taxable to you, generally as ordinary income unless you are invested through a tax-advantaged arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan, IRA or other tax-advantaged account; in such cases, you may be subject to tax when assets are withdrawn from such tax-advantaged arrangement. A sale of Shares may result in capital gain or loss.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries: If you purchase Shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank) (an “Intermediary”), the Adviser and/or its related companies may pay the Intermediary for the sale of Shares and related services. 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.
| 10 |
GraniteShares YIELDBOOST SPY ETF – Summary
The Fund’s primary investment objective is to achieve 3 times (300%) the income generated from selling options on the S&P 500® Index (the “Underlying Index”) by selling options on leveraged exchange-traded funds designed to deliver 3 times (300%) the daily performance of the Underlying Index (the “Underlying Leveraged ETF”). The Fund’s secondary investment objective is to gain exposure to the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, subject to a cap on potential investment gains. A downside protection may be implemented which could affect the net income level.
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). The fees are expressed as a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets. Investors may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and example below.
| Management Fee | 0.99 | % | ||
|
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) | ||||
| Management Fee | % | |||
| Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees | % | |||
| Other Expenses | % | |||
| Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses (1) | % | |||
| Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | % | |||
| Fee Waiver/Reimbursements (2) | - |
% | ||
| Net Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver/Reimbursements (1), (2) (1)(2) | % | |||
| (1) | |
| (2) |
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in mutual funds and other exchange traded funds.
The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell 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 figures shown would be the same whether or not you sold your Shares at the end of each period.
Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years | |||||||||||
| $ | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||||
| 11 |
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 annual fund operating
expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most
recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was
The Fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to pay weekly distributions by selling put options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF, which provides exposure to 3 times the daily performance of the Underlying Index. It is expected that the implied volatility on the Underlying Leveraged ETF to be three times the level of the Underlying Index’s implied volatility and selling options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF to generate, over the same time horizon and for the same strike levels, three times the premium generated by selling options on the Underlying Index. The premium received by the Fund from selling options will be distributed at least partially before the maturity of the options. This allows the Fund to make distributions on a weekly basis even if the options sold have longer maturity (such as monthly maturity for instance). This approach may result in the distributions being treated fiscally as return of capital (see “Distribution Risk” under the section “Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund”). There is no guarantee that the Fund will generate twice the level of premium that would be generated by selling options on the Underlying Index.
The Fund is subject to the losses from the Underlying Leveraged ETF, which would likely be three times the losses compared to the Underlying Index. In case a Put Spread Strategy (as defined under the section “The Fund’s Use of the Underlying Leveraged ETF Derivatives Contracts”) is implemented, the Fund may benefit from a limited downside protection against a negative price variation in the Underlying Leveraged ETF. Such protection will negatively affect the Fund’s overall income level. A put spread strategy with a narrow spread (the difference between the strikes of the put option sold and put option bought) may provide better protection but will have a higher negative impact on the Fund’s income level. A put spread strategy with a large spread will provide a lower protection but may have less negative impact on the Fund’s income level.
The Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in derivatives contracts that utilize the Underlying Leveraged ETF as their reference asset. For purposes of compliance with this investment policy, derivative contracts will be valued at their notional value.
For more information, see section “The Fund’s Use of the Underlying Leveraged ETF Derivatives Contracts” below.
The Fund’s cash balance may be invested in the following instruments: (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; (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 as collateral for the Fund’s swap agreements; (5) repurchase transactions, which are transactions under which the purchaser (i.e., the Fund) acquires securities and the seller agrees, at the time of the sale, to repurchase the securities at a mutually agreed-upon time and price, thereby determining the yield during the purchaser’s holding period, and/or; (6) US large cap equities listed on a national security exchange, sovereign fixed income securities with a credit rating at least equal to the United States Federal Government, or corporate debt securities, such as commercial paper and other short-term unsecured promissory notes issued by businesses that are rated investment grade for the purposes of entering into swap agreements with the Fund’s swap counterparties. The Fund may enter into such swap agreements to improve its operational efficiency.
The Fund is classified as “non-diversified” under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “1940 Act”).
The Fund will be subject to regulatory constraints relating to the level of value at risk that the Fund may incur through its derivatives 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 and the Fund may not achieve its investment objective.
The Fund’s investment objective has not been adopted as a fundamental investment policy and therefore the Fund’s investment objective along with its respective 80% investment policy may be changed without the consent of that Fund’s shareholders upon approval by the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of GraniteShares ETF Trust (the “Trust”) and 60 days’ written notice to shareholders.
There is no guarantee that the Fund’s investment strategy will be properly implemented or that the Fund will pay weekly distributions, and an investor may lose some or all of its investment. Even when the Fund makes a distribution it could be fiscally treated as return of capital (see “Distribution Risk” under the section “Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund”).
An Investment in the Fund is not an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF
| - | The Fund’s strategy will cap its potential gain to the premium received from selling options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF, | |
| - | The Fund’s strategy is exposed to all potential losses if the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share declines, subject to a potential downside protection if a Put Spread Strategy is used (as defined in ten next section). The potential losses may not be offset by the premium received by the Fund, | |
| - | The Fund does not invest directly in the Underlying Leveraged ETF, | |
| - | Fund shareholders are not entitled to any distribution paid by Underlying Leveraged ETF. |
Additional information regarding the Underlying Leveraged ETF is set forth below.
The Fund’s Use of the Underlying Leveraged ETF Options Contracts
| - | Put Spread Strategy: The Fund will enter in put spread options contracts, either directly or through swap contracts, on the Underlying Leveraged ETF and for which the Fund will receive a net premium. A put spread consists of selling a put option contract while buying a put option contract with the same maturity but a lower strike price. The Fund’s protection against a potential decrease in the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF only applies if it falls below the strike price of the option contract bought by the Fund. Buying a put option contract results in a cost that negatively affects the Fund’s income level. It is unlikely for a put spread strategy to generate twice the level of income that would be obtained by selling options on the Underlying Index directly. The put options contracts sold by the Fund may vary in regard to their strike price from 0 to 15% above the then-current price of the Leveraged ETF. The put options contracts bought by the Fund will have a lower strike price, ranging from 50% out-of-the-money to at-the-money. The put options sold and bought by the Fund will generally have 1- month or less expiration dates. |
| - | Put Write Strategy: The Fund will sell put options contracts, either directly or through swap contracts, on the Underlying Leveraged ETF and for which it will receive a premium. The put options contracts sold by the Fund may vary in regard to their strike prices from 40% out-of-the-money to 15% in-the-money. The put options sold and bought by the Fund will generally have 1- month or less expiration dates. The Adviser will primarily employ this put write strategy when it believes that the share price of its Underlying Leveraged ETF is likely to rise significantly in the short term (e.g., following a substantial selloff or overall positive market news). |
| 12 |
Example 1 – Put Write Strategy - Selling In-the-money Put Option Contract with a One-month Maturity
Assume for simplicity that the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s shares are trading at $100.00 at the time the Fund sells an in-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $105.00 and a one-month maturity. The Fund receives a $5.50 premium for selling the put option contract.
| Case 1: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increases to $105.00 before expiration. |
The Fund would keep the $5.50 premium received.
| |
| Case 2: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increase exceeded $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.50 premium received but would not participate in any of the additional upside. | |
| Case 3: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops to $99.50 before expiration. | The $5.50 premium received is equal to the drop in price in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price, resulting in a return of zero. | |
| Case 4: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $99.50, that is the strike price ($105.00) reduced by the premium received ($5.50). | The Fund would lose money and be exposed to the drop in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price. |
Example 2 – Put Write Strategy - Selling Out-of-the-money Put Options Contracts with a One-week Maturity
Assume for simplicity that the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s shares are trading at $100.00 at the time the Fund sells an out-of-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $95.00 and a one-week maturity. The Fund receives a $0.50 premium for selling the put option contract.
| Case 1: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increases above $100.00 before expiration. |
The Fund would keep the $0.50 premium received but would not participate in the increased in the Underlying Leveraged ETFs’ share price. | |
| Case 2: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $94.50, that is the strike price ($95.00) reduced by the premium received ($0.50). | The Fund would lose money and be exposed to the drop in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price. |
Example 3 – Put Spread Strategy - Selling At-the-money Put Options Contracts and buy an Out-of-the-money Put Options Contracts with both with a One-month Maturity
Assume for simplicity that the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s shares are trading at $100.00 at the time the Fund sells an in-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $105.00 and buy an out-of-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $95.00 both with a one-month maturity. The Fund receives a $5.50 premium for selling the put option contract and pays $0.50 premium for buying the put option contract. Hence the Fund receives a $5.00 net premium.
| Case 1: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increases to $105.00 before expiration. |
The Fund would keep the $5.00 net premium received.
| |
| Case 2: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increase exceeded $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.00 net premium received but would not participate in any of the additional upside. | |
| Case 3: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $100.00, that is the strike price of the option sold ($105.00) reduced by the net premium received ($5.00) but remains above $95.00 before expiration. | The Fund would lose up to $5.00, which is the difference between the 2 strike levels reduced by the net premium received | |
| Case 4: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $95.00 | The Fund would lose $5.00, which is the difference between the 2 strike levels reduced by the net premium received. |
The comparison between the Put Write Strategy in Example 1 and the Put Spread Strategy in Example 3, shows that the Put Spread Strategy has a narrower range of outcomes. It has limited participation in a potential increase or decrease in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price.
In examples 1 and 3, if the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s price were to drop to zero, the Fund’s NAV would be equal, before fees and costs, to the value of premium received.
Types of Options Contracts Used by the Fund
As part of the Fund’s strategy, the Fund may sell FLexible EXchange® (“FLEX”) put options contracts that are based on the value of the price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The Fund will only sell options contracts that are listed for trading on regulated U.S. exchanges. Traditional exchange-traded options contracts have standardized terms, such as the type (call or put), the reference asset, the strike price and expiration date. Exchange-listed options contracts are guaranteed for settlement by the Options Clearing Corporation (“OCC”). FLEX Options are a type of exchange-listed options contract with uniquely customizable terms that allow investors to customize key terms like type, strike price and expiration date that are standardized in a typical options contract. FLEX Options are also guaranteed for settlement by the OCC.
In general, an option is a contract that gives the purchaser (holder) of the option, in return for a premium, the right to buy from (call) or sell to (put) the seller (writer) of the option the security or currency underlying (in this case, the Underlying Leveraged ETF) the option at a specified exercise price. The writer of an option has the obligation upon exercise of the option to deliver the underlying security or currency upon payment of the exercise price (call) or to pay the exercise price upon delivery of the underlying security or currency (put). An option is said to be “European Style” when it can be exercised only at expiration whereas an “American Style” option can be exercised at any time prior to expiration. The Fund might use either European or American style options. The Fund intends to primarily utilize European style options.
Swap agreements Used by the Fund
As part of the Fund’s strategy, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with major financial institutions that provide the same exposure as to selling put options contracts on the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The swap agreements may reference standardized exchange-traded, FLEX, European Style or American Style put options contracts that are based on the values of the price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. All put options contracts referenced in a swap agreement will be listed for trading on regulated U.S. exchanges.
The swap performance will settle in cash only irrespective of the types of the put options contracts referenced in the swap agreement.
Underlying Leveraged ETF
The Underlying Leveraged ETF, Direxion Daily S&P500® Bull 3X Shares, is a passively managed fund that seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of 300% of the performance of the S&P 500® index (the “Underlying Index”).
The Underlying Index is designed to be comprised of stocks that are the 500 leading, large-cap U.S.-listed issuers. It selects constituents on the basis of market capitalization, financial viability of the company, sector representation, public float, liquidity and price of a company’s shares outstanding. The Underlying Index is a float-adjusted and market capitalization-weighted index.
| 13 |
The Underlying Leveraged ETF may invest in the securities of the Underlying Index, a representative sample of the securities in the Underlying Index that has aggregate characteristics similar to those of the Underlying Index, an ETF that tracks the Underlying Index or a substantially similar index, and may utilize derivatives, such as swaps or futures on the Underlying Index or on an ETF that tracks the same Underlying Index or a substantially similar index, that provide leveraged exposure to the above.
Investors can access information about the Underlying Leveraged ETF, including its prospectus and the most recent shareholder reports, online through the SEC’s website, using Registration Statement Nos. 333-150525 and 811-22201. This information, derived from the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s filings with the SEC, is essential for investors to understand the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s operations, investment strategy, and financial prospects. The description of the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s principal investment strategies as outlined here is directly sourced from its prospectus.
This document relates only to the securities offered hereby and does not relate to the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The Fund has derived all disclosures contained in this document regarding the Underlying Leveraged ETF from publicly available documents. In connection with the offering of the securities, none of the Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates has participated in the preparation of such documents or made any due diligence inquiry with respect to the Underlying Leveraged ETF. None of the Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates makes any representation that such publicly available documents or any other publicly available information regarding the Underlying Leveraged ETF 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 the Underlying Leveraged ETF have been publicly disclosed. Subsequent disclosure of any such events or the disclosure of or failure to disclose material future events concerning the Underlying Leveraged ETF could affect the value received with respect to your Shares and therefore the value of your Shares.
The Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, and their respective affiliates do not provide any representation regarding the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF.
THE FUND, TRUST AND ADVISER ARE NOT AFFILIATED WITH DIREXION SHARES TRUST ETF, THE UNDERLYING LEVERAGED ETF, RAFFERTY ASSET MANAGEMENT, LLC OR S&P DOW JONES INDICES LLC.
PRINCIPAL RISKS OF INVESTING IN THE FUND
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. Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its investment objectives. 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.”
The Underlying Leveraged ETF Risk. The Fund invests in options contracts that are based on the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF shares. This subjects the Fund to certain of the same risks as if it owned shares of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, even though it may not. By virtue of the Fund’s investments in options contracts that are based on the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF shares, the Fund may also be subject to the following risks:
Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk — The Underlying Leveraged ETF shares’ performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which is likely to differ from 300% of the Underlying Index’s performance, before fees and expenses. Compounding has a significant impact on funds that are leveraged and that rebalance daily. The impact of compounding becomes more pronounced as volatility and holding periods increase and will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF is held and the volatility of the Underlying Index during the shareholder’s holding period of an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF.
| 14 |
Leverage Risk — The Underlying Leveraged ETF 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 Underlying Leveraged ETF is exposed to the risk that a decline in the daily performance of the Underlying Index will be magnified. This means that an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF will be reduced by an amount equal to 3% for every 1% daily decline in the Underlying Index, not including the costs of financing leverage and other operating expenses, which would further reduce its value. The Underlying Leveraged ETF could lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event of an Underlying Index decline of more than 33%.
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. Investing in derivatives may be considered aggressive and may expose the Underlying Leveraged ETF to greater risks, and may result in larger losses or smaller gains, than investing directly in the reference assets underlying those derivatives, which may prevent the Underlying Leveraged ETF from achieving its investment objective.
Counterparty Risk — If a counterparty is unwilling or unable to make timely payments to meet its contractual obligations or fails to return holdings that are subject to the agreement with the counterparty resulting in the Underlying Leveraged ETF losing money or not being able to meet its daily leveraged investment objective.
Industry Concentration Risk — The Underlying Index may have a significant portion of its value in issuers in an industry or group of industries. The Underlying Leveraged ETF will allocate its investments to approximately the same extent as the Underlying Index. As a result, the Underlying Leveraged ETF may be subject to greater market fluctuations than a fund that is more broadly invested across industries. As of August 21, 2025, the Underlying Index consisted of 503 constituents, which had a median total market capitalization of $37.0 billion, total market capitalizations ranging from $4.2 billion to $4.3 trillion and were concentrated in the information technology sector. The Underlying Index is rebalanced quarterly.
Indirect Investments in the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The Underlying Leveraged ETF is not affiliated with the Trust, the Fund, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates and is not involved with the offering of the Fund in any way and has no obligation to consider your Shares in taking any corporate action that might affect the value of Shares. Investors in the Fund will not have rights to receive dividends or other distributions or any other rights with respect to the Underlying Leveraged ETF but will be subject to declines in the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. Although the Fund invests in the Underlying Leveraged ETF only indirectly, the Fund’s investments are subject to loss as a result of these risks.
Passive Investment and Underlying Index Performance Risk. Investment in the Fund should be made with the understanding that the passive Underlying Leveraged ETF in which the Fund invests will not be able to replicate exactly the performance of the indices they track because the total return generated by the securities will be reduced by transaction costs incurred in adjusting the actual balance of the securities. In addition, the passive Underlying Leveraged ETF in which the Fund invests will incur expenses not incurred by their applicable indices. Certain securities comprising the indices tracked by the passive Underlying Leveraged ETF may, from time to time, temporarily be unavailable, which may further impede the passive Underlying Leveraged ETF’s ability to track their applicable indices.
Derivatives Risk. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds, 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, imperfect correlation with underlying investments, 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 an imperfect correlation between the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objectives. 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. In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
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. For the Fund, in particular, the value of the options contracts in which it invests is substantially influenced by the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. Selling put options exposes the Fund to the risk of potential loss if the market value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF falls below the strike price before the option expires. The Fund may experience substantial downside from specific option positions and certain option positions held by the Fund may expire worthless. 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 at the underlying instrument. There may at times be an imperfect correlation between the movement in values of 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, the Fund’s practice of “rolling” may cause the Fund to experience losses if the expiring contracts do not generate proceeds enough to cover the costs of entering into new options contracts. Rolling refers to the practice of closing out one options position and opening another with a different expiration date and/or a different strike price. Further, if an option is exercised, the seller (writer) of a put option is obligated to purchase the underlying asset at the strike price, which can result in significant financial and regulatory obligations for the Fund if the market value of the asset has fallen substantially. Furthermore, when the Fund seeks to trade out of puts, especially near expiration, there is an added risk that the Fund may be required to allocate resources unexpectedly to fulfill these obligations. This potential exposure to physical settlement can significantly impact the Fund’s liquidity and market exposure, particularly in volatile market conditions.
Swap Risk: Swaps are subject to tracking risk because they may not be perfect substitutes for the instruments they are intended to hedge or replace. Over the counter swaps are subject to counterparty default. Leverage inherent in derivatives will tend to magnify the Fund’s losses. The swap agreements may reference standardized exchange-traded, FLEX, European Style or American Style put options contracts that are based on the values of the price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. that generate specific risks.
| 15 |
Counterparty Risk. The Fund is subject to counterparty risk by virtue of its investments in options contracts. Transactions in some types of derivatives, including options, are required to be centrally cleared (“cleared derivatives”). In a transaction involving cleared derivatives, the Fund’s counterparty is a clearing house rather than a bank or broker. Since the Fund is not a member of clearing houses and only members of a clearing house (“clearing members”) can participate directly in the clearing house, the Fund will hold cleared derivatives through accounts at clearing members. In cleared derivatives positions, the Fund will make payments (including margin payments) to and receive payments from a clearing house through their accounts at clearing members. Customer funds held at a clearing organization in connection with any options contracts are held in a commingled omnibus account and are not identified to the name of the clearing member’s individual customers. As a result, assets deposited by the Fund with any clearing member as margin for options may, in certain circumstances, be used to satisfy losses of other clients of the Fund’s clearing member. In addition, although clearing members guarantee performance of their clients’ obligations to the clearing house, there is a risk that the assets of the Fund might not be fully protected in the event of the clearing member’s bankruptcy, as the Fund would be limited to recovering only a pro rata share of all available funds segregated on behalf of the clearing member’s customers for the relevant account class. The Fund is also subject to the risk that a limited number of clearing members are willing to transact on the Fund’s behalf, which heightens the risks associated with a clearing member’s default. If a clearing member defaults the Fund could lose some or all of the benefits of a transaction entered into by the Fund with the clearing member. If the Fund cannot find a clearing member to transact with on the Fund’s behalf, the Fund may be unable to effectively implement its investment strategy.
In addition, a counterparty (the other party to a transaction or an agreement or the party with whom the Fund executes transactions) to a transaction (including repurchase transaction) with the Fund may be unable or unwilling to make timely principal, interest or settlement payments, or otherwise honor its obligations.
Price Participation Risk. The Fund employs an investment strategy that includes the sale of in-the-money put options contracts, which limits the degree to which the Fund will participate in increases in value experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF over the Call Period. This means that if the Underlying Leveraged ETF experiences an increase in value above the strike price of the sold put options during a Call Period, the Fund will likely not experience that increase to the same extent and may significantly underperform the Underlying Leveraged ETF over the Call Period. Additionally, because the Fund is limited in the degree to which it will participate in increases in value experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF over each Call Period, but has full exposure to any decreases in value experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF over the Call Period, the NAV of the Fund may decrease over any given time period. The Fund’s NAV is dependent on the value of each options portfolio, which is based principally upon the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The degree of participation in the Underlying Leveraged ETF gains the Fund will experience will depend on prevailing market conditions, especially market volatility, at the time the Fund enters into the sold put options contracts and will vary from Call Period to Call Period. The value of the options contracts is affected by changes in the value and dividend rates of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, changes in interest rates, changes in the actual or perceived volatility of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and the remaining time to the options’ expiration, as well as trading conditions in the options market. As the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF share changes and time moves towards the expiration of each Call Period, the value of the options contracts, and therefore the Fund’s NAV, will change. However, it is not expected for the Fund’s NAV to directly correlate on a day-to-day basis with the returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price. The amount of time remaining until the options contract’s expiration date affects the impact of the potential options contract income on the Fund’s NAV, which may not be in full effect until the expiration date of the Fund’s options contracts. Therefore, while changes in the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF share will result in changes to the Fund’s NAV, the Fund generally anticipates that the rate of change in the Fund’s NAV will be different than that experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price.
Distribution Risk. As part of the Fund’s investment objective, the Fund seeks to provide current weekly income. There is no assurance that the Fund will make a distribution in any given month. If the Fund makes distributions, the amounts of such distributions will likely vary greatly from one distribution to the next. Additionally, the weekly distributions, if any, may consist of returns of capital, which would decrease the Fund’s NAV and trading price over time. As a result, an investor may suffer significant losses to their investment.
NAV Erosion Risk Due to Distributions. When the Fund makes a distribution, the Fund’s NAV will typically drop by the amount of the distribution on the related ex-dividend date. The repeated payment of distributions by the Fund, if any, may significantly erode the Fund’s NAV and trading price over time. As a result, an investor may suffer significant losses to their investment.
| 16 |
Put Writing Strategy Risk. The path dependency (i.e., the continued use) of the Fund’s put writing strategy will impact the extent that the Fund participates in the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and, in turn, the Fund’s returns, both during the term of the sold put options and over longer time periods.
If, for example, the Fund were to sell 10% in-the-money put options having a one-month term, the Fund’s participation in the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF will be capped at 10% for that month. However, over a longer period (e.g., a three-month period), the Fund should not be expected to participate fully in the first 30% (i.e., 3 months x 10%) of the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, or the Fund may even lose money, even if the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price has appreciated by at least that much over such period, if during any particular month or months over that period the Underlying Leveraged ETF had a return less than 10%. This example illustrates that both the Fund’s participation in the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and its returns will depend not only on the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF but also on the path that the Underlying Leveraged ETF takes over time.
If, for example, the Fund were to sell 5% out-of-the-money put options having a one-week term, the Fund’s downward protection against the negative price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF will be capped at 5% for that week. However, over a longer period (e.g., a four-week period), the Fund should not be expected to be protected fully in the first 25% (i.e., 4 weeks x 5%) of the negative price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, and the Fund may lose money, even if the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price has appreciated over such period, if during any particular week or weeks over that period the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price had decreases by more than 5%. This example illustrates that both the Fund’s protection against the negative price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and its returns will depend not only on the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF but also on the path that the Underlying Leveraged ETF takes over time.
Under both cases the Fund may be fully exposed to the downward movements of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, offset only by the premiums received from selling put contracts. The Fund does not seek to offer any downside protection, except for the fact that the premiums from the sold options may offset some or all of the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s decline.
Put Spread Strategy Risk. Similarly to a put writing strategy (see relevant risk factor), a put spread strategy will subject the Fund’s performance to path dependency.
Option Market Liquidity Risk. The trading activity in the option market of the Underlying Leveraged ETF may be limited and the option contracts may trade at levels significantly different from their economic value. The lack of liquidity may negatively affect the ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective. This risk may increase if the portfolio turnover is elevated, for instance because of frequent changes in the number of Shares outstanding, and if the net asset value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF is modest. For the 12-month period ending July 31, 2025, the net asset value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF ranged from $2,971m to $5,994m.
Concentration Risk. To the extent that the Underlying Leveraged ETF concentrates its investments in a particular industry, the Fund will be subject to the risks associated with that industry.
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 currently expects to effect a significant portion of its creations and redemptions for cash, rather than in-kind securities. Paying redemption proceeds in cash rather than through in-kind delivery of portfolio securities may require the Fund to dispose of or sell portfolio securities or other assets at an inopportune time to obtain the cash needed to meet redemption orders. This may cause the Fund to sell a security and recognize a capital gain or loss that might not have been incurred if it had made a redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher or lower annual capital gains distributions than ETFs that redeem in-kind. The use of cash creations and redemptions may also cause the Fund’s Shares to trade in the market at greater bid-ask spreads or greater premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV. Furthermore, the Fund may not be able to execute cash transactions for creation and redemption purposes at the same price used to determine the Fund’s NAV. To the extent that the maximum additional charge for creation or redemption transactions is insufficient to cover the execution shortfall, the Fund’s performance could be negatively impacted.
Costs of Buying or Selling Shares. Due to the costs of buying or selling Shares, including brokerage commissions imposed by brokers and bid-ask spreads, frequent trading of Shares may significantly 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.
| 17 |
Trading. Although Shares are listed on a national securities exchange, such as The Nasdaq Stock Market, LLC (the “Exchange”), and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for the Shares will develop or be maintained or that the Shares will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. This risk may be greater for the Fund as it seeks to have exposure to a single underlying stock as opposed to a more diverse portfolio like a traditional pooled investment. 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. Shares trade on the Exchange at a market price that may be below, at or above the Fund’s NAV. Trading in Shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in Shares on the Exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to the Exchange “circuit breaker” rules. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged. In the event of an unscheduled market close for options contracts that reference a single stock, such as the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s securities being halted or a market wide closure, settlement prices will be determined by the procedures of the listing exchange of the options contracts. As a result, the Fund could be adversely affected and be unable to implement its investment strategies in the event of an unscheduled closing.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk. The Fund may actively and frequently trade all or a significant portion of the Fund’s holdings. A high portfolio turnover rate increases transaction costs, which may increase the Fund’s expenses. Frequent trading may also cause adverse tax consequences for investors in the Fund due to an increase in short-term capital gains.
Inflation Risk. Inflation risk is the risk that the value of assets or income from investments will be less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money. As inflation increases, the present value of the Fund’s assets and distributions, if any, may decline.
Liquidity Risk. Some securities held by the Fund, including options contracts, may be difficult to sell or be illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. This risk is greater for the Fund as it will hold options contracts on a single security, and not a broader range of options contracts. 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, such as market rules related to short sales, may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Underlying Leveraged ETF. 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.
Management Risk. The Fund is subject to management risk because it is an actively managed portfolio. In managing the Fund’s investment portfolio, the portfolio managers will apply investment techniques and risk analyses that may not produce the desired result. There can be no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective.
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, including money market funds, may lose money through fees or other means.
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.
Operational Risk. The Fund is subject to risks arising from various operational factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund relies on third-parties for a range of services, including custody. Any delay or failure relating to engaging or maintaining such service providers may affect the Fund’s ability to meet its investment objective. Although the Fund, Adviser, and Sub-Adviser seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures, there is no way to completely protect against such risks.
| 18 |
Recent Market Events Risk. U.S. and international markets have experienced significant periods of volatility in recent years and months due to a number of economic, political and global macro factors including the impact of COVID-19 as a global pandemic, which has resulted in a public health crisis, disruptions to business operations and supply chains, stress on the global healthcare system, growth concerns in the U.S. and overseas, staffing shortages and the inability to meet consumer demand, and widespread concern and uncertainty. The global recovery from COVID-19 is proceeding at slower than expected rates due to the emergence of variant strains and may last for an extended period of time. Continuing uncertainties regarding interest rates, rising inflation, political events, rising government debt in the U.S. and trade tensions also contribute to market volatility. Conflict, loss of life and disaster connected to ongoing armed conflict between Ukraine and Russia in Europe and Israel and Hamas in the Middle East could have severe adverse effects on the region, including significant adverse effects on the regional or global economies and the markets for certain securities. The U.S. and the European Union have imposed sanctions on certain Russian individuals and companies, including certain financial institutions, and have limited certain exports and imports to and from Russia. The war has contributed to recent market volatility and may continue to do so. U.S. trade disputes or other disputes with specific countries that could result in additional tariffs, trade barriers and/or investment restrictions in certain securities in those countries.
Single Issuer Risk. Issuer-specific attributes may cause an investment in the Fund to be more volatile than a traditional pooled investment vehicle which diversifies risk or the market generally. The value of the Fund, which focuses on an individual security (the Underlying Leveraged ETF), 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.
Tax Risk. The Fund intends to elect and to qualify each year to be treated as a RIC under Subchapter M of the 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 options it holds is never 25% of the total value of Fund assets at the close of any quarter. If the Fund’s investments in options 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. In addition, distributions received by the Fund from the Underlying Leveraged ETF may generate “bad income” that could prevent the Fund from meeting the “Income Requirement” of Subchapter M of the Code, which may cause the Fund to fail to qualify as a RIC.
Investing in U.S. Equities Risk. Investing in U.S. issuers subjects the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency, security, and economic risks that are specific to the U.S. Certain changes in the U.S., such as a weakening of the U.S. economy or a decline in its financial markets, may have an adverse effect on U.S. issuers.
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.
Fixed Income Securities Risk. The market value of Fixed Income Securities will change in response to interest rate changes and other factors, such as changes in the effective maturities and credit ratings of fixed income investments. During periods of falling interest rates, the values of outstanding Fixed Income Securities and related financial instruments generally rise. Conversely, during periods of rising interest rates, the values of such securities and related financial instruments generally decline. Fixed Income Securities are also subject to credit risk.
Investments in Fixed Income Securities may also involve the following risks, depending on the instrument involved:
| - | Asset-Backed/Mortgage-Backed Securities Risk – The market value and yield of asset-backed and mortgage-backed securities can vary due to market interest rate fluctuations and early prepayments of underlying instruments. | |
| - | Credit Risk – An investment in the Fund also involves the risk that the issuer of a Fixed Income Security that the Fund holds will fail to make timely payments of interest or principal or go bankrupt, or that the value of the securities will decline because of a market perception that the issuer may not make payments on time, thus potentially reducing the Fund’s return. |
| 19 |
| - | Event Risk – Event risk is the risk that corporate issuers may undergo restructurings, such as mergers, leveraged buyouts, takeovers, or similar events financed by increased debt. As a result of the added debt, the credit quality and market value of a company’s bonds and/or other debt securities may decline significantly. | |
| - | Extension Risk – Payment on the loans underlying Fixed Income Securities held by the Fund may be made more slowly when interest rates are rising. | |
| - | Interest Rate Risk – Generally, the value of Fixed Income Securities will change inversely with changes in interest rates. As interest rates rise, the market value of Fixed Income Securities tends to decrease. Conversely, as interest rates fall, the market value of Fixed Income Securities tends to increase. This risk will be greater for long-term securities than for short-term securities. In recent periods, governmental financial regulators, including the U.S. Federal Reserve, have taken steps to maintain historically low interest rates. Very low or negative interest rates may magnify interest rate risk. Changes in government intervention may have adverse effects on investments, volatility, and illiquidity in debt markets. | |
| - | Prepayment Risk – When interest rates are declining, issuers of Fixed Income Securities held by the Fund may prepay principal earlier than scheduled. |
Performance:
The Fund has not
yet completed a full calendar year as of the date of this prospectus and
therefore does not have a performance history for a full calendar year. Once
available, the Fund’s performance information will be accessible on the Fund’s
website at
Portfolio Managers: Jeff Klearman and Ryan Dofflemeyer have been portfolio managers of the Fund since the Fund’s inception in 2025.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares: The Fund is an ETF. Individual Shares of the Fund may only be bought and sold in the secondary market (i.e., on a national securities exchange) through a broker-dealer at a market price. Because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than at NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (at a premium), at NAV or less than NAV (at a discount). An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares of the Fund (ask) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). The bid-ask spread varies over time for Shares based on trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the Fund’s Shares have more trading volume and market liquidity and higher if the Fund’s Shares have little trading volume and market liquidity. Recent information regarding the Fund, including its NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid/ask spreads, is available on the Fund’s website at www.graniteshares.com.
Tax Information: The Fund’s distributions will be taxable to you, generally as ordinary income unless you are invested through a tax-advantaged arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan, IRA or other tax-advantaged account; in such cases, you may be subject to tax when assets are withdrawn from such tax-advantaged arrangement. A sale of Shares may result in capital gain or loss.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries: If you purchase Shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank) (an “Intermediary”), the Adviser and/or its related companies may pay the Intermediary for the sale of Shares and related services. 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.
| 20 |
GraniteShares YIELDBOOST SMALL CAP ETF – Summary
The Fund’s primary investment objective is to achieve 3 times (300%) the income generated from selling options on the Russell 2000® Index (the “Underlying Index”) by selling options on leveraged exchange-traded funds designed to deliver 3 times (300%) the daily performance of the Underlying Index (the “Underlying Leveraged ETF”). The Fund’s secondary investment objective is to gain exposure to the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, subject to a cap on potential investment gains. A downside protection may be implemented which could affect the net income level.
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). The fees are expressed as a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets. Investors may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and example below.
| Management Fee | 0.99 | % | ||
|
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) | ||||
| Management Fee | % | |||
| Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees | % | |||
| Other Expenses (1) | % | |||
| Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses (2) | % | |||
| Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | % | |||
| Fee Waiver/Reimbursements (3) | % | |||
| Net Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver/Reimbursements (1), (2), (3) (1)(2)(3) | % | |||
| (1) | |
| (2) | |
| (3) |
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in mutual funds and other exchange traded funds.
The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell 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 figures shown would be the same whether or not you sold your Shares at the end of each period.
Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years | |||||
| $ | $ | |||||
| 21 |
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 the total annual fund operating expenses or in the expense example above, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund is newly organized, portfolio turnover information is not yet available.
The Fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to pay weekly distributions by selling put options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF, which provides exposure to 3 times the daily performance of the Underlying Index. It is expected that the implied volatility on the Underlying Leveraged ETF to be three times the level of the Underlying Index’s implied volatility and selling options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF to generate, over the same time horizon and for the same strike levels, three times the premium generated by selling options on the Underlying Index. The premium received by the Fund from selling options will be distributed at least partially before the maturity of the options. This allows the Fund to make distributions on a weekly basis even if the options sold have longer maturity (such as monthly maturity for instance). This approach may result in the distributions being treated fiscally as return of capital (see “Distribution Risk” under the section “Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund”). There is no guarantee that the Fund will generate twice the level of premium that would be generated by selling options on the Underlying Index.
The Fund is subject to the losses from the Underlying Leveraged ETF, which would likely be three times the losses compared to the Underlying Index. In case a Put Spread Strategy (as defined under the section “The Fund’s Use of the Underlying Leveraged ETF Derivatives Contracts”) is implemented, the Fund may benefit from a limited downside protection against a negative price variation in the Underlying Leveraged ETF. Such protection will negatively affect the Fund’s overall income level. A put spread strategy with a narrow spread (the difference between the strikes of the put option sold and put option bought) may provide better protection but will have a higher negative impact on the Fund’s income level. A put spread strategy with a large spread will provide a lower protection but may have less negative impact on the Fund’s income level.
The Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in derivatives contracts that utilize the Underlying Leveraged ETF as their reference asset. For purposes of compliance with this investment policy, derivative contracts will be valued at their notional value.
For more information, see section “The Fund’s Use of the Underlying Leveraged ETF Derivatives Contracts” below.
The Fund’s cash balance may be invested in the following instruments: (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; (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 as collateral for the Fund’s swap agreements; (5) repurchase transactions, which are transactions under which the purchaser (i.e., the Fund) acquires securities and the seller agrees, at the time of the sale, to repurchase the securities at a mutually agreed-upon time and price, thereby determining the yield during the purchaser’s holding period, and/or; (6) US large cap equities listed on a national security exchange, sovereign fixed income securities with a credit rating at least equal to the United States Federal Government, or corporate debt securities, such as commercial paper and other short-term unsecured promissory notes issued by businesses that are rated investment grade for the purposes of entering into swap agreements with the Fund’s swap counterparties. The Fund may enter into such swap agreements to improve its operational efficiency.
The Fund is classified as “non-diversified” under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “1940 Act”).
The Fund will be subject to regulatory constraints relating to the level of value at risk that the Fund may incur through its derivatives 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 and the Fund may not achieve its investment objective.
The Fund’s investment objective has not been adopted as a fundamental investment policy and therefore the Fund’s investment objective along with its respective 80% investment policy may be changed without the consent of that Fund’s shareholders upon approval by the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of GraniteShares ETF Trust (the “Trust”) and 60 days’ written notice to shareholders.
There is no guarantee that the Fund’s investment strategy will be properly implemented or that the Fund will pay weekly distributions, and an investor may lose some or all of its investment. Even when the Fund makes a distribution it could be fiscally treated as return of capital (see “Distribution Risk” under the section “Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund”).
An Investment in the Fund is not an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF
| - | The Fund’s strategy will cap its potential gain to the premium received from selling options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF, | |
| - | The Fund’s strategy is exposed to all potential losses if the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share declines, subject to a potential downside protection if a Put Spread Strategy is used (as defined in ten next section). The potential losses may not be offset by the premium received by the Fund, | |
| - | The Fund does not invest directly in the Underlying Leveraged ETF, | |
| - | Fund shareholders are not entitled to any distribution paid by Underlying Leveraged ETF. |
Additional information regarding the Underlying Leveraged ETF is set forth below.
The Fund’s Use of the Underlying Leveraged ETF Options Contracts
| - | Put Spread Strategy: The Fund will enter in put spread options contracts, either directly or through swap contracts, on the Underlying Leveraged ETF and for which the Fund will receive a net premium. A put spread consists of selling a put option contract while buying a put option contract with the same maturity but a lower strike price. The Fund’s protection against a potential decrease in the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF only applies if it falls below the strike price of the option contract bought by the Fund. Buying a put option contract results in a cost that negatively affects the Fund’s income level. It is unlikely for a put spread strategy to generate twice the level of income that would be obtained by selling options on the Underlying Index directly. The put options contracts sold by the Fund may vary in regard to their strike price from 0 to 15% above the then-current price of the Leveraged ETF. The put options contracts bought by the Fund will have a lower strike price, ranging from 50% out-of-the-money to at-the-money. The put options sold and bought by the Fund will generally have 1- month or less expiration dates. |
| - | Put Write Strategy: The Fund will sell put options contracts, either directly or through swap contracts, on the Underlying Leveraged ETF and for which it will receive a premium. The put options contracts sold by the Fund may vary in regard to their strike prices from 40% out-of-the-money to 15% in-the-money. The put options sold and bought by the Fund will generally have 1- month or less expiration dates. The Adviser will primarily employ this put write strategy when it believes that the share price of its Underlying Leveraged ETF is likely to rise significantly in the short term (e.g., following a substantial selloff or overall positive market news). |
| 22 |
Example 1 – Put Write Strategy - Selling In-the-money Put Option Contract with a One-month Maturity
Assume for simplicity that the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s shares are trading at $100.00 at the time the Fund sells an in-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $105.00 and a one-month maturity. The Fund receives a $5.50 premium for selling the put option contract.
| Case 1: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increases to $105.00 before expiration. |
The Fund would keep the $5.50 premium received. | |
| Case 2: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increase exceeded $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.50 premium received but would not participate in any of the additional upside. | |
| Case 3: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops to $99.50 before expiration. | The $5.50 premium received is equal to the drop in price in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price, resulting in a return of zero. | |
| Case 4: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $99.50, that is the strike price ($105.00) reduced by the premium received ($5.50). | The Fund would lose money and be exposed to the drop in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price. |
Example 2 – Put Write Strategy - Selling Out-of-the-money Put Options Contracts with a One-week Maturity
Assume for simplicity that the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s shares are trading at $100.00 at the time the Fund sells an out-of-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $95.00 and a one-week maturity. The Fund receives a $0.50 premium for selling the put option contract.
| Case 1: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increases above $100.00 before expiration. |
The Fund would keep the $0.50 premium received but would not participate in the increased in the Underlying Leveraged ETFs’ share price. | |
| Case 2: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $94.50, that is the strike price ($95.00) reduced by the premium received ($0.50). | The Fund would lose money and be exposed to the drop in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price. |
Example 3 – Put Spread Strategy - Selling At-the-money Put Options Contracts and buy an Out-of-the-money Put Options Contracts with both with a One-month Maturity
Assume for simplicity that the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s shares are trading at $100.00 at the time the Fund sells an in-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $105.00 and buy an out-of-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $95.00 both with a one-month maturity. The Fund receives a $5.50 premium for selling the put option contract and pays $0.50 premium for buying the put option contract. Hence the Fund receives a $5.00 net premium.
| Case 1: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increases to $105.00 before expiration. |
The Fund would keep the $5.00 net premium received. | |
| Case 2: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increase exceeded $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.00 net premium received but would not participate in any of the additional upside. | |
| Case 3: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $100.00, that is the strike price of the option sold ($105.00) reduced by the net premium received ($5.00) but remains above $95.00 before expiration. | The Fund would lose up to $5.00, which is the difference between the 2 strike levels reduced by the net premium received | |
| Case 4: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $95.00 | The Fund would lose $5.00, which is the difference between the 2 strike levels reduced by the net premium received. |
The comparison between the Put Write Strategy in Example 1 and the Put Spread Strategy in Example 3, shows that the Put Spread Strategy has a narrower range of outcomes. It has limited participation in a potential increase or decrease in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price.
In examples 1 and 2, if the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s price were to drop to zero, the Fund’s NAV would be equal, before fees and costs, to the value of premium received.
Types of Options Contracts Used by the Fund
As part of the Fund’s strategy, the Fund may sell FLexible EXchange® (“FLEX”) put options contracts that are based on the value of the price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The Fund will only sell options contracts that are listed for trading on regulated U.S. exchanges. Traditional exchange-traded options contracts have standardized terms, such as the type (call or put), the reference asset, the strike price and expiration date. Exchange-listed options contracts are guaranteed for settlement by the Options Clearing Corporation (“OCC”). FLEX Options are a type of exchange-listed options contract with uniquely customizable terms that allow investors to customize key terms like type, strike price and expiration date that are standardized in a typical options contract. FLEX Options are also guaranteed for settlement by the OCC.
In general, an option is a contract that gives the purchaser (holder) of the option, in return for a premium, the right to buy from (call) or sell to (put) the seller (writer) of the option the security or currency underlying (in this case, the Underlying Leveraged ETF) the option at a specified exercise price. The writer of an option has the obligation upon exercise of the option to deliver the underlying security or currency upon payment of the exercise price (call) or to pay the exercise price upon delivery of the underlying security or currency (put). An option is said to be “European Style” when it can be exercised only at expiration whereas an “American Style” option can be exercised at any time prior to expiration. The Fund might use either European or American style options. The Fund intends to primarily utilize European style options.
Swap agreements Used by the Fund
As part of the Fund’s strategy, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with major financial institutions that provide the same exposure as to selling put options contracts on the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The swap agreements may reference standardized exchange-traded, FLEX, European Style or American Style put options contracts that are based on the values of the price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. All put options contracts referenced in a swap agreement will be listed for trading on regulated U.S. exchanges.
The swap performance will settle in cash only irrespective of the types of the put options contracts referenced in the swap agreement.
Underlying Leveraged ETF
The Underlying Leveraged ETF, Direxion Daily Small Cap Bull 3X Shares, is a passively managed fund that seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of 300% of the performance of the Russell 2000® index (the “Underlying Index”).
The Underlying Index measures the performance of approximately 2,000 small-capitalization companies in the Russell 3000® Index, based on a combination of their market capitalization and current index membership. The Underlying Index is reconstituted annually and enhanced by initial public offerings quarterly.
The Underlying Leveraged ETF may invest in the securities of the Underlying Index, a representative sample of the securities in the Underlying Index that has aggregate characteristics similar to those of the Underlying Index, an ETF that tracks the Underlying Index or a substantially similar index, and may utilize derivatives, such as swaps or futures on the Underlying Index or on an ETF that tracks the same Underlying Index or a substantially similar index, that provide leveraged exposure to the above.
| 23 |
Investors can access information about the Underlying Leveraged ETF, including its prospectus and the most recent shareholder reports, online through the SEC’s website, using Registration Statement Nos. 333-150525 and 811-22201. This information, derived from the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s filings with the SEC, is essential for investors to understand the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s operations, investment strategy, and financial prospects. The description of the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s principal investment strategies as outlined here is directly sourced from its prospectus.
This document relates only to the securities offered hereby and does not relate to the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The Fund has derived all disclosures contained in this document regarding the Underlying Leveraged ETF from publicly available documents. In connection with the offering of the securities, none of the Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates has participated in the preparation of such documents or made any due diligence inquiry with respect to the Underlying Leveraged ETF. None of the Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates makes any representation that such publicly available documents or any other publicly available information regarding the Underlying Leveraged ETF 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 the Underlying Leveraged ETF have been publicly disclosed. Subsequent disclosure of any such events or the disclosure of or failure to disclose material future events concerning the Underlying Leveraged ETF could affect the value received with respect to your Shares and therefore the value of your Shares.
The Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, and their respective affiliates do not provide any representation regarding the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF.
THE FUND, TRUST AND ADVISER ARE NOT AFFILIATED WITH DIREXION SHARES TRUST ETF, THE UNDERLYING LEVERAGED ETF, RAFFERTY ASSET MANAGEMENT, LLC OR FRANK RUSSELL COMPANY.
PRINCIPAL RISKS OF INVESTING IN THE FUND
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. Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its investment objectives. 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.”
The Underlying Leveraged ETF Risk. The Fund invests in options contracts that are based on the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF shares. This subjects the Fund to certain of the same risks as if it owned shares of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, even though it may not. By virtue of the Fund’s investments in options contracts that are based on the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF shares, the Fund may also be subject to the following risks:
Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk — The Underlying Leveraged ETF shares’ performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which is likely to differ from 300% of the Underlying Index’s performance, before fees and expenses. Compounding has a significant impact on funds that are leveraged and that rebalance daily. The impact of compounding becomes more pronounced as volatility and holding periods increase and will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF is held and the volatility of the Underlying Index during the shareholder’s holding period of an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF.
Leverage Risk — The Underlying Leveraged ETF 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 Underlying Leveraged ETF is exposed to the risk that a decline in the daily performance of the Underlying Index will be magnified. This means that an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF will be reduced by an amount equal to 3% for every 1% daily decline in the Underlying Index, not including the costs of financing leverage and other operating expenses, which would further reduce its value. The Underlying Leveraged ETF could lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event of an Underlying Index decline of more than 33%.
| 24 |
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. Investing in derivatives may be considered aggressive and may expose the Underlying Leveraged ETF to greater risks, and may result in larger losses or smaller gains, than investing directly in the reference assets underlying those derivatives, which may prevent the Underlying Leveraged ETF from achieving its investment objective.
Counterparty Risk — If a counterparty is unwilling or unable to make timely payments to meet its contractual obligations or fails to return holdings that are subject to the agreement with the counterparty resulting in the Underlying Leveraged ETF losing money or not being able to meet its daily leveraged investment objective.
Industry Concentration Risk — The Underlying Index may have a significant portion of its value in issuers in an industry or group of industries. The Underlying Leveraged ETF will allocate its investments to approximately the same extent as the Underlying Index. As a result, the Underlying Leveraged ETF may be subject to greater market fluctuations than a fund that is more broadly invested across industries. As of July 31, 2025, the Underlying Index consisted of 1,972 holdings, which had an average market capitalization of $3.4 billion, total market capitalizations ranging from $119.4 million to $18.9 billion and were concentrated in the healthcare, financials, and industrials sectors. The Underlying Index is reconstituted annually and enhanced by initial public offerings quarterly.
Indirect Investments in the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The Underlying Leveraged ETF is not affiliated with the Trust, the Fund, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates and is not involved with the offering of the Fund in any way and has no obligation to consider your Shares in taking any corporate action that might affect the value of Shares. Investors in the Fund will not have rights to receive dividends or other distributions or any other rights with respect to the Underlying Leveraged ETF but will be subject to declines in the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. Although the Fund invests in the Underlying Leveraged ETF only indirectly, the Fund’s investments are subject to loss as a result of these risks.
Passive Investment and Underlying Index Performance Risk. Investment in the Fund should be made with the understanding that the passive Underlying Leveraged ETF in which the Fund invests will not be able to replicate exactly the performance of the indices they track because the total return generated by the securities will be reduced by transaction costs incurred in adjusting the actual balance of the securities. In addition, the passive Underlying Leveraged ETF in which the Fund invests will incur expenses not incurred by their applicable indices. Certain securities comprising the indices tracked by the passive Underlying Leveraged ETF may, from time to time, temporarily be unavailable, which may further impede the passive Underlying Leveraged ETF’s ability to track their applicable indices.
Derivatives Risk. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds, 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, imperfect correlation with underlying investments, 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 an imperfect correlation between the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objectives. 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. In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
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. For the Fund, in particular, the value of the options contracts in which it invests is substantially influenced by the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. Selling put options exposes the Fund to the risk of potential loss if the market value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF falls below the strike price before the option expires. The Fund may experience substantial downside from specific option positions and certain option positions held by the Fund may expire worthless. 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 at the underlying instrument. There may at times be an imperfect correlation between the movement in values of 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, the Fund’s practice of “rolling” may cause the Fund to experience losses if the expiring contracts do not generate proceeds enough to cover the costs of entering into new options contracts. Rolling refers to the practice of closing out one options position and opening another with a different expiration date and/or a different strike price. Further, if an option is exercised, the seller (writer) of a put option is obligated to purchase the underlying asset at the strike price, which can result in significant financial and regulatory obligations for the Fund if the market value of the asset has fallen substantially. Furthermore, when the Fund seeks to trade out of puts, especially near expiration, there is an added risk that the Fund may be required to allocate resources unexpectedly to fulfill these obligations. This potential exposure to physical settlement can significantly impact the Fund’s liquidity and market exposure, particularly in volatile market conditions.
Swap Risk: Swaps are subject to tracking risk because they may not be perfect substitutes for the instruments they are intended to hedge or replace. Over the counter swaps are subject to counterparty default. Leverage inherent in derivatives will tend to magnify the Fund’s losses. The swap agreements may reference standardized exchange-traded, FLEX, European Style or American Style put options contracts that are based on the values of the price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. that generate specific risks.
| 25 |
Counterparty Risk. The Fund is subject to counterparty risk by virtue of its investments in options contracts. Transactions in some types of derivatives, including options, are required to be centrally cleared (“cleared derivatives”). In a transaction involving cleared derivatives, the Fund’s counterparty is a clearing house rather than a bank or broker. Since the Fund is not a member of clearing houses and only members of a clearing house (“clearing members”) can participate directly in the clearing house, the Fund will hold cleared derivatives through accounts at clearing members. In cleared derivatives positions, the Fund will make payments (including margin payments) to and receive payments from a clearing house through their accounts at clearing members. Customer funds held at a clearing organization in connection with any options contracts are held in a commingled omnibus account and are not identified to the name of the clearing member’s individual customers. As a result, assets deposited by the Fund with any clearing member as margin for options may, in certain circumstances, be used to satisfy losses of other clients of the Fund’s clearing member. In addition, although clearing members guarantee performance of their clients’ obligations to the clearing house, there is a risk that the assets of the Fund might not be fully protected in the event of the clearing member’s bankruptcy, as the Fund would be limited to recovering only a pro rata share of all available funds segregated on behalf of the clearing member’s customers for the relevant account class. The Fund is also subject to the risk that a limited number of clearing members are willing to transact on the Fund’s behalf, which heightens the risks associated with a clearing member’s default. If a clearing member defaults the Fund could lose some or all of the benefits of a transaction entered into by the Fund with the clearing member. If the Fund cannot find a clearing member to transact with on the Fund’s behalf, the Fund may be unable to effectively implement its investment strategy.
In addition, a counterparty (the other party to a transaction or an agreement or the party with whom the Fund executes transactions) to a transaction (including repurchase transaction) with the Fund may be unable or unwilling to make timely principal, interest or settlement payments, or otherwise honor its obligations.
Price Participation Risk. The Fund employs an investment strategy that includes the sale of in-the-money put options contracts, which limits the degree to which the Fund will participate in increases in value experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF over the Call Period. This means that if the Underlying Leveraged ETF experiences an increase in value above the strike price of the sold put options during a Call Period, the Fund will likely not experience that increase to the same extent and may significantly underperform the Underlying Leveraged ETF over the Call Period. Additionally, because the Fund is limited in the degree to which it will participate in increases in value experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF over each Call Period, but has full exposure to any decreases in value experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF over the Call Period, the NAV of the Fund may decrease over any given time period. The Fund’s NAV is dependent on the value of each options portfolio, which is based principally upon the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The degree of participation in the Underlying Leveraged ETF gains the Fund will experience will depend on prevailing market conditions, especially market volatility, at the time the Fund enters into the sold put options contracts and will vary from Call Period to Call Period. The value of the options contracts is affected by changes in the value and dividend rates of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, changes in interest rates, changes in the actual or perceived volatility of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and the remaining time to the options’ expiration, as well as trading conditions in the options market. As the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF share changes and time moves towards the expiration of each Call Period, the value of the options contracts, and therefore the Fund’s NAV, will change. However, it is not expected for the Fund’s NAV to directly correlate on a day-to-day basis with the returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price. The amount of time remaining until the options contract’s expiration date affects the impact of the potential options contract income on the Fund’s NAV, which may not be in full effect until the expiration date of the Fund’s options contracts. Therefore, while changes in the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF share will result in changes to the Fund’s NAV, the Fund generally anticipates that the rate of change in the Fund’s NAV will be different than that experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price.
Distribution Risk. As part of the Fund’s investment objective, the Fund seeks to provide current weekly income. There is no assurance that the Fund will make a distribution in any given month. If the Fund makes distributions, the amounts of such distributions will likely vary greatly from one distribution to the next. Additionally, the weekly distributions, if any, may consist of returns of capital, which would decrease the Fund’s NAV and trading price over time. As a result, an investor may suffer significant losses to their investment.
NAV Erosion Risk Due to Distributions. When the Fund makes a distribution, the Fund’s NAV will typically drop by the amount of the distribution on the related ex-dividend date. The repeated payment of distributions by the Fund, if any, may significantly erode the Fund’s NAV and trading price over time. As a result, an investor may suffer significant losses to their investment.
| 26 |
Put Writing Strategy Risk. The path dependency (i.e., the continued use) of the Fund’s put writing strategy will impact the extent that the Fund participates in the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and, in turn, the Fund’s returns, both during the term of the sold put options and over longer time periods.
If, for example, the Fund were to sell 10% in-the-money put options having a one-month term, the Fund’s participation in the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF will be capped at 10% for that month. However, over a longer period (e.g., a three-month period), the Fund should not be expected to participate fully in the first 30% (i.e., 3 months x 10%) of the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, or the Fund may even lose money, even if the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price has appreciated by at least that much over such period, if during any particular month or months over that period the Underlying Leveraged ETF had a return less than 10%. This example illustrates that both the Fund’s participation in the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and its returns will depend not only on the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF but also on the path that the Underlying Leveraged ETF takes over time.
If, for example, the Fund were to sell 5% out-of-the-money put options having a one-week term, the Fund’s downward protection against the negative price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF will be capped at 5% for that week. However, over a longer period (e.g., a four-week period), the Fund should not be expected to be protected fully in the first 25% (i.e., 4 weeks x 5%) of the negative price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, and the Fund may lose money, even if the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price has appreciated over such period, if during any particular week or weeks over that period the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price had decreases by more than 5%. This example illustrates that both the Fund’s protection against the negative price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and its returns will depend not only on the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF but also on the path that the Underlying Leveraged ETF takes over time.
Under both cases the Fund may be fully exposed to the downward movements of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, offset only by the premiums received from selling put contracts. The Fund does not seek to offer any downside protection, except for the fact that the premiums from the sold options may offset some or all of the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s decline.
Put Spread Strategy Risk. Similarly to a put writing strategy (see relevant risk factor), a put spread strategy will subject the Fund’s performance to path dependency.
Option Market Liquidity Risk. The trading activity in the option market of the Underlying Leveraged ETF may be limited and the option contracts may trade at levels significantly different from their economic value. The lack of liquidity may negatively affect the ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective. This risk may increase if the portfolio turnover is elevated, for instance because of frequent changes in the number of Shares outstanding, and if the net asset value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF is modest. For the 12-month period ending July 31, 2025, the net asset value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF ranged from $1,240m to $2,855m.
Concentration Risk. To the extent that the Underlying Leveraged ETF concentrates its investments in a particular industry, the Fund will be subject to the risks associated with that industry.
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 currently expects to effect a significant portion of its creations and redemptions for cash, rather than in-kind securities. Paying redemption proceeds in cash rather than through in-kind delivery of portfolio securities may require the Fund to dispose of or sell portfolio securities or other assets at an inopportune time to obtain the cash needed to meet redemption orders. This may cause the Fund to sell a security and recognize a capital gain or loss that might not have been incurred if it had made a redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher or lower annual capital gains distributions than ETFs that redeem in-kind. The use of cash creations and redemptions may also cause the Fund’s Shares to trade in the market at greater bid-ask spreads or greater premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV. Furthermore, the Fund may not be able to execute cash transactions for creation and redemption purposes at the same price used to determine the Fund’s NAV. To the extent that the maximum additional charge for creation or redemption transactions is insufficient to cover the execution shortfall, the Fund’s performance could be negatively impacted.
Costs of Buying or Selling Shares. Due to the costs of buying or selling Shares, including brokerage commissions imposed by brokers and bid-ask spreads, frequent trading of Shares may significantly 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.
| 27 |
Trading. Although Shares are listed on a national securities exchange, such as The Nasdaq Stock Market, LLC (the “Exchange”), and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for the Shares will develop or be maintained or that the Shares will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. This risk may be greater for the Fund as it seeks to have exposure to a single underlying stock as opposed to a more diverse portfolio like a traditional pooled investment. 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. Shares trade on the Exchange at a market price that may be below, at or above the Fund’s NAV. Trading in Shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in Shares on the Exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to the Exchange “circuit breaker” rules. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged. In the event of an unscheduled market close for options contracts that reference a single stock, such as the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s securities being halted or a market wide closure, settlement prices will be determined by the procedures of the listing exchange of the options contracts. As a result, the Fund could be adversely affected and be unable to implement its investment strategies in the event of an unscheduled closing.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk. The Fund may actively and frequently trade all or a significant portion of the Fund’s holdings. A high portfolio turnover rate increases transaction costs, which may increase the Fund’s expenses. Frequent trading may also cause adverse tax consequences for investors in the Fund due to an increase in short-term capital gains.
Inflation Risk. Inflation risk is the risk that the value of assets or income from investments will be less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money. As inflation increases, the present value of the Fund’s assets and distributions, if any, may decline.
Liquidity Risk. Some securities held by the Fund, including options contracts, may be difficult to sell or be illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. This risk is greater for the Fund as it will hold options contracts on a single security, and not a broader range of options contracts. 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, such as market rules related to short sales, may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Underlying Leveraged ETF. 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.
Management Risk. The Fund is subject to management risk because it is an actively managed portfolio. In managing the Fund’s investment portfolio, the portfolio managers will apply investment techniques and risk analyses that may not produce the desired result. There can be no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective.
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, including money market funds, may lose money through fees or other means.
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.
Operational Risk. The Fund is subject to risks arising from various operational factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund relies on third-parties for a range of services, including custody. Any delay or failure relating to engaging or maintaining such service providers may affect the Fund’s ability to meet its investment objective. Although the Fund, Adviser, and Sub-Adviser seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures, there is no way to completely protect against such risks.
| 28 |
Recent Market Events Risk. U.S. and international markets have experienced significant periods of volatility in recent years and months due to a number of economic, political and global macro factors including the impact of COVID-19 as a global pandemic, which has resulted in a public health crisis, disruptions to business operations and supply chains, stress on the global healthcare system, growth concerns in the U.S. and overseas, staffing shortages and the inability to meet consumer demand, and widespread concern and uncertainty. The global recovery from COVID-19 is proceeding at slower than expected rates due to the emergence of variant strains and may last for an extended period of time. Continuing uncertainties regarding interest rates, rising inflation, political events, rising government debt in the U.S. and trade tensions also contribute to market volatility. Conflict, loss of life and disaster connected to ongoing armed conflict between Ukraine and Russia in Europe and Israel and Hamas in the Middle East could have severe adverse effects on the region, including significant adverse effects on the regional or global economies and the markets for certain securities. The U.S. and the European Union have imposed sanctions on certain Russian individuals and companies, including certain financial institutions, and have limited certain exports and imports to and from Russia. The war has contributed to recent market volatility and may continue to do so.
Single Issuer Risk. Issuer-specific attributes may cause an investment in the Fund to be more volatile than a traditional pooled investment vehicle which diversifies risk or the market generally. The value of the Fund, which focuses on an individual security (the Underlying Leveraged ETF), 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.
Tax Risk. The Fund intends to elect and to qualify each year to be treated as a RIC under Subchapter M of the 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 options it holds is never 25% of the total value of Fund assets at the close of any quarter. If the Fund’s investments in options 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. In addition, distributions received by the Fund from the Underlying Leveraged ETF may generate “bad income” that could prevent the Fund from meeting the “Income Requirement” of Subchapter M of the Code, which may cause the Fund to fail to qualify as a RIC.
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.
Investing in U.S. Equities Risk. Investing in U.S. issuers subjects the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency, security, and economic risks that are specific to the U.S. Certain changes in the U.S., such as a weakening of the U.S. economy or a decline in its financial markets, may have an adverse effect on U.S. issuers.
Fixed Income Securities Risk. The market value of Fixed Income Securities will change in response to interest rate changes and other factors, such as changes in the effective maturities and credit ratings of fixed income investments. During periods of falling interest rates, the values of outstanding Fixed Income Securities and related financial instruments generally rise. Conversely, during periods of rising interest rates, the values of such securities and related financial instruments generally decline. Fixed Income Securities are also subject to credit risk.
Investments in Fixed Income Securities may also involve the following risks, depending on the instrument involved:
| - | Asset-Backed/Mortgage-Backed Securities Risk – The market value and yield of asset-backed and mortgage-backed securities can vary due to market interest rate fluctuations and early prepayments of underlying instruments. | |
| - | Credit Risk – An investment in the Fund also involves the risk that the issuer of a Fixed Income Security that the Fund holds will fail to make timely payments of interest or principal or go bankrupt, or that the value of the securities will decline because of a market perception that the issuer may not make payments on time, thus potentially reducing the Fund’s return. |
| 29 |
| - | Event Risk – Event risk is the risk that corporate issuers may undergo restructurings, such as mergers, leveraged buyouts, takeovers, or similar events financed by increased debt. As a result of the added debt, the credit quality and market value of a company’s bonds and/or other debt securities may decline significantly. | |
| - | Extension Risk – Payment on the loans underlying Fixed Income Securities held by the Fund may be made more slowly when interest rates are rising. | |
| - | Interest Rate Risk – Generally, the value of Fixed Income Securities will change inversely with changes in interest rates. As interest rates rise, the market value of Fixed Income Securities tends to decrease. Conversely, as interest rates fall, the market value of Fixed Income Securities tends to increase. This risk will be greater for long-term securities than for short-term securities. In recent periods, governmental financial regulators, including the U.S. Federal Reserve, have taken steps to maintain historically low interest rates. Very low or negative interest rates may magnify interest rate risk. Changes in government intervention may have adverse effects on investments, volatility, and illiquidity in debt markets. | |
| - | Prepayment Risk – When interest rates are declining, issuers of Fixed Income Securities held by the Fund may prepay principal earlier than scheduled. |
Performance:
Portfolio Managers: Jeff Klearman and Ryan Dofflemeyer have been portfolio managers of the Fund since the Fund’s inception in 2024.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares: The Fund is an ETF. Individual Shares of the Fund may only be bought and sold in the secondary market (i.e., on a national securities exchange) through a broker-dealer at a market price. Because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than at NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (at a premium), at NAV or less than NAV (at a discount). An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares of the Fund (ask) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). The bid-ask spread varies over time for Shares based on trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the Fund’s Shares have more trading volume and market liquidity and higher if the Fund’s Shares have little trading volume and market liquidity. Recent information regarding the Fund, including its NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid/ask spreads, is available on the Fund’s website at www.graniteshares.com.
Tax Information: The Fund’s distributions will be taxable to you, generally as ordinary income unless you are invested through a tax-advantaged arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan, IRA or other tax-advantaged account; in such cases, you may be subject to tax when assets are withdrawn from such tax-advantaged arrangement. A sale of Shares may result in capital gain or loss.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries: If you purchase Shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank) (an “Intermediary”), the Adviser and/or its related companies may pay the Intermediary for the sale of Shares and related services. 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.
| 30 |
GraniteShares YIELDBOOST BIOTECH ETF – Summary
The Fund’s primary investment objective is to achieve 3 times (300%) the income generated from selling options on the S&P Biotechnology Select Industry Index (the “Underlying Index”) by selling options on leveraged exchange-traded funds designed to deliver 3 times (300%) the daily performance of the Underlying Index (the “Underlying Leveraged ETF”). The Fund’s secondary investment objective is to gain exposure to the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, subject to a cap on potential investment gains. A downside protection may be implemented which could affect the net income level.
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). The fees are expressed as a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets. Investors may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and example below.
| Management Fee | 0.99 | % | ||
|
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) | ||||
| Management Fee | % | |||
| Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees | % | |||
| Other Expenses (1) | % | |||
| Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses (2) | % | |||
| Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | % | |||
| Fee Waiver/Reimbursements (2) | % | |||
| Net Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver/Reimbursements (1), (2), (3) (1)(2)(3) | % | |||
| (1) | |
| (2) | |
| (3) |
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in mutual funds and other exchange traded funds.
The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell 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 figures shown would be the same whether or not you sold your Shares at the end of each period.
Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years | |||||
| $ | $ | |||||
| 31 |
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 the total annual fund operating expenses or in the expense example above, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund is newly organized, portfolio turnover information is not yet available.
The Fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to pay weekly distributions by selling put options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF, which provides exposure to 3 times the daily performance of the Underlying Index. It is expected that the implied volatility on the Underlying Leveraged ETF to be three times the level of the Underlying Index’s implied volatility and selling options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF to generate, over the same time horizon and for the same strike levels, three times the premium generated by selling options on the Underlying Index. The premium received by the Fund from selling options will be distributed at least partially before the maturity of the options. This allows the Fund to make distributions on a weekly basis even if the options sold have longer maturity (such as monthly maturity for instance). This approach may result in the distributions being treated fiscally as return of capital (see “Distribution Risk” under the section “Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund”). There is no guarantee that the Fund will generate twice the level of premium that would be generated by selling options on the Underlying Index.
The Fund is subject to the losses from the Underlying Leveraged ETF, which would likely be three times the losses compared to the Underlying Index. In case a Put Spread Strategy (as defined under the section “The Fund’s Use of the Underlying Leveraged ETF Derivatives Contracts”) is implemented, the Fund may benefit from a limited downside protection against a negative price variation in the Underlying Leveraged ETF. Such protection will negatively affect the Fund’s overall income level. A put spread strategy with a narrow spread (the difference between the strikes of the put option sold and put option bought) may provide better protection but will have a higher negative impact on the Fund’s income level. A put spread strategy with a large spread will provide a lower protection but may have less negative impact on the Fund’s income level.
The Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in derivatives contracts that utilize the Underlying Leveraged ETF as their reference asset. For purposes of compliance with this investment policy, derivative contracts will be valued at their notional value.
The Fund’s cash balance may be invested in the following instruments: (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; (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 as collateral for the Fund’s swap agreements; (5) repurchase transactions, which are transactions under which the purchaser (i.e., the Fund) acquires securities and the seller agrees, at the time of the sale, to repurchase the securities at a mutually agreed-upon time and price, thereby determining the yield during the purchaser’s holding period, and/or; (6) US large cap equities listed on a national security exchange, sovereign fixed income securities with a credit rating at least equal to the United States Federal Government, or corporate debt securities, such as commercial paper and other short-term unsecured promissory notes issued by businesses that are rated investment grade for the purposes of entering into swap agreements with the Fund’s swap counterparties. The Fund may enter into such swap agreements to improve its operational efficiency.
The Fund is classified as “non-diversified” under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “1940 Act”).
The Fund will be subject to regulatory constraints relating to the level of value at risk that the Fund may incur through its derivatives 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 and the Fund may not achieve its investment objective.
The Fund’s investment objective has not been adopted as a fundamental investment policy and therefore the Fund’s investment objective along with its respective 80% investment policy may be changed without the consent of that Fund’s shareholders upon approval by the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of GraniteShares ETF Trust (the “Trust”) and 60 days’ written notice to shareholders.
There is no guarantee that the Fund’s investment strategy will be properly implemented or that the Fund will pay weekly distributions, and an investor may lose some or all of its investment. Even when the Fund makes a distribution it could be fiscally treated as return of capital (see “Distribution Risk” under the section “Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund”).
An Investment in the Fund is not an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF
| - | The Fund’s strategy will cap its potential gain to the premium received from selling options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF, | |
| - | The Fund’s strategy is exposed to all potential losses if the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share declines, subject to a potential downside protection if a Put Spread Strategy is used (as defined in ten next section). The potential losses may not be offset by the premium received by the Fund, | |
| - | The Fund does not invest directly in the Underlying Leveraged ETF, | |
| - | Fund shareholders are not entitled to any distribution paid by Underlying Leveraged ETF. |
Additional information regarding the Underlying Leveraged ETF is set forth below.
The Fund’s Use of the Underlying Leveraged ETF Options Contracts
| - | Put Spread Strategy: The Fund will enter in put spread options contracts, either directly or through swap contracts, on the Underlying Leveraged ETF and for which the Fund will receive a net premium. A put spread consists of selling a put option contract while buying a put option contract with the same maturity but a lower strike price. The Fund’s protection against a potential decrease in the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF only applies if it falls below the strike price of the option contract bought by the Fund. Buying a put option contract results in a cost that negatively affects the Fund’s income level. It is unlikely for a put spread strategy to generate twice the level of income that would be obtained by selling options on the Underlying Index directly. The put options contracts sold by the Fund may vary in regard to their strike price from 0 to 15% above the then-current price of the Leveraged ETF. The put options contracts bought by the Fund will have a lower strike price, ranging from 50% out-of-the-money to at-the-money. The put options sold and bought by the Fund will generally have 1- month or less expiration dates. | |
| - | Put Write Strategy: The Fund will sell put options contracts, either directly or through swap contracts, on the Underlying Leveraged ETF and for which it will receive a premium. The put options contracts sold by the Fund may vary in regard to their strike prices from 40% out-of-the-money to 15% in-the-money. The put options sold and bought by the Fund will generally have 1- month or less expiration dates. The Adviser will primarily employ this put write strategy when it believes that the share price of its Underlying Leveraged ETF is likely to rise significantly in the short term (e.g., following a substantial selloff or overall positive market news). |
| 32 |
Example 1 – Put Write Strategy - Selling In-the-money Put Option Contract with a One-month Maturity
Assume for simplicity that the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s shares are trading at $100.00 at the time the Fund sells an in-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $105.00 and a one-month maturity. The Fund receives a $5.50 premium for selling the put option contract.
| Case 1: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increases to $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.50 premium received. | |
| Case 2: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increase exceeded $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.50 premium received but would not participate in any of the additional upside. | |
| Case 3: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops to $99.50 before expiration. | The $5.50 premium received is equal to the drop in price in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price, resulting in a return of zero. | |
| Case 4: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $99.50, that is the strike price ($105.00) reduced by the premium received ($5.50). | The Fund would lose money and be exposed to the drop in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price. |
Example 2 – Put Write Strategy - Selling Out-of-the-money Put Options Contracts with a One-week Maturity
Assume for simplicity that the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s shares are trading at $100.00 at the time the Fund sells an out-of-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $95.00 and a one-week maturity. The Fund receives a $0.50 premium for selling the put option contract.
| Case 1: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increases above $100.00 before expiration. |
The Fund would keep the $0.50 premium received but would not participate in the increased in the Underlying Leveraged ETFs’ share price. | |
| Case 2: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $94.50, that is the strike price ($95.00) reduced by the premium received ($0.50). | The Fund would lose money and be exposed to the drop in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price. |
Example 3 – Put Spread Strategy - Selling At-the-money Put Options Contracts and buy an Out-of-the-money Put Options Contracts with both with a One-month Maturity
Assume for simplicity that the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s shares are trading at $100.00 at the time the Fund sells an in-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $105.00 and buy an out-of-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $95.00 both with a one-month maturity. The Fund receives a $5.50 premium for selling the put option contract and pays $0.50 premium for buying the put option contract. Hence the Fund receives a $5.00 net premium.
| Case 1: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increases to $105.00 before expiration. |
The Fund would keep the $5.00 net premium received. | |
| Case 2: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increase exceeded $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.00 net premium received but would not participate in any of the additional upside. | |
| Case 3: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $100.00, that is the strike price of the option sold ($105.00) reduced by the net premium received ($5.00) but remains above $95.00 before expiration. | The Fund would lose up to $5.00, which is the difference between the 2 strike levels reduced by the net premium received | |
| Case 4: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $95.00 | The Fund would lose $5.00, which is the difference between the 2 strike levels reduced by the net premium received. |
The comparison between the Put Write Strategy in Example 1 and the Put Spread Strategy in Example 3, shows that the Put Spread Strategy has a narrower range of outcomes. It has limited participation in a potential increase or decrease in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price.
In examples 1 and 2, if the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s price were to drop to zero, the Fund’s NAV would be equal, before fees and costs, to the value of premium received.
Types of Options Contracts Used by the Fund
As part of the Fund’s strategy, the Fund may sell FLexible EXchange® (“FLEX”) put options contracts that are based on the value of the price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The Fund will only sell options contracts that are listed for trading on regulated U.S. exchanges. Traditional exchange-traded options contracts have standardized terms, such as the type (call or put), the reference asset, the strike price and expiration date. Exchange-listed options contracts are guaranteed for settlement by the Options Clearing Corporation (“OCC”). FLEX Options are a type of exchange-listed options contract with uniquely customizable terms that allow investors to customize key terms like type, strike price and expiration date that are standardized in a typical options contract. FLEX Options are also guaranteed for settlement by the OCC.
In general, an option is a contract that gives the purchaser (holder) of the option, in return for a premium, the right to buy from (call) or sell to (put) the seller (writer) of the option the security or currency underlying (in this case, the Underlying Leveraged ETF) the option at a specified exercise price. The writer of an option has the obligation upon exercise of the option to deliver the underlying security or currency upon payment of the exercise price (call) or to pay the exercise price upon delivery of the underlying security or currency (put). An option is said to be “European Style” when it can be exercised only at expiration whereas an “American Style” option can be exercised at any time prior to expiration. The Fund might use either European or American style options. The Fund intends to primarily utilize European style options.
Swap agreements Used by the Fund
As part of the Fund’s strategy, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with major financial institutions that provide the same exposure as to selling put options contracts on the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The swap agreements may reference standardized exchange-traded, FLEX, European Style or American Style put options contracts that are based on the values of the price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. All put options contracts referenced in a swap agreement will be listed for trading on regulated U.S. exchanges.
The swap performance will settle in cash only irrespective of the types of the put options contracts referenced in the swap agreement.
Underlying Leveraged ETF
The Underlying Leveraged ETF, Direxion Daily S&P Biotech Bull 3X Shares, is a passively managed fund that seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of 300% of the performance of the S&P Biotechnology Select Industry Index (the “Underlying Index”).
The Underlying Index is a modified equal weighted index that is designed to measure the performance of the biotechnology sub-industry based on the Global Industry Classification Standards (“GICS”). GICS classifications are determined primarily based on a company’s revenues, however, earnings and market perception are also considered by GICS. The Underlying Index consists of constituents of the S&P Total Market Index (“S&P TMI”) that belong to the GICS biotechnology sub-industry that satisfy the following criteria: (1) have a float-adjusted market capitalization above $300 million with a float-adjusted liquidity ratio (defined by dollar value traded over the previous 12 months divided by the float-adjusted market capitalization as of the Underlying Index rebalancing reference date) above 50%;have a float-adjusted market capitalization above $500 million with a float-adjusted liquidity ratio above 90%; or have a float-adjusted market capitalization above $400 million with a float-adjusted liquidity ratio above 150%; and (2) are U.S.-based companies. The market capitalization threshold may be relaxed to ensure that there are at least 22 stocks in the Underlying Index as of the rebalancing effective date. The Underlying Index is rebalanced quarterly.
| 33 |
The Underlying Leveraged ETF may invest in the securities of the Underlying Index, a representative sample of the securities in the Underlying Index that has aggregate characteristics similar to those of the Underlying Index, an ETF that tracks the Underlying Index or a substantially similar index, and may utilize derivatives, such as swaps or futures on the Underlying Index or on an ETF that tracks the same Underlying Index or a substantially similar index, that provide leveraged exposure to the above.
Investors can access information about the Underlying Leveraged ETF, including its prospectus and the most recent shareholder reports, online through the SEC’s website, using Registration Statement Nos. 333-150525 and 811-22201. This information, derived from Underlying Leveraged ETF’s filings with the SEC, is essential for investors to understand Underlying Leveraged ETF’s operations, investment strategy, and financial prospects. The description of Underlying Leveraged ETF’s principal investment strategies as outlined here is directly sourced from its prospectus.
This document relates only to the securities offered hereby and does not relate to the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The Fund has derived all disclosures contained in this document regarding the Underlying Leveraged ETF from publicly available documents. In connection with the offering of the securities, none of the Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates has participated in the preparation of such documents or made any due diligence inquiry with respect to the Underlying Leveraged ETF. None of the Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates makes any representation that such publicly available documents or any other publicly available information regarding the Underlying Leveraged ETF 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 the Underlying Leveraged ETF have been publicly disclosed. Subsequent disclosure of any such events or the disclosure of or failure to disclose material future events concerning the Underlying Leveraged ETF could affect the value received with respect to your Shares and therefore the value of your Shares.
The Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, and their respective affiliates do not provide any representation regarding the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF.
THE FUND, TRUST AND ADVISER ARE NOT AFFILIATED WITH DIREXION SHARES TRUST ETF, THE UNDERLYING LEVERAGED ETF, RAFFERTY ASSET MANAGEMENT, LLC OR S&P DOW JONES INDICES LLC.
PRINCIPAL RISKS OF INVESTING IN THE FUND
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. Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its investment objectives. 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.”
The Underlying Leveraged ETF Risk. The Fund invests in options contracts that are based on the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF shares. This subjects the Fund to certain of the same risks as if it owned shares of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, even though it may not. By virtue of the Fund’s investments in options contracts that are based on the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF shares, the Fund may also be subject to the following risks:
Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk — The Underlying Leveraged ETF shares’ performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which is likely to differ from 300% of the Underlying Index’s performance, before fees and expenses. Compounding has a significant impact on funds that are leveraged and that rebalance daily. The impact of compounding becomes more pronounced as volatility and holding periods increase and will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF is held and the volatility of the Underlying Index during the shareholder’s holding period of an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF.
| 34 |
Leverage Risk — The Underlying Leveraged ETF 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 Underlying Leveraged ETF is exposed to the risk that a decline in the daily performance of the Underlying Index will be magnified. This means that an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF will be reduced by an amount equal to 3% for every 1% daily decline in the Underlying Index, not including the costs of financing leverage and other operating expenses, which would further reduce its value. The Underlying Leveraged ETF could lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event of an Underlying Index decline of more than 33%.
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. Investing in derivatives may be considered aggressive and may expose the Underlying Leveraged ETF to greater risks, and may result in larger losses or smaller gains, than investing directly in the reference assets underlying those derivatives, which may prevent the Underlying Leveraged ETF from achieving its investment objective.
Counterparty Risk — If a counterparty is unwilling or unable to make timely payments to meet its contractual obligations or fails to return holdings that are subject to the agreement with the counterparty resulting in the Underlying Leveraged ETF losing money or not being able to meet its daily leveraged investment objective.
Industry Concentration Risk — The Underlying Index may have a significant portion of its value in issuers in an industry or group of industries. The Underlying Leveraged ETF will allocate its investments to approximately the same extent as the Underlying Index. As a result, the Underlying Leveraged ETF may be subject to greater market fluctuations than a fund that is more broadly invested across industries. As of August 22, 2025, the Underlying Index had 121 constituents which had a median market capitalization of $1.8 billion, total market capitalizations ranging from $299.3 million to $333.9 billion and were concentrated in the healthcare sector, the GICS sector in which the biotechnology industry is included.
Indirect Investments in the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The Underlying Leveraged ETF is not affiliated with the Trust, the Fund, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates and is not involved with the offering of the Fund in any way and has no obligation to consider your Shares in taking any corporate action that might affect the value of Shares. Investors in the Fund will not have rights to receive dividends or other distributions or any other rights with respect to the Underlying Leveraged ETF but will be subject to declines in the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. Although the Fund invests in the Underlying Leveraged ETF only indirectly, the Fund’s investments are subject to loss as a result of these risks.
Passive Investment and Underlying Index Performance Risk. Investment in the Fund should be made with the understanding that the passive Underlying Leveraged ETF in which the Fund invests will not be able to replicate exactly the performance of the indices they track because the total return generated by the securities will be reduced by transaction costs incurred in adjusting the actual balance of the securities. In addition, the passive Underlying Leveraged ETF in which the Fund invests will incur expenses not incurred by their applicable indices. Certain securities comprising the indices tracked by the passive Underlying Leveraged ETF may, from time to time, temporarily be unavailable, which may further impede the passive Underlying Leveraged ETF’s ability to track their applicable indices.
Derivatives Risk. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds, 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, imperfect correlation with underlying investments, 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 an imperfect correlation between the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objectives. 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. In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
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. For the Fund, in particular, the value of the options contracts in which it invests is substantially influenced by the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. Selling put options exposes the Fund to the risk of potential loss if the market value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF falls below the strike price before the option expires. The Fund may experience substantial downside from specific option positions and certain option positions held by the Fund may expire worthless. 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 at the underlying instrument. There may at times be an imperfect correlation between the movement in values of 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, the Fund’s practice of “rolling” may cause the Fund to experience losses if the expiring contracts do not generate proceeds enough to cover the costs of entering into new options contracts. Rolling refers to the practice of closing out one options position and opening another with a different expiration date and/or a different strike price. Further, if an option is exercised, the seller (writer) of a put option is obligated to purchase the underlying asset at the strike price, which can result in significant financial and regulatory obligations for the Fund if the market value of the asset has fallen substantially. Furthermore, when the Fund seeks to trade out of puts, especially near expiration, there is an added risk that the Fund may be required to allocate resources unexpectedly to fulfill these obligations. This potential exposure to physical settlement can significantly impact the Fund’s liquidity and market exposure, particularly in volatile market conditions.
Swap Risk: Swaps are subject to tracking risk because they may not be perfect substitutes for the instruments they are intended to hedge or replace. Over the counter swaps are subject to counterparty default. Leverage inherent in derivatives will tend to magnify the Fund’s losses. The swap agreements may reference standardized exchange-traded, FLEX, European Style or American Style put options contracts that are based on the values of the price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. that generate specific risks.
| 35 |
Counterparty Risk. The Fund is subject to counterparty risk by virtue of its investments in options contracts. Transactions in some types of derivatives, including options, are required to be centrally cleared (“cleared derivatives”). In a transaction involving cleared derivatives, the Fund’s counterparty is a clearing house rather than a bank or broker. Since the Fund is not a member of clearing houses and only members of a clearing house (“clearing members”) can participate directly in the clearing house, the Fund will hold cleared derivatives through accounts at clearing members. In cleared derivatives positions, the Fund will make payments (including margin payments) to and receive payments from a clearing house through their accounts at clearing members. Customer funds held at a clearing organization in connection with any options contracts are held in a commingled omnibus account and are not identified to the name of the clearing member’s individual customers. As a result, assets deposited by the Fund with any clearing member as margin for options may, in certain circumstances, be used to satisfy losses of other clients of the Fund’s clearing member. In addition, although clearing members guarantee performance of their clients’ obligations to the clearing house, there is a risk that the assets of the Fund might not be fully protected in the event of the clearing member’s bankruptcy, as the Fund would be limited to recovering only a pro rata share of all available funds segregated on behalf of the clearing member’s customers for the relevant account class. The Fund is also subject to the risk that a limited number of clearing members are willing to transact on the Fund’s behalf, which heightens the risks associated with a clearing member’s default. If a clearing member defaults the Fund could lose some or all of the benefits of a transaction entered into by the Fund with the clearing member. If the Fund cannot find a clearing member to transact with on the Fund’s behalf, the Fund may be unable to effectively implement its investment strategy.
In addition, a counterparty (the other party to a transaction or an agreement or the party with whom the Fund executes transactions) to a transaction (including repurchase transaction) with the Fund may be unable or unwilling to make timely principal, interest or settlement payments, or otherwise honor its obligations.
Price Participation Risk. The Fund employs an investment strategy that includes the sale of in-the-money put options contracts, which limits the degree to which the Fund will participate in increases in value experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF over the Call Period. This means that if the Underlying Leveraged ETF experiences an increase in value above the strike price of the sold put options during a Call Period, the Fund will likely not experience that increase to the same extent and may significantly underperform the Underlying Leveraged ETF over the Call Period. Additionally, because the Fund is limited in the degree to which it will participate in increases in value experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF over each Call Period, but has full exposure to any decreases in value experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF over the Call Period, the NAV of the Fund may decrease over any given time period. The Fund’s NAV is dependent on the value of each options portfolio, which is based principally upon the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The degree of participation in the Underlying Leveraged ETF gains the Fund will experience will depend on prevailing market conditions, especially market volatility, at the time the Fund enters into the sold put options contracts and will vary from Call Period to Call Period. The value of the options contracts is affected by changes in the value and dividend rates of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, changes in interest rates, changes in the actual or perceived volatility of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and the remaining time to the options’ expiration, as well as trading conditions in the options market. As the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF share changes and time moves towards the expiration of each Call Period, the value of the options contracts, and therefore the Fund’s NAV, will change. However, it is not expected for the Fund’s NAV to directly correlate on a day-to-day basis with the returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price. The amount of time remaining until the options contract’s expiration date affects the impact of the potential options contract income on the Fund’s NAV, which may not be in full effect until the expiration date of the Fund’s options contracts. Therefore, while changes in the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF share will result in changes to the Fund’s NAV, the Fund generally anticipates that the rate of change in the Fund’s NAV will be different than that experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price.
| 36 |
Distribution Risk. As part of the Fund’s investment objective, the Fund seeks to provide current weekly income. There is no assurance that the Fund will make a distribution in any given month. If the Fund makes distributions, the amounts of such distributions will likely vary greatly from one distribution to the next. Additionally, the weekly distributions, if any, may consist of returns of capital, which would decrease the Fund’s NAV and trading price over time. As a result, an investor may suffer significant losses to their investment.
NAV Erosion Risk Due to Distributions. When the Fund makes a distribution, the Fund’s NAV will typically drop by the amount of the distribution on the related ex-dividend date. The repeated payment of distributions by the Fund, if any, may significantly erode the Fund’s NAV and trading price over time. As a result, an investor may suffer significant losses to their investment.
Put Writing Strategy Risk. The path dependency (i.e., the continued use) of the Fund’s put writing strategy will impact the extent that the Fund participates in the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and, in turn, the Fund’s returns, both during the term of the sold put options and over longer time periods.
If, for example, the Fund were to sell 10% in-the-money put options having a one-month term, the Fund’s participation in the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF will be capped at 10% for that month. However, over a longer period (e.g., a three-month period), the Fund should not be expected to participate fully in the first 30% (i.e., 3 months x 10%) of the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, or the Fund may even lose money, even if the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price has appreciated by at least that much over such period, if during any particular month or months over that period the Underlying Leveraged ETF had a return less than 10%. This example illustrates that both the Fund’s participation in the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and its returns will depend not only on the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF but also on the path that the Underlying Leveraged ETF takes over time.
If, for example, the Fund were to sell 5% out-of-the-money put options having a one-week term, the Fund’s downward protection against the negative price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF will be capped at 5% for that week. However, over a longer period (e.g., a four-week period), the Fund should not be expected to be protected fully in the first 25% (i.e., 4 weeks x 5%) of the negative price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, and the Fund may lose money, even if the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price has appreciated over such period, if during any particular week or weeks over that period the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price had decreases by more than 5%. This example illustrates that both the Fund’s protection against the negative price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and its returns will depend not only on the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF but also on the path that the Underlying Leveraged ETF takes over time.
Under both cases the Fund may be fully exposed to the downward movements of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, offset only by the premiums received from selling put contracts. The Fund does not seek to offer any downside protection, except for the fact that the premiums from the sold options may offset some or all of the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s decline.
Put Spread Strategy Risk. Similarly to a put writing strategy (see relevant risk factor), a put spread strategy will subject the Fund’s performance to path dependency.
Option Market Liquidity Risk. The trading activity in the option market of the Underlying Leveraged ETF may be limited and the option contracts may trade at levels significantly different from their economic value. The lack of liquidity may negatively affect the ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective. This risk may increase if the portfolio turnover is elevated, for instance because of frequent changes in the number of Shares outstanding, and if the net asset value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF is modest. For the 12-month period ending July 31, 2025, the net asset value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF ranged from $422m to $1,080m.
Concentration Risk. To the extent that the Underlying Leveraged ETF concentrates its investments in a particular industry, the Fund will be subject to the risks associated with that industry.
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 currently expects to effect a significant portion of its creations and redemptions for cash, rather than in-kind securities. Paying redemption proceeds in cash rather than through in-kind delivery of portfolio securities may require the Fund to dispose of or sell portfolio securities or other assets at an inopportune time to obtain the cash needed to meet redemption orders. This may cause the Fund to sell a security and recognize a capital gain or loss that might not have been incurred if it had made a redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher or lower annual capital gains distributions than ETFs that redeem in-kind. The use of cash creations and redemptions may also cause the Fund’s Shares to trade in the market at greater bid-ask spreads or greater premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV. Furthermore, the Fund may not be able to execute cash transactions for creation and redemption purposes at the same price used to determine the Fund’s NAV. To the extent that the maximum additional charge for creation or redemption transactions is insufficient to cover the execution shortfall, the Fund’s performance could be negatively impacted.
Costs of Buying or Selling Shares. Due to the costs of buying or selling Shares, including brokerage commissions imposed by brokers and bid-ask spreads, frequent trading of Shares may significantly reduce investment results and an investment in Shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.
| 37 |
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 Nasdaq Stock Market, LLC (the “Exchange”), and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for the Shares will develop or be maintained or that the Shares will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. This risk may be greater for the Fund as it seeks to have exposure to a single underlying stock as opposed to a more diverse portfolio like a traditional pooled investment. 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. Shares trade on the Exchange at a market price that may be below, at or above the Fund’s NAV. Trading in Shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in Shares on the Exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to the Exchange “circuit breaker” rules. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged. In the event of an unscheduled market close for options contracts that reference a single stock, such as the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s securities being halted or a market wide closure, settlement prices will be determined by the procedures of the listing exchange of the options contracts. As a result, the Fund could be adversely affected and be unable to implement its investment strategies in the event of an unscheduled closing.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk. The Fund may actively and frequently trade all or a significant portion of the Fund’s holdings. A high portfolio turnover rate increases transaction costs, which may increase the Fund’s expenses. Frequent trading may also cause adverse tax consequences for investors in the Fund due to an increase in short-term capital gains.
Inflation Risk. Inflation risk is the risk that the value of assets or income from investments will be less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money. As inflation increases, the present value of the Fund’s assets and distributions, if any, may decline.
Liquidity Risk. Some securities held by the Fund, including options contracts, may be difficult to sell or be illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. This risk is greater for the Fund as it will hold options contracts on a single security, and not a broader range of options contracts. 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, such as market rules related to short sales, may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Underlying Leveraged ETF. 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.
Management Risk. The Fund is subject to management risk because it is an actively managed portfolio. In managing the Fund’s investment portfolio, the portfolio managers will apply investment techniques and risk analyses that may not produce the desired result. There can be no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective.
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, including money market funds, may lose money through fees or other means.
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.
| 38 |
Operational Risk. The Fund is subject to risks arising from various operational factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund relies on third-parties for a range of services, including custody. Any delay or failure relating to engaging or maintaining such service providers may affect the Fund’s ability to meet its investment objective. Although the Fund, Adviser, and Sub-Adviser seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures, there is no way to completely protect against such risks.
Recent Market Events Risk. U.S. and international markets have experienced significant periods of volatility in recent years and months due to a number of economic, political and global macro factors including the impact of COVID-19 as a global pandemic, which has resulted in a public health crisis, disruptions to business operations and supply chains, stress on the global healthcare system, growth concerns in the U.S. and overseas, staffing shortages and the inability to meet consumer demand, and widespread concern and uncertainty. The global recovery from COVID-19 is proceeding at slower than expected rates due to the emergence of variant strains and may last for an extended period of time. Continuing uncertainties regarding interest rates, rising inflation, political events, rising government debt in the U.S. and trade tensions also contribute to market volatility. Conflict, loss of life and disaster connected to ongoing armed conflict between Ukraine and Russia in Europe and Israel and Hamas in the Middle East could have severe adverse effects on the region, including significant adverse effects on the regional or global economies and the markets for certain securities. The U.S. and the European Union have imposed sanctions on certain Russian individuals and companies, including certain financial institutions, and have limited certain exports and imports to and from Russia. The war has contributed to recent market volatility and may continue to do so. U.S. trade disputes or other disputes with specific countries that could result in additional tariffs, trade barriers and/or investment restrictions in certain securities in those countries.
Single Issuer Risk. Issuer-specific attributes may cause an investment in the Fund to be more volatile than a traditional pooled investment vehicle which diversifies risk or the market generally. The value of the Fund, which focuses on an individual security (the Underlying Leveraged ETF), 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.
Tax Risk. The Fund intends to elect and to qualify each year to be treated as a RIC under Subchapter M of the 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 options it holds is never 25% of the total value of Fund assets at the close of any quarter. If the Fund’s investments in the derivatives 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. In addition, distributions received by the Fund from the Underlying Leveraged ETF may generate “bad income” that could prevent the Fund from meeting the “Income Requirement” of Subchapter M of the Code, which may cause the Fund to fail to qualify as a RIC.
Investing in U.S. Equities Risk. Investing in U.S. issuers subjects the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency, security, and economic risks that are specific to the U.S. Certain changes in the U.S., such as a weakening of the U.S. economy or a decline in its financial markets, may have an adverse effect on U.S. issuers.
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.
Fixed Income Securities Risk. The market value of Fixed Income Securities will change in response to interest rate changes and other factors, such as changes in the effective maturities and credit ratings of fixed income investments. During periods of falling interest rates, the values of outstanding Fixed Income Securities and related financial instruments generally rise. Conversely, during periods of rising interest rates, the values of such securities and related financial instruments generally decline. Fixed Income Securities are also subject to credit risk.
| 39 |
Investments in Fixed Income Securities may also involve the following risks, depending on the instrument involved:
| - | Asset-Backed/Mortgage-Backed Securities Risk – The market value and yield of asset-backed and mortgage-backed securities can vary due to market interest rate fluctuations and early prepayments of underlying instruments. | |
| - | Credit Risk – An investment in the Fund also involves the risk that the issuer of a Fixed Income Security that the Fund holds will fail to make timely payments of interest or principal or go bankrupt, or that the value of the securities will decline because of a market perception that the issuer may not make payments on time, thus potentially reducing the Fund’s return. | |
| - | Event Risk – Event risk is the risk that corporate issuers may undergo restructurings, such as mergers, leveraged buyouts, takeovers, or similar events financed by increased debt. As a result of the added debt, the credit quality and market value of a company’s bonds and/or other debt securities may decline significantly. | |
| - | Extension Risk – Payment on the loans underlying Fixed Income Securities held by the Fund may be made more slowly when interest rates are rising. | |
| - | Interest Rate Risk – Generally, the value of Fixed Income Securities will change inversely with changes in interest rates. As interest rates rise, the market value of Fixed Income Securities tends to decrease. Conversely, as interest rates fall, the market value of Fixed Income Securities tends to increase. This risk will be greater for long-term securities than for short-term securities. In recent periods, governmental financial regulators, including the U.S. Federal Reserve, have taken steps to maintain historically low interest rates. Very low or negative interest rates may magnify interest rate risk. Changes in government intervention may have adverse effects on investments, volatility, and illiquidity in debt markets. | |
| - | Prepayment Risk – When interest rates are declining, issuers of Fixed Income Securities held by the Fund may prepay principal earlier than scheduled. |
Performance:
Portfolio Managers: Jeff Klearman and Ryan Dofflemeyer have been portfolio managers of the Fund since the Fund’s inception in 2024.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares: The Fund is an ETF. Individual Shares of the Fund may only be bought and sold in the secondary market (i.e., on a national securities exchange) through a broker-dealer at a market price. Because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than at NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (at a premium), at NAV or less than NAV (at a discount). An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares of the Fund (ask) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). The bid-ask spread varies over time for Shares based on trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the Fund’s Shares have more trading volume and market liquidity and higher if the Fund’s Shares have little trading volume and market liquidity. Recent information regarding the Fund, including its NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid/ask spreads, is available on the Fund’s website at www.graniteshares.com.
Tax Information: The Fund’s distributions will be taxable to you, generally as ordinary income unless you are invested through a tax-advantaged arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan, IRA or other tax-advantaged account; in such cases, you may be subject to tax when assets are withdrawn from such tax-advantaged arrangement. A sale of Shares may result in capital gain or loss.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries: If you purchase Shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank) (an “Intermediary”), the Adviser and/or its related companies may pay the Intermediary for the sale of Shares and related services. 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.
| 40 |
GraniteShares YIELDBOOST FINANCIALS ETF – Summary
The Fund’s primary investment objective is to achieve 3 times (300%) the income generated from selling options on the Financial Select Sector Index (the “Underlying Index”) by selling options on leveraged exchange-traded funds designed to deliver 3 times (300%) the daily performance of the Underlying Index (the “Underlying Leveraged ETF”). The Fund’s secondary investment objective is to gain exposure to the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, subject to a cap on potential investment gains. A downside protection may be implemented which could affect the net income level.
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). The fees are expressed as a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets. Investors may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and example below.
| Management Fee | 0.99 | % | ||
|
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) | ||||
| Management Fee | % | |||
| Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees | % | |||
| Other Expenses (1) | % | |||
| Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses (2) | % | |||
| Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | % | |||
| Fee Waiver/Reimbursements (2) | % | |||
| Net Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver/Reimbursements (1), (2), (3) (1)(2)(3) | % | |||
| (1) | |
| (2) | |
| (3) |
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in mutual funds and other exchange traded funds.
The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell 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 figures shown would be the same whether or not you sold your Shares at the end of each period.
Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years | |||||
| $ | $ | |||||
| 41 |
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 the total annual fund operating expenses or in the expense example above, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund is newly organized, portfolio turnover information is not yet available.
The Fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to pay weekly distributions by selling put options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF, which provides exposure to 3 times the daily performance of the Underlying Index. It is expected that the implied volatility on the Underlying Leveraged ETF to be three times the level of the Underlying Index’s implied volatility and selling options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF to generate, over the same time horizon and for the same strike levels, three times the premium generated by selling options on the Underlying Index. The premium received by the Fund from selling options will be distributed at least partially before the maturity of the options. This allows the Fund to make distributions on a weekly basis even if the options sold have longer maturity (such as monthly maturity for instance). This approach may result in the distributions being treated fiscally as return of capital (see “Distribution Risk” under the section “Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund”). There is no guarantee that the Fund will generate twice the level of premium that would be generated by selling options on the Underlying Index.
The Fund is subject to the losses from the Underlying Leveraged ETF, which would likely be three times the losses compared to the Underlying Index. In case a Put Spread Strategy (as defined under the section “The Fund’s Use of the Underlying Leveraged ETF Derivatives Contracts”) is implemented, the Fund may benefit from a limited downside protection against a negative price variation in the Underlying Leveraged ETF. Such protection will negatively affect the Fund’s overall income level. A put spread strategy with a narrow spread (the difference between the strikes of the put option sold and put option bought) may provide better protection but will have a higher negative impact on the Fund’s income level. A put spread strategy with a large spread will provide a lower protection but may have less negative impact on the Fund’s income level.
The Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in derivatives contracts that utilize the Underlying Leveraged ETF as their reference asset. For purposes of compliance with this investment policy, derivative contracts will be valued at their notional value.
For more information, see section “The Fund’s Use of the Underlying Leveraged ETF Derivatives Contracts” below.
The Fund’s cash balance may be invested in the following instruments: (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; (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 as collateral for the Fund’s swap agreements; (5) repurchase transactions, which are transactions under which the purchaser (i.e., the Fund) acquires securities and the seller agrees, at the time of the sale, to repurchase the securities at a mutually agreed-upon time and price, thereby determining the yield during the purchaser’s holding period, and/or; (6) US large cap equities listed on a national security exchange, sovereign fixed income securities with a credit rating at least equal to the United States Federal Government, or corporate debt securities, such as commercial paper and other short-term unsecured promissory notes issued by businesses that are rated investment grade for the purposes of entering into swap agreements with the Fund’s swap counterparties.
The Fund is classified as “non-diversified” under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “1940 Act”).
The Fund will be subject to regulatory constraints relating to the level of value at risk that the Fund may incur through its derivatives 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 and the Fund may not achieve its investment objective.
The Fund’s investment objective has not been adopted as a fundamental investment policy and therefore the Fund’s investment objective along with its respective 80% investment policy may be changed without the consent of that Fund’s shareholders upon approval by the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of GraniteShares ETF Trust (the “Trust”) and 60 days’ written notice to shareholders.
There is no guarantee that the Fund’s investment strategy will be properly implemented or that the Fund will pay weekly distributions, and an investor may lose some or all of its investment. Even when the Fund makes a distribution it could be fiscally treated as return of capital (see “Distribution Risk” under the section “Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund”).
An Investment in the Fund is not an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF
| - | The Fund’s strategy will cap its potential gain to the premium received from selling options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF, | |
| - | The Fund’s strategy is exposed to all potential losses if the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share declines, subject to a potential downside protection if a Put Spread Strategy is used (as defined in ten next section). The potential losses may not be offset by the premium received by the Fund, | |
| - | The Fund does not invest directly in the Underlying Leveraged ETF, | |
| - | Fund shareholders are not entitled to any distribution paid by Underlying Leveraged ETF. |
Additional information regarding the Underlying Leveraged ETF is set forth below.
The Fund’s Use of the Underlying Leveraged ETF Derivatives Contracts
| - | Put Spread Strategy: The Fund will enter in put spread options contracts, either directly or through swap contracts, on the Underlying Leveraged ETF and for which the Fund will receive a net premium. A put spread consists of selling a put option contract while buying a put option contract with the same maturity but a lower strike price. The Fund’s protection against a potential decrease in the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF only applies if it falls below the strike price of the option contract bought by the Fund. Buying a put option contract results in a cost that negatively affects the Fund’s income level. It is unlikely for a put spread strategy to generate twice the level of income that would be obtained by selling options on the Underlying Index directly. The put options contracts sold by the Fund may vary in regard to their strike price from 0 to 15% above the then-current price of the Leveraged ETF. The put options contracts bought by the Fund will have a lower strike price, ranging from 50% out-of-the-money to at-the-money. The put options sold and bought by the Fund will generally have 1- month or less expiration dates. |
| - | Put Write Strategy: The Fund will sell put options contracts, either directly or through swap contracts, on the Underlying Leveraged ETF and for which it will receive a premium. The put options contracts sold by the Fund may vary in regard to their strike prices from 40% out-of-the-money to 15% in-the-money. The put options sold and bought by the Fund will generally have 1- month or less expiration dates. The Adviser will primarily employ this put write strategy when it believes that the share price of its Underlying Leveraged ETF is likely to rise significantly in the short term (e.g., following a substantial selloff or overall positive market news). |
| 42 |
Example 1 – Put Write Strategy - Selling In-the-money Put Option Contract with a One-month Maturity
Assume for simplicity that the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s shares are trading at $100.00 at the time the Fund sells an in-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $105.00 and a one-month maturity. The Fund receives a $5.50 premium for selling the put option contract.
| Case 1: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increases to $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.50 premium received. | |
| Case 2: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increase exceeded $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.50 premium received but would not participate in any of the additional upside. | |
| Case 3: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops to $99.50 before expiration. | The $5.50 premium received is equal to the drop in price in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price, resulting in a return of zero. | |
| Case 4: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $99.50, that is the strike price ($105.00) reduced by the premium received ($5.50). | The Fund would lose money and be exposed to the drop in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price. |
Example 2 – Put Write Strategy - Selling Out-of-the-money Put Options Contracts with a One-week Maturity
Assume for simplicity that the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s shares are trading at $100.00 at the time the Fund sells an out-of-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $95.00 and a one-week maturity. The Fund receives a $0.50 premium for selling the put option contract.
| Case 1: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increases above $100.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $0.50 premium received but would not participate in the increased in the Underlying Leveraged ETFs’ share price. | |
| Case 2: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $94.50, that is the strike price ($95.00) reduced by the premium received ($0.50). | The Fund would lose money and be exposed to the drop in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price. |
Example 3 – Put Spread Strategy - Selling At-the-money Put Options Contracts and buy an Out-of-the-money Put Options Contracts with both with a One-month Maturity
Assume for simplicity that the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s shares are trading at $100.00 at the time the Fund sells an in-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $105.00 and buy an out-of-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $95.00 both with a one-month maturity. The Fund receives a $5.50 premium for selling the put option contract and pays $0.50 premium for buying the put option contract. Hence the Fund receives a $5.00 net premium.
| Case 1: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increases to $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.00 net premium received. | |
| Case 2: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increase exceeded $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.00 net premium received but would not participate in any of the additional upside. |
| Case 3: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $100.00, that is the strike price of the option sold ($105.00) reduced by the net premium received ($5.00) but remains above $95.00 before expiration. | The Fund would lose up to $5.00, which is the difference between the 2 strike levels reduced by the net premium received | |
| Case 4: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $95.00 | The Fund would lose $5.00, which is the difference between the 2 strike levels reduced by the net premium received. |
The comparison between the Put Write Strategy in Example 1 and the Put Spread Strategy in Example 3, shows that the Put Spread Strategy has a narrower range of outcomes. It has limited participation in a potential increase or decrease in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price.
In examples 1 and 2, if the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s price were to drop to zero, the Fund’s NAV would be equal, before fees and costs, to the value of premium received.
Types of Options Contracts Used by the Fund
As part of the Fund’s strategy, the Fund may sell FLexible EXchange® (“FLEX”) put options contracts that are based on the value of the price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The Fund will only sell options contracts that are listed for trading on regulated U.S. exchanges. Traditional exchange-traded options contracts have standardized terms, such as the type (call or put), the reference asset, the strike price and expiration date. Exchange-listed options contracts are guaranteed for settlement by the Options Clearing Corporation (“OCC”). FLEX Options are a type of exchange-listed options contract with uniquely customizable terms that allow investors to customize key terms like type, strike price and expiration date that are standardized in a typical options contract. FLEX Options are also guaranteed for settlement by the OCC.
In general, an option is a contract that gives the purchaser (holder) of the option, in return for a premium, the right to buy from (call) or sell to (put) the seller (writer) of the option the security or currency underlying (in this case, the Underlying Leveraged ETF) the option at a specified exercise price. The writer of an option has the obligation upon exercise of the option to deliver the underlying security or currency upon payment of the exercise price (call) or to pay the exercise price upon delivery of the underlying security or currency (put). An option is said to be “European Style” when it can be exercised only at expiration whereas an “American Style” option can be exercised at any time prior to expiration. The Fund might use either European or American style options. The Fund intends to primarily utilize European style options.
Swap agreements Used by the Fund
As part of the Fund’s strategy, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with major financial institutions that provide the same exposure as to selling put options contracts on the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The swap agreements may reference standardized exchange-traded, FLEX, European Style or American Style put options contracts that are based on the values of the price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. All put options contracts referenced in a swap agreement will be listed for trading on regulated U.S. exchanges.
The swap performance will settle in cash only irrespective of the types of the put options contracts referenced in the swap agreement.
Underlying Leveraged ETF
The Underlying Leveraged ETF, Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares, is a passively managed fund that seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of 300% of the performance of the Financial Select Sector Index (the “Underlying Index”).
The Underlying Index is provided by S&P Dow Jones Indices (the “Index Provider”) and includes securities of companies from the following industries: Banks; Thrifts & Mortgage Finance; Diversified Financial Services; Consumer Finance; Capital Markets; Insurance; and Mortgage Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs). The Underlying Index is one of eleven Select Sector Indexes developed and maintained in accordance with the following criteria: (1) each of the stocks in the Underlying Index is also a constituent company of the S&P 500® Index; (2) each constituent in the S&P 500® Index is assigned to one of the Select Sector Indexes; and (3) the Underlying Index is calculated by the Index Provider using a modified “market capitalization” methodology, which is a hybrid between equal weighting and conventional market capitalization weighting with the weighting capped for the largest stocks included in the Underlying Index. This design ensures that each of the component stocks within a Select Sector Index is represented proportionate to the total market capitalization of such Select Sector Index.
| 43 |
The Underlying Leveraged ETF may invest in the securities of the Underlying Index, a representative sample of the securities in the Underlying Index that has aggregate characteristics similar to those of the Underlying Index, an ETF that tracks the Underlying Index or a substantially similar index, and may utilize derivatives, such as swaps or futures on the Underlying Index or on an ETF that tracks the same Underlying Index or a substantially similar index, that provide leveraged exposure to the above.
Investors can access information about the Underlying Leveraged ETF, including its prospectus and the most recent shareholder reports, online through the SEC’s website, using Registration Statement Nos. 333-150525 and 811-22201. This information, derived from Underlying Leveraged ETF’s filings with the SEC, is essential for investors to understand Underlying Leveraged ETF’s operations, investment strategy, and financial prospects. The description of Underlying Leveraged ETF’s principal investment strategies as outlined here is directly sourced from its prospectus.
This document relates only to the securities offered hereby and does not relate to the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The Fund has derived all disclosures contained in this document regarding the Underlying Leveraged ETF from publicly available documents. In connection with the offering of the securities, none of the Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates has participated in the preparation of such documents or made any due diligence inquiry with respect to the Underlying Leveraged ETF. None of the Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates makes any representation that such publicly available documents or any other publicly available information regarding the Underlying Leveraged ETF 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 the Underlying Leveraged ETF have been publicly disclosed. Subsequent disclosure of any such events or the disclosure of or failure to disclose material future events concerning the Underlying Leveraged ETF could affect the value received with respect to your Shares and therefore the value of your Shares.
The Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, and their respective affiliates do not provide any representation regarding the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF.
THE FUND, TRUST AND ADVISER ARE NOT AFFILIATED WITH DIREXION SHARES TRUST ETF, THE UNDERLYING LEVERAGED ETF, RAFFERTY ASSET MANAGEMENT, LLC OR S&P DOW JONES INDICES LLC.
PRINCIPAL RISKS OF INVESTING IN THE FUND
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. Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its investment objectives. 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.”
The Underlying Leveraged ETF Risk. The Fund invests in options contracts that are based on the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF shares. This subjects the Fund to certain of the same risks as if it owned shares of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, even though it may not. By virtue of the Fund’s investments in options contracts that are based on the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF shares, the Fund may also be subject to the following risks:
Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk — The Underlying Leveraged ETF shares’ performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which is likely to differ from 300% of the Underlying Index’s performance, before fees and expenses. Compounding has a significant impact on funds that are leveraged and that rebalance daily. The impact of compounding becomes more pronounced as volatility and holding periods increase and will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF is held and the volatility of the Underlying Index during the shareholder’s holding period of an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF.
| 44 |
Leverage Risk — The Underlying Leveraged ETF 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 Underlying Leveraged ETF is exposed to the risk that a decline in the daily performance of the Underlying Index will be magnified. This means that an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF will be reduced by an amount equal to 3% for every 1% daily decline in the Underlying Index, not including the costs of financing leverage and other operating expenses, which would further reduce its value. The Underlying Leveraged ETF could lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event of an Underlying Index decline of more than 33%.
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. Investing in derivatives may be considered aggressive and may expose the Underlying Leveraged ETF to greater risks, and may result in larger losses or smaller gains, than investing directly in the reference assets underlying those derivatives, which may prevent the Underlying Leveraged ETF from achieving its investment objective.
Counterparty Risk — If a counterparty is unwilling or unable to make timely payments to meet its contractual obligations or fails to return holdings that are subject to the agreement with the counterparty resulting in the Underlying Leveraged ETF losing money or not being able to meet its daily leveraged investment objective.
Industry Concentration Risk — The Underlying Index may have a significant portion of its value in issuers in an industry or group of industries. The Underlying Leveraged ETF will allocate its investments to approximately the same extent as the Underlying Index. As a result, the Underlying Leveraged ETF may be subject to greater market fluctuations than a fund that is more broadly invested across industries. As of August 22, 2025, the Underlying Index was comprised of 74 constituents which had a median total market capitalization of $10607 billion, total market capitalizations ranging from $7.7 billion to $1,018.0 billion and were concentrated in the financial sector. The Underlying Index is rebalanced quarterly.
Indirect Investments in the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The Underlying Leveraged ETF is not affiliated with the Trust, the Fund, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates and is not involved with the offering of the Fund in any way and has no obligation to consider your Shares in taking any corporate action that might affect the value of Shares. Investors in the Fund will not have rights to receive dividends or other distributions or any other rights with respect to the Underlying Leveraged ETF but will be subject to declines in the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. Although the Fund invests in the Underlying Leveraged ETF only indirectly, the Fund’s investments are subject to loss as a result of these risks.
Passive Investment and Underlying Index Performance Risk. Investment in the Fund should be made with the understanding that the passive Underlying Leveraged ETF in which the Fund invests will not be able to replicate exactly the performance of the indices they track because the total return generated by the securities will be reduced by transaction costs incurred in adjusting the actual balance of the securities. In addition, the passive Underlying Leveraged ETF in which the Fund invests will incur expenses not incurred by their applicable indices. Certain securities comprising the indices tracked by the passive Underlying Leveraged ETF may, from time to time, temporarily be unavailable, which may further impede the passive Underlying Leveraged ETF’s ability to track their applicable indices.
Derivatives Risk. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds, 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, imperfect correlation with underlying investments, 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 an imperfect correlation between the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objectives. 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. In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
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. For the Fund, in particular, the value of the options contracts in which it invests is substantially influenced by the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. Selling put options exposes the Fund to the risk of potential loss if the market value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF falls below the strike price before the option expires. The Fund may experience substantial downside from specific option positions and certain option positions held by the Fund may expire worthless. 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 at the underlying instrument. There may at times be an imperfect correlation between the movement in values of 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, the Fund’s practice of “rolling” may cause the Fund to experience losses if the expiring contracts do not generate proceeds enough to cover the costs of entering into new options contracts. Rolling refers to the practice of closing out one options position and opening another with a different expiration date and/or a different strike price. Further, if an option is exercised, the seller (writer) of a put option is obligated to purchase the underlying asset at the strike price, which can result in significant financial and regulatory obligations for the Fund if the market value of the asset has fallen substantially. Furthermore, when the Fund seeks to trade out of puts, especially near expiration, there is an added risk that the Fund may be required to allocate resources unexpectedly to fulfill these obligations. This potential exposure to physical settlement can significantly impact the Fund’s liquidity and market exposure, particularly in volatile market conditions.
Swap Risk: Swaps are subject to tracking risk because they may not be perfect substitutes for the instruments they are intended to hedge or replace. Over the counter swaps are subject to counterparty default. Leverage inherent in derivatives will tend to magnify the Fund’s losses. The swap agreements may reference standardized exchange-traded, FLEX, European Style or American Style put options contracts that are based on the values of the price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. that generate specific risks.
| 45 |
Counterparty Risk. The Fund is subject to counterparty risk by virtue of its investments in options contracts. Transactions in some types of derivatives, including options, are required to be centrally cleared (“cleared derivatives”). In a transaction involving cleared derivatives, the Fund’s counterparty is a clearing house rather than a bank or broker. Since the Fund is not a member of clearing houses and only members of a clearing house (“clearing members”) can participate directly in the clearing house, the Fund will hold cleared derivatives through accounts at clearing members. In cleared derivatives positions, the Fund will make payments (including margin payments) to and receive payments from a clearing house through their accounts at clearing members. Customer funds held at a clearing organization in connection with any options contracts are held in a commingled omnibus account and are not identified to the name of the clearing member’s individual customers. As a result, assets deposited by the Fund with any clearing member as margin for options may, in certain circumstances, be used to satisfy losses of other clients of the Fund’s clearing member. In addition, although clearing members guarantee performance of their clients’ obligations to the clearing house, there is a risk that the assets of the Fund might not be fully protected in the event of the clearing member’s bankruptcy, as the Fund would be limited to recovering only a pro rata share of all available funds segregated on behalf of the clearing member’s customers for the relevant account class. The Fund is also subject to the risk that a limited number of clearing members are willing to transact on the Fund’s behalf, which heightens the risks associated with a clearing member’s default. If a clearing member defaults the Fund could lose some or all of the benefits of a transaction entered into by the Fund with the clearing member. If the Fund cannot find a clearing member to transact with on the Fund’s behalf, the Fund may be unable to effectively implement its investment strategy.
In addition, a counterparty (the other party to a transaction or an agreement or the party with whom the Fund executes transactions) to a transaction (including repurchase transaction) with the Fund may be unable or unwilling to make timely principal, interest or settlement payments, or otherwise honor its obligations.
Price Participation Risk. The Fund employs an investment strategy that includes the sale of in-the-money put options contracts, which limits the degree to which the Fund will participate in increases in value experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF over the Call Period. This means that if the Underlying Leveraged ETF experiences an increase in value above the strike price of the sold put options during a Call Period, the Fund will likely not experience that increase to the same extent and may significantly underperform the Underlying Leveraged ETF over the Call Period. Additionally, because the Fund is limited in the degree to which it will participate in increases in value experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF over each Call Period, but has full exposure to any decreases in value experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF over the Call Period, the NAV of the Fund may decrease over any given time period. The Fund’s NAV is dependent on the value of each options portfolio, which is based principally upon the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The degree of participation in the Underlying Leveraged ETF gains the Fund will experience will depend on prevailing market conditions, especially market volatility, at the time the Fund enters into the sold put options contracts and will vary from Call Period to Call Period. The value of the options contracts is affected by changes in the value and dividend rates of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, changes in interest rates, changes in the actual or perceived volatility of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and the remaining time to the options’ expiration, as well as trading conditions in the options market. As the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF share changes and time moves towards the expiration of each Call Period, the value of the options contracts, and therefore the Fund’s NAV, will change. However, it is not expected for the Fund’s NAV to directly correlate on a day-to-day basis with the returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price. The amount of time remaining until the options contract’s expiration date affects the impact of the potential options contract income on the Fund’s NAV, which may not be in full effect until the expiration date of the Fund’s options contracts. Therefore, while changes in the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF share will result in changes to the Fund’s NAV, the Fund generally anticipates that the rate of change in the Fund’s NAV will be different than that experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price.
Distribution Risk. As part of the Fund’s investment objective, the Fund seeks to provide current weekly income. There is no assurance that the Fund will make a distribution in any given month. If the Fund makes distributions, the amounts of such distributions will likely vary greatly from one distribution to the next. Additionally, the weekly distributions, if any, may consist of returns of capital, which would decrease the Fund’s NAV and trading price over time. As a result, an investor may suffer significant losses to their investment.
| 46 |
NAV Erosion Risk Due to Distributions. When the Fund makes a distribution, the Fund’s NAV will typically drop by the amount of the distribution on the related ex-dividend date. The repeated payment of distributions by the Fund, if any, may significantly erode the Fund’s NAV and trading price over time. As a result, an investor may suffer significant losses to their investment.
Put Writing Strategy Risk. The path dependency (i.e., the continued use) of the Fund’s put writing strategy will impact the extent that the Fund participates in the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and, in turn, the Fund’s returns, both during the term of the sold put options and over longer time periods.
If, for example, the Fund were to sell 10% in-the-money put options having a one-month term, the Fund’s participation in the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF will be capped at 10% for that month. However, over a longer period (e.g., a three-month period), the Fund should not be expected to participate fully in the first 30% (i.e., 3 months x 10%) of the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, or the Fund may even lose money, even if the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price has appreciated by at least that much over such period, if during any particular month or months over that period the Underlying Leveraged ETF had a return less than 10%. This example illustrates that both the Fund’s participation in the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and its returns will depend not only on the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF but also on the path that the Underlying Leveraged ETF takes over time.
If, for example, the Fund were to sell 5% out-of-the-money put options having a one-week term, the Fund’s downward protection against the negative price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF will be capped at 5% for that week. However, over a longer period (e.g., a four-week period), the Fund should not be expected to be protected fully in the first 25% (i.e., 4 weeks x 5%) of the negative price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, and the Fund may lose money, even if the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price has appreciated over such period, if during any particular week or weeks over that period the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price had decreases by more than 5%. This example illustrates that both the Fund’s protection against the negative price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and its returns will depend not only on the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF but also on the path that the Underlying Leveraged ETF takes over time.
Under both cases the Fund may be fully exposed to the downward movements of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, offset only by the premiums received from selling put contracts. The Fund does not seek to offer any downside protection, except for the fact that the premiums from the sold options may offset some or all of the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s decline.
Put Spread Strategy Risk. Similarly to a put writing strategy (see relevant risk factor), a put spread strategy will subject the Fund’s performance to path dependency.
Option Market Liquidity Risk. The trading activity in the option market of the Underlying Leveraged ETF may be limited and the option contracts may trade at levels significantly different from their economic value. The lack of liquidity may negatively affect the ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective. This risk may increase if the portfolio turnover is elevated, for instance because of frequent changes in the number of Shares outstanding, and if the net asset value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF is modest. For the 12-month period ending July 31, 2025, the net asset value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF ranged from $1,671m to $2,942m.
Concentration Risk. To the extent that the Underlying Leveraged ETF concentrates its investments in a particular industry, the Fund will be subject to the risks associated with that industry.
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 currently expects to effect a significant portion of its creations and redemptions for cash, rather than in-kind securities. Paying redemption proceeds in cash rather than through in-kind delivery of portfolio securities may require the Fund to dispose of or sell portfolio securities or other assets at an inopportune time to obtain the cash needed to meet redemption orders. This may cause the Fund to sell a security and recognize a capital gain or loss that might not have been incurred if it had made a redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher or lower annual capital gains distributions than ETFs that redeem in-kind. The use of cash creations and redemptions may also cause the Fund’s Shares to trade in the market at greater bid-ask spreads or greater premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV. Furthermore, the Fund may not be able to execute cash transactions for creation and redemption purposes at the same price used to determine the Fund’s NAV. To the extent that the maximum additional charge for creation or redemption transactions is insufficient to cover the execution shortfall, the Fund’s performance could be negatively impacted.
Costs of Buying or Selling Shares. Due to the costs of buying or selling Shares, including brokerage commissions imposed by brokers and bid-ask spreads, frequent trading of Shares may significantly 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.
| 47 |
Trading. Although Shares are listed on a national securities exchange, such as The Nasdaq Stock Market, LLC (the “Exchange”), and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for the Shares will develop or be maintained or that the Shares will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. This risk may be greater for the Fund as it seeks to have exposure to a single underlying stock as opposed to a more diverse portfolio like a traditional pooled investment. 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. Shares trade on the Exchange at a market price that may be below, at or above the Fund’s NAV. Trading in Shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in Shares on the Exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to the Exchange “circuit breaker” rules. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged. In the event of an unscheduled market close for options contracts that reference a single stock, such as the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s securities being halted or a market wide closure, settlement prices will be determined by the procedures of the listing exchange of the options contracts. As a result, the Fund could be adversely affected and be unable to implement its investment strategies in the event of an unscheduled closing.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk. The Fund may actively and frequently trade all or a significant portion of the Fund’s holdings. A high portfolio turnover rate increases transaction costs, which may increase the Fund’s expenses. Frequent trading may also cause adverse tax consequences for investors in the Fund due to an increase in short-term capital gains.
Inflation Risk. Inflation risk is the risk that the value of assets or income from investments will be less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money. As inflation increases, the present value of the Fund’s assets and distributions, if any, may decline.
Liquidity Risk. Some securities held by the Fund, including options contracts, may be difficult to sell or be illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. This risk is greater for the Fund as it will hold options contracts on a single security, and not a broader range of options contracts. 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, such as market rules related to short sales, may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Underlying Leveraged ETF. 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.
Management Risk. The Fund is subject to management risk because it is an actively managed portfolio. In managing the Fund’s investment portfolio, the portfolio managers will apply investment techniques and risk analyses that may not produce the desired result. There can be no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective.
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, including money market funds, may lose money through fees or other means.
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.
| 48 |
Operational Risk. The Fund is subject to risks arising from various operational factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund relies on third-parties for a range of services, including custody. Any delay or failure relating to engaging or maintaining such service providers may affect the Fund’s ability to meet its investment objective. Although the Fund, Adviser, and Sub-Adviser seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures, there is no way to completely protect against such risks.
Recent Market Events Risk. U.S. and international markets have experienced significant periods of volatility in recent years and months due to a number of economic, political and global macro factors including the impact of COVID-19 as a global pandemic, which has resulted in a public health crisis, disruptions to business operations and supply chains, stress on the global healthcare system, growth concerns in the U.S. and overseas, staffing shortages and the inability to meet consumer demand, and widespread concern and uncertainty. The global recovery from COVID-19 is proceeding at slower than expected rates due to the emergence of variant strains and may last for an extended period of time. Continuing uncertainties regarding interest rates, rising inflation, political events, rising government debt in the U.S. and trade tensions also contribute to market volatility. Conflict, loss of life and disaster connected to ongoing armed conflict between Ukraine and Russia in Europe and Israel and Hamas in the Middle East could have severe adverse effects on the region, including significant adverse effects on the regional or global economies and the markets for certain securities. The U.S. and the European Union have imposed sanctions on certain Russian individuals and companies, including certain financial institutions, and have limited certain exports and imports to and from Russia. The war has contributed to recent market volatility and may continue to do so. U.S. trade disputes or other disputes with specific countries that could result in additional tariffs, trade barriers and/or investment restrictions in certain securities in those countries.
Single Issuer Risk. Issuer-specific attributes may cause an investment in the Fund to be more volatile than a traditional pooled investment vehicle which diversifies risk or the market generally. The value of the Fund, which focuses on an individual security (the Underlying Leveraged ETF), 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.
Tax Risk. The Fund intends to elect and to qualify each year to be treated as a RIC under Subchapter M of the 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 the derivatives it holds is never 25% of the total value of Fund assets at the close of any quarter. If the Fund’s investments in the derivatives 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. In addition, distributions received by the Fund from the Underlying Leveraged ETF may generate “bad income” that could prevent the Fund from meeting the “Income Requirement” of Subchapter M of the Code, which may cause the Fund to fail to qualify as a RIC.
Investing in U.S. Equities Risk. Investing in U.S. issuers subjects the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency, security, and economic risks that are specific to the U.S. Certain changes in the U.S., such as a weakening of the U.S. economy or a decline in its financial markets, may have an adverse effect on U.S. issuers.
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.
Fixed Income Securities Risk. The market value of Fixed Income Securities will change in response to interest rate changes and other factors, such as changes in the effective maturities and credit ratings of fixed income investments. During periods of falling interest rates, the values of outstanding Fixed Income Securities and related financial instruments generally rise. Conversely, during periods of rising interest rates, the values of such securities and related financial instruments generally decline. Fixed Income Securities are also subject to credit risk.
| 49 |
Investments in Fixed Income Securities may also involve the following risks, depending on the instrument involved:
| - | Asset-Backed/Mortgage-Backed Securities Risk – The market value and yield of asset-backed and mortgage-backed securities can vary due to market interest rate fluctuations and early prepayments of underlying instruments. | |
| - | Credit Risk – An investment in the Fund also involves the risk that the issuer of a Fixed Income Security that the Fund holds will fail to make timely payments of interest or principal or go bankrupt, or that the value of the securities will decline because of a market perception that the issuer may not make payments on time, thus potentially reducing the Fund’s return. | |
| - | Event Risk – Event risk is the risk that corporate issuers may undergo restructurings, such as mergers, leveraged buyouts, takeovers, or similar events financed by increased debt. As a result of the added debt, the credit quality and market value of a company’s bonds and/or other debt securities may decline significantly. | |
| - | Extension Risk – Payment on the loans underlying Fixed Income Securities held by the Fund may be made more slowly when interest rates are rising. | |
| - | Interest Rate Risk – Generally, the value of Fixed Income Securities will change inversely with changes in interest rates. As interest rates rise, the market value of Fixed Income Securities tends to decrease. Conversely, as interest rates fall, the market value of Fixed Income Securities tends to increase. This risk will be greater for long-term securities than for short-term securities. In recent periods, governmental financial regulators, including the U.S. Federal Reserve, have taken steps to maintain historically low interest rates. Very low or negative interest rates may magnify interest rate risk. Changes in government intervention may have adverse effects on investments, volatility, and illiquidity in debt markets. | |
| - | Prepayment Risk – When interest rates are declining, issuers of Fixed Income Securities held by the Fund may prepay principal earlier than scheduled. |
Performance:
Portfolio Managers: Jeff Klearman and Ryan Dofflemeyer have been portfolio managers of the Fund since the Fund’s inception in 2024.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares: The Fund is an ETF. Individual Shares of the Fund may only be bought and sold in the secondary market (i.e., on a national securities exchange) through a broker-dealer at a market price. Because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than at NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (at a premium), at NAV or less than NAV (at a discount). An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares of the Fund (ask) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). The bid-ask spread varies over time for Shares based on trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the Fund’s Shares have more trading volume and market liquidity and higher if the Fund’s Shares have little trading volume and market liquidity. Recent information regarding the Fund, including its NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid/ask spreads, is available on the Fund’s website at www.graniteshares.com.
Tax Information: The Fund’s distributions will be taxable to you, generally as ordinary income unless you are invested through a tax-advantaged arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan, IRA or other tax-advantaged account; in such cases, you may be subject to tax when assets are withdrawn from such tax-advantaged arrangement. A sale of Shares may result in capital gain or loss.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries: If you purchase Shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank) (an “Intermediary”), the Adviser and/or its related companies may pay the Intermediary for the sale of Shares and related services. 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.
| 50 |
GraniteShares YIELDBOOST GOLD MINERS ETF – Summary
The Fund’s primary investment objective is to achieve 2 times (200%) the income generated from selling options on the NYSE Arca Gold Miners Index (the “Underlying Index”) by selling options on leveraged exchange-traded funds designed to deliver 2 times (200%) the daily performance of the Underlying Index (the “Underlying Leveraged ETF”). The Fund’s secondary investment objective is to gain exposure to the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, subject to a cap on potential investment gains. A downside protection may be implemented which could affect the net income level.
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). The fees are expressed as a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets. Investors may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and example below.
| Management Fee | 0.99 | % | ||
|
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) | ||||
| Management Fee | % | |||
| Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees | % | |||
| Other Expenses (1) | % | |||
| Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses (2) | % | |||
| Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | % | |||
| Fee Waiver/Reimbursements (2) | % | |||
| Net Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver/Reimbursements (1), (2), (3)(1)(2)(3) | % | |||
| (1) | |
| (2) | |
| (3) |
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in mutual funds and other exchange traded funds.
The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell 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 figures shown would be the same whether or not you sold your Shares at the end of each period.
Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years | |||||
| $ | $ | |||||
| 51 |
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 the total annual fund operating expenses or in the expense example above, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund is newly organized, portfolio turnover information is not yet available.
The Fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to pay weekly distributions by selling put options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF, which provides exposure to 2 times the daily performance of the Underlying Index. It is expected that the implied volatility on the Underlying Leveraged ETF to be two times the level of the Underlying Index’s implied volatility and selling options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF to generate, over the same time horizon and for the same strike levels, 2 times the premium generated by selling options on the Underlying Index. The premium received by the Fund from selling options will be distributed at least partially before the maturity of the options. This allows the Fund to make distributions on a weekly basis even if the options sold have longer maturity (such as monthly maturity for instance). This approach may result in the distributions being treated fiscally as return of capital (see “Distribution Risk” under the section “Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund”). There is no guarantee that the Fund will generate twice the level of premium that would be generated by selling options on the Underlying Index.
The Fund is subject to the losses from the Underlying Leveraged ETF, which would likely be two times the losses compared to the Underlying Index. In case a Put Spread Strategy (as defined under the section “The Fund’s Use of the Underlying Leveraged ETF Derivatives Contracts”) is implemented, the Fund may benefit from a limited downside protection against a negative price variation in the Underlying Leveraged ETF. Such protection will negatively affect the Fund’s overall income level. A put spread strategy with a narrow spread (the difference between the strikes of the put option sold and put option bought) may provide better protection but will have a higher negative impact on the Fund’s income level. A put spread strategy with a large spread will provide a lower protection but may have less negative impact on the Fund’s income level.
The Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in derivatives contracts that utilize the Underlying Leveraged ETF as their reference asset. For purposes of compliance with this investment policy, derivative contracts will be valued at their notional value.
For more information, see section “The Fund’s Use of the Underlying Leveraged ETF Derivatives Contracts” below.
The Fund’s cash balance may be invested in the following instruments: (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; (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 as collateral for the Fund’s swap agreements; (5) repurchase transactions, which are transactions under which the purchaser (i.e., the Fund) acquires securities and the seller agrees, at the time of the sale, to repurchase the securities at a mutually agreed-upon time and price, thereby determining the yield during the purchaser’s holding period, and/or; (6) US large cap equities listed on a national security exchange, sovereign fixed income securities with a credit rating at least equal to the United States Federal Government, or corporate debt securities, such as commercial paper and other short-term unsecured promissory notes issued by businesses that are rated investment grade for the purposes of entering into swap agreements with the Fund’s swap counterparties. The Fund may enter into such swap agreements to improve its operational efficiency.
The Fund is classified as “non-diversified” under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “1940 Act”).
The Fund will be subject to regulatory constraints relating to the level of value at risk that the Fund may incur through its derivatives 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 and the Fund may not achieve its investment objective.
The Fund’s investment objective has not been adopted as a fundamental investment policy and therefore the Fund’s investment objective along with its respective 80% investment policy may be changed without the consent of that Fund’s shareholders upon approval by the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of GraniteShares ETF Trust (the “Trust”) and 60 days’ written notice to shareholders.
There is no guarantee that the Fund’s investment strategy will be properly implemented or that the Fund will pay weekly distributions, and an investor may lose some or all of its investment. Even when the Fund makes a distribution it could be fiscally treated as return of capital (see “Distribution Risk” under the section “Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund”).
An Investment in the Fund is not an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF
| - | The Fund’s strategy will cap its potential gain to the premium received from selling options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF, | |
| - | The Fund’s strategy is exposed to all potential losses if the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share declines, subject to a potential downside protection if a Put Spread Strategy is used (as defined in ten next section). The potential losses may not be offset by the premium received by the Fund, | |
| - | The Fund does not invest directly in the Underlying Leveraged ETF, | |
| - | Fund shareholders are not entitled to any distribution paid by Underlying Leveraged ETF. |
Additional information regarding the Underlying Leveraged ETF is set forth below.
The Fund’s Use of the Underlying Leveraged ETF Derivatives Contracts
| - |
Put Spread Strategy: The Fund will enter in put spread options contracts, either directly or through swap contracts, on the Underlying Leveraged ETF and for which the Fund will receive a net premium. A put spread consists of selling a put option contract while buying a put option contract with the same maturity but a lower strike price. The Fund’s protection against a potential decrease in the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF only applies if it falls below the strike price of the option contract bought by the Fund. Buying a put option contract results in a cost that negatively affects the Fund’s income level. It is unlikely for a put spread strategy to generate twice the level of income that would be obtained by selling options on the Underlying Index directly. The put options contracts sold by the Fund may vary in regard to their strike price from 0 to 15% above the then-current price of the Leveraged ETF. The put options contracts bought by the Fund will have a lower strike price, ranging from 50% out-of-the-money to at-the-money. The put options sold and bought by the Fund will generally have 1- month or less expiration dates. |
| - |
Put Write Strategy: The Fund will sell put options contracts, either directly or through swap contracts, on the Underlying Leveraged ETF and for which it will receive a premium. The put options contracts sold by the Fund may vary in regard to their strike prices from 40% out-of-the-money to 15% in-the-money. The put options sold and bought by the Fund will generally have 1- month or less expiration dates. The Adviser will primarily employ this put write strategy when it believes that the share price of its Underlying Leveraged ETF is likely to rise significantly in the short term (e.g., following a substantial selloff or overall positive market news). |
| 52 |
Example 1 – Put Write Strategy - Selling In-the-money Put Option Contract with a One-month Maturity
Assume for simplicity that the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s shares are trading at $100.00 at the time the Fund sells an in-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $105.00 and a one-month maturity. The Fund receives a $5.50 premium for selling the put option contract.
| Case 1: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increases to $105.00 before expiration. |
The Fund would keep the $5.50 premium received. | |
| Case 2: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increase exceeded $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.50 premium received but would not participate in any of the additional upside. | |
| Case 3: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops to $99.50 before expiration. |
The $5.50 premium received is equal to the drop in price in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price, resulting in a return of zero. | |
| Case 4: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $99.50, that is the strike price ($105.00) reduced by the premium received ($5.50). | The Fund would lose money and be exposed to the drop in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price. |
Example 2 – Put Write Strategy - Selling Out-of-the-money Put Options Contracts with a One-week Maturity
Assume for simplicity that the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s shares are trading at $100.00 at the time the Fund sells an out-of-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $95.00 and a one-week maturity. The Fund receives a $0.50 premium for selling the put option contract.
| Case 1: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increases above $100.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $0.50 premium received but would not participate in the increased in the Underlying Leveraged ETFs’ share price. | |
| Case 2: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $94.50, that is the strike price ($95.00) reduced by the premium received ($0.50). | The Fund would lose money and be exposed to the drop in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price. |
Example 3 – Put Spread Strategy - Selling At-the-money Put Options Contracts and buy an Out-of-the-money Put Options Contracts with both with a One-month Maturity
Assume for simplicity that the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s shares are trading at $100.00 at the time the Fund sells an in-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $105.00 and buy an out-of-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $95.00 both with a one-month maturity. The Fund receives a $5.50 premium for selling the put option contract and pays $0.50 premium for buying the put option contract. Hence the Fund receives a $5.00 net premium.
| Case 1: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increases to $105.00 before expiration. |
The Fund would keep the $5.00 net premium received. | |
| Case 2: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increase exceeded $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.00 net premium received but would not participate in any of the additional upside. | |
| Case 3: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $100.00, that is the strike price of the option sold ($105.00) reduced by the net premium received ($5.00) but remains above $95.00 before expiration. | The Fund would lose up to $5.00, which is the difference between the 2 strike levels reduced by the net premium received | |
| Case 4: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $95.00 |
The Fund would lose $5.00, which is the difference between the 2 strike levels reduced by the net premium received. |
The comparison between the Put Write Strategy in Example 1 and the Put Spread Strategy in Example 3, shows that the Put Spread Strategy has a narrower range of outcomes. It has limited participation in a potential increase or decrease in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price.
In examples 1 and 2, if the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s price were to drop to zero, the Fund’s NAV would be equal, before fees and costs, to the value of premium received.
Types of Options Contracts Used by the Fund
As part of the Fund’s strategy, the Fund may sell Flexible Exchange® (“FLEX”) put options contracts that are based on the value of the price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The Fund will only sell options contracts that are listed for trading on regulated U.S. exchanges. Traditional exchange-traded options contracts have standardized terms, such as the type (call or put), the reference asset, the strike price and expiration date. Exchange-listed options contracts are guaranteed for settlement by the Options Clearing Corporation (“OCC”). FLEX Options are a type of exchange-listed options contract with uniquely customizable terms that allow investors to customize key terms like type, strike price and expiration date that are standardized in a typical options contract. FLEX Options are also guaranteed for settlement by the OCC.
In general, an option is a contract that gives the purchaser (holder) of the option, in return for a premium, the right to buy from (call) or sell to (put) the seller (writer) of the option the security or currency underlying (in this case, the Underlying Leveraged ETF) the option at a specified exercise price. The writer of an option has the obligation upon exercise of the option to deliver the underlying security or currency upon payment of the exercise price (call) or to pay the exercise price upon delivery of the underlying security or currency (put). An option is said to be “European Style” when it can be exercised only at expiration whereas an “American Style” option can be exercised at any time prior to expiration. The Fund might use either European or American style options. The Fund intends to primarily utilize European style options.
Swap agreements Used by the Fund
As part of the Fund’s strategy, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with major financial institutions that provide the same exposure as to selling put options contracts on the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The swap agreements may reference standardized exchange-traded, FLEX, European Style or American Style put options contracts that are based on the values of the price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. All put options contracts referenced in a swap agreement will be listed for trading on regulated U.S. exchanges.
The swap performance will settle in cash only irrespective of the types of the put options contracts referenced in the swap agreement.
Underlying Leveraged ETF
The Underlying Leveraged ETF, Direxion Daily Gold Miners Index Bull 2X Shares, is a passively managed fund that seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of 200% of the performance of the NYSE Arca Gold Miners Index (the “Underlying Index”).
The Underlying Index, which is provided by ICE Data Indices, LLC, is a modified market capitalization weighted index comprised of publicly traded common stocks, American depositary receipts or global depositary receipts of companies that operate globally in both developed and emerging markets, and are involved primarily in mining for gold and, to a lesser extent, in mining for silver. The Underlying Index will limit the weight of companies whose revenues are more significantly exposed to silver mining to less than 20% of the Underlying Index at each rebalance date. The Underlying Index may include small and mid-capitalization companies and foreign issuers, including among others, Canadian issuers.
The Underlying Leveraged ETF may invest in the securities of the Underlying Index, a representative sample of the securities in the Underlying Index that has aggregate characteristics similar to those of the Underlying Index, an ETF that tracks the Underlying Index or a substantially similar index, and may utilize derivatives, such as swaps or futures on the Underlying Index or on an ETF that tracks the same Underlying Index or a substantially similar index, that provide leveraged exposure to the above.
| 53 |
Investors can access information about the Underlying Leveraged ETF, including its prospectus and the most recent shareholder reports, online through the SEC’s website, using Registration Statement Nos. 333-150525 and 811-22201. This information, derived from the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s filings with the SEC, is essential for investors to understand the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s operations, investment strategy, and financial prospects. The description of the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s principal investment strategies as outlined here is directly sourced from its prospectus.
This document relates only to the securities offered hereby and does not relate to the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The Fund has derived all disclosures contained in this document regarding the Underlying Leveraged ETF from publicly available documents. In connection with the offering of the securities, none of the Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates has participated in the preparation of such documents or made any due diligence inquiry with respect to the Underlying Leveraged ETF. None of the Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates makes any representation that such publicly available documents or any other publicly available information regarding the Underlying Leveraged ETF 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 the Underlying Leveraged ETF have been publicly disclosed. Subsequent disclosure of any such events or the disclosure of or failure to disclose material future events concerning the Underlying Leveraged ETF could affect the value received with respect to your Shares and therefore the value of your Shares.
The Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, and their respective affiliates do not provide any representation regarding the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF.
THE FUND, TRUST AND ADVISER ARE NOT AFFILIATED WITH DIREXION SHARES TRUST ETF, THE UNDERLYING LEVERAGED ETF, RAFFERTY ASSET MANAGEMENT, LLC OR ICE DATA INDICES, LLC.
PRINCIPAL RISKS OF INVESTING IN THE FUND
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. Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its investment objectives. 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.”
The Underlying Leveraged ETF Risk. The Fund invests in options contracts that are based on the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF shares. This subjects the Fund to certain of the same risks as if it owned shares of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, even though it may not. By virtue of the Fund’s investments in options contracts that are based on the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF shares, the Fund may also be subject to the following risks:
Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk — The Underlying Leveraged ETF shares’ performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which is likely to differ from 200% of the Underlying Index’s performance, before fees and expenses. Compounding has a significant impact on funds that are leveraged and that rebalance daily. The impact of compounding becomes more pronounced as volatility and holding periods increase and will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF is held and the volatility of the Underlying Index during the shareholder’s holding period of an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF.
Leverage Risk — The Underlying Leveraged ETF 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 Underlying Leveraged ETF is exposed to the risk that a decline in the daily performance of the Underlying Index will be magnified. This means that an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF will be reduced by an amount equal to 2% for every 1% daily decline in the Underlying Index, not including the costs of financing leverage and other operating expenses, which would further reduce its value. The Underlying Leveraged ETF could lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event of an Underlying Index decline of more than 50%.
| 54 |
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. Investing in derivatives may be considered aggressive and may expose the Underlying Leveraged ETF to greater risks, and may result in larger losses or smaller gains, than investing directly in the reference assets underlying those derivatives, which may prevent the Underlying Leveraged ETF from achieving its investment objective.
Counterparty Risk — If a counterparty is unwilling or unable to make timely payments to meet its contractual obligations or fails to return holdings that are subject to the agreement with the counterparty resulting in the Underlying Leveraged ETF losing money or not being able to meet its daily leveraged investment objective.
Industry Concentration Risk — The Underlying Index may have a significant portion of its value in issuers in an industry or group of industries. The Underlying Leveraged ETF will allocate its investments to approximately the same extent as the Underlying Index. As a result, the Underlying Leveraged ETF may be subject to greater market fluctuations than a fund that is more broadly invested across industries. As of August 21, 2025, the Underlying Index had 68 constituents, which had an average market capitalization of $32.2 billion, total market capitalizations ranging from $6.3 million to $77.7 billion and were concentrated in the gold mining industry, which is included in the materials sector. The Underlying Index is rebalanced quarterly.
Indirect Investments in the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The Underlying Leveraged ETF is not affiliated with the Trust, the Fund, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates and is not involved with the offering of the Fund in any way and has no obligation to consider your Shares in taking any corporate action that might affect the value of Shares. Investors in the Fund will not have rights to receive dividends or other distributions or any other rights with respect to the Underlying Leveraged ETF but will be subject to declines in the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. Although the Fund invests in the Underlying Leveraged ETF only indirectly, the Fund’s investments are subject to loss as a result of these risks.
Passive Investment and Underlying Index Performance Risk. Investment in the Fund should be made with the understanding that the passive Underlying Leveraged ETF in which the Fund invests will not be able to replicate exactly the performance of the indices they track because the total return generated by the securities will be reduced by transaction costs incurred in adjusting the actual balance of the securities. In addition, the passive Underlying Leveraged ETF in which the Fund invests will incur expenses not incurred by their applicable indices. Certain securities comprising the indices tracked by the passive Underlying Leveraged ETF may, from time to time, temporarily be unavailable, which may further impede the passive Underlying Leveraged ETF’s ability to track their applicable indices.
Derivatives Risk. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds, 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, imperfect correlation with underlying investments, 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 an imperfect correlation between the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objectives. 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. In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
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. For the Fund, in particular, the value of the options contracts in which it invests is substantially influenced by the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. Selling put options exposes the Fund to the risk of potential loss if the market value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF falls below the strike price before the option expires. The Fund may experience substantial downside from specific option positions and certain option positions held by the Fund may expire worthless. 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 at the underlying instrument. There may at times be an imperfect correlation between the movement in values of 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, the Fund’s practice of “rolling” may cause the Fund to experience losses if the expiring contracts do not generate proceeds enough to cover the costs of entering into new options contracts. Rolling refers to the practice of closing out one options position and opening another with a different expiration date and/or a different strike price. Further, if an option is exercised, the seller (writer) of a put option is obligated to purchase the underlying asset at the strike price, which can result in significant financial and regulatory obligations for the Fund if the market value of the asset has fallen substantially. Furthermore, when the Fund seeks to trade out of puts, especially near expiration, there is an added risk that the Fund may be required to allocate resources unexpectedly to fulfill these obligations. This potential exposure to physical settlement can significantly impact the Fund’s liquidity and market exposure, particularly in volatile market conditions.
Swap Risk: Swaps are subject to tracking risk because they may not be perfect substitutes for the instruments they are intended to hedge or replace. Over the counter swaps are subject to counterparty default. Leverage inherent in derivatives will tend to magnify the Fund’s losses. The swap agreements may reference standardized exchange-traded, FLEX, European Style or American Style put options contracts that are based on the values of the price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. that generate specific risks.
| 55 |
Counterparty Risk. The Fund is subject to counterparty risk by virtue of its investments in options contracts. Transactions in some types of derivatives, including options, are required to be centrally cleared (“cleared derivatives”). In a transaction involving cleared derivatives, the Fund’s counterparty is a clearing house rather than a bank or broker. Since the Fund is not a member of clearing houses and only members of a clearing house (“clearing members”) can participate directly in the clearing house, the Fund will hold cleared derivatives through accounts at clearing members. In cleared derivatives positions, the Fund will make payments (including margin payments) to and receive payments from a clearing house through their accounts at clearing members. Customer funds held at a clearing organization in connection with any options contracts are held in a commingled omnibus account and are not identified to the name of the clearing member’s individual customers. As a result, assets deposited by the Fund with any clearing member as margin for options may, in certain circumstances, be used to satisfy losses of other clients of the Fund’s clearing member. In addition, although clearing members guarantee performance of their clients’ obligations to the clearing house, there is a risk that the assets of the Fund might not be fully protected in the event of the clearing member’s bankruptcy, as the Fund would be limited to recovering only a pro rata share of all available funds segregated on behalf of the clearing member’s customers for the relevant account class. The Fund is also subject to the risk that a limited number of clearing members are willing to transact on the Fund’s behalf, which heightens the risks associated with a clearing member’s default. If a clearing member defaults the Fund could lose some or all of the benefits of a transaction entered into by the Fund with the clearing member. If the Fund cannot find a clearing member to transact with on the Fund’s behalf, the Fund may be unable to effectively implement its investment strategy.
In addition, a counterparty (the other party to a transaction or an agreement or the party with whom the Fund executes transactions) to a transaction (including repurchase transaction) with the Fund may be unable or unwilling to make timely principal, interest or settlement payments, or otherwise honor its obligations.
Price Participation Risk. The Fund employs an investment strategy that includes the sale of in-the-money put options contracts, which limits the degree to which the Fund will participate in increases in value experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF over the Call Period. This means that if the Underlying Leveraged ETF experiences an increase in value above the strike price of the sold put options during a Call Period, the Fund will likely not experience that increase to the same extent and may significantly underperform the Underlying Leveraged ETF over the Call Period. Additionally, because the Fund is limited in the degree to which it will participate in increases in value experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF over each Call Period, but has full exposure to any decreases in value experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF over the Call Period, the NAV of the Fund may decrease over any given time period. The Fund’s NAV is dependent on the value of each options portfolio, which is based principally upon the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The degree of participation in the Underlying Leveraged ETF gains the Fund will experience will depend on prevailing market conditions, especially market volatility, at the time the Fund enters into the sold put options contracts and will vary from Call Period to Call Period. The value of the options contracts is affected by changes in the value and dividend rates of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, changes in interest rates, changes in the actual or perceived volatility of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and the remaining time to the options’ expiration, as well as trading conditions in the options market. As the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF share changes and time moves towards the expiration of each Call Period, the value of the options contracts, and therefore the Fund’s NAV, will change. However, it is not expected for the Fund’s NAV to directly correlate on a day-to-day basis with the returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price. The amount of time remaining until the options contract’s expiration date affects the impact of the potential options contract income on the Fund’s NAV, which may not be in full effect until the expiration date of the Fund’s options contracts. Therefore, while changes in the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF share will result in changes to the Fund’s NAV, the Fund generally anticipates that the rate of change in the Fund’s NAV will be different than that experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price.
Distribution Risk. As part of the Fund’s investment objective, the Fund seeks to provide current weekly income. There is no assurance that the Fund will make a distribution in any given month. If the Fund makes distributions, the amounts of such distributions will likely vary greatly from one distribution to the next. Additionally, the weekly distributions, if any, may consist of returns of capital, which would decrease the Fund’s NAV and trading price over time. As a result, an investor may suffer significant losses to their investment.
NAV Erosion Risk Due to Distributions. When the Fund makes a distribution, the Fund’s NAV will typically drop by the amount of the distribution on the related ex-dividend date. The repeated payment of distributions by the Fund, if any, may significantly erode the Fund’s NAV and trading price over time. As a result, an investor may suffer significant losses to their investment.
| 56 |
Put Writing Strategy Risk. The path dependency (i.e., the continued use) of the Fund’s put writing strategy will impact the extent that the Fund participates in the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and, in turn, the Fund’s returns, both during the term of the sold put options and over longer time periods.
If, for example, the Fund were to sell 10% in-the-money put options having a one-month term, the Fund’s participation in the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF will be capped at 10% for that month. However, over a longer period (e.g., a three-month period), the Fund should not be expected to participate fully in the first 30% (i.e., 3 months x 10%) of the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, or the Fund may even lose money, even if the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price has appreciated by at least that much over such period, if during any particular month or months over that period the Underlying Leveraged ETF had a return less than 10%. This example illustrates that both the Fund’s participation in the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and its returns will depend not only on the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF but also on the path that the Underlying Leveraged ETF takes over time.
If, for example, the Fund were to sell 5% out-of-the-money put options having a one-week term, the Fund’s downward protection against the negative price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF will be capped at 5% for that week. However, over a longer period (e.g., a four-week period), the Fund should not be expected to be protected fully in the first 25% (i.e., 4 weeks x 5%) of the negative price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, and the Fund may lose money, even if the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price has appreciated over such period, if during any particular week or weeks over that period the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price had decreases by more than 5%. This example illustrates that both the Fund’s protection against the negative price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and its returns will depend not only on the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF but also on the path that the Underlying Leveraged ETF takes over time.
Under both cases the Fund may be fully exposed to the downward movements of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, offset only by the premiums received from selling put contracts. The Fund does not seek to offer any downside protection, except for the fact that the premiums from the sold options may offset some or all of the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s decline.
Put Spread Strategy Risk. Similarly to a put writing strategy (see relevant risk factor), a put spread strategy will subject the Fund’s performance to path dependency.
Option Market Liquidity Risk. The trading activity in the option market of the Underlying Leveraged ETF may be limited and the option contracts may trade at levels significantly different from their economic value. The lack of liquidity may negatively affect the ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective. This risk may increase if the portfolio turnover is elevated, for instance because of frequent changes in the number of Shares outstanding, and if the net asset value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF is modest. For the 12-month period ending July 31, 2025, the net asset value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF ranged from $419m to $666m.
Concentration Risk. To the extent that the Underlying Leveraged ETF concentrates its investments in a particular industry, the Fund will be subject to the risks associated with that industry.
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 currently expects to effect a significant portion of its creations and redemptions for cash, rather than in-kind securities. Paying redemption proceeds in cash rather than through in-kind delivery of portfolio securities may require the Fund to dispose of or sell portfolio securities or other assets at an inopportune time to obtain the cash needed to meet redemption orders. This may cause the Fund to sell a security and recognize a capital gain or loss that might not have been incurred if it had made a redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher or lower annual capital gains distributions than ETFs that redeem in-kind. The use of cash creations and redemptions may also cause the Fund’s Shares to trade in the market at greater bid-ask spreads or greater premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV. Furthermore, the Fund may not be able to execute cash transactions for creation and redemption purposes at the same price used to determine the Fund’s NAV. To the extent that the maximum additional charge for creation or redemption transactions is insufficient to cover the execution shortfall, the Fund’s performance could be negatively impacted.
Costs of Buying or Selling Shares. Due to the costs of buying or selling Shares, including brokerage commissions imposed by brokers and bid-ask spreads, frequent trading of Shares may significantly 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.
| 57 |
Trading. Although Shares are listed on a national securities exchange, such as The Nasdaq Stock Market, LLC (the “Exchange”), and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for the Shares will develop or be maintained or that the Shares will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. This risk may be greater for the Fund as it seeks to have exposure to a single underlying stock as opposed to a more diverse portfolio like a traditional pooled investment. 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. Shares trade on the Exchange at a market price that may be below, at or above the Fund’s NAV. Trading in Shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in Shares on the Exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to the Exchange “circuit breaker” rules. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged. In the event of an unscheduled market close for options contracts that reference a single stock, such as the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s securities being halted or a market wide closure, settlement prices will be determined by the procedures of the listing exchange of the options contracts. As a result, the Fund could be adversely affected and be unable to implement its investment strategies in the event of an unscheduled closing.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk. The Fund may actively and frequently trade all or a significant portion of the Fund’s holdings. A high portfolio turnover rate increases transaction costs, which may increase the Fund’s expenses. Frequent trading may also cause adverse tax consequences for investors in the Fund due to an increase in short-term capital gains.
Inflation Risk. Inflation risk is the risk that the value of assets or income from investments will be less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money. As inflation increases, the present value of the Fund’s assets and distributions, if any, may decline.
Liquidity Risk. Some securities held by the Fund, including options contracts, may be difficult to sell or be illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. This risk is greater for the Fund as it will hold options contracts on a single security, and not a broader range of options contracts. 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, such as market rules related to short sales, may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Underlying Leveraged ETF. 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.
Management Risk. The Fund is subject to management risk because it is an actively managed portfolio. In managing the Fund’s investment portfolio, the portfolio managers will apply investment techniques and risk analyses that may not produce the desired result. There can be no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective.
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, including money market funds, may lose money through fees or other means.
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.
Operational Risk. The Fund is subject to risks arising from various operational factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund relies on third-parties for a range of services, including custody. Any delay or failure relating to engaging or maintaining such service providers may affect the Fund’s ability to meet its investment objective. Although the Fund, Adviser, and Sub-Adviser seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures, there is no way to completely protect against such risks.
| 58 |
Recent Market Events Risk. U.S. and international markets have experienced significant periods of volatility in recent years and months due to a number of economic, political and global macro factors including the impact of COVID-19 as a global pandemic, which has resulted in a public health crisis, disruptions to business operations and supply chains, stress on the global healthcare system, growth concerns in the U.S. and overseas, staffing shortages and the inability to meet consumer demand, and widespread concern and uncertainty. The global recovery from COVID-19 is proceeding at slower than expected rates due to the emergence of variant strains and may last for an extended period of time. Continuing uncertainties regarding interest rates, rising inflation, political events, rising government debt in the U.S. and trade tensions also contribute to market volatility. Conflict, loss of life and disaster connected to ongoing armed conflict between Ukraine and Russia in Europe and Israel and Hamas in the Middle East could have severe adverse effects on the region, including significant adverse effects on the regional or global economies and the markets for certain securities. The U.S. and the European Union have imposed sanctions on certain Russian individuals and companies, including certain financial institutions, and have limited certain exports and imports to and from Russia. The war has contributed to recent market volatility and may continue to do so. U.S. trade disputes or other disputes with specific countries that could result in additional tariffs, trade barriers and/or investment restrictions in certain securities in those countries.
Single Issuer Risk. Issuer-specific attributes may cause an investment in the Fund to be more volatile than a traditional pooled investment vehicle which diversifies risk or the market generally. The value of the Fund, which focuses on an individual security (the Underlying Leveraged ETF), 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.
Tax Risk. The Fund intends to elect and to qualify each year to be treated as a RIC under Subchapter M of the 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 the derivatives it holds is never 25% of the total value of Fund assets at the close of any quarter. If the Fund’s investments in the derivatives 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. In addition, distributions received by the Fund from the Underlying Leveraged ETF may generate “bad income” that could prevent the Fund from meeting the “Income Requirement” of Subchapter M of the Code, which may cause the Fund to fail to qualify as a RIC.
Investing in U.S. Equities Risk. Investing in U.S. issuers subjects the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency, security, and economic risks that are specific to the U.S. Certain changes in the U.S., such as a weakening of the U.S. economy or a decline in its financial markets, may have an adverse effect on U.S. issuers.
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.
Fixed Income Securities Risk. The market value of Fixed Income Securities will change in response to interest rate changes and other factors, such as changes in the effective maturities and credit ratings of fixed income investments. During periods of falling interest rates, the values of outstanding Fixed Income Securities and related financial instruments generally rise. Conversely, during periods of rising interest rates, the values of such securities and related financial instruments generally decline. Fixed Income Securities are also subject to credit risk.
Investments in Fixed Income Securities may also involve the following risks, depending on the instrument involved:
| - | Asset-Backed/Mortgage-Backed Securities Risk – The market value and yield of asset-backed and mortgage-backed securities can vary due to market interest rate fluctuations and early prepayments of underlying instruments. | |
| - | Credit Risk – An investment in the Fund also involves the risk that the issuer of a Fixed Income Security that the Fund holds will fail to make timely payments of interest or principal or go bankrupt, or that the value of the securities will decline because of a market perception that the issuer may not make payments on time, thus potentially reducing the Fund’s return. |
| 59 |
| - | Event Risk – Event risk is the risk that corporate issuers may undergo restructurings, such as mergers, leveraged buyouts, takeovers, or similar events financed by increased debt. As a result of the added debt, the credit quality and market value of a company’s bonds and/or other debt securities may decline significantly. | |
| - | Extension Risk – Payment on the loans underlying Fixed Income Securities held by the Fund may be made more slowly when interest rates are rising. | |
| - | Interest Rate Risk – Generally, the value of Fixed Income Securities will change inversely with changes in interest rates. As interest rates rise, the market value of Fixed Income Securities tends to decrease. Conversely, as interest rates fall, the market value of Fixed Income Securities tends to increase. This risk will be greater for long-term securities than for short-term securities. In recent periods, governmental financial regulators, including the U.S. Federal Reserve, have taken steps to maintain historically low interest rates. Very low or negative interest rates may magnify interest rate risk. Changes in government intervention may have adverse effects on investments, volatility, and illiquidity in debt markets. | |
| - | Prepayment Risk – When interest rates are declining, issuers of Fixed Income Securities held by the Fund may prepay principal earlier than scheduled. |
Performance:
Portfolio Managers: Jeff Klearman and Ryan Dofflemeyer have been portfolio managers of the Fund since the Fund’s inception in 2024.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares: The Fund is an ETF. Individual Shares of the Fund may only be bought and sold in the secondary market (i.e., on a national securities exchange) through a broker-dealer at a market price. Because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than at NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (at a premium), at NAV or less than NAV (at a discount). An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares of the Fund (ask) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). The bid-ask spread varies over time for Shares based on trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the Fund’s Shares have more trading volume and market liquidity and higher if the Fund’s Shares have little trading volume and market liquidity. Recent information regarding the Fund, including its NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid/ask spreads, is available on the Fund’s website at www.graniteshares.com.
Tax Information: The Fund’s distributions will be taxable to you, generally as ordinary income unless you are invested through a tax-advantaged arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan, IRA or other tax-advantaged account; in such cases, you may be subject to tax when assets are withdrawn from such tax-advantaged arrangement. A sale of Shares may result in capital gain or loss.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries: If you purchase Shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank) (an “Intermediary”), the Adviser and/or its related companies may pay the Intermediary for the sale of Shares and related services. 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.
| 60 |
GraniteShares YIELDBOOST SEMICONDUCTOR ETF – Summary
The Fund’s primary investment objective is to achieve 3 times (300%) the income generated from selling options on the NYSE Semiconductor Index (the “Underlying Index”) by selling options on leveraged exchange-traded funds designed to deliver 3 times (300%) the daily performance of the Underlying Index (the “Underlying Leveraged ETF”). The Fund’s secondary investment objective is to gain exposure to the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, subject to a cap on potential investment gains. A downside protection may be implemented which could affect the net income level.
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). The fees are expressed as a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets. Investors may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and example below.
| Management Fee | 0.99 | % | ||
|
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) | ||||
| Management Fee | % | |||
| Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees | % | |||
| Other Expenses (1) | % | |||
| Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses (2) | % | |||
| Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | % | |||
| Fee Waiver/Reimbursements (3) | % | |||
| Net Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver/Reimbursements (1), (2), (3) | % | |||
| (1) | |
| (2) | |
| (3) |
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in mutual funds and other exchange-traded funds.
The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell 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 figures shown would be the same whether or not you sold your Shares at the end of each period.
Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years | |||||
| $ | $ | |||||
| 61 |
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 the total annual fund operating expenses or in the expense example above, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund is newly organized, portfolio turnover information is not yet available.
The Fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to pay weekly distributions by selling put options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF, which provides exposure to 3 times the daily performance of the Underlying Index. It is expected that the implied volatility on the Underlying Leveraged ETF to be three times the level of the Underlying Index’s implied volatility and selling options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF to generate, over the same time horizon and for the same strike levels, three times the premium generated by selling options on the Underlying Index. The premium received by the Fund from selling options will be distributed at least partially before the maturity of the options. This allows the Fund to make distributions on a weekly basis even if the options sold have longer maturity (such as monthly maturity for instance). This approach may result in the distributions being treated fiscally as return of capital (see “Distribution Risk” under the section “Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund”). There is no guarantee that the Fund will generate twice the level of premium that would be generated by selling options on the Underlying Index.
The Fund is subject to the losses from the Underlying Leveraged ETF, which would likely be three times the losses compared to the Underlying Index. In case a Put Spread Strategy (as defined under the section “The Fund’s Use of the Underlying Leveraged ETF Derivatives Contracts”) is implemented, the Fund may benefit from a limited downside protection against a negative price variation in the Underlying Leveraged ETF. Such protection will negatively affect the Fund’s overall income level. A put spread strategy with a narrow spread (the difference between the strikes of the put option sold and put option bought) may provide better protection but will have a higher negative impact on the Fund’s income level. A put spread strategy with a large spread will provide a lower protection but may have less negative impact on the Fund’s income level.
The Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in derivatives contracts that utilize the Underlying Leveraged ETF as their reference asset. For purposes of compliance with this investment policy, derivative contracts will be valued at their notional value.
For more information, see section “The Fund’s Use of the Underlying Leveraged ETF Options Contracts” below.
The Fund’s cash balance may be invested in the following instruments: (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; (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 as collateral for the Fund’s swap agreements; (5) repurchase transactions, which are transactions under which the purchaser (i.e., the Fund) acquires securities and the seller agrees, at the time of the sale, to repurchase the securities at a mutually agreed-upon time and price, thereby determining the yield during the purchaser’s holding period, and/or; (6) US large cap equities listed on a national security exchange, sovereign fixed income securities with a credit rating at least equal to the United States Federal Government, or corporate debt securities, such as commercial paper and other short-term unsecured promissory notes issued by businesses that are rated investment grade for the purposes of entering into swap agreements with the Fund’s swap counterparties. The Fund may enter into such swap agreements to improve its operational efficiency.
The Fund is classified as “non-diversified” under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “1940 Act”).
The Fund will be subject to regulatory constraints relating to the level of value at risk that the Fund may incur through its derivatives 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 and the Fund may not achieve its investment objective.
The Fund’s investment objective has not been adopted as a fundamental investment policy and therefore the Fund’s investment objective along with its respective 80% investment policy may be changed without the consent of that Fund’s shareholders upon approval by the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of GraniteShares ETF Trust (the “Trust”) and 60 days’ written notice to shareholders.
There is no guarantee that the Fund’s investment strategy will be properly implemented or that the Fund will pay weekly distributions, and an investor may lose some or all of its investment. Even when the Fund makes a distribution it could be fiscally treated as return of capital (see “Distribution Risk” under the section “Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund”).
An Investment in the Fund is not an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF
| - | The Fund’s strategy will cap its potential gain to the premium received from selling options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF, | |
| - | The Fund’s strategy is exposed to all potential losses if the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share declines, subject to a potential downside protection if a Put Spread Strategy is used (as defined in ten next section). The potential losses may not be offset by the premium received by the Fund, | |
| - | The Fund does not invest directly in the Underlying Leveraged ETF, | |
| - | Fund shareholders are not entitled to any distribution paid by Underlying Leveraged ETF. |
Additional information regarding the Underlying Leveraged ETF is set forth below.
The Fund’s Use of the Underlying Leveraged ETF Derivative Contracts
| - | Put Spread Strategy: The Fund will enter in put spread options contracts, either directly or through swap contracts, on the Underlying Leveraged ETF and for which the Fund will receive a net premium. A put spread consists of selling a put option contract while buying a put option contract with the same maturity but a lower strike price. The Fund’s protection against a potential decrease in the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF only applies if it falls below the strike price of the option contract bought by the Fund. Buying a put option contract results in a cost that negatively affects the Fund’s income level. It is unlikely for a put spread strategy to generate twice the level of income that would be obtained by selling options on the Underlying Index directly. The put options contracts sold by the Fund may vary in regard to their strike price from 0 to 15% above the then-current price of the Leveraged ETF. The put options contracts bought by the Fund will have a lower strike price, ranging from 50% out-of-the-money to at-the-money. The put options sold and bought by the Fund will generally have 1- month or less expiration dates. | |
| - | Put Write Strategy: The Fund will sell put options contracts, either directly or through swap contracts, on the Underlying Leveraged ETF and for which it will receive a premium. The put options contracts sold by the Fund may vary in regard to their strike prices from 40% out-of-the-money to 15% in-the-money. The put options sold and bought by the Fund will generally have 1- month or less expiration dates. The Adviser will primarily employ this put write strategy when it believes that the share price of its Underlying Leveraged ETF is likely to rise significantly in the short term (e.g., following a substantial selloff or overall positive market news). |
| 62 |
Example 1 – Put Write Strategy - Selling In-the-money Put Option Contract with a One-month Maturity
Assume for simplicity that the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s shares are trading at $100.00 at the time the Fund sells an in-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $105.00 and a one-month maturity. The Fund receives a $5.50 premium for selling the put option contract.
| Case 1: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increases to $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.50 premium received. | |
| Case 2: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increase exceeded $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.50 premium received but would not participate in any of the additional upside. | |
| Case 3: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops to $99.50 before expiration. | The $5.50 premium received is equal to the drop in price in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price, resulting in a return of zero. | |
| Case 4: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $99.50, that is the strike price ($105.00) reduced by the premium received ($5.50). | The Fund would lose money and be exposed to the drop in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price. |
Example 2 – Put Write Strategy - Selling Out-of-the-money Put Options Contracts with a One-week Maturity
Assume for simplicity that the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s shares are trading at $100.00 at the time the Fund sells an out-of-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $95.00 and a one-week maturity. The Fund receives a $0.50 premium for selling the put option contract.
| Case 1: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increases above $100.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $0.50 premium received but would not participate in the increased in the Underlying Leveraged ETFs’ share price. | |
| Case 2: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $94.50, that is the strike price ($95.00) reduced by the premium received ($0.50). | The Fund would lose money and be exposed to the drop in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price. |
Example 3 – Put Spread Strategy - Selling At-the-money Put Options Contracts and buy an Out-of-the-money Put Options Contracts with both with a One-month Maturity
Assume for simplicity that the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s shares are trading at $100.00 at the time the Fund sells an in-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $105.00 and buy an out-of-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $95.00 both with a one-month maturity. The Fund receives a $5.50 premium for selling the put option contract and pays $0.50 premium for buying the put option contract. Hence the Fund receives a $5.00 net premium.
| Case 1: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increases to $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.00 net premium received. | |
| Case 2: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increase exceeded $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.00 net premium received but would not participate in any of the additional upside. | |
| Case 3: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $100.00, that is the strike price of the option sold ($105.00) reduced by the net premium received ($5.00) but remains above $95.00 before expiration. | The Fund would lose up to $5.00, which is the difference between the 2 strike levels reduced by the net premium received | |
| Case 4: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $95.00 | The Fund would lose $5.00, which is the difference between the 2 strike levels reduced by the net premium received. |
The comparison between the Put Write Strategy in Example 1 and the Put Spread Strategy in Example 3, shows that the Put Spread Strategy has a narrower range of outcomes. It has limited participation in a potential increase or decrease in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price.
In examples 1 and 2, if the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s price were to drop to zero, the Fund’s NAV would be equal, before fees and costs, to the value of premium received.
| 63 |
Types of Options Contracts Used by the Fund
As part of the Fund’s strategy, the Fund may sell Flexible Exchange® (“FLEX”) put options contracts that are based on the value of the price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The Fund will only sell options contracts that are listed for trading on regulated U.S. exchanges. Traditional exchange-traded options contracts have standardized terms, such as the type (call or put), the reference asset, the strike price and expiration date. Exchange-listed options contracts are guaranteed for settlement by the Options Clearing Corporation (“OCC”). FLEX Options are a type of exchange-listed options contract with uniquely customizable terms that allow investors to customize key terms like type, strike price and expiration date that are standardized in a typical options contract. FLEX Options are also guaranteed for settlement by the OCC.
In general, an option is a contract that gives the purchaser (holder) of the option, in return for a premium, the right to buy from (call) or sell to (put) the seller (writer) of the option the security or currency underlying (in this case, the Underlying Leveraged ETF) the option at a specified exercise price. The writer of an option has the obligation upon exercise of the option to deliver the underlying security or currency upon payment of the exercise price (call) or to pay the exercise price upon delivery of the underlying security or currency (put). An option is said to be “European Style” when it can be exercised only at expiration whereas an “American Style” option can be exercised at any time prior to expiration. The Fund might use either European or American style options. The Fund intends to primarily utilize European style options.
Swap agreements Used by the Fund
As part of the Fund’s strategy, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with major financial institutions that provide the same exposure as to selling put options contracts on the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The swap agreements may reference standardized exchange-traded, FLEX, European Style or American Style put options contracts that are based on the values of the price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. All put options contracts referenced in a swap agreement will be listed for trading on regulated U.S. exchanges.
The swap performance will settle in cash only irrespective of the types of the put options contracts referenced in the swap agreement.
Underlying Leveraged ETF
The Underlying Leveraged ETF, Direxion Daily Semiconductor Bull 3X Shares, is a passively managed fund that seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of 300% of the performance of the NYSE Semiconductor Index (the “Underlying Index”).
The Underlying Index is provided by ICE Data Indices, LLC (the “Index Provider”) and is a rules-based, modified float-adjusted market capitalization-weighted index that tracks the performance of the thirty largest U.S. listed semiconductor companies. Semiconductor companies are defined as those classified within the Semiconductor Industry of the ICE Uniform Sector Classification schema. This includes companies that either manufacture materials that have electrical conductivity (semiconductors) to be used in electronic applications or utilize LED and OLED technology. This also includes companies that provide services or equipment associated with semiconductors such as packaging and testing.
The Underlying Leveraged ETF may invest in the securities of the Underlying Index, a representative sample of the securities in the Underlying Index that has aggregate characteristics similar to those of the Underlying Index, an ETF that tracks the Index or a substantially similar index, and may utilize derivatives, such as swaps or futures on the Underlying Index or on an ETF that tracks the same Underlying Index or a substantially similar index, that provide leveraged exposure to the above.
| 64 |
Investors can access information about the Underlying Leveraged ETF, including its prospectus and the most recent shareholder reports, online through the SEC’s website, using Registration Statement Nos. 333-150525 and 811-22201. This information, derived from the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s filings with the SEC, is essential for investors to understand the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s operations, investment strategy, and financial prospects. The description of the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s principal investment strategies as outlined here is directly sourced from its prospectus.
This document relates only to the securities offered hereby and does not relate to the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The Fund has derived all disclosures contained in this document regarding the Underlying Leveraged ETF from publicly available documents. In connection with the offering of the securities, none of the Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates has participated in the preparation of such documents or made any due diligence inquiry with respect to the Underlying Leveraged ETF. None of the Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates makes any representation that such publicly available documents or any other publicly available information regarding the Underlying Leveraged ETF 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 the Underlying Leveraged ETF have been publicly disclosed. Subsequent disclosure of any such events or the disclosure of or failure to disclose material future events concerning the Underlying Leveraged ETF could affect the value received with respect to your Shares and therefore the value of your Shares.
The Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, and their respective affiliates do not provide any representation regarding the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF.
THE FUND, TRUST AND ADVISER ARE NOT AFFILIATED WITH DIREXION SHARES TRUST ETF, THE UNDERLYING LEVERAGED ETF, RAFFERTY ASSET MANAGEMENT, LLC OR ICE DATA INDICES, LLC.
PRINCIPAL RISKS OF INVESTING IN THE FUND
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. Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its investment objectives. 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.”
The Underlying Leveraged ETF Risk. The Fund invests in options contracts that are based on the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF shares. This subjects the Fund to certain of the same risks as if it owned shares of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, even though it may not. By virtue of the Fund’s investments in options contracts that are based on the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF shares, the Fund may also be subject to the following risks:
Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk — The Underlying Leveraged ETF shares’ performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which is likely to differ from 300% of the Underlying Index’s performance, before fees and expenses. Compounding has a significant impact on funds that are leveraged and that rebalance daily. The impact of compounding becomes more pronounced as volatility and holding periods increase and will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF is held and the volatility of the Underlying Index during the shareholder’s holding period of an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF.
Leverage Risk — The Underlying Leveraged ETF 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 Underlying Leveraged ETF is exposed to the risk that a decline in the daily performance of the Underlying Index will be magnified. This means that an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF will be reduced by an amount equal to 3% for every 1% daily decline in the Underlying Index, not including the costs of financing leverage and other operating expenses, which would further reduce its value. The Underlying Leveraged ETF could lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event of an Underlying Index decline of more than 33%.
| 65 |
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. Investing in derivatives may be considered aggressive and may expose the Underlying Leveraged ETF to greater risks, and may result in larger losses or smaller gains, than investing directly in the reference assets underlying those derivatives, which may prevent the Underlying Leveraged ETF from achieving its investment objective.
Counterparty Risk — If a counterparty is unwilling or unable to make timely payments to meet its contractual obligations or fails to return holdings that are subject to the agreement with the counterparty resulting in the Underlying Leveraged ETF losing money or not being able to meet its daily leveraged investment objective.
Industry Concentration Risk — The Underlying Index may have a significant portion of its value in issuers in an industry or group of industries. The Underlying Leveraged ETF will allocate its investments to approximately the same extent as the Underlying Index. As a result, the Underlying Leveraged ETF may be subject to greater market fluctuations than a fund that is more broadly invested across industries. As of August 21, 2025, the Underlying Index was comprised of 26 constituents which had a average market capitalization of $1.3 trillion, total market capitalizations ranging from $6.9 billion to $4.3 trillion and were concentrated in the semiconductor industry, which is included in the information technology sector with exposure to companies involved in artificial intelligence and big data. The Underlying Index is rebalanced quarterly and reconstituted annually.
Indirect Investments in the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The Underlying Leveraged ETF is not affiliated with the Trust, the Fund, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates and is not involved with the offering of the Fund in any way and has no obligation to consider your Shares in taking any corporate action that might affect the value of Shares. Investors in the Fund will not have rights to receive dividends or other distributions or any other rights with respect to the Underlying Leveraged ETF but will be subject to declines in the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. Although the Fund invests in the Underlying Leveraged ETF only indirectly, the Fund’s investments are subject to loss as a result of these risks.
Passive Investment and Underlying Index Performance Risk. Investment in the Fund should be made with the understanding that the passive Underlying Leveraged ETF in which the Fund invests will not be able to replicate exactly the performance of the indices they track because the total return generated by the securities will be reduced by transaction costs incurred in adjusting the actual balance of the securities. In addition, the passive Underlying Leveraged ETF in which the Fund invests will incur expenses not incurred by their applicable indices. Certain securities comprising the indices tracked by the passive Underlying Leveraged ETF may, from time to time, temporarily be unavailable, which may further impede the passive Underlying Leveraged ETF’s ability to track their applicable indices.
Derivatives Risk. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds, 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, imperfect correlation with underlying investments, 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 an imperfect correlation between the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objectives. 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. In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
| 66 |
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. For the Fund, in particular, the value of the options contracts in which it invests is substantially influenced by the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. Selling put options exposes the Fund to the risk of potential loss if the market value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF falls below the strike price before the option expires. The Fund may experience substantial downside from specific option positions and certain option positions held by the Fund may expire worthless. 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 at the underlying instrument. There may at times be an imperfect correlation between the movement in values of 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, the Fund’s practice of “rolling” may cause the Fund to experience losses if the expiring contracts do not generate proceeds enough to cover the costs of entering into new options contracts. Rolling refers to the practice of closing out one options position and opening another with a different expiration date and/or a different strike price. Further, if an option is exercised, the seller (writer) of a put option is obligated to purchase the underlying asset at the strike price, which can result in significant financial and regulatory obligations for the Fund if the market value of the asset has fallen substantially. Furthermore, when the Fund seeks to trade out of puts, especially near expiration, there is an added risk that the Fund may be required to allocate resources unexpectedly to fulfill these obligations. This potential exposure to physical settlement can significantly impact the Fund’s liquidity and market exposure, particularly in volatile market conditions.
Swap Risk: Swaps are subject to tracking risk because they may not be perfect substitutes for the instruments they are intended to hedge or replace. Over the counter swaps are subject to counterparty default. Leverage inherent in derivatives will tend to magnify the Fund’s losses. The swap agreements may reference standardized exchange-traded, FLEX, European Style or American Style put options contracts that are based on the values of the price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. that generate specific risks.
Counterparty Risk. The Fund is subject to counterparty risk by virtue of its investments in options contracts. Transactions in some types of derivatives, including options, are required to be centrally cleared (“cleared derivatives”). In a transaction involving cleared derivatives, the Fund’s counterparty is a clearing house rather than a bank or broker. Since the Fund is not a member of clearing houses and only members of a clearing house (“clearing members”) can participate directly in the clearing house, the Fund will hold cleared derivatives through accounts at clearing members. In cleared derivatives positions, the Fund will make payments (including margin payments) to and receive payments from a clearing house through their accounts at clearing members. Customer funds held at a clearing organization in connection with any options contracts are held in a commingled omnibus account and are not identified to the name of the clearing member’s individual customers. As a result, assets deposited by the Fund with any clearing member as margin for options may, in certain circumstances, be used to satisfy losses of other clients of the Fund’s clearing member. In addition, although clearing members guarantee performance of their clients’ obligations to the clearing house, there is a risk that the assets of the Fund might not be fully protected in the event of the clearing member’s bankruptcy, as the Fund would be limited to recovering only a pro rata share of all available funds segregated on behalf of the clearing member’s customers for the relevant account class. The Fund is also subject to the risk that a limited number of clearing members are willing to transact on the Fund’s behalf, which heightens the risks associated with a clearing member’s default. If a clearing member defaults the Fund could lose some or all of the benefits of a transaction entered into by the Fund with the clearing member. If the Fund cannot find a clearing member to transact with on the Fund’s behalf, the Fund may be unable to effectively implement its investment strategy.
In addition, a counterparty (the other party to a transaction or an agreement or the party with whom the Fund executes transactions) to a transaction (including repurchase transaction) with the Fund may be unable or unwilling to make timely principal, interest or settlement payments, or otherwise honor its obligations.
| 67 |
Price Participation Risk. The Fund employs an investment strategy that includes the sale of in-the-money put options contracts, which limits the degree to which the Fund will participate in increases in value experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF over the Call Period. This means that if the Underlying Leveraged ETF experiences an increase in value above the strike price of the sold put options during a Call Period, the Fund will likely not experience that increase to the same extent and may significantly underperform the Underlying Leveraged ETF over the Call Period. Additionally, because the Fund is limited in the degree to which it will participate in increases in value experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF over each Call Period, but has full exposure to any decreases in value experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF over the Call Period, the NAV of the Fund may decrease over any given time period. The Fund’s NAV is dependent on the value of each options portfolio, which is based principally upon the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The degree of participation in the Underlying Leveraged ETF gains the Fund will experience will depend on prevailing market conditions, especially market volatility, at the time the Fund enters into the sold put options contracts and will vary from Call Period to Call Period. The value of the options contracts is affected by changes in the value and dividend rates of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, changes in interest rates, changes in the actual or perceived volatility of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and the remaining time to the options’ expiration, as well as trading conditions in the options market. As the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF share changes and time moves towards the expiration of each Call Period, the value of the options contracts, and therefore the Fund’s NAV, will change. However, it is not expected for the Fund’s NAV to directly correlate on a day-to-day basis with the returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price. The amount of time remaining until the options contract’s expiration date affects the impact of the potential options contract income on the Fund’s NAV, which may not be in full effect until the expiration date of the Fund’s options contracts. Therefore, while changes in the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF share will result in changes to the Fund’s NAV, the Fund generally anticipates that the rate of change in the Fund’s NAV will be different than that experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price.
Distribution Risk. As part of the Fund’s investment objective, the Fund seeks to provide current weekly income. There is no assurance that the Fund will make a distribution in any given month. If the Fund makes distributions, the amounts of such distributions will likely vary greatly from one distribution to the next. Additionally, the weekly distributions, if any, may consist of returns of capital, which would decrease the Fund’s NAV and trading price over time. As a result, an investor may suffer significant losses to their investment.
Put Writing Strategy Risk. The path dependency (i.e., the continued use) of the Fund’s put writing strategy will impact the extent that the Fund participates in the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and, in turn, the Fund’s returns, both during the term of the sold put options and over longer time periods.
If, for example, the Fund were to sell 10% in-the-money put options having a one-month term, the Fund’s participation in the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF will be capped at 10% for that month. However, over a longer period (e.g., a three-month period), the Fund should not be expected to participate fully in the first 30% (i.e., 3 months x 10%) of the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, or the Fund may even lose money, even if the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price has appreciated by at least that much over such period, if during any particular month or months over that period the Underlying Leveraged ETF had a return less than 10%. This example illustrates that both the Fund’s participation in the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and its returns will depend not only on the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF but also on the path that the Underlying Leveraged ETF takes over time.
If, for example, the Fund were to sell 5% out-of-the-money put options having a one-week term, the Fund’s downward protection against the negative price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF will be capped at 5% for that week. However, over a longer period (e.g., a four-week period), the Fund should not be expected to be protected fully in the first 25% (i.e., 4 weeks x 5%) of the negative price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, and the Fund may lose money, even if the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price has appreciated over such period, if during any particular week or weeks over that period the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price had decreases by more than 5%. This example illustrates that both the Fund’s protection against the negative price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and its returns will depend not only on the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF but also on the path that the Underlying Leveraged ETF takes over time.
Under both cases the Fund may be fully exposed to the downward movements of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, offset only by the premiums received from selling put contracts. The Fund does not seek to offer any downside protection, except for the fact that the premiums from the sold options may offset some or all of the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s decline.
Put Spread Strategy Risk. Similarly to a put writing strategy (see relevant risk factor), a put spread strategy will subject the Fund’s performance to path dependency.
Option Market Liquidity Risk. The trading activity in the option market of the Underlying Leveraged ETF may be limited and the option contracts may trade at levels significantly different from their economic value. The lack of liquidity may negatively affect the ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective. This risk may increase if the portfolio turnover is elevated, for instance because of frequent changes in the number of Shares outstanding, and if the net asset value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF is modest. For the 12-month period ending July 31, 2025, the net asset value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF ranged from $4,553m to $14,670m.
Concentration Risk. To the extent that the Underlying Leveraged ETF concentrates its investments in a particular industry, the Fund will be subject to the risks associated with that industry.
| 68 |
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 currently expects to effect a significant portion of its creations and redemptions for cash, rather than in-kind securities. Paying redemption proceeds in cash rather than through in-kind delivery of portfolio securities may require the Fund to dispose of or sell portfolio securities or other assets at an inopportune time to obtain the cash needed to meet redemption orders. This may cause the Fund to sell a security and recognize a capital gain or loss that might not have been incurred if it had made a redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher or lower annual capital gains distributions than ETFs that redeem in-kind. The use of cash creations and redemptions may also cause the Fund’s Shares to trade in the market at greater bid-ask spreads or greater premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV. Furthermore, the Fund may not be able to execute cash transactions for creation and redemption purposes at the same price used to determine the Fund’s NAV. To the extent that the maximum additional charge for creation or redemption transactions is insufficient to cover the execution shortfall, the Fund’s performance could be negatively impacted.
Costs of Buying or Selling Shares. Due to the costs of buying or selling Shares, including brokerage commissions imposed by brokers and bid-ask spreads, frequent trading of Shares may significantly 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 Nasdaq Stock Market, LLC (the “Exchange”), and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for the Shares will develop or be maintained or that the Shares will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. This risk may be greater for the Fund as it seeks to have exposure to a single underlying stock as opposed to a more diverse portfolio like a traditional pooled investment. 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. Shares trade on the Exchange at a market price that may be below, at or above the Fund’s NAV. Trading in Shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in Shares on the Exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to the Exchange “circuit breaker” rules. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged. In the event of an unscheduled market close for options contracts that reference a single stock, such as the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s securities being halted or a market wide closure, settlement prices will be determined by the procedures of the listing exchange of the options contracts. As a result, the Fund could be adversely affected and be unable to implement its investment strategies in the event of an unscheduled closing.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk. The Fund may actively and frequently trade all or a significant portion of the Fund’s holdings. A high portfolio turnover rate increases transaction costs, which may increase the Fund’s expenses. Frequent trading may also cause adverse tax consequences for investors in the Fund due to an increase in short-term capital gains.
Inflation Risk. Inflation risk is the risk that the value of assets or income from investments will be less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money. As inflation increases, the present value of the Fund’s assets and distributions, if any, may decline.
| 69 |
Liquidity Risk. Some securities held by the Fund, including options contracts, may be difficult to sell or be illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. This risk is greater for the Fund as it will hold options contracts on a single security, and not a broader range of options contracts. 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, such as market rules related to short sales, may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Underlying Leveraged ETF. 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.
Management Risk. The Fund is subject to management risk because it is an actively managed portfolio. In managing the Fund’s investment portfolio, the portfolio managers will apply investment techniques and risk analyses that may not produce the desired result. There can be no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective.
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, including money market funds, may lose money through fees or other means.
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.
Operational Risk. The Fund is subject to risks arising from various operational factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund relies on third-parties for a range of services, including custody. Any delay or failure relating to engaging or maintaining such service providers may affect the Fund’s ability to meet its investment objective. Although the Fund, Adviser, and Sub-Adviser seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures, there is no way to completely protect against such risks.
Recent Market Events Risk. U.S. and international markets have experienced significant periods of volatility in recent years and months due to a number of economic, political and global macro factors including the impact of COVID-19 as a global pandemic, which has resulted in a public health crisis, disruptions to business operations and supply chains, stress on the global healthcare system, growth concerns in the U.S. and overseas, staffing shortages and the inability to meet consumer demand, and widespread concern and uncertainty. The global recovery from COVID-19 is proceeding at slower than expected rates due to the emergence of variant strains and may last for an extended period of time. Continuing uncertainties regarding interest rates, rising inflation, political events, rising government debt in the U.S. and trade tensions also contribute to market volatility. Conflict, loss of life and disaster connected to ongoing armed conflict between Ukraine and Russia in Europe and Israel and Hamas in the Middle East could have severe adverse effects on the region, including significant adverse effects on the regional or global economies and the markets for certain securities. The U.S. and the European Union have imposed sanctions on certain Russian individuals and companies, including certain financial institutions, and have limited certain exports and imports to and from Russia. The war has contributed to recent market volatility and may continue to do so. U.S. trade disputes or other disputes with specific countries that could result in additional tariffs, trade barriers and/or investment restrictions in certain securities in those countries.
Single Issuer Risk. Issuer-specific attributes may cause an investment in the Fund to be more volatile than a traditional pooled investment vehicle which diversifies risk or the market generally. The value of the Fund, which focuses on an individual security (the Underlying Leveraged ETF), 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.
Tax Risk. The Fund intends to elect and to qualify each year to be treated as a RIC under Subchapter M of the 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 options it holds is never 25% of the total value of Fund assets at the close of any quarter. If the Fund’s investments in options 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. In addition, distributions received by the Fund from the Underlying Leveraged ETF may generate “bad income” that could prevent the Fund from meeting the “Income Requirement” of Subchapter M of the Code, which may cause the Fund to fail to qualify as a RIC.
| 70 |
Investing in U.S. Equities Risk. Investing in U.S. issuers subjects the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency, security, and economic risks that are specific to the U.S. Certain changes in the U.S., such as a weakening of the U.S. economy or a decline in its financial markets, may have an adverse effect on U.S. issuers.
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.
Fixed Income Securities Risk. The market value of Fixed Income Securities will change in response to interest rate changes and other factors, such as changes in the effective maturities and credit ratings of fixed income investments. During periods of falling interest rates, the values of outstanding Fixed Income Securities and related financial instruments generally rise. Conversely, during periods of rising interest rates, the values of such securities and related financial instruments generally decline. Fixed Income Securities are also subject to credit risk.
Investments in Fixed Income Securities may also involve the following risks, depending on the instrument involved:
| - | Asset-Backed/Mortgage-Backed Securities Risk – The market value and yield of asset-backed and mortgage-backed securities can vary due to market interest rate fluctuations and early prepayments of underlying instruments. | |
| - | Credit Risk – An investment in the Fund also involves the risk that the issuer of a Fixed Income Security that the Fund holds will fail to make timely payments of interest or principal or go bankrupt, or that the value of the securities will decline because of a market perception that the issuer may not make payments on time, thus potentially reducing the Fund’s return. | |
| - | Event Risk – Event risk is the risk that corporate issuers may undergo restructurings, such as mergers, leveraged buyouts, takeovers, or similar events financed by increased debt. As a result of the added debt, the credit quality and market value of a company’s bonds and/or other debt securities may decline significantly. | |
| - | Extension Risk – Payment on the loans underlying Fixed Income Securities held by the Fund may be made more slowly when interest rates are rising. | |
| - | Interest Rate Risk – Generally, the value of Fixed Income Securities will change inversely with changes in interest rates. As interest rates rise, the market value of Fixed Income Securities tends to decrease. Conversely, as interest rates fall, the market value of Fixed Income Securities tends to increase. This risk will be greater for long-term securities than for short-term securities. In recent periods, governmental financial regulators, including the U.S. Federal Reserve, have taken steps to maintain historically low interest rates. Very low or negative interest rates may magnify interest rate risk. Changes in government intervention may have adverse effects on investments, volatility, and illiquidity in debt markets. | |
| - | Prepayment Risk – When interest rates are declining, issuers of Fixed Income Securities held by the Fund may prepay principal earlier than scheduled. |
Performance
Performance:
Portfolio Managers: Jeff Klearman and Ryan Dofflemeyer have been portfolio managers of the Fund since the Fund’s inception in 2024.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares: The Fund is an ETF. Individual Shares of the Fund may only be bought and sold in the secondary market (i.e., on a national securities exchange) through a broker-dealer at a market price. Because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than at NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (at a premium), at NAV or less than NAV (at a discount). An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares of the Fund (ask) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). The bid-ask spread varies over time for Shares based on trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the Fund’s Shares have more trading volume and market liquidity and higher if the Fund’s Shares have little trading volume and market liquidity. Recent information regarding the Fund, including its NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid/ask spreads, is available on the Fund’s website at www.graniteshares.com.
Tax Information: The Fund’s distributions will be taxable to you, generally as ordinary income unless you are invested through a tax-advantaged arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan, IRA or other tax-advantaged account; in such cases, you may be subject to tax when assets are withdrawn from such tax-advantaged arrangement. A sale of Shares may result in capital gain or loss.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries: If you purchase Shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank) (an “Intermediary”), the Adviser and/or its related companies may pay the Intermediary for the sale of Shares and related services. 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.
| 71 |
GraniteShares YIELDBOOST TECHNOLOGY ETF – Summary
The Fund’s primary investment objective is to achieve 3 times (300%) the income generated from selling options on the Technology Select Sector Index (the “Underlying Index”) by selling options on leveraged exchange-traded funds designed to deliver 3 times (300%) the daily performance of the Underlying Index (the “Underlying Leveraged ETF”). The Fund’s secondary investment objective is to gain exposure to the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, subject to a cap on potential investment gains. A downside protection may be implemented which could affect the net income level.
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). The fees are expressed as a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets. Investors may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and example below.
| Management Fee | 0.99 | % | ||
|
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) | ||||
| Management Fee | % | |||
| Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees | % | |||
| Other Expenses (1) | % | |||
| Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses (2) | % | |||
| Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | % | |||
| Fee Waiver/Reimbursements (3) | % | |||
| Net Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver/Reimbursements (1), (2), (3) | % | |||
| (1) | |
| (2) | |
| (3) |
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in mutual funds and other exchange traded funds.
The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell 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 figures shown would be the same whether or not you sold your Shares at the end of each period.
Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years | |||||
| $ | $ | |||||
| 72 |
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 the total annual fund operating expenses or in the expense example above, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund is newly organized, portfolio turnover information is not yet available.
The Fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to pay weekly distributions by selling put options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF, which provides exposure to 3 times the daily performance of the Underlying Index. It is expected that the implied volatility on the Underlying Leveraged ETF to be three times the level of the Underlying Index’s implied volatility and selling options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF to generate, over the same time horizon and for the same strike levels, three times the premium generated by selling options on the Underlying Index. The premium received by the Fund from selling options will be distributed at least partially before the maturity of the options. This allows the Fund to make distributions on a weekly basis even if the options sold have longer maturity (such as monthly maturity for instance). This approach may result in the distributions being treated fiscally as return of capital (see “Distribution Risk” under the section “Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund”). There is no guarantee that the Fund will generate twice the level of premium that would be generated by selling options on the Underlying Index.
The Fund is subject to the losses from the Underlying Leveraged ETF, which would likely be three times the losses compared to the Underlying Index. In case a Put Spread Strategy (as defined under the section “The Fund’s Use of the Underlying Leveraged ETF Derivatives Contracts”) is implemented, the Fund may benefit from a limited downside protection against a negative price variation in the Underlying Leveraged ETF. Such protection will negatively affect the Fund’s overall income level. A put spread strategy with a narrow spread (the difference between the strikes of the put option sold and put option bought) may provide better protection but will have a higher negative impact on the Fund’s income level. A put spread strategy with a large spread will provide a lower protection but may have less negative impact on the Fund’s income level.
The Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in derivatives contracts that utilize the Underlying Leveraged ETF as their reference asset. For purposes of compliance with this investment policy, derivative contracts will be valued at their notional value.
For more information, see section “The Fund’s Use of the Underlying Leveraged ETF Derivatives Contracts” below.
The Fund’s cash balance may be invested in the following instruments: (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; (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 as collateral for the Fund’s swap agreements; (5) repurchase transactions, which are transactions under which the purchaser (i.e., the Fund) acquires securities and the seller agrees, at the time of the sale, to repurchase the securities at a mutually agreed-upon time and price, thereby determining the yield during the purchaser’s holding period, and/or; (6) US large cap equities listed on a national security exchange, sovereign fixed income securities with a credit rating at least equal to the United States Federal Government, or corporate debt securities, such as commercial paper and other short-term unsecured promissory notes issued by businesses that are rated investment grade for the purposes of entering into swap agreements with the Fund’s swap counterparties. The Fund may enter into such swap agreements to improve its operational efficiency.
The Fund is classified as “non-diversified” under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “1940 Act”).
The Fund will be subject to regulatory constraints relating to the level of value at risk that the Fund may incur through its derivatives 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 and the Fund may not achieve its investment objective.
The Fund’s investment objective has not been adopted as a fundamental investment policy and therefore the Fund’s investment objective along with its respective 80% investment policy may be changed without the consent of that Fund’s shareholders upon approval by the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of GraniteShares ETF Trust (the “Trust”) and 60 days’ written notice to shareholders.
There is no guarantee that the Fund’s investment strategy will be properly implemented or that the Fund will pay weekly distributions, and an investor may lose some or all of its investment. Even when the Fund makes a distribution it could be fiscally treated as return of capital (see “Distribution Risk” under the section “Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund”).
An Investment in the Fund is not an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF.
| - | The Fund’s strategy will cap its potential gain to the premium received from selling options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF, | |
| - | The Fund’s strategy is exposed to all potential losses if the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share declines, subject to a potential downside protection if a Put Spread Strategy is used (as defined in ten next section). The potential losses may not be offset by the premium received by the Fund, | |
| - | The Fund does not invest directly in the Underlying Leveraged ETF, | |
| - | Fund shareholders are not entitled to any distribution paid by Underlying Leveraged ETF. |
Additional information regarding the Underlying Leveraged ETF is set forth below.
| 73 |
The Fund’s Use of the Underlying Leveraged ETF Derivatives Contracts
| - | Put Spread Strategy: The Fund will enter in put spread options contracts, either directly or through swap contracts, on the Underlying Leveraged ETF and for which the Fund will receive a net premium. A put spread consists of selling a put option contract while buying a put option contract with the same maturity but a lower strike price. The Fund’s protection against a potential decrease in the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF only applies if it falls below the strike price of the option contract bought by the Fund. Buying a put option contract results in a cost that negatively affects the Fund’s income level. It is unlikely for a put spread strategy to generate twice the level of income that would be obtained by selling options on the Underlying Index directly. The put options contracts sold by the Fund may vary in regard to their strike price from 0 to 15% above the then-current price of the Leveraged ETF. The put options contracts bought by the Fund will have a lower strike price, ranging from 50% out-of-the-money to at-the-money. The put options sold and bought by the Fund will generally have 1- month or less expiration dates. | |
| - | Put Write Strategy: The Fund will sell put options contracts, either directly or through swap contracts, on the Underlying Leveraged ETF and for which it will receive a premium. The put options contracts sold by the Fund may vary in regard to their strike prices from 40% out-of-the-money to 15% in-the-money. The put options sold and bought by the Fund will generally have 1- month or less expiration dates. The Adviser will primarily employ this put write strategy when it believes that the share price of its Underlying Leveraged ETF is likely to rise significantly in the short term (e.g., following a substantial selloff or overall positive market news). |
Example 1 – Put Write Strategy - Selling In-the-money Put Option Contract with a One-month Maturity
Assume for simplicity that the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s shares are trading at $100.00 at the time the Fund sells an in-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $105.00 and a one-month maturity. The Fund receives a $5.50 premium for selling the put option contract.
| Case 1: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increases to $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.50 premium received. | |
| Case 2: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increase exceeded $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.50 premium received but would not participate in any of the additional upside. | |
| Case 3: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops to $99.50 before expiration. | The $5.50 premium received is equal to the drop in price in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price, resulting in a return of zero. | |
| Case 4: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $99.50, that is the strike price ($105.00) reduced by the premium received ($5.50). | The Fund would lose money and be exposed to the drop in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price. |
Example 2 – Put Write Strategy - Selling Out-of-the-money Put Options Contracts with a One-week Maturity
Assume for simplicity that the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s shares are trading at $100.00 at the time the Fund sells an out-of-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $95.00 and a one-week maturity. The Fund receives a $0.50 premium for selling the put option contract.
| Case 1: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increases above $100.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $0.50 premium received but would not participate in the increased in the Underlying Leveraged ETFs’ share price. | |
| Case 2: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $94.50, that is the strike price ($95.00) reduced by the premium received ($0.50). | The Fund would lose money and be exposed to the drop in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price. |
Example 3 – Put Spread Strategy - Selling At-the-money Put Options Contracts and buy an Out-of-the-money Put Options Contracts with both with a One-month Maturity
Assume for simplicity that the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s shares are trading at $100.00 at the time the Fund sells an in-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $105.00 and buy an out-of-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $95.00 both with a one-month maturity. The Fund receives a $5.50 premium for selling the put option contract and pays $0.50 premium for buying the put option contract. Hence the Fund receives a $5.00 net premium.
| Case 1: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increases to $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.00 net premium received. | |
| Case 2: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increase exceeded $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.00 net premium received but would not participate in any of the additional upside. | |
| Case 3: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $100.00, that is the strike price of the option sold ($105.00) reduced by the net premium received ($5.00) but remains above $95.00 before expiration. | The Fund would lose up to $5.00, which is the difference between the 2 strike levels reduced by the net premium received | |
| Case 4: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $95.00 | The Fund would lose $5.00, which is the difference between the 2 strike levels reduced by the net premium received. |
The comparison between the Put Write Strategy in Example 1 and the Put Spread Strategy in Example 3, shows that the Put Spread Strategy has a narrower range of outcomes. It has limited participation in a potential increase or decrease in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price.
In examples 1 and 2, if the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s price were to drop to zero, the Fund’s NAV would be equal, before fees and costs, to the value of premium received.
| 74 |
Types of Options Contracts Used by the Fund
As part of the Fund’s strategy, the Fund may sell Flexible Exchange® (“FLEX”) put options contracts that are based on the value of the price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The Fund will only sell options contracts that are listed for trading on regulated U.S. exchanges. Traditional exchange-traded options contracts have standardized terms, such as the type (call or put), the reference asset, the strike price and expiration date. Exchange-listed options contracts are guaranteed for settlement by the Options Clearing Corporation (“OCC”). FLEX Options are a type of exchange-listed options contract with uniquely customizable terms that allow investors to customize key terms like type, strike price and expiration date that are standardized in a typical options contract. FLEX Options are also guaranteed for settlement by the OCC.
In general, an option is a contract that gives the purchaser (holder) of the option, in return for a premium, the right to buy from (call) or sell to (put) the seller (writer) of the option the security or currency underlying (in this case, the Underlying Leveraged ETF) the option at a specified exercise price. The writer of an option has the obligation upon exercise of the option to deliver the underlying security or currency upon payment of the exercise price (call) or to pay the exercise price upon delivery of the underlying security or currency (put). An option is said to be “European Style” when it can be exercised only at expiration whereas an “American Style” option can be exercised at any time prior to expiration. The Fund might use either European or American style options. The Fund intends to primarily utilize European style options.
Swap agreements Used by the Fund
As part of the Fund’s strategy, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with major financial institutions that provide the same exposure as to selling put options contracts on the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The swap agreements may reference standardized exchange-traded, FLEX, European Style or American Style put options contracts that are based on the values of the price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. All put options contracts referenced in a swap agreement will be listed for trading on regulated U.S. exchanges.
Underlying Leveraged ETF
The Underlying Leveraged ETF, Direxion Daily Technology Bull 3X Shares, is a passively managed fund that seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of 300% of the performance of the Technology Select Sector Index (the “Underlying Index”).
The Underlying Index is a product of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC (“SPDJI”) (the “Index Provider”) and includes domestic companies from the technology sector which includes the following industries: information technology hardware, storage, and peripherals; software; communications equipment; semiconductors and semiconductor equipment; IT services; and electrical equipment, instruments and components. The Underlying Index is one of eleven Select Sector Indexes developed and maintained in accordance with the following criteria: (1) each of the stocks in the Underlying Index is also a constituent company of the S&P 500® Index; (2) each constituent in the S&P 500® Index is assigned to one of the Select Sector Indexes; and (3) the Underlying Index is calculated by the Index Provider using a modified “market capitalization” methodology, which is a hybrid between equal weighting and conventional market capitalization weighting with the weighting capped for the largest stocks included in the Underlying Index. This design ensures that each of the component stocks within a Select Sector Index is represented proportionate to the total market capitalization of such Select Sector Index.
The Underlying Leveraged ETF may invest in the securities of the Underlying Index, a representative sample of the securities in the Underlying Index that has aggregate characteristics similar to those of the Underlying Index, an ETF that tracks the Underlying Index or a substantially similar index, and may utilize derivatives, such as swaps or futures on the Underlying Index or on an ETF that tracks the same Underlying Index or a substantially similar index, that provide leveraged exposure to the above.
| 75 |
Investors can access information about the Underlying Leveraged ETF, including its prospectus and the most recent shareholder reports, online through the SEC’s website, using Registration Statement Nos. 333-150525 and 811-22201. This information, derived from the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s filings with the SEC, is essential for investors to understand the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s operations, investment strategy, and financial prospects. The description of the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s principal investment strategies as outlined here is directly sourced from its prospectus.
This document relates only to the securities offered hereby and does not relate to the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The Fund has derived all disclosures contained in this document regarding the Underlying Leveraged ETF from publicly available documents. In connection with the offering of the securities, none of the Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates has participated in the preparation of such documents or made any due diligence inquiry with respect to the Underlying Leveraged ETF. None of the Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates makes any representation that such publicly available documents or any other publicly available information regarding the Underlying Leveraged ETF 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 the Underlying Leveraged ETF have been publicly disclosed. Subsequent disclosure of any such events or the disclosure of or failure to disclose material future events concerning the Underlying Leveraged ETF could affect the value received with respect to your Shares and therefore the value of your Shares.
The Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, and their respective affiliates do not provide any representation regarding the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF.
THE FUND, TRUST AND ADVISER ARE NOT AFFILIATED WITH DIREXION SHARES TRUST ETF, THE UNDERLYING LEVERAGED ETF, RAFFERTY ASSET MANAGEMENT, LLC OR S&P DOW JONES INDICES, LLC.
PRINCIPAL RISKS OF INVESTING IN THE FUND
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. Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its investment objectives. 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.”
The Underlying Leveraged ETF Risk. The Fund invests in options contracts that are based on the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF shares. This subjects the Fund to certain of the same risks as if it owned shares of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, even though it may not. By virtue of the Fund’s investments in options contracts that are based on the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF shares, the Fund may also be subject to the following risks:
Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk — The Underlying Leveraged ETF shares’ performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which is likely to differ from 300% of the Underlying Index’s performance, before fees and expenses. Compounding has a significant impact on funds that are leveraged and that rebalance daily. The impact of compounding becomes more pronounced as volatility and holding periods increase and will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF is held and the volatility of the Underlying Index during the shareholder’s holding period of an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF.
Leverage Risk — The Underlying Leveraged ETF 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 Underlying Leveraged ETF is exposed to the risk that a decline in the daily performance of the Underlying Index will be magnified. This means that an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF will be reduced by an amount equal to 3% for every 1% daily decline in the Underlying Index, not including the costs of financing leverage and other operating expenses, which would further reduce its value. The Underlying Leveraged ETF could lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event of an Underlying Index decline of more than 33%.
| 76 |
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. Investing in derivatives may be considered aggressive and may expose the Underlying Leveraged ETF to greater risks, and may result in larger losses or smaller gains, than investing directly in the reference assets underlying those derivatives, which may prevent the Underlying Leveraged ETF from achieving its investment objective.
Counterparty Risk — If a counterparty is unwilling or unable to make timely payments to meet its contractual obligations or fails to return holdings that are subject to the agreement with the counterparty resulting in the Underlying Leveraged ETF losing money or not being able to meet its daily leveraged investment objective.
Industry Concentration Risk — The Underlying Index may have a significant portion of its value in issuers in an industry or group of industries. The Underlying Leveraged ETF will allocate its investments to approximately the same extent as the Underlying Index. As a result, the Underlying Leveraged ETF may be subject to greater market fluctuations than a fund that is more broadly invested across industries. As of August 21, 2025, the Underlying Index was comprised of 68 constituents with a median total market capitalization of $54/1 billion, total market capitalizations ranging from $4.2 billion to $4.3 trillion and were concentrated in the information technology sector. The Underlying Index is rebalanced quarterly.
Indirect Investments in the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The Underlying Leveraged ETF is not affiliated with the Trust, the Fund, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates and is not involved with the offering of the Fund in any way and has no obligation to consider your Shares in taking any corporate action that might affect the value of Shares. Investors in the Fund will not have rights to receive dividends or other distributions or any other rights with respect to the Underlying Leveraged ETF but will be subject to declines in the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. Although the Fund invests in the Underlying Leveraged ETF only indirectly, the Fund’s investments are subject to loss as a result of these risks.
Passive Investment and Underlying Index Performance Risk. Investment in the Fund should be made with the understanding that the passive Underlying Leveraged ETF in which the Fund invests will not be able to replicate exactly the performance of the indices they track because the total return generated by the securities will be reduced by transaction costs incurred in adjusting the actual balance of the securities. In addition, the passive Underlying Leveraged ETF in which the Fund invests will incur expenses not incurred by their applicable indices. Certain securities comprising the indices tracked by the passive Underlying Leveraged ETF may, from time to time, temporarily be unavailable, which may further impede the passive Underlying Leveraged ETF’s ability to track their applicable indices.
Derivatives Risk. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds, 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, imperfect correlation with underlying investments, 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 an imperfect correlation between the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objectives. 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. In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
| 77 |
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. For the Fund, in particular, the value of the options contracts in which it invests is substantially influenced by the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. Selling put options exposes the Fund to the risk of potential loss if the market value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF falls below the strike price before the option expires. The Fund may experience substantial downside from specific option positions and certain option positions held by the Fund may expire worthless. 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 at the underlying instrument. There may at times be an imperfect correlation between the movement in values of 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, the Fund’s practice of “rolling” may cause the Fund to experience losses if the expiring contracts do not generate proceeds enough to cover the costs of entering into new options contracts. Rolling refers to the practice of closing out one options position and opening another with a different expiration date and/or a different strike price. Further, if an option is exercised, the seller (writer) of a put option is obligated to purchase the underlying asset at the strike price, which can result in significant financial and regulatory obligations for the Fund if the market value of the asset has fallen substantially. Furthermore, when the Fund seeks to trade out of puts, especially near expiration, there is an added risk that the Fund may be required to allocate resources unexpectedly to fulfill these obligations. This potential exposure to physical settlement can significantly impact the Fund’s liquidity and market exposure, particularly in volatile market conditions.
Swap Risk: Swaps are subject to tracking risk because they may not be perfect substitutes for the instruments they are intended to hedge or replace. Over the counter swaps are subject to counterparty default. Leverage inherent in derivatives will tend to magnify the Fund’s losses. The swap agreements may reference standardized exchange-traded, FLEX, European Style or American Style put options contracts that are based on the values of the price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. that generate specific risks.
Counterparty Risk. The Fund is subject to counterparty risk by virtue of its investments in options contracts. Transactions in some types of derivatives, including options, are required to be centrally cleared (“cleared derivatives”). In a transaction involving cleared derivatives, the Fund’s counterparty is a clearing house rather than a bank or broker. Since the Fund is not a member of clearing houses and only members of a clearing house (“clearing members”) can participate directly in the clearing house, the Fund will hold cleared derivatives through accounts at clearing members. In cleared derivatives positions, the Fund will make payments (including margin payments) to and receive payments from a clearing house through their accounts at clearing members. Customer funds held at a clearing organization in connection with any options contracts are held in a commingled omnibus account and are not identified to the name of the clearing member’s individual customers. As a result, assets deposited by the Fund with any clearing member as margin for options may, in certain circumstances, be used to satisfy losses of other clients of the Fund’s clearing member. In addition, although clearing members guarantee performance of their clients’ obligations to the clearing house, there is a risk that the assets of the Fund might not be fully protected in the event of the clearing member’s bankruptcy, as the Fund would be limited to recovering only a pro rata share of all available funds segregated on behalf of the clearing member’s customers for the relevant account class. The Fund is also subject to the risk that a limited number of clearing members are willing to transact on the Fund’s behalf, which heightens the risks associated with a clearing member’s default. If a clearing member defaults the Fund could lose some or all of the benefits of a transaction entered into by the Fund with the clearing member. If the Fund cannot find a clearing member to transact with on the Fund’s behalf, the Fund may be unable to effectively implement its investment strategy.
In addition, a counterparty (the other party to a transaction or an agreement or the party with whom the Fund executes transactions) to a transaction (including repurchase transaction) with the Fund may be unable or unwilling to make timely principal, interest or settlement payments, or otherwise honor its obligations.
| 78 |
Price Participation Risk. The Fund employs an investment strategy that includes the sale of in-the-money put options contracts, which limits the degree to which the Fund will participate in increases in value experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF over the Call Period. This means that if the Underlying Leveraged ETF experiences an increase in value above the strike price of the sold put options during a Call Period, the Fund will likely not experience that increase to the same extent and may significantly underperform the Underlying Leveraged ETF over the Call Period. Additionally, because the Fund is limited in the degree to which it will participate in increases in value experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF over each Call Period, but has full exposure to any decreases in value experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF over the Call Period, the NAV of the Fund may decrease over any given time period. The Fund’s NAV is dependent on the value of each options portfolio, which is based principally upon the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The degree of participation in the Underlying Leveraged ETF gains the Fund will experience will depend on prevailing market conditions, especially market volatility, at the time the Fund enters into the sold put options contracts and will vary from Call Period to Call Period. The value of the options contracts is affected by changes in the value and dividend rates of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, changes in interest rates, changes in the actual or perceived volatility of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and the remaining time to the options’ expiration, as well as trading conditions in the options market. As the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF share changes and time moves towards the expiration of each Call Period, the value of the options contracts, and therefore the Fund’s NAV, will change. However, it is not expected for the Fund’s NAV to directly correlate on a day-to-day basis with the returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price. The amount of time remaining until the options contract’s expiration date affects the impact of the potential options contract income on the Fund’s NAV, which may not be in full effect until the expiration date of the Fund’s options contracts. Therefore, while changes in the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF share will result in changes to the Fund’s NAV, the Fund generally anticipates that the rate of change in the Fund’s NAV will be different than that experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price.
Distribution Risk. As part of the Fund’s investment objective, the Fund seeks to provide current weekly income. There is no assurance that the Fund will make a distribution in any given month. If the Fund makes distributions, the amounts of such distributions will likely vary greatly from one distribution to the next. Additionally, the weekly distributions, if any, may consist of returns of capital, which would decrease the Fund’s NAV and trading price over time. As a result, an investor may suffer significant losses to their investment.
Put Writing Strategy Risk. The path dependency (i.e., the continued use) of the Fund’s put writing strategy will impact the extent that the Fund participates in the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and, in turn, the Fund’s returns, both during the term of the sold put options and over longer time periods.
If, for example, the Fund were to sell 10% in-the-money put options having a one-month term, the Fund’s participation in the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF will be capped at 10% for that month. However, over a longer period (e.g., a three-month period), the Fund should not be expected to participate fully in the first 30% (i.e., 3 months x 10%) of the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, or the Fund may even lose money, even if the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price has appreciated by at least that much over such period, if during any particular month or months over that period the Underlying Leveraged ETF had a return less than 10%. This example illustrates that both the Fund’s participation in the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and its returns will depend not only on the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF but also on the path that the Underlying Leveraged ETF takes over time.
If, for example, the Fund were to sell 5% out-of-the-money put options having a one-week term, the Fund’s downward protection against the negative price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF will be capped at 5% for that week. However, over a longer period (e.g., a four-week period), the Fund should not be expected to be protected fully in the first 25% (i.e., 4 weeks x 5%) of the negative price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, and the Fund may lose money, even if the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price has appreciated over such period, if during any particular week or weeks over that period the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price had decreases by more than 5%. This example illustrates that both the Fund’s protection against the negative price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and its returns will depend not only on the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF but also on the path that the Underlying Leveraged ETF takes over time.
Under both cases the Fund may be fully exposed to the downward movements of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, offset only by the premiums received from selling put contracts. The Fund does not seek to offer any downside protection, except for the fact that the premiums from the sold options may offset some or all of the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s decline.
Put Spread Strategy Risk. Similarly to a put writing strategy (see relevant risk factor), a put spread strategy will subject the Fund’s performance to path dependency.
Option Market Liquidity Risk. The trading activity in the option market of the Underlying Leveraged ETF may be limited and the option contracts may trade at levels significantly different from their economic value. The lack of liquidity may negatively affect the ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective. This risk may increase if the portfolio turnover is elevated, for instance because of frequent changes in the number of Shares outstanding, and if the net asset value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF is modest. For the 12-month period ending July 31, 2025, the net asset value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF ranged from $1,496m to $3,849m.
Concentration Risk. To the extent that the Underlying Leveraged ETF concentrates its investments in a particular industry, the Fund will be subject to the risks associated with that industry.
| 79 |
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 currently expects to effect a significant portion of its creations and redemptions for cash, rather than in-kind securities. Paying redemption proceeds in cash rather than through in-kind delivery of portfolio securities may require the Fund to dispose of or sell portfolio securities or other assets at an inopportune time to obtain the cash needed to meet redemption orders. This may cause the Fund to sell a security and recognize a capital gain or loss that might not have been incurred if it had made a redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher or lower annual capital gains distributions than ETFs that redeem in-kind. The use of cash creations and redemptions may also cause the Fund’s Shares to trade in the market at greater bid-ask spreads or greater premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV. Furthermore, the Fund may not be able to execute cash transactions for creation and redemption purposes at the same price used to determine the Fund’s NAV. To the extent that the maximum additional charge for creation or redemption transactions is insufficient to cover the execution shortfall, the Fund’s performance could be negatively impacted.
Costs of Buying or Selling Shares. Due to the costs of buying or selling Shares, including brokerage commissions imposed by brokers and bid-ask spreads, frequent trading of Shares may significantly 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 Nasdaq Stock Market, LLC (the “Exchange”), and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for the Shares will develop or be maintained or that the Shares will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. This risk may be greater for the Fund as it seeks to have exposure to a single underlying stock as opposed to a more diverse portfolio like a traditional pooled investment. 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. Shares trade on the Exchange at a market price that may be below, at or above the Fund’s NAV. Trading in Shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in Shares on the Exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to the Exchange “circuit breaker” rules. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged. In the event of an unscheduled market close for options contracts that reference a single stock, such as the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s securities being halted or a market wide closure, settlement prices will be determined by the procedures of the listing exchange of the options contracts. As a result, the Fund could be adversely affected and be unable to implement its investment strategies in the event of an unscheduled closing.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk. The Fund may actively and frequently trade all or a significant portion of the Fund’s holdings. A high portfolio turnover rate increases transaction costs, which may increase the Fund’s expenses. Frequent trading may also cause adverse tax consequences for investors in the Fund due to an increase in short-term capital gains.
Inflation Risk. Inflation risk is the risk that the value of assets or income from investments will be less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money. As inflation increases, the present value of the Fund’s assets and distributions, if any, may decline.
| 80 |
Liquidity Risk. Some securities held by the Fund, including options contracts, may be difficult to sell or be illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. This risk is greater for the Fund as it will hold options contracts on a single security, and not a broader range of options contracts. 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, such as market rules related to short sales, may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Underlying Leveraged ETF. 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.
Management Risk. The Fund is subject to management risk because it is an actively managed portfolio. In managing the Fund’s investment portfolio, the portfolio managers will apply investment techniques and risk analyses that may not produce the desired result. There can be no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective.
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, including money market funds, may lose money through fees or other means.
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.
Operational Risk. The Fund is subject to risks arising from various operational factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund relies on third-parties for a range of services, including custody. Any delay or failure relating to engaging or maintaining such service providers may affect the Fund’s ability to meet its investment objective. Although the Fund, Adviser, and Sub-Adviser seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures, there is no way to completely protect against such risks.
Recent Market Events Risk. U.S. and international markets have experienced significant periods of volatility in recent years and months due to a number of economic, political and global macro factors including the impact of COVID-19 as a global pandemic, which has resulted in a public health crisis, disruptions to business operations and supply chains, stress on the global healthcare system, growth concerns in the U.S. and overseas, staffing shortages and the inability to meet consumer demand, and widespread concern and uncertainty. The global recovery from COVID-19 is proceeding at slower than expected rates due to the emergence of variant strains and may last for an extended period of time. Continuing uncertainties regarding interest rates, rising inflation, political events, rising government debt in the U.S. and trade tensions also contribute to market volatility. Conflict, loss of life and disaster connected to ongoing armed conflict between Ukraine and Russia in Europe and Israel and Hamas in the Middle East could have severe adverse effects on the region, including significant adverse effects on the regional or global economies and the markets for certain securities. The U.S. and the European Union have imposed sanctions on certain Russian individuals and companies, including certain financial institutions, and have limited certain exports and imports to and from Russia. The war has contributed to recent market volatility and may continue to do so. U.S. trade disputes or other disputes with specific countries that could result in additional tariffs, trade barriers and/or investment restrictions in certain securities in those countries.
Single Issuer Risk. Issuer-specific attributes may cause an investment in the Fund to be more volatile than a traditional pooled investment vehicle which diversifies risk or the market generally. The value of the Fund, which focuses on an individual security (the Underlying Leveraged ETF), 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.
Tax Risk. The Fund intends to elect and to qualify each year to be treated as a RIC under Subchapter M of the 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 the derivatives it holds is never 25% of the total value of Fund assets at the close of any quarter. If the Fund’s investments in the derivatives 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. In addition, distributions received by the Fund from the Underlying Leveraged ETF may generate “bad income” that could prevent the Fund from meeting the “Income Requirement” of Subchapter M of the Code, which may cause the Fund to fail to qualify as a RIC.
| 81 |
Investing in U.S. Equities Risk. Investing in U.S. issuers subjects the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency, security, and economic risks that are specific to the U.S. Certain changes in the U.S., such as a weakening of the U.S. economy or a decline in its financial markets, may have an adverse effect on U.S. issuers.
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.
Fixed Income Securities Risk. The market value of Fixed Income Securities will change in response to interest rate changes and other factors, such as changes in the effective maturities and credit ratings of fixed income investments. During periods of falling interest rates, the values of outstanding Fixed Income Securities and related financial instruments generally rise. Conversely, during periods of rising interest rates, the values of such securities and related financial instruments generally decline. Fixed Income Securities are also subject to credit risk.
Investments in Fixed Income Securities may also involve the following risks, depending on the instrument involved:
| - | Asset-Backed/Mortgage-Backed Securities Risk – The market value and yield of asset-backed and mortgage-backed securities can vary due to market interest rate fluctuations and early prepayments of underlying instruments. | |
| - | Credit Risk – An investment in the Fund also involves the risk that the issuer of a Fixed Income Security that the Fund holds will fail to make timely payments of interest or principal or go bankrupt, or that the value of the securities will decline because of a market perception that the issuer may not make payments on time, thus potentially reducing the Fund’s return. | |
| - | Event Risk – Event risk is the risk that corporate issuers may undergo restructurings, such as mergers, leveraged buyouts, takeovers, or similar events financed by increased debt. As a result of the added debt, the credit quality and market value of a company’s bonds and/or other debt securities may decline significantly. | |
| - | Extension Risk – Payment on the loans underlying Fixed Income Securities held by the Fund may be made more slowly when interest rates are rising. | |
| - | Interest Rate Risk – Generally, the value of Fixed Income Securities will change inversely with changes in interest rates. As interest rates rise, the market value of Fixed Income Securities tends to decrease. Conversely, as interest rates fall, the market value of Fixed Income Securities tends to increase. This risk will be greater for long-term securities than for short-term securities. In recent periods, governmental financial regulators, including the U.S. Federal Reserve, have taken steps to maintain historically low interest rates. Very low or negative interest rates may magnify interest rate risk. Changes in government intervention may have adverse effects on investments, volatility, and illiquidity in debt markets. | |
| - | Prepayment Risk – When interest rates are declining, issuers of Fixed Income Securities held by the Fund may prepay principal earlier than scheduled. |
Performance:
Portfolio Managers: Jeff Klearman and Ryan Dofflemeyer have been portfolio managers of the Fund since the Fund’s inception in 2024.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares: The Fund is an ETF. Individual Shares of the Fund may only be bought and sold in the secondary market (i.e., on a national securities exchange) through a broker-dealer at a market price. Because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than at NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (at a premium), at NAV or less than NAV (at a discount). An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares of the Fund (ask) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). The bid-ask spread varies over time for Shares based on trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the Fund’s Shares have more trading volume and market liquidity and higher if the Fund’s Shares have little trading volume and market liquidity. Recent information regarding the Fund, including its NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid/ask spreads, is available on the Fund’s website at www.graniteshares.com.
Tax Information: The Fund’s distributions will be taxable to you, generally as ordinary income unless you are invested through a tax-advantaged arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan, IRA or other tax-advantaged account; in such cases, you may be subject to tax when assets are withdrawn from such tax-advantaged arrangement. A sale of Shares may result in capital gain or loss.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries: If you purchase Shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank) (an “Intermediary”), the Adviser and/or its related companies may pay the Intermediary for the sale of Shares and related services. 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.
| 82 |
GraniteShares YIELDBOOST CHINA ETF – Summary
The Fund’s primary investment objective is to achieve 3 times (300%) the income generated from selling options on the FTSE China 50 Index (the “Underlying Index”) by selling options on leveraged exchange-traded funds designed to deliver 3 times (300%) the daily performance of the Underlying Index (the “Underlying Leveraged ETF”). The Fund’s secondary investment objective is to gain exposure to the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, subject to a cap on potential investment gains. A downside protection may be implemented which could affect the net income level.
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). The fees are expressed as a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets. Investors may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and example below.
| Management Fee | 0.99 | % | ||
|
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) | ||||
| Management Fee | % | |||
| Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees | % | |||
| Other Expenses (1) | % | |||
| Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses (2) | % | |||
| Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | % | |||
| Fee Waiver/Reimbursements (3) | % | |||
| Net Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver/Reimbursements (1), (2), (3) | % | |||
| (1) | |
| (2) | |
| (3) |
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in mutual funds and other exchange traded funds.
The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell 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 figures shown would be the same whether or not you sold your Shares at the end of each period.
Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years | |||||
| $ | $ | |||||
| 83 |
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 the total annual fund operating expenses or in the expense example above, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund is newly organized, portfolio turnover information is not yet available.
The Fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to pay weekly distributions by selling put options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF, which provides exposure to 3 times the daily performance of the Underlying Index. It is expected that the implied volatility on the Underlying Leveraged ETF to be three times the level of the Underlying Index’s implied volatility and selling options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF to generate, over the same time horizon and for the same strike levels, three times the premium generated by selling options on the Underlying Index. The premium received by the Fund from selling options will be distributed at least partially before the maturity of the options. This allows the Fund to make distributions on a weekly basis even if the options sold have longer maturity (such as monthly maturity for instance). This approach may result in the distributions being treated fiscally as return of capital (see “Distribution Risk” under the section “Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund”). There is no guarantee that the Fund will generate twice the level of premium that would be generated by selling options on the Underlying Index.
The Fund is subject to the losses from the Underlying Leveraged ETF, which would likely be three times the losses compared to the Underlying Index. In case a Put Spread Strategy (as defined under the section “The Fund’s Use of the Underlying Leveraged ETF Derivatives Contracts”) is implemented, the Fund may benefit from a limited downside protection against a negative price variation in the Underlying Leveraged ETF. Such protection will negatively affect the Fund’s overall income level. A put spread strategy with a narrow spread (the difference between the strikes of the put option sold and put option bought) may provide better protection but will have a higher negative impact on the Fund’s income level. A put spread strategy with a large spread will provide a lower protection but may have less negative impact on the Fund’s income level.
The Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in derivatives contracts that utilize the Underlying Leveraged ETF as their reference asset. For purposes of compliance with this investment policy, derivative contracts will be valued at their notional value.
For more information, see section “The Fund’s Use of the Underlying Leveraged ETF Derivatives Contracts” below.
The Fund’s cash balance may be invested in the following instruments: (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; (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 as collateral for the Fund’s swap agreements; (5) repurchase transactions, which are transactions under which the purchaser (i.e., the Fund) acquires securities and the seller agrees, at the time of the sale, to repurchase the securities at a mutually agreed-upon time and price, thereby determining the yield during the purchaser’s holding period, and/or; (6) US large cap equities listed on a national security exchange, sovereign fixed income securities with a credit rating at least equal to the United States Federal Government, or corporate debt securities, such as commercial paper and other short-term unsecured promissory notes issued by businesses that are rated investment grade for the purposes of entering into swap agreements with the Fund’s swap counterparties. The Fund may enter into such swap agreements to improve its operational efficiency.
The Fund is classified as “non-diversified” under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “1940 Act”).
The Fund will be subject to regulatory constraints relating to the level of value at risk that the Fund may incur through its derivatives 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 and the Fund may not achieve its investment objective.
The Fund’s investment objective has not been adopted as a fundamental investment policy and therefore the Fund’s investment objective along with its respective 80% investment policy may be changed without the consent of that Fund’s shareholders upon approval by the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of GraniteShares ETF Trust (the “Trust”) and 60 days’ written notice to shareholders.
There is no guarantee that the Fund’s investment strategy will be properly implemented or that the Fund will pay weekly distributions, and an investor may lose some or all of its investment. Even when the Fund makes a distribution it could be fiscally treated as return of capital (see “Distribution Risk” under the section “Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund”).
An Investment in the Fund is not an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF
| - | The Fund’s strategy will cap its potential gain to the premium received from selling options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF, | |
| - | The Fund’s strategy is exposed to all potential losses if the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share declines, subject to a potential downside protection if a Put Spread Strategy is used (as defined in ten next section). The potential losses may not be offset by the premium received by the Fund, | |
| - | The Fund does not invest directly in the Underlying Leveraged ETF, | |
| - | Fund shareholders are not entitled to any distribution paid by Underlying Leveraged ETF. |
Additional information regarding the Underlying Leveraged ETF is set forth below.
The Fund’s Use of the Underlying Leveraged ETF Derivatives Contracts
| - | Put Spread Strategy: The Fund will enter in put spread options contracts, either directly or through swap contracts, on the Underlying Leveraged ETF and for which the Fund will receive a net premium. A put spread consists of selling a put option contract while buying a put option contract with the same maturity but a lower strike price. The Fund’s protection against a potential decrease in the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF only applies if it falls below the strike price of the option contract bought by the Fund. Buying a put option contract results in a cost that negatively affects the Fund’s income level. It is unlikely for a put spread strategy to generate twice the level of income that would be obtained by selling options on the Underlying Index directly. The put options contracts sold by the Fund may vary in regard to their strike price from 0 to 15% above the then-current price of the Leveraged ETF. The put options contracts bought by the Fund will have a lower strike price, ranging from 50% out-of-the-money to at-the-money. The put options sold and bought by the Fund will generally have 1- month or less expiration dates. | |
| - | Put Write Strategy: The Fund will sell put options contracts, either directly or through swap contracts, on the Underlying Leveraged ETF and for which it will receive a premium. The put options contracts sold by the Fund may vary in regard to their strike prices from 40% out-of-the-money to 15% in-the-money. The put options sold and bought by the Fund will generally have 1- month or less expiration dates. The Adviser will primarily employ this put write strategy when it believes that the share price of its Underlying Leveraged ETF is likely to rise significantly in the short term (e.g., following a substantial selloff or overall positive market news). |
| 84 |
Example 1 – Put Write Strategy - Selling In-the-money Put Option Contract with a One-month Maturity
Assume for simplicity that the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s shares are trading at $100.00 at the time the Fund sells an in-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $105.00 and a one-month maturity. The Fund receives a $5.50 premium for selling the put option contract.
| Case 1: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increases to $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.50 premium received. | |
| Case 2: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increase exceeded $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.50 premium received but would not participate in any of the additional upside. | |
| Case 3: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops to $99.50 before expiration. | The $5.50 premium received is equal to the drop in price in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price, resulting in a return of zero. | |
| Case 4: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $99.50, that is the strike price ($105.00) reduced by the premium received ($5.50). | The Fund would lose money and be exposed to the drop in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price. |
Example 2 – Put Write Strategy - Selling Out-of-the-money Put Options Contracts with a One-week Maturity
Assume for simplicity that the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s shares are trading at $100.00 at the time the Fund sells an out-of-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $95.00 and a one-week maturity. The Fund receives a $0.50 premium for selling the put option contract.
| Case 1: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increases above $100.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $0.50 premium received but would not participate in the increased in the Underlying Leveraged ETFs’ share price. | |
| Case 2: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $94.50, that is the strike price ($95.00) reduced by the premium received ($0.50). | The Fund would lose money and be exposed to the drop in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price. |
Example 3 – Put Spread Strategy - Selling At-the-money Put Options Contracts and buy an Out-of-the-money Put Options Contracts with both with a One-month Maturity
Assume for simplicity that the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s shares are trading at $100.00 at the time the Fund sells an in-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $105.00 and buy an out-of-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $95.00 both with a one-month maturity. The Fund receives a $5.50 premium for selling the put option contract and pays $0.50 premium for buying the put option contract. Hence the Fund receives a $5.00 net premium.
| Case 1: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increases to $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.00 net premium received. | |
| Case 2: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increase exceeded $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.00 net premium received but would not participate in any of the additional upside. | |
| Case 3: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $100.00, that is the strike price of the option sold ($105.00) reduced by the net premium received ($5.00) but remains above $95.00 before expiration. | The Fund would lose up to $5.00, which is the difference between the 2 strike levels reduced by the net premium received | |
| Case 4: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $95.00 | The Fund would lose $5.00, which is the difference between the 2 strike levels reduced by the net premium received. |
The comparison between the Put Write Strategy in Example 1 and the Put Spread Strategy in Example 3, shows that the Put Spread Strategy has a narrower range of outcomes. It has limited participation in a potential increase or decrease in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price.
In examples 1 and 2, if the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s price were to drop to zero, the Fund’s NAV would be equal, before fees and costs, to the value of premium received.
| 85 |
Types of Options Contracts Used by the Fund
As part of the Fund’s strategy, the Fund may sell Flexible Exchange® (“FLEX”) put options contracts that are based on the value of the price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The Fund will only sell options contracts that are listed for trading on regulated U.S. exchanges. Traditional exchange-traded options contracts have standardized terms, such as the type (call or put), the reference asset, the strike price and expiration date. Exchange-listed options contracts are guaranteed for settlement by the Options Clearing Corporation (“OCC”). FLEX Options are a type of exchange-listed options contract with uniquely customizable terms that allow investors to customize key terms like type, strike price and expiration date that are standardized in a typical options contract. FLEX Options are also guaranteed for settlement by the OCC.
In general, an option is a contract that gives the purchaser (holder) of the option, in return for a premium, the right to buy from (call) or sell to (put) the seller (writer) of the option the security or currency underlying (in this case, the Underlying Leveraged ETF) the option at a specified exercise price. The writer of an option has the obligation upon exercise of the option to deliver the underlying security or currency upon payment of the exercise price (call) or to pay the exercise price upon delivery of the underlying security or currency (put). An option is said to be “European Style” when it can be exercised only at expiration whereas an “American Style” option can be exercised at any time prior to expiration. The Fund might use either European or American style options. The Fund intends to primarily utilize European style options.
Swap agreements Used by the Fund
As part of the Fund’s strategy, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with major financial institutions that provide the same exposure as to selling put options contracts on the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The swap agreements may reference standardized exchange-traded, FLEX, European Style or American Style put options contracts that are based on the values of the price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. All put options contracts referenced in a swap agreement will be listed for trading on regulated U.S. exchanges.
The swap performance will settle in cash only irrespective of the types of the put options contracts referenced in the swap agreement.
Underlying Leveraged ETF
The Underlying Leveraged ETF, Direxion Daily FTSE China Bull 3X Shares, is a passively managed fund that seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of 300% of the performance of the FTSE China 50 Index (the “Underlying Index”).
The Underlying Index consists of the 50 largest and most liquid public Chinese companies currently trading on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange as determined by FTSE/Russell (the “Index Provider”). Constituents in the Underlying Index are weighted based on total market value, so that companies with larger total market values will generally have a greater weight in the Underlying Index. Underlying Index constituents are screened for liquidity and weightings and are capped to limit the concentration of any one stock in the Underlying Index.
China is considered an “emerging market,” by the Index Provider. The term “emerging market” refers to an economy that is in the initial stages of industrialization and has been historically marked by low per capita income and a lack of capital market transparency, but appears to be implementing political and/or market reforms resulting in greater capital market transparency, increased access for foreign investors and generally improved economic conditions.
The Underlying Leveraged ETF may invest in the securities of the Underlying Index, a representative sample of the securities in the Underlying Index that has aggregate characteristics similar to those of the Underlying Index, an ETF that tracks the Underlying Index or a substantially similar index, and may utilize derivatives, such as swaps or futures on the Underlying Index or on an ETF that tracks the same Underlying Index or a substantially similar index, that provide leveraged exposure to the above.
| 86 |
Investors can access information about the Underlying Leveraged ETF, including its prospectus and the most recent shareholder reports, online through the SEC’s website, using Registration Statement Nos. 333-150525 and 811-22201. This information, derived from the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s filings with the SEC, is essential for investors to understand the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s operations, investment strategy, and financial prospects. The description of the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s principal investment strategies as outlined here is directly sourced from its prospectus.
This document relates only to the securities offered hereby and does not relate to the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The Fund has derived all disclosures contained in this document regarding the Underlying Leveraged ETF from publicly available documents. In connection with the offering of the securities, none of the Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates has participated in the preparation of such documents or made any due diligence inquiry with respect to the Underlying Leveraged ETF. None of the Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates makes any representation that such publicly available documents or any other publicly available information regarding the Underlying Leveraged ETF 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 the Underlying Leveraged ETF have been publicly disclosed. Subsequent disclosure of any such events or the disclosure of or failure to disclose material future events concerning the Underlying Leveraged ETF could affect the value received with respect to your Shares and therefore the value of your Shares.
The Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, and their respective affiliates do not provide any representation regarding the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF.
THE FUND, TRUST AND ADVISER ARE NOT AFFILIATED WITH DIREXION SHARES TRUST ETF, THE UNDERLYING LEVERAGED ETF, RAFFERTY ASSET MANAGEMENT, LLC OR FTSE/RUSSELL.
PRINCIPAL RISKS OF INVESTING IN THE FUND
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. Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its investment objectives. 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.”
The Underlying Leveraged ETF Risk. The Fund invests in options contracts that are based on the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF shares. This subjects the Fund to certain of the same risks as if it owned shares of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, even though it may not. By virtue of the Fund’s investments in options contracts that are based on the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF shares, the Fund may also be subject to the following risks:
Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk — The Underlying Leveraged ETF shares’ performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which is likely to differ from 300% of the Underlying Index’s performance, before fees and expenses. Compounding has a significant impact on funds that are leveraged and that rebalance daily. The impact of compounding becomes more pronounced as volatility and holding periods increase and will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF is held and the volatility of the Underlying Index during the shareholder’s holding period of an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF.
Leverage Risk — The Underlying Leveraged ETF 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 Underlying Leveraged ETF is exposed to the risk that a decline in the daily performance of the Underlying Index will be magnified. This means that an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF will be reduced by an amount equal to 3% for every 1% daily decline in the Underlying Index, not including the costs of financing leverage and other operating expenses, which would further reduce its value. The Underlying Leveraged ETF could lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event of an Underlying Index decline of more than 33%.
| 87 |
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. Investing in derivatives may be considered aggressive and may expose the Underlying Leveraged ETF to greater risks, and may result in larger losses or smaller gains, than investing directly in the reference assets underlying those derivatives, which may prevent the Underlying Leveraged ETF from achieving its investment objective.
Counterparty Risk — If a counterparty is unwilling or unable to make timely payments to meet its contractual obligations or fails to return holdings that are subject to the agreement with the counterparty resulting in the Underlying Leveraged ETF losing money or not being able to meet its daily leveraged investment objective.
Country Concentration Risk — The Underlying Index has a significant portion of its value in Chinese companies currently trading on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The Underlying Leveraged ETF will allocate its investments to approximately the same extent as the Underlying Index. As a result, the Underlying Leveraged ETF may be subject to greater market fluctuations than a fund that is more broadly invested across industries. Although the economy of China has been in a state of transition from a government-planned socialist economy to a more market-oriented economy since the 1970s, the level of government involvement in China’s economy continues to distinguish it from other global markets as the majority of productive assets in China are owned (at different levels) by the People’s Republic of China (“China” or the “PRC”) government. Due to PRC government economic reforms during the last 30 years, China’s economy, as reflected in the value of Chinese issuers, has experienced significant growth. There can be no assurance, however, that the PRC government will continue to pursue such reforms. As of July 31, 2025, the Underlying Index constituents had a median market capitalization of $21.5 billion, total market capitalizations ranging from $1.5 billion to $162.7 billion and were concentrated in the technology, financials, and consumer discretionary sectors. The Underlying Index is rebalanced and reviewed quarterly.
Indirect Investments in the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The Underlying Leveraged ETF is not affiliated with the Trust, the Fund, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates and is not involved with the offering of the Fund in any way and has no obligation to consider your Shares in taking any corporate action that might affect the value of Shares. Investors in the Fund will not have rights to receive dividends or other distributions or any other rights with respect to the Underlying Leveraged ETF but will be subject to declines in the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. Although the Fund invests in the Underlying Leveraged ETF only indirectly, the Fund’s investments are subject to loss as a result of these risks.
Passive Investment and Underlying Index Performance Risk. Investment in the Fund should be made with the understanding that the passive Underlying Leveraged ETF in which the Fund invests will not be able to replicate exactly the performance of the indices they track because the total return generated by the securities will be reduced by transaction costs incurred in adjusting the actual balance of the securities. In addition, the passive Underlying Leveraged ETF in which the Fund invests will incur expenses not incurred by their applicable indices. Certain securities comprising the indices tracked by the passive Underlying Leveraged ETF may, from time to time, temporarily be unavailable, which may further impede the passive Underlying Leveraged ETF’s ability to track their applicable indices.
Derivatives Risk. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds, 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, imperfect correlation with underlying investments, 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 an imperfect correlation between the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objectives. 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. In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
| 88 |
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. For the Fund, in particular, the value of the options contracts in which it invests is substantially influenced by the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. Selling put options exposes the Fund to the risk of potential loss if the market value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF falls below the strike price before the option expires. The Fund may experience substantial downside from specific option positions and certain option positions held by the Fund may expire worthless. 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 at the underlying instrument. There may at times be an imperfect correlation between the movement in values of 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, the Fund’s practice of “rolling” may cause the Fund to experience losses if the expiring contracts do not generate proceeds enough to cover the costs of entering into new options contracts. Rolling refers to the practice of closing out one options position and opening another with a different expiration date and/or a different strike price. Further, if an option is exercised, the seller (writer) of a put option is obligated to purchase the underlying asset at the strike price, which can result in significant financial and regulatory obligations for the Fund if the market value of the asset has fallen substantially. Furthermore, when the Fund seeks to trade out of puts, especially near expiration, there is an added risk that the Fund may be required to allocate resources unexpectedly to fulfill these obligations. This potential exposure to physical settlement can significantly impact the Fund’s liquidity and market exposure, particularly in volatile market conditions.
Swap Risk: Swaps are subject to tracking risk because they may not be perfect substitutes for the instruments they are intended to hedge or replace. Over the counter swaps are subject to counterparty default. Leverage inherent in derivatives will tend to magnify the Fund’s losses. The swap agreements may reference standardized exchange-traded, FLEX, European Style or American Style put options contracts that are based on the values of the price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. that generate specific risks.
Counterparty Risk. The Fund is subject to counterparty risk by virtue of its investments in options contracts. Transactions in some types of derivatives, including options, are required to be centrally cleared (“cleared derivatives”). In a transaction involving cleared derivatives, the Fund’s counterparty is a clearing house rather than a bank or broker. Since the Fund is not a member of clearing houses and only members of a clearing house (“clearing members”) can participate directly in the clearing house, the Fund will hold cleared derivatives through accounts at clearing members. In cleared derivatives positions, the Fund will make payments (including margin payments) to and receive payments from a clearing house through their accounts at clearing members. Customer funds held at a clearing organization in connection with any options contracts are held in a commingled omnibus account and are not identified to the name of the clearing member’s individual customers. As a result, assets deposited by the Fund with any clearing member as margin for options may, in certain circumstances, be used to satisfy losses of other clients of the Fund’s clearing member. In addition, although clearing members guarantee performance of their clients’ obligations to the clearing house, there is a risk that the assets of the Fund might not be fully protected in the event of the clearing member’s bankruptcy, as the Fund would be limited to recovering only a pro rata share of all available funds segregated on behalf of the clearing member’s customers for the relevant account class. The Fund is also subject to the risk that a limited number of clearing members are willing to transact on the Fund’s behalf, which heightens the risks associated with a clearing member’s default. If a clearing member defaults the Fund could lose some or all of the benefits of a transaction entered into by the Fund with the clearing member. If the Fund cannot find a clearing member to transact with on the Fund’s behalf, the Fund may be unable to effectively implement its investment strategy.
In addition, a counterparty (the other party to a transaction or an agreement or the party with whom the Fund executes transactions) to a transaction (including repurchase transaction) with the Fund may be unable or unwilling to make timely principal, interest or settlement payments, or otherwise honor its obligations.
| 89 |
Price Participation Risk. The Fund employs an investment strategy that includes the sale of in-the-money put options contracts, which limits the degree to which the Fund will participate in increases in value experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF over the Call Period. This means that if the Underlying Leveraged ETF experiences an increase in value above the strike price of the sold put options during a Call Period, the Fund will likely not experience that increase to the same extent and may significantly underperform the Underlying Leveraged ETF over the Call Period. Additionally, because the Fund is limited in the degree to which it will participate in increases in value experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF over each Call Period, but has full exposure to any decreases in value experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF over the Call Period, the NAV of the Fund may decrease over any given time period. The Fund’s NAV is dependent on the value of each options portfolio, which is based principally upon the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The degree of participation in the Underlying Leveraged ETF gains the Fund will experience will depend on prevailing market conditions, especially market volatility, at the time the Fund enters into the sold put options contracts and will vary from Call Period to Call Period. The value of the options contracts is affected by changes in the value and dividend rates of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, changes in interest rates, changes in the actual or perceived volatility of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and the remaining time to the options’ expiration, as well as trading conditions in the options market. As the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF share changes and time moves towards the expiration of each Call Period, the value of the options contracts, and therefore the Fund’s NAV, will change. However, it is not expected for the Fund’s NAV to directly correlate on a day-to-day basis with the returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price. The amount of time remaining until the options contract’s expiration date affects the impact of the potential options contract income on the Fund’s NAV, which may not be in full effect until the expiration date of the Fund’s options contracts. Therefore, while changes in the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF share will result in changes to the Fund’s NAV, the Fund generally anticipates that the rate of change in the Fund’s NAV will be different than that experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price.
Distribution Risk. As part of the Fund’s investment objective, the Fund seeks to provide current weekly income. There is no assurance that the Fund will make a distribution in any given month. If the Fund makes distributions, the amounts of such distributions will likely vary greatly from one distribution to the next. Additionally, the weekly distributions, if any, may consist of returns of capital, which would decrease the Fund’s NAV and trading price over time. As a result, an investor may suffer significant losses to their investment.
Put Writing Strategy Risk. The path dependency (i.e., the continued use) of the Fund’s put writing strategy will impact the extent that the Fund participates in the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and, in turn, the Fund’s returns, both during the term of the sold put options and over longer time periods.
If, for example, the Fund were to sell 10% in-the-money put options having a one-month term, the Fund’s participation in the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF will be capped at 10% for that month. However, over a longer period (e.g., a three-month period), the Fund should not be expected to participate fully in the first 30% (i.e., 3 months x 10%) of the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, or the Fund may even lose money, even if the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price has appreciated by at least that much over such period, if during any particular month or months over that period the Underlying Leveraged ETF had a return less than 10%. This example illustrates that both the Fund’s participation in the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and its returns will depend not only on the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF but also on the path that the Underlying Leveraged ETF takes over time.
If, for example, the Fund were to sell 5% out-of-the-money put options having a one-week term, the Fund’s downward protection against the negative price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF will be capped at 5% for that week. However, over a longer period (e.g., a four-week period), the Fund should not be expected to be protected fully in the first 25% (i.e., 4 weeks x 5%) of the negative price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, and the Fund may lose money, even if the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price has appreciated over such period, if during any particular week or weeks over that period the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price had decreases by more than 5%. This example illustrates that both the Fund’s protection against the negative price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and its returns will depend not only on the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF but also on the path that the Underlying Leveraged ETF takes over time.
Under both cases the Fund may be fully exposed to the downward movements of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, offset only by the premiums received from selling put contracts. The Fund does not seek to offer any downside protection, except for the fact that the premiums from the sold options may offset some or all of the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s decline.
Put Spread Strategy Risk. Similarly to a put writing strategy (see relevant risk factor), a put spread strategy will subject the Fund’s performance to path dependency.
Option Market Liquidity Risk. The trading activity in the option market of the Underlying Leveraged ETF may be limited and the option contracts may trade at levels significantly different from their economic value. The lack of liquidity may negatively affect the ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective. This risk may increase if the portfolio turnover is elevated, for instance because of frequent changes in the number of Shares outstanding, and if the net asset value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF is modest. For the 12-month period ending July 31, 2025, the net asset value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF ranged from $704m to $2,814m.
Concentration Risk. To the extent that the Underlying Leveraged ETF concentrates its investments in a particular industry, the Fund will be subject to the risks associated with that industry.
| 90 |
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 currently expects to effect a significant portion of its creations and redemptions for cash, rather than in-kind securities. Paying redemption proceeds in cash rather than through in-kind delivery of portfolio securities may require the Fund to dispose of or sell portfolio securities or other assets at an inopportune time to obtain the cash needed to meet redemption orders. This may cause the Fund to sell a security and recognize a capital gain or loss that might not have been incurred if it had made a redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher or lower annual capital gains distributions than ETFs that redeem in-kind. The use of cash creations and redemptions may also cause the Fund’s Shares to trade in the market at greater bid-ask spreads or greater premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV. Furthermore, the Fund may not be able to execute cash transactions for creation and redemption purposes at the same price used to determine the Fund’s NAV. To the extent that the maximum additional charge for creation or redemption transactions is insufficient to cover the execution shortfall, the Fund’s performance could be negatively impacted.
Costs of Buying or Selling Shares. Due to the costs of buying or selling Shares, including brokerage commissions imposed by brokers and bid-ask spreads, frequent trading of Shares may significantly 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 Nasdaq Stock Market, LLC (the “Exchange”), and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for the Shares will develop or be maintained or that the Shares will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. This risk may be greater for the Fund as it seeks to have exposure to a single underlying stock as opposed to a more diverse portfolio like a traditional pooled investment. 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. Shares trade on the Exchange at a market price that may be below, at or above the Fund’s NAV. Trading in Shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in Shares on the Exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to the Exchange “circuit breaker” rules. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged. In the event of an unscheduled market close for options contracts that reference a single stock, such as the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s securities being halted or a market wide closure, settlement prices will be determined by the procedures of the listing exchange of the options contracts. As a result, the Fund could be adversely affected and be unable to implement its investment strategies in the event of an unscheduled closing.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk. The Fund may actively and frequently trade all or a significant portion of the Fund’s holdings. A high portfolio turnover rate increases transaction costs, which may increase the Fund’s expenses. Frequent trading may also cause adverse tax consequences for investors in the Fund due to an increase in short-term capital gains.
Inflation Risk. Inflation risk is the risk that the value of assets or income from investments will be less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money. As inflation increases, the present value of the Fund’s assets and distributions, if any, may decline.
| 91 |
Liquidity Risk. Some securities held by the Fund, including options contracts, may be difficult to sell or be illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. This risk is greater for the Fund as it will hold options contracts on a single security, and not a broader range of options contracts. 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, such as market rules related to short sales, may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Underlying Leveraged ETF. 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.
Management Risk. The Fund is subject to management risk because it is an actively managed portfolio. In managing the Fund’s investment portfolio, the portfolio managers will apply investment techniques and risk analyses that may not produce the desired result. There can be no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective.
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, including money market funds, may lose money through fees or other means.
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.
Operational Risk. The Fund is subject to risks arising from various operational factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund relies on third-parties for a range of services, including custody. Any delay or failure relating to engaging or maintaining such service providers may affect the Fund’s ability to meet its investment objective. Although the Fund, Adviser, and Sub-Adviser seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures, there is no way to completely protect against such risks.
Recent Market Events Risk. U.S. and international markets have experienced significant periods of volatility in recent years and months due to a number of economic, political and global macro factors including the impact of COVID-19 as a global pandemic, which has resulted in a public health crisis, disruptions to business operations and supply chains, stress on the global healthcare system, growth concerns in the U.S. and overseas, staffing shortages and the inability to meet consumer demand, and widespread concern and uncertainty. The global recovery from COVID-19 is proceeding at slower than expected rates due to the emergence of variant strains and may last for an extended period of time. Continuing uncertainties regarding interest rates, rising inflation, political events, rising government debt in the U.S. and trade tensions also contribute to market volatility. Conflict, loss of life and disaster connected to ongoing armed conflict between Ukraine and Russia in Europe and Israel and Hamas in the Middle East could have severe adverse effects on the region, including significant adverse effects on the regional or global economies and the markets for certain securities. The U.S. and the European Union have imposed sanctions on certain Russian individuals and companies, including certain financial institutions, and have limited certain exports and imports to and from Russia. The war has contributed to recent market volatility and may continue to do so. U.S. trade disputes or other disputes with specific countries that could result in additional tariffs, trade barriers and/or investment restrictions in certain securities in those countries.
Single Issuer Risk. Issuer-specific attributes may cause an investment in the Fund to be more volatile than a traditional pooled investment vehicle which diversifies risk or the market generally. The value of the Fund, which focuses on an individual security (the Underlying Leveraged ETF), 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.
Tax Risk. The Fund intends to elect and to qualify each year to be treated as a RIC under Subchapter M of the 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 the derivatives it holds is never 25% of the total value of Fund assets at the close of any quarter. If the Fund’s investments in the derivatives 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. In addition, distributions received by the Fund from the Underlying Leveraged ETF may generate “bad income” that could prevent the Fund from meeting the “Income Requirement” of Subchapter M of the Code, which may cause the Fund to fail to qualify as a RIC.
| 92 |
Investing in U.S. Equities Risk. Investing in U.S. issuers subjects the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency, security, and economic risks that are specific to the U.S. Certain changes in the U.S., such as a weakening of the U.S. economy or a decline in its financial markets, may have an adverse effect on U.S. issuers.
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.
Fixed Income Securities Risk. The market value of Fixed Income Securities will change in response to interest rate changes and other factors, such as changes in the effective maturities and credit ratings of fixed income investments. During periods of falling interest rates, the values of outstanding Fixed Income Securities and related financial instruments generally rise. Conversely, during periods of rising interest rates, the values of such securities and related financial instruments generally decline. Fixed Income Securities are also subject to credit risk.
Investments in Fixed Income Securities may also involve the following risks, depending on the instrument involved:
| - | Asset-Backed/Mortgage-Backed Securities Risk – The market value and yield of asset-backed and mortgage-backed securities can vary due to market interest rate fluctuations and early prepayments of underlying instruments. | |
| - | Credit Risk – An investment in the Fund also involves the risk that the issuer of a Fixed Income Security that the Fund holds will fail to make timely payments of interest or principal or go bankrupt, or that the value of the securities will decline because of a market perception that the issuer may not make payments on time, thus potentially reducing the Fund’s return. | |
| - | Event Risk – Event risk is the risk that corporate issuers may undergo restructurings, such as mergers, leveraged buyouts, takeovers, or similar events financed by increased debt. As a result of the added debt, the credit quality and market value of a company’s bonds and/or other debt securities may decline significantly. | |
| - | Extension Risk – Payment on the loans underlying Fixed Income Securities held by the Fund may be made more slowly when interest rates are rising. | |
| - | Interest Rate Risk – Generally, the value of Fixed Income Securities will change inversely with changes in interest rates. As interest rates rise, the market value of Fixed Income Securities tends to decrease. Conversely, as interest rates fall, the market value of Fixed Income Securities tends to increase. This risk will be greater for long-term securities than for short-term securities. In recent periods, governmental financial regulators, including the U.S. Federal Reserve, have taken steps to maintain historically low interest rates. Very low or negative interest rates may magnify interest rate risk. Changes in government intervention may have adverse effects on investments, volatility, and illiquidity in debt markets. | |
| - | Prepayment Risk – When interest rates are declining, issuers of Fixed Income Securities held by the Fund may prepay principal earlier than scheduled. |
Performance:
Portfolio Managers: Jeff Klearman and Ryan Dofflemeyer have been portfolio managers of the Fund since the Fund’s inception in 2024.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares: The Fund is an ETF. Individual Shares of the Fund may only be bought and sold in the secondary market (i.e., on a national securities exchange) through a broker-dealer at a market price. Because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than at NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (at a premium), at NAV or less than NAV (at a discount). An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares of the Fund (ask) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). The bid-ask spread varies over time for Shares based on trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the Fund’s Shares have more trading volume and market liquidity and higher if the Fund’s Shares have little trading volume and market liquidity. Recent information regarding the Fund, including its NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid/ask spreads, is available on the Fund’s website at www.graniteshares.com.
Tax Information: The Fund’s distributions will be taxable to you, generally as ordinary income unless you are invested through a tax-advantaged arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan, IRA or other tax-advantaged account; in such cases, you may be subject to tax when assets are withdrawn from such tax-advantaged arrangement. A sale of Shares may result in capital gain or loss.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries: If you purchase Shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank) (an “Intermediary”), the Adviser and/or its related companies may pay the Intermediary for the sale of Shares and related services. 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.
| 93 |
GraniteShares YIELDBOOST 20Y+ Treasuries ETF – Summary
The Fund’s primary investment objective is to achieve 3 times (300%) the income generated from selling options on the ICE U.S. Treasury 20+ Year Bond Index (the “Underlying Index”) by selling options on leveraged exchange-traded funds designed to deliver 3 times (300%) the daily performance of the Underlying Index (the “Underlying Leveraged ETF”). The Fund’s secondary investment objective is to gain exposure to the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, subject to a cap on potential investment gains. A downside protection may be implemented which could affect the net income level.
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). The fees are expressed as a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets. Investors may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and example below.
| Management Fee | 0.99 | % | ||
|
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) | ||||
| Management Fee | % | |||
| Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees | % | |||
| Other Expenses (1) | % | |||
| Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses (2) | % | |||
| Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | % | |||
| Fee Waiver/Reimbursements (3) | % | |||
| Net Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver/Reimbursements (1), (2), (3) | % | |||
| (1) | |
| (2) | |
| (3) |
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in mutual funds and other exchange traded funds.
The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell 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 figures shown would be the same whether or not you sold your Shares at the end of each period.
Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years | |||||
| $ | $ | |||||
| 94 |
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 the total annual fund operating expenses or in the expense example above, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund is newly organized, portfolio turnover information is not yet available.
The Fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to pay weekly distributions by selling put options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF, which provides exposure to 3 times the daily performance of the Underlying Index. It is expected that the implied volatility on the Underlying Leveraged ETF to be three times the level of the Underlying Index’s implied volatility and selling options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF to generate, over the same time horizon and for the same strike levels, three times the premium generated by selling options on the Underlying Index. The premium received by the Fund from selling options will be distributed at least partially before the maturity of the options. This allows the Fund to make distributions on a weekly basis even if the options sold have longer maturity (such as monthly maturity for instance). This approach may result in the distributions being treated fiscally as return of capital (see “Distribution Risk” under the section “Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund”). There is no guarantee that the Fund will generate twice the level of premium that would be generated by selling options on the Underlying Index.
The Fund is subject to the losses from the Underlying Leveraged ETF, which would likely be three times the losses compared to the Underlying Index. In case a Put Spread Strategy (as defined under the section “The Fund’s Use of the Underlying Leveraged ETF Derivatives Contracts”) is implemented, the Fund may benefit from a limited downside protection against a negative price variation in the Underlying Leveraged ETF. Such protection will negatively affect the Fund’s overall income level. A put spread strategy with a narrow spread (the difference between the strikes of the put option sold and put option bought) may provide better protection but will have a higher negative impact on the Fund’s income level. A put spread strategy with a large spread will provide a lower protection but may have less negative impact on the Fund’s income level.
The Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in derivatives contracts that utilize the Underlying Leveraged ETF as their reference asset. For purposes of compliance with this investment policy, derivative contracts will be valued at their notional value.
For more information, see section “The Fund’s Use of the Underlying Leveraged ETF Options Contracts” below.
The Fund’s cash balance may be invested in the following instruments: (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; (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 as collateral for the Fund’s swap agreements; (5) repurchase transactions, which are transactions under which the purchaser (i.e., the Fund) acquires securities and the seller agrees, at the time of the sale, to repurchase the securities at a mutually agreed-upon time and price, thereby determining the yield during the purchaser’s holding period, and/or; (6) US large cap equities listed on a national security exchange, sovereign fixed income securities with a credit rating at least equal to the United States Federal Government, or corporate debt securities, such as commercial paper and other short-term unsecured promissory notes issued by businesses that are rated investment grade for the purposes of entering into swap agreements with the Fund’s swap counterparties. The Fund may enter into such swap agreements to improve its operational efficiency.
The Fund is classified as “non-diversified” under the Investment Company Act of 1940, amended (the “1940 Act”).
The Fund will be subject to regulatory constraints relating to the level of value at risk that the Fund may incur through its derivatives 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 and the Fund may not achieve its investment objective.
The Fund’s investment objective has not been adopted as a fundamental investment policy and therefore the Fund’s investment objective along with its respective 80% investment policy may be changed without the consent of that Fund’s shareholders upon approval by the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of GraniteShares ETF Trust (the “Trust”) and 60 days’ written notice to shareholders.
There is no guarantee that the Fund’s investment strategy will be properly implemented or that the Fund will pay weekly distributions, and an investor may lose some or all of its investment. Even when the Fund makes a distribution it could be fiscally treated as return of capital (see “Distribution Risk” under the section “Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund”).
An Investment in the Fund is not an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF
| - | The Fund’s strategy will cap its potential gain to the premium received from selling options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF, | |
| - | The Fund’s strategy is exposed to all potential losses if the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share declines, subject to a potential downside protection if a Put Spread Strategy is used (as defined in ten next section). The potential losses may not be offset by the premium received by the Fund, | |
| - | The Fund does not invest directly in the Underlying Leveraged ETF, | |
| - | Fund shareholders are not entitled to any distribution paid by Underlying Leveraged ETF. |
Additional information regarding the Underlying Leveraged ETF is set forth below.
The Fund’s Use of the Underlying Leveraged ETF Derivatives Contracts
| - | Put Spread Strategy: The Fund will enter in put spread options contracts, either directly or through swap contracts, on the Underlying Leveraged ETF and for which the Fund will receive a net premium. A put spread consists of selling a put option contract while buying a put option contract with the same maturity but a lower strike price. The Fund’s protection against a potential decrease in the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF only applies if it falls below the strike price of the option contract bought by the Fund. Buying a put option contract results in a cost that negatively affects the Fund’s income level. It is unlikely for a put spread strategy to generate twice the level of income that would be obtained by selling options on the Underlying Index directly. The put options contracts sold by the Fund may vary in regard to their strike price from 0 to 15% above the then-current price of the Leveraged ETF. The put options contracts bought by the Fund will have a lower strike price, ranging from 50% out-of-the-money to at-the-money. The put options sold and bought by the Fund will generally have 1- month or less expiration dates. | |
| - | Put Write Strategy: The Fund will sell put options contracts, either directly or through swap contracts, on the Underlying Leveraged ETF and for which it will receive a premium. The put options contracts sold by the Fund may vary in regard to their strike prices from 40% out-of-the-money to 15% in-the-money. The put options sold and bought by the Fund will generally have 1- month or less expiration dates. The Adviser will primarily employ this put write strategy when it believes that the share price of its Underlying Leveraged ETF is likely to rise significantly in the short term (e.g., following a substantial selloff or overall positive market news). |
| 95 |
Example 1 – Put Write Strategy - Selling In-the-money Put Option Contract with a One-month Maturity
Assume for simplicity that the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s shares are trading at $100.00 at the time the Fund sells an in-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $105.00 and a one-month maturity. The Fund receives a $5.50 premium for selling the put option contract.
| Case 1: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increases to $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.50 premium received. | |
| Case 2: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increase exceeded $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.50 premium received but would not participate in any of the additional upside. | |
| Case 3: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops to $99.50 before expiration. | The $5.50 premium received is equal to the drop in price in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price, resulting in a return of zero. | |
| Case 4: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $99.50, that is the strike price ($105.00) reduced by the premium received ($5.50). | The Fund would lose money and be exposed to the drop in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price. |
Example 2 – Put Write Strategy - Selling Out-of-the-money Put Options Contracts with a One-week Maturity
Assume for simplicity that the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s shares are trading at $100.00 at the time the Fund sells an out-of-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $95.00 and a one-week maturity. The Fund receives a $0.50 premium for selling the put option contract.
| Case 1: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increases above $100.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $0.50 premium received but would not participate in the increased in the Underlying Leveraged ETFs’ share price. | |
| Case 2: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $94.50, that is the strike price ($95.00) reduced by the premium received ($0.50). | The Fund would lose money and be exposed to the drop in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price. |
Example 3 – Put Spread Strategy - Selling At-the-money Put Options Contracts and buy an Out-of-the-money Put Options Contracts with both with a One-month Maturity
Assume for simplicity that the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s shares are trading at $100.00 at the time the Fund sells an in-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $105.00 and buy an out-of-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $95.00 both with a one-month maturity. The Fund receives a $5.50 premium for selling the put option contract and pays $0.50 premium for buying the put option contract. Hence the Fund receives a $5.00 net premium.
| Case 1: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increases to $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.00 net premium received. | |
| Case 2: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increase exceeded $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.00 net premium received but would not participate in any of the additional upside. | |
| Case 3: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $100.00, that is the strike price of the option sold ($105.00) reduced by the net premium received ($5.00) but remains above $95.00 before expiration. | The Fund would lose up to $5.00, which is the difference between the 2 strike levels reduced by the net premium received | |
| Case 4: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $95.00 | The Fund would lose $5.00, which is the difference between the 2 strike levels reduced by the net premium received. |
The comparison between the Put Write Strategy in Example 1 and the Put Spread Strategy in Example 3, shows that the Put Spread Strategy has a narrower range of outcomes. It has limited participation in a potential increase or decrease in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price.
In examples 1 and 2, if the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s price were to drop to zero, the Fund’s NAV would be equal, before fees and costs, to the value of premium received.
| 96 |
Types of Options Contracts Used by the Fund
As part of the Fund’s strategy, the Fund may sell Flexible Exchange® (“FLEX”) put options contracts that are based on the value of the price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The Fund will only sell options contracts that are listed for trading on regulated U.S. exchanges. Traditional exchange-traded options contracts have standardized terms, such as the type (call or put), the reference asset, the strike price and expiration date. Exchange-listed options contracts are guaranteed for settlement by the Options Clearing Corporation (“OCC”). FLEX Options are a type of exchange-listed options contract with uniquely customizable terms that allow investors to customize key terms like type, strike price and expiration date that are standardized in a typical options contract. FLEX Options are also guaranteed for settlement by the OCC.
In general, an option is a contract that gives the purchaser (holder) of the option, in return for a premium, the right to buy from (call) or sell to (put) the seller (writer) of the option the security or currency underlying (in this case, the Underlying Leveraged ETF) the option at a specified exercise price. The writer of an option has the obligation upon exercise of the option to deliver the underlying security or currency upon payment of the exercise price (call) or to pay the exercise price upon delivery of the underlying security or currency (put). An option is said to be “European Style” when it can be exercised only at expiration whereas an “American Style” option can be exercised at any time prior to expiration. The Fund might use either European or American style options. The Fund intends to primarily utilize European style options.
Swap agreements Used by the Fund
As part of the Fund’s strategy, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with major financial institutions that provide the same exposure as to selling put options contracts on the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The swap agreements may reference standardized exchange-traded, FLEX, European Style or American Style put options contracts that are based on the values of the price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. All put options contracts referenced in a swap agreement will be listed for trading on regulated U.S. exchanges.
The swap performance will settle in cash only irrespective of the types of the put options contracts referenced in the swap agreement.
Underlying Leveraged ETF
The Underlying Leveraged ETF, Direxion Daily 20+ Year Treasury Bull 3X Shares, is a passively managed fund that seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of 300% of the performance of the ICE U.S. Treasury 20+ Year Bond Index (the “Underlying Index”).
The Underlying Index is a product of ICE Data Indices, LLC. (the “Index Provider”). The Underlying Index is a market value weighted index that includes publicly issued U.S. Treasury securities that have a remaining maturity of greater than 20 years. Eligible securities must be fixed rate, denominated in U.S. dollars, and have $300 million or more of outstanding face value, excluding amounts held by the Federal Reserve. Securities excluded from the Underlying Index are inflation-linked securities, Treasury bills, cash management bills, any government agency debt issued with or without a government guarantee and zero-coupon issues that have been stripped from coupon-paying bonds. The Underlying Index is not adjusted for securities that may become eligible or ineligible for inclusion in the Underlying Index intra-month. The Underlying Index is reconstituted and rebalanced on the last business day of each month.
The Underlying Leveraged ETF may invest in the securities of the Underlying Index, a representative sample of the securities in the Underlying Index that has aggregate characteristics similar to those of the Underlying Index, an ETF that tracks the Underlying Index or a substantially similar index, and may utilize derivatives, such as swaps or futures on the Underlying Index or on an ETF that tracks the same Underlying Index or a substantially similar index, that provide leveraged exposure to the above.
| 97 |
Investors can access information about the Underlying Leveraged ETF, including its prospectus and the most recent shareholder reports, online through the SEC’s website, using Registration Statement Nos. 333-150525 and 811-22201. This information, derived from the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s filings with the SEC, is essential for investors to understand the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s operations, investment strategy, and financial prospects. The description of the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s principal investment strategies as outlined here is directly sourced from its prospectus.
This document relates only to the securities offered hereby and does not relate to the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The Fund has derived all disclosures contained in this document regarding the Underlying Leveraged ETF from publicly available documents. In connection with the offering of the securities, none of the Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates has participated in the preparation of such documents or made any due diligence inquiry with respect to the Underlying Leveraged ETF. None of the Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates makes any representation that such publicly available documents or any other publicly available information regarding the Underlying Leveraged ETF 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 the Underlying Leveraged ETF have been publicly disclosed. Subsequent disclosure of any such events or the disclosure of or failure to disclose material future events concerning the Underlying Leveraged ETF could affect the value received with respect to your Shares and therefore the value of your Shares.
The Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, and their respective affiliates do not provide any representation regarding the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF.
THE FUND, TRUST AND ADVISER ARE NOT AFFILIATED WITH DIREXION SHARES TRUST ETF, THE UNDERLYING LEVERAGED ETF, RAFFERTY ASSET MANAGEMENT, LLC OR ICE DATA INDICES, LLC.
PRINCIPAL RISKS OF INVESTING IN THE FUND
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. Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its investment objectives. 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.”
The Underlying Leveraged ETF Risk. The Fund invests in options contracts that are based on the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF shares. This subjects the Fund to certain of the same risks as if it owned shares of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, even though it may not. By virtue of the Fund’s investments in options contracts that are based on the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF shares, the Fund may also be subject to the following risks:
Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk — The Underlying Leveraged ETF shares’ performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which is likely to differ from 300% of the Underlying Index’s performance, before fees and expenses. Compounding has a significant impact on funds that are leveraged and that rebalance daily. The impact of compounding becomes more pronounced as volatility and holding periods increase and will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF is held and the volatility of the Underlying Index during the shareholder’s holding period of an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF.
Leverage Risk — The Underlying Leveraged ETF 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 Underlying Leveraged ETF is exposed to the risk that a decline in the daily performance of the Underlying Index will be magnified. This means that an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF will be reduced by an amount equal to 3% for every 1% daily decline in the Underlying Index, not including the costs of financing leverage and other operating expenses, which would further reduce its value. The Underlying Leveraged ETF could lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event of an Underlying Index decline of more than 33%.
| 98 |
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. Investing in derivatives may be considered aggressive and may expose the Underlying Leveraged ETF to greater risks, and may result in larger losses or smaller gains, than investing directly in the reference assets underlying those derivatives, which may prevent the Underlying Leveraged ETF from achieving its investment objective.
Counterparty Risk — If a counterparty is unwilling or unable to make timely payments to meet its contractual obligations or fails to return holdings that are subject to the agreement with the counterparty resulting in the Underlying Leveraged ETF losing money or not being able to meet its daily leveraged investment objective.
Concentration Risk — The Underlying Index has a significant portion of its value in U.S Government Securities. The Underlying Leveraged ETF will allocate its investments to approximately the same extent as the Underlying Index. As a result, the Underlying Leveraged ETF may be subject to greater market fluctuations than a fund that is more broadly invested across industries.
Debt Instrument Risk — The value of debt instruments may increase or decrease as a result of the following: market fluctuations; changes in interest rates; actual or perceived inability of issuers, guarantors, or liquidity providers to make scheduled principal or interest payments; or illiquidity in debt securities markets. Debt instruments are also impacted by political, regulatory, market and economic developments that impact the market in general and specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the fixed income market.
U.S. Government Securities Risk — A security backed by the U.S. Treasury or the full faith and credit of the United States is guaranteed only as to the timely payment of interest and principal when held to maturity. The market prices for such securities are not guaranteed and will fluctuate. Furthermore, not all securities issued by the U.S. government and its agencies and instrumentalities are backed by the U.S. Treasury or the full faith and credit of the United States. In addition, because many types of U.S. government securities trade actively outside the United States, their prices may rise and fall as changes in global economic conditions affect the demand for these securities. In addition, U.S. Treasury obligations may differ from other securities in their interest rates, maturities, times of issuance and other characteristics. Changes in the financial condition or credit rating of the U.S government may cause the value of U.S. Treasury obligations to decline.
Indirect Investments in the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The Underlying Leveraged ETF is not affiliated with the Trust, the Fund, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates and is not involved with the offering of the Fund in any way and has no obligation to consider your Shares in taking any corporate action that might affect the value of Shares. Investors in the Fund will not have rights to receive dividends or other distributions or any other rights with respect to the Underlying Leveraged ETF but will be subject to declines in the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. Although the Fund invests in the Underlying Leveraged ETF only indirectly, the Fund’s investments are subject to loss as a result of these risks.
Passive Investment and Underlying Index Performance Risk. Investment in the Fund should be made with the understanding that the passive Underlying Leveraged ETF in which the Fund invests will not be able to replicate exactly the performance of the indices they track because the total return generated by the securities will be reduced by transaction costs incurred in adjusting the actual balance of the securities. In addition, the passive Underlying Leveraged ETF in which the Fund invests will incur expenses not incurred by their applicable indices. Certain securities comprising the indices tracked by the passive Underlying Leveraged ETF may, from time to time, temporarily be unavailable, which may further impede the passive Underlying Leveraged ETF’s ability to track their applicable indices.
Derivatives Risk. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds, 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, imperfect correlation with underlying investments, 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 an imperfect correlation between the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objectives. 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. In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
| 99 |
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. For the Fund, in particular, the value of the options contracts in which it invests is substantially influenced by the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. Selling put options exposes the Fund to the risk of potential loss if the market value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF falls below the strike price before the option expires. The Fund may experience substantial downside from specific option positions and certain option positions held by the Fund may expire worthless. 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 at the underlying instrument. There may at times be an imperfect correlation between the movement in values of 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, the Fund’s practice of “rolling” may cause the Fund to experience losses if the expiring contracts do not generate proceeds enough to cover the costs of entering into new options contracts. Rolling refers to the practice of closing out one options position and opening another with a different expiration date and/or a different strike price. Further, if an option is exercised, the seller (writer) of a put option is obligated to purchase the underlying asset at the strike price, which can result in significant financial and regulatory obligations for the Fund if the market value of the asset has fallen substantially. Furthermore, when the Fund seeks to trade out of puts, especially near expiration, there is an added risk that the Fund may be required to allocate resources unexpectedly to fulfill these obligations. This potential exposure to physical settlement can significantly impact the Fund’s liquidity and market exposure, particularly in volatile market conditions.
Swap Risk: Swaps are subject to tracking risk because they may not be perfect substitutes for the instruments they are intended to hedge or replace. Over the counter swaps are subject to counterparty default. Leverage inherent in derivatives will tend to magnify the Fund’s losses. The swap agreements may reference standardized exchange-traded, FLEX, European Style or American Style put options contracts that are based on the values of the price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. that generate specific risks.
Counterparty Risk. The Fund is subject to counterparty risk by virtue of its investments in options contracts. Transactions in some types of derivatives, including options, are required to be centrally cleared (“cleared derivatives”). In a transaction involving cleared derivatives, the Fund’s counterparty is a clearing house rather than a bank or broker. Since the Fund is not a member of clearing houses and only members of a clearing house (“clearing members”) can participate directly in the clearing house, the Fund will hold cleared derivatives through accounts at clearing members. In cleared derivatives positions, the Fund will make payments (including margin payments) to and receive payments from a clearing house through their accounts at clearing members. Customer funds held at a clearing organization in connection with any options contracts are held in a commingled omnibus account and are not identified to the name of the clearing member’s individual customers. As a result, assets deposited by the Fund with any clearing member as margin for options may, in certain circumstances, be used to satisfy losses of other clients of the Fund’s clearing member. In addition, although clearing members guarantee performance of their clients’ obligations to the clearing house, there is a risk that the assets of the Fund might not be fully protected in the event of the clearing member’s bankruptcy, as the Fund would be limited to recovering only a pro rata share of all available funds segregated on behalf of the clearing member’s customers for the relevant account class. The Fund is also subject to the risk that a limited number of clearing members are willing to transact on the Fund’s behalf, which heightens the risks associated with a clearing member’s default. If a clearing member defaults the Fund could lose some or all of the benefits of a transaction entered into by the Fund with the clearing member. If the Fund cannot find a clearing member to transact with on the Fund’s behalf, the Fund may be unable to effectively implement its investment strategy.
In addition, a counterparty (the other party to a transaction or an agreement or the party with whom the Fund executes transactions) to a transaction (including repurchase transaction) with the Fund may be unable or unwilling to make timely principal, interest or settlement payments, or otherwise honor its obligations.
| 100 |
Price Participation Risk. The Fund employs an investment strategy that includes the sale of in-the-money put options contracts, which limits the degree to which the Fund will participate in increases in value experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF over the Call Period. This means that if the Underlying Leveraged ETF experiences an increase in value above the strike price of the sold put options during a Call Period, the Fund will likely not experience that increase to the same extent and may significantly underperform the Underlying Leveraged ETF over the Call Period. Additionally, because the Fund is limited in the degree to which it will participate in increases in value experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF over each Call Period, but has full exposure to any decreases in value experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF over the Call Period, the NAV of the Fund may decrease over any given time period. The Fund’s NAV is dependent on the value of each options portfolio, which is based principally upon the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The degree of participation in the Underlying Leveraged ETF gains the Fund will experience will depend on prevailing market conditions, especially market volatility, at the time the Fund enters into the sold put options contracts and will vary from Call Period to Call Period. The value of the options contracts is affected by changes in the value and dividend rates of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, changes in interest rates, changes in the actual or perceived volatility of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and the remaining time to the options’ expiration, as well as trading conditions in the options market. As the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF share changes and time moves towards the expiration of each Call Period, the value of the options contracts, and therefore the Fund’s NAV, will change. However, it is not expected for the Fund’s NAV to directly correlate on a day-to-day basis with the returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price. The amount of time remaining until the options contract’s expiration date affects the impact of the potential options contract income on the Fund’s NAV, which may not be in full effect until the expiration date of the Fund’s options contracts. Therefore, while changes in the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF share will result in changes to the Fund’s NAV, the Fund generally anticipates that the rate of change in the Fund’s NAV will be different than that experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price.
Distribution Risk. As part of the Fund’s investment objective, the Fund seeks to provide current weekly income. There is no assurance that the Fund will make a distribution in any given month. If the Fund makes distributions, the amounts of such distributions will likely vary greatly from one distribution to the next. Additionally, the weekly distributions, if any, may consist of returns of capital, which would decrease the Fund’s NAV and trading price over time. As a result, an investor may suffer significant losses to their investment.
Put Writing Strategy Risk. The path dependency (i.e., the continued use) of the Fund’s put writing strategy will impact the extent that the Fund participates in the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and, in turn, the Fund’s returns, both during the term of the sold put options and over longer time periods.
If, for example, the Fund were to sell 10% in-the-money put options having a one-month term, the Fund’s participation in the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF will be capped at 10% for that month. However, over a longer period (e.g., a three-month period), the Fund should not be expected to participate fully in the first 30% (i.e., 3 months x 10%) of the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, or the Fund may even lose money, even if the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price has appreciated by at least that much over such period, if during any particular month or months over that period the Underlying Leveraged ETF had a return less than 10%. This example illustrates that both the Fund’s participation in the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and its returns will depend not only on the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF but also on the path that the Underlying Leveraged ETF takes over time.
If, for example, the Fund were to sell 5% out-of-the-money put options having a one-week term, the Fund’s downward protection against the negative price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF will be capped at 5% for that week. However, over a longer period (e.g., a four-week period), the Fund should not be expected to be protected fully in the first 25% (i.e., 4 weeks x 5%) of the negative price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, and the Fund may lose money, even if the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price has appreciated over such period, if during any particular week or weeks over that period the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price had decreases by more than 5%. This example illustrates that both the Fund’s protection against the negative price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and its returns will depend not only on the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF but also on the path that the Underlying Leveraged ETF takes over time.
Under both cases the Fund may be fully exposed to the downward movements of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, offset only by the premiums received from selling put contracts. The Fund does not seek to offer any downside protection, except for the fact that the premiums from the sold options may offset some or all of the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s decline.
Put Spread Strategy Risk. Similarly to a put writing strategy (see relevant risk factor), a put spread strategy will subject the Fund’s performance to path dependency.
Option Market Liquidity Risk. The trading activity in the option market of the Underlying Leveraged ETF may be limited and the option contracts may trade at levels significantly different from their economic value. The lack of liquidity may negatively affect the ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective. This risk may increase if the portfolio turnover is elevated, for instance because of frequent changes in the number of Shares outstanding, and if the net asset value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF is modest. For the 12-month period ending July 31, 2025, the net asset value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF ranged from $4,208m to $7,216m.
Concentration Risk. To the extent that the Underlying Leveraged ETF concentrates its investments in a particular industry, the Fund will be subject to the risks associated with that industry.
| 101 |
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 currently expects to effect a significant portion of its creations and redemptions for cash, rather than in-kind securities. Paying redemption proceeds in cash rather than through in-kind delivery of portfolio securities may require the Fund to dispose of or sell portfolio securities or other assets at an inopportune time to obtain the cash needed to meet redemption orders. This may cause the Fund to sell a security and recognize a capital gain or loss that might not have been incurred if it had made a redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher or lower annual capital gains distributions than ETFs that redeem in-kind. The use of cash creations and redemptions may also cause the Fund’s Shares to trade in the market at greater bid-ask spreads or greater premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV. Furthermore, the Fund may not be able to execute cash transactions for creation and redemption purposes at the same price used to determine the Fund’s NAV. To the extent that the maximum additional charge for creation or redemption transactions is insufficient to cover the execution shortfall, the Fund’s performance could be negatively impacted.
Costs of Buying or Selling Shares. Due to the costs of buying or selling Shares, including brokerage commissions imposed by brokers and bid-ask spreads, frequent trading of Shares may significantly 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 Nasdaq Stock Market, LLC (the “Exchange”), and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for the Shares will develop or be maintained or that the Shares will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. This risk may be greater for the Fund as it seeks to have exposure to a single underlying stock as opposed to a more diverse portfolio like a traditional pooled investment. 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. Shares trade on the Exchange at a market price that may be below, at or above the Fund’s NAV. Trading in Shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in Shares on the Exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to the Exchange “circuit breaker” rules. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged. In the event of an unscheduled market close for options contracts that reference a single stock, such as the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s securities being halted or a market wide closure, settlement prices will be determined by the procedures of the listing exchange of the options contracts. As a result, the Fund could be adversely affected and be unable to implement its investment strategies in the event of an unscheduled closing.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk. The Fund may actively and frequently trade all or a significant portion of the Fund’s holdings. A high portfolio turnover rate increases transaction costs, which may increase the Fund’s expenses. Frequent trading may also cause adverse tax consequences for investors in the Fund due to an increase in short-term capital gains.
Inflation Risk. Inflation risk is the risk that the value of assets or income from investments will be less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money. As inflation increases, the present value of the Fund’s assets and distributions, if any, may decline.
| 102 |
Liquidity Risk. Some securities held by the Fund, including options contracts, may be difficult to sell or be illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. This risk is greater for the Fund as it will hold options contracts on a single security, and not a broader range of options contracts. 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, such as market rules related to short sales, may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Underlying Leveraged ETF. 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.
Management Risk. The Fund is subject to management risk because it is an actively managed portfolio. In managing the Fund’s investment portfolio, the portfolio managers will apply investment techniques and risk analyses that may not produce the desired result. There can be no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective.
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, including money market funds, may lose money through fees or other means.
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.
Operational Risk. The Fund is subject to risks arising from various operational factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund relies on third-parties for a range of services, including custody. Any delay or failure relating to engaging or maintaining such service providers may affect the Fund’s ability to meet its investment objective. Although the Fund, Adviser, and Sub-Adviser seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures, there is no way to completely protect against such risks.
Recent Market Events Risk. U.S. and international markets have experienced significant periods of volatility in recent years and months due to a number of economic, political and global macro factors including the impact of COVID-19 as a global pandemic, which has resulted in a public health crisis, disruptions to business operations and supply chains, stress on the global healthcare system, growth concerns in the U.S. and overseas, staffing shortages and the inability to meet consumer demand, and widespread concern and uncertainty. The global recovery from COVID-19 is proceeding at slower than expected rates due to the emergence of variant strains and may last for an extended period of time. Continuing uncertainties regarding interest rates, rising inflation, political events, rising government debt in the U.S. and trade tensions also contribute to market volatility. Conflict, loss of life and disaster connected to ongoing armed conflict between Ukraine and Russia in Europe and Israel and Hamas in the Middle East could have severe adverse effects on the region, including significant adverse effects on the regional or global economies and the markets for certain securities. The U.S. and the European Union have imposed sanctions on certain Russian individuals and companies, including certain financial institutions, and have limited certain exports and imports to and from Russia. The war has contributed to recent market volatility and may continue to do so. U.S. trade disputes or other disputes with specific countries that could result in additional tariffs, trade barriers and/or investment restrictions in certain securities in those countries.
Single Issuer Risk. Issuer-specific attributes may cause an investment in the Fund to be more volatile than a traditional pooled investment vehicle which diversifies risk or the market generally. The value of the Fund, which focuses on an individual security (the Underlying Leveraged ETF), 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.
Tax Risk. The Fund intends to elect and to qualify each year to be treated as a RIC under Subchapter M of the 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 the derivatives it holds is never 25% of the total value of Fund assets at the close of any quarter. If the Fund’s investments in the derivatives 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. In addition, distributions received by the Fund from the Underlying Leveraged ETF may generate “bad income” that could prevent the Fund from meeting the “Income Requirement” of Subchapter M of the Code, which may cause the Fund to fail to qualify as a RIC.
| 103 |
Investing in U.S. Equities Risk. Investing in U.S. issuers subjects the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency, security, and economic risks that are specific to the U.S. Certain changes in the U.S., such as a weakening of the U.S. economy or a decline in its financial markets, may have an adverse effect on U.S. issuers.
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.
Fixed Income Securities Risk. The market value of Fixed Income Securities will change in response to interest rate changes and other factors, such as changes in the effective maturities and credit ratings of fixed income investments. During periods of falling interest rates, the values of outstanding Fixed Income Securities and related financial instruments generally rise. Conversely, during periods of rising interest rates, the values of such securities and related financial instruments generally decline. Fixed Income Securities are also subject to credit risk.
Investments in Fixed Income Securities may also involve the following risks, depending on the instrument involved:
| - | Asset-Backed/Mortgage-Backed Securities Risk – The market value and yield of asset-backed and mortgage-backed securities can vary due to market interest rate fluctuations and early prepayments of underlying instruments. | |
| - | Credit Risk – An investment in the Fund also involves the risk that the issuer of a Fixed Income Security that the Fund holds will fail to make timely payments of interest or principal or go bankrupt, or that the value of the securities will decline because of a market perception that the issuer may not make payments on time, thus potentially reducing the Fund’s return. | |
| - | Event Risk – Event risk is the risk that corporate issuers may undergo restructurings, such as mergers, leveraged buyouts, takeovers, or similar events financed by increased debt. As a result of the added debt, the credit quality and market value of a company’s bonds and/or other debt securities may decline significantly. | |
| - | Extension Risk – Payment on the loans underlying Fixed Income Securities held by the Fund may be made more slowly when interest rates are rising. | |
| - | Interest Rate Risk – Generally, the value of Fixed Income Securities will change inversely with changes in interest rates. As interest rates rise, the market value of Fixed Income Securities tends to decrease. Conversely, as interest rates fall, the market value of Fixed Income Securities tends to increase. This risk will be greater for long-term securities than for short-term securities. In recent periods, governmental financial regulators, including the U.S. Federal Reserve, have taken steps to maintain historically low interest rates. Very low or negative interest rates may magnify interest rate risk. Changes in government intervention may have adverse effects on investments, volatility, and illiquidity in debt markets. | |
| - | Prepayment Risk – When interest rates are declining, issuers of Fixed Income Securities held by the Fund may prepay principal earlier than scheduled. |
Performance:
Portfolio Managers: Jeff Klearman and Ryan Dofflemeyer have been portfolio managers of the Fund since the Fund’s inception in 2024.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares: The Fund is an ETF. Individual Shares of the Fund may only be bought and sold in the secondary market (i.e., on a national securities exchange) through a broker-dealer at a market price. Because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than at NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (at a premium), at NAV or less than NAV (at a discount). An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares of the Fund (ask) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). The bid-ask spread varies over time for Shares based on trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the Fund’s Shares have more trading volume and market liquidity and higher if the Fund’s Shares have little trading volume and market liquidity. Recent information regarding the Fund, including its NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid/ask spreads, is available on the Fund’s website at www.graniteshares.com.
Tax Information: The Fund’s distributions will be taxable to you, generally as ordinary income unless you are invested through a tax-advantaged arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan, IRA or other tax-advantaged account; in such cases, you may be subject to tax when assets are withdrawn from such tax-advantaged arrangement. A sale of Shares may result in capital gain or loss.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries: If you purchase Shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank) (an “Intermediary”), the Adviser and/or its related companies may pay the Intermediary for the sale of Shares and related services. 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.
| 104 |
GraniteShares YIELDBOOST BITCOIN ETF – Summary
The Fund’s primary investment objective is to achieve 2 times (200%) the income generated from selling options on bitcoin (the “Underlying Asset”) by selling options on leveraged exchange-traded funds designed to deliver 2 times (200%) the daily performance of the Underlying Stock (the “Underlying Leveraged ETF”). The Fund’s secondary investment objective is to gain exposure to the performance Underlying Leveraged ETF, subject to a cap on potential investment gains. A downside protection may be implemented which could affect the net income level.
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). The fees are expressed as a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets. Investors may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and example below.
| Management Fee | 0.99 | % | ||
|
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) | ||||
| Management Fee | % | |||
| Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees | % | |||
| Other Expenses | % | |||
| Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses (1) | % | |||
| Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | % | |||
| Fee Waiver/Reimbursements (3) | - |
% | ||
| Net Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver/Reimbursements (1), (2), (3) | % | |||
| (1) | |
| (2) |
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in mutual funds and other exchange-traded funds.
The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell 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 figures shown would be the same whether or not you sold your Shares at the end of each period.
Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years | |||||||||||
| $ | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||||
| 105 |
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 annual fund operating
expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most
recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was
The Fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to pay weekly distributions by selling put options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF, which provides exposure to 2 times the daily performance of the Underlying Asset. It is expected that the implied volatility on the Underlying Leveraged ETF to be twice the level of the Underlying Asset’s implied volatility and selling options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF to generate, over the same time horizon and for the same strike levels, twice the premium generated by selling options on the Underlying Asset. The premium received by the Fund from selling options will be distributed at least partially before the maturity of the options. This allows the Fund to make distributions on a weekly basis even if the options sold have longer maturity (such as monthly maturity for instance). This approach may result in the distributions being treated fiscally as return of capital (see “Distribution Risk” under the section “Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund”). There is no guarantee that the Fund will generate twice the level of premium that would be generated by selling options on the Underlying Asset.
The Fund is subject to the losses from the Underlying Leveraged ETF, which would likely be 2 times the losses compared to the Underlying Asset. In case a Put Spread Strategy (as defined under the section “The Fund’s Use of the Underlying Leveraged ETF Derivatives Contracts”) is implemented, the Fund may benefit from a limited downside protection against a negative price variation in the Underlying Leveraged ETF. Such protection will negatively affect the Fund’s overall income level. A put spread strategy with a narrow spread (the difference between the strikes of the put option sold and put option bought) may provide better protection but will have a higher negative impact on the Fund’s income level. A put spread strategy with a large spread will provide a lower protection but may have less negative impact on the Fund’s income level.
The Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in derivatives contracts that utilize the Underlying Leveraged ETF as their reference asset. For purposes of compliance with this investment policy, derivative contracts will be valued at their notional value.
For more information, see section “The Fund’s Use of the Underlying Leveraged ETF Derivatives Contracts” below.
The Fund’s cash balance may be invested in the following instruments: (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; (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 as collateral for the Fund’s swap agreements; (5) repurchase transactions, which are transactions under which the purchaser (i.e., the Fund) acquires securities and the seller agrees, at the time of the sale, to repurchase the securities at a mutually agreed-upon time and price, thereby determining the yield during the purchaser’s holding period, and/or; (6) US large cap equities listed on a national security exchange, sovereign fixed income securities with a credit rating at least equal to the United States Federal Government, or corporate debt securities, such as commercial paper and other short-term unsecured promissory notes issued by businesses that are rated investment grade for the purposes of entering into swap agreements with the Fund’s swap counterparties. The Fund may enter into such swap agreements to improve its operational efficiency.
The Fund is classified as “non-diversified” under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”).
The Fund will be subject to regulatory constraints relating to the level of value at risk that the Fund may incur through its derivatives 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 and the Fund may not achieve its investment objective.
The Fund’s investment objective has not been adopted as a fundamental investment policy and therefore the Fund’s investment objective along with its respective 80% investment policy may be changed without the consent of that Fund’s shareholders upon approval by the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of GraniteShares ETF Trust (the “Trust”) and 60 days’ written notice to shareholders.
There is no guarantee that the Fund’s investment strategy will be properly implemented or will pay weekly distributions, and an investor may lose some or all of its investment. Even when the Fund makes a distribution it could be fiscally treated as return of capital (see “Distribution Risk” under the section “Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund”).
An Investment in the Fund is not an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF.
| - | The Fund’s strategy will cap its potential gain to the premium received from selling options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF, | |
| - | he Fund’s strategy is exposed to all potential losses if the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share declines, subject to a potential downside protection if a Put Spread Strategy is used (as defined in ten next section). The potential losses may not be offset by the premium received by the Fund, | |
| - | The Fund does not invest directly in the Underlying Leveraged ETF, | |
| - | Fund shareholders are not entitled to any distribution paid by Underlying Leveraged ETF. |
Additional information regarding the Underlying Leveraged ETF is set forth below.
The Fund’s Use of the Underlying Leveraged ETF Derivatives Contracts
| - | Put Spread Strategy: The Fund will enter in put spread options contracts, either directly or through swap contracts, on the Underlying Leveraged ETF and for which the Fund will receive a net premium. Buying a put option contract results in a cost that negatively affects the Fund’s income level. It is unlikely for a put spread strategy to generate twice the level of income that would be obtained by selling options on the Underlying Asset directly. The Fund’s participation in a potential increase in the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF only applies if the Fund sells in-the-money put options contracts. The Fund’s protection against a potential decrease in the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF only applies if it falls below the strike price of the option contract bought by the Fund. The put options contracts sold by the Fund may vary in regard to their strike price from 0 to 15% above the then-current price of the Leveraged ETF. The put options contracts bought by the Fund will have a lower strike price, ranging from 50% out-of-the-money to at-the-money. The put options sold and bought by the Fund will generally have 1- month or less expiration dates. | |
| - | Put Write Strategy: The Fund will sell put options contracts, either directly or through swap contracts, on the Underlying Leveraged ETF and for which it will receive a premium. The put options contracts sold by the Fund may vary in regard to their strike prices from 40% out-of-the-money to 15% in-the-money. The put options sold and bought by the Fund will generally have 1- month or less expiration dates. The Adviser will primarily employ this put write strategy when it believes that the share price of its Underlying Leveraged ETF is likely to rise significantly in the short term (e.g., following a substantial selloff or overall positive market news). |
| 106 |
Example 1 – Put Write Strategy - Selling In-the-money Put Option Contract with a One-month Maturity
Assume for simplicity that the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s shares are trading at $100.00 at the time the Fund sells an in-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $105.00 and a one-month maturity. The Fund receives a $5.50 premium for selling the put option contract.
| Case 1: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increases to $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.50 premium received. | |
| Case 2: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increase exceeded $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.50 premium received but would not participate in any of the additional upside. | |
| Case 3: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops to $99.50 before expiration. | The $5.50 premium received is equal to the drop in price in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price, resulting in a return of zero. | |
| Case 4: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $99.50, that is the strike price ($105.00) reduced by the premium received ($5.50). | The Fund would lose money and be exposed to the drop in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price. |
Example 2 – Put Write Strategy - Selling Out-of-the-money Put Options Contracts with a One-week Maturity
Assume for simplicity that the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s shares are trading at $100.00 at the time the Fund sells an out-of-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $95.00 and a one-week maturity. The Fund receives a $0.50 premium for selling the put option contract.
| Case 1: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increases above $100.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $0.50 premium received but would not participate in the increased in the Underlying Leveraged ETFs’ share price. | |
| Case 2: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $94.50, that is the strike price ($95.00) reduced by the premium received ($0.50). | The Fund would lose money and be exposed to the drop in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price. |
Example 3 – Put Spread Strategy - Selling At-the-money Put Options Contracts and buy an Out-of-the-money Put Options Contracts with both with a One-month Maturity
Assume for simplicity that the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s shares are trading at $100.00 at the time the Fund sells an in-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $105.00 and buy an out-of-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $95.00 both with a one-month maturity. The Fund receives a $5.50 premium for selling the put option contract and pays $0.50 premium for buying the put option contract. Hence the Fund receives a $5.00 net premium.
| Case 1: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increases to $105.00 before expiration. |
The Fund would keep the $5.00 net premium received.
| |
| Case 2: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increase exceeded $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.00 net premium received but would not participate in any of the additional upside. | |
| Case 3: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $100.00, that is the strike price of the option sold ($105.00) reduced by the net premium received ($5.00) but remains above $95.00 before expiration. | The Fund would lose up to $5.00, which is the difference between the 2 strike levels reduced by the net premium received. | |
| Case 4: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $95.00 | The Fund would lose $5.00, which is the difference between the 2 strike levels reduced by the net premium received. |
The comparison between the Put Write Strategy in Example 1 and the Put Spread Strategy in Example 3, shows that the Put Spread Strategy has a narrower range of outcomes. It has limited participation in a potential increase or decrease in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price.
In all examples 1 and 2, if the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s price were to drop to zero, the Fund’s NAV would be equal, before fees and costs, to the value of premium received.
| 107 |
Types of Options Contracts Used by the Fund
As part of the Fund’s strategy, the Fund may sell Flexible Exchange® (“FLEX”) put options contracts that are based on the value of the price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The Fund will only sell options contracts that are listed for trading on regulated U.S. exchanges. Traditional exchange-traded options contracts have standardized terms, such as the type (call or put), the reference asset, the strike price and expiration date. Exchange-listed options contracts are guaranteed for settlement by the Options Clearing Corporation (“OCC”). FLEX Options are a type of exchange-listed options contract with uniquely customizable terms that allow investors to customize key terms like type, strike price and expiration date that are standardized in a typical options contract. FLEX Options are also guaranteed for settlement by the OCC.
In general, an option is a contract that gives the purchaser (holder) of the option, in return for a premium, the right to buy from (call) or sell to (put) the seller (writer) of the option the security or currency underlying (in this case, the Underlying Leveraged ETF) the option at a specified exercise price. The writer of an option has the obligation upon exercise of the option to deliver the underlying security or currency upon payment of the exercise price (call) or to pay the exercise price upon delivery of the underlying security or currency (put). An option is said to be “European Style” when it can be exercised only at expiration whereas an “American Style” option can be exercised at any time prior to expiration. The Fund might use either European or American style options. The Fund intends to primarily utilize European style options.
Swap agreements Used by the Fund
As part of the Fund’s strategy, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with major financial institutions that provide the same exposure as to selling put options contracts on the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The swap agreements may reference standardized exchange-traded, FLEX, European Style or American Style put options contracts that are based on the values of the price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. All put options contracts referenced in a swap agreement will be listed for trading on regulated U.S. exchanges.
The swap performance will settle in cash only irrespective of the types of the put options contracts referenced in the swap agreement.
Underlying Leveraged ETF
The Underlying Leveraged ETF seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, that correspond to two times (2x) the return of bitcoin (the “Underlying Asset”) for a single day, not for any other period.
The Underlying Leveraged ETF will not invest directly in bitcoin. The Underlying Leveraged ETF will generally achieve their investment strategy by investing in bitcoin futures or in swap contracts that provide exposure to bitcoin futures. Bitcoin futures held or referenced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF are standardized, cash-settled bitcoin futures contracts traded on commodity exchanges registered with the CFTC. To maintain its exposure to bitcoin futures, the Underlying Leveraged ETF must roll over its position before expiration. Futures contracts with a longer term to expiration may be priced higher than futures contracts with a shorter term to expiration, a relationship called “contango.” When rolling futures contracts that are in contango, the Underlying Leveraged ETF will sell the expiring contract at a relatively lower price and buy a longer-dated contract at a relatively higher price. Conversely, futures contracts with a longer term to expiration may be priced lower than futures contracts with a shorter term to expiration, a relationship called “backwardation.” When rolling futures contracts that are in backwardation, the Underlying Leveraged ETF will sell the expiring contract at a relatively higher price and buy a longer-dated contract at a relatively lower price.
The Underlying Leveraged ETF may also invest in money market instruments and U.S. government to provide liquidity, serve as margin or collateralize the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s investments in bitcoin futures contracts or in swap contracts.
The Underlying Leveraged ETF expects to gain exposure to bitcoin by investing in bitcoin futures contracts or swaps through a wholly-owned subsidiary of the fund organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands. Because the Underlying Leveraged ETF intends to qualify for treatment as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the “Code”), the Underlying Leveraged ETF intends to invest no more than 25% of its total assets in the subsidiary at each quarter end of the fund’s tax year.
Due to the high margin requirements that are unique to bitcoin futures contracts and certain tests that must be met in order to qualify as a RIC, the Underlying Leveraged ETF may also utilize reverse repurchase agreements during certain times of the year to help maintain the desired level of exposure to bitcoin futures contracts.
The Underlying Leveraged ETF may not always achieve its intended investment results, before fees and expenses, that correspond to two times (2x) the daily performance of the bitcoin and may return substantially less than that on days at or around quarter end when the Underlying Leveraged ETF must reduce its exposure to qualify for tax treatment as a RIC.
The Underlying Leveraged ETFs are subject to the information requirements of the federal securities laws, and in accordance therewith, file reports and other information with the SEC. The SEC maintains an internet website, www.sec.gov, that contains reports and other info regarding the Underlying Leveraged ETFs that are filed electronically with SEC.
| 108 |
The Fund intends to reference the following Underlying Leveraged ETF:
| (1) | 2x Bitcoin Strategy ETF (CBOE BZX: BITX). Investors can access information about BITX, including its prospectus and the most recent shareholder reports, online through the SEC’s website, using Registration Statement Nos. 333-263619 and 811-23785. This information, derived from BITX’s filings with the SEC, is essential for investors to understand BITX’s operations, investment strategy, and financial prospects. The description of BITX’s principal investment strategies as outlined here is directly sourced from its prospectus. | |
| (2) | ProShares Ultra Bitcoin ETF (NYSE ARCA: BITU). Investors can access information about BITU, including its prospectus and the most recent shareholder reports, online through the SEC’s website, using Registration Statement Nos. 333-89822 and 811-21114. This information, derived from BITU’s filings with the SEC, is essential for investors to understand BITU’s operations, investment strategy, and financial prospects. The description of BITU’s principal investment strategies as outlined here is directly sourced from its prospectus. | |
| (3) | CoinShares Bitcoin Leverage ETF (NASDAQ: BFTX). Investors can access information about BFTX, including its prospectus and the most recent shareholder reports, online through the SEC’s website, using Registration Statement Nos. 333-258722 and 811-23725. This information, derived from BFTX’s filings with the SEC, is essential for investors to understand BFTX’s operations, investment strategy, and financial prospects. The description of BFTX’s principal investment strategies as outlined here is directly sourced from its prospectus. | |
| (4) | T-Rex 2x Long Bitcoin ETF (CBOE BZX: BTCL). Investors can access information about BTCL, including its prospectus and the most recent shareholder reports, online through the SEC’s website, using Registration Statement Nos. 333-288436 and 811-22172. This information, derived from BTCL’s filings with the SEC, is essential for investors to understand BTCL’s operations, investment strategy, and financial prospects. The description of BTCL’s principal investment strategies as outlined here is directly sourced from its prospectus. |
This document relates only to the securities offered hereby and does not relate to the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The Fund has derived all disclosures contained in this document regarding the Underlying Leveraged ETF from publicly available documents. In connection with the offering of the securities, none of the Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates has participated in the preparation of such documents or made any due diligence inquiry with respect to the Underlying Leveraged ETF. None of the Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates makes any representation that such publicly available documents or any other publicly available information regarding the Underlying Leveraged ETF 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 the Underlying Leveraged ETF have been publicly disclosed. Subsequent disclosure of any such events or the disclosure of or failure to disclose material future events concerning the Underlying Leveraged ETF could affect the value received with respect to your Shares and therefore the value of your Shares.
The Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, and their respective affiliates do not provide any representation regarding the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF.
THE FUND, TRUST AND ADVISER ARE NOT AFFILIATED WITH THE UNDERLYING LEVERAGED ETF, THEIR TRUSTS, AND THEIR SERVICE PROVIDERS.
Additional Information on Bitcoin
Bitcoin is a digital asset that is created and transmitted through the operations of the online, peer-to-peer Bitcoin network, a decentralized network of computers that operates on cryptographic protocols. The ownership of bitcoin is determined by participants in the Bitcoin network. The Bitcoin network connects computers that run publicly accessible, or “open source,” software that follows the rules and procedures governing the Bitcoin network. This is commonly referred to as the Bitcoin Protocol. Bitcoin, the asset, plays a key role in the operation of the Bitcoin network, as the computers (or “miners”) that process transactions on the network and maintain the network’s security are compensated through the issuance of new bitcoin and through transaction fees paid by users in bitcoin.
No single entity owns or operates the Bitcoin network. Bitcoin is not issued by any government, by banks or similar organizations. The infrastructure of the Bitcoin network is collectively maintained by a decentralized user base. The Bitcoin network is accessed through software, and software governs the creation, movement, and ownership of “bitcoin,” the unit of account on the Bitcoin network ledger. The value of bitcoin is determined, in part, by the supply of, and demand for, bitcoin in the global markets for trading bitcoin, market expectations for the adoption of bitcoin as a decentralized store of value, the number of merchants and/or institutions that accept bitcoin as a form of payment and the volume of private end-user-to-end-user transactions.
Bitcoin transaction and ownership records are reflected on the “Bitcoin blockchain,” which is a digital public record or ledger. Copies of this ledger are stored in a decentralized manner on the computers of each Bitcoin network node (a node is any user who maintains on their computer a full copy of all the bitcoin transaction records, the blockchain, as well as related software). Transaction data is permanently recorded in files called “blocks,” which reflect transactions that have been recorded and authenticated by Bitcoin network participants. The Bitcoin network software source code includes protocols that govern the creation of new bitcoin and the cryptographic system that secures and verifies bitcoin transactions.
PRINCIPAL RISKS OF INVESTING IN THE FUND
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. Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its investment objectives. 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.”
| 109 |
The Underlying Leveraged ETF Risk. The Fund invests in options contracts that are based on the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF shares. This subjects the Fund to certain of the same risks as if it owned shares of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, even though it may not. By virtue of the Fund’s investments in options contracts that are based on the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF shares, the Fund may also be subject to the following risks:
Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk — The Underlying Leveraged ETF shares’ performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which is likely to differ from 200% of the return of bitcoin futures. Compounding has a significant impact on funds that are leveraged and that rebalance daily. The impact of compounding becomes more pronounced as volatility and holding periods increase and will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF is held and the volatility of the bitcoin futures during the shareholder’s holding period of an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF.
Leverage Risk — The Underlying Leveraged ETF 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 Underlying Leveraged ETF is exposed to the risk that a decline in the daily performance of the bitcoin futures will be magnified. This means that an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF will be reduced by an amount equal to 2% for every 1% daily decline in the bitcoin futures, not including the costs of financing leverage and other operating expenses, which would further reduce its value. The Underlying Leveraged ETF could lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event of a bitcoin futures decline of more than 50%.
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. Investing in derivatives may be considered aggressive and may expose the Underlying Leveraged ETF to greater risks, and may result in larger losses or smaller gains, than investing directly in the reference assets underlying those derivatives, which may prevent the Underlying Leveraged ETF from achieving its investment objective.
Counterparty Risk — If a counterparty is unwilling or unable to make timely payments to meet its contractual obligations or fails to return holdings that are subject to the agreement with the counterparty resulting in the Underlying Leveraged ETF losing money or not being able to meet its daily leveraged investment objective.
Bitcoin futures Investing Risk — The Underlying Leveraged ETF is indirectly exposed to the risks of investing in bitcoin through its investments in bitcoin futures contracts. Bitcoin is a new and highly speculative investment. The risks associated with bitcoin include the following:
| - | Bitcoin is a new technological innovation with a limited history. There is no assurance that usage of bitcoin will continue to grow. A contraction in use of bitcoin may result in increased volatility or a reduction in the price of bitcoin, which could adversely impact the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The Bitcoin Network was launched in January 2009, platform trading in bitcoin began in 2010, and bitcoin futures trading began in 2017, each of which limits a potential shareholder’s ability to evaluate an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF. | |
| - | The Underlying Leveraged ETF’s investments in bitcoin futures contracts are exposed to risks associated with the price of bitcoin, which is subject to numerous factors and risks. The price of bitcoin is impacted by numerous factors, including: |
| ○ | The total and available supply of bitcoin, including the possibility that a small group of early bitcoin adopters hold a significant proportion of the bitcoin that has thus far been created and that sales of bitcoin by such large holders may impact the price of bitcoin; | |
| ○ | Global bitcoin demand, which is influenced by the growth of retail merchants’ and commercial businesses’ acceptance of bitcoin as payment for goods and services, the security of online digital asset trading platforms and public bitcoin addresses that hold bitcoin, the perception that the use and holding of bitcoin is safe and secure, the lack of regulatory restrictions on their use, and the reputation regarding the use of bitcoin for illicit purposes; | |
| ○ | The fact that bitcoin is not presently widely accepted as a medium of exchange, which may be due to a number of common impediments and/or disadvantages to adopting the Bitcoin Network as a payment network, including the slowness of transaction processing and finality, variability of transaction fees, and volatility of the price of bitcoin; | |
| ○ | Global bitcoin supply, which is influenced by similar factors as global bitcoin demand, in addition to fiat currency (i.e., government currency not backed by an asset such as gold) needs by miners and taxpayers who may liquidate bitcoin holdings to meet tax obligations; | |
| ○ | Investors’ expectations with respect to the rate of inflation of fiat currencies and deflation of bitcoin; | |
| ○ | Foreign exchange rates between fiat currencies and digital assets such as bitcoin; | |
| ○ | Interest rates; | |
| ○ | The continued operation of digital asset trading platforms in the United States and foreign jurisdictions, including their regulatory status, trading and custody policies, and cyber security; | |
| ○ | Investment and trading activities of large investors, including private and registered funds, that may directly or indirectly invest in bitcoin; | |
| ○ | Regulatory measures, if any, that restrict the use of bitcoin as a form of payment or the purchase or sale of bitcoin, including measures that restrict the direct or indirect participation in the bitcoin market by financial institutions or the introduction of bitcoin instruments; | |
| ○ | The maintenance and development of the open-source software protocol of the bitcoin network; | |
| ○ | Increased competition from other digital assets, including forks of the Bitcoin Network; | |
| ○ | Developments in the information technology sector; | |
| ○ | Global or regional political, economic or financial events and situations; | |
| ○ | Investor or Bitcoin Network participant sentiments on the value or utility of bitcoin; and | |
| ○ | The dedication of mining power to the Bitcoin Network and the willingness of bitcoin miners to clear bitcoin transactions for relatively low fees. |
The value of bitcoin has been, may continue to be, substantially dependent on speculation, such that trading and investing in these assets generally may not be based on fundamental analysis. Bitcoin and bitcoin futures have historically been subject to significant price volatility.
Bitcoin Futures Capacity Risk. If the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s ability to obtain exposure to bitcoin futures contracts consistent with its investment objective is disrupted for any reason including, for example, limited liquidity in the bitcoin futures market, a disruption to the bitcoin futures market, or as a result of margin requirements, position limits, accountability levels, or other limitations imposed by the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s futures commission merchants (“FCMs”), the listing exchanges, or the CFTC, the Underlying Leveraged ETF may not be able to achieve its investment objective and may experience significant losses. Any disruption in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s ability to obtain exposure to bitcoin futures contracts will cause the fund’s performance to deviate from the performance of bitcoin futures contracts, and consequently, bitcoin. Additionally, the ability of the Underlying Leveraged ETF to obtain exposure to bitcoin futures contracts is limited by certain tax rules that limit the amount the Underlying Leveraged ETF can invest in its wholly-owned subsidiary as of the end of each tax quarter.
| 110 |
Commodity Regulatory Risk. The Underlying Leveraged ETF’s use of commodities futures subject to regulation by the CFTC has caused the Underlying Leveraged ETF to be classified as a “commodity pool” and this designation requires that the Underlying Leveraged ETF comply with CFTC rules, which may impose additional regulatory requirements and compliance obligations. The Underlying Leveraged ETF’s investment decisions may need to be modified, and commodity contract positions held by the Underlying Leveraged ETF may have to be liquidated at disadvantageous times or prices, to avoid exceeding any applicable position limits established by the CFTC, potentially subjecting the Underlying Leveraged ETF to substantial losses. The regulation of commodity transactions in the United States is subject to ongoing modification by government, self-regulatory and judicial action. The effect of any future regulatory change with respect to any aspect of the Underlying Leveraged ETF is impossible to predict, but could be substantial and adverse to the Underlying Leveraged ETF.
Digital Asset Industry Risk. The digital asset industry is a new, speculative, and still-developing industry that faces many risks. In this emerging environment, events that are not directly related to the security or utility of the Bitcoin blockchain can nonetheless precipitate a significant decline in the price of bitcoin. For instance, in May 2022, the collapse of the algorithmic stablecoin TerraUSD and its paired crypto asset LUNA destroyed an estimated $60 billion in value in the crypto ecosystem. Although TerraUSD and LUNA operated on their own blockchain (the “Terra” blockchain), the events nonetheless contributed to a sharp decline in the price of bitcoin, which fell 16% from May 1, 2022 to May 31, 2022. As another example, in November 2022, FTX Trading Ltd. – an offshore digital asset trading venue specializing in crypto derivatives – collapsed and filed for bankruptcy. While a small fraction of total global trading volume in bitcoin and related derivatives took place on FTX-related venues, the company’s collapse nonetheless contributed to a significant decline in the price of bitcoin, which fell 16% in November 2022. Additional instability, failures, bankruptcies or other negative events in the digital asset industry, including events that are not necessarily related to the security or utility of the Bitcoin blockchain, could similarly negatively impact the price of bitcoin, and thereby the bitcoin futures contracts held by the Underlying Leveraged ETF.
Digital Asset Regulatory Risk. Digital asset markets in the U.S. exist in a state of regulatory uncertainty, and adverse legislative or regulatory developments could significantly harm the value of bitcoin futures contracts or the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s shares, such as by banning, restricting or imposing onerous conditions or prohibitions on the use of bitcoin, mining activity, digital wallets, the provision of services related to trading and custodying digital assets, the operation of the Bitcoin network, or the digital asset markets generally. Such occurrences could also impair the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s ability to meet its investment objective pursuant to its investment strategy.
Reverse Purchase Agreements Risk. Reverse repurchase agreements involve both counterparty risk and the risk that the value of securities that the Underlying Leveraged ETF is obligated to repurchase under the agreement may decline below the repurchase price. Reverse repurchase agreements involve leverage risk; the Underlying Leveraged ETF may lose money as a result of declines in the values both of the security subject to the reverse repurchase agreement and the instruments in which the Underlying Leveraged ETF invested the proceeds of the reverse repurchase agreement.
Subsidiary Investment Risk. Changes in the laws of the United States and/or the Cayman Islands, under which the Underlying Leveraged ETF and its wholly-owned Cayman subsidiary are organized, respectively, could result in the inability of the Underlying Leveraged ETF to operate as intended and could negatively affect the Underlying Leveraged ETF and its shareholders (such as the Fund). The Underlying Leveraged ETF’s Cayman subsidiary is not registered under the 1940 Act and is not subject to all the investor protections of the 1940 Act.
Indirect Investments in the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The Underlying Leveraged ETF is not affiliated with the Trust, the Fund, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates and is not involved with the offering of the Fund in any way and has no obligation to consider your Shares in taking any corporate action that might affect the value of Shares. Investors in the Fund will not have rights to receive dividends or other distributions or any other rights with respect to the Underlying Leveraged ETF but will be subject to declines in the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. Although the Fund invests in the Underlying Leveraged ETF only indirectly, the Fund’s investments are subject to loss as a result of these risks.
Derivatives Risk. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds, 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, imperfect correlation with underlying investments, 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 an imperfect correlation between the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objectives. 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. In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
| 111 |
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. For the Fund, in particular, the value of the options contracts in which it invests is substantially influenced by the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. Selling put options exposes the Fund to the risk of potential loss if the market value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF falls below the strike price before the option expires. The Fund may experience substantial downside from specific option positions and certain option positions held by the Fund may expire worthless. 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 at the underlying instrument. There may at times be an imperfect correlation between the movement in values of 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, the Fund’s practice of “rolling” may cause the Fund to experience losses if the expiring contracts do not generate proceeds enough to cover the costs of entering into new options contracts. Rolling refers to the practice of closing out one options position and opening another with a different expiration date and/or a different strike price. Further, if an option is exercised, the seller (writer) of a put option is obligated to purchase the underlying asset at the strike price, which can result in significant financial and regulatory obligations for the Fund if the market value of the asset has fallen substantially. Furthermore, when the Fund seeks to trade out of puts, especially near expiration, there is an added risk that the Fund may be required to allocate resources unexpectedly to fulfill these obligations. This potential exposure to physical settlement can significantly impact the Fund’s liquidity and market exposure, particularly in volatile market conditions.
Swap Risk: Swaps are subject to tracking risk because they may not be perfect substitutes for the instruments they are intended to hedge or replace. Over the counter swaps are subject to counterparty default. Leverage inherent in derivatives will tend to magnify the Fund’s losses. The swap agreements may reference standardized exchange-traded, FLEX, European Style or American Style put options contracts that are based on the values of the price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. that generate specific risks.
Counterparty Risk. The Fund is subject to counterparty risk by virtue of its investments in options contracts. Transactions in some types of derivatives, including options, are required to be centrally cleared (“cleared derivatives”). In a transaction involving cleared derivatives, the Fund’s counterparty is a clearing house rather than a bank or broker. Since the Fund is not a member of clearing houses and only members of a clearing house (“clearing members”) can participate directly in the clearing house, the Fund will hold cleared derivatives through accounts at clearing members. In cleared derivatives positions, the Fund will make payments (including margin payments) to and receive payments from a clearing house through their accounts at clearing members. Customer funds held at a clearing organization in connection with any options contracts are held in a commingled omnibus account and are not identified to the name of the clearing member’s individual customers. As a result, assets deposited by the Fund with any clearing member as margin for options may, in certain circumstances, be used to satisfy losses of other clients of the Fund’s clearing member. In addition, although clearing members guarantee performance of their clients’ obligations to the clearing house, there is a risk that the assets of the Fund might not be fully protected in the event of the clearing member’s bankruptcy, as the Fund would be limited to recovering only a pro rata share of all available funds segregated on behalf of the clearing member’s customers for the relevant account class. The Fund is also subject to the risk that a limited number of clearing members are willing to transact on the Fund’s behalf, which heightens the risks associated with a clearing member’s default. If a clearing member defaults the Fund could lose some or all of the benefits of a transaction entered into by the Fund with the clearing member. If the Fund cannot find a clearing member to transact with on the Fund’s behalf, the Fund may be unable to effectively implement its investment strategy.
In addition, a counterparty (the other party to a transaction or an agreement or the party with whom the Fund executes transactions) to a transaction (including repurchase transaction) with the Fund may be unable or unwilling to make timely principal, interest or settlement payments, or otherwise honor its obligations.
Price Participation Risk. The Fund employs an investment strategy that includes the sale of in-the-money put options contracts, which limits the degree to which the Fund will participate in increases in value experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF over the Call Period. This means that if the Underlying Leveraged ETF experiences an increase in value above the strike price of the sold put options during a Call Period, the Fund will likely not experience that increase to the same extent and may significantly underperform the Underlying Leveraged ETF over the Call Period. Additionally, because the Fund is limited in the degree to which it will participate in increases in value experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF over each Call Period, but has full exposure to any decreases in value experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF over the Call Period, the NAV of the Fund may decrease over any given time period. The Fund’s NAV is dependent on the value of each options portfolio, which is based principally upon the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The degree of participation in the Underlying Leveraged ETF gains the Fund will experience will depend on prevailing market conditions, especially market volatility, at the time the Fund enters into the sold put options contracts and will vary from Call Period to Call Period. The value of the options contracts is affected by changes in the value and dividend rates of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, changes in interest rates, changes in the actual or perceived volatility of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and the remaining time to the options’ expiration, as well as trading conditions in the options market. As the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF share changes and time moves towards the expiration of each Call Period, the value of the options contracts, and therefore the Fund’s NAV, will change. However, it is not expected for the Fund’s NAV to directly correlate on a day-to-day basis with the returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price. The amount of time remaining until the options contract’s expiration date affects the impact of the potential options contract income on the Fund’s NAV, which may not be in full effect until the expiration date of the Fund’s options contracts. Therefore, while changes in the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF share will result in changes to the Fund’s NAV, the Fund generally anticipates that the rate of change in the Fund’s NAV will be different than that experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price.
Distribution Risk. As part of the Fund’s investment objective, the Fund seeks to provide current weekly income. There is no assurance that the Fund will make a distribution in any given month. If the Fund makes distributions, the amounts of such distributions will likely vary greatly from one distribution to the next. Additionally, the weekly distributions, if any, may consist of returns of capital, which would decrease the Fund’s NAV and trading price over time. As a result, an investor may suffer significant losses to their investment.
Put Writing Strategy Risk. The path dependency (i.e., the continued use) of the Fund’s put writing strategy will impact the extent that the Fund participates in the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and, in turn, the Fund’s returns, both during the term of the sold put options and over longer time periods.
If, for example, the Fund were to sell 10% in-the-money put options having a one-month term, the Fund’s participation in the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF will be capped at 5% for that month. However, over a longer period (e.g., a three-month period), the Fund should not be expected to participate fully in the first 30% (i.e., 3 months x 10%) of the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, or the Fund may even lose money, even if the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price has appreciated by at least that much over such period, if during any particular month or months over that period the Underlying Leveraged ETF had a return less than 10%. This example illustrates that both the Fund’s participation in the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and its returns will depend not only on the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF but also on the path that the Underlying Leveraged ETF takes over time.
If, for example, the Fund were to sell 5% out-of-the-money put options having a one-week term, the Fund’s downward protection against the negative price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF will be capped at 5% for that week. However, over a longer period (e.g., a four-week period), the Fund should not be expected to be protected fully in the first 25% (i.e., 4 weeks x 5%) of the negative price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, and the Fund may lose money, even if the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price has appreciated over such period, if during any particular week or weeks over that period the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price had decreases by more than 5%. This example illustrates that both the Fund’s protection against the negative price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and its returns will depend not only on the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF but also on the path that the Underlying Leveraged ETF takes over time.
Under both cases the Fund may be fully exposed to the downward movements of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, offset only by the premiums received from selling put contracts. The Fund does not seek to offer any downside protection, except for the fact that the premiums from the sold options may offset some or all of the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s decline.
Put Spread Strategy Risk. Similarly to a put writing strategy (see relevant risk factor), a put spread strategy will subject the Fund’s performance to path dependency.
Option Market Liquidity Risk. The trading activity in the option market of the Underlying Leveraged ETF may be limited and the option contracts may trade at levels significantly different from their economic value. The lack of liquidity may negatively affect the ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective. This risk may increase if the portfolio turnover is elevated, for instance because of frequent changes in the number of Shares outstanding, and if the net asset value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF is modest. For the 12-month period ending July 31, 2025, the net asset value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF ranged from $5m to $4,162m.
Concentration Risk. To the extent that the Underlying Leveraged ETF concentrates its investments in a particular industry, the Fund will be subject to the risks associated with that industry.
| 112 |
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 currently expects to effect a significant portion of its creations and redemptions for cash, rather than in-kind securities. Paying redemption proceeds in cash rather than through in-kind delivery of portfolio securities may require the Fund to dispose of or sell portfolio securities or other assets at an inopportune time to obtain the cash needed to meet redemption orders. This may cause the Fund to sell a security and recognize a capital gain or loss that might not have been incurred if it had made a redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher or lower annual capital gains distributions than ETFs that redeem in-kind. The use of cash creations and redemptions may also cause the Fund’s Shares to trade in the market at greater bid-ask spreads or greater premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV. Furthermore, the Fund may not be able to execute cash transactions for creation and redemption purposes at the same price used to determine the Fund’s NAV. To the extent that the maximum additional charge for creation or redemption transactions is insufficient to cover the execution shortfall, the Fund’s performance could be negatively impacted.
Costs of Buying or Selling Shares. Due to the costs of buying or selling Shares, including brokerage commissions imposed by brokers and bid-ask spreads, frequent trading of Shares may significantly 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 Nasdaq Stock Market, LLC (the “Exchange”), and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for the Shares will develop or be maintained or that the Shares will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. This risk may be greater for the Fund as it seeks to have exposure to a single underlying stock as opposed to a more diverse portfolio like a traditional pooled investment. 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. Shares trade on the Exchange at a market price that may be below, at or above the Fund’s NAV. Trading in Shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in Shares on the Exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to the Exchange “circuit breaker” rules. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged. In the event of an unscheduled market close for options contracts that reference a single stock, such as the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s securities being halted or a market wide closure, settlement prices will be determined by the procedures of the listing exchange of the options contracts. As a result, the Fund could be adversely affected and be unable to implement its investment strategies in the event of an unscheduled closing.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk. The Fund may actively and frequently trade all or a significant portion of the Fund’s holdings. A high portfolio turnover rate increases transaction costs, which may increase the Fund’s expenses. Frequent trading may also cause adverse tax consequences for investors in the Fund due to an increase in short-term capital gains.
Inflation Risk. Inflation risk is the risk that the value of assets or income from investments will be less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money. As inflation increases, the present value of the Fund’s assets and distributions, if any, may decline.
| 113 |
Liquidity Risk. Some securities held by the Fund, including options contracts, may be difficult to sell or be illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. This risk is greater for the Fund as it will hold options contracts on a single security, and not a broader range of options contracts. 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, such as market rules related to short sales, may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Underlying Leveraged ETF. 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.
Management Risk. The Fund is subject to management risk because it is an actively managed portfolio. In managing the Fund’s investment portfolio, the portfolio managers will apply investment techniques and risk analyses that may not produce the desired result. There can be no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective.
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, including money market funds, may lose money through fees or other means.
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.
Operational Risk. The Fund is subject to risks arising from various operational factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund relies on third-parties for a range of services, including custody. Any delay or failure relating to engaging or maintaining such service providers may affect the Fund’s ability to meet its investment objective. Although the Fund, Adviser, and Sub-Adviser seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures, there is no way to completely protect against such risks.
Recent Market Events Risk. U.S. and international markets have experienced significant periods of volatility in recent years and months due to a number of economic, political and global macro factors including the impact of COVID-19 as a global pandemic, which has resulted in a public health crisis, disruptions to business operations and supply chains, stress on the global healthcare system, growth concerns in the U.S. and overseas, staffing shortages and the inability to meet consumer demand, and widespread concern and uncertainty. The global recovery from COVID-19 is proceeding at slower than expected rates due to the emergence of variant strains and may last for an extended period of time. Continuing uncertainties regarding interest rates, rising inflation, political events, rising government debt in the U.S. and trade tensions also contribute to market volatility. Conflict, loss of life and disaster connected to ongoing armed conflict between Ukraine and Russia in Europe and Israel and Hamas in the Middle East could have severe adverse effects on the region, including significant adverse effects on the regional or global economies and the markets for certain securities. The U.S. and the European Union have imposed sanctions on certain Russian individuals and companies, including certain financial institutions, and have limited certain exports and imports to and from Russia. The war has contributed to recent market volatility and may continue to do so. U.S. trade disputes or other disputes with specific countries that could result in additional tariffs, trade barriers and/or investment restrictions in certain securities in those countries.
Single Issuer Risk. Issuer-specific attributes may cause an investment in the Fund to be more volatile than a traditional pooled investment vehicle which diversifies risk or the market generally. The value of the Fund, which focuses on an individual security (the Underlying Leveraged ETF), 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.
Tax Risk. The Fund intends to elect and to qualify each year to be treated as a RIC under Subchapter M of the 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 the derivatives it holds is never 25% of the total value of Fund assets at the close of any quarter. If the Fund’s investments in the derivatives 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. In addition, distributions received by the Fund from the Underlying Leveraged ETF may generate “bad income” that could prevent the Fund from meeting the “Income Requirement” of Subchapter M of the Code, which may cause the Fund to fail to qualify as a RIC.
| 114 |
Investing in U.S. Equities Risk. Investing in U.S. issuers subjects the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency, security, and economic risks that are specific to the U.S. Certain changes in the U.S., such as a weakening of the U.S. economy or a decline in its financial markets, may have an adverse effect on U.S. issuers.
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.
Fixed Income Securities Risk. The market value of Fixed Income Securities will change in response to interest rate changes and other factors, such as changes in the effective maturities and credit ratings of fixed income investments. During periods of falling interest rates, the values of outstanding Fixed Income Securities and related financial instruments generally rise. Conversely, during periods of rising interest rates, the values of such securities and related financial instruments generally decline. Fixed Income Securities are also subject to credit risk.
Investments in Fixed Income Securities may also involve the following risks, depending on the instrument involved:
| - | Asset-Backed/Mortgage-Backed Securities Risk – The market value and yield of asset-backed and mortgage-backed securities can vary due to market interest rate fluctuations and early prepayments of underlying instruments. | |
| - | Credit Risk – An investment in the Fund also involves the risk that the issuer of a Fixed Income Security that the Fund holds will fail to make timely payments of interest or principal or go bankrupt, or that the value of the securities will decline because of a market perception that the issuer may not make payments on time, thus potentially reducing the Fund’s return. | |
| - | Event Risk – Event risk is the risk that corporate issuers may undergo restructurings, such as mergers, leveraged buyouts, takeovers, or similar events financed by increased debt. As a result of the added debt, the credit quality and market value of a company’s bonds and/or other debt securities may decline significantly. | |
| - | Extension Risk – Payment on the loans underlying Fixed Income Securities held by the Fund may be made more slowly when interest rates are rising. | |
| - | Interest Rate Risk – Generally, the value of Fixed Income Securities will change inversely with changes in interest rates. As interest rates rise, the market value of Fixed Income Securities tends to decrease. Conversely, as interest rates fall, the market value of Fixed Income Securities tends to increase. This risk will be greater for long-term securities than for short-term securities. In recent periods, governmental financial regulators, including the U.S. Federal Reserve, have taken steps to maintain historically low interest rates. Very low or negative interest rates may magnify interest rate risk. Changes in government intervention may have adverse effects on investments, volatility, and illiquidity in debt markets. | |
| - | Prepayment Risk – When interest rates are declining, issuers of Fixed Income Securities held by the Fund may prepay principal earlier than scheduled. |
Performance:
The Fund has not yet completed a full calendar year as of the date of this
prospectus and therefore does not have a performance history for a full calendar
year. Once available, the Fund’s performance information will be accessible on
the Fund’s website at
Portfolio Managers: Jeff Klearman and Ryan Dofflemeyer have been portfolio managers of the Fund since the Fund’s inception in 2025.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares: The Fund is an ETF. Individual Shares of the Fund may only be bought and sold in the secondary market (i.e., on a national securities exchange) through a broker-dealer at a market price. Because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than at NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (at a premium), at NAV or less than NAV (at a discount). An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares of the Fund (ask) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). The bid-ask spread varies over time for Shares based on trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the Fund’s Shares have more trading volume and market liquidity and higher if the Fund’s Shares have little trading volume and market liquidity. Recent information regarding the Fund, including its NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid/ask spreads, is available on the Fund’s website at www.graniteshares.com.
Tax Information: The Fund’s distributions will be taxable to you, generally as ordinary income unless you are invested through a tax-advantaged arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan, IRA or other tax-advantaged account; in such cases, you may be subject to tax when assets are withdrawn from such tax-advantaged arrangement. A sale of Shares may result in capital gain or loss.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries: If you purchase Shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank) (an “Intermediary”), the Adviser and/or its related companies may pay the Intermediary for the sale of Shares and related services. 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.
| 115 |
GraniteShares YIELDBOOST AAPL ETF – Summary
The Fund’s primary investment objective is to achieve 2 times (200%) the income generated from selling options on Apple, Inc.’s common stock (NASDAQ: AAPL) (the “Underlying Stock”) by selling options on leveraged exchange-traded funds designed to deliver 2 times (200%) the daily performance of the Underlying Stock (the “Underlying Leveraged ETF”). The Fund’s secondary investment objective is to gain exposure to the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, subject to a cap on potential investment gains. A downside protection may be implemented which could affect the net income level.
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). The fees are expressed as a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets. Investors may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and example below.
| Management Fee | 0.99 | % | ||
|
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) | ||||
| Management Fee | % | |||
| Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees | % | |||
| Other Expenses (1) | % | |||
| Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses (2) | % | |||
| Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | % | |||
| Fee Waiver/Reimbursements (3) | % | |||
| Net Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver/Reimbursements (1), (2), (3) | % | |||
| (1) | |
| (2) | |
| (3) |
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in mutual funds and other exchange traded funds.
The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell 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 figures shown would be the same whether or not you sold your Shares at the end of each period.
Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years | |||||
| $ | $ | |||||
| 116 |
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 the total annual fund operating expenses or in the expense example above, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund is newly organized, portfolio turnover information is not yet available.
The Fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to pay weekly distributions by selling put options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF, which provides exposure to 2 times the daily performance of the Underlying Stock. It is expected that the implied volatility on the Underlying Leveraged ETF to be twice the level of the Underlying Stock’s implied volatility and selling options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF to generate, over the same time horizon and for the same strike levels, twice the premium generated by selling options on the Underlying Stock. The premium received by the Fund from selling options will be distributed at least partially before the maturity of the options. This allows the Fund to make distributions on a weekly basis even if the options sold have longer maturity (such as monthly maturity for instance). This approach may result in the distributions being treated fiscally as return of capital (see “Distribution Risk” under the section “Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund”). There is no guarantee that the Fund will generate twice the level of premium that would be generated by selling options on the Underlying Stock.
The Fund is subject to the losses from the Underlying Leveraged ETF, which would likely be 2 times the losses compared to the Underlying Stock. In case a Put Spread Strategy (as defined under the section “The Fund’s Use of the Underlying Leveraged ETF Derivatives Contracts”) is implemented, the Fund may benefit from a limited downside protection against a negative price variation in the Underlying Leveraged ETF. Such protection will negatively affect the Fund’s overall income level. A put spread strategy with a narrow spread (the difference between the strikes of the put option sold and put option bought) may provide better protection but will have a higher negative impact on the Fund’s income level. A put spread strategy with a large spread will provide a lower protection but may have less negative impact on the Fund’s income level.
The Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in derivatives contracts that utilize the Underlying Leveraged ETF as their reference asset. For purposes of compliance with this investment policy, derivative contracts will be valued at their notional value.
For more information, see section “The Fund’s Use of the Underlying Leveraged ETF Derivatives Contracts” below.
The Fund’s cash balance may be invested in the following instruments: (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; (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 as collateral for the Fund’s swap agreements; (5) repurchase transactions, which are transactions under which the purchaser (i.e., the Fund) acquires securities and the seller agrees, at the time of the sale, to repurchase the securities at a mutually agreed-upon time and price, thereby determining the yield during the purchaser’s holding period, and/or; (6) US large cap equities listed on a national security exchange, sovereign fixed income securities with a credit rating at least equal to the United States Federal Government, or corporate debt securities, such as commercial paper and other short-term unsecured promissory notes issued by businesses that are rated investment grade for the purposes of entering into swap agreements with the Fund’s swap counterparties. The Fund may enter into such swap agreements to improve its operational efficiency.
The Fund is classified as “non-diversified” under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”).
The Fund will be subject to regulatory constraints relating to the level of value at risk that the Fund may incur through its derivatives 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 and the Fund may not achieve its investment objective.
The Fund’s investment objective has not been adopted as a fundamental investment policy and therefore the Fund’s investment objective along with its respective 80% investment policy may be changed without the consent of that Fund’s shareholders upon approval by the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of GraniteShares ETF Trust (the “Trust”) and 60 days’ written notice to shareholders.
There is no guarantee that the Fund’s investment strategy will be properly implemented or that the Fund will pay weekly distributions, and an investor may lose some or all of its investment. Even when the Fund makes a distribution it could be fiscally treated as return of capital (see “Distribution Risk” under the section “Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund”).
An Investment in the Fund is not an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF
| - | The Fund’s strategy will cap its potential gain to the premium received from selling options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF, | |
| - | The Fund’s strategy is exposed to all potential losses if the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share declines, subject to a potential downside protection if a Put Spread Strategy is used (as defined in ten next section). The potential losses may not be offset by the premium received by the Fund, | |
| - | The Fund does not invest directly in the Underlying Leveraged ETF, | |
| - | Fund shareholders are not entitled to any distribution paid by Underlying Leveraged ETF. |
Additional information regarding the Underlying Leveraged ETF is set forth below.
The Fund’s Use of the Underlying Leveraged ETF Derivatives Contracts
| - | Put Spread Strategy: The Fund will enter in put spread options contracts, either directly or through swap contracts, on the Underlying Leveraged ETF and for which the Fund will receive a net premium. A put spread consists of selling a put option contract while buying a put option contract with the same maturity but a lower strike price. The Fund’s protection against a potential decrease in the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF only applies if it falls below the strike price of the option contract bought by the Fund. Buying a put option contract results in a cost that negatively affects the Fund’s income level. It is unlikely for a put spread strategy to generate twice the level of income that would be obtained by selling options on the Underlying Stock directly. The put options contracts sold by the Fund may vary in regard to their strike price from 0 to 15% above the then-current price of the Leveraged ETF. The put options contracts bought by the Fund will have a lower strike price, ranging from 50% out-of-the-money to at-the-money. The put options sold and bought by the Fund will generally have 1- month or less expiration dates. | |
| - | Put Write Strategy: The Fund will sell put options contracts, either directly or through swap contracts, on the Underlying Leveraged ETF and for which it will receive a premium. The put options contracts sold by the Fund may vary in regard to their strike prices from 40% out-of-the-money to 15% in-the-money. The put options sold and bought by the Fund will generally have 1- month or less expiration dates. The Adviser will primarily employ this put write strategy when it believes that the share price of its Underlying Leveraged ETF is likely to rise significantly in the short term (e.g., following a substantial selloff or overall positive market news). |
| 117 |
Example 1 – Put Write Strategy - Selling In-the-money Put Option Contract with a One-month Maturity
Assume for simplicity that the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s shares are trading at $100.00 at the time the Fund sells an in-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $105.00 and a one-month maturity. The Fund receives a $5.50 premium for selling the put option contract.
| Case 1: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increases to $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.50 premium received. | |
| Case 2: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increase exceeded $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.50 premium received but would not participate in any of the additional upside. | |
| Case 3: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops to $99.50 before expiration. | The $5.50 premium received is equal to the drop in price in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price, resulting in a return of zero. | |
| Case 4: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $99.50, that is the strike price ($105.00) reduced by the premium received ($5.50). | The Fund would lose money and be exposed to the drop in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price. |
Example 2 – Put Write Strategy - Selling Out-of-the-money Put Options Contracts with a One-week Maturity
Assume for simplicity that the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s shares are trading at $100.00 at the time the Fund sells an out-of-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $95.00 and a one-week maturity. The Fund receives a $0.50 premium for selling the put option contract.
| Case 1: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increases above $100.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $0.50 premium received but would not participate in the increased in the Underlying Leveraged ETFs’ share price. | |
| Case 2: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $94.50, that is the strike price ($95.00) reduced by the premium received ($0.50). | The Fund would lose money and be exposed to the drop in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price. |
Example 3 – Put Spread Strategy - Selling At-the-money Put Options Contracts and buy an Out-of-the-money Put Options Contracts with both with a One-month Maturity
Assume for simplicity that the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s shares are trading at $100.00 at the time the Fund sells an in-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $105.00 and buy an out-of-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $95.00 both with a one-month maturity. The Fund receives a $5.50 premium for selling the put option contract and pays $0.50 premium for buying the put option contract. Hence the Fund receives a $5.00 net premium.
| Case 1: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increases to $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.00 net premium received. | |
| Case 2: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increase exceeded $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.00 net premium received but would not participate in any of the additional upside. | |
| Case 3: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $100.00, that is the strike price of the option sold ($105.00) reduced by the net premium received ($5.00) but remains above $95.00 before expiration. | The Fund would lose up to $5.00, which is the difference between the 2 strike levels reduced by the net premium received | |
| Case 4: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $95.00 | The Fund would lose $5.00, which is the difference between the 2 strike levels reduced by the net premium received. |
The comparison between the Put Write Strategy in Example 1 and the Put Spread Strategy in Example 3, shows that the Put Spread Strategy has a narrower range of outcomes. It has limited participation in a potential increase or decrease in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price.
In examples 1 and 2, if the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s price were to drop to zero, the Fund’s NAV would be equal, before fees and costs, to the value of premium received.
| 118 |
Types of Options Contracts Used by the Fund
As part of the Fund’s strategy, the Fund may sell FLexible EXchange® (“FLEX”) put options contracts that are based on the value of the price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The Fund will only sell options contracts that are listed for trading on regulated U.S. exchanges. Traditional exchange-traded options contracts have standardized terms, such as the type (call or put), the reference asset, the strike price and expiration date. Exchange-listed options contracts are guaranteed for settlement by the Options Clearing Corporation (“OCC”). FLEX Options are a type of exchange-listed options contract with uniquely customizable terms that allow investors to customize key terms like type, strike price and expiration date that are standardized in a typical options contract. FLEX Options are also guaranteed for settlement by the OCC.
In general, an option is a contract that gives the purchaser (holder) of the option, in return for a premium, the right to buy from (call) or sell to (put) the seller (writer) of the option the security or currency underlying (in this case, the Underlying Leveraged ETF) the option at a specified exercise price. The writer of an option has the obligation upon exercise of the option to deliver the underlying security or currency upon payment of the exercise price (call) or to pay the exercise price upon delivery of the underlying security or currency (put). An option is said to be “European Style” when it can be exercised only at expiration whereas an “American Style” option can be exercised at any time prior to expiration. The Fund might use either European or American style options. The Fund intends to primarily utilize European style options.
Swap agreements Used by the Fund
As part of the Fund’s strategy, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with major financial institutions that provide the same exposure as to selling put options contracts on the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The swap agreements may reference standardized exchange-traded, FLEX, European Style or American Style put options contracts that are based on the values of the price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. All put options contracts referenced in a swap agreement will be listed for trading on regulated U.S. exchanges.
The swap performance will settle in cash only irrespective of the types of the put options contracts referenced in the swap agreement.
Underlying Leveraged ETF
The Underlying Leveraged ETF seeks daily leverage investment results of 2 times (200%) the daily percentage of the Underlying Stock by entering into swap agreements on the Underlying Stock. The Underlying Leveraged ETF aims to generate 2 times the daily performance of the Underlying Stock for a single day. A “single day” is defined as being calculated “from the close of regular trading on one trading day to the close on the next trading day.”
Because of daily rebalancing and the compounding of each day’s return over time, the return of the Underlying Leveraged ETF 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 Stock over the same period. The Underlying Leveraged ETF will lose money if the Underlying Stock’s performance is flat over time, and as a result of daily rebalancing, the Underlying Stock volatility and the effects of compounding, it is even possible that the Fund will lose money over time while the Underlying Stock’s performance increases over a period longer than a single day.
| 119 |
The Fund intends to reference the following products as Underlying Leveraged ETF:
| (1) | Direxion Daily AAPL Bull 2X Shares (NASDAQ: AAPU). Investors can access information about AAPU, including its prospectus and the most recent shareholder reports, online through the SEC’s website, using Registration Statement Nos. 333-150525 and 811-22201. This information, derived from AAPU’s filings with the SEC, is essential for investors to understand AAPU’s operations, investment strategy, and financial prospects. The description of AAPU’s principal investment strategies as outlined here is directly sourced from its prospectus. | |
| (2) | REX 2X Long Apple Daily Target ETF (CBOE: AAPX). Investors can access information about AAPX, including its prospectus and the most recent shareholder reports, online through the SEC’s website, using Registration Statement Nos. 333-23444 and 811-23439. This information, derived from AAPX’s filings with the SEC, is essential for investors to understand AAPX’s operations, investment strategy, and financial prospects. The description of AAPX’s principal investment strategies as outlined here is directly sourced from its prospectus. | |
| (3) | GraniteShares 2x Long AAPL Daily ETF (NASDAQ: AAPB). Investors can access information about AAPB, including its prospectus and the most recent shareholder reports, online through the SEC’s website, using Registration Statement Nos. 333-214796 and 811-2314. This information, derived from AAPB’s filings with the SEC, is essential for investors to understand AAPB’s operations, investment strategy, and financial prospects. The description of AAPB’s principal investment strategies as outlined here is directly sourced from its prospectus. |
The Fund may reference additional products as Underlying Leveraged ETF as market and liquidity develop.
Due to the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s investment exposure to the Underlying Stock, the Fund’s investment exposure is concentrated in the computer and information technology industry.
This document relates only to the securities offered hereby and does not relate to the Underlying Leveraged ETF or the Underlying Stock. The Fund has derived all disclosures contained in this document regarding the Underlying Leveraged ETF from publicly available documents. AAPB is affiliated with the Fund and both funds are issued under GraniteShares ETF Trust. The Trust and the Adviser have been directly involved in the preparation of the disclosure of AAPB’s publicly available documents. In connection to AAPU and AAPX, none of the Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates has participated in the preparation of such documents or made any due diligence inquiry with respect to either fund. None of the Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates makes any representation that such publicly available documents or any other publicly available information regarding AAPU and AAPX 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 the Underlying Leveraged ETF have been publicly disclosed. Subsequent disclosure of any such events or the disclosure of or failure to disclose material future events concerning the Underlying Leveraged ETF could affect the value received with respect to your Shares and therefore the value of your Shares.
The Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, and their respective affiliates do not provide any representation regarding the performance of AAPU and AAPX.
THE FUND, TRUST AND ADVISER ARE NOT AFFILIATED WITH AAPU AND AAPX, THEIR TRUSTS, AND THEIR SERVICE PROVIDERS.
THE FUND, TRUST AND ADVISER ARE AFFILIATED WITH AAPB.
PRINCIPAL RISKS OF INVESTING IN THE FUND
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. Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its investment objectives. 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.”
| 120 |
The Underlying Leveraged ETF Risk. The Fund invests in options contracts that are based on the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF shares. This subjects the Fund to certain of the same risks as if it owned shares of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, even though it may not. By virtue of the Fund’s investments in options contracts that are based on the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF shares, the Fund may also be subject to the following risks:
Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk — The Underlying Leveraged ETF shares’ performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which is likely to differ from 200% of the Underlying Stock’s performance, before fees and expenses. Compounding has a significant impact on funds that are leveraged and that rebalance daily. The impact of compounding becomes more pronounced as volatility and holding periods increase and will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF is held and the volatility of the Underlying Stock during the shareholder’s holding period of an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF.
Leverage Risk — The Underlying Leveraged ETF 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 Underlying Leveraged ETF is exposed to the risk that a decline in the daily performance of the Underlying Stock will be magnified. This means that an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF will be reduced by an amount equal to 2% for every 1% daily decline in the Underlying Stock, not including the costs of financing leverage and other operating expenses, which would further reduce its value. The Underlying Leveraged ETF could lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event of an Underlying Stock decline of more than 50%.
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. Investing in derivatives may be considered aggressive and may expose the Underlying Leveraged ETF to greater risks, and may result in larger losses or smaller gains, than investing directly in the reference assets underlying those derivatives, which may prevent the Underlying Leveraged ETF from achieving its investment objective.
Counterparty Risk — If a counterparty is unwilling or unable to make timely payments to meet its contractual obligations or fails to return holdings that are subject to the agreement with the counterparty resulting in the Underlying Leveraged ETF losing money or not being able to meet its daily leveraged investment objective.
Industry Concentration Risk — The performance of the Underlying Stock, and consequently the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s performance, is subject to the risks of the computer and information technology sector. The value of stocks of computer technology companies and companies that rely heavily on computer technology is particularly vulnerable to rapid changes in technology product cycles, rapid product obsolescence, government regulation, and competition, both domestically and internationally, including competition from competitors with lower production costs. In addition, many computer technology companies have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. The prices of computer technology companies and companies that rely heavily on computer technology, especially those of smaller, less-seasoned companies, tend to be more volatile and less liquid than the overall market. Computer technology companies are heavily dependent on patent and intellectual property rights, the loss or impairment of which may adversely affect profitability. Additionally, companies in the computer technology sector may face dramatic and often unpredictable changes in growth rates and competition for the services of qualified personnel.
Indirect Investments in the Underlying Leveraged ETF – Investors in the Fund will not have rights to receive dividends or other distributions or any other rights with respect to the Underlying Leveraged ETF but will be subject to declines in the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. Although the Fund invests in the Underlying Leveraged ETF only indirectly, the Fund’s investments are subject to loss as a result of these risks.
Derivatives Risk. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds, 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, imperfect correlation with underlying investments, 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 an imperfect correlation between the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objectives. 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. In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
| 121 |
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. For the Fund, in particular, the value of the options contracts in which it invests is substantially influenced by the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. Selling put options exposes the Fund to the risk of potential loss if the market value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF falls below the strike price before the option expires. The Fund may experience substantial downside from specific option positions and certain option positions held by the Fund may expire worthless. 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 at the underlying instrument. There may at times be an imperfect correlation between the movement in values of 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, the Fund’s practice of “rolling” may cause the Fund to experience losses if the expiring contracts do not generate proceeds enough to cover the costs of entering into new options contracts. Rolling refers to the practice of closing out one options position and opening another with a different expiration date and/or a different strike price. Further, if an option is exercised, the seller (writer) of a put option is obligated to purchase the underlying asset at the strike price, which can result in significant financial and regulatory obligations for the Fund if the market value of the asset has fallen substantially. Furthermore, when the Fund seeks to trade out of puts, especially near expiration, there is an added risk that the Fund may be required to allocate resources unexpectedly to fulfill these obligations. This potential exposure to physical settlement can significantly impact the Fund’s liquidity and market exposure, particularly in volatile market conditions.
Swap Risk: Swaps are subject to tracking risk because they may not be perfect substitutes for the instruments they are intended to hedge or replace. Over the counter swaps are subject to counterparty default. Leverage inherent in derivatives will tend to magnify the Fund’s losses. The swap agreements may reference standardized exchange-traded, FLEX, European Style or American Style put options contracts that are based on the values of the price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. that generate specific risks.
Affiliated Fund Risk. In managing the Fund, the Adviser has the ability to select the Underlying Leveraged ETF and substitute the Underlying Leveraged ETF with other ETFs that it believes will achieve the Fund’s objective. The Adviser may be subject to potential conflicts of interest in selecting the Underlying Leveraged ETF and substituting the Underlying Leveraged ETF with other ETFs because the fees paid to the Adviser by some Underlying Leveraged ETF may be higher than the fees charged by other Underlying Leveraged ETF.
Counterparty Risk. The Fund is subject to counterparty risk by virtue of its investments in options contracts. Transactions in some types of derivatives, including options, are required to be centrally cleared (“cleared derivatives”). In a transaction involving cleared derivatives, the Fund’s counterparty is a clearing house rather than a bank or broker. Since the Fund is not a member of clearing houses and only members of a clearing house (“clearing members”) can participate directly in the clearing house, the Fund will hold cleared derivatives through accounts at clearing members. In cleared derivatives positions, the Fund will make payments (including margin payments) to and receive payments from a clearing house through their accounts at clearing members. Customer funds held at a clearing organization in connection with any options contracts are held in a commingled omnibus account and are not identified to the name of the clearing member’s individual customers. As a result, assets deposited by the Fund with any clearing member as margin for options may, in certain circumstances, be used to satisfy losses of other clients of the Fund’s clearing member. In addition, although clearing members guarantee performance of their clients’ obligations to the clearing house, there is a risk that the assets of the Fund might not be fully protected in the event of the clearing member’s bankruptcy, as the Fund would be limited to recovering only a pro rata share of all available funds segregated on behalf of the clearing member’s customers for the relevant account class. The Fund is also subject to the risk that a limited number of clearing members are willing to transact on the Fund’s behalf, which heightens the risks associated with a clearing member’s default. If a clearing member defaults the Fund could lose some or all of the benefits of a transaction entered into by the Fund with the clearing member. If the Fund cannot find a clearing member to transact with on the Fund’s behalf, the Fund may be unable to effectively implement its investment strategy.
In addition, a counterparty (the other party to a transaction or an agreement or the party with whom the Fund executes transactions) to a transaction (including repurchase transaction) with the Fund may be unable or unwilling to make timely principal, interest or settlement payments, or otherwise honor its obligations.
| 122 |
Price Participation Risk. The Fund employs an investment strategy that includes the sale of in-the-money put options contracts, which limits the degree to which the Fund will participate in increases in value experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF over the Call Period. This means that if the Underlying Leveraged ETF experiences an increase in value above the strike price of the sold put options during a Call Period, the Fund will likely not experience that increase to the same extent and may significantly underperform the Underlying Leveraged ETF over the Call Period. Additionally, because the Fund is limited in the degree to which it will participate in increases in value experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF over each Call Period, but has full exposure to any decreases in value experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF over the Call Period, the NAV of the Fund may decrease over any given time period. The Fund’s NAV is dependent on the value of each options portfolio, which is based principally upon the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The degree of participation in the Underlying Leveraged ETF gains the Fund will experience will depend on prevailing market conditions, especially market volatility, at the time the Fund enters into the sold put options contracts and will vary from Call Period to Call Period. The value of the options contracts is affected by changes in the value and dividend rates of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, changes in interest rates, changes in the actual or perceived volatility of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and the remaining time to the options’ expiration, as well as trading conditions in the options market. As the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF share changes and time moves towards the expiration of each Call Period, the value of the options contracts, and therefore the Fund’s NAV, will change. However, it is not expected for the Fund’s NAV to directly correlate on a day-to-day basis with the returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price. The amount of time remaining until the options contract’s expiration date affects the impact of the potential options contract income on the Fund’s NAV, which may not be in full effect until the expiration date of the Fund’s options contracts. Therefore, while changes in the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF share will result in changes to the Fund’s NAV, the Fund generally anticipates that the rate of change in the Fund’s NAV will be different than that experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price.
Distribution Risk. As part of the Fund’s investment objective, the Fund seeks to provide current weekly income. There is no assurance that the Fund will make a distribution in any given month. If the Fund makes distributions, the amounts of such distributions will likely vary greatly from one distribution to the next. Additionally, the weekly distributions, if any, may consist of returns of capital, which would decrease the Fund’s NAV and trading price over time. As a result, an investor may suffer significant losses to their investment.
Put Writing Strategy Risk. The path dependency (i.e., the continued use) of the Fund’s put writing strategy will impact the extent that the Fund participates in the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and, in turn, the Fund’s returns, both during the term of the sold put options and over longer time periods.
If, for example, the Fund were to sell 10% in-the-money put options having a one-month term, the Fund’s participation in the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF will be capped at 10% for that month. However, over a longer period (e.g., a three-month period), the Fund should not be expected to participate fully in the first 30% (i.e., 3 months x 10%) of the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, or the Fund may even lose money, even if the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price has appreciated by at least that much over such period, if during any particular month or months over that period the Underlying Leveraged ETF had a return less than 10%. This example illustrates that both the Fund’s participation in the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and its returns will depend not only on the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF but also on the path that the Underlying Leveraged ETF takes over time.
If, for example, the Fund were to sell 5% out-of-the-money put options having a one-week term, the Fund’s downward protection against the negative price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF will be capped at 5% for that week. However, over a longer period (e.g., a four-week period), the Fund should not be expected to be protected fully in the first 25% (i.e., 4 weeks x 5%) of the negative price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, and the Fund may lose money, even if the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price has appreciated over such period, if during any particular week or weeks over that period the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price had decreases by more than 5%. This example illustrates that both the Fund’s protection against the negative price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and its returns will depend not only on the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF but also on the path that the Underlying Leveraged ETF takes over time.
Under both cases the Fund may be fully exposed to the downward movements of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, offset only by the premiums received from selling put contracts. The Fund does not seek to offer any downside protection, except for the fact that the premiums from the sold options may offset some or all of the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s decline.
Put Spread Strategy Risk. Similarly to a put writing strategy (see relevant risk factor), a put spread strategy will subject the Fund’s performance to path dependency.
Option Market Liquidity Risk. The trading activity in the option market of the Underlying Leveraged ETF may be limited and the option contracts may trade at levels significantly different from their economic value. The lack of liquidity may negatively affect the ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective. This risk may increase if the portfolio turnover is elevated, for instance because of frequent changes in the number of Shares outstanding, and if the net asset value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF is modest. For the 12-month period ending July 31, 2025, the net asset value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF ranged from $2.9m to $366.4m.
Concentration Risk. To the extent that the Underlying Leveraged ETF concentrates its investments in a particular industry, the Fund will be subject to the risks associated with that industry.
| 123 |
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 currently expects to effect a significant portion of its creations and redemptions for cash, rather than in-kind securities. Paying redemption proceeds in cash rather than through in-kind delivery of portfolio securities may require the Fund to dispose of or sell portfolio securities or other assets at an inopportune time to obtain the cash needed to meet redemption orders. This may cause the Fund to sell a security and recognize a capital gain or loss that might not have been incurred if it had made a redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher or lower annual capital gains distributions than ETFs that redeem in-kind. The use of cash creations and redemptions may also cause the Fund’s Shares to trade in the market at greater bid-ask spreads or greater premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV. Furthermore, the Fund may not be able to execute cash transactions for creation and redemption purposes at the same price used to determine the Fund’s NAV. To the extent that the maximum additional charge for creation or redemption transactions is insufficient to cover the execution shortfall, the Fund’s performance could be negatively impacted.
Costs of Buying or Selling Shares. Due to the costs of buying or selling Shares, including brokerage commissions imposed by brokers and bid-ask spreads, frequent trading of Shares may significantly 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 Nasdaq Stock Market, LLC (the “Exchange”), and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for the Shares will develop or be maintained or that the Shares will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. This risk may be greater for the Fund as it seeks to have exposure to a single underlying stock as opposed to a more diverse portfolio like a traditional pooled investment. 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. Shares trade on the Exchange at a market price that may be below, at or above the Fund’s NAV. Trading in Shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in Shares on the Exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to the Exchange “circuit breaker” rules. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged. In the event of an unscheduled market close for options contracts that reference a single stock, such as the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s securities being halted or a market wide closure, settlement prices will be determined by the procedures of the listing exchange of the options contracts. As a result, the Fund could be adversely affected and be unable to implement its investment strategies in the event of an unscheduled closing.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk. The Fund may actively and frequently trade all or a significant portion of the Fund’s holdings. A high portfolio turnover rate increases transaction costs, which may increase the Fund’s expenses. Frequent trading may also cause adverse tax consequences for investors in the Fund due to an increase in short-term capital gains.
Inflation Risk. Inflation risk is the risk that the value of assets or income from investments will be less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money. As inflation increases, the present value of the Fund’s assets and distributions, if any, may decline.
| 124 |
Liquidity Risk. Some securities held by the Fund, including options contracts, may be difficult to sell or be illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. This risk is greater for the Fund as it will hold options contracts on a single security, and not a broader range of options contracts. 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, such as market rules related to short sales, may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Underlying Leveraged ETF. 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.
Management Risk. The Fund is subject to management risk because it is an actively managed portfolio. In managing the Fund’s investment portfolio, the portfolio managers will apply investment techniques and risk analyses that may not produce the desired result. There can be no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective.
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, including money market funds, may lose money through fees or other means.
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.
Operational Risk. The Fund is subject to risks arising from various operational factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund relies on third-parties for a range of services, including custody. Any delay or failure relating to engaging or maintaining such service providers may affect the Fund’s ability to meet its investment objective. Although the Fund, Adviser, and Sub-Adviser seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures, there is no way to completely protect against such risks.
Recent Market Events Risk. U.S. and international markets have experienced significant periods of volatility in recent years and months due to a number of economic, political and global macro factors including the impact of COVID-19 as a global pandemic, which has resulted in a public health crisis, disruptions to business operations and supply chains, stress on the global healthcare system, growth concerns in the U.S. and overseas, staffing shortages and the inability to meet consumer demand, and widespread concern and uncertainty. The global recovery from COVID-19 is proceeding at slower than expected rates due to the emergence of variant strains and may last for an extended period of time. Continuing uncertainties regarding interest rates, rising inflation, political events, rising government debt in the U.S. and trade tensions also contribute to market volatility. Conflict, loss of life and disaster connected to ongoing armed conflict between Ukraine and Russia in Europe and Israel and Hamas in the Middle East could have severe adverse effects on the region, including significant adverse effects on the regional or global economies and the markets for certain securities. The U.S. and the European Union have imposed sanctions on certain Russian individuals and companies, including certain financial institutions, and have limited certain exports and imports to and from Russia. The war has contributed to recent market volatility and may continue to do so. U.S. trade disputes or other disputes with specific countries that could result in additional tariffs, trade barriers and/or investment restrictions in certain securities in those countries.
Single Issuer Risk. Issuer-specific attributes may cause an investment in the Fund to be more volatile than a traditional pooled investment vehicle which diversifies risk or the market generally. The value of the Fund, which focuses on an individual security (the Underlying Leveraged ETF), 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.
Tax Risk. The Fund intends to elect and to qualify each year to be treated as a RIC under Subchapter M of the 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 the derivatives it holds is never 25% of the total value of Fund assets at the close of any quarter. If the Fund’s investments in the derivatives 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. In addition, distributions received by the Fund from the Underlying Leveraged ETF may generate “bad income” that could prevent the Fund from meeting the “Income Requirement” of Subchapter M of the Code, which may cause the Fund to fail to qualify as a RIC.
| 125 |
Investing in U.S. Equities Risk. Investing in U.S. issuers subjects the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency, security, and economic risks that are specific to the U.S. Certain changes in the U.S., such as a weakening of the U.S. economy or a decline in its financial markets, may have an adverse effect on U.S. issuers.
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.
Fixed Income Securities Risk. The market value of Fixed Income Securities will change in response to interest rate changes and other factors, such as changes in the effective maturities and credit ratings of fixed income investments. During periods of falling interest rates, the values of outstanding Fixed Income Securities and related financial instruments generally rise. Conversely, during periods of rising interest rates, the values of such securities and related financial instruments generally decline. Fixed Income Securities are also subject to credit risk.
Investments in Fixed Income Securities may also involve the following risks, depending on the instrument involved:
| - | Asset-Backed/Mortgage-Backed Securities Risk – The market value and yield of asset-backed and mortgage-backed securities can vary due to market interest rate fluctuations and early prepayments of underlying instruments. | |
| - | Credit Risk – An investment in the Fund also involves the risk that the issuer of a Fixed Income Security that the Fund holds will fail to make timely payments of interest or principal or go bankrupt, or that the value of the securities will decline because of a market perception that the issuer may not make payments on time, thus potentially reducing the Fund’s return. | |
| - | Event Risk – Event risk is the risk that corporate issuers may undergo restructurings, such as mergers, leveraged buyouts, takeovers, or similar events financed by increased debt. As a result of the added debt, the credit quality and market value of a company’s bonds and/or other debt securities may decline significantly. | |
| - | Extension Risk – Payment on the loans underlying Fixed Income Securities held by the Fund may be made more slowly when interest rates are rising. | |
| - | Interest Rate Risk – Generally, the value of Fixed Income Securities will change inversely with changes in interest rates. As interest rates rise, the market value of Fixed Income Securities tends to decrease. Conversely, as interest rates fall, the market value of Fixed Income Securities tends to increase. This risk will be greater for long-term securities than for short-term securities. In recent periods, governmental financial regulators, including the U.S. Federal Reserve, have taken steps to maintain historically low interest rates. Very low or negative interest rates may magnify interest rate risk. Changes in government intervention may have adverse effects on investments, volatility, and illiquidity in debt markets. | |
| - | Prepayment Risk – When interest rates are declining, issuers of Fixed Income Securities held by the Fund may prepay principal earlier than scheduled. |
Performance:
Portfolio Managers: Jeff Klearman and Ryan Dofflemeyer have been portfolio managers of the Fund since the Fund’s inception in 2025.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares: The Fund is an ETF. Individual Shares of the Fund may only be bought and sold in the secondary market (i.e., on a national securities exchange) through a broker-dealer at a market price. Because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than at NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (at a premium), at NAV or less than NAV (at a discount). An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares of the Fund (ask) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). The bid-ask spread varies over time for Shares based on trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the Fund’s Shares have more trading volume and market liquidity and higher if the Fund’s Shares have little trading volume and market liquidity. Recent information regarding the Fund, including its NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid/ask spreads, is available on the Fund’s website at www.graniteshares.com.
Tax Information: The Fund’s distributions will be taxable to you, generally as ordinary income unless you are invested through a tax-advantaged arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan, IRA or other tax-advantaged account; in such cases, you may be subject to tax when assets are withdrawn from such tax-advantaged arrangement. A sale of Shares may result in capital gain or loss.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries: If you purchase Shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank) (an “Intermediary”), the Adviser and/or its related companies may pay the Intermediary for the sale of Shares and related services. 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.
| 126 |
GraniteShares YIELDBOOST AMD ETF – Summary
The Fund’s primary investment objective is to achieve 2 times (200%) the income generated from selling options on Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.’s common stock (NASDAQ: AMD) (the “Underlying Stock”) by selling options on leveraged exchange-traded funds designed to deliver 2 times (200%) the daily performance of the Underlying Stock (the “Underlying Leveraged ETF”). The Fund’s secondary investment objective is to gain exposure to the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, subject to a cap on potential investment gains. A downside protection may be implemented which could affect the net income level.
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). The fees are expressed as a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets. Investors may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and example below.
| Management Fee | 0.99 | % | ||
| Annual
Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) | ||||
| Management Fee | % | |||
| Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees | % | |||
| Other Expenses (1) | % | |||
| Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses (2) | % | |||
| Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | % | |||
| Fee Waiver/Reimbursements (3) | % | |||
| Net Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver/Reimbursements (1), (2), (3) | % | |||
| (1) | |
| (2) | |
| (3) |
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in mutual funds and other exchange-traded funds.
The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell 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 figures shown would be the same whether or not you sold your Shares at the end of each period.
Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years | |||||
| $ | $ | |||||
| 127 |
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 the total annual fund operating expenses or in the expense example above, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund is newly organized, portfolio turnover information is not yet available.
The Fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to pay weekly distributions by selling put options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF, which provides exposure to 2 times the daily performance of the Underlying Stock. It is expected that the implied volatility on the Underlying Leveraged ETF to be twice the level of the Underlying Stock’s implied volatility and selling options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF to generate, over the same time horizon and for the same strike levels, twice the premium generated by selling options on the Underlying Stock. The premium received by the Fund from selling options will be distributed at least partially before the maturity of the options. This allows the Fund to make distributions on a weekly basis even if the options sold have longer maturity (such as monthly maturity for instance). This approach may result in the distributions being treated fiscally as return of capital (see “Distribution Risk” under the section “Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund”). There is no guarantee that the Fund will generate twice the level of premium that would be generated by selling options on the Underlying Stock.
The Fund is subject to the losses from the Underlying Leveraged ETF, which would likely be 2 times the losses compared to the Underlying Stock. In case a Put Spread Strategy (as defined under the section “The Fund’s Use of the Underlying Leveraged ETF Derivatives Contracts”) is implemented, the Fund may benefit from a limited downside protection against a negative price variation in the Underlying Leveraged ETF. Such protection will negatively affect the Fund’s overall income level. A put spread strategy with a narrow spread (the difference between the strikes of the put option sold and put option bought) may provide better protection but will have a higher negative impact on the Fund’s income level. A put spread strategy with a large spread will provide a lower protection but may have less negative impact on the Fund’s income level.
The Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in derivatives contracts that utilize the Underlying Leveraged ETF as their reference asset. For purposes of compliance with this investment policy, derivative contracts will be valued at their notional value.
For more information, see section “The Fund’s Use of the Underlying Leveraged ETF Derivatives Contracts” below.
The Fund’s cash balance may be invested in the following instruments: (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; (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 as collateral for the Fund’s swap agreements; (5) repurchase transactions, which are transactions under which the purchaser (i.e., the Fund) acquires securities and the seller agrees, at the time of the sale, to repurchase the securities at a mutually agreed-upon time and price, thereby determining the yield during the purchaser’s holding period, and/or; (6) US large cap equities listed on a national security exchange, sovereign fixed income securities with a credit rating at least equal to the United States Federal Government, or corporate debt securities, such as commercial paper and other short-term unsecured promissory notes issued by businesses that are rated investment grade for the purposes of entering into swap agreements with the Fund’s swap counterparties. The Fund may enter into such swap agreements to improve its operational efficiency.
The Fund is classified as “non-diversified” under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”).
The Fund will be subject to regulatory constraints relating to the level of value at risk that the Fund may incur through its derivatives 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 and the Fund may not achieve its investment objective.
The Fund’s investment objective has not been adopted as a fundamental investment policy and therefore the Fund’s investment objective along with its respective 80% investment policy may be changed without the consent of that Fund’s shareholders upon approval by the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of GraniteShares ETF Trust (the “Trust”) and 60 days’ written notice to shareholders.
There is no guarantee that the Fund’s investment strategy will be properly implemented or that the Fund will pay weekly distributions, and an investor may lose some or all of its investment. Even when the Fund makes a distribution it could be fiscally treated as return of capital (see “Distribution Risk” under the section “Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund”).
An Investment in the Fund is not an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF
| - | The Fund’s strategy will cap its potential gain to the premium received from selling options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF, | |
| - | The Fund’s strategy is exposed to all potential losses if the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share declines, subject to a potential downside protection if a Put Spread Strategy is used (as defined in ten next section). The potential losses may not be offset by the premium received by the Fund, | |
| - | The Fund does not invest directly in the Underlying Leveraged ETF, | |
| - | Fund shareholders are not entitled to any distribution paid by Underlying Leveraged ETF. |
Additional information regarding the Underlying Leveraged ETF is set forth below.
The Fund’s Use of the Underlying Leveraged ETF Derivatives Contracts
| - | Put Spread Strategy: The Fund will enter in put spread options contracts, either directly or through swap contracts, on the Underlying Leveraged ETF and for which the Fund will receive a net premium. A put spread consists of selling a put option contract while buying a put option contract with the same maturity but a lower strike price. The Fund’s protection against a potential decrease in the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF only applies if it falls below the strike price of the option contract bought by the Fund. Buying a put option contract results in a cost that negatively affects the Fund’s income level. It is unlikely for a put spread strategy to generate twice the level of income that would be obtained by selling options on the Underlying Stock directly. The put options contracts sold by the Fund may vary in regard to their strike price from 0 to 15% above the then-current price of the Leveraged ETF. The put options contracts bought by the Fund will have a lower strike price, ranging from 50% out-of-the-money to at-the-money. The put options sold and bought by the Fund will generally have 1- month or less expiration dates. | |
| - | Put Write Strategy: The Fund will sell put options contracts, either directly or through swap contracts, on the Underlying Leveraged ETF and for which it will receive a premium. The put options contracts sold by the Fund may vary in regard to their strike prices from 40% out-of-the-money to 15% in-the-money. The put options sold and bought by the Fund will generally have 1- month or less expiration dates. The Adviser will primarily employ this put write strategy when it believes that the share price of its Underlying Leveraged ETF is likely to rise significantly in the short term (e.g., following a substantial selloff or overall positive market news). |
| 128 |
Example 1 – Put Write Strategy - Selling In-the-money Put Option Contract with a One-month Maturity
Assume for simplicity that the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s shares are trading at $100.00 at the time the Fund sells an in-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $105.00 and a one-month maturity. The Fund receives a $5.50 premium for selling the put option contract.
| Case 1: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increases to $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.50 premium received. | |
| Case 2: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increase exceeded $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.50 premium received but would not participate in any of the additional upside. | |
| Case 3: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops to $99.50 before expiration. | The $5.50 premium received is equal to the drop in price in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price, resulting in a return of zero. | |
| Case 4: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $99.50, that is the strike price ($105.00) reduced by the premium received ($5.50). | The Fund would lose money and be exposed to the drop in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price. |
Example 2 – Put Write Strategy - Selling Out-of-the-money Put Options Contracts with a One-week Maturity
Assume for simplicity that the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s shares are trading at $100.00 at the time the Fund sells an out-of-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $95.00 and a one-week maturity. The Fund receives a $0.50 premium for selling the put option contract.
| Case 1: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increases above $100.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $0.50 premium received but would not participate in the increased in the Underlying Leveraged ETFs’ share price. | |
| Case 2: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $94.50, that is the strike price ($95.00) reduced by the premium received ($0.50). | The Fund would lose money and be exposed to the drop in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price. |
Example 3 – Put Spread Strategy - Selling At-the-money Put Options Contracts and buy an Out-of-the-money Put Options Contracts with both with a One-month Maturity
Assume for simplicity that the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s shares are trading at $100.00 at the time the Fund sells an in-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $105.00 and buy an out-of-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $95.00 both with a one-month maturity. The Fund receives a $5.50 premium for selling the put option contract and pays $0.50 premium for buying the put option contract. Hence the Fund receives a $5.00 net premium.
| Case 1: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increases to $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.00 net premium received. | |
| Case 2: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increase exceeded $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.00 net premium received but would not participate in any of the additional upside. | |
| Case 3: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $100.00, that is the strike price of the option sold ($105.00) reduced by the net premium received ($5.00) but remains above $95.00 before expiration. | The Fund would lose up to $5.00, which is the difference between the 2 strike levels reduced by the net premium received | |
| Case 4: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $95.00 | The Fund would lose $5.00, which is the difference between the 2 strike levels reduced by the net premium received. |
The comparison between the Put Write Strategy in Example 1 and the Put Spread Strategy in Example 3, shows that the Put Spread Strategy has a narrower range of outcomes. It has limited participation in a potential increase or decrease in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price.
In examples 1 and 2, if the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s price were to drop to zero, the Fund’s NAV would be equal, before fees and costs, to the value of premium received.
| 129 |
Types of Options Contracts Used by the Fund
As part of the Fund’s strategy, the Fund may sell FLexible EXchange® (“FLEX”) put options contracts that are based on the value of the price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The Fund will only sell options contracts that are listed for trading on regulated U.S. exchanges. Traditional exchange-traded options contracts have standardized terms, such as the type (call or put), the reference asset, the strike price and expiration date. Exchange-listed options contracts are guaranteed for settlement by the Options Clearing Corporation (“OCC”). FLEX Options are a type of exchange-listed options contract with uniquely customizable terms that allow investors to customize key terms like type, strike price and expiration date that are standardized in a typical options contract. FLEX Options are also guaranteed for settlement by the OCC.
In general, an option is a contract that gives the purchaser (holder) of the option, in return for a premium, the right to buy from (call) or sell to (put) the seller (writer) of the option the security or currency underlying (in this case, the Underlying Leveraged ETF) the option at a specified exercise price. The writer of an option has the obligation upon exercise of the option to deliver the underlying security or currency upon payment of the exercise price (call) or to pay the exercise price upon delivery of the underlying security or currency (put). An option is said to be “European Style” when it can be exercised only at expiration whereas an “American Style” option can be exercised at any time prior to expiration. The Fund might use either European or American style options. The Fund intends to primarily utilize European style options.
Swap agreements Used by the Fund
As part of the Fund’s strategy, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with major financial institutions that provide the same exposure as to selling put options contracts on the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The swap agreements may reference standardized exchange-traded, FLEX, European Style or American Style put options contracts that are based on the values of the price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. All put options contracts referenced in a swap agreement will be listed for trading on regulated U.S. exchanges.
The swap performance will settle in cash only irrespective of the types of the put options contracts referenced in the swap agreement.
Underlying Leveraged ETF
The Underlying Leveraged ETF seeks daily leverage investment results of 2 times (200%) the daily percentage of the Underlying Stock by entering into swap agreements on the Underlying Stock. The Underlying Leveraged ETF aims to generate 2 times the daily performance of the Underlying Stock for a single day. A “single day” is defined as being calculated “from the close of regular trading on one trading day to the close on the next trading day.”
Because of daily rebalancing and the compounding of each day’s return over time, the return of the Underlying Leveraged ETF 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 Stock over the same period. The Underlying Leveraged ETF will lose money if the Underlying Stock’s performance is flat over time, and as a result of daily rebalancing, the Underlying Stock volatility and the effects of compounding, it is even possible that the Fund will lose money over time while the Underlying Stock’s performance increases over a period longer than a single day.
| 130 |
The Fund intends to reference the following products as Underlying Leveraged ETF:
| (1) | GraniteShares 2x Long AMD Daily ETF (NASDAQ: AMDL). Investors can access information about AMDL, including its prospectus and the most recent shareholder reports, online through the SEC’s website, using Registration Statement Nos. 333-214796 and 811-23214. This information, derived from AMDL’s filings with the SEC, is essential for investors to understand AMDL’s operations, investment strategy, and financial prospects. The description of AMDL’s principal investment strategies as outlined here is directly sourced from its prospectus. | |
| (2) | Direxion Daily AMD Bull 2X Shares (NASDAQ: AMUU). Investors can access information about AMUU, including its prospectus and the most recent shareholder reports, online through the SEC’s website, using Registration Statement Nos. 333-150525 and 811-22201. This information, derived from AMUU’s filings with the SEC, is essential for investors to understand AMUU’s operations, investment strategy, and financial prospects. The description of AMUU’s principal investment strategies as outlined here is directly sourced from its prospectus. | |
| (3) | Leverage Shares 2X Long AMD ETF (NASDAQ: AMDG). Investors can access information about AMDG, including its prospectus and the most recent shareholder reports, online through the SEC’s website, using Registration Statement Nos. 333-271700 and 811-23872. This information, derived from AMDG’s filings with the SEC, is essential for investors to understand AMDG’s operations, investment strategy, and financial prospects. The description of AMDG’s principal investment strategies as outlined here is directly sourced from its prospectus. |
The Fund may reference additional products as Underlying Leveraged ETF as market and liquidity develop.
Due to the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s investment exposure to the Underlying Stock, the Fund’s investment exposure is concentrated in the semiconductor industry.
This document relates only to the securities offered hereby and does not relate to the Underlying Leveraged ETF or the Underlying Stock. The Fund has derived all disclosures contained in this document regarding the Underlying Leveraged ETF from publicly available documents. AMDL is affiliated with the Fund and both funds are issued under GraniteShares ETF Trust. The Trust and the Adviser have been directly involved in the preparation of the disclosure of AMDL’s publicly available documents. In connection to AMUU and AMDG, none of the Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates has participated in the preparation of such documents or made any due diligence inquiry with respect to either fund. None of the Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates makes any representation that such publicly available documents or any other publicly available information regarding AMUU and AMDG 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 the Underlying Leveraged ETF have been publicly disclosed. Subsequent disclosure of any such events or the disclosure of or failure to disclose material future events concerning the Underlying Leveraged ETF could affect the value received with respect to your Shares and therefore the value of your Shares.
The Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, and their respective affiliates do not provide any representation regarding the performance of AMUU and AMDG.
THE FUND, TRUST AND ADVISER ARE NOT AFFILIATED WITH AMUU AND AMDG, THEIR TRUSTS, AND THEIR SERVICE PROVIDERS.
THE FUND, TRUST AND ADVISER ARE AFFILIATED WITH AMDL.
PRINCIPAL RISKS OF INVESTING IN THE FUND
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. Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its investment objectives. 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.”
| 131 |
The Underlying Leveraged ETF Risk. The Fund invests in options contracts that are based on the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF shares. This subjects the Fund to certain of the same risks as if it owned shares of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, even though it may not. By virtue of the Fund’s investments in options contracts that are based on the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF shares, the Fund may also be subject to the following risks:
Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk — The Underlying Leveraged ETF shares’ performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which is likely to differ from 200% of the Underlying Stock’s performance, before fees and expenses. Compounding has a significant impact on funds that are leveraged and that rebalance daily. The impact of compounding becomes more pronounced as volatility and holding periods increase and will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF is held and the volatility of the Underlying Stock during the shareholder’s holding period of an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF.
Leverage Risk — The Underlying Leveraged ETF 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 Underlying Leveraged ETF is exposed to the risk that a decline in the daily performance of the Underlying Stock will be magnified. This means that an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF will be reduced by an amount equal to 2% for every 1% daily decline in the Underlying Stock, not including the costs of financing leverage and other operating expenses, which would further reduce its value. The Underlying Leveraged ETF could lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event of an Underlying Stock decline of more than 50%.
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. Investing in derivatives may be considered aggressive and may expose the Underlying Leveraged ETF to greater risks, and may result in larger losses or smaller gains, than investing directly in the reference assets underlying those derivatives, which may prevent the Underlying Leveraged ETF from achieving its investment objective.
Counterparty Risk — If a counterparty is unwilling or unable to make timely payments to meet its contractual obligations or fails to return holdings that are subject to the agreement with the counterparty resulting in the Underlying Leveraged ETF losing money or not being able to meet its daily leveraged investment objective.
Industry Concentration Risk — The performance of the Underlying Stock, and consequently the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s performance, is subject to the risks of the semiconductor industry. The risks of investments in the semiconductor industry include: intense competition, both domestically and internationally, including competition from subsidized foreign competitors with lower production costs; wide fluctuations in securities prices due to risks of rapid obsolescence of products; economic performance of the customers of semiconductor companies; their research costs and the risks that their products may not prove commercially successful; capital equipment expenditures that could be substantial and suffer from rapid obsolescence; and thin capitalization and limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. The semiconductor industry may also be affected by risks that affect the broader technology sector, including: government regulation; dramatic and often unpredictable changes in growth rates and competition for qualified personnel; heavy dependence on patent and intellectual property rights, the loss or impairment of which may adversely affect profitability; and a small number of companies representing a large portion of the technology sector as a whole.
Indirect Investments in the Underlying Leveraged ETF – Investors in the Fund will not have rights to receive dividends or other distributions or any other rights with respect to the Underlying Leveraged ETF but will be subject to declines in the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. Although the Fund invests in the Underlying Leveraged ETF only indirectly, the Fund’s investments are subject to loss as a result of these risks.
Derivatives Risk. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds, 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, imperfect correlation with underlying investments, 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 an imperfect correlation between the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objectives. 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. In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
| 132 |
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. For the Fund, in particular, the value of the options contracts in which it invests is substantially influenced by the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. Selling put options exposes the Fund to the risk of potential loss if the market value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF falls below the strike price before the option expires. The Fund may experience substantial downside from specific option positions and certain option positions held by the Fund may expire worthless. 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 at the underlying instrument. There may at times be an imperfect correlation between the movement in values of 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, the Fund’s practice of “rolling” may cause the Fund to experience losses if the expiring contracts do not generate proceeds enough to cover the costs of entering into new options contracts. Rolling refers to the practice of closing out one options position and opening another with a different expiration date and/or a different strike price. Further, if an option is exercised, the seller (writer) of a put option is obligated to purchase the underlying asset at the strike price, which can result in significant financial and regulatory obligations for the Fund if the market value of the asset has fallen substantially. Furthermore, when the Fund seeks to trade out of puts, especially near expiration, there is an added risk that the Fund may be required to allocate resources unexpectedly to fulfill these obligations. This potential exposure to physical settlement can significantly impact the Fund’s liquidity and market exposure, particularly in volatile market conditions.
Swap Risk: Swaps are subject to tracking risk because they may not be perfect substitutes for the instruments they are intended to hedge or replace. Over the counter swaps are subject to counterparty default. Leverage inherent in derivatives will tend to magnify the Fund’s losses. The swap agreements may reference standardized exchange-traded, FLEX, European Style or American Style put options contracts that are based on the values of the price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. that generate specific risks.
Affiliated Fund Risk. In managing the Fund, the Adviser has the ability to select the Underlying Leveraged ETF and substitute the Underlying Leveraged ETF with other ETFs that it believes will achieve the Fund’s objective. The Adviser may be subject to potential conflicts of interest in selecting the Underlying Leveraged ETF and substituting the Underlying Leveraged ETF with other ETFs because the fees paid to the Adviser by some Underlying Leveraged ETF may be higher than the fees charged by other Underlying Leveraged ETF.
Counterparty Risk. The Fund is subject to counterparty risk by virtue of its investments in options contracts. Transactions in some types of derivatives, including options, are required to be centrally cleared (“cleared derivatives”). In a transaction involving cleared derivatives, the Fund’s counterparty is a clearing house rather than a bank or broker. Since the Fund is not a member of clearing houses and only members of a clearing house (“clearing members”) can participate directly in the clearing house, the Fund will hold cleared derivatives through accounts at clearing members. In cleared derivatives positions, the Fund will make payments (including margin payments) to and receive payments from a clearing house through their accounts at clearing members. Customer funds held at a clearing organization in connection with any options contracts are held in a commingled omnibus account and are not identified to the name of the clearing member’s individual customers. As a result, assets deposited by the Fund with any clearing member as margin for options may, in certain circumstances, be used to satisfy losses of other clients of the Fund’s clearing member. In addition, although clearing members guarantee performance of their clients’ obligations to the clearing house, there is a risk that the assets of the Fund might not be fully protected in the event of the clearing member’s bankruptcy, as the Fund would be limited to recovering only a pro rata share of all available funds segregated on behalf of the clearing member’s customers for the relevant account class. The Fund is also subject to the risk that a limited number of clearing members are willing to transact on the Fund’s behalf, which heightens the risks associated with a clearing member’s default. If a clearing member defaults the Fund could lose some or all of the benefits of a transaction entered into by the Fund with the clearing member. If the Fund cannot find a clearing member to transact with on the Fund’s behalf, the Fund may be unable to effectively implement its investment strategy.
In addition, a counterparty (the other party to a transaction or an agreement or the party with whom the Fund executes transactions) to a transaction (including repurchase transaction) with the Fund may be unable or unwilling to make timely principal, interest or settlement payments, or otherwise honor its obligations.
Price Participation Risk. The Fund employs an investment strategy that includes the sale of in-the-money put options contracts, which limits the degree to which the Fund will participate in increases in value experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF over the Call Period. This means that if the Underlying Leveraged ETF experiences an increase in value above the strike price of the sold put options during a Call Period, the Fund will likely not experience that increase to the same extent and may significantly underperform the Underlying Leveraged ETF over the Call Period. Additionally, because the Fund is limited in the degree to which it will participate in increases in value experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF over each Call Period, but has full exposure to any decreases in value experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF over the Call Period, the NAV of the Fund may decrease over any given time period. The Fund’s NAV is dependent on the value of each options portfolio, which is based principally upon the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The degree of participation in the Underlying Leveraged ETF gains the Fund will experience will depend on prevailing market conditions, especially market volatility, at the time the Fund enters into the sold put options contracts and will vary from Call Period to Call Period. The value of the options contracts is affected by changes in the value and dividend rates of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, changes in interest rates, changes in the actual or perceived volatility of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and the remaining time to the options’ expiration, as well as trading conditions in the options market. As the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF share changes and time moves towards the expiration of each Call Period, the value of the options contracts, and therefore the Fund’s NAV, will change. However, it is not expected for the Fund’s NAV to directly correlate on a day-to-day basis with the returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price. The amount of time remaining until the options contract’s expiration date affects the impact of the potential options contract income on the Fund’s NAV, which may not be in full effect until the expiration date of the Fund’s options contracts. Therefore, while changes in the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF share will result in changes to the Fund’s NAV, the Fund generally anticipates that the rate of change in the Fund’s NAV will be different than that experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price.
| 133 |
Distribution Risk. As part of the Fund’s investment objective, the Fund seeks to provide current weekly income. There is no assurance that the Fund will make a distribution in any given month. If the Fund makes distributions, the amounts of such distributions will likely vary greatly from one distribution to the next. Additionally, the weekly distributions, if any, may consist of returns of capital, which would decrease the Fund’s NAV and trading price over time. As a result, an investor may suffer significant losses to their investment.
Put Writing Strategy Risk. The path dependency (i.e., the continued use) of the Fund’s put writing strategy will impact the extent that the Fund participates in the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and, in turn, the Fund’s returns, both during the term of the sold put options and over longer time periods.
If, for example, the Fund were to sell 10% in-the-money put options having a one-month term, the Fund’s participation in the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF will be capped at 10% for that month. However, over a longer period (e.g., a three-month period), the Fund should not be expected to participate fully in the first 30% (i.e., 3 months x 10%) of the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, or the Fund may even lose money, even if the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price has appreciated by at least that much over such period, if during any particular month or months over that period the Underlying Leveraged ETF had a return less than 10%. This example illustrates that both the Fund’s participation in the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and its returns will depend not only on the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF but also on the path that the Underlying Leveraged ETF takes over time.
If, for example, the Fund were to sell 5% out-of-the-money put options having a one-week term, the Fund’s downward protection against the negative price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF will be capped at 5% for that week. However, over a longer period (e.g., a four-week period), the Fund should not be expected to be protected fully in the first 25% (i.e., 4 weeks x 5%) of the negative price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, and the Fund may lose money, even if the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price has appreciated over such period, if during any particular week or weeks over that period the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price had decreases by more than 5%. This example illustrates that both the Fund’s protection against the negative price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and its returns will depend not only on the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF but also on the path that the Underlying Leveraged ETF takes over time.
Under both cases the Fund may be fully exposed to the downward movements of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, offset only by the premiums received from selling put contracts. The Fund does not seek to offer any downside protection, except for the fact that the premiums from the sold options may offset some or all of the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s decline.
Put Spread Strategy Risk. Similarly to a put writing strategy (see relevant risk factor), a put spread strategy will subject the Fund’s performance to path dependency.
Option Market Liquidity Risk. The trading activity in the option market of the Underlying Leveraged ETF may be limited and the option contracts may trade at levels significantly different from their economic value. The lack of liquidity may negatively affect the ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective. This risk may increase if the portfolio turnover is elevated, for instance because of frequent changes in the number of Shares outstanding, and if the net asset value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF is modest. For the 12-month period ending July 31, 2025, the net asset value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF ranged from $0.75m to $701m.
Concentration Risk. To the extent that the Underlying Leveraged ETF concentrates its investments in a particular industry, the Fund will be subject to the risks associated with that industry.
| 134 |
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 currently expects to effect a significant portion of its creations and redemptions for cash, rather than in-kind securities. Paying redemption proceeds in cash rather than through in-kind delivery of portfolio securities may require the Fund to dispose of or sell portfolio securities or other assets at an inopportune time to obtain the cash needed to meet redemption orders. This may cause the Fund to sell a security and recognize a capital gain or loss that might not have been incurred if it had made a redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher or lower annual capital gains distributions than ETFs that redeem in-kind. The use of cash creations and redemptions may also cause the Fund’s Shares to trade in the market at greater bid-ask spreads or greater premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV. Furthermore, the Fund may not be able to execute cash transactions for creation and redemption purposes at the same price used to determine the Fund’s NAV. To the extent that the maximum additional charge for creation or redemption transactions is insufficient to cover the execution shortfall, the Fund’s performance could be negatively impacted.
Costs of Buying or Selling Shares. Due to the costs of buying or selling Shares, including brokerage commissions imposed by brokers and bid-ask spreads, frequent trading of Shares may significantly 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 Nasdaq Stock Market, LLC (the “Exchange”), and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for the Shares will develop or be maintained or that the Shares will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. This risk may be greater for the Fund as it seeks to have exposure to a single underlying stock as opposed to a more diverse portfolio like a traditional pooled investment. 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. Shares trade on the Exchange at a market price that may be below, at or above the Fund’s NAV. Trading in Shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in Shares on the Exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to the Exchange “circuit breaker” rules. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged. In the event of an unscheduled market close for options contracts that reference a single stock, such as the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s securities being halted or a market wide closure, settlement prices will be determined by the procedures of the listing exchange of the options contracts. As a result, the Fund could be adversely affected and be unable to implement its investment strategies in the event of an unscheduled closing.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk. The Fund may actively and frequently trade all or a significant portion of the Fund’s holdings. A high portfolio turnover rate increases transaction costs, which may increase the Fund’s expenses. Frequent trading may also cause adverse tax consequences for investors in the Fund due to an increase in short-term capital gains.
Inflation Risk. Inflation risk is the risk that the value of assets or income from investments will be less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money. As inflation increases, the present value of the Fund’s assets and distributions, if any, may decline.
| 135 |
Liquidity Risk. Some securities held by the Fund, including options contracts, may be difficult to sell or be illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. This risk is greater for the Fund as it will hold options contracts on a single security, and not a broader range of options contracts. 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, such as market rules related to short sales, may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Underlying Leveraged ETF. 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.
Management Risk. The Fund is subject to management risk because it is an actively managed portfolio. In managing the Fund’s investment portfolio, the portfolio managers will apply investment techniques and risk analyses that may not produce the desired result. There can be no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective.
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, including money market funds, may lose money through fees or other means.
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.
Operational Risk. The Fund is subject to risks arising from various operational factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund relies on third-parties for a range of services, including custody. Any delay or failure relating to engaging or maintaining such service providers may affect the Fund’s ability to meet its investment objective. Although the Fund, Adviser, and Sub-Adviser seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures, there is no way to completely protect against such risks.
Recent Market Events Risk. U.S. and international markets have experienced significant periods of volatility in recent years and months due to a number of economic, political and global macro factors including the impact of COVID-19 as a global pandemic, which has resulted in a public health crisis, disruptions to business operations and supply chains, stress on the global healthcare system, growth concerns in the U.S. and overseas, staffing shortages and the inability to meet consumer demand, and widespread concern and uncertainty. The global recovery from COVID-19 is proceeding at slower than expected rates due to the emergence of variant strains and may last for an extended period of time. Continuing uncertainties regarding interest rates, rising inflation, political events, rising government debt in the U.S. and trade tensions also contribute to market volatility. Conflict, loss of life and disaster connected to ongoing armed conflict between Ukraine and Russia in Europe and Israel and Hamas in the Middle East could have severe adverse effects on the region, including significant adverse effects on the regional or global economies and the markets for certain securities. The U.S. and the European Union have imposed sanctions on certain Russian individuals and companies, including certain financial institutions, and have limited certain exports and imports to and from Russia. The war has contributed to recent market volatility and may continue to do so. U.S. trade disputes or other disputes with specific countries that could result in additional tariffs, trade barriers and/or investment restrictions in certain securities in those countries.
Single Issuer Risk. Issuer-specific attributes may cause an investment in the Fund to be more volatile than a traditional pooled investment vehicle which diversifies risk or the market generally. The value of the Fund, which focuses on an individual security (the Underlying Leveraged ETF), 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.
Tax Risk. The Fund intends to elect and to qualify each year to be treated as a RIC under Subchapter M of the 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 the derivatives it holds is never 25% of the total value of Fund assets at the close of any quarter. If the Fund’s investments in the derivatives 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. In addition, distributions received by the Fund from the Underlying Leveraged ETF may generate “bad income” that could prevent the Fund from meeting the “Income Requirement” of Subchapter M of the Code, which may cause the Fund to fail to qualify as a RIC.
| 136 |
Investing in U.S. Equities Risk. Investing in U.S. issuers subjects the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency, security, and economic risks that are specific to the U.S. Certain changes in the U.S., such as a weakening of the U.S. economy or a decline in its financial markets, may have an adverse effect on U.S. issuers.
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.
Fixed Income Securities Risk. The market value of Fixed Income Securities will change in response to interest rate changes and other factors, such as changes in the effective maturities and credit ratings of fixed income investments. During periods of falling interest rates, the values of outstanding Fixed Income Securities and related financial instruments generally rise. Conversely, during periods of rising interest rates, the values of such securities and related financial instruments generally decline. Fixed Income Securities are also subject to credit risk.
Investments in Fixed Income Securities may also involve the following risks, depending on the instrument involved:
| - | Asset-Backed/Mortgage-Backed Securities Risk – The market value and yield of asset-backed and mortgage-backed securities can vary due to market interest rate fluctuations and early prepayments of underlying instruments. | |
| - | Credit Risk – An investment in the Fund also involves the risk that the issuer of a Fixed Income Security that the Fund holds will fail to make timely payments of interest or principal or go bankrupt, or that the value of the securities will decline because of a market perception that the issuer may not make payments on time, thus potentially reducing the Fund’s return. | |
| - | Event Risk – Event risk is the risk that corporate issuers may undergo restructurings, such as mergers, leveraged buyouts, takeovers, or similar events financed by increased debt. As a result of the added debt, the credit quality and market value of a company’s bonds and/or other debt securities may decline significantly. | |
| - | Extension Risk – Payment on the loans underlying Fixed Income Securities held by the Fund may be made more slowly when interest rates are rising. | |
| - | Interest Rate Risk – Generally, the value of Fixed Income Securities will change inversely with changes in interest rates. As interest rates rise, the market value of Fixed Income Securities tends to decrease. Conversely, as interest rates fall, the market value of Fixed Income Securities tends to increase. This risk will be greater for long-term securities than for short-term securities. In recent periods, governmental financial regulators, including the U.S. Federal Reserve, have taken steps to maintain historically low interest rates. Very low or negative interest rates may magnify interest rate risk. Changes in government intervention may have adverse effects on investments, volatility, and illiquidity in debt markets. | |
| - | Prepayment Risk – When interest rates are declining, issuers of Fixed Income Securities held by the Fund may prepay principal earlier than scheduled. |
Performance:
Portfolio Managers: Jeff Klearman and Ryan Dofflemeyer have been portfolio managers of the Fund since the Fund’s inception in 2024.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares: The Fund is an ETF. Individual Shares of the Fund may only be bought and sold in the secondary market (i.e., on a national securities exchange) through a broker-dealer at a market price. Because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than at NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (at a premium), at NAV or less than NAV (at a discount). An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares of the Fund (ask) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). The bid-ask spread varies over time for Shares based on trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the Fund’s Shares have more trading volume and market liquidity and higher if the Fund’s Shares have little trading volume and market liquidity. Recent information regarding the Fund, including its NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid/ask spreads, is available on the Fund’s website at www.graniteshares.com.
Tax Information: The Fund’s distributions will be taxable to you, generally as ordinary income unless you are invested through a tax-advantaged arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan, IRA or other tax-advantaged account; in such cases, you may be subject to tax when assets are withdrawn from such tax-advantaged arrangement. A sale of Shares may result in capital gain or loss.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries: If you purchase Shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank) (an “Intermediary”), the Adviser and/or its related companies may pay the Intermediary for the sale of Shares and related services. 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.
| 137 |
GraniteShares YIELDBOOST AMZN ETF – Summary
The Fund’s primary investment objective is to achieve 2 times (200%) the income generated from selling options on Amazon.com’s common stock (NASDAQ: AMZN) (the “Underlying Stock”) by selling options on leveraged exchange-traded funds designed to deliver 2 times (200%) the daily performance of the Underlying Stock (the “Underlying Leveraged ETF”). The Fund’s secondary investment objective is to gain exposure to the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, subject to a cap on potential investment gains. A downside protection may be implemented which could affect the net income level.
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). The fees are expressed as a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets. Investors may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and example below.
| Management Fee | 0.99 | % | ||
| Annual
Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) | ||||
| Management Fee | % | |||
| Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees | % | |||
| Other Expenses (1) | % | |||
| Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses (2) | % | |||
| Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | % | |||
| Fee Waiver/Reimbursements (3) | % | |||
| Net Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver/Reimbursements (1), (2), (3) | % | |||
| (1) | |
| (2) | |
| (3) |
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in mutual funds and other exchange traded funds.
The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell 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 figures shown would be the same whether or not you sold your Shares at the end of each period.
Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years | |||||
| $ | $ | |||||
| 138 |
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 the total annual fund operating expenses or in the expense example above, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund is newly organized, portfolio turnover information is not yet available.
The Fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to pay weekly distributions by selling put options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF, which provides exposure to 2 times the daily performance of the Underlying Stock. It is expected that the implied volatility on the Underlying Leveraged ETF to be twice the level of the Underlying Stock’s implied volatility and selling options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF to generate, over the same time horizon and for the same strike levels, twice the premium generated by selling options on the Underlying Stock. The premium received by the Fund from selling options will be distributed at least partially before the maturity of the options. This allows the Fund to make distributions on a weekly basis even if the options sold have longer maturity (such as monthly maturity for instance). This approach may result in the distributions being treated fiscally as return of capital (see “Distribution Risk” under the section “Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund”). There is no guarantee that the Fund will generate twice the level of premium that would be generated by selling options on the Underlying Stock.
The Fund is subject to the losses from the Underlying Leveraged ETF, which would likely be 2 times the losses compared to the Underlying Stock. In case a Put Spread Strategy (as defined under the section “The Fund’s Use of the Underlying Leveraged ETF Derivatives Contracts”) is implemented, the Fund may benefit from a limited downside protection against a negative price variation in the Underlying Leveraged ETF. Such protection will negatively affect the Fund’s overall income level. A put spread strategy with a narrow spread (the difference between the strikes of the put option sold and put option bought) may provide better protection but will have a higher negative impact on the Fund’s income level. A put spread strategy with a large spread will provide a lower protection but may have less negative impact on the Fund’s income level.
The Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in derivatives contracts that utilize the Underlying Leveraged ETF as their reference asset. For purposes of compliance with this investment policy, derivative contracts will be valued at their notional value.
For more information, see section “The Fund’s Use of the Underlying Leveraged ETF Derivatives Contracts” below.
The Fund’s cash balance may be invested in the following instruments: (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; (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 as collateral for the Fund’s swap agreements; (5) repurchase transactions, which are transactions under which the purchaser (i.e., the Fund) acquires securities and the seller agrees, at the time of the sale, to repurchase the securities at a mutually agreed-upon time and price, thereby determining the yield during the purchaser’s holding period, and/or; (6) US large cap equities listed on a national security exchange, sovereign fixed income securities with a credit rating at least equal to the United States Federal Government, or corporate debt securities, such as commercial paper and other short-term unsecured promissory notes issued by businesses that are rated investment grade for the purposes of entering into swap agreements with the Fund’s swap counterparties. The Fund may enter into such swap agreements to improve its operational efficiency.
The Fund is classified as “non-diversified” under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”).
The Fund will be subject to regulatory constraints relating to the level of value at risk that the Fund may incur through its derivatives 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 and the Fund may not achieve its investment objective.
The Fund’s investment objective has not been adopted as a fundamental investment policy and therefore the Fund’s investment objective along with its respective 80% investment policy may be changed without the consent of that Fund’s shareholders upon approval by the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of GraniteShares ETF Trust (the “Trust”) and 60 days’ written notice to shareholders.
There is no guarantee that the Fund’s investment strategy will be properly implemented or that the Fund will pay weekly distributions, and an investor may lose some or all of its investment. Even when the Fund makes a distribution it could be fiscally treated as return of capital (see “Distribution Risk” under the section “Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund”).
An Investment in the Fund is not an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF
| - | The Fund’s strategy will cap its potential gain to the premium received from selling options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF, | |
| - | The Fund’s strategy is exposed to all potential losses if the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share declines, subject to a potential downside protection if a Put Spread Strategy is used (as defined in ten next section). The potential losses may not be offset by the premium received by the Fund, | |
| - | The Fund does not invest directly in the Underlying Leveraged ETF, | |
| - | Fund shareholders are not entitled to any distribution paid by Underlying Leveraged ETF. |
Additional information regarding the Underlying Leveraged ETF is set forth below.
The Fund’s Use of the Underlying Leveraged ETF Derivatives Contracts
| - | Put Spread Strategy: The Fund will enter in put spread options contracts, either directly or through swap contracts, on the Underlying Leveraged ETF and for which the Fund will receive a net premium. A put spread consists of selling a put option contract while buying a put option contract with the same maturity but a lower strike price. The Fund’s protection against a potential decrease in the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF only applies if it falls below the strike price of the option contract bought by the Fund. Buying a put option contract results in a cost that negatively affects the Fund’s income level. It is unlikely for a put spread strategy to generate twice the level of income that would be obtained by selling options on the Underlying Stock directly. The put options contracts sold by the Fund may vary in regard to their strike price from 0 to 15% above the then-current price of the Leveraged ETF. The put options contracts bought by the Fund will have a lower strike price, ranging from 50% out-of-the-money to at-the-money. The put options sold and bought by the Fund will generally have 1- month or less expiration dates. | |
| - | Put Write Strategy: The Fund will sell put options contracts, either directly or through swap contracts, on the Underlying Leveraged ETF and for which it will receive a premium. The put options contracts sold by the Fund may vary in regard to their strike prices from 40% out-of-the-money to 15% in-the-money. The put options sold and bought by the Fund will generally have 1- month or less expiration dates. The Adviser will primarily employ this put write strategy when it believes that the share price of its Underlying Leveraged ETF is likely to rise significantly in the short term (e.g., following a substantial selloff or overall positive market news). |
| 139 |
Example 1 – Put Write Strategy - Selling In-the-money Put Option Contract with a One-month Maturity
Assume for simplicity that the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s shares are trading at $100.00 at the time the Fund sells an in-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $105.00 and a one-month maturity. The Fund receives a $5.50 premium for selling the put option contract.
| Case 1: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increases to $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.50 premium received. | |
| Case 2: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increase exceeded $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.50 premium received but would not participate in any of the additional upside. | |
| Case 3: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops to $99.50 before expiration. | The $5.50 premium received is equal to the drop in price in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price, resulting in a return of zero. | |
| Case 4: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $99.50, that is the strike price ($105.00) reduced by the premium received ($5.50). | The Fund would lose money and be exposed to the drop in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price. |
Example 2 – Put Write Strategy - Selling Out-of-the-money Put Options Contracts with a One-week Maturity
Assume for simplicity that the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s shares are trading at $100.00 at the time the Fund sells an out-of-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $95.00 and a one-week maturity. The Fund receives a $0.50 premium for selling the put option contract.
| Case 1: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increases above $100.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $0.50 premium received but would not participate in the increased in the Underlying Leveraged ETFs’ share price. | |
| Case 2: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $94.50, that is the strike price ($95.00) reduced by the premium received ($0.50). | The Fund would lose money and be exposed to the drop in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price. |
Example 3 – Put Spread Strategy - Selling At-the-money Put Options Contracts and buy an Out-of-the-money Put Options Contracts with both with a One-month Maturity
Assume for simplicity that the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s shares are trading at $100.00 at the time the Fund sells an in-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $105.00 and buy an out-of-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $95.00 both with a one-month maturity. The Fund receives a $5.50 premium for selling the put option contract and pays $0.50 premium for buying the put option contract. Hence the Fund receives a $5.00 net premium.
| Case 1: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increases to $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.00 net premium received. | |
| Case 2: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increase exceeded $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.00 net premium received but would not participate in any of the additional upside. | |
| Case 3: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $100.00, that is the strike price of the option sold ($105.00) reduced by the net premium received ($5.00) but remains above $95.00 before expiration. | The Fund would lose up to $5.00, which is the difference between the 2 strike levels reduced by the net premium received | |
| Case 4: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $95.00 | The Fund would lose $5.00, which is the difference between the 2 strike levels reduced by the net premium received. |
The comparison between the Put Write Strategy in Example 1 and the Put Spread Strategy in Example 3, shows that the Put Spread Strategy has a narrower range of outcomes. It has limited participation in a potential increase or decrease in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price.
In examples 1 and 2, if the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s price were to drop to zero, the Fund’s NAV would be equal, before fees and costs, to the value of premium received.
| 140 |
Types of Options Contracts Used by the Fund
As part of the Fund’s strategy, the Fund may sell FLexible EXchange® (“FLEX”) put options contracts that are based on the value of the price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The Fund will only sell options contracts that are listed for trading on regulated U.S. exchanges. Traditional exchange-traded options contracts have standardized terms, such as the type (call or put), the reference asset, the strike price and expiration date. Exchange-listed options contracts are guaranteed for settlement by the Options Clearing Corporation (“OCC”). FLEX Options are a type of exchange-listed options contract with uniquely customizable terms that allow investors to customize key terms like type, strike price and expiration date that are standardized in a typical options contract. FLEX Options are also guaranteed for settlement by the OCC.
In general, an option is a contract that gives the purchaser (holder) of the option, in return for a premium, the right to buy from (call) or sell to (put) the seller (writer) of the option the security or currency underlying (in this case, the Underlying Leveraged ETF) the option at a specified exercise price. The writer of an option has the obligation upon exercise of the option to deliver the underlying security or currency upon payment of the exercise price (call) or to pay the exercise price upon delivery of the underlying security or currency (put). An option is said to be “European Style” when it can be exercised only at expiration whereas an “American Style” option can be exercised at any time prior to expiration. The Fund might use either European or American style options. The Fund intends to primarily utilize European style options.
Swap agreements Used by the Fund
As part of the Fund’s strategy, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with major financial institutions that provide the same exposure as to selling put options contracts on the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The swap agreements may reference standardized exchange-traded, FLEX, European Style or American Style put options contracts that are based on the values of the price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. All put options contracts referenced in a swap agreement will be listed for trading on regulated U.S. exchanges.
The swap performance will settle in cash only irrespective of the types of the put options contracts referenced in the swap agreement.
Underlying Leveraged ETF
The Underlying Leveraged ETF seeks daily leverage investment results of 2 times (200%) the daily percentage of the Underlying Stock by entering into swap agreements on the Underlying Stock. The Underlying Leveraged ETF aims to generate 2 times the daily performance of the Underlying Stock for a single day. A “single day” is defined as being calculated “from the close of regular trading on one trading day to the close on the next trading day.”
Because of daily rebalancing and the compounding of each day’s return over time, the return of the Underlying Leveraged ETF 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 Stock over the same period. The Underlying Leveraged ETF will lose money if the Underlying Stock’s performance is flat over time, and as a result of daily rebalancing, the Underlying Stock volatility and the effects of compounding, it is even possible that the Fund will lose money over time while the Underlying Stock’s performance increases over a period longer than a single day.
| 141 |
The Fund intends to reference the following Underlying Leveraged ETF:
| (1) | Direxion Daily AMZN Bull 2X Shares (NASDAQ: AMZU). Investors can access information about AMZU, including its prospectus and the most recent shareholder reports, online through the SEC’s website, using Registration Statement Nos. 333-150525 and 811-22201. This information, derived from AMZU’s filings with the SEC, is essential for investors to understand AMZU’s operations, investment strategy, and financial prospects. The description of AMZU’s principal investment strategies as outlined here is directly sourced from its prospectus. | |
| (2) | GraniteShares 2x Long AMZN Daily ETF (NASDAQ: AMZZ). Investors can access information about AMZZ, including its prospectus and the most recent shareholder reports, online through the SEC’s website, using Registration Statement Nos. 333-214796 and 811-2314. This information, derived from AMZZ’s filings with the SEC, is essential for investors to understand AMZZ’s operations, investment strategy, and financial prospects. The description of AMZZ’s principal investment strategies as outlined here is directly sourced from its prospectus. |
The Fund may reference additional products as Underlying Leveraged ETF as market and liquidity develop.
Due to the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s investment exposure to the Underlying Stock, the Fund’s investment exposure is concentrated in the online retail industry.
This document relates only to the securities offered hereby and does not relate to the Underlying Leveraged ETF or the Underlying Stock. The Fund has derived all disclosures contained in this document regarding the Underlying Leveraged ETF from publicly available documents. AMZZ is affiliated with the Fund and both funds are issued under GraniteShares ETF Trust. The Trust and the Adviser have been directly involved in the preparation of the disclosure of AMZZ’s publicly available documents. In connection to AMZU, none of the Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates has participated in the preparation of such documents or made any due diligence inquiry with respect to either fund. None of the Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates makes any representation that such publicly available documents or any other publicly available information regarding AMZU 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 the Underlying Leveraged ETF have been publicly disclosed. Subsequent disclosure of any such events or the disclosure of or failure to disclose material future events concerning the Underlying Leveraged ETF could affect the value received with respect to your Shares and therefore the value of your Shares.
The Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, and their respective affiliates do not provide any representation regarding the performance of AMZU.
THE FUND, TRUST AND ADVISER ARE NOT AFFILIATED WITH AMZU, ITS TRUSTS, AND THEIR SERVICE PROVIDERS.
THE FUND, TRUST AND ADVISER ARE AFFILIATED WITH AMZZ.
PRINCIPAL RISKS OF INVESTING IN THE FUND
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. Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its investment objectives. 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.”
| 142 |
The Underlying Leveraged ETF Risk. The Fund invests in options contracts that are based on the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF shares. This subjects the Fund to certain of the same risks as if it owned shares of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, even though it may not. By virtue of the Fund’s investments in options contracts that are based on the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF shares, the Fund may also be subject to the following risks:
Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk — The Underlying Leveraged ETF shares’ performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which is likely to differ from 200% of the Underlying Stock’s performance, before fees and expenses. Compounding has a significant impact on funds that are leveraged and that rebalance daily. The impact of compounding becomes more pronounced as volatility and holding periods increase and will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF is held and the volatility of the Underlying Stock during the shareholder’s holding period of an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF.
Leverage Risk — The Underlying Leveraged ETF 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 Underlying Leveraged ETF is exposed to the risk that a decline in the daily performance of the Underlying Stock will be magnified. This means that an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF will be reduced by an amount equal to 2% for every 1% daily decline in the Underlying Stock, not including the costs of financing leverage and other operating expenses, which would further reduce its value. The Underlying Leveraged ETF could lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event of an Underlying Stock decline of more than 50%.
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. Investing in derivatives may be considered aggressive and may expose the Underlying Leveraged ETF to greater risks, and may result in larger losses or smaller gains, than investing directly in the reference assets underlying those derivatives, which may prevent the Underlying Leveraged ETF from achieving its investment objective.
Counterparty Risk — If a counterparty is unwilling or unable to make timely payments to meet its contractual obligations or fails to return holdings that are subject to the agreement with the counterparty resulting in the Underlying Leveraged ETF losing money or not being able to meet its daily leveraged investment objective.
Industry Concentration Risk — The performance of the Underlying Stock, and consequently the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s performance, is subject to the risks of the online retail company industry. Companies that operate in the online marketplace and retail segments are subject to fluctuating consumer demand. Unlike traditional brick and mortar retailers, online marketplaces and retailers must assume shipping costs or pass such costs to consumers. Consumer access to price information for the same or similar products may cause companies that operate in the online marketplace and retail segments to reduce profit margins in order to compete. Due to the nature of their business models, companies that operate in the online marketplace and retail segments may also be subject to heightened cyber security risk, including the risk of theft or damage to vital hardware, software and information systems. The loss or public dissemination of sensitive customer information or other proprietary data may negatively affect the financial performance of such companies to a greater extent than traditional brick and mortar retailers. As a result of such companies being web-based and the fact that they process, store, and transmit large amounts of data, including personal information, for their customers, failure to prevent or mitigate data loss or other security breaches, including breaches of vendors’ technology and systems, could expose companies that operate in the online marketplace and retail segments or their customers to a risk of loss or misuse of such information, adversely affect their operating results, result in litigation or potential liability, and otherwise harm their businesses.
Indirect Investments in the Underlying Leveraged ETF – Investors in the Fund will not have rights to receive dividends or other distributions or any other rights with respect to the Underlying Leveraged ETF but will be subject to declines in the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. Although the Fund invests in the Underlying Leveraged ETF only indirectly, the Fund’s investments are subject to loss as a result of these risks.
Derivatives Risk. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds, 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, imperfect correlation with underlying investments, 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 an imperfect correlation between the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objectives. 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. In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
| 143 |
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. For the Fund, in particular, the value of the options contracts in which it invests is substantially influenced by the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. Selling put options exposes the Fund to the risk of potential loss if the market value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF falls below the strike price before the option expires. The Fund may experience substantial downside from specific option positions and certain option positions held by the Fund may expire worthless. 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 at the underlying instrument. There may at times be an imperfect correlation between the movement in values of 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, the Fund’s practice of “rolling” may cause the Fund to experience losses if the expiring contracts do not generate proceeds enough to cover the costs of entering into new options contracts. Rolling refers to the practice of closing out one options position and opening another with a different expiration date and/or a different strike price. Further, if an option is exercised, the seller (writer) of a put option is obligated to purchase the underlying asset at the strike price, which can result in significant financial and regulatory obligations for the Fund if the market value of the asset has fallen substantially. Furthermore, when the Fund seeks to trade out of puts, especially near expiration, there is an added risk that the Fund may be required to allocate resources unexpectedly to fulfill these obligations. This potential exposure to physical settlement can significantly impact the Fund’s liquidity and market exposure, particularly in volatile market conditions.
Swap Risk: Swaps are subject to tracking risk because they may not be perfect substitutes for the instruments they are intended to hedge or replace. Over the counter swaps are subject to counterparty default. Leverage inherent in derivatives will tend to magnify the Fund’s losses. The swap agreements may reference standardized exchange-traded, FLEX, European Style or American Style put options contracts that are based on the values of the price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. that generate specific risks.
Affiliated Fund Risk. In managing the Fund, the Adviser has the ability to select the Underlying Leveraged ETF and substitute the Underlying Leveraged ETF with other ETFs that it believes will achieve the Fund’s objective. The Adviser may be subject to potential conflicts of interest in selecting the Underlying Leveraged ETF and substituting the Underlying Leveraged ETF with other ETFs because the fees paid to the Adviser by some Underlying Leveraged ETF may be higher than the fees charged by other Underlying Leveraged ETF.
Counterparty Risk. The Fund is subject to counterparty risk by virtue of its investments in options contracts. Transactions in some types of derivatives, including options, are required to be centrally cleared (“cleared derivatives”). In a transaction involving cleared derivatives, the Fund’s counterparty is a clearing house rather than a bank or broker. Since the Fund is not a member of clearing houses and only members of a clearing house (“clearing members”) can participate directly in the clearing house, the Fund will hold cleared derivatives through accounts at clearing members. In cleared derivatives positions, the Fund will make payments (including margin payments) to and receive payments from a clearing house through their accounts at clearing members. Customer funds held at a clearing organization in connection with any options contracts are held in a commingled omnibus account and are not identified to the name of the clearing member’s individual customers. As a result, assets deposited by the Fund with any clearing member as margin for options may, in certain circumstances, be used to satisfy losses of other clients of the Fund’s clearing member. In addition, although clearing members guarantee performance of their clients’ obligations to the clearing house, there is a risk that the assets of the Fund might not be fully protected in the event of the clearing member’s bankruptcy, as the Fund would be limited to recovering only a pro rata share of all available funds segregated on behalf of the clearing member’s customers for the relevant account class. The Fund is also subject to the risk that a limited number of clearing members are willing to transact on the Fund’s behalf, which heightens the risks associated with a clearing member’s default. If a clearing member defaults the Fund could lose some or all of the benefits of a transaction entered into by the Fund with the clearing member. If the Fund cannot find a clearing member to transact with on the Fund’s behalf, the Fund may be unable to effectively implement its investment strategy.
In addition, a counterparty (the other party to a transaction or an agreement or the party with whom the Fund executes transactions) to a transaction (including repurchase transaction) with the Fund may be unable or unwilling to make timely principal, interest or settlement payments, or otherwise honor its obligations.
| 144 |
Price Participation Risk. The Fund employs an investment strategy that includes the sale of in-the-money put options contracts, which limits the degree to which the Fund will participate in increases in value experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF over the Call Period. This means that if the Underlying Leveraged ETF experiences an increase in value above the strike price of the sold put options during a Call Period, the Fund will likely not experience that increase to the same extent and may significantly underperform the Underlying Leveraged ETF over the Call Period. Additionally, because the Fund is limited in the degree to which it will participate in increases in value experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF over each Call Period, but has full exposure to any decreases in value experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF over the Call Period, the NAV of the Fund may decrease over any given time period. The Fund’s NAV is dependent on the value of each options portfolio, which is based principally upon the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The degree of participation in the Underlying Leveraged ETF gains the Fund will experience will depend on prevailing market conditions, especially market volatility, at the time the Fund enters into the sold put options contracts and will vary from Call Period to Call Period. The value of the options contracts is affected by changes in the value and dividend rates of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, changes in interest rates, changes in the actual or perceived volatility of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and the remaining time to the options’ expiration, as well as trading conditions in the options market. As the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF share changes and time moves towards the expiration of each Call Period, the value of the options contracts, and therefore the Fund’s NAV, will change. However, it is not expected for the Fund’s NAV to directly correlate on a day-to-day basis with the returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price. The amount of time remaining until the options contract’s expiration date affects the impact of the potential options contract income on the Fund’s NAV, which may not be in full effect until the expiration date of the Fund’s options contracts. Therefore, while changes in the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF share will result in changes to the Fund’s NAV, the Fund generally anticipates that the rate of change in the Fund’s NAV will be different than that experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price.
Distribution Risk. As part of the Fund’s investment objective, the Fund seeks to provide current weekly income. There is no assurance that the Fund will make a distribution in any given month. If the Fund makes distributions, the amounts of such distributions will likely vary greatly from one distribution to the next. Additionally, the weekly distributions, if any, may consist of returns of capital, which would decrease the Fund’s NAV and trading price over time. As a result, an investor may suffer significant losses to their investment.
Put Writing Strategy Risk. The path dependency (i.e., the continued use) of the Fund’s put writing strategy will impact the extent that the Fund participates in the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and, in turn, the Fund’s returns, both during the term of the sold put options and over longer time periods.
If, for example, the Fund were to sell 10% in-the-money put options having a one-month term, the Fund’s participation in the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF will be capped at 10% for that month. However, over a longer period (e.g., a three-month period), the Fund should not be expected to participate fully in the first 30% (i.e., 3 months x 10%) of the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, or the Fund may even lose money, even if the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price has appreciated by at least that much over such period, if during any particular month or months over that period the Underlying Leveraged ETF had a return less than 10%. This example illustrates that both the Fund’s participation in the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and its returns will depend not only on the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF but also on the path that the Underlying Leveraged ETF takes over time.
If, for example, the Fund were to sell 5% out-of-the-money put options having a one-week term, the Fund’s downward protection against the negative price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF will be capped at 5% for that week. However, over a longer period (e.g., a four-week period), the Fund should not be expected to be protected fully in the first 25% (i.e., 4 weeks x 5%) of the negative price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, and the Fund may lose money, even if the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price has appreciated over such period, if during any particular week or weeks over that period the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price had decreases by more than 5%. This example illustrates that both the Fund’s protection against the negative price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and its returns will depend not only on the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF but also on the path that the Underlying Leveraged ETF takes over time.
Under both cases the Fund may be fully exposed to the downward movements of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, offset only by the premiums received from selling put contracts. The Fund does not seek to offer any downside protection, except for the fact that the premiums from the sold options may offset some or all of the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s decline.
Put Spread Strategy Risk. Similarly to a put writing strategy (see relevant risk factor), a put spread strategy will subject the Fund’s performance to path dependency.
Option Market Liquidity Risk. The trading activity in the option market of the Underlying Leveraged ETF may be limited and the option contracts may trade at levels significantly different from their economic value. The lack of liquidity may negatively affect the ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective. This risk may increase if the portfolio turnover is elevated, for instance because of frequent changes in the number of Shares outstanding, and if the net asset value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF is modest. For the 12-month period ending July 31, 2025, the net asset value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF ranged from $21.9m to $299.4m.
Concentration Risk. To the extent that the Underlying Leveraged ETF concentrates its investments in a particular industry, the Fund will be subject to the risks associated with that industry.
| 145 |
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 currently expects to effect a significant portion of its creations and redemptions for cash, rather than in-kind securities. Paying redemption proceeds in cash rather than through in-kind delivery of portfolio securities may require the Fund to dispose of or sell portfolio securities or other assets at an inopportune time to obtain the cash needed to meet redemption orders. This may cause the Fund to sell a security and recognize a capital gain or loss that might not have been incurred if it had made a redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher or lower annual capital gains distributions than ETFs that redeem in-kind. The use of cash creations and redemptions may also cause the Fund’s Shares to trade in the market at greater bid-ask spreads or greater premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV. Furthermore, the Fund may not be able to execute cash transactions for creation and redemption purposes at the same price used to determine the Fund’s NAV. To the extent that the maximum additional charge for creation or redemption transactions is insufficient to cover the execution shortfall, the Fund’s performance could be negatively impacted.
Costs of Buying or Selling Shares. Due to the costs of buying or selling Shares, including brokerage commissions imposed by brokers and bid-ask spreads, frequent trading of Shares may significantly 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 Nasdaq Stock Market, LLC (the “Exchange”), and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for the Shares will develop or be maintained or that the Shares will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. This risk may be greater for the Fund as it seeks to have exposure to a single underlying stock as opposed to a more diverse portfolio like a traditional pooled investment. 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. Shares trade on the Exchange at a market price that may be below, at or above the Fund’s NAV. Trading in Shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in Shares on the Exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to the Exchange “circuit breaker” rules. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged. In the event of an unscheduled market close for options contracts that reference a single stock, such as the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s securities being halted or a market wide closure, settlement prices will be determined by the procedures of the listing exchange of the options contracts. As a result, the Fund could be adversely affected and be unable to implement its investment strategies in the event of an unscheduled closing.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk. The Fund may actively and frequently trade all or a significant portion of the Fund’s holdings. A high portfolio turnover rate increases transaction costs, which may increase the Fund’s expenses. Frequent trading may also cause adverse tax consequences for investors in the Fund due to an increase in short-term capital gains.
Inflation Risk. Inflation risk is the risk that the value of assets or income from investments will be less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money. As inflation increases, the present value of the Fund’s assets and distributions, if any, may decline.
| 146 |
Liquidity Risk. Some securities held by the Fund, including options contracts, may be difficult to sell or be illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. This risk is greater for the Fund as it will hold options contracts on a single security, and not a broader range of options contracts. 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, such as market rules related to short sales, may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Underlying Leveraged ETF. 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.
Management Risk. The Fund is subject to management risk because it is an actively managed portfolio. In managing the Fund’s investment portfolio, the portfolio managers will apply investment techniques and risk analyses that may not produce the desired result. There can be no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective.
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, including money market funds, may lose money through fees or other means.
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.
Operational Risk. The Fund is subject to risks arising from various operational factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund relies on third-parties for a range of services, including custody. Any delay or failure relating to engaging or maintaining such service providers may affect the Fund’s ability to meet its investment objective. Although the Fund, Adviser, and Sub-Adviser seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures, there is no way to completely protect against such risks.
Recent Market Events Risk. U.S. and international markets have experienced significant periods of volatility in recent years and months due to a number of economic, political and global macro factors including the impact of COVID-19 as a global pandemic, which has resulted in a public health crisis, disruptions to business operations and supply chains, stress on the global healthcare system, growth concerns in the U.S. and overseas, staffing shortages and the inability to meet consumer demand, and widespread concern and uncertainty. The global recovery from COVID-19 is proceeding at slower than expected rates due to the emergence of variant strains and may last for an extended period of time. Continuing uncertainties regarding interest rates, rising inflation, political events, rising government debt in the U.S. and trade tensions also contribute to market volatility. Conflict, loss of life and disaster connected to ongoing armed conflict between Ukraine and Russia in Europe and Israel and Hamas in the Middle East could have severe adverse effects on the region, including significant adverse effects on the regional or global economies and the markets for certain securities. The U.S. and the European Union have imposed sanctions on certain Russian individuals and companies, including certain financial institutions, and have limited certain exports and imports to and from Russia. The war has contributed to recent market volatility and may continue to do so. U.S. trade disputes or other disputes with specific countries that could result in additional tariffs, trade barriers and/or investment restrictions in certain securities in those countries.
Single Issuer Risk. Issuer-specific attributes may cause an investment in the Fund to be more volatile than a traditional pooled investment vehicle which diversifies risk or the market generally. The value of the Fund, which focuses on an individual security (the Underlying Leveraged ETF), 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.
Tax Risk. The Fund intends to elect and to qualify each year to be treated as a RIC under Subchapter M of the 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 the derivatives it holds is never 25% of the total value of Fund assets at the close of any quarter. If the Fund’s investments in the derivatives 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. In addition, distributions received by the Fund from the Underlying Leveraged ETF may generate “bad income” that could prevent the Fund from meeting the “Income Requirement” of Subchapter M of the Code, which may cause the Fund to fail to qualify as a RIC.
| 147 |
Investing in U.S. Equities Risk. Investing in U.S. issuers subjects the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency, security, and economic risks that are specific to the U.S. Certain changes in the U.S., such as a weakening of the U.S. economy or a decline in its financial markets, may have an adverse effect on U.S. issuers.
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.
Fixed Income Securities Risk. The market value of Fixed Income Securities will change in response to interest rate changes and other factors, such as changes in the effective maturities and credit ratings of fixed income investments. During periods of falling interest rates, the values of outstanding Fixed Income Securities and related financial instruments generally rise. Conversely, during periods of rising interest rates, the values of such securities and related financial instruments generally decline. Fixed Income Securities are also subject to credit risk.
Investments in Fixed Income Securities may also involve the following risks, depending on the instrument involved:
| - | Asset-Backed/Mortgage-Backed Securities Risk – The market value and yield of asset-backed and mortgage-backed securities can vary due to market interest rate fluctuations and early prepayments of underlying instruments. | |
| - | Credit Risk – An investment in the Fund also involves the risk that the issuer of a Fixed Income Security that the Fund holds will fail to make timely payments of interest or principal or go bankrupt, or that the value of the securities will decline because of a market perception that the issuer may not make payments on time, thus potentially reducing the Fund’s return. | |
| - | Event Risk – Event risk is the risk that corporate issuers may undergo restructurings, such as mergers, leveraged buyouts, takeovers, or similar events financed by increased debt. As a result of the added debt, the credit quality and market value of a company’s bonds and/or other debt securities may decline significantly. | |
| - | Extension Risk – Payment on the loans underlying Fixed Income Securities held by the Fund may be made more slowly when interest rates are rising. | |
| - | Interest Rate Risk – Generally, the value of Fixed Income Securities will change inversely with changes in interest rates. As interest rates rise, the market value of Fixed Income Securities tends to decrease. Conversely, as interest rates fall, the market value of Fixed Income Securities tends to increase. This risk will be greater for long-term securities than for short-term securities. In recent periods, governmental financial regulators, including the U.S. Federal Reserve, have taken steps to maintain historically low interest rates. Very low or negative interest rates may magnify interest rate risk. Changes in government intervention may have adverse effects on investments, volatility, and illiquidity in debt markets. | |
| - | Prepayment Risk – When interest rates are declining, issuers of Fixed Income Securities held by the Fund may prepay principal earlier than scheduled. |
Performance:
Portfolio Managers: Jeff Klearman and Ryan Dofflemeyer have been portfolio managers of the Fund since the Fund’s inception in 2024.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares: The Fund is an ETF. Individual Shares of the Fund may only be bought and sold in the secondary market (i.e., on a national securities exchange) through a broker-dealer at a market price. Because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than at NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (at a premium), at NAV or less than NAV (at a discount). An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares of the Fund (ask) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). The bid-ask spread varies over time for Shares based on trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the Fund’s Shares have more trading volume and market liquidity and higher if the Fund’s Shares have little trading volume and market liquidity. Recent information regarding the Fund, including its NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid/ask spreads, is available on the Fund’s website at www.graniteshares.com.
Tax Information: The Fund’s distributions will be taxable to you, generally as ordinary income unless you are invested through a tax-advantaged arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan, IRA or other tax-advantaged account; in such cases, you may be subject to tax when assets are withdrawn from such tax-advantaged arrangement. A sale of Shares may result in capital gain or loss.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries: If you purchase Shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank) (an “Intermediary”), the Adviser and/or its related companies may pay the Intermediary for the sale of Shares and related services. 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.
| 148 |
GraniteShares YIELDBOOST BABA ETF – Summary
The Fund’s primary investment objective is to achieve 2 times (200%) the income generated from selling options on Alibaba Group Holding Limited’s ADR (NYSE: BABA) (the “Underlying Stock”) by selling options on leveraged exchange-traded funds designed to deliver 2 times (200%) the daily performance of the Underlying Stock (the “Underlying Leveraged ETF”). The Fund’s secondary investment objective is to gain exposure to the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, subject to a cap on potential investment gains. A downside protection may be implemented which could affect the net income level.
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). The fees are expressed as a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets. Investors may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and example below.
| Management Fee | 0.99 | % | ||
|
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) | ||||
| Management Fee | % | |||
| Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees | % | |||
| Other Expenses (1) | % | |||
| Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses (2) | % | |||
| Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | % | |||
| Fee Waiver/Reimbursements (3) | % | |||
| Net Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver/Reimbursements (1), (2), (3) | % | |||
| (1) | |
| (2) | |
| (3) |
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in mutual funds and other exchange traded funds.
The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell 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 figures shown would be the same whether or not you sold your Shares at the end of each period.
Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years | |||||
| $ | $ | |||||
| 149 |
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 the total annual fund operating expenses or in the expense example above, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund is newly organized, portfolio turnover information is not yet available.
The Fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to pay weekly distributions by selling put options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF, which provides exposure to 2 times the daily performance of the Underlying Stock. It is expected that the implied volatility on the Underlying Leveraged ETF to be twice the level of the Underlying Stock’s implied volatility and selling options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF to generate, over the same time horizon and for the same strike levels, twice the premium generated by selling options on the Underlying Stock. The premium received by the Fund from selling options will be distributed at least partially before the maturity of the options. This allows the Fund to make distributions on a weekly basis even if the options sold have longer maturity (such as monthly maturity for instance). This approach may result in the distributions being treated fiscally as return of capital (see “Distribution Risk” under the section “Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund”). There is no guarantee that the Fund will generate twice the level of premium that would be generated by selling options on the Underlying Stock.
The Fund is subject to the losses from the Underlying Leveraged ETF, which would likely be 2 times the losses compared to the Underlying Stock. In case a Put Spread Strategy (as defined under the section “The Fund’s Use of the Underlying Leveraged ETF Derivatives Contracts”) is implemented, the Fund may benefit from a limited downside protection against a negative price variation in the Underlying Leveraged ETF. Such protection will negatively affect the Fund’s overall income level. A put spread strategy with a narrow spread (the difference between the strikes of the put option sold and put option bought) may provide better protection but will have a higher negative impact on the Fund’s income level. A put spread strategy with a large spread will provide a lower protection but may have less negative impact on the Fund’s income level.
The Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in derivatives contracts that utilize the Underlying Leveraged ETF as their reference asset. For purposes of compliance with this investment policy, derivative contracts will be valued at their notional value.
For more information, see section “The Fund’s Use of the Underlying Leveraged ETF Derivatives Contracts” below.
The Fund’s cash balance may be invested in the following instruments: (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; (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 as collateral for the Fund’s swap agreements; (5) repurchase transactions, which are transactions under which the purchaser (i.e., the Fund) acquires securities and the seller agrees, at the time of the sale, to repurchase the securities at a mutually agreed-upon time and price, thereby determining the yield during the purchaser’s holding period, and/or; (6) US large cap equities listed on a national security exchange, sovereign fixed income securities with a credit rating at least equal to the United States Federal Government, or corporate debt securities, such as commercial paper and other short-term unsecured promissory notes issued by businesses that are rated investment grade for the purposes of entering into swap agreements with the Fund’s swap counterparties. The Fund may enter into such swap agreements to improve its operational efficiency.
The Fund is classified as “non-diversified” under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”).
The Fund will be subject to regulatory constraints relating to the level of value at risk that the Fund may incur through its derivatives 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 and the Fund may not achieve its investment objective.
The Fund’s investment objective has not been adopted as a fundamental investment policy and therefore the Fund’s investment objective along with its respective 80% investment policy may be changed without the consent of that Fund’s shareholders upon approval by the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of GraniteShares ETF Trust (the “Trust”) and 60 days’ written notice to shareholders.
There is no guarantee that the Fund’s investment strategy will be properly implemented or that the Fund will pay weekly distributions, and an investor may lose some or all of its investment. Even when the Fund makes a distribution it could be fiscally treated as return of capital (see “Distribution Risk” under the section “Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund”).
An Investment in the Fund is not an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF
| - | The Fund’s strategy will cap its potential gain to the premium received from selling options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF, | |
| - | The Fund’s strategy is exposed to all potential losses if the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share declines, subject to a potential downside protection if a Put Spread Strategy is used (as defined in ten next section). The potential losses may not be offset by the premium received by the Fund, | |
| - | The Fund does not invest directly in the Underlying Leveraged ETF, | |
| - | Fund shareholders are not entitled to any distribution paid by Underlying Leveraged ETF. |
Additional information regarding the Underlying Leveraged ETF is set forth below.
The Fund’s Use of the Underlying Leveraged ETF Derivatives Contracts
| - | Put Spread Strategy: The Fund will enter in put spread options contracts, either directly or through swap contracts, on the Underlying Leveraged ETF and for which the Fund will receive a net premium. A put spread consists of selling a put option contract while buying a put option contract with the same maturity but a lower strike price. The Fund’s protection against a potential decrease in the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF only applies if it falls below the strike price of the option contract bought by the Fund. Buying a put option contract results in a cost that negatively affects the Fund’s income level. It is unlikely for a put spread strategy to generate twice the level of income that would be obtained by selling options on the Underlying Stock directly. The put options contracts sold by the Fund may vary in regard to their strike price from 0 to 15% above the then-current price of the Leveraged ETF. The put options contracts bought by the Fund will have a lower strike price, ranging from 50% out-of-the-money to at-the-money. The put options sold and bought by the Fund will generally have 1- month or less expiration dates. | |
| - | Put Write Strategy: The Fund will sell put options contracts, either directly or through swap contracts, on the Underlying Leveraged ETF and for which it will receive a premium. The put options contracts sold by the Fund may vary in regard to their strike prices from 40% out-of-the-money to 15% in-the-money. The put options sold and bought by the Fund will generally have 1- month or less expiration dates. The Adviser will primarily employ this put write strategy when it believes that the share price of its Underlying Leveraged ETF is likely to rise significantly in the short term (e.g., following a substantial selloff or overall positive market news). |
| 150 |
Example 1 – Put Write Strategy - Selling In-the-money Put Option Contract with a One-month Maturity
Assume for simplicity that the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s shares are trading at $100.00 at the time the Fund sells an in-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $105.00 and a one-month maturity. The Fund receives a $5.50 premium for selling the put option contract.
| Case 1: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increases to $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.50 premium received. | |
| Case 2: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increase exceeded $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.50 premium received but would not participate in any of the additional upside. | |
| Case 3: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops to $99.50 before expiration. | The $5.50 premium received is equal to the drop in price in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price, resulting in a return of zero. | |
| Case 4: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $99.50, that is the strike price ($105.00) reduced by the premium received ($5.50). | The Fund would lose money and be exposed to the drop in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price. |
Example 2 – Put Write Strategy - Selling Out-of-the-money Put Options Contracts with a One-week Maturity
Assume for simplicity that the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s shares are trading at $100.00 at the time the Fund sells an out-of-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $95.00 and a one-week maturity. The Fund receives a $0.50 premium for selling the put option contract.
| Case 1: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increases above $100.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $0.50 premium received but would not participate in the increased in the Underlying Leveraged ETFs’ share price. | |
| Case 2: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $94.50, that is the strike price ($95.00) reduced by the premium received ($0.50). | The Fund would lose money and be exposed to the drop in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price. |
Example 3 – Put Spread Strategy - Selling At-the-money Put Options Contracts and buy an Out-of-the-money Put Options Contracts with both with a One-month Maturity
Assume for simplicity that the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s shares are trading at $100.00 at the time the Fund sells an in-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $105.00 and buy an out-of-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $95.00 both with a one-month maturity. The Fund receives a $5.50 premium for selling the put option contract and pays $0.50 premium for buying the put option contract. Hence the Fund receives a $5.00 net premium.
| Case 1: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increases to $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.00 net premium received. | |
| Case 2: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increase exceeded $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.00 net premium received but would not participate in any of the additional upside. | |
| Case 3: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $100.00, that is the strike price of the option sold ($105.00) reduced by the net premium received ($5.00) but remains above $95.00 before expiration. | The Fund would lose up to $5.00, which is the difference between the 2 strike levels reduced by the net premium received | |
| Case 4: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $95.00 | The Fund would lose $5.00, which is the difference between the 2 strike levels reduced by the net premium received. |
The comparison between the Put Write Strategy in Example 1 and the Put Spread Strategy in Example 3, shows that the Put Spread Strategy has a narrower range of outcomes. It has limited participation in a potential increase or decrease in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price.
In examples 1 and 2, if the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s price were to drop to zero, the Fund’s NAV would be equal, before fees and costs, to the value of premium received.
| 151 |
Types of Options Contracts Used by the Fund
As part of the Fund’s strategy, the Fund may sell FLexible EXchange® (“FLEX”) put options contracts that are based on the value of the price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The Fund will only sell options contracts that are listed for trading on regulated U.S. exchanges. Traditional exchange-traded options contracts have standardized terms, such as the type (call or put), the reference asset, the strike price and expiration date. Exchange-listed options contracts are guaranteed for settlement by the Options Clearing Corporation (“OCC”). FLEX Options are a type of exchange-listed options contract with uniquely customizable terms that allow investors to customize key terms like type, strike price and expiration date that are standardized in a typical options contract. FLEX Options are also guaranteed for settlement by the OCC.
In general, an option is a contract that gives the purchaser (holder) of the option, in return for a premium, the right to buy from (call) or sell to (put) the seller (writer) of the option the security or currency underlying (in this case, the Underlying Leveraged ETF) the option at a specified exercise price. The writer of an option has the obligation upon exercise of the option to deliver the underlying security or currency upon payment of the exercise price (call) or to pay the exercise price upon delivery of the underlying security or currency (put). An option is said to be “European Style” when it can be exercised only at expiration whereas an “American Style” option can be exercised at any time prior to expiration. The Fund might use either European or American style options. The Fund intends to primarily utilize European style options.
Swap agreements Used by the Fund
As part of the Fund’s strategy, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with major financial institutions that provide the same exposure as to selling put options contracts on the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The swap agreements may reference standardized exchange-traded, FLEX, European Style or American Style put options contracts that are based on the values of the price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. All put options contracts referenced in a swap agreement will be listed for trading on regulated U.S. exchanges.
The swap performance will settle in cash only irrespective of the types of the put options contracts referenced in the swap agreement.
Underlying Leveraged ETF
The Underlying Leveraged ETF seeks daily leverage investment results of 2 times (200%) the daily percentage of the Underlying Stock by entering into swap agreements on the Underlying Stock. The Underlying Leveraged ETF aims to generate 2 times the daily performance of the Underlying Stock for a single day. A “single day” is defined as being calculated “from the close of regular trading on one trading day to the close on the next trading day.”
Because of daily rebalancing and the compounding of each day’s return over time, the return of the Underlying Leveraged ETF 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 Stock over the same period. The Underlying Leveraged ETF will lose money if the Underlying Stock’s performance is flat over time, and as a result of daily rebalancing, the Underlying Stock volatility and the effects of compounding, it is even possible that the Fund will lose money over time while the Underlying Stock’s performance increases over a period longer than a single day.
| 152 |
The Fund intends to reference the following products as Underlying Leveraged ETF:
| (1) | GraniteShares 2x Long BABA Daily ETF (NASDAQ: BABX). Investors can access information about BABX, including its prospectus and the most recent shareholder reports, online through the SEC’s website, using Registration Statement Nos. 333-214796 and 811-23214. This information, derived from BABX’s filings with the SEC, is essential for investors to understand BABX’s operations, investment strategy, and financial prospects. The description of BABX’s principal investment strategies as outlined here is directly sourced from its prospectus. | |
| (2) | KraneShares Daily PDD Bull 2X Shares (NASDAQ: KBAB). Investors can access information about KBAB, including its prospectus and the most recent shareholder reports, online through the SEC’s website, using Registration Statement Nos. 333-180870 and 811-22698. This information, derived from KBAB’s filings with the SEC, is essential for investors to understand KBAB’s operations, investment strategy, and financial prospects. The description of KBAB’s principal investment strategies as outlined here is directly sourced from its prospectus. |
The Fund may reference additional products as Underlying Leveraged ETF as market and liquidity develop.
Due to the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s investment exposure to the Underlying Stock, the Fund’s investment exposure is concentrated in the online retail industry.
This document relates only to the securities offered hereby and does not relate to the Underlying Leveraged ETF or the Underlying Stock. The Fund has derived all disclosures contained in this document regarding the Underlying Leveraged ETF from publicly available documents. BABX is affiliated with the Fund and both funds are issued under GraniteShares ETF Trust. The Trust and the Adviser have been directly involved in the preparation of the disclosure of BABX’s publicly available documents. In connection to KBAB, none of the Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates has participated in the preparation of such documents or made any due diligence inquiry with respect to the fund. None of the Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates makes any representation that such publicly available documents or any other publicly available information regarding KBABA 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 the Underlying Leveraged ETF have been publicly disclosed. Subsequent disclosure of any such events or the disclosure of or failure to disclose material future events concerning the Underlying Leveraged ETF could affect the value received with respect to your Shares and therefore the value of your Shares.
THE FUND, TRUST AND ADVISER ARE AFFILIATED WITH BABX.
THE FUND, TRUST AND ADVISER ARE NOT AFFILIATED WITH KBAB, ITS TRUSTS, AND ITS SERVICE PROVIDERS.
PRINCIPAL RISKS OF INVESTING IN THE FUND
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. Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its investment objectives. 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.”
| 153 |
The Underlying Leveraged ETF Risk. The Fund invests in options contracts that are based on the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF shares. This subjects the Fund to certain of the same risks as if it owned shares of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, even though it may not. By virtue of the Fund’s investments in options contracts that are based on the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF shares, the Fund may also be subject to the following risks:
Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk — The Underlying Leveraged ETF shares’ performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which is likely to differ from 200% of the Underlying Stock’s performance, before fees and expenses. Compounding has a significant impact on funds that are leveraged and that rebalance daily. The impact of compounding becomes more pronounced as volatility and holding periods increase and will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF is held and the volatility of the Underlying Stock during the shareholder’s holding period of an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF.
Leverage Risk — The Underlying Leveraged ETF 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 Underlying Leveraged ETF is exposed to the risk that a decline in the daily performance of the Underlying Stock will be magnified. This means that an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF will be reduced by an amount equal to 2% for every 1% daily decline in the Underlying Stock, not including the costs of financing leverage and other operating expenses, which would further reduce its value. The Underlying Leveraged ETF could lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event of an Underlying Stock decline of more than 50%.
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. Investing in derivatives may be considered aggressive and may expose the Underlying Leveraged ETF to greater risks, and may result in larger losses or smaller gains, than investing directly in the reference assets underlying those derivatives, which may prevent the Underlying Leveraged ETF from achieving its investment objective.
Counterparty Risk — If a counterparty is unwilling or unable to make timely payments to meet its contractual obligations or fails to return holdings that are subject to the agreement with the counterparty resulting in the Underlying Leveraged ETF losing money or not being able to meet its daily leveraged investment objective.
Industry Concentration Risk — The performance of the Underlying Stock, and consequently the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s performance, is subject to the risks of the online retail company industry. Companies that operate in the online marketplace and retail segments are subject to fluctuating consumer demand. Unlike traditional brick and mortar retailers, online marketplaces and retailers must assume shipping costs or pass such costs to consumers. Consumer access to price information for the same or similar products may cause companies that operate in the online marketplace and retail segments to reduce profit margins in order to compete. Due to the nature of their business models, companies that operate in the online marketplace and retail segments may also be subject to heightened cyber security risk, including the risk of theft or damage to vital hardware, software and information systems. The loss or public dissemination of sensitive customer information or other proprietary data may negatively affect the financial performance of such companies to a greater extent than traditional brick and mortar retailers. As a result of such companies being web-based and the fact that they process, store, and transmit large amounts of data, including personal information, for their customers, failure to prevent or mitigate data loss or other security breaches, including breaches of vendors’ technology and systems, could expose companies that operate in the online marketplace and retail segments or their customers to a risk of loss or misuse of such information, adversely affect their operating results, result in litigation or potential liability, and otherwise harm their businesses.
Indirect Investments in the Underlying Leveraged ETF – Investors in the Fund will not have rights to receive dividends or other distributions or any other rights with respect to the Underlying Leveraged ETF but will be subject to declines in the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. Although the Fund invests in the Underlying Leveraged ETF only indirectly, the Fund’s investments are subject to loss as a result of these risks.
Derivatives Risk. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds, 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, imperfect correlation with underlying investments, 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 an imperfect correlation between the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objectives. 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. In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
| 154 |
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. For the Fund, in particular, the value of the options contracts in which it invests is substantially influenced by the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. Selling put options exposes the Fund to the risk of potential loss if the market value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF falls below the strike price before the option expires. The Fund may experience substantial downside from specific option positions and certain option positions held by the Fund may expire worthless. 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 at the underlying instrument. There may at times be an imperfect correlation between the movement in values of 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, the Fund’s practice of “rolling” may cause the Fund to experience losses if the expiring contracts do not generate proceeds enough to cover the costs of entering into new options contracts. Rolling refers to the practice of closing out one options position and opening another with a different expiration date and/or a different strike price. Further, if an option is exercised, the seller (writer) of a put option is obligated to purchase the underlying asset at the strike price, which can result in significant financial and regulatory obligations for the Fund if the market value of the asset has fallen substantially. Furthermore, when the Fund seeks to trade out of puts, especially near expiration, there is an added risk that the Fund may be required to allocate resources unexpectedly to fulfill these obligations. This potential exposure to physical settlement can significantly impact the Fund’s liquidity and market exposure, particularly in volatile market conditions.
Swap Risk: Swaps are subject to tracking risk because they may not be perfect substitutes for the instruments they are intended to hedge or replace. Over the counter swaps are subject to counterparty default. Leverage inherent in derivatives will tend to magnify the Fund’s losses. The swap agreements may reference standardized exchange-traded, FLEX, European Style or American Style put options contracts that are based on the values of the price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. that generate specific risks.
Affiliated Fund Risk. In managing the Fund, the Adviser has the ability to select the Underlying Leveraged ETF and substitute the Underlying Leveraged ETF with other ETFs that it believes will achieve the Fund’s objective. The Adviser may be subject to potential conflicts of interest in selecting the Underlying Leveraged ETF and substituting the Underlying Leveraged ETF with other ETFs because the fees paid to the Adviser by some Underlying Leveraged ETF may be higher than the fees charged by other Underlying Leveraged ETF.
Counterparty Risk. The Fund is subject to counterparty risk by virtue of its investments in options contracts. Transactions in some types of derivatives, including options, are required to be centrally cleared (“cleared derivatives”). In a transaction involving cleared derivatives, the Fund’s counterparty is a clearing house rather than a bank or broker. Since the Fund is not a member of clearing houses and only members of a clearing house (“clearing members”) can participate directly in the clearing house, the Fund will hold cleared derivatives through accounts at clearing members. In cleared derivatives positions, the Fund will make payments (including margin payments) to and receive payments from a clearing house through their accounts at clearing members. Customer funds held at a clearing organization in connection with any options contracts are held in a commingled omnibus account and are not identified to the name of the clearing member’s individual customers. As a result, assets deposited by the Fund with any clearing member as margin for options may, in certain circumstances, be used to satisfy losses of other clients of the Fund’s clearing member. In addition, although clearing members guarantee performance of their clients’ obligations to the clearing house, there is a risk that the assets of the Fund might not be fully protected in the event of the clearing member’s bankruptcy, as the Fund would be limited to recovering only a pro rata share of all available funds segregated on behalf of the clearing member’s customers for the relevant account class. The Fund is also subject to the risk that a limited number of clearing members are willing to transact on the Fund’s behalf, which heightens the risks associated with a clearing member’s default. If a clearing member defaults the Fund could lose some or all of the benefits of a transaction entered into by the Fund with the clearing member. If the Fund cannot find a clearing member to transact with on the Fund’s behalf, the Fund may be unable to effectively implement its investment strategy.
In addition, a counterparty (the other party to a transaction or an agreement or the party with whom the Fund executes transactions) to a transaction (including repurchase transaction) with the Fund may be unable or unwilling to make timely principal, interest or settlement payments, or otherwise honor its obligations.
| 155 |
Price Participation Risk. The Fund employs an investment strategy that includes the sale of in-the-money put options contracts, which limits the degree to which the Fund will participate in increases in value experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF over the Call Period. This means that if the Underlying Leveraged ETF experiences an increase in value above the strike price of the sold put options during a Call Period, the Fund will likely not experience that increase to the same extent and may significantly underperform the Underlying Leveraged ETF over the Call Period. Additionally, because the Fund is limited in the degree to which it will participate in increases in value experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF over each Call Period, but has full exposure to any decreases in value experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF over the Call Period, the NAV of the Fund may decrease over any given time period. The Fund’s NAV is dependent on the value of each options portfolio, which is based principally upon the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The degree of participation in the Underlying Leveraged ETF gains the Fund will experience will depend on prevailing market conditions, especially market volatility, at the time the Fund enters into the sold put options contracts and will vary from Call Period to Call Period. The value of the options contracts is affected by changes in the value and dividend rates of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, changes in interest rates, changes in the actual or perceived volatility of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and the remaining time to the options’ expiration, as well as trading conditions in the options market. As the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF share changes and time moves towards the expiration of each Call Period, the value of the options contracts, and therefore the Fund’s NAV, will change. However, it is not expected for the Fund’s NAV to directly correlate on a day-to-day basis with the returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price. The amount of time remaining until the options contract’s expiration date affects the impact of the potential options contract income on the Fund’s NAV, which may not be in full effect until the expiration date of the Fund’s options contracts. Therefore, while changes in the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF share will result in changes to the Fund’s NAV, the Fund generally anticipates that the rate of change in the Fund’s NAV will be different than that experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price.
Distribution Risk. As part of the Fund’s investment objective, the Fund seeks to provide current weekly income. There is no assurance that the Fund will make a distribution in any given month. If the Fund makes distributions, the amounts of such distributions will likely vary greatly from one distribution to the next. Additionally, the weekly distributions, if any, may consist of returns of capital, which would decrease the Fund’s NAV and trading price over time. As a result, an investor may suffer significant losses to their investment.
Put Writing Strategy Risk. The path dependency (i.e., the continued use) of the Fund’s put writing strategy will impact the extent that the Fund participates in the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and, in turn, the Fund’s returns, both during the term of the sold put options and over longer time periods.
If, for example, the Fund were to sell 10% in-the-money put options having a one-month term, the Fund’s participation in the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF will be capped at 10% for that month. However, over a longer period (e.g., a three-month period), the Fund should not be expected to participate fully in the first 30% (i.e., 3 months x 10%) of the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, or the Fund may even lose money, even if the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price has appreciated by at least that much over such period, if during any particular month or months over that period the Underlying Leveraged ETF had a return less than 10%. This example illustrates that both the Fund’s participation in the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and its returns will depend not only on the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF but also on the path that the Underlying Leveraged ETF takes over time.
If, for example, the Fund were to sell 5% out-of-the-money put options having a one-week term, the Fund’s downward protection against the negative price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF will be capped at 5% for that week. However, over a longer period (e.g., a four-week period), the Fund should not be expected to be protected fully in the first 25% (i.e., 4 weeks x 5%) of the negative price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, and the Fund may lose money, even if the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price has appreciated over such period, if during any particular week or weeks over that period the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price had decreases by more than 5%. This example illustrates that both the Fund’s protection against the negative price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and its returns will depend not only on the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF but also on the path that the Underlying Leveraged ETF takes over time.
Under both cases the Fund may be fully exposed to the downward movements of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, offset only by the premiums received from selling put contracts. The Fund does not seek to offer any downside protection, except for the fact that the premiums from the sold options may offset some or all of the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s decline.
Put Spread Strategy Risk. Similarly to a put writing strategy (see relevant risk factor), a put spread strategy will subject the Fund’s performance to path dependency.
Option Market Liquidity Risk. The trading activity in the option market of the Underlying Leveraged ETF may be limited and the option contracts may trade at levels significantly different from their economic value. The lack of liquidity may negatively affect the ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective. This risk may increase if the portfolio turnover is elevated, for instance because of frequent changes in the number of Shares outstanding, and if the net asset value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF is modest. For the 12-month period ending July 31, 2025, the net asset value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF ranged from $0.75m to $153.4m.
Concentration Risk. To the extent that the Underlying Leveraged ETF concentrates its investments in a particular industry, the Fund will be subject to the risks associated with that industry.
| 156 |
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 currently expects to effect a significant portion of its creations and redemptions for cash, rather than in-kind securities. Paying redemption proceeds in cash rather than through in-kind delivery of portfolio securities may require the Fund to dispose of or sell portfolio securities or other assets at an inopportune time to obtain the cash needed to meet redemption orders. This may cause the Fund to sell a security and recognize a capital gain or loss that might not have been incurred if it had made a redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher or lower annual capital gains distributions than ETFs that redeem in-kind. The use of cash creations and redemptions may also cause the Fund’s Shares to trade in the market at greater bid-ask spreads or greater premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV. Furthermore, the Fund may not be able to execute cash transactions for creation and redemption purposes at the same price used to determine the Fund’s NAV. To the extent that the maximum additional charge for creation or redemption transactions is insufficient to cover the execution shortfall, the Fund’s performance could be negatively impacted.
Costs of Buying or Selling Shares. Due to the costs of buying or selling Shares, including brokerage commissions imposed by brokers and bid-ask spreads, frequent trading of Shares may significantly 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 Nasdaq Stock Market, LLC (the “Exchange”), and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for the Shares will develop or be maintained or that the Shares will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. This risk may be greater for the Fund as it seeks to have exposure to a single underlying stock as opposed to a more diverse portfolio like a traditional pooled investment. 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. Shares trade on the Exchange at a market price that may be below, at or above the Fund’s NAV. Trading in Shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in Shares on the Exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to the Exchange “circuit breaker” rules. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged. In the event of an unscheduled market close for options contracts that reference a single stock, such as the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s securities being halted or a market wide closure, settlement prices will be determined by the procedures of the listing exchange of the options contracts. As a result, the Fund could be adversely affected and be unable to implement its investment strategies in the event of an unscheduled closing.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk. The Fund may actively and frequently trade all or a significant portion of the Fund’s holdings. A high portfolio turnover rate increases transaction costs, which may increase the Fund’s expenses. Frequent trading may also cause adverse tax consequences for investors in the Fund due to an increase in short-term capital gains.
Inflation Risk. Inflation risk is the risk that the value of assets or income from investments will be less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money. As inflation increases, the present value of the Fund’s assets and distributions, if any, may decline.
| 157 |
Liquidity Risk. Some securities held by the Fund, including options contracts, may be difficult to sell or be illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. This risk is greater for the Fund as it will hold options contracts on a single security, and not a broader range of options contracts. 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, such as market rules related to short sales, may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Underlying Leveraged ETF. 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.
Management Risk. The Fund is subject to management risk because it is an actively managed portfolio. In managing the Fund’s investment portfolio, the portfolio managers will apply investment techniques and risk analyses that may not produce the desired result. There can be no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective.
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, including money market funds, may lose money through fees or other means.
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.
Operational Risk. The Fund is subject to risks arising from various operational factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund relies on third-parties for a range of services, including custody. Any delay or failure relating to engaging or maintaining such service providers may affect the Fund’s ability to meet its investment objective. Although the Fund, Adviser, and Sub-Adviser seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures, there is no way to completely protect against such risks.
Recent Market Events Risk. U.S. and international markets have experienced significant periods of volatility in recent years and months due to a number of economic, political and global macro factors including the impact of COVID-19 as a global pandemic, which has resulted in a public health crisis, disruptions to business operations and supply chains, stress on the global healthcare system, growth concerns in the U.S. and overseas, staffing shortages and the inability to meet consumer demand, and widespread concern and uncertainty. The global recovery from COVID-19 is proceeding at slower than expected rates due to the emergence of variant strains and may last for an extended period of time. Continuing uncertainties regarding interest rates, rising inflation, political events, rising government debt in the U.S. and trade tensions also contribute to market volatility. Conflict, loss of life and disaster connected to ongoing armed conflict between Ukraine and Russia in Europe and Israel and Hamas in the Middle East could have severe adverse effects on the region, including significant adverse effects on the regional or global economies and the markets for certain securities. The U.S. and the European Union have imposed sanctions on certain Russian individuals and companies, including certain financial institutions, and have limited certain exports and imports to and from Russia. The war has contributed to recent market volatility and may continue to do so. U.S. trade disputes or other disputes with specific countries that could result in additional tariffs, trade barriers and/or investment restrictions in certain securities in those countries.
Single Issuer Risk. Issuer-specific attributes may cause an investment in the Fund to be more volatile than a traditional pooled investment vehicle which diversifies risk or the market generally. The value of the Fund, which focuses on an individual security (the Underlying Leveraged ETF), 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.
Tax Risk. The Fund intends to elect and to qualify each year to be treated as a RIC under Subchapter M of the 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 the derivatives it holds is never 25% of the total value of Fund assets at the close of any quarter. If the Fund’s investments in the derivatives 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. In addition, distributions received by the Fund from the Underlying Leveraged ETF may generate “bad income” that could prevent the Fund from meeting the “Income Requirement” of Subchapter M of the Code, which may cause the Fund to fail to qualify as a RIC.
| 158 |
Investing in U.S. Equities Risk. Investing in U.S. issuers subjects the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency, security, and economic risks that are specific to the U.S. Certain changes in the U.S., such as a weakening of the U.S. economy or a decline in its financial markets, may have an adverse effect on U.S. issuers.
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.
Fixed Income Securities Risk. The market value of Fixed Income Securities will change in response to interest rate changes and other factors, such as changes in the effective maturities and credit ratings of fixed income investments. During periods of falling interest rates, the values of outstanding Fixed Income Securities and related financial instruments generally rise. Conversely, during periods of rising interest rates, the values of such securities and related financial instruments generally decline. Fixed Income Securities are also subject to credit risk.
Investments in Fixed Income Securities may also involve the following risks, depending on the instrument involved:
| - | Asset-Backed/Mortgage-Backed Securities Risk – The market value and yield of asset-backed and mortgage-backed securities can vary due to market interest rate fluctuations and early prepayments of underlying instruments. | |
| - | Credit Risk – An investment in the Fund also involves the risk that the issuer of a Fixed Income Security that the Fund holds will fail to make timely payments of interest or principal or go bankrupt, or that the value of the securities will decline because of a market perception that the issuer may not make payments on time, thus potentially reducing the Fund’s return. | |
| - | Event Risk – Event risk is the risk that corporate issuers may undergo restructurings, such as mergers, leveraged buyouts, takeovers, or similar events financed by increased debt. As a result of the added debt, the credit quality and market value of a company’s bonds and/or other debt securities may decline significantly. | |
| - | Extension Risk – Payment on the loans underlying Fixed Income Securities held by the Fund may be made more slowly when interest rates are rising. | |
| - | Interest Rate Risk – Generally, the value of Fixed Income Securities will change inversely with changes in interest rates. As interest rates rise, the market value of Fixed Income Securities tends to decrease. Conversely, as interest rates fall, the market value of Fixed Income Securities tends to increase. This risk will be greater for long-term securities than for short-term securities. In recent periods, governmental financial regulators, including the U.S. Federal Reserve, have taken steps to maintain historically low interest rates. Very low or negative interest rates may magnify interest rate risk. Changes in government intervention may have adverse effects on investments, volatility, and illiquidity in debt markets. | |
| - | Prepayment Risk – When interest rates are declining, issuers of Fixed Income Securities held by the Fund may prepay principal earlier than scheduled. |
Performance:
Portfolio Managers: Jeff Klearman and Ryan Dofflemeyer have been portfolio managers of the Fund since the Fund’s inception in 2024.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares: The Fund is an ETF. Individual Shares of the Fund may only be bought and sold in the secondary market (i.e., on a national securities exchange) through a broker-dealer at a market price. Because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than at NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (at a premium), at NAV or less than NAV (at a discount). An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares of the Fund (ask) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). The bid-ask spread varies over time for Shares based on trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the Fund’s Shares have more trading volume and market liquidity and higher if the Fund’s Shares have little trading volume and market liquidity. Recent information regarding the Fund, including its NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid/ask spreads, is available on the Fund’s website at www.graniteshares.com.
Tax Information: The Fund’s distributions will be taxable to you, generally as ordinary income unless you are invested through a tax-advantaged arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan, IRA or other tax-advantaged account; in such cases, you may be subject to tax when assets are withdrawn from such tax-advantaged arrangement. A sale of Shares may result in capital gain or loss.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries: If you purchase Shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank) (an “Intermediary”), the Adviser and/or its related companies may pay the Intermediary for the sale of Shares and related services. 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.
| 159 |
GraniteShares YIELDBOOST COIN ETF – Summary
The Fund’s primary investment objective is to achieve 2 times (200%) the income generated from selling options on Coinbase Global, Inc.’s Class A common stock (NASDAQ: COIN) (the “Underlying Stock”) by selling options on leveraged exchange-traded funds designed to deliver 2 times (200%) the daily performance of the Underlying Stock (the “Underlying Leveraged ETF”). The Fund’s secondary investment objective is to gain exposure to the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, subject to a cap on potential investment gains. A downside protection may be implemented which could affect the net income level.
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). The fees are expressed as a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets. Investors may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and example below.
| Management Fee | 0.99 | % | ||
| Annual
Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) | ||||
| Management Fee | % | |||
| Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees | % | |||
| Other Expenses (1) | % | |||
| Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses (2) | % | |||
| Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | % | |||
| Fee Waiver/Reimbursements (3) | % | |||
| Net Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver/Reimbursements (1), (2), (3) | % | |||
| (1) | |
| (2) | |
| (3) |
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in mutual funds and other exchange traded funds.
The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell 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 figures shown would be the same whether or not you sold your Shares at the end of each period.
Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years | |||||
| $ | $ | |||||
| 160 |
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 the total annual fund operating expenses or in the expense example above, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund is newly organized, portfolio turnover information is not yet available.
The Fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to pay weekly distributions by selling put options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF, which provides exposure to 2 times the daily performance of the Underlying Stock. It is expected that the implied volatility on the Underlying Leveraged ETF to be twice the level of the Underlying Stock’s implied volatility and selling options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF to generate, over the same time horizon and for the same strike levels, twice the premium generated by selling options on the Underlying Stock. The premium received by the Fund from selling options will be distributed at least partially before the maturity of the options. This allows the Fund to make distributions on a weekly basis even if the options sold have longer maturity (such as monthly maturity for instance). This approach may result in the distributions being treated fiscally as return of capital (see “Distribution Risk” under the section “Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund”). There is no guarantee that the Fund will generate twice the level of premium that would be generated by selling options on the Underlying Stock.
The Fund is subject to the losses from the Underlying Leveraged ETF, which would likely be 2 times the losses compared to the Underlying Stock. In case a Put Spread Strategy (as defined under the section “The Fund’s Use of the Underlying Leveraged ETF Derivatives Contracts”) is implemented, the Fund may benefit from a limited downside protection against a negative price variation in the Underlying Leveraged ETF. Such protection will negatively affect the Fund’s overall income level. A put spread strategy with a narrow spread (the difference between the strikes of the put option sold and put option bought) may provide better protection but will have a higher negative impact on the Fund’s income level. A put spread strategy with a large spread will provide a lower protection but may have less negative impact on the Fund’s income level.
The Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in derivatives contracts that utilize the Underlying Leveraged ETF as their reference asset. For purposes of compliance with this investment policy, derivative contracts will be valued at their notional value.
For more information, see section “The Fund’s Use of the Underlying Leveraged ETF Derivatives Contracts” below.
The Fund’s cash balance may be invested in the following instruments: (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; (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 as collateral for the Fund’s swap agreements; (5) repurchase transactions, which are transactions under which the purchaser (i.e., the Fund) acquires securities and the seller agrees, at the time of the sale, to repurchase the securities at a mutually agreed-upon time and price, thereby determining the yield during the purchaser’s holding period, and/or; (6) US large cap equities listed on a national security exchange, sovereign fixed income securities with a credit rating at least equal to the United States Federal Government, or corporate debt securities, such as commercial paper and other short-term unsecured promissory notes issued by businesses that are rated investment grade for the purposes of entering into swap agreements with the Fund’s swap counterparties. The Fund may enter into such swap agreements to improve its operational efficiency.
The Fund is classified as “non-diversified” under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”).
The Fund will be subject to regulatory constraints relating to the level of value at risk that the Fund may incur through its derivatives 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 and the Fund may not achieve its investment objective.
The Fund’s investment objective has not been adopted as a fundamental investment policy and therefore each Fund’s investment objective along with its respective 80% investment policy may be changed without the consent of that Fund’s shareholders upon approval by the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of GraniteShares ETF Trust (the “Trust”) and 60 days’ written notice to shareholders.
There is no guarantee that the Fund’s investment strategy will be properly implemented or that the Fund will pay weekly distributions, and an investor may lose some or all of its investment. Even when the Fund makes a distribution it could be fiscally treated as return of capital (see “Distribution Risk” under the section “Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund”).
An Investment in the Fund is not an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF
| - | The Fund’s strategy will cap its potential gain to the premium received from selling options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF, | |
| - | The Fund’s strategy is exposed to all potential losses if the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share declines, subject to a potential downside protection if a Put Spread Strategy is used (as defined in ten next section). The potential losses may not be offset by the premium received by the Fund, | |
| - | The Fund does not invest directly in the Underlying Leveraged ETF, | |
| - | Fund shareholders are not entitled to any distribution paid by Underlying Leveraged ETF. |
Additional information regarding the Underlying Leveraged ETF is set forth below.
The Fund’s Use of the Underlying Leveraged ETF Derivatives Contracts
| - | Put Spread Strategy: The Fund will enter in put spread options contracts, either directly or through swap contracts, on the Underlying Leveraged ETF and for which the Fund will receive a net premium. A put spread consists of selling a put option contract while buying a put option contract with the same maturity but a lower strike price. The Fund’s protection against a potential decrease in the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF only applies if it falls below the strike price of the option contract bought by the Fund. Buying a put option contract results in a cost that negatively affects the Fund’s income level. It is unlikely for a put spread strategy to generate twice the level of income that would be obtained by selling options on the Underlying Stock directly. The put options contracts sold by the Fund may vary in regard to their strike price from 0 to 15% above the then-current price of the Leveraged ETF. The put options contracts bought by the Fund will have a lower strike price, ranging from 50% out-of-the-money to at-the-money. The put options sold and bought by the Fund will generally have 1- month or less expiration dates. | |
| - | Put Write Strategy: The Fund will sell put options contracts, either directly or through swap contracts, on the Underlying Leveraged ETF and for which it will receive a premium. The put options contracts sold by the Fund may vary in regard to their strike prices from 40% out-of-the-money to 15% in-the-money. The put options sold and bought by the Fund will generally have 1- month or less expiration dates. The Adviser will primarily employ this put write strategy when it believes that the share price of its Underlying Leveraged ETF is likely to rise significantly in the short term (e.g., following a substantial selloff or overall positive market news). |
| 161 |
Example 1 – Put Write Strategy - Selling In-the-money Put Option Contract with a One-month Maturity
Assume for simplicity that the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s shares are trading at $100.00 at the time the Fund sells an in-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $105.00 and a one-month maturity. The Fund receives a $5.50 premium for selling the put option contract.
| Case 1: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increases to $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.50 premium received. | |
| Case 2: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increase exceeded $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.50 premium received but would not participate in any of the additional upside. | |
| Case 3: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops to $99.50 before expiration. | The $5.50 premium received is equal to the drop in price in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price, resulting in a return of zero. | |
| Case 4: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $99.50, that is the strike price ($105.00) reduced by the premium received ($5.50). | The Fund would lose money and be exposed to the drop in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price. |
Example 2 – Put Write Strategy - Selling Out-of-the-money Put Options Contracts with a One-week Maturity
Assume for simplicity that the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s shares are trading at $100.00 at the time the Fund sells an out-of-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $95.00 and a one-week maturity. The Fund receives a $0.50 premium for selling the put option contract.
| Case 1: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increases above $100.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $0.50 premium received but would not participate in the increased in the Underlying Leveraged ETFs’ share price. | |
| Case 2: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $94.50, that is the strike price ($95.00) reduced by the premium received ($0.50). | The Fund would lose money and be exposed to the drop in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price. |
Example 3 – Put Spread Strategy - Selling At-the-money Put Options Contracts and buy an Out-of-the-money Put Options Contracts with both with a One-month Maturity
Assume for simplicity that the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s shares are trading at $100.00 at the time the Fund sells an in-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $105.00 and buy an out-of-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $95.00 both with a one-month maturity. The Fund receives a $5.50 premium for selling the put option contract and pays $0.50 premium for buying the put option contract. Hence the Fund receives a $5.00 net premium.
| Case 1: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increases to $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.00 net premium received. | |
| Case 2: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increase exceeded $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.00 net premium received but would not participate in any of the additional upside. | |
| Case 3: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $100.00, that is the strike price of the option sold ($105.00) reduced by the net premium received ($5.00) but remains above $95.00 before expiration. | The Fund would lose up to $5.00, which is the difference between the 2 strike levels reduced by the net premium received | |
| Case 4: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $95.00 | The Fund would lose $5.00, which is the difference between the 2 strike levels reduced by the net premium received. |
The comparison between the Put Write Strategy in Example 1 and the Put Spread Strategy in Example 3, shows that the Put Spread Strategy has a narrower range of outcomes. It has limited participation in a potential increase or decrease in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price.
In examples 1 and 2, if the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s price were to drop to zero, the Fund’s NAV would be equal, before fees and costs, to the value of premium received.
| 162 |
Types of Options Contracts Used by the Fund
As part of the Fund’s strategy, the Fund may sell FLexible EXchange® (“FLEX”) put options contracts that are based on the value of the price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The Fund will only sell options contracts that are listed for trading on regulated U.S. exchanges. Traditional exchange-traded options contracts have standardized terms, such as the type (call or put), the reference asset, the strike price and expiration date. Exchange-listed options contracts are guaranteed for settlement by the Options Clearing Corporation (“OCC”). FLEX Options are a type of exchange-listed options contract with uniquely customizable terms that allow investors to customize key terms like type, strike price and expiration date that are standardized in a typical options contract. FLEX Options are also guaranteed for settlement by the OCC.
In general, an option is a contract that gives the purchaser (holder) of the option, in return for a premium, the right to buy from (call) or sell to (put) the seller (writer) of the option the security or currency underlying (in this case, the Underlying Leveraged ETF) the option at a specified exercise price. The writer of an option has the obligation upon exercise of the option to deliver the underlying security or currency upon payment of the exercise price (call) or to pay the exercise price upon delivery of the underlying security or currency (put). An option is said to be “European Style” when it can be exercised only at expiration whereas an “American Style” option can be exercised at any time prior to expiration. The Fund might use either European or American style options. The Fund intends to primarily utilize European style options.
Swap agreements Used by the Fund
As part of the Fund’s strategy, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with major financial institutions that provide the same exposure as to selling put options contracts on the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The swap agreements may reference standardized exchange-traded, FLEX, European Style or American Style put options contracts that are based on the values of the price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. All put options contracts referenced in a swap agreement will be listed for trading on regulated U.S. exchanges.
The swap performance will settle in cash only irrespective of the types of the put options contracts referenced in the swap agreement.
Underlying Leveraged ETF
The Underlying Leveraged ETF seeks daily leverage investment results of 2 times (200%) the daily percentage of the Underlying Stock by entering into swap agreements on the Underlying Stock. The Underlying Leveraged ETF aims to generate 2 times the daily performance of the Underlying Stock for a single day. A “single day” is defined as being calculated “from the close of regular trading on one trading day to the close on the next trading day.”
Because of daily rebalancing and the compounding of each day’s return overtime, the return of the Underlying Leveraged ETF 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 Stock over the same period. The Underlying Leveraged ETF will lose money if the Underlying Stock’s performance is flat over time, and as a result of daily rebalancing, the Underlying Stock volatility and the effects of compounding, it is even possible that the Fund will lose money over time while the Underlying Stock’s performance increases over a period longer than a single day.
| 163 |
The Fund intends to reference the following products as Underlying Leveraged ETF:
| (1) | GraniteShares 2x Long COIN Daily ETF (NASDAQ: CONL). Investors can access information about CONL, including its prospectus and the most recent shareholder reports, online through the SEC’s website, using Registration Statement Nos. 333-214796 and 811-23214. This information, derived from CONL’s filings with the SEC, is essential for investors to understand CONL’s operations, investment strategy, and financial prospects. The description of CONL’s principal investment strategies as outlined here is directly sourced from its prospectus. | |
| (2) | Leverage Shares 2x Long COIN Daily ETF (NASDAQ: COIG). Investors can access information about COIG, including its prospectus and the most recent shareholder reports, online through the SEC’s website, using Registration Statement Nos. 333-271700 and 811-23872. This information, derived from COIG’s filings with the SEC, is essential for investors to understand COIG’s operations, investment strategy, and financial prospects. The description of COIG’s principal investment strategies as outlined here is directly sourced from its prospectus. |
The Fund may reference additional products as Underlying Leveraged ETF as market and liquidity develop.
Due to the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s investment exposure to the Underlying Stock, the Fund’s investment exposure is concentrated in the digital asset and finance industries.
This document relates only to the securities offered hereby and does not relate to the Underlying Leveraged ETF or the Underlying Stock. The Fund has derived all disclosures contained in this document regarding the Underlying Leveraged ETF from publicly available documents. CONL is affiliated with the Fund and both funds are issued under GraniteShares ETF Trust. The Trust and the Adviser have been directly involved in the preparation of the disclosure of CONL’s publicly available documents. In connection to COIG, none of the Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates has participated in the preparation of such documents or made any due diligence inquiry with respect to the fund. None of the Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates makes any representation that such publicly available documents or any other publicly available information regarding COIG 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 the Underlying Leveraged ETF have been publicly disclosed. Subsequent disclosure of any such events or the disclosure of or failure to disclose material future events concerning the Underlying Leveraged ETF could affect the value received with respect to your Shares and therefore the value of your Shares.
THE FUND, TRUST AND ADVISER ARE AFFILIATED WITH CONL.
THE FUND, TRUST AND ADVISER ARE NOT AFFILIATED WITH COIG ITS TRUSTS, AND ITS SERVICE PROVIDERS.
PRINCIPAL RISKS OF INVESTING IN THE FUND
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. Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its investment objectives. 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.”
| 164 |
The Underlying Leveraged ETF Risk. The Fund invests in options contracts that are based on the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF shares. This subjects the Fund to certain of the same risks as if it owned shares of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, even though it may not. By virtue of the Fund’s investments in options contracts that are based on the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF shares, the Fund may also be subject to the following risks:
Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk — The Underlying Leveraged ETF shares’ performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which is likely to differ from 200% of the Underlying Stock’s performance, before fees and expenses. Compounding has a significant impact on funds that are leveraged and that rebalance daily. The impact of compounding becomes more pronounced as volatility and holding periods increase and will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF is held and the volatility of the Underlying Stock during the shareholder’s holding period of an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF.
Leverage Risk — The Underlying Leveraged ETF 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 Underlying Leveraged ETF is exposed to the risk that a decline in the daily performance of the Underlying Stock will be magnified. This means that an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF will be reduced by an amount equal to 2% for every 1% daily decline in the Underlying Stock, not including the costs of financing leverage and other operating expenses, which would further reduce its value. The Underlying Leveraged ETF could lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event of an Underlying Stock decline of more than 50%.
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. Investing in derivatives may be considered aggressive and may expose the Underlying Leveraged ETF to greater risks, and may result in larger losses or smaller gains, than investing directly in the reference assets underlying those derivatives, which may prevent the Underlying Leveraged ETF from achieving its investment objective.
Counterparty Risk — If a counterparty is unwilling or unable to make timely payments to meet its contractual obligations or fails to return holdings that are subject to the agreement with the counterparty resulting in the Underlying Leveraged ETF losing money or not being able to meet its daily leveraged investment objective.
Industry Concentration Risk — The performance of the Underlying Stock, and consequently the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s performance, is subject to the risks of the digital asset and finance company industries. Such companies may be adversely impacted by government regulations, economic conditions and deterioration in credit markets. These companies typically face intense competition and could be negatively affected by new entrants into the market, especially those located in markets with lower production costs. Competitors in the digital payments space include financial institutions and well-established payment processing companies. In addition, many companies engaged in these businesses store sensitive consumer information and could be the target of cybersecurity attacks and other types of theft, which could have a negative impact on these companies. Online digital asset trading platforms currently operate under less regulatory scrutiny than traditional financial services companies and banks, but there is a significant risk that regulatory oversight could increase in the future. Higher levels of regulation could increase costs and adversely impact the current business models of some digital asset-related companies and could severely impact the viability of these companies. These companies could be negatively impacted by disruptions in service caused by hardware or software failure, or by interruptions or delays in service by third-party data center hosting facilities and maintenance providers.
Indirect Investments in the Underlying Leveraged ETF – Investors in the Fund will not have rights to receive dividends or other distributions or any other rights with respect to the Underlying Leveraged ETF but will be subject to declines in the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. Although the Fund invests in the Underlying Leveraged ETF only indirectly, the Fund’s investments are subject to loss as a result of these risks.
Derivatives Risk. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds, 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, imperfect correlation with underlying investments, 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 an imperfect correlation between the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objectives. 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. In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
| 165 |
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. For the Fund, in particular, the value of the options contracts in which it invests is substantially influenced by the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. Selling put options exposes the Fund to the risk of potential loss if the market value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF falls below the strike price before the option expires. The Fund may experience substantial downside from specific option positions and certain option positions held by the Fund may expire worthless. 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 at the underlying instrument. There may at times be an imperfect correlation between the movement in values of 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, the Fund’s practice of “rolling” may cause the Fund to experience losses if the expiring contracts do not generate proceeds enough to cover the costs of entering into new options contracts. Rolling refers to the practice of closing out one options position and opening another with a different expiration date and/or a different strike price. Further, if an option is exercised, the seller (writer) of a put option is obligated to purchase the underlying asset at the strike price, which can result in significant financial and regulatory obligations for the Fund if the market value of the asset has fallen substantially. Furthermore, when the Fund seeks to trade out of puts, especially near expiration, there is an added risk that the Fund may be required to allocate resources unexpectedly to fulfill these obligations. This potential exposure to physical settlement can significantly impact the Fund’s liquidity and market exposure, particularly in volatile market conditions.
Swap Risk: Swaps are subject to tracking risk because they may not be perfect substitutes for the instruments they are intended to hedge or replace. Over the counter swaps are subject to counterparty default. Leverage inherent in derivatives will tend to magnify the Fund’s losses. The swap agreements may reference standardized exchange-traded, FLEX, European Style or American Style put options contracts that are based on the values of the price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. that generate specific risks.
Affiliated Fund Risk. In managing the Fund, the Adviser has the ability to select the Underlying Leveraged ETF and substitute the Underlying Leveraged ETF with other ETFs that it believes will achieve the Fund’s objective. The Adviser may be subject to potential conflicts of interest in selecting the Underlying Leveraged ETF and substituting the Underlying Leveraged ETF with other ETFs because the fees paid to the Adviser by some Underlying Leveraged ETF may be higher than the fees charged by other Underlying Leveraged ETF.
Counterparty Risk. The Fund is subject to counterparty risk by virtue of its investments in options contracts. Transactions in some types of derivatives, including options, are required to be centrally cleared (“cleared derivatives”). In a transaction involving cleared derivatives, the Fund’s counterparty is a clearing house rather than a bank or broker. Since the Fund is not a member of clearing houses and only members of a clearing house (“clearing members”) can participate directly in the clearing house, the Fund will hold cleared derivatives through accounts at clearing members. In cleared derivatives positions, the Fund will make payments (including margin payments) to and receive payments from a clearing house through their accounts at clearing members. Customer funds held at a clearing organization in connection with any options contracts are held in a commingled omnibus account and are not identified to the name of the clearing member’s individual customers. As a result, assets deposited by the Fund with any clearing member as margin for options may, in certain circumstances, be used to satisfy losses of other clients of the Fund’s clearing member. In addition, although clearing members guarantee performance of their clients’ obligations to the clearing house, there is a risk that the assets of the Fund might not be fully protected in the event of the clearing member’s bankruptcy, as the Fund would be limited to recovering only a pro rata share of all available funds segregated on behalf of the clearing member’s customers for the relevant account class. The Fund is also subject to the risk that a limited number of clearing members are willing to transact on the Fund’s behalf, which heightens the risks associated with a clearing member’s default. If a clearing member defaults the Fund could lose some or all of the benefits of a transaction entered into by the Fund with the clearing member. If the Fund cannot find a clearing member to transact with on the Fund’s behalf, the Fund may be unable to effectively implement its investment strategy.
In addition, a counterparty (the other party to a transaction or an agreement or the party with whom the Fund executes transactions) to a transaction (including repurchase transaction) with the Fund may be unable or unwilling to make timely principal, interest or settlement payments, or otherwise honor its obligations.
Price Participation Risk. The Fund employs an investment strategy that includes the sale of in-the-money put options contracts, which limits the degree to which the Fund will participate in increases in value experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF over the Call Period. This means that if the Underlying Leveraged ETF experiences an increase in value above the strike price of the sold put options during a Call Period, the Fund will likely not experience that increase to the same extent and may significantly underperform the Underlying Leveraged ETF over the Call Period. Additionally, because the Fund is limited in the degree to which it will participate in increases in value experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF over each Call Period, but has full exposure to any decreases in value experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF over the Call Period, the NAV of the Fund may decrease over any given time period. The Fund’s NAV is dependent on the value of each options portfolio, which is based principally upon the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The degree of participation in the Underlying Leveraged ETF gains the Fund will experience will depend on prevailing market conditions, especially market volatility, at the time the Fund enters into the sold put options contracts and will vary from Call Period to Call Period. The value of the options contracts is affected by changes in the value and dividend rates of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, changes in interest rates, changes in the actual or perceived volatility of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and the remaining time to the options’ expiration, as well as trading conditions in the options market. As the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF share changes and time moves towards the expiration of each Call Period, the value of the options contracts, and therefore the Fund’s NAV, will change. However, it is not expected for the Fund’s NAV to directly correlate on a day-to-day basis with the returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price. The amount of time remaining until the options contract’s expiration date affects the impact of the potential options contract income on the Fund’s NAV, which may not be in full effect until the expiration date of the Fund’s options contracts. Therefore, while changes in the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF share will result in changes to the Fund’s NAV, the Fund generally anticipates that the rate of change in the Fund’s NAV will be different than that experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price.
| 166 |
Distribution Risk. As part of the Fund’s investment objective, the Fund seeks to provide current weekly income. There is no assurance that the Fund will make a distribution in any given month. If the Fund makes distributions, the amounts of such distributions will likely vary greatly from one distribution to the next. Additionally, the weekly distributions, if any, may consist of returns of capital, which would decrease the Fund’s NAV and trading price over time. As a result, an investor may suffer significant losses to their investment.
Put Writing Strategy Risk. The path dependency (i.e., the continued use) of the Fund’s put writing strategy will impact the extent that the Fund participates in the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and, in turn, the Fund’s returns, both during the term of the sold put options and over longer time periods.
If, for example, the Fund were to sell 10% in-the-money put options having a one-month term, the Fund’s participation in the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF will be capped at 10% for that month. However, over a longer period (e.g., a three-month period), the Fund should not be expected to participate fully in the first 30% (i.e., 3 months x 10%) of the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, or the Fund may even lose money, even if the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price has appreciated by at least that much over such period, if during any particular month or months over that period the Underlying Leveraged ETF had a return less than 10%. This example illustrates that both the Fund’s participation in the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and its returns will depend not only on the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF but also on the path that the Underlying Leveraged ETF takes over time.
If, for example, the Fund were to sell 5% out-of-the-money put options having a one-week term, the Fund’s downward protection against the negative price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF will be capped at 5% for that week. However, over a longer period (e.g., a four-week period), the Fund should not be expected to be protected fully in the first 25% (i.e., 4 weeks x 5%) of the negative price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, and the Fund may lose money, even if the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price has appreciated over such period, if during any particular week or weeks over that period the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price had decreases by more than 5%. This example illustrates that both the Fund’s protection against the negative price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and its returns will depend not only on the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF but also on the path that the Underlying Leveraged ETF takes over time.
Under both cases the Fund may be fully exposed to the downward movements of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, offset only by the premiums received from selling put contracts. The Fund does not seek to offer any downside protection, except for the fact that the premiums from the sold options may offset some or all of the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s decline.
Put Spread Strategy Risk. Similarly to a put writing strategy (see relevant risk factor), a put spread strategy will subject the Fund’s performance to path dependency.
Option Market Liquidity Risk. The trading activity in the option market of the Underlying Leveraged ETF may be limited and the option contracts may trade at levels significantly different from their economic value. The lack of liquidity may negatively affect the ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective. This risk may increase if the portfolio turnover is elevated, for instance because of frequent changes in the number of Shares outstanding, and if the net asset value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF is modest. For the 12-month period ending July 31, 2025, the net asset value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF ranged from $0.31m to $1,760m.
Concentration Risk. To the extent that the Underlying Leveraged ETF concentrates its investments in a particular industry, the Fund will be subject to the risks associated with that industry.
| 167 |
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 currently expects to effect a significant portion of its creations and redemptions for cash, rather than in-kind securities. Paying redemption proceeds in cash rather than through in-kind delivery of portfolio securities may require the Fund to dispose of or sell portfolio securities or other assets at an inopportune time to obtain the cash needed to meet redemption orders. This may cause the Fund to sell a security and recognize a capital gain or loss that might not have been incurred if it had made a redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher or lower annual capital gains distributions than ETFs that redeem in-kind. The use of cash creations and redemptions may also cause the Fund’s Shares to trade in the market at greater bid-ask spreads or greater premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV. Furthermore, the Fund may not be able to execute cash transactions for creation and redemption purposes at the same price used to determine the Fund’s NAV. To the extent that the maximum additional charge for creation or redemption transactions is insufficient to cover the execution shortfall, the Fund’s performance could be negatively impacted.
Costs of Buying or Selling Shares. Due to the costs of buying or selling Shares, including brokerage commissions imposed by brokers and bid-ask spreads, frequent trading of Shares may significantly 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 Nasdaq Stock Market, LLC (the “Exchange”), and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for the Shares will develop or be maintained or that the Shares will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. This risk may be greater for the Fund as it seeks to have exposure to a single underlying stock as opposed to a more diverse portfolio like a traditional pooled investment. 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. Shares trade on the Exchange at a market price that may be below, at or above the Fund’s NAV. Trading in Shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in Shares on the Exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to the Exchange “circuit breaker” rules. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged. In the event of an unscheduled market close for options contracts that reference a single stock, such as the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s securities being halted or a market wide closure, settlement prices will be determined by the procedures of the listing exchange of the options contracts. As a result, the Fund could be adversely affected and be unable to implement its investment strategies in the event of an unscheduled closing.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk. The Fund may actively and frequently trade all or a significant portion of the Fund’s holdings. A high portfolio turnover rate increases transaction costs, which may increase the Fund’s expenses. Frequent trading may also cause adverse tax consequences for investors in the Fund due to an increase in short-term capital gains.
Inflation Risk. Inflation risk is the risk that the value of assets or income from investments will be less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money. As inflation increases, the present value of the Fund’s assets and distributions, if any, may decline.
| 168 |
Liquidity Risk. Some securities held by the Fund, including options contracts, may be difficult to sell or be illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. This risk is greater for the Fund as it will hold options contracts on a single security, and not a broader range of options contracts. 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, such as market rules related to short sales, may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Underlying Leveraged ETF. 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.
Management Risk. The Fund is subject to management risk because it is an actively managed portfolio. In managing the Fund’s investment portfolio, the portfolio managers will apply investment techniques and risk analyses that may not produce the desired result. There can be no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective.
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, including money market funds, may lose money through fees or other means.
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.
Operational Risk. The Fund is subject to risks arising from various operational factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund relies on third-parties for a range of services, including custody. Any delay or failure relating to engaging or maintaining such service providers may affect the Fund’s ability to meet its investment objective. Although the Fund, Adviser, and Sub-Adviser seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures, there is no way to completely protect against such risks.
Recent Market Events Risk. U.S. and international markets have experienced significant periods of volatility in recent years and months due to a number of economic, political and global macro factors including the impact of COVID-19 as a global pandemic, which has resulted in a public health crisis, disruptions to business operations and supply chains, stress on the global healthcare system, growth concerns in the U.S. and overseas, staffing shortages and the inability to meet consumer demand, and widespread concern and uncertainty. The global recovery from COVID-19 is proceeding at slower than expected rates due to the emergence of variant strains and may last for an extended period of time. Continuing uncertainties regarding interest rates, rising inflation, political events, rising government debt in the U.S. and trade tensions also contribute to market volatility. Conflict, loss of life and disaster connected to ongoing armed conflict between Ukraine and Russia in Europe and Israel and Hamas in the Middle East could have severe adverse effects on the region, including significant adverse effects on the regional or global economies and the markets for certain securities. The U.S. and the European Union have imposed sanctions on certain Russian individuals and companies, including certain financial institutions, and have limited certain exports and imports to and from Russia. The war has contributed to recent market volatility and may continue to do so. U.S. trade disputes or other disputes with specific countries that could result in additional tariffs, trade barriers and/or investment restrictions in certain securities in those countries.
Single Issuer Risk. Issuer-specific attributes may cause an investment in the Fund to be more volatile than a traditional pooled investment vehicle which diversifies risk or the market generally. The value of the Fund, which focuses on an individual security (the Underlying Leveraged ETF), 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.
Tax Risk. The Fund intends to elect and to qualify each year to be treated as a RIC under Subchapter M of the 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 the derivatives it holds is never 25% of the total value of Fund assets at the close of any quarter. If the Fund’s investments in the derivatives 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. In addition, distributions received by the Fund from the Underlying Leveraged ETF may generate “bad income” that could prevent the Fund from meeting the “Income Requirement” of Subchapter M of the Code, which may cause the Fund to fail to qualify as a RIC.
| 169 |
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.
Investing in U.S. Equities Risk. Investing in U.S. issuers subjects the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency, security, and economic risks that are specific to the U.S. Certain changes in the U.S., such as a weakening of the U.S. economy or a decline in its financial markets, may have an adverse effect on U.S. issuers.
Fixed Income Securities Risk. The market value of Fixed Income Securities will change in response to interest rate changes and other factors, such as changes in the effective maturities and credit ratings of fixed income investments. During periods of falling interest rates, the values of outstanding Fixed Income Securities and related financial instruments generally rise. Conversely, during periods of rising interest rates, the values of such securities and related financial instruments generally decline. Fixed Income Securities are also subject to credit risk.
Investments in Fixed Income Securities may also involve the following risks, depending on the instrument involved:
| - | Asset-Backed/Mortgage-Backed Securities Risk – The market value and yield of asset-backed and mortgage-backed securities can vary due to market interest rate fluctuations and early prepayments of underlying instruments. | |
| - | Credit Risk – An investment in the Fund also involves the risk that the issuer of a Fixed Income Security that the Fund holds will fail to make timely payments of interest or principal or go bankrupt, or that the value of the securities will decline because of a market perception that the issuer may not make payments on time, thus potentially reducing the Fund’s return. | |
| - | Event Risk – Event risk is the risk that corporate issuers may undergo restructurings, such as mergers, leveraged buyouts, takeovers, or similar events financed by increased debt. As a result of the added debt, the credit quality and market value of a company’s bonds and/or other debt securities may decline significantly. | |
| - | Extension Risk – Payment on the loans underlying Fixed Income Securities held by the Fund may be made more slowly when interest rates are rising. | |
| - | Interest Rate Risk – Generally, the value of Fixed Income Securities will change inversely with changes in interest rates. As interest rates rise, the market value of Fixed Income Securities tends to decrease. Conversely, as interest rates fall, the market value of Fixed Income Securities tends to increase. This risk will be greater for long-term securities than for short-term securities. In recent periods, governmental financial regulators, including the U.S. Federal Reserve, have taken steps to maintain historically low interest rates. Very low or negative interest rates may magnify interest rate risk. Changes in government intervention may have adverse effects on investments, volatility, and illiquidity in debt markets. | |
| - | Prepayment Risk – When interest rates are declining, issuers of Fixed Income Securities held by the Fund may prepay principal earlier than scheduled. |
Performance:
Portfolio Managers: Jeff Klearman and Ryan Dofflemeyer have been portfolio managers of the Fund since the Fund’s inception in 2024.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares: The Fund is an ETF. Individual Shares of the Fund may only be bought and sold in the secondary market (i.e., on a national securities exchange) through a broker-dealer at a market price. Because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than at NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (at a premium), at NAV or less than NAV (at a discount). An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares of the Fund (ask) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). The bid-ask spread varies over time for Shares based on trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the Fund’s Shares have more trading volume and market liquidity and higher if the Fund’s Shares have little trading volume and market liquidity. Recent information regarding the Fund, including its NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid/ask spreads, is available on the Fund’s website at www.graniteshares.com.
Tax Information: The Fund’s distributions will be taxable to you, generally as ordinary income unless you are invested through a tax-advantaged arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan, IRA or other tax-advantaged account; in such cases, you may be subject to tax when assets are withdrawn from such tax-advantaged arrangement. A sale of Shares may result in capital gain or loss.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries: If you purchase Shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank) (an “Intermediary”), the Adviser and/or its related companies may pay the Intermediary for the sale of Shares and related services. 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.
| 170 |
GraniteShares YIELDBOOST META ETF – Summary
The Fund’s primary investment objective is to achieve 2 times (200%) the income generated from selling options on Meta Platforms, Inc.’s common stock Class A (NASDAQ: META) (the “Underlying Stock”) by selling options on leveraged exchange-traded funds designed to deliver 2 times (200%) the daily performance of the Underlying Stock (the “Underlying Leveraged ETF”). The Fund’s secondary investment objective is to gain exposure to the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, subject to a cap on potential investment gains. A downside protection may be implemented which could affect the net income level.
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). The fees are expressed as a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets. Investors may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and example below.
| Management Fee | 0.99 | % | ||
|
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) | ||||
| Management Fee | % | |||
| Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees | % | |||
| Other Expenses (1) | % | |||
| Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses (2) | % | |||
| Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | % | |||
| Fee Waiver/Reimbursements (3) | % | |||
| Net Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver/Reimbursements (1), (2), (3) | % | |||
| (1) | |
| (2) | |
| (3) |
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in mutual funds and other exchange traded funds.
The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell 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 figures shown would be the same whether or not you sold your Shares at the end of each period.
Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years | |||||
| $ | $ | |||||
| 171 |
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 the total annual fund operating expenses or in the expense example above, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund is newly organized, portfolio turnover information is not yet available.
The Fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to pay weekly distributions by selling put options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF, which provides exposure to 2 times the daily performance of the Underlying Stock. It is expected that the implied volatility on the Underlying Leveraged ETF to be twice the level of the Underlying Stock’s implied volatility and selling options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF to generate, over the same time horizon and for the same strike levels, twice the premium generated by selling options on the Underlying Stock. The premium received by the Fund from selling options will be distributed at least partially before the maturity of the options. This allows the Fund to make distributions on a weekly basis even if the options sold have longer maturity (such as monthly maturity for instance). This approach may result in the distributions being treated fiscally as return of capital (see “Distribution Risk” under the section “Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund”). There is no guarantee that the Fund will generate twice the level of premium that would be generated by selling options on the Underlying Stock.
The Fund is subject to the losses from the Underlying Leveraged ETF, which would likely be 2 times the losses compared to the Underlying Stock. In case a Put Spread Strategy (as defined under the section “The Fund’s Use of the Underlying Leveraged ETF Derivatives Contracts”) is implemented, the Fund may benefit from a limited downside protection against a negative price variation in the Underlying Leveraged ETF. Such protection will negatively affect the Fund’s overall income level. A put spread strategy with a narrow spread (the difference between the strikes of the put option sold and put option bought) may provide better protection but will have a higher negative impact on the Fund’s income level. A put spread strategy with a large spread will provide a lower protection but may have less negative impact on the Fund’s income level.
The Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in derivatives contracts that utilize the Underlying Leveraged ETF as their reference asset. For purposes of compliance with this investment policy, derivative contracts will be valued at their notional value.
For more information, see section “The Fund’s Use of the Underlying Leveraged ETF Derivatives Contracts” below.
The Fund’s cash balance may be invested in the following instruments: (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; (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 as collateral for the Fund’s swap agreements; (5) repurchase transactions, which are transactions under which the purchaser (i.e., the Fund) acquires securities and the seller agrees, at the time of the sale, to repurchase the securities at a mutually agreed-upon time and price, thereby determining the yield during the purchaser’s holding period, and/or; (6) US large cap equities listed on a national security exchange, sovereign fixed income securities with a credit rating at least equal to the United States Federal Government, or corporate debt securities, such as commercial paper and other short-term unsecured promissory notes issued by businesses that are rated investment grade for the purposes of entering into swap agreements with the Fund’s swap counterparties. The Fund may enter into such swap agreements to improve its operational efficiency.
The Fund is classified as “non-diversified” under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”).
The Fund will be subject to regulatory constraints relating to the level of value at risk that the Fund may incur through its derivatives 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 and the Fund may not achieve its investment objective.
The Fund’s investment objective has not been adopted as a fundamental investment policy and therefore the Fund’s investment objective along with its respective 80% investment policy may be changed without the consent of that Fund’s shareholders upon approval by the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of GraniteShares ETF Trust (the “Trust”) and 60 days’ written notice to shareholders.
There is no guarantee that the Fund’s investment strategy will be properly implemented or that the Fund will pay weekly distributions, and an investor may lose some or all of its investment. Even when the Fund makes a distribution it could be fiscally treated as return of capital (see “Distribution Risk” under the section “Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund”).
An Investment in the Fund is not an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF
| - | The Fund’s strategy will cap its potential gain to the premium received from selling options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF, | |
| - | The Fund’s strategy is exposed to all potential losses if the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share declines, subject to a potential downside protection if a Put Spread Strategy is used (as defined in ten next section). The potential losses may not be offset by the premium received by the Fund, | |
| - | The Fund does not invest directly in the Underlying Leveraged ETF, | |
| - | Fund shareholders are not entitled to any distribution paid by Underlying Leveraged ETF. |
Additional information regarding the Underlying Leveraged ETF is set forth below.
The Fund’s Use of the Underlying Leveraged ETF Derivatives Contracts
| - | Put Spread Strategy: The Fund will enter in put spread options contracts, either directly or through swap contracts, on the Underlying Leveraged ETF and for which the Fund will receive a net premium. A put spread consists of selling a put option contract while buying a put option contract with the same maturity but a lower strike price. The Fund’s protection against a potential decrease in the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF only applies if it falls below the strike price of the option contract bought by the Fund. Buying a put option contract results in a cost that negatively affects the Fund’s income level. It is unlikely for a put spread strategy to generate twice the level of income that would be obtained by selling options on the Underlying Stock directly. The put options contracts sold by the Fund may vary in regard to their strike price from 0 to 15% above the then-current price of the Leveraged ETF. The put options contracts bought by the Fund will have a lower strike price, ranging from 50% out-of-the-money to at-the-money. The put options sold and bought by the Fund will generally have 1- month or less expiration dates. | |
| - | Put Write Strategy: The Fund will sell put options contracts, either directly or through swap contracts, on the Underlying Leveraged ETF and for which it will receive a premium. The put options contracts sold by the Fund may vary in regard to their strike prices from 40% out-of-the-money to 15% in-the-money. The put options sold and bought by the Fund will generally have 1- month or less expiration dates. The Adviser will primarily employ this put write strategy when it believes that the share price of its Underlying Leveraged ETF is likely to rise significantly in the short term (e.g., following a substantial selloff or overall positive market news). |
| 172 |
Example 1 – Put Write Strategy - Selling In-the-money Put Option Contract with a One-month Maturity
Assume for simplicity that the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s shares are trading at $100.00 at the time the Fund sells an in-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $105.00 and a one-month maturity. The Fund receives a $5.50 premium for selling the put option contract.
| Case 1: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increases to $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.50 premium received. | |
| Case 2: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increase exceeded $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.50 premium received but would not participate in any of the additional upside. |
| Case 3: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops to $99.50 before expiration. | The $5.50 premium received is equal to the drop in price in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price, resulting in a return of zero. | |
| Case 4: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $99.50, that is the strike price ($105.00) reduced by the premium received ($5.50). | The Fund would lose money and be exposed to the drop in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price. |
Example 2 – Put Write Strategy - Selling Out-of-the-money Put Options Contracts with a One-week Maturity
Assume for simplicity that the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s shares are trading at $100.00 at the time the Fund sells an out-of-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $95.00 and a one-week maturity. The Fund receives a $0.50 premium for selling the put option contract.
| Case 1: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increases above $100.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $0.50 premium received but would not participate in the increased in the Underlying Leveraged ETFs’ share price. | |
| Case 2: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $94.50, that is the strike price ($95.00) reduced by the premium received ($0.50). | The Fund would lose money and be exposed to the drop in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price. |
Example 3 – Put Spread Strategy - Selling At-the-money Put Options Contracts and buy an Out-of-the-money Put Options Contracts with both with a One-month Maturity
Assume for simplicity that the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s shares are trading at $100.00 at the time the Fund sells an in-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $105.00 and buy an out-of-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $95.00 both with a one-month maturity. The Fund receives a $5.50 premium for selling the put option contract and pays $0.50 premium for buying the put option contract. Hence the Fund receives a $5.00 net premium.
| Case 1: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increases to $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.00 net premium received. | |
| Case 2: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increase exceeded $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.00 net premium received but would not participate in any of the additional upside. | |
| Case 3: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $100.00, that is the strike price of the option sold ($105.00) reduced by the net premium received ($5.00) but remains above $95.00 before expiration. | The Fund would lose up to $5.00, which is the difference between the 2 strike levels reduced by the net premium received | |
| Case 4: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $95.00 | The Fund would lose $5.00, which is the difference between the 2 strike levels reduced by the net premium received. |
The comparison between the Put Write Strategy in Example 1 and the Put Spread Strategy in Example 3, shows that the Put Spread Strategy has a narrower range of outcomes. It has limited participation in a potential increase or decrease in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price.
In examples 1 and 2, if the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s price were to drop to zero, the Fund’s NAV would be equal, before fees and costs, to the value of premium received.
| 173 |
Types of Options Contracts Used by the Fund
As part of the Fund’s strategy, the Fund may sell FLexible EXchange® (“FLEX”) put options contracts that are based on the value of the price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The Fund will only sell options contracts that are listed for trading on regulated U.S. exchanges. Traditional exchange-traded options contracts have standardized terms, such as the type (call or put), the reference asset, the strike price and expiration date. Exchange-listed options contracts are guaranteed for settlement by the Options Clearing Corporation (“OCC”). FLEX Options are a type of exchange-listed options contract with uniquely customizable terms that allow investors to customize key terms like type, strike price and expiration date that are standardized in a typical options contract. FLEX Options are also guaranteed for settlement by the OCC.
In general, an option is a contract that gives the purchaser (holder) of the option, in return for a premium, the right to buy from (call) or sell to (put) the seller (writer) of the option the security or currency underlying (in this case, the Underlying Leveraged ETF) the option at a specified exercise price. The writer of an option has the obligation upon exercise of the option to deliver the underlying security or currency upon payment of the exercise price (call) or to pay the exercise price upon delivery of the underlying security or currency (put). An option is said to be “European Style” when it can be exercised only at expiration whereas an “American Style” option can be exercised at any time prior to expiration. The Fund might use either European or American style options. The Fund intends to primarily utilize European style options.
Swap agreements Used by the Fund
As part of the Fund’s strategy, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with major financial institutions that provide the same exposure as to selling put options contracts on the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The swap agreements may reference standardized exchange-traded, FLEX, European Style or American Style put options contracts that are based on the values of the price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. All put options contracts referenced in a swap agreement will be listed for trading on regulated U.S. exchanges.
The swap performance will settle in cash only irrespective of the types of the put options contracts referenced in the swap agreement.
Underlying Leveraged ETF
The Underlying Leveraged ETF seeks daily leverage investment results of 2 times (200%) the daily percentage of the Underlying Stock by entering into swap agreements on the Underlying Stock. The Underlying Leveraged ETF aims to generate 2 times the daily performance of the Underlying Stock for a single day. A “single day” is defined as being calculated “from the close of regular trading on one trading day to the close on the next trading day.”
Because of daily rebalancing and the compounding of each day’s return over time, the return of the Underlying Leveraged ETF 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 Stock over the same period. The Underlying Leveraged ETF will lose money if the Underlying Stock’s performance is flat over time, and as a result of daily rebalancing, the Underlying Stock volatility and the effects of compounding, it is even possible that the Fund will lose money over time while the Underlying Stock’s performance increases over a period longer than a single day.
| 174 |
The Fund intends to reference the following products as Underlying Leveraged ETF:
| (1) | Direxion Daily META Bull 2X Shares (NASDAQ: METU). Investors can access information about METU, including its prospectus and the most recent shareholder reports, online through the SEC’s website, using Registration Statement Nos. 333-150525 and 811-22201. This information, derived from METU’s filings with the SEC, is essential for investors to understand METU’s operations, investment strategy, and financial prospects. The description of METU’s principal investment strategies as outlined here is directly sourced from its prospectus. | |
| (2) | GraniteShares 2x Long META Daily ETF (NASDAQ: FBL). Investors can access information about FBL, including its prospectus and the most recent shareholder reports, online through the SEC’s website, using Registration Statement Nos. 333-214796 and 811-23214. This information, derived from FBL’s filings with the SEC, is essential for investors to understand FBL’s operations, investment strategy, and financial prospects. The description of FBL’s principal investment strategies as outlined here is directly sourced from its prospectus. |
The Fund may reference additional products as Underlying Leveraged ETF as market and liquidity develop.
Due to the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s investment exposure to the Underlying Stock, the Fund’s investment exposure is concentrated in the social media and computer programming industries.
The Fund has derived all disclosures contained in this document regarding the Underlying Leveraged ETF from publicly available documents. FBL is affiliated with the Fund and both funds are issued under GraniteShares ETF Trust. The Trust and the Adviser have been directly involved in the preparation of the disclosure of FBL’s publicly available documents. In connection to METU, the Trust, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates has participated in the preparation of such documents or made any due diligence inquiry with respect to either fund. None of the Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates makes any representation that such publicly available documents or any other publicly available information regarding METU 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 the Underlying Leveraged ETF have been publicly disclosed. Subsequent disclosure of any such events or the disclosure of or failure to disclose material future events concerning the Underlying Leveraged ETF could affect the value received with respect to your Shares and therefore the value of your Shares.
The Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, and their respective affiliates do not provide any representation regarding the performance of METU.
THE FUND, TRUST AND ADVISER ARE NOT AFFILIATED WITH METU, ITS TRUST AND SERVICE PROVIDERS.
THE FUND, TRUST AND ADVISER ARE AFFILIATED WITH FBL.
This document relates only to the securities offered hereby and does not relate to the Underlying Leveraged ETF or the Underlying Stock.
PRINCIPAL RISKS OF INVESTING IN THE FUND
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. Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its investment objectives. 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.”
| 175 |
The Underlying Leveraged ETF Risk. The Fund invests in options contracts that are based on the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF shares. This subjects the Fund to certain of the same risks as if it owned shares of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, even though it may not. By virtue of the Fund’s investments in options contracts that are based on the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF shares, the Fund may also be subject to the following risks:
Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk — The Underlying Leveraged ETF shares’ performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which is likely to differ from 200% of the Underlying Stock’s performance, before fees and expenses. Compounding has a significant impact on funds that are leveraged and that rebalance daily. The impact of compounding becomes more pronounced as volatility and holding periods increase and will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF is held and the volatility of the Underlying Stock during the shareholder’s holding period of an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF.
Leverage Risk — The Underlying Leveraged ETF 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 Underlying Leveraged ETF is exposed to the risk that a decline in the daily performance of the Underlying Stock will be magnified. This means that an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF will be reduced by an amount equal to 2% for every 1% daily decline in the Underlying Stock, not including the costs of financing leverage and other operating expenses, which would further reduce its value. The Underlying Leveraged ETF could lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event of an Underlying Stock decline of more than 50%.
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. Investing in derivatives may be considered aggressive and may expose the Underlying Leveraged ETF to greater risks, and may result in larger losses or smaller gains, than investing directly in the reference assets underlying those derivatives, which may prevent the Underlying Leveraged ETF from achieving its investment objective.
Counterparty Risk — If a counterparty is unwilling or unable to make timely payments to meet its contractual obligations or fails to return holdings that are subject to the agreement with the counterparty resulting in the Underlying Leveraged ETF losing money or not being able to meet its daily leveraged investment objective.
Industry Concentration Risk — The performance of the Underlying Stock, and consequently the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s performance, is subject to the risks of the social media and computer programming industry. Such companies provide social networking, file sharing, and other web-based media applications. The risks related to investing in such companies include disruption in service caused by hardware or software failure, interruptions or delays in service by third-party data center hosting facilities and maintenance providers, security breaches involving certain private, sensitive, proprietary and confidential information managed and transmitted by social media companies, and privacy concerns and laws, evolving Internet regulation and other foreign or domestic regulations that may limit or otherwise affect the operations of such companies. Additionally, the collection of data from consumers and other sources could face increased scrutiny as regulators consider how the data is collected, stored, safeguarded and used. Furthermore, the business models employed by the companies in the social media and computer programming industries may not prove to be successful.
Indirect Investments in the Underlying Leveraged ETF – Investors in the Fund will not have rights to receive dividends or other distributions or any other rights with respect to the Underlying Leveraged ETF but will be subject to declines in the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. Although the Fund invests in the Underlying Leveraged ETF only indirectly, the Fund’s investments are subject to loss as a result of these risks.
Derivatives Risk. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds, 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, imperfect correlation with underlying investments, 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 an imperfect correlation between the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objectives. 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. In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
| 176 |
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. For the Fund, in particular, the value of the options contracts in which it invests is substantially influenced by the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. Selling put options exposes the Fund to the risk of potential loss if the market value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF falls below the strike price before the option expires. The Fund may experience substantial downside from specific option positions and certain option positions held by the Fund may expire worthless. 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 at the underlying instrument. There may at times be an imperfect correlation between the movement in values of 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, the Fund’s practice of “rolling may cause the Fund to experience losses if the expiring contracts do not generate proceeds enough to cover the costs of entering into new options contracts. Rolling refers to the practice of closing out one options position and opening another with a different expiration date and/or a different strike price. Further, if an option is exercised, the seller (writer) of a put option is obligated to purchase the underlying asset at the strike price, which can result in significant financial and regulatory obligations for the Fund if the market value of the asset has fallen substantially. Furthermore, when the Fund seeks to trade out of puts, especially near expiration, there is an added risk that the Fund may be required to allocate resources unexpectedly to fulfill these obligations. This potential exposure to physical settlement can significantly impact the Fund’s liquidity and market exposure, particularly in volatile market conditions.
Swap Risk: Swaps are subject to tracking risk because they may not be perfect substitutes for the instruments they are intended to hedge or replace. Over the counter swaps are subject to counterparty default. Leverage inherent in derivatives will tend to magnify the Fund’s losses. The swap agreements may reference standardized exchange-traded, FLEX, European Style or American Style put options contracts that are based on the values of the price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. that generate specific risks.
Affiliated Fund Risk. In managing the Fund, the Adviser has the ability to select the Underlying Leveraged ETF and substitute the Underlying Leveraged ETF with other ETFs that it believes will achieve the Fund’s objective. The Adviser may be subject to potential conflicts of interest in selecting the Underlying Leveraged ETF and substituting the Underlying Leveraged ETF with other ETFs because the fees paid to the Adviser by some Underlying Leveraged ETF may be higher than the fees charged by other Underlying Leveraged ETF.
Counterparty Risk. The Fund is subject to counterparty risk by virtue of its investments in options contracts. Transactions in some types of derivatives, including options, are required to be centrally cleared (“cleared derivatives”). In a transaction involving cleared derivatives, the Fund’s counterparty is a clearing house rather than a bank or broker. Since the Fund is not a member of clearing houses and only members of a clearing house (“clearing members”) can participate directly in the clearing house, the Fund will hold cleared derivatives through accounts at clearing members. In cleared derivatives positions, the Fund will make payments (including margin payments) to and receive payments from a clearing house through their accounts at clearing members. Customer funds held at a clearing organization in connection with any options contracts are held in a commingled omnibus account and are not identified to the name of the clearing member’s individual customers. As a result, assets deposited by the Fund with any clearing member as margin for options may, in certain circumstances, be used to satisfy losses of other clients of the Fund’s clearing member. In addition, although clearing members guarantee performance of their clients’ obligations to the clearing house, there is a risk that the assets of the Fund might not be fully protected in the event of the clearing member’s bankruptcy, as the Fund would be limited to recovering only a pro rata share of all available funds segregated on behalf of the clearing member’s customers for the relevant account class. The Fund is also subject to the risk that a limited number of clearing members are willing to transact on the Fund’s behalf, which heightens the risks associated with a clearing member’s default. If a clearing member defaults the Fund could lose some or all of the benefits of a transaction entered into by the Fund with the clearing member. If the Fund cannot find a clearing member to transact with on the Fund’s behalf, the Fund may be unable to effectively implement its investment strategy.
In addition, a counterparty (the other party to a transaction or an agreement or the party with whom the Fund executes transactions) to a transaction (including repurchase transaction) with the Fund may be unable or unwilling to make timely principal, interest or settlement payments, or otherwise honor its obligations.
| 177 |
Price Participation Risk. The Fund employs an investment strategy that includes the sale of in-the-money put options contracts, which limits the degree to which the Fund will participate in increases in value experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF over the Call Period. This means that if the Underlying Leveraged ETF experiences an increase in value above the strike price of the sold put options during a Call Period, the Fund will likely not experience that increase to the same extent and may significantly underperform the Underlying Leveraged ETF over the Call Period. Additionally, because the Fund is limited in the degree to which it will participate in increases in value experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF over each Call Period, but has full exposure to any decreases in value experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF over the Call Period, the NAV of the Fund may decrease over any given time period. The Fund’s NAV is dependent on the value of each options portfolio, which is based principally upon the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The degree of participation in the Underlying Leveraged ETF gains the Fund will experience will depend on prevailing market conditions, especially market volatility, at the time the Fund enters into the sold put options contracts and will vary from Call Period to Call Period. The value of the options contracts is affected by changes in the value and dividend rates of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, changes in interest rates, changes in the actual or perceived volatility of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and the remaining time to the options’ expiration, as well as trading conditions in the options market. As the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF share changes and time moves towards the expiration of each Call Period, the value of the options contracts, and therefore the Fund’s NAV, will change. However, it is not expected for the Fund’s NAV to directly correlate on a day-to-day basis with the returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price. The amount of time remaining until the options contract’s expiration date affects the impact of the potential options contract income on the Fund’s NAV, which may not be in full effect until the expiration date of the Fund’s options contracts. Therefore, while changes in the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF share will result in changes to the Fund’s NAV, the Fund generally anticipates that the rate of change in the Fund’s NAV will be different than that experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price.
Distribution Risk. As part of the Fund’s investment objective, the Fund seeks to provide current weekly income. There is no assurance that the Fund will make a distribution in any given month. If the Fund makes distributions, the amounts of such distributions will likely vary greatly from one distribution to the next. Additionally, the weekly distributions, if any, may consist of returns of capital, which would decrease the Fund’s NAV and trading price over time. As a result, an investor may suffer significant losses to their investment.
Put Writing Strategy Risk. The path dependency (i.e., the continued use) of the Fund’s put writing strategy will impact the extent that the Fund participates in the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and, in turn, the Fund’s returns, both during the term of the sold put options and over longer time periods.
If, for example, the Fund were to sell 10% in-the-money put options having a one-month term, the Fund’s participation in the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF will be capped at 10% for that month. However, over a longer period (e.g., a three-month period), the Fund should not be expected to participate fully in the first 30% (i.e., 3 months x 10%) of the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, or the Fund may even lose money, even if the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price has appreciated by at least that much over such period, if during any particular month or months over that period the Underlying Leveraged ETF had a return less than 10%. This example illustrates that both the Fund’s participation in the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and its returns will depend not only on the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF but also on the path that the Underlying Leveraged ETF takes over time.
If, for example, the Fund were to sell 5% out-of-the-money put options having a one-week term, the Fund’s downward protection against the negative price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF will be capped at 5% for that week. However, over a longer period (e.g., a four-week period), the Fund should not be expected to be protected fully in the first 25% (i.e., 4 weeks x 5%) of the negative price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, and the Fund may lose money, even if the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price has appreciated over such period, if during any particular week or weeks over that period the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price had decreases by more than 5%. This example illustrates that both the Fund’s protection against the negative price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and its returns will depend not only on the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF but also on the path that the Underlying Leveraged ETF takes over time.
Under both cases the Fund may be fully exposed to the downward movements of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, offset only by the premiums received from selling put contracts. The Fund does not seek to offer any downside protection, except for the fact that the premiums from the sold options may offset some or all of the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s decline.
Put Spread Strategy Risk. Similarly to a put writing strategy (see relevant risk factor), a put spread strategy will subject the Fund’s performance to path dependency.
Option Market Liquidity Risk. The trading activity in the option market of the Underlying Leveraged ETF may be limited and the option contracts may trade at levels significantly different from their economic value. The lack of liquidity may negatively affect the ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective. This risk may increase if the portfolio turnover is elevated, for instance because of frequent changes in the number of Shares outstanding, and if the net asset value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF is modest. For the 12-month period ending July 31, 2025, the net asset value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF ranged from $20m to $329m.
Concentration Risk. To the extent that the Underlying Leveraged ETF concentrates its investments in a particular industry, the Fund will be subject to the risks associated with that industry.
| 178 |
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. he Fund currently expects to effect a significant portion of its creations and redemptions for cash, rather than in-kind securities. Paying redemption proceeds in cash rather than through in-kind delivery of portfolio securities may require the Fund to dispose of or sell portfolio securities or other assets at an inopportune time to obtain the cash needed to meet redemption orders. This may cause the Fund to sell a security and recognize a capital gain or loss that might not have been incurred if it had made a redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher or lower annual capital gains distributions than ETFs that redeem in-kind. The use of cash creations and redemptions may also cause the Fund’s Shares to trade in the market at greater bid-ask spreads or greater premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV. Furthermore, the Fund may not be able to execute cash transactions for creation and redemption purposes at the same price used to determine the Fund’s NAV. To the extent that the maximum additional charge for creation or redemption transactions is insufficient to cover the execution shortfall, the Fund’s performance could be negatively impacted.
Costs of Buying or Selling Shares. Due to the costs of buying or selling Shares, including brokerage commissions imposed by brokers and bid-ask spreads, frequent trading of Shares may significantly 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 Nasdaq Stock Market, LLC (the “Exchange”), and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for the Shares will develop or be maintained or that the Shares will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. This risk may be greater for the Fund as it seeks to have exposure to a single underlying stock as opposed to a more diverse portfolio like a traditional pooled investment. 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. Shares trade on the Exchange at a market price that may be below, at or above the Fund’s NAV. Trading in Shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in Shares on the Exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to the Exchange “circuit breaker” rules. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged. In the event of an unscheduled market close for options contracts that reference a single stock, such as the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s securities being halted or a market wide closure, settlement prices will be determined by the procedures of the listing exchange of the options contracts. As a result, the Fund could be adversely affected and be unable to implement its investment strategies in the event of an unscheduled closing.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk. The Fund may actively and frequently trade all or a significant portion of the Fund’s holdings. A high portfolio turnover rate increases transaction costs, which may increase the Fund’s expenses. Frequent trading may also cause adverse tax consequences for investors in the Fund due to an increase in short-term capital gains.
Inflation Risk. Inflation risk is the risk that the value of assets or income from investments will be less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money. As inflation increases, the present value of the Fund’s assets and distributions, if any, may decline.
| 179 |
Liquidity Risk. Some securities held by the Fund, including options contracts, may be difficult to sell or be illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. This risk is greater for the Fund as it will hold options contracts on a single security, and not a broader range of options contracts. 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, such as market rules related to short sales, may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Underlying Leveraged ETF. 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.
Management Risk. The Fund is subject to management risk because it is an actively managed portfolio. In managing the Fund’s investment portfolio, the portfolio managers will apply investment techniques and risk analyses that may not produce the desired result. There can be no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective.
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, including money market funds, may lose money through fees or other means.
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.
Operational Risk. The Fund is subject to risks arising from various operational factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund relies on third-parties for a range of services, including custody. Any delay or failure relating to engaging or maintaining such service providers may affect the Fund’s ability to meet its investment objective. Although the Fund, Adviser, and Sub-Adviser seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures, there is no way to completely protect against such risks.
Recent Market Events Risk. U.S. and international markets have experienced significant periods of volatility in recent years and months due to a number of economic, political and global macro factors including the impact of COVID-19 as a global pandemic, which has resulted in a public health crisis, disruptions to business operations and supply chains, stress on the global healthcare system, growth concerns in the U.S. and overseas, staffing shortages and the inability to meet consumer demand, and widespread concern and uncertainty. The global recovery from COVID-19 is proceeding at slower than expected rates due to the emergence of variant strains and may last for an extended period of time. Continuing uncertainties regarding interest rates, rising inflation, political events, rising government debt in the U.S. and trade tensions also contribute to market volatility. Conflict, loss of life and disaster connected to ongoing armed conflict between Ukraine and Russia in Europe and Israel and Hamas in the Middle East could have severe adverse effects on the region, including significant adverse effects on the regional or global economies and the markets for certain securities. The U.S. and the European Union have imposed sanctions on certain Russian individuals and companies, including certain financial institutions, and have limited certain exports and imports to and from Russia. The war has contributed to recent market volatility and may continue to do so. U.S. trade disputes or other disputes with specific countries that could result in additional tariffs, trade barriers and/or investment restrictions in certain securities in those countries.
Single Issuer Risk. Issuer-specific attributes may cause an investment in the Fund to be more volatile than a traditional pooled investment vehicle which diversifies risk or the market generally. The value of the Fund, which focuses on an individual security (the Underlying Leveraged ETF), 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.
Tax Risk. The Fund intends to elect and to qualify each year to be treated as a RIC under Subchapter M of the 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 the derivatives it holds is never 25% of the total value of Fund assets at the close of any quarter. If the Fund’s investments in the derivatives 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. In addition, distributions received by the Fund from the Underlying Leveraged ETF may generate “bad income” that could prevent the Fund from meeting the “Income Requirement” of Subchapter M of the Code, which may cause the Fund to fail to qualify as a RIC.
| 180 |
Investing in U.S. Equities Risk. Investing in U.S. issuers subjects the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency, security, and economic risks that are specific to the U.S. Certain changes in the U.S., such as a weakening of the U.S. economy or a decline in its financial markets, may have an adverse effect on U.S. issuers.
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.
Fixed Income Securities Risk. The market value of Fixed Income Securities will change in response to interest rate changes and other factors, such as changes in the effective maturities and credit ratings of fixed income investments. During periods of falling interest rates, the values of outstanding Fixed Income Securities and related financial instruments generally rise. Conversely, during periods of rising interest rates, the values of such securities and related financial instruments generally decline. Fixed Income Securities are also subject to credit risk.
Investments in Fixed Income Securities may also involve the following risks, depending on the instrument involved:
| - | Asset-Backed/Mortgage-Backed Securities Risk – The market value and yield of asset-backed and mortgage-backed securities can vary due to market interest rate fluctuations and early prepayments of underlying instruments. | |
| - | Credit Risk – An investment in the Fund also involves the risk that the issuer of a Fixed Income Security that the Fund holds will fail to make timely payments of interest or principal or go bankrupt, or that the value of the securities will decline because of a market perception that the issuer may not make payments on time, thus potentially reducing the Fund’s return. | |
| - | Event Risk – Event risk is the risk that corporate issuers may undergo restructurings, such as mergers, leveraged buyouts, takeovers, or similar events financed by increased debt. As a result of the added debt, the credit quality and market value of a company’s bonds and/or other debt securities may decline significantly. | |
| - | Extension Risk – Payment on the loans underlying Fixed Income Securities held by the Fund may be made more slowly when interest rates are rising. | |
| - | Interest Rate Risk – Generally, the value of Fixed Income Securities will change inversely with changes in interest rates. As interest rates rise, the market value of Fixed Income Securities tends to decrease. Conversely, as interest rates fall, the market value of Fixed Income Securities tends to increase. This risk will be greater for long-term securities than for short-term securities. In recent periods, governmental financial regulators, including the U.S. Federal Reserve, have taken steps to maintain historically low interest rates. Very low or negative interest rates may magnify interest rate risk. Changes in government intervention may have adverse effects on investments, volatility, and illiquidity in debt markets. | |
| - | Prepayment Risk – When interest rates are declining, issuers of Fixed Income Securities held by the Fund may prepay principal earlier than scheduled. |
Performance:
Portfolio Managers: Jeff Klearman and Ryan Dofflemeyer have been portfolio managers of the Fund since the Fund’s inception in 2024.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares: The Fund is an ETF. Individual Shares of the Fund may only be bought and sold in the secondary market (i.e., on a national securities exchange) through a broker-dealer at a market price. Because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than at NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (at a premium), at NAV or less than NAV (at a discount). An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares of the Fund (ask) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). The bid-ask spread varies over time for Shares based on trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the Fund’s Shares have more trading volume and market liquidity and higher if the Fund’s Shares have little trading volume and market liquidity. Recent information regarding the Fund, including its NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid/ask spreads, is available on the Fund’s website at www.graniteshares.com.
Tax Information: The Fund’s distributions will be taxable to you, generally as ordinary income unless you are invested through a tax-advantaged arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan, IRA or other tax-advantaged account; in such cases, you may be subject to tax when assets are withdrawn from such tax-advantaged arrangement. A sale of Shares may result in capital gain or loss.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries: If you purchase Shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank) (an “Intermediary”), the Adviser and/or its related companies may pay the Intermediary for the sale of Shares and related services. 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.
| 181 |
GraniteShares YIELDBOOST MSFT ETF – Summary
The Fund’s primary investment objective is to achieve 2 times (200%) the income generated from selling options on Microsoft Corporation’s common stock (NASDAQ: MSFT) (the “Underlying Stock”) by selling options on leveraged exchange-traded funds designed to deliver 2 times (200%) the daily performance of the Underlying Stock (the “Underlying Leveraged ETF”). The Fund’s secondary investment objective is to gain exposure to the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, subject to a cap on potential investment gains. A downside protection may be implemented which could affect the net income level.
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). The fees are expressed as a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets. Investors may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and example below.
| Management Fee | 0.99 | % | ||
|
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) | ||||
| Management Fee | % | |||
| Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees | % | |||
| Other Expenses (1) | % | |||
| Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses (2) | % | |||
| Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | % | |||
| Fee Waiver/Reimbursements (3) | % | |||
| Net Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver/Reimbursements (1), (2), (3) | % | |||
| (1) | |
| (2) | |
| (3) |
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in mutual funds and other exchange traded funds.
The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell 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 figures shown would be the same whether or not you sold your Shares at the end of each period.
Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years | |||||
| $ | $ | |||||
| 182 |
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 the total annual fund operating expenses or in the expense example above, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund is newly organized, portfolio turnover information is not yet available.
The Fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to pay weekly distributions by selling put options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF, which provides exposure to 2 times the daily performance of the Underlying Stock. It is expected that the implied volatility on the Underlying Leveraged ETF to be twice the level of the Underlying Stock’s implied volatility and selling options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF to generate, over the same time horizon and for the same strike levels, twice the premium generated by selling options on the Underlying Stock. The premium received by the Fund from selling options will be distributed at least partially before the maturity of the options. This allows the Fund to make distributions on a weekly basis even if the options sold have longer maturity (such as monthly maturity for instance). This approach may result in the distributions being treated fiscally as return of capital (see “Distribution Risk” under the section “Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund”). There is no guarantee that the Fund will generate twice the level of premium that would be generated by selling options on the Underlying Stock.
The Fund is subject to the losses from the Underlying Leveraged ETF, which would likely be 2 times the losses compared to the Underlying Stock. In case a Put Spread Strategy (as defined under the section “The Fund’s Use of the Underlying Leveraged ETF Derivatives Contracts”) is implemented, the Fund may benefit from a limited downside protection against a negative price variation in the Underlying Leveraged ETF. Such protection will negatively affect the Fund’s overall income level. A put spread strategy with a narrow spread (the difference between the strikes of the put option sold and put option bought) may provide better protection but will have a higher negative impact on the Fund’s income level. A put spread strategy with a large spread will provide a lower protection but may have less negative impact on the Fund’s income level.
The Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in derivatives contracts that utilize the Underlying Leveraged ETF as their reference asset. For purposes of compliance with this investment policy, derivative contracts will be valued at their notional value.
For more information, see section “The Fund’s Use of the Underlying Leveraged ETF Derivatives Contracts” below.
The Fund’s cash balance may be invested in the following instruments: (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; (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 as collateral for the Fund’s swap agreements; (5) repurchase transactions, which are transactions under which the purchaser (i.e., the Fund) acquires securities and the seller agrees, at the time of the sale, to repurchase the securities at a mutually agreed-upon time and price, thereby determining the yield during the purchaser’s holding period, and/or; (6) US large cap equities listed on a national security exchange, sovereign fixed income securities with a credit rating at least equal to the United States Federal Government, or corporate debt securities, such as commercial paper and other short-term unsecured promissory notes issued by businesses that are rated investment grade for the purposes of entering into swap agreements with the Fund’s swap counterparties. The Fund may enter into such swap agreements to improve its operational efficiency.
The Fund is classified as “non-diversified” under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”).
The Fund will be subject to regulatory constraints relating to the level of value at risk that the Fund may incur through its derivatives 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 and the Fund may not achieve its investment objective.
The Fund’s investment objective has not been adopted as a fundamental investment policy and therefore the Fund’s investment objective along with its respective 80% investment policy may be changed without the consent of that Fund’s shareholders upon approval by the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of GraniteShares ETF Trust (the “Trust”) and 60 days’ written notice to shareholders.
There is no guarantee that the Fund’s investment strategy will be properly implemented or that the Fund will pay weekly distributions, and an investor may lose some or all of its investment. Even when the Fund makes a distribution it could be fiscally treated as return of capital (see “Distribution Risk” under the section “Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund”).
An Investment in the Fund is not an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF
| - | The Fund’s strategy will cap its potential gain to the premium received from selling options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF, | |
| - | The Fund’s strategy is exposed to all potential losses if the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share declines, subject to a potential downside protection if a Put Spread Strategy is used (as defined in ten next section). The potential losses may not be offset by the premium received by the Fund, | |
| - | The Fund does not invest directly in the Underlying Leveraged ETF, | |
| - | Fund shareholders are not entitled to any distribution paid by Underlying Leveraged ETF. |
Additional information regarding the Underlying Leveraged ETF is set forth below.
The Fund’s Use of the Underlying Leveraged ETF Derivatives Contracts
| - | Put Spread Strategy: The Fund will enter in put spread options contracts, either directly or through swap contracts, on the Underlying Leveraged ETF and for which the Fund will receive a net premium. A put spread consists of selling a put option contract while buying a put option contract with the same maturity but a lower strike price. The Fund’s protection against a potential decrease in the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF only applies if it falls below the strike price of the option contract bought by the Fund. Buying a put option contract results in a cost that negatively affects the Fund’s income level. It is unlikely for a put spread strategy to generate twice the level of income that would be obtained by selling options on the Underlying Stock directly. The put options contracts sold by the Fund may vary in regard to their strike price from 0 to 15% above the then-current price of the Leveraged ETF. The put options contracts bought by the Fund will have a lower strike price, ranging from 50% out-of-the-money to at-the-money. The put options sold and bought by the Fund will generally have 1- month or less expiration dates. | |
| - | Put Write Strategy: The Fund will sell put options contracts, either directly or through swap contracts, on the Underlying Leveraged ETF and for which it will receive a premium. The put options contracts sold by the Fund may vary in regard to their strike prices from 40% out-of-the-money to 15% in-the-money. The put options sold and bought by the Fund will generally have 1- month or less expiration dates. The Adviser will primarily employ this put write strategy when it believes that the share price of its Underlying Leveraged ETF is likely to rise significantly in the short term (e.g., following a substantial selloff or overall positive market news). |
| 183 |
Example 1 – Put Write Strategy - Selling In-the-money Put Option Contract with a One-month Maturity
Assume for simplicity that the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s shares are trading at $100.00 at the time the Fund sells an in-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $105.00 and a one-month maturity. The Fund receives a $5.50 premium for selling the put option contract.
| Case 1: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increases to $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.50 premium received. | |
| Case 2: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increase exceeded $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.50 premium received but would not participate in any of the additional upside. | |
| Case 3: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops to $99.50 before expiration. | The $5.50 premium received is equal to the drop in price in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price, resulting in a return of zero. | |
| Case 4: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $99.50, that is the strike price ($105.00) reduced by the premium received ($5.50). | The Fund would lose money and be exposed to the drop in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price. |
Example 2 – Put Write Strategy - Selling Out-of-the-money Put Options Contracts with a One-week Maturity
Assume for simplicity that the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s shares are trading at $100.00 at the time the Fund sells an out-of-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $95.00 and a one-week maturity. The Fund receives a $0.50 premium for selling the put option contract.
| Case 1: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increases above $100.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $0.50 premium received but would not participate in the increased in the Underlying Leveraged ETFs’ share price. | |
| Case 2: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $94.50, that is the strike price ($95.00) reduced by the premium received ($0.50). | The Fund would lose money and be exposed to the drop in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price. |
Example 3 – Put Spread Strategy - Selling At-the-money Put Options Contracts and buy an Out-of-the-money Put Options Contracts with both with a One-month Maturity
Assume for simplicity that the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s shares are trading at $100.00 at the time the Fund sells an in-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $105.00 and buy an out-of-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $95.00 both with a one-month maturity. The Fund receives a $5.50 premium for selling the put option contract and pays $0.50 premium for buying the put option contract. Hence the Fund receives a $5.00 net premium.
| Case 1: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increases to $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.00 net premium received. | |
| Case 2: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increase exceeded $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.00 net premium received but would not participate in any of the additional upside. | |
| Case 3: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $100.00, that is the strike price of the option sold ($105.00) reduced by the net premium received ($5.00) but remains above $95.00 before expiration. | The Fund would lose up to $5.00, which is the difference between the 2 strike levels reduced by the net premium received | |
| Case 4: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $95.00 | The Fund would lose $5.00, which is the difference between the 2 strike levels reduced by the net premium received. |
The comparison between the Put Write Strategy in Example 1 and the Put Spread Strategy in Example 3, shows that the Put Spread Strategy has a narrower range of outcomes. It has limited participation in a potential increase or decrease in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price.
In examples 1 and 2, if the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s price were to drop to zero, the Fund’s NAV would be equal, before fees and costs, to the value of premium received.
| 184 |
Types of Options Contracts Used by the Fund
As part of the Fund’s strategy, the Fund may sell FLexible EXchange® (“FLEX”) put options contracts that are based on the value of the price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The Fund will only sell options contracts that are listed for trading on regulated U.S. exchanges. Traditional exchange-traded options contracts have standardized terms, such as the type (call or put), the reference asset, the strike price and expiration date. Exchange-listed options contracts are guaranteed for settlement by the Options Clearing Corporation (“OCC”). FLEX Options are a type of exchange-listed options contract with uniquely customizable terms that allow investors to customize key terms like type, strike price and expiration date that are standardized in a typical options contract. FLEX Options are also guaranteed for settlement by the OCC.
In general, an option is a contract that gives the purchaser (holder) of the option, in return for a premium, the right to buy from (call) or sell to (put) the seller (writer) of the option the security or currency underlying (in this case, the Underlying Leveraged ETF) the option at a specified exercise price. The writer of an option has the obligation upon exercise of the option to deliver the underlying security or currency upon payment of the exercise price (call) or to pay the exercise price upon delivery of the underlying security or currency (put). An option is said to be “European Style” when it can be exercised only at expiration whereas an “American Style” option can be exercised at any time prior to expiration. The Fund might use either European or American style options. The Fund intends to primarily utilize European style options.
Swap agreements Used by the Fund
As part of the Fund’s strategy, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with major financial institutions that provide the same exposure as to selling put options contracts on the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The swap agreements may reference standardized exchange-traded, FLEX, European Style or American Style put options contracts that are based on the values of the price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. All put options contracts referenced in a swap agreement will be listed for trading on regulated U.S. exchanges.
The swap performance will settle in cash only irrespective of the types of the put options contracts referenced in the swap agreement.
Underlying Leveraged ETF
The Underlying Leveraged ETF seeks daily leverage investment results of 2 times (200%) the daily percentage of the Underlying Stock by entering into swap agreements on the Underlying Stock. The Underlying Leveraged ETF aims to generate 2 times the daily performance of the Underlying Stock for a single day. A “single day” is defined as being calculated “from the close of regular trading on one trading day to the close on the next trading day.”
Because of daily rebalancing and the compounding of each day’s return over time, the return of the Underlying Leveraged ETF 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 Stock over the same period. The Underlying Leveraged ETF will lose money if the Underlying Stock’s performance is flat over time, and as a result of daily rebalancing, the Underlying Stock volatility and the effects of compounding, it is even possible that the Fund will lose money over time while the Underlying Stock’s performance increases over a period longer than a single day.
| 185 |
The Fund intends to reference the following products as Underlying Leveraged ETF:
| (1) | Direxion Daily MSFT Bull 2X Shares (NASDAQ: MSFU). Investors can access information about MSFU, including its prospectus and the most recent shareholder reports, online through the SEC’s website, using Registration Statement Nos. 333-150525 and 811-22201. This information, derived from MSFU’s filings with the SEC, is essential for investors to understand MSFU’s operations, investment strategy, and financial prospects. The description of MSFU’s principal investment strategies as outlined here is directly sourced from its prospectus. | |
| (2) | REX 2X Long Microsoft Daily Target ETF (CBOE: MSFX). Investors can access information about MSFX, including its prospectus and the most recent shareholder reports, online through the SEC’s website, using Registration Statement Nos. 333-23444 and 811-23439. This information, derived from MSFX’s filings with the SEC, is essential for investors to understand MSFX’s operations, investment strategy, and financial prospects. The description of MSFX’s principal investment strategies as outlined here is directly sourced from its prospectus. | |
| (3) | GraniteShares 2x Long MSFT Daily ETF (NASDAQ: MSFL). Investors can access information about MSFL, including its prospectus and the most recent shareholder reports, online through the SEC’s website, using Registration Statement Nos. 333-214796 and 811-2314. This information, derived from MSFL’s filings with the SEC, is essential for investors to understand MSFL’s operations, investment strategy, and financial prospects. The description of MSFL’s principal investment strategies as outlined here is directly sourced from its prospectus. |
The Fund may reference additional products as Underlying Leveraged ETF as market and liquidity develop.
Due to the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s investment exposure to the Underlying Stock, the Fund’s investment exposure is concentrated in the software and information technology industry.
This document relates only to the securities offered hereby and does not relate to the Underlying Leveraged ETF or the Underlying Stock.
This document relates only to the securities offered hereby and does not relate to the Underlying Leveraged ETF or the Underlying Stock. The Fund has derived all disclosures contained in this document regarding the Underlying Leveraged ETF from publicly available documents. MSFL is affiliated with the Fund and both funds are issued under GraniteShares ETF Trust. The Trust and the Adviser have been directly involved in the preparation of the disclosure of MSFL’s publicly available documents. In connection to MSFU and MSFX, none of the Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates has participated in the preparation of such documents or made any due diligence inquiry with respect to either fund. None of the Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates makes any representation that such publicly available documents or any other publicly available information regarding MSFU and MSFX 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 the Underlying Leveraged ETF have been publicly disclosed. Subsequent disclosure of any such events or the disclosure of or failure to disclose material future events concerning the Underlying Leveraged ETF could affect the value received with respect to your Shares and therefore the value of your Shares.
The Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, and their respective affiliates do not provide any representation regarding the performance of MSFU and MSFX.
THE FUND, TRUST AND ADVISER ARE NOT AFFILIATED WITH MSFU AND MSFX, THEIR TRUSTS, AND THEIR SERVICE PROVIDERS.
THE FUND, TRUST AND ADVISER ARE AFFILIATED WITH MSFL.
PRINCIPAL RISKS OF INVESTING IN THE FUND
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. Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its investment objectives. 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.”
| 186 |
The Underlying Leveraged ETF Risk. The Fund invests in options contracts that are based on the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF shares. This subjects the Fund to certain of the same risks as if it owned shares of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, even though it may not. By virtue of the Fund’s investments in options contracts that are based on the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF shares, the Fund may also be subject to the following risks:
Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk — The Underlying Leveraged ETF shares’ performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which is likely to differ from 200% of the Underlying Stock’s performance, before fees and expenses. Compounding has a significant impact on funds that are leveraged and that rebalance daily. The impact of compounding becomes more pronounced as volatility and holding periods increase and will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF is held and the volatility of the Underlying Stock during the shareholder’s holding period of an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF.
Leverage Risk — The Underlying Leveraged ETF 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 Underlying Leveraged ETF is exposed to the risk that a decline in the daily performance of the Underlying Stock will be magnified. This means that an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF will be reduced by an amount equal to 2% for every 1% daily decline in the Underlying Stock, not including the costs of financing leverage and other operating expenses, which would further reduce its value. The Underlying Leveraged ETF could lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event of an Underlying Stock decline of more than 50%.
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. Investing in derivatives may be considered aggressive and may expose the Underlying Leveraged ETF to greater risks, and may result in larger losses or smaller gains, than investing directly in the reference assets underlying those derivatives, which may prevent the Underlying Leveraged ETF from achieving its investment objective.
Counterparty Risk — If a counterparty is unwilling or unable to make timely payments to meet its contractual obligations or fails to return holdings that are subject to the agreement with the counterparty resulting in the Underlying Leveraged ETF losing money or not being able to meet its daily leveraged investment objective.
Industry Concentration Risk — The performance of the Underlying Stock, and consequently the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s performance, is subject to the risks of the software and information technology industry. The value of stocks of information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technology is particularly vulnerable to rapid changes in technology product cycles, rapid product obsolescence, government regulation, and competition, both domestically and internationally, including competition from competitors with lower production costs. In addition, many information technology companies have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. The prices of information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technology, especially those of smaller, less-seasoned companies, tend to be more volatile and less liquid than the overall market. Information technology companies are heavily dependent on patent and intellectual property rights, the loss or impairment of which may adversely affect profitability. Additionally, companies in the information technology industry may face dramatic and often unpredictable changes in growth rates and competition for the services of qualified personnel.
Indirect Investments in the Underlying Leveraged ETF – Investors in the Fund will not have rights to receive dividends or other distributions or any other rights with respect to the Underlying Leveraged ETF but will be subject to declines in the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. Although the Fund invests in the Underlying Leveraged ETF only indirectly, the Fund’s investments are subject to loss as a result of these risks.
Derivatives Risk. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds, 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, imperfect correlation with underlying investments, 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 an imperfect correlation between the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objectives. 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. In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
| 187 |
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. For the Fund, in particular, the value of the options contracts in which it invests is substantially influenced by the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. Selling put options exposes the Fund to the risk of potential loss if the market value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF falls below the strike price before the option expires. The Fund may experience substantial downside from specific option positions and certain option positions held by the Fund may expire worthless. 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 at the underlying instrument. There may at times be an imperfect correlation between the movement in values of 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, the Fund’s practice of “rolling” may cause the Fund to experience losses if the expiring contracts do not generate proceeds enough to cover the costs of entering into new options contracts. Rolling refers to the practice of closing out one options position and opening another with a different expiration date and/or a different strike price. Further, if an option is exercised, the seller (writer) of a put option is obligated to purchase the underlying asset at the strike price, which can result in significant financial and regulatory obligations for the Fund if the market value of the asset has fallen substantially. Furthermore, when the Fund seeks to trade out of puts, especially near expiration, there is an added risk that the Fund may be required to allocate resources unexpectedly to fulfill these obligations. This potential exposure to physical settlement can significantly impact the Fund’s liquidity and market exposure, particularly in volatile market conditions.
Swap Risk: Swaps are subject to tracking risk because they may not be perfect substitutes for the instruments they are intended to hedge or replace. Over the counter swaps are subject to counterparty default. Leverage inherent in derivatives will tend to magnify the Fund’s losses. The swap agreements may reference standardized exchange-traded, FLEX, European Style or American Style put options contracts that are based on the values of the price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. that generate specific risks.
Affiliated Fund Risk. In managing the Fund, the Adviser has the ability to select the Underlying Leveraged ETF and substitute the Underlying Leveraged ETF with other ETFs that it believes will achieve the Fund’s objective. The Adviser may be subject to potential conflicts of interest in selecting the Underlying Leveraged ETF and substituting the Underlying Leveraged ETF with other ETFs because the fees paid to the Adviser by some Underlying Leveraged ETF may be higher than the fees charged by other Underlying Leveraged ETF.
Counterparty Risk. The Fund is subject to counterparty risk by virtue of its investments in options contracts. Transactions in some types of derivatives, including options, are required to be centrally cleared (“cleared derivatives”). In a transaction involving cleared derivatives, the Fund’s counterparty is a clearing house rather than a bank or broker. Since the Fund is not a member of clearing houses and only members of a clearing house (“clearing members”) can participate directly in the clearing house, the Fund will hold cleared derivatives through accounts at clearing members. In cleared derivatives positions, the Fund will make payments (including margin payments) to and receive payments from a clearing house through their accounts at clearing members. Customer funds held at a clearing organization in connection with any options contracts are held in a commingled omnibus account and are not identified to the name of the clearing member’s individual customers. As a result, assets deposited by the Fund with any clearing member as margin for options may, in certain circumstances, be used to satisfy losses of other clients of the Fund’s clearing member. In addition, although clearing members guarantee performance of their clients’ obligations to the clearing house, there is a risk that the assets of the Fund might not be fully protected in the event of the clearing member’s bankruptcy, as the Fund would be limited to recovering only a pro rata share of all available funds segregated on behalf of the clearing member’s customers for the relevant account class. The Fund is also subject to the risk that a limited number of clearing members are willing to transact on the Fund’s behalf, which heightens the risks associated with a clearing member’s default. If a clearing member defaults the Fund could lose some or all of the benefits of a transaction entered into by the Fund with the clearing member. If the Fund cannot find a clearing member to transact with on the Fund’s behalf, the Fund may be unable to effectively implement its investment strategy.
In addition, a counterparty (the other party to a transaction or an agreement or the party with whom the Fund executes transactions) to a transaction (including repurchase transaction) with the Fund may be unable or unwilling to make timely principal, interest or settlement payments, or otherwise honor its obligations.
Price Participation Risk. The Fund employs an investment strategy that includes the sale of in-the-money put options contracts, which limits the degree to which the Fund will participate in increases in value experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF over the Call Period. This means that if the Underlying Leveraged ETF experiences an increase in value above the strike price of the sold put options during a Call Period, the Fund will likely not experience that increase to the same extent and may significantly underperform the Underlying Leveraged ETF over the Call Period. Additionally, because the Fund is limited in the degree to which it will participate in increases in value experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF over each Call Period, but has full exposure to any decreases in value experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF over the Call Period, the NAV of the Fund may decrease over any given time period. The Fund’s NAV is dependent on the value of each options portfolio, which is based principally upon the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The degree of participation in the Underlying Leveraged ETF gains the Fund will experience will depend on prevailing market conditions, especially market volatility, at the time the Fund enters into the sold put options contracts and will vary from Call Period to Call Period. The value of the options contracts is affected by changes in the value and dividend rates of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, changes in interest rates, changes in the actual or perceived volatility of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and the remaining time to the options’ expiration, as well as trading conditions in the options market. As the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF share changes and time moves towards the expiration of each Call Period, the value of the options contracts, and therefore the Fund’s NAV, will change. However, it is not expected for the Fund’s NAV to directly correlate on a day-to-day basis with the returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price. The amount of time remaining until the options contract’s expiration date affects the impact of the potential options contract income on the Fund’s NAV, which may not be in full effect until the expiration date of the Fund’s options contracts. Therefore, while changes in the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF share will result in changes to the Fund’s NAV, the Fund generally anticipates that the rate of change in the Fund’s NAV will be different than that experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price.
| 188 |
Distribution Risk. As part of the Fund’s investment objective, the Fund seeks to provide current weekly income. There is no assurance that the Fund will make a distribution in any given month. If the Fund makes distributions, the amounts of such distributions will likely vary greatly from one distribution to the next. Additionally, the weekly distributions, if any, may consist of returns of capital, which would decrease the Fund’s NAV and trading price over time. As a result, an investor may suffer significant losses to their investment.
Put Writing Strategy Risk. The path dependency (i.e., the continued use) of the Fund’s put writing strategy will impact the extent that the Fund participates in the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and, in turn, the Fund’s returns, both during the term of the sold put options and over longer time periods.
If, for example, the Fund were to sell 10% in-the-money put options having a one-month term, the Fund’s participation in the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF will be capped at 10% for that month. However, over a longer period (e.g., a three-month period), the Fund should not be expected to participate fully in the first 30% (i.e., 3 months x 10%) of the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, or the Fund may even lose money, even if the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price has appreciated by at least that much over such period, if during any particular month or months over that period the Underlying Leveraged ETF had a return less than 10%. This example illustrates that both the Fund’s participation in the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and its returns will depend not only on the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF but also on the path that the Underlying Leveraged ETF takes over time.
If, for example, the Fund were to sell 5% out-of-the-money put options having a one-week term, the Fund’s downward protection against the negative price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF will be capped at 5% for that week. However, over a longer period (e.g., a four-week period), the Fund should not be expected to be protected fully in the first 25% (i.e., 4 weeks x 5%) of the negative price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, and the Fund may lose money, even if the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price has appreciated over such period, if during any particular week or weeks over that period the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price had decreases by more than 5%. This example illustrates that both the Fund’s protection against the negative price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and its returns will depend not only on the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF but also on the path that the Underlying Leveraged ETF takes over time.
Under both cases the Fund may be fully exposed to the downward movements of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, offset only by the premiums received from selling put contracts. The Fund does not seek to offer any downside protection, except for the fact that the premiums from the sold options may offset some or all of the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s decline.
Put Spread Strategy Risk. Similarly to a put writing strategy (see relevant risk factor), a put spread strategy will subject the Fund’s performance to path dependency.
Option Market Liquidity Risk. The trading activity in the option market of the Underlying Leveraged ETF may be limited and the option contracts may trade at levels significantly different from their economic value. The lack of liquidity may negatively affect the ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective. This risk may increase if the portfolio turnover is elevated, for instance because of frequent changes in the number of Shares outstanding, and if the net asset value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF is modest. For the 12-month period ending July 31, 2025, the net asset value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF ranged from $6.8m to $211.1m.
Concentration Risk. To the extent that the Underlying Leveraged ETF concentrates its investments in a particular industry, the Fund will be subject to the risks associated with that industry.
| 189 |
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 currently expects to effect a significant portion of its creations and redemptions for cash, rather than in-kind securities. Paying redemption proceeds in cash rather than through in-kind delivery of portfolio securities may require the Fund to dispose of or sell portfolio securities or other assets at an inopportune time to obtain the cash needed to meet redemption orders. This may cause the Fund to sell a security and recognize a capital gain or loss that might not have been incurred if it had made a redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher or lower annual capital gains distributions than ETFs that redeem in-kind. The use of cash creations and redemptions may also cause the Fund’s Shares to trade in the market at greater bid-ask spreads or greater premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV. Furthermore, the Fund may not be able to execute cash transactions for creation and redemption purposes at the same price used to determine the Fund’s NAV. To the extent that the maximum additional charge for creation or redemption transactions is insufficient to cover the execution shortfall, the Fund’s performance could be negatively impacted.
Costs of Buying or Selling Shares. Due to the costs of buying or selling Shares, including brokerage commissions imposed by brokers and bid-ask spreads, frequent trading of Shares may significantly 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 Nasdaq Stock Market, LLC (the “Exchange”), and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for the Shares will develop or be maintained or that the Shares will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. This risk may be greater for the Fund as it seeks to have exposure to a single underlying stock as opposed to a more diverse portfolio like a traditional pooled investment. 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. Shares trade on the Exchange at a market price that may be below, at or above the Fund’s NAV. Trading in Shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in Shares on the Exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to the Exchange “circuit breaker” rules. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged. In the event of an unscheduled market close for options contracts that reference a single stock, such as the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s securities being halted or a market wide closure, settlement prices will be determined by the procedures of the listing exchange of the options contracts. As a result, the Fund could be adversely affected and be unable to implement its investment strategies in the event of an unscheduled closing.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk. The Fund may actively and frequently trade all or a significant portion of the Fund’s holdings. A high portfolio turnover rate increases transaction costs, which may increase the Fund’s expenses. Frequent trading may also cause adverse tax consequences for investors in the Fund due to an increase in short-term capital gains.
Inflation Risk. Inflation risk is the risk that the value of assets or income from investments will be less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money. As inflation increases, the present value of the Fund’s assets and distributions, if any, may decline.
| 190 |
Liquidity Risk. Some securities held by the Fund, including options contracts, may be difficult to sell or be illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. This risk is greater for the Fund as it will hold options contracts on a single security, and not a broader range of options contracts. 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, such as market rules related to short sales, may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Underlying Leveraged ETF. 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.
Management Risk. The Fund is subject to management risk because it is an actively managed portfolio. In managing the Fund’s investment portfolio, the portfolio managers will apply investment techniques and risk analyses that may not produce the desired result. There can be no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective.
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, including money market funds, may lose money through fees or other means.
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.
Operational Risk. The Fund is subject to risks arising from various operational factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund relies on third-parties for a range of services, including custody. Any delay or failure relating to engaging or maintaining such service providers may affect the Fund’s ability to meet its investment objective. Although the Fund, Adviser, and Sub-Adviser seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures, there is no way to completely protect against such risks.
Recent Market Events Risk. U.S. and international markets have experienced significant periods of volatility in recent years and months due to a number of economic, political and global macro factors including the impact of COVID-19 as a global pandemic, which has resulted in a public health crisis, disruptions to business operations and supply chains, stress on the global healthcare system, growth concerns in the U.S. and overseas, staffing shortages and the inability to meet consumer demand, and widespread concern and uncertainty. The global recovery from COVID-19 is proceeding at slower than expected rates due to the emergence of variant strains and may last for an extended period of time. Continuing uncertainties regarding interest rates, rising inflation, political events, rising government debt in the U.S. and trade tensions also contribute to market volatility. Conflict, loss of life and disaster connected to ongoing armed conflict between Ukraine and Russia in Europe and Israel and Hamas in the Middle East could have severe adverse effects on the region, including significant adverse effects on the regional or global economies and the markets for certain securities. The U.S. and the European Union have imposed sanctions on certain Russian individuals and companies, including certain financial institutions, and have limited certain exports and imports to and from Russia. The war has contributed to recent market volatility and may continue to do so. U.S. trade disputes or other disputes with specific countries that could result in additional tariffs, trade barriers and/or investment restrictions in certain securities in those countries.
Single Issuer Risk. Issuer-specific attributes may cause an investment in the Fund to be more volatile than a traditional pooled investment vehicle which diversifies risk or the market generally. The value of the Fund, which focuses on an individual security (the Underlying Leveraged ETF), 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.
Tax Risk. The Fund intends to elect and to qualify each year to be treated as a RIC under Subchapter M of the 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 the derivatives it holds is never 25% of the total value of Fund assets at the close of any quarter. If the Fund’s investments in the derivatives 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. In addition, distributions received by the Fund from the Underlying Leveraged ETF may generate “bad income” that could prevent the Fund from meeting the “Income Requirement” of Subchapter M of the Code, which may cause the Fund to fail to qualify as a RIC.
| 191 |
Investing in U.S. Equities Risk. Investing in U.S. issuers subjects the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency, security, and economic risks that are specific to the U.S. Certain changes in the U.S., such as a weakening of the U.S. economy or a decline in its financial markets, may have an adverse effect on U.S. issuers.
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.
Fixed Income Securities Risk. The market value of Fixed Income Securities will change in response to interest rate changes and other factors, such as changes in the effective maturities and credit ratings of fixed income investments. During periods of falling interest rates, the values of outstanding Fixed Income Securities and related financial instruments generally rise. Conversely, during periods of rising interest rates, the values of such securities and related financial instruments generally decline. Fixed Income Securities are also subject to credit risk.
Investments in Fixed Income Securities may also involve the following risks, depending on the instrument involved:
| - | Asset-Backed/Mortgage-Backed Securities Risk – The market value and yield of asset-backed and mortgage-backed securities can vary due to market interest rate fluctuations and early prepayments of underlying instruments. | |
| - | Credit Risk – An investment in the Fund also involves the risk that the issuer of a Fixed Income Security that the Fund holds will fail to make timely payments of interest or principal or go bankrupt, or that the value of the securities will decline because of a market perception that the issuer may not make payments on time, thus potentially reducing the Fund’s return. | |
| - | Event Risk – Event risk is the risk that corporate issuers may undergo restructurings, such as mergers, leveraged buyouts, takeovers, or similar events financed by increased debt. As a result of the added debt, the credit quality and market value of a company’s bonds and/or other debt securities may decline significantly. | |
| - | Extension Risk – Payment on the loans underlying Fixed Income Securities held by the Fund may be made more slowly when interest rates are rising. | |
| - | Interest Rate Risk – Generally, the value of Fixed Income Securities will change inversely with changes in interest rates. As interest rates rise, the market value of Fixed Income Securities tends to decrease. Conversely, as interest rates fall, the market value of Fixed Income Securities tends to increase. This risk will be greater for long-term securities than for short-term securities. In recent periods, governmental financial regulators, including the U.S. Federal Reserve, have taken steps to maintain historically low interest rates. Very low or negative interest rates may magnify interest rate risk. Changes in government intervention may have adverse effects on investments, volatility, and illiquidity in debt markets. | |
| - | Prepayment Risk – When interest rates are declining, issuers of Fixed Income Securities held by the Fund may prepay principal earlier than scheduled. |
Performance:
Portfolio Managers: Jeff Klearman and Ryan Dofflemeyer have been portfolio managers of the Fund since the Fund’s inception in 2024.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares: The Fund is an ETF. Individual Shares of the Fund may only be bought and sold in the secondary market (i.e., on a national securities exchange) through a broker-dealer at a market price. Because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than at NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (at a premium), at NAV or less than NAV (at a discount). An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares of the Fund (ask) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). The bid-ask spread varies over time for Shares based on trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the Fund’s Shares have more trading volume and market liquidity and higher if the Fund’s Shares have little trading volume and market liquidity. Recent information regarding the Fund, including its NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid/ask spreads, is available on the Fund’s website at www.graniteshares.com.
Tax Information: The Fund’s distributions will be taxable to you, generally as ordinary income unless you are invested through a tax-advantaged arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan, IRA or other tax-advantaged account; in such cases, you may be subject to tax when assets are withdrawn from such tax-advantaged arrangement. A sale of Shares may result in capital gain or loss.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries: If you purchase Shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank) (an “Intermediary”), the Adviser and/or its related companies may pay the Intermediary for the sale of Shares and related services. 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.
| 192 |
GraniteShares YIELDBOOST NVDA ETF – Summary
The Fund’s primary investment objective is to achieve 2 times (200%) the income generated from selling options on NVIDIA Corporation’s common stock (NASDAQ: NVDA) (the “Underlying Stock”) by selling options on leveraged exchange-traded funds designed to deliver 2 times (200%) the daily performance of the Underlying Stock (the “Underlying Leveraged ETF”). The Fund’s secondary investment objective is to gain exposure to the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, subject to a cap on potential investment gains. A downside protection may be implemented which could affect the net income level.
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). The fees are expressed as a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets. Investors may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and example below.
| Management Fee | 0.99 | % | ||
|
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) | ||||
| Management Fee | % | |||
| Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees | % | |||
| Other Expenses | % | |||
| Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses (1) | % | |||
| Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | % | |||
| Fee Waiver/Reimbursements (2) | - |
% | ||
| Net Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver/Reimbursements (1), (2) | % | |||
| (1) | |
| (2) |
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in mutual funds and other exchange-traded funds.
The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell 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 figures shown would be the same whether or not you sold your Shares at the end of each period.
Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years | ||||||||||
| $ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||
| 193 |
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 annual fund operating
expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most
recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was
The Fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to pay weekly distributions by selling put options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF, which provides exposure to 2 times the daily performance of the Underlying Stock. It is expected that the implied volatility on the Underlying Leveraged ETF to be twice the level of the Underlying Stock’s implied volatility and selling options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF to generate, over the same time horizon and for the same strike levels, twice the premium generated by selling options on the Underlying Stock. The premium received by the Fund from selling options will be distributed at least partially before the maturity of the options. This allows the Fund to make distributions on a weekly basis even if the options sold have longer maturity (such as monthly maturity for instance). This approach may result in the distributions being treated fiscally as return of capital (see “Distribution Risk” under the section “Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund”). There is no guarantee that the Fund will generate twice the level of premium that would be generated by selling options on the Underlying Stock.
The Fund is subject to the losses from the Underlying Leveraged ETF, which would likely be 2 times the losses compared to the Underlying Stock. In case a Put Spread Strategy (as defined under the section “The Fund’s Use of the Underlying Leveraged ETF Derivatives Contracts”) is implemented, the Fund may benefit from a limited downside protection against a negative price variation in the Underlying Leveraged ETF. Such protection will negatively affect the Fund’s overall income level. A put spread strategy with a narrow spread (the difference between the strikes of the put option sold and put option bought) may provide better protection but will have a higher negative impact on the Fund’s income level. A put spread strategy with a large spread will provide a lower protection but may have less negative impact on the Fund’s income level.
The Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in derivatives contracts that utilize the Underlying Leveraged ETF as their reference asset. For purposes of compliance with this investment policy, derivative contracts will be valued at their notional value.
For more information, see section “The Fund’s Use of the Underlying Leveraged ETF Derivatives Contracts” below.
The Fund’s cash balance may be invested in the following instruments: (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; (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 as collateral for the Fund’s swap agreements; (5) repurchase transactions, which are transactions under which the purchaser (i.e., the Fund) acquires securities and the seller agrees, at the time of the sale, to repurchase the securities at a mutually agreed-upon time and price, thereby determining the yield during the purchaser’s holding period, and/or; (6) US large cap equities listed on a national security exchange, sovereign fixed income securities with a credit rating at least equal to the United States Federal Government, or corporate debt securities, such as commercial paper and other short-term unsecured promissory notes issued by businesses that are rated investment grade for the purposes of entering into swap agreements with the Fund’s swap counterparties. The Fund may enter into such swap agreements to improve its operational efficiency.
The Fund is classified as “non-diversified” under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”).
The Fund will be subject to regulatory constraints relating to the level of value at risk that the Fund may incur through its derivatives 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 and the Fund may not achieve its investment objective.
The Fund’s investment objective has not been adopted as a fundamental investment policy and therefore the Fund’s investment objective along with its respective 80% investment policy may be changed without the consent of that Fund’s shareholders upon approval by the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of GraniteShares ETF Trust (the “Trust”) and 60 days’ written notice to shareholders.
There is no guarantee that the Fund’s investment strategy will be properly implemented or that the Fund will pay weekly distributions, and an investor may lose some or all of its investment. Even when the Fund makes a distribution it could be fiscally treated as return of capital (see “Distribution Risk” under the section “Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund”).
An Investment in the Fund is not an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF
| - | The Fund’s strategy will cap its potential gain to the premium received from selling options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF, | |
| - | The Fund’s strategy is exposed to all potential losses if the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share declines, subject to a potential downside protection if a Put Spread Strategy is used (as defined in ten next section). The potential losses may not be offset by the premium received by the Fund, | |
| - | The Fund does not invest directly in the Underlying Leveraged ETF, | |
| - | Fund shareholders are not entitled to any distribution paid by Underlying Leveraged ETF. |
Additional information regarding the Underlying Leveraged ETF is set forth below.
The Fund’s Use of the Underlying Leveraged ETF Derivatives Contracts
| - | Put Spread Strategy: The Fund will enter in put spread options contracts, either directly or through swap contracts, on the Underlying Leveraged ETF and for which the Fund will receive a net premium. A put spread consists of selling a put option contract while buying a put option contract with the same maturity but a lower strike price. The Fund’s protection against a potential decrease in the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF only applies if it falls below the strike price of the option contract bought by the Fund. Buying a put option contract results in a cost that negatively affects the Fund’s income level. It is unlikely for a put spread strategy to generate twice the level of income that would be obtained by selling options on the Underlying Stock directly. The put options contracts sold by the Fund may vary in regard to their strike price from 0 to 15% above the then-current price of the Leveraged ETF. The put options contracts bought by the Fund will have a lower strike price, ranging from 50% out-of-the-money to at-the-money. The put options sold and bought by the Fund will generally have 1- month or less expiration dates. | |
| - | Put Write Strategy: The Fund will sell put options contracts, either directly or through swap contracts, on the Underlying Leveraged ETF and for which it will receive a premium. The put options contracts sold by the Fund may vary in regard to their strike prices from 40% out-of-the-money to 15% in-the-money. The put options sold and bought by the Fund will generally have 1- month or less expiration dates. The Adviser will primarily employ this put write strategy when it believes that the share price of its Underlying Leveraged ETF is likely to rise significantly in the short term (e.g., following a substantial selloff or overall positive market news). |
| 194 |
Example 1 – Put Write Strategy - Selling In-the-money Put Option Contract with a One-month Maturity
Assume for simplicity that the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s shares are trading at $100.00 at the time the Fund sells an in-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $105.00 and a one-month maturity. The Fund receives a $5.50 premium for selling the put option contract.
| Case 1: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increases to $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.50 premium received. | |
| Case 2: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increase exceeded $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.50 premium received but would not participate in any of the additional upside. | |
| Case 3: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops to $99.50 before expiration. | The $5.50 premium received is equal to the drop in price in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price, resulting in a return of zero. | |
| Case 4: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $99.50, that is the strike price ($105.00) reduced by the premium received ($5.50). | The Fund would lose money and be exposed to the drop in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price. |
Example 2 – Put Write Strategy - Selling Out-of-the-money Put Options Contracts with a One-week Maturity
Assume for simplicity that the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s shares are trading at $100.00 at the time the Fund sells an out-of-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $95.00 and a one-week maturity. The Fund receives a $0.50 premium for selling the put option contract.
| Case 1: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increases above $100.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $0.50 premium received but would not participate in the increased in the Underlying Leveraged ETFs’ share price. | |
| Case 2: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $94.50, that is the strike price ($95.00) reduced by the premium received ($0.50). | The Fund would lose money and be exposed to the drop in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price. |
Example 3 – Put Spread Strategy - Selling At-the-money Put Options Contracts and buy an Out-of-the-money Put Options Contracts with both with a One-month Maturity
Assume for simplicity that the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s shares are trading at $100.00 at the time the Fund sells an in-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $105.00 and buy an out-of-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $95.00 both with a one-month maturity. The Fund receives a $5.50 premium for selling the put option contract and pays $0.50 premium for buying the put option contract. Hence the Fund receives a $5.00 net premium.
| Case 1: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increases to $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.00 net premium received. | |
| Case 2: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increase exceeded $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.00 net premium received but would not participate in any of the additional upside. | |
| Case 3: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $100.00, that is the strike price of the option sold ($105.00) reduced by the net premium received ($5.00) but remains above $95.00 before expiration. | The Fund would lose up to $5.00, which is the difference between the 2 strike levels reduced by the net premium received | |
| Case 4: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $95.00 | The Fund would lose $5.00, which is the difference between the 2 strike levels reduced by the net premium received. |
The comparison between the Put Write Strategy in Example 1 and the Put Spread Strategy in Example 3, shows that the Put Spread Strategy has a narrower range of outcomes. It has limited participation in a potential increase or decrease in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price.
In examples 1 and 2, if the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s price were to drop to zero, the Fund’s NAV would be equal, before fees and costs, to the value of premium received.
| 195 |
Types of Options Contracts Used by the Fund
As part of the Fund’s strategy, the Fund may sell FLexible EXchange® (“FLEX”) put options contracts that are based on the value of the price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The Fund will only sell options contracts that are listed for trading on regulated U.S. exchanges. Traditional exchange-traded options contracts have standardized terms, such as the type (call or put), the reference asset, the strike price and expiration date. Exchange-listed options contracts are guaranteed for settlement by the Options Clearing Corporation (“OCC”). FLEX Options are a type of exchange-listed options contract with uniquely customizable terms that allow investors to customize key terms like type, strike price and expiration date that are standardized in a typical options contract. FLEX Options are also guaranteed for settlement by the OCC.
In general, an option is a contract that gives the purchaser (holder) of the option, in return for a premium, the right to buy from (call) or sell to (put) the seller (writer) of the option the security or currency underlying (in this case, the Underlying ETF) the option at a specified exercise price. The writer of an option has the obligation upon exercise of the option to deliver the underlying security or currency upon payment of the exercise price (call) or to pay the exercise price upon delivery of the underlying security or currency (put). An option is said to be “European Style” when it can be exercised only at expiration whereas an “American Style” option can be exercised at any time prior to expiration. The Fund might use either European or American style options. The Fund intends to primarily utilize European style options.
Swap agreements Used by the Fund
As part of the Fund’s strategy, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with major financial institutions that provide the same exposure as to selling put options contracts on the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The swap agreements may reference standardized exchange-traded, FLEX, European Style or American Style put options contracts that are based on the values of the price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. All put options contracts referenced in a swap agreement will be listed for trading on regulated U.S. exchanges.
The swap performance will settle in cash only irrespective of the types of the put options contracts referenced in the swap agreement.
Underlying Leveraged ETF
The Underlying Leveraged ETF seeks daily leverage investment results of 2 times (200%) the daily percentage of the Underlying Stock by entering into swap agreements on the Underlying Stock. The Underlying Leveraged ETF aims to generate 2 times the daily performance of the Underlying Stock for a single day. A “single day” is defined as being calculated “from the close of regular trading on one trading day to the close on the next trading day.”
Because of daily rebalancing and the compounding of each day’s return over time, the return of the Underlying Leveraged ETF 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 Stock over the same period. The Underlying Leveraged ETF will lose money if the Underlying Stock’s performance is flat over time, and as a result of daily rebalancing, the Underlying Stock volatility and the effects of compounding, it is even possible that the Fund will lose money over time while the Underlying Stock’s performance increases over a period longer than a single day.
| 196 |
The Fund intends to reference the following products as Underlying Leveraged ETF:
| (1) | Direxion Daily NVDA Bull 2X Shares (NASDAQ: NVDU). Investors can access information about NVDU, including its prospectus and the most recent shareholder reports, online through the SEC’s website, using Registration Statement Nos. 333-150525 and 811-22201. This information, derived from AAPU’s filings with the SEC, is essential for investors to understand NVDU’s operations, investment strategy, and financial prospects. The description of NVDU’s principal investment strategies as outlined here is directly sourced from its prospectus. | |
| (2) | REX 2X Long NVIDIA Daily Target ETF (CBOE: NVDX). Investors can access information about NVDX, including its prospectus and the most recent shareholder reports, online through the SEC’s website, using Registration Statement Nos. 333-23444 and 811-23439. This information, derived from AAPX’s filings with the SEC, is essential for investors to understand NVDX’s operations, investment strategy, and financial prospects. The description of NVDX’s principal investment strategies as outlined here is directly sourced from its prospectus. | |
| (3) | Leverage Shares 2x Long NVDA Daily ETF (NASDAQ: NVDG). Investors can access information about NVDG, including its prospectus and the most recent shareholder reports, online through the SEC’s website, using Registration Statement Nos. 333-271700 and 811-23872. This information, derived from NVDG’s filings with the SEC, is essential for investors to understand NVDG’s operations, investment strategy, and financial prospects. The description of NVDG’s principal investment strategies as outlined here is directly sourced from its prospectus. | |
| (4) | GraniteShares 2x Long NVDA Daily ETF (NASDAQ: NVDL). Investors can access information about NVDL, including its prospectus and the most recent shareholder reports, online through the SEC’s website, using Registration Statement Nos. 333-214796 and 811-2314. This information, derived from NVDL’s filings with the SEC, is essential for investors to understand NVDL’s operations, investment strategy, and financial prospects. The description of NVDL’s principal investment strategies as outlined here is directly sourced from its prospectus. |
The Fund may reference additional products as Underlying Leveraged ETF as market and liquidity develop.
Due to the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s investment exposure to the Underlying Stock, the Fund’s investment exposure is concentrated in the semiconductor industry.
This document relates only to the securities offered hereby and does not relate to the Underlying Leveraged ETF or the Underlying Stock. The Fund has derived all disclosures contained in this document regarding the Underlying Leveraged ETF from publicly available documents. NVDL is affiliated with the Fund and both funds are issued under GraniteShares ETF Trust. The Trust and the Adviser have been directly involved in the preparation of the disclosure of NVDL’s publicly available documents. In connection to NVDU, NVDX, and NVDG none of the Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates has participated in the preparation of such documents or made any due diligence inquiry with respect to either fund. None of the Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates makes any representation that such publicly available documents or any other publicly available information regarding NVDU, NVDX and NVDG 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 the Underlying Leveraged ETF have been publicly disclosed. Subsequent disclosure of any such events or the disclosure of or failure to disclose material future events concerning the Underlying Leveraged ETF could affect the value received with respect to your Shares and therefore the value of your Shares.
The Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, and their respective affiliates do not provide any representation regarding the performance of NVDU, NVDX and NVDG.
THE FUND, TRUST AND ADVISER ARE NOT AFFILIATED WITH NVDU, NVDX AND NVDG, THEIR TRUSTS, AND THEIR SERVICE PROVIDERS.
THE FUND, TRUST AND ADVISER ARE AFFILIATED WITH NVDL.
PRINCIPAL RISKS OF INVESTING IN THE FUND
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. Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its investment objectives. 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.”
| 197 |
The Underlying Leveraged ETF Risk. The Fund invests in options contracts that are based on the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF shares. This subjects the Fund to certain of the same risks as if it owned shares of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, even though it may not. By virtue of the Fund’s investments in options contracts that are based on the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF shares, the Fund may also be subject to the following risks:
Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk — The Underlying Leveraged ETF shares’ performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which is likely to differ from 200% of the Underlying Stock’s performance, before fees and expenses. Compounding has a significant impact on funds that are leveraged and that rebalance daily. The impact of compounding becomes more pronounced as volatility and holding periods increase and will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF is held and the volatility of the Underlying Stock during the shareholder’s holding period of an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF.
Leverage Risk — The Underlying Leveraged ETF 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 Underlying Leveraged ETF is exposed to the risk that a decline in the daily performance of the Underlying Stock will be magnified. This means that an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF will be reduced by an amount equal to 2% for every 1% daily decline in the Underlying Stock, not including the costs of financing leverage and other operating expenses, which would further reduce its value. The Underlying Leveraged ETF could lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event of an Underlying Stock decline of more than 50%.
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. Investing in derivatives may be considered aggressive and may expose the Underlying Leveraged ETF to greater risks, and may result in larger losses or smaller gains, than investing directly in the reference assets underlying those derivatives, which may prevent the Underlying Leveraged ETF from achieving its investment objective.
Counterparty Risk — If a counterparty is unwilling or unable to make timely payments to meet its contractual obligations or fails to return holdings that are subject to the agreement with the counterparty resulting in the Underlying Leveraged ETF losing money or not being able to meet its daily leveraged investment objective.
Industry Concentration Risk — The performance of the Underlying Stock, and consequently the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s performance, is subject to the risks of the semiconductor industry. The Underlying Stock is subject to many risks that can negatively impact its revenue and viability including, but are not limited to price volatility risk, management risk, inflation risk, global economic risk, growth risk, supply and demand risk, operations risk, regulatory risk, environmental risk, terrorism risk and the risk of natural disasters. The Underlying Stock performance may be affected by NVIDIA Corporation’s ability to identify new products, technologies or services, global competition and business conditions, its dependence on third-party product manufacturers, product defect issues, cybersecurity breaches, and customer concentration. The Underlying Stock may also be affected by risks that affect the broader technology industry, including: government regulation; dramatic and often unpredictable changes in growth rates and competition for qualified personnel; heavy dependence on patent and intellectual property rights, the loss or impairment of which may adversely affect profitability; and a small number of companies representing a large portion of the technology sector as a whole. The Fund’s daily returns may be affected by many factors but will depend on the performance and volatility of the Underlying Stock.
Indirect Investments in the Underlying Leveraged ETF – Investors in the Fund will not have rights to receive dividends or other distributions or any other rights with respect to the Underlying Leveraged ETF but will be subject to declines in the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. Although the Fund invests in the Underlying Leveraged ETF only indirectly, the Fund’s investments are subject to loss as a result of these risks.
Derivatives Risk. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds, 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, imperfect correlation with underlying investments, 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 an imperfect correlation between the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objectives. 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. In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
| 198 |
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. For the Fund, in particular, the value of the options contracts in which it invests is substantially influenced by the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. Selling put options exposes the Fund to the risk of potential loss if the market value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF falls below the strike price before the option expires. The Fund may experience substantial downside from specific option positions and certain option positions held by the Fund may expire worthless. 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 at the underlying instrument. There may at times be an imperfect correlation between the movement in values of 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, the Fund’s practice of “rolling” may cause the Fund to experience losses if the expiring contracts do not generate proceeds enough to cover the costs of entering into new options contracts. Rolling refers to the practice of closing out one options position and opening another with a different expiration date and/or a different strike price. Further, if an option is exercised, the seller (writer) of a put option is obligated to purchase the underlying asset at the strike price, which can result in significant financial and regulatory obligations for the Fund if the market value of the asset has fallen substantially. Furthermore, when the Fund seeks to trade out of puts, especially near expiration, there is an added risk that the Fund may be required to allocate resources unexpectedly to fulfill these obligations. This potential exposure to physical settlement can significantly impact the Fund’s liquidity and market exposure, particularly in volatile market conditions.
Swap Risk: Swaps are subject to tracking risk because they may not be perfect substitutes for the instruments they are intended to hedge or replace. Over the counter swaps are subject to counterparty default. Leverage inherent in derivatives will tend to magnify the Fund’s losses. The swap agreements may reference standardized exchange-traded, FLEX, European Style or American Style put options contracts that are based on the values of the price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. that generate specific risks.
Affiliated Fund Risk. In managing the Fund, the Adviser has the ability to select the Underlying Leveraged ETF and substitute the Underlying Leveraged ETF with other ETFs that it believes will achieve the Fund’s objective. The Adviser may be subject to potential conflicts of interest in selecting the Underlying Leveraged ETF and substituting the Underlying Leveraged ETF with other ETFs because the fees paid to the Adviser by some Underlying Leveraged ETF may be higher than the fees charged by other Underlying Leveraged ETF.
Counterparty Risk. The Fund is subject to counterparty risk by virtue of its investments in options contracts. Transactions in some types of derivatives, including options, are required to be centrally cleared (“cleared derivatives”). In a transaction involving cleared derivatives, the Fund’s counterparty is a clearing house rather than a bank or broker. Since the Fund is not a member of clearing houses and only members of a clearing house (“clearing members”) can participate directly in the clearing house, the Fund will hold cleared derivatives through accounts at clearing members. In cleared derivatives positions, the Fund will make payments (including margin payments) to and receive payments from a clearing house through their accounts at clearing members. Customer funds held at a clearing organization in connection with any options contracts are held in a commingled omnibus account and are not identified to the name of the clearing member’s individual customers. As a result, assets deposited by the Fund with any clearing member as margin for options may, in certain circumstances, be used to satisfy losses of other clients of the Fund’s clearing member. In addition, although clearing members guarantee performance of their clients’ obligations to the clearing house, there is a risk that the assets of the Fund might not be fully protected in the event of the clearing member’s bankruptcy, as the Fund would be limited to recovering only a pro rata share of all available funds segregated on behalf of the clearing member’s customers for the relevant account class. The Fund is also subject to the risk that a limited number of clearing members are willing to transact on the Fund’s behalf, which heightens the risks associated with a clearing member’s default. If a clearing member defaults the Fund could lose some or all of the benefits of a transaction entered into by the Fund with the clearing member. If the Fund cannot find a clearing member to transact with on the Fund’s behalf, the Fund may be unable to effectively implement its investment strategy.
In addition, a counterparty (the other party to a transaction or an agreement or the party with whom the Fund executes transactions) to a transaction (including repurchase transaction) with the Fund may be unable or unwilling to make timely principal, interest or settlement payments, or otherwise honor its obligations.
Price Participation Risk. The Fund employs an investment strategy that includes the sale of in-the-money put options contracts, which limits the degree to which the Fund will participate in increases in value experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF over the Call Period. This means that if the Underlying Leveraged ETF experiences an increase in value above the strike price of the sold put options during a Call Period, the Fund will likely not experience that increase to the same extent and may significantly underperform the Underlying Leveraged ETF over the Call Period. Additionally, because the Fund is limited in the degree to which it will participate in increases in value experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF over each Call Period, but has full exposure to any decreases in value experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF over the Call Period, the NAV of the Fund may decrease over any given time period. The Fund’s NAV is dependent on the value of each options portfolio, which is based principally upon the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The degree of participation in the Underlying Leveraged ETF gains the Fund will experience will depend on prevailing market conditions, especially market volatility, at the time the Fund enters into the sold put options contracts and will vary from Call Period to Call Period. The value of the options contracts is affected by changes in the value and dividend rates of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, changes in interest rates, changes in the actual or perceived volatility of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and the remaining time to the options’ expiration, as well as trading conditions in the options market. As the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF share changes and time moves towards the expiration of each Call Period, the value of the options contracts, and therefore the Fund’s NAV, will change. However, it is not expected for the Fund’s NAV to directly correlate on a day-to-day basis with the returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price. The amount of time remaining until the options contract’s expiration date affects the impact of the potential options contract income on the Fund’s NAV, which may not be in full effect until the expiration date of the Fund’s options contracts. Therefore, while changes in the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF share will result in changes to the Fund’s NAV, the Fund generally anticipates that the rate of change in the Fund’s NAV will be different than that experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price.
| 199 |
Distribution Risk. As part of the Fund’s investment objective, the Fund seeks to provide current weekly income. There is no assurance that the Fund will make a distribution in any given month. If the Fund makes distributions, the amounts of such distributions will likely vary greatly from one distribution to the next. Additionally, the weekly distributions, if any, may consist of returns of capital, which would decrease the Fund’s NAV and trading price over time. As a result, an investor may suffer significant losses to their investment.
Put Writing Strategy Risk. The path dependency (i.e., the continued use) of the Fund’s put writing strategy will impact the extent that the Fund participates in the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and, in turn, the Fund’s returns, both during the term of the sold put options and over longer time periods.
If, for example, the Fund were to sell 10% in-the-money put options having a one-month term, the Fund’s participation in the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF will be capped at 10% for that month. However, over a longer period (e.g., a three-month period), the Fund should not be expected to participate fully in the first 30% (i.e., 3 months x 10%) of the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, or the Fund may even lose money, even if the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price has appreciated by at least that much over such period, if during any particular month or months over that period the Underlying Leveraged ETF had a return less than 10%. This example illustrates that both the Fund’s participation in the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and its returns will depend not only on the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF but also on the path that the Underlying Leveraged ETF takes over time.
If, for example, the Fund were to sell 5% out-of-the-money put options having a one-week term, the Fund’s downward protection against the negative price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF will be capped at 5% for that week. However, over a longer period (e.g., a four-week period), the Fund should not be expected to be protected fully in the first 25% (i.e., 4 weeks x 5%) of the negative price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, and the Fund may lose money, even if the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price has appreciated over such period, if during any particular week or weeks over that period the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price had decreases by more than 5%. This example illustrates that both the Fund’s protection against the negative price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and its returns will depend not only on the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF but also on the path that the Underlying Leveraged ETF takes over time.
Under both cases the Fund may be fully exposed to the downward movements of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, offset only by the premiums received from selling put contracts. The Fund does not seek to offer any downside protection, except for the fact that the premiums from the sold options may offset some or all of the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s decline.
Put Spread Strategy Risk. Similarly to a put writing strategy (see relevant risk factor), a put spread strategy will subject the Fund’s performance to path dependency.
Option Market Liquidity Risk. The trading activity in the option market of the Underlying Leveraged ETF may be limited and the option contracts may trade at levels significantly different from their economic value. The lack of liquidity may negatively affect the ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective. This risk may increase if the portfolio turnover is elevated, for instance because of frequent changes in the number of Shares outstanding, and if the net asset value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF is modest. For the 12-month period ending July 31, 2025, the net asset value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF ranged from $0.75m to $6,697m.
Concentration Risk. To the extent that the Underlying Leveraged ETF concentrates its investments in a particular industry, the Fund will be subject to the risks associated with that industry.
| 200 |
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 currently expects to effect a significant portion of its creations and redemptions for cash, rather than in-kind securities. Paying redemption proceeds in cash rather than through in-kind delivery of portfolio securities may require the Fund to dispose of or sell portfolio securities or other assets at an inopportune time to obtain the cash needed to meet redemption orders. This may cause the Fund to sell a security and recognize a capital gain or loss that might not have been incurred if it had made a redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher or lower annual capital gains distributions than ETFs that redeem in-kind. The use of cash creations and redemptions may also cause the Fund’s Shares to trade in the market at greater bid-ask spreads or greater premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV. Furthermore, the Fund may not be able to execute cash transactions for creation and redemption purposes at the same price used to determine the Fund’s NAV. To the extent that the maximum additional charge for creation or redemption transactions is insufficient to cover the execution shortfall, the Fund’s performance could be negatively impacted.
Costs of Buying or Selling Shares. Due to the costs of buying or selling Shares, including brokerage commissions imposed by brokers and bid-ask spreads, frequent trading of Shares may significantly 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 Nasdaq Stock Market, LLC (the “Exchange”), and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for the Shares will develop or be maintained or that the Shares will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. This risk may be greater for the Fund as it seeks to have exposure to a single underlying stock as opposed to a more diverse portfolio like a traditional pooled investment. 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. Shares trade on the Exchange at a market price that may be below, at or above the Fund’s NAV. Trading in Shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in Shares on the Exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to the Exchange “circuit breaker” rules. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged. In the event of an unscheduled market close for options contracts that reference a single stock, such as the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s securities being halted or a market wide closure, settlement prices will be determined by the procedures of the listing exchange of the options contracts. As a result, the Fund could be adversely affected and be unable to implement its investment strategies in the event of an unscheduled closing.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk. The Fund may actively and frequently trade all or a significant portion of the Fund’s holdings. A high portfolio turnover rate increases transaction costs, which may increase the Fund’s expenses. Frequent trading may also cause adverse tax consequences for investors in the Fund due to an increase in short-term capital gains.
Inflation Risk. Inflation risk is the risk that the value of assets or income from investments will be less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money. As inflation increases, the present value of the Fund’s assets and distributions, if any, may decline.
| 201 |
Liquidity Risk. Some securities held by the Fund, including options contracts, may be difficult to sell or be illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. This risk is greater for the Fund as it will hold options contracts on a single security, and not a broader range of options contracts. 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, such as market rules related to short sales, may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Underlying Leveraged ETF. 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.
Management Risk. The Fund is subject to management risk because it is an actively managed portfolio. In managing the Fund’s investment portfolio, the portfolio managers will apply investment techniques and risk analyses that may not produce the desired result. There can be no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective.
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, including money market funds, may lose money through fees or other means.
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.
Operational Risk. The Fund is subject to risks arising from various operational factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund relies on third-parties for a range of services, including custody. Any delay or failure relating to engaging or maintaining such service providers may affect the Fund’s ability to meet its investment objective. Although the Fund, Adviser, and Sub-Adviser seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures, there is no way to completely protect against such risks.
Recent Market Events Risk. U.S. and international markets have experienced significant periods of volatility in recent years and months due to a number of economic, political and global macro factors including the impact of COVID-19 as a global pandemic, which has resulted in a public health crisis, disruptions to business operations and supply chains, stress on the global healthcare system, growth concerns in the U.S. and overseas, staffing shortages and the inability to meet consumer demand, and widespread concern and uncertainty. The global recovery from COVID-19 is proceeding at slower than expected rates due to the emergence of variant strains and may last for an extended period of time. Continuing uncertainties regarding interest rates, rising inflation, political events, rising government debt in the U.S. and trade tensions also contribute to market volatility. Conflict, loss of life and disaster connected to ongoing armed conflict between Ukraine and Russia in Europe and Israel and Hamas in the Middle East could have severe adverse effects on the region, including significant adverse effects on the regional or global economies and the markets for certain securities. The U.S. and the European Union have imposed sanctions on certain Russian individuals and companies, including certain financial institutions, and have limited certain exports and imports to and from Russia. The war has contributed to recent market volatility and may continue to do so. U.S. trade disputes or other disputes with specific countries that could result in additional tariffs, trade barriers and/or investment restrictions in certain securities in those countries.
Single Issuer Risk. Issuer-specific attributes may cause an investment in the Fund to be more volatile than a traditional pooled investment vehicle which diversifies risk or the market generally. The value of the Fund, which focuses on an individual security (the Underlying Leveraged ETF), 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.
Tax Risk. The Fund intends to elect and to qualify each year to be treated as a RIC under Subchapter M of the 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 the derivatives it holds is never 25% of the total value of Fund assets at the close of any quarter. If the Fund’s investments in the derivatives 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. In addition, distributions received by the Fund from the Underlying Leveraged ETF may generate “bad income” that could prevent the Fund from meeting the “Income Requirement” of Subchapter M of the Code, which may cause the Fund to fail to qualify as a RIC.
| 202 |
Investing in U.S. Equities Risk. Investing in U.S. issuers subjects the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency, security, and economic risks that are specific to the U.S. Certain changes in the U.S., such as a weakening of the U.S. economy or a decline in its financial markets, may have an adverse effect on U.S. issuers.
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.
Fixed Income Securities Risk. The market value of Fixed Income Securities will change in response to interest rate changes and other factors, such as changes in the effective maturities and credit ratings of fixed income investments. During periods of falling interest rates, the values of outstanding Fixed Income Securities and related financial instruments generally rise. Conversely, during periods of rising interest rates, the values of such securities and related financial instruments generally decline. Fixed Income Securities are also subject to credit risk.
Investments in Fixed Income Securities may also involve the following risks, depending on the instrument involved:
| - | Asset-Backed/Mortgage-Backed Securities Risk – The market value and yield of asset-backed and mortgage-backed securities can vary due to market interest rate fluctuations and early prepayments of underlying instruments. | |
| - | Credit Risk – An investment in the Fund also involves the risk that the issuer of a Fixed Income Security that the Fund holds will fail to make timely payments of interest or principal or go bankrupt, or that the value of the securities will decline because of a market perception that the issuer may not make payments on time, thus potentially reducing the Fund’s return. | |
| - | Event Risk – Event risk is the risk that corporate issuers may undergo restructurings, such as mergers, leveraged buyouts, takeovers, or similar events financed by increased debt. As a result of the added debt, the credit quality and market value of a company’s bonds and/or other debt securities may decline significantly. | |
| - | Extension Risk – Payment on the loans underlying Fixed Income Securities held by the Fund may be made more slowly when interest rates are rising. | |
| - | Interest Rate Risk – Generally, the value of Fixed Income Securities will change inversely with changes in interest rates. As interest rates rise, the market value of Fixed Income Securities tends to decrease. Conversely, as interest rates fall, the market value of Fixed Income Securities tends to increase. This risk will be greater for long-term securities than for short-term securities. In recent periods, governmental financial regulators, including the U.S. Federal Reserve, have taken steps to maintain historically low interest rates. Very low or negative interest rates may magnify interest rate risk. Changes in government intervention may have adverse effects on investments, volatility, and illiquidity in debt markets. | |
| - | Prepayment Risk – When interest rates are declining, issuers of Fixed Income Securities held by the Fund may prepay principal earlier than scheduled. |
Performance:
The Fund has not yet completed a full calendar year as of the date of this
prospectus and therefore does not have a performance history for a full calendar
year. Once available, the Fund’s performance information will be accessible on
the Fund’s website at
Portfolio Managers: Jeff Klearman and Ryan Dofflemeyer have been portfolio managers of the Fund since the Fund’s inception in 2025.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares: The Fund is an ETF. Individual Shares of the Fund may only be bought and sold in the secondary market (i.e., on a national securities exchange) through a broker-dealer at a market price. Because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than at NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (at a premium), at NAV or less than NAV (at a discount). An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares of the Fund (ask) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). The bid-ask spread varies over time for Shares based on trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the Fund’s Shares have more trading volume and market liquidity and higher if the Fund’s Shares have little trading volume and market liquidity. Recent information regarding the Fund, including its NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid/ask spreads, is available on the Fund’s website at www.graniteshares.com.
Tax Information: The Fund’s distributions will be taxable to you, generally as ordinary income unless you are invested through a tax-advantaged arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan, IRA or other tax-advantaged account; in such cases, you may be subject to tax when assets are withdrawn from such tax-advantaged arrangement. A sale of Shares may result in capital gain or loss.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries: If you purchase Shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank) (an “Intermediary”), the Adviser and/or its related companies may pay the Intermediary for the sale of Shares and related services. 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.
| 203 |
GraniteShares YIELDBOOST TSLA ETF – Summary
The Fund’s primary investment objective is to achieve 2 times (200%) the income generated from selling options on Tesla Inc.’s common stock (NASDAQ: TSLA) (the “Underlying Stock”) by selling options on leveraged exchange-traded funds designed to deliver 2 times (200%) the daily performance of the Underlying Stock (the “Underlying Leveraged ETF”). The Fund’s secondary investment objective is to gain exposure to the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, subject to a cap on potential investment gains. A downside protection may be implemented which could affect the net income level.
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). The fees are expressed as a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets. Investors may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and example below.
| Management Fee | 0.99 | % | ||
|
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) | ||||
| Management Fee | % | |||
| Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees | % | |||
| Other Expenses | % | |||
| Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses (1) | % | |||
| Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | % | |||
| Fee Waiver/Reimbursements (2) | - |
% | ||
| Net Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver/Reimbursements (1), (2) | % | |||
| (1) | |
| (2) |
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in mutual funds and other exchange-traded funds.
The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell 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 figures shown would be the same whether or not you sold your Shares at the end of each period.
Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years | ||||||||||
| $ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||
| 204 |
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 annual fund operating
expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most
recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was
The Fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to pay weekly distributions by selling put options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF, which provides exposure to 2 times the daily performance of the Underlying Stock. It is expected that the implied volatility on the Underlying Leveraged ETF to be twice the level of the Underlying Stock’s implied volatility and selling options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF to generate, over the same time horizon and for the same strike levels, twice the premium generated by selling options on the Underlying Stock. The premium received by the Fund from selling options will be distributed at least partially before the maturity of the options. This allows the Fund to make distributions on a weekly basis even if the options sold have longer maturity (such as monthly maturity for instance). This approach may result in the distributions being treated fiscally as return of capital (see “Distribution Risk” under the section “Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund”). There is no guarantee that the Fund will generate twice the level of premium that would be generated by selling options on the Underlying Stock.
The Fund is subject to the losses from the Underlying Leveraged ETF, which would likely be 2 times the losses compared to the Underlying Stock. In case a Put Spread Strategy (as defined under the section “The Fund’s Use of the Underlying Leveraged ETF Derivatives Contracts”) is implemented, the Fund may benefit from a limited downside protection against a negative price variation in the Underlying Leveraged ETF. Such protection will negatively affect the Fund’s overall income level. A put spread strategy with a narrow spread (the difference between the strikes of the put option sold and put option bought) may provide better protection but will have a higher negative impact on the Fund’s income level. A put spread strategy with a large spread will provide a lower protection but may have less negative impact on the Fund’s income level.
The Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in derivatives contracts that utilize the Underlying Leveraged ETF as their reference asset. For purposes of compliance with this investment policy, derivative contracts will be valued at their notional value.
For more information, see section “The Fund’s Use of the Underlying Leveraged ETF Derivatives Contracts” below.
The Fund’s cash balance may be invested in the following instruments: (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; (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 as collateral for the Fund’s swap agreements; (5) repurchase transactions, which are transactions under which the purchaser (i.e., the Fund) acquires securities and the seller agrees, at the time of the sale, to repurchase the securities at a mutually agreed-upon time and price, thereby determining the yield during the purchaser’s holding period, and/or; (6) US large cap equities listed on a national security exchange, sovereign fixed income securities with a credit rating at least equal to the United States Federal Government, or corporate debt securities, such as commercial paper and other short-term unsecured promissory notes issued by businesses that are rated investment grade for the purposes of entering into swap agreements with the Fund’s swap counterparties.
The Fund is classified as “non-diversified” under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”).
The Fund will be subject to regulatory constraints relating to the level of value at risk that the Fund may incur through its derivatives 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 and the Fund may not achieve its investment objective.
The Fund’s investment objective has not been adopted as a fundamental investment policy and therefore the Fund’s investment objective along with its respective 80% investment policy may be changed without the consent of that Fund’s shareholders upon approval by the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of GraniteShares ETF Trust (the “Trust”) and 60 days’ written notice to shareholders. The Fund may enter into such swap agreements to improve its operational efficiency.
There is no guarantee that the Fund’s investment strategy will be properly implemented or that the Fund will pay weekly distributions, and an investor may lose some or all of its investment. Even when the Fund makes a distribution it could be fiscally treated as return of capital (see “Distribution Risk” under the section “Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund”).
An Investment in the Fund is not an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF
| - | The Fund’s strategy will cap its potential gain to the premium received from selling options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF, | |
| - | The Fund’s strategy is exposed to all potential losses if the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share declines, subject to a potential downside protection if a Put Spread Strategy is used (as defined in ten next section). The potential losses may not be offset by the premium received by the Fund, | |
| - | The Fund does not invest directly in the Underlying Leveraged ETF, | |
| - | Fund shareholders are not entitled to any distribution paid by Underlying Leveraged ETF. |
Additional information regarding the Underlying Leveraged ETF is set forth below.
The Fund’s Use of the Underlying Leveraged ETF Derivatives Contracts
| - | Put Spread Strategy: The Fund will enter in put spread options contracts, either directly or through swap contracts, on the Underlying Leveraged ETF and for which the Fund will receive a net premium. A put spread consists of selling a put option contract while buying a put option contract with the same maturity but a lower strike price. The Fund’s protection against a potential decrease in the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF only applies if it falls below the strike price of the option contract bought by the Fund. Buying a put option contract results in a cost that negatively affects the Fund’s income level. It is unlikely for a put spread strategy to generate twice the level of income that would be obtained by selling options on the Underlying Stock directly. The put options contracts sold by the Fund may vary in regard to their strike price from 0 to 15% above the then-current price of the Leveraged ETF. The put options contracts bought by the Fund will have a lower strike price, ranging from 50% out-of-the-money to at-the-money. The put options sold and bought by the Fund will generally have 1- month or less expiration dates. |
| - | Put Write Strategy: The Fund will sell put options contracts, either directly or through swap contracts, on the Underlying Leveraged ETF and for which it will receive a premium. The put options contracts sold by the Fund may vary in regard to their strike prices from 40% out-of-the-money to 15% in-the-money. The put options sold and bought by the Fund will generally have 1- month or less expiration dates. The Adviser will primarily employ this put write strategy when it believes that the share price of its Underlying Leveraged ETF is likely to rise significantly in the short term (e.g., following a substantial selloff or overall positive market news). |
| 205 |
Example 1 – Put Write Strategy - Selling In-the-money Put Option Contract with a One-month Maturity
Assume for simplicity that the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s shares are trading at $100.00 at the time the Fund sells an in-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $105.00 and a one-month maturity. The Fund receives a $5.50 premium for selling the put option contract.
| Case 1: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increases to $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.50 premium received. | |
| Case 2: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increase exceeded $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.50 premium received but would not participate in any of the additional upside. | |
| Case 3: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops to $99.50 before expiration. | The $5.50 premium received is equal to the drop in price in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price, resulting in a return of zero. | |
| Case 4: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $99.50, that is the strike price ($105.00) reduced by the premium received ($5.50). | The Fund would lose money and be exposed to the drop in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price. |
Example 2 – Put Write Strategy - Selling Out-of-the-money Put Options Contracts with a One-week Maturity
Assume for simplicity that the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s shares are trading at $100.00 at the time the Fund sells an out-of-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $95.00 and a one-week maturity. The Fund receives a $0.50 premium for selling the put option contract.
| Case 1: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increases above $100.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $0.50 premium received but would not participate in the increased in the Underlying Leveraged ETFs’ share price. | |
| Case 2: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $94.50, that is the strike price ($95.00) reduced by the premium received ($0.50). | The Fund would lose money and be exposed to the drop in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price. |
Example 3 – Put Spread Strategy - Selling At-the-money Put Options Contracts and buy an Out-of-the-money Put Options Contracts with both with a One-month Maturity
Assume for simplicity that the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s shares are trading at $100.00 at the time the Fund sells an in-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $105.00 and buy an out-of-the-money put option contract with a strike price of $95.00 both with a one-month maturity. The Fund receives a $5.50 premium for selling the put option contract and pays $0.50 premium for buying the put option contract. Hence the Fund receives a $5.00 net premium.
| Case 1: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increases to $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.00 net premium received. | |
| Case 2: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price increase exceeded $105.00 before expiration. | The Fund would keep the $5.00 net premium received but would not participate in any of the additional upside. | |
| Case 3: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $100.00, that is the strike price of the option sold ($105.00) reduced by the net premium received ($5.00) but remains above $95.00 before expiration. | The Fund would lose up to $5.00, which is the difference between the 2 strike levels reduced by the net premium received | |
| Case 4: the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price drops below $95.00 | The Fund would lose $5.00, which is the difference between the 2 strike levels reduced by the net premium received. |
The comparison between the Put Write Strategy in Example 1 and the Put Spread Strategy in Example 3, shows that the Put Spread Strategy has a narrower range of outcomes. It has limited participation in a potential increase or decrease in the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share price.
In examples 1 and 2, if the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s price were to drop to zero, the Fund’s NAV would be equal, before fees and costs, to the value of premium received.
| 206 |
Types of Options Contracts Used by the Fund
As part of the Fund’s strategy, the Fund may sell FLexible EXchange® (“FLEX”) put options contracts that are based on the value of the price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The Fund will only sell options contracts that are listed for trading on regulated U.S. exchanges. Traditional exchange-traded options contracts have standardized terms, such as the type (call or put), the reference asset, the strike price and expiration date. Exchange-listed options contracts are guaranteed for settlement by the Options Clearing Corporation (“OCC”). FLEX Options are a type of exchange-listed options contract with uniquely customizable terms that allow investors to customize key terms like type, strike price and expiration date that are standardized in a typical options contract. FLEX Options are also guaranteed for settlement by the OCC.
In general, an option is a contract that gives the purchaser (holder) of the option, in return for a premium, the right to buy from (call) or sell to (put) the seller (writer) of the option the security or currency underlying (in this case, the Underlying Leveraged ETF) the option at a specified exercise price. The writer of an option has the obligation upon exercise of the option to deliver the underlying security or currency upon payment of the exercise price (call) or to pay the exercise price upon delivery of the underlying security or currency (put). An option is said to be “European Style” when it can be exercised only at expiration whereas an “American Style” option can be exercised at any time prior to expiration. The Fund might use either European or American style options. The Fund intends to primarily utilize European style options.
Swap agreements Used by the Fund
As part of the Fund’s strategy, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with major financial institutions that provide the same exposure as to selling put options contracts on the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The swap agreements may reference standardized exchange-traded, FLEX, European Style or American Style put options contracts that are based on the values of the price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. All put options contracts referenced in a swap agreement will be listed for trading on regulated U.S. exchanges.
The swap performance will settle in cash only irrespective of the types of the put options contracts referenced in the swap agreement.
Underlying Leveraged ETF
The Underlying Leveraged ETF seeks daily leverage investment results of 2 times (200%) the daily percentage of the Underlying Stock by entering into swap agreements on the Underlying Stock. The Underlying Leveraged ETF aims to generate 2 times the daily performance of the Underlying Stock for a single day. A “single day” is defined as being calculated “from the close of regular trading on one trading day to the close on the next trading day.”
Because of daily rebalancing and the compounding of each day’s return over time, the return of the Underlying Leveraged ETF 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 Stock over the same period. The Underlying Leveraged ETF will lose money if the Underlying Stock’s performance is flat over time, and as a result of daily rebalancing, the Underlying Stock volatility and the effects of compounding, it is even possible that the Fund will lose money over time while the Underlying Stock’s performance increases over a period longer than a single day.
| 207 |
The Fund intends to reference the following products as Underlying Leveraged ETF:
| (1) | Direxion Daily TSLA Bull 2X Shares (NASDAQ: TSLL). Investors can access information about TSLL, including its prospectus and the most recent shareholder reports, online through the SEC’s website, using Registration Statement Nos. 333-150525 and 811-22201. This information, derived from TSLL’s filings with the SEC, is essential for investors to understand TSLL’s operations, investment strategy, and financial prospects. The description of TSLL’s principal investment strategies as outlined here is directly sourced from its prospectus. | |
| (2) | REX 2X Long Tesla Daily Target ETF (NASDAQ: TSLT). Investors can access information about TSLT, including its prospectus and the most recent shareholder reports, online through the SEC’s website, using Registration Statement Nos. 333-23444 and 811-23439. This information, derived from TSLT’s filings with the SEC, is essential for investors to understand TSLT’s operations, investment strategy, and financial prospects. The description of TSLT’s principal investment strategies as outlined here is directly sourced from its prospectus. | |
| (3) | Leverage Shares 2x Long TSLA Daily ETF (NASDAQ: TSLG). Investors can access information about TSLG, including its prospectus and the most recent shareholder reports, online through the SEC’s website, using Registration Statement Nos. 333-271700 and 811-23872. This information, derived from TSLG’s filings with the SEC, is essential for investors to understand TSLG’s operations, investment strategy, and financial prospects. The description of TSLG’s principal investment strategies as outlined here is directly sourced from its prospectus. | |
| (4) | GraniteShares 2x Long TSLA Daily ETF (NASDAQ: TSLR). Investors can access information about TSLR, including its prospectus and the most recent shareholder reports, online through the SEC’s website, using Registration Statement Nos. 333-214796 and 811-2314. This information, derived from TSLR’s filings with the SEC, is essential for investors to understand TSLR’s operations, investment strategy, and financial prospects. The description of TSLR’s principal investment strategies as outlined here is directly sourced from its prospectus. |
The Fund may reference additional products as Underlying Leveraged ETF as market and liquidity develop.
Due to the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s investment exposure to the Underlying Stock, the Fund’s investment exposure is concentrated in the automotive industry.
This document relates only to the securities offered hereby and does not relate to the Underlying Leveraged ETF or the Underlying Stock.
This document relates only to the securities offered hereby and does not relate to the Underlying Leveraged ETF or the Underlying Stock. The Fund has derived all disclosures contained in this document regarding the Underlying Leveraged ETF from publicly available documents. TSLR is affiliated with the Fund and both funds are issued under GraniteShares ETF Trust. The Trust and the Adviser have been directly involved in the preparation of the disclosure of TSLR’s publicly available documents. In connection to TSLL, TSLT and TSLG, none of the Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates has participated in the preparation of such documents or made any due diligence inquiry with respect to either fund. None of the Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates makes any representation that such publicly available documents or any other publicly available information regarding TSLL, TSLT, and TSLG 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 the Underlying Leveraged ETF have been publicly disclosed. Subsequent disclosure of any such events or the disclosure of or failure to disclose material future events concerning the Underlying Leveraged ETF could affect the value received with respect to your Shares and therefore the value of your Shares.
The Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, and their respective affiliates do not provide any representation regarding the performance of TSLL, TSLT and TSLG.
THE FUND, TRUST AND ADVISER ARE NOT AFFILIATED WITH TSLL, TSLT AND TSLG, THEIR TRUSTS, AND THEIR SERVICE PROVIDERS.
THE FUND, TRUST AND ADVISER ARE AFFILIATED WITH TSLR.
PRINCIPAL RISKS OF INVESTING IN THE FUND
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. Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its investment objectives. 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.”
| 208 |
The Underlying Leveraged ETF Risk. The Fund invests in options contracts that are based on the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF shares. This subjects the Fund to certain of the same risks as if it owned shares of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, even though it may not. By virtue of the Fund’s investments in options contracts that are based on the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF shares, the Fund may also be subject to the following risks:
Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk — The Underlying Leveraged ETF shares’ performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which is likely to differ from 200% of the Underlying Stock’s performance, before fees and expenses. Compounding has a significant impact on funds that are leveraged and that rebalance daily. The impact of compounding becomes more pronounced as volatility and holding periods increase and will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF is held and the volatility of the Underlying Stock during the shareholder’s holding period of an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF.
Leverage Risk — The Underlying Leveraged ETF 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 Underlying Leveraged ETF is exposed to the risk that a decline in the daily performance of the Underlying Stock will be magnified. This means that an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF will be reduced by an amount equal to 2% for every 1% daily decline in the Underlying Stock, not including the costs of financing leverage and other operating expenses, which would further reduce its value. The Underlying Leveraged ETF could lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event of an Underlying Stock decline of more than 50%.
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. Investing in derivatives may be considered aggressive and may expose the Underlying Leveraged ETF to greater risks, and may result in larger losses or smaller gains, than investing directly in the reference assets underlying those derivatives, which may prevent the Underlying Leveraged ETF from achieving its investment objective.
Counterparty Risk — If a counterparty is unwilling or unable to make timely payments to meet its contractual obligations or fails to return holdings that are subject to the agreement with the counterparty resulting in the Underlying Leveraged ETF losing money or not being able to meet its daily leveraged investment objective.
Industry Concentration Risk — The performance of the Underlying Stock, and consequently the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s performance, is subject to risks of the automotive industry. The Underlying Stock is subject to many risks that can negatively impact its revenue and viability including, but are not limited to price volatility risk, management risk, inflation risk, global economic risk, growth risk, supply and demand risk, operations risk, regulatory risk, environmental risk, terrorism risk and the risk of natural disasters. The Underlying Stock performance may be affected by company’s ability to develop and launch new products, the growth of its sales and delivery capabilities, part supplier constraints or delays, consumer demand for electric vehicles and competition from existing and competitors. Governmental policies affecting the automotive industry, such as taxes, tariffs, duties, subsidies, and import and export restrictions on automotive products can influence industry profitability. In addition, such companies must comply with environmental laws and regulations, for which there may be severe consequences for non-compliance. The Fund’s daily returns may be affected by many factors but will depend on the performance and volatility of the Underlying Stock.
Indirect Investments in the Underlying Leveraged ETF – Investors in the Fund will not have rights to receive dividends or other distributions or any other rights with respect to the Underlying Leveraged ETF but will be subject to declines in the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. Although the Fund invests in the Underlying Leveraged ETF only indirectly, the Fund’s investments are subject to loss as a result of these risks.
Derivatives Risk. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds, 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, imperfect correlation with underlying investments, 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 an imperfect correlation between the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objectives. 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. In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
| 209 |
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. For the Fund, in particular, the value of the options contracts in which it invests is substantially influenced by the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. Selling put options exposes the Fund to the risk of potential loss if the market value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF falls below the strike price before the option expires. The Fund may experience substantial downside from specific option positions and certain option positions held by the Fund may expire worthless. 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 at the underlying instrument. There may at times be an imperfect correlation between the movement in values of 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, the Fund’s practice of “rolling” may cause the Fund to experience losses if the expiring contracts do not generate proceeds enough to cover the costs of entering into new options contracts. Rolling refers to the practice of closing out one options position and opening another with a different expiration date and/or a different strike price. Further, if an option is exercised, the seller (writer) of a put option is obligated to purchase the underlying asset at the strike price, which can result in significant financial and regulatory obligations for the Fund if the market value of the asset has fallen substantially. Furthermore, when the Fund seeks to trade out of puts, especially near expiration, there is an added risk that the Fund may be required to allocate resources unexpectedly to fulfill these obligations. This potential exposure to physical settlement can significantly impact the Fund’s liquidity and market exposure, particularly in volatile market conditions.
Swap Risk: Swaps are subject to tracking risk because they may not be perfect substitutes for the instruments they are intended to hedge or replace. Over the counter swaps are subject to counterparty default. Leverage inherent in derivatives will tend to magnify the Fund’s losses. The swap agreements may reference standardized exchange-traded, FLEX, European Style or American Style put options contracts that are based on the values of the price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. that generate specific risks.
Affiliated Fund Risk. In managing the Fund, the Adviser has the ability to select the Underlying Leveraged ETF and substitute the Underlying Leveraged ETF with other ETFs that it believes will achieve the Fund’s objective. The Adviser may be subject to potential conflicts of interest in selecting the Underlying Leveraged ETF and substituting the Underlying Leveraged ETF with other ETFs because the fees paid to the Adviser by some Underlying Leveraged ETF may be higher than the fees charged by other Underlying Leveraged ETF.
Counterparty Risk. The Fund is subject to counterparty risk by virtue of its investments in options contracts. Transactions in some types of derivatives, including options, are required to be centrally cleared (“cleared derivatives”). In a transaction involving cleared derivatives, the Fund’s counterparty is a clearing house rather than a bank or broker. Since the Fund is not a member of clearing houses and only members of a clearing house (“clearing members”) can participate directly in the clearing house, the Fund will hold cleared derivatives through accounts at clearing members. In cleared derivatives positions, the Fund will make payments (including margin payments) to and receive payments from a clearing house through their accounts at clearing members. Customer funds held at a clearing organization in connection with any options contracts are held in a commingled omnibus account and are not identified to the name of the clearing member’s individual customers. As a result, assets deposited by the Fund with any clearing member as margin for options may, in certain circumstances, be used to satisfy losses of other clients of the Fund’s clearing member. In addition, although clearing members guarantee performance of their clients’ obligations to the clearing house, there is a risk that the assets of the Fund might not be fully protected in the event of the clearing member’s bankruptcy, as the Fund would be limited to recovering only a pro rata share of all available funds segregated on behalf of the clearing member’s customers for the relevant account class. The Fund is also subject to the risk that a limited number of clearing members are willing to transact on the Fund’s behalf, which heightens the risks associated with a clearing member’s default. If a clearing member defaults the Fund could lose some or all of the benefits of a transaction entered into by the Fund with the clearing member. If the Fund cannot find a clearing member to transact with on the Fund’s behalf, the Fund may be unable to effectively implement its investment strategy.
In addition, a counterparty (the other party to a transaction or an agreement or the party with whom the Fund executes transactions) to a transaction (including repurchase transaction) with the Fund may be unable or unwilling to make timely principal, interest or settlement payments, or otherwise honor its obligations.
Price Participation Risk. The Fund employs an investment strategy that includes the sale of in-the-money put options contracts, which limits the degree to which the Fund will participate in increases in value experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF over the Call Period. This means that if the Underlying Leveraged ETF experiences an increase in value above the strike price of the sold put options during a Call Period, the Fund will likely not experience that increase to the same extent and may significantly underperform the Underlying Leveraged ETF over the Call Period. Additionally, because the Fund is limited in the degree to which it will participate in increases in value experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF over each Call Period, but has full exposure to any decreases in value experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF over the Call Period, the NAV of the Fund may decrease over any given time period. The Fund’s NAV is dependent on the value of each options portfolio, which is based principally upon the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The degree of participation in the Underlying Leveraged ETF gains the Fund will experience will depend on prevailing market conditions, especially market volatility, at the time the Fund enters into the sold put options contracts and will vary from Call Period to Call Period. The value of the options contracts is affected by changes in the value and dividend rates of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, changes in interest rates, changes in the actual or perceived volatility of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and the remaining time to the options’ expiration, as well as trading conditions in the options market. As the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF share changes and time moves towards the expiration of each Call Period, the value of the options contracts, and therefore the Fund’s NAV, will change. However, it is not expected for the Fund’s NAV to directly correlate on a day-to-day basis with the returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price. The amount of time remaining until the options contract’s expiration date affects the impact of the potential options contract income on the Fund’s NAV, which may not be in full effect until the expiration date of the Fund’s options contracts. Therefore, while changes in the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF share will result in changes to the Fund’s NAV, the Fund generally anticipates that the rate of change in the Fund’s NAV will be different than that experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price.
| 210 |
Distribution Risk. As part of the Fund’s investment objective, the Fund seeks to provide current weekly income. There is no assurance that the Fund will make a distribution in any given month. If the Fund makes distributions, the amounts of such distributions will likely vary greatly from one distribution to the next. Additionally, the weekly distributions, if any, may consist of returns of capital, which would decrease the Fund’s NAV and trading price over time. As a result, an investor may suffer significant losses to their investment.
Put Writing Strategy Risk. The path dependency (i.e., the continued use) of the Fund’s put writing strategy will impact the extent that the Fund participates in the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and, in turn, the Fund’s returns, both during the term of the sold put options and over longer time periods.
If, for example, the Fund were to sell 10% in-the-money put options having a one-month term, the Fund’s participation in the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF will be capped at 10% for that month. However, over a longer period (e.g., a three-month period), the Fund should not be expected to participate fully in the first 30% (i.e., 3 months x 10%) of the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, or the Fund may even lose money, even if the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price has appreciated by at least that much over such period, if during any particular month or months over that period the Underlying Leveraged ETF had a return less than 10%. This example illustrates that both the Fund’s participation in the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and its returns will depend not only on the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF but also on the path that the Underlying Leveraged ETF takes over time.
If, for example, the Fund were to sell 5% out-of-the-money put options having a one-week term, the Fund’s downward protection against the negative price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF will be capped at 5% for that week. However, over a longer period (e.g., a four-week period), the Fund should not be expected to be protected fully in the first 25% (i.e., 4 weeks x 5%) of the negative price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, and the Fund may lose money, even if the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price has appreciated over such period, if during any particular week or weeks over that period the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price had decreases by more than 5%. This example illustrates that both the Fund’s protection against the negative price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and its returns will depend not only on the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF but also on the path that the Underlying Leveraged ETF takes over time.
Under both cases the Fund may be fully exposed to the downward movements of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, offset only by the premiums received from selling put contracts. The Fund does not seek to offer any downside protection, except for the fact that the premiums from the sold options may offset some or all of the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s decline.
Put Spread Strategy Risk. Similarly to a put writing strategy (see relevant risk factor), a put spread strategy will subject the Fund’s performance to path dependency.
Option Market Liquidity Risk. The trading activity in the option market of the Underlying Leveraged ETF may be limited and the option contracts may trade at levels significantly different from their economic value. The lack of liquidity may negatively affect the ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective. This risk may increase if the portfolio turnover is elevated, for instance because of frequent changes in the number of Shares outstanding, and if the net asset value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF is modest. For the 12-month period ending July 31, 2025, the net asset value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF ranged from $0.75m to $7,353m.
Concentration Risk. To the extent that the Underlying Leveraged ETF concentrates its investments in a particular industry, the Fund will be subject to the risks associated with that industry.
| 211 |
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 currently expects to effect a significant portion of its creations and redemptions for cash, rather than in-kind securities. Paying redemption proceeds in cash rather than through in-kind delivery of portfolio securities may require the Fund to dispose of or sell portfolio securities or other assets at an inopportune time to obtain the cash needed to meet redemption orders. This may cause the Fund to sell a security and recognize a capital gain or loss that might not have been incurred if it had made a redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher or lower annual capital gains distributions than ETFs that redeem in-kind. The use of cash creations and redemptions may also cause the Fund’s Shares to trade in the market at greater bid-ask spreads or greater premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV. Furthermore, the Fund may not be able to execute cash transactions for creation and redemption purposes at the same price used to determine the Fund’s NAV. To the extent that the maximum additional charge for creation or redemption transactions is insufficient to cover the execution shortfall, the Fund’s performance could be negatively impacted.
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 Nasdaq Stock Market, LLC (the “Exchange”), and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for the Shares will develop or be maintained or that the Shares will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. This risk may be greater for the Fund as it seeks to have exposure to a single underlying stock as opposed to a more diverse portfolio like a traditional pooled investment. 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. Shares trade on the Exchange at a market price that may be below, at or above the Fund’s NAV. Trading in Shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in Shares on the Exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to the Exchange “circuit breaker” rules. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged. In the event of an unscheduled market close for options contracts that reference a single stock, such as the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s securities being halted or a market wide closure, settlement prices will be determined by the procedures of the listing exchange of the options contracts. As a result, the Fund could be adversely affected and be unable to implement its investment strategies in the event of an unscheduled closing.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk. The Fund may actively and frequently trade all or a significant portion of the Fund’s holdings. A high portfolio turnover rate increases transaction costs, which may increase the Fund’s expenses. Frequent trading may also cause adverse tax consequences for investors in the Fund due to an increase in short-term capital gains.
Inflation Risk. Inflation risk is the risk that the value of assets or income from investments will be less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money. As inflation increases, the present value of the Fund’s assets and distributions, if any, may decline.
| 212 |
Liquidity Risk. Some securities held by the Fund, including options contracts, may be difficult to sell or be illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. This risk is greater for the Fund as it will hold options contracts on a single security, and not a broader range of options contracts. 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, such as market rules related to short sales, may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Underlying Leveraged ETF. 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.
Management Risk. The Fund is subject to management risk because it is an actively managed portfolio. In managing the Fund’s investment portfolio, the portfolio managers will apply investment techniques and risk analyses that may not produce the desired result. There can be no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective.
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, including money market funds, may lose money through fees or other means.
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.
Operational Risk. The Fund is subject to risks arising from various operational factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund relies on third-parties for a range of services, including custody. Any delay or failure relating to engaging or maintaining such service providers may affect the Fund’s ability to meet its investment objective. Although the Fund, Adviser, and Sub-Adviser seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures, there is no way to completely protect against such risks.
Recent Market Events Risk. U.S. and international markets have experienced significant periods of volatility in recent years and months due to a number of economic, political and global macro factors including the impact of COVID-19 as a global pandemic, which has resulted in a public health crisis, disruptions to business operations and supply chains, stress on the global healthcare system, growth concerns in the U.S. and overseas, staffing shortages and the inability to meet consumer demand, and widespread concern and uncertainty. The global recovery from COVID-19 is proceeding at slower than expected rates due to the emergence of variant strains and may last for an extended period of time. Continuing uncertainties regarding interest rates, rising inflation, political events, rising government debt in the U.S. and trade tensions also contribute to market volatility. Conflict, loss of life and disaster connected to ongoing armed conflict between Ukraine and Russia in Europe and Israel and Hamas in the Middle East could have severe adverse effects on the region, including significant adverse effects on the regional or global economies and the markets for certain securities. The U.S. and the European Union have imposed sanctions on certain Russian individuals and companies, including certain financial institutions, and have limited certain exports and imports to and from Russia. The war has contributed to recent market volatility and may continue to do so. U.S. trade disputes or other disputes with specific countries that could result in additional tariffs, trade barriers and/or investment restrictions in certain securities in those countries.
Single Issuer Risk. Issuer-specific attributes may cause an investment in the Fund to be more volatile than a traditional pooled investment vehicle which diversifies risk or the market generally. The value of the Fund, which focuses on an individual security (the Underlying Leveraged ETF), 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.
Tax Risk. The Fund intends to elect and to qualify each year to be treated as a RIC under Subchapter M of the 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 the derivatives it holds is never 25% of the total value of Fund assets at the close of any quarter. If the Fund’s investments in the derivatives 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. In addition, distributions received by the Fund from the Underlying Leveraged ETF may generate “bad income” that could prevent the Fund from meeting the “Income Requirement” of Subchapter M of the Code, which may cause the Fund to fail to qualify as a RIC.
| 213 |
Investing in U.S. Equities Risk. Investing in U.S. issuers subjects the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency, security, and economic risks that are specific to the U.S. Certain changes in the U.S., such as a weakening of the U.S. economy or a decline in its financial markets, may have an adverse effect on U.S. issuers.
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.
Fixed Income Securities Risk. The market value of Fixed Income Securities will change in response to interest rate changes and other factors, such as changes in the effective maturities and credit ratings of fixed income investments. During periods of falling interest rates, the values of outstanding Fixed Income Securities and related financial instruments generally rise. Conversely, during periods of rising interest rates, the values of such securities and related financial instruments generally decline. Fixed Income Securities are also subject to credit risk.
Investments in Fixed Income Securities may also involve the following risks, depending on the instrument involved:
| - | Asset-Backed/Mortgage-Backed Securities Risk – The market value and yield of asset-backed and mortgage-backed securities can vary due to market interest rate fluctuations and early prepayments of underlying instruments. | |
| - | Credit Risk – An investment in the Fund also involves the risk that the issuer of a Fixed Income Security that the Fund holds will fail to make timely payments of interest or principal or go bankrupt, or that the value of the securities will decline because of a market perception that the issuer may not make payments on time, thus potentially reducing the Fund’s return. | |
| - | Event Risk – Event risk is the risk that corporate issuers may undergo restructurings, such as mergers, leveraged buyouts, takeovers, or similar events financed by increased debt. As a result of the added debt, the credit quality and market value of a company’s bonds and/or other debt securities may decline significantly. | |
| - | Extension Risk – Payment on the loans underlying Fixed Income Securities held by the Fund may be made more slowly when interest rates are rising. | |
| - | Interest Rate Risk – Generally, the value of Fixed Income Securities will change inversely with changes in interest rates. As interest rates rise, the market value of Fixed Income Securities tends to decrease. Conversely, as interest rates fall, the market value of Fixed Income Securities tends to increase. This risk will be greater for long-term securities than for short-term securities. In recent periods, governmental financial regulators, including the U.S. Federal Reserve, have taken steps to maintain historically low interest rates. Very low or negative interest rates may magnify interest rate risk. Changes in government intervention may have adverse effects on investments, volatility, and illiquidity in debt markets. | |
| - | Prepayment Risk – When interest rates are declining, issuers of Fixed Income Securities held by the Fund may prepay principal earlier than scheduled. |
Performance:
The Fund has not yet completed a full calendar year as of the date of this
prospectus and therefore does not have a performance history for a full calendar
year. Once available, the Fund’s performance information will be accessible on
the Fund’s website at
Portfolio Managers: Jeff Klearman and Ryan Dofflemeyer have been portfolio managers of the Fund since the Fund’s inception in 2024.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares: The Fund is an ETF. Individual Shares of the Fund may only be bought and sold in the secondary market (i.e., on a national securities exchange) through a broker-dealer at a market price. Because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than at NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (at a premium), at NAV or less than NAV (at a discount). An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares of the Fund (ask) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). The bid-ask spread varies over time for Shares based on trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the Fund’s Shares have more trading volume and market liquidity and higher if the Fund’s Shares have little trading volume and market liquidity. Recent information regarding the Fund, including its NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid/ask spreads, is available on the Fund’s website at www.graniteshares.com.
Tax Information: The Fund’s distributions will be taxable to you, generally as ordinary income unless you are invested through a tax-advantaged arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan, IRA or other tax-advantaged account; in such cases, you may be subject to tax when assets are withdrawn from such tax-advantaged arrangement. A sale of Shares may result in capital gain or loss.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries: If you purchase Shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank) (an “Intermediary”), the Adviser and/or its related companies may pay the Intermediary for the sale of Shares and related services. 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.
| 214 |
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE
FUNDS’ INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES, STRATEGIES AND RISKS
Investment Objective
GraniteShares YieldBOOST QQQ ETF
The Fund’s primary investment objective is to achieve 3 times (300%) the income generated from selling options on the Nasdaq-100® Index (the “Underlying Index”) by selling options on leveraged exchange-traded funds designed to deliver 3 times (300%) the daily performance of the Underlying Index (the “Underlying Leveraged ETF”). The Fund’s secondary investment objective is to gain exposure to the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, subject to a cap on potential investment gains. A downside protection may be implemented which could affect the net income level.
GraniteShares YieldBOOST SPY ETF
The Fund’s primary investment objective is to achieve 3 times (300%) the income generated from selling options on the S&P500® Index (the “Underlying Index”) by selling options on leveraged exchange-traded funds designed to deliver 3 times (300%) the daily performance of the Underlying Index (the “Underlying Leveraged ETF”). The Fund’s secondary investment objective is to gain exposure to the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, subject to a cap on potential investment gains. A downside protection may be implemented which could affect the net income level.
GraniteShares YieldBOOST Small Cap ETF
The Fund’s primary investment objective is to achieve 3 times (300%) the income generated from selling options on the Russell 2000® Index (the “Underlying Index”) by selling options on leveraged exchange-traded funds designed to deliver 3 times (300%) the daily performance of the Underlying Index (the “Underlying Leveraged ETF”). The Fund’s secondary investment objective is to gain exposure to the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, subject to a cap on potential investment gains. A downside protection may be implemented which could affect the net income level.
GraniteShares YieldBOOST Biotech ETF
The Fund’s primary investment objective is to achieve 3 times (300%) the income generated from selling options on the S&P Biotechnology Select Industry Index (the “Underlying Index”) by selling options on leveraged exchange-traded funds designed to deliver 3 times (300%) the daily performance of the Underlying Index (the “Underlying Leveraged ETF”). The Fund’s secondary investment objective is to gain exposure to the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, subject to a cap on potential investment gains. A downside protection may be implemented which could affect the net income level.
GraniteShares YieldBOOST Financials ETF
The Fund’s primary investment objective is to achieve 3 times (300%) the income generated from selling options on the Financial Select Sector Index (the “Underlying Index”) by selling options on leveraged exchange-traded funds designed to deliver 3 times (300%) the daily performance of the Underlying Index (the “Underlying Leveraged ETF”). The Fund’s secondary investment objective is to gain exposure to the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, subject to a cap on potential investment gains. A downside protection may be implemented which could affect the net income level.
GraniteShares YieldBOOST Gold Miners ETF
The Fund’s primary investment objective is to achieve 2 times (200%) the income generated from selling options on the NYSE Arca Gold Miners Index (the “Underlying Index”) by selling options on leveraged exchange-traded funds designed to deliver 2 times (200%) the daily performance of the Underlying Index (the “Underlying Leveraged ETF”). The Fund’s secondary investment objective is to gain exposure to the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, subject to a cap on potential investment gains. A downside protection may be implemented which could affect the net income level.
| 215 |
GraniteShares YieldBOOST Semiconductor ETF
The Fund’s primary investment objective is to achieve 3 times (300%) the income generated from selling options on the NYSE Semiconductor Index (the “Underlying Index”) by selling options on leveraged exchange-traded funds designed to deliver 3 times (300%) the daily performance of the Underlying Index (the “Underlying Leveraged ETF”). The Fund’s secondary investment objective is to gain exposure to the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, subject to a cap on potential investment gains. A downside protection may be implemented which could affect the net income level.
GraniteShares YieldBOOST Technology ETF
The Fund’s primary investment objective is to achieve 3 times (300%) the income generated from selling options on the Technology Select Sector Index (the “Underlying Index”) by selling options on leveraged exchange-traded funds designed to deliver 3 times (300%) the daily performance of the Underlying Index (the “Underlying Leveraged ETF”). The Fund’s secondary investment objective is to gain exposure to the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, subject to a cap on potential investment gains. A downside protection may be implemented which could affect the net income level.
GraniteShares YieldBOOST China ETF
The Fund’s primary investment objective is to achieve 3 times (300%) the income generated from selling options on the FTSE China 50 Index (the “Underlying Index”) by selling options on leveraged exchange-traded funds designed to deliver 3 times (300%) the daily performance of the Underlying Index (the “Underlying Leveraged ETF”). The Fund’s secondary investment objective is to gain exposure to the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, subject to a cap on potential investment gains. A downside protection may be implemented which could affect the net income level.
GraniteShares YieldBOOST 20Y+ Treasuries ETF
The Fund’s primary investment objective is to achieve 3 times (300%) the income generated from selling options on the ICE U.S. Treasury 20+ Year Bond Index (the “Underlying Index”) by selling options on leveraged exchange-traded funds designed to deliver 3 times (300%) the daily performance of the Underlying Index (the “Underlying Leveraged ETF”). The Fund’s secondary investment objective is to gain exposure to the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, subject to a cap on potential investment gains. A downside protection may be implemented which could affect the net income level.
GraniteShares YieldBOOST Bitcoin ETF
The Fund’s primary investment objective is to achieve 2 times (200%) the income generated from selling options on bitcoin (the “Underlying Asset”) by selling options on leveraged exchange-traded funds designed to deliver 2 times (200%) the daily performance of the Underlying Stock (the “Underlying Leveraged ETF”). The Fund’s secondary investment objective is to gain exposure to the performance Underlying Leveraged ETF, subject to a cap on potential investment gains. A downside protection may be implemented which could affect the net income level.
GraniteShares YieldBOOST AAPL ETF
The Fund’s primary investment objective is to achieve 2 times (200%) the income generated from selling options on Apple, Inc.’s common stock (NASDAQ: AAPL) (the “Underlying Stock”) by selling options on leveraged exchange-traded funds designed to deliver 2 times (200%) the daily performance of the Underlying Stock (the “Underlying Leveraged ETF”). The Fund’s secondary investment objective is to gain exposure to the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, subject to a cap on potential investment gains. A downside protection may be implemented which could affect the net income level.
| 216 |
GraniteShares YieldBOOST AMD ETF
The Fund’s primary investment objective is to achieve 2 times (200%) the income generated from selling options on Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.’s common stock (NASDAQ: AMD) (the “Underlying Stock”) by selling options on leveraged exchange-traded funds designed to deliver 2 times (200%) the daily performance of the Underlying Stock (the “Underlying Leveraged ETF”). The Fund’s secondary investment objective is to gain exposure to the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, subject to a cap on potential investment gains. A downside protection may be implemented which could affect the net income level.
GraniteShares YieldBOOST AMZN ETF
The Fund’s primary investment objective is to achieve 2 times (200%) the income generated from selling options on Amazon.com’s common stock (NASDAQ: AMZN) (the “Underlying Stock”) by selling options on leveraged exchange-traded funds designed to deliver 2 times (200%) the daily performance of the Underlying Stock (the “Underlying Leveraged ETF”). The Fund’s secondary investment objective is to gain exposure to the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, subject to a cap on potential investment gains. A downside protection may be implemented which could affect the net income level.
GraniteShares YieldBOOST BABA ETF
The Fund’s primary investment objective is to achieve 2 times (200%) the income generated from selling options on Alibaba Group Holding Limited’s ADR (NYSE: BABA) (the “Underlying Stock”) by selling options on leveraged exchange-traded funds designed to deliver 2 times (200%) the daily performance of the Underlying Stock (the “Underlying Leveraged ETF”). The Fund’s secondary investment objective is to gain exposure to the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, subject to a cap on potential investment gains. A downside protection may be implemented which could affect the net income level.
GraniteShares YieldBOOST COIN ETF
The Fund’s primary investment objective is to achieve 2 times (200%) the income generated from selling options on Coinbase Global, Inc.’s Class A common stock (NASDAQ: COIN) (the “Underlying Stock”) by selling options on leveraged exchange-traded funds designed to deliver 2 times (200%) the daily performance of the Underlying Stock (the “Underlying Leveraged ETF”). The Fund’s secondary investment objective is to gain exposure to the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, subject to a cap on potential investment gains. A downside protection may be implemented which could affect the net income level.
GraniteShares YieldBOOST META ETF
The Fund’s primary investment objective is to achieve 2 times (200%) the income generated from selling options on Meta Platforms, Inc.’s common stock Class A (NASDAQ: META) (the “Underlying Stock”) by selling options on leveraged exchange-traded funds designed to deliver 2 times (200%) the daily performance of the Underlying Stock (the “Underlying Leveraged ETF”). The Fund’s secondary investment objective is to gain exposure to the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, subject to a cap on potential investment gains. A downside protection may be implemented which could affect the net income level.
GraniteShares YieldBOOST MSFT ETF
The Fund’s primary investment objective is to achieve 2 times (200%) the income generated from selling options on Microsoft Corporation’s common stock (NASDAQ: MSFT) (the “Underlying Stock”) by selling options on leveraged exchange-traded funds designed to deliver 2 times (200%) the daily performance of the Underlying Stock (the “Underlying Leveraged ETF”). The Fund’s secondary investment objective is to gain exposure to the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, subject to a cap on potential investment gains. A downside protection may be implemented which could affect the net income level.
GraniteShares YieldBOOST NVDA ETF
The Fund’s primary investment objective is to achieve 2 times (200%) the income generated from selling options on NVIDIA Corporation’s common stock (NASDAQ: NVDA) (the “Underlying Stock”) by selling options on leveraged exchange-traded funds designed to deliver 2 times (200%) the daily performance of the Underlying Stock (the “Underlying Leveraged ETF”). The Fund’s secondary investment objective is to gain exposure to the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, subject to a cap on potential investment gains. A downside protection may be implemented which could affect the net income level.
| 217 |
GraniteShares YieldBOOST TSLA ETF
The Fund’s primary investment objective is to achieve 2 times (200%) the income generated from selling options on Tesla Inc.’s common stock (NASDAQ: TSLA) (the “Underlying Stock”) by selling options on leveraged exchange-traded funds designed to deliver 2 times (200%) the daily performance of the Underlying Stock (the “Underlying Leveraged ETF”). The Fund’s secondary investment objective is to gain exposure to the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, subject to a cap on potential investment gains. A downside protection may be implemented which could affect the net income level.
An investment objective is fundamental if it cannot be changed without the consent of the holders of a majority of the outstanding Shares. No Fund’s investment objective has been adopted as a fundamental investment policy and therefore each 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 GraniteShares ETF Trust (the “Trust”) and 60 days’ written notice to shareholders.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
GraniteShares YieldBOOST QQQ ETF, GraniteShares YieldBOOST SPY ETF, GraniteShares YieldBOOST Small Cap ETF, GraniteShares YieldBOOST Biotech ETF, GraniteShares YieldBOOST Financials ETF, GraniteShares YieldBOOST Semiconductor ETF, GraniteShares YieldBOOST Technology ETF, GraniteShares YieldBOOST China ETF and GraniteShares YieldBOOST 20Y+ Treasuries ETF
The Fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to pay weekly distributions by selling put options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF, which provides exposure to 3 times the daily performance of the Underlying Index. It is expected that the implied volatility on the Underlying Leveraged ETF to be three times the level of the Underlying Index’s implied volatility and selling options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF to generate, over the same time horizon and for the same strike levels, three times the premium generated by selling options on the Underlying Index. The premium received by the Fund from selling options will be distributed at least partially before the maturity of the options. This allows the Fund to make distributions on a weekly basis even if the options sold have longer maturity (such as monthly maturity for instance). This approach may result in the distributions being treated fiscally as return of capital (see “Distribution Risk” under the section “Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund”). There is no guarantee that the Fund will generate twice the level of premium that would be generated by selling options on the Underlying Index.
The Fund is subject to the losses from the Underlying Leveraged ETF, which would likely be three times the losses compared to the Underlying Index. In case a Put Spread Strategy (as defined under the section “The Fund’s Use of the Underlying Leveraged ETF Derivatives Contracts”) is implemented, the Fund may benefit from a limited downside protection against a negative price variation in the Underlying Leveraged ETF. Such protection will negatively affect the Fund’s overall income level. A put spread strategy with a narrow spread (the difference between the strikes of the put option sold and put option bought) may provide better protection but will have a higher negative impact on the Fund’s income level. A put spread strategy with a large spread will provide a lower protection but may have less negative impact on the Fund’s income level.
The Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in derivatives contracts that utilize the Underlying Leveraged ETF as their reference asset. For purposes of compliance with this investment policy, derivative contracts will be valued at their notional value.
GraniteShares YieldBOOST Gold Miners ETF
The Fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to pay weekly distributions by selling put options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF, which provides exposure to 2 times the daily performance of the Underlying Index. It is expected that the implied volatility on the Underlying Leveraged ETF to be twice the level of the Underlying Stock’s implied volatility and selling options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF to generate, over the same time horizon and for the same strike levels, twice the premium generated by selling options on the Underlying Stock. The premium received by the Fund from selling options will be distributed at least partially before the maturity of the options. This allows the Fund to make distributions on a weekly basis even if the options sold have longer maturity (such as monthly maturity for instance). This approach may result in the distributions being treated fiscally as return of capital (see “Distribution Risk” under the section “Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund”). There is no guarantee that the Fund will generate twice the level of premium that would be generated by selling options on the Underlying Stock.
| 218 |
The Fund is subject to the losses from the Underlying Leveraged ETF, which would likely be two times the losses compared to the Underlying Index. In case a Put Spread Strategy (as defined under the section “The Fund’s Use of the Underlying Leveraged ETF Derivatives Contracts”) is implemented, the Fund may benefit from a limited downside protection against a negative price variation in the Underlying Leveraged ETF. Such protection will negatively affect the Fund’s overall income level. A put spread strategy with a narrow spread (the difference between the strikes of the put option sold and put option bought) may provide better protection but will have a higher negative impact on the Fund’s income level. A put spread strategy with a large spread will provide a lower protection but may have less negative impact on the Fund’s income level.
The Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in derivatives contracts that utilize the Underlying Leveraged ETF as their reference asset. For purposes of compliance with this investment policy, derivative contracts will be valued at their notional value.
GraniteShares YieldBOOST Bitcoin ETF
The Fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to pay weekly distributions by selling put options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF, which provides exposure to 2 times the daily performance of the Underlying Asset. It is expected that the implied volatility on the Underlying Leveraged ETF to be twice the level of the Underlying Asset’s implied volatility and selling options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF to generate, over the same time horizon and for the same strike levels, twice the premium generated by selling options on the Underlying Asset. The premium received by the Fund from selling options will be distributed at least partially before the maturity of the options. This allows the Fund to make distributions on a weekly basis even if the options sold have longer maturity (such as monthly maturity for instance). This approach may result in the distributions being treated fiscally as return of capital (see “Distribution Risk” under the section “Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund”). There is no guarantee that the Fund will generate twice the level of premium that would be generated by selling options on the Underlying Asset.
The Fund is subject to the losses from the Underlying Leveraged ETF, which would likely be two times the losses compared to the Underlying Asset. In case a Put Spread Strategy (as defined under the section “The Fund’s Use of the Underlying Leveraged ETF Derivatives Contracts”) is implemented, the Fund may benefit from a limited downside protection against a negative price variation in the Underlying Leveraged ETF. Such protection will negatively affect the Fund’s overall income level. A put spread strategy with a narrow spread (the difference between the strikes of the put option sold and put option bought) may provide better protection but will have a higher negative impact on the Fund’s income level. A put spread strategy with a large spread will provide a lower protection but may have less negative impact on the Fund’s income level.
The Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in derivatives contracts that utilize the Underlying Leveraged ETF as their reference asset. For purposes of compliance with this investment policy, derivative contracts will be valued at their notional value.
GraniteShares YieldBOOST AAPL ETF, GraniteShares YieldBOOST AMD ETF, GraniteShares YieldBOOST AMZN ETF, GraniteShares YieldBOOST BABA ETF, GraniteShares YieldBOOST COIN ETF, GraniteShares YieldBOOST META ETF, GraniteShares YieldBOOST MSFT ETF, GraniteShares YieldBOOST NVDA ETF and GraniteShares YieldBOOST TSLA ETF
| 219 |
The Fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to pay weekly distributions by selling put options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF, which provides exposure to 2 times the daily performance of the Underlying Stock. It is expected that the implied volatility on the Underlying Leveraged ETF to be twice the level of the Underlying Stock’s implied volatility and selling options on the Underlying Leveraged ETF to generate, over the same time horizon and for the same strike levels, twice the premium generated by selling options on the Underlying Stock. The premium received by the Fund from selling options will be distributed at least partially before the maturity of the options. This allows the Fund to make distributions on a weekly basis even if the options sold have longer maturity (such as monthly maturity for instance). This approach may result in the distributions being treated fiscally as return of capital (see “Distribution Risk” under the section “Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund”). There is no guarantee that the Fund will generate twice the level of premium that would be generated by selling options on the Underlying Stock.
The Fund is subject to the losses from the Underlying Leveraged ETF , which would likely be two times the losses compared to the Underlying Index. In case a Put Spread Strategy (as defined under the section “The Fund’s Use of the Underlying Leveraged ETF Derivatives Contracts”) is implemented, the Fund may benefit from a limited downside protection against a negative price variation in the Underlying Leveraged ETF. Such protection will negatively affect the Fund’s overall income level. A put spread strategy with a narrow spread (the difference between the strikes of the put option sold and put option bought) may provide better protection but will have a higher negative impact on the Fund’s income level. A put spread strategy with a large spread will provide a lower protection but may have less negative impact on the Fund’s income level.
The Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in derivatives contracts that utilize the Underlying Leveraged ETF as their reference asset. For purposes of compliance with this investment policy, derivative contracts will be valued at their notional value.
There is no guarantee that each Fund’s investment strategy will be properly implemented or that each Fund will pay weekly distributions, and an investor may lose some or all of its investment. Even when the Fund makes a distribution it could be fiscally treated as return of capital (see “Distribution Risk” under the section “Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund”).
Each Fund’s NAV is dependent on the value of the Fund’s options contracts and swap on options contracts, which are based principally upon the price of its Underlying Leveraged ETF, and the time remaining until the expiration date of the options contracts.
Each Fund will adopt a Put Spread Strategy and a Put Write Strategy:
| - | Put Spread Strategy: The Fund will enter in put spread options contracts, either directly or through swap contracts, on the Underlying Leveraged ETF and for which the Fund will receive a net premium. Buying a put option contract results in a cost that negatively affects the Fund’s income level. It is unlikely for a put spread strategy to generate twice or three times the level of income that would be obtained by selling options on the underlying asset directly. The Fund’s participation in a potential increase in the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF only applies if the Fund sells in-the-money put options contracts. The Fund’s protection against a potential decrease in the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF only applies if it falls below the strike price of the option contract bought by the Fund. The put options contracts sold by the Fund may vary in regard to their strike price from 0 to 15% above the then-current price of the Leveraged ETF. The put options contracts bought by the Fund will have a lower strike price, ranging from 50% out-of-the-money to at-the-money. The put options sold and bought by the Fund will generally have 1- month or less expiration dates. | |
| - | Put Write Strategy: The Fund will sell put options contracts, either directly or through swap contracts, on the Underlying Leveraged ETF and for which it will receive a premium. The put options contracts sold by the Fund may vary in regard to their strike prices from 40% out-of-the-money to 15% in-the-money. The put options sold and bought by the Fund will generally have 1- month or less expiration dates. The Adviser will primarily employ this put write strategy when it believes that the share price of its Underlying Leveraged ETF is likely to rise significantly in the short term (e.g., following a substantial selloff or overall positive market news). |
| 220 |
The Fund’s cash balance may be invested in the following instruments: (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; (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 as collateral for the Fund’s swap agreements; (5) repurchase transactions, which are transactions under which the purchaser (i.e., the Fund) acquires securities and the seller agrees, at the time of the sale, to repurchase the securities at a mutually agreed-upon time and price, thereby determining the yield during the purchaser’s holding period, and/or; (6) US large cap equities listed on a national security exchange, sovereign fixed income securities with a credit rating at least equal to the United States Federal Government, or corporate debt securities, such as commercial paper and other short-term unsecured promissory notes issued by businesses that are rated investment grade for the purposes of entering into swap agreements with the Fund’s swap counterparties. The Fund may enter into such swap agreements to improve its operational efficiency.
Generally, each Fund is fully exposed to the downward movements of its Underlying Leveraged ETF, offset only by the premiums received from selling put contracts. Each Fund does not seek to offer any downside protection, except for the fact that the premiums from the sold options may offset some or all of its Underlying Leveraged ETF’s decline.
The Funds may sell or buy FLexible EXchange® (“FLEX”) put options contracts as well as enter swap contracts providing a similar exposure to buying and/or selling put options contracts. The following provides an overview of the core concepts:
Put Options Overview:
Buyer of a Put Option: Pays for the right to sell an underlying asset (like an ETF) at a fixed, predetermined price.
Seller of a Put Option (e.g., a Fund): Collects a premium and commits to potentially buying the underlying asset if the buyer exercises their option.
Profit and Loss Scenarios for put options contracts sold by the Funds and held at maturity:
| - | Underlying Leveraged ETF share price rises above the strike price (profitable): The Fund would either close out the position profitably or retain the premium without any additional liability. | |
| - | Underlying Leveraged ETF share price remains at the strike price (breakeven): If the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price remains at the strike price, the option remains at-the-money. In this case, the Fund would either close out the position (with no material gain or loss), or the transaction would result in no settlement, and the Fund would retain the premium with no additional liability. | |
| - | Underlying Leveraged ETF share price drops below the strike price (potentially unprofitable): The Fund would need to pay the difference between the strike price and the current Underlying Leveraged ETF share price. This could potentially negate some of the premium received, or lead to a net loss, which could be substantial. |
Valuation and Regulation:
The Funds will use the market value of their derivatives when checking compliance with the 1940 Act and related rules.
Since the Funds’ options are exchange-traded, they will be valued using a mark-to-market method. If market prices are not accessible, the Funds will rely on fair value pricing as set by the Board.
Additional Concepts:
At-the-money put options: The strike price equals the current market price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s shares.
| 221 |
In-the-money put options: The strike price is more favorable than the current market price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s shares.
Out-of-the-money put options: The strike price is less favorable than the current market price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s shares.
Expiration: Options must be exercised or traded by a certain date; otherwise, they lapse.
Time Decay: The option’s value declines over time, benefiting the seller (here, a Fund). If all other factors are constant, this decreasing value could mean potential profit for the seller.
Terminology:
Current Income: The extrinsic value of a sold put option.
Potential Income: The potential profit if the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s shares rises.
Example: Imagine the price of Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share is $200. A put option with a strike price of $205 is sold for $60. The difference between the strike price and the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share is $5 (in-the-money amount). The remaining $55 (the $60 put price minus the $5 in-the-money amount) represents the extrinsic value. Here, the current income is $55, and the potential income is $5. If the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share is $205 or more when the option matures, the Fund gains the full $60. If the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s share remains at $200 when the option matures, the Fund makes only $55.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Funds
The 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 Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears. 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 NAV per share, trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its investment objective. The following risks could affect the value of your performance in the Fund:
Underlying Leveraged ETF (All Funds): Each Fund invests in options contracts that are based on the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF shares. This subjects each Fund to certain of the same risks as if it owned shares of Underlying Leveraged ETF, even though it may not. By virtue of the Fund’s investments in options contracts that are based on the value of Underlying Leveraged ETF shares, the Fund may also be subject to the following risks:
Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk — The Underlying Leveraged ETF shares’ performance for periods greater than a trading day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which is likely to differ from 200% of the Underlying Stock’s performance, before fees and expenses. Compounding has a significant impact on funds that are leveraged and that rebalance daily. The impact of compounding becomes more pronounced as volatility and holding periods increase and will impact each shareholder differently depending on the period of time an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF is held and the volatility of the Underlying Stock during the shareholder’s holding period of an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF.
Leverage Risk — The Underlying Leveraged ETF 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 Underlying Leveraged ETF is exposed to the risk that a decline in the daily performance of the Underlying Stock will be magnified. This means that an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF will be reduced by an amount equal to 2% for every 1% daily decline in the Underlying Stock, not including the costs of financing leverage and other operating expenses, which would further reduce its value. The Underlying Leveraged ETF could lose an amount greater than its net assets in the event of an Underlying Stock decline of more than 50%.
| 222 |
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. Investing in derivatives may be considered aggressive and may expose the Underlying Leveraged ETF to greater risks, and may result in larger losses or smaller gains, than investing directly in the reference assets underlying those derivatives, which may prevent the Underlying Leveraged ETF from achieving its investment objective.
Counterparty Risk — If a counterparty is unwilling or unable to make timely payments to meet its contractual obligations or fails to return holdings that are subject to the agreement with the counterparty resulting in the Underlying Leveraged ETF losing money or not being able to meet its daily leveraged investment objective.
Indirect Investments in the Underlying Leveraged ETF – Investors in the Fund will not have rights to receive dividends or other distributions or any other rights with respect to the Underlying Leveraged ETF but will be subject to declines in the performance of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. Although the Fund invests in the Underlying Leveraged ETF only indirectly, the Fund’s investments are subject to loss as a result of these risks.
Underlying Leveraged ETF used by the GraniteShares YieldBOOST QQQ ETF.
Industry Concentration Risk — The Nasdaq-100® index may have a significant portion of its value in issuers in an industry or group of industries. The Underlying Leveraged ETF will allocate its investments to approximately the same extent as the Nasdaq-100® index. As a result, the Underlying Leveraged ETF may be subject to greater market fluctuations than a fund that is more broadly invested across industries. As of July 31, 2025, the Nasdaq-100® index had a significant portion of its value in issuers in the information technology and communication services industry groups.
Underlying Leveraged ETF used by the GraniteShares YieldBOOST SPY ETF.
Industry Concentration Risk — The S&P 500® index may have a significant portion of its value in issuers in an industry or group of industries. The Underlying Leveraged ETF will allocate its investments to approximately the same extent as the S&P 500® index. As a result, the Underlying Leveraged ETF may be subject to greater market fluctuations than a fund that is more broadly invested across industries. As of August 21, 2025, the S&P 500® index consisted of 503 constituents, which had a median total market capitalization of $37.0 billion, total market capitalizations ranging from $4.2 billion to $4.3 trillion and were concentrated in the information technology sector. The S&P 500® index is rebalanced quarterly.
Underlying Leveraged ETF used by the GraniteShares YieldBOOST Small Cap ETF.
Industry Concentration Risk — The Russell 2000® index may have a significant portion of its value in issuers in an industry or group of industries. Underlying Leveraged ETF will allocate its investments to approximately the same extent as the Russell 2000® index. As a result, Underlying Leveraged ETF may be subject to greater market fluctuations than a fund that is more broadly invested across industries. As of July 31, 2025, the Russell 2000® consisted of 1,972 holdings, which had an average market capitalization of $3.4 billion, total market capitalizations ranging from $119.4 million to $18.9 billion and were concentrated in the healthcare, financials, and industrials sectors. The Russell 2000® index is reconstituted annually and enhanced by initial public offerings quarterly.
Underlying Leveraged ETF used by the GraniteShares YieldBOOST Biotech ETF.
Industry Concentration Risk — S&P Biotechnology Select Industry Index may have a significant portion of its value in issuers in an industry or group of industries. Underlying Leveraged ETF will allocate its investments to approximately the same extent as the S&P Biotechnology Select Industry Index. As a result, Underlying Leveraged ETF may be subject to greater market fluctuations than a fund that is more broadly invested across industries. As of August 22, 2025, the S&P Biotechnology Select Industry Index had 121 constituents which had a median market capitalization of $1.8 billion, total market capitalizations ranging from $299.3 million to $333.9 billion and were concentrated in the healthcare sector, the GICS sector in which the biotechnology industry is included.
Underlying Leveraged ETF used by the GraniteShares YieldBOOST Financials ETF.
Industry Concentration Risk — The Financial Select Sector Index may have a significant portion of its value in issuers in an industry or group of industries. The Underlying Leveraged ETF will allocate its investments to approximately the same extent as the Financial Select Sector Index. As a result, the Underlying Leveraged ETF may be subject to greater market fluctuations than a fund that is more broadly invested across industries. As of August 22, 2025, the Financial Select Sector Index was comprised of 74 constituents which had a median total market capitalization of $10607 billion, total market capitalizations ranging from $7.7 billion to $1,018.0 billion and were concentrated in the financial sector. The Financial Select Sector Index is rebalanced quarterly.
| 223 |
Underlying Leveraged ETF used by the GraniteShares YieldBOOST Gold Miners ETF.
Industry Concentration Risk — The NYSE Arca Gold Miners Index may have a significant portion of its value in issuers in an industry or group of industries. The Underlying Leveraged ETF will allocate its investments to approximately the same extent as the Index. As a result, Underlying Leveraged ETF may be subject to greater market fluctuations than a fund that is more broadly invested across industries. As of August 21, 2025, the NYSE Arca Gold Miners Index had 68 constituents, which had an average market capitalization of $32.2 billion, total market capitalizations ranging from $6.3 million to $77.7 billion and were concentrated in the gold mining industry, which is included in the materials sector. The NYSE Arca Gold Miners Index is rebalanced quarterly.
Underlying Leveraged ETF used by the GraniteShares YieldBOOST Semiconductor ETF.
Industry Concentration Risk — The NYSE Semiconductor Index may have a significant portion of its value in issuers in an industry or group of industries. The Underlying Leveraged ETF will allocate its investments to approximately the same extent as the NYSE Semiconductor Index. As a result, the Underlying Leveraged ETF may be subject to greater market fluctuations than a fund that is more broadly invested across industries. As of August 21, 2025, the NYSE Semiconductor Index was comprised of 26 constituents which had a average market capitalization of $1.3 trillion, total market capitalizations ranging from $6.9 billion to $4.3 trillion and were concentrated in the semiconductor industry, which is included in the information technology sector with exposure to companies involved in artificial intelligence and big data. The NYSE Semiconductor Index is rebalanced quarterly and reconstituted annually.
Underlying Leveraged ETF used by the GraniteShares YieldBOOST Technology ETF.
Industry Concentration Risk — The Technology Select Sector Index may have a significant portion of its value in issuers in an industry or group of industries. The Underlying Leveraged ETF will allocate its investments to approximately the same extent as the Technology Select Sector Index. As a result, the Underlying Leveraged ETF may be subject to greater market fluctuations than a fund that is more broadly invested across industries. As of August 21, 2025, the Technology Select Sector Index was comprised of 68 constituents with a median total market capitalization of $54/1 billion, total market capitalizations ranging from $4.2 billion to $4.3 trillion and were concentrated in the information technology sector. The Technology Select Sector Index is rebalanced quarterly.
Underlying Leveraged ETF used by the GraniteShares YieldBOOST China ETF.
Country Concentration Risk — The FTSE China 50 Index has a significant portion of its value in Chinese companies currently trading on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The Underlying Leveraged ETF will allocate its investments to approximately the same extent as the FTSE China 50 Index. As a result, the Underlying Leveraged ETF may be subject to greater market fluctuations than a fund that is more broadly invested across industries. Although the economy of China has been in a state of transition from a government-planned socialist economy to a more market-oriented economy since the 1970s, the level of government involvement in China’s economy continues to distinguish it from other global markets as the majority of productive assets in China are owned (at different levels) by the People’s Republic of China (“China” or the “PRC”) government. Due to PRC government economic reforms during the last 30 years, China’s economy, as reflected in the value of Chinese issuers, has experienced significant growth. There can be no assurance, however, that the PRC government will continue to pursue such reforms. As of July 31, 2025, the FTSE China 50 Index constituents had a median market capitalization of $21.5 billion, total market capitalizations ranging from $1.5 billion to $162.7 billion and were concentrated in the technology, financials, and consumer discretionary sectors. The FTSE China 50 Index is rebalanced and reviewed quarterly.
Underlying Leveraged ETF used by the GraniteShares YieldBOOST 20Y+ Treasuries ETF.
Concentration Risk — The ICE U.S. Treasury 20+ Year Bond Index has a significant portion of its value in U.S Government Securities. The Underlying Leveraged ETF will allocate its investments to approximately the same extent as the ICE U.S. Treasury 20+ Year Bond Index. As a result, the Underlying Leveraged ETF may be subject to greater market fluctuations than a fund that is more broadly invested across industries.
| 224 |
U.S. Government Securities Risk — A security backed by the U.S. Treasury or the full faith and credit of the United States is guaranteed only as to the timely payment of interest and principal when held to maturity. The market prices for such securities are not guaranteed and will fluctuate. Furthermore, not all securities issued by the U.S. government and its agencies and instrumentalities are backed by the U.S. Treasury or the full faith and credit of the United States. In addition, because many types of U.S. government securities trade actively outside the United States, their prices may rise and fall as changes in global economic conditions affect the demand for these securities. In addition, U.S. Treasury obligations may differ from other securities in their interest rates, maturities, times of issuance and other characteristics. Changes in the financial condition or credit rating of the U.S government may cause the value of U.S. Treasury obligations to decline.
Underlying Leveraged ETF used by the GraniteShares YieldBOOST Bitcoin ETF.
Bitcoin Futures Investing Risk — The Underlying Leveraged ETF is indirectly exposed to the risks of investing in bitcoin through its investments in bitcoin futures contracts. Bitcoin is a new and highly speculative investment. The risks associated with bitcoin include the following:
| - | Bitcoin is a new technological innovation with a limited history. There is no assurance that usage of bitcoin will continue to grow. A contraction in use of bitcoin may result in increased volatility or a reduction in the price of bitcoin, which could adversely impact the value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The bitcoin network was launched in January 2009, platform trading in bitcoin began in 2010, and bitcoin futures trading began in 2017, each of which limits a potential shareholder’s ability to evaluate an investment in the Underlying Leveraged ETF. |
| - | The Underlying Leveraged ETF’s investments in bitcoin futures contracts are exposed to risks associated with the price of bitcoin, which is subject to numerous factors and risks. The price of bitcoin is impacted by numerous factors, including: |
| ○ | The total and available supply of bitcoin, including the possibility that a small group of early bitcoin adopters hold a significant proportion of the bitcoin that has thus far been created and that sales of bitcoin by such large holders may impact the price of bitcoin; | |
| ○ | Global bitcoin demand, which is influenced by the growth of retail merchants’ and commercial businesses’ acceptance of bitcoin as payment for goods and services, the security of online digital asset trading platforms and public bitcoin addresses that hold bitcoin, the perception that the use and holding of bitcoin is safe and secure, the lack of regulatory restrictions on their use, and the reputation regarding the use of bitcoin for illicit purposes; | |
| ○ | The fact that bitcoin is not presently widely accepted as a medium of exchange, which may be due to a number of common impediments and/or disadvantages to adopting the bitcoin network as a payment network, including the slowness of transaction processing and finality, variability of transaction fees, and volatility of the price of bitcoin; | |
| ○ | Global bitcoin supply, which is influenced by similar factors as global bitcoin demand, in addition to fiat currency (i.e., government currency not backed by an asset such as gold) needs by miners and taxpayers who may liquidate bitcoin holdings to meet tax obligations; | |
| ○ | Investors’ expectations with respect to the rate of inflation of fiat currencies and deflation of bitcoin; | |
| ○ | Foreign exchange rates between fiat currencies and digital assets such as bitcoin; | |
| ○ | Interest rates; | |
| ○ | The continued operation of digital asset trading platforms in the United States and foreign jurisdictions, including their regulatory status, trading and custody policies, and cyber security; | |
| ○ | Investment and trading activities of large investors, including private and registered funds, that may directly or indirectly invest in bitcoin; | |
| ○ | Regulatory measures, if any, that restrict the use of bitcoin as a form of payment or the purchase or sale of bitcoin, including measures that restrict the direct or indirect participation in the bitcoin market by financial institutions or the introduction of bitcoin instruments; | |
| ○ | The maintenance and development of the open-source software protocol of the bitcoin network; | |
| ○ | Increased competition from other cryptocurrencies and digital assets, including forks of the bitcoin network; | |
| ○ | Developments in the information technology sector; | |
| ○ | Global or regional political, economic or financial events and situations; | |
| ○ | Investor or bitcoin network participant sentiments on the value or utility of bitcoin; and | |
| ○ | The dedication of mining power to the Bitcoin Network and the willingness of bitcoin miners to clear bitcoin transactions for relatively low fees. |
Underlying Leveraged ETF used by the GraniteShares YieldBOOST AAPL ETF.
Industry Concentration Risk — The performance of the Underlying Stock, and consequently the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s performance, is subject to the risks of the computer and information technology sector. The value of stocks of computer technology companies and companies that rely heavily on computer technology is particularly vulnerable to rapid changes in technology product cycles, rapid product obsolescence, government regulation, and competition, both domestically and internationally, including competition from competitors with lower production costs. In addition, many computer technology companies have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. The prices of computer technology companies and companies that rely heavily on computer technology, especially those of smaller, less-seasoned companies, tend to be more volatile and less liquid than the overall market. Computer technology companies are heavily dependent on patent and intellectual property rights, the loss or impairment of which may adversely affect profitability. Additionally, companies in the computer technology sector may face dramatic and often unpredictable changes in growth rates and competition for the services of qualified personnel.
| 225 |
Underlying Leveraged ETF used by the GraniteShares YieldBOOST AMD ETF.
Industry Concentration Risk — The performance of the Underlying Stock, and consequently the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s performance, is subject to the risks of the semiconductor industry. The risks of investments in the semiconductor industry include: intense competition, both domestically and internationally, including competition from subsidized foreign competitors with lower production costs; wide fluctuations in securities prices due to risks of rapid obsolescence of products; economic performance of the customers of semiconductor companies; their research costs and the risks that their products may not prove commercially successful; capital equipment expenditures that could be substantial and suffer from rapid obsolescence; and thin capitalization and limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. The semiconductor industry may also be affected by risks that affect the broader technology sector, including: government regulation; dramatic and often unpredictable changes in growth rates and competition for qualified personnel; heavy dependence on patent and intellectual property rights, the loss or impairment of which may adversely affect profitability; and a small number of companies representing a large portion of the technology sector as a whole.
Underlying Leveraged ETF used by the GraniteShares YieldBOOST AMZN ETF.
Industry Concentration Risk — The performance of the Underlying Stock, and consequently the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s performance, is subject to the risks of the online retail company industry. Companies that operate in the online marketplace and retail segments are subject to fluctuating consumer demand. Unlike traditional brick and mortar retailers, online marketplaces and retailers must assume shipping costs or pass such costs to consumers. Consumer access to price information for the same or similar products may cause companies that operate in the online marketplace and retail segments to reduce profit margins in order to compete. Due to the nature of their business models, companies that operate in the online marketplace and retail segments may also be subject to heightened cyber security risk, including the risk of theft or damage to vital hardware, software and information systems. The loss or public dissemination of sensitive customer information or other proprietary data may negatively affect the financial performance of such companies to a greater extent than traditional brick and mortar retailers. As a result of such companies being web-based and the fact that they process, store, and transmit large amounts of data, including personal information, for their customers, failure to prevent or mitigate data loss or other security breaches, including breaches of vendors’ technology and systems, could expose companies that operate in the online marketplace and retail segments or their customers to a risk of loss or misuse of such information, adversely affect their operating results, result in litigation or potential liability, and otherwise harm their businesses.
Underlying Leveraged ETF used by the GraniteShares YieldBOOST BABA ETF.
Industry Concentration Risk — The performance of the Underlying Stock, and consequently the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s performance, is subject to the risks of the online retail company industry. Companies that operate in the online marketplace and retail segments are subject to fluctuating consumer demand. Unlike traditional brick and mortar retailers, online marketplaces and retailers must assume shipping costs or pass such costs to consumers. Consumer access to price information for the same or similar products may cause companies that operate in the online marketplace and retail segments to reduce profit margins in order to compete. Due to the nature of their business models, companies that operate in the online marketplace and retail segments may also be subject to heightened cyber security risk, including the risk of theft or damage to vital hardware, software and information systems. The loss or public dissemination of sensitive customer information or other proprietary data may negatively affect the financial performance of such companies to a greater extent than traditional brick and mortar retailers. As a result of such companies being web-based and the fact that they process, store, and transmit large amounts of data, including personal information, for their customers, failure to prevent or mitigate data loss or other security breaches, including breaches of vendors’ technology and systems, could expose companies that operate in the online marketplace and retail segments or their customers to a risk of loss or misuse of such information, adversely affect their operating results, result in litigation or potential liability, and otherwise harm their businesses.
Underlying Leveraged ETF used by the GraniteShares YieldBOOST COIN ETF.
Industry Concentration Risk — The performance of the Underlying Stock, and consequently the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s performance, is subject to the risks of the digital asset and finance company industries. Such companies may be adversely impacted by government regulations, economic conditions and deterioration in credit markets. These companies typically face intense competition and could be negatively affected by new entrants into the market, especially those located in markets with lower production costs. Competitors in the digital payments space include financial institutions and well-established payment processing companies. In addition, many companies engaged in these businesses store sensitive consumer information and could be the target of cybersecurity attacks and other types of theft, which could have a negative impact on these companies. Online digital asset trading platforms currently operate under less regulatory scrutiny than traditional financial services companies and banks, but there is a significant risk that regulatory oversight could increase in the future. Higher levels of regulation could increase costs and adversely impact the current business models of some digital asset-related companies and could severely impact the viability of these companies. These companies could be negatively impacted by disruptions in service caused by hardware or software failure, or by interruptions or delays in service by third-party data center hosting facilities and maintenance providers.
| 226 |
Underlying Leveraged ETF used by the GraniteShares YieldBOOST META ETF.
Industry Concentration Risk — The performance of the Underlying Stock, and consequently the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s performance, is subject to the risks of the social media and computer programming industry. Such companies provide social networking, file sharing, and other web-based media applications. The risks related to investing in such companies include disruption in service caused by hardware or software failure, interruptions or delays in service by third-party data center hosting facilities and maintenance providers, security breaches involving certain private, sensitive, proprietary and confidential information managed and transmitted by social media companies, and privacy concerns and laws, evolving Internet regulation and other foreign or domestic regulations that may limit or otherwise affect the operations of such companies. Additionally, the collection of data from consumers and other sources could face increased scrutiny as regulators consider how the data is collected, stored, safeguarded and used. Furthermore, the business models employed by the companies in the social media and computer programming industries may not prove to be successful.
Underlying Leveraged ETF used by the GraniteShares YieldBOOST MSFT ETF.
Industry Concentration Risk — The performance of the Underlying Stock, and consequently the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s performance, is subject to the risks of the software and information technology industry. The value of stocks of information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technology is particularly vulnerable to rapid changes in technology product cycles, rapid product obsolescence, government regulation, and competition, both domestically and internationally, including competition from competitors with lower production costs. In addition, many information technology companies have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. The prices of information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technology, especially those of smaller, less-seasoned companies, tend to be more volatile and less liquid than the overall market. Information technology companies are heavily dependent on patent and intellectual property rights, the loss or impairment of which may adversely affect profitability. Additionally, companies in the information technology industry may face dramatic and often unpredictable changes in growth rates and competition for the services of qualified personnel.
Underlying Leveraged ETF used by the GraniteShares YieldBOOST NVDA ETF.
Industry Concentration Risk — The performance of the Underlying Stock, and consequently the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s performance, is subject to the risks of the semiconductor industry. The Underlying Stock is subject to many risks that can negatively impact its revenue and viability including, but are not limited to price volatility risk, management risk, inflation risk, global economic risk, growth risk, supply and demand risk, operations risk, regulatory risk, environmental risk, terrorism risk and the risk of natural disasters. The Underlying Stock performance may be affected by NVIDIA Corporation’s ability to identify new products, technologies or services, global competition and business conditions, its dependence on third-party product manufacturers, product defect issues, cybersecurity breaches, and customer concentration. The Underlying Stock may also be affected by risks that affect the broader technology sector, including: government regulation; dramatic and often unpredictable changes in growth rates and competition for qualified personnel; heavy dependence on patent and intellectual property rights, the loss or impairment of which may adversely affect profitability; and a small number of companies representing a large portion of the technology sector as a whole. The Fund’s daily returns may be affected by many factors but will depend on the performance and volatility of the Underlying Stock.
Underlying Leveraged ETF used by the GraniteShares YieldBOOST TSLA ETF.
Industry Concentration Risk — The performance of the Underlying Stock, and consequently the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s performance, is subject to risks of the automotive industry. The Underlying Stock is subject to many risks that can negatively impact its revenue and viability including, but are not limited to price volatility risk, management risk, inflation risk, global economic risk, growth risk, supply and demand risk, operations risk, regulatory risk, environmental risk, terrorism risk and the risk of natural disasters. The Underlying Stock performance may be affected by company’s ability to develop and launch new products, the growth of its sales and delivery capabilities, part supplier constraints or delays, consumer demand for electric vehicles and competition from existing and competitors. Governmental policies affecting the automotive industry, such as taxes, tariffs, duties, subsidies, and import and export restrictions on automotive products can influence industry profitability. In addition, such companies must comply with environmental laws and regulations, for which there may be severe consequences for non-compliance. The Fund’s daily returns may be affected by many factors but will depend on the performance and volatility of the Underlying Stock.
Counterparty Risk (All Funds): Each Fund is subject to counterparty risk by virtue of its investments in options contracts. Transactions in some types of derivatives, including options, are required to be centrally cleared (“cleared derivatives”). In a transaction involving cleared derivatives, a Fund’s counterparty is a clearing house rather than a bank or broker. Since the Funds are not members of clearing houses and only members of a clearing house (“clearing members”) can participate directly in the clearing house, the Funds will hold cleared derivatives through accounts at clearing members. In cleared derivatives positions, a Fund will make payments (including margin payments) to and receive payments from a clearing house through their accounts at clearing members. Customer funds held at a clearing organization in connection with any options contracts are held in a commingled omnibus account and are not identified to the name of the clearing member’s individual customers. As a result, assets deposited by a Fund with any clearing member as margin for options may, in certain circumstances, be used to satisfy losses of other clients of a Fund’s clearing member. In addition, although clearing members guarantee performance of their clients’ obligations to the clearing house, there is a risk that the assets of a Fund might not be fully protected in the event of the clearing member’s bankruptcy, as a Fund would be limited to recovering only a pro rata share of all available funds segregated on behalf of the clearing member’s customers for the relevant account class. Each Fund is also subject to the risk that a limited number of clearing members are willing to transact on the Fund’s behalf, which heightens the risks associated with a clearing member’s default. If a clearing member defaults a Fund could lose some or all of the benefits of a transaction entered into by the Fund with the clearing member. If a Fund cannot find a clearing member to transact with on the Fund’s behalf, the Fund may be unable to effectively implement its investment strategy.
In addition, a counterparty (the other party to a transaction or an agreement or the party with whom the Fund executes transactions) to a transaction (including repurchase transaction) with the Fund may be unable or unwilling to make timely principal, interest or settlement payments, or otherwise honor its obligations.
| 227 |
Derivatives Risk (All Funds): The Funds’ derivative investments have risks, including the imperfect correlation between the value of such instruments and the underlying assets; the loss of principal, including the potential loss of amounts greater than the initial amount invested in the derivative instrument; the possible default of the other party to the transaction; and illiquidity of the derivative investments. Use of derivatives could also result in a loss if the counterparty to the transaction does not perform as promised, including because of such counterparty’s bankruptcy or insolvency. This risk may be greater during volatile market conditions. Other risks include the inability to close out a position because the trading market becomes illiquid (particularly in the OTC markets) or the availability of counterparties becomes limited for a period of time. In addition, the presence of speculators in a particular market could lead to price distortions.
Certain of the Funds’ transactions in derivatives could also affect the amount, timing, and character of distributions to shareholders, which may result in a Fund realizing more short-term capital gain and ordinary income subject to tax at ordinary income tax rates than it would if it did not engage in such transactions, which may adversely impact such Fund’s after-tax returns.
In addition, each Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
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. For each of the Funds, the value of the options contracts in which the Fund invests is substantially influenced by the value of the applicable underlying stock. Selling put options exposes the Funds to the risk of potential loss if the market value of its Underlying Leveraged ETF falls below the strike price before the option expires. The Funds may experience substantial downside from specific option positions and certain option positions held by a Fund may expire worthless. The options held by the Funds 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 at the underlying instrument. There may at times be an imperfect correlation between the movement in values of options contracts and the reference asset, and there may at times not be a liquid secondary market for certain options contracts. The value of the options held by the Funds will be determined based on market quotations or other recognized pricing methods. Additionally, the Fund’s practice of rolling may cause the Fund to experience losses if the expiring contracts do not generate proceeds enough to cover the costs of entering into new options contracts. Further, if an option is exercised, the seller (writer) of a put option is obligated to purchase the underlying asset at the strike price, which can result in significant financial and regulatory obligations for the Fund if the market value of the asset has fallen substantially. Furthermore, when the Fund seeks to trade out of puts, especially near expiration, there is an added risk that the Fund may be required to allocate resources unexpectedly to fulfill these obligations. This potential exposure to physical settlement can significantly impact the Fund’s liquidity and market exposure, particularly in volatile market conditions.
Swap Risk: Swaps are subject to tracking risk because they may not be perfect substitutes for the instruments they are intended to hedge or replace. Over the counter swaps are subject to counterparty default. Leverage inherent in derivatives will tend to magnify the Fund’s losses. The swap agreements may reference standardized exchange-traded, FLEX, European Style or American Style put options contracts that are based on the values of the price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. that generate specific risks.
Affiliated Fund Risk (GraniteShares YieldBOOST AAPL ETF, GraniteShares YieldBOOST AMD ETF, GraniteShares YieldBOOST AMZN ETF, GraniteShares YieldBOOST BABA ETF, GraniteShares YieldBOOST COIN ETF, GraniteShares YieldBOOST META ETF, GraniteShares YieldBOOST MSFT ETF, GraniteShares YieldBOOST NVDA ETF and GraniteShares YieldBOOST TSLA ETF only): In managing each Fund, the Adviser has the ability to select the Underlying Leveraged ETF and substitute the Underlying Leveraged ETF with other ETFs that it believes will achieve the Fund’s objective. The Adviser may be subject to potential conflicts of interest in selecting the Underlying Leveraged ETF and substituting the Underlying Leveraged ETF with other ETFs because the fees paid to the Adviser by some Underlying Leveraged ETF may be higher than the fees charged by other Underlying Leveraged ETF.
Distribution Risk (All Funds): As part of the Funds’ investment objectives, the Funds seek to provide current weekly income. There is no assurance that the Funds will make a distribution in any given month. If a Fund makes distributions, the amounts of such distributions will likely vary greatly from one distribution to the next. Additionally, weekly distributions, if any, may consist of returns of capital, which would decrease the Fund’s NAV and trading price over time. As a result, an investor may suffer significant losses to their investment.
| 228 |
ETF Risks (All Funds):
Authorized Participants, Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. The Funds have 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 currently expects to effect a significant portion of its creations and redemptions for cash, rather than in-kind securities. Paying redemption proceeds in cash rather than through in-kind delivery of portfolio securities may require the Fund to dispose of or sell portfolio securities or other assets at an inopportune time to obtain the cash needed to meet redemption orders. This may cause the Fund to sell a security and recognize a capital gain or loss that might not have been incurred if it had made a redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher or lower annual capital gains distributions than ETFs that redeem in-kind. The use of cash creations and redemptions may also cause the Fund’s Shares to trade in the market at greater bid-ask spreads or greater premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV. Furthermore, the Fund may not be able to execute cash transactions for creation and redemption purposes at the same price used to determine the Fund’s NAV. To the extent that the maximum additional charge for creation or redemption transactions is insufficient to cover the execution shortfall, the Fund’s performance could be negatively impacted.
Costs of Buying or Selling Shares. Due to the costs of buying or selling Shares, including brokerage commissions imposed by brokers and bid-ask spreads, frequent trading of Shares may significantly 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 applicable Exchange, and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the applicable Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for the Shares will develop or be maintained or that the Shares will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. This risk may be greater for the Funds as they seek to have exposure to a single underlying stock as opposed to a more diverse portfolio like a traditional pooled investment. 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. Shares trade on the applicable Exchange at a market price that may be below, at or above a Fund’s NAV. Trading in Shares on the applicable Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in Shares on an Exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to the applicable Exchange’s “circuit breaker” rules. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the applicable Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of a Fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged. In the event of an unscheduled market close for options contracts that reference a single stock, such as the Underlying Issuers’ securities being halted or a market wide closure, settlement prices will be determined by the procedures of the listing exchange of the options contracts. As a result, a Fund could be adversely affected and be unable to implement its investment strategies in the event of an unscheduled closing.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk (All Funds): The Funds may actively and frequently trade all or a significant portion of the securities in its portfolio. A high portfolio turnover rate increases transaction costs, which may increase a Fund’s expenses. Frequent trading may also cause adverse tax consequences for investors in the Funds due to an increase in short-term capital gains.
Inflation Risk (All Funds): Inflation risk is the risk that the value of assets or income from investments will be less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money. As inflation increases, the present value of the Fund’s assets and distributions, if any, may decline.
| 229 |
Liquidity Risk (All Funds): Some securities held by the Funds, including options contracts, may be difficult to sell or be illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. This risk is greater for the Fund as it will hold options contracts on a single security, and not a broader range of options contracts. 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, such Fund may be adversely impacted. Certain market conditions or restrictions, such as market rules related to short sales, may prevent a Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the applicable Underlying Issuer. 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.
Management Risk (All Funds): The Fund is subject to management risk because it is an actively managed portfolio. In managing the Fund’s investment portfolio, the portfolio managers will apply investment techniques and risk analyses that may not produce the desired result. There can be no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective.
Money Market Instrument Risk (All Funds): The Funds 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, including money market funds, may lose money through fees or other means.
NAV Erosion Risk Due to Distributions (All Funds): If a Fund makes a distribution, the Fund’s NAV will typically drop by the amount of the distribution on the related ex-dividend date. The repeated payment of distributions, if any, by a Fund may significantly erode the Fund’s NAV and trading price over time. As a result, an investor may suffer significant losses to their investment.
New Fund Risk (All Funds): Each Fund is recently organized with no operating history. As a result, prospective investors do not have a track record or history on which to base their investment decisions. There can be no assurance that the Funds will grow to or maintain an economically viable size.
Non-Diversification Risk (All Funds): Because each Fund is “non-diversified,” a Fund 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 such Fund held a more diversified portfolio. This may increase the Fund’s volatility and have a greater impact on such Fund’s performance.
Operational Risk (All Funds): 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 Funds’ 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.
Price Participation Risk (All Funds): Each Fund employs an investment strategy that includes the sale of in-the-money put options contracts, which limits the degree to which the Fund will participate in increases in value experienced by its reference Underlying Leveraged ETF over the Call Period. This means that if the Underlying Leveraged ETF experiences an increase in value above the strike price of the sold put options during a Call Period, the Fund will likely not experience that increase to the same extent and may significantly underperform the Underlying Leveraged ETF over the Call Period. Additionally, because the Fund is limited in the degree to which it will participate in increases in value experienced by the reference Underlying Leveraged ETF over each Call Period, but has full exposure to any decreases in value experienced by the Underlying Leveraged ETF over the Call Period, the NAV of the Fund may decrease over any given time period. The Fund’s NAV is dependent on the value of each options portfolio, which is based principally upon the performance of the reference Underlying Leveraged ETF. The degree of participation in the Underlying Leveraged ETF gains the Fund will experience will depend on prevailing market conditions, especially market volatility, at the time the Fund enters into the sold put options contracts and will vary from Call Period to Call Period. The value of the options contracts is affected by changes in the value and dividend rates of the reference Underlying Leveraged ETF, changes in interest rates, changes in the actual or perceived volatility of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and the remaining time to the options’ expiration, as well as trading conditions in the options market. As the price of the reference Underlying Leveraged ETF changes and time moves towards the expiration of each Call Period, the value of the options contracts, and therefore the Fund’s NAV, will change. However, it is not expected for the Fund’s NAV to directly correlate on a day-to-day basis with the returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF. The amount of time remaining until the options contract’s expiration date affects the impact of the potential options contract income on the Fund’s NAV, which may not be in full effect until the expiration date of the Fund’s options contracts. Therefore, while changes in the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF will result in changes to the Fund’s NAV, the Fund generally anticipates that the rate of change in the Fund’s NAV will be different than that experienced by the reference Underlying Leveraged ETF.
| 230 |
Put Writing Strategy Risk (All Funds): The path dependency (i.e., the continued use) of the Fund’s put writing strategy will impact the extent that the Fund participates in the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and, in turn, the Fund’s returns, both during the term of the sold put options and over longer time periods.
If, for example, the Fund were to sell 10% in-the-money put options having a one-month term, the Fund’s participation in the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF will be capped at 10% for that month. However, over a longer period (e.g., a three-month period), the Fund should not be expected to participate fully in the first 30% (i.e., 3 months x 10%) of the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, or the Fund may even lose money, even if the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price has appreciated by at least that much over such period, if during any particular month or months over that period the Underlying Leveraged ETF had a return less than 10%. This example illustrates that both the Fund’s participation in the positive price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and its returns will depend not only on the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF but also on the path that the Underlying Leveraged ETF takes over time.
If, for example, the Fund were to sell 5% out-of-the-money put options having a one-week term, the Fund’s downward protection against the negative price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF will be capped at 5% for that week. However, over a longer period (e.g., a four-week period), the Fund should not be expected to be protected fully in the first 25% (i.e., 4 weeks x 5%) of the negative price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, and the Fund may lose money, even if the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price has appreciated over such period, if during any particular week or weeks over that period the Underlying Leveraged ETF share price had decreases by more than 5%. This example illustrates that both the Fund’s protection against the negative price returns of the Underlying Leveraged ETF and its returns will depend not only on the price of the Underlying Leveraged ETF but also on the path that the Underlying Leveraged ETF takes over time.
Under both cases the Fund may be fully exposed to the downward movements of the Underlying Leveraged ETF, offset only by the premiums received from selling put contracts. The Fund does not seek to offer any downside protection, except for the fact that the premiums from the sold options may offset some or all of the Underlying Leveraged ETF’s decline.
Put Spread Strategy Risk (All Funds): Similarly to a put writing strategy (see relevant risk factor), a put spread strategy will subject the Fund’s performance to path dependency.
Option Market Liquidity Risk (All Funds): The trading activity in the option market of the Underlying Leveraged ETF may be limited and the option contracts may trade at levels significantly different from their economic value. The lack of liquidity may negatively affect the ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective. This risk may increase if the portfolio turnover is elevated, for instance because of frequent changes in the number of Shares outstanding, and if the net asset value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF is modest. For the 12-month period ending September 30, 2025, the net asset value of the Underlying Leveraged ETF ranged from $0.25m to $26,663m.
Concentration Risk (All Funds): To the extent that the Underlying Leveraged ETF concentrates its investments in a particular industry, the Fund will be subject to the risks associated with that industry.
Recent Market Events Risk (All Funds): U.S. and international markets have experienced significant periods of volatility in recent years and months due to a number of economic, political and global macro factors including the impact of COVID-19 as a global pandemic and related public health crisis, growth concerns in the U.S. and overseas, uncertainties regarding interest rates, rising inflation, trade tensions, and the threat of tariffs imposed by the U.S. and other countries. In particular, the global spread of COVID-19 has resulted in disruptions to business operations and supply chains, stress on the global healthcare system, growth concerns in the U.S. and overseas, staffing shortages and the inability to meet consumer demand, and widespread concern and uncertainty. The global recovery from COVID-19 is proceeding at slower than expected rates due to the emergence of variant strains and may last for an extended period of time. Health crises and related political, social and economic disruptions caused by the spread of COVID-19 may also exacerbate other pre-existing political, social and economic risks in certain countries. Conflict, loss of life and disaster connected to ongoing armed conflict between Ukraine and Russia in Europe and Israel and Hamas in the Middle East could have severe adverse effects on the region, including significant adverse effects on the regional or global economies and the markets for certain securities. The U.S. and the European Union have imposed sanctions on certain Russian individuals and companies, including certain financial institutions, and have limited certain exports and imports to and from Russia. The war has contributed to recent market volatility and may continue to do so. These developments, as well as other events, could result in further market volatility and negatively affect financial asset prices, the liquidity of certain securities and the normal operations of securities exchanges and other markets, despite government efforts to address market disruptions. As a result, the risk environment remains elevated. The Adviser will monitor developments and seek to manage the Funds in a manner consistent with achieving each Fund’s investment objective, but there can be no assurance that they will be successful in doing so. U.S. trade disputes or other disputes with specific countries that could result in additional tariffs, trade barriers and/or investment restrictions in certain securities in those countries.
Significant market volatility and market downturns may limit the Funds’ ability to sell securities and obtain long exposure to securities, and a Funds’ sales and long exposures may exacerbate the market volatility and downturn. Under such circumstances, a Fund may have difficulty achieving its investment objective for one or more trading days, which may adversely impact a Fund’s returns on those days and periods inclusive of those days. Alternatively, a Fund may incur higher costs in order to achieve its investment objective and may be forced to purchase and sell securities (including other ETFs’ shares) at market prices that do not represent their fair value (including in the case of an ETF, its NAV) or at times that result in differences between the price such Fund receives for the security and the market closing price of the security. Under those circumstances, a Fund’s ability to track the applicable Underlying Issuer is likely to be adversely affected, the market price of Shares may reflect a greater premium or discount to NAV and bid-ask spreads in Shares may widen, resulting in increased transaction costs for secondary market purchasers and sellers.
| 231 |
Single Issuer Risk (All Funds): Issuer-specific attributes may cause an investment in the Fund to be more volatile than a traditional pooled investment vehicle which diversifies risk or the market generally. The value of the Fund, which focuses on an individual Underlying Leveraged ETF, 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.
Tax Risk (All Funds): The Funds intend to elect and to qualify each year to be treated as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code. As a RIC, each 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 a 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 derivatives it holds is never 25% of the total value of Fund assets at the close of any quarter. If a Fund’s investments in derivatives 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 addition, for a given Fund, the distributions received by the Fund from the Underlying Leveraged ETF may generate “bad income” that could prevent such Fund from meeting the “Income Requirement” of Subchapter M of the Code, which may cause the Fund to fail to qualify as a RIC.
Investing in U.S. Equities Risk (All Funds): Investing in U.S. issuers subjects the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency, security, and economic risks that are specific to the U.S. Certain changes in the U.S., such as a weakening of the U.S. economy or a decline in its financial markets, may have an adverse effect on U.S. issuers.
U.S. Government and U.S. Agency Obligations Risk (All Funds): The Funds 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.
Fixed Income Securities Risk (All Funds): The market value of Fixed Income Securities will change in response to interest rate changes and other factors, such as changes in the effective maturities and credit ratings of fixed income investments. During periods of falling interest rates, the values of outstanding Fixed Income Securities and related financial instruments generally rise. Conversely, during periods of rising interest rates, the values of such securities and related financial instruments generally decline. Fixed Income Securities are also subject to credit risk.
FUND WEBSITE AND DISCLOSURE OF PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS
The GraniteShares Trust maintains a website for the Funds at www.graniteshares.com. Among other things, this website includes each Fund’s prospectus and Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”), and includes the Funds’ holdings, the Funds’ last annual and semi-annual reports, pricing information about shares trading on the Exchange, updated performance information, premiums and discounts, and bid/ask spreads. The Funds’ annual and semi-annual reports contain complete listings of each Fund’s portfolio holdings as of the end of the Funds’ second and fourth fiscal quarters. Each Fund prepares a report on Form N-PORT of its portfolio holdings as of the end of each month. The Funds’ annual and semi-annual reports are filed with the SEC within 60 days of the end of the reporting period and the Fund’s monthly portfolio holdings are filed with the SEC within 60 days after the end of each fiscal quarter. You can find the SEC filings on the SEC’s website, www.sec.gov. A summarized description of the GraniteShares Trust’s policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of Fund portfolio holdings is available in each Fund’s SAI. Information on how to obtain the SAI is listed on the inside back cover of this prospectus.
| 232 |
Fund Management
Adviser
GraniteShares Advisors LLC, the investment adviser to Funds, is a Delaware limited liability company located at 222 Broadway, 21st Floor, New York, New York 10038. The Adviser provides investment advisory services to exchange-traded funds. The Adviser serves as investment adviser to the Funds with overall responsibility for the portfolio management of the Funds, subject to the supervision of the Board of the GraniteShares Trust. For its services, the Adviser receives a fee that is equal to 0.99% per annum of the average daily net assets of each Fund, in each case calculated daily and paid monthly.
Although each Fund is responsible for its own operating expenses, the Adviser has entered into an Expense Limitation Agreement with each Fund. Under this Expense Limitation Agreement, the Adviser has contractually agreed to waive its fees and/or pay for operating expenses of each Fund to ensure that total annual fund operating expenses (exclusive of any (i) interest, (ii) brokerage fees and commission, (iii) acquired fund fees and expenses, (iv) fees and expenses associated with instruments in other collective investment vehicles or derivative instruments (including for example options and swap fees and expenses), (v) interest and dividend expense on short sales, (vi) taxes, (vii) other fees related to underlying investments (such as option fees and expenses or swap fees and expenses), (viii) expenses incurred in connection with any merger or reorganization or (ix) extraordinary expenses such as litigation) will not exceed 1.15% of each Fund’s average daily net assets. Any expense waiver or reimbursement is subject to recoupment by the Adviser within the three years after the expense was waived/reimbursed only if Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses fall below the lesser of this percentage limitation and any percentage limitation in place at the time the expense was waived/reimbursed. This agreement may be terminated or revised at any time at the discretion of the Board upon notice to the Adviser and without the approval of Fund shareholders.
The Adviser is a wholly owned subsidiary of GraniteShares, Inc., a Delaware corporation. The Adviser has been a registered investment adviser since 2017. As of September 30, 2025, the Adviser had US$ 8,500 million in total assets under management.
A discussion regarding the basis for the Board’s approval of the investment advisory agreement with respect to each Fund will be available in the Funds’ first annual or semi-annual report to shareholders.
Portfolio Managers
Jeff Klearman has been Portfolio Manager at GraniteShares since 2017. Mr. Klearman has over 20 years of experience working as a trader, structurer, marketer and researcher. Most recently, Mr. Klearman was the Chief Investment Officer for Rich Investment Services, a company which created, listed and managed ETFs. Prior to Rich Investment Services, Mr. Klearman headed the New York Commodities Structuring desk at Deutsche Bank AG. From 2004 to 2007, Mr. Klearman headed the marketing and structuring effort for rates-based structured products at BNP Paribas in New York. Mr. Klearman worked at AIG Financial Products from 1994 to 2004 trading rates-based volatility products as well as marketing and structuring. Mr. Klearman received his MBA in Finance from NYU Stern School of Business and his Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University.
Ryan Dofflemeyer has been portfolio manager at GraniteShares since September 2024. Mr. Dofflemeyer has over 20 years of experience working as a portfolio manager and trader for ETFs and mutual funds. Most recently, Mr. Dofflemeyer was a Senior Portfolio Manager for Vident Asset Management where he provided ETF sub-advisory services including fund management and trading across a variety of global equities and derivatives-based strategies. Prior to Vident Asset Management, Mr. Dofflemeyer was at ProShares ETFs from 2003 to 2020 where he headed the desks responsible for managing their leveraged and inverse global equities, commodities, and VIX futures ETFs. Mr. Dofflemeyer received his MBA from the University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business and his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Virginia.
The SAI provides additional information about the Portfolio Managers’ compensation, other accounts managed, and ownership of Fund shares.
| 233 |
Buying and Selling Shares
The Funds issue and redeem shares at net asset value only in a large specified number of shares each called a “Creation Unit,” or multiples thereof. A Creation Unit consists of 10,000 shares and are acquired by “Authorized Participants” which are market markers, broker dealers and/or large institutional investors that have entered into an agreement with ALPS Distributors, Inc., the distributor of each Fund’s shares (“ADI” or the “Distributor”). Only Authorized Participants may acquire shares (aggregated in Creation Units) directly from a Fund, and only Authorized Participants may tender their shares for redemption directly to a Fund. Individual shares of the Fund may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through a broker-dealer at a market price. Fund shares are listed for secondary trading on the NASDAQ and can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like other publicly traded securities. The NASDAQ is generally open Monday through Friday and is closed weekends and the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
Because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than at NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (at a premium), at NAV or less than NAV (at a discount). Market prices of Fund shares may deviate significantly from the value of a Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings (as reflected in the NAV per share) during periods of market stress, with the result that investors may pay significantly more or receive significantly less than the underlying value of the Fund shares bought or sold. It cannot be predicted whether Fund shares will trade below, at, or above their NAV. An investor may also incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for shares of the Fund (ask) when buying or selling shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). In addition, when buying or selling shares through a broker, you will incur customary brokerage commissions and charges.
NAV per share for each Fund is computed by dividing the value of the net assets of the Fund (i.e., the value of its total assets less total liabilities) by its total number of shares outstanding. Expenses and fees, including management and distribution fees, if any, are accrued daily and taken into account for purposes of determining NAV. NAV is determined each business day, normally as of the close of regular trading of the NASDAQ (ordinarily 4:00 p.m., Eastern time).
When determining NAV, the value of a Fund’s portfolio securities or other instruments is based on market prices of the securities or other instruments, which generally means a valuation obtained from an exchange or other market (or based on a price quotation or other equivalent indication of the value supplied by an exchange or other market) or a valuation obtained from an independent pricing service. If a security or other instrument’s market price is not readily available or does not otherwise accurately reflect the fair value of the security or other instrument, the security or other instrument will be valued by another method that the Board believes will better reflect fair value in accordance with the Trust’s valuation policies and procedures. Fair value pricing may be used in a variety of circumstances, including, but not limited to, situations when the value of a security or other instrument in a Fund’s portfolio has been materially affected by events occurring after the close of the market on which the security or other instrument is principally traded but prior to the close of the NASDAQ (such as in the case of a corporate action or other news that may materially affect the price of a security) or trading in a security or other instrument has been suspended or halted. Accordingly, a Fund’s NAV may reflect certain portfolio securities’ fair values rather than their market prices.
Fair value pricing involves subjective judgments and it is possible that a fair value determination for a security or other instrument will materially differ from the value that could be realized upon the sale of the security or other instrument. This may result in a difference between the Fund’s performance and the performance of the underlying stock.
Book Entry
Shares of the Funds 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 of the Funds.
Investors owning shares of a Fund are beneficial owners as shown on the records of DTC or its participants. DTC serves as the securities depository for all shares of the Funds. Participants include DTC, 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 securities that you hold in book-entry or “street name” form. Your broker will provide you with account statements, confirmations of your purchases and sales, and tax information.
Frequent Redemptions and Purchases of Fund Shares
Unlike frequent trading of shares of a traditional open-end mutual fund’s (i.e., not exchange-traded) shares, frequent trading of shares of a Fund on the secondary market does not disrupt portfolio management, increase the Fund’s trading costs, lead to realization of capitalization gains, or otherwise harm the Fund’s shareholders because these trades do not involve the Fund directly. Certain institutional investors are authorized to purchase and redeem each Fund’s shares directly with the Fund. To the extent these trades are effected in-kind (i.e., for securities, and not for cash), they do not cause any of the harmful effects noted above that may result from frequent cash trades. Moreover, each Fund imposes transaction fees on in-kind purchases and redemptions of Creation Units to cover the custodial and other costs incurred by the Fund in effecting in-kind trades. These fees increase if an investor substitutes cash in part or in whole for Creation Units, reflecting the fact that the Fund’s trading costs increase in those circumstances. For these reasons, the Board has determined that it is not necessary to adopt policies and procedures to detect and deter frequent trading and market-timing in shares of the Funds.
| 234 |
Dividends, Distributions, and Taxes
Fund Distributions
Dividends from net investment income, if any, are declared and paid at least annually by the Each Fund. Each Fund also intends to distribute net realized capital gains, if any, to its shareholders at least annually. Dividends and other distributions may be declared and paid more frequently to comply with the distribution requirements of Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code, and to avoid a federal excise tax imposed on RICs.
Dividend Reinvestment Service
Brokers may make available to their customers who own a Fund’s shares the DTC book-entry dividend reinvestment service. If this service is available and used, dividend distributions of both income and capital gains will automatically be reinvested in additional whole shares of the Fund. Without this service, investors would receive their distributions in cash. In order to achieve the maximum total return on their investments, investors are encouraged to use the dividend reinvestment service. To determine whether the dividend reinvestment service is available and whether there is a commission or other charge for using this service, consult your broker. Brokers may require a Fund’s shareholders to adhere to specific procedures and timetables. If this service is available and used, dividend distributions of both income and realized gains will be automatically reinvested in additional whole shares of the applicable Fund purchased in the secondary market.
Federal Income Tax Information
The following is a summary of some important U.S. federal income tax issues that affect each Fund and its shareholders. The summary is based on current U.S. federal income tax laws, which may be changed by legislative, judicial or administrative action. You should not consider this summary to be a detailed explanation of the tax treatment of a Fund, or the tax consequences of an investment in a Fund’s shares. The summary is very general, and does not address investors subject to special rules, such as investors who hold shares through an IRA, a 401(k) or other tax-advantaged account. More information about U.S. federal income taxes is located in the SAI. You are urged to consult your tax adviser regarding specific questions as to federal, state and local income taxes.
Federal Income Tax Status of the Funds. Each Fund is treated as a separate entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and intends to qualify for the special tax treatment afforded to RICs under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code. As long as a Fund qualifies as a RIC, it pays no U.S. federal income tax on the earnings it distributes to shareholders.
Federal Income Tax Status of Distributions:
| ● | Each Fund will, for each year, distribute substantially all of its net investment income and net capital gains. | |
| ● | Distributions reported by a Fund as “qualified dividend income” are generally taxed to noncorporate 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 received 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 that are attributable to dividends received by a Fund from U.S. corporations, subject to certain limitations. |
| ● | A Fund’s strategies may limit its ability to distribute dividends eligible for qualified dividend income treatment for noncorporate shareholders and the dividends-received deduction for corporate shareholders. | |
| ● | Any distributions of net capital gain (the excess of a Fund’s net long-term capital gains over its net short-term capital losses) that you receive from a Fund are taxable as long-term capital gains regardless of how long you have owned your shares. Long-term capital gains are currently taxed to noncorporate shareholders at reduced maximum rates. | |
| ● | If a Fund’s distributions exceed its current and accumulated earnings and profits, the excess will be treated for federal income tax purposes as a tax-free return of capital to the extent of your basis in your shares and thereafter as a capital gain if you hold your shares as a capital asset. Because a return of capital distribution reduces the basis of your shares, a return of capital distribution may result in a higher capital gain or a lower capital loss when you sell your shares held in a taxable account. | |
| ● | Taxable dividends and distributions are generally taxable to you whether you receive them in cash or in additional shares through a broker’s dividend reinvestment service. If you receive dividends or distributions in the form of additional shares through a broker’s dividend reinvestment service, you will be required to pay applicable federal, state or local taxes on the reinvested dividends but you will not receive a corresponding cash distribution with which to pay any applicable tax. |
| ● | A Fund may be able to pass through to you foreign tax credits for certain taxes paid by the Fund, provided the Fund meets certain requirements. | |
| ● | Distributions paid in January but declared by a Fund in October, November or December of the previous year to shareholders of record in one of those months may be taxable to you in the previous year. | |
| ● | A Fund will inform you of the amount of your ordinary income dividends, qualified dividend income, return of capital, foreign tax credits and net capital gain distributions received from the Fund shortly after the close of each calendar year. |
Taxes on Exchange-Listed Share Sales. Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of shares will generally be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than one year and as short-term capital gain or loss if the shares have been held for one year or less, except that any capital loss on the sale of shares held for six months or less will be treated as long-term capital loss to the extent of amounts treated as distributions of net capital gain to the shareholder with respect to such shares.
| 235 |
Medicare Tax. U.S. individuals with income exceeding $200,000 ($250,000 if married and filing jointly) are subject to a 3.8% Medicare contribution tax on their “net investment income,” including interest, dividends, and capital gains (including capital gains realized on the sale or exchange of shares). This 3.8% tax also applies to all or a portion of the undistributed net investment income of certain shareholders that are estates and trusts.
Non-U.S. Investors. If you are not a citizen or permanent resident of the United States, a Fund’s ordinary income dividends will generally be subject to a 30% U.S. withholding tax, unless a lower treaty rate applies or unless such income is effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business. This 30% withholding tax generally will not apply to distributions of net capital gain.
Distributions, sale proceeds and certain capital gain dividends paid to a shareholder that is a “foreign financial institution” as defined in Section 1471 of the Internal Revenue Code and that does not meet the requirements imposed on foreign financial institutions by Section 1471 will generally be subject to withholding tax at a 30% rate. Distributions, sale proceeds and certain capital gain dividends paid to a non-U.S. shareholder that is not a foreign financial institution will generally be subject to such withholding tax if the shareholder fails to make certain required certifications. Recently issued proposed Treasury Regulations, however, generally eliminate such withholding on gross proceeds, which include certain capital gains distributions and sale proceeds from a sale or disposition of Fund shares. Taxpayers generally may rely on these proposed Treasury Regulations until final Treasury Regulations are issued. A non-U.S. shareholder may be exempt from the withholding described in this paragraph under an applicable intergovernmental agreement between the U.S. and a foreign government, provided that the shareholder and the applicable foreign government comply with the terms of such agreement.
Backup Withholding. A Fund or your broker will be required in certain cases to withhold (as “backup withholding”) on amounts payable to any shareholder who (1) has provided either an incorrect taxpayer identification number or no number at all, (2) is subject to backup withholding by the Internal Revenue Service for failure to properly report payments of interest or dividends, (3) has failed to certify that such shareholder is not subject to backup withholding, or (4) has not certified that such shareholder is a U.S. person (including a U.S. resident alien). The backup withholding rate is currently 24%. Backup withholding will not, however, be applied to payments that have been subject to the 30% withholding tax applicable to shareholders who are neither citizens nor residents of the United States.
Taxes on Purchases and Redemptions of Creation Units. An authorized purchaser 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 authorized purchaser’s aggregate basis in the securities delivered, plus the amount of any cash paid for the Creation Units. An authorized purchaser who exchanges Creation Units for securities will generally recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the exchanging authorized purchaser’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 Internal Revenue Service may assert, however, that an authorized purchaser who does not mark-to-market its holdings may not be permitted to currently deduct losses upon an exchange of securities for Creation Units under the rules governing “wash sales,” 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.
Any capital gain or loss realized upon redemption of Creation Units is generally treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than one year and as a short-term capital gain or loss if the shares have been held for one year or less.
A Fund 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. A Fund may sell portfolio securities to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. This may cause a Fund to recognize investment income and/or capital gains or losses that it might not have recognized if it had completely satisfied the redemption in-kind. As a result, a Fund may be less tax efficient if it includes such a cash payment in the proceeds paid upon the redemption of Creation Units.
The foregoing discussion summarizes some of the possible consequences under current federal income tax law of an investment in a Fund. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. You also may be subject to state, local and foreign 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.
| 236 |
Distribution of Fund Shares
ALPS Distributors, Inc. (previously defined as “ADI” or the “Distributor”) is a broker-dealer registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The Distributor distributes Creation Units for the Funds on an agency basis and does not maintain a secondary market in Fund shares. The Distributor has no role in determining the policies of the Funds or the securities that are purchased or sold by a Fund. The Distributor’s principal address is 1290 Broadway, Suite 1000, Denver, CO 80203.
The Board has adopted a Distribution and Service Plan (the “Plan”) pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act. In accordance with the Plan, each Fund is authorized to pay an amount up to 0.25% of its average daily net assets each year for certain distribution-related activities and shareholder services. No Rule 12b-1 fees are currently paid by a Fund, 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 the applicable Fund’s assets, over time these fees will increase the cost of your investment and may cost you more than certain other types of sales charges.
Premium/Discount Information
Information on the daily NAV per share of each Fund can be found at www.graniteshares.com. Additionally, information regarding how often the shares of each Fund traded on the Exchange at a price above (i.e., at a premium) or below (i.e., at a discount) the NAV of the Fund is available at www.graniteshares.com. Any such information represents past performance and cannot be used to predict future results.
Fund Service Providers
Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. (“BBH”) is the custodian and transfer agent for the Funds. BBH is located at 50 Post Office Square, Boston, MA 02110-1548.
ALPS Fund Services, Inc., located at 1290 Broadway, Suite 1000, Denver, CO 80203, is the administrator for the Funds.
ALPS Distributors, Inc., located at 1290 Broadway, Suite 1000, Denver, CO 80203, is the distributor for the Funds.
Tait Weller & Baker LLP, located at 50 South 16th Street, Suite 2900, Philadelphia, PA 19102, serves as the Funds’ independent registered public accounting firm. Tait Weller & Baker LLP has been appointed by the Funds’ trustees to audit the annual financial statements of the Funds.
| 237 |
Financial Highlights
GraniteShares YieldBOOST QQQ ETF
| For the Period February 25, 2025 (Commencement of Operations) to
June 30, 2025 |
||||
| NET ASSET VALUE, BEGINNING OF PERIOD | $ | 25.00 | ||
| INCOME FROM OPERATIONS: | ||||
| Net investment income(a) | 0.17 | |||
| Net realized and unrealized loss | (2.88 | ) | ||
| Total from investment operations | (2.71 | ) | ||
| DISTRIBUTIONS: | ||||
| From net investment income | (0.77 | ) | ||
| From return of capital | (2.47 | ) | ||
| Total distributions | (3.24 | ) | ||
| NET (DECREASE) IN NET ASSET VALUE | (5.95 | ) | ||
| NET ASSET VALUE, END OF PERIOD | $ | 19.05 | ||
| TOTAL RETURN(b) | (9.61 | )% | ||
| MARKET VALUE TOTAL RETURN(c) | (9.52 | )% | ||
| RATIOS/SUPPLEMENTAL DATA: | ||||
| Net assets, end of period (in 000s) | $ | 2,858 | ||
| RATIOS TO AVERAGE NET ASSETS | ||||
| Ratio of expenses to average net assets | 7.17 | %(d) | ||
| Ratio of expenses including waiver/reimbursement to average net assets | 1.15 | %(d) | ||
| Ratio of net investment income to average net assets | 2.59 | %(d) | ||
| Portfolio turnover rate | 0 | % | ||
| (a) | Based on daily average shares outstanding during the period. |
| (b) | Total return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at the net asset value at the beginning of the period and redemption at the net asset value on the last day of the period and assuming all distributions are reinvested at the reinvestment prices (lower of market or NAV on ex- date). |
| (c) | Market value total return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at market value at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all dividends and distributions at net asset value during the period, if any, and redemptions on the last day of the period at market value. Market value is determined by the composite closing price as defined as the last reported sales price on Nasdaq. The composite closing price is the last reported sale, regardless of volume, and not an average price, and may have occurred on a date prior to the close of the reporting period. |
| (d) | Annualized. |
GraniteShares YieldBOOST SPY ETF
| For the Period February 25, 2025 (Commencement of Operations) to June 30, 2025 |
||||
| NET ASSET VALUE, BEGINNING OF PERIOD | $ | 25.00 | ||
| INCOME FROM OPERATIONS: | ||||
| Net investment income(a) | 0.19 | |||
| Net realized and unrealized loss | (1.64 | ) | ||
| Total from investment operations | (1.45 | ) | ||
| DISTRIBUTIONS: | ||||
| From net investment income | (2.08 | ) | ||
| From return of capital | (1.31 | ) | ||
| Total distributions | (3.39 | ) | ||
| NET (DECREASE) IN NET ASSET VALUE | (4.84 | ) | ||
| NET ASSET VALUE, END OF PERIOD | $ | 20.16 | ||
| TOTAL RETURN(b) | (4.77 | )% | ||
| MARKET VALUE TOTAL RETURN(c) | (4.58 | )% | ||
| RATIOS/SUPPLEMENTAL DATA: | ||||
| Net assets, end of period (in 000s) | $ | 3,226 | ||
| RATIOS TO AVERAGE NET ASSETS | ||||
| Ratio of expenses to average net assets | 5.84 | %(d) | ||
| Ratio of expenses including waiver/reimbursement to average net assets | 1.15 | %(d) | ||
| Ratio of net investment income to average net assets | 2.72 | %(d) | ||
| Portfolio turnover rate | 0 | % | ||
| (a) | Based on daily average shares outstanding during the period. |
| (b) | Total return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at the net asset value at the beginning of the period and redemption at the net asset value on the last day of the period and assuming all distributions are reinvested at the reinvestment prices (lower of market or NAV on ex- date). |
| (c) | Market value total return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at market value at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all dividends and distributions at net asset value during the period, if any, and redemptions on the last day of the period at market value. Market value is determined by the composite closing price as defined as the last reported sales price on Nasdaq. The composite closing price is the last reported sale, regardless of volume, and not an average price, and may have occurred on a date prior to the close of the reporting period. |
| (d) | Annualized. |
GraniteShares YieldBOOST Small Cap ETF
Because the Fund has not yet commenced investment operations, no financial highlights are available for the Fund at this time. In the future, financial highlights will be presented in this section of the Prospectus.
GraniteShares YieldBOOST Biotech ETF
Because the Fund has not yet commenced investment operations, no financial highlights are available for the Fund at this time. In the future, financial highlights will be presented in this section of the Prospectus.
GraniteShares YieldBOOST Financials ETF
Because the Fund has not yet commenced investment operations, no financial highlights are available for the Fund at this time. In the future, financial highlights will be presented in this section of the Prospectus.
GraniteShares YieldBOOST Gold Miners ETF
Because the Fund has not yet commenced investment operations, no financial highlights are available for the Fund at this time. In the future, financial highlights will be presented in this section of the Prospectus.
GraniteShares YieldBOOST Semiconductor ETF
Because the Fund has not yet commenced investment operations, no financial highlights are available for the Fund at this time. In the future, financial highlights will be presented in this section of the Prospectus.
GraniteShares YieldBOOST Technology ETF
Because the Fund has not yet commenced investment operations, no financial highlights are available for the Fund at this time. In the future, financial highlights will be presented in this section of the Prospectus.
GraniteShares YieldBOOST China ETF
Because the Fund has not yet commenced investment operations, no financial highlights are available for the Fund at this time. In the future, financial highlights will be presented in this section of the Prospectus.
GraniteShares YieldBOOST 20Y+ Treasuries ETF
Because the Fund has not yet commenced investment operations, no financial highlights are available for the Fund at this time. In the future, financial highlights will be presented in this section of the Prospectus.
GraniteShares YieldBOOST Bitcoin ETF
|
For
the Period |
||||
| NET ASSET VALUE, BEGINNING OF PERIOD | $ | 25.00 | ||
| INCOME FROM OPERATIONS: | ||||
| Net investment income(a) | 0.07 | |||
| Net realized and unrealized gain | 1.91 | |||
| Total from investment operations | 1.98 | |||
| DISTRIBUTIONS: | ||||
| From net investment income | (2.20 | ) | ||
| Total distributions | (2.20 | ) | ||
| NET (DECREASE) IN NET ASSET VALUE | (0.22 | ) | ||
| NET ASSET VALUE, END OF PERIOD | $ | 24.78 | ||
| TOTAL RETURN(b) | 8.24 | % | ||
| MARKET VALUE TOTAL RETURN(c) | 8.32 | % | ||
| RATIOS/SUPPLEMENTAL DATA: | ||||
| Net assets, end of period (in 000s) | $ | 4,957 | ||
| RATIOS TO AVERAGE NET ASSETS | ||||
| Ratio of expenses to average net assets | 10.77 | %(d) | ||
| Ratio of expenses including waiver/reimbursement to average net assets | 1.15 | %(d) | ||
| Ratio of net investment income to average net assets | 2.08 | %(d) | ||
| Portfolio turnover rate | 0 | % | ||
| (a) | Based on daily average shares outstanding during the period. |
| (b) | Total return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at the net asset value at the beginning of the period and redemption at the net asset value on the last day of the period and assuming all distributions are reinvested at the reinvestment prices (lower of market or NAV on ex- date). |
| (c) | Market value total return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at market value at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all dividends and distributions at net asset value during the period, if any, and redemptions on the last day of the period at market value. Market value is determined by the composite closing price as defined as the last reported sales price on Nasdaq. The composite closing price is the last reported sale, regardless of volume, and not an average price, and may have occurred on a date prior to the close of the reporting period. |
| (d) | Annualized. |
| 238 |
GraniteShares YieldBOOST AAPL ETF
Because the Fund has not yet commenced investment operations, no financial highlights are available for the Fund at this time. In the future, financial highlights will be presented in this section of the Prospectus.
GraniteShares YieldBOOST AMD ETF
Because the Fund has not yet commenced investment operations, no financial highlights are available for the Fund at this time. In the future, financial highlights will be presented in this section of the Prospectus.
GraniteShares YieldBOOST AMZN ETF
Because the Fund has not yet commenced investment operations, no financial highlights are available for the Fund at this time. In the future, financial highlights will be presented in this section of the Prospectus.
GraniteShares YieldBOOST BABA ETF
Because the Fund has not yet commenced investment operations, no financial highlights are available for the Fund at this time. In the future, financial highlights will be presented in this section of the Prospectus.
GraniteShares YieldBOOST COIN ETF
Because the Fund has not yet commenced investment operations, no financial highlights are available for the Fund at this time. In the future, financial highlights will be presented in this section of the Prospectus.
GraniteShares YieldBOOST META ETF
Because the Fund has not yet commenced investment operations, no financial highlights are available for the Fund at this time. In the future, financial highlights will be presented in this section of the Prospectus.
GraniteShares YieldBOOST MSFT ETF
Because the Fund has not yet commenced investment operations, no financial highlights are available for the Fund at this time. In the future, financial highlights will be presented in this section of the Prospectus.
GraniteShares YieldBOOST NVDA ETF
| For the Period May 12, 2025 (Commencement of Operations) to June 30, 2025 |
||||
| NET ASSET VALUE, BEGINNING OF PERIOD | $ | 25.00 | ||
| INCOME FROM OPERATIONS: | ||||
| Net investment income(a) | 0.07 | |||
| Net realized and unrealized gain | 4.06 | |||
| Total from investment operations | 4.13 | |||
| DISTRIBUTIONS: | ||||
| From net investment income | (2.42 | ) | ||
| Total distributions | (2.42 | ) | ||
| NET INCREASE IN NET ASSET VALUE | 1.71 | |||
| NET ASSET VALUE, END OF PERIOD | $ | 26.71 | ||
| TOTAL RETURN(b) | 16.92 | % | ||
| MARKET VALUE TOTAL RETURN(c) | 17.27 | % | ||
| RATIOS/SUPPLEMENTAL DATA: | ||||
| Net assets, end of period (in 000s) | $ | 6,143 | ||
| RATIOS TO AVERAGE NET ASSETS | ||||
| Ratio of expenses to average net assets | 9.45 | %(d) | ||
| Ratio of expenses including waiver/reimbursement to average net assets | 1.15 | %(d) | ||
| Ratio of net investment income to average net assets | 2.08 | %(d) | ||
| Portfolio turnover rate | 0 | % | ||
| (a) | Based on daily average shares outstanding during the period. |
| (b) | Total return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at the net asset value at the beginning of the period and redemption at the net asset value on the last day of the period and assuming all distributions are reinvested at the reinvestment prices (lower of market or NAV on ex- date). |
| (c) | Market value total return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at market value at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all dividends and distributions at net asset value during the period, if any, and redemptions on the last day of the period at market value. Market value is determined by the composite closing price as defined as the last reported sales price on Nasdaq. The composite closing price is the last reported sale, regardless of volume, and not an average price, and may have occurred on a date prior to the close of the reporting period. |
| (d) | Annualized. |
GraniteShares YieldBOOST TSLA ETF
| For the Period December 17, 2024 (Commencement of Operations) to June 30, 2025 |
||||
| NET ASSET VALUE, BEGINNING OF PERIOD | $ | 25.00 | ||
| INCOME FROM OPERATIONS: | ||||
| Net investment income(a) | 0.16 | |||
| Net realized and unrealized loss | (6.28 | ) | ||
| Total from investment operations | (6.12 | ) | ||
| DISTRIBUTIONS: | ||||
| From net investment income | (1.91 | ) | ||
| From return of capital | (6.95 | ) | ||
| Total distributions | (8.86 | ) | ||
| NET (DECREASE) IN NET ASSET VALUE | (14.98 | ) | ||
| NET ASSET VALUE, END OF PERIOD | $ | 10.02 | ||
| TOTAL RETURN(b) | (26.18 | )% | ||
| MARKET VALUE TOTAL RETURN(c) | (25.45 | )% | ||
| RATIOS/SUPPLEMENTAL DATA: | ||||
| Net assets, end of period (in 000s) | $ | 24,549 | ||
| RATIOS TO AVERAGE NET ASSETS | ||||
| Ratio of expenses to average net assets | 3.03 | %(d) | ||
| Ratio of expenses including waiver/reimbursement to average net assets | 1.15 | %(d) | ||
| Ratio of net investment income to average net assets | 2.38 | %(d) | ||
| Portfolio turnover rate | 0 | % | ||
| (a) | Based on daily average shares outstanding during the period. |
| (b) | Total return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at the net asset value at the beginning of the period and redemption at the net asset value on the last day of the period and assuming all distributions are reinvested at the reinvestment prices (lower of market or NAV on ex-date). |
| (c) | Market value total return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at market value at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all dividends and distributions at net asset value during the period, if any, and redemptions on the last day of the period at market value. Market value is determined by the composite closing price as defined as the last reported sales price on Nasdaq. The composite closing price is the last reported sale, regardless of volume, and not an average price, and may have occurred on a date prior to the close of the reporting period. |
| (d) | Annualized. |
| 239 |
GraniteShares ETF Trust
Annual/Semi-Annual Reports to Shareholders
Additional information about the Funds’ investments will be available in the Funds’ annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders. In the annual report you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected each Fund’s performance after the first fiscal year each Fund is in operation.
Statement of Additional Information (SAI)
The SAI provides more detailed information about each Fund. The SAI is incorporated by reference into, and is thus legally a part of, this prospectus.
For More Information
To request a free copy of the latest annual or semi-annual report of a Fund, the SAI or to request additional information about the Funds or to make other inquiries, please contact us as follows:
| Call: | 844-GRN-TSHR (844-476-8747) | |
| Monday through Friday | ||
| 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. | ||
| Write: | GraniteShares ETF Trust | |
| c/o ALPS Fund Services, Inc. | ||
| 1290 Broadway, Suite 1000 | ||
| Denver, CO 80203 | ||
| Visit: | www.graniteshares.com |
Information Provided by the Securities and Exchange Commission
Reports and other information about the Funds are available in the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s Internet site at http://www.sec.gov, or you can receive copies of this information, after paying a duplicating fee, by electronic request at the following e-mail address: [email protected].
The Trust’s Investment Company Act file number: 811-23214
| 240 |