SUBJECT TO COMPLETION
Dated August 13, 2025
THE INFORMATION HEREIN IS NOT COMPLETE AND MAY BE CHANGED. WE MAY NOT SELL THESE SECURITIES UNTIL THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT FILED WITH THE U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION IS EFFECTIVE. THIS PROSPECTUS IS NOT AN OFFER TO SELL THESE SECURITIES AND IS NOT SOLICITING AN OFFER TO BUY THESE SECURITIES IN ANY JURISDICTION IN WHICH THE OFFER OR SALE IS NOT PERMITTED.
[LOGO]
Portfolio Building Block European Banks Index ETF ([Ticker 1])
Portfolio Building Block World Pharma and Biotech Index ETF ([Ticker 2])
Portfolio Building Block Integrated Oil and Gas and Exploration and Production Index ETF ([Ticker 3])
listed on [__]
PROSPECTUS
[__], 2025
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) has not approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this Prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
SUMMARY INFORMATION
Portfolio Building Block European Banks Index ETF - FUND SUMMARY
Investment Objective
The Portfolio Building Block European Banks Index ETF seeks to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of the BITA European Banks Index (the “Index”).
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and
Example below.
| Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) | |
| Management Fee(1) | [ ] |
| Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees | [ ] |
| Other Expenses(2) | [ ] |
| Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | [ ] |
| (1) | Under the Fund’s investment advisory agreement, in exchange for a single unitary management fee from the Fund, the Fund’s adviser has agreed to pay all expenses incurred by the Fund, except for its advisory fee, interest charges on any borrowings, dividends and other expenses on securities sold short, taxes, brokerage commissions and other expenses incurred in placing orders for the purchase and sale of securities and other investment instruments, acquired fund fees and expenses, accrued deferred tax liability, distribution fees and expenses paid by the Fund under any distribution plan adopted pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “1940 Act”), and litigation expenses, and other non-routine or extraordinary expenses. |
| (2) | Estimated for the current year. |
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then hold or redeem all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. The Example does not take into account brokerage commissions that you may pay on your purchases and sales of Shares. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years |
| [ ] | [ ] |
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in total annual fund operating expenses or in the expense example above, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund is newly organized, portfolio turnover information is not yet available.
Principal Investment Strategies
Overview
The Fund uses a “passive management” (or indexing) approach to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Index. The Index is constructed using a rules-based methodology that identifies companies in the banking industry with publicly traded ordinary shares listed on major stock exchanges in developed European markets, as classified by BITA GmbH (the “Index Provider”).
Index Overview:
The Index’s initial universe consists of all publicly listed equity securities for which sufficient relevant information is available from public sources. The initial universe is screened using the following criteria, which are based on each company’s financial information for the most recent quarter:
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| A. | Banking Industry: To be eligible for inclusion, a company must be classified as operating within the banking industry according to a rules-based methodology defined by the Index Provider. This classification is determined by applying the following predefined criteria: |
According to BITA’s thematic data methodology, to be eligible companies must have a Thematic Exposure Score of at least 50%. A company’s total Thematic Exposure Score is equivalent to the sum of the revenue derived by the company from relevant products, services, and business activities (“PSA”), as a proportion of the company’s total revenue.
BITA approaches the construction and research of Themes through the mapping of PSA into a set of granular “Sub-Themes” designed to facilitate the construction of heavily focused index and data products.
The universe includes companies whose PSA are integral to the banking ecosystem. These companies operate across the following Sub-Themes:
| ● | Retail, SME & Digital Banking: Companies that provide deposit and lend services to individuals and small-to-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This includes checking and savings accounts, personal and auto loans, residential mortgage origination and servicing (held on-balance-sheet), and business lending. The Sub-Theme also includes companies that operate fully digital banking platforms, mobile apps, and online channels—provided these services are delivered under a regulated banking license. |
| ● | Corporate & Institutional Banking: Companies that offer tailored financial products and services to large corporations, public-sector entities, and institutions. These activities include syndicated and structured loans, trade and commodity finance, escrow and fiduciary services, and large-scale treasury and deposit solutions. This sub-theme captures the institutional-facing activities of full-service banks with national or international footprints. |
| ● | Payments & Cash Management: Companies that operate bank-owned or interbank payment systems and deliver cash-management services to retail and corporate clients as regulated banking institutions. This includes domestic and international wire transfers, real-time gross settlement (RTGS), automated clearing house (ACH) services, bank-issued debit and credit card programs, and corporate receivables and payables solutions. |
| ● | Treasury, Risk & Compliance Operations: Companies that manage internal banking functions necessary to maintain financial stability, regulatory compliance, and prudent risk oversight. Activities include asset-liability and liquidity management, credit and market risk modeling, capital adequacy planning, regulatory reporting, and anti-money-laundering (AML) and know-your-customer (KYC) processes. These functions are core to the operations of licensed banks and are integral to ensuring the resilience of the financial system. |
| B. | Market Capitalization: Companies must have a market capitalization of at least $2 billion. |
| C. | Developed European Markets: To be eligible for inclusion, a company’s shares must be listed on a major stock exchange in a developed European market. For the purposes of the Index, “major stock exchanges in developed European markets” are defined as the following (listed alphabetically by country): Austria (Wiener Börse); Belgium (Euronext Brussels); Denmark (Nasdaq Copenhagen); Finland (Nasdaq Helsinki); France (Euronext Paris Exchange); Germany (Deutsche Börse); Ireland (Euronext Irish Stock Exchange); Italy (Borsa Italiana); Netherlands (Euronext Amsterdam); Norway (Euronext Oslo Børs); Portugal (Euronext Lisbon); Spain (Bolsas y Mercados Españoles); Sweden (Nasdaq Stockholm); Switzerland (SIX Swiss Exchange); and United Kingdom (London Stock Exchange). |
| D. | Ordinary Shares: The Index includes only ordinary shares of eligible companies. Ordinary shares represent ownership in a company and typically give shareholders the right to vote and receive dividends. |
Companies that meet the foregoing screens are included in the Index. The Index is expected to be comprised of between 35 and 70 constituents; however, the number of constituents will vary over time.
The Index is reconstituted and rebalanced quarterly (reconstitution means the Index is updated with new eligible companies based on current data; rebalancing means the weights of the companies in the Index are adjusted). In addition, the Index Provider may determine to substitute an Index constituent or make an extraordinary adjustment to the Index if it determines an extraordinary event has occurred. The determination date for regular adjustments takes place on the first Friday of the rebalancing month. On each determination day, Index constituents are weighted according to their free-float market capitalization (i.e., the total market value of a company’s shares that are readily available for public trading, excluding shares held by insiders or controlling shareholders).
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To the extent the Index is concentrated in a particular industry, the Fund is expected to be concentrated in that industry. It is expected that the Index will be concentrated in the banking industry or group of industries.
The Index is owned, calculated, administered, and disseminated by the Index Provider. The Index Provider is not affiliated with the Fund’s investment adviser, Tidal Investments LLC (the “Adviser”).
The Fund’s Investment Strategy
Under normal circumstances, the Fund will invest at least 80% of the Fund’s net assets (plus borrowings for investment purposes) in component securities that make up the Index.
The Fund attempts to invest all, or substantially all, of its assets in the component securities that make up the Index. The Fund will generally use a “replication” strategy to achieve its investment objective, meaning it generally will invest in all of the component securities of the Index. However, the Fund may use a “representative sampling” strategy, meaning it may invest in a sample of the securities in the Index whose risk, return and other characteristics closely resemble the risk, return and other characteristics of the Index as a whole, when the Adviser believes it is in the best interests of the Fund. For example, representative sampling may be used when replicating the Index involves practical difficulties or substantial costs, an Index constituent becomes temporarily illiquid, unavailable, or less liquid, or as a result of legal restrictions or limitations that apply to the Fund but not to the Index.
The Fund will invest in listed equity securities, which may include common stocks, business trust shares, American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”), which are securities listed on US exchanges that represent shares of foreign companies, and other equity investments or ownership interests in business enterprises.
The Fund is classified as “non-diversified,” which means the Fund may invest a larger percentage of its assets in the securities of a smaller number of issuers than a diversified fund.
Principal Investment Risks
The principal risks of investing in the Fund are summarized below. As with any investment, there is a risk that you could lose all or a portion of your investment in the Fund. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”) per share, trading price, yield, total return, and/or ability to meet its objective. For more information about the risks of investing in the Fund, see the section in the Fund’s Prospectus titled “Additional Information About the Funds—Principal Risks of Investing in the Funds.”
An investment in the Fund entails risk. The Fund may not achieve its investment objective and there is a risk that you could lose all of your money invested in the Fund. The Fund is not a complete investment program. It is important that investors closely review all of the risks listed below and understand them before making an investment in the Fund.
Equity Market Risk. Common stocks, such as those held by the Fund, are generally exposed to greater risk than other types of securities, such as preferred stock and debt obligations, because common stockholders generally have inferior rights to receive payment from specific issuers. The equity securities held in the Fund’s portfolio may experience sudden, unpredictable drops in value or long periods of decline in value. This may occur because of factors that affect securities markets generally or factors affecting specific issuers, industries, or sectors in which the Fund invests.
Foreign Securities Risk. Investments in securities or other instruments of non-U.S. issuers involve certain risks not involved in domestic investments and may experience more rapid and extreme changes in value than investments in securities of U.S. companies. Financial markets in foreign countries often are not as developed, efficient, or liquid as financial markets in the United States, and therefore, the prices of non-U.S. securities and instruments can be more volatile. In addition, the Fund will be subject to risks associated with adverse political and economic developments in foreign countries, which may include the imposition of economic sanctions. Generally, there is less readily available and reliable information about non-U.S. issuers due to less rigorous disclosure or accounting standards and regulatory practices. Investments in foreign companies’ securities, including investments via depositary receipts, are subject to special risks, including the following:
| ● | Risk of Investing in Europe. The economies of Europe are highly dependent on each other, both as key trading partners and, in many cases, as fellow members maintaining the euro. Decreasing European imports, new trade regulations, changes in exchange rates, a recession in Europe, or a slowing of economic growth in this region could have an adverse impact on the securities in which the Fund invests. Reduction in trading activity among European countries may cause an adverse impact on each nation’s individual economies. The Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union (the “EU”) requires compliance with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, interest rates, debt levels and fiscal and monetary controls, each of which may significantly affect every country in Europe, including those countries that are not members of the EU. Decreasing imports or exports, changes in governmental or EU regulations on trade, changes in the exchange rate of the euro, the default or threat of default by an EU member country on its sovereign debt, and recessions in an EU member country may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of EU member countries and their trading partners. |
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| ● | Currency Risk. Changes in currency exchange rates can negatively affect securities denominated in and/or receiving revenues in foreign currencies. Adverse changes in currency exchange rates (relative to the U.S. dollar) may erode or reverse any potential gains from the Fund’s investments in securities denominated in a foreign currency or may widen existing losses. The liquidity and trading value of foreign currencies could be affected by global economic factors, such as inflation, interest rate levels, and trade balances among countries, as well as the actions of sovereign governments and central banks. |
| ● | Depositary Receipt Risk. Depositary receipts involve risks similar to those associated with investments in foreign securities and give rise to certain additional risks. Depositary receipts listed on U.S. or foreign exchanges are issued by banks or trust companies and entitle the holder to all dividends and capital gains that are paid out on the underlying foreign shares (Underlying Shares). When the Fund invests in depositary receipts as a substitute for an investment directly in the Underlying Shares, the Fund is exposed to the risk that the depositary receipts may not provide a return that corresponds precisely with that of the Underlying Shares. |
Index Strategy Risk. The Fund’s strategy is linked to an Index maintained by the Index Provider that exercises complete control over the Index. The Index Provider may delay or add a rebalance date, which may adversely impact the performance of the Fund and its correlation to the Index. In addition, there is no guarantee that the methodology used by the Index Provider to identify constituents for the Index will achieve its intended result or positive performance. Errors in Index data, Index computations or the construction of the Index in accordance with its methodology may occur from time to time and may not be identified and/or corrected for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund.
Data Risk. The composition of the Index is heavily dependent on information and data supplied by third parties (“Data”). When Data proves to be incorrect or incomplete, any decisions made in reliance thereon may lead to the inclusion or exclusion of securities from the Index universe that would have been excluded or included had the Data been correct and complete. If the composition of the Index reflects such errors, the Fund’s portfolio can be expected to also reflect the errors.
Passive Investment Risk. The Fund invests in the securities included in, or representative of, its Index regardless of their investment merit. The Fund does not attempt to outperform its Index or take defensive positions in declining markets. As a result, the Fund’s performance may be adversely affected by a general decline in the market segments relating to its Index.
Tracking Error Risk. While the Fund generally seeks to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Index, the performance of the Fund and its Index may differ from each other for a variety of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs operating expenses and portfolio transaction costs not incurred by the Index. In addition, the Fund may not be fully invested in the securities of the Index at all times or may hold securities not included in the Index.
Concentration Risk. The Fund’s investment exposure will be concentrated in (or substantially exposed to) the same industry or group of industries to the extent the Index is so concentrated. In such event, the value of Shares may rise and fall more than the value of shares that invest in securities of companies in a broader range of industries.
Banking Companies Risk. Banks are especially subject to the adverse effects of economic recession, currency exchange rates, government regulation, decreases in the availability of capital, volatile interest rates, portfolio concentrations in geographic markets and in commercial and residential real estate loans, and competition from new entrants in their fields of business. In addition, banks are subject to extensive regulation at both the federal and state level, which may affect permissible activities, profitability and the amount of capital that they must maintain. The impact of changes in regulations and capital requirements on a banking company cannot be predicted and may negatively impact such banking company. Profitability is largely dependent on the availability and cost of capital funds, and can fluctuate significantly when interest rates change. Credit losses resulting from financial difficulties of borrowers can negatively impact banking companies. Banks may also be subject to severe price competition. Competition among banking companies is high and failure to maintain or increase market share may result in lost market value.
Financial Institutions Risk. Changes in the creditworthiness of financial institutions (including banks) may adversely affect the values of instruments of issuers in financial industries. Adverse developments in banking and other financial industries may cause the Fund to underperform relative to other funds that invest more broadly across different industries or have a smaller exposure to financial institutions. Other adverse developments that affect financial institutions or the financial services industry generally, or concerns or rumors about any events of these kinds or other similar risks, may reduce liquidity in the market generally or have other adverse effects on the economy or the Fund. In addition, the Fund may not be able to identify all potential solvency or stress concerns with respect to a financial institution or to transfer assets from one bank or financial institution to another in a timely manner in the event such bank or financial institution comes under stress or fails. Changes in governmental regulation and oversight of financial institutions may have an adverse effect on the financial condition of a financial institution.
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Economic and Market Risk. Economies and financial markets throughout the world are becoming increasingly interconnected, which increases the likelihood that events or conditions in one country or region will adversely impact markets or issuers in other countries or regions. Securities in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform in comparison to securities in the general financial markets, a particular financial market, or other asset classes, due to a number of factors, including inflation (or expectations for inflation), deflation (or expectations for deflation), interest rates, global demand for particular products or resources, market instability, financial system instability, debt crises and downgrades, embargoes, tariffs, sanctions and other trade barriers, regulatory events, other governmental trade or market control programs and related geopolitical events. In addition, the value of the Fund’s investments may be negatively affected by the occurrence of global events such as war, terrorism, environmental disasters, natural disasters or events, country instability, and infectious disease epidemics or pandemics. The imposition by the U.S. of tariffs on goods imported from foreign countries and reciprocal tariffs levied on U.S. goods by those countries also may lead to volatility and instability in domestic and foreign markets.
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.
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 “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. 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 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. As a result, the Fund could be adversely affected and be unable to implement its investment strategies in the event of an unscheduled closing.
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Market Capitalization Risk.
| ● | Large-Capitalization Investing. The securities of large-capitalization companies may be relatively mature compared to smaller companies and therefore subject to slower growth during times of economic expansion. Large-capitalization companies may also be unable to respond quickly to new competitive challenges, such as changes in technology and consumer tastes. |
| ● | Mid-Capitalization Investing. The securities of mid-capitalization companies may be more vulnerable to adverse issuer, market, political, or economic developments than securities of large-capitalization companies. The securities of mid-capitalization companies generally trade in lower volumes and are subject to greater and more unpredictable price changes than large-capitalization stocks or the stock market as a whole. |
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 and Adviser seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures, there is no way to completely protect against such risks.
Underlying Index Risk. Neither the Fund’s investment adviser nor the Index Provider is able to guarantee the continuous availability or timeliness of the production of the Index. The calculation and dissemination of the Index values may be delayed if the information technology or other facilities of the Index Provider, calculation agent, data providers and/or relevant stock exchange malfunction for any reason. A significant delay may cause trading in shares of the Fund to be suspended. Errors in Index data, computation and/or the construction in accordance with its methodology may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Index Provider, calculation agent or other applicable party for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders.
Performance
Performance information for the Fund is not included because the Fund has not completed a full calendar year of operations as of the date of this Prospectus. When such information is included, this section will provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance history from year to year and showing how the Fund’s average annual total returns compare with those of the Index and a broad measure of market performance. Although past performance of the Fund is no guarantee of how it will perform in the future, historical performance may give you some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. Updated performance information will be available on the Fund’s website at [__.com].
Management
Investment Adviser: Tidal Investments LLC (the “Adviser” or “Tidal”) serves as investment adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers:
The following individuals are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund.
Investment Adviser
Qiao Duan, CFA, Portfolio Manager for the Adviser, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in 2025.
Charles A. Ragauss, CFA, Portfolio Manager for the Adviser, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since 2025.
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Purchase and Sale of Shares
The Fund issues and redeems Shares at NAV only in large blocks known as “Creation Units,” which only Authorized Participants (APs) (typically, broker-dealers) may purchase or redeem. The Fund generally issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities (the “Deposit Securities”) and/or a designated amount of U.S. cash.
Shares are listed on a national securities exchange, such as the Exchange, and individual Shares may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through brokers at market prices, rather than NAV. Because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).
An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares (the “bid” price) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares (the “ask” price) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market. This difference in bid and ask prices is often referred to as the “bid-ask spread.”
When available, information regarding the Fund’s NAV, market price, how often Shares traded on the Exchange at a premium or discount, and bid-ask spreads can be found on the Fund’s website at [__.com.]
Tax Information
Fund distributions are generally taxable as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains (or a combination), unless an investment is in an individual retirement account (“IRA”) or other tax-advantaged account. Distributions on investments made through tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal of assets from those accounts.
Financial Intermediary Compensation
If you purchase Shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank) (an “Intermediary”), the Adviser or its affiliates may pay Intermediaries for certain activities related to the Fund, including participation in activities that are designed to make Intermediaries more knowledgeable about exchange-traded products, including the Fund, or for other activities, such as marketing, educational training, or other initiatives related to the sale or promotion of Shares. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the Intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Any such arrangements do not result in increased Fund expenses. Ask your salesperson or visit the Intermediary’s website for more information.
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SUMMARY INFORMATION
Portfolio Building Block World Pharma and Biotech Index ETF- FUND SUMMARY
Investment Objective
The Portfolio Building Block World Pharma and Biotech Index ETF seeks to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of the BITA World BioPharma and Life Sciences Index (the “Index”).
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and
Example below.
| Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) | |
| Management Fee(1) | [ ] |
| Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees | [ ] |
| Other Expenses(2) | [ ] |
| Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | [ ] |
| (1) | Under the Fund’s investment advisory agreement, in exchange for a single unitary management fee from the Fund, the Fund’s adviser has agreed to pay all expenses incurred by the Fund, except for its advisory fee, interest charges on any borrowings, dividends and other expenses on securities sold short, taxes, brokerage commissions and other expenses incurred in placing orders for the purchase and sale of securities and other investment instruments, acquired fund fees and expenses, accrued deferred tax liability, distribution fees and expenses paid by the Fund under any distribution plan adopted pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “1940 Act”), and litigation expenses, and other non-routine or extraordinary expenses. |
| (2) | Estimated for the current year. |
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then hold or redeem all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. The Example does not take into account brokerage commissions that you may pay on your purchases and sales of Shares. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years |
| [ ] | [ ] |
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in total annual fund operating expenses or in the expense example above, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund is newly organized, portfolio turnover information is not yet available.
Principal Investment Strategies
Overview
The Fund uses a “passive management” (or indexing) approach to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Index. The Index is constructed using a rules-based methodology that identifies companies in the pharmaceutical and/or biotechnology industries with publicly traded ordinary shares listed on major stock exchanges in developed markets, as classified by BITA GmbH (the “Index Provider”).
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Index Overview:
The Index’s initial universe consists of all publicly listed equity securities for which sufficient relevant information is available from public sources. The initial universe is screened using the following criteria, which are based on each company’s financial information for the most recent quarter:
| A. |
Pharmaceutical or Biotechnology Industry: To be eligible for inclusion, a company must be classified as operating within either the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry according to a rules-based methodology defined by the Index Provider. This classification is determined by applying the following predefined criteria: |
According to BITA’s thematic data methodology, to be eligible companies must have a Thematic Exposure Score of at least 50%. A company’s total Thematic Exposure Score is equivalent to the sum of the revenue derived by the company from relevant products, services, and business activities (“PSA”), as a proportion of the company’s total revenue.
BITA approaches the construction and research of Themes through the mapping of PSA into a set of granular “Sub-Themes” designed to facilitate the construction of heavily focused index and data products.
The universe includes companies whose PSA are integral to the biopharma ecosystem. These companies operate across the following Sub-Themes:
| ● | Biotechnology-Based Therapeutics: Companies that develop, manufacture, or commercialize treatments based on genetic engineering, recombinant proteins, cell and gene therapies, or other biotech platforms. This includes mRNA therapies, monoclonal antibodies, CRISPR-based editing, and personalized therapeutics. These firms are typically focused on treating complex or rare human diseases through biological innovation. |
| ● | Pharmaceutical Research & Manufacturing: Companies that are engaged in the discovery, development, and production of small-molecule drugs and traditional pharmaceuticals. This includes both branded and generic drug manufacturers, with operations spanning preclinical research, regulatory approval, and mass production. Veterinary medicine developers are also included. |
| ● | Precision Medicine & Genetic Diagnostics: Companies that focus on developing diagnostic tools and technologies used to guide individualized treatment decisions. This includes firms that offer genomic testing, biomarker-based diagnostics, companion diagnostics linked to specific therapies, and AI-enabled health insights aimed at improving treatment efficacy. |
| ● | Life Sciences Tools & Consumables: Companies that provide scientific equipment, instruments, reagents, software, and laboratory consumables used throughout the drug development pipeline. These firms serve pharmaceutical, biotech, and academic research labs by enabling the molecular, cellular, and genomic analysis necessary for R&D progress. |
Clinical & Contract Research Services: Companies that provide outsourced research and development services, including clinical trial design and execution, regulatory consulting, and bioanalytical testing. This sub-theme captures contract research organizations (CROs), contract development and manufacturing organizations (CDMOs), and others that support pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies in bringing therapies to market.
| B. | Market Capitalization: Companies with a market capitalization of at least $10 billion. |
| C. | Developed Markets: To be eligible for inclusion, a company’s shares must be listed on a major stock exchange in a developed market. For the purposes of the Index, “major stock exchanges in developed markets” are defined as the following (listed alphabetically by country): Australia (Australian Stock Exchange); Austria (Wiener Börse); Belgium (Euronext Brussels); Canada (Canadian Securities Exchange, Toronto Stock Exchange, and TSX Venture Exchange); Denmark (Nasdaq Copenhagen); Finland (Nasdaq Helsinki); France (Euronext Paris Exchange); Germany (Deutsche Börse); Ireland (Euronext Irish Stock Exchange); Israel (Tel-Aviv Stock Exchange); Italy (Borsa Italiana); Japan (Tokyo Stock Exchange); Netherlands (Euronext Amsterdam); New Zealand (New Zealand Stock Exchange); Norway (Euronext Oslo Børs); Portugal (Euronext Lisbon); Singapore (Singapore Exchange); Spain (Bolsas y Mercados Españoles); Sweden (Nasdaq Stockholm); Switzerland (SIX Swiss Exchange); United Kingdom (London Stock Exchange); and Unites States (Nasdaq and New York Stock Exchange). |
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| D. | Ordinary Shares: The Index includes only ordinary shares of eligible companies. Ordinary shares represent ownership in a company and typically give shareholders the right to vote and receive dividends. |
Companies that meet the foregoing screens are included in the Index. The Index is expected to be comprised of between 35 and 70 constituents, however, the number of constituents will vary over time.
The Index is reconstituted and rebalanced quarterly (reconstitution means the Index is updated with new eligible companies based on current data; rebalancing means the weights of the companies in the Index are adjusted). In addition, the Index Provider may determine to substitute an Index constituent or make an extraordinary adjustment to the Index if it determines an extraordinary event has occurred. The determination date for regular adjustments takes place on the first Friday of the rebalancing month. On each determination day, Index constituents are weighted according to their free-float market capitalization (i.e., the total market value of a company’s shares that are readily available for public trading, excluding shares held by insiders or controlling shareholders).
To the extent the Index is concentrated in a particular industry or industries, the Fund is expected to be concentrated in that industry or industries. It is expected that the Index will be concentrated in both the Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology industries or group of industries.
The Index is owned, calculated, administered, and disseminated by the Index Provider. The Index Provider is not affiliated with the Fund’s investment adviser, Tidal Investments LLC (the “Adviser”).
The Fund’s Investment Strategy
Under normal circumstances, the Fund will invest at least 80% of the Fund’s net assets (plus borrowings for investment purposes) in component securities that make up the Index.
The Fund attempts to invest all, or substantially all, of its assets in the component securities that make up the Index. The Fund will generally use a “replication” strategy to achieve its investment objective, meaning it generally will invest in all of the component securities of the Index. However, the Fund may use a “representative sampling” strategy, meaning it may invest in a sample of the securities in the Index whose risk, return and other characteristics closely resemble the risk, return and other characteristics of the Index as a whole, when the Adviser believes it is in the best interests of the Fund. For example, representative sampling may be used when replicating the Index involves practical difficulties or substantial costs, an Index constituent becomes temporarily illiquid, unavailable, or less liquid, or as a result of legal restrictions or limitations that apply to the Fund but not to the Index.
The Fund will invest in listed equity securities, which may include common stocks, business trust shares, American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”), which are securities listed on US exchanges that represent shares of foreign companies, and other equity investments or ownership interests in business enterprises.
Under normal market conditions, the Fund will invest at least 40% (unless the portfolio managers deem market conditions unfavorable, in which case the Fund would invest at least 30%) of its assets in securities of issuers located outside the United States. The Fund will allocate its assets among adifferent countries (one of which may be the United States).
The Fund is classified as “non-diversified,” which means the Fund may invest a larger percentage of its assets in the securities of a smaller number of issuers than a diversified fund.
Principal Investment Risks
The principal risks of investing in the Fund are summarized below. As with any investment, there is a risk that you could lose all or a portion of your investment in the Fund. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”) per share, trading price, yield, total return, and/or ability to meet its objective. For more information about the risks of investing in the Fund, see the section in the Fund’s Prospectus titled “Additional Information About the Funds—Principal Risks of Investing in the Funds.”
An investment in the Fund entails risk. The Fund may not achieve its investment objective and there is a risk that you could lose all of your money invested in the Fund. The Fund is not a complete investment program. It is important that investors closely review all of the risks listed below and understand them before making an investment in the Fund.
Equity Market Risk. Common stocks, such as those held by the Fund, are generally exposed to greater risk than other types of securities, such as preferred stock and debt obligations, because common stockholders generally have inferior rights to receive payment from specific issuers. The equity securities held in the Fund’s portfolio may experience sudden, unpredictable drops in value or long periods of decline in value. This may occur because of factors that affect securities markets generally or factors affecting specific issuers, industries, or sectors in which the Fund invests.
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Index Strategy Risk. The Fund’s strategy is linked to an Index maintained by the Index Provider that exercises complete control over the Index. The Index Provider may delay or add a rebalance date, which may adversely impact the performance of the Fund and its correlation to the Index. In addition, there is no guarantee that the methodology used by the Index Provider to identify constituents for the Index will achieve its intended result or positive performance. Errors in Index data, Index computations or the construction of the Index in accordance with its methodology may occur from time to time and may not be identified and/or corrected for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund.
Data Risk. The composition of the Index is heavily dependent on information and data supplied by third parties (“Data”). When Data proves to be incorrect or incomplete, any decisions made in reliance thereon may lead to the inclusion or exclusion of securities from the Index universe that would have been excluded or included had the Data been correct and complete. If the composition of the Index reflects such errors, the Fund’s portfolio can be expected to also reflect the errors.
Passive Investment Risk. The Fund invests in the securities included in, or representative of, its Index regardless of their investment merit. The Fund does not attempt to outperform its Index or take defensive positions in declining markets. As a result, the Fund’s performance may be adversely affected by a general decline in the market segments relating to its Index.
Tracking Error Risk. While the Fund generally seeks to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Index, the performance of the Fund and its Index may differ from each other for a variety of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs operating expenses and portfolio transaction costs not incurred by the Index. In addition, the Fund may not be fully invested in the securities of the Index at all times or may hold securities not included in the Index.
Concentration Risk. The Fund’s investment exposure will be concentrated in (or substantially exposed to) the same industry or group of industries to the extent the Index is so concentrated. In such event, the value of Shares may rise and fall more than the value of shares that invest in securities of companies in a broader range of industries.
Biotech and Pharma Industry Group Risk. Companies in the biotech and pharmaceuticals industry group may be highly volatile and affected by industry competition, dependency on a limited number of products, obsolescence of products, government approvals and regulations, loss or impairment of intellectual property rights and litigation regarding product liability. These companies can be significantly affected by patent considerations, including the termination of patent protections for products, intense competition both domestically and internationally, rapid technological change and expensive insurance costs due to the risk of product liability lawsuits. In addition, this industry group is an emerging growth industry, and therefore some companies may be thinly capitalized and more volatile than companies with greater capitalizations. Biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies must contend with high development costs, which may be exacerbated by the inability to raise prices to cover costs because of managed care pressure, government regulation or price controls.
Economic and Market Risk. Economies and financial markets throughout the world are becoming increasingly interconnected, which increases the likelihood that events or conditions in one country or region will adversely impact markets or issuers in other countries or regions. Securities in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform in comparison to securities in the general financial markets, a particular financial market, or other asset classes, due to a number of factors, including inflation (or expectations for inflation), deflation (or expectations for deflation), interest rates, global demand for particular products or resources, market instability, financial system instability, debt crises and downgrades, embargoes, tariffs, sanctions and other trade barriers, regulatory events, other governmental trade or market control programs and related geopolitical events. In addition, the value of the Fund’s investments may be negatively affected by the occurrence of global events such as war, terrorism, environmental disasters, natural disasters or events, country instability, and infectious disease epidemics or pandemics. The imposition by the U.S. of tariffs on goods imported from foreign countries and reciprocal tariffs levied on U.S. goods by those countries also may lead to volatility and instability in domestic and foreign markets.
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.
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.
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Shares May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all ETFs, Shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of Shares will approximate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price of Shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount) due to supply and demand of Shares or during periods of market volatility. This risk is heightened in times of market volatility, periods of steep market declines, and periods when there is limited trading activity for Shares in the secondary market, in which case such premiums or discounts may be significant.
Trading. Although Shares are listed on a national securities exchange, such as [_____] (the “Exchange”), and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that 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. 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 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. As a result, the Fund could be adversely affected and be unable to implement its investment strategies in the event of an unscheduled closing.
Foreign Securities Risk. Investments in securities or other instruments of non-U.S. issuers involve certain risks not involved in domestic investments and may experience more rapid and extreme changes in value than investments in securities of U.S. companies. Financial markets in foreign countries often are not as developed, efficient, or liquid as financial markets in the United States, and therefore, the prices of non-U.S. securities and instruments can be more volatile. In addition, the Fund will be subject to risks associated with adverse political and economic developments in foreign countries, which may include the imposition of economic sanctions. Generally, there is less readily available and reliable information about non-U.S. issuers due to less rigorous disclosure or accounting standards and regulatory practices. Investments in foreign companies’ securities, including investments via depositary receipts, are subject to special risks, including the following:
| ● | Developed Markets Risk. Many developed market countries have heavy indebtedness, which may lead downward pressure on the economies of these countries. As a result, it is possible that interest rates on debt of certain developed countries may rise to levels that make it difficult for such countries to service high debt levels without significant help from other countries or from a central bank. Developed market countries generally are dependent on the economies of certain key trading partners. Changes in any one economy may cause an adverse impact on several developed countries. |
| ● | Currency Risk. Changes in currency exchange rates can negatively affect securities denominated in and/or receiving revenues in foreign currencies. Adverse changes in currency exchange rates (relative to the U.S. dollar) may erode or reverse any potential gains from the Fund’s investments in securities denominated in a foreign currency or may widen existing losses. The liquidity and trading value of foreign currencies could be affected by global economic factors, such as inflation, interest rate levels, and trade balances among countries, as well as the actions of sovereign governments and central banks. |
| ● | Depositary Receipt Risk. Depositary receipts involve risks similar to those associated with investments in foreign securities and give rise to certain additional risks. Depositary receipts listed on U.S. or foreign exchanges are issued by banks or trust companies, and entitle the holder to all dividends and capital gains that are paid out on the underlying foreign shares (Underlying Shares). When the Fund invests in depositary receipts as a substitute for an investment directly in the Underlying Shares, the Fund is exposed to the risk that the depositary receipts may not provide a return that corresponds precisely with that of the Underlying Shares |
Market Capitalization Risk.
| ● | Large-Capitalization Investing. The securities of large-capitalization companies may be relatively mature compared to smaller companies and therefore subject to slower growth during times of economic expansion. Large-capitalization companies may also be unable to respond quickly to new competitive challenges, such as changes in technology and consumer tastes. |
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.
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Operational Risk. The Fund is subject to risks arising from various operational factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund relies on third parties for a range of services, including custody. Any delay or failure relating to engaging or maintaining such service providers may affect the Fund’s ability to meet its investment objective. Although the Fund and Adviser seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures, there is no way to completely protect against such risks.
Underlying Index Risk. Neither the Fund’s investment adviser nor the Index Provider is able to guarantee the continuous availability or timeliness of the production of the Index. The calculation and dissemination of the Index values may be delayed if the information technology or other facilities of the Index Provider, calculation agent, data providers and/or relevant stock exchange malfunction for any reason. A significant delay may cause trading in shares of the Fund to be suspended. Errors in Index data, computation and/or the construction in accordance with its methodology may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Index Provider, calculation agent or other applicable party for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders.
Performance
Performance information for the Fund is not included because the Fund has not completed a full calendar year of operations as of the date of this Prospectus. When such information is included, this section will provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance history from year to year and showing how the Fund’s average annual total returns compare with those of the Index and a broad measure of market performance. Although past performance of the Fund is no guarantee of how it will perform in the future, historical performance may give you some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. Updated performance information will be available on the Fund’s website at [__.com].
Management
Investment Adviser: Tidal Investments LLC (the “Adviser” or “Tidal”) serves as investment adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers:
The following individuals are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund.
Investment Adviser
Qiao Duan, CFA, Portfolio Manager for the Adviser, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in 2025.
Charles A. Ragauss, CFA, Portfolio Manager for the Adviser, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since 2025.
Purchase and Sale of Shares
The Fund issues and redeems Shares at NAV only in large blocks known as “Creation Units,” which only Authorized Participants (APs) (typically, broker-dealers) may purchase or redeem. The Fund generally issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities (the “Deposit Securities”) and/or a designated amount of U.S. cash.
Shares are listed on a national securities exchange, such as the Exchange, and individual Shares may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through brokers at market prices, rather than NAV. Because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).
An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares (the “bid” price) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares (the “ask” price) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market. This difference in bid and ask prices is often referred to as the “bid-ask spread.”
When available, information regarding the Fund’s NAV, market price, how often Shares traded on the Exchange at a premium or discount, and bid-ask spreads can be found on the Fund’s website at [__.com.]
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Tax Information
Fund distributions are generally taxable as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains (or a combination), unless an investment is in an individual retirement account (“IRA”) or other tax-advantaged account. Distributions on investments made through tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal of assets from those accounts.
Financial Intermediary Compensation
If you purchase Shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank) (an “Intermediary”), the Adviser or its affiliates may pay Intermediaries for certain activities related to the Fund, including participation in activities that are designed to make Intermediaries more knowledgeable about exchange-traded products, including the Fund, or for other activities, such as marketing, educational training, or other initiatives related to the sale or promotion of Shares. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the Intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Any such arrangements do not result in increased Fund expenses. Ask your salesperson or visit the Intermediary’s website for more information.
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SUMMARY INFORMATION
Portfolio Building Block Integrated Oil and Gas and Exploration and Production Index ETF - FUND SUMMARY
Investment Objective
The Portfolio Building Block Integrated Oil and Gas and Exploration and Production Index ETF seeks to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of the BITA Oil & Gas Exploration & Production Ecosystem Index (the “Index”).
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and
Example below.
| Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) | |
| Management Fee(1) | [ ] |
| Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees | [ ] |
| Other Expenses(2) | [ ] |
| Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | [ ] |
| (1) | Under the Fund’s investment advisory agreement, in exchange for a single unitary management fee from the Fund, the Fund’s adviser has agreed to pay all expenses incurred by the Fund, except for its advisory fee, interest charges on any borrowings, dividends and other expenses on securities sold short, taxes, brokerage commissions and other expenses incurred in placing orders for the purchase and sale of securities and other investment instruments, acquired fund fees and expenses, accrued deferred tax liability, distribution fees and expenses paid by the Fund under any distribution plan adopted pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “1940 Act”), and litigation expenses, and other non-routine or extraordinary expenses. |
| (2) | Estimated for the current year. |
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then hold or redeem all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. The Example does not take into account brokerage commissions that you may pay on your purchases and sales of Shares. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years |
| [ ] | [ ] |
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in total annual fund operating expenses or in the expense example above, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund is newly organized, portfolio turnover information is not yet available.
Principal Investment Strategies
Overview
The Fund uses a “passive management” (or indexing) approach to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Index. The Index is constructed using a rules-based methodology that identifies companies in the upstream segment of the oil and gas industry value chain with publicly traded ordinary shares listed on major stock exchanges in developed markets, as classified by BITA GmbH (the “Index Provider”).
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Index Overview:
The Index’s initial universe consists of all publicly listed equity securities for which sufficient relevant information is available from public sources. The initial universe is screened using the following criteria, which are based on each company’s financial information for the most recent quarter:
| A. |
Oil and Gas Exploration and Production Industry: To be eligible for inclusion, a company must be classified as operating within the oil and gas exploration and production industry according to a rules-based methodology defined by the Index Provider. This classification is determined by applying the following predefined criteria:
|
According to BITA’s thematic data methodology, to be eligible companies must have a Thematic Exposure Score of at least 50%. A company’s total Thematic Exposure Score is equivalent to the sum of the revenue derived by the company from each relevant PSA, as a proportion of the company’s total revenue.
BITA approaches the construction and research of Themes through the mapping of products, services, and business activities (“PSA”) into a set of granular “Sub-Themes” designed to facilitate the construction of heavily focused index and data products.
The universe includes companies whose Products, Services, and Activities (“PSA”) are integral to the upstream oil & gas ecosystem. These companies operate across the following Sub-Themes:
| ● | Crude Oil Exploration & Extraction: Companies that focus on the upstream discovery and extraction of crude oil resources. This includes geological surveying, exploratory drilling, well development, and the operation of oilfields. These companies typically generate revenue through the direct sale of crude oil produced from their own reserves or acreage. |
| ● | Natural Gas Exploration & Extraction: Companies that are primarily engaged in locating and extracting natural gas reserves. This includes both conventional and unconventional sources such as shale gas, tight gas, and coalbed methane. Companies in this Sub-Theme often operate gas wells and processing facilities and sell natural gas into industrial, utility, and commercial markets. |
| ● | Integrated Energy Producers: Companies that operate across the oil and gas value chain—including refining, marketing, transportation, or petrochemicals—but maintain significant upstream production activities. These firms manage large-scale reserves, diversified geographic exposure, and often engage in strategic capital deployment across segments, while continuing to derive a material portion of their value from exploration and production. |
| ● | Reserve Management & Recovery Optimization: Companies that manage large hydrocarbon reserves and focus on maximizing long-term output through enhanced recovery techniques, advanced drilling technologies, and strategic reserve management. This includes both independent and integrated players optimizing lifecycle economics from proven and probable reserves. |
| B. | Market Capitalization: Companies with a market capitalization of at least $10 billion. |
| C. | Developed Markets: To be eligible for inclusion, a company’s shares must be listed on a major stock exchange in a developed market. For the purposes of the Index, “major stock exchanges in developed markets” are defined as the following (listed alphabetically by country): Australia (Australian Stock Exchange); Austria (Wiener Börse); Belgium (Euronext Brussels); Canada (Canadian Securities Exchange, Toronto Stock Exchange, and TSX Venture Exchange); Denmark (Nasdaq Copenhagen); Finland (Nasdaq Helsinki); France (Euronext Paris Exchange); Germany (Deutsche Börse); Ireland (Euronext Irish Stock Exchange); Israel (Tel-Aviv Stock Exchange); Italy (Borsa Italiana); Japan (Tokyo Stock Exchange); Netherlands (Euronext Amsterdam); New Zealand (New Zealand Stock Exchange); Norway (Euronext Oslo Børs); Portugal (Euronext Lisbon); Singapore (Singapore Exchange); Spain (Bolsas y Mercados Españoles); Sweden (Nasdaq Stockholm); Switzerland (SIX Swiss Exchange); United Kingdom (London Stock Exchange); and Unites States (Nasdaq and New York Stock Exchange). |
| D. | Ordinary Shares: The Index includes only ordinary shares of eligible companies. Ordinary shares represent ownership in a company and typically give shareholders the right to vote and receive dividends. |
Companies that meet the foregoing screens are included in the Index. The Index is expected to be comprised of between 20 and 50 constituents, however, the number of constituents will vary over time.
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The Index is reconstituted and rebalanced quarterly (reconstitution means the Index is updated with new eligible companies based on current data; rebalancing means the weights of the companies in the Index are adjusted). In addition, the Index Provider may determine to substitute an Index constituent or make an extraordinary adjustment to the Index if it determines an extraordinary event has occurred. The determination date for regular adjustments takes place on the first Friday of the rebalancing month. On each determination day, Index constituents are weighted according to their free-float market capitalization (i.e., the total market value of a company’s shares that are readily available for public trading, excluding shares held by insiders or controlling shareholders).
To the extent the Index is concentrated in a particular industry or industries, the Fund is expected to be concentrated in that industry or industries. It is expected that the Index will be concentrated in the oil and gas industry or group of industries.
The Index is owned, calculated, administered, and disseminated by the Index Provider. The Index Provider is not affiliated with the Fund’s investment adviser, Tidal Investments LLC (the “Adviser”).
The Fund’s Investment Strategy
Under normal circumstances, the Fund will invest at least 80% of the Fund’s net assets (plus borrowings for investment purposes) in component securities that make up the Index.
The Fund attempts to invest all, or substantially all, of its assets in the component securities that make up the Index. The Fund will generally use a “replication” strategy to achieve its investment objective, meaning it generally will invest in all of the component securities of the Index. However, the Fund may use a “representative sampling” strategy, meaning it may invest in a sample of the securities in the Index whose risk, return and other characteristics closely resemble the risk, return and other characteristics of the Index as a whole, when the Adviser believes it is in the best interests of the Fund. For example, representative sampling may be used when replicating the Index involves practical difficulties or substantial costs, an Index constituent becomes temporarily illiquid, unavailable, or less liquid, or as a result of legal restrictions or limitations that apply to the Fund but not to the Index.
The Fund will invest in listed equity securities, which may include common stocks, business trust shares, American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”), which are securities listed on US exchanges that represent shares of foreign companies, and other equity investments or ownership interests in business enterprises.
The Fund is classified as “non-diversified,” which means the Fund may invest a larger percentage of its assets in the securities of a smaller number of issuers than a diversified fund.
Principal Investment Risks
The principal risks of investing in the Fund are summarized below. As with any investment, there is a risk that you could lose all or a portion of your investment in the Fund. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”) per share, trading price, yield, total return, and/or ability to meet its objective. For more information about the risks of investing in the Fund, see the section in the Fund’s Prospectus titled “Additional Information About the Funds—Principal Risks of Investing in the Funds.”
An investment in the Fund entails risk. The Fund may not achieve its investment objective and there is a risk that you could lose all of your money invested in the Fund. The Fund is not a complete investment program. It is important that investors closely review all of the risks listed below and understand them before making an investment in the Fund.
Equity Market Risk. Common stocks, such as those held by the Fund, are generally exposed to greater risk than other types of securities, such as preferred stock and debt obligations, because common stockholders generally have inferior rights to receive payment from specific issuers. The equity securities held in the Fund’s portfolio may experience sudden, unpredictable drops in value or long periods of decline in value. This may occur because of factors that affect securities markets generally or factors affecting specific issuers, industries, or sectors in which the Fund invests.
Index Strategy Risk. The Fund’s strategy is linked to an Index maintained by the Index Provider that exercises complete control over the Index. The Index Provider may delay or add a rebalance date, which may adversely impact the performance of the Fund and its correlation to the Index. In addition, there is no guarantee that the methodology used by the Index Provider to identify constituents for the Index will achieve its intended result or positive performance. Errors in Index data, Index computations or the construction of the Index in accordance with its methodology may occur from time to time and may not be identified and/or corrected for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund.
Data Risk. The composition of the Index is heavily dependent on information and data supplied by third parties (“Data”). When Data proves to be incorrect or incomplete, any decisions made in reliance thereon may lead to the inclusion or exclusion of securities from the Index universe that would have been excluded or included had the Data been correct and complete. If the composition of the Index reflects such errors, the Fund’s portfolio can be expected to also reflect the errors.
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Passive Investment Risk. The Fund invests in the securities included in, or representative of, its Index regardless of their investment merit. The Fund does not attempt to outperform its Index or take defensive positions in declining markets. As a result, the Fund’s performance may be adversely affected by a general decline in the market segments relating to its Index.
Tracking Error Risk. While the Fund generally seeks to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Index, the performance of the Fund and its Index may differ from each other for a variety of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs operating expenses and portfolio transaction costs not incurred by the Index. In addition, the Fund may not be fully invested in the securities of the Index at all times or may hold securities not included in the Index.
Concentration Risk. The Fund’s investment exposure will be concentrated in (or substantially exposed to) the same industry or group of industries to the extent the Index is so concentrated. In such event, the value of Shares may rise and fall more than the value of shares that invest in securities of companies in a broader range of industries.
Oil and Gas Industry Risk. Companies in the oil and gas industries develop and produce crude oil and natural gas and provide drilling and other energy resources production and distribution related services. Stock prices for these types of companies are affected by supply and demand both for their specific product or services and for energy products in general. The price of oil and gas, exploration and production spending, government regulation, world events and economic conditions will affect the performance of these companies. Correspondingly, securities of companies in the energy field are subject to swift price and supply fluctuations caused by events relating to international politics, energy conservation, the success of exploration products and tax and other governmental regulatory policies. Weak demand for the companies’ products or services or for energy products and services in general, as well as negative developments in these other areas, may adversely impact a company’s performance.
Oil and gas exploration and production can be significantly affected by natural disasters or other catastrophes as well as changes in exchange rates, interest rates, and government regulation, expropriation, nationalization, confiscation of assets and property, imposition of restrictions on foreign investments and repatriation of capital, military coups, social or political unrest, technological advances or developments, imposition of import controls, world events and economic conditions. The Russian invasion of Ukraine had, and could continue to have, significant negative impacts on the oil and natural gas industry. How long such tensions and related events will last cannot be predicted. Companies in the oil and gas industry may have significant capital investments in, or engage in transactions involving, emerging market countries which may heighten these risks. Companies that own or operate gas pipelines are subject to certain risks, including pipeline and equipment leaks and ruptures, explosions, fires, unscheduled downtime, transportation interruptions, discharges or releases of toxic or hazardous gases and other environmental risks. These companies may be at risk for environmental damages claims and other types of litigation.
Economic and Market Risk. Economies and financial markets throughout the world are becoming increasingly interconnected, which increases the likelihood that events or conditions in one country or region will adversely impact markets or issuers in other countries or regions. Securities in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform in comparison to securities in the general financial markets, a particular financial market, or other asset classes, due to a number of factors, including inflation (or expectations for inflation), deflation (or expectations for deflation), interest rates, global demand for particular products or resources, market instability, financial system instability, debt crises and downgrades, embargoes, tariffs, sanctions and other trade barriers, regulatory events, other governmental trade or market control programs and related geopolitical events. In addition, the value of the Fund’s investments may be negatively affected by the occurrence of global events such as war, terrorism, environmental disasters, natural disasters or events, country instability, and infectious disease epidemics or pandemics. The imposition by the U.S. of tariffs on goods imported from foreign countries and reciprocal tariffs levied on U.S. goods by those countries also may lead to volatility and instability in domestic and foreign markets.
ETF Risks.
Authorized Participants, Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that are authorized to purchase and redeem Shares directly from the Fund (known as “Authorized Participants” or “APs”). In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, Shares may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services; or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.
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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 “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. 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 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. As a result, the Fund could be adversely affected and be unable to implement its investment strategies in the event of an unscheduled closing.
Foreign Securities Risk. Investments in securities or other instruments of non-U.S. issuers involve certain risks not involved in domestic investments and may experience more rapid and extreme changes in value than investments in securities of U.S. companies. Financial markets in foreign countries often are not as developed, efficient, or liquid as financial markets in the United States, and therefore, the prices of non-U.S. securities and instruments can be more volatile. In addition, the Fund will be subject to risks associated with adverse political and economic developments in foreign countries, which may include the imposition of economic sanctions. Generally, there is less readily available and reliable information about non-U.S. issuers due to less rigorous disclosure or accounting standards and regulatory practices. Investments in foreign companies’ securities, including investments via depositary receipts, are subject to special risks, including the following:
| ● | Developed Markets Risk. Many developed market countries have heavy indebtedness, which may lead downward pressure on the economies of these countries. As a result, it is possible that interest rates on debt of certain developed countries may rise to levels that make it difficult for such countries to service high debt levels without significant help from other countries or from a central bank. Developed market countries generally are dependent on the economies of certain key trading partners. Changes in any one economy may cause an adverse impact on several developed countries. |
| ● | Currency Risk. Changes in currency exchange rates can negatively affect securities denominated in and/or receiving revenues in foreign currencies. Adverse changes in currency exchange rates (relative to the U.S. dollar) may erode or reverse any potential gains from the Fund’s investments in securities denominated in a foreign currency or may widen existing losses. The liquidity and trading value of foreign currencies could be affected by global economic factors, such as inflation, interest rate levels, and trade balances among countries, as well as the actions of sovereign governments and central banks. |
| ● | Depositary Receipt Risk. Depositary receipts involve risks similar to those associated with investments in foreign securities and give rise to certain additional risks. Depositary receipts listed on U.S. or foreign exchanges are issued by banks or trust companies, and entitle the holder to all dividends and capital gains that are paid out on the underlying foreign shares (Underlying Shares). When the Fund invests in depositary receipts as a substitute for an investment directly in the Underlying Shares, the Fund is exposed to the risk that the depositary receipts may not provide a return that corresponds precisely with that of the Underlying Shares. |
Market Capitalization Risk.
| ● | Large-Capitalization Investing. The securities of large-capitalization companies may be relatively mature compared to smaller companies and therefore subject to slower growth during times of economic expansion. Large-capitalization companies may also be unable to respond quickly to new competitive challenges, such as changes in technology and consumer tastes. |
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.
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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 and Adviser seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures, there is no way to completely protect against such risks.
Underlying Index Risk. Neither the Fund’s investment adviser nor the Index Provider is able to guarantee the continuous availability or timeliness of the production of the Index. The calculation and dissemination of the Index values may be delayed if the information technology or other facilities of the Index Provider, calculation agent, data providers and/or relevant stock exchange malfunction for any reason. A significant delay may cause trading in shares of the Fund to be suspended. Errors in Index data, computation and/or the construction in accordance with its methodology may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Index Provider, calculation agent or other applicable party for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders.
Performance
Performance information for the Fund is not included because the Fund has not completed a full calendar year of operations as of the date of this Prospectus. When such information is included, this section will provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance history from year to year and showing how the Fund’s average annual total returns compare with those of the Index and a broad measure of market performance. Although past performance of the Fund is no guarantee of how it will perform in the future, historical performance may give you some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. Updated performance information will be available on the Fund’s website at [__.com].
Management
Investment Adviser: Tidal Investments LLC (the “Adviser” or “Tidal”) serves as investment adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers:
The following individuals are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund.
Investment Adviser
Qiao Duan, CFA, Portfolio Manager for the Adviser, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in 2025.
Charles A. Ragauss, CFA, Portfolio Manager for the Adviser, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since 2025.
Purchase and Sale of Shares
The Fund issues and redeems Shares at NAV only in large blocks known as “Creation Units,” which only Authorized Participants (APs) (typically, broker-dealers) may purchase or redeem. The Fund generally issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities (the “Deposit Securities”) and/or a designated amount of U.S. cash.
Shares are listed on a national securities exchange, such as the Exchange, and individual Shares may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through brokers at market prices, rather than NAV. Because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).
An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares (the “bid” price) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares (the “ask” price) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market. This difference in bid and ask prices is often referred to as the “bid-ask spread.”
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When available, information regarding the Fund’s NAV, market price, how often Shares traded on the Exchange at a premium or discount, and bid-ask spreads can be found on the Fund’s website at [__.com.].
Tax Information
Fund distributions are generally taxable as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains (or a combination), unless an investment is in an individual retirement account (“IRA”) or other tax-advantaged account. Distributions on investments made through tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal of assets from those accounts.
Financial Intermediary Compensation
If you purchase Shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank) (an “Intermediary”), the Adviser or its affiliates may pay Intermediaries for certain activities related to the Fund, including participation in activities that are designed to make Intermediaries more knowledgeable about exchange-traded products, including the Fund, or for other activities, such as marketing, educational training, or other initiatives related to the sale or promotion of Shares. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the Intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Any such arrangements do not result in increased Fund expenses. Ask your salesperson or visit the Intermediary’s website for more information.
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUNDS
Investment Objectives
The Portfolio Building Block European Banks Index ETF seeks to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of the BITA European Banks Index.
The Portfolio Building Block World Pharma and Biotech Index ETF seeks to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of the BITA World BioPharma and Life Sciences Index.
The Portfolio Building Block Integrated Oil and Gas and Exploration and Production Index ETF seeks to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of the BITA Oil & Gas Exploration & Production Ecosystem Index.
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 Tidal Trust IV (the “Trust”) and at least 60 days’ prior written notice to shareholders.
Principal Investment Strategies
There is no guarantee that each Fund’s investment strategy will be properly implemented, and an investor may lose some or all of their investment.
Each Fund’s “80%” policy is non-fundamental and can be changed without shareholder approval. However, Fund shareholders would be given at least 60 days’ notice prior to any such change.
Manager of Managers Structure
Although each Fund is not currently sub-advised, the Fund and the Adviser have received exemptive relief from the SEC permitting the Adviser (subject to certain conditions and the approval of the Board) to change or select new sub-advisers without obtaining shareholder approval. The relief also permits the Adviser to materially amend the terms of agreements with a sub-adviser (including an increase in the fee paid by the Adviser to the sub-adviser (and not paid by the relevant Fund)) or to continue the employment of a sub-adviser after an event that would otherwise cause the automatic termination of services with Board approval, but without shareholder approval. Shareholders will be notified of any sub-adviser changes. The Adviser has the ultimate responsibility, subject to oversight by the Board, to oversee a sub-adviser and recommend their hiring, termination and replacement. The exemptive relief applies to sub-advisers that are either wholly owned by the Adviser or its parent company, as well as to unaffiliated sub-advisers, including those whose affiliation arises solely from their sub-advisory relationship.
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 Funds, 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 a Fund. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect a 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 Funds: The risks below apply to each Fund as indicated in the following table. Additional information about each such risk and its potential impact on a Fund is set forth below the table.
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| Portfolio Building Block European Banks Index ETF |
Portfolio Building Block World Pharma and Biotech Index ETF |
Portfolio Building Block Integrated Oil and Gas and Exploration and Production Index ETF | |
| Banking Companies Risk | X | -- | -- |
| Biotech and Pharma Industry Group Risk | X | -- | |
| Concentration Risk | X | X | X |
| Data Risk | X | X | X |
| Economic and Market Risk | X | X | X |
| Energy Sector Risk | -- | -- | X |
| ETF Risks | X | X | X |
| —Authorized Participants, Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk | X | X | X |
| — Cash Redemption Risk | -- | X | -- |
| — Costs of Buying or Selling Shares | X | X | X |
| — Shares May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV | X | X | X |
| — Trading | X | X | X |
| Equity Market Risk | X | X | X |
| Financial Institutions Risk | X | ||
| Foreign Securities Risk | X | X | X |
| — Currency Risk | X | X | X |
| — Depositary Receipt Risk | X | X | X |
| — Developed Markets Risk | -- | X | X |
| — Risk of Investing in Europe | X | -- | -- |
| Index Strategy Risks | X | X | |
| Management Risk | X | X | X |
| Market Capitalization Risk | X | X | X |
| —Large-Capitalization Investing | X | X | X |
| — Mid-Capitalization Investing | X | ||
| New Fund Risk | X | X | X |
| Non-Diversification Risk | X | X | X |
| Operational Risk | X | X | X |
| Passive Investment Risk | |||
| Tracking Error Risk | X | X | X |
| Underlying Index Risk | X | X | X |
Banking Companies Risk. Banks are
especially subject to the adverse effects of economic recession, currency
exchange rates, government regulation, decreases in the availability of
capital, volatile interest rates, portfolio concentrations in geographic markets
and in commercial and residential real estate loans, and competition from
new entrants in their fields of business. In addition, banks are subject to
extensive regulation at both the federal and state level, which may affect
permissible activities, profitability and the amount of capital that they
must maintain. The impact of changes in regulations and capital requirements on
a banking company cannot be predicted and may negatively impact such banking
company. Profitability is largely dependent on the availability and cost of
capital funds, and can fluctuate significantly when interest rates change.
Credit losses resulting from financial difficulties of borrowers can negatively
impact banking companies. Banks may also be subject to severe price competition.
Competition among banking companies is high and failure to maintain or increase
market share may result in lost market value.
Biotech and Pharma Industry Group Risk. Companies in the biotech and pharmaceuticals industry group may be highly volatile and affected by industry competition, dependency on a limited number of products, obsolescence of products, government approvals and regulations, loss or impairment of intellectual property rights and litigation regarding product liability. These companies can be significantly affected by patent considerations, including the termination of patent protections for products, intense competition both domestically and internationally, rapid technological change and expensive insurance costs due to the risk of product liability lawsuits. In addition, this industry group is an emerging growth industry, and therefore some companies may be thinly capitalized and more volatile than companies with greater capitalizations. Biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies must contend with high development costs, which may be exacerbated by the inability to raise prices to cover costs because of managed care pressure, government regulation or price controls.
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Concentration Risk. The Fund’s investments will be concentrated in an industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent as the Index is so concentrated. In such event, the value of Shares may rise and fall more than the value of shares that invest in securities of companies in a broader range of industries.
Data Risk. The composition of the Index is heavily dependent on information and data supplied by third parties (“Data”). When Data proves to be incorrect or incomplete, any decisions made in reliance thereon may lead to the inclusion or exclusion of securities from the Index universe that would have been excluded or included had the Data been correct and complete. If the composition of the Index reflects such errors, the Fund’s portfolio can be expected to also reflect the errors.
Economic and Market Risk. The Fund is subject to the risk that the securities markets will move down, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably, based on overall economic conditions and other factors, which may negatively affect the Fund’s performance. Factors that affect markets in general, including geopolitical, regulatory, market and economic developments and other developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries, companies and segments of the market, could adversely impact the Fund’s investments and lead to a decline in the value of your investment in the Fund. Geopolitical and other events, including tensions, war, and open conflict between nations, such as between Russia and Ukraine, in the Middle East and in eastern Asia, could affect the economies of many countries including the United States. Trade disputes, pandemics, public health crises, natural disasters, cybersecurity incidents, and related events have led, and in the future may continue to lead, to instability in world economies and markets generally and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed income markets, which may disrupt economies and markets and adversely affect the value of your investment. The imposition by the U.S. of tariffs on goods imported from foreign countries and reciprocal tariffs levied on U.S. goods by those countries also may lead to volatility and instability in domestic and foreign markets. In addition, policy changes by the U.S. government, the U.S. Federal Reserve and/or foreign governments, and political and economic changes within the U.S. and abroad, such as inflation, changes in interest rates, recessions, changes in the U.S. presidential administration and Congress, the U.S. government’s inability at times to agree on a long-term budget and deficit reduction plan, the threat of a federal government shutdown, threats not to increase the federal government’s debt limit which could result in a default on the government’s obligations, and the shutdown of certain financial institutions, may cause increased volatility in financial markets, affect investor and consumer confidence and adversely impact the broader financial markets and economy, perhaps suddenly and to a significant degree. Slowing global economic growth, the rise in protectionist trade policies, inflationary pressures, changes to some major international trade agreements, the imposition of tariffs, risks associated with trade agreements between countries and regions, including the U.S. and other foreign nations, political or economic dysfunction within some countries or regions, including the U.S., and dramatic changes in consumer sentiment and commodity and currency prices could affect the economies and markets of many nations, including the U.S., in ways that cannot necessarily be foreseen at the present time and may create significant market volatility. In 2022 the Federal Reserve and certain foreign central banks began to increase interest rates to address rising inflation. The Federal Reserve and certain foreign central banks subsequently started to lower interest rates in September 2024, though economic or other factors, such as inflation, could lead to the Federal Reserve stopping or reversing these changes. It is difficult to accurately predict the pace at which interest rates might change, the timing, frequency or magnitude of any such changes in interest rates, or when such changes might stop or again reverse course. Unexpected changes in interest rates could lead to significant market volatility or reduce liquidity in certain sectors of the market. Market disruptions have caused, and may continue to cause, broad changes in market value, negative public perceptions concerning these developments, and adverse investor sentiment or publicity. Changes in value may be temporary or may last for extended periods. Regulators in the U.S. have adopted a number of changes to regulations affecting markets and issuers, some of which apply to the Fund. Due to the broad scope of the regulations being adopted, certain of these changes, which may be revised or rescinded, could limit the Fund’s ability to pursue its investment strategies or make certain investments, may make it more costly for it to operate, or adversely impact performance.
Oil and Gas Industry Risk. Companies in the oil and gas industries develop and produce crude oil and natural gas and provide drilling and other energy resources production and distribution related services. Stock prices for these types of companies are affected by supply and demand both for their specific product or services and for energy products in general. The price of oil and gas, exploration and production spending, government regulation, world events and economic conditions will affect the performance of these companies. Correspondingly, securities of companies in the energy field are subject to swift price and supply fluctuations caused by events relating to international politics, energy conservation, the success of exploration products and tax and other governmental regulatory policies. Weak demand for the companies’ products or services or for energy products and services in general, as well as negative developments in these other areas, may adversely impact a company’s performance. Oil and gas exploration and production companies can be significantly affected by natural disasters and adverse weather conditions as well as changes in exchange rates, interest rates, and government regulation, expropriation, nationalization, confiscation of assets and property, imposition of restrictions on foreign investments and repatriation of capital, military coups, social or political unrest, technological advances or developments, imposition of import controls, world events and economic conditions. The Russian invasion of Ukraine had, and could continue to have, significant negative impacts on the oil and natural gas industry.
These companies may be at risk for environmental damages claims. Additionally, these companies’ operations are subject to hazards inherent in the oil and gas industry, such as fire, explosion, blowouts, loss of well control, oil spills, pipeline and equipment leaks, and ruptures and discharges of toxic and hazardous gases. These companies may be at risk for environmental damages claims and other types of litigation. The revenues of these companies may be negatively affected by contract termination and renegotiation. In this sector, it is customary for contracts to provide for either automatic termination or termination at the option of the customer if the drilling unit is destroyed or lost or if drilling operations are suspended for a specified period of time as a result of events beyond the control of either party or because of equipment breakdowns. Additionally, in periods of depressed market conditions, the customers of oil and gas exploration and production companies may not honor the terms of existing contracts and may terminate contracts or seek to renegotiate contract rates and terms to reduce their obligations.
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ETF Risks.
Authorized Participants, Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that are authorized to purchase and redeem Shares directly from the Fund (known as “Authorized Participants” or “APs”). In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, Shares may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services; or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.
Cash Redemption Risk. The Fund’s investment strategy may require it to redeem Shares for cash or to otherwise include cash as part of its redemption proceeds. For example, the Fund may not be able to redeem in-kind certain securities held by the Fund (e.g., derivative instruments). In such a case, the Fund may be required to sell or unwind portfolio investments to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. This may cause the Fund to recognize a capital gain that it might not have recognized if it had made a redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher annual capital gain distributions than if the in-kind redemption process was used. By paying out higher annual capital gain distributions, investors may be subjected to increased capital gains taxes. Additionally, there may be brokerage costs or taxable gains or losses that may be imposed on the Fund in connection with a cash redemption that may not have occurred if the Fund had made a redemption in-kind. These costs could decrease the value of the Fund to the extent they are not offset by a transaction fee payable by an AP.
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 [Exchange] (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. 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 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. As a result, the Fund could be adversely affected and be unable to implement its investment strategies in the event of an unscheduled closing.
Equity Market Risk. Common stocks, such as those held by the Fund, are generally exposed to greater risk than other types of securities, such as preferred stock and debt obligations, because common stockholders generally have inferior rights to receive payment from specific issuers. The equity securities held in the Fund’s portfolio may experience sudden, unpredictable drops in value or long periods of decline in value. This may occur because of factors that affect securities markets generally or factors affecting specific issuers, industries, or sectors in which the Fund invests.
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Financial Institutions Risk. Financial institutions are subject to extensive governmental regulation and intervention, which may adversely affect the scope of their activities, the prices they can charge, the amount and types of capital they must maintain and, potentially, their size. Governmental regulation may change frequently and may have significant adverse consequences for financial institutions, including effects not intended by such regulation. The impact of more stringent capital requirements, or recent or future regulation in various countries, on any individual financial institution or on financial institutions as a whole cannot be predicted. Certain risks may impact the value of investments in financial institutions more severely than those of investments in other issuers, including the risks associated with companies that operate with substantial financial leverage. Financial institutions may also be adversely affected by volatility in interest rates, loan losses and other customer defaults, decreases in the availability of money or asset valuations, credit rating downgrades and adverse conditions in other related markets. Financial institutions are also a target for cyber attacks and may experience technology malfunctions and disruptions as a result. Various securities, as well as other investment instruments, are issued and/or guaranteed by financial institutions, including banks and brokers. Changes in the creditworthiness of any of these institutions may generally and adversely affect the values of instruments of issuers in financial industries. Financial institutions may be particularly sensitive to certain economic factors such as interest rate changes, adverse developments in the real estate market, fiscal and monetary policy and general economic cycles. Adverse developments in banking and other financial industries may cause a Fund to underperform relative to other funds that invest more broadly across different industries or have a smaller exposure to financial institutions. Adverse developments that affect financial institutions or the financial services industry generally, or concerns or rumors about any events of these kinds or other similar risks, may reduce liquidity in the market generally or have other adverse effects on the economy or the Fund. In addition, the Fund may not be able to identify all potential solvency or stress concerns with respect to a financial institution or to transfer assets from one bank or financial institution to another in a timely manner in the event such bank or financial institution comes under stress or fails. The amount of a Fund’s assets that may be invested in any financial institution, or financial institutions generally, may be limited by applicable law.
Foreign Securities Risk. Investments in securities or other instruments of non-U.S. issuers involve certain risks not involved in domestic investments and may experience more rapid and extreme changes in value than investments in securities of U.S. companies. Financial markets in foreign countries often are not as developed, efficient, or liquid as financial markets in the United States, and therefore, the prices of non-U.S. securities and instruments can be more volatile. In addition, the Fund will be subject to risks associated with adverse political and economic developments in foreign countries, which may include the imposition of economic sanctions. Generally, there is less readily available and reliable information about non-U.S. issuers due to less rigorous disclosure or accounting standards and regulatory practices. Investments in foreign companies’ securities, including investments via depositary receipts, are subject to special risks, including the following:
| ● | Currency Risk. Changes in currency exchange rates can negatively affect securities denominated in and/or receiving revenues in foreign currencies. Adverse changes in currency exchange rates (relative to the U.S. dollar) may erode or reverse any potential gains from the Fund’s investments in securities denominated in a foreign currency or may widen existing losses. The liquidity and trading value of foreign currencies could be affected by global economic factors, such as inflation, interest rate levels, and trade balances among countries, as well as the actions of sovereign governments and central banks. |
| ● | Depositary Receipt Risk. Depositary receipts involve risks similar to those associated with investments in foreign securities and give rise to certain additional risks. Depositary receipts listed on U.S. or foreign exchanges are issued by banks or trust companies, and entitle the holder to all dividends and capital gains that are paid out on the underlying foreign shares (Underlying Shares). When the Fund invests in depositary receipts as a substitute for an investment directly in the Underlying Shares, the Fund is exposed to the risk that the depositary receipts may not provide a return that corresponds precisely with that of the Underlying Shares. |
| ● | Developed Markets Risk. Many developed market countries have heavy indebtedness, which may lead downward pressure on the economies of these countries. As a result, it is possible that interest rates on debt of certain developed countries may rise to levels that make it difficult for such countries to service high debt levels without significant help from other countries or from a central bank. Developed market countries generally are dependent on the economies of certain key trading partners. Changes in any one economy may cause an adverse impact on several developed countries. |
| ● | Risk of Investing in Europe. The economies of Europe are highly dependent on each other, both as key trading partners and, in many cases, as fellow members maintaining the euro. Decreasing European imports, new trade regulations, changes in exchange rates, a recession in Europe, or a slowing of economic growth in this region could have an adverse impact on the securities in which the Fund invests. Reduction in trading activity among European countries may cause an adverse impact on each nation’s individual economies. The Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union (the “EU”) requires compliance with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, interest rates, debt levels and fiscal and monetary controls, each of which may significantly affect every country in Europe, including those countries that are not members of the EU. Decreasing imports or exports, changes in governmental or EU regulations on trade, changes in the exchange rate of the euro, the default or threat of default by an EU member country on its sovereign debt, and recessions in an EU member country may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of EU member countries and their trading partners. |
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Index Strategy Risk. The Fund’s strategy is linked to an Index maintained by the Index Provider that exercises complete control over the Index. The Index Provider may delay or add a rebalance date, which may adversely impact the performance of the Fund and its correlation to the Index. In addition, there is no guarantee that the methodology used by the Index Provider to identify constituents for the Index will achieve its intended result or positive performance. Errors in Index data, Index computations or the construction of the Index in accordance with its methodology may occur from time to time and may not be identified and/or corrected for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund.
Management Risk. The Fund is subject to management risk because it is an actively managed portfolio. The Fund’s Adviser will apply investment techniques and risk analyses in making investment decisions for the Fund, but there can be no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective.
Market Capitalization Risk.
| ● | Large-Capitalization Investing. The securities of large-capitalization companies may be relatively mature compared to smaller companies and therefore subject to slower growth during times of economic expansion. Large-capitalization companies may also be unable to respond quickly to new competitive challenges, such as changes in technology and consumer tastes. |
| ● | Mid-Capitalization Investing. The securities of mid-capitalization companies may be more vulnerable to adverse issuer, market, political, or economic developments than securities of large-capitalization companies. The securities of mid-capitalization companies generally trade in lower volumes and are subject to greater and more unpredictable price changes than large-capitalization stocks or the stock market as a whole. |
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 and Adviser seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures, there is no way to completely protect against such risks.
Passive Investment Risk. The Fund invests in the securities included in, or representative of, its Index regardless of their investment merit. The Fund does not attempt to outperform its Index or take defensive positions in declining markets. As a result, the Fund’s performance may be adversely affected by a general decline in the market segments relating to its Index.
Tracking Error Risk. While the Fund generally seeks to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Index, the performance of the Fund and its Index may differ from each other for a variety of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs operating expenses and portfolio transaction costs not incurred by the Index. In addition, the Fund may not be fully invested in the securities of the Index at all times or may hold securities not included in the Index.
Underlying Index Risk. Neither the Fund’s investment adviser nor the Index Provider is able to guarantee the continuous availability or timeliness of the production of the Index. The calculation and dissemination of the Index values may be delayed if the information technology or other facilities of the Index Provider, calculation agent, data providers and/or relevant stock exchange malfunction for any reason. A significant delay may cause trading in shares of the Fund to be suspended. Errors in Index data, computation and/or the construction in accordance with its methodology may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Index Provider, calculation agent or other applicable party for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders.
PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS INFORMATION
Information about each Fund’s daily portfolio holdings will be available on the Funds’ website at [___].com.
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A complete description of each Fund’s policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of a Fund’s portfolio holdings is available in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”).
Investment Adviser
Tidal Investments LLC (“Tidal” or “Adviser”), a Tidal Financial Group company, located at 234 West Florida Street, Suite 203, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53204, is an SEC registered investment adviser and a Delaware limited liability company. Tidal was founded in March 2012 and is dedicated to understanding, researching and managing assets within the expanding ETF universe. As of June 30, 2025, Tidal had assets under management of approximately $37.56 billion and served as the investment adviser or sub-adviser for 255 registered funds.
Tidal serves as investment adviser to the Fund and has overall responsibility for the general management and administration of the Fund pursuant to an investment advisory agreement with the Trust, on behalf of the Fund (the “Advisory Agreement”). The Adviser is responsible for trading portfolio securities for the Fund, including selecting broker-dealers to execute purchase and sale transactions. The Adviser also arranges for transfer agency, custody, fund administration, and all other related services necessary for the Fund to operate. For the services provided to the Funds, each Fund pays the Adviser a unitary management fee of [__]%, which is calculated daily and paid monthly, at an annual rate based on the Fund’s average daily net assets.
Tidal has agreed to reduce its unitary management fee by one basis point (0.01%) on each Fund’s average daily net assets that exceed $1 billion. The fee waiver schedule applicable to each Fund is as follows:
| Unitary Management Fee | Fee Waiver Threshold | Fee After Waiver* |
| [ ]% | Assets over $1 billion | [ ]% |
* The reduced fee applies only if a Fund’s average daily net assets exceed $1 billion Any such fee waivers are not subject to recoupment.
Under the Advisory Agreement, in exchange for a single unitary management fee from the Fund, the Adviser has agreed to pay all expenses incurred by the Fund, except for its advisory fee, interest charges on any borrowings, dividends and other expenses on securities sold short, taxes, brokerage commissions and other expenses incurred in placing orders for the purchase and sale of securities and other investment instruments, acquired fund fees and expenses, accrued deferred tax liability, distribution fees and expenses paid by the Fund under any distribution plan adopted pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act, and litigation expenses, and other non-routine or extraordinary expenses (collectively, the “Excluded Expenses”).
Advisory Agreement
A discussion regarding the basis for the Board’s approval of the Fund’s Advisory Agreement will be available in the Fund’s [__ __, 2025 Semi-Annual Certified Shareholder Report on Form N-CSR].
Portfolio Managers
The following individuals (each, a Portfolio Manager) have served as portfolio managers of the Fund since its inception in 2025 and are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund:
Qiao Duan, CFA, Portfolio Manager for the Adviser
Qiao Duan serves as Portfolio Manager at the Adviser, having joined the firm in October 2020. From February 2017 to October 2020, she was an execution Portfolio Manager at Exponential ETFs, where she managed research and analysis relating to all Exponential ETF strategies. Ms. Duan previously served as a portfolio manager for the Exponential ETFs from their inception in May 2019 until October 2020. Ms. Duan received a Master of Science in Quantitative Finance and Risk Management from the University of Michigan in 2016 and a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Applied Mathematics from Xiamen University in 2014. She holds the CFA designation.
Charles A. Ragauss, CFA, Portfolio Manager for the Adviser
Mr. Ragauss serves as Portfolio Manager of the Adviser, having joined the Adviser in September 2020. Mr. Ragauss previously served as Chief Operating Officer and in other roles at CSat Investment Advisory, L.P. from April 2016 to September 2020. Previously, Mr. Ragauss was Assistant Vice President at Huntington National Bank (“Huntington”), where he was Product Manager for the Huntington Funds and Huntington Strategy Shares ETFs, a combined fund complex of almost $4 billion in assets under management. At Huntington, he led ETF development bringing to market some of the first actively managed ETFs. Mr. Ragauss joined Huntington in 2010. Mr. Ragauss attended Grand Valley State University where he received his Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance and International Business, as well as a minor in French. He is a member of both the National and West Michigan CFA societies and holds the CFA designation.
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CFA® is a registered trademark owned by the CFA Institute.
The Fund’s SAI provides additional information about each Portfolio Manager’s compensation structure, other accounts that each Portfolio Manager manages, and each Portfolio Manager’s ownership of Shares.
Each Fund issues and redeems Shares only in Creation Units at the NAV per share next determined after receipt of an order from an AP. Only APs may acquire Shares directly from a Fund, and only APs may tender their Shares for redemption directly to the Funds, at NAV. APs must be a member or participant of a clearing agency registered with the SEC and must execute a Participant Agreement that has been agreed to by the Distributor (defined below), and that has been accepted by a Fund’s transfer agent, with respect to purchases and redemptions of Creation Units. Once created, Shares trade in the secondary market in quantities less than a Creation Unit.
In order to purchase Creation Units of a Fund, an AP must generally deposit a designated portfolio of securities (the “Deposit Securities”) and/or a designated amount of U.S. cash. Purchases and redemptions of Creation Units primarily with cash, rather than through in-kind delivery of portfolio securities, may cause the Funds to incur certain costs. These costs could include brokerage costs or taxable gains or losses that it might not have incurred if it had made redemption in-kind. These costs could be imposed on a Fund, and thus decrease the Fund’s NAV, to the extent that the costs are not offset by a transaction fee payable by an AP. Most investors buy and sell Shares in secondary market transactions through brokers. Individual Shares are listed for trading on the secondary market on the applicable Exchange and can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like other publicly traded securities.
When buying or selling Shares through a broker, you will incur customary brokerage commissions and charges, and you may pay some or all of the spread between the bid and the offer price in the secondary market on each leg of a round trip (purchase and sale) transaction. In addition, because secondary market transactions occur at market prices, you may pay more than NAV when you buy Shares, and receive less than NAV when you sell those Shares.
Book Entry
Shares are held in book-entry form, which means that no stock certificates are issued. The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) or its nominee is the record owner of all outstanding Shares.
Investors owning Shares are beneficial owners as shown on the records of DTC or its participants. DTC serves as the securities depository for all Shares. DTC’s participants include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and other institutions that directly or indirectly maintain a custodial relationship with DTC. As a beneficial owner of Shares, you are not entitled to receive physical delivery of stock certificates or to have Shares registered in your name, and you are not considered a registered owner of Shares. Therefore, to exercise any right as an owner of Shares, you must rely upon the procedures of DTC and its participants. These procedures are the same as those that apply to any other securities that you hold in book-entry or “street name” through your brokerage account.
Frequent Purchases and Redemptions of Shares
None of the Funds imposes any restrictions on the frequency of purchases and redemptions of Shares. In determining not to approve a written, established policy, the Board evaluated the risks of market timing activities by a Fund’s shareholders. Purchases and redemptions by APs, who are the only parties that may purchase or redeem Shares directly with a Fund, are an essential part of the ETF process and help keep Share trading prices in line with the NAV. As such, the Funds accommodate frequent purchases and redemptions by APs. However, the Board has also determined that frequent purchases and redemptions for cash may increase tracking error and portfolio transaction costs and may lead to the realization of capital gains. To minimize these potential consequences of frequent purchases and redemptions, each Fund employs fair value pricing and may impose transaction fees on purchases and redemptions of Creation Units to cover the custodial and other costs incurred by such Fund in effecting trades. In addition, the Funds and the Adviser reserve the right to reject any purchase order at any time.
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Determination of Net Asset Value
Each Fund’s NAV is calculated as of the scheduled close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”), generally 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, each day the NYSE is open for regular business. The NAV for the Funds is calculated by dividing such Fund’s net assets by its Shares outstanding.
In calculating its NAV, each Fund generally value its assets on the basis of market quotations, last sale prices, or estimates of value furnished by a pricing service or brokers who make markets in such instruments. If such information is not available for a security or other asset held by a Fund or is determined to be unreliable, the security or other asset will be valued at fair value estimates under guidelines established by the Adviser (as described below).
Fair Value Pricing
The Board has designated the Adviser as the “valuation designee” for the Funds under Rule 2a-5 of the 1940 Act, subject to its oversight. The Adviser has adopted procedures and methodologies, which have been approved by the Board, to fair value Fund investments whose market prices are not “readily available” or are deemed to be unreliable. For example, such circumstances may arise when: (i) an investment has been delisted or has had its trading halted or suspended; (ii) an investment’s primary pricing source is unable or unwilling to provide a price; (iii) an investment’s primary trading market is closed during regular market hours; or (iv) an investment’s value is materially affected by events occurring after the close of the investment’s primary trading market. Generally, when fair valuing an investment, the Adviser will take into account all reasonably available information that may be relevant to a particular valuation including, but not limited to, fundamental analytical data regarding the issuer, information relating to the issuer’s business, recent trades or offers of the investment, general and/or specific market conditions, and the specific facts giving rise to the need to fair value the investment. Fair value determinations are made in good faith and in accordance with the fair value methodologies included in the Adviser’s valuation procedures. The Adviser will fair value Fund investments whose market prices are not “readily available” or are deemed to be unreliable. Due to the subjective and variable nature of fair value pricing, there can be no assurance that the Adviser will be able to obtain the fair value assigned to the investment upon the sale of such investment.
Investments by Other Registered Investment Companies in the Funds
Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act restricts investments by registered investment companies in the securities of other investment companies, including Shares. Registered investment companies are permitted to invest in the Funds beyond the limits set forth in Section 12(d)(1), subject to certain terms and conditions of rules under the 1940 Act, including that such investment companies enter into an agreement with the Fund.
Delivery of Shareholder Documents – Householding
Householding is an option available to certain investors of the Funds. Householding is a method of delivery, based on the preference of the individual investor, in which a single copy of certain shareholder documents can be delivered to investors who share the same address, even if their accounts are registered under different names. Householding for the Funds is available through certain broker-dealers. If you are interested in enrolling in householding and receiving a single copy of prospectuses and other shareholder documents, please contact your broker-dealer. If you are currently enrolled in householding and wish to change your householding status, please contact your broker-dealer.
DIVIDENDS, DISTRIBUTIONS, AND TAXES
Dividends and Distributions
The Funds intend to pay out dividends and interest income, if any, monthly, and distribute any net realized capital gains to their shareholders at least annually.
The Funds will declare and pay income and capital gain distributions, if any, in cash. Distributions in cash may be reinvested automatically in additional whole Shares only if the broker through whom you purchased Shares makes such option available. Your broker is responsible for distributing the income and capital gain distributions to you.
Taxes
The following discussion is a summary of some important U.S. federal income tax considerations generally applicable to investments in the Funds. Your investment in a Fund may have other tax implications. Please consult your tax advisor about the tax consequences of an investment in Shares, including the possible application of foreign, state, and local tax laws.
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Each Fund intends to qualify each year for treatment as a regulated investment company (a “RIC”) under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). If it meets certain minimum distribution requirements, a RIC is not subject to tax at the fund level on income and gains from investments that are timely distributed to shareholders. However, a Fund’s failure to qualify as a RIC or to meet minimum distribution requirements would result (if certain relief provisions were not available) in fund-level taxation and, consequently, a reduction in income available for distribution to shareholders.
Unless your investment in Shares is made through a tax-exempt entity or tax-advantaged account, such as an IRA plan, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when a Fund makes distributions, when you sell your Shares listed on the applicable Exchange, and when you purchase or redeem Creation Units (institutional investors only).
The following general discussion of certain U.S. federal income tax consequences is based on provisions of the Code and the regulations issued thereunder as in effect on the date of this Prospectus. New legislation, as well as administrative changes or court decisions, may significantly change the conclusions expressed herein, and may have a retroactive effect with respect to the transactions contemplated herein.
Taxes on Distributions
For federal income tax purposes, distributions of net investment income are generally taxable to shareholders as ordinary income or qualified dividend income. Taxes on distributions of net capital gains (if any) are determined by how long a Fund owned the investments that generated them, rather than how long a shareholder has owned their Shares. Sales of assets held by a Fund for more than one year generally result in long-term capital gains and losses, and sales of assets held by such Fund for one year or less generally result in short-term capital gains and losses. Distributions of a Fund’s net capital gain (the excess of net long-term capital gains over net short-term capital losses) that are reported by such Fund as capital gain dividends (“Capital Gain Dividends”) will be taxable to shareholders as long-term capital gains. Distributions of short-term capital gain will generally be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income. Dividends and distributions are generally taxable to you whether you receive them in cash or reinvest them in additional Shares.
Distributions reported by a Fund as “qualified dividend income” are generally taxed to non-corporate shareholders at rates applicable to long-term capital gains, provided certain holding period and other requirements are met. “Qualified dividend income” generally is income derived from dividends paid by U.S. corporations or certain foreign corporations that are either incorporated in a U.S. possession or eligible for tax benefits under certain U.S. income tax treaties. In addition, dividends that a Fund receives in respect of stock of certain foreign corporations may be qualified dividend income if that stock is readily tradable on an established U.S. securities market. Corporate shareholders may be entitled to a dividends-received deduction for the portion of dividends they receive from a Fund that are attributable to dividends received by such Fund from U.S. corporations, subject to certain limitations.
Shortly after the close of each calendar year, you will be informed of the character of any distributions received from a Fund.
In addition to the federal income tax, certain individuals, trusts, and estates may be subject to a Net Investment Income (“NII”) tax of 3.8%. The NII tax is imposed on the lesser of: (i) a taxpayer’s investment income, net of deductions properly allocable to such income; or (ii) the amount by which such taxpayer’s modified adjusted gross income exceeds certain thresholds ($250,000 for married individuals filing jointly, $200,000 for unmarried individuals and $125,000 for married individuals filing separately). Each Fund’s distributions are includable in a shareholder’s investment income for purposes of this NII tax. In addition, any capital gain realized by a shareholder upon a sale or redemption of shares of a Fund is includable in such shareholder’s investment income for purposes of this NII tax.
In general, your distributions are subject to federal income tax for the year in which they are paid. Certain distributions paid in January, however, may be treated as paid on December 31 of the prior year. Distributions are generally taxable even if they are paid from income or gains earned by a Fund before your investment (and thus were included in the Shares’ NAV when you purchased your Shares).
You may wish to avoid investing in a Fund shortly before a dividend or other distribution, because such a distribution will generally be taxable even though it may economically represent a return of a portion of your investment.
If you are neither a resident nor a citizen of the United States or if you are a foreign entity, distributions (other than Capital Gain Dividends) paid to you by a Fund will generally be subject to a U.S. withholding tax at the rate of 30%, unless a lower treaty rate applies. The Funds may, under certain circumstances, report all or a portion of a dividend as an “interest-related dividend” or a “short-term capital gain dividend,” which would generally be exempt from this 30% U.S. withholding tax, provided certain other requirements are met.
Under the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (“FATCA”), the Funds may be required to withhold a generally nonrefundable 30% tax on distributions of net investment income paid to (A) certain “foreign financial institutions” unless such foreign financial institution agrees to verify, monitor, and report to the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) the identity of certain of its account-holders, among other items (or unless such entity is otherwise deemed compliant under the terms of an intergovernmental agreement between the United States and the foreign financial institution’s country of residence), and (B) certain “non-financial foreign entities” unless such entity certifies to the Fund that it does not have any substantial U.S. owners or provides the name, address, and taxpayer identification number of each substantial U.S. owner, among other items. This FATCA withholding tax could also affect a Fund’s return on its investments in foreign securities or affect a shareholder’s return if the shareholder holds its Fund shares through a foreign intermediary. You are urged to consult your tax adviser regarding the application of this FATCA withholding tax to your investment in a Fund and the potential certification, compliance, due diligence, reporting, and withholding obligations to which you may become subject in order to avoid this withholding tax.
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Each Fund (or a financial intermediary, such as a broker, through which a shareholder owns Shares) generally is required to withhold and remit to the U.S. Treasury a percentage of the taxable distributions and sale or redemption proceeds paid to any shareholder who fails to properly furnish a correct taxpayer identification number, who has underreported dividend or interest income, or who fails to certify that they are not subject to such withholding.
Taxes When Shares are Sold on an Exchange
Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Shares generally is treated as a long-term capital gain or loss if Shares have been held for more than one year and as a short-term capital gain or loss if Shares have been held for one year or less. However, any capital loss on a sale of Shares held for six months or less is treated as long-term capital loss to the extent of Capital Gain Dividends paid with respect to such Shares. Any loss realized on a sale will be disallowed to the extent Shares of a Fund are acquired, including through reinvestment of dividends, within a 61-day period beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after the sale of substantially identical Shares.
Taxes on Purchases and Redemptions of Creation Units
An AP having the U.S. dollar as its functional currency for U.S. federal income tax purposes who exchanges securities for Creation Units generally recognizes a gain or a loss. The gain or loss will be equal to the difference between the value of the Creation Units at the time of the exchange and the exchanging AP’s aggregate basis in the securities delivered plus the amount of any cash paid for the Creation Units. An AP who exchanges Creation Units for securities will generally recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the exchanging AP’s basis in the Creation Units and the aggregate U.S. dollar market value of the securities received, plus any cash received for such Creation Units. The IRS may assert, however, that a loss that is realized upon an exchange of securities for Creation Units may not be currently deducted under the rules governing “wash sales” (for an AP who does not mark-to-market their holdings) or on the basis that there has been no significant change in economic position. Persons exchanging securities should consult their own tax advisor with respect to whether wash sale rules apply and when a loss might be deductible.
Any capital gain or loss realized upon redemption of Creation Units is generally treated as long-term capital gain or loss if Shares comprising the Creation Units have been held for more than one year and as a short-term capital gain or loss if such Shares have been held for one year or less.
The Funds may include a payment of cash in addition to, or in place of, the delivery of a basket of securities upon the redemption of Creation Units. The Funds may sell portfolio securities to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. This may cause 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.
Important Tax Considerations When Purchasing Fund Shares
If you are investing through a taxable account, you should carefully consider the timing of your investment relative to the relevant Fund’s distribution schedule. Purchasing Fund shares shortly before a distribution may increase your tax liability, a situation commonly referred to as “buying a dividend.”
When a Fund makes a distribution, its share price typically drops by an amount roughly equal to the distribution. As a hypothetical example, if you invest $5,000 to purchase 250 shares at $20 per share on December 15, and the Fund pays a $1 per share distribution on December 16, the share price would adjust to $19 (ignoring market fluctuations). Although your total investment value remains $5,000 (250 shares × $19 in share value plus 250 shares × $1 distribution), you would owe taxes on the $250 distribution, even if you reinvest the distribution rather than receiving it in cash.
Distributions are taxable to shareholders even if they are paid from income or gains realized by a Fund before you invested, and even if they were reflected in the purchase price of the shares. Consequently, you may incur taxes on income or gains that accrued before your investment, without corresponding benefit.
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Unless you are investing through a tax-advantaged account, such as an IRA or an employer-sponsored retirement plan, you may wish to avoid purchasing Fund shares shortly before a distribution. You can minimize the potential tax impact by reviewing a Fund’s distribution schedule prior to investing. When available, information about each Fund’s distribution schedule can be found on the Fund’s website at [___].com.
The foregoing discussion summarizes some of the possible consequences under current federal tax law of an investment in the Funds. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. You also may be subject to foreign, state and local tax on Fund distributions and sales of Shares. Consult your personal tax advisor about the potential tax consequences of an investment in Shares under all applicable tax laws. For more information, please see the section entitled “Federal Income Taxes” in the SAI.
Foreside Fund Services, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Foreside Financial Group (dba ACA Group), (the “Distributor”), the Funds’ distributor, is a broker-dealer registered with the SEC. The Distributor distributes Creation Units for the Funds on an agency basis and does not maintain a secondary market in Shares. The Distributor has no role in determining the policies of the Funds or the securities that are purchased or sold by the Funds. The Distributor’s principal address is 190 Middle Street, Suite 301, Portland, Maine 04101.
The Board has adopted a Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Plan (the “Plan”) pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act. In accordance with the Plan, the Funds are authorized to pay an amount up to 0.25% of its average daily net assets each year to pay distribution fees for the sale and distribution of its Shares.
No Rule 12b-1 fees are currently paid by the Funds, and there are no plans to impose these fees. However, in the event Rule 12b-1 fees are charged in the future, because the fees are paid out of assets of the respective Fund on an ongoing basis, over time these fees will increase the cost of your investment and may cost you more than certain other types of sales charges.
When available, information regarding how often Shares of the Funds traded on the applicable Exchange at a price above (i.e., at a premium) or below (i.e., at a discount) the NAV of such Fund can be found on the Funds’ website at [____].com.
Shares are not sponsored, endorsed, or promoted by an Exchange. The Exchanges are not responsible for, nor has any Exchange participated in the determination of, the timing, prices, or quantities of Shares to be issued, nor in the determination or calculation of the equation by which Shares are redeemable. An Exchange has no obligation or liability to owners of Shares in connection with the administration, marketing, or trading of Shares.
Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall any Exchange have any liability for any lost profits or indirect, punitive, special, or consequential damages even if notified of the possibility thereof.
The Adviser and the Funds make no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of Shares or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally or in any Fund particularly.
The Third Amended and Restated Agreement and Declaration of Trust (“Declaration of Trust”) provides a detailed process for the bringing of derivative or direct actions by shareholders in order to permit legitimate inquiries and claims while avoiding the time, expense, distraction, and other harm that can be caused to a Fund or its shareholders as a result of spurious shareholder demands and derivative actions. Prior to bringing a derivative action, a demand by three unrelated shareholders must first be made on the Fund’s Trustees. The Declaration of Trust details various information, certifications, undertakings and acknowledgments that must be included in the demand. Following receipt of the demand, the trustees have a period of 90 days, which may be extended by an additional 60 days, to consider the demand. If a majority of the Trustees who are considered independent for the purposes of considering the demand determine that maintaining the suit would not be in the best interests of the Fund, the Trustees are required to reject the demand and the complaining shareholders may not proceed with the derivative action unless the shareholders are able to sustain the burden of proof to a court that the decision of the Trustees not to pursue the requested action was not a good faith exercise of their business judgment on behalf of the Fund. The Declaration of Trust further provides that shareholders owning Shares representing no less than a majority of the Fund’s outstanding shares must join in bringing the derivative action. If a demand is rejected, the complaining shareholders will be responsible for the costs and expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by a Fund in connection with the consideration of the demand, if a court determines that the demand was made without reasonable cause or for an improper purpose. If a derivative action is brought in violation of the Declaration of Trust, the shareholders bringing the action may be responsible for the Fund’s costs, including attorneys’ fees, if a court determines that the action was brought without reasonable cause or for an improper purpose. The Declaration of Trust provides that no shareholder may bring a direct action claiming injury as a shareholder of the Trust, or any Fund, where the matters alleged (if true) would give rise to a claim by the Trust or by the Trust on behalf of the Fund, unless the shareholder has suffered an injury distinct from that suffered by the shareholders of the Trust, or the Fund, generally. Under the Declaration of Trust, a shareholder bringing a direct claim must be a shareholder of a Fund with respect to which the direct action is brought at the time of the injury complained of or have acquired the shares afterwards by operation of law from a person who was a shareholder at that time. The Declaration of Trust further provides that a Fund shall be responsible for payment of attorneys’ fees and legal expenses incurred by a complaining shareholder only if required by law, and any attorneys’ fees that the Fund is obligated to pay shall be calculated using reasonable hourly rates. These provisions do not apply to claims brought under the federal securities laws.
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The Declaration of Trust also requires that actions by shareholders against a Fund be brought exclusively in a federal or state court located within the State of Delaware. This provision will not apply to claims brought under the federal securities laws. Limiting shareholders’ ability to bring actions only in courts located in Delaware may cause shareholders economic hardship to litigate the action in those courts, including paying for travel expenses of witnesses and counsel, requiring retaining local counsel, and may limit shareholders’ ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that shareholders find favorable for disputes, which may discourage such actions.
This section would ordinarily include Financial Highlights for the Funds. The Financial Highlights tables are intended to help you understand the performance of each Fund for that Fund’s periods of operations. Because the Funds have not yet commenced operations as of the date of this Prospectus, no Financial Highlights are shown.
Portfolio Building Block European Banks Index ETF
Portfolio Building Block World Pharma and Biotech Index ETF
Portfolio Building Block Integrated Oil and Gas and Exploration and Production Index ETF
| Adviser | Tidal Investments LLC 234 West Florida Street, Suite 203 Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53204 |
Administrator | Tidal ETF Services LLC 234 West Florida Street, Suite 203 Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53204 |
| Distributor | Foreside Fund Services, LLC 190 Middle Street, Suite 301 Portland, Maine 04101 |
Fund Accountant and Transfer Agent |
U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC, doing business
as U.S. Bank Global Fund Services 615 East Michigan Street Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202 |
| Legal Counsel | Sullivan & Worcester LLP 1251 Avenue of the Americas, 19th Floor New York, New York 10020 |
Custodian | U.S. Bank National Association
1555 North Rivercenter Dr. Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53212 |
| Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm |
Tait, Weller & Baker LLP Two Liberty Place 50 South 16th Street Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19102 |
Investors may find more information about the Funds in the following documents:
Statement of Additional Information: The Funds’ SAI provides additional details about the investments of each Fund and certain other additional information. A current SAI dated [___ __, 2025], as supplemented from time to time, is on file with the SEC and is herein incorporated by reference into this Prospectus. It is legally considered a part of this Prospectus.
Annual/Semi-Annual Reports: Additional information about the Funds’ investments will be available in the Funds’ annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders and in Form N-CSR. In the annual report you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected each Fund’s performance after the first fiscal year each Fund is in operation. In Form N-CSR, you will find each Fund’s annual and semi-annual financial statements.
You can obtain free copies of these documents, when available, request other information or make general inquiries about the Funds by contacting the Funds at the [Portfolio Building Block] ETFs, c/o U.S. Bank Global Fund Services, P.O. PO Box 219252 Kansas City, MO 64121-9252 or calling (844) 875-2288.
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Shareholder reports and other information about the Funds will also be available:
| ● | Free of charge from the SEC’s EDGAR database on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov; or | |
| ● | Free of charge from the Funds’ Internet website at [___].com; or | |
| ● | For a fee, by e-mail request to [email protected]. |
(SEC Investment Company Act File No. 811-24061)
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(SEC Investment Company Act File No. 811-24061)