Blueprint
Filed
Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3)
Registration No.
333-223943
Teucrium
Agricultural Fund
4,625,000
Shares
The Teucrium Agricultural Fund (the
“Fund” or “Us” or “We”) is a
commodity pool that is a series of the Teucrium Commodity Trust
(“Trust”), a Delaware statutory trust. The Fund issues
common units representing fractional undivided beneficial interests
in such Fund, called “Shares.” The Fund continuously
offers creation baskets consisting of 12,500 Shares
(“Creation Baskets”) at their net asset value
(“NAV”) to “Authorized Purchasers” (as
defined below). Authorized Purchasers, in turn, may offer to the
public Shares of any baskets they create. Authorized Purchasers
sell such Shares, which are listed on the NYSE Arca exchange
(“NYSE Arca”), to the public at per-Share offering
prices that are expected to reflect, among other factors, the
trading price of the Shares on the NYSE Arca, the NAV of the Fund
at the time the Authorized Purchaser purchased the Creation Baskets
and the NAV at the time of the offer of the Shares to the public,
the supply of and demand for Shares at the time of sale, and the
liquidity of the markets for agricultural commodity interests in
which the Fund invests. A list of the Fund’s Authorized
Purchasers as of the date of this Prospectus can be found under
“Plan of Distribution – Distributor and Authorized
Purchasers” on page 44. The prices of the Shares
offered by Authorized Purchasers are expected to fall between the
Fund’s NAV and the trading price of the Shares on the NYSE
Arca at the time of sale. The Fund’s Shares may trade in the
secondary market at prices that are lower or higher than their NAV
per Share. Fund Shares are listed on the NYSE Arca under the symbol
“TAGS.”
The Fund’s sponsor is Teucrium
Trading, LLC (the “Sponsor”). The investment objective
of the Fund is to have the daily changes in percentage terms of the
Fund’s NAV per Share reflect the daily changes in percentage
terms of a weighted average of the NAVs per share of four commodity
pools sponsored by the Sponsor that track benchmarks of futures
contracts relating to corn, wheat, soybeans and sugar,
respectively.
This is a best efforts offering; the
distributor, Foreside Fund Services, LLC (the
“Distributor”), is not required to sell any specific
number or dollar amount of Shares but will use its best efforts to
sell Shares. An Authorized Purchaser is under no obligation to
purchase Shares. This is intended to be a continuous offering that
will terminate April 30, 2021, unless suspended or terminated at
any earlier time for certain reasons specified in this prospectus
or unless extended as permitted under the rules under the
Securities Act of 1933. See “Prospectus Summary – The
Shares” and “Creation and Redemption of Shares –
Rejection of Purchase Orders” below.
Investing in the
Fund involves significant risks. See “What Are the Risk
Factors Involved with an Investment in the Fund?” beginning
on page 13. The Fund is not a mutual fund registered under the
Investment Company Act of 1940 and is not subject to regulation
under such Act.
NEITHER THE
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION (“SEC”) NOR ANY
STATE SECURITIES COMMISSION HAS APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED OF THE
SECURITIES OFFERED IN THIS PROSPECTUS, OR DETERMINED IF THIS
PROSPECTUS IS TRUTHFUL OR COMPLETE. ANY REPRESENTATION TO THE
CONTRARY IS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE.
THE COMMODITY
FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION HAS NOT PASSED UPON THE MERITS OF
PARTICIPATING IN THIS POOL NOR HAS THE COMMISSION PASSED ON THE
ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS DISCLOSURE
DOCUMENT.
This prospectus
is in two parts: a disclosure document and a statement of
additional information. These parts are bound together, and both
contain important information.
The date of this
prospectus is April 29, 2019
COMMODITY FUTURES
TRADING COMMISSION
RISK DISCLOSURE
STATEMENT
YOU SHOULD
CAREFULLY CONSIDER WHETHER YOUR FINANCIAL CONDITION PERMITS YOU TO
PARTICIPATE IN A COMMODITY POOL. IN SO DOING, YOU SHOULD BE AWARE
THAT COMMODITY INTEREST TRADING CAN QUICKLY LEAD TO LARGE LOSSES AS
WELL AS GAINS. SUCH TRADING LOSSES CAN SHARPLY REDUCE THE NET ASSET
VALUE OF THE POOL AND CONSEQUENTLY THE VALUE OF YOUR INTEREST IN
THE POOL. IN ADDITION, RESTRICTIONS ON REDEMPTIONS MAY AFFECT YOUR
ABILITY TO WITHDRAW YOUR PARTICIPATION IN THE
POOL.
FURTHER,
COMMODITY POOLS MAY BE SUBJECT TO SUBSTANTIAL CHARGES FOR
MANAGEMENT, AND ADVISORY AND BROKERAGE FEES. IT MAY BE NECESSARY
FOR THOSE POOLS THAT ARE SUBJECT TO THESE CHARGES TO MAKE
SUBSTANTIAL TRADING PROFITS TO AVOID DEPLETION OR EXHAUSTION OF
THEIR ASSETS. THIS DISCLOSURE DOCUMENT CONTAINS A COMPLETE
DESCRIPTION OF EACH EXPENSE TO BE CHARGED THIS POOL AT PAGE 41 AND
A STATEMENT OF THE PERCENTAGE RETURN NECESSARY TO BREAK EVEN, THAT
IS, TO RECOVER THE AMOUNT OF YOUR INITIAL INVESTMENT, AT PAGE
10.
THIS BRIEF
STATEMENT CANNOT DISCLOSE ALL THE RISKS AND OTHER FACTORS NECESSARY
TO EVALUATE YOUR PARTICIPATION IN THIS COMMODITY POOL. THEREFORE,
BEFORE YOU DECIDE TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS COMMODITY POOL, YOU SHOULD
CAREFULLY STUDY THIS DISCLOSURE DOCUMENT, INCLUDING A DESCRIPTION
OF THE PRINCIPAL RISK FACTORS OF THIS INVESTMENT, AT PAGE
13.
YOU SHOULD ALSO
BE AWARE THAT THIS COMMODITY POOL MAY TRADE FOREIGN FUTURES OR
OPTIONS CONTRACTS. TRANSACTIONS ON MARKETS LOCATED OUTSIDE THE
UNITED STATES, INCLUDING MARKETS FORMALLY LINKED TO A UNITED STATES
MARKET, MAY BE SUBJECT TO REGULATIONS WHICH OFFER DIFFERENT OR
DIMINISHED PROTECTION TO THE POOL AND ITS PARTICIPANTS. FURTHER,
UNITED STATES REGULATORY AUTHORITIES MAY BE UNABLE TO COMPEL THE
ENFORCEMENT OF THE RULES OF REGULATORY AUTHORITIES OR MARKETS IN
NON-UNITED STATES JURISDICTIONS WHERE TRANSACTIONS FOR THE POOL MAY
BE EFFECTED.
SWAPS
TRANSACTIONS, LIKE OTHER FINANCIAL TRANSACTIONS, INVOLVE A VARIETY
OF SIGNIFICANT RISKS. THE SPECIFIC RISKS PRESENTED BY A PARTICULAR
SWAP TRANSACTION NECESSARILY DEPEND UPON THE TERMS OF THE
TRANSACTION AND YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES. IN GENERAL, HOWEVER, ALL SWAPS
TRANSACTIONS INVOLVE SOME COMBINATION OF MARKET RISK, CREDIT RISK,
COUNTERPARTY CREDIT RISK, FUNDING RISK, LIQUIDITY RISK, AND
OPERATIONAL RISK.
HIGHLY CUSTOMIZED
SWAPS TRANSACTIONS IN PARTICULAR MAY INCREASE LIQUIDITY RISK, WHICH
MAY RESULT IN A SUSPENSION OF REDEMPTIONS. HIGHLY LEVERAGED
TRANSACTIONS MAY EXPERIENCE SUBSTANTIAL GAINS OR LOSSES IN VALUE AS
A RESULT OF RELATIVELY SMALL CHANGES IN THE VALUE OR LEVEL OF AN
UNDERLYING OR RELATED MARKET FACTOR.
IN EVALUATING THE
RISKS AND CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH A PARTICULAR SWAP
TRANSACTION, IT IS IMPORTANT TO CONSIDER THAT A SWAP TRANSACTION
MAY BE MODIFIED OR TERMINATED ONLY BY MUTUAL CONSENT OF THE
ORIGINAL PARTIES AND SUBJECT TO AGREEMENT ON INDIVIDUALLY
NEGOTIATED TERMS. THEREFORE, IT MAY NOT BE POSSIBLE FOR THE
COMMODITY POOL OPERATOR TO MODIFY, TERMINATE, OR OFFSET THE POOL'S
OBLIGATIONS OR THE POOL'S EXPOSURE TO THE RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH A
TRANSACTION PRIOR TO ITS SCHEDULED TERMINATION
DATE.
TEUCRIUM
AGRICULTURAL FUND
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
|
5
|
|
6
|
|
6
|
|
6
|
|
6
|
|
8
|
|
8
|
|
8
|
|
9
|
|
10
|
|
10
|
|
10
|
|
10
|
|
13
|
|
13
|
|
15
|
|
20
|
|
20
|
|
21
|
|
22
|
|
24
|
|
24
|
|
24
|
|
26
|
|
27
|
|
29
|
|
30
|
|
31
|
|
31
|
|
33
|
|
35
|
|
36
|
|
38
|
|
39
|
|
40
|
|
43
|
|
43
|
|
43
|
|
44
|
|
46
|
|
47
|
|
47
|
|
50
|
|
51
|
|
51
|
|
57
|
|
60
|
|
61
|
|
61
|
|
61
|
|
61
|
|
61
|
|
61
|
|
61
|
|
62
|
|
62
|
|
62
|
|
63
|
|
69
|
|
72
|
|
73
|
|
74
|
|
75
|
STATEMENT REGARDING
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This prospectus includes
“forward-looking statements” which generally relate to
future events or future performance. In some cases, you can
identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as
“may,” “will,” “should,”
“expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,”
“believe,” “estimate,”
“predict,” “potential” or the negative of
these terms or other comparable terminology. All statements (other
than statements of historical fact) included in this prospectus
that address activities, events or developments that will or may
occur in the future, including such matters as movements in the
commodities markets and indexes that track such movements, the
Fund’s operations, the Sponsor’s plans and references
to the Fund’s future success and other similar matters, are
forward-looking statements. These statements are only predictions.
Actual events or results may differ materially. These statements
are based upon certain assumptions and analyses the Sponsor has
made based on its perception of historical trends, current
conditions and expected future developments, as well as other
factors appropriate in the circumstances. Whether or not actual
results and developments will conform to the Sponsor’s
expectations and predictions, however, is subject to a number of
risks and uncertainties, including the special considerations
discussed in this prospectus, general economic, market and business
conditions, changes in laws or regulations, including those
concerning taxes, made by governmental authorities or regulatory
bodies, and other world economic and political developments. See
“What Are the Risk Factors Involved with an Investment in the
Fund?” Consequently, all the forward-looking statements made
in this prospectus are qualified by these cautionary statements,
and there can be no assurance that actual results or developments
the Sponsor anticipates will be realized or, even if substantially
realized, that they will result in the expected consequences to, or
have the expected effects on, the Fund’s operations or the
value of its Shares.
This is only a
summary of the prospectus and, while it contains material
information about the Fund and its Shares, it does not contain or
summarize all of the information about the Fund and the Shares
contained in this prospectus that is material and/or which may be
important to you. You should read this entire prospectus, including
“What Are the Risk Factors Involved with an Investment in the
Fund?” beginning on page 13, before making an investment
decision about the Shares. In addition, this prospectus includes a
statement of additional information that follows and is bound
together with the primary disclosure document. Both the primary
disclosure document and the statement of additional information
contain important information.
Principal Offices of the
Fund and the Sponsor
The principal office of the Trust
and the Fund is located at Three Main Street, Suite 215,
Burlington, VT 05401. The telephone number is (802) 540-0019. The
Sponsor’s principal office is also located at Three Main
Street, Suite 215, Burlington, VT 05401, and its telephone number
is also (802) 540-0019.
The amount of trading income
required for the redemption value of a Share at the end of one year
to equal the selling price of the Share, assuming a selling price
of $20.86 (the NAV per Share as of January 31, 2019), is $0.04 or
0.19% of the selling price. For more information, see
“Breakeven Analysis” below.
The Teucrium Agricultural
Fund (the “Fund” or “Us” or
“We”) is a commodity pool that issues Shares that may
be purchased and sold on the NYSE Arca. The Fund is a series of the
Trust, a Delaware statutory trust organized on September 11, 2009.
The Fund is one of five series of the Trust (collectively, the
“Teucrium Funds”); each series operates as a separate
commodity pool. Additional series of the Trust may be created in
the future. The Trust and the Fund operate pursuant to the
Trust’s Fifth Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust and
Trust Agreement (the “Trust Agreement”), which has been
filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this
prospectus is a part. The
Fund was formed and is managed and controlled by the Sponsor,
Teucrium Trading, LLC. The Sponsor is a limited liability company
formed in Delaware on July 28, 2009 that is registered as a
commodity pool operator (“CPO”) with the Commodity
Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) and is a member of
the National Futures Association (“NFA”). The Sponsor
also registered as a Commodity Trading Advisor (“CTA”)
with the CFTC effective September 8, 2017.
The investment
objective of the Fund is to have the daily changes in percentage
terms of the NAV of its Shares reflect the daily changes in
percentage terms of a weighted average (the “Underlying Fund
Average”) of the NAVs per share of four other commodity pools
that are series of the Trust and are sponsored by the Sponsor: the
Teucrium Corn Fund, the Teucrium Wheat Fund, the Teucrium Soybean
Fund and the Teucrium Sugar Fund (collectively, the
“Underlying Funds”). The Underlying Fund Average will
have a weighting of 25% to each Underlying Fund, and the
Fund’s assets will be rebalanced, generally on a daily basis,
to maintain the approximate 25% allocation to each Underlying
Fund:
TAGS
Benchmark
Underlying
Fund
|
Weighting
|
CORN
|
25%
|
SOYB
|
25%
|
CANE
|
25%
|
WEAT
|
25%
|
The Fund does not intend to invest
directly in futures contracts (“Futures Contracts”),
although it reserves the right to do so in the future, including if
an Underlying Fund ceases operation or if shares of an Underlying
Fund cease trading on NYSE Arca.
The investment objective of each
Underlying Fund is to have the daily changes in percentage terms of
its shares’ NAV reflect the daily changes in percentage terms
of a weighted average of the closing settlement prices for certain
Futures Contracts for the commodity specified in the Underlying
Fund’s name. (This weighted average is referred to herein as
the Underlying Fund’s “Benchmark,” the Futures
Contracts that at any given time make up an Underlying Fund’s
Benchmark are referred to herein as the Underlying Fund’s
“Benchmark Component Futures Contracts,” and the
commodity specified in the Underlying Fund’s name is referred
to herein as its
“Specified
Commodity”).
Specifically, the Teucrium Corn
Fund’s Benchmark is: (1) the second-to-expire Futures
Contract for corn traded on the Chicago Board of Trade
(“CBOT”), weighted 35%, (2) the third-to-expire CBOT
corn Futures Contract, weighted 30%, and (3) the CBOT Corn Futures
Contract expiring in the December following the expiration month of
the third-to-expire contract, weighted 35%.
The Teucrium Wheat Fund’s
Benchmark is: (1) the second-to-expire CBOT Wheat Futures Contract,
weighted 35%, (2) the third-to-expire CBOT Wheat Futures Contract,
weighted 30%, and (3) the CBOT Wheat Futures Contract expiring in
the December following the expiration month of the third-to-expire
contract, weighted 35%.
The Teucrium Soybean Fund’s
Benchmark is: (1) the second-to-expire CBOT Soybean Futures
Contract, weighted 35%, (2) the third-to-expire CBOT Soybean
Futures Contract, weighted 30%, and (3) the CBOT Soybean Futures
Contract expiring in the November following the expiration month of
the third-to-expire contract, weighted 35%, except that CBOT
Soybean Futures Contracts expiring in August and September will not
be part of the Teucrium Soybean Fund’s Benchmark because of
the less liquid market for these Futures
Contracts.
The Teucrium Sugar Fund’s
Benchmark is: (1) the second-to-expire Sugar No. 11 Futures
Contract traded on ICE Futures US (“ICE Futures”),
weighted 35%, (2) the third-to-expire ICE Futures Sugar No. 11
Futures Contract, weighted 30%, and (3) the ICE Futures Sugar No.
11 Futures Contract expiring in the March following the expiration
month of the third-to-expire contract, weighted 35%. (Although
Sugar Futures Contracts are primarily traded on the ICE Futures,
they may also be traded on the New York Mercantile Exchange
(“NYMEX”). Any reference to the ICE Futures in relation
to the Teucrium Sugar Fund should also be read as a reference to
NYMEX. Although Corn, Soybean and Wheat Futures Contracts are
primarily traded on the CBOT, they may also be traded on the ICE.
Any reference to CBOT Futures in relation to the Teucrium Corn,
Soybean and/or Wheat Fund(s) should also be read as a reference to
ICE Futures.)
Each Underlying Fund seeks to
achieve its investment objective by investing under normal market
conditions in Benchmark Component Futures Contracts or, in certain
circumstances, in other Futures Contracts for its Specified
Commodity. In addition, and to a limited extent, an Underlying Fund
also may invest in exchange-traded options on Futures Contracts for
its Specified Commodity in furtherance of the Underlying Fund's
investment objective. Once position limits or accountability levels
on Futures Contracts on an Underlying Fund’s Specified
Commodity are applicable, each Underlying Fund's intention is to
invest in contracts and instruments such as cash-settled options on
Futures Contracts and forward contracts, and other over-the-counter
transactions that are based on the price of its Specified Commodity
or Futures Contracts on its Specified Commodity (collectively,
“Other Commodity Interests,” and together with Futures
Contracts, “Commodity Interests”). See “The
Offering – Futures Contracts” below. By utilizing
certain or all of these investments, the Sponsor endeavors to cause
each Underlying Fund's performance to closely track that of its
Benchmark. The Sponsor expects to manage the Fund’s and the
Underlying Funds’ investments directly, although it has been
authorized by the Trust to retain, establish the terms of retention
for, and terminate third-party commodity trading advisors to
provide such management. The Sponsor is also authorized to select
broker-dealers to execute the Fund’s transactions in the
Underlying Funds and futures commission merchants
(“FCMs”) to execute the Underlying Funds’
transactions in Futures Contracts.
The Underlying Funds seek to achieve
their investment objectives primarily by investing in Commodity
Interests such that daily changes in each Underlying Fund’s
NAV are expected to closely track the changes in its respective
Benchmark. Each Underlying Fund’s positions in Commodity
Interests are changed or “rolled” on a regular basis in
order to track the changing nature of its Benchmark. For example,
several times a year (on the dates on which Futures Contracts on
the Underlying Fund’s Specified Commodity expire), a
particular Futures Contract will no longer be a Benchmark Component
Futures Contract, and the Underlying Fund’s investments will
have to be changed accordingly. In order that the Underlying
Funds’ trading does not signal potential market movements and
to make it more difficult for third parties to profit by trading
ahead based on such expected market movements, the Underlying
Funds’ investments may not be rolled entirely on that day,
but rather may be rolled over a period of several
days.
The Underlying Funds incur certain
expenses in connection with their operations and hold most of their
assets in income-producing cash and cash equivalents for margin and
other liquidity purposes and to meet redemptions that may be
necessary on an ongoing basis. These expenses and income cause
imperfect correlation between changes in the Underlying
Fund’s NAV and changes in each respective Benchmark, because
the Benchmarks do not reflect expenses or income. Investors should
be aware that because the Underlying Funds incur certain expenses
on an ongoing basis, they may incur a partial or complete loss of
their investment even when the performance of the Benchmarks are
positive.
In seeking to achieve each
Underlying Fund’s investment objective of tracking its
Benchmark, the Sponsor may for certain reasons cause the Underlying
Fund to enter into or hold Futures Contracts other than the
Benchmark Component Futures Contracts and/or Other Commodity
Interests. Other Commodity Interests that do not have standardized
terms and are not exchange-traded, referred to as
“over-the-counter” Commodity Interests, can generally
be structured as the parties to the Commodity Interest contract
desire. Therefore, an Underlying Fund might enter into multiple
over-the-counter Other Commodity Interests related to its Specified
Commodity that are intended to replicate the performance of
Benchmark Component Futures Contracts of the Underlying Fund, or a
single over-the-counter Other Commodity Interest designed to
replicate the performance of the individual of its Benchmark as a
whole. Assuming that there is no default by a counterparty to an
over-the-counter Other Commodity Interest, the performance of the
Other Commodity Interest will necessarily correlate with the
performance of the Underlying Fund’s Benchmark or the
applicable Benchmark Component Futures Contract. The Underlying
Funds might also enter into or hold Commodity Interests other than
Benchmark Component Futures Contracts to facilitate effective
trading, consistent with the discussion of an Underlying
Fund’s “roll” strategy in the preceding
paragraph. In addition, an Underlying Fund might enter into or hold
Commodity Interests related to its Specified Commodity that would
be expected to alleviate overall deviation between the Underlying
Fund’s performance and that of its Benchmark that may result
from certain market and trading inefficiencies or other reasons. By
utilizing certain or all of the investments described above, the
Sponsor endeavors to cause each Underlying Fund’s performance
to closely track that of its Benchmark.
While the Fund expects to maintain
substantially all of its assets in shares of the Underlying Funds
at all times, the Fund may hold some residual amount of assets in
cash equivalents, and/or merely hold such assets in cash (generally
in interest-bearing accounts). The Underlying Funds invest in
Commodity Interests to the fullest extent possible without being
leveraged or unable to satisfy their expected current or potential
margin or collateral obligations with respect to their investments
in Commodity Interests. After fulfilling such margin and collateral
requirements, the Underlying Funds invest the remainder of the
proceeds from the sale of baskets in cash or cash equivalents.
Therefore, the focus of the Sponsor in managing the Underlying
Funds is investing in Commodity Interests and cash and/or cash
equivalents. The Underlying Funds earn interest income from the
cash equivalents that it purchases and on the cash they hold at
financial institutions.
The Sponsor endeavors to place the
Fund’s trades in the Underlying Funds and otherwise manage
the Fund’s investments so that the Fund’s average daily
tracking error against the Underlying Fund Average will be less
than 10 percent over any period of 30 trading days. More
specifically, the Sponsor endeavors to manage the Fund so that A
will be within plus/minus 10 percent of B,
where:
|
●
|
A is the average daily change in the
Fund’s NAV for any period of 30 successive valuation days,
i.e., any trading day as of
which the Fund calculates its NAV, and
|
|
●
|
B is the average daily change in the
Underlying Fund Average over the same period.
|
The Sponsor believes that the net
effect of this expected relationship and the expected relationship
described above between the Fund’s NAV and the Underlying
Fund Average will be that the changes in the price of the
Fund’s Shares on the NYSE Arca will track, in percentage
terms, changes in the Underlying Fund Average. This relationship
may be affected by various market factors, including but not
limited to, the number of shares of the Fund outstanding and the
liquidity of the underlying holdings. However, there is no
guarantee that the Shares will not trade at appreciable discounts
from, and/or premiums to, the Fund’s NAV.
The Sponsor employs a
“neutral” investment strategy intended so that the Fund
tracks the changes in the Underlying Fund Average and each
Underlying Fund tracks the changes in its Benchmark regardless of
whether the Underlying Fund Average or Benchmark goes up or goes
down. The Fund’s and Underlying Funds’
“neutral” investment strategies are designed to permit
investors generally to purchase and sell the Fund’s Shares
for the purpose of investing indirectly in the agricultural
commodities market in a cost-effective manner. Such investors may
include participants in agricultural industries and other
industries seeking to hedge the risk of losses in their
commodity-related transactions, as well as investors seeking
exposure to the agricultural commodities market. Accordingly,
depending on the investment objective of an individual investor,
the risks generally associated with investing in the agricultural
commodities market and/or the risks involved in hedging may exist.
In addition, an investment in the Fund involves the risks that the
changes in the price of the Fund’s Shares will not accurately
track the changes in the Underlying Fund Average, that changes in
the price of the shares of the Underlying Funds will not accurately
track the changes in their Benchmarks, and that changes in the
Benchmarks will not closely correlate with changes in the prices of
the Specified Commodities on the spot market. Furthermore, as noted
above, the Fund and Underlying Funds may also elect to invest in
short-term Treasury Securities, cash and/or cash equivalents. The
Sponsor does not expect there to be any meaningful correlation
between the performance of the Fund’s and Underlying
Funds’ investments in Treasury Securities, cash and/or cash
equivalents and the changes in the prices of the Specified
Commodities or Commodity Interests. While the level of interest
earned on or the market price of these investments may in some
respects correlate to changes in the price of the Specified
Commodities, this correlation is not anticipated as part of the
Fund’s efforts to meet its objective. This and certain risk
factors discussed in this prospectus may cause a lack of
correlation between changes in the Fund’s NAV and changes in
the prices of the Specified Commodities. The Sponsor does not
intend to operate the Fund or an Underlying Fund in a fashion such
that its per Share NAV will equal, in dollar terms, the spot price
of a unit of a Specified Commodity or the price of any particular
Futures Contract.
The Fund creates and redeems Shares
only in blocks called “Creation Baskets” and
“Redemption Baskets,” respectively. Only Authorized
Purchasers may purchase or redeem Creation Baskets or Redemption
Baskets. An Authorized Purchaser is under no obligation to create
or redeem baskets, and an Authorized Purchaser is under no
obligation to offer to the public Shares of any baskets it does
create. Baskets are generally created when there is a demand for
Shares, including, but not limited to, when the market price per
share is at (or perceived to be at) a premium to the NAV per share.
Similarly, baskets are generally redeemed when the market price per
share is at (or perceived to be at) a discount to the NAV per
share. Retail investors seeking to purchase or sell Shares on any
day are expected to effect such transactions in the secondary
market, on the NYSE Arca, at the market price per share, rather
than in connection with the creation or redemption of baskets.
There is a minimum number of baskets and associated shares
specified for the Fund. Once the minimum number of baskets is
reached, there can be no more basket redemptions until there has
been a creation basket. In such case, market makers may be less
willing to purchase Shares from investors in the secondary market,
which may in turn limit the ability of shareholders of the Fund to
sell their Shares in the secondary market. As of January 31, 2019,
these minimum levels for the Fund are 50,000 shares representing 4
baskets, and the Fund had the minimum number of shares outstanding
on that date. As of April 11, 2019, there were 75,002 shares
outstanding.
All proceeds from the sale of
Creation Baskets will be invested as quickly as practicable in the
publicly-traded shares of the Underlying Funds. The Fund’s
cash and investments are held through the Fund’s Custodian.
There is no stated maximum time period for the Fund’s
operations and the Fund will continue to operate until all Shares
are redeemed or the Fund is liquidated pursuant to the terms of the
Trust Agreement.
Shares may also be purchased and
sold by individuals and entities that are not Authorized Purchasers
in smaller increments than Creation Baskets on the NYSE Arca.
However, these transactions are effected at bid and ask prices
established by specialist firm(s). Like any listed security, Shares
of the Fund can be purchased and sold at any time a secondary
market is open.
In managing the Fund’s assets,
the Sponsor does not use a technical trading system that
automatically issues buy and sell orders. Instead, each time one or
more baskets of Fund Shares are purchased or redeemed, the Sponsor
will purchase or sell the publicly-traded Underlying Fund shares
with an aggregate market value that approximates the amount of cash
received or paid upon the purchase or redemption of the
basket(s).
Note
to Secondary Market Investors: Shares can be directly
purchased from the Fund only in Creation Baskets, and only by
Authorized Purchasers. Each Creation Basket consists of 12,500
Shares and therefore requires a significant financial commitment to
purchase. Accordingly, investors who do not have such resources or
who are not Authorized Purchasers should be aware that some of the
information contained in this prospectus, including information
about purchases and redemptions of Shares directly with the Fund,
is only relevant to Authorized Purchasers. Shares are listed and
traded on the NYSE Arca under the ticker symbol “TAGS”
and may be purchased and sold as individual Shares. Individuals
interested in purchasing Shares in the secondary market should
contact their broker. Shares purchased or sold through a broker may
be subject to commissions.
Except when aggregated in Redemption Baskets,
Shares are not redeemable securities. There is no guarantee that
Shares will trade at prices that are at or near the per-Share NAV.
There are a minimum number of baskets and associated shares
specified for the Fund. Once the minimum number of baskets is
reached, there can be no more redemptions until there has been a
creation basket. As of January 31, 2019, these minimum levels for
the Fund are 50,000 shares representing 4 baskets,
and the Fund had the minimum
number of shares outstanding on that date. As of April 11,
2019, there were 75,002 shares
outstanding.
Investors purchasing Shares in the
secondary market through a brokerage account or with the assistance
of a broker may be subject to brokerage commissions and charges. If
you purchase Fund Shares through a broker-dealer or other financial
intermediary (such as a bank), the Fund, the Sponsor or an
affiliate of the Sponsor may pay the intermediary for the sale of
Fund Shares and related services. These payments may create a
conflict of interest by influencing broker-dealers or other
intermediaries and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over
another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial
intermediary’s website for more
information.
The Shares are registered as
securities under the Securities Act of 1933 (“1933
Act”) and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the
“Exchange Act”) and do not provide dividend rights or
conversion rights and there are no sinking funds. The Shares may
only be redeemed when aggregated in Redemption Baskets as discussed
under “Creation and Redemption of Shares” and holders
of Fund Shares (“Shareholders”) generally do not have
voting rights as discussed under “The Trust Agreement –
Voting Rights.” Cumulative voting is neither permitted nor
required and there are no preemptive rights. The Trust Agreement
provides that, upon liquidation of the Fund, its assets will be
distributed pro rata to the Shareholders based upon the number of
Shares held. Each Shareholder will receive its share of the assets
in cash or in kind, and the proportion of such share that is
received in cash may vary from Shareholder to Shareholder, as the
Sponsor in its sole discretion may decide.
The offering of Shares under this
prospectus is a continuous offering under Rule 415 of the 1933 Act
and is not expected to terminate on April 30, 2021. The offering
may be extended beyond such date as permitted by applicable rules
promulgated under the 1933 Act. The offering will terminate before
such date or before the end of any extension period if all of the
registered Shares have been sold. However, the Sponsor expects to
cause the Trust to file one or more additional registration
statements as necessary to permit additional Shares to be
registered and offered on an uninterrupted basis. This offering may
also be suspended or terminated at any time for certain specified
reasons, including if and when suitable investments for the Fund
are not available or practicable. See “Creation and
Redemption of Shares – Rejection of Purchase Orders”
below. As discussed above, the minimum purchase requirement for
Authorized Purchasers is a Creation Basket, which consists of
12,500 Shares. The Fund does not require a minimum purchase amount
for investors who purchase Shares from Authorized Purchasers. There
are no arrangements to place funds received as proceeds from the
sale of Creation Baskets of the Fund in an escrow, trust, or
similar account.
U.S. Federal Income Tax
Considerations
As is described more fully in
“U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations,” it is
intended that the Fund be classified as a partnership not taxable
as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Based in
part upon representations of the Sponsor and the Trust, the Fund
has obtained a legal opinion that, although the matter is not free
from doubt, it is more likely than not that the Fund will be so
classified. Assuming that the Fund is classified as a partnership
not taxable as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes,
the Fund will not incur a U.S. federal income tax liability;
rather, each Shareholder will be required to take into account its
allocable share of the Fund's income, gains, losses, deductions,
and other tax items. See
“U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations” for
information about the U.S. federal income tax consequences of the
purchase, ownership and disposition of Shares.
The Fund seeks to achieve its
investment objective by investing under normal market conditions in
the publicly-traded shares of each Underlying Fund so that the
Underlying Fund Average will have a weighting of 25% to each
Underlying Fund. The Fund does not intend to invest directly in
Futures Contracts or Other Commodity Interests, although it
reserves the right to do so in the future under certain
circumstances, including but not limited to, if an Underlying Fund
ceases operation or if shares of an Underlying Fund cease trading
on NYSE Arca.
The Underlying Funds’
Investments
A brief description of the principal
types of Commodity Interests in which the Underlying Funds may
invest is set forth below.
|
●
|
A futures contract is an
exchange-traded contract traded with standard terms that calls for
the delivery of a specified quantity of a commodity at a specified
price, on a specified date and at a specified
location.
|
|
●
|
A swap agreement is a bilateral
contract to exchange a periodic stream of payments determined by
reference to a notional amount, with payment typically made between
the parties on a net basis. For instance, in the case of wheat
swap, the Underlying Fund may be obligated to pay a fixed price per
bushel of wheat multiplied by a notional number of bushels and be
entitled to receive an amount per bushel equal to the current value
of an index of wheat prices, the price of a specified Wheat Futures
Contract, or the average price of a group of Wheat Futures
Contracts such as the Benchmark (times the same notional number of
bushels). As is the case with futures, swaps are financial
contracts and are typically settled financially between
counterparties. Unlike futures, however, swaps may or may not trade
on an exchange and, therefore, they may be less liquid, may be more
expensive, and may take longer to settle or trade out
of.
|
|
●
|
A forward contract
(“Forward”) is a non-standardized, non-exchange traded,
over-the-counter, bilateral contract for the purchase or sale of a
specified quantity of a commodity at a specified price, on a
specified date and at a specified location. Forwards are almost
always settled by delivery of the underlying commodity. Although
not impossible, it is unusual to settle a Forward financially;
therefore, Forwards are generally illiquid.
|
|
●
|
An option on a Futures Contract, a
swap agreement, forward contract or a commodity on the spot market
gives the buyer of the option the right, but not the obligation, to
buy or sell a Futures Contract, swap agreement, forward contract or
commodity, as applicable, at a specified price on or before a
specified date. The seller, or writer, of the option is obligated
to take a position in the underlying interest at a specified price
opposite to the option buyer if the option is exercised. Options on
Futures Contracts, like the Future Contracts to which they relate,
are standardized contracts traded on an exchange, and are regulated
like futures contracts, while all other options (except for spot
options) are considered swaps and are regulated as
swaps.
|
Unlike exchange-traded contracts,
over-the-counter contracts expose the Underlying Funds to the
credit risk of the other party to the contract. (As discussed
below, exchange-traded contracts may expose the Underlying Funds to
the risk of the clearing broker’s and/or the exchange
clearing house(s)’ bankruptcy.) The Sponsor does not
currently intend to purchase and sell commodities in the
“spot market” for the Fund or the Underlying Funds.
Spot market transactions are cash transactions in which the buyer
and seller agree to the immediate purchase and sale of a commodity,
usually with a two-day settlement period. In addition, the Sponsor
does not currently intend that the Funds or Underlying Funds will
enter into or hold spot month Futures Contracts, except that the
Underlying Funds may hold spot month Futures Contracts that were
formerly second-to-expire contracts for a brief period until they
can be disposed of in accordance with an Underlying Fund’s
roll strategy.
A more detailed description of
Commodity Interests and other aspects of the commodity and
Commodity Interest markets can be found later in this
prospectus.
As noted, the Teucrium Corn Fund,
Teucrium Wheat Fund and Teucrium Soybean Fund primarily invest in
Futures Contracts on corn, wheat and soybeans, respectively,
including those traded on the CBOT and the ICE Futures. The
Teucrium Sugar Fund primarily invests in Futures Contracts on
sugar, including those traded on the ICE Futures and the NYMEX. The
Fund expressly disclaims any association with the CBOT or ICE
Futures or endorsement of the Fund by such exchanges and
acknowledges that “CBOT,” “Chicago Board of
Trade,” “ICE Futures,” “ICE Futures
US,” “NYMEX,” and “New York Mercantile
Exchange” are registered trademarks of the respective
exchanges.
Principal Investment
Risks of an Investment in the Fund
An investment in the Fund involves a
degree of risk. Some of the risks you may face are summarized
below. A more extensive discussion of these risks appears beginning
on page 13.
|
●
|
Unlike mutual funds, commodity pools
and other investment pools that manage their investments so as to
realize income and gains for distribution to their investors, the
Fund generally does not distribute dividends to Shareholders. You
should not invest in the Fund if you will need cash distributions
from the Fund to pay taxes on your share of income and gains of the
Fund, if any, or for other purposes.
|
|
●
|
Investors may choose to use the Fund
as a means of investing indirectly in agricultural commodities, and
there are risks involved in such investments. The risks and hazards
that are inherent in agriculture may cause the price of
agricultural commodities to fluctuate widely. Global price
movements for agricultural commodities may be influenced by, among
other things: weather conditions, crop failure, production
decisions, governmental policies, changing demand, harvest cycles,
and various economic and monetary events. Commodity production is
also subject to domestic and foreign regulations that materially
affect operations.
|
|
●
|
To the extent that investors use the
Fund as a means of investing indirectly in agricultural
commodities, there is the risk that the changes in the price of the
Fund’s Shares on the NYSE Arca will not closely track the
changes in spot price of the commodities invested in by the
Underlying Funds. This could happen if (1) the price of Shares
traded on the NYSE Arca does not correlate closely with the
Fund’s NAV; (2) the changes in the Fund’s NAV do not
correlate closely with changes in the Underlying Fund Average; (3)
the changes in the Underlying Funds’ NAVs do not correlate
closely with changes in their Benchmarks; or (4) the changes in the
Benchmarks do not correlate closely with changes in the cash or
spot prices of the Specified Commodities. This is a risk because if
these correlations are not sufficiently close, then investors may
not be able to use the Fund as a cost-effective way to invest
indirectly in agricultural commodities or as a hedge against the
risk of loss in commodity-related transactions.
|
|
●
|
Only an Authorized Purchaser may
engage in creation or redemption transactions with the Fund. The
Fund has a limited number of institutions that act as Authorized
Purchasers. To the extent that these institutions exit the business
or are unable or unwilling to proceed with creation and/or
redemption orders with respect to the Fund, and no Authorized
Purchaser is able or willing to step forward to create or redeem
shares of the Fund, Fund Shares may, particularly in times of
market stress, trade at a discount to the NAV per Share and
possibly face trading halts and/or delisting. In addition, a
decision by a market maker or lead market maker to step away from
activities for the Fund, particularly in times of market stress,
could adversely affect liquidity, the spread between the bid and
ask quotes for the Fund’s Shares, and potentially the price
of the Shares. The Sponsor can make no guarantees that
participation by Authorized Purchasers or market makers will
continue.
|
|
●
|
Investors, including those who
directly participate in the agricultural commodities market, may
choose to use the Fund as a vehicle to hedge against the risk of
loss and there are risks involved in hedging activities. While
hedging can provide protection against an adverse movement in
market prices, it can also preclude a hedger’s opportunity to
benefit from a favorable market movement.
|
|
●
|
The Fund seeks to have the changes
in its Shares’ NAV in percentage terms track changes in the
Underlying Fund Average in percentage terms, rather than profit
from speculative trading of Commodity Interests. The Sponsor
therefore endeavors to manage the Fund and the Underlying Funds so
that the Fund’s and Underlying Funds’ assets are,
unlike those of many other commodity pools, not leveraged
(i.e. so that the aggregate
notional amount of an Underlying Fund’s exposure to losses
from its investments in Commodity Interests at any time will not
exceed the value of the Underlying Fund’s assets). There is
no assurance that the Sponsor will successfully implement this
investment strategy. If the Sponsor permits one or more of the
Underlying Funds to become leveraged, you could lose all or a
substantial portion of your investment if the Underlying
Fund’s trading positions suddenly turn unprofitable. These
movements in price may be the result of factors outside of the
Sponsor’s control and may not be anticipated by the
Sponsor.
|
|
●
|
The Underlying Funds may invest in
Other Commodity Interests. To the extent that these Other Commodity
Interests are contracts individually negotiated between their
parties, they may not be as liquid as Futures Contracts and will
expose the Underlying Funds (and, by extension, the Fund) to credit
risk that their counterparties may not be able to satisfy their
obligations to the Underlying Funds.
|
|
●
|
The Underlying Funds invest
primarily in Commodity Interests that are traded or sold in the
United States. However, a portion of the Underlying Funds’
trades may take place in markets and on exchanges outside the
United States that are not regulated by any United States
governmental agency and may involve certain risks not applicable to
United States exchanges, including different or diminished investor
protections, as compared to their U.S. counterparts. For example,
in some non-U.S. markets, the performance on a Futures Contract is
the responsibility of the counterparty and is not backed by an
exchange or clearing corporation, therefore exposing the Underlying
Funds to credit risk. Also, investing in Commodity Interests
denominated in currencies other than U.S. dollars subjects the
shares of the Underlying Funds to the risk of adverse exchange-rate
movements between the dollar and the functional currencies of such
Commodity Interests.
|
|
●
|
The structure and operation of the
Fund may involve conflicts of interest. For example, a conflict may
arise because the Sponsor and its principals and affiliates may
trade for themselves. In addition, the Sponsor has sole current
authority to manage the investments and operations of the Fund,
including the authority of the Sponsor to allocate expenses to and
between the Teucrium Funds and the interests of the Sponsor may
conflict with the Shareholders’ best
interests.
|
|
●
|
You will have no rights to
participate in the management of the Fund and will have to rely on
the duties and judgment of the Sponsor to manage the
Fund.
|
|
●
|
The Fund and the Underlying Funds
pay fees and expenses that are incurred regardless of whether they
are profitable.
|
|
●
|
The regulation of futures markets,
futures contracts, and futures exchanges has historically been
comprehensive. The CFTC and the exchanges are authorized to take
extraordinary actions in the event of a market emergency including,
for example, the retroactive implementation of speculative position
limits, increased margin requirements, the establishment of daily
price limits and the suspension of trading on an exchange or a
trading facility.
|
|
●
|
The regulation of commodity interest
transactions in the United States is a rapidly changing area of law
and is subject to ongoing modification by governmental and judicial
action. Considerable regulatory attention has been focused on
non-traditional investment pools that are publicly distributed in
the United States and that use trading in futures and options as an
investment strategy and not for hedging or price discovery
purposes, therefore altering traditional participation in futures
and swaps markets. There is a possibility of future regulatory
changes within the United States altering, perhaps to a material
extent, the nature of an investment in the Fund, or the ability of
the Fund to continue to implement its investment strategy. In
addition, various national governments outside of the United States
have expressed concern regarding the disruptive effects of
speculative trading in the commodities markets and the need to
regulate the derivatives markets in general. The effect of any
future regulatory change on the Funds is impossible to predict but
could be substantial and adverse.
|
|
●
|
Failures or breaches of the
electronic systems of the Fund, the Sponsor, the Custodian, or the
Fund’s other service providers, market makers, Authorized
Purchasers, NYSE Arca, exchanges on which Futures Contracts or
Other Commodity Interests for the Underlying Funds are traded or
cleared, or counterparties to financial transactions with the Fund,
have the ability to cause disruptions and negatively impact the
Fund’s business operations, potentially resulting in
financial losses to the Fund and its shareholders. While the Fund
has established business continuity plans and risk management
systems seeking to address system breaches or failures, there are
inherent limitations in such plans and systems. Furthermore, the
Fund cannot control the cyber security plans and systems of the
Custodian, Administrator or the Fund’s other service
providers, market makers, Authorized Purchasers, NYSE Arca,
exchanges on which Futures Contracts or Other Commodity Interests
invested in by the Underlying Funds are traded or cleared, or
counterparties.
|
For additional risks, see
“What Are the Risk Factors Involved with an Investment in the
Fund?”
Financial Condition of the
Fund
The Fund’s NAV is determined
as of the earlier of the close of the New York Stock Exchange or
4:00 p.m. New York time on each day that the NYSE Arca is open for
trading.
For a glossary of defined terms, see
Appendix A.
The breakeven analysis below
indicates the approximate dollar returns and percentage returns
required for the redemption value of a hypothetical initial
investment in a single Share, assuming a selling price of $20.86
(the NAV per Share as of January 31, 2019), to equal the amount
invested twelve months after the investment was made. This
breakeven analysis refers to the redemption of baskets by
Authorized Purchasers and is not related to any gains an individual
investor would have to achieve in order to break even. The
breakeven analysis is an approximation only.
Assumed selling price per
Share
|
$20.86
|
Sponsor’s Fee
(1)
|
N/A
|
Creation Basket Fee
(2)
|
$0.02
|
Estimated Brokerage Fees
(3)
|
$0.01
|
Other Fund Fees and Expenses
(4)
|
$0.01
|
Interest Income
(5)
|
N/A
|
Amount of trading income (loss)
required for the redemption value at the end of one year to equal
the initial selling price of the Share
|
$0.04
|
Percentage of initial selling price
per Share (6)
|
0.19%
|
(1) The Sponsor does not receive a
management fee from the Fund. The Sponsor receives a management fee
from each Underlying Fund at the annual rate of 1.00% of such
Underlying Fund’s average daily net assets, payable monthly.
The Sponsor can elect to waive the payment of this fee for any
Underlying Fund. in any amount at its sole discretion, at any time
and from time to time, in order to reduce the Fund’s expenses
or for any other purpose.
(2) Authorized Purchasers are
required to pay a Creation Basket fee of $250 for each order they
place to create one or more baskets. An order must be at least one
basket, which is 12,500 Shares. This breakeven analysis assumes a
hypothetical investment in a single share, so the Creation Basket
fee is $0.02 ($250/12,500).
(3) Reflects brokerage fees for Fund
transactions, which are estimated to be less than $0.005 per share
but are rounded to $0.01 for purposes of this breakeven
analysis.
(4) Other Fund Fees and Expenses are
an estimate based on an allocation to the Fund of the total
estimated expenses anticipated to be incurred by the Trust on
behalf of the Fund, net of any expenses or sponsor fee waived by
the Sponsor, and include: Professional fees (primarily legal,
auditing and tax-preparation related costs); Custodian and
Administrator fees and expenses, Distribution and Marketing fees
(primarily fees paid to the Distributor, costs related to
regulatory compliance activities and other costs related to the
trading activities of the Fund); Business Permits and Licenses;
General and Administrative expenses (primarily insurance and
printing) and Other Expenses. The expenses presented are based on
estimated expenses for the current fiscal year, and do not
represent the maximum amounts payable under the contracts with
third-party service providers, as discussed below in the section of
this disclosure document entitled “Contractual Fees and
Compensation Arrangements with the Sponsor and Third-Party Service
Providers.” The per-share cost of these fixed or estimated
fees has been calculated assuming that the Fund has minimum assets
of $1.5 million, which was the approximate amount of assets as of
January 31, 2019, and assuming certain fee reimbursements from the
Sponsor. The Sponsor can elect to pay (or waive reimbursement for)
certain fees or expenses that would generally be paid by the Fund,
although it has no contractual obligation to do so. Any election to
pay or waive reimbursement for fees and expenses that would
generally be paid by the Fund can be changed at the discretion of
the Sponsor.
(5) Because the Fund will not make
significant investments in interest-bearing securities or accounts,
the Fund does not expect to earn significant amounts of interest
(less than $0.005 per share for purposes of this breakeven
analysis).
(6) This represents the estimated
approximate percentage of selling price per share net of any
expenses or Sponsor fees waived by the Sponsor. The estimated
approximate percentage of selling price per share before waived
expenses or Sponsor fees is 3.69% based on the Fund assets, net
asset value per share and shares outstanding as of January 31,
2019. Such waiver may be terminated at any time at the sole
discretion of the Sponsor.
Offering
|
|
The Fund will offer Creation Baskets
consisting of 12,500 Shares through the Distributor to Authorized
Purchasers. Authorized Purchasers may purchase Creation Baskets
consisting of 12,500 Shares at the Fund’s NAV. The Shares
trade on the NYSE Arca.
|
|
|
|
Use of Proceeds
|
|
The Sponsor applies substantially
all of the Fund’s assets toward investing in the
publicly-traded shares of the Underlying Funds, and each Underlying
Fund in turn invests substantially all of its assets in Commodity
Interests relating to its Specified Commodity, short-term Treasury
Securities, cash, and cash equivalents. The Sponsor deposits a
portion of each Underlying Fund’s net assets with the FCM or
other custodians to be used to meet its current or potential margin
or collateral requirements in connection with its investment in
Commodity Interests. The Underlying Funds use only short-term
Treasury Securities, cash, and cash equivalents to satisfy these
requirements. The Sponsor expects that all entities that will hold
or trade the Underlying Fund’s assets will be based in the
United States and will be subject to United States regulations. The
Sponsor believes that approximately 5% of each Underlying
Fund’s assets will normally be committed as margin for
Futures Contracts and collateral for Other Commodity Interests.
However, from time to time, the percentage of assets committed as
margin/collateral may be substantially more, or less, than such
range. The remaining portion of the Underlying Funds’ assets,
and any residual portion of the Fund’s assets not invested in
the publicly-traded shares of the Underlying Funds, are held as
cash or cash equivalents, short-term Treasury Securities, money market funds or demand
deposit accounts. All interest income earned on these
investments is retained for the Fund’s or Underlying
Funds’ benefit.
|
NYSE Arca Symbol
|
|
“TAGS”
|
|
|
|
Creation and
Redemption
|
|
Authorized Purchasers pay a $250 fee
per order to create Creation Baskets, and a $250 fee per order for
Redemption Baskets. Authorized Purchasers are not required to sell
any specific number or dollar amount of Shares. The per share price
of Shares offered in Creation Baskets is the total NAV of the Fund
calculated as of the close of the NYSE Arca on that day divided by
the number of issued and outstanding Shares.
|
|
|
|
Inter-Series Limitation on
Liability
|
|
While the Fund is currently one of
five separate series of the Trust, additional series may be created
in the future. The Trust has been formed and will be operated with
the goal that the Fund and any other series of the Trust will be
liable only for obligations of such series, and a series will not
be responsible for or affected by any liabilities or losses of or
claims against any other series. If any creditor or shareholder in
any particular series (such as the Fund) were to successfully
assert against a series a claim with respect to its indebtedness or
Shares, the creditor or shareholder could recover only from that
particular series and its assets. Accordingly, the debts and other
obligations incurred, contracted for or otherwise existing solely
with respect to a particular series will be enforceable only
against the assets of that series, and not against any other series
or the Trust generally or any of their respective assets. The
assets of the Fund and any other series will include only those
funds and other assets that are paid to, held by or distributed to
the series on account of and for the benefit of that series,
including, without limitation, amounts delivered to the Trust for
the purchase of Shares in a series.
|
Registration Clearance and
Settlement
|
|
Individual certificates will not be
issued for the Shares. Instead, Shares will be represented by one
or more global certificates, which will be deposited by the
transfer agent with the Depository Trust Company
(“DTC”) and registered in the name of Cede & Co.,
as nominee for DTC. The global certificates evidence all of the
Shares outstanding at any time. Beneficial interests in Shares will
be held through DTC’s book-entry system, which means that
Shareholders are limited to: (1) participants in DTC such as banks,
brokers, dealers and trust companies (“DTC
Participants”), (2) those who maintain, either directly or
indirectly, a custodial relationship with a DTC Participant
(“Indirect Participants”), and (3) those who hold
interests in the Shares through DTC Participants or Indirect
Participants, in each case who satisfy the requirements for
transfers of Shares. DTC Participants acting on behalf of investors
holding Shares through such DTC Participants’ accounts in DTC
will follow the delivery practice applicable to securities eligible
for DTC’s Same-Day Funds Settlement System. Shares will be
credited to DTC Participants’ securities accounts following
confirmation of receipt of payment.
|
|
|
|
Net Asset Value
|
|
The NAV is calculated by taking the
current market value of the Fund’s total assets and
subtracting any liabilities and dividing the balance by the number
of Shares. Under the Fund’s current operational procedures,
the Fund’s administrator, U.S. Bancorp Fund Services,
LLC, doing business as U.S.
Global Fund Services (the “Administrator”)
calculates the NAV of the Fund as of the earlier of 4:00 p.m. New
York time or the close of the New York Stock Exchange each day.
ICE Data Indices, LLC
calculates an approximate NAV every 15 seconds throughout each day
that the Fund’s Shares are traded on the NYSE Arca, for as
long as the main pricing mechanism of either the CBOT or ICE
Futures is open.
|
Fund and Underlying Fund
Expenses
|
|
While the Fund does not pay the
Sponsor a management fee, it indirectly pays its proportionate
share of each Underlying Fund’s management fee, which is paid
at an annual rate of 1.00% of each Underlying Fund’s average
daily net assets.
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Fund is also responsible for
other ongoing fees, costs and expenses of its operations, including
(i) brokerage and other fees and commissions incurred in connection
with its trading activities; (ii) expenses incurred in connection
with registering additional Shares of the Fund or offering Shares
of the Fund; (iii) the routine expenses associated with the
preparation and, if required, the printing and mailing of monthly,
quarterly, annual and other reports required by applicable U.S.
federal and state regulatory authorities, Trust meetings and
preparing, printing and mailing proxy statements to Shareholders;
(iv) the payment of any distributions related to redemption of
Shares; (v) payment for routine services of the Trustee, legal
counsel and independent accountants; (vi) payment for routine
accounting, bookkeeping, custody and transfer agency services,
whether performed by an outside service provider or by Affiliates
of the Sponsor; (vii) postage and insurance; (viii) costs and
expenses associated with client relations and services; (ix) costs
of preparation of all federal, state, local and foreign tax returns
and any taxes payable on the income, assets or operations of the
Fund; and (x) extraordinary expenses (including, but not limited
to, legal claims and liabilities and litigation costs and any
indemnification related thereto).
|
|
|
|
|
|
Each Underlying Fund is also
responsible for the ongoing fees, costs and expenses of its
operations as described in the foregoing
paragraph.
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Sponsor bears the costs and
expenses related to the initial offer and sale of Shares, including
registration fees paid or to be paid to the SEC, Financial Industry
Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) or any other regulatory
body or self-regulatory organization (“SRO”). None of
the costs and expenses related to the initial offer and sale of
Shares, which total approximately $293,650 were or are chargeable to the Fund, and
the Sponsor did not and may not recover any of these costs and
expenses from the Fund. Total fees to be paid by the Fund, net of
the expenses waived by the Sponsor, are currently estimated to be
approximately 0.19% of the daily net assets of the Fund for the
twelve-month period ending April 29, 2020 though this amount may
change in future years. The Sponsor may, in its discretion, pay or
reimburse the Fund or an Underlying Fund for, or waive a portion of
its management fee for an Underlying Fund to offset, expenses that
would otherwise be borne by the Fund or Underlying
Fund.
|
|
|
General expenses of the Trust will
be allocated among the existing Teucrium Funds and any future
series of the Trust as determined by the Sponsor in its discretion.
The Trust may be required to indemnify the Sponsor, and the Trust
and/or the Sponsor may be required to indemnify the Trustee,
Distributor or Administrator, under certain
circumstances.
|
|
|
|
Termination
Events
|
|
The Trust, the Fund and each
Underlying Fund shall continue in existence from the date of their
formation in perpetuity, unless the Trust, the Fund or an
Underlying Fund, as the case may be, is sooner terminated upon the
occurrence of certain events specified in the Trust Agreement,
including the following: (1) the filing of a certificate of
dissolution or cancellation of the Sponsor or revocation of the
Sponsor’s charter or the withdrawal of the Sponsor, unless
shareholders holding a majority of the outstanding shares of the
Trust, voting together as a single class, elect within ninety (90)
days after such event to continue the business of the Trust and
appoint a successor Sponsor; (2) the occurrence of any event which
would make the existence of the Trust, the Fund or an Underlying
Fund unlawful; (3) the suspension, revocation, or termination of
the Sponsor’s registration as a CPO with the CFTC or
membership with the NFA; (4) the insolvency or bankruptcy of the
Trust, the Fund or an Underlying Fund; (5) a vote by the
Shareholders holding at least seventy-five percent (75%) of the
Trust, voting together as a single class, to dissolve the Trust,
subject to certain conditions; (6) the determination by the Sponsor
to dissolve the Trust, the Fund or an Underlying Fund, subject to
certain conditions; (7) the Trust is required to be registered as
an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940; and
(8) DTC is unable or unwilling to continue to perform its functions
and a comparable replacement is unavailable. Upon termination of
the Fund or an Underlying Fund, the affairs of the Fund or
Underlying Fund shall be wound up and all of its debts and
liabilities discharged or otherwise provided for in the order of
priority as provided by law. The fair market value of the remaining
assets of the Fund or Underlying Fund shall then be determined by
the Sponsor. Thereupon, the assets of the Fund or Underlying Fund
shall be distributed pro rata to the Shareholders in accordance
with their Shares.
|
Authorized
Purchasers
|
|
A list of Authorized Purchasers is
available from the Distributor. Authorized Purchasers must be (1)
registered broker-dealers or other securities market participants,
such as banks and other financial institutions, that are not
required to register as broker-dealers to engage in securities
transactions, and (2) DTC Participants. To become an Authorized
Purchaser, a person must enter into an Authorized Purchaser
Agreement with the Sponsor.
|
WHAT ARE THE RISK FACTORS INVOLVED
WITH AN INVESTMENT IN THE FUND?
You should
consider carefully the risks described below before making an
investment decision. You should also refer to the other information
included in this prospectus, and the Fund’s and the
Trust’s financial statements and the related notes
incorporated by reference herein. See “Incorporation by
Reference of Certain Information.”
Risks Associated with
Investing Directly or Indirectly in Agricultural
Commodities
Investing in Commodity Interests subjects the Fund to the risks of
the agricultural commodities markets, and this could result in
substantial fluctuations in the price of the Fund’s
Shares.
The Fund is subject to the risks and
hazards of the agricultural commodities markets because it invests
indirectly in Commodity Interests. The risks and hazards that are
inherent in the agricultural commodities markets may cause the
price of those commodities to fluctuate widely. If the changes in
percentage terms of the Fund’s Shares accurately track the
percentage changes in the Underlying Funds’ Benchmark or the
spot price of corn, wheat, soybeans and sugar, the price of the
Shares will fluctuate.
|
●
|
The price and availability of
agricultural commodities is influenced by economic and industry
conditions, including but not limited to supply and demand factors
such as: crop disease; weed control; water availability; various
planting, growing, or harvesting problems; severe weather
conditions such as drought, floods, heavy rains, frost, or natural
disasters that are difficult to anticipate and that cannot be
controlled. The U.S. prices of certain agricultural commodities
such as soybeans and sugar are subject to risks relating to the
growth of such commodities in foreign countries, such as:
uncontrolled fires (including arson); challenges in doing business
with foreign companies; legal and regulatory restrictions;
transportation costs; interruptions in energy supply; currency
exchange rate fluctuations; and political and economic instability.
Additionally, demand for agricultural commodities is affected by
changes in consumer tastes, national, regional and local economic
conditions, and demographic trends.
|
|
●
|
Agricultural commodity production is
subject to United States and foreign policies and regulations that
materially affect operations. Governmental policies affecting the
agricultural industry, such as taxes, tariffs, duties, subsidies,
incentives, acreage control, and import and export restrictions on
agricultural commodities and commodity products, can influence the
planting of certain crops, the location and size of crop
production, the volume and types of imports and exports, and
industry profitability. Additionally, commodity production is
affected by laws and regulations relating to, but not limited to,
the sourcing, transporting, storing and processing of agricultural
raw materials as well as the transporting, storing and distributing
of related agricultural products. Agricultural commodity producers
also may need to comply with various environmental laws and
regulations, such as those regulating the use of certain
pesticides, and local laws that regulate the production of
genetically modified crops. In addition, international trade
disputes can adversely affect agricultural commodity trade flows by
limiting or disrupting trade between countries or
regions.
|
|
●
|
Seasonal fluctuations in the price
of agricultural commodities may cause risk to an investor because
of the possibility that Share prices will be depressed because of
the relevant harvest cycles. In the futures market, fluctuations
are typically reflected in contracts expiring in the harvest season
(i.e., in the case of corn
and soybeans, contracts expiring during the fall are typically
priced lower than contracts expiring in the winter and spring,
while in the case of wheat and sugar, contracts expiring during the
spring and early summer are typically priced lowest). Thus,
seasonal fluctuations could result in an investor incurring losses
upon the sale of Fund Shares, particularly if the investor needs to
sell Shares when an Underlying Fund’s Benchmark Component
Futures Contracts are, in whole or part, Futures Contracts expiring
in the harvest season for the Specified
Commodity.
|
|
●
|
Risks Specific to
Corn. Demand for corn in the United States to produce
ethanol has also been a significant factor affecting the price of
corn. In turn, demand for ethanol has tended to increase when the
price of gasoline has increased and has been significantly affected
by United States governmental policies designed to encourage the
production of ethanol. Additionally, demand for corn is affected by
changes in consumer tastes, national, regional and local economic
conditions, and demographic trends. Finally, because corn is often
used as an ingredient in livestock feed, demand for corn is subject
to risks associated with the outbreak of livestock
disease.
|
|
|
●
|
Risks Specific to Wheat. Demand for food products made
from wheat flour is affected by changes in consumer tastes,
national, regional and local economic conditions, and demographic
trends. More specifically, demand for such food products in the
United States is relatively unaffected by changes in wheat prices
or disposable income but is closely tied to tastes and preferences.
For example, in recent years the increase in the popularity of
low-carbohydrate diets caused the consumption of wheat flour to
decrease rapidly before rebounding somewhat after 2005. Export
demand for wheat fluctuates yearly, based largely on crop yields in
the importing countries.
|
|
●
|
Risks Specific to
Soybeans. The increased production of soybean crops in South
America and the rising demand for soybeans in emerging nations such
as China and India have increased competition in the soybean
market. Like the conversion of corn into ethanol, soybeans can be
converted into biofuels such as biodiesel. Accordingly, the soybean
market has become increasingly affected by demand for biofuels and
related legislation. The supply of soybeans could be reduced by the
spread of soybean rust, a wind-borne fungal disease. Although
soybean rust can be killed with chemicals, chemical treatment
increases production costs for farmers. Finally, because processing
soybean oil can create trans-fats, the demand for soybean oil may
decrease due to heightened governmental regulation of trans-fats or
trans-fatty acids. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration currently
requires food manufacturers to disclose levels of trans-fats
contained in their products, and various local governments have
enacted or are considering restrictions on the use of trans-fats in
restaurants. Several food processors have either switched or
indicated an intention to switch to oil products with lower levels
of trans-fats or trans-fatty acids.
|
|
●
|
Risks Specific to
Sugar. The spread of consumerism and the rising affluence of
emerging nations such as China and India have created demand for
sugar. An influx of people in developing countries moving from
rural to urban areas may create more disposable income to be spent
on sugar products and might also reduce sugar production in rural
areas on account of worker shortages, all of which could result in
upward pressure on sugar prices. On the other hand, public health
concerns regarding obesity, heart disease and diabetes,
particularly in developed countries, may reduce demand for sugar.
In light of the time it takes to grow sugarcane and sugar beets and
the cost of new facilities for processing these crops, it may not
be possible to increase supply quickly or in a cost-effective
manner in response to an increase in demand.
|
An investment in the Fund is subject to correlation risk. Your
return on an investment in the Fund may differ from the return of
the Benchmark and depending on certain factors discussed below, you
could incur a partial or total loss of your
investment.
There is a risk that changes in the
price of Shares on the NYSE Arca will not correlate with changes in
the Fund’s NAV; that changes in the NAV will not correlate
with changes in the price of the Benchmark; and/or changes in the
price of the Benchmark will not correlate with changes in the spot
price of the Specified Commodity. Depending on certain factors
associated with each of these correlations which are discussed in
more detail below, you could incur a partial or total loss of your
investment in the Fund.
The Underlying Funds’ Benchmarks are not designed to
correlate exactly with the spot price of the corresponding
Specified Commodity, and this could cause the changes in the price
of an Underlying Fund’s shares to substantially vary from the
changes in the spot price of the Specified Commodity. Therefore,
you may not be able to effectively use the Fund to hedge against
commodity-related losses or to indirectly invest in agricultural
commodities.
The Benchmark Component Futures
Contracts that the Underlying Funds invest in reflect the price of
a Specified Commodity for future delivery, not the current spot
price of the Specified Commodity, so at best the correlation
between changes in such Futures Contracts and the spot price of the
Specified Commodity will be only approximate. Weak correlation
between an Underlying Fund’s Benchmark and the spot price of
the corresponding Specified Commodity may result from the typical
seasonal fluctuations in commodity prices discussed above.
Imperfect correlation may also result from speculation in Commodity
Interests, technical factors in the trading of Futures Contracts,
and expected inflation in the economy as a whole. If there is a
weak correlation between an Underlying Fund’s Benchmark and
the spot price of its corresponding Specified Commodity, then the
price of the Shares may not accurately track the spot price of the
Specified Commodities and you may not be able to effectively use
the Fund as a way to hedge the risk of losses in your
commodity-related transactions or as a way to indirectly invest in
agricultural commodities.
Changes in the Fund’s NAV may not correlate well with changes
in the Underlying Fund Average, and changes in the Underlying
Funds’ NAVs may not correlate well with changes in their
Benchmarks. If this were to occur, you may not be able to
effectively use the Fund as a way to hedge against
commodity-related losses or as a way to indirectly invest in
agricultural commodities.
The Sponsor endeavors to invest the
Fund’s assets as fully as possible in the Underlying Funds so
that the changes in percentage terms in the Fund’s NAV
closely correlate with the changes in percentage terms in the
Underlying Fund Average. The Sponsor also endeavors to invest the
Underlying Funds’ assets as fully as possible in Commodity
Interests so that the changes in percentage terms in the Underlying
Funds’ NAVs closely correlate with the changes in percentage
terms in their respective Benchmarks. However, changes in the
Fund’s NAV may not correlate with the changes in the
Underlying Fund Average and changes in the Underlying Funds’
NAV may not correlate with the changes in their Benchmarks for
various reasons, including those set forth
below:
|
●
|
The Fund may not be able to maintain
its targeted 25% allocation to each Underlying Fund at all times.
Furthermore, the Fund acquires shares of the Underlying Funds in
the secondary market at their market prices, not at their NAV, so
any changes in the value of the Fund’s holdings in the
Underlying Funds may not match changes in the Underlying
Funds’ NAVs.
|
|
●
|
The Underlying Funds do not intend
to invest only in the Benchmark Component Futures Contracts. While
an Underlying Fund’s investments in Futures Contracts other
than its Benchmark Component Futures Contracts and Other Commodity
Interests would be for the purpose of causing the Underlying
Fund’s performance to track that of its Benchmark most
effectively and efficiently. The performance of these Commodity
Interests may not correlate well with the performance of the
Underlying Funds’ Benchmark Component Futures Contracts,
resulting in a greater potential for error in tracking price
changes in those Futures Contracts. Additionally, if the trading
market for certain Futures Contracts is suspended or closed, an
Underlying Fund may not be able to purchase its investments at the
last reported price for such investments.
|
|
●
|
The Fund and Underlying Funds incur
certain expenses in connection with their operations, and the
Underlying Funds hold most of their assets (other than Commodity
Interests) in income-producing, short-term securities for margin
and other liquidity purposes and to meet redemptions that may be
necessary on an ongoing basis. These expenses and income cause
imperfect correlation between changes in the Fund’s NAV and
changes in the Underlying Fund Average and between changes in the
NAVs of the Underlying Funds and their respective Benchmarks. Your
cost of investing in the Fund will be higher than the cost of
investing directly in the Underlying Funds’
shares.
|
|
●
|
The Sponsor may not be able to
invest an Underlying Fund’s assets in Commodity Interests
having an aggregate notional amount exactly equal to the Underlying
Fund’s NAV. As a standardized contract, a single Futures
Contract is for a specified amount of a Specified Commodity, and
the Underlying Fund’s NAV and the proceeds from the sale of a
creation basket of an Underlying Fund is unlikely to be an exact
multiple of that amount. In such case, the Underlying Fund could
not invest the entire proceeds from the purchase of the creation
basket in such Futures Contracts. (For example, assuming the
Underlying Fund receives $1,000,000 for the sale of Creation
Baskets and that the value (i.e., the notional amount) of a Futures
Contract relating to the Underlying Fund’s Specified
Commodity is $35,000, the Underlying Fund could only enter into 28
Futures Contracts with an aggregate value of $980,000). While an
Underlying Fund may be better able to achieve the exact amount of
exposure to the market for its Specified Commodity through the use
of over-the-counter Other Commodity Interests, there is no
assurance that the Sponsor will be able to continually adjust the
Underlying Fund’s exposure to such Other Commodity Interests
to maintain such exact exposure. Furthermore, as noted above, the
use of Other Commodity Interests may itself result in imperfect
correlation with an Underlying Fund’s
Benchmark.
|
|
●
|
As Fund assets increase, there may
be more or less correlation between an Underlying Fund’s NAV
and its Benchmark as the Underlying Fund’s assets increase.
On the one hand, as an Underlying Fund grows it should be able to
invest in Futures Contracts with notional amounts that are closer
on a percentage basis to the Underlying Fund’s NAV. For
example, if the Underlying Fund’s NAV is equal to 4.9 times
the value of a single Futures Contract, it can purchase only four
futures contracts, which would cause only 81.6% of the Underlying
Fund’s assets to be exposed to the market for the Specified
Commodity. On the other hand, if the Underlying Fund’s NAV is
equal to 100.9 times the value of a single Futures Contract, it can
purchase 100 such contracts, resulting in 99.1% exposure. However,
at certain asset levels, an Underlying Fund may be limited in its
ability to purchase Futures Contracts due to position limits
imposed by the CFTC or position limits or accountability levels
imposed by the relevant exchanges. In such instances, the
Underlying Fund would likely invest to a greater extent in
Commodity Interests that are not subject to these position limits
or accountability levels. To the extent that an Underlying Fund
invests Other Commodity Interests, the correlation between the
Underlying Fund’s NAV and its Benchmark may be lower. In
certain circumstances, position limits or accountability levels
could limit the number of Creation Baskets that will be
sold.
|
If changes in the Fund’s NAV
do not correlate with changes in the Underlying Fund Average or
changes in the Underlying Funds’ NAVs do not correlate with
changes in their respective Benchmarks, then investing in the Fund
may not be an effective way to hedge against commodity-related
losses or indirectly invest in agricultural
commodities.
Changes in the price of the Fund’s Shares on the NYSE Arca
may not correlate perfectly with changes in the NAV of the
Fund’s or the Underlying Funds’ Shares. If this occurs,
you may not be able to effectively use the Fund to hedge the risk
of losses in your agricultural-related transactions or to
indirectly invest in agricultural commodities.
While it is expected that the
trading prices of the Shares will fluctuate in accordance with the
changes in the Fund’s NAV, the prices of Shares may also be
influenced by other factors, including the supply of and demand for
the Shares, whether for the short term or the longer term. There is
no guarantee that the Shares will not trade at appreciable
discounts from, and/or premiums to, the Fund’s NAV. Even if
the market price of an Underlying Fund closely tracks changes in
its NAV, there is no guarantee that the market price of the Fund
will similarly closely track changes in the NAVs of the Underlying
Funds. This could cause the changes in the price of the Shares to
substantially vary from the changes in the spot prices of the
Specified Commodities, even if an Underlying Fund’s NAV were
closely tracking movements in the spot price of the Specified
Commodity. If this occurs, you may not be able to effectively use
the Fund to hedge the risk of losses in your commodity-related
transactions or to indirectly invest in agricultural
commodities.
The Fund or an Underlying Fund may experience a loss if it is
required to sell short-term Treasury Securities or cash equivalents
at a price lower than the price at which they were
acquired.
If the Fund or an Underlying Fund is
required to sell its short-term Treasury Securities or its cash
equivalents at a price lower than the price at which they were
acquired, the Fund will experience a loss. This loss may adversely
impact the price of the Shares and may decrease the correlation
between the price of the Shares, the Underlying Fund Average, the
Underlying Funds’ Benchmarks and the spot prices of the
Specified Commodities. The value of short-term Treasury Securities
and other debt securities held by the Fund or the Underlying Funds
generally move inversely with movements in interest rates. The
prices of longer maturity securities are subject to greater market
fluctuations as a result of changes in interest rates. While the
short-term nature of the Fund’s and Underlying Funds’
investments in short-term Treasury Securities and cash
equivalents should minimize the interest rate risk to which the
Fund is subject, it is possible that the cash equivalents held by
the Fund and the Underlying Funds will decline in
value.
Certain of the Fund’s and Underlying Funds’ investments
could be illiquid, which could cause large losses to investors at
any time or from time to time.
The Fund and Underlying Funds may
not always be able to liquidate their positions in the investments
at the desired price for reasons including, among others,
insufficient trading volume, limits imposed by exchanges or other
regulatory organizations, or lack of liquidity. As to the
Fund’s investments in the Underlying Funds, the Underlying
Funds are relatively new and may have trading volumes that are
insufficient for the needs of the Fund. As to Futures Contracts, it
may be difficult to execute a trade at a specific price when there
is a relatively small volume of buy and sell orders in a market.
Limits imposed by futures exchanges or other regulatory
organizations, such as position limits, accountability levels and
price fluctuation limits, may contribute to a lack of liquidity
with respect to some exchange-traded Commodity Interests. In
addition, over-the-counter Commodity Interests may be illiquid
because they are contracts between two parties and generally may
not be transferred by one party to a third party without the
counterparty’s consent. Conversely, a counterparty may give
its consent, but an Underlying Fund still may not be able to
transfer an over-the-counter Commodity Interest to a third party
due to concerns regarding the counterparty’s credit
risk.
A market disruption, such as a
foreign government taking political actions that disrupt the market
in its currency, its commodity production or exports, or in another
major export, can also make it difficult to liquidate a position.
Unexpected market illiquidity may cause major losses to investors
at any time or from time to time. In addition, the Fund and the
Underlying Funds do not intend at this time to establish a credit
facility, which would provide an additional source of liquidity,
but instead will rely only on the short-term Treasury Securities,
cash and/or cash equivalents that they hold to meet their liquidity
needs. The anticipated large value of the positions in Commodity
Interests that the Sponsor will acquire or enter into for the
Underlying Funds increases the risk of illiquidity. Because
Commodity Interests may be illiquid, the Underlying Funds’
holdings may be more difficult to liquidate at favorable prices in
periods of illiquid markets and losses may be incurred during the
period in which positions are being liquidated.
If the nature of the participants in the futures market shifts such
that commodity purchasers are the predominant hedgers in the
market, the Underlying Funds might have to reinvest at higher
futures prices or choose Other Commodity
Interests.
The changing nature of the
participants in the market for an agricultural commodity will
influence whether futures prices are above or below the expected
future spot price. Commodity producers will typically seek to hedge
against falling prices by selling Futures Contracts. Therefore, if
producers become the predominant hedgers in the futures market for
a particular commodity, prices of Futures Contracts for that
commodity will typically be below expected future spot prices.
Conversely, if the predominant hedgers in the futures market are
the purchasers of the commodity who purchase Futures Contracts to
hedge against a rise in prices, prices of Futures Contracts for
that commodity will likely be higher than expected future spot
prices. This can have significant implications for the Underlying
Funds when it is time to sell a Futures Contract that is no longer
a Benchmark Component Futures Contract and purchase a new Futures
Contract or to sell a Futures Contract to meet redemption requests.
As a result, an Underlying Fund may not be able to track its
Benchmark, and this could have a corresponding effect on the
tracking of the Fund.
While the Underlying Funds do not intend to take physical delivery
of commodities under their Commodity Interests, the possibility of
physical delivery impacts the value of the
contracts.
While it is not the current
intention of any Underlying Fund to take physical delivery of
commodities under its Commodity Interests, Futures Contracts are
traditionally physically-deliverable contracts, and, unless a
portion was not traded out of or rolled, it is possible to take or
make delivery under these and some Other Commodity Interests.
Storage costs associated with purchasing agricultural commodities
could result in costs and other liabilities that could impact the
value of Futures Contracts or certain Other Commodity Interests.
Storage costs include the time value of money invested in a
physical commodity plus the actual costs of storing the commodity
less any benefits from ownership of the commodity that are not
obtained by the holder of a futures contract. In general, Futures
Contracts have a one-month delay for contract delivery and the
pricing of back month contracts (the back month is any future
delivery month other than the spot month) include storage costs. To
the extent that these storage costs change while an Underlying Fund
holds Commodity Interests, the value of the Commodity Interests,
and therefore the Underlying Fund’s NAV, may change as
well.
The price relationship between the Underlying Funds’
Benchmark Component Futures Contracts at any point in time and the
Futures Contracts that will become the Underlying Funds’
Benchmark Component Futures Contracts on the next roll date will
vary and may impact the Fund’s total return and the degree to
which the Fund’s total return tracks that of commodity price
indices.
The design of each Underlying
Fund’s Benchmark is such that the Benchmark Component Futures
Contracts will change several times a year, and the Underlying
Fund’s investments must be rolled periodically to reflect the
changing composition of its Benchmark. For example, when a
second-to-expire Futures Contract becomes a first-to-expire
contract, such contract will no longer be a Benchmark Component
Futures Contract and the Underlying Fund’s position in it
will no longer be consistent with tracking its Benchmark. In the
event of a futures market where near-to-expire contracts trade at a
higher price than longer-to-expire contracts, a situation referred
to as “backwardation,” then absent the impact of the
overall movement in prices the value of the Benchmark Component
Futures Contracts would tend to rise as they approach expiration.
As a result, an Underlying Fund (and, therefore, the Fund) may
benefit because it would be selling more expensive contracts and
buying less expensive ones on an ongoing basis. Conversely, in the
event of a futures market where near-to-expire contracts trade at a
lower price than longer-to-expire contracts, a situation referred
to as “contango,” then absent the impact of the overall
movement in prices the value of the Underlying Funds’
Benchmark Component Futures Contracts would tend to decline as they
approach expiration. As a result, the Underlying Fund’s (and
the Fund’s) total return may be lower than might otherwise be
the case because it would be selling less expensive contracts and
buying more expensive ones. The impact of backwardation and
contango may lead the total return of an Underlying Fund to vary
significantly from the total return of other price references, such
as the spot price of its Specified Commodity. In the event of a
prolonged period of contango, and absent the impact of rising or
falling prices, this could have a significant negative impact on
the Underlying Fund’s (and the Fund’s) NAV and total
return and you could incur a partial or total loss of your
investment in the Fund.
Regulation of Commodity Interests and commodity markets is
extensive and constantly changing; future regulatory developments
are impossible to predict but may significantly and adversely
affect the Fund and the Underlying Funds.
The regulation of futures markets,
futures contracts and futures exchanges has historically been
comprehensive. The CFTC and the exchanges are authorized to take
extraordinary actions in the event of a market emergency including,
for example, the retroactive implementation of speculative position
limits, increased margin requirements, the establishment of daily
price limits and the suspension of trading on an exchange or
trading facility.
The regulation of commodity interest
transactions in the United States is a rapidly changing area of law
and is subject to ongoing modification by governmental and judicial
action. Subsequent to the enactment of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street
Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank
Act”) in 2010, swap agreements became fully regulated by the
CFTC under the amended Commodity Exchange Act and the CFTC’s
regulations thereunder. Considerable regulatory attention has been
focused on non-traditional investment pools that are publicly
distributed in the United States. As the Dodd-Frank Act continues
to be implemented by the CFTC and the SEC, there is a possibility
of future regulatory changes within the United States altering,
perhaps to a material extent, the nature of an investment in the
Teucrium Funds, or the ability of a Fund to continue to implement
its investment strategy. In addition, various national governments
outside of the United States have expressed concern regarding the
disruptive effects of speculative trading in the commodities
markets and the need to regulate the derivatives markets in
general. The effect of any future regulatory change on the
Underlying Funds and the Fund is impossible to predict but could be
substantial and adverse.
Further, President Donald J. Trump
has promised and issued several executive orders intended to
relieve the financial burden created by the Dodd-Frank Act,
although these executive orders only set forth several general
principles to be followed by the federal agencies and do not
mandate the wholesale repeal of the Dodd-Frank Act. The scope of
the effect that passage of new financial reform legislation could
have on U.S. securities, derivatives and commodities markets is not
clear at this time because each federal regulatory agency would
have to promulgate new regulations to implement such legislation.
These regulatory changes may affect the continued operation of the
Teucrium Funds. For additional information regarding recent
regulatory developments that may impact the Fund or the Trust,
refer to the section entitled “Regulation” of the
Statement of Additional Information.
If you are investing in the Fund for purposes of hedging, you might
be subject to several risks, including the possibility of losing
the benefit of favorable market movements.
Producers and commercial users of
agricultural commodities may use the Fund as a vehicle to hedge the
risk of losses in their commodity-related transactions. There are
several risks in connection with using the Fund as a hedging
device. While hedging can provide protection against an adverse
movement in market prices, it can also preclude a hedger’s
opportunity to benefit from a favorable market movement. For
instance, in a hedging transaction the hedger may be a user of a
commodity concerned that the hedged commodity will increase in
price but must recognize the risk that the price may instead
decline. If this happens, the hedger will have lost the benefit of
being able to purchase the commodity at the lower price because the
hedging transaction will result in a loss that would offset (at
least in part) this benefit. Thus, the hedger foregoes the
opportunity to profit from favorable price movements. In addition,
if the hedge is not a perfect one, the hedger can lose on the
hedging transaction and not realize an offsetting gain in the value
of the underlying item being hedged.
When using Commodity Interests for
hedging purposes, at best the correlation between changes in prices
of Futures Contracts and of the items being hedged can only be
approximate. The degree of imperfection of correlation depends upon
circumstances such as: variations in speculative markets, demand
for futures and for commodity products, technical influences in
futures trading, and differences between anticipated costs being
hedged and the instruments underlying the standard Futures
Contracts available for trading. Even a well-conceived hedge may be
unsuccessful to some degree because of unexpected market behavior
as well as the expenses associated with creating the
hedge.
In addition, using an investment in
the Fund as a hedge for changes in food costs generally may not be
successful because changes in the price of the commodities in the
Underlying Funds may vary substantially from changes in the prices
of other food products. In addition, the price of these
agricultural commodities and the Fund’s NAV would not reflect
the refining, transportation, and other costs that are specific to
the hedger.
An investment in the Fund may provide you little or no
diversification benefits. Thus, in a declining market, the Fund may
have no gains to offset your losses from other investments, and you
may suffer losses on your investment in the Fund at the same time
you incur losses with respect to other asset
classes.
We cannot predict to what extent the
performance of the Commodity Interests of the Underlying Funds
Interests will or will not correlate to the performance of other
broader asset classes such as stocks and bonds. If the performance
of the Fund or the Underlying Funds were to move more directly with
the financial markets, you will obtain little or no diversification
benefits from an investment in the Shares. In such a case, the Fund
may have no gains to offset your losses from other investments, and
you may suffer losses on your investment in the Fund at the same
time you incur losses with respect to other
investments.
Variables such as drought, floods,
weather, embargoes, tariffs and other political events may have a
larger impact on commodity and Commodity Interest prices than on
traditional securities and broader financial markets. These
additional variables may create additional investment risks that
subject the Underlying Funds’ and, therefore, the
Fund’s investments to greater volatility than investments in
traditional securities.
Lower correlation should not be
confused with negative correlation, where the performance of two
asset classes would be opposite of each other. There is no historic
evidence that the spot price of agricultural commodities and prices
of other financial assets, such as stocks and bonds, are negatively
correlated. In the absence of negative correlation, the Underlying
Funds, and therefore the Fund, cannot be expected to be
automatically profitable during unfavorable periods for the stock
market, or vice versa.
The
Fund’s Operating Risks
The Fund and the Underlying Funds are not registered investment
companies, so you do not have the protections of the Investment
Company Act of 1940.
Neither the Fund nor the Underlying
Funds are investment companies subject to the Investment Company
Act of 1940. Accordingly, you do not have the protections afforded
by that statute which, for example, requires investment companies
to have a board of directors with a majority of disinterested
directors and regulates the relationship between the investment
company and its investment manager.
The Sponsor is leanly staffed and relies heavily on key personnel
to manage trading activities.
In managing and directing the
day-to-day activities and affairs of the Fund, the Sponsor relies
almost entirely on a small number of individuals, including Mr. Sal
Gilbertie, Mr. Steve Kahler and Cory Mullen-Rusin. If Mr.
Gilbertie, Mr. Kahler or Ms. Mullen-Rusin were to leave or be
unable to carry out their present responsibilities, it may have an
adverse effect on the management of the Fund. To the extent that
the Sponsor establishes additional commodity pools, even greater
demands will be placed on these individuals.
The Sponsor has limited capital and may be unable to continue to
manage the Fund if it sustains continued
losses.
The Sponsor was formed for the
purpose of managing the Trust, including the Fund, the other
Teucrium Funds, and any series of the Trust that may be formed in
the future, and has been provided with capital primarily by its
principals and a small number of outside investors. If the Sponsor
operates at a loss for an extended period, its capital will be
depleted and it may be unable to obtain additional financing
necessary to continue its operations. If the Sponsor were unable to
continue to provide services to the Fund, the Fund would be
terminated if a replacement sponsor could not be found. Any
expenses related to the operation of the Fund would need to be paid
by the Fund at the time of termination.
Position limits, accountability levels and daily price fluctuation
limits set by the CFTC and the exchanges have the potential to
cause tracking error, which could cause the price of Underlying
Fund shares to substantially vary from their respective Benchmarks
and prevent you from being able to effectively use the Fund as a
way to hedge against commodity-related losses or as a way to
indirectly invest in agricultural commodities.
The CFTC and U.S. designated
contract markets may establish position limits on the maximum net
long or net short futures contracts in commodity interests that any
person or group of persons under common trading control (other than
as a hedge meeting certain requirements, which an investment by the
Fund is not) may hold, own or control. Specifically, the CFTC has
established position limits for Futures Contracts related to corn,
wheat and soybeans. For example, the current position limit for
investments at any one time in Corn Futures Contracts are 600 spot
month contracts, 33,000 contracts expiring in any other single
month, and 33,000 total for all months. These position limits are
fixed ceilings that the Fund would not be able to exceed without
specific CFTC authorization.
In addition, U.S. designated
contract markets have established accountability levels on futures
contracts and cleared swaps. Accountability levels are not fixed
ceilings, but they are thresholds above which the exchange may
exercise greater scrutiny and control over an investor, including
limiting an investor from holding no more futures contracts or
cleared swaps than the amount established by the accountability
level. No Underlying Fund intends to invest in any Commodity
Interests in excess of any applicable accountability
levels.
In addition to position limits and
accountability levels, the exchanges set daily price fluctuation
limits on futures contracts. The daily price fluctuation limit
establishes the maximum amount that the price of futures contracts
may vary either up or down from the previous day’s settlement
price. Once the daily price fluctuation limit has been reached in a
particular futures contract, no trades may be made at a price
beyond that limit.
On December 16, 2016, as mandated by
the Dodd-Frank Act, the CFTC adopted a final rule that aggregate
all positions, for purposes of position limits; such positions
include futures contracts, futures-equivalent positions,
over-the-counter swaps and options (i.e., contracts that are not
traded on exchanges). These aggregation requirements became
effective on February 14, 2017 and could limit the Underlying
Funds’ and the Fund’s ability to establish positions in
commodity over-the-counter instruments if the assets of the Fund
were to grow substantially.
There are no independent advisers representing Fund
investors.
The Sponsor has consulted with legal
counsel, accountants and other advisers regarding the formation and
operation of the Trust and Fund. No counsel has been appointed to
represent you in connection with the offering of Shares.
Accordingly, you should consult your own legal, tax and financial
advisers regarding the desirability of an investment in the
Shares.
There are technical and fundamental risks inherent in the trading
system the Sponsor intends to employ.
The Sponsor’s trading system
is quantitative in nature and it is possible that the Sponsor may
make errors. Any errors or imperfections in the Sponsor’s
trading system’s quantitative models, or in the data on which
they are based, could adversely affect the Sponsor’s
effective use of such trading systems. It is not possible or
practicable for the Sponsor’s trading system to factor all
relevant, available data into quantitative systems and/or trading
decision. There is no guarantee that the Sponsor will use any
specific data or type of data in making trading decisions on behalf
of the Fund, nor is there any guarantee that the data actually
utilized in making trading decisions on behalf of the Fund will be
the most accurate data or free from errors. In addition, it is
possible that a computer or software program may malfunction and
cause an error in computation.
The Fund and the Sponsor may have conflicts of interest, which may
cause them to favor their own interests to your
detriment.
The Fund and the Sponsor may have
inherent conflicts to the extent the Sponsor attempts to maintain
the asset size of the Underlying Funds in order to preserve its fee
income and this may not always be consistent with the Fund’s
objective of having the value of its Shares’ NAV track
changes in the Underlying Fund Average. The Sponsor’s
officers and employees do not devote their time exclusively to the
Fund or the Underlying Funds. These persons may be directors,
officers or employees of other entities and thus could have a
conflict between their responsibilities to the Fund and the
Underlying Funds on the one hand and to those other entities on the
other.
In addition, the Sponsor’s
principals, officers or employees may trade securities and futures
and related contracts for their own accounts. A conflict of
interest may exist if their trades are in the same markets and
occur at the same time as the Fund or an Underlying Fund trades
using the clearing broker to be used by the Fund. A potential
conflict also may occur if the Sponsor’s principals, officers
or employees trade their accounts more aggressively or take
positions in their accounts that are opposite or ahead of the
positions taken by the Underlying Funds.
The Sponsor has sole current
authority to manage the investments and operations of the Fund and
the Underlying Funds, and this may allow it to act in a way that
furthers its own interests and conflicts with your best interests,
including the authority of the Sponsor to allocate expenses to and
between the Teucrium Funds. Shareholders have very limited voting
rights, which will limit the ability to influence matters such as
amendment of the Trust Agreement, changes in the Fund’s basic
investment policies, dissolution of the Fund, or the sale or
distribution of the Fund’s assets.
Shareholders have only very limited voting rights and generally
will not have the power to replace the Sponsor. Shareholders will
not participate in the management of the Fund and do not control
the Sponsor so they will not have influence over basic matters that
affect the Fund.
Shareholders will have very limited
voting rights with respect to the Fund’s affairs.
Shareholders may elect a replacement Sponsor only if the current
Sponsor resigns voluntarily or loses its corporate charter.
Shareholders will not be permitted to participate in the management
or control of the Fund or the conduct of its business. Furthermore,
any voting rights on Underlying Fund shares held by the Fund will
be exercised by the Sponsor, generally without seeking advice or
voting instructions from Fund Shareholders. Shareholders must
therefore rely upon the duties and judgment of the Sponsor to
manage the Fund’s and the Underlying Funds’
affairs.
The Sponsor may manage a large amount of assets and this could
affect the Fund’s ability to trade
profitably.
Increases in assets under management
may affect trading decisions. While the assets of the Fund and
those of the Underlying Funds are currently at manageable levels,
the Sponsor does not intend to limit the amount of Fund assets or
Underlying Fund assets. The more assets the Sponsor manages for the
Underlying Funds, the more difficult it may be for it to trade
profitably because of the difficulty of trading larger positions
without adversely affecting prices and performance, and of managing
risk associated with larger positions.
The liability of the Sponsor and the Trustee are limited, and the
value of the Shares will be adversely affected if the Fund is
required to indemnify the Trustee or the
Sponsor.
Under the Trust Agreement, the
Trustee and the Sponsor are not liable, and have the right to be
indemnified, for any liability or expense incurred absent gross
negligence or willful misconduct on the part of the Trustee or
Sponsor, as the case may be. That means the Sponsor may require the
assets of the Fund to be sold in order to cover losses or liability
suffered by the Sponsor or by the Trustee. Any sale of that kind
would reduce the NAV of the Fund and the value of its
Shares.
Although the Shares of the Fund are limited liability investments,
certain circumstances such as bankruptcy could increase a
Shareholder’s liability.
The Shares of the Fund are limited
liability investments; Shareholders may not lose more than the
amount that they invest plus any profits recognized on their
investment. However, Shareholders could be required as a matter of
bankruptcy law, to return to the estate of the Fund any
distribution they received at a time when the Fund was in fact
insolvent or in violation of its Trust
Agreement.
You cannot be assured of the Sponsor’s continued services,
and discontinuance may be detrimental to the
Fund.
You cannot be assured that the
Sponsor will be willing or able to continue to service the Fund or
the Underlying Funds for any length of time. The Sponsor was formed
for the purpose of sponsoring the Fund, the Underlying Funds and
other commodity pools, and has limited financial resources and no
significant source of income apart from its management fees from
such commodity pools to support its continued service for the Fund
and the Underlying Funds. If the Sponsor discontinues its
activities on behalf of the Fund or an Underlying Fund, the Fund
may be adversely affected. If the Sponsor’s registrations
with the CFTC or memberships in the NFA were revoked or suspended,
the Sponsor would no longer be able to provide services to the Fund
or the Underlying Funds.
The Fund could terminate at any time and cause the liquidation and
potential loss of your investment and could upset the overall
maturity and timing of your investment
portfolio.
The Fund may terminate at any time,
regardless of whether the Fund has incurred losses, subject to the
terms of the Trust Agreement. For example, the dissolution or
resignation of the Sponsor would cause the Trust to terminate
unless the Teucrium Funds’ shareholders, holding a majority
of the outstanding shares of the Fund; and each other fund that is
a series of the Trust, voting together as a single class, elect
within 90 days of the event to continue the Trust and appoint a
successor Sponsor. In addition, the Sponsor may terminate the Fund
if it determines that the Fund’s aggregate net assets in
relation to its operating expenses make the continued operation of
the Fund unreasonable or imprudent. As of the date of this
prospectus, the Fund pays the fees, costs, and expenses of its
operations. If the Sponsor and the Fund are unable to raise
sufficient funds so that the Fund’s expenses are reasonable
in relation to the NAV, the Fund may be forced to terminate, and
investors may lose all or part of their investment. Any expenses
related to the operation of the Fund would need to be paid by the
Fund at the time of termination. However, no level of losses will
require the Sponsor to terminate the Fund. The Fund’s
termination would result in the liquidation of its investments and
the distribution of its remaining assets to the Shareholders on a
pro rata basis in accordance with their Shares, and the Fund could
incur losses in liquidating its investments in connection with a
termination. Termination could also negatively affect the overall
maturity and timing of your investment
portfolio.
Termination of an Underlying Fund could result in a change in the
nature of your investment in the Fund.
The Sponsor may terminate an
Underlying Fund for any of the reasons that it may terminate the
Fund. If an Underlying Fund is terminated, the Sponsor may invest
the Fund’s assets directly in Commodity Interests in the
Specified Commodity, but it is not obligated to do so. The Sponsor
also might choose to allocate the assets of the Fund that had been
invested in the terminated Underlying Fund among the remaining
Underlying Funds or to invest such assets in another commodity pool
investing in another commodity. While you will generally receive
notice of these fundamental changes, you will not have voting
rights with respect to them or other ability to influence the
Sponsor’s decision.
The NYSE Arca may halt trading in the Shares of the Fund or the
shares of an Underlying Fund which would adversely impact your
ability to sell Shares.
Trading in Shares of the Fund or
shares of an Underlying Fund may be halted due to market conditions
or, in light of NYSE Arca rules and procedures, for reasons that,
in the view of the NYSE Arca, make trading in Shares of the Fund or
shares of an Underlying Fund inadvisable. In addition, trading is
subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility
pursuant to “circuit breaker” rules that require
trading to be halted for a specified period based on a specific
market decline. There can be no assurance that the requirements
necessary to maintain the listing of the Shares of the Fund or the
shares of an Underlying Fund will continue to be met or will remain
unchanged. The Fund will be terminated if its Shares are
delisted.
The lack of active trading markets for the Shares of the Fund or
shares of an Underlying Fund may result in losses on your
investment in the Fund at the time of disposition of your
Shares.
Although the Shares of the Fund will
be listed and traded on the NYSE Arca, there can be no guarantee
that an active trading market for the Shares of the Fund or the
shares of an Underlying Fund will be maintained. If you need to
sell your Shares at a time when no active market for them or the
shares of an Underlying Fund exist, the price you receive for your
Shares, assuming that you are able to sell them, likely will be
lower than what you would receive if an active market did
exist.
As a Shareholder, you will not have the rights enjoyed by investors
in certain other types of entities.
As interests in separate series of a
Delaware statutory trust, the Shares do not involve the rights
normally associated with the ownership of shares of a corporation.
In addition, the Shares have limited voting and distribution rights
(for example, Shareholders do not have the right to elect
directors, as the Trust does not have a board of directors, and
generally will not receive regular distributions of the net income
and capital gains earned by the Fund). The Fund is also not subject
to certain investor protection provisions of the Sarbanes Oxley Act
of 2002 and the NYSE Arca governance rules (for example, audit
committee requirements).
A court could potentially conclude that the assets and liabilities
of the Fund are not segregated from those of another series of the
Trust, thereby potentially exposing assets in the Fund to the
liabilities of another series.
The Fund is a series of a Delaware
statutory trust and not itself a legal entity separate from the
other Teucrium Funds. The Delaware Statutory Trust Act provides
that if certain provisions are included in the formation and
governing documents of a statutory trust organized in series and if
separate and distinct records are maintained for any series and the
assets associated with that series are held in separate and
distinct records and are accounted for in such separate and
distinct records separately from the other assets of the statutory
trust, or any series thereof, then the debts, liabilities,
obligations and expenses incurred by a particular series are
enforceable against the assets of such series only, and not against
the assets of the statutory trust generally or any other series
thereof. Conversely, none of the debts, liabilities, obligations
and expenses incurred with respect to any other series thereof is
enforceable against the assets of such series. The Sponsor is not
aware of any court case that has interpreted this inter-series
limitation on liability or provided any guidance as to what is
required for compliance. The Sponsor intends to maintain separate
and distinct records for the Fund and account for the Fund
separately from any other Trust series, but it is possible a court
could conclude that the methods used do not satisfy the Delaware
Statutory Trust Act, which would potentially expose assets in the
Fund to the liabilities of one or more of the Teucrium Funds and/or
any other Trust series created in the future.
The Sponsor and the Trustee are not obligated to prosecute any
action, suit or other proceeding in respect of any Fund or
Underlying Fund property.
Neither the Sponsor nor the Trustee
is obligated to, although each may in its respective discretion,
prosecute any action, suit or other proceeding in respect of any
Fund’s or Underlying Fund’s property. The Trust
Agreement does not confer upon Shareholders the right to prosecute
any such action, suit or other proceeding.
The Fund does not expect to make cash
distributions.
The Sponsor intends to re-invest any
income and realized gains rather than distributing cash to
Shareholders. Therefore, unlike mutual funds, commodity pools or
other investment pools that generally distribute income and gains
to their investors, the Fund generally will not distribute cash to
Shareholders. In addition, the Underlying Funds generally will not
distribute cash to their shareholders because the Sponsor reinvests
any income and related gains of the Underlying Funds in additional
Commodity Interests. As a result, the Fund does not anticipate
receiving cash distributions from the Underlying Funds. You should
not invest in the Fund if you will need cash distributions from the
Fund to pay taxes on your share of income and gains of the Fund, if
any, or for any other reason. Although the Fund does not intend to
make cash distributions, the income earned from its investments
held directly or posted as margin may reach levels that merit
distribution, e.g., at levels where such income is not necessary to
support its investments and investors adversely react to being
taxed on such income without receiving distributions that could be
used to pay such tax. Cash distributions may be made in these and
similar instances.
There is a risk that the Fund and the Underlying Funds will not
have sufficient net assets to compensate for the fees and expenses
that they must pay and as such the expense ratio of the Fund and
the Underlying Funds may be higher than that filed in this document
or the documents of the Underlying Funds.
While the Fund does not directly pay
any management fees or certain other types of expenses, the Fund
does pay certain expenses directly, including certain
administrative and accounting expenses. In addition, the Fund bears
a proportionate share of Underlying Fund expenses as a shareholder
of the Underlying Funds. Each Underlying Fund pays management fees
at an annual rate of 1.00% of its average net assets, brokerage
charges, over-the-counter spreads and various other expenses of its
ongoing operations (e.g., fees of the Administrator, Trustee and
Distributor). Accordingly, the Fund has a total estimated expense
ratio, including its proportionate share of Underlying Fund
expenses, net of any expenses waived by the Sponsor, of
approximately 1.31% of net assets. These fees and expenses must be
paid in all events, regardless of whether the Fund’s and
Underlying Funds’ total net assets.
If this offering of Shares does not raise sufficient funds to make
the Fund’s future operations viable, the Fund may be forced
to terminate and investors may lose all or part of their
investment.
All of the expenses relating to the
Fund incurred prior to the commencement of operations on March 28,
2012 were paid by the Sponsor. These payments by the Sponsor were
designed to allow the Fund the ability to commence the public
offering of its Shares. As of the date of this prospectus, the Fund
pays the fees, costs and expenses of its operations. If the Sponsor
and the Fund are unable to raise sufficient funds so that the
Fund’s expenses are reasonable in relation to its NAV, the
Fund may be forced to terminate, and investors may lose all or part
of their investment. Any expenses related to the operation of the
Fund would need to be paid by the Fund at the time of
termination.
The Fund and the Underlying Funds may incur higher fees and
expenses upon renewing existing or entering into new contractual
relationships.
The arrangements between clearing
brokers and counterparties on the one hand and the Fund or an
Underlying Fund, as applicable, on the other generally are
terminable by the clearing brokers or counterparty upon notice to
the Fund or Underlying Fund, as applicable. In addition, the
agreements between the Fund or an Underlying Fund, as applicable,
and its third-party service providers, such as the Distributor and
the Custodian, are generally terminable at specified intervals.
Upon termination, the Sponsor may be required to renegotiate or
make other arrangements for obtaining similar services if the Fund
or an Underlying Fund intends to continue to operate. Comparable
services from another party may not be available, or even if
available, these services may not be available on terms as
favorable as those of the expired or terminated
arrangements.
The Underlying Funds, and thus the Fund may experience a higher
breakeven if interest rates decline.
The Underlying Funds earn interest
on cash balances available for investment. If actual interest rates
earned were to fall and the Sponsor were not able to waive expenses
sufficient to cover the deficit, the breakeven estimated by the
Underlying Funds in this prospectus could be
higher.
The Fund or the Underlying Funds may miss certain trading
opportunities because they will not receive the benefit of the
expertise of independent trading advisors.
The Sponsor does not employ trading
advisors for the Fund or the Underlying Funds; however, it reserves
the right to employ them in the future. The only advisor to the
Fund or the Underlying Funds is the Sponsor. A lack of independent
trading advisors may be disadvantageous to the Fund and the
Underlying Funds because they will not receive the benefit of the
advisors’ independent expertise.
The Fund is not actively managed.
The Fund is not actively managed and
is designed to track a benchmark, regardless of whether the price
of the Benchmark Component Futures Contracts is flat, declining or
rising. As a result, the Fund may sustain losses that may have been
avoidable if the Fund was actively managed.
The Net Asset Value calculation of an Underlying Fund may be
overstated or understated due to the valuation method employed when
a settlement price is not available on the date of the net asset
value calculation.
An Underlying Fund’s NAV
includes, in part, any unrealized profits or losses on Commodity
Interests. Under normal circumstances, the NAV reflects the
settlement price of open Futures Contracts on the date when the NAV
is being calculated as quoted on the applicable exchange. In
instances when the quoted settlement price of Futures Contracts
traded on an exchange may not be reflective of fair value based on
market condition, generally due to the operation of daily limits or
other rules of the exchange or otherwise, the NAV may not reflect
the fair value of open futures contracts on such date. For purposes
of financial statements and reports related to the Fund and the
Underlying Funds, the Sponsor will recalculate the NAV where
necessary to reflect the fair value of a Futures Contract when the
Futures Contract closes at its price fluctuation limit for the
day.
An unanticipated number of redemption requests during a short
period of time could have an adverse effect on the NAV of the
Fund.
If a substantial number of requests
for redemption of Redemption Baskets are received by the Fund
during a relatively short period of time, the Fund will generally
need to sell shares of the Underlying Funds, increasing its trading
costs. To the extent that the Fund’s sale of Underlying Fund
shares on the secondary market results in redemption requests to an
Underlying Fund, the Underlying Fund’s trading costs will
increase, and it may be necessary to liquidate the Underlying
Fund’s trading positions before the time that its trading
strategies would otherwise call for liquidation, resulting in an
adverse effect on the NAVs of the Fund and Underlying
Fund.
Fund assets may be depleted if investment performance does not
exceed fees.
In addition to certain fees paid to
each Fund’s service providers, each Fund pays the Sponsor a
fee of 1.00% of asset under management per annum, regardless of
Fund performance. Over time, a Fund’s assets could be
depleted if investment performance does not exceed such
fees.
If a minimum number of shares is outstanding, market makers may be
less willing to purchase shares in the secondary market which may
limit your ability to sell shares.
There is a minimum number of baskets
and associated shares specified for the Fund. If the Fund
experienced redemptions that caused the number of Shares
outstanding to decrease to the minimum level of Shares required to
be outstanding, until the minimum, number of Shares is again
exceeded through the purchase of a new Creation Basket, there can
be no more redemptions by an Authorized Purchaser. In such case,
market makers may be less willing to purchase Shares from investors
in the secondary market, which may in turn limit the ability of
Shareholders of the Fund to sell their shares in the secondary
market. The minimum level of Shares specified for the Fund is
subject to change. As of January 31, 2019, this minimum level for
the Fund is 50,000 shares representing 4 baskets; as of January 31,
2019, there were 75,002 shares outstanding. As of April 11, 2019,
there were 75,002 shares outstanding. (The current number of Shares
outstanding is posted daily on our website,
www.teucriumtagsfund.com.)
The liquidity of the Shares may be affected by the withdrawal from
participation of Authorized Purchasers, market-makers, or other
significant secondary-market participants which could adversely
affect the market price of the Shares.
Only an Authorized Purchaser may
engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the
Fund. The Fund has a limited number of institutions that act as
Authorized Purchasers. To the extent that these institutions exit
the business or are unable to proceed with creation and/or
redemption orders with respect to the Fund and no other Authorized
Purchaser is able to step forward to create or redeem Creation
Units, Fund shares may trade at a discount to NAV and possibly face
trading halts and/or delisting. In addition, a decision by a market
maker, lead market maker, or other large investor to cease
activities for the Fund or a decision by a secondary market
participant to sell a significant number of the Fund’s Shares
could adversely affect liquidity, the spread between the bid and
ask quotes, and potentially the price of the Shares. The Sponsor
can make no guarantees that participation by Authorized Purchasers
or market makers will continue.
You may be adversely affected by redemption orders that are subject
to postponement, suspension or rejection under certain
circumstances.
The Trust may, in its discretion,
suspend the right to redeem Shares of the Fund or postpone the
redemption settlement date: (1) for any period during which an
applicable exchange is closed other than customary weekend or
holiday closing, or trading is suspended or restricted; (2) for any
period during which an emergency exists as a result of which
delivery, disposal or evaluation of the Fund’s assets is not
reasonably practicable; (3) for such other period as the Sponsor
determines to be necessary for the protection of Shareholders; (4)
if there is a possibility that any or all of the Benchmark
Component Futures Contracts of the Underlying Funds from which the
NAVs of the Underlying Funds are calculated will be priced at a
daily price limit restriction; or (5) if, in the sole discretion of
the Sponsor, the execution of such an order would not be in the
best interest of the Fund or its Shareholders. In addition, the
Trust will reject a redemption order if the order is not in proper
form as described in the agreement with the Authorized Purchaser or
if the fulfillment of the order, in the opinion of its counsel,
might be unlawful. The Sponsor may also reject a redemption order
if the number of Shares being redeemed would reduce the remaining
outstanding Shares to 50,000 Shares (i.e., four baskets of 12,500
Shares each) or less, unless the Sponsor has reason to believe that
the placer of the redemption order does in fact possess all the
outstanding Shares of the Fund and can deliver them. Any such
postponement, suspension or rejection could adversely affect a
redeeming Shareholder. For example, the resulting delay may
adversely affect the value of the Shareholder’s redemption
proceeds if the NAV of the Fund declines during the period of
delay. The Trust Agreement provides that the Sponsor and its
designees will not be liable for any loss or damage that may result
from any such suspension or postponement.
Any postponement, suspension or
rejection of a redemption order could adversely affect a redeeming
Shareholder or shareholders of any Underlying Fund. For example,
the resulting delay may adversely affect the value of a
Shareholder’s redemption proceeds if the NAV of the Fund
declines during the period of delay. The Trust Agreement provides
that the Sponsor and its designees will not be liable for any loss
or damage that may result from any such suspension or
postponement.
The failure or bankruptcy of a clearing broker could result in
substantial losses for an Underlying Fund; the clearing broker
could be subject to proceedings that impair its ability to execute
the Underlying Fund’s trades.
Under CFTC regulations, a clearing
broker with respect to an Underlying Fund’s exchange-traded
Commodity Interests must maintain customers’ assets in a bulk
segregated account. If a clearing broker fails to do so or is
unable to satisfy a substantial deficit in a customer account, its
other customers may be subject to risk of a substantial loss of
their funds in the event of that clearing broker’s
bankruptcy. In that event, the clearing broker’s customers,
such as the Underlying Funds, are entitled to recover, even in
respect of property specifically traceable to them, only a
proportional share of all property available for distribution to
all of that clearing broker’s customers. The Underlying Funds
(and, therefore, the Fund) also may be subject to the risk of the
failure of, or delay in performance by, any exchanges and markets
and their clearing organizations, if any, on which Commodity
Interests are traded.
From time to time, the clearing
brokers may be subject to legal or regulatory proceedings in the
ordinary course of their business. A clearing broker’s
involvement in costly or time-consuming legal proceedings may
divert financial resources or personnel away from the clearing
broker’s trading operations, which could impair the clearing
broker’s ability to successfully execute and clear an
Underlying Fund’s trades.
The failure or insolvency of the Fund’s Custodian or other
financial institution in which the Fund or the Underlying Funds has
deposits could result in a substantial loss of the Fund’s
assets.
As noted above, the vast majority of
the Underlying Funds’ assets are held in short-term Treasury
Securities, cash and/or cash equivalents with the Custodian, other
financial institutions, or in commercial paper with a maturity date
of 90 days or less. The insolvency of the Custodian or any
financial institution in which the Underlying Funds have demand
deposits, a commercial paper issuer, or United States Treasury
could result in a complete loss of the Underlying Funds’
assets. The Underlying Funds currently have cash and or cash
equivalents at the Custodian and Rabobank, N.A, in commercial
paper, and in short-term United States Treasury Securities held by
the FCM. The Fund does not maintain large cash and/or cash
equivalent deposits due to the nature of the investment in the
shares of the Underlying Funds.
Third parties may infringe upon or otherwise violate intellectual
property rights or assert that the Sponsor has infringed or
otherwise violated their intellectual property rights, which may
result in significant costs, litigation, and diverted attention of
Sponsor’s management.
Third parties may assert that the
Sponsor has infringed or otherwise violated their intellectual
property rights. Third parties may independently develop business
methods, trademarks or proprietary software and other technology
similar to that of the Sponsor and claim that the Sponsor has
violated their intellectual property rights, including their
copyrights, trademark rights, trade names, trade secrets and patent
rights. As a result, the Sponsor may have to litigate in the future
to determine the validity and scope of other parties’
proprietary rights or defend itself against claims that it has
infringed or otherwise violated other parties’ rights. Any
litigation of this type, even if the Sponsor is successful and
regardless of the merits, may result in significant costs, divert
resources from the Fund, or require the Sponsor to change its
proprietary software and other technology or enter into royalty or
licensing agreements.
The Sponsor has a patent on certain
business methods and procedures used with respect to the Fund and
the Underlying Funds. The Sponsor utilizes certain proprietary
software. Any unauthorized use of such proprietary software,
business methods and/or procedures could adversely affect the
competitive advantage of the Sponsor or the Fund and/or require the
Sponsor to take legal action to protect its
rights.
The success of the Fund depends on the ability of the Sponsor to
accurately implement its trading strategies, and any failure to do
so could subject the Fund to losses on such
transactions.
The Sponsor’s trading strategy
is quantitative in nature and it is possible that the Sponsor will
make errors in its implementation. The execution of the
quantitative strategy is subject to human error, such as incorrect
inputs into the Sponsor’s computer systems and incorrect
information provided to the Fund’s and Underlying
Funds’ clearing brokers. In addition, it is possible that a
computer or software program may malfunction and cause an error in
computation. Any failure, inaccuracy or delay in executing the
Fund’s or an Underlying Fund’s transactions could
affect the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment
objective. It could also result in decisions to undertake
transactions based on inaccurate or incomplete information. This
could cause substantial losses on transactions. The Sponsor is not
required to reimburse the Fund or the Underlying Funds for any
costs associated with an error in the placement or execution of a
trade in commodity future interests or in shares of the Underlying
Funds.
The Fund may experience substantial losses on transactions if the
computer or communications system fails.
The Fund’s and Underlying
Funds’ activities depend on the integrity and performance of
the computer and communications systems supporting them.
Extraordinary transaction volume, hardware or software failure,
power or telecommunications failure, a natural disaster,
cyber-attack or other catastrophe could cause the computer systems
to operate at an unacceptably slow speed or even fail. Any
significant degradation or failure of the systems that the Sponsor
uses to gather and analyze information, enter orders, process data,
monitor risk levels and otherwise engage in trading activities may
result in substantial losses on transactions, liability to other
parties, lost profit opportunities, damages to the Sponsor’s,
the Fund’s and the Underlying Funds’ reputations,
increased operational expenses and diversion of technical
resources.
If the computer and communications systems are not upgraded when
necessary, the Fund’s financial condition could be
harmed.
The development of complex computer
and communications systems and new technologies may render the
existing computer and communications systems supporting the
Fund’s and Underlying Funds’ activities obsolete. In
addition, these computer and communications systems must be
compatible with those of third parties, such as the systems of
exchanges, clearing brokers and the executing brokers. As a result,
if these third parties upgrade their systems, the Sponsor will need
to make corresponding upgrades to effectively continue its trading
activities. The Sponsor may have limited financial resources for
these upgrades or other technological changes. The Fund’s
future success may depend on the Sponsor’s ability to respond
to changing technologies on a timely and cost-effective
basis.
The Fund and the Underlying Funds depend on the reliable
performance of the computer and communications systems of third
parties, such as brokers and futures exchanges, and may experience
substantial losses on transactions if they
fail.
The Fund and Underlying Funds depend
on the proper and timely function of complex computer and
communications systems maintained and operated by the futures
exchanges, brokers and other data providers that the Sponsor uses
to conduct trading activities. Failure or inadequate performance of
any of these systems could adversely affect the Sponsor’s
ability to complete transactions, including its ability to close
out positions, and result in lost profit opportunities and
significant losses on commodity interest transactions. This could
have a material adverse effect on revenues and materially reduce
the Fund’s available capital of the Fund or an Underlying
Fund. For example, unavailability of price quotations from third
parties may make it difficult or impossible for the Sponsor to
conduct trading activities so that an Underlying Fund will closely
track its Benchmark. Unavailability of records from brokerage firms
may make it difficult or impossible for the Sponsor to accurately
determine which transactions have been executed or the details,
including price and time, of any transaction executed. This
unavailability of information also may make it difficult or
impossible for the Sponsor to reconcile its records of transactions
with those of another party or to accomplish settlement of executed
transactions.
The occurrence of a severe weather event, natural disaster,
terrorist attack, or the outbreak, continuation or expansion of war
or other hostilities could disrupt the Fund’s trading
activity and materially affect the Fund’s
profitability.
The operations of the Fund, the
exchanges, brokers and counterparties with which the Fund does
business, and the markets in which the Fund does business could be
severely disrupted in the event of a severe weather event, natural
disaster, major terrorist attack, cyber-attacks, data breach or the
outbreak, continuation or expansion of war or other hostilities.
Global terrorist attacks, anti-terrorism initiatives, and political
unrest continue to fuel this concern. In addition, a prolonged U.S.
government shutdown could weaken the U.S. economy, interfere with
the commodities markets that rely upon data published by U.S.
federal government agencies, and prevent the Fund from receiving
necessary regulatory review or approvals.
Failures or breaches of electronic systems could disrupt the
trading activity and materially affect the profitability of the
Underlying Funds and the Fund.
Failures or breaches of the
electronic systems of the Underlying Fund and/or the Fund, the
Sponsor, the Custodian or mutual funds or other financial
institutions in which the Underlying Funds or the Fund invests, or
the Fund’s other service providers, market makers, Authorized
Purchasers, NYSE Arca, exchanges on which Futures Contracts or
Other commodity interests are traded or cleared, or counterparties
have the ability to cause disruptions and negatively impact the
Fund’s business operations, potentially resulting in
financial losses to the Fund and its shareholders. Such failures or
breaches may include intentional cyber-attacks that may result in
an unauthorized party gaining access to electronic systems in order
to misappropriate a Fund’s assets or sensitive information.
While the Fund has established business continuity plans and risk
management systems seeking to address system breaches or failures,
there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems.
Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cyber security plans and
systems of the Custodian or mutual funds or other financial
institutions in which the Fund invests, or the Fund’s other
service providers, market makers, Authorized Purchasers, NYSE Arca,
exchanges on which Futures Contracts or Other commodity interests
are traded or cleared, or counterparties.
An investment in a Fund faces numerous risks from its shares being
traded in the secondary market, any of which may lead to the
Fund’s shares trading at a premium or discount to
NAV.
Although the Fund’s shares are
listed for trading on the NYSE Arca, there can be no assurance that
an active trading market for such shares will develop or be
maintained. Trading in the Fund’s shares may be halted due to
market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the NYSE
Arca, make trading in shares inadvisable. There can be no assurance
that the requirements of the NYSE Arca necessary to maintain the
listing of the Fund will continue to be met or will remain
unchanged or that the shares will trade with any volume, or at all.
The NAV of the Fund’s shares will generally fluctuate with
changes in the market value of the Fund’s portfolio holdings.
The market prices of shares will generally fluctuate in accordance
with changes in the Fund’s NAV and supply and demand of
shares on the NYSE Arca. It cannot be predicted whether the
Fund’s shares will trade below, at or above their NAV.
Investors buying or selling Fund shares in the secondary market
will pay brokerage commissions or other charges imposed by brokers
as determined by that broker. Brokerage commissions are often a
fixed amount and may be a significant proportional cost for
investors seeking to buy or sell relatively small amounts of
shares.
The NYSE Arca may halt trading in the Shares which would adversely
impact your ability to sell Shares.
Trading in Shares of the Fund may be
halted due to market conditions or, in light of NYSE Arca rules and
procedures, for reasons that, in view of the NYSE Arca, make
trading in Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading is subject to
trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to
“circuit breaker” rules that require trading to be
halted for a specified period based on a specified market decline.
There can be no assurance that the requirements necessary to
maintain the listing of the Shares will continue to be met or will
remain unchanged. The Fund will be terminated if its Shares are
delisted.
The lack of active trading markets for the Shares of the Fund may
result in losses on your investment in the Fund at the time of
disposition of your Shares.
Although the Shares of the Fund will
be listed and traded on the NYSE Arca, there can be no guarantee
that an active trading market for the Shares of the Fund will be
maintained. If you need to sell your Shares at a time when no
active market for them exists, the price you receive for your
Shares, assuming that you are able to sell them, likely will be
lower than what you would receive if an active market did
exist.
Risk of Leverage and
Volatility
If the Sponsor causes or permits an Underlying Fund to become
leveraged, the Fund could incur substantial losses if the
Underlying Fund’s trading positions suddenly turn
unprofitable.
Commodity pools’ trading
positions in Commodity Interests are typically required to be
secured by the deposit of margin funds or collateral that
represents only a small percentage of the Commodity
Interest’s entire market value. This feature permits
commodity pools to “leverage” their assets by
purchasing or selling Commodity Interests with an aggregate
notional amount in excess of the commodity pool’s assets.
While this leverage can increase a pool’s profits, relatively
small adverse movements in the price of the pool’s Commodity
Interests can cause significant losses to the pool. While the
Sponsor does not intend to leverage the assets of any Underlying
Fund, it is not prohibited from doing so under the Trust Agreement.
If the Sponsor was to cause or permit an Underlying Fund to become
leveraged, the Fund could incur substantial losses if an Underlying
Fund’s trading positions suddenly turn
unprofitable.
The price of agricultural commodities can be volatile which could
cause large fluctuations in the price of
Shares.
Movements in the price of
agricultural commodities are outside of the Sponsor’s control
and may not be anticipated by the Sponsor. As discussed in more
detail above, price movements for agricultural commodities are
influenced by, among other things, weather conditions, crop
disease, transportation and storage difficulties, various planting,
growing and harvesting problems, governmental policies, changing
demand, and seasonal fluctuations in supply. More generally,
commodity prices may also be influenced by economic and monetary
events such as changes in interest rates, changes in balances of
payments and trade, U.S. and international inflation rates,
currency valuations and devaluations, U.S. and international
economic events, and changes in the philosophies and emotions of
market participants. Because the Fund is exposed primarily to
interests in agricultural commodities, it is not a diversified
investment vehicle, and therefore may be subject to greater
volatility than a diversified portfolio of stocks or bonds or a
more diversified commodity pool.
Over-the-Counter Contract
Risk
Over-the-counter transactions are subject to changing
regulation.
A portion of the Fund’s assets
may be used to trade over-the-counter commodity interests of the
Underlying Funds, such as forward contracts or swaps. The markets
for over-the-counter contracts will continue to rely upon the
integrity of market participants in lieu of the additional
regulation imposed by the CFTC on participants in the futures
markets. To date, the forward markets have been largely
unregulated, except for anti-manipulation and anti-fraud
provisions, forward contracts have been executed bi-laterally and,
in general historically, forward contracts have not been cleared or
guaranteed by a third party. While increased regulation of
over-the-counter commodity interests is likely to result from
changes that are required to be effectuated by the Dodd-Frank Act,
there is no guarantee that such increased regulation will be
effective to reduce these risks.
The Underlying Funds will be subject to credit risk with respect to
counterparties to over-the-counter contracts entered into by the
Underlying Funds.
The Underlying Funds face the risk
of non-performance by the counterparties to over-the-counter
contracts. Unlike in futures contracts, the counterparty to these
contracts is generally a single bank or other financial
institution, rather than a clearing organization backed by a group
of financial institutions. As a result, there will be greater
counterparty credit risk in these transactions. A counterparty may
not be able to meet its obligations to an Underlying Fund, in which
case the Underlying Fund could suffer significant losses on these
contracts.
If a counterparty becomes bankrupt
or otherwise fails to perform its obligations due to financial
difficulties, the Underlying Fund may experience significant delays
in obtaining any recovery in a bankruptcy or other reorganization
proceeding. During any such period, the Underlying Fund may have
difficulty in determining the value of its contracts with the
counterparty, which in turn could result in the overstatement or
understatement of the Underlying Fund’s NAV and, indirectly,
the Fund’s NAV. The Underlying Fund may eventually obtain
only limited recovery or no recovery in such circumstances. Failure
by an Underlying Fund to recover sufficient amounts in the event of
a counterparty default could result in losses to the Underlying
Fund and impact its NAV, which could result in corresponding
adverse effects on the Fund.
The Underlying Funds may be subject to liquidity risk with respect
to their over-the-counter contracts.
Over-the-counter contracts may have
terms that make them less marketable than Futures Contracts.
Over-the-counter contracts are less marketable because they are not
traded on an exchange, do not have uniform terms and conditions,
and are entered into based upon the creditworthiness of the parties
and the availability of credit support, such as collateral, and in
general, they are not transferable without the consent of the
counterparty. These conditions make such contracts less liquid than
standardized futures contracts traded on a commodities exchange and
diminish the ability to realize the full value of such contracts.
In addition, even if collateral is used to reduce counterparty
credit risk, sudden changes in the value of over-the-counter
transactions may leave a party open to financial risk due to a
counterparty default since the collateral held may not cover a
party’s exposure on the transaction in such
situations.
In general, valuing OTC derivatives
is less certain than valuing actively traded financial instruments
such as exchange traded futures contracts and securities because
the price and terms on which such OTC derivatives are entered into
or can be terminated are individually negotiated, and those prices
and terms may not reflect the best price or terms available from
other sources. In addition, while market makers and dealers
generally quote indicative prices or terms for entering into or
terminating OTC contracts, they typically are not contractually
obligated to do so, particularly if they are not a party to the
transaction. As a result, it may be difficult to obtain an
independent value for an outstanding OTC derivatives
transaction.
The foregoing liquidity risks could
impact adversely affect the Fund’s ability to meet its
investment objective.
Risk of Trading in
International Markets
Trading in international markets would expose the Underlying Funds
to credit and regulatory risk.
A significant portion of the Futures
Contracts entered into by the Underlying Funds will be traded on
United States exchanges including the CBOT and ICE Futures.
However, a portion of the Underlying Funds’ trades may take
place on markets or exchanges outside the United States. Some
non-U.S. markets present risks because they are not subject to the
same degree of regulation as their U.S. counterparts. None of the
CFTC, NFA, or any domestic exchange regulates activities of any
foreign boards of trade or exchanges, including the execution,
delivery and clearing of transactions, has the power to compel
enforcement of the rules of a foreign board of trade or exchange or
of any applicable non-U.S. laws. Similarly, the rights of market
participants, such as the Underlying Funds, in the event of the
insolvency or bankruptcy of a non-U.S. market or broker are also
likely to be more limited than in the case of U.S. markets or
brokers. As a result, in these markets, the Underlying Funds have
less legal and regulatory protection than they do when they trade
domestically. Currently the Fund does not place any trades for the
Fund or the Underlying Funds on any markets or exchanges outside of
the United States and does not anticipate doing so in the
foreseeable future.
In some of these non-U.S. markets,
the performance on a futures contract is the responsibility of the
counterparty and is not backed by an exchange or clearing
corporation and therefore exposes an Underlying Fund to credit
risk. Additionally, trading on non-U.S. exchanges is subject to the
risks presented by exchange controls, expropriation, increased tax
burdens and exposure to local economic declines and political
instability. An adverse development with respect to any of these
variables could reduce the profit or increase the loss earned on
trades in the affected international markets.
International trading activities subject the Underlying Funds to
foreign exchange risk.
The price of any non-U.S. Commodity
Interest and, therefore, the potential profit and loss on such
investment, may be affected by any variance in the foreign exchange
rate between the time the order is placed and the time it is
liquidated, offset or exercised. However, a portion of the trades
for Fund or the Underlying Funds may take place in markets and on
exchanges outside of the U.S. Some non-U.S. markets present risks
because they are not subject to the same degree of regulation as
their U.S. counterparts. As a result, changes in the value of the
local currency relative to the U.S. dollar may cause losses to the
Underlying Fund even if the contract is
profitable.
The Underlying Funds’ international trading could expose them
to losses resulting from non-U.S. exchanges that are less developed
or less reliable than United States exchanges.
Some non-U.S. exchanges also may be
in a more developmental stage so that prior price histories may not
be indicative of current price dynamics. In addition, the
Underlying Funds may not have the same access to certain positions
on foreign trading exchanges as do local traders, and the
historical market data on which the Sponsor bases its strategies
may not be as reliable or accessible as it is for U.S.
exchanges.
The CFTC’s implementation of
its regulations under the Dodd-Frank Act may further affect the
Underlying Funds’ ability to enter into foreign exchange
contracts and to hedge exposure to foreign exchange
losses.
Please refer to “U.S. Federal
Income Tax Considerations” for information regarding the U.S.
federal income tax consequences of the purchase, ownership and
disposition of Shares.
Your tax liability from holding Shares may exceed the amount of
distributions, if any, on your Shares.
Cash or property will be distributed
by the Fund at the sole discretion of the Sponsor, and the Sponsor
currently does not intend to make cash or other distributions with
respect to Shares. You will be required to pay U.S. federal income
tax and, in some cases, state, local, or foreign income tax, on
your allocable share of the Fund’s taxable income, without
regard to whether you actually receive distributions from the Fund.
Therefore, the tax liability resulting from your ownership of
Shares may exceed the amount of cash or value of property (if any)
distributed by the Fund.
Your allocable share of income or loss for U.S. federal income tax
purposes may differ from your economic income or loss on your
Shares.
Due to the application of the
assumptions and conventions applied by the Fund and the Underlying
Funds in making allocations for U.S. federal income tax purposes
and other factors, your allocable share of the Fund’s income,
gain, deduction or loss may be different than your economic profit
or loss from your Shares for a taxable year. This difference could
be temporary or permanent and, if permanent, could result in your
being taxed on amounts in excess of your economic
income.
Items of income, gain, deduction, loss and credit with respect to
Shares could be reallocated (or for taxable years after December
31, 2017, the Fund itself could be liable for U.S. federal income
tax along with any interest or penalties) if the IRS does not
accept the assumptions and conventions applied by the Fund in
allocating those items, with potential adverse tax consequences for
you.
The Fund (and each Underlying Fund)
is treated as a partnership for United States federal income tax
purposes. The U.S. tax rules pertaining to entities taxed as
partnerships are complex and their application to publicly traded
partnerships such as the Fund is in many respects uncertain. The
Fund applies certain assumptions and conventions in an attempt to
comply with the intent of the applicable rules and to report
taxable income, gains, deductions, losses and credits in a manner
that properly reflects Shareholders’ economic gains and
losses. These assumptions and conventions may not fully comply with
all aspects of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the
“Code”), and applicable Treasury Regulations, however,
and it is possible that the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (the
“IRS”) will successfully challenge our allocation
methods and require us to reallocate items of income, gain,
deduction, loss or credit in a manner that adversely affects you.
If this occurs, you may be required to file an amended tax return
and to pay additional taxes plus deficiency
interest.
In addition, for taxable years
beginning after December 31, 2017, the Fund may be liable for U.S.
federal income tax on any “imputed understatement” of
tax resulting from an adjustment as a result of an IRS audit. The
amount of the imputed understatement generally includes increases
in allocations of items of income or gains to any investor and
decreases in allocations of items of deduction, loss, or credit to
any investor without any offset for any corresponding reductions in
allocations of items of income or gain to any investor or increases
in allocations of items of deduction, loss, or credit to any
investor. If the Fund is required to pay any U.S. federal income
taxes on any imputed understatement, the resulting tax liability
would reduce the net assets of the Fund and would likely have an
adverse impact on the value of the Shares. In such a case, the tax
liability would in effect be borne by Shareholders that own shares
at the time of such assessment, which may be different persons, or
persons with different ownership percentages, then persons owning
Shares for the tax year under audit. Under certain circumstances,
the Fund may be eligible to make an election to cause Shareholders
to take into account the amount of any imputed understatement,
including any interest and penalties. The ability of a publicly
traded partnership such as the Fund to make this election is
uncertain. If the election is made, the Fund would be required to
provide Shareholders who owned beneficial interests in the Shares
in the year to which the adjusted allocations relate with a
statement setting forth their proportionate shares of the
adjustment (“Adjusted K-1s”). The investors would be
required to take the adjustment into account in the taxable year in
which the Adjusted K-1s are issued. For an additional discussion
please see “U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations –
Other Tax Matters.”
If the Fund is required to withhold tax with respect to any
Non-U.S. Shareholders, the cost of such withholding may be borne by
all Shareholders.
Under certain circumstances, the
Fund may be required to pay withholding tax with respect to
allocations to Non-U.S. Shareholders. Although the Trust Agreement
provides that any such withholding will be treated as being
distributed to the Non-U.S. Shareholder, the Fund may not be able
to cause the economic cost of such withholding to be borne by the
Non-U.S. Shareholder on whose behalf such amounts were withheld
since the Fund does not intend to make any distributions. Under
such circumstances, the economic cost of the withholding may be
borne by all Shareholders, not just the Shareholders on whose
behalf such amounts were withheld. This could have a material
impact on the value of your Shares.
The Fund could be treated as a corporation for federal income tax
purposes, which may substantially reduce the value of your
Shares.
The Trust has received an opinion of
counsel that, under current U.S. federal income tax laws, the Fund
will be treated as a partnership that is not taxable as a
corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, provided that (i)
at least 90 percent of the Fund’s annual gross income
consists of “qualifying income” as defined in the Code,
(ii) the Fund is organized and operated in accordance with its
governing agreements and applicable law, and (iii) the Fund does
not elect to be taxed as a corporation for federal income tax
purposes. Although the Sponsor anticipates that the Fund has
satisfied and will continue to satisfy the “qualifying
income” requirement for all of its taxable years, that result
cannot be assured. The Fund has not requested and will not request
any ruling from the IRS with respect to its classification as a
partnership not taxable as a corporation for federal income tax
purposes. If the IRS were to successfully assert that the Fund is
taxable as a corporation for federal income tax purposes in any
taxable year, rather than passing through its income, gains, losses
and deductions proportionately to Shareholders, the Fund would be
subject to tax on its net income for the year at corporate tax
rates. In addition, although the Sponsor does not currently intend
to make distributions with respect to Shares, any distributions
would be taxable to Shareholders as dividend income. Taxation of
the Fund as a corporation could materially reduce the after-tax
return on an investment in Shares and could substantially reduce
the value of your Shares.
Tax
legislation that has been or could be enacted may affect you with
respect to your investment in the Fund.
Legislative, regulatory or
administrative changes could be enacted or promulgated at any time,
either prospectively or with retroactive effect, and may adversely
affect the Fund and its Shareholders. Tax legislation informally
known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (the “2017 Tax
Cuts and Jobs Act”) was signed into law on December 22, 2017,
generally effective for taxable years beginning on or after January
1, 2018. In addition to modifying income tax rates for individuals
and corporations, the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act made certain
changes to the tax treatment for passthrough entities, such
as the Fund. Please consult a tax advisor regarding the
implications of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act on an investment in
Shares of the Teucrium Funds.
PROSPECTIVE INVESTORS ARE STRONGLY URGED TO CONSULT THEIR OWN TAX
ADVISORS WITH RESPECT TO THE POSSIBLE TAX CONSEQUENCES TO THEM OF
AN INVESTMENT IN SHARES; SUCH TAX CONSEQUENCES MAY DIFFER IN
RESPECT OF DIFFERENT INVESTORS.
The Fund is a series of the Trust, a
statutory trust organized under the laws of the State of Delaware
on September 11, 2009. Currently, the Trust has five series that
are separate operating commodity pools: the Teucrium Corn Fund, the
Teucrium Wheat Fund, the Teucrium Soybean Fund, the Teucrium Sugar
Fund, and the Teucrium Agricultural Fund. Additional series of the
Trust may be created in the future at the Sponsor’s
discretion. The Fund maintains its main business office at Three
Main Street, Suite 215, Burlington, Vermont 05401. The Fund is a
commodity pool. It operates pursuant to the terms of the Trust
Agreement, which grants full management control to the
Sponsor.
The Fund is publicly traded and
seeks to have the daily changes in percentage terms of the
Shares’ NAV reflect the daily changes in percentage terms of
the NAVs of the Underlying Funds, as measured by the Underlying
Fund Average. The Fund will invest in shares of the Underlying
Funds, and to a lesser extent in short-term Treasury Securities,
cash and/or cash equivalents, and the Underlying Funds will in turn
invest in a mixture of listed Futures Contracts, Other Commodity
Interests, cash and/or cash equivalents.
See “Prior Performance of the
Fund” on page 26 for more information about prior performance
of the Fund.
The Sponsor of the Trust is Teucrium
Trading, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company. The principal
office of the Sponsor and the Trust are located at Three Main
Street, Suite 215, Burlington, Vermont 05401. The Sponsor
registered as a CPO with the CFTC and became a member of the NFA on
November 10, 2009. The Sponsor also registered as a Commodity
Trading Advisor (“CTA”) with the NFA effective
September 8, 2017.
Under the Trust Agreement, the
Sponsor is solely responsible for the management and conducts or
directs the conduct of the business of the Trust, the Fund, the
Underlying Funds and any series of the Trust that may from time to
time be established and designated by the Sponsor. The Sponsor is
required to oversee the purchase and sale of Shares by Authorized
Purchasers and to manage the Fund’s and Underlying
Funds’ investments, including to evaluate the credit risk of
FCMs and swap counterparties and to review daily positions and
margin/collateral requirements. The Sponsor has the power to enter
into agreements as may be necessary or appropriate for the offer
and sale of the Fund’s Shares and the conduct of the
Trust’s activities. Accordingly, the Sponsor is responsible
for selecting the Trustee, Administrator, Distributor, the
independent registered public accounting firm of the Trust, and any
legal counsel employed by the Trust. The Sponsor is also
responsible for preparing and filing periodic reports on behalf of
the Trust with the SEC and will provide any required certification
for such reports. No person other than the Sponsor and its
principals was involved in the organization of the Trust or the
Fund.
The Sponsor may determine to engage
marketing agents who will assist the Sponsor in marketing the
Shares. See “Plan of Distribution” for more
information.
The Sponsor maintains a public
website on behalf of the Fund, www.teucriumtagsfund.com, which
contains information about the Trust, the Fund and the Shares, and
oversees certain services for the benefit of Shareholders. The
Sponsor also maintains websites for each Underlying Fund as
follows: www.teucriumcornfund.com,
www.teucriumweatfund.com,
www.teucriumsoybfund.com,
www.teucriumcanefund.com.
The Sponsor has discretion to
appoint one or more of its affiliates as additional
Sponsors.
The Sponsor does not receive any
management fee or other fee or compensation from the Fund. For
services performed under the Trust Agreement, the Sponsor receives
a fee, accrued daily and paid monthly, at an annual rate of 1.00%
of the average daily net assets of each Underlying Fund. Each of
the Fund and the Underlying Funds are responsible for other ongoing
fees, costs and expenses of their respective operations, including
brokerage fees, SEC and FINRA registration fees and legal,
printing, accounting, custodial, administration and transfer agency
costs, although the Sponsor bears the costs and expenses related to
the initial offer and sale of Shares of the Fund and the shares
each Underlying Fund. None of the costs and expenses related to the
initial registration, offer and sale of Shares, which total
approximately $293,650, are chargeable to the Fund, and the Sponsor
may not recover any of these costs and expenses from the
Fund.
Shareholders have no right to elect
the Sponsor on an annual or any other continuing basis or to remove
the Sponsor. If the Sponsor voluntarily withdraws, the holders of a
majority of the outstanding shares of the Fund and each other fund
that is a series of the Trust voting together as a single class
(excluding for purposes of such determination Shares owned by the
withdrawing Sponsor and its affiliates) may elect its successor.
Prior to withdrawing, the Sponsor must give ninety days’
written notice to the holders of the Trust’s outstanding
Shares and the Trustee.
Ownership or
“membership” interests in the Sponsor are owned by
persons referred to as “members.” The Sponsor currently
has three voting or “Class A” members – Mr. Sal
Gilbertie, Mr. Dale Riker and Mr. Carl N. Miller III – and a
small number of non-voting or “Class B” members who
have provided working capital to the Sponsor. Messrs. Gilbertie and
Riker each currently own 45.7% of the Sponsor’s Class A
membership interests, while Mr. Miller holds the remainder, which
is 8.52%.
The Sponsor has an information
technology plan (the “IT Plan”) in place which is part
of the internal controls of the Trust and the Fund. The IT Plan is
tested, and the Sponsor takes reasonable care to look beyond the
controls developed and implemented for the Trust and the Fund
directly to the platforms and controls in place for the key service
providers. Such review of the IT plans of key service providers is
part of the Sponsor’s disaster recovery and business
continuity planning. The Sponsor provides regular training to all
employees of the Sponsor regarding cybersecurity topics, in
addition to real-time dissemination of information regarding
cybersecurity matters as needed. The IT plan is reviewed and
updated as needed, but at a minimum on an annual
basis.
Management of the Sponsor
In general, under the
Sponsor’s Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company
Operating Agreement, as amended from time to time, the Sponsor (and
as a result the Trust and each Fund) is managed by the officers of
the Sponsor. The Chief Executive Officer of the Sponsor
is responsible for the overall strategic direction of the Sponsor
and has general control of its business. The Chief Investment
Officer and President of the Sponsor is primarily responsible for
new investment product development with respect to the Funds. The
Chief Operating Officer has primary responsibility for trade
operations, trade execution, and portfolio activities with respect
to the Fund. The Chief Financial Officer, Chief Accounting Officer
and Chief Compliance Officer acts as the Sponsor’s principal
financial and accounting officer. Furthermore, certain fundamental
actions regarding the Sponsor, such as the removal of officers, the
addition or substitution of members, or the incurrence of
liabilities other than those incurred in the ordinary course of
business and de minimis
liabilities, may not be taken without the affirmative vote of a
majority of the Class A members (which is generally defined as the
affirmative vote of Mr. Gilbertie and one of the other two Class A
members). The Sponsor has no board of directors, and the
Trust has no board of directors or officers.
The Officers of the Sponsor, one of
whom is also Class A members of the Sponsor, are the
following:
Sal Gilbertie has been
the President of the Sponsor since its inception, its Chief
Investment Officer since September 2011, and its Chief Executive
Officer and Secretary since September 17, 2018, and was approved by
the NFA as a principal of the Sponsor on September 23, 2009 and
registered as an associated person of the Sponsor on November 10,
2009. He maintains his main business office at 65 Adams Road,
Easton, Connecticut 06612. Effective July 16, 2012, Mr.
Gilbertie was registered with the NFA as the Branch Manager for
this location. Since October 18, 2010, Mr. Gilbertie has been
an associated person of the Distributor under the terms of the
Securities Activities and Services Agreement (“SASA”)
between the Sponsor and the Distributor. Additional
information regarding the SASA can be found in the section of this
disclosure document entitled “Plan of
Distribution.” From October 2005 until December 2009,
Mr. Gilbertie was employed by Newedge USA, LLC, an FCM and
broker-dealer registered with the CFTC and the SEC, where he headed
the Renewable Fuels/Energy Derivatives OTC Execution Desk and was
an active futures contract and over-the-counter derivatives trader
and market maker in multiple classes of commodities. (Between
January 2008 and October 2008, he also held a comparable position
with Newedge Financial, Inc., an FCM and an affiliate of Newedge
USA, LLC.) From October 1998 until October 2005, Mr.
Gilbertie was principal and co-founder of Cambial Asset Management,
LLC, an adviser to two private funds that focused on equity
options, and Cambial Financing Dynamics, a private boutique
investment bank. While at Cambial Asset Management, LLC and
Cambial Financing Dynamics, Mr. Gilbertie served as principal and
managed the day-to-day activities of the business and the portfolio
of both companies. Mr. Gilbertie is 58 years
old.
Cory Mullen-Rusin,
Chief Financial Officer, Chief Accounting Officer and Chief
Compliance Officer, began working for the Sponsor on August 16,
2011. She became the Chief Financial Officer, Chief
Accounting Officer and Chief Compliance Officer on September 17,
2018 and has primary responsibility for the financial management,
compliance and reporting of the Sponsor and is in charge of its
books of account and accounting records, and its accounting
procedures. She maintains her main business office at Three
Main Street, Suite 215, Burlington, Vermont 05401. Ms. Mullen-Rusin
was approved by the NFA as a Principal of the Sponsor on October
10, 2018. Ms. Mullen-Rusin worked directly with the former CFO at
Teucrium for the past seven years. Her responsibilities included
aspects of financial planning, financial operations, and financial
reporting for the Trust and the Sponsor. Additionally, Ms.
Mullen-Rusin assisted in developing, instituting, and monitoring
the effectiveness of processes and procedures to comply with all
regulatory agency requirements. Ms. Mullen-Rusin graduated from
Boston College with a Bachelor of Arts and Science in
Communications in 2009, where she was a four-year scholarship
player on the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball team.
In 2017, she earned a Master of Business Administration from
Nichols College. Ms. Mullen-Rusin is 31 years
old.
Steve Kahler, Chief
Operating Officer, began working for the Sponsor in November 2011
as Managing Director in the trading division. He became the Chief
Operating Officer on May 24, 2012 and served in that capacity
through September 6, 2018, at which time he resigned. Mr. Kahler
was unemployed from September 7, 2018 until October 10, 2018, when
he was reappointed as Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Kahler has
primary responsibility for the Trade Operations for the Funds. He
maintains his main business office at 13520 Excelsior Blvd.,
Minnetonka, MN 55345. Mr. Kahler was registered as an
Associated Person of the Sponsor on November 25, 2011, approved as
a Branch Manager of the Sponsor on March 16, 2012 and approved by
the NFA as a Principal of the Sponsor on May 16, 2012. These NFA
registrations were withdrawn on September 7, 2018 and then he
re-registered as an Associated Person and Branch Office Manager of
the Sponsor on October 5, 2018 and as a Principal of the Sponsor on
October 16, 2018. Since January 18, 2012, Mr. Kahler has been an
associated person of the Distributor under the terms of the SASA
between the Sponsor and the Distributor. Additional
information regarding the SASA can be found in the section of this
disclosure document entitled “Plan of Distribution.”
Prior to his employment with the Sponsor, Mr. Kahler worked for
Cargill Inc., an international producer and marketer of food,
agricultural, financial and industrial products and services, from
April 2006 until November 2011 in the Energy Division as Senior
Petroleum Trader. In October 2006 and while employed at Cargill
Inc., Mr. Kahler was approved as an Associated Person of Cargill
Commodity Services Inc., a commodity trading affiliate of Cargill
Inc. from September 13, 2006 to November 9, 2011. Mr. Kahler
graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Bachelors of
Agricultural Business Administration and is 51 years old. Mr.
Kahler is primarily responsible for making trading and investment
decisions for the Fund and other Teucrium Funds, and for directing
Fund and other Teucrium Fund trades for
execution.
Messrs. Gilbertie, Riker, Kahler and
Ms. Mullen-Rusin are individual “principals,” as that
term is defined in CFTC Rule 3.1, of the Sponsor. These individuals
are principals due to their positions and/or due to their ownership
interests in the Sponsor. Beneficial ownership interests of the
principals, if any, are shown under the section entitled
“Security Ownership of Principal Shareholders and
Management” below and any of the principals may acquire
beneficial interests in the Fund in the future. GFI Group LLC is a
principal for the Sponsor under CFTC Rules due to its ownership of
certain non-voting securities of the Sponsor.
Market Price of Shares
The Fund’s Shares have traded
on the NYSE Arca under the symbol TAGS since March 28, 2012. The
following table sets forth the range of reported high and low sales
prices of the Shares as reported on NYSE Arca for the periods
indicated below.
Fiscal Year Ended December 31,
2018:
|
High
|
Low
|
Quarter
Ended
|
|
|
March 31, 2018
|
$ 24.25
|
$ 21.90
|
June 30, 2018
|
$ 25.70
|
$ 20.93
|
September 30,
2018
|
$ 21.69
|
$ 19.88
|
December 31,
2018
|
$ 21.54
|
$ 20.17
|
Fiscal Year Ended December 31,
2017:
|
High
|
Low
|
Quarter
Ended
|
|
|
March 31, 2017
|
$ 27.45
|
$ 24.71
|
June 30, 2017
|
$ 24.80
|
$ 22.92
|
September 30,
2017
|
$ 25.53
|
$ 22.14
|
December 31,
2017
|
$ 22.90
|
$ 21.20
|
As of December 31, 2018, the Fund
had approximately 110 Shareholders.
Prior Performance of the Fund
PERFORMANCE DATA FOR THE
FUND
PAST PERFORMANCE
IS NOT NECESSARILY INDICATIVE OF FUTURE RESULTS
The Teucrium Agricultural Fund
commenced trading and investment operations on March 28, 2012. The
Teucrium Agricultural Fund is listed on NYSE Arca and is neither:
(i) a privately offered pool pursuant to Section 4(a)(2) of the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended; (ii) a multi-advisor pool as
defined in CFTC Regulation 4.10(d)(2); or (iii) a
principal-protected pool as defined in CFTC Regulation
4.10(d)(3).
Units of beneficial interest issued
(from inception until January 31, 2019)
|
375,000
|
Aggregate gross sale price for units
issued
|
$ 18,285,685
|
NAV per share as of January 31,
2019
|
$ 20.86
|
Pool NAV as of January 31,
2019
|
$ 1,564,871
|
Worst monthly percentage
draw-down*
|
(11.76)%
July 2015
|
Worst peak-to-valley
draw-down**
|
(63.83)%
July 2012 – September
2018
|
* A draw-down is a loss experienced
by the fund over a specified period. Draw-downs are measured on the
basis of monthly returns only and do not reflect intra-month
figures. The worst monthly percentage draw-down reflects the
largest single month loss sustained over the most recent five
calendar years and the current year-to-date.
** The worst peak-to-valley
draw-down is the largest percentage decline in the NAV per unit
over the most recent five calendar years and the current
year-to-date. This need not be a continuous decline but can be a
series of positive and negative returns. Worst peak-to-valley
draw-down represents the greatest percentage decline from any
month-end NAV per unit that occurs without such month-end NAV per
unit being equaled or exceeded as of a subsequent month-end. For
example, if the NAV per unit declined by $1 in each of January and
February, increased by $1 in March and declined again by $2 in
April, a “peak-to-valley drawdown” analysis conducted
as of the end of April would consider that “drawdown”
to be continuing and to be $3 in amount, whereas if the NAV per
unit had increased by $2 in March, the drawdown would have ended as
of the end of February at the $2 level.
|
Rates
of Return*
|
Month
|
2014
|
|
2015
|
|
2016
|
|
2017
|
|
2018
|
|
2019
|
|
January
|
(3.72)
|
%
|
(6.51)
|
%
|
(1.54)
|
%
|
3.34
|
%
|
0.57
|
%
|
2.61
|
%
|
February
|
7.69
|
%
|
0.78
|
%
|
(1.72)
|
%
|
(0.29)
|
%
|
2.67
|
|
(3.98)
|
|
March
|
6.15
|
%
|
(5.81)
|
%
|
3.93
|
%
|
(5.97)
|
%
|
(2.98)
|
|
(2.60)
|
|
April
|
2.16
|
%
|
(1.53)
|
%
|
5.65
|
%
|
(2.16)
|
%
|
0.09
|
|
|
|
May
|
(5.96)
|
%
|
(4.54)
|
%
|
1.03
|
%
|
(2.32)
|
%
|
1.32
|
|
|
|
June
|
(5.19)
|
%
|
11.93
|
%
|
0.91
|
%
|
2.91
|
%
|
(8.65)
|
|
|
|
July
|
(7.57)
|
%
|
(11.76)
|
%
|
(6.28)
|
%
|
1.00
|
%
|
1.47
|
|
|
|
August
|
(2.02)
|
%
|
(3.67)
|
%
|
(3.82)
|
%
|
(6.47)
|
%
|
(4.48)
|
|
|
|
September
|
(10.74)
|
%
|
3.85
|
%
|
4.78
|
%
|
(0.72)
|
%
|
(2.20)
|
|
|
|
October
|
8.59
|
%
|
1.62
|
%
|
1.65
|
%
|
(1.27)
|
%
|
3.65
|
|
|
|
November
|
(0.45)
|
%
|
(2.85)
|
%
|
(4.41)
|
%
|
(0.47)
|
%
|
0.34
|
|
|
|
December
|
(0.54)
|
%
|
(1.12)
|
%
|
(0.38)
|
%
|
(1.60)
|
%
|
(2.31)
|
|
|
|
Annual Rate of
Return
|
(12.87)
|
%
|
(19.55)
|
%
|
(0.98)
|
%
|
(13.60)
|
%
|
(10.64)
|
%
|
(4.03)
|
%**
|
* The monthly rate of return is
calculated by dividing the ending NAV for a given month by the
ending NAV for the previous month, subtracting 1 and multiplying
this number by 100 to arrive at a percentage increase or
decrease.
** Not
annualized.
The sole Trustee of the Trust is
Wilmington Trust Company, a Delaware banking corporation. The
Trustee’s principal offices are located at 1100 North Market
Street, Wilmington, Delaware 19890-0001. The Trustee is
unaffiliated with the Sponsor. The Trustee’s duties and
liabilities with respect to the offering of Shares and the
management of the Trust and the Fund are limited to its express
obligations under the Trust Agreement.
The Trustee will accept service of
legal process on the Trust in the State of Delaware and will make
certain filings under the Delaware Statutory Trust Act. The Trustee
does not owe any other duties to the Trust, the Sponsor or the
Shareholders. The Trustee is permitted to resign upon at least
sixty (60) days’ notice to the Sponsor. If no successor
trustee has been appointed by the Sponsor within such sixty-day
period, the Trustee may, at the expense of the Trust, petition a
court to appoint a successor. The Trust Agreement provides that the
Trustee is entitled to reasonable compensation for its services
from the Sponsor or an affiliate of the Sponsor (including the
Trust), and is indemnified by the Sponsor against any expenses it
incurs relating to or arising out of the formation, operation or
termination of the Trust, or any action or inaction of the Trustee
under the Trust Agreement, except to the extent that such expenses
result from the gross negligence or willful misconduct of the
Trustee. The Sponsor has the discretion to replace the
Trustee.
The Trustee has not signed the
registration statement of which this prospectus is a part and is
not subject to issuer liability under the federal securities laws
for the information contained in this prospectus and under federal
securities laws with respect to the issuance and sale of the
Shares. Under such laws, neither the Trustee, either in its
capacity as Trustee or in its individual capacity, nor any
director, officer or controlling person of the Trustee is, or has
any liability as, the issuer or a director, officer or controlling
person of the issuer of the Shares.
Because the Trustee has delegated
substantially all of its authority over the operation of the Trust
to the Sponsor, the Trustee itself is not registered in any
capacity with the CFTC.
The investment
objective of the Fund is to have the daily changes in percentage
terms of the NAV of its Shares reflect the daily changes in
percentage terms of a weighted average (the “Underlying Fund
Average”) of the NAVs per share of four other commodity pools
that are series of the Trust and are sponsored by the Sponsor: the
Teucrium Corn Fund, the Teucrium Wheat Fund, the Teucrium Soybean
Fund and the Teucrium Sugar Fund (collectively, the
“Underlying Funds”). The Underlying Fund Average will
have a weighting of 25% to each Underlying Fund, and the
Fund’s assets will be rebalanced, generally on a daily basis,
to maintain the approximate 25% allocation to each Underlying
Fund:
TAGS
Benchmark
Underlying
Fund
|
Weighting
|
CORN
|
25%
|
SOYB
|
25%
|
CANE
|
25%
|
WEAT
|
25%
|
The investment objective of each
Underlying Fund is to have the daily changes in percentage terms of
its Shares’ NAV reflect the daily changes in percentage terms
of the Underlying Fund’s Benchmark. Specifically, the
Teucrium Corn Fund’s Benchmark is: (1) the second-to-expire
Futures Contract for corn traded on the CBOT, weighted 35%, (2) the
third-to-expire CBOT corn Futures Contract, weighted 30%, and (3)
the CBOT Corn Futures Contract expiring in the December following
the expiration month of the third-to-expire contract, weighted 35%.
The Teucrium Wheat Fund’s Benchmark is: (1) the
second-to-expire CBOT Wheat Futures Contract, weighted 35%, (2) the
third-to-expire CBOT wheat Futures Contract, weighted 30%, and (3)
the CBOT Wheat Futures Contract expiring in the December following
the expiration month of the third-to-expire contract, weighted 35%.
The Teucrium Soybean Fund’s Benchmark is: (1) the
second-to-expire CBOT Soybean Futures Contract, weighted 35%, (2)
the third-to-expire CBOT Soybean Futures Contract, weighted 30%,
and (3) the CBOT Soybean Futures Contract expiring in the November
following the expiration month of the third-to-expire contract,
weighted 35%, except that CBOT Soybean Futures Contracts expiring
in August and September will not be part of the Teucrium Soybean
Fund’s Benchmark because of the less liquid market for these
Futures Contracts. The Teucrium Sugar Fund’s Benchmark is:
(1) the second-to-expire Sugar No. 11 Futures Contract traded on
ICE Futures, weighted 35%, (2) the third-to-expire ICE Futures
Sugar No. 11 Futures Contract, weighted 30%, and (3) the ICE
Futures Sugar No. 11 Futures Contract expiring in the March
following the expiration month of the third-to-expire contract,
weighted 35%.
Each Underlying Fund seeks to
achieve its investment objective by investing under normal market
conditions in Benchmark Component Futures Contracts or, in certain
circumstances, in other Futures Contracts for its Specified
Commodity. In addition, and to a limited extent, an Underlying Fund
also may invest in exchange-traded options on Futures Contracts and
in Cleared Swaps for its Specified Commodity in furtherance of the
Underlying Fund's investment objective. Once position limits or
accountability levels on Futures Contracts on an Underlying
Fund’s Specified Commodity are applicable, each Underlying
Fund's intention is to invest in Other Commodity Interests on its
Specified Commodity. See “The Offering – Futures
Contracts” below. By utilizing certain or all of these
investments, the Sponsor endeavors to cause each Underlying Fund's
performance to closely track that of its
Benchmark.
The Underlying Funds invest in
Commodity Interests to the fullest extent possible without being
leveraged or unable to satisfy their current or potential margin or
collateral obligations with respect to its investments in Commodity
Interests. After fulfilling such margin and collateral
requirements, the Underlying Funds invest the remainder of its
proceeds from the sale of baskets in short-term Treasury
Securities, cash and/or cash equivalents, including money market
funds and investment grade commercial paper. Therefore, the focus
of the Sponsor in managing the Underlying Funds is investing in
Commodity Interests and in cash and/or cash equivalents. The
Sponsor expects to manage the Fund’s and Underlying
Funds’ investments directly, although it has been authorized
by the Trust to retain, establish the terms of retention for, and
terminate third-party commodity trading advisors to provide such
management. The Sponsor has substantial discretion in managing the
Fund’s and Underlying Funds’ investments consistent
with meeting their investment objectives, including the discretion:
(1) to choose whether to invest an Underlying Fund’s assets
in the Benchmark Component Futures Contracts or other Futures
Contracts or Other Commodity Interests with similar investment
characteristics; (2) to choose when to “roll” the
Underlying Fund’s positions in Commodity Interests as
described below, and (3) to manage the Fund’s and Underlying
Funds’ investments in Treasury Securities and cash and cash
equivalents.
The Underlying Funds seek to
achieve their investment objectives primarily by investing in
Commodity Interests such that the changes in its NAV will be
expected to closely track the changes in its Benchmark. Each
Underlying Fund’s positions in Commodity Interests will be
changed or “rolled” on a regular basis in order to
track the changing nature of its Benchmark. For example, several
times a year (on the dates on which Futures Contracts on the
Underlying Fund’s Specified Commodity expire), a particular
Futures Contract will no longer be a Benchmark Component Futures
Contract, and the Underlying Fund’s investments will have to
be changed accordingly. In order that the Underlying Funds’
trading does not cause unwanted market movements and to make it
more difficult for third parties to profit by trading based on such
expected market movements, the Underlying Funds’ investments
may not be rolled entirely on that day, but rather may be rolled
over a period of days.
In seeking to achieve each
Underlying Fund’s investment objective of tracking its
Benchmark, the Sponsor may for certain reasons cause the Underlying
Fund to enter into or hold Futures Contracts other than the
Benchmark Component Futures Contracts and/or Other Commodity
Interests. Therefore, an Underlying Fund might enter into multiple
over-the-counter Commodity Interests related to its Specified
Commodity that are intended to exactly replicate the performance of
each of the Underlying Fund’s Benchmark Component Futures
Contracts, or a single over-the-counter Commodity Interest designed
to replicate the performance of its Benchmark as a whole. Assuming
that there is no default by a counterparty to an over-the-counter
Commodity Interest, the performance of the Commodity Interest will
necessarily correlate exactly with the performance of the
Underlying Fund’s Benchmark or the applicable Benchmark
Component Futures Contract. The Underlying Funds might also enter
into or hold Commodity Interests other than the Benchmark Component
Futures Contracts to facilitate effective trading, consistent with
the discussion of the Underlying Fund’s “roll”
strategy in the preceding paragraph. In addition, an Underlying
Fund might enter into or hold Commodity Interests related to its
Specified Commodity that would be expected to alleviate overall
deviation between the Underlying Fund’s performance and that
of its Benchmark that may result from certain market and trading
inefficiencies or other reasons. By utilizing certain or all of the
investments described above, the Sponsor endeavors to cause each
Underlying Fund’s performance to closely track that of its
Benchmark.
The Sponsor endeavors to place the
Fund’s trades in the Underlying Funds and otherwise manage
the Fund’s investments so that the Fund’s average daily
tracking error against the Underlying Fund Average will be less
than 10 percent over any period of 30 trading days. More
specifically, the Sponsor endeavors to manage the Fund so that A
will be within plus/minus 10 percent of B,
where:
|
●
|
A is the average daily change in the
Fund’s NAV for any period of 30 successive valuation days;
i.e., any trading day as of which the Fund calculates its NAV,
and
|
|
●
|
B is the average daily change in the
price of the Underlying Fund Average over the same
period.
|
The Sponsor believes that market
arbitrage opportunities cause daily changes in the Fund’s
Share price on the NYSE Arca to closely track daily changes in the
Fund’s NAV per Share and cause daily changes in the price of
shares of each Underlying Fund on the NYSE Arca to closely track
daily changes in the Underlying Fund’s NAV per share. The
Sponsor believes that the net effect of these expected
relationships and its expected ability (as described above) to
cause daily changes in the Fund’s NAV to track daily changes
in the Underlying Fund Average and to cause daily changes in each
Underlying Fund’s NAV to closely track daily changes in its
Benchmark will be that daily changes in the price of the
Fund’s Shares on the NYSE Arca will track daily changes in an
average of the Underlying Funds’
Benchmarks.
An investment in the Shares provides
a means for diversifying an investor’s portfolio or hedging
exposure to changes in agricultural commodity prices. An investment
in the Shares allows both retail and institutional investors to
easily gain this exposure to the agricultural commodities market in
a transparent and cost-effective manner.
The Sponsor employs a
“neutral” investment strategy intended to track changes
in the Underlying Fund Average and the Underlying Funds will track
changes in their Benchmarks regardless of whether the Underlying
Fund Average or Benchmarks go up or go down. The Fund’s and
Underlying Funds’ “neutral” investment strategies
are designed to permit investors generally to purchase and sell the
Fund’s Shares for the purpose of investing indirectly in the
agricultural commodities market in a cost-effective manner. Such
investors may include participants in agricultural industries and
other industries seeking to hedge the risk of losses in their
commodity-related transactions, as well as investors seeking
exposure to the agricultural commodities market. Accordingly,
depending on the investment objective of an individual investor,
the risks generally associated with investing in the agricultural
commodities market and/or the risks involved in hedging may exist.
In addition, an investment in the Fund involves the risk that the
changes in the price of the Fund’s Shares will not accurately
track the changes in the Underlying Fund Average, that changes in
the prices of the shares of the Underlying Funds will not
accurately track the changes in the Underlying Funds’
Benchmarks, and that changes in the Benchmarks will not closely
correlate with changes in the prices of the Specified Commodities
on the spot market. Furthermore, as noted above, the Fund and
Underlying Funds may also elect to invest in short-term Treasury
Securities, cash and/or cash equivalents to meet its current or
potential margin or collateral requirements with respect to its
investments in Sugar Interests and to invest cash not required to
be used as margin or collateral. The Fund does not expect there to
be any meaningful correlation between the performance of the
Fund’s and Underlying Funds’ investments in short-term
Treasury Securities, cash and/or cash equivalents and the changes
in the prices of the Specified Commodities or Commodity Interests.
While the level of interest earned on, or the market price of,
these investments may in some respects correlate to changes in the
price of the Specified Commodities, this correlation is not
anticipated as part of the Fund’s efforts to meet its
objective.
The total portfolio composition of
the Fund and Underlying Funds is disclosed each business day that
the NYSE Arca is open for trading on the Fund’s website at
www.teucriumtagsfund.com.
The website disclosure of portfolio holdings is made daily and
includes, as applicable, the name and value of each Underlying Fund
and each cash equivalent, and the amount of cash, held in the
Fund’s portfolio, and the name and value of each Futures
Contract and Cleared Swap, the specific types of Other Commodity
Interests and characteristics of such Other Commodity Interests,
the name and value of each short-term Treasury Security and cash
equivalent, and the amount of cash held in each Underlying
Fund’s portfolio. The Fund’s website is publicly
accessible at no charge.
The Shares issued by the Fund may
only be purchased by Authorized Purchasers and only in blocks of
12,500 Shares called Creation Baskets. The amount of the purchase
payment for a Creation Basket is equal to the aggregate NAV of
Shares in the Creation Basket. Similarly, only Authorized
Purchasers may redeem Shares and only in blocks of 12,500 Shares
called Redemption Baskets. The amount of the redemption proceeds
for a Redemption Basket is equal to the aggregate NAV of Shares in
the Redemption Basket. The purchase price for Creation Baskets and
the redemption price for Redemption Baskets are the actual NAV
calculated at the end of the business day when a request for a
purchase or redemption is received by the Fund. The NYSE Arca
publishes an approximate NAV intra-day based on the prior
day’s NAV and the current price of the Benchmark Component
Futures Contracts, but the price of Creation Baskets and Redemption
Baskets is determined based on the actual NAV calculated at the end
of each trading day.
While the Fund issues Shares only in
Creation Baskets, Shares may also be purchased and sold in much
smaller increments on the NYSE Arca. These transactions, however,
are effected at the bid and ask prices established by the
specialist firm(s). Like any listed security, Shares can be
purchased and sold at any time a secondary market is
open.
The Investment Strategies of the Fund and the Underlying
Funds
In managing the Fund’s and
Underlying Funds’ assets, the Sponsor does not use a
technical trading system that automatically issues buy and sell
orders. Instead, each time one or more baskets of Fund Shares are
purchased or redeemed, the Sponsor will purchase or sell shares of
the Underlying Funds in the secondary market. While the Fund will
not cause Authorized Purchasers to purchase or redeem baskets on
its behalf, the demand for Underlying Fund shares caused by the
Fund’s trades may cause an Authorized Purchaser to create
independently one or more baskets of one or more of the Underlying
Funds. When one or more baskets of shares of an Underlying Fund are
purchased or redeemed, Commodity Interests are purchased or sold
with an aggregate market value that approximates the amount of cash
received or paid upon the purchase or redemption of the
basket(s).
As an example,
assume that a Creation Basket is sold by the Fund, that the closing
NAV per Share is $25.00, and that the basket size for the Fund is
12,500 shares. In that case, the Fund would receive $312,500 in
proceeds from the sale of the Creation Basket ($25.00 NAV per Share
multiplied by 12,500 Shares and ignoring any Creation Basket fee).
If one were to assume further that the Sponsor wants to invest the
entire proceeds from the Creation Basket in Shares of the
Underlying Funds and that the NAV of each share is $18, the Fund
would be unable to buy an exact number of Shares with an aggregate
market value equal to $312,500. Instead, the Fund would be able to
purchase 17,361 Shares with an aggregate market value of $312,498.
The remainder of the proceeds from the sale of the Creation Basket,
$2.00, would remain invested in cash and/or cash equivalents, as
determined by the Sponsor from time to time based on factors such
as anticipated redemptions.
The specific Commodity Interests
purchased by an Underlying Fund will depend on various factors,
including a judgment by the Sponsor as to the appropriate
diversification of the Underlying Fund’s investments. While
the Sponsor anticipates that a substantial majority of each
Underlying Fund’s assets will be invested in Futures
Contracts on its Specified Commodity, for various reasons,
including the ability to enter into the precise amount of exposure
to the market for the Specified Commodity and position limits on
Futures Contracts, it may also invest in Other Commodity Interests,
including swaps in the over-the-counter market to a potentially
significant degree.
The Sponsor does not anticipate
letting the Underlying Funds’ Futures Contracts expire and
taking delivery of a Specified Commodity. Instead, the Sponsor
closes out existing positions, e.g., in response to ongoing changes
in an Underlying Fund’s Benchmark or if it otherwise
determines it would be appropriate to do so and reinvest the
proceeds in new Commodity Interests. Positions may also be closed
out to meet orders for Redemption Baskets, in which case the
proceeds from closing the positions will not be
reinvested.
Futures Contracts are agreements
between two parties that are executed on a designated contract
market (“DCM”), i.e., a commodity futures exchange, and
that are cleared and margined through a derivatives clearing
organization (“DCO”), i.e., a clearing house. One party
agrees to buy a commodity from the other party at a later date at a
price and quantity agreed-upon when the contract is made. In market
terminology, a party who purchases a Futures Contract is long in
the market and a party who sells a Futures Contract is short in the
market. The contractual obligations of a buyer or seller may
generally be satisfied by taking or making physical delivery of the
underlying commodity or by making an offsetting sale or purchase of
an identical Futures Contract on the same or linked exchange before
the designated date of delivery. The difference between the price
at which the Futures Contract is purchased or sold and the price
paid for the offsetting sale or purchase, after allowance for
brokerage commissions, constitutes the profit or loss to the
trader.
If the price of the commodity
increases after the original Futures Contract is entered into, the
buyer of the Futures Contract will generally be able to sell a
Futures Contract to close out its original long position at a price
higher than that at which the original contract was purchased,
generally resulting in a profit to the buyer. Conversely, the
seller of a Futures Contract will generally profit if the price of
the underlying commodity decreases, as it will generally be able to
buy a Futures Contract to close out its original short position at
a price lower than that at which the original contract was sold.
Because the Underlying Funds seek to track their Benchmarks
directly and profit when the price of the Specified Commodity and,
as a likely result of an increase in the price of the Specified
Commodity, the price of Futures Contracts on the Specified
Commodity increase, each Underlying Fund will generally be long in
the market for its Specified Commodity, and will generally sell
Futures Contracts only to close out existing long
positions.
Futures Contracts are typically
traded on futures exchanges (i.e. DCMs) such as the CBOT and ICE
Futures, which provide centralized market facilities in which
multiple persons may trade contracts. Members of a particular
futures exchange and the trades executed on such exchange are
subject to the rules of that exchange. Futures exchanges and their
related clearing organizations (i.e. DCOs) are given reasonable
latitude in promulgating rules and regulations to control and
regulate their members.
Trades on a futures exchange are
generally cleared by the DCO, which provides services designed to
mutualize or transfer the credit risk arising from the trading of
contracts on an exchange. The clearing organization effectively
becomes the other party to the trade, and each clearing member
party to the trade looks only to the clearing organization for
performance.
Futures Contracts on corn, wheat and
soybeans are traded on the CBOT (which is part of the CME Group) in
units of 5,000 bushels, and Sugar No. 11 Futures Contracts are
traded on ICE Futures and the New York Mercantile Exchange in units
of 112,000 pounds. Generally, Futures Contracts traded on an
exchange are priced by floor brokers and other exchange members
through an electronic, screen-based system that determines the
price by electronically matching offers to purchase and sell.
Futures Contracts may also be based on commodity indices, in that
they call for a cash payment based on the change in the value of
the specified index during a specified period. No Futures Contracts
based on an index of prices of a Specified Commodity are currently
available, although an Underlying Fund could enter into such
contracts should they become available in the
future.
Certain typical and significant
characteristics of Futures Contracts are discussed below.
Additional risks of investing in Futures Contracts are included in
“What are the Risk Factors Involved with an Investment in the
Fund?”
Impact of Position Limits, Accountability Levels, and Price
Fluctuation Limits
All of these limits may potentially
cause a tracking error between the price of an Underlying
Fund’s shares and its Benchmark. This may in turn prevent you
from being able to effectively use the Fund as a way to hedge
against commodity-related losses or as a way to indirectly invest
in agricultural commodities.
The Fund and the Underlying Funds do
not intend to limit the size of their offerings and will attempt to
expose substantially all of their proceeds to the agricultural
commodities market either directly through Commodity Interests or,
in the case of the Fund, indirectly through the Underlying Funds.
If an Underlying Fund encounters position limits or price
fluctuation limits for Futures Contracts on U.S. exchanges, it may
then, if permitted under applicable regulatory requirements,
purchase Other Commodity Interests and/or Futures Contracts listed
on foreign exchanges. However, the Futures Contracts available on
such foreign exchanges may have different underlying sizes,
deliveries, and prices than the Underlying Funds’ Benchmark
Component Futures Contracts. In addition, the Futures Contracts
available on these exchanges may be subject to their own position
limits or similar restrictions. In any case, notwithstanding the
potential availability of these instruments in certain
circumstances, position limits could force the Fund and the
Underlying Funds to limit the number of Creation Baskets that they
sell.
Price Volatility
Despite daily price limits, the
price volatility of futures contracts generally has been
historically greater than that for traditional securities such as
stocks and bonds. Price volatility often is greater day-to-day as
opposed to intra-day. Economic factors that may cause volatility in
Futures Contracts include changes in interest rates; governmental,
agricultural, trade, fiscal, monetary and exchange control programs
and policies; weather and climate conditions; changing supply and
demand relationships; changes in balances of payments and trade;
U.S. and international rates of inflation; currency devaluations
and revaluations; U.S. and international political and economic
events; and changes in philosophies and emotions of market
participants. Because the Underlying Funds invest a significant
portion of their assets in Futures Contracts, the assets of the
Underlying Funds, and therefore the price of shares of the
Underlying Funds and the Fund’s Shares, may be subject to
greater volatility than traditional securities.
Term Structure of Futures Contracts and the Impact on Total
Return
Several factors determine the total
return from investing in Futures Contracts. Because the Underlying
Funds must periodically “roll” Futures Contract
positions, closing out soon-to-expire contracts that are no longer
part of a Benchmark and entering into subsequent-to-expire
contracts, one such factor is the price relationship between
soon-to-expire contracts and later-to-expire contracts. For
example, if market conditions are such that the prices of
soon-to-expire contracts are higher than later-to-expire contracts
(a situation referred to as “backwardation” in the
futures market), then, absent a change in the market, the price of
contracts will rise as they approach expiration. Conversely, if the
price of soon-to-expire contracts is lower than later-to-expire
contracts (a situation referred to as “contango” in the
futures market), then absent a change in the market the price of
contracts will decline as they approach
expiration.
Over time, the price of a commodity
will fluctuate based on a number of market factors, including
demand for the commodity relative to its supply. The value of
Futures Contracts will likewise fluctuate in reaction to a number
of market factors. If investors seek to maintain their holdings in
Futures Contracts with a roughly constant expiration profile and
not take delivery of the Specified Commodity, they must on an
ongoing basis sell their current positions as they approach
expiration and invest in later-to-expire
contracts.
If the futures market is in a state
of backwardation (i.e., when the price of the Specified Commodity
in the future is expected to be less than the current price), an
Underlying Fund will buy later-to-expire contracts for a lower
price than the sooner-to-expire contracts that it sells.
Hypothetically, and assuming no changes to either prevailing
commodity prices or the price relationship between the spot price,
soon-to-expire contracts and later-to-expire contracts, the value
of a contract will rise as it approaches expiration, increasing the
Underlying Fund’s (and, therefore, the Fund’s) total
return (ignoring the impact of commission costs and the interest
earned on short-term Treasury Securities, cash and/or cash
equivalents).
If the futures market is in
contango, an Underlying Fund will buy later-to-expire contracts for
a higher price than the sooner-to-expire contracts that it sells.
Hypothetically, and assuming no other changes to either prevailing
commodity prices or the price relationship between the spot price,
soon-to-expire contracts and later-to-expire contracts, the value
of a contract will fall as it approaches expiration, decreasing the
Underlying Fund’s (and, therefore, the Fund’s) total
return (ignoring the impact of commission costs and the interest
earned on short-term Treasury Securities, cash and/or cash
equivalents).
Historically, the futures markets
have experienced periods of both contango and backwardation.
Frequently, whether contango or backwardation exists for Futures
Contracts on agricultural commodities is a function, among other
factors, of the seasonality of the markets for such
commodities.
Margin Requirements and Marking-to-Market Futures
Positions
“Initial margin” is an
amount of funds that must be deposited by a commodity interest
trader with the trader’s broker to initiate an open position
in Futures Contracts. A margin deposit is like a cash performance
bond. It helps assure the trader’s performance of the Futures
Contracts that he or she purchases or sells. Futures Contracts are
customarily bought and sold on initial margin that represents a
small percentage of the aggregate purchase or sales price of the
contract. The amount of margin required in connection with a
particular Futures Contract is set by the exchange on which the
contract is traded. Brokerage firms, such as the Underlying
Funds’ FCM, carrying accounts for traders in Commodity
Interest contracts may require higher amounts of margin as a matter
of policy to further protect themselves.
Futures Contracts are marked to
market at the end of each trading day and the margin required with
respect to such contracts is adjusted accordingly. This process of
marking-to-market is designed to prevent losses from accumulating
in any futures account. Therefore, if an Underlying Fund’s
futures positions have declined in value, the Underlying Fund may
be required to post “variation margin” to cover this
decline. Alternatively, if the Underlying Fund’s futures
positions have increased in value, this increase will be credited
to the Underlying Fund’s account.
Over-the-Counter
Derivatives
In addition to futures contracts,
options on Futures Contracts, derivative contracts that are tied to
various commodities are entered into outside of public exchanges.
These “over-the-counter” contracts are entered into
between two parties in private contracts or on a recently formed
swap execution facility (“SEF”) for certain
standardized swaps. Unlike futures contracts, which are guaranteed
by a clearing organization, each party to an over-the-counter
derivative contract bears the credit risk of the other party
(unless such over-the-counter swap is cleared through a DCO), i.e.,
the risk that the other party will not be able to perform its
obligations under its contract.
Some over-the-counter derivatives
contracts contain relatively standardized terms and conditions and
are available from a wide range of participants. Others have highly
customized terms and conditions and are not as widely available.
While the Underlying Funds may enter into these more customized
contracts, the Underlying Funds will only enter into
over-the-counter contracts containing certain terms and conditions,
as discussed further below, that are designed to minimize the
credit risk to which the Underlying Fund will be subject and only
if the terms and conditions of the contract are consistent with
achieving the Underlying Fund’s investment objective of
tracking its Benchmark. The over-the-counter contracts that the
Underlying Funds may enter into will take the form of either
forward contracts, swaps or options.
A forward contract is a contractual
obligation to purchase or sell a specified quantity of a commodity
at or before a specified date in the future at a specified price
and, therefore, is economically similar to a futures contract
except that, unlike a futures contract it cannot be financially
settled (i.e., one must intend to make or take delivery of a
commodity under a forward contract.) Unlike futures contracts,
however, forward contracts are typically privately negotiated or
are traded in the over-the-counter markets. Forward contracts for a
given commodity are generally available for various amounts and
maturities and are subject to individual negotiation between the
parties involved. Moreover, generally there is no direct means of
offsetting or closing out a forward contract by taking an
offsetting position as one would a Futures Contract on a U.S.
exchange. If a trader desires to close out a forward contract
position, he generally will establish an opposite position in the
contract but will settle and recognize the profit or loss on both
positions simultaneously on the delivery date. Thus, unlike in the
futures contract market where a trader who has offset positions
will recognize profit or loss immediately, in the forward market a
trader with a position that has been offset at a profit will
generally not receive such profit until the delivery date, and
likewise a trader with a position that has been offset at a loss
will generally not have to pay money until the delivery date.
However, in some very limited instances such contracts may provide
a right of look out that will allow for the receipt of profit and
payment for losses prior to the delivery date.
An over-the-counter swap agreement
is a bilateral contract to exchange a periodic stream of payments
determined by reference to a notional amount, with payment
typically made between the parties on a net basis. For instance, an
Underlying Fund may be obligated to pay a fixed price per bushel of
a commodity multiplied by a notional number of bushels and be
entitled to receive an amount per bushel equal to the current value
of an index of that commodity’s prices, the price of a
specified Futures Contract, or the average price of a group of
Futures Contracts such as the Underlying Fund’s Benchmark.
Each party to the swap is subject to the credit risk of the other
party. The Underlying Funds will only enter into over-the-counter
swaps on a net basis, where the two payment streams are netted out
on a daily basis, with the parties receiving or paying, as the case
may be, only the net amount of the two payments. Like cleared
swaps, over-the-counter swaps do not generally involve the delivery
of underlying assets or principal and re therefore financially
settled. Accordingly, an Underlying Fund’s risk of loss with
respect to an over-the-counter swap will generally be limited to
the net amount of payments that its counterparty is contractually
obligated to make less any collateral the Underlying Fund is
holding from its counterparty.
To reduce the credit risk that
arises in connection with over-the-counter contracts, the
Underlying Funds will generally enter into agreements with each
counterparty based on the Master Agreement published by the
International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc. that provides
for the netting of an Underlying Fund’s overall exposure to
each counterparty and for daily collateral transfers based on the
marked-to-market value of the contract.
The creditworthiness of each
potential counterparty will be assessed by the Sponsor. The Sponsor
assesses or reviews, as appropriate, the creditworthiness of each
potential or existing counterparty to an over-the-counter contract
pursuant to guidelines approved by the Sponsor. The
creditworthiness of existing counterparties will be reviewed
periodically by the Sponsor. The Sponsor’s President, Chief
Investment Officer, and Chief Executive Officer has over 25 years
of experience in over-the-counter derivatives trading, including
the counterparty creditworthiness analysis inherent therein. There
is no guarantee that the Sponsor’s creditworthiness analysis
will be successful and that counterparties selected for Fund
transactions will not default on their contractual
obligations.
The Underlying Funds also may
require that a counterparty be highly rated and/or provide
collateral or other credit support. The Sponsor on behalf of the
Underlying Funds may enter into over-the-counter contracts with
various types of counterparties, including; (a) entities registered
as swap dealers (“SD”) or major swap participants
(“MSP”), or (b) any other entities that qualify as
eligible contract participants
(“ECP”).
After the enactment of the
Dodd-Frank Act, swaps (and options that are regulated as swaps) are
subject to the CFTC’s exclusive jurisdiction and are
regulated as rigorously as futures. Generally, however, if a swap
is entered into with an SD or MSP, such counterparty will conduct
all necessary compliance with respect to swaps and options under
the Dodd-Frank Act.
See the information presented in the
“Results of Operations” on page 53 of this
prospectus.
Corn is currently the most widely
produced livestock feed grain in the United States. The two largest
demands of the United States’ corn crop are used in livestock
feed and ethanol production. Corn is also processed into food and
industrial products, including starch, sweeteners, corn oil,
beverages and industrial alcohol. The United States Department of
Agriculture (“USDA”) publishes weekly, monthly,
quarterly and annual updates for U.S. domestic and worldwide corn
production and consumption, and for other grains such as soybeans
and wheat which can be used in some cases as a substitute for corn.
These reports are available on the USDA’s website,
www.usda.gov, at no charge. The January 2019 reports were not
published due to a lapse in federal funding. The outlook provided
below is from the March 8, 2019 USDA report.
The United States is the
world’s leading producer and exporter of corn. For the Crop
Year 2018-19, the United States Department of Agriculture
(“USDA”) estimates that the U.S. will produce
approximately 33% of all the corn globally, of which about 16% will
be exported. For 2018-2019, based on the March 2019 USDA reports,
global consumption of 1,134 Million Metric Tons (MMT) is expected
to be slightly higher than global production of 1,101 MMT. If the
global supply of corn exceeds global demand, this may have an
adverse impact on the price of corn. Besides the United States,
other principal world corn exporters include Argentina, Brazil and
the former Soviet Union nations known as the FSU-12 which includes
the Ukraine. Major importer nations include Mexico, Japan, the
European Union (EU), South Korea, Egypt and parts of Southeast
Asia. China’s production at 257 MMT is approximately 8% less
than its domestic usage.
According to the USDA, global corn
consumption has increased just over 479% from crop year 1960/1961
to 2018/2019 as demonstrated by the graph below and is projected to
continue to grow in upcoming years. Consumption growth is the
result of a combination of many factors including: 1) global
population growth, which, according to the U.S. Census Department,
is estimated to increase by approximately 78.3 million people in
the 2018-19 time-frame and reach 9.5 billion by 2050; 2) a growing
global middle class which is increasing the demand for protein and
meat-based products globally and most significantly in developing
countries; and 3) increased use of bio-fuels, including ethanol in
the United States. Based on USDA estimates as of March 8, 2019, for
each person added to the population, there needs to be an
additional 5.9 bushels of corn, 1.7 bushels of soybeans and 3.6
bushels of wheat produced.
While global consumption of corn has
increased over the 1960/1961-2018/2019 period, so has production,
driven by increases in acres planted and yield per acre. However,
according to the USDA and United Nations, future growth in planted
acres and yield may be inhibited by lower-productive land, and lack
of infrastructure and transportation. In addition, agricultural
crops such as corn are highly weather-dependent for yield and
therefore susceptible to changing weather patterns. In addition,
given the current production/consumption patterns, nearly 100% of
all corn produced globally is consumed which leaves minimal excess
inventory if production issues arise.
The price per bushel of corn in the
United States is primarily a function of both U.S. and global
production, as well as U.S. and global demand. The graph below
shows the USDA published price per bushel by month for the period
January 2007 to January 2019.
On March 8, 2019, the USDA released
its monthly World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE)
for the Crop Year 2018-19. The exhibit below provides a summary of
historical and current information for United States corn
production.
Standard Corn Futures Contracts
trade on the CBOT in units of 5,000 bushels, although 1,000 bushels
“mini-corn” Corn Futures Contracts also trade. Three
grades of corn are deliverable under CBOT Corn Futures Contracts:
Number 1 yellow, which may be delivered at 1.5 cents over the
contract price; Number 2 yellow, which may be delivered at the
contract price; and Number 3 yellow, which may be delivered at 1.5
cents under the contract price for all contract months prior to
March 2019 or may be delivered between 2 and 4 cents per bushel
under the contract price for all contract months commencing with
March 2019 and beyond. There are five months each year in which
CBOT Corn Futures Contracts expire: March, May, July, September and
December.
If the futures market is in a state
of backwardation (i.e., when the price of corn in the future is
expected to be less than the current price), the Fund will buy
later-to-expire contracts for a lower price than the
sooner-to-expire contracts that it sells. Hypothetically, and
assuming no changes to either prevailing corn prices or the price
relationship between immediate delivery, soon-to-expire contracts
and later-to-expire contracts, the value of a contract will rise as
it approaches expiration. Over time, if backwardation remained
constant, the differences would continue to increase. If the
futures market is in contango, the Fund will buy later-to-expire
contracts for a higher price than the sooner-to-expire contracts
that it sells. Hypothetically, and assuming no other changes to
either prevailing corn prices or the price relationship between the
spot price, soon-to-expire contracts and later-to-expire contracts,
the value of a contract will fall as it approaches expiration. Over
time, if contango remained constant, the difference would continue
to increase. Historically, the corn futures markets have
experienced periods of both contango and backwardation. Frequently,
whether contango or backwardation exists is a function, among other
factors, of the seasonality of the corn market and the corn harvest
cycle. All other things being equal, a situation involving
prolonged periods of contango may adversely impact the returns of
the Fund; conversely a situation involving prolonged periods of
backwardation may positively impact the returns of the
Fund.
Global soybean production is
concentrated in the U.S., Brazil, Argentina and China. The United
States Department of Agriculture (“USDA”) has estimated
that, for the Crop Year 2018-19, the United States will produce
approximately 124 MMT of soybeans or approximately 34% of estimated
world production, with Brazil production at 117 MMT. Argentina is
projected to produce about 55 MMT. For 2018-19, based on the March
2019 USDA report, global consumption of 348 MMT is estimated
slightly lower than global production of 360 MMT. If the global
supply of soybeans exceeds global demand, this may have an adverse
impact on the price of soybeans. The USDA publishes weekly,
monthly, quarterly and annual updates for U.S. domestic and
worldwide soybean production and consumption. These reports are
available on the USDA’s website, www.usda.gov, at no charge.
The January 2019 reports were not published due to a lapse in
federal funding. The outlook provided above is from the March 8,
2019 USDA report.
The soybean processing industry
converts soybeans into soybean meal, soybean hulls, and soybean
oil. Soybean meal and soybean hulls are processed into soy flour or
soy protein, which are used, along with other commodities, by
livestock producers and the fish farming industry as feed. Soybean
oil is sold in multiple grades and is used by the food, petroleum
and chemical industries. The food industry uses soybean oil in
cooking and salad dressings, baking and frying fats, and butter
substitutes, among other uses. In addition, the soybean industry
continues to introduce soy-based products as substitutes to various
petroleum-based products including lubricants, plastics, ink,
crayons and candles. Soybean oil is also converted to biodiesel for
use as fuel.
Standard Soybean Futures Contracts
trade on the CBOT in units of 5,000 bushels, although 1,000 bushel
“mini-sized” Soybean Futures Contracts also trade.
Three grades of soybean are deliverable under CBOT Soybean Futures
Contracts: Number 1 yellow, which may be delivered at 6 cents per
bushel over the contract price; Number 2 yellow, which may be
delivered at the contract price; and Number 3 yellow, which may be
delivered at 6 cents per bushel under the contract price. There are
seven months each year in which CBOT Soybean Futures Contracts
expire: January, March, May, July, August, September and
November.
If the futures market is in a state
of backwardation (i.e., when the price of soybeans in the future is
expected to be less than the current price), the Fund will buy
later-to-expire contracts for a lower price than the
sooner-to-expire contracts that it sells. Hypothetically, and
assuming no changes to either prevailing soybean prices or the
price relationship between immediate delivery, soon-to-expire
contracts and later-to-expire contracts, the value of a contract
will rise as it approaches expiration. If the futures market is in
contango, the Fund will buy later-to-expire contracts for a higher
price than the sooner-to-expire contracts that it sells.
Hypothetically, and assuming no other changes to either prevailing
soybean prices or the price relationship between the spot price,
soon-to-expire contracts and later-to-expire contracts, the value
of a contract will fall as it approaches expiration. Historically,
the soybeans futures markets have experienced periods of both
contango and backwardation. Frequently, whether contango or
backwardation exists is a function, among other factors, of the
seasonality of the soybean market and the soybean harvest cycle.
All other things being equal, a situation involving prolonged
periods of contango may adversely impact the returns of the Fund;
conversely a situation involving prolonged periods of backwardation
may positively impact the returns of the Fund.
The price per bushel of soybeans in
the United States is primarily a function of both U.S. and global
production, as well as U.S. and global demand. The graph below
shows the USDA published price per bushel by month for the period
January 2007 to January 2019.
On March 8, 2019, the USDA released
its monthly World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE)
for the Crop Year 2018-19. The exhibit below provides a summary of
historical and current information for United States soybean
production.
Sugarcane accounts
for about 80% of the world’s sugar production, while sugar
beets account for the remainder of the world’s sugar
production. Sugar manufacturers use sugar beets and sugarcane as
the raw material from which refined sugar (sucrose) for industrial
and consumer use is produced. Sugar is produced in various forms,
including granulated, powdered, liquid, brown, and molasses. The
food industry (in particular, producers of baked goods, beverages,
cereal, confections, and dairy products) uses sugar and sugarcane
molasses to make sugar containing food products. Sugar beet pulp
and molasses products are used as animal feed ingredients. Ethanol
is an important byproduct of sugarcane processing. Additionally,
the material that is left over after sugarcane is processed is used
to manufacture paper, cardboard, and “environmentally
friendly” eating utensils.
The Sugar No. 11
Futures Contract is the world benchmark contract for raw sugar
trading. This contract prices the physical delivery of raw cane
sugar, delivered to the receiver’s vessel at a specified port
within the country of origin of the sugar. Sugar No. 11 Futures
Contracts trade on ICE Futures US and the NYMEX in units of 112,000
pounds.
The
United States Department of Agriculture (“USDA”)
publishes two major reports annually on U.S. domestic and worldwide
sugar production and consumption. These are usually released in
November and May. In addition, the USDA publishes periodic, but not
as comprehensive, reports on sugar monthly. These reports are
available on the USDA’s website, www.usda.gov, at no charge.
The USDA’s November 2018 report forecasts that India,
with estimated record production of 35.9 million metric tons,
surpassed Brazil as the leading producer of sugarcane worldwide for
the first time in 16 years. India's production, which outpaces the
other principal global producers, namely Brazil, Thailand and
China, equates to approximately 19% of the world’s supply.
The principal producers of sugar beets, as forecast by the USDA for
2019, include the European Union, the United States, and
Russia.
World estimated raw sugar production
is 186 million metric tons, which is forecast down 9 million tons
from the prior year primarily due to the drop in Brazil caused by
unfavorable weather and more sugarcane being diverted towards
ethanol production. The USDA’s report released in November
2018 estimates that for the 2018/2019 Crop Year, record global
consumption of 176 million metric tons will still be below
production and ending stocks are projected to rise to 53 million
metric tons. Similar to the 2017/18 Crop Year, the current period
may see the global supply for sugar exceed demand. In the past,
this situation has, generally, resulted in price decrease. However,
if the global demand of sugar exceeds global supply, prices will
generally increase.
The USDA, in its November 2018
report highlights, in the graph immediately below, projecting
record stocks and consumption despite lower production compared to
the 2017/2018 Crop Year. The second graph shows India, the leading
producer of sugarcane, which surpasses Brazil for the first time in
16 years.
If the
futures market is in a state of backwardation (i.e., when the price
of sugar in the future is expected to be less than the current
price), the Fund will buy later-to-expire contracts for a lower
price than the soon to expire contracts that it sells.
Hypothetically, and assuming no changes to either prevailing sugar
prices or the price relationship between immediate delivery, soon
to expire contracts and later to expire contracts, the value of a
contract will rise as it approaches expiration. Over time if the
backwardation remained constant, the differences would continue to
increase. If the futures market is in contango, the Fund will buy
later to expire contracts for a higher price than the sooner to
expire contracts that it sells. Hypothetically, and assuming no
other changes to either prevailing sugar prices or the price
relationship between the spot price, soon to expire contracts and
later to expire contracts, the value of a contract will fall as it
approaches expiration. Over time, if contango remained constant,
the differences would continue to increase. Historically, the sugar
futures markets have experienced periods of both contango and
backwardation. Frequently, whether contango or backwardation exists
is a function, among other factors, of the seasonality of the sugar
market and the sugar harvest cycle. All other things being equal, a
situation involving prolonged periods of contango may adversely
impact the returns of the Fund. conversely a situation involving
prolonged periods of backwardation may positively impact the
returns of the Fund.
Wheat is used to produce flour, the
key ingredient for breads, pasta, crackers and many other food
products, as well as several industrial products such as starches
and adhesives. Wheat by-products are used in livestock feeds. Wheat
is the principal food grain produced in the United States, and the
United States’ output of wheat is typically exceeded only by
that of China, the European Union, the former Soviet nations, known
as the FSU-12, including the Ukraine, and India. The United States
Department of Agriculture (“USDA”) estimates that for
2018-19, the principal global producers of wheat will be the EU,
the former Soviet nations known as the FSU-12, China, India, the
United States, Australia and Canada. The U.S. generates
approximately 7% of the global production, with approximately 51%
of that being exported. For 2018-19, based on the March 2019 USDA
report, global consumption of 742 MMT is estimated to be slightly
higher than production of 733 MMT. If the global supply of wheat
exceeds global demand, this may have an adverse impact on the price
of wheat. The USDA publishes weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual
updates for U.S. domestic and worldwide wheat production and
consumption. These reports are available on the USDA’s
website, www.usda.gov, at no charge. The January 2019 reports were
not published due to a lapse in federal funding. The outlook
provided below is from the March 8, 2019 USDA
report.
There are several types of wheat
grown in the U.S., which are classified in terms of color,
hardness, and growing season. CBOT Wheat Futures Contracts call for
delivery of #2 soft red winter wheat, which is generally grown in
the eastern third of the United States, but other types and grades
of wheat may also be delivered (Grade #1 soft red winter wheat,
Hard Red Winter, Dark Northern Spring and Northern Spring wheat may
be delivered at 3 cents premium per bushel over the contract price
and #2 soft red winter wheat, Hard Red Winter, Dark Northern Spring
and Northern Spring wheat may be delivered at the contract price.)
Winter wheat is planted in the fall and is harvested in the late
spring or early summer of the following year, while spring wheat is
planted in the spring and harvested in late summer or fall of the
same year. Standard Wheat Futures Contracts trade on the CBOT in
units of 5,000 bushels, although 1,000 bushel
“mini-wheat” Wheat Futures Contracts also trade. There
are five months each year in which CBOT Wheat Futures Contracts
expire: March, May, July, September and
December.
If the futures market is in a state
of backwardation (i.e., when the price of wheat in the future is
expected to be less than the current price), the Fund will buy
later-to-expire contracts for a lower price than the
sooner-to-expire contracts that it sells. Hypothetically, and
assuming no changes to either prevailing wheat prices or the price
relationship between immediate delivery, soon-to-expire contracts
and later-to-expire contracts, the value of a contract will rise as
it approaches expiration. If the futures market is in contango, the
Fund will buy later-to-expire contracts for a higher price than the
sooner-to-expire contracts that it sells. Hypothetically, and
assuming no other changes to either prevailing wheat prices or the
price relationship between the spot price, soon-to-expire contracts
and later-to-expire contracts, the value of a contract will fall as
it approaches expiration. Historically, the wheat futures markets
have experienced periods of both contango and backwardation.
Frequently, whether contango or backwardation exists is a function,
among other factors, of the seasonality of the wheat market and the
wheat harvest cycle. All other things being equal, a situation
involving prolonged periods of contango may adversely impact the
returns of the Fund; conversely a situation involving prolonged
periods of backwardation may positively impact the returns of the
Fund.
The price per bushel of wheat in the
United States is primarily a function of both U.S. and global
production, as well as U.S. and global demand. The graph below
shows the USDA published price per bushel by month for the period
January 2007 to January 2019.
On March 8, 2019, the USDA released
its monthly World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE)
for the Crop Year 2018-19. The exhibit below provides a summary of
historical and current information for United States wheat
production.
Other Trading Policies of the
Fund
Exchange for Related Position
An “exchange for related
position” (“EFRP”) can be used by the Fund or an
Underlying Fund as a technique to facilitate the exchanging of a
futures hedge position against a creation or redemption order, and
thus the Fund or an Underlying Fund may use an EFRP transaction in
connection with the creation and redemption of shares. The market
specialist/market maker that is the ultimate purchaser or seller of
shares in connection with the creation or redemption basket,
respectively, agrees to sell or purchase a corresponding offsetting
shares or futures position which is then settled on the same
business day as a cleared futures transaction by the FCMs. The Fund
or the Underlying Fund will become subject to the credit risk of
the market specialist/market maker until the EFRP is settled within
the business day, which is typically 7 hours or less. The Fund and
the Underlying Funds reports all activity related to EFRP
transactions under the procedures and guidelines of the CFTC and
the exchanges on which the futures are traded.
EFRPs are subject to specific rules
of the CME and CFTC guidance. It is likely that EFRP mechanisms
will significantly change in the future which may make it
uneconomical or impossible from a regulatory perspective for the
Fund to utilize these mechanisms.
Options on Futures Contracts
An option on a Futures Contract
gives the buyer of the option the right, but not the obligation, to
buy or sell a Futures Contract at a specified price on or before a
specified date. The option buyer deposits the purchase price or
“premium” for the option with his broker, and the money
goes to the option seller. Regardless of how much the market
swings, the most an option buyer can lose is the option premium and
the commissions and fees associated with the transaction. However,
the buyer will typically lose the premium if the exercise price of
the option is above (in the case of an option to buy or
“call” option) or below (in the case of an option to
sell or “put” option) the market value at the time of
exercise. Option sellers, on the other hand, face risks similar to
participants in the futures markets. For example, since the seller
of a call option is assigned a short futures position if the option
is exercised, his risk is the same as someone who initially sold a
futures contract. Because no one can predict exactly how the market
will move, the option seller posts margin to demonstrate his
ability to meet any potential contractual
obligations.
In addition to Futures Contracts,
there are also a number of options on Futures Contracts relating to
the Specified Commodities listed on the CBOT and ICE Futures. These
contracts offer investors and hedgers another set of financial
vehicles to use in managing exposure to the commodities market. An
Underlying Fund may purchase and sell (write) options on Futures
Contracts in pursuing its investment objective, except that it will
not sell call options when it does not own the underlying Futures
Contract. An Underlying Fund would make use of options on Futures
Contracts if, in the opinion of the Sponsor, such an approach would
cause the Underlying Fund to more closely track its Benchmark or if
it would lead to an overall lower cost of trading to achieve a
given level of economic exposure to movements in the prices of the
Underlying Fund’s Specified Commodity.
Liquidity
The Underlying Funds invest only in
Futures Contracts that, in the opinion of the Sponsor, are traded
in sufficient volume to permit the ready taking and liquidation of
positions in these financial interests and in over-the-counter
commodity interests that, in the opinion of the Sponsor, may be
readily liquidated with the original counterparty or through a
third party assuming the Underlying Fund’s
position.
Spot Commodities
While most Futures Contracts can be
physically settled, the Fund and the Underlying Funds do not intend
to take or make physical delivery. However, the Underlying Funds
may from time to time trade in Other Commodity Interests based on
the spot price of a Specified Commodity.
Leverage
The Sponsor endeavors to have the
value of each Underlying Fund’s short-term Treasury
Securities, cash and cash equivalents, whether held by the
Underlying Fund or posted as margin or collateral, at all times
approximate the aggregate market value of its obligations under its
Commodity Interests. Commodity pools’ trading positions in
futures contracts are typically required to be secured by the
deposit of margin funds that represent only a small percentage of a
futures contract’s (or other commodity interest’s)
entire market value. While the Sponsor does not intend to leverage
the Fund’s assets, it is not prohibited from doing so under
the Trust Agreement.
Borrowings
The Fund and the Underlying Funds do
not intend to nor foresee the need to borrow money or establish
credit lines. Each Underlying Fund maintains short-term Treasury
Securities, cash and cash equivalents, either held by the
Underlying Fund or posted as margin or collateral, with a value
that at all times approximates the aggregate market value of its
obligations under Commodity Interests.
Pyramiding
Neither the Fund nor any Underlying
Fund employs or will employ the technique, commonly known as
pyramiding, in which a speculator uses unrealized profits on
existing positions as variation margin for the purchase or sale of
additional positions in the same or another Commodity
Interest.
The Fund is authorized to lend
securities to qualified brokers, dealers, banks and other financial
institutions for the purpose of earning additional income a portion
of which will be allocated to the Sponsor as compensation for its
services in managing the associated securities lending activities.
The value of securities loans may not exceed 33 1/3 % of the value
of the Fund’s total assets, which includes the value of
collateral received. To the extent the Fund loans a portion of its
securities, the Fund will receive collateral consisting generally
of cash and/or cash collateral, which will be established initially
in an amount equal to at least 105% of the current market value of
the loaned securities. The loaned securities and such collateral
will be marked-to-market at the end of each subsequent Business Day
on which the securities loan is outstanding. On any Business Day
the value of such collateral is less than 102% of the current
market value of the loaned securities, the borrower of the loaned
securities will deposit additional collateral in an amount
sufficient to increase the total amount of collateral to an amount
equal to or greater than 105% of the current market value of the
loaned securities. Subject to its stated investment policy, the
Fund will generally invest the cash collateral received for the
loaned securities in accordance with applicable investment
guidelines.
In addition, the Fund will be able
to terminate the loan at any time and will receive reasonable
interest on the loan, as well as amounts equal to any dividends,
interest or other distributions on the loaned securities. In the
event of the bankruptcy or insolvency of the borrower, or any
similar proceeding, the Fund could experience delay in recovering
the loaned securities or only recover cash or a security of
equivalent value.
The Service Providers of
the Fund and Underlying Funds
Contractual Arrangements with the Sponsor and Third-Party Service
Providers
The Sponsor is responsible for
investing the assets of the Fund and the Underlying Funds in
accordance with the objectives and policies of the Fund and the
Underlying Funds. In addition, the Sponsor arranges for one or more
third parties to provide administrative, custodial, accounting,
transfer agency and other necessary services to the Fund and the
Underlying Funds. For these services, the Underlying Funds are
contractually obligated to pay a monthly management fee to the
Sponsor based on average daily net assets, at a rate equal to 1.00%
per annum. The Sponsor can elect to waive the payment of this fee
in any amount at its sole discretion, at any time and from time to
time, in order to reduce the Underlying Funds’ expenses or
for any other purpose.
In its capacity as the Fund’s
and Underlying Funds’ custodian, the Custodian, U.S. Bank,
N.A., holds the Underlying Fund shares owned by the Fund and
securities, cash and/or cash equivalents owned by the Fund and the
Underlying Funds pursuant to a custodial agreement. U.S. Bancorp
Fund Services, LLC, doing business as U.S. Bank Global Fund
Services (“Fund Services”), an entity affiliated with
U.S. Bank, N.A., the registrar and transfer agent for the
Fund’s Shares. In addition, USBFS also serves as
Administrator for the Fund and the Underlying Funds, performing
certain administrative and accounting services and preparing
certain SEC and CFTC reports on behalf of the Fund and the
Underlying Funds. For these services, the Fund pays fees to the
Custodian and USBFS as set forth in the table. entitled
“Contractual Fees and Compensation Arrangements with the
Sponsor and Third-Party Service
Providers.”
The Bank of New York Mellon Capital
Markets is the broker for some, but not all, of the equity
transactions related to the purchase and sale of the Underlying
Funds for the Fund.
The Custodian is located at 1555
North RiverCenter Drive, Suite 302, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53212.
U.S. Bank, N.A. is a nationally chartered bank, regulated by the
Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Department of the
Treasury, and is subject to regulation by the Board of Governors of
the Federal Reserve System. The principal address for USBFS is 615
East Michigan Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
53202.
The Fund employs Foreside Fund
Services, LLC as the Distributor for the Fund. The Distributor
receives, for its services as distributor for the Fund, a fee which
is set forth in the table entitled “Contractual Fees and
Compensation Arrangements with the Sponsor and Third Party
Service Providers.”
Pursuant to a Consulting Services
Agreement, Foreside Consulting Services, LLC, performs certain
consulting support services for the Trust’s Sponsor, Teucrium
Trading, LLC. Additionally, Foreside Distributors, LLC performs
certain distribution consulting services pursuant to a Distribution
Consulting Agreement with the Trust’s Sponsor, Teucrium
Trading, LLC.
The Distribution Services Agreement
among the Distributor, the Sponsor, and the Trust calls for the
Distributor to work with the Custodian in connection with the
receipt and processing of orders for Creation Baskets and
Redemption Baskets and the review and approval of all Fund sales
literature and advertising materials. The Distributor and the
Sponsor have also entered into a Securities Activities and Service
Agreement (the “SASA”) under which certain employees
and officers of the Sponsor are licensed as registered
representatives or registered principals of the Distributor, under
the FINRA rules (“Registered Representatives”). As
Registered Representatives of the Distributor, these persons are
permitted to engage in certain marketing activities for the Fund
that they would otherwise not be permitted to engage in. Under the
SASA, the Sponsor is obligated to ensure that such marketing
activities comply with applicable law and are permitted by the SASA
and the Distributor’s internal
procedures.
The Distributor’s principal
business address is Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, Maine
04101. The Distributor is a broker-dealer registered with the SEC
and a member of FINRA.
The Fund purchases and sells shares
of the Underlying Funds through broker-dealers selected on a
trade-by-trade basis. Commissions and other transactions costs for
such transactions are negotiated separately with each such
broker-dealer.
Currently, ED&F Man Capital
Markets, Inc. (“ED&F Man”) serves as the Underlying
Funds’ clearing broker to execute and clear the futures and
provide other brokerage-related services. ED&F Man is
registered as a futures commission merchant (“FCM”)
with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission
(“CFTC”) and is a member of the National Futures
Association (“NFA”). ED&F Man is also registered as
a broker/dealer with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
and is a member of FINRA. ED&F Man is a clearing member of ICE
Futures U.S., Inc., Chicago Board of Trade, Chicago Mercantile
Exchange, New York Mercantile Exchange, and all other major United
States commodity exchanges.
There has been no material civil,
administrative, or criminal proceedings pending, on appeal, or
concluded against ED&F Man or its principals in the past five
(5) years. For a list of concluded
actions, please go to http://www.nfa.futures.org/basicnet/welcome.aspx.
This link will take you to the Welcome Page of the NFA’s
Background Affiliation Status Information Center
(“BASIC”). At this page, there is a box where you can
enter the NFA ID of ED&F Man Capital Markets Inc. (0002613) and
then click “Go”. You will be transferred to the
NFA’s information specific to ED&F Man Capital Markets
Inc. Under the heading “Regulatory Actions”, click
“details” and you will be directed to the full list of
regulatory actions brought by the CFTC and
exchanges.
ED&F Man, in its capacity as a
registered FCM, will serve as the Fund's clearing broker and, as
such, will arrange for the execution and clearing of the Fund's
futures and options on futures transactions. ED&F Man acts as
clearing broker for many other funds and
individuals.
The investor should be advised that
ED&F Man is not affiliated with and does not act as a
supervisor of the Fund or the Fund's Sponsor, investment managers,
members, officers, administrators, transfer agents, registrars or
organizers. Additionally, ED&F Man is not acting as an
underwriter or sponsor of the offering of any shares or interests
in the Fund and has not passed upon the adequacy of this
prospectus, the merits of participating in this offering or on the
accuracy of the information contained herein.
Additionally, ED&F Man does not
provide any commodity trading advice regarding the Underlying
Funds’ trading activities. Investors should not rely upon
ED&F Man in deciding whether to invest in the Underlying Funds
or retain their interests in the Funds. Investors should also note
that the Underlying Funds may select additional clearing brokers or
replace ED&F Man as the Funds’ clearing
broker.
Currently, the Sponsor does not
employ commodity trading advisors. If, in the future, the Sponsor
does employ commodity trading advisors, it will choose each advisor
based on arm’s-length negotiations and will consider the
advisor’s experience, fees, and
reputation.
Contractual Fees and Compensation Arrangements with the Sponsor and
Third-Party Service Providers
Service
Provider
|
|
Compensation Paid
by the Fund
|
|
Compensation Paid by
the Underlying
Funds
|
Teucrium Trading,
LLC, Sponsor
|
|
None.
|
|
1.00% of average net assets
annually
|
U.S. Bank, N.A.,
Custodian
|
|
For custody services: 0.0075% of
average gross assets up to $1 billion, and .0050% of average gross
assets over $1 billion, annually, plus certain per-transaction
charges
|
|
For custody services: 0.0075% of
average gross assets up to $1 billion, and .0050% of average gross
assets over $1 billion, annually, plus certain per-transaction
charges
|
U.S. Bank Global Fund Services, LLC,
doing business as U.S. Bank Global Fund Services, Transfer Agent,
Fund Accountant and Fund Administrator
|
|
For Transfer Agency, Fund Accounting
and Fund Administration services: based on the total assets for all
the Funds in the Trust: 0.06% of average gross assets on the first
$250 million, 0.05% on the next $250 million, 0.04% on the next
$500 million and 0.03% on the balance over $1 billion
annually.
A combined minimum annual fee of
$64,500 for custody, transfer agency, accounting and administrative
services is assessed per Fund.
|
|
For Transfer Agency, Fund Accounting
and Fund Administration services: based on the total assets for all
the Funds in the Trust: 0.06% of average gross assets on the first
$250 million, 0.05% on the next $250 million, 0.04% on the next
$500 million and 0.03% on the balance over $1 billion
annually.
A combined minimum annual fee of
$64,500 for custody, transfer agency, accounting and administrative
services is assessed per Fund.
|
Foreside Fund Services, LLC,
Distributor
|
|
For reimbursement of expenses
including sales and advertising FINRA filing fees, and other
miscellaneous expenses incurred in connection with the provision of
distribution services on behalf of the Fund, not to exceed $6,000
for the two-year period of April 29, 2019 to April 29, 2021 (the
“two year offering period”).
The total amount of the SASA fee
allocated to the Fund is estimated to be approximately $250 per
year and $500 for the two-year offering period. The total amount of
expenses to be reimbursed under the SASA allocated to the Fund is
estimated to be approximately $3,000 per year and $6,000 for the
two-year offering period.
|
|
The Distributor receives a fee of
0.01% of the Fund’s average daily net assets and an aggregate
annual fee of $100,000 for all Teucrium Funds. The fees which will
be paid to the Distributor by the Fund per year are estimated not
to exceed $100,000 per year. The total maximum base fee and basis
point fee for the two-year offering period equals $500,000.
Therefore, the maximum amount of fees the
Distributor could receive from the
Underlying Funds for distribution services with respect to this
offering equals $500,000.
The Distributor also receives
certain expense reimbursements relating to its distribution
services for the Underlying Funds, which are estimated not to
exceed $24,000 for the two-year offering period. None of these
expense reimbursements are allocated to services provided for the
Fund. Expense reimbursements for distribution services for this
offering are paid by the Fund and disclosed under the column titled
Compensation Paid by the Fund.
Under the Securities Activities and
Service Agreement, the Distributor receives compensation for its
activities on behalf of all
the Teucrium Funds, which is
estimated not to exceed an aggregate for the Teucrium Funds of
$28,000 per year and $56,000 for the two-year offering period. Of
this $56,000 mentioned above, all will be allocated to the
Underlying
Funds. In addition, the Distributor
receives certain expense reimbursements relating to
the
registration, continuing education
and other administrative expenses of the Registered Representatives
in relation to the Teucrium Funds, currently estimated at $13,500
per year and $27,000 for the two-year offering period. Of this
$27,000 mentioned above, all will be allocated to the Underlying
Funds.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Broker-Dealers
|
|
As negotiated with the particular
broker-dealer.
|
|
N/A
|
|
|
|
|
|
Wilmington Trust Company,
Trustee
|
|
None
|
|
$3,300 annually
|
|
|
|
|
|
Employees of the Sponsor Registered
with the Distributor (the “Registered
Representatives”)
|
|
For services provided to the Fund,
$10,000, such amount to be paid by the Sponsor; for marketing and
wholesaling services, $4,500, such amount to be paid by the
Sponsor.
|
|
N/A
|
Other Non-Contractual Payments by the Fund
The Fund pays for all brokerage
fees, taxes and other expenses, including licensing fees for the
use of intellectual property, registration or other fees paid to
the SEC, FINRA, or any other regulatory agency in connection with
the offer and sale of subsequent Shares after its initial
registration and all legal, accounting, printing and other expenses
associated therewith. The Fund also pays its portion of the fees
and expenses for services directly attributable to the Fund such as
accounting, financial reporting, regulatory compliance and trading
activities, which the Sponsor elected not to outsource. Certain
aggregate expenses common to all Teucrium Funds within the Trust
are allocated by the Sponsor to the respective funds based on
activity drivers deemed most appropriate by the Sponsor for such
expenses, including but not limited to relative assets under
management and creation order activity. These aggregate common
expenses include, but are not limited to, legal, auditing,
accounting and financial reporting, tax-preparation, regulatory
compliance, trading activities, and insurance costs, as well as
fees paid to the Distributor. A portion of these aggregate common
expenses are related to the Sponsor or related parties of
principals of the Sponsor; these are necessary services to the
Teucrium Funds, which are primarily the cost of performing certain
accounting and financial reporting, regulatory compliance, and
trading activities that are directly attributable to the Fund and
are included, primarily, in distribution and marketing
fees.
|
Year
Ended
December 31,
2018
|
Year
Ended
December 31,
2017
|
Year
Ended
December 31,
2016
|
Recognized Related
Party Transactions
|
$18,186
|
$12,512
|
$14,004
|
Waived Related Party
Transactions
|
$13,526
|
$9,438
|
$11,975
|
The contractual and non-contractual
fees and expenses paid by the Fund, net of any expenses waived by
the Sponsor, as described above (exclusive of the estimated
brokerage fees) are as follows. These are also the “Other
Fund Fees and Expenses” included in the section entitled
“Breakeven Analysis” in this prospectus on page
10.
Professional
Fees1
|
$0.00
|
Distribution and
Marketing Fees2
|
0.01
|
Custodian Fees and
Expenses3
|
0.00
|
General and
Administrative Fees4
|
0.00
|
Business Permits and
Licenses
|
0.00
|
Other
Expenses
|
0.00
|
Total Other Fund
Fees and Expenses
|
$0.01
|
(1) Professional fees consist
of primarily, but not entirely, legal, auditing and tax-preparation
related costs.
(2) Distribution
and marketing fees consist of primarily, but not entirely, fees
paid to the Distributor (Foreside Fund Services, LLC), costs
related to regulatory compliance activities and other costs related
to the trading activities of the Fund
(3) Custodian and
Administrator fees consist of fees to the Administrator and
Custodian for accounting, transfer agent and custodian
activities
(4) General and Administrative
fees consist of primarily, but not entirely, insurance and printing
costs.
Asset-based fees are calculated on a
daily basis (accrued at 1/365 of the applicable percentage of NAV
on that day) and paid on a monthly basis. NAV is calculated by
taking the current market value of the Fund’s total assets
and subtracting any liabilities.
Registered Form
Shares are issued in registered form
in accordance with the Trust Agreement. USBFS has been appointed
registrar and transfer agent for the purpose of transferring Shares
in certificated form. USBFS keeps a record of all Shareholders and
holders of the Shares in certificated form in the registry
(“Register”). The Sponsor recognizes transfers of
Shares in certificated form only if done in accordance with the
Trust Agreement. The beneficial interests in such Shares are held
in book-entry form through participants and/or accountholders in
DTC.
Book Entry
Individual certificates are not
issued for the Shares. Instead, Shares are represented by one or
more global certificates, which are deposited by the Administrator
with DTC and registered in the name of Cede & Co., as nominee
for DTC. The global certificates evidence all of the Shares
outstanding at any time. Shareholders are limited to (1)
participants in DTC such as banks, brokers, dealers and trust
companies (“DTC Participants”), (2) those who maintain,
either directly or indirectly, a custodial relationship with a DTC
Participant (“Indirect Participants”), and (3) those
who hold interests in the Shares through DTC Participants or
Indirect Participants, in each case who satisfy the requirements
for transfers of Shares. DTC Participants acting on behalf of
investors holding Shares through such participants’ accounts
in DTC will follow the delivery practice applicable to securities
eligible for DTC’s Same-Day Funds Settlement System. Shares
are credited to DTC Participants’ securities accounts
following confirmation of receipt of payment.
DTC
DTC has advised us as follows: It is
a limited purpose trust company organized under the laws of the
State of New York and is a member of the Federal Reserve System, a
“clearing corporation” within the meaning of the New
York Uniform Commercial Code and a “clearing agency”
registered pursuant to the provisions of Section 17A of the
Exchange Act. DTC holds securities for DTC Participants and
facilitates the clearance and settlement of transactions between
DTC Participants through electronic book-entry changes in accounts
of DTC Participants.
The Shares are only transferable
through the book-entry system of DTC. Shareholders who are not DTC
Participants may transfer their Shares through DTC by instructing
the DTC Participant holding their Shares (or by instructing the
Indirect Participant or other entity through which their Shares are
held) to transfer the Shares. Transfers are made in accordance with
standard securities industry practice.
Transfers of interests in Shares
with DTC are made in accordance with the usual rules and operating
procedures of DTC and the nature of the transfer. DTC has
established procedures to facilitate transfers among the
participants and/or accountholders of DTC. Because DTC can only act
on behalf of DTC Participants, who in turn act on behalf of
Indirect Participants, the ability of a person or entity having an
interest in a global certificate to pledge such interest to persons
or entities that do not participate in DTC, or otherwise take
actions in respect of such interest, may be affected by the lack of
a certificate or other definitive document representing such
interest.
DTC has advised us that it will take
any action permitted to be taken by a Shareholder (including,
without limitation, the presentation of a global certificate for
exchange) only at the direction of one or more DTC Participants in
whose account with DTC interests in global certificates are
credited and only in respect of such portion of the aggregate
principal amount of the global certificate as to which such DTC
Participant or Participants has or have given such
direction.
Inter-Series Limitation on
Liability
Because the Trust was established as
a Delaware statutory trust, each Teucrium Fund and each other
series that may be established under the Trust in the future will
be operated so that it will be liable only for obligations
attributable to such series and will not be liable for obligations
of any other series or affected by losses of any other series. If
any creditor or shareholder of any particular series (such as the
Fund) asserts against the series a valid claim with respect to its
indebtedness or shares, the creditor or shareholder will only be
able to obtain recovery from the assets of that series and not from
the assets of any other series or the Trust generally. The assets
of the Fund and any other series will include only those funds and
other assets that are paid to, held by or distributed to the series
on account of and for the benefit of that series, including,
without limitation, amounts delivered to the Trust for the purchase
of shares in a series. This limitation on liability is referred to
as the Inter-Series Limitation on Liability. The Inter-Series
Limitation on Liability is expressly provided for under the
Delaware Statutory Trust Act, which provides that if certain
conditions (as set forth in Section 3804(a)) are met, then the
debts of any particular series will be enforceable only against the
assets of such series and not against the assets of any other
series or the Trust generally. In furtherance of the Inter-Series
Limitation on Liability, every party providing services to the
Trust, the Fund or the Sponsor on behalf of the Trust or the Fund,
will acknowledge and consent in writing to the Inter-Series
Limitation on Liability with respect to such party’s
claims.
The existence of a Trustee should
not be taken as an indication of any additional level of management
or supervision over the Fund or any Underlying Fund. Consistent
with Delaware law, the Trustee acts in an entirely passive role,
delegating all authority for the management and operation of the
Fund and the Trust to the Sponsor. The Trustee does not provide
custodial services with respect to the assets of the Fund or any
Underlying Fund.
Buying and Selling Shares
Most investors buy and sell Shares
of the Fund in secondary market transactions through brokers.
Shares trade on the NYSE Arca under the ticker symbol
“TAGS.” Shares are bought and sold throughout the
trading day like other publicly traded securities. When buying or
selling Shares through a broker, most investors incur customary
brokerage commissions and charges. Investors are encouraged to
review the terms of their brokerage account for details on
applicable charges and, as discussed below under “U.S.
Federal Income Tax Considerations,” any provisions
authorizing the broker to borrow Shares held on your
behalf.
The Distributor and Authorized Purchasers
The offering of the Fund’s
Shares is a best efforts offering. The Fund continuously offers
Creation Baskets consisting of 12,500 Shares at their NAV through
the Distributor to Authorized Purchasers. Merrill Lynch
Professional Clearing Corp was the initial Authorized Purchaser.
The initial Authorized Purchaser purchased one Creation Basket of
50,000 units, which was the Creation Basket size at the time of the
initial offering, at a per unit price of $50.00 on March 27,
2012.
The Sponsor and the Trust are
parties to an Amended and Restated Distribution Services Agreement
dated as of November 17, 2010 (the “Distribution
Agreement”), which amended and restated in its entirety a
Distribution Services Agreement between the Sponsor, the Trust, and
Foreside Fund Services, LLC (the “Distributor”) dated
as of October 15, 2010. Pursuant to the Distribution Agreement the
Distributor, together with USBFS, is required to provide services
in connection with the receipt and processing of orders for
Creation Baskets and Redemption baskets of units of the funds that
are series of the Trust, including the Fund.
The Distribution Agreement, as
amended, remains in full force and effect between the parties. The
Distribution Agreement was most recently amended on December 10,
2014 and was previously amended on May 25, 2011, October 1, 2011,
and April 22, 2014. The first amendment to the Distribution
Agreement, dated May 25, 2011, provided for the application of the
agreement to additional series of the Trust and revised the fee
schedule, including the specific fees and expenses allocable to the
Fund and each of the funds that are series of the
Trust.
The second amendment and third
amendments revised the fee schedule between the parties, including
the specific fees and expenses allocable to the Fund and each
Teucrium Fund. The fourth amendment eliminated the two series of
the Trust which ceased operations on December 21,
2014.
The Distributor receives a fee at an
annual rate of 0.01% of each Teucrium Fund’s average daily
net assets calculated and billed monthly, and an annual aggregate
fee of $100,000 for all Teucrium Funds for which the Distributor
serves as such. The Distributor also receives certain expense
reimbursements relating to its distribution services, for all
Teucrium Funds, currently estimated at $57,000 for a two-year
offering period. The fees which will be paid to the Distributor by
the Fund per year are estimated not to exceed $100,000 per
year.
The Distributor receives fees only
from the Underlying Funds. The Distributor will not receive a
separate fee directly from the assets of the Fund; however, the
Fund will reimburse the Distributor for certain expenses relating
to sales and advertising FINRA filing fees and other miscellaneous
expenses incurred in connection with the provision of distribution
services on behalf of the Fund, currently estimated at $6,000 for
the two-year offering period. The Distributor receives, for its
services as distributor for the Underlying Funds, a fee at an
annual rate of 0.01% of each Underlying Fund’s average daily
net assets (or an aggregate maximum fee of $150,000), and an annual
fee of $100,000 in the aggregate for all of the Underlying Funds.
The total maximum base fee and basis point fee for the two-year
offering period equals $500,000. Of this total, a percentage has
been allocated to the Underlying Funds, which amount equals
$500,000 for the two-year offering period and $250,000 per year.
Therefore, the maximum amount of fees the Distributor will receive
from the Underlying Funds with respect to this offering equals
$500,000. In no event may the aggregate compensation paid to the
Distributor and any affiliate of the Distributor for
distribution-related services in connection with this offering of
Shares exceed 10 percent (10%) of the gross proceeds of this
offering. The maximum expense reimbursements the Distributor will
receive from the Fund over the expected two-year offering period
will not exceed $6,000.
The Distribution Services Agreement
among the Distributor, the Sponsor and the Trust calls for the
Distributor to work with the Custodian in connection with the
receipt and processing of orders for Creation Baskets and
Redemption Baskets and the review and approval of all Fund sales
literature and advertising materials. The Distributor and the
Sponsor have also entered into a Securities Activities and Services
Agreement (the “SASA”) under which certain employees
and officers of the Sponsor are licensed as registered
representatives or registered principals of the Distributor, under
FINRA rules. As Registered Representatives of the Distributor,
these persons are permitted to engage in certain marketing
activities for the Fund that they would otherwise not be permitted
to engage in. Under the SASA, the Sponsor is obligated to ensure
that such marketing activities comply with applicable law and are
permitted by the SASA and the Distributor’s internal
procedures. The Distributor is paid a fee and reimbursed for
expenses in connection with the services provided pursuant to the
SASA. The fees and expenses are allocated across all five of the
funds in the Teucrium Trust. Therefore, the total amount of the fee
allocated to the Fund is $250 per year and $500 for the two-year
offering period. The total amount of expenses to be reimbursed
under the SASA allocated to the Fund is $3,000 per year and $6,000
for the two-year offering period. The total non-transaction based
compensation to be paid to the Registered Representatives is $5,000
per year, of which all will be paid by the Sponsor for marketing
and wholesaling services.
The offering of baskets is being
made in compliance with Conduct Rule 2310 of FINRA. Accordingly,
Authorized Purchasers will not make any sales to any account over
which they have discretionary authority without the prior written
approval of a purchaser of Shares.
The per share price of Shares
offered in Creation Baskets on any subsequent day will be the total
NAV of the Fund calculated shortly after the close of the NYSE Arca
on that day divided by the number of issued and outstanding Shares.
An Authorized Purchaser is not required to sell any specific number
or dollar amount of Shares.
By executing an Authorized Purchaser
Agreement, an Authorized Purchaser becomes part of the group of
parties eligible to purchase baskets from, and put baskets for
redemption to, the Fund. An Authorized Purchaser is under no
obligation to create or redeem baskets or to offer to the public
Shares of any baskets it does create. If an Authorized Purchaser
sells Shares that it has created to the public, it will be expected
to sell them at per-Share offering prices that are expected to
reflect, among other factors, the trading price of the Shares on
the NYSE Arca, the NAV of the Fund at the time the Authorized
Purchaser purchased the Creation Baskets and the NAV at the time of
the offer of the Shares to the public, the supply of and demand for
Shares at the time of sale, and the liquidity of the Commodity
Interest markets. The prices of Shares offered by Authorized
Purchasers are expected to fall between the Fund’s NAV and
the trading price of the Shares on the NYSE Arca at the time of
sale.
The following entities have entered
into Authorized Purchaser Agreements with respect to the Fund:
Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., J.P. Morgan Securities
LLC, Merrill
Lynch Professional Clearing Corp., Goldman Sachs & Co., Citadel
Securities, LLC, and Virtu Financial BD LLC.
In order to increase the amount of
outstanding Shares, the Sponsor or the Fund may compensate certain
persons, including broker-dealers, for purchasing Creation Baskets
themselves or for locating others to purchase Creation Baskets.
Assets under management derived from such purchases may represent a
significant proportion of total assets in the Fund. Any such
compensation paid to FINRA member firms will not exceed, in the
aggregate, $500,000 over the expected two-year offering period. The
Sponsor believes that increasing the assets under management of the
Fund is in the best interest of shareholders because it creates
economies of scale in the operation of the Fund and allows the Fund
the visibility to reach a broader group of investors. For example,
some advisers require funds to have a certain level of assets under
management before considering them for recommendation. Furthermore,
a larger number of Shares outstanding should increase liquidity
because there will be more Shares available for investors to buy
and sell in the secondary market. A smaller number of Shares
outstanding, conversely, may inhibit trading on the secondary
market by limiting Shares available for purchase at any given
time.
Because new Shares can be created
and issued on an ongoing basis, at any point during the life of the
Fund, a “distribution,” as such term is used in the
1933 Act, will be occurring. Authorized Purchasers, other
broker-dealers and other persons are cautioned that some of their
activities may result in their being deemed participants in a
distribution in a manner that would render them statutory
underwriters and subject them to the prospectus-delivery and
liability provisions of the 1933 Act. For example, an Authorized
Purchaser, other broker-dealer firm or its client will be deemed a
statutory underwriter if it purchases a basket from the Fund,
breaks the basket down into the constituent Shares and sells the
Shares to its customers; or if it chooses to couple the creation of
a supply of new Shares with an active selling effort involving
solicitation of secondary market demand for the Shares. In
contrast, Authorized Purchasers may engage in secondary market or
other transactions in Shares that would not be deemed
“underwriting.” For example, an Authorized Purchaser
may act in the capacity of a broker or dealer with respect to
Shares that were previously distributed by other Authorized
Purchasers. A determination of whether a particular market
participant is an underwriter must take into account all the facts
and circumstances pertaining to the activities of the broker-dealer
or its client in the particular case, and the examples mentioned
above should not be considered a complete description of all the
activities that would lead to designation as an underwriter and
subject them to the prospectus-delivery and liability provisions of
the 1933 Act.
Dealers who are neither Authorized
Purchasers nor “underwriters” but are nonetheless
participating in a distribution (as contrasted to ordinary
secondary trading transactions), and thus dealing with Shares that
are part of an “unsold allotment” within the meaning of
Section 4(a)(3)(C) of the 1933 Act, would be unable to take
advantage of the prospectus-delivery exemption provided by Section
4(a)(3) of the 1933 Act.
The Sponsor expects that any
broker-dealers selling Shares will be members of FINRA. Investors
intending to create or redeem baskets through Authorized Purchasers
in transactions not involving a broker-dealer registered in such
investor’s state of domicile or residence should consult
their legal advisor regarding applicable broker-dealer regulatory
requirements under the state securities laws prior to such creation
or redemption.
While the Authorized Purchasers may
be indemnified by the Sponsor, they will not be entitled to receive
a discount or commission from the Trust or the Sponsor for their
purchases of Creation Baskets.
The Fund’s NAV per Share is
calculated by:
|
●
|
taking the current market value of
its total assets, and
|
|
●
|
subtracting any liabilities and
dividing the balance by the number of Shares.
|
USBFS, in its capacity as the
“Administrator”, calculates the NAV of the Fund once
each trading day. It calculates NAV as of the earlier of the close
of the New York Stock Exchange or 4:00 p.m. New York time. The NAV
for a particular trading day is released after 4:15 p.m. New York
time.
For purposes of the determining the
Fund’s NAV, the Fund’s investments in the Underlying
Funds will be valued based on the Underlying Funds’ NAVs. In
turn, in determining the value of the Futures Contracts held by the
Underlying Funds, the Administrator will use the closing price on
the exchange on which they are traded, except that the “fair
value” of a Futures Contract (as described in more detail
below) may be used when the Futures Contract close at its price
fluctuation limit for the day. The Administrator will determine the
value of all other Fund and Underlying Fund investments as of the
earlier of the close of the New York Stock Exchange or 4:00 p.m.
New York time, in accordance with the current Services Agreement
between the Administrator and the Trust. The value of
over-the-counter Commodity Interests will be determined based on
the value of the commodity or Futures Contract underlying such
Commodity Interest, except that a fair value may be determined if
the Sponsor believes that the Underlying Fund is subject to
significant credit risk relating to the counterparty to such
Commodity Interest. Cash equivalents held by the Fund or Underlying
Funds are valued by the Administrator using values received from
recognized third-party vendors (such as Reuters) and dealer quotes.
NAV includes any unrealized profit or loss on open Commodity
Interests and any other credit or debit accruing to the Fund but
unpaid or not received by the Fund.
The fair value of a Commodity
Interest shall be determined by the Sponsor in good faith and in a
manner that assesses the Commodity Interest’s value based on
a consideration of all available facts and information on the
valuation date. When a Futures Contract has closed at its price
fluctuation limit, the fair value determination attempts to
estimate the price at which such Futures Contract would be trading
in the absence of the price fluctuation limit (either above such
limit when an upward limit has been reached or below such limit
when a downward limit has been reached). Typically, this estimate
will be made primarily by reference to the price of comparable
Commodity Interests trading in the over-the-counter market. The
fair value of a Commodity Interest may not reflect such
instrument’s market value or the amount an Underlying Fund
might reasonably expect to receive upon closing out the
instrument.
In addition, in order to provide
updated information relating to the Fund for use by investors and
market professionals, NYSE Arca calculates and disseminates
throughout the trading day an updated “indicative fund
value.” The indicative fund value is calculated by using the
prior day’s closing NAV per Share of the Fund as a base and
updating that value throughout the trading day to
reflect changes in the
indicative fund values of the Underlying Funds’ shares.
Changes in the value of cash equivalents are not included in the
calculation of indicative fund value. For this and other reasons,
the indicative fund value disseminated during the NYSE Arca trading
hours should not be viewed as an actual real time update of the
NAV. NAV is calculated only once at the end of each trading
day.
The indicative fund value for the
Fund and each Underlying Fund is disseminated by one or more major
market data vendors on a per Share basis every 15 seconds during
the NYSE Arca Core Trading Session. The normal trading hours for
Futures Contracts may begin after 9:30 a.m. and end before 4:00
p.m. New York time, and there is a gap in time at the beginning and
the end of each day during which the Underlying Funds’ shares
are traded on the NYSE Arca, but real-time trading prices for at
least some of the Futures Contracts held by the Underlying Funds
are not available. As a result, during those gaps there is no
update to the indicative fund values of the Underlying Funds and
such indicative fund values, therefore, will be
static.
The NYSE Arca disseminates the
indicative fund value through the facilities of CTA/CQ High Speed
Lines. In addition, the indicative fund value is published on the
NYSE Arca’s website and is available through on-line
information services such as Bloomberg and
Reuters.
Dissemination of the indicative fund
value provides additional information that is not otherwise
available to the public and is useful to investors and market
professionals in connection with the trading of Fund Shares on the
NYSE Arca. Investors and market professionals are able throughout
the trading day to compare the market price of the Fund and the
indicative fund value. If the market price of Fund Shares diverges
significantly from the indicative fund value, market professionals
may have an incentive to execute arbitrage trades. For example, if
the Fund appears to be trading at a discount compared to the
indicative fund value, a market professional could buy Fund Shares
on the NYSE Arca, aggregate them into Redemption Baskets, and
receive the NAV of such Shares by redeeming them to the Trust
provided that there are not a minimum number of shares outstanding.
Such arbitrage trades can tighten the tracking between the market
price of the Fund and the indicative fund value and thus can be
beneficial to all market participants.
Creation and Redemption of
Shares
The Fund creates and redeems Shares
from time to time, but only in one or more Creation Baskets or
Redemption Baskets. The creation and redemption of baskets are only
made in exchange for delivery to the Fund or the distribution by
the Fund of the amount of cash, cash equivalents and/or Underlying
Fund shares equal to the combined NAV of the number of Shares
included in the baskets being created or redeemed determined as of
4:00 p.m. New York time on the day the order to create or redeem
baskets is properly received.
Authorized Purchasers are the only
persons that may place orders to create and redeem baskets.
Authorized Purchasers must be (1) either registered broker-dealers
or other securities market participants, such as banks and other
financial institutions, that are not required to register as
broker-dealers to engage in securities transactions as described
below, and (2) DTC Participants. To become an Authorized Purchaser,
a person must enter into an Authorized Purchaser Agreement with the
Sponsor. The Authorized Purchaser Agreement provides the procedures
for the creation and redemption of baskets and for the delivery of
the cash, cash equivalents and/or Underlying Fund shares required
for such creations and redemptions. The Authorized Purchaser
Agreement and the related procedures attached thereto may be
amended by the Sponsor, without the consent of any Shareholder or
Authorized Purchaser. Authorized Purchasers pay a transaction fee
of $250 to the Sponsor for each creation order they place and a fee
of $250 per order for redemptions. Authorized Purchasers who make
deposits with the Fund in exchange for baskets receive no fees,
commissions or other form of compensation or inducement of any kind
from either the Trust or the Sponsor, and no such person will have
any obligation or responsibility to the Trust or the Sponsor to
effect any sale or resale of Shares.
Certain Authorized Purchasers are
expected to be capable of investing directly in the Specified
Commodities or the Commodity Interest markets. Some Authorized
Purchasers or their affiliates may from time to time buy or sell
the Specified Commodity or Commodity Interests and may profit in
these instances.
Each Authorized Purchaser will be
required to be registered as a broker-dealer under the Exchange Act
and a member in good standing with FINRA, or exempt from being or
otherwise not required to be registered as a broker-dealer or a
member of FINRA, and will be qualified to act as a broker or dealer
in the states or other jurisdictions where the nature of its
business so requires. Certain Authorized Purchasers may also be
regulated under federal and state banking laws and regulations.
Each Authorized Purchaser has its own set of rules and procedures,
internal controls and information barriers as it determines is
appropriate in light of its own regulatory
regime.
Under the Authorized Purchaser
Agreement, the Sponsor has agreed to indemnify the Authorized
Purchasers against certain liabilities, including liabilities under
the 1933 Act, and to contribute to the payments the Authorized
Purchasers may be required to make in respect of those
liabilities.
The following description of the
procedures for the creation and redemption of baskets is only a
summary and an investor should refer to the relevant provisions of
the Trust Agreement and the form of Authorized Purchaser Agreement
for more detail, each of which has been filed as an exhibit to the
registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. See
“Where You Can Find More Information” for information
about where you can obtain the registration
statement.
Creation Procedures
On any business day, an Authorized
Purchaser may place an order with USBFS in their capacity as the
transfer agent to create one or more baskets. For purposes of
processing purchase and redemption orders, a “business
day” means any day other than a day when any of the NYSE
Arca, CBOT, ICE, or the New York Stock Exchange is closed for
regular trading. Purchase orders must be placed by 12:00 p.m. New
York time or the close of regular trading on the New York Stock
Exchange, whichever is earlier. The day on which the Distributor
receives a valid purchase order is referred to as the purchase
order date.
By placing a purchase order, an
Authorized Purchaser agrees to deposit cash, cash equivalents,
Underlying Fund shares, or a combination of cash, cash equivalents
and Underlying Fund shares with the Fund, as described below. Prior
to the delivery of baskets for a purchase order, the Authorized
Purchaser must also have wired to the Sponsor the non-refundable
transaction fee due for the purchase order. Authorized Purchasers
may not withdraw a purchase order without the prior consent of the
Sponsor in its discretion.
Determination of Required Deposits
The total deposit required to create
each basket (“Creation Basket Deposit”) is the amount
of cash, cash equivalents and/or Underlying Fund shares that
is in the same proportion to the total assets of the Fund (net of
estimated accrued but unpaid fees, expenses and other liabilities)
on the purchase order date as the number of Shares to be created
under the purchase order is in proportion to the total number of
Shares outstanding on the purchase order date. The Sponsor
determines, directly in its sole discretion or in consultation with
the Custodian and the Administrator, the requirements
for cash, cash equivalents, and/or Underlying Fund shares,
including the remaining maturities of the short-term Treasury
Securities and proportions of cash, cash equivalents and/or
Underlying Fund shares, that may be included in deposits to create
baskets. If cash equivalents are to be included in a Creation
Basket Deposit for orders placed on a given business day, the
Administrator will publish an estimate of the Creation Basket
Deposit requirements at the beginning of such
day.
Delivery of Required Deposits
An Authorized Purchaser who places a
purchase order is responsible for transferring to the Fund’s
account with the Custodian the required amount of cash, cash
equivalents, and/or Underlying Fund shares by the end of the next
business day following the purchase order date, or by the end of
such later business day, not to exceed two business days after the
purchase order date as agreed to between the Authorized Purchaser
and the Custodian when the purchase order is placed (the
“Purchase Settlement Date”). Upon receipt of the
deposit amount, the Custodian directs DTC to credit the number of
baskets ordered to the Authorized Purchaser’s DTC account on
the Purchase Settlement Date.
Because orders to purchase baskets
must be placed by noon, New York time, but the total payment
required to create a basket during the continuous offering period
will not be determined until 4:00 p.m., New York time, on the date
the purchase order is received, Authorized Purchasers will not know
the total amount of the payment required to create a basket at the
time they submit an irrevocable purchase order for the basket. The
Fund’s NAV and the total amount of the payment required to
create a basket could rise or fall substantially between the time
an irrevocable purchase order is submitted and the time the amount
of the purchase price in respect thereof is
determined.
Rejection of Purchase Orders
The Sponsor acting by itself or
through the Distributor or transfer agent may reject a purchase
order or a Creation Basket Deposit if:
|
●
|
it determines that, due to position
limits or otherwise, investment alternatives that will enable the
Fund to meet its investment objective are not available or
practicable at that time;
|
|
●
|
it determines that the purchase
order or the Creation Basket Deposit is not in proper
form;
|
|
●
|
it believes that acceptance of the
purchase order or the Creation Basket Deposit would have adverse
tax consequences to the Fund or its
Shareholders;
|
|
●
|
the acceptance or receipt of the
Creation Basket Deposit would, in the opinion of counsel to the
Sponsor, be unlawful;
|
|
●
|
circumstances outside the control of
the Sponsor, Distributor or transfer agent make it, for all
practical purposes, not feasible to process creations of
baskets;
|
|
●
|
there is a possibility that any or
all of the Benchmark Component Futures Contracts of an Underlying
Fund on the futures exchange from which the NAV of that Underlying
Fund is calculated will be priced at a daily price limit
restriction; or
|
|
●
|
if, in the sole discretion of the
Sponsor, the execution of such an order would not be in the best
interest of the Fund or its Shareholders.
|
None of the Sponsor, Distributor or
transfer agent will be liable for the rejection of any purchase
order or Creation Basket Deposit.
In addition, the Sponsor may reject
a previously placed purchase order at any time prior to the order
cut-off time, if in the sole discretion of the Sponsor the
execution of such an order would not be in the best interest of a
Fund or its Shareholders.
Redemption Procedures
The procedures by which an
Authorized Purchaser can redeem one or more baskets mirror the
procedures for the creation of baskets. On any business day, an
Authorized Purchaser may place an order with the transfer agent to
redeem one or more baskets. Redemption orders must be placed by
noon New York time or the close of regular trading on the New York
Stock Exchange, whichever is earlier. A redemption order so
received will be effective on the date it is received in
satisfactory form by the transfer agent and the Distributor. The
redemption procedures allow Authorized Purchasers to redeem baskets
and do not entitle an individual Shareholder to redeem any Shares
in an amount less than a Redemption Basket, or to redeem baskets
other than through an Authorized Purchaser. By placing a redemption
order, an Authorized Purchaser agrees to deliver the baskets to be
redeemed through DTC’s book-entry system to the Fund by the
end of a later business day, generally, but not to exceed, two
business days after the effective date of the redemption order, as
agreed to between the Authorized Purchaser and the transfer agent
when the redemption order is placed (the “Redemption
Settlement Date”). Prior to the delivery of the redemption
distribution for a redemption order, the Authorized Purchaser must
also have wired to the Sponsor’s account at the Custodian the
non-refundable transaction fee due for the redemption order. An
Authorized Purchaser may not withdraw a redemption order without
the prior consent of the Sponsor in its
discretion.
Determination of Redemption Distribution
The redemption distribution from the
Fund consists of a transfer to the redeeming Authorized Purchaser
of an amount of cash, cash equivalents and/or Underlying Fund
shares that is in the same proportion to the total assets of the
Fund (net of estimated accrued but unpaid fees, expenses and other
liabilities) on the date the order to redeem is properly received
as the number of Shares to be redeemed under the redemption order
is in proportion to the total number of Shares outstanding on the
date the order is received. The Sponsor, directly or in
consultation with the Custodian and Administrator, determines the
requirements for cash, cash equivalents, and/or Underlying Fund
shares, including the remaining maturities of the cash, cash
equivalents and/or Underlying Fund shares, that may be included in
distributions to redeem baskets. If cash equivalents are to be
included in a redemption distribution for orders placed on a given
business day, the Custodian and Administrator will publish an
estimate of the redemption distribution composition as of the
beginning of such day.
Delivery of Redemption Distribution
The redemption distribution due from
the Fund will be delivered to the Authorized Purchaser on the
Redemption Settlement Date if the Fund’s DTC account has been
credited with the baskets to be redeemed. If the Fund’s DTC
account has not been credited with all of the baskets to be
redeemed by the end of such date, the redemption distribution will
be delivered to the extent of whole baskets received. Any remainder
of the redemption distribution will be delivered on the next
business day after the Redemption Settlement Date to the extent of
remaining whole baskets received if the Sponsor receives the fee
applicable to the extension of the Redemption Settlement Date which
the Sponsor may, from time to time, determine and the remaining
baskets to be redeemed are credited to the Fund’s DTC account
on such next business day. Any further outstanding amount of the
redemption order shall be cancelled. Pursuant to information from
the Sponsor, the Custodian will also be authorized to deliver the
redemption distribution notwithstanding that the baskets to be
redeemed are not credited to the Fund’s DTC account by noon
New York time on the Redemption Settlement Date if the Authorized
Purchaser has collateralized its obligation to deliver the baskets
through DTC’s book entry-system on such terms as the Sponsor
may from time to time determine.
Suspension or Rejection of Redemption Orders
The Sponsor may, in its discretion,
suspend the right of redemption, or postpone the redemption
settlement date, (1) for any period during which the NYSE Arca,
CBOT or ICE is closed other than customary weekend or holiday
closings, or trading on the NYSE Arca, CBOT or ICE, is suspended or
restricted, (2) for any period during which an emergency exists as
a result of which delivery, disposal or evaluation of cash
equivalents is not reasonably practicable, (3) for such other
period as the Sponsor determines to be necessary for the protection
of the Shareholders, (4) if there is a possibility that any or all
of the Benchmark Component Futures Contracts of the Underlying
Funds on the CBOT or ICE from which the NAV of the Fund is
calculated will be priced at a daily price limit restriction, or
(5) if, in the sole discretion of the Sponsor, the execution of
such an order would not be in the best interest of the Fund or its
Shareholders. For example, the Sponsor may determine that it is
necessary to suspend redemptions to allow for the orderly
liquidation of the Fund’s assets at an appropriate value to
fund a redemption. If the Sponsor has difficulty liquidating the
Fund’s positions, e.g., because of a market disruption event
in the futures markets or an unanticipated delay in the liquidation
of a position in an over the counter contract, it may be
appropriate to suspend redemptions until such time as such
circumstances are rectified. None of the Sponsor, the Distributor,
or the transfer agent will be liable to any person or in any way
for any loss or damages that may result from any such suspension or
postponement.
Redemption orders must be made in
whole baskets. The Sponsor will reject a redemption order if the
order is not in proper form as described in the Authorized
Purchaser Agreement or if the fulfillment of the order, in the
opinion of its counsel, might be unlawful. The Sponsor may also
reject a redemption order if the number of Shares being redeemed
would reduce the remaining outstanding Shares to 50,000 Shares
(i.e., four baskets of 12,500 Shares each) or less, unless the
Sponsor has reason to believe that the placer of the redemption
order does in fact possess all the outstanding Shares of the Fund
and can deliver them.
Creation and Redemption Transaction Fees
To compensate the Sponsor for its
expenses in connection with the creation and redemption of baskets,
an Authorized Purchaser is required to pay a transaction fee to the
Sponsor. The fees for all Funds as of December 31, 2018 are a flat
$250 per creation or redemption order.
The transaction fees may be reduced,
increased or otherwise changed by the Sponsor.
Tax Responsibility
Authorized Purchasers are
responsible for any transfer tax, sales or use tax, stamp tax,
recording tax, value added tax or similar tax or governmental
charge applicable to the creation or redemption of baskets,
regardless of whether or not such tax or charge is imposed directly
on the Authorized Purchaser, and agree to indemnify the Sponsor and
the Fund if they are required by law to pay any such tax, together
with any applicable penalties, additions to tax and interest
thereon.
Secondary Market
Transactions
As noted, the Fund will create and
redeem Shares from time to time, but only in one or more Creation
Baskets or Redemption Baskets. The creation and redemption of
baskets are only made in exchange for delivery to the Fund or the
distribution by the Fund of the amount of cash, cash equivalents
and/or Underlying Fund shares to the aggregate NAV of the number of
Shares included in the baskets being created or redeemed determined
on the day the order to create or redeem baskets is properly
received.
As discussed above, Authorized
Purchasers are the only persons that may place orders to create and
redeem baskets. Authorized Purchasers must be registered
broker-dealers or other securities market participants, such as
banks and other financial institutions that are not required to
register as broker-dealers to engage in securities transactions. An
Authorized Purchaser is under no obligation to create or redeem
baskets, and an Authorized Purchaser is under no obligation to
offer to the public Shares of any baskets it does create.
Authorized Purchasers that do offer to the public Shares from the
baskets they create will do so at per-Share offering prices that
are expected to reflect, among other factors, the trading price of
the Shares on the NYSE Arca, the NAV of the Shares at the time the
Authorized Purchaser purchased the Creation Baskets, the NAV of the
Shares at the time of the offer of the Shares to the public, the
supply of and demand for Shares at the time of sale, and the
liquidity of the Commodity Interest markets. The prices of Shares
offered by Authorized Purchasers are expected to fall between the
Fund’s NAV and the trading price of the Shares on the NYSE
Arca at the time of sale. Shares initially comprising the same
basket but offered by Authorized Purchasers to the public at
different times may have different offering prices. An order for
one or more baskets may be placed by an Authorized Purchaser on
behalf of multiple clients. Shares are expected to trade in the
secondary market on the NYSE Arca. Shares may trade in the
secondary market at prices that are lower or higher relative to
their NAV per Share. The amount of the discount or premium in the
trading price relative to the NAV per Share may be influenced by
various factors, including the number of investors who seek to
purchase or sell Shares in the secondary market and the liquidity
of the Commodity Interest markets. While the Shares trade on the
NYSE Arca until 4:00 p.m. New York time, liquidity in the markets
for Commodity Interests may be reduced after the close of regular
trading for Futures Contracts (the closing hours of the CBOT and
the ICE Futures are adjusted periodically by those Exchanges and
can be confirmed by accessing the websites of those same). As a
result, during this time, trading spreads, and the resulting
premium or discount, on the Shares may widen.
Payments to Financial Intermediaries
Investors purchasing Shares in the
secondary market through a brokerage account or with the assistance
of a broker may be subject to brokerage commissions and charges. If
you purchase Fund Shares through a broker-dealer or other financial
intermediary (such as a bank), the Fund, the Sponsor or an
affiliate of the Sponsor may pay the intermediary for the sale of
Fund Shares and related services. These payments may create a
conflict of interest by influencing broker-dealers or other
intermediaries and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over
another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial
intermediary’s website for more
information.
The Sponsor causes the Fund to
transfer the proceeds of the sale of Creation Baskets to the
Custodian or another custodian for use in trading activities. The
Sponsor invests substantially all of the Fund’s assets in
shares of the Underlying Funds, although some residual amount of
Fund assets may be held in cash and/or cash equivalents. The
Sponsor invests the Underlying Funds’ assets in Futures
Contracts, Other Commodity Interests, cash and cash equivalents.
When the Underlying Funds purchase Futures Contracts and certain
Other Commodity Interests that are exchange-traded, the Underlying
Fund is required to deposit with the FCM on behalf of the exchange
a portion of the value of the contract or other interest as
security to ensure payment for the obligation under the Commodity
Interests at maturity. This deposit is known as initial margin.
Counterparties in transactions in over-the-counter Commodity
Interests will generally impose similar collateral requirements on
the Underlying Funds. The Sponsor invests the Underlying
Funds’ assets that remain after margin and collateral is
posted in short-term Treasury Securities, cash, and/or cash
equivalents. Subject to these margin and collateral requirements,
the Sponsor has sole authority to determine the percentage of
assets that will be:
|
●
|
held as margin or collateral with
FCMs or other custodians;
|
|
●
|
used for other investments;
and
|
|
●
|
held in bank accounts to pay current
obligations and as reserves.
|
In general, the Underlying Funds
expect that they will be required to post approximately 5% of the
notional amount of a Commodity Interest as initial margin when
entering into such Commodity Interest. Ongoing margin and
collateral payments will generally be required for both
exchange-traded and over-the-counter Commodity Interests based on
changes in the value of the Commodity Interests. Furthermore,
ongoing collateral requirements with respect to over-the-counter
Commodity Interests are negotiated by the parties, and may be
affected by overall market volatility, volatility of the underlying
commodity or index, the ability of the counterparty to hedge its
exposure under the Commodity Interest, and each party’s
creditworthiness. In light of the differing requirements for
initial payments under exchange-traded and over-the-counter
Commodity Interests and the fluctuating nature of ongoing margin
and collateral payments, it is not possible to estimate what
portion of the Underlying Funds’ assets will be posted as
margin or collateral at any given time. The cash and cash
equivalents, and short-term Treasury Securities, held by the
Underlying Fund constitute reserves that are available to meet
ongoing margin and collateral requirements. All interest income
received by an Underlying Fund is used for such Underlying
Fund’s benefit.
An FCM, counterparty, government
agency or commodity exchange could increase margin or collateral
requirements applicable to the Fund to hold trading positions at
any time. Moreover, margin is merely a security deposit and has no
bearing on the profit or loss potential for any positions held.
Further, under recently adopted CFTC rules, the Fund may be
obligated to post initial and variation margin with respect to
swaps (and options that qualify as swaps) and traded over-the
-counter, and, where applicable, on SEFs.
The approximate 5% of the assets of
the Underlying Funds that are held by the FCM are held in
segregation pursuant to the CEA and CFTC
regulations.
Management’s Discussion
and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations
Critical Accounting Policies
Preparation of the financial
statements and related disclosures in conformity with U. S.
generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”)
requires the application of appropriate accounting rules and
guidance, as well as the use of estimates, and requires management
to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts
of assets and liabilities, revenue, and expense and related
disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities during the
reporting period of the financial statements and accompanying
notes. The Trust’s application of these policies involves
judgments, and actual results may differ from the estimates
used.
The Sponsor has determined that the
valuation of commodity interests that are not traded on a U.S. or
internationally recognized futures exchange (such as swaps and
other over-the-counter contracts) involves a critical accounting
policy. The values which are used by the Teucrium Funds for futures
contracts will be provided by the commodity broker who will use
market prices when available, while over-the-counter contracts will
be valued based on the present value of estimated future cash flows
that would be received from or paid to a third party in settlement
of these derivative contracts prior to their delivery date. Values
will be determined on a daily basis.
As it relates to the Commodity
Futures held by the Underlying Funds, the Sponsor has determined
that the valuation of Commodity Interests that are not traded on a
U.S. or internationally recognized futures exchange (such as swaps
and other over-the-counter contracts) involves a critical
accounting policy. The values which are used by the Underlying
Funds for futures contracts will be provided by the commodity
broker who will use market prices when available, while
over-the-counter contracts will be valued based on the present
value of estimated future cash flows that would be received from or
paid to a third party in settlement of these derivative contracts
prior to their delivery date. Values will be determined on a
daily basis.
In addition, Commodity Futures held
by the Underlying Funds are recorded on the trade date. All such
transactions are recorded on the identified cost basis and marked
to market daily. Unrealized appreciation or depreciation on
commodity futures contracts are reflected in the statement of
operations as the difference between the original contract amount
and the fair market value as of the last business day of the year
or as of the last date of the financial statements. Changes in the
appreciation or depreciation between periods are reflected in the
statement of operations for the Underlying Fund. Interest on cash
equivalents and deposits are recognized on the accrual basis. The
Underlying Funds earn interest funds held at the custodian and
other financial institutions at prevailing market rates for such
investments.
Cash and cash equivalents are cash
held at financial institutions in demand-deposit accounts or
highly-liquid investments with original maturity dates of three
months or less at inception. The Fund reports cash equivalents in
the statements of assets and liabilities at market value, or at
carrying amounts that approximate fair value, because of their
highly-liquid nature and short-term maturities. Assets deposited
with financial institutions may, at times, exceed federally insured
limits.
The use of fair value to measure
financial instruments, with related unrealized gains or losses
recognized in earnings in each period is fundamental to the
Fund’s financial statements. In accordance with GAAP, fair
value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an
asset or paid to transfer a liability (i.e., the exit price) in an
orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement
date.
In determining fair value, the Trust
uses various valuation approaches. In accordance with GAAP, a fair
value hierarchy for inputs is used in measuring fair value that
maximizes the use of observable inputs and minimizes the use of
unobservable inputs by requiring that the most observable inputs be
used when available. Observable inputs are those that market
participants would use in pricing the asset or liability based on
market data obtained from sources independent of the Trust.
Unobservable inputs reflect the Trust’s assumptions about the
inputs market participants would use in pricing the asset or
liability developed based on the best information available in the
circumstances. The fair value hierarchy is categorized into three
levels: a) Level 1 -
Valuations based on unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for
identical assets or liabilities that the Trust has the ability to
access. Valuation adjustments and block discounts are not applied
to Level 1 securities and financial instruments. Since valuations
are based on quoted prices that are readily and regularly available
in an active market, valuation of these securities and financial
instruments does not entail a significant degree of judgment, b)
Level 2 - Valuations based
on quoted prices in markets that are not active or for which all
significant inputs are observable, either directly or indirectly,
and c) Level 3 - Valuations
based on inputs that are unobservable and significant to the
overall fair value measurement. See the notes within the financial
statements for further information.
The Fund and the Trust record their
derivative activities at fair value. Gains and losses from
derivative contracts are included in the statement of operations.
Derivative contracts include futures contracts related to commodity
prices. Futures, which are listed on a national securities
exchange, such as the CBOT or the New York Mercantile Exchange
(“NYMEX”), or reported on another national market, are
generally categorized in Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy. OTC
derivatives contracts (such as forward and swap contracts) which
may be valued using models, depending on whether significant inputs
are observable or unobservable, are categorized in Levels 2 or 3 of
the fair value hierarchy.
The Trust, in presenting its
financial statements including all the series of the Trust,
excludes the shares of the other series of the Trust owned by the
Teucrium Agricultural Fund from its statements of assets and
liabilities. The Trust excludes the net change in unrealized
appreciation or depreciation on securities owned by the Teucrium
Agricultural Fund from its statements of operations. Upon the sale
of the Underlying Funds by the Teucrium Agricultural Fund, the
Trust includes any realized gain or loss in its statements of
changes in net assets.
Brokerage commissions on all open
commodity futures contracts are accrued on a full-turn
basis.
Margin is the minimum amount of
funds that must be deposited by a commodity interest trader with
the trader’s broker to initiate and maintain an open position
in futures contracts. A margin deposit acts to assure the
trader’s performance of the futures contracts purchased or
sold. Futures contracts are customarily bought and sold on initial
margin that represents a very small percentage of the aggregate
purchase or sales price of the contract. Because of such low margin
requirements, price fluctuations occurring in the futures markets
may create profits and losses that, in relation to the amount
invested, are greater than are customary in other forms of
investment or speculation. As discussed below, adverse price
changes in the futures contract may result in margin requirements
that greatly exceed the initial margin. In addition, the amount of
margin required in connection with a particular futures contract is
set from time to time by the exchange on which the contract is
traded and may be modified from time to time by the exchange during
the term of the contract. Brokerage firms, such as the Teucrium
Funds’ clearing brokers, carrying accounts for traders in
commodity interest contracts generally require higher amounts of
margin as a matter of policy to further protect themselves.
Over-the-counter trading generally involves the extension of credit
between counterparties, so the counterparties may agree to require
the posting of collateral by one or both parties to address credit
exposure.
When a trader purchases an option,
there is no margin requirement; however, the option premium must be
paid in full. When a trader sells an option, on the other hand, he
or she is required to deposit margin in an amount determined by the
margin requirements established for the underlying interest and, in
addition, an amount substantially equal to the current premium for
the option. The margin requirements imposed on the selling of
options, although adjusted to reflect the probability that
out-of-the-money options will not be exercised, can in fact be
higher than those imposed in dealing in the futures markets
directly. Complicated margin requirements apply to spreads and
conversions, which are complex trading strategies in which a trader
acquires a mixture of options positions and positions in the
underlying interest.
The Sponsor is responsible for
investing the assets of the Fund in accordance with the objectives
and policies of the Fund. The Fund pays for all brokerage fees,
taxes and other expenses, including licensing fees for the use of
intellectual property, registration or other fees paid to the SEC,
FINRA, or any other regulatory agency in connection with the offer
and sale of subsequent Shares after its initial registration and
all legal, accounting, printing and other expenses associated
therewith. The Fund also pays its portion of the fees and expenses
for services directly attributable to the Fund such as accounting,
financial reporting, regulatory compliance and trading activities,
which the Sponsor elected not to outsource. Certain aggregate
expenses common to all Teucrium Funds within the Trust are
allocated by the Sponsor to the respective Funds based on activity
drivers deemed most appropriate by the Sponsor for such expenses,
including but not limited to relative assets under management and
creation order activity. These aggregate common expenses include,
but are not limited to, legal, auditing, accounting and financial
reporting, tax-preparation, regulatory compliance, trading
activities, and insurance costs, as well as fees paid to the
Distributor. A portion of these aggregate common expenses are
related to the Sponsor or related parties of principals of the
Sponsor; these are necessary services to the Teucrium Funds, which
are primarily the cost of performing certain accounting and
financial reporting, regulatory compliance, and trading activities
that are directly attributable to the Funds and are included,
primarily, in distribution and marketing fees. In addition, the
Funds, except for TAGS which has no such fee, are contractually
obligated to pay a monthly management fee to the Sponsor, based on
average daily net assets, at a rate equal to 1.00% per
annum.
Ongoing or “maintenance”
margin requirements are computed each day by a trader’s
clearing broker. When the market value of a particular open futures
contract changes to a point where the margin on deposit does not
satisfy maintenance margin requirements, a margin call is made by
the broker. If the margin call is not met within a reasonable time,
the broker may close out the trader’s position. With respect
to the Teucrium Funds’ trading, the Funds (and not its
shareholders personally) are subject to margin
calls.
Finally, many major U.S. exchanges
have passed certain cross margining arrangements involving
procedures pursuant to which the futures and options positions held
in an account would, in the case of some accounts, be aggregated,
and margin requirements would be assessed on a portfolio basis,
measuring the total risk of the combined
positions.
For tax purposes, the Teucrium Funds
will be treated as partnerships. Therefore, the Teucrium Funds do
not record a provision for income taxes because the partners report
their share of the Fund’s income or loss on their income tax
returns. The financial statements reflect the Teucrium Funds’
transactions without adjustment, if any, required for income tax
purposes.
For commercial paper, the Fund and
the Underlying Funds use the effective interest method for
calculating the actual interest rate in a period based on the
amount of a financial instrument's book value at the beginning of
the accounting period. Accretion on these investments are
recognized on the effective interest method in U.S. dollars and
recognized in cash equivalents. All discounts on purchase prices of
debt securities are accreted over the life of the respective
security.
Results of Operations
The Teucrium
Agricultural Fund commenced operation on March 28, 2012. On April
22, 2011, an initial registration statement was filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). On February
10, 2012, the Fund’s initial registration of 5,000,000 shares
on Form S1 was declared effective by the U.S. Securities and
Exchange Commission (“SEC”). On March 28, 2012, the
Fund listed its shares on the NYSE Arca under the ticker symbol
“TAGS.” On the business day prior to that, the Fund
issued 300,000 shares in exchange for $15,000,000 at the
Fund’s initial NAV of $50 per share. The Fund also commenced
investment operations on March 28, 2012 by purchasing shares of the
Underlying Funds. On December 31, 2011, the Fund had two shares
outstanding, which were owned by the Sponsor.
The investment
objective of the Fund is to have the daily changes in percentage
terms of the Net Asset Value (“NAV”) of its common
units (“Shares”) reflect the daily changes in
percentage terms of a weighted average (the “Underlying Fund
Average”) of the NAVs per share of four other commodity pools
that are series of the Trust and are sponsored by the Sponsor: the
Teucrium Corn Fund (“CORN”), the Teucrium Wheat Fund
(“WEAT”), the Teucrium Soybean Fund
(“SOYB”) and the Teucrium Sugar Fund
(“CANE”) (collectively, the “Underlying
Funds”). The Underlying Fund Average will have a weighting of
25% to each Underlying Fund, and the Fund’s assets will be
rebalanced, generally on a daily basis, to maintain the approximate
25% allocation to each Underlying Fund. The Fund does not intend to
invest directly in futures contracts (“Futures
Contracts”), although it reserves the right to do so in the
future, including if an Underlying Fund ceases
operation.
The investment
objective of each Underlying Fund is to have the daily changes in
percentage terms of its shares’ NAV reflect the daily changes
in percentage terms of a weighted average of the closing settlement
prices for certain Futures Contracts for the commodity specified in
the Underlying Fund’s name. (This weighted average is
referred to herein as the Underlying Fund’s
“Benchmark,” the Futures Contracts that at any given
time make up an Underlying Fund’s Benchmark are referred to
herein as the Underlying Fund’s “Benchmark Component
Futures Contracts,” and the commodity specified in the
Underlying Fund’s name is referred to herein as its
“Specified Commodity.”) Specifically, the Teucrium Corn
Fund’s Benchmark is: (1) the second to expire
Futures Contract for corn traded on the Chicago Board of Trade
(“CBOT”), weighted 35%, (2) the third to
expire CBOT corn Futures Contract, weighted 30%, and (3) the CBOT
corn Futures Contract expiring in the December following the
expiration month of the third to expire contract,
weighted 35%. The Teucrium Wheat Fund’s Benchmark is: (1) the
second to expire CBOT wheat Futures Contract, weighted
35%, (2) the third to expire CBOT wheat Futures
Contract, weighted 30%, and (3) the CBOT wheat Futures Contract
expiring in the December following the expiration month of the
third to expire contract, weighted 35%. The Teucrium
Soybean Fund’s Benchmark is: (1) the second to
expire CBOT soybean Futures Contract, weighted 35%, (2) the
third to expire CBOT soybean Futures Contract, weighted
30%, and (3) the CBOT soybean Futures Contract expiring in the
November following the expiration month of the third to
expire contract, weighted 35%, except that CBOT soybean Futures
Contracts expiring in August and September will not be part of the
Teucrium Soybean Fund’s Benchmark because of the less liquid
market for these Futures Contracts. The Teucrium Sugar Fund’s
Benchmark is: (1) the second to expire Sugar No. 11
Futures Contract traded on ICE Futures US (“ICE
Futures”), weighted 35%, (2) the third to expire
ICE Futures Sugar No. 11 Futures Contract, weighted 30%, and (3)
the ICE Futures Sugar No. 11 Futures Contract expiring in the March
following the expiration month of the third to expire
contract, weighted 35%.
On December 31,
2018, the Fund held: 1) 23,808 shares of CORN with a fair value of
$383,506) 64,537 shares of WEAT with a fair value of $383,743)
23,581 shares of SOYB with a fair value of $381,970. and 4) 52,924
shares of CANE with a fair value of $374,067. The weighting on
December 31, 2018 was 25% to CORN, 25% to WEAT, 25% to SOYB and 25%
to CANE.
The
benchmark for the Fund is the Teucrium Agricultural Index (TTAGS)
which is defined as: A weighted average of the daily changes in
percentage terms of the Shares’ NAV reflect the daily changes
in percentage terms of a weighted average (the “Underlying
Fund Average”) of the NAVs per share of four other commodity
pools that are series of the Trust and are sponsored by the
Sponsor: the Teucrium Corn Fund, the Teucrium Wheat Fund, the
Teucrium Soybean Fund and the Teucrium Sugar Fund (collectively,
the “Underlying Funds”). The Fund seeks to achieve its
investment objective by investing under normal market conditions in
the publicly traded shares of each Underlying Fund so that the
Underlying Fund Average will have a weighting of 25% to each
Underlying Fund, and the Fund’s assets will be rebalanced,
generally on a daily basis, to maintain the approximate 25%
allocation to each Underlying Fund. To convert to an index, 100 is
set to $50 the opening day price of TAGS.
The chart below shows the percent
change in the NAV per share for the Fund, the market price of the
Fund shares, represented by the closing price of the Fund on the
NYSE Arca or the mid-point of the 4 pm bid and ask if no closing
price is available, and TTAGS for two periods. One period is
December 31, 2017 compared to December 31, 2018. The second period
is from the commencement of operations to December 31, 2018. The
Benchmark does not reflect any impact of expenses, which would
generally reduce the Fund’s NAV, or interest income, which
would generally increase the NAV. The actual results for the NAV do
include the impacts of both expenses and interest
income.
Period
|
Change
in
NAV per
share
|
Change
in
Market
Price
|
Change in the
Benchmark (TTAGS)
|
December 31, 2017
to
December 31,
2018
|
-10.65%
|
-7.10%
|
-10.18%
|
March 28, 2012
to
December 31,
2018
|
-58.90%
|
-58.64%
|
-57.31%
|
For the
Year Ended December 31, 2018 Compared to the Years Ended December
31, 2017 and 2016
On December 31, 2018, the Fund had
75,002 shares outstanding and 50,002 on 2017 and 2016 respectively.
The net assets of the Fund were $1,524,760 in 2018, $1,137,639 in
2017, and $1,316,370 in 2016. In 2018, the Fund issued 25,000
shares as part of creation baskets. There were no shares issued or
redeemed in 2017 and 2016. Effective August 2, 2012 through April
9, 2018, the Fund was at 50,002 shares outstanding which represents
a minimum number of shares and there could be no further
redemptions until additional shares are
created.
Total net assets for the Fund were
$1,524,760 on December 31, 2018, compared to $1,137,639 on December
31, 2017 and $1,316,370 on December 31, 2016. The Net Asset Values
(“NAV”) per share related to these balances were
$20.33, $22.75, and $26.33 respectively. When comparing December
31, 2018 with 2017, there was an increase in total net assets of
34%, which was driven by a combination of a change in the NAV per
share which decreased by ($2.42) or 11% and an increase in the
number of shares outstanding of 50%. When comparing December 31,
2018 with 2016, there was an increase in total net assets of 16%,
which was driven by a change in the NAV per share which decreased
by ($6.00) or 23%. The closing prices per share for 2018, 2017 and
2016, as reported by the NYSE Arca, were $20.53, $22.10, and
$25.68, respectively. The change from December 31, 2018 over prior
years was a 7% decrease from 2017 and 20% decrease from
2016.
The graph below shows the actual
shares outstanding, total net assets (or AUM) and net asset value
per share (NAV per share) for the Fund from inception to December
31, 2018 and serves to illustrate the relative changes of these
components.
Total loss for 2018 was ($184,882)
resulting from the realized loss on the securities of the
Underlying Funds totaling ($341,548) and a gain generated by the
unrealized appreciation on the securities of the Underlying Funds
of $156,615. Total loss for the period in 2017 and 2016 was
($172,520) and ($6,220), respectively. Realized gain or loss on the
securities of the Underlying Funds is a function of: 1) the change
in the price of particular contracts sold in relation to redemption
of shares, and 2) the gain or loss associated with rebalancing
trades which are made to ensure conformance to the benchmark.
Unrealized gain or loss on the securities of the Underlying Funds
is a function of the change in the price of shares held on the
final date of the period versus the purchase price for each and the
number held. The Sponsor has a static benchmark as described above
and trades futures contracts to adhere to that benchmark and to
adjust for the creation or redemption of
shares.
Total expenses gross of
expenses waived by the Sponsor (“Total expenses”) for
2018 were $55,470; total expenses for 2017 were $46,481 and $45,259
in 2016. This represents a $8,989 or 19% increase for 2018 over
2017 and a $10,211 or 23% increase for 2018 over 2016. The increase
for 2018 over 2017 was driven by increases in all expense
categories, specifically: 1) a $1,534 or 10% increase in
professional fees related to auditing, legal and tax preparation
fees; 2) a $6,404 or 44% increase in distribution and marketing
expenses; 3) a $464 or 22% increase in custodian fees and expenses;
4) a $43 or 0% increase in business permits and licenses; 5) a $335
or 19% increase in general and administrative expenses; and 6) a
$209 or 33% increase in other expenses. The increases year over
year were generally due to higher average net assets relative to
other funds.
The Sponsor has the ability to elect
to pay certain expenses on behalf of the Fund. This election is
subject to change by the Sponsor, at its discretion. For the year
ended December 31, 2018, the Sponsor waived fees of $48,366; the
Sponsor has determined that no reimbursement will be sought in
future periods for those expenses which have been waived for the
year. The Sponsor permanently waived $40,270 of expenses in 2017
and $38,459 in 2016.
Total expenses net of expenses
waived by the Sponsor (“Total expenses, net”) for 2018,
2017 and 2016 were $7,104, $6,211, and $6,800 respectively. The
total expense ratio net of expenses waived by the Sponsor for these
periods was 0.48% in 2018, 0.50% in 2017 and 0.50% in
2016.
Other than the brokerage
commissions, most of the expenses incurred by the Fund are
associated with the day-to-day operation of the Fund and the
necessary functions related to regulatory compliance. These are
generally based on contracts, which extend for some period of time
and up to one year, or commitments regardless of the level of
assets under management. The structure of the Fund and the nature
of the expenses are such that as total net assets grow, there is a
scalability of expenses that may allow the net expense ratio to be
reduced. As the Sponsor has initiated a percentage based daily
expense accrual for the Fund, even if total net assets for the Fund
fall, the total expense ratio of the Fund will not increase. The
Sponsor can elect to adjust the daily expense accruals at its
discretion based on market conditions and other Fund
considerations.
Net cash (used in) provided by the
Fund’s operating activities during the period was ($578,719)
in 2018, $114 in 2017, and $545 in 2016. In 2018, proceeds from the
sale of shares were $579,107 representing 25,000 shares and there
were no payments for redemption baskets. There were no proceeds
from creation baskets or payments for redemption baskets in 2017 or
in 2016.
Benchmark Performance
As noted above, the Sponsor
endeavors to place the Fund’s trades in shares of the
Underlying Funds and otherwise manage the Fund’s investments
so that the Fund’s average daily tracking error against the
Benchmark will be less than 10 percent over any period of 30
trading days. More specifically, the Sponsor will endeavor to
manage the Fund so that A will be within plus/minus 10 percent of
B, where:
|
●
|
A is the average daily change in the
Fund’s NAV for any period of 30 successive valuation days,
i.e., any trading day as of which the Fund calculates its NAV,
and
|
|
●
|
B is the average daily change in the
Benchmark over the same period.
|
During the period from the January
1, 2018 through December 31, 2018, the average daily change in the
Fund’s NAV was within plus/minus 10 percent of the average
daily change in the Fund’s Benchmark.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
The Fund and the Underlying Funds do
not anticipate making use of borrowings or other lines of credit to
meet their obligations. It is anticipated that the Fund and the
Underlying Funds will meet their liquidity needs in the normal
course of business from the proceeds of the sale of their
investments or from the cash, cash equivalents and/or the
Treasuries Securities that they intend to hold and/or from the fee
waivers provided by the Sponsor. The Fund’s liquidity needs
include: redeeming Shares and paying expenses. The purchase and or
sale of shares of the Underlying Funds for rebalancing purposes to
meet the investment objectives of the Fund will, generally, be
liquidity neutral. The Underlying Funds’ liquidity needs
include: redeeming their shares, providing margin deposits for
existing Futures Contracts or the purchase of additional Futures
Contracts, posting collateral for over-the-counter Commodity
Interests, and paying expenses, summarized below under
“Contractual Obligations.”
The Fund generates cash primarily
from the sale of Creation Baskets, and the Underlying Funds will
generate cash primarily from (i) the sale of Creation Baskets and
(ii) interest earned on cash and cash equivalents. Investment
activities for the Fund have not begun. Substantially all of the
net assets of the Fund are allocated to investments in the
Underlying Funds. Generally, all of the net assets of the
Underlying Funds are allocated to trading in Commodity Interests.
Most of the assets of the Underlying Funds are held in, cash and/or
cash equivalents that could or will be used as margin or collateral
for trading in Commodity Interests. The percentage that such assets
will bear to the total net assets will vary from period to period
as the market values of the Commodity Interests change. Interest
earned on interest-bearing assets of a Fund or Underlying Fund will
be paid to the Fund or Underlying Fund, as the case may
be.
The investments of the Underlying
Funds in Commodity Interests will be subject to periods of
illiquidity because of market conditions, regulatory considerations
and other reasons. For example, U.S. futures exchanges limit the
fluctuations in the prices of certain Futures Contracts during a
single day by regulations referred to as “daily
limits.” During a single day, no trades may be executed at
prices beyond the daily limit. Once the price of such a Futures
Contract has increased or decreased by an amount equal to the daily
limit, positions in the contracts can neither be taken nor
liquidated unless the traders are willing to effect trades at or
within the limit. Such market conditions could prevent the Fund
from promptly liquidating a position in Futures
Contracts.
Beginning in the quarter-ended June
30, 2015, the Sponsor invested a portion of the available cash for
the Underlying Funds in alternative demand-deposit savings
accounts; as of January 31, 2019, the Sponsor has cash deposits at
Rabobank, N.A., a U.S. chartered bank headquartered in Roseville,
CA. These accounts have higher overnight deposit rates than were
available in the money market products at the Custodians that had
been utilized solely in the past. In addition, the Underlying Funds
have established an account at Morgan Stanley so that the
Underlying Funds may invest in commercial paper rated at the date
of purchase “Prime-1” or “Prime-2” by
Moody’s and/or “A-1” or “A-2” by
S&P, or if unrated, of comparable quality as determined by the
Sponsor. Commercial paper represents short-term unsecured
promissory notes issued in bearer form by banks or bank holding
companies, corporations and finance companies. The duration until
maturity of such commercial paper held by the Underlying Funds will
not exceed ninety days.
If the Fund is unsuccessful in
raising sufficient funds to cover its expenses and the Sponsor is
unable or unwilling to continue covering the Fund’s expenses,
the Fund may terminate.
Market Risk
Investment by the Fund in shares of
the Underlying Funds will subject the Fund to the risks of the
Underlying Funds. Trading in Commodity Interests such as Futures
Contracts will involve the Underlying Funds entering into
contractual commitments to purchase or sell specific amounts of a
Specified Commodity at a specified date in the future. The gross or
face amount of the contracts is expected to significantly exceed
the future cash requirements of an Underlying Fund since each
Underlying Fund intends to close out any open positions prior to
the contractual expiration date. As a result, an Underlying
Fund’s market risk is the risk of loss arising from the
decline in value of the contracts, not from the need to make
delivery under the contracts. The Underlying Funds consider the
“fair value” of derivative instruments to be the
unrealized gain or loss on the contracts. The market risk
associated with the commitment by an Underlying Fund to purchase a
specific commodity will be limited to the aggregate face amount of
the contacts held.
The exposure of an Underlying Fund
to market risk will depend on a number of factors including the
markets for its Specified Commodity, the volatility of interest
rates and foreign exchange rates, the liquidity of the Commodity
Interest markets and the relationships among the contracts held by
the Underlying Fund. The limited experience of the Sponsor in
utilizing its model to trade in Commodity Interests in a manner
that tracks changes in an Underlying Fund’s
Benchmark, as well as
drastic market events, could ultimately lead to substantial losses
for Shareholders.
In addition, the Fund bears the risk
that its transactions in shares of the Underlying Funds will not be
executed at prices that accurately reflect the value of the
Underlying Funds. The Fund will purchase and sell Underlying Fund
shares in the secondary market rather than by purchasing or
redeeming Baskets, and the price of an Underlying Fund’s
shares on the secondary market will generally differ somewhat from
the Underlying Fund’s NAV. Such premiums or discounts from
NAV could at times be substantial.
Credit Risk
When an Underlying Fund enters into
Commodity Interests, it will be exposed to the credit risk that the
counterparty will not be able to meet its obligations. For purposes
of credit risk, the counterparty for the Futures Contracts traded
on a futures exchange is the clearinghouse associated with such
exchange. In general, clearinghouses are backed by their members
who may be required to share in the financial burden resulting from
the nonperformance of one of their members, which should
significantly reduce credit risk. Some foreign exchanges are not
backed by their clearinghouse members but may be backed by a
consortium of banks or other financial institutions. Unlike in the
case of exchange-traded Futures Contracts, the counterparty to an
over-the-counter Commodity Interest contract is generally a single
bank or other financial institution such as an SD. As a result,
there will be greater counterparty credit risk in over-the-counter
transactions. There can be no assurance that any counterparty,
clearing house, or their financial backers will satisfy their
obligations to an Underlying Fund.
The Fund may engage in off exchange
transactions broadly called an “exchange for related
position” transaction.” For purposes of the Dodd-Frank
Act and related CFTC rules, such a transaction is treated as a
“swap.” An “exchange for related position”
(“EFRP”) can be used by the Fund or an Underlying Fund
as a technique to facilitate the exchanging of a futures hedge
position against a creation or redemption order, and thus the Fund
or an Underlying Fund may use an EFRP transaction in connection
with the creation and redemption of shares. The market
specialist/market maker that is the ultimate purchaser or seller of
shares in connection with the creation or redemption basket,
respectively, agrees to sell or purchase a corresponding offsetting
shares or futures position which is then settled on the same
business day as a cleared futures transaction by the FCMs. The Fund
or the Underlying Fund will become subject to the credit risk of
the market specialist/market maker until the EFRP is settled within
the business day, which is typically 7 hours or less. The Fund and
the Underlying Funds reports all activity related to EFRP
transactions under the procedures and guidelines of the CFTC and
the exchanges on which the futures are traded.
The Sponsor attempts to manage the
credit risk of the Underlying Funds by following certain trading
limitations and policies. In particular, the Underlying Funds
intend to post margin and collateral and/or hold liquid assets that
will be equal to approximately the face amount of the Commodity
Interests they hold. The Sponsor has implemented procedures that
include, but are not limited to, executing and clearing trades and
entering into over-the-counter transactions only with parties it
deems creditworthy and/or requiring the posting of collateral by
such parties for the benefit of the Underlying Fund to limit its
credit exposure.
The Underlying Funds will generally
retain cash positions of approximately 95% of total net assets;
this balance represents the total net assets less the initial
margin requirements held by the FCM. These cash assets are either:
1) deposited by the Sponsor in demand deposit accounts of financial
institutions which are rated in the highest short-term rating
category by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization
or deemed by the Sponsor to be of comparable quality; 2) invested
in short-term Treasury Securities and commercial paper; or 3) held
in a money-market fund which is deemed to be a cash equivalent
under the most recent SEC definition.
Off Balance Sheet Financing
As of the date of this prospectus,
neither the Trust nor the Fund has any loan guarantees, credit
support or other off-balance sheet arrangements of any kind other
than agreements entered into in the normal course of business,
which may include indemnification provisions relating to certain
risks service providers undertake in performing services which are
in the best interests of the Fund. While the Fund’s exposure
under these indemnification provisions cannot be estimated, they
are not expected to have a material impact on the Fund’s
financial positions.
Redemption Basket Obligation
Other than as necessary to meet the
investment objective of the Fund and pay its contractual
obligations described below, the Fund requires liquidity to redeem
Redemption Baskets. The Fund intends to satisfy this obligation
through the transfer of cash of the Fund (generated, if necessary,
through the sale of Underlying Fund shares) in an amount
proportionate to the number of Shares being redeemed, as described
above under
“Redemption Procedures.”
Contractual Obligations
The Fund’s and Underlying
Funds’ primary contractual obligation is with the Sponsor and
certain other service providers. While the Fund does not pay the
Sponsor a management fee directly, the Sponsor, in return for its
services, is entitled to a management fee from each Underlying Fund
calculated as a fixed percentage of the Underlying Fund’s
NAV, currently 1.00% of the Underlying Fund’s average net
assets, and the Fund indirectly pays its proportionate share of the
Underlying Funds’ management fees as a shareholder of the
Underlying Funds. The Fund and the Underlying Fund are each also
responsible for all ongoing fees, costs and expenses of their
operation, including (i) brokerage and other fees and commissions
incurred in connection with the trading activities of the Fund or
Underlying Fund; (ii) expenses incurred in connection with
registering additional Shares of the Fund or Underlying Fund or
offering Shares of the Fund or Underlying after the time any Shares
have begun trading on NYSE Arca; (iii) the routine expenses
associated with the preparation and, if required, the printing and
mailing of monthly, quarterly, annual and other reports required by
applicable U.S. federal and state regulatory authorities, Trust
meetings and preparing, printing and mailing proxy statements to
Shareholders; (iv) the payment of any distributions related to
redemption of Shares; (v) payment for routine services of the
Trustee, legal counsel and independent accountants; (vi) payment
for routine accounting, bookkeeping, custody and transfer agency
services, whether performed by an outside service provider or by
Affiliates of the Sponsor; (vii) postage and insurance; (viii)
costs and expenses associated with client relations and services;
(ix) costs of preparation of all federal, state, local and foreign
tax returns and any taxes payable on the income, assets or
operations of the Fund or Underlying Fund; and (xi) extraordinary
expenses (including, but not limited to, legal claims and
liabilities and litigation costs and any indemnification related
thereto).
While the Sponsor has agreed to pay
registration fees to the SEC, FINRA and any other regulatory agency
in connection with the offer and sale of the Shares offered through
this prospectus, the legal, printing, accounting and other expenses
associated with such registrations, and the initial fee of $5,000
for listing the Shares on the NYSE Arca, the Fund will be
responsible for any registration fees and related expenses incurred
in connection with any future offer and sale of Shares of the Fund
in excess of those offered through this
prospectus.
The Fund and Underlying Funds pay
their own brokerage and other transaction costs. The Fund will
generally use broker-dealers to execute its transactions in shares
of the Underlying Funds. Other expenses to be paid by the Fund are
estimated to be 0.07% for the twelve-month period ending April 29,
2020, though this amount may change in future years. The Sponsor
may, in its discretion, pay or reimburse the Fund for, or waive a
portion of its management fees to offset, expenses that would
otherwise be borne by the Fund.
Any general expenses of the Trust
will be allocated among the Teucrium Funds and each other series
that may be established under the Trust in the future as determined
by the Sponsor in its sole and absolute discretion. The Trust is
also responsible for extraordinary expenses, including, but not
limited to, legal claims and liabilities and litigation costs and
any indemnification related thereto. The Trust and/or the Sponsor
may be required to indemnify the Trustee, Distributor or
Custodian/Administrator under certain
circumstances.
The parties cannot anticipate the
amount of payments that will be required under these arrangements
for future periods as the Fund’s NAV and trading levels to
meet their investment objectives will not be known until a future
date. These agreements are effective for a specific term agreed
upon by the parties with an option to renew, or, in some cases, are
in effect for the duration of the Fund’s existence. The
parties may terminate these agreements earlier for certain reasons
listed in the agreements.
The following paragraphs are a
summary of certain provisions of the Trust Agreement. The following
discussion is qualified in its entirety by reference to the Trust
Agreement.
Authority of the Sponsor
The Sponsor is generally authorized
to perform all acts deemed necessary to carry out the purposes of
the Trust and to conduct the business of the Trust. The Trust, the
Fund and the Underlying Funds will continue to exist until
terminated in accordance with the Trust Agreement. The
Sponsor’s authority includes, without limitation, the right
to take the following actions:
|
●
|
To enter into, execute, deliver and
maintain contracts, agreements and other documents and to take
action in furtherance of the Trust’s purpose or necessary or
appropriate for the offer and sale of the Shares and the conduct of
Trust activities;
|
|
●
|
To establish, maintain, deposit
into, sign checks and otherwise draw upon accounts on behalf of the
Trust with appropriate banking and savings institutions, and
execute and accept any instrument or agreement incidental to the
Trust’s business and in furtherance of its
purposes;
|
|
●
|
To deposit, withdraw, pay, retain
and distribute the trust estate of the Fund, the Underlying Funds
or any other Teucrium Fund (or any portion thereof) in any manner
consistent with the provisions of the Trust
Agreement;
|
|
●
|
To supervise the preparation and
filing of any registration statement (and supplements and
amendments thereto) for the Fund, the Underlying Funds and any
other Teucrium Fund;
|
|
●
|
To adopt, implement or amend, from
time to time, such disclosure and financial reporting information
gathering and control policies and procedures as are necessary or
desirable to ensure compliance with applicable disclosure and
financial reporting obligations under any applicable securities
laws;
|
|
●
|
To make any necessary determination
or decision in connection with the preparation of the Trust’s
financial statements and amendments thereto;
|
|
●
|
To prepare, file and distribute, if
applicable, any periodic reports or updates that may be required
under the Exchange Act, the CEA or rules and regulations
promulgated thereunder;
|
|
●
|
To pay or authorize the payment of
distributions to the Shareholders and expenses of the Teucrium
Funds, including the Fund and the Underlying
Funds;
|
|
●
|
To make any elections on behalf of
the Trust or any Teucrium Fund under the Code, or any other
applicable U.S. federal or state tax law as the Sponsor shall
determine to be in the best interests of the Trust or the
applicable Fund; and
|
|
●
|
In its sole discretion, to admit an
affiliate or affiliates of the Sponsor as additional
Sponsors.
|
The Sponsor’s Obligations
In addition to the duties imposed by
the Delaware Trust Statute and under the Trust Agreement, the
Sponsor has the following obligations as a sponsor of the
Trust:
|
●
|
Devote to the business and affairs
of the Trust such of its time as it determines in its discretion
(exercised in good faith) to be necessary for the benefit of the
Trust and the shareholders of the Teucrium
Funds;
|
|
●
|
Execute, file, record and/or publish
all certificates, statements and other documents and do any and all
other things as may be appropriate for the formation, qualification
and operation of the Trust and for the conduct of its business in
all appropriate jurisdictions;
|
|
●
|
Appoint and remove independent
public accountants to audit the accounts of the Trust and employ
attorneys to represent the Trust;
|
|
●
|
Use its best efforts to maintain the
status of the Trust and each Teucrium Fund as a statutory trust for
state law purposes and as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax
purposes;
|
|
●
|
Invest, reinvest, hold uninvested,
sell, exchange, write options on, lease, lend and, subject to
certain limitations set forth in the Trust Agreement, pledge,
mortgage and hypothecate the estate of each Teucrium Fund in
accordance with the purposes of the Trust and any registration
statement filed on behalf of the Fund, the Underlying Funds or any
other Teucrium Funds;
|
|
●
|
Have fiduciary responsibility for
the safekeeping and use of the Trust’s assets, whether or not
in the Sponsor’s immediate possession or
control;
|
|
●
|
Enter into and perform agreements
with Authorized Purchasers, receive from Authorized Purchasers and
process properly submitted purchase orders, receive Creation Basket
Deposits, deliver or cause the delivery of Creation Baskets to the
Depository for the account of the Authorized Purchaser submitting a
purchase order;
|
|
●
|
Receive from Authorized Purchasers
and process, or cause the Distributor or other Fund service
provider to process, properly submitted redemption orders, receive
from the redeeming Authorized Purchasers through the Depository,
and thereupon cancel or cause to be cancelled, Shares corresponding
to the Redemption Baskets to be redeemed;
|
|
●
|
Interact with the Depository;
and
|
|
●
|
Delegate duties to one or more
administrators, as the Sponsor determines.
|
To the extent that, at law (common
or statutory) or in equity, the Sponsor has duties (including
fiduciary duties) and liabilities relating thereto to the Trust,
the Fund or any other Teucrium Fund, the Shareholders or to any
other person, the Sponsor will not be liable to the Trust, the Fund
or any other Teucrium Fund, the Shareholders or to any other person
for its good faith reliance on the provisions of the Trust
Agreement or this prospectus (or the prospectus applicable to such
other Teucrium Fund) unless such reliance constitutes gross
negligence or willful misconduct on the part of the
Sponsor.
Liability and Indemnification
Under the Trust Agreement, the
Sponsor, the Trustee and their respective Affiliates (collectively,
“Covered Persons”) shall have no liability to the
Trust, the Fund or any other Teucrium Fund or any Shareholder for
any loss suffered by the Trust, the Fund or any other Teucrium Fund
which arises out of any action or inaction of such Covered Person
if such Covered Person, in good faith, determined that such course
of conduct was in the best interest of the Trust, the Fund or any
other Teucrium Fund and such course of conduct did not constitute
gross negligence or willful misconduct of such Covered Person.
Subject to the foregoing, neither the Sponsor nor any other Covered
Person shall be personally liable for the return or repayment of
all or any portion of the capital or profits of any Shareholder or
assignee thereof, it being expressly agreed that any such return of
capital or profits made pursuant to the Trust Agreement shall be
made solely from the assets of the applicable Teucrium Fund without
any rights of contribution from the Sponsor or any other Covered
Person. A Covered Person shall not be liable for the conduct or
willful misconduct of any administrator or other delegatee selected
by the Sponsor with reasonable care, provided, however, that the
Trustee and its Affiliates shall not, under any circumstances be
liable for the conduct or willful misconduct of any administrator
or other delegatee or any other person selected by the Sponsor to
provide services to the Trust.
To the extent that, at law (common
or statutory) or in equity, the Sponsor has duties (including
fiduciary duties) and liabilities relating to the Trust, the
Teucrium Funds, the shareholders of the Teucrium Funds, or to any
other person, the Sponsor, acting under the Trust Agreement, shall
not be liable to the Trust, the Teucrium Funds, the shareholders of
the Teucrium Funds or to any other person for its good faith
reliance on the provisions of the Trust Agreement. The provisions
of the Trust Agreement, to the extent they restrict or eliminate
the duties and liabilities of the Sponsor otherwise existing at law
or in equity, replace such other duties and liabilities of the
Sponsor.
The Trust Agreement also provides
that the Sponsor shall be indemnified by the Trust (or by a series
separately to the extent the matter in question relates to a single
series or disproportionately affects a specific series in relation
to other series) against any losses, judgments, liabilities,
expenses and amounts paid in settlement of any claims sustained by
it in connection with its activities for the Trust, provided that
(i) the Sponsor was acting on behalf of or performing services for
the Trust and has determined, in good faith, that such course of
conduct was in the best interests of the Trust and such liability
or loss was not the result of gross negligence, willful misconduct,
or a breach of the Trust Agreement on the part of the Sponsor and
(ii) any such indemnification will only be recoverable from the
assets of the applicable series. The Sponsor’s rights to
indemnification permitted under the Trust Agreement shall not be
affected by the dissolution or other cessation to exist of the
Sponsor, or the withdrawal, adjudication of bankruptcy or
insolvency of the Sponsor, or the filing of a voluntary or
involuntary petition in bankruptcy under Title 11 of the Bankruptcy
Code by or against the Sponsor.
Notwithstanding the above, the
Sponsor shall not be indemnified for any losses, liabilities or
expenses arising from or out of an alleged violation of U.S.
federal or state securities laws unless (i) there has been a
successful adjudication on the merits of each count involving
alleged securities law violations as to the particular indemnitee
and the court approves the indemnification of such expenses
(including, without limitation, litigation costs), (ii) such claims
have been dismissed with prejudice on the merits by a court of
competent jurisdiction as to the particular indemnitee and the
court approves the indemnification of such expenses (including,
without limitation, litigation costs), or (iii) a court of
competent jurisdiction approves a settlement of the claims against
a particular indemnitee and finds that indemnification of the
settlement and related costs should be made.
The payment of any indemnification
shall be allocated, as appropriate, among the Trust’s series.
The Trust and its series shall not incur the cost of that portion
of any insurance which insures any party against any liability, the
indemnification of which is prohibited under the Trust
Agreement.
Expenses incurred in defending a
threatened or pending action, suit or proceeding against the
Sponsor shall be paid by the Trust in advance of the final
disposition of such action, suit or proceeding, if (i) the legal
action relates to the performance of duties or services by the
Sponsor on behalf of the Trust; (ii) the legal action is initiated
by a party other than the Trust; and (iii) the Sponsor undertakes
to repay the advanced funds with interest to the Trust in cases in
which it is not entitled to indemnification.
The Trust Agreement provides that
the Sponsor and the Trust shall indemnify the Trustee and its
successors, assigns, legal representatives, officers, directors,
shareholders, employees, agents and servants (the “Trustee
Indemnified Parties”) against any liabilities, obligations,
losses, damages, penalties, taxes (excluding any taxes on
compensation received for services as Trustee or on indemnity
payments received, claims, actions, suits, costs, expenses or
disbursements which may be imposed on a Trustee Indemnified Party
relating to or arising out of the formation, operation or
termination of the Trust, the execution, delivery and performance
of any other agreements to which the Trust is a party, or the
action or inaction of the Trustee under the Trust Agreement or any
other agreement, except for expenses resulting from the gross
negligence or willful misconduct of a Trustee Indemnified Party.
Further, certain officers of the Sponsor are insured against
liability for certain errors or omissions which an officer may
incur or that may arise out of his or her capacity as
such.
In the event the Trust is made a
party to any claim, dispute, demand or litigation or otherwise
incurs any liability or expense as a result of or in connection
with any Shareholder’s (or assignee’s) obligations or
liabilities unrelated to the Trust business, such Shareholder (or
assignees cumulatively) is required under the Trust Agreement to
indemnify the Trust for all such liability and expense incurred,
including attorneys’ and accountants’
fees.
Withdrawal of the Sponsor
The Sponsor may withdraw voluntarily
as the Sponsor of the Trust only upon ninety (90) days’ prior
written notice to the holders of the Trust’s outstanding
shares and the Trustee. If the withdrawing Sponsor is the last
remaining Sponsor, shareholders holding a majority (over 50%) of
the outstanding shares of the Teucrium Funds voting together as a
single class (not including shares acquired by the Sponsor through
its initial capital contribution) may vote to elect a successor
Sponsor. The successor Sponsor will continue the business of the
Trust. Shareholders have no right to remove the
Sponsor.
In the event of withdrawal, the
Sponsor is entitled to a redemption of the shares it acquired
through its initial capital contribution to any of the series of
the Trust at their NAV per Share. If the Sponsor withdraws and a
successor Sponsor is named, the withdrawing Sponsor shall pay all
expenses as a result of its withdrawal.
Meetings
Meetings of the Trust’s
shareholders may be called by the Sponsor and will be called by it
upon the written request of Shareholders holding at least 25% of
the outstanding Shares of the Trust or the Fund, as applicable (not
including Shares acquired by the Sponsor through its initial
capital contribution. The Sponsor shall deposit in the United
States mail or electronically transmit written notice to all
Shareholders of the Fund of the meeting and the purpose of the
meeting, which shall be held on a date not less than 30 nor more
than 60 days after the date of mailing of such notice, at a
reasonable time and place. Where the meeting is called upon the
written request of the shareholders of the Fund, or any other
Teucrium Fund, as applicable, such written notice shall be mailed
or transmitted not more than 45 days after such written request for
a meeting was received by the Sponsor. Any notice of meeting shall
be accompanied by a description of the action to be taken at the
meeting and, if applicable, an opinion of independent counsel as to
the effect of such proposed action on the liability of shareholders
of the Funds, or any other Teucrium Fund, as applicable, for the
debts of the applicable Teucrium Fund. Shareholders may vote in
person or by proxy at any such meeting. The Sponsor shall be
entitled to establish voting and quorum requirements and other
reasonable procedures for shareholder voting. Any action required
or permitted to be taken by Shareholders by vote may be taken
without a meeting by written consent setting forth the actions so
taken. Such written consents shall be treated for all purposes as
votes at a meeting. If the vote or consent of any Shareholder to
any action of the Trust, the Fund or any Shareholder, as
contemplated by the Trust Agreement, is solicited by the Sponsor,
the solicitation shall be effected by notice to each Shareholder
given in the manner provided in accordance with the Trust
Agreement.
Voting Rights
Shareholders have very limited
voting rights. Specifically, the Trust Agreement provides that
shareholders of the Teucrium Funds holding shares representing at
least a majority (over 50%) of the outstanding shares of the
Teucrium Funds voting together as a single class (excluding shares
acquired by the Sponsor in connection with its initial capital
contribution to any Trust series) may vote to (i) continue the
Trust by electing a successor Sponsor as described above, and (ii)
approve amendments to the Trust Agreement that impair the right to
surrender Redemption Baskets for redemption. (Trustee consent to
any amendment to the Trust Agreement is required if the Trustee
reasonably believes that such amendment adversely affects any of
its rights, duties or liabilities.) In addition, shareholders of
the Teucrium Funds holding shares representing seventy-five percent
(75%) of the outstanding shares of the Teucrium Funds, voting
together as a single class (excluding shares acquired by the
Sponsor in connection with its initial capital contribution to any
Trust series) may vote to dissolve the Trust upon not less than
ninety (90) days’ notice to the Sponsor. Shareholders have no
voting rights with respect to the Trust or the Fund except as
expressly provided in the Trust Agreement. Fund Shareholders have
no voting rights with respect to shares of the Underlying Funds
held by the Fund.
Limited Liability of Shareholders
Shareholders shall be entitled to
the same limitation of personal liability extended to stockholders
of private corporations for profit organized under the general
corporation law of Delaware, and no Shareholder shall be liable for
claims against, or debts of the Trust or the Fund in excess of his
share of the Fund’s assets. The Trust or the Fund shall not
make a claim against a Shareholder with respect to amounts
distributed to such Shareholder or amounts received by such
Shareholder upon redemption unless, under Delaware law, such
Shareholder is liable to repay such amount.
The Trust or the Fund shall
indemnify to the full extent permitted by law and the Trust
Agreement, each Shareholder (excluding the Sponsor to the extent of
its ownership of any Shares acquired through its initial capital
contribution) against any claims of liability asserted against such
Shareholder solely because of its ownership of Shares (other than
for taxes on income from Shares for which such Shareholder is
liable).
Every written note, bond, contract,
instrument, certificate or undertaking made or issued by the
Sponsor on behalf of the Trust or the Fund shall give notice to the
effect that the same was executed or made by or on behalf of the
Trust or the Fund and that the obligations of such instrument are
not binding upon the Shareholders individually but are binding only
upon the assets and property of the Fund and no recourse may be had
with respect to the personal property of a Shareholder for
satisfaction of any obligation or claim.
Amendments to the Trust Agreement
Effective April 16, 2018, the
Sponsor, pursuant to its authority under the Trust Agreement, has
amended the Trust Agreement to reflect certain provisions of the
Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 and the tax legislation commonly
referred to as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, each of which
became effective on January 1, 2018. The changes to the Trust
Agreement reflect changes to partnership audit rules under the Code
and reflect certain changes to partnership rules under the Code
(see “U.S. Federal Income
Tax Considerations” for additional information about
the changes to the Code.)
Effective April 26, 2019, the Sponsor, pursuant
to its authority under the Trust Agreement, has amended the Trust
Agreement to remove a requirement that any shareholder of the Fund
that wishes to maintain a derivative action on behalf of the Trust
be joined by at least ten percent (10%) of the outstanding Shares
of the Fund in the bringing of such action.
The Sponsor Has Conflicts of
Interest
There are present and potential
future conflicts of interest in the Trust’s structure and
operation you should consider before you purchase Shares. The
Sponsor may use this notice of conflicts as a defense against any
claim or other proceeding made.
The Sponsor’s principals,
officers and employees, do not devote their time exclusively to the
Funds. Under the organizational documents of the Sponsor, Mr. Sal
Gilbertie in his respective capacities as President, Chief
Investment Officer of the Sponsor and Chief Executive Officer and
Secretary of the Sponsor, is obligated to use commercially
reasonable efforts to manage the Sponsor, devote such amount of
time to the Sponsor as would be consistent with his role in
similarly placed commodity pool operators, and remain active in
managing the Sponsor until he is no longer managing members of the
Sponsor or the Sponsor dissolves. In addition, the Sponsor expects
that operating the Teucrium Funds will generally constitute the
principal and full-time business activity of its principals,
officers and employees. Notwithstanding these obligations and
expectations, the Sponsor’s principals may be directors,
officers or employees of other entities, and may manage assets of
other entities, including the other Teucrium Funds, through the
Sponsor or otherwise. In particular, the principals could have a
conflict between his responsibilities to the Fund on the one hand
and to those other entities on the other. The Sponsor believes that
it currently has sufficient personnel, time, and working capital to
discharge its responsibilities to the Fund in a fair manner and
that these persons’ conflicts should not impair his ability
to provide services to the Fund. However, it is not possible to
quantify the proportion of his time that the Sponsor’s
personnel will devote to the Fund and its
management.
The Sponsor and its principals,
officers and employees may trade securities, futures and related
contracts for their own accounts, creating the potential for
preferential treatment of their own accounts. Shareholders will not
be permitted to inspect the trading records of such persons or any
written policies of the Sponsor related to such trading. A conflict
of interest may exist if their trades are in the same markets and
at approximately the same times as the trades for the Fund or
Underlying Funds. A potential conflict also may occur when the
Sponsor’s principals trade their accounts more aggressively
or take positions in their accounts which are opposite, or ahead
of, the positions taken by the Underlying
Funds.
The Sponsor has sole current
authority to manage the investments and operations of the Fund and
the Underlying Funds, and this may allow it to act in a way that
furthers its own interests which may create a conflict with your
best interests, including the authority of the Sponsor to allocate
expenses to and between the Teucrium Funds. Shareholders have very
limited voting rights with respect to the Fund, which will limit
the ability to influence matters such as amendment of the Trust
Agreement, change in the Fund’s basic investment policies, or
dissolution of the Fund or the Trust. Shareholders have no voting
rights with respect to the Underlying Funds.
The Sponsor serves as the Sponsor to
the Teucrium Funds and may in the future serve as the Sponsor or
investment adviser to commodity pools other than the Teucrium
Funds. The Sponsor may have a conflict to the extent that its
trading decisions for the Fund may be influenced by the effect they
would have on the other pools it manages. While the Sponsor will
attempt to maintain the equal allocation of Fund assets among the
four Underlying Funds, the Sponsor may have an incentive to
purchase shares of or trade in a particular Underlying Fund
relative to the other Underlying Funds.
In addition, the Sponsor may be
required to indemnify the officers and directors of the other
pools, if the need for indemnification arises. This potential
indemnification will cause the Sponsor’s assets to decrease.
If the Sponsor’s other sources of income are not sufficient
to compensate for the indemnification, it could cease operations,
which could in turn result in Fund losses and/or termination of the
Fund.
If the Sponsor acquires knowledge of
a potential transaction or arrangement that may be an opportunity
for the Fund or an Underlying Fund, it shall have no duty to offer
such opportunity to the Fund or the Underlying Fund. The Sponsor
will not be liable to the Fund or the Shareholders for breach of
any fiduciary or other duty if Sponsor pursues such opportunity or
directs it to another person or does not communicate such
opportunity to the Fund or an Underlying Fund. Neither the Fund nor
any Shareholder has any rights or obligations by virtue of the
Trust Agreement, the trust relationship created thereby, or this
prospectus in such business ventures or the income or profits
derived from such business ventures. The pursuit of such business
ventures, even if competitive with the activities of the Fund or an
Underlying Fund, will not be deemed wrongful or
improper.
Resolution of Conflicts Procedures
The Trust Agreement provides that
whenever a conflict of interest exists between the Sponsor or any
of its Affiliates, on the one hand, and the Trust, any shareholder
of a Trust series, or any other person, on the other hand, the
Sponsor shall resolve such conflict of interest, take such action
or provide such terms, considering in each case the relative
interest of each party (including its own interest) to such
conflict, agreement, transaction or situation and the benefits and
burdens relating to such interests, any customary or accepted
industry practices, and any applicable generally accepted
accounting practices or principles. In the absence of bad faith by
the Sponsor, the resolution, action or terms so made, taken or
provided by the Sponsor shall not constitute a breach of the Trust
Agreement or any other agreement contemplated therein or of any
duty or obligation of the Sponsor at law or in equity or
otherwise.
The Sponsor or any affiliate thereof
may engage in or possess an interest in other profit-seeking or
business ventures of any nature or description, independently or
with others, whether or not such ventures are competitive with the
Trust and the doctrine of corporate opportunity, or any analogous
doctrine, shall not apply to the Sponsor. If the Sponsor acquires
knowledge of a potential transaction, agreement, arrangement or
other matter that may be an opportunity for the Trust, it shall
have no duty to communicate or offer such opportunity to the Trust,
and the Sponsor shall not be liable to the Trust or to the
Shareholders for breach of any fiduciary or other duty by reason of
the fact that the Sponsor pursues or acquires for, or directs such
opportunity to, another person or does not communicate such
opportunity or information to the Trust. Neither the Trust nor any
Shareholder shall have any rights or obligations by virtue of the
Trust Agreement, or the trust relationship created thereby in or to
such independent ventures or the income or profits or losses
derived therefrom, and the pursuit of such ventures, even if
competitive with the activities of the Trust, shall not be deemed
wrongful or improper. Except to the extent expressly provided in
the Trust Agreement, the Sponsor may engage or be interested in any
financial or other transaction with the Trust, the Shareholders or
any affiliate of the Trust or the Shareholders.
Interests of Named Experts
and Counsel
No expert hired by the Fund to give
advice on the preparation of this offering document has been hired
on a contingent fee basis, nor do any of them have any present or
future expectation of interest in the Sponsor, Distributor,
Authorized Purchasers, Custodian/Administrator or other service
providers to the Fund.
Provisions of Federal and
State Securities Laws
This offering is made pursuant to
federal and state securities laws. The SEC and state securities
agencies take the position that indemnification of the Sponsor that
arises out of an alleged violation of such laws is prohibited
unless certain conditions are met. Those conditions require that no
indemnification of the Sponsor or any underwriter for the Fund may
be made in respect of any losses, liabilities or expenses arising
from or out of an alleged violation of federal or state securities
laws unless: (i) there has been a successful adjudication on the
merits of each count involving alleged securities law violations as
to the party seeking indemnification and the court approves the
indemnification; (ii) such claim has been dismissed with prejudice
on the merits by a court of competent jurisdiction as to the party
seeking indemnification; or (iii) a court of competent jurisdiction
approves a settlement of the claims against the party seeking
indemnification and finds that indemnification of the settlement
and related costs should be made, provided that, before seeking
such approval, the Sponsor or other indemnitee must apprise the
court of the position held by regulatory agencies against such
indemnification.
The Trust keeps its books of record
and account at its office located at, Three Main Street, Suite 215,
Burlington, VT 05401, or at the offices of the Administrator, U.S.
Bancorp Fund Services, LLC, doing business as U.S. Bank Global Fund
Services, located at 615 East Michigan Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
53202, or such office, including of an administrative agent, as it
may subsequently designate upon notice. The books of account of the
Fund are open to inspection by any Shareholder (or any duly
constituted designee of a Shareholder) at all times during the
usual business hours of the Fund upon reasonable advance notice to
the extent such access is required under CFTC rules and
regulations. In addition, the Trust keeps a copy of the Trust
Agreement on file in its office which will be available for
inspection by any Shareholder at all times during its usual
business hours upon reasonable advance notice.
Analysis of Critical
Accounting Policies
The Fund’s critical accounting
policies are set forth in the financial statements that are
incorporated by reference in this prospectus prepared in accordance
with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States
of America, which require the use of certain accounting policies
that affect the amounts reported in these financial statements,
including the following: (i) Fund trades are accounted for on a
trade-date basis and marked to market on a daily basis; (ii) the
difference between the cost and market value of Commodity Interests
is recorded as “change in unrealized profit/loss” for
open (unrealized) contracts, and recorded as “realized
profit/loss” when open positions are closed out; and (iii)
earned interest income, as well as the fees and expenses of the
Fund, are recorded on an accrual basis. The Sponsor believes that
all relevant accounting assumptions and policies have been
considered.
Statements, Filings, and
Reports to Shareholders
The Trust will furnish to DTC
Participants for distribution to Shareholders annual reports (as of
the end of each fiscal year) for the Fund as are required to be
provided to Shareholders by the CFTC and the NFA. These annual
reports will contain financial statements prepared by the Sponsor
and audited by an independent registered public accounting firm
designated by the Sponsor. The Trust will also post monthly reports
to the Fund’s website (www.teucriumtagsfund.com).
These monthly reports will contain certain unaudited financial
information regarding the Fund, including the Fund’s NAV. The
Sponsor will furnish to the Shareholders other reports or
information which the Sponsor, in its discretion, determines to be
necessary or appropriate. In addition, under SEC rules the Trust
will be required to file quarterly and annual reports for the Fund
with the SEC, which need not be sent to Shareholders but will be
publicly available through the SEC. The Trust will post the same
information that would otherwise be provided in the Trust’s
CFTC, NFA and SEC reports on the Fund’s website www.teucriumtagsfund.com.
The Sponsor is responsible for the
registration and qualification of the Shares under the federal
securities laws, federal commodities laws, and laws of any other
jurisdiction as the Sponsor may select. The Sponsor is responsible
for preparing all required reports but has entered into an
agreement with the Administrator to prepare these reports on the
Trust’s behalf.
The accountants’ report on its
audit of the Fund’s financial statements will be furnished by
the Trust to Shareholders upon request. The Trust will make such
elections, file such tax returns, and prepare, disseminate and file
such tax reports for the Fund, as it is advised by its counsel or
accountants are from time to time required by any applicable
statute, rule or regulation.
PricewaterhouseCoopers
(“PwC”), 2001 Ross Avenue, Suite 1800, Dallas, Texas
75201-2997, will provide tax information in accordance with
applicable U.S. Treasury Regulations. Persons treated as middlemen
for purposes of these regulations may obtain tax information
regarding the Fund from PwC or from the Fund’s website,
www.teucriumtagsfund.com.
The fiscal year of the Fund is the
calendar year.
The rights of the Sponsor, the
Trust, the Fund, DTC (as registered owner of the Fund’s
global certificate for Shares) and the Shareholders are governed by
the laws of the State of Delaware, except with respect to causes of
action for violations of U.S. federal or state securities laws. The
Trust Agreement and the effect of every provision thereof shall
control over any contrary or limiting statutory or common law of
the State of Delaware, other than the Delaware Trust
Statute.
Security Ownership of
Principal Shareholders and Management
The following table
sets forth information with respect to each person known to own
beneficially more than 5% of the outstanding shares of any series
in the Trust as of December 31, 2018, based on information known to
the Sponsor.
(1)
Title
of Class
|
(2)
Name
and Address
of
Beneficial Owner
|
(3)
Amount
and Nature of Beneficial Ownership
|
(4)
Percent
of Class
|
TAGS
|
Virtu Americas, LLC
Vesey Street, New York, NY 10282
|
23,824 common units
(1)
|
31.76%
|
TAGS
|
Interactive Investor
Services LTD Exchange Court
Duncombe Street,
Leeds UK
|
4,500 common units
(1)
|
6.00%
|
TAGS
|
Gregory A.
Toufayan
Saddle River, NJ
07458
|
5,000 common units
(1)
|
6.67%
|
TAGS
|
Murray E Clayton
Rollover IRA Mooresville, NC 28117
|
3,747 common units
(1)
|
5.00%
|
The following table sets forth
information regarding the beneficial ownership of shares by the
executive officers of the Sponsor as of December 31, 2018. Except
as listed, no other executive officer of the Sponsor is a
beneficial owner of shares of the Fund.
(1)
Title of
Class
|
(2)
Name of
Beneficial Owner
|
(3)
Amount and nature
of Beneficial Ownership
|
(4)
Percent of
Class
|
TAGS
|
Sal Gilbertie
|
2,000 common
units
|
2.67%
|
______________________
Litigation and Claims
Within the past 10 years of the date
of this prospectus, there have been no material administrative,
civil or criminal actions against the Sponsor, the Trust or the
Fund, or any principal or affiliate of any of them. This includes
any actions pending, on appeal, concluded, threatened, or otherwise
known to them.
Legal Opinion
Vedder Price P.C. has been retained
to advise the Trust and the Sponsor with respect to the Shares
being offered hereby and has passed upon the validity of the Shares
being issued hereunder. Vedder Price P.C. has also provided the
Sponsor with its opinion with respect to federal income tax matters
addressed herein under the heading "U.S. Federal Income Tax
Considerations."
Experts
The financial statements of the
Trust and the Fund, and management’s assessment of the
effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting of the
Trust and the Fund incorporated by reference in this prospectus and
elsewhere in the registration statement have been so incorporated
by reference in reliance upon the reports of Grant Thornton LLP,
independent registered public accountants, upon the authority of
said firm as experts in accounting and
auditing.
This Privacy Policy explains the
policies of the Sponsor, a commodity pool operator registered with
the CFTC, and (i) the Trust, and (ii) each commodity pool for which
the Sponsor serves as Sponsor currently or in the future including
Teucrium Corn Fund, Teucrium Wheat Fund, Teucrium Sugar Fund, and
Teucrium Soybean Fund, and Teucrium Agricultural Fund (each of
which is a series of the Trust), relating to the collection,
maintenance, and use of nonpublic personal information about the
Teucrium Funds’ investors, as required under federal law.
Federal law gives investors the
right to limit some but not all sharing of their nonpublic personal
information. Federal law also requires the Sponsor to tell
investors how it collects, shares, and protects such nonpublic
personal information. Please read this policy carefully to
understand what the Sponsor does. This Privacy Policy
applies to the nonpublic personal information of investors who are
individuals and who obtain financial products or services from the
Sponsor, the Trust, and the Teucrium Funds primarily for personal,
family, or household purposes. This Privacy Policy applies to both
current and former Fund investors; the Sponsor will only disclose
nonpublic personal information about former investors to the same
extent as for current investors, as described
below.
Collection of Nonpublic Personal Information
The Sponsor may collect or have
access to nonpublic personal information about current and former
Fund investors for certain purposes relating to the operation of
the Teucrium Funds. This information may include information
received from investors, such as their name, social security
number, telephone number, and address, and information about
investors’ holdings and transactions in shares of the
Teucrium Funds.
Use and Disclosure of Nonpublic Personal
Information
The Sponsor recognizes and respects
the privacy expectation of each of the Teucrium Funds’
investors. The Sponsor believes that the confidentiality and
protection of investors’ nonpublic personal information is
one of its fundamental responsibilities. This means, most
importantly, that the Sponsor does not sell nonpublic personal
information to any third parties. The Sponsor primarily uses
investors’ nonpublic personal information to complete
financial transactions that may be requested. Below are the
circumstances in which the Sponsor may disclose investors’
nonpublic personal information to third parties; investors may not
opt out of these disclosures:
|
●
|
The Sponsor may provide an
investor’s nonpublic personal information to non-affiliated
service providers involved in servicing and administering products
and services for, or on behalf of the Sponsor (e.g., accountants, compliance
consultants, legal advisors, broker-dealers, introducing brokers,
FCMs, investment companies, investment advisers, commodity trading
advisors, commodity pool operators, administrators, and
custodians). In all such cases, the Sponsor will provide the third
party with only the nonpublic personal information necessary to
carry out its assigned responsibilities and only for that
purpose.
|
|
●
|
The Sponsor will release nonpublic
personal information if directed by an investor to do so. The
Sponsor may also release nonpublic personal information to persons
acting in a fiduciary or representative capacity on behalf of an
investor.
|
|
●
|
The Sponsor may release an
investor’s nonpublic personal information to courts and other
parties related to a subpoena or other court, government, or SRO
order or process, as authorized by law.
|
|
|
|
|
●
|
The Sponsor may release an
investor’s nonpublic personal information to regulators
(including SROs) or governmental entities that have made a
reasonable request for such information, as authorized by
law.
|
|
●
|
The Sponsor may release an
investor’s nonpublic personal information to certain
governmental entities and others to prevent money laundering or in
connection with tax filings, as authorized by
law.
|
Investors’ nonpublic personal
information, particularly information about investors’
holdings and transactions in shares of the Funds, may be shared
between and amongst the Sponsor and the Funds. An investor cannot opt-out of the sharing of
nonpublic personal information between and amongst the Sponsor and
the Funds. However, the Sponsor and the Funds will not use
this information for any cross-marketing purposes. In other words, all investors will be treated
as having “opted out” of receiving marketing
solicitations from Funds other than the Fund(s) in which it
invests.
Protection of Nonpublic Personal Information
|
●
|
The Sponsor restricts access to
investors’ nonpublic personal information only to those
employees, agents, and representatives who require that information
to provide financial products and services.
|
|
●
|
The Sponsor requires all employees,
financial professionals, and companies providing services on its
behalf to keep investors’ nonpublic personal information
confidential.
|
|
●
|
Third parties with whom the Sponsor
shares investor nonpublic personal information must agree to follow
appropriate standards of security and confidentiality, which
includes safeguarding such information physically, electronically,
and procedurally.
|
|
●
|
The Sponsor maintains physical,
technical, administrative, and procedural safeguards that comply
with federal standards to protect the confidentiality and security
of investors’ nonpublic personal information including, where
applicable, its disposal.
|
|
●
|
Employees, agents, and
representatives who have access to shareholder reports or other
correspondence containing investors’ nonpublic personal
information are required to utilize passwords on all electronic
devices used to carry out their professional
responsibilities.
|
U.S. Federal
Income Tax Considerations
The following
discussion summarizes the material U.S. federal income tax
consequences of the purchase, ownership and disposition of Shares
of the Fund and the U.S. federal income tax treatment of the
Fund. Except where otherwise noted, this discussion deals
only with the U.S. federal income tax consequences relating to
Shares held as capital assets by U.S. Shareholder (as defined
below) who are not subject to special tax treatment. For
example, it does not address the tax consequences to (i) dealers in
securities, currencies, or commodities, (ii) traders in securities,
or dealers or traders in commodities, that elect to use a
mark-to-market method of accounting, (iii) financial institutions,
(iv) tax-exempt entities (except as discussed below), (v) insurance
companies, (vi) persons holding Shares as a part of a position in a
“straddle” or as part of a “hedging,”
“conversion,” or other integrated transaction for U.S.
federal income tax purposes, or (vii) persons with
“applicable financial statements” within the meaning of
Section 451(b) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended
(the “Code”), (viii) holders of Shares whose
“functional currency” is not the U.S. dollar.
Furthermore, the discussion that follows below is based upon the
provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the
"Code"), and regulations (“Treasury Regulations”),
rulings, and judicial decisions thereunder as of the date hereof,
and such authorities may be repealed, revoked, or modified
(possibly with retroactive effect) so as to result in U.S. federal
income tax consequences different from the consequences discussed
below.
The Sponsor has received the opinion
of Vedder Price P.C. ("Vedder Price"), counsel to the Trust, that
the U.S. federal income tax discussion that follows below is
accurate with respect to the matters discussed. In rendering
its opinion, Vedder Price has relied on the facts and assumptions
described in this prospectus as well as certain factual
representations made by the Trust and the Sponsor. This
opinion is not binding on the Internal Revenue Service
(“IRS”). No rulings have been requested from the
IRS with respect to any matter affecting the Fund or prospective
investors. The IRS may disagree with the tax positions taken
by the Fund, and, if the IRS were to challenge the Fund’s tax
positions in litigation, they might not be sustained by the
courts.
As used herein, the term “U.S.
Shareholder” means a Shareholder that is, for United States
federal income tax purposes, (i) a citizen or resident of the
United States, (ii) a corporation created or organized in or under
the laws of the United States or any political subdivision thereof,
(iii) an estate the income of which is subject to United States
federal income taxation regardless of its source or (iv) a trust
that (X) is subject to the supervision of a court within the United
States and the control of one or more United States persons as
described in section 7701(a)(30) of the Code or (Y) has a valid
election in effect under applicable Treasury Regulations to be
treated as a United States person. A “Non-U.S.
Shareholder” is a holder that is not a U.S.
Shareholder. If a partnership or other entity or
arrangement treated as a partnership holds our Shares, the tax
treatment of a partner will generally depend upon the status of the
partner and the activities of the partnership. If you are a partner
of a partnership holding our Shares the discussion below may not be
applicable to you and, you should consult your own tax advisor
regarding the tax consequences of acquiring, owning and disposing
of Shares.
EACH PROSPECTIVE INVESTOR IS ADVISED
TO CONSULT ITS OWN TAX ADVISOR REGARDING THE U.S. FEDERAL INCOME
TAX CONSEQUENCES OF AN INVESTMENT IN SHARES, AS WELL AS ANY
APPLICABLE STATE, LOCAL OR FOREIGN TAX CONSEQUENCES, IN LIGHT OF
ITS PARTICULAR CIRCUMSTANCES.
Tax Classification of the Trust and the Fund
The Trust is organized and will be
operated as a statutory trust in accordance with the provisions of
the Trust Agreement and applicable Delaware law.
Notwithstanding the Trust’s status as a statutory trust and
the Fund’s status as a series of the Trust, due to the nature
of the Fund’s activities, the Fund will be classified as a
“business entity” rather than as a trust for U.S.
federal income tax purposes. In addition, the trading of
Shares on the NYSE Arca will cause the Fund to be classified as a
“publicly traded partnership” for U.S. federal income
tax purposes. Under the Code, a publicly traded partnership
generally is taxable as a corporation. In the case of a
business entity (such as the Fund) not registered under the
Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, however, an exception
to this general rule applies if at least 90% of the entity’s
gross income is “qualifying income” for each taxable
year of its existence (the “qualifying income
exception”). For this purpose, qualifying income is
defined as including, in pertinent part, interest (other than from
a financial business), dividends, and gains from the sale or
disposition of capital assets held for the production of interest
or dividends. In the case of a partnership of which a
principal activity is the buying and selling of commodities other
than as inventory, or futures, forwards, and options with respect
to commodities, “qualifying income” also means income
and gains from commodities and from futures, forwards, options,
and, provided the partnership is a trader or investor with respect
to such assets, swaps and other notional principal contracts with
respect to commodities.
The Trust and the Sponsor have made
the following representations (the “Representations”)
to Vedder Price:
|
●
|
At least 90% of each Underlying
Fund’s gross income for each taxable year will constitute
“qualifying income” within the meaning of Code section
7704 (as described above);
|
|
●
|
Each of the Underlying Funds is
classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes
and has not elected, and will not elect, to be taxed as a
corporation for U.S. federal income tax
purposes;
|
|
●
|
In addition to holding shares of the
Underlying Funds, the only other assets the Fund may hold are
residual amounts in cash equivalents and/or cash (generally in
interest-bearing accounts);
|
|
●
|
At least 90% of the Fund’s
gross income for each taxable year will consist of (i) qualifying
income derived by the Fund with respect to the Fund’s
interests in the Underlying Funds, and (ii) interest
income;
|
|
●
|
The Fund is organized and will be
operated in accordance with its governing documents and applicable
law; and
|
|
●
|
The Fund has not elected, and will
not elect, to be classified as a corporation for U.S. federal
income tax purposes.
|
Based in part on the
Representations, Vedder Price is of the opinion that, although the
matter is not free from doubt, it is more likely than not that (i)
at least 90% of the Fund’s gross income for each taxable year
will constitute “qualifying income” within the meaning
of Code section 7704 and (ii) the Fund will be treated as a
partnership that it is not taxable as a corporation for U.S.
federal income tax purposes. The Fund’s taxation
as a partnership rather than as a corporation will require the Fund
to satisfy the requirements of the qualifying income exception on a
continuing basis. No assurances can be given that the
Fund will satisfy these requirements for any given
year. Vedder Price will not review the Fund’s
ongoing compliance with these requirements and will have no
obligation to advise the Trust, the Fund or the Fund’s
Shareholders in the event of any subsequent change in the facts,
representations or applicable law relied upon in reaching its
opinion.
If the Fund failed to satisfy the
qualifying income exception in any year, other than a failure that
is determined by the IRS to be inadvertent and that is cured within
a reasonable time after discovery (in which case, as a condition of
relief, the Fund could be required to pay the government amounts
determined by the IRS), the Fund would be taxable as a corporation
for U.S. federal income tax purposes and would pay U.S. federal
income tax on its income at regular corporate rates. In that
event, Shareholders would not report their share of the
Fund’s income or loss on their tax returns.
Distributions by the Fund (if any) would be treated as dividend
income to the Shareholders to the extent of the Fund’s
current and accumulated earnings and profits. Accordingly, if
the Fund were to be taxable as a corporation, it likely would have
a material adverse effect on the economic return from an investment
in the Fund and on the value of the Shares.
The remainder of this summary assumes that the
Fund (and each Underlying Fund) is classified for U.S. federal
income tax purposes as a partnership that it is not taxable as a
corporation.
U.S. Shareholders
Tax Consequences of Ownership of Shares
Taxation of the
Fund’s Income. No U.S. federal income tax is paid by
the Fund on its income. Instead, the Fund files annual
partnership returns, and each U.S. Shareholder is required to
report on its U.S. federal income tax return its allocable share of
the income, gain, loss, deductions, and credits reflected on such
returns. The Fund’s income, gain, loss, deduction, or
credits will include its allocable share of those items derived
from its interests in the Underlying Funds. If the Fund
recognizes income for a taxable year in the form of interest and/or
net capital gains from the cash settlement of Commodity Interests
as a result of its investment in an Underlying Fund, Shareholders
must report their share of these items even though the Fund makes
no distributions of cash or property during the taxable year.
Consequently, a Shareholder may be taxable on income or gain
recognized by the Fund (including the Fund’s allocable share
of income or gain derived from the Underlying Funds) but receive no
cash distribution with which to pay the resulting tax liability, or
may receive a distribution that is insufficient to pay such tax
liability. Because the Fund currently does not intend to make
distributions, it is likely that a U.S. Shareholder that realizes
net income or gain with respect to Shares for a taxable year will
be required to pay any resulting tax from sources other than Fund
distributions. Additionally individuals with modified
adjusted gross income in excess of $200,000 ($250,000 in the case
of married individuals filing jointly) and certain estates and
trusts are subject to an additional 3.8% tax on their “net
investment income,” which generally includes net income from
interest, dividends, annuities, royalties, and rents, and net
capital gains (other than certain amounts earned from trades or
businesses). Also included as income subject to the additional 3.8%
tax is income from businesses involved in the trading of financial
instruments or commodities. Shareholders subject to this provision
may be required to pay this 3.8% surtax on interest income and
capital gains allocated to them by the
Fund.
Monthly Conventions for Allocations of the
Fund’s Profit and Loss and Capital Account
Restatements. Under Code section 704, the
determination of a partner’s distributive share of any item
of income, gain, loss, deduction, or credit is governed by the
applicable organizational document unless the allocation provided
by such document lacks “substantial economic
effect.” An allocation that lacks substantial
economic effect nonetheless will be respected if it is in
accordance with the partners’ interests in the partnership,
determined by taking into account all facts and circumstances
relating to the economic arrangements among the partners.
Subject to the possible exception for certain conventions to be
used by the Fund, as discussed below, allocations pursuant to the
Trust Agreement should be considered as having substantial economic
effect or being in accordance with Shareholders’ interests in
the Fund.
In situations where a
partner’s interest in a partnership is redeemed or sold
during a taxable year, the Code generally requires that partnership
tax items for the year be allocated to the partner using either an
interim closing of the books or a daily proration method. The
Fund intends to allocate tax items using an interim closing of the
books method under which income, gains, losses, and deductions will
be determined on a monthly basis, taking into account the
Fund’s accrued income, deductions, gains, and losses (both
realized and unrealized) for the month. The tax items for
each month during a taxable year will then be allocated among the
holders of Shares in proportion to the number of Shares owned by
them as of the close of trading on the last trading day of the
immediately preceding month (the “monthly allocation
convention”).
Under the monthly allocation
convention, an investor who disposes of a Share during the current
month will be treated as disposing of the Share as of the end of
the last day of the calendar month. For example, an investor
who buys a Share on April 10 of a year and sells it on May 20 of
the same year will be allocated all of the tax items attributable
to May (because it is deemed to hold the Share through the last day
of May) but none of the tax items attributable to April. The
tax items attributable to that Share for April will be allocated to
the person who is the actual or deemed holder of the Share as of
the close of trading on the last trading day of March. Under
the monthly allocation convention, an investor who purchases and
sells a Share during the same month, and therefore does not hold
(and is not deemed to hold) the Share at the close of the last
trading day of either that month or the previous month, will
receive no allocations with respect to that Share for any
period. Accordingly, investors may not receive allocations
with respect to Shares that they actually held, or they may receive
allocations with respect to Shares attributable to periods that
they did not actually hold the Shares.
Each of the Underlying Funds applies
an allocation method for its partnership items that is essentially
identical to the monthly allocation convention. Therefore, the
amounts allocated among Shareholders by the Fund themselves are
based on simplifying assumptions and conventions that may not
precisely reflect the Fund’s economic income or loss from an
investment in the Underlying Funds.
By investing in Shares, a U.S.
Shareholder agrees that, in the absence of new legislation,
regulatory or administrative guidance, or judicial rulings to the
contrary, it will file its U.S. federal income tax returns in a
manner that is consistent with the monthly allocation convention as
described above and with the IRS Schedule K-1 or any successor form
provided to Shareholders by the Fund or the
Trust.
For any month in which a Creation
Basket is issued or a Redemption Basket is redeemed, the Fund will
credit or debit the “book” capital accounts of existing
Shareholders with the amount of any unrealized gain or loss,
respectively, on Fund assets. For this purpose, unrealized
gain or loss will be computed based on the lowest NAV of the
Fund’s assets during the month in which Shares are issued or
redeemed, which may be different than the value of the assets on
the date of an issuance or redemption. The capital accounts
as adjusted in this manner will be used in making tax allocations
intended to account for differences between the tax basis and fair
market value of the property owned by the Fund at the time new
Shares are issued or outstanding Shares are redeemed (so-called
“reverse Code section 704(c) allocations”). The
intended effect of these adjustments is to allocate equitably among
Shareholders any unrealized appreciation or depreciation in the
Fund’s assets existing at the time of a contribution or
redemption for book and tax purposes.
The conventions used by the Fund, as
noted above, in making tax allocations may cause a Shareholder to
be allocated more or less income or loss for U.S. federal income
tax purposes than its proportionate share of the economic income or
loss realized by the Fund during the period such Shareholder held
its Shares. This mismatch between taxable and economic income
or loss in some cases may be temporary, reversing itself in a later
year when the Shares are sold, but could be permanent. For
example, a Shareholder could be allocated income accruing after it
sold its Shares, resulting in an increase in the basis of the
Shares (see “ Tax Basis of
Shares ”, below). In connection with the
disposition of the Shares, the additional basis might produce a
capital loss the deduction of which may be limited (see
“Limitations on
Deductibility of Losses and Certain Expenses”,
below).
Section 754 election. The Fund
(and each of the Underlying Funds) intends to make (or has made)
the election permitted by Code section 754 (a “section 754
election”), which election is irrevocable without the consent
of the IRS. The effect of this election is that, when a
secondary market sale of Shares occurs, the Fund adjusts the
purchaser’s proportionate share of the tax basis of the
Fund’s assets to fair market value, as reflected in the price
paid for the Shares, as if the purchaser had made a direct
acquisition of an interest in the Fund’s assets. The
section 754 election is intended to eliminate disparities between a
partner’s basis in its partnership interest and its share of
the tax basis of the partnership’s assets, so that the
partner’s allocable share of taxable gain or loss on a
disposition of an asset will correspond to the partner’s
share of the appreciation or depreciation in the value of the asset
since the partner acquired its interest. Depending on the
price paid for Shares and the tax basis of the Fund’s assets
at the time of the purchase, the effect of the section 754 election
on a purchaser of Shares may be favorable or unfavorable. In
order to make the appropriate basis adjustments in a cost effective
manner, the Fund will use certain simplifying conventions and
assumptions. In particular, the Fund will obtain information
regarding secondary market transactions in its Shares and use this
information to make adjustments to the Shareholders’ indirect
basis in Fund assets. It is possible that the IRS could be
successful in asserting that the conventions and assumptions
applied are improper and require different basis adjustments to be
made, which could adversely affect some Shareholders. If the
Fund acquires shares of an Underlying Fund on the secondary market,
the Underlying Fund will adjust the Fund’s share of the tax
basis of the Underlying Fund’s assets using the conventions
and assumptions described above.
Section 1256 Contracts. Under the
Code, special rules apply to instruments constituting
“section 1256 contracts.” Section 1256
requires that such instruments held at the end of a taxable year be
treated as if they were sold for their fair market value on the
last business day of the taxable year (i.e., “marked to
market”). Moreover, any gain or loss realized from a
disposition, termination or marking-to-market of section 1256
contracts is treated as long-term capital gain or loss to the
extent of 60% thereof, and as short-term capital gain or loss to
the extent of 40% thereof, without regard to the actual holding
period (“60-40 Treatment”). The term
“section 1256 contract” generally includes, in relevant
part: (1) a ”regulated futures contract,”
defined as a contract (a) that is traded on or subject to the rules
of a national securities exchange that is registered with the SEC,
a domestic board of trade designated as a contract market by the
CFTC, or any other board of trade or exchange designated by the
Secretary of the Treasury (a “qualified board or
exchange”), and (b) with respect to which the amount required
to be deposited and the amount that may be withdrawn depends on a
system of “marking to market”; and (2) a non-equity
option traded on or subject to the rules of a qualified board or
exchange.
An interest rate swap, currency
swap, basis swap, interest rate cap, interest rate floor, commodity
swap, equity swap, equity index swap, credit default swap or
similar agreement is not a section 1256 contract, even if traded on
a qualified board or exchange. Proposed Treasury Regulations
interpreting this exception to section 1256 provide that a contract
constituting a notional principal contract within the meaning of
section 1.446-3 of the Treasury Regulations is not subject to
section 1256. These regulations will not become effective until
published in final form.
Many of the Underlying Funds’
Futures Contracts will qualify as “section 1256
contracts” under the Code, as will some Other Commodity
Interests that are cleared through a qualified board or
exchange. Any gain or loss recognized by the Underlying Funds
with respect to section 1256 contracts will be subject to the 60-40
treatment and will be allocated to shareholders of the Underlying
Fund (including the Fund) in accordance with the monthly allocation
convention.
Foreign exchange gains and losses
realized by an Underlying Fund in connection with certain
transactions involving foreign currency-denominated debt
securities, certain futures contracts, forward contracts, options
and similar investments denominated in a foreign currency, and
payables or receivables denominated in a foreign currency are
subject to section 988 of the Code, which generally causes such
gain and loss to be treated as ordinary income or loss. To the
extent an Underlying Fund hold foreign investments, it may be
subject to withholding and other taxes imposed by foreign
countries. Tax treaties between certain countries and the United
States may reduce or eliminate such taxes. Because the amount of an
Underlying Fund’s investments in various countries will
change from time to time, it is not possible to determine the
effective rate of such taxes in advance.
Limitations on Deductibility of Losses and
Certain Expenses. A number of different provisions of
the Code may defer or disallow the deduction of losses or expenses
allocated to Shareholders by the Fund, including but not limited to
those described below.
A Shareholder’s deduction of its allocable
share of any loss of the Fund (including its allocable share of any
loss of an Underlying Fund) is limited to the lesser of (1) the tax
basis in its Shares or (2) in the case of a Shareholder that is an
individual or a closely held corporation, the amount that the
Shareholder is considered to have “at risk” with
respect to the Fund’s activities. In general, the
amount at risk initially will be a Shareholder’s invested
capital. Losses in excess of the amount at risk must be
deferred until years in which the Fund generates additional taxable
income against which to offset such carryover losses or until
additional capital is placed at risk.
Individuals and other non-corporate
taxpayers are permitted to deduct capital losses only to the extent
of their capital gains for the taxable year plus $3,000 of other
income. Unused capital losses can be carried forward and used
in future years, subject to these same limitations. In
addition, an individual taxpayer may elect to carry back net losses
on section 1256 contracts to each of the three preceding years and
use them to offset section 1256 contract gains in those years,
subject to certain limitations. Corporate taxpayers generally
may deduct capital losses only to the extent of capital gains,
subject to special carryback and carryforward
rules.
The deduction for expenses incurred by
non-corporate taxpayers constituting “miscellaneous itemized
deductions,” generally including investment-related expenses
(other than interest and certain other specified expenses), is
suspended for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017 and
before January 1, 2026. During these taxable years, non-corporate
taxpayers will not be able to deduct miscellaneous itemized
deductions. Provided the suspension is not extended for taxable
years ending on or after January 1, 2026, miscellaneous itemized
deductions are deductible only to the extent that they exceed 2% of
the taxpayer’s adjusted gross income for the year.
Although the matter is not free from doubt, the Sponsor believes
that the expenses of the Fund (including its allocable share of the
expenses of the Underlying Funds) will constitute
investment-related expenses subject to this miscellaneous itemized
deduction limitation, rather than expenses incurred in connection
with a trade or business, and the Fund will report these expenses
consistent with that interpretation. For taxable years beginning on
or after January 1, 2026, the Code imposes additional limitations
on the amount of certain itemized deductions allowable to
individuals with adjusted gross income in excess of certain amounts
by reducing the otherwise allowable portion of such deductions by
an amount equal to the lesser of:
● 3% of the individual’s
adjusted gross income in excess of certain threshold amounts;
or
● 80% of the amount of certain
itemized deductions otherwise allowable for the taxable
year.
Non-corporate Shareholders generally
may deduct “investment interest expense” only to the
extent of their “net investment
income.” Investment interest expense of a
Shareholder will generally include any interest expense accrued by
the Fund (or an Underlying Fund) and any interest paid or accrued
on direct borrowings by a Shareholder to purchase or carry its
Shares, such as interest with respect to a margin account.
Net investment income generally includes gross income from property
held for investment (including “portfolio income” under
the passive loss rules but not, absent an election, long-term
capital gains or certain qualifying dividend income) less
deductible expenses other than interest directly connected with the
production of investment income.
If the Fund incurs
indebtedness, the Fund’s ability to deduct interest on its
indebtedness allocable to its trade or business is limited to an
amount equal to the sum of (1) the Fund’s business interest
income during the year and (2) 30% of the Fund’s adjusted
taxable income for such taxable year. If the Fund is not entitled
to fully deduct its business interest in any taxable year, such
excess business interest expense will be allocated to each
Shareholder as excess business interest and can be carried forward
by the Shareholder to successive taxable years and used to offset
any excess taxable income allocated by the Fund to such
Shareholder. Any excess business interest expense allocated to a
Shareholder will reduce such Shareholder’s basis in its
Shares in the year of the allocation even if the expense does not
give rise to a deduction to the Shareholder in that year.
Immediately prior to a Shareholder’s disposition of its
Shares, the Shareholder’s basis will be increased by the
amount by which such basis reduction exceeds the excess interest
expense that has been deducted by such Shareholder. This limitation
also applies to any indebtedness incurred by an Underlying
Fund.
To the extent that the Fund allocates losses or
expenses to a Shareholder that are deferred or disallowed as a
result of the limitations described above or other limitations in
the Code, the Shareholder may be taxed on income in excess of its
economic income or distributions (if any) on its Shares. As
one example, a Shareholder could be allocated and required to pay
tax on its share of interest income accrued by the Fund for a
particular taxable year and, in the same year, be allocated a share
of a capital loss that the Shareholder cannot deduct currently
because it has insufficient capital gains against which to offset
the loss. As another example, a Shareholder could be
allocated and required to pay tax on its share of interest income
and capital gain for a year, but be unable to deduct some or all of
its share of Fund expenses and/or margin account interest incurred
by the Shareholder with respect to its Shares. Each
Shareholder is urged to consult its own professional tax advisor
regarding the effect of limitations under the Code on the ability
to deduct its allocable share of the Fund’s losses and
expenses.
Tax
Basis of Shares
A Shareholder’s tax basis in
its Shares is important in determining (1) the amount of taxable
gain or loss that it will realize on the sale or other disposition
of its Shares, (2) the amount of non-taxable distributions that it
may receive from the Fund, and (3) its ability to utilize its
distributive share of any losses of the Fund on its tax
return. A Shareholder’s initial tax basis of its Shares
will equal its cost for the Shares plus its share of the
Fund’s liabilities (if any) at the time of purchase. In
general, a Shareholder’s “share” of the
Fund’s liabilities will equal the sum of (i) the entire
amount of any otherwise nonrecourse liability of the Fund as to
which the Shareholder or an affiliate of the Shareholder is the
creditor (a “partner nonrecourse liability”) and (ii) a
pro rata share of any nonrecourse liabilities of the Fund that are
not partner nonrecourse liabilities as to any Shareholder.
For this purpose, the Fund’s liabilities will include its
share of any liabilities of an Underlying Fund.
A Shareholder’s tax basis in
its Shares generally will be (1) increased by (a) its allocable
share of the Fund’s taxable income and gain and (b) any
additional contributions by the Shareholder to the Fund and (2)
decreased (but not below zero) by (a) its allocable share of the
Fund’s tax deductions and losses and (b) distributions (if
any) by the Fund to the Shareholder. For this purpose, an
increase in a Shareholder’s share of the Fund’s
liabilities will be treated as a contribution of cash by the
Shareholder to the Fund and a decrease in that share will be
treated as a distribution of cash by the Fund to the
Shareholder. Pursuant to certain IRS rulings, a Shareholder
will be required to maintain a single, “unified” basis
in all Shares that it owns. As a result, when a Shareholder
that acquired its Shares at different prices sells less than all of
its Shares, such Shareholder will not be entitled to specify
particular Shares (e.g.,
those with a higher basis) as having been sold. Rather, the
Shareholder must determine its gain or loss on the sale by using an
“equitable apportionment” method to allocate a portion
of its unified basis in its Shares to the Shares
sold.
Treatment of Fund Distributions.
If the Fund makes non-liquidating distributions to Shareholders,
such distributions generally will not be taxable to any particular
Shareholder for U.S. federal income tax purposes except to the
extent that the amount of cash distributed exceeds the
Shareholder’s adjusted basis of its interest in the Fund
immediately before the distribution. Any cash distributed
that is in excess of a Shareholder’s tax basis generally will
be treated as gain from the sale or exchange of Shares. For
purposes of determining the gain recognized on a distribution from
a partnership, a marketable security distributed to a partner is
generally treated as cash. This treatment, however, does not apply
to distributions to “eligible partners” of an
“investment partnership,” as those terms are defined in
the Code. Similar rules apply to non-liquidating distributions
received by the Fund from an Underlying
Fund.
Tax Consequences of
Disposition of Shares
If a Shareholder sells its Shares,
it will recognize gain or loss equal to the difference between the
amount realized and its adjusted tax basis for the Shares
sold. A Shareholder’s amount realized will be the sum
of the cash or the fair market value of other property received
plus its share of the Fund's liabilities (including an allocable
share of any Underlying Fund's liabilities).
Gain or loss recognized by a
Shareholder on the sale or exchange of Shares held for more than
one year generally will be taxable as long-term capital gain or
loss; otherwise, such gain or loss generally will be taxable as
short-term capital gain or loss. A special election is
available under the Treasury Regulations that allows Shareholders
to identify and use the actual holding periods for the Shares sold
for purposes of determining whether the gain or loss recognized on
a sale of Shares will give rise to long-term or short-term capital
gain or loss. It is expected that most Shareholders will be
eligible to elect, and generally will elect, to identify and use
the actual holding period for Shares sold. If a Shareholder
who has different holding periods for its Shares fails to make the
election or is not able to identify the holding periods of the
Shares sold, the Shareholder may have a split holding period in the
Shares sold. Under such circumstances, a Shareholder will be
required to determine its holding period in the Shares sold by
first determining the portion of its entire interest in the Fund
that would give rise to long-term capital gain or loss if its
entire interest were sold and the portion that would give rise to
short-term capital gain or loss if the entire interest were
sold. The Shareholder then would treat each Share sold as
giving rise to long-term capital gain or loss and short-term
capital gain or loss in the same proportions as if it had sold its
entire interest in the Fund.
Under Code section 751, a portion of
a Shareholder’s gain or loss from the sale of Shares
(regardless of the holding period for such Shares), will be
computed separately and taxed as ordinary income or loss to the
extent attributable to “unrealized receivables” or
“inventory” owned by the Fund (or by an Underlying
Fund). The term “unrealized receivables”
includes, among other things, market discount bonds and short-term
debt instruments to the extent that such items would give rise to
ordinary income if sold by the Fund (or by an Underlying Fund).
However, the short term capital gain on section 1256 contracts
resulting from 60-40 treatment, described above, should not be
subject to this rule.
If some or all of a
Shareholder’s Shares are lent by its broker or other agent to
a third party—for example, for use by the third party in
covering a short sale—the Shareholder may be considered as
having made a taxable disposition of the loaned Shares, in which
case—
|
●
|
The Shareholder may recognize
taxable gain or loss to the same extent as if it had sold the
Shares for cash;
|
|
●
|
Any of the income, gain, loss, or
deduction allocable to those Shares during the period of the loan
is not reportable by the Shareholder for U.S. federal income tax
purposes; and
|
|
●
|
Any distributions that the
Shareholder receives with respect to the Shares under the loan
agreement will be fully taxable to the Shareholder, most likely as
ordinary income.
|
Shareholders desiring to avoid these
and other possible consequences of a deemed disposition of their
Shares should consider modifying any applicable brokerage account
agreements to prohibit the lending of their
Shares.
Other U.S. Federal Income Tax Matters
Information Reporting. The
Fund provides tax information to Shareholders and to the IRS, as
needed. Shareholders are treated as partners for U.S. federal
income tax purposes. Accordingly, the Fund will furnish
Shareholders each year with tax information on IRS Schedule K-1
(Form 1065), which will be used by the Shareholders in completing
their tax returns. The IRS has ruled that assignees of
partnership interests that have not been admitted to a partnership
as partners but who have the capacity to exercise substantial
dominion and control over the assigned partnership interests will
be considered partners for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
On the basis of this ruling, except as otherwise provided herein,
the Fund will treat as a Shareholder any person whose shares are
held on their behalf by a broker or other nominee if that person
has the right to direct the nominee in the exercise of all
substantive rights attendant to the ownership of the
Shares.
Persons who hold an interest in the
Fund as a nominee for another person are required to furnish to the
Fund the following information: (1) the name, address,
and taxpayer identification number of the beneficial owner and the
nominee; (2) whether the beneficial owner is (a) a person that is
not a U.S. person, (b) a foreign government, an international
organization, or any wholly-owned agency or instrumentality of
either of the foregoing, or (c) a tax-exempt entity; (3) the number
and a description of Shares acquired or transferred for the
beneficial owner; and (4) certain information including the dates
of acquisitions and transfers, means of acquisitions and transfers,
and acquisition cost for purchases, as well as the amount of net
proceeds from sales. Brokers and financial institutions are
required to furnish additional information, including whether they
are U.S. persons and certain information on Shares that they
acquire, hold, or transfer for their own account. A penalty
of $250 per failure (as adjusted for inflation), up to a maximum of
$3,000,000 per calendar year (as adjusted for inflation), is
imposed by the Code for failure to report such information
correctly to the Fund. If the failure to furnish such
information correctly is determined to be willful, the per failure
penalty increases to $500 (as adjusted for inflation) or, if
greater, 10% of the aggregate amount of items required to be
reported, and the $3,000,000 maximum does not apply. The nominee is
required to supply the beneficial owner of the Shares with the
information furnished to the Fund.
Partnership Audit Procedures.
The IRS may audit the U.S. federal income tax returns filed
by the Fund (or by an Underlying Fund). Adjustments resulting
from any such audit may require a Shareholder to adjust a prior
year’s tax liability and could result in an audit of the
Shareholder’s own return. Any audit of a
Shareholder’s return could result in adjustments of
non-partnership items as well as Fund items. Partnerships
generally are treated as separate entities for purposes of U.S.
federal income tax audits, judicial review of administrative
adjustments by the IRS, and tax settlement proceedings. The
tax treatment of partnership items of income, gain, loss, and
deduction are determined at the partnership level in a unified
partnership proceeding rather than in separate proceedings with the
partners. The Code provides for one partner to be designated
as the “tax matters partner” and to represent the
partnership at these proceedings. The Trust Agreement
appoints the Sponsor as the tax matters partner of the
Fund.
The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015
adopted a new partnership-level audit and assessment procedure for
all entities treated as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax
purposes. These new rules generally apply to partnership taxable
years beginning after December 31, 2017. Under these rules, tax
deficiencies (including interest and penalties) that arise from an
adjustment to partnership items generally would be assessed and
collected from the partnership (rather than from the partners), and
generally would be calculated using maximum applicable tax rates
(although such partnership level tax may be reduced or eliminated
under limited circumstances). A narrow category of partnerships
(generally, partnerships having no more than 100 partners that
consist exclusively of individuals, C corporations, S corporations
and estates) are permitted to elect out of the new
partnership-level audit rules. As an alternative to
partnership-level tax liability, a partnership may elect to furnish
adjusted Schedule K-1s to the IRS and to each person who was a
partner in the audit year, stating such partner’s share of
any partnership adjustments, and each such partner would then take
the adjustments into account on its tax returns in the year in
which it receives its adjusted Schedule K-1 (rather than by
amending their tax returns for the audited year). If the Fund were
subject to a partnership level tax as a result of these new rules,
the economic return of all Shareholders (including Shareholders
that did not own Shares in the Fund during the taxable year to
which the audit relates) may be affected.
To address these new rules, the
Sponsor amended the Trust Agreement so that if the Fund becomes
subject to any tax as a result of any adjustment to taxable income,
gain, loss, deduction or credit for any taxable year of the Fund
(pursuant to a tax audit or otherwise), such Shareholder (and each
former Shareholder) is obligated to indemnify the Fund and the
Sponsor against any such taxes (including any interest and
penalties) to the extent such tax (or portion thereof) is properly
attributable to such Shareholder (or former Shareholder). In
addition, the Sponsor, on behalf of the Fund, will be authorized to
take any action permitted under applicable law to avoid the
assessment of any such taxes against the Fund (including an
election to issue adjusted Schedule K-1s to the Shareholders
(and/or former Shareholders) which takes such adjustments to
taxable income, gain, loss, deduction or credit into
account.
Reportable Transaction Rules.
In certain circumstances, the Code and Treasury Regulations
require that the IRS be notified of transactions through a
disclosure statement attached to a taxpayer’s U.S. federal
income tax return. These disclosure rules may apply to
transactions irrespective of whether they are structured to achieve
particular tax benefits, and they could require disclosure by the
Trust or Shareholders if a Shareholder incurs a loss in excess of a
specified threshold from a sale or redemption of its Shares and
possibly in other circumstances. While these rules generally
do not require disclosure of a loss recognized on the disposition
of an asset in which the taxpayer has a “qualifying
basis” (generally a basis equal to the amount of cash paid by
the taxpayer for such asset), they apply to a loss recognized with
respect to interests in a pass-through entity, such as the Shares
or the Shares of an Underlying Fund, even if the taxpayer’s
basis in such interests is equal to the amount of cash that it paid
for such interests. In addition, significant monetary
penalties may be imposed in connection with a failure to comply
with these reporting requirements. Investors should consult
their own tax advisor concerning the application of these reporting
requirements to their specific situation.
Tax-Exempt Organizations.
Subject to numerous exceptions, qualified retirement plans
and individual retirement accounts, charitable organizations, and
certain other organizations that otherwise are exempt from U.S.
federal income tax (collectively “exempt
organizations”) nonetheless are subject to the tax on
unrelated business taxable income (“UBTI”).
Generally, UBTI means the gross income derived by an exempt
organization from a trade or business that it regularly carries on,
the conduct of which is not substantially related to the exercise
or performance of its exempt purpose or function, less allowable
deductions directly connected with that trade or business. If
the Fund (or an Underlying Fund) were to regularly carry on
(directly or indirectly) a trade or business that is unrelated to
the exercise or performance of the exempt purpose or function of an
exempt organization Shareholder, then, in computing its UBTI, that
Shareholder would have to include its share of (1) the Fund’s
gross income (including the Fund’s allocable share of the
gross income of an Underlying Fund) from the unrelated trade or
business, whether or not distributed, and (2) the Fund’s
allowable deductions directly connected with that gross income. An
exempt organization that has more than one unrelated trade or
business must compute its UBTI separately for each such trade or
business.
UBTI generally does not include
dividends, interest, payments with respect to securities loans, or
gains from the sale of property (other than property held for sale
to customers in the ordinary course of a trade or business).
Nonetheless, income on, and gain from the disposition of,
“debt-financed property” is UBTI. Debt-financed
property generally is income-producing property (including
securities) the use of which is not substantially related to the
exempt organization’s tax-exempt purpose or function, and
with respect to which there is “acquisition
indebtedness” at any time during the taxable year (or, if the
property was disposed of during the taxable year, the 12-month
period ending with the disposition). Acquisition indebtedness
includes debt incurred to acquire property, debt incurred before
the acquisition of property if the debt would not have been
incurred but for the acquisition, and debt incurred subsequent to
the acquisition of property if the debt would not have been
incurred but for the acquisition and, at the time of acquisition,
the incurrence of debt was foreseeable. The portion of the
income from debt-financed property attributable to acquisition
indebtedness is equal to the ratio of the average outstanding
principal amount of acquisition indebtedness over the average
adjusted basis of the property for the tax year. The Sponsor
currently does not anticipate that the Fund (or any Underlying
Fund) will borrow money to acquire investments; however, it cannot
be certain that the Fund (or an Underlying Fund) will not borrow
for such purpose in the future. In addition, an exempt
organization Shareholder that incurs acquisition indebtedness to
purchase its Shares in the Fund may have
UBTI.
The U.S. federal income tax rate
applicable to an exempt organization Shareholder on its UBTI
generally will be either the corporate or trust tax rate, depending
upon the Shareholder’s form of organization. The Fund
may report to each such Shareholder information as to the portion,
if any, of the Shareholder’s income and gains from the Fund
for any year that will be treated as UBTI; the calculation of that
amount is complex, and there can be no assurance that the
Fund’s calculation of UBTI will be accepted by the IRS.
An exempt organization Shareholder will be required to make
payments of estimated U.S. federal income tax with respect to its
UBTI.
Regulated Investment Companies.
Interests in and income from “qualified publicly traded
partnerships” satisfying certain gross income tests are
treated as qualifying assets and income, respectively, for purposes
of determining eligibility for regulated investment company
(“RIC”) status. A RIC may invest up to 25% of its
assets in interests in qualified publicly traded
partnerships. The determination of whether a publicly traded
partnership such as the Fund is a qualified publicly traded
partnership is made on an annual basis. The Fund expects to
be a qualified publicly traded partnership in each of its taxable
years. However, such qualification is not
assured.
Non-U.S. Shareholders
Generally, non-U.S. persons who
derive U.S.-source income or gain from investing or engaging in a
U.S. trade or business are taxable on two categories of
income. The first category consists of amounts that are fixed
or determinable, annual or periodic income, such as interest,
dividends, and rent that are not connected with the operation of a
U.S. trade or business (“FDAP”). The second
category is income that is effectively connected with the conduct
of a U.S. trade or business (“ECI”). FDAP income
(other than interest that is considered “portfolio
interest,” as discussed below) generally is subject to a 30%
U.S. withholding tax, which may be reduced for certain categories
of income by a treaty between the U.S. and the recipient’s
country of residence. In contrast, ECI generally is subject
to U.S. federal income tax on a net basis at graduated rates upon
the filing of a U.S. federal income tax return. Where a
non-U.S. person has ECI as a result of an investment in a
partnership, the ECI is currently subject to a withholding tax at a
rate of 37% for individual Shareholders and a rate of 21% for
corporate Shareholders. The rate of withholding on ECI, which
is the highest tax rate under Code section 1 for non-corporate
Non-U.S. Shareholders and Code section 11(b) for corporate Non-U.S.
Shareholders, may increase in future tax years if tax rates
increase from their current levels.
Withholding on Allocations and
Distributions. The Code provides that a non-U.S.
person who is a partner in a partnership that is engaged in a U.S.
trade or business during a taxable year also will be considered to
be engaged in a U.S. trade or business during that year.
Classifying an activity by a partnership as an investment or an
operating business is a factual determination. Under certain
safe harbors in the Code, an investment fund whose activities
consist of trading in stocks, securities, or commodities for its
own account generally will not be considered to be engaged in a
U.S. trade or business unless it is a dealer in such stocks,
securities, or commodities. This safe harbor applies to
investments in commodities only if (i) the commodities are of a
kind customarily dealt in on an organized commodity exchange and
(ii) the transaction is of a kind customarily consummated at such
place. Although the matter is not free from doubt, in light
of the activities currently contemplated for the Fund and each of
the Underlying Funds, neither the Fund nor any Underlying Fund will
be engaged in a trade or business within the United States.
However, there can be no assurance that the IRS would not be
successful in asserting that the Fund or an Underlying Fund is
engaged in a U.S. trade or business.
In the event that the Fund or an
Underlying Fund is considered to be engaged in a U.S. trade or
business, the Fund would be required to withhold at the highest
rate specified in Code section 1 (currently 37%) on allocations of
its ECI (including its allocable share of any ECI of an Underlying
Fund) to non-corporate Non-U.S. Shareholders and the highest rate
specified in Code section 11(b) (currently 21%) on allocations of
its ECI (including its allocable share of any ECI of an Underlying
Fund) to corporate Non-U.S. Shareholders, when such income is
distributed. Non-U.S. Shareholders would also be
subject to a 10% withholding tax on the consideration payable upon
a sale or exchange of such Non-U.S. Shareholder’s Shares,
although the IRS has temporarily suspended this withholding for
interests in publicly traded partnerships until regulations
implementing such withholding are issued. A Non-U.S. Shareholder
with ECI generally will be required to file a U.S. federal income
tax return, and the return will provide the Non-U.S. Shareholder
with the mechanism to seek a refund of any withholding in excess of
such Shareholder’s actual U.S. federal income tax
liability.
Even if the Fund and each of the
Underlying Funds did not realize ECI, a Non-U.S. Shareholder
nevertheless may be treated as having FDAP income, which would be
subject to a 30% U.S. withholding tax (possibly subject to
reduction by treaty), with respect to some or all of its
distributions from the Fund or its allocable share of Fund income
(including its allocable share of any FDAP income of an Underlying
Fund).
Amounts withheld by the Fund on
behalf of a Non-U.S. Shareholder will be treated as being
distributed to such Shareholder to the extent possible. In
some cases, the Fund may not be able to match the economic cost of
satisfying its withholding obligations to a particular Non-U.S.
Shareholder, which may result in that cost being borne by the Fund,
generally, and accordingly, by all Shareholders
proportionately.
To the extent that any interest
income allocated to a Non-U.S. Shareholder that otherwise
constitutes FDAP is considered “portfolio interest,”
neither the allocation of such interest income to the Non-U.S.
Shareholder nor a subsequent distribution of such interest income
to the Non-U.S. Shareholder will be subject to withholding,
provided that the Non-U.S. Shareholder is not otherwise engaged in
a trade or business in the U.S. and provides the Fund with a timely
and properly completed and executed IRS Form W-8BEN or other
applicable form. In general, portfolio interest is interest
paid on debt obligations issued in registered form, unless the
recipient owns 10% or more of the voting power of the issuer.
A Non-U.S. Shareholder’s
allocable share of interest on U.S. bank deposits, certificates of
deposit and discount obligations with maturities from original
issue of 183 days or less should also not be subject to
withholding. Generally, other interest from U.S. sources paid to
the Fund (or Underlying Funds) and allocable to Non-U.S.
Shareholders will be subject to
withholding.
In order for the Fund to avoid
withholding on any interest income allocable to Non-U.S.
Shareholders that would qualify as portfolio interest, it will be
necessary for all Non-U.S. Shareholders to provide the Fund with a
timely and properly completed and executed Form W-8BEN (or other
applicable form).
Gain from Sale of Shares.
Gain from the sale or exchange of Shares may be taxable to a
Non-U.S. Shareholder if the Non-U.S. Shareholder is a nonresident
alien individual who is present in the U.S. for 183 days or more
during the taxable year. In such case, the nonresident alien
individual will be subject to a 30% U.S. withholding tax on the
amount of such individual’s gain.
Branch Profits Tax on Corporate Non-U.S.
Shareholders. In addition to the taxes noted above, any
Non-U.S. Shareholders that are corporations may also be subject to
an additional tax, the branch profits tax, at a rate of 30%. The
branch profits tax is imposed on a non-U.S. corporation’s
dividend equivalent amount, which generally consists of the
corporation’s after-tax earnings and profits that are
effectively connected with the corporation’s U.S. trade or
business but are not reinvested in a U.S. business. This tax may be
reduced or eliminated by an income tax treaty between the United
States and the country in which the Non-U.S. Shareholder is a
“qualified resident.”
Foreign Account Tax Compliance
Act. Legislation commonly referred to as the
Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act or "FATCA" generally imposes a
30% U.S. withholding tax on payments of certain types of income to
foreign financial institutions that fail to enter into an agreement
with the United States Treasury to report certain required
information with respect to accounts held by U.S. persons (or held
by foreign entities that have U.S. persons as substantial
owners). The types of income subject to the withholding tax
include U.S.-source interest and dividends and the gross proceeds
from the sale of any property that could produce U.S.-source
interest or dividends. The information required to be
reported includes the identity and taxpayer identification number
of each account holder that is a U.S. person and transaction
activity within the holder’s account. In addition,
subject to certain exceptions, this legislation also imposes a 30%
U.S. withholding tax on payments to foreign entities that are not
financial institutions unless the foreign entity certifies that it
does not have a greater than 10% U.S. owner or provides the
withholding agent with identifying information on each greater than
10% U.S. owner. Depending on the status of a Non-U.S.
Shareholder and the status of the intermediaries through which it
holds Shares, a Non-U.S. Shareholder could be subject to this 30%
U.S. withholding tax with respect to distributions on its Shares
and proceeds from the sale of its Shares. Under certain
circumstances, a Non-U.S. Shareholder may be eligible for a refund
or credit of such taxes.
Prospective Non-U.S. Shareholders
should consult their own tax advisor regarding these and other tax
issues unique to Non-U.S. Shareholders.
Backup Withholding
The Fund may be required to withhold
U.S. federal income tax (“backup withholding”) from
payments to: (1) any Shareholder who fails to furnish
the Fund with his, her or its correct taxpayer identification
number or a certificate that the Shareholder is exempt from backup
withholding, and (2) any Shareholder with respect to which the IRS
notifies the Fund that the Shareholder is subject to backup
withholding. Backup withholding is not an additional tax and
may be returned or credited against a taxpayer’s regular U.S.
federal income tax liability if appropriate information is provided
to the IRS. The backup withholding rate is the fourth lowest
rate applicable to individuals under Code section 1(c) (currently
24%), and may increase in future tax years.
Other Tax Considerations
In addition to U.S. federal income
taxes, Shareholders may be subject to other taxes, such as state
and local income taxes, unincorporated business taxes, business
franchise taxes, and estate, inheritance, or intangible taxes that
may be imposed by the various jurisdictions in which the Fund does
business or owns property or where the Shareholders reside.
Although an analysis of those various taxes is not presented here,
each prospective Shareholder should consider their potential impact
on its investment in the Fund. It is each Shareholder’s
responsibility to file the appropriate U.S. federal, state, local,
and foreign tax returns. Vedder Price has not provided an
opinion concerning any aspects of state, local, or foreign tax or
U.S. federal tax other than those U.S. federal income tax issues
discussed herein.
Investment by
ERISA Accounts
General
Most employee benefit plans and
individual retirement accounts (“IRAs”) are subject to
the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended
(“ERISA”), or the Code, or both. This section discusses
certain considerations that arise under ERISA and the Code that a
fiduciary of: (i) an employee benefit plan as defined in ERISA;
(ii) a plan as defined in Section 4975 of the Code; or (iii) any
collective investment vehicle, business trust, investment
partnership, pooled separate account or other entity the assets of
which are treated as comprised (at least in part) of “plan
assets” under the ERISA “plan assets” rules
(“plan asset entity”) who has investment discretion
should take into account before deciding to invest the plan’s
assets in the Fund. Employee benefit plans under ERISA, plans under
the Code and plan asset entities are collectively referred to below
as “plans,” and fiduciaries with investment discretion
are referred to below as “plan
fiduciaries.”
This summary is based on the
provisions of ERISA and the Code as of the date hereof. This
summary is not intended to be complete, but only to address certain
questions under ERISA and the Code likely to be raised by your
advisors. The summary does not include state or local
law.
Potential plan
investors are urged to consult with their own professional advisors
concerning the appropriateness of an investment in the Fund and the
manner in which Shares should be purchased.
Special Investment Considerations
Each plan fiduciary must consider
the facts and circumstances that are relevant to an investment in
the Fund, including the role that an investment in the Fund would
play in the plan’s overall investment portfolio. Each plan
fiduciary, before deciding to invest in the Fund, must be satisfied
that the investment is prudent for the plan, that the investments
of the plan are diversified so as to minimize the risk of large
losses, and that an investment in the Fund complies with the terms
of the plan. The Sponsor is not
undertaking to provide investment advice, or to give advice in a
fiduciary capacity, in connection with a plan’s investment in
the Fund.
The Fund and Plan Assets
A regulation issued under ERISA
contains rules for determining when an investment by a plan in an
equity interest of a statutory trust will result in the underlying
assets of the statutory trust being deemed plan assets for purposes
of ERISA and Section 4975 of the Code. Those rules provide that
assets of a statutory trust will not be plan assets of a plan that
purchases an equity interest in the statutory trust if the equity
interest purchased is a publicly-offered security. If the
underlying assets of a statutory trust are considered to be assets
of any plan for purposes of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code, the
operations of that trust would be subject to and, in some cases,
limited by the provisions of ERISA and Section 4975 of the
Code.
The publicly-offered security
exception described above applies if the equity interest is a
security that is:
|
(1)
|
freely transferable (determined
based on the relevant facts and circumstances);
|
|
(2)
|
part of a class of securities that
is widely held (meaning that the class of securities is owned by
100 or more investors independent of the issuer and of each other);
and
|
|
(3)
|
either (a) part of a class of
securities registered under Section 12(b) or 12(g) of the Exchange
Act or (b) sold to the plan as part of a public offering pursuant
to an effective registration statement under the 1933 Act and the
class of which such security is a part is registered under the
Exchange Act within 120 days (or such later time as may be allowed
by the SEC) after the end of the fiscal year of the issuer in which
the offering of such security occurred.
|
The plan asset regulations under
ERISA state that the determination of whether a security is freely
transferable is to be made based on all the relevant facts and
circumstances. In the case of a security that is part of an
offering in which the minimum investment is $10,000 or less, the
following requirements, alone or in combination, ordinarily will
not affect a finding that the security is freely transferable: (1)
a requirement that no transfer or assignment of the security or
rights relating to the security be made that would violate any
federal or state law; and (2) a requirement that no transfer or
assignment be made without advance written notice given to the
entity that issued the security.
The Sponsor believes that the
conditions described above are satisfied with respect to the
Shares. The Sponsor believes that the Shares therefore constitute
publicly-offered securities, and the underlying assets of the Fund
should not be considered to constitute plan assets of any plan that
purchases Shares.
Prohibited Transactions
ERISA and the Code generally
prohibit certain transactions involving a plan and persons who have
certain specified relationships to the plan. In general, Shares may
not be purchased with the assets of a plan if the Sponsor, the
clearing brokers, the trading advisors (if any), or any of their
affiliates, agents or employees either:
|
●
|
exercise any discretionary authority
or discretionary control with respect to management of the
plan;
|
|
●
|
exercise any authority or control
with respect to management or disposition of the assets of the
plan;
|
|
●
|
render investment advice for a fee
or other compensation, direct or indirect, with respect to any
moneys or other property of the plan;
|
|
●
|
have any authority or responsibility
to render investment advice with respect to any monies or other
property of the plan; or
|
|
●
|
have any discretionary authority or
discretionary responsibility in the administration of the
plan.
|
Also, a prohibited transaction may
occur under ERISA or the Code when circumstances indicate that (1)
the investment in Shares is made or retained for the purpose of
avoiding application of the fiduciary standards of ERISA, (2) the
investment in Shares constitutes an arrangement under which the
Fund is expected to engage in transactions that would otherwise be
prohibited if entered into directly by the plan purchasing the
Shares, (3) the investing plan, by itself, has the authority or
influence to cause the Fund to engage in such transactions, or (4)
a person who is prohibited from transacting with the investing plan
may, but only with the aid of certain of its affiliates and the
investing plan, cause the Fund to engage in such transactions with
such person.
Special IRA Rules
IRAs are not subject to ERISA’s fiduciary
standards, but are subject to their own rules, including the
prohibited transaction rules of Section 4975 of the Code, which
generally mirror ERISA’s prohibited transaction rules. For
example, IRAs are subject to special custody rules and must
maintain a qualifying IRA custodial arrangement separate and
distinct from the Fund and its custodial arrangement. If a separate
qualifying custodial arrangement is not maintained, an investment
in the Shares will be treated as a distribution from the IRA.
Second, IRAs are prohibited from investing in certain commingled
investments, and the Sponsor makes no representation regarding
whether an investment in Shares is an inappropriate commingled
investment for an IRA. Third, in applying the prohibited
transaction provisions of Section 4975 of the Code, in addition to
the rules summarized above, the individual for whose benefit the
IRA is maintained is also treated as the creator of the IRA. For
example, if the owner or beneficiary of an IRA enters into any
transaction, arrangement, or agreement involving the assets of his
or her IRA to benefit the IRA owner or beneficiary (or his or her
relatives or business affiliates) personally, or with the
understanding that such benefit will occur, directly or indirectly,
such transaction could give rise to a prohibited transaction that
is not exempted by any available exemption. Moreover, in the case
of an IRA, the consequences of a non-exempt prohibited transaction
are that the IRA’s assets will be treated as if they were
distributed, causing immediate taxation of the assets (including
any early distribution penalty tax applicable under Section 72 of
the Code), in addition to any other fines or penalties that may
apply.
Exempt Plans
Certain employee benefit plans may
be governmental plans or church plans. Governmental plans and
church plans are generally not subject to ERISA, nor do the
prohibited transaction provisions described above apply to them.
These plans are, however, subject to prohibitions against certain
related-party transactions under Section 503 of the Code, which are
similar to the prohibited transaction rules described above. In
addition, the fiduciary of any governmental or church plan must
consider any applicable state or local laws and any restrictions
and duties of common law imposed upon the plan.
No view is expressed as to whether
an investment in the Fund (and any continued investment in the
Fund), or the operation and administration of the fund, is
appropriate or permissible for any governmental plan or church plan
under Code Section 503, or under any state, county, local or other
law relating to that type of plan.
Allowing an
investment in the Fund is not to be construed as a representation
by the Trust, the Fund, the Sponsor, any trading advisor, any
clearing broker, the Distributor or legal counsel or other advisors
to such parties or any other party that this investment meets some
or all of the relevant legal requirements with respect to
investments by any particular plan or that this investment is
appropriate for any such particular plan. The person with
investment discretion should consult with the plan’s attorney
and financial advisors as to the propriety of an investment in the
Fund in light of the circumstances of the particular plan, current
tax law and ERISA.
INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE OF CERTAIN
INFORMATION
We are a reporting company and file
annual, quarterly and current reports and other information with
the SEC. The rules of the SEC allow us to “incorporate by
reference” information that we file with them, which means
that we can disclose important information to you by referring you
to those documents. The information incorporated by reference is an
important part of this prospectus. This prospectus incorporates by
reference the documents set forth below that have been previously
filed with the SEC and any other future filing that we make with
the SEC under Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934 (in each case other than those documents or
portions of those documents not deemed to have been filed in
accordance with SEC rules) between the date of this prospectus and
the termination of the offering of the securities to be issued
under the registration statement:
●
|
our Annual Report on Form
10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018, filed with the
SEC on March 15, 2019.
|
Any statement contained in a
document incorporated by reference in this prospectus shall be
deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this prospectus
to the extent that a statement contained in this prospectus or in
any other subsequently filed document that also is or is deemed to
be incorporated by reference in this prospectus modifies or
supersedes such statement. Any statement so modified or superseded
shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to
constitute a part of this prospectus.
We will provide to each person to
whom a prospectus is delivered, including any beneficial owner, a
copy of any document incorporated by reference in the prospectus
(excluding any exhibits to those documents unless the exhibit is
specifically incorporated by reference in that document) at no
cost, upon written or oral request at the following address or
telephone number:
Teucrium Agricultural
Fund
Attention: Cory
Mullen-Rusin
Three Main
Street
Suite 215
Burlington, VT
05401
(802) 540-0019
Our Internet website is www.teucriumtagsfund.com. We
make our electronic filings with the SEC, including our annual
reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current
reports on Form 8-K and amendments to these reports available on
our website free of charge as soon as practicable after we file or
furnish them with the SEC. The information contained on our website
is not incorporated by reference in this prospectus and should not
be considered a part of this prospectus.
INFORMATION YOU SHOULD
KNOW
This prospectus contains information
you should consider when making an investment decision about the
Shares. You should rely only on the information contained in this
prospectus or any applicable prospectus supplement. None of the
Trust, the Fund or the Sponsor has authorized any person to provide
you with different information and, if anyone provides you with
different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it.
This prospectus is not an offer to sell the Shares in any
jurisdiction where the offer or sale of the Shares is not
permitted.
The information contained in this
prospectus was obtained from us and other sources believed by us to
be reliable.
You should disregard anything we
said in an earlier document that is inconsistent with what is
included in this prospectus or any applicable prospectus
supplement. Where the context requires, when we refer to this
“prospectus,” we are referring to this prospectus and
(if applicable) the relevant prospectus
supplement.
You should not assume that the
information in this prospectus or any applicable prospectus
supplement is current as of any date other than the date on the
front page of this prospectus or the date on the front page of any
applicable prospectus supplement.
We include cross references in this
prospectus to captions in these materials where you can find
further related discussions. The table of contents tells you where
to find these captions.
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE
INFORMATION
The Trust has filed on behalf of the
Fund a registration statement on Form S-1 with the SEC under the
1933 Act. This prospectus does not contain all of the information
set forth in the registration statement (including the exhibits to
the registration statement), parts of which have been omitted in
accordance with the rules and regulations of the SEC. For further
information about the Trust, the Fund or the Shares, please refer
to the registration statement, which you may inspect online at
www.sec.gov. Information about the Trust, the Fund and the Shares
can also be obtained from the Fund’s website, which is
www.teucriumtagsfund.com.
The Fund’s website address is only provided here as a
convenience to you and the information contained on or connected to
the website is not part of this prospectus or the registration
statement of which this prospectus is part. The Trust is subject to
the informational requirements of the Exchange Act and will file
certain reports and other information with the SEC under the
Exchange Act. The Sponsor will file an updated prospectus annually
for the Fund pursuant to the 1933 Act. The reports and other
information can be inspected online at www.sec.gov,
which is the Internet site maintained by the SEC that contains
reports, proxy and information statements and other information
regarding issuers that file electronically with the
SEC.
APPENDIX
A
Glossary of
Defined Terms
In this prospectus, each of the
following terms have the meanings set forth after such
term:
Administrator: U.S.
Bancorp Fund Services, LLC, doing business as U.S. Bank
Global Fund Services
|
|
Authorized
Purchaser: One that purchases or
redeems Creation Baskets or Redemption Baskets, respectively, from
or to the Fund.
|
|
Benchmark:
A weighted average of the closing settlement prices for three
Futures Contracts the daily changes in which each Underlying Fund
attempts to track.
|
|
Benchmark
Component Futures Contracts: The three Futures
Contracts that at any given time make up an Underlying Fund’s
Benchmark.
|
|
Business
Day: Any day other than a
day when any of the NYSE Arca, CBOT, ICE, or the New York Stock
Exchange is closed for regular trading.
|
|
CFTC: Commodity
Futures Trading Commission, an independent federal agency with the
mandate to regulate commodity futures and options in the United
States.
|
|
Chicago
Board of Trade (CBOT): The primary exchange
on which corn, wheat and soybean Futures Contracts are traded in
the U.S. The Fund expressly disclaims any association with the CBOT
or endorsement of the Fund by the CBOT and acknowledges that
“CBOT” and “Chicago Board of Trade” are
registered trademarks of such exchange. The CBOT is part of the CMR
Group.
|
|
Code:
Internal
Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.
|
|
Commodity
Interests: Futures Contracts,
Cleared Swaps and Other Commodity
Interests.
|
|
Commodity
Pool: An enterprise in which
several individuals contribute funds in order to trade futures
contracts or options on futures contracts
collectively.
|
|
Commodity
Pool Operator or CPO: Any person engaged in a
business which is of the nature of an investment trust, syndicate,
or similar enterprise, and who, in connection therewith, solicits,
accepts, or receives from others, funds, securities, or property,
either directly or through capital contributions, the sale of stock
or other forms of securities, or otherwise, for the purpose of
trading in any swap or commodity for future delivery or commodity
option on or subject to the rules of any contract
market.
|
|
Creation
Basket: A block of 12,500
Shares used by the Fund to issue Shares.
|
|
Custodian: U.S.
Bank, N.A.
|
|
Distributor:
Foreside Fund Services, LLC
|
|
DTC: The
Depository Trust Company. DTC will act as the securities depository
for the Shares.
|
|
DTC
Participant: An entity that has an
account with DTC.
|
|
Exchange
Act: The Securities Exchange
Act of 1934.
|
|
Exchange
for Related Position: A privately negotiated
and simultaneous exchange of a futures contract position for a swap
or other over-the-counter instrument on the corresponding
commodity.
|
|
FINRA: Financial
Industry Regulatory Authority, formerly the National Association of
Securities Dealers.
|
|
Futures
Contracts: Futures contracts for
corn, wheat, soybeans or sugar that are traded on U.S. or foreign
exchanges.
|
|
ICE
Futures: The primary exchange on
which Sugar No. 11 Futures Contracts are traded in the U.S. The
Fund expressly disclaims any association with ICE Futures or
endorsement of the Fund by ICE Futures and acknowledges that
“ICE Futures” and “ICE Futures US” are
registered trademarks of such exchange.
|
|
Indirect
Participants: Banks, brokers, dealers
and trust companies that clear through or maintain a custodial
relationship with a DTC Participant, either directly or
indirectly.
|
|
Limited
Liability Company (LLC): A type of business
ownership combining several features of corporation and partnership
structures.
|
|
Margin: The
amount of equity required for an investment in Futures
Contracts.
|
|
NAV: Net
Asset Value of the Fund.
|
|
New
York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX): An exchange on which
Futures Contracts are traded in the U.S. The Fund expressly
disclaims any association with the NYMEX or endorsement of the Fund
by the NYMEX and acknowledges that “NYMEX” and
“New York Mercantile Exchange” are registered
trademarks of such exchange.
|
|
NFA: National
Futures Association.
|
|
NSCC: National
Securities Clearing Corporation.
|
|
1933
Act: The Securities Act of
1933.
|
|
Option: The
right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell a futures contract or
forward contract at a specified price on or before a specified
date.
|
|
Other
Commodity Interests: Other investments
related to corn, wheat, soybeans, sugar or some combination of
these commodities such as cash-settled options on Futures
Contracts, swaps and forward contracts relating to these
commodities, and over-the-counter transactions that are based on
the price of such commodities, Futures Contracts and indices based
on the foregoing.
|
|
Over-the-Counter
Derivative: A financial contract,
whose value is designed to track the return on stocks, bonds,
currencies, commodities, or some other benchmark, that is traded
over-the-counter or off organized
exchanges.
|
|
Redemption
Basket: A block of 12,500
Shares used by the Fund to redeem
Shares.
|
|
SEC: Securities
and Exchange Commission.
|
|
Secondary
Market: The stock exchanges and
the over-the-counter market. Securities are first issued as a
primary offering to the public. When the securities are traded from
that first holder to another, the issues trade in these secondary
markets.
|
|
Shareholders:
Holders of
Shares.
|
|
Shares:
Common
units representing fractional undivided beneficial interests in the
Fund.
|
|
Sponsor: Teucrium
Trading, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, which is
registered as a Commodity Pool Operator, who controls the
investments and other decisions of the Fund and the Underlying
Funds.
|
|
Spot
Contract: A cash market
transaction in which the buyer and seller agree to the immediate
purchase and sale of a commodity, usually with a two-day
settlement.
|
|
Swap
Agreement: An over-the-counter
derivative that generally involves an exchange of a stream of
payments between the contracting parties based on a notional amount
and a specified index.
|
|
Tracking
Error: Possibility that the
daily NAV of the Fund will not track the
Benchmark.
|
|
Trust
Agreement: The Fifth Amended and
Restated Declaration of Trust and Trust Agreement of the Trust
effective as of April 26, 2019.
|
|
Underlying
Fund: The commodity pools in
which the Fund invests — specifically, the Teucrium Corn
Fund, Teucrium Wheat Fund, Teucrium Soybean Fund and Teucrium Sugar
Fund.
|
|
Underlying
Fund Average: An average of the daily
changes in the Underlying Funds’ NAVs, with each Underlying
Fund equally weighted at 25%.
|
|
Valuation
Day: Any day as of which the
Fund calculates its NAV.
|
|
You: The
owner of Shares.
|
STATEMENT OF
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
TEUCRIUM
AGRICULTURAL FUND
This statement of additional
information is the second part of a two-part document. The first
part is the Fund’s disclosure document. The disclosure
document and this statement of additional information are bound
together, and both parts contain important information. This
statement of additional information should be read in conjunction
with the disclosure document. To obtain a copy of the disclosure
document without charge, call the Fund at (802)
540-0019. Before you decide whether to invest, you should
read the entire prospectus carefully and consider the risk factors
beginning on page 13.
This statement of additional
information and accompanying disclosure document are both dated
April 29, 2019.
TEUCRIUM
AGRICULTURAL FUND
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
|
Page
|
|
|
Commodity Market
Participants
|
78
|
|
|
Regulation
|
78
|
|
|
Potential Advantages
of Investment
|
81
|
|
|
Fund
Performance
|
81
|
Commodity Market
Participants
The two broad classes of persons who
trade commodities are hedgers and speculators. Hedgers include
financial institutions that manage or deal in interest
rate-sensitive instruments, foreign currencies or stock portfolios,
and commercial market participants, such as farmers and
manufacturers, that market or process commodities. Hedging is a
protective procedure designed to effectively lock in prices that
would otherwise change due to an adverse movement in the price of
the underlying commodity, such, the adverse price movement between
the time a merchandiser or processor enters into a contract to buy
or sell a raw or processed commodity at a certain price and the
time he must perform the contract. For example, if a hedger
contracts to physically sell the commodity at a future date, he may
simultaneously buy a Futures Contract or forward contract for the
necessary equivalent quantity of the commodity. At the time for
performance of the physical contract, the hedger may accept
delivery under his Futures Contract and sell the commodity quantity
as required by the physical contract or he may buy the actual
commodity, sell it under the physical contract and close out his
Futures Contract position by making an offsetting
sale.
The Commodity Interest markets
enable the hedger to shift the risk of price fluctuations. The
usual objective of the hedger is to protect the profit that he
expects to earn from farming, merchandising, or processing
operations rather than to profit from his trading. However, at
times the impetus for a hedge transaction may result in part from
speculative objectives and hedgers can end up paying higher prices
than they would have if they did not enter into a Commodity
Interest transaction if current market prices are lower than the
locked-in price.
Unlike the hedger, the speculator
generally expects neither to make nor take delivery of the
underlying commodity. Instead, the speculator risks his capital
with the hope of making profits from price fluctuations in the
commodities. The speculator is, in effect, the risk bearer who
assumes the risks that the hedger seeks to avoid. Speculators
rarely make or take delivery of the underlying commodity; rather
they attempt to close out their positions prior to the delivery
date. A speculator who takes a long position generally will make a
profit if the price of the underlying commodity goes up and incur a
loss if the price of the underlying commodity goes down, while a
speculator who takes a short position generally will make a profit
if the price of the underlying commodity goes down and incur a loss
if the price of the underlying commodity goes
up.
Regulation
The regulation of futures markets,
futures contracts, and futures exchanges has historically been
comprehensive. The CFTC and the exchanges are authorized to take
extraordinary actions in the event of a market emergency including,
for example, the retroactive implementation of speculative position
limits, increased margin requirements, the establishment of daily
price limits and the suspension of trading on an exchange or
trading facility.
Pursuant to authority in the CEA,
the NFA has been formed and registered with the CFTC as a
registered futures association. At the present time, the NFA is the
only SRO for commodity interest professionals, other than futures
exchanges. The CFTC has delegated to the NFA responsibility for the
registration of CPOs and FCMs and their respective associated
persons. The Sponsor and the Underlying Funds’ clearing
broker are members of the NFA. As such, they will be subject to NFA
standards relating to fair trade practices, financial condition and
consumer protection. The NFA also arbitrates disputes between
members and their customers and conducts registration and fitness
screening of applicants for membership and audits of its existing
members. Neither the Trust nor the Teucrium Funds are required to
become a member of the NFA. The regulation of commodity interest
transactions in the United States is a rapidly changing area of law
and is subject to ongoing modification by governmental and judicial
action. Considerable regulatory attention has been focused on
non-traditional investment pools that are publicly distributed in
the United States. There is a possibility of future regulatory
changes within the United States altering, perhaps to a material
extent, the nature of an investment in the Fund or the Underlying
Funds, or the ability of a Fund to continue to implement its
investment strategy. In addition, various national governments
outside of the United States have expressed concern regarding the
disruptive effects of speculative trading in the commodities
markets and the need to regulate the derivatives markets in
general. The effect of any future regulatory change on the Teucrium
Funds is impossible to predict but could be substantial and
adverse.
The CFTC possesses exclusive
jurisdiction to regulate the activities of commodity pool operators
and commodity trading advisors with respect to "commodity
interests," such as futures and swaps and options, and has adopted
regulations with respect to the activities of those persons and/or
entities. Under the Commodity Exchange Act (“CEA”), a
registered commodity pool operator, such as the Sponsor, is
required to make annual filings with the CFTC and the NFA
describing its organization, capital structure, management and
controlling persons. In addition, the CEA authorizes the CFTC to
require and review books and records of, and documents prepared by,
registered commodity pool operators. Pursuant to this authority,
the CFTC requires commodity pool operators to keep accurate,
current and orderly records for each pool that they operate. The
CFTC may suspend the registration of a commodity pool operator (1)
if the CFTC finds that the operator’s trading practices tend
to disrupt orderly market conditions, (2) if any controlling person
of the operator is subject to an order of the CFTC denying such
person trading privileges on any exchange, and (3) in certain other
circumstances. Suspension, restriction or termination of the
Sponsor’s registration as a commodity pool operator would
prevent it, until that registration were to be reinstated, from
managing the Fund or the Underlying Funds, and might result in the
termination of a Fund if a successor sponsor is not elected
pursuant to the Trust Agreement. None of the Trust, the Fund, or
the Underlying Funds are required to be registered with the CFTC in
any capacity.
The Fund’s and Underlying
Funds’ investors are afforded prescribed rights for
reparations under the CEA. Investors may also be able to maintain a
private right of action for violations of the CEA. The CFTC has
adopted rules implementing the reparation provisions of the CEA,
which provide that any person may file a complaint for a
reparations award with the CFTC for violation of the CEA against a
floor broker or an FCM, introducing broker, commodity trading
advisor, CPO, and their respective associated
persons.
The regulations of the CFTC and the
NFA prohibit any representation by a person registered with the
CFTC or by any member of the NFA, that registration with the CFTC,
or membership in the NFA, in any respect indicates that the CFTC or
the NFA has approved or endorsed that person or that person’s
trading program or objectives. The registrations and memberships of
the parties described in this summary must not be considered as
constituting any such approval or endorsement. Likewise, no futures
exchange has given or will give any similar approval or
endorsement.
Trading venues in the United States
are subject to varying degrees of regulation under the CEA
depending on whether such exchange is a designated contract market
(i.e. a futures exchange) or a swap execution facility. Clearing
organizations are also subject to the CEA and the rules and
regulations adopted thereunder as administered by the CFTC. The
CFTC’s function is to implement the CEA’s objectives of
preventing price manipulation and excessive speculation and
promoting orderly and efficient commodity interest markets. In
addition, the various exchanges and clearing organizations
themselves as SROs exercise regulatory and supervisory authority
over their member firms.
The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform
and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”) was
enacted in response to the economic crisis of 2008 and 2009 and it
significantly altered the regulatory regime to which the securities
and commodities markets are subject. To date, the CFTC has issued
proposed or final versions of almost all of the rules it is
required to promulgate under the Dodd-Frank Act, and it continues
to issue proposed versions of additional rules that it has
authority to promulgate. Provisions of the new law include the
requirement that position limits be established on a wide range of
commodity interests, including agricultural, energy, and
metal-based commodity futures contracts, options on such futures
contracts and uncleared swaps that are economically equivalent to
such futures contracts and options (“Reference
Contracts”); new registration and recordkeeping requirements
for swap market participants; capital and margin requirements for
“swap dealers” and “major swap
participants,” as determined by the new law and applicable
regulations; reporting of all swap transactions to swap data
repositories; and the mandatory use of clearinghouse mechanisms for
sufficiently standardized swap transactions that were historically
entered into in the over-the-counter market, but are now designated
as subject to the clearing requirement; and margin requirements for
over-the-counter swaps that are not subject to the clearing
requirements.
The effect of future regulatory
change on the Fund and the Underlying Funds, and the exact timing
of such changes, is impossible to predict but it may be substantial
and adverse.
In addition, considerable regulatory
attention has recently been focused on non-traditional publicly
distributed investment pools such as the Funds. Furthermore,
various national governments have expressed concern regarding the
disruptive effects of speculative trading in certain commodity
markets and the need to regulate the derivatives markets in
general. The effect of any future regulatory change on the Fund and
the Underlying Funds is impossible to predict but could be
substantial and adverse.
The Dodd-Frank Act was intended to
reduce systemic risks that may have contributed to the 2008/2009
financial crisis. Since the first draft of what became the
Dodd-Frank Act, opponents have criticized the broad scope of the
legislation and, in particular, the regulations implemented by
federal agencies as a result. Since 2010, and most notably in 2015
and 2016, Republicans have proposed comprehensive legislation both
in the House and the Senate of the US Congress. These bills are
intended to pare back some of the provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act
of 2010 that critics view as overly broad, unnecessary to the
stability of the U.S. financial system, and inhibiting the growth
of the U.S. economy. Further, during the campaign and after taking
office, President Donald J. Trump has promised and issued several
executive orders intended to relieve the financial burden created
by the Dodd-Frank Act, although these executive orders only set
forth several general principles to be followed by the federal
agencies and do not mandate the wholesale repeal of the Dodd-Frank
Act. The scope of the effect that passage of new financial reform
legislation could have on U.S. securities, derivatives and
commodities markets is not clear at this time because each federal
regulatory agency would have to promulgate new regulations to
implement such legislation. Nevertheless, regulatory reform may
have a significant impact on U.S.-regulated
entities.
Position Limits,
Aggregation Limits, Price Fluctuation Limits
On December 16, 2016, the CFTC
issued a final rule to amend part 150 of the CFTC’s
regulations with respect to the policy for aggregation under the
CFTC’s position limits regime for futures and option
contracts on nine agricultural commodities (“the Aggregation
Requirements”). This final rule addressed the circumstances
under which market participants would be required to aggregate all
their positions, for purposes of the position limits, of all
positions in Reference Contracts of the 9 agricultural commodities
held by a single entity and its affiliates, regardless of whether
such positions exist on US futures exchanges, non-US futures
exchanges, or in over-the-counter swaps. An affiliate of a market
participant is defined as two or more persons acting pursuant to an
express or implied agreement or understanding. The Aggregation
Requirements became effective on February 14, 2017. On August 10,
2017, the CFTC issued No-Action Relief Letter No. 17-37 to clarify
several provisions under regulation 150.4 regarding position
aggregation filing requirements of market participants. The Sponsor
does not anticipate that this order will have an impact on the
ability of the Fund to meet its respective investment
objectives.
In addition, on December 30, 2016,
the CFTC reproposed regulations that would establish revised
specific limits on speculative positions in futures contracts,
option contracts and swaps on 25 agricultural, energy and metals
commodities (the “Proposed Position Limit
Rules”).
The Proposed Position Limit Rules
were a reproposal and the CFTC has requested comments from the
public. It remains to be seen whether the Proposed Position Limit
Rules will become effective as the CFTC has proposed, as comments
could result in modifications to the proposed limits or
implementation could be delayed for other reasons. In general, the
Proposed Position Limit Rules do not appear to have a substantial
or adverse effect on the Fund and the Underlying Funds. However, if
the total net assets of the Fund were to increase significantly
from current levels, the Position Limit Rules as proposed could
negatively impact the ability of a Fund to meet its respective
investment objectives through limits that may inhibit the
Sponsor’s ability to sell additional Creation Baskets of the
Fund and the Underlying Funds. However, it is not expected that the
Fund will reach asset levels that would cause these position limits
to be reached in the near future.
In addition, the Proposed Position
Limit Rules state that the CFTC will review, and may amend, the
Position Limit Rules at a minimum every two years and more often as
deemed necessary. Such future amendments may affect the Fund or one
or more of the Underlying Funds, and it may, at that time, be
substantial and adverse. By way of example, future amendments, in
combination with the Position Limit Rules, may negatively impact
the ability of the Fund to meet its respective investment
objectives through limits that may inhibit the Sponsor’s
ability to sell additional Creation Baskets of the Fund and the
Underlying Funds, if the total net assets of a Fund grow
significantly from current levels.
The futures exchanges, e.g. the CME,
may under the Proposed Position Limit Rules impose position limits
which are lower than those imposed by the CFTC. Such a limit by an
exchange on which the Fund trades futures contracts may negatively
and adversely impact the ability of the Fund to meet its respective
investment objectives through limits that may inhibit the
Sponsor’s ability to sell additional Creation Baskets of the
Fund and the Underlying Funds. No such lower limits by an exchange
are currently in place.
The aggregate position limits
currently in place under the current position limits and the
Aggregation Requirements are as follows for each of the commodities
traded by the Underlying Funds:
Commodity Future
|
Spot Month Position
Limit
|
All Month Aggregate Position
Limit
|
corn
|
600 contracts
|
33,000 contracts
|
soybeans
|
600 contracts
|
15,000 contracts
|
sugar
|
5,000 contracts
|
Only Accountability
Limits
|
wheat
|
600 contracts
|
12,000 contracts
|
The aggregate speculative position
limits currently as proposed in the Proposed Position Limit Rules
are as follows for each of the commodities traded by the Underlying
Funds:
Commodity Future
|
Spot Month Position
Limit
|
All Month Aggregate Position
Limit
|
corn
|
600 contracts
|
62,400 contracts
|
soybeans
|
600 contracts
|
31,900 contracts
|
sugar
|
23,300 contracts
|
38,400 contracts
|
wheat
|
600 contracts
|
32,800 contracts
|
Accountability levels differ from
position limits in that they do not represent a fixed ceiling, but
rather a threshold above which a futures exchange may exercise
greater scrutiny and control over an investor’s positions. If
a Fund were to exceed an applicable accountability level for
investments in futures contracts, the exchange will monitor the
Fund’s exposure and may ask for further information on its
activities, including the total size of all positions, investment
and trading strategy, and the extent of liquidity resources of the
Fund. If deemed necessary by the exchange, the Fund could be
ordered to reduce its aggregate net position back to the
accountability level.
In addition to position limits and
accountability levels, the exchanges set daily price fluctuation
limits on futures contracts. The daily price fluctuation limit
establishes the maximum amount that the price of futures contracts
may vary either up or down from the previous day’s settlement
price. Once the daily price fluctuation limit has been reached in a
particular futures contract, no trades may be made at a price
beyond that limit.
As of May 1, 2014, the CME replaced
the fixed price fluctuation limits with variable price limits for
corn, soybean and wheat. The change, which is now effective and is
described in the CME Group Special Executive Report S7038 and
can be accessed at http://www.cmegroup.com/toolsinformation/lookups/advisories/ser/SER7038.html.
Margin for OTC
Uncleared Swaps
During 2015 and 2016, the CFTC and
the US bank prudential regulators completed their rulemakings under
the Dodd-Frank Act on margin for uncleared over-the-counter swaps
(and option agreements that qualify as swaps). Margin requirements
went into effect for the largest swap entities in September 2016
and went into effect for financial end users in March 2017. Under
these regulations, swap dealers (such as sell-side counterparties
to swaps), major swap participants, and financial end users (such
as buy-side counterparties to swaps who are not physical traders)
are required in most instances, to post and collect initial and
variation margin, depending on the regulatory classification of
their counterparty. European and Asian regulators are also
implementing similar regulations, which were scheduled to become
effective on the same dates as the US-promulgated rules. As a
result of these requirements, additional capital will be required
to be committed to the margin accounts to support transactions
involving uncleared over-the-counter swaps and, consequently, these
transactions may become more expensive. While the Fund and the
Underlying Funds currently do not generally engage in uncleared
over the counter swaps, to the extent they do so in the future, the
additional margin required to be posted could adversely impact the
profitability (if any) to the Funds from entering into these
transactions.
Potential
Advantages of Investment
Interest Income
Unlike some alternative investment
funds, the Fund and the Underlying Funds do not borrow money in
order to obtain leverage, so the Fund and the Underlying Funds do
not incur any interest expense. Rather, the Fund’s residual
cash and the Underlying Funds’ margin deposits and cash
reserves are maintained short-term Treasury Securities in cash and
cash equivalents, and interest is generally earned on available
assets, which include unrealized profits credited to the Underlying
Funds’ accounts.
Fund
Performance
The following graph sets forth the
historical performance of the Fund from commencement of operations
on March 28, 2012 through January 31, 2019.
PAST
PERFORMANCE IS NOT NECESSARILY INDICATIVE OF FUTURE
RESULTS.