Virtual Economy Portfolio, Series 12
The tasks we do on a daily basis continue to shift to digital sources. This phenomenon is occurring
worldwide, not just here in the United States. This unit investment trust invests in companies
that may have the potential to benefit from the increased practice of living and working in a
more digital world. The portfolio is mainly represented in the communication services, consumer
discretionary and information technology sectors.
Consider The Following
- Communication Services | This sector includes media and entertainment companies. The
gap between traditional media and digital media consumption continues to widen as people
devote less time to analog formats (television, radio, or print) and more time to digital formats
(mobile, computers, and other connected devices). It is estimated that, in 2025, adults in the
U.S. will spend an average of seven hours and 58 minutes per day on digital media, nearly
65% of all daily media. Less than ten years ago, the ratio was the reverse.1
- Consumer Discretionary | This sector is dominated by companies that produce products
and services that consumers often do without when they are under financial stress or worried
about the state of the economy. The market for bleisure tourism, the combination of business
trips and leisure travel, is projected to top $3.5 trillion by 2033, up from an estimated $594.5
billion in 2023, and growing at a compound annual growth rate of 19.5% from 2023-2033.2
- Information Technology | Gartner forecasts worldwide IT spending to total approximately
$5 trillion in 2024, an increase of 6.8% from 2023. In addition, global end-user spending on
public cloud services is anticipated to grow by 20.4% to reach approximately $678.8 billion in
2024, up from $563.6 billion in 2023.
1 emarketer, 7/11/23
2 Future Market Insights, April 2023
Portfolio Objective
This unit investment trust seeks above-average capital appreciation; however, there is no
assurance the objective will be met.
Portfolio Selection Process
An initial universe of virtual economy stocks is selected by First Trust Analysts. At the time of
portfolio selection, the stocks have adequate liquidity for investment and trade on a major U.S.
stock exchange.
Next, we evaluate each stock by examining the stock’s relative valuation and other qualitative
factors such as competitive advantages, new products and quality of management.
Our selection process attempts to find the stocks with the best prospects for capital appreciation
by identifying those that meet our investment objectives, trade at attractive valuations, and, in
our opinion, are likely to exceed market expectations of future cash flows.
The final portfolio is comprised of 30 approximately equally weighted Virtual Economy stocks.
| Not FDIC Insured • Not Bank Guaranteed • May Lose Value |
You should consider the portfolio's investment objective, risks, and charges and expenses carefully before investing. Contact your financial professional or call First Trust Portfolios L.P. at 1.800.621.1675 to request a prospectus, which contains this and other information about the portfolio. Read it carefully before you invest.
Risk Considerations
An investment in this unmanaged unit investment trust should be made
with an understanding of the risks involved with owning common stocks, such as an economic recession and
the possible deterioration of either the financial condition of the issuers of the equity securities or the general
condition of the stock market.
You should be aware that the portfolio is concentrated in stocks in both the communication services and information technology sectors which involve additional risks, including limited diversification. The companies engaged
in the communication services sector are subject to rapidly changing technology, rapid product obsolescence, loss of patent protection, cyclical market patterns, governmental regulation, evolving industry standards and
frequent new product introductions. Certain companies may be particularly susceptible to cybersecurity threats, which could have an adverse effect on their business. The companies engaged in the information technology
sector are subject to fierce competition, high research and development costs, and their products and services may be subject to rapid obsolescence. Technology company stocks, especially those which are Internet-related,
may experience extreme price and volume fluctuations that are often unrelated to their operating performance.
Securities of non-U.S. issuers are subject to additional risks, including currency fluctuations, political risks, withholding, the lack of adequate financial information, and exchange control restrictions impacting non-U.S. issuers.
An investment in a portfolio containing mid-cap companies is subject to additional risks, as the share prices of certain mid-cap companies are often more volatile than those of larger companies due to several factors, including
limited trading volumes, products, financial resources, management inexperience and less publicly available information.
Large capitalization companies may grow at a slower rate than the overall market.
As the use of Internet technology has become more prevalent in the course of business, the trust has become
more susceptible to potential operational risks through breaches in cybersecurity.
Ongoing armed conflicts between Russia and Ukraine in Europe and among Israel, Hamas and other militant groups in the Middle East, have caused and could continue to cause significant market disruptions and volatility
within the markets in Russia, Europe, the Middle East and the United States. The hostilities and sanctions resulting from those hostilities could have a significant impact on certain investments as well as performance.
The ongoing effects of the COVID-19 global pandemic, or the potential impacts of any future public health crisis, may cause significant volatility and uncertainty in global financial markets. While vaccines have been developed, there is no guarantee that vaccines will be effective against future variants of the disease.
The value of the securities held by the trust may be subject to
steep declines or increased volatility due to changes in
performance or perception of the issuers.
This UIT is a buy and hold strategy and investors should consider
their ability to hold the trust until maturity. There may be tax
consequences unless units are purchased in an IRA or other
qualified plan.