Risk Considerations
Equity Risk. An investment in a portfolio containing common stocks is subject to certain risks, 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.
Sector Concentration Risk. A portfolio which is concentrated in an individual sector is subject to additional risks, including limited diversification.
COVID-19 Economic Impact Risk. 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.
Digital Innovation Risk. Digital innovation companies are those which derive at least 50% of their revenues from, or dedicate at least 50% of their assets to: investing in digital assets; facilitating the processing of electronic transactions for digital assets, securities and fiat currencies; manufacturing semiconductors necessary for the implementation of digitally innovative technology; digital asset miners, digital asset software developers, digital asset custody and security, digital asset trading, and digital asset exchanges. For purposes of the Trust, "digital assets" include virtual currencies, cryptocurrencies and other assets that are issued and/or transferred using technological innovations, including blockchain technology. "Blockchain technology" refers to a type of distributed ledger, or decentralized database that keeps continuously updated digital records of who owns a particular asset.
An investment in digital asset companies is subject to risks associated with investing in digital assets, including cryptocurrencies and crypto tokens. Such companies may be subject to the risk that: the technology that facilitates the transfer of a cryptocurrency could fail; the decentralized, open source protocol of the applicable blockchain network could be affected by Internet connectivity disruptions, fraud, consensus failures or cybersecurity attacks; such network may not be adequately maintained by its participants; because crypto assets are a new technological innovation with a limited history, they are highly speculative asset; future regulatory actions or policies may limit the ability to sell, exchange or use a crypto asset; the price of a crypto asset may be impacted by the transactions of a small number of holders of such crypto asset; and that a crypto asset will decline in popularity, acceptance or use, thereby impairing its price.
Financials Risk. The companies engaged in the financials sector are subject to the adverse effects of volatile interest rates, economic recession, decreases in the availability of capital, increased competition from new entrants in the field, and potential increased regulation.
Foreign Securities Risk. 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.
Large-Cap Risk. Large capitalization companies may grow at a slower rate than the overall market.
Market Disruption Risk. 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.
Small-Cap and Mid-Cap Risk. An investment in a portfolio containing small-cap and mid-cap companies is subject to additional risks, as the share prices of small-cap companies and 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.
Technology Risk. 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.
Operational Risk. 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.