As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 6, 2014
Securities Act File No. 333-132380
Investment Company Act File No. 811-21864
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM N-1A
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
| THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933 | x | |||
| Pre-Effective Amendment No. | ¨ | |||
| Post-Effective Amendment No. 287 | x |
and/or
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
| THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940 | x | |||
| Amendment No. 289 | x |
(Check appropriate box or boxes.)
WISDOMTREE TRUST
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)
380 Madison Avenue
21st Floor
New York, NY 10017
(Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)
1-866-909-9473
(Registrant’s Telephone Number, including Area Code)
JONATHAN STEINBERG
WISDOMTREE TRUST
380 Madison Avenue
21st Floor
New York, NY 10017
(Name and Address of Agent for Service)
Copies to:
| W. John McGuire | Ryan Louvar | |
| Bingham McCutchen LLP | WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. | |
| 2020 K Street NW | 380 Madison Avenue, 21st Floor | |
| Washington, DC 20006 | New York, NY 10017 |
It is proposed that this filing will become effective (check appropriate box):
| ¨ | Immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b) |
| ¨ | On (date) pursuant to paragraph (b) |
| ¨ | 60 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(1) |
| ¨ | On (date) pursuant to paragraph (a)(1) |
| x | 75 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) |
| ¨ | On (date) pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of Rule 485 |
If appropriate, check the following box:
| ¨ | This post-effective amendment designates a new effective date for a previously filed post-effective amendment. |
PROSPECTUS
[ ], 2014
Fixed Income ETFs
WisdomTree Trust
| WisdomTree Fixed Income ETFs* | ||
| WisdomTree 20+ Year U.S. Treasury Negative Duration Fund ([ ]) | ||
| * | Principal U.S. Listing Exchange: [ ] |
THE INFORMATION IN THIS PROSPECTUS IS NOT COMPLETE AND MAY BE CHANGED. WE MAY NOT SELL THESE SECURITIES UNTIL THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT FILED WITH THE U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION (“SEC”) IS EFFECTIVE. THIS PROSPECTUS IS NOT AN OFFER TO SELL THESE SECURITIES AND IS NOT SOLICITING AN OFFER TO BUY THESE SECURITIES IN ANY JURISDICTION WHERE THE OFFER OR SALE IS NOT PERMITTED.
THE SEC HAS NOT APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED THESE SECURITIES OR PASSED UPON THE ADEQUACY OF THIS PROSPECTUS. ANY REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY IS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE.
WisdomTree Trust
INVESTMENT PRODUCTS: n ARE NOT FDIC INSURED n MAY LOSE VALUE n ARE NOT BANK GUARANTEED
| WisdomTree Trust Prospectus | 1 |
WisdomTree 20+ Year U.S. Treasury Negative Duration Fund
Investment Objective
The WisdomTree 20+ Year U.S. Treasury Negative Duration Fund (the “Fund”) seeks to track the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the WisdomTree 20+ Year U.S. Treasury Negative Duration Index (the “Index”).
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund. The fees are expressed as a percentage of the Fund’s average net assets.
| Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment) | None | |||
| Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) |
||||
| Management Fees |
[ | ]% | ||
| Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees |
None | |||
| Other Expenses* |
0.00 | % | ||
| Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | [ | ]% |
| * | “Other Expenses” are based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year. |
Example
The following example is intended to help retail investors compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. It illustrates the hypothetical expenses that such investors would incur over various periods if they were to invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of the shares at the end of those periods. This example assumes that the Fund provides a return of 5% a year and that operating expenses remain the same. This example does not include the brokerage commissions that retail investors may pay to buy and sell shares of the Fund. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years | |||||||
| $ | [ ] | $ | [ ] | |||||
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund is newly organized, portfolio turnover information is not yet available.
Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund
The Fund employs a “passive management” – or indexing – investment approach designed to track the performance of the Index. The Fund generally uses a representative sampling strategy to achieve its investment objective, meaning it generally will invest in a sample of the securities in the Index whose risk, return and other characteristics resemble the risk, return and other characteristics of the Index as a whole. Under normal circumstances, at least 80% of the Fund’s total assets (exclusive of collateral held from securities lending) will be invested in the component securities of the Index and investments that have economic characteristics that are substantially identical to the economic characteristics of such component securities.
The Index is comprised of a long portfolio and short portfolio. The “long portfolio” of the Index includes U.S. Treasury securities (“U.S. Treasuries”) that have a remaining maturity of greater than or equal to one month and less than three months, weighted by their relative market value. The “short portfolio” of the Index includes short positions in U.S. Treasuries that have a remaining maturity of greater than twenty years, weighted by their relative market value. The short exposure in the Index is expected to have greater sensitivity to interest rates than the long exposure in the Index. It is anticipated that the total duration exposure within the Index will average between negative ten years and negative twenty years, depending on future U.S. Treasury issuance patterns and market conditions. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a portfolio to changes in interest rates with a longer duration portfolio being more sensitive to changes in interest rates.
The long portfolio and short portfolio of the Index are rebalanced on a monthly basis to where the dollar amount of the long portfolio’s U.S. Treasury positions is equivalent approximately to the dollar amount of the short exposure achieved within the short portfolio.
| 2 | WisdomTree Trust Prospectus |
In seeking to track the short portfolio of the Index, the Fund will invest in short positions in futures contracts on U.S. Treasuries. The Fund may also short U.S. Treasuries.
The Fund also may invest its assets in cash and cash equivalents, as well as in shares of other investment companies, forward contracts, futures contracts, options on futures contracts, options, and swaps.
To the extent the Index concentrates (i.e., holds 25% or more of its total assets) in the securities of a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund will concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent as its Index.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund
You can lose money on your investment in the Fund. The Fund is subject to the risks described below. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its objectives. For more information about the risks of investing in the Fund, see the sections in the Fund’s Prospectus titled “Additional Principal Risk Information About the Fund” and “Additional Non-Principal Risk Information.”
| n | Investment Risk. As with all investments, an investment in the Fund is subject to investment risk. Investors in the Fund could lose money, including the possible loss of the entire principal amount of an investment, over short or long periods of time. |
| n | Market Risk. The trading prices of fixed income securities and other instruments fluctuate in response to a variety of factors. The Fund’s NAV and market price may fluctuate significantly in response to these and other factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time. |
| n | Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), Fund shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The trading prices of the Fund’s shares in the secondary market generally differ from the Fund’s daily NAV, and there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the NAV (premium) or less than the NAV (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility or periods of steep market declines. |
| n | Cash Redemption Risk. The Fund’s investment strategy will require it to redeem shares for cash or to otherwise include cash as part of its redemption proceeds. The Fund may be required to sell or unwind portfolio investments in order to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. This may cause the Fund to recognize a capital gain that it might not have recognized if it had made a redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher annual capital gain distributions than if the in-kind redemption process was used. |
| n | Counterparty and Issuer Credit Risk. The financial condition of an issuer of a debt security or other instrument or a counterparty to a derivative or other contract may cause such issuer or counterparty to default, become unable to pay interest or principal due or otherwise fail to honor its obligations. While the Fund attempts to limit credit and counterparty exposure in a manner consistent with its investment objective, the value of an investment in the Fund may change quickly and without warning in response to issuer or counterparty defaults and changes in the credit ratings of the Fund’s portfolio investments. |
| n | Derivatives Risk. The Fund will invest in derivatives, including as a substitute to gain short exposure to U.S. Treasuries. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive their performance from an underlying reference asset, such as a commodity, index, interest rate or inflation rate. The return on a derivative instrument may not correlate with the return of its underlying reference asset. Derivatives are subject to a number of risks described elsewhere in the Fund’s Prospectus, such as market risk and issuer-specific risk. Derivatives can be volatile and may be less liquid than other securities. As a result, the value of an investment in the Fund may change quickly and without warning and you may lose money. In addition to the other risks associated with the use of derivatives described elsewhere in this Prospectus, there are risks associated with the Fund’s use of futures contracts. With respect to futures contracts and short exposure through futures contracts, these risks include but are not limited to: (1) the success of the adviser’s and sub-adviser’s ability to predict movements in the prices of individual securities, fluctuations in markets and movements in interest rates; (2) an imperfect or no correlation between the changes in market value of the securities and the prices of futures contracts; and (3) no guarantee that an active market will exist for the contracts at any particular time. In addition, while the Fund may short securities such as U.S. Treasuries, the Fund’s anticipated short exposure through derivative instruments may lead to less correlation with the Index. |
| n | Hedging Risk. The Index’s short positions in U.S. Treasuries, as well as the Fund’s holdings to obtain such exposure, are not intended to mitigate credit risk or mitigate changes in U.S. Treasury values associated with investor perceptions regarding, or premiums placed on, credit risk (i.e., credit risk premiums) or otherwise mitigate risks associated with other factors influencing the price of such bonds, which may have a greater impact than rising or falling interest rates. Investors should anticipate that due to the Fund’s anticipated negative duration exposure, the Fund will be highly |
| WisdomTree Trust Prospectus | 3 |
| sensitive to interest rate changes. The higher (whether positive or negative) a bond fund’s duration, the greater its sensitivity to interest rates changes and fluctuations in value, whether positive or negative, will be more pronounced. Accordingly, the short positions will likely result in negative Fund performance if interest rates fall, including significant negative Fund performance in a falling interest rate environment. The interest rate profile between the long and short exposures of the Index and Fund could also evolve significantly between monthly rebalancing. This could lead to temporary dislocations between the Fund’s anticipated and actual sensitivity to interest rates, which could impact performance. There may also be significant differences within U.S. Treasury markets (including futures markets for U.S. Treasuries) that could result in the Fund’s short positions performing ineffectively, exacerbating losses or causing greater tracking error. In addition, when interest rates fall, investment in a long only portfolio of U.S. Treasuries will outperform the Fund. |
| n | Interest Rate Risk. Interest rate risk with respect to the Fund is the risk that short exposure to fixed income securities will decline in value because of decreases in interest rates. In addition, longer average portfolio maturity (including a longer negative duration) will cause the Fund to be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration. |
| n | Investment Style Risk. The Fund invests in the securities included in, or representative of, its Index regardless of their investment merit. The Fund does not attempt to outperform its Index or take defensive positions in declining markets. As a result, the Fund’s performance may be adversely affected by a general decline in the market segments relating to its Index. |
| n | Issuer-Specific Risk. Issuer-specific events, including changes in the financial condition of an issuer, can have a negative impact on the value of the Fund. |
| n | Non-Correlation Risk. As with all index funds, the performance of the Fund and its Index may differ from each other for a variety of reasons. |
| n | Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund will be considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. As a result, the Fund may be more exposed to the risks associated with and developments affecting an individual issuer or a smaller number of issuers than a fund that invests more widely. This may increase the Fund’s volatility and cause the performance of a relatively smaller number of issuers to have a greater impact on the Fund’s performance. |
| n | Short Sales Risk. The Fund will engage in “short sale” transactions. The Fund will lose value if the security or instrument that is the subject of a short sale increases in value. The Fund may enter into short positions in U.S. Treasuries as well as short derivative positions through futures contracts on U.S. Treasuries. If the price of the security or derivative that is the subject of a short sale increases, then the Fund will incur a loss equal to the increase in price from the time that the short sale was entered into plus any premiums and interest paid to a third party in connection with the short sale. The risk of loss on a shorted position is potentially unlimited unlike the risk of loss on a long position, which is limited to the amount paid for the investment plus transaction costs. Therefore, short sales involve the risk that losses may be exaggerated, potentially losing more money than the actual cost of the investment. Also, there is the risk that the third party to the short sale may fail to honor its contract terms, causing a loss to the Fund. Further, in times of unusual or adverse economic, market or political conditions, neither the Index nor the Fund may be able to fully or partially implement its short selling strategy. |
| n | U.S. Treasury Exposure Risk. The methodology used to select U.S. Treasuries for the Index (or U.S. Treasuries or U.S. Treasury futures, in the case of the Fund) for different maturities within the short exposure could produce performance that is dissimilar from other U.S. Treasuries of similar maturities. For example, unique supply and demand conditions could create a market whereby selected U.S. Treasuries or positions trade either more or less expensively than other U.S. Treasuries or positions of the same maturity, which could negatively impact the performance of the Fund. |
| n | Yield Curve Risk. The Index and Fund will have short exposure to U.S. Treasuries with different maturity dates and weightings and are expected to be more heavily weighted to longer maturity U.S. Treasuries. The short exposure in the Index and the Fund, respectively, is expected to have greater sensitivity to interest rates than the long exposure of the Index and the Fund, respectively, in targeting the desired overall interest rate sensitivity, which has a duration of less than zero. Interest rates do not change uniformly for U.S. Treasuries of differing lengths of maturity in response to market and economic conditions. For example, interest rates for shorter maturity U.S. Treasuries may rise or fall more or less than interest rates for longer maturity U.S. Treasuries and rates may rise for U.S. Treasuries of certain maturities but fall for U.S. Treasuries of different maturities. Changes in interest rates among U.S. Treasuries with different maturities could impact returns produced both by the long exposures and short exposures of the Index and Fund in different ways, which could lead to unexpected performance, including Fund losses. This risk is heightened for the Index |
| 4 | WisdomTree Trust Prospectus |
| and the Fund, respectively, given the significant difference in maturity exposures between the long exposure and short exposure with the Index and Fund, respectively. |
Fund Performance
The Fund is new and therefore does not have a performance history.
| WisdomTree Trust Prospectus | 5 |
Management
Investment Adviser and Sub-Adviser
WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. serves as investment adviser to the Fund. [ ] serves as sub-adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers
[ ] has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception.
[ ] has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception.
Buying and Selling Fund Shares
The Fund is an ETF. This means that shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange, such as [ ], and trade at market prices. Most investors will buy and sell shares of the Fund through brokers. Because Fund shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).
The Fund issues and redeems shares at NAV only in large blocks of shares (“Creation Units”), which only certain institutions or large investors (typically market makers or other broker-dealers) may purchase or redeem. Currently, Creation Units generally consist of 100,000 shares, though this may change from time to time. Creation Units are not expected to consist of less than 50,000 shares. The Fund generally issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities closely approximating the holdings of the Fund and/or a designated amount of U.S. cash.
Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank) (an “Intermediary”), WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. or its affiliates may pay Intermediaries for certain activities related to the Fund, including participation in activities that are designed to make Intermediaries more knowledgeable about exchange traded products, including the Fund, or for other activities, such as marketing, educational training or other initiatives related to the sale or promotion of Fund shares. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the Intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Any such arrangements do not result in increased Fund expenses. Ask your salesperson or visit the Intermediary’s website for more information.
| 6 | WisdomTree Trust Prospectus |
Additional Information About the Fund
Additional Information About the Fund’s Investment Objective. The Fund seeks to track the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Index developed by WisdomTree Investments. The Index consists of securities in the market suggested by its name that meet specific criteria developed by WisdomTree Investments. Since the Fund’s investment objective has been adopted as a non-fundamental investment policy, the Fund’s investment objective may be changed without a vote of shareholders upon 60 days’ written notice to shareholders.
Additional Information About the Fund’s Investment Strategy. The Fund will normally invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in the types of securities suggested by its name (i.e., investments connoted by its Index). The Fund anticipates meeting this policy because, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of the Fund’s total assets (exclusive of collateral held from securities lending) will be invested in the component securities of its underlying Index and investments that have economic characteristics that are substantially identical to the economic characteristics of such component securities.
WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. (“WisdomTree Asset Management” or the “Adviser”) expects that, over time, the correlation between the Fund’s performance and that of the Index, before fees and expenses, will be 95% or better. A number of factors may affect the Fund’s ability to achieve a high degree of correlation with its Index, and there can be no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation.
The quantity of holdings in the Fund using a representative sampling strategy will be based on a number of factors, including asset size of the Fund. In addition, from time to time, securities are added to or removed from the Index and consequently the attributes of the Index may change. The Fund may sell securities that are represented in the Index, or purchase securities that are not yet represented in the Index, in anticipation of their removal from or addition to the Index or to reflect various other changes to the Index. Further, the Fund may overweight or underweight securities in the Index, purchase or sell securities not in the Index, or utilize various combinations of other available techniques, in seeking to track the Index.
Other Investment Information. The Fund may invest in other investments that the Fund believes will help it track its Index, including cash and cash equivalents, as well as in shares of other investment companies (including affiliated investment companies), forward contracts, futures contracts, options on futures contracts, options and swaps.
The Fund may lend its portfolio securities in an amount not to exceed one third (33 1/3%) of the value of its total assets via a securities lending program through its securities lending agent, The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation, to brokers, dealers and other financial institutions desiring to borrow securities to complete transactions and for other purposes. A securities lending program allows the Fund to receive a portion of the income generated by lending its securities and investing the respective collateral. The Fund will receive collateral for each loaned security which is at least equal to the market value of that security, marked to market each trading day. In the securities lending program, the borrower generally has the right to vote the loaned securities, however the Fund may call loans to vote proxies if a material issue affecting the Fund’s economic interest in the investment is to be voted upon. Security loans may be terminated at any time by the Fund.
Additional Principal Risk Information About the Fund
This section provides additional information regarding the principal risks described under “Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund” in the Fund Summary. Each of the factors below could have a negative impact on Fund performance and trading prices.
Cash Redemption Risk
When the Fund’s investment strategy requires it to redeem shares for cash or to otherwise include cash as part of its redemption proceeds, it may be required to sell or unwind portfolio investments in order to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. This may cause the Fund to recognize a capital gain that it might not have recognized if it had made a redemption in-kind (i.e., distribute securities as payment of redemption proceeds). As a result, the Fund may pay out higher annual capital gain distributions than if the in-kind redemption process was used.
Counterparty and Issuer Credit Risk
The financial condition of an issuer of a debt security or other issuer may cause it to default or become unable to pay interest or principal due on the security. The Fund cannot collect interest and principal payments on a security if the issuer defaults. Recent events have resulted in increased concerns about credit risk and exposure, including the U.S. Treasury. The degree of credit risk for a particular debt security or other issuer may be reflected in its credit rating. A credit rating is a measure of a bond issuer’s ability to make timely payments of interest and principal. Rating agencies (such as Moody’s Investors Service, Inc., Standard & Poor’s Corporation, or Fitch) assign letter designations typically ranging from AAA to A- (lower default risk) through CCC to C (higher default risk) or D (in default). A credit rating of BBB or higher generally is considered “investment grade.” Credit ratings are subjective, do not remove market risk, and represent the opinions of the rating agencies as to the
| WisdomTree Trust Prospectus | 7 |
quality of the securities they rate. Credit ratings can change quickly and may not accurately reflect the risk of an issuer. Generally, investment risk and price volatility increase as the credit rating of a security declines. The value of an investment in the Fund may change quickly and without warning in response to issuer defaults and changes in the credit ratings of the Fund’s portfolio investments.
The Fund intends to engage in investment transactions or enter into derivative or other contracts with third parties (i.e., “counterparties”). The Fund bears the risk that the counterparty to such contracts may default on its obligations or otherwise fail to honor its obligations. If a counterparty defaults on its payment obligations the Fund will lose money and the value of an investment in Fund shares may decrease. In addition, the Fund may engage in such investment transactions with a limited number of counterparties, which may increase the Fund’s exposure to counterparty credit risk. Listed futures contracts can be traded on futures exchanges without material counterparty credit. After a trade is cleared, the exchange is the ultimate counterparty for all contracts, so the counterparty risk on a listed futures contract ultimately is the creditworthiness of the exchange’s clearing corporation.
Derivatives Risk
Derivatives are financial instruments that derive their performance from an underlying reference asset, such as a commodity, index, interest rate or currency exchange rate. Derivatives include futures contracts, interest rate swaps, total return swaps and credit linked notes. A futures contract may generally be described as an agreement for the future sale by one party and the purchase by another of a specified security or instrument at a specified price and time. The risks of futures contracts and short exposure through futures contracts include but are not limited to: (1) the success of the adviser’s and sub-adviser’s ability to predict movements in the prices of individual securities, fluctuations in markets and movements in interest rates; (2) an imperfect or no correlation between the changes in market value of the securities and the prices of futures contracts; and (3) no guarantee that an active market will exist for the contracts at any particular time. An interest rate swap typically involves the exchange of a floating interest rate payment for a fixed interest payment. A total return swap is an agreement between two parties in which one party agrees to make payments of the total return of a reference asset in return for payments equal to a rate of interest on another reference asset. The risks of swaps include but are not limited to the potential to increase or decrease the overall volatility of the Fund’s investments and its share price. A credit linked note is a type of structured note whose value is linked to an underlying reference asset or entity. Credit linked notes typically provide periodic payments of interest as well as payment of principal upon maturity. The risks of credit linked notes include but are not limited to default by the issuer and the underlying reference asset or entity. Derivatives are subject to a number of risks described elsewhere in this Prospectus, such as market risk and issuer-specific risk. They also involve the risk that changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset, rate or index, or that the counterparty to a derivative contract might default on its obligations. Derivatives can be volatile and may be less liquid than other securities. As a result, the value of an investment in the Fund may change quickly and without warning, and you may lose money. In addition, while the Fund may short securities such as U.S. Treasuries, the Fund’s anticipated short exposure through derivative instruments may lead to less correlation with the Index.
Hedging Risk
The Index’s short positions in U.S. Treasuries, as well as the Fund’s holdings to obtain such exposure, are not intended to mitigate credit risk or mitigate changes in U.S. Treasury values associated with investor perceptions regarding, or premiums placed on, credit risk (i.e., credit risk premiums) or otherwise mitigate risks associated with other factors influencing the price of such bonds, which may have a greater impact than rising or falling interest rates. Investors should anticipate that due to the Fund’s anticipated negative duration exposure, the Fund will be highly sensitive to interest rate changes. The higher (whether positive or negative) a bond fund’s duration, the greater its sensitivity to interest rates changes and fluctuations in value, whether positive or negative, will be more pronounced. Accordingly, the short positions will likely result in negative Fund performance if interest rates fall, including significant negative Fund performance in a falling interest rate environment. The interest rate profile between the long and short exposures of the Index and Fund could also evolve significantly between monthly rebalancing. This could lead to temporary dislocations between the Fund’s anticipated and actual sensitivity to interest rates, which could impact performance. There may also be significant differences within U.S. Treasury markets (including futures markets for U.S. Treasuries) that could result in the Fund’s short positions performing ineffectively, exacerbating losses or causing greater tracking error. In addition, when interest rates fall, an investment in a long only portfolio of U.S. Treasuries will outperform the Fund.
Interest Rate Risk
Interest rate risk with respect to the Fund is the risk that short exposure to fixed income securities will decline in value because of decreases in interest rates. Due to the Fund’s anticipated negative duration exposure to U.S. Treasuries, this risk is different for the Fund than for many other fixed income funds, since generally, as interest rates decline, the value of fixed income securities is likely to increase. While securities with longer maturities tend to produce higher yields, the prices of longer maturity securities tend to be more sensitive to changes in interest rates and thus subject to greater volatility than securities
| 8 | WisdomTree Trust Prospectus |
with shorter maturities. The “average portfolio maturity” of the Fund is the dollar-weighted average of all the current maturities of the individual securities in the Fund’s portfolio. Average portfolio maturity is important to investors as an indication of the Fund’s sensitivity to changes in interest rates. Funds with longer portfolio maturities generally are subject to greater interest rate risk. In addition, longer average portfolio maturity (including a longer negative duration) will cause the Fund to be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration
Investment Risk
As with all investments, an investment in the Fund is subject to investment risk. Investors in the Fund could lose money, including the possible loss of the entire principal amount of an investment, over short or long periods of time. An investment in the Fund is not a bank deposit and it is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
Investment Style Risk
The Fund invests in the securities included in, or representative of, its Index regardless of their investment merit. The Fund does not attempt to outperform its Index or take defensive positions in declining markets. As a result, the Fund’s performance may be adversely affected by a general decline in the market segments relating to its Index. The returns from the types of securities in which the Fund invests may underperform returns from the various general securities markets or different asset classes. This may cause the Fund to underperform other investment vehicles that invest in different asset classes. Different types of securities tend to go through cycles of doing better – or worse – than the general securities markets. In the past, these periods have lasted for as long as several years.
Issuer-Specific Risk
Changes in the financial condition of an issuer or counterparty, changes in specific economic or political conditions that affect a particular type of security or issuer, and changes in general economic or political conditions can affect a security’s or instrument’s value. The value of securities of smaller, less well-known issuers can be more volatile than that of larger issuers. Issuer-specific events can have a negative impact on the value of the Fund.
Market Risk
The trading prices of fixed income securities, currencies, equity securities, commodities, and other instruments fluctuate in response to a variety of factors. These factors include events impacting the entire market or specific market segments, such as political, market and economic developments, as well as events that impact specific issuers. The Fund’s NAV and market price, like security and commodity prices generally, may fluctuate significantly in response to these and other factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time.
Non-Correlation Risk
As with all index funds, the performance of the Fund and its Index may differ from each other for a variety of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs operating expenses and portfolio transaction costs, while also managing cash flows and potential operational inefficiencies, not incurred by its Index. In addition, the Fund may not be fully invested in the securities of its Index at all times or may hold securities not included in its Index. For example, it may take several business days for additions and deletions to the Index to be reflected in the portfolio composition of the Fund. The use of sampling techniques may affect the Fund’s ability to achieve close correlation with its Index. The Fund uses a representative sampling strategy and generally can be expected to have a greater non-correlation risk and this risk may be heightened during times of market volatility or other unusual market conditions.
Non-Diversification Risk
The Fund will be considered to be non-diversified. This means that the Fund may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it was a diversified fund. As a result, the Fund may be more exposed to the risks associated with and developments affecting an individual issuer or a smaller number of issuers than a fund that invests more widely. This may increase the Fund’s volatility and cause the performance of a relatively smaller number of issuers to have a greater impact on the Fund’s performance.
Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV
As with all ETFs, Fund shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of the shares of the Fund will approximate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price and the NAV vary significantly, including due to supply and demand of the Fund’s shares and/or during periods of market volatility. Thus, you may pay more (or less) than NAV when you buy shares of the Fund in the secondary market, and you may receive more (or less) than NAV when you sell those shares in the secondary market. If an investor purchases Fund shares at a time when the market price is at a premium to the NAV of the Fund’s shares or sells at a time when the market price is at a discount to the NAV of the Fund’s shares, an investor may sustain losses.
| WisdomTree Trust Prospectus | 9 |
Short Sales Risk
The Fund will engage in “short sale” transactions. A short sale involves the sale by the Fund of an instrument or security that it does not own with the hope of purchasing the same security at a later date at a lower price. Short sales are designed to profit from a decline in the price of a security or instrument. The Fund will lose value if the security or instrument that is the subject of a short sale increases in value. This is the opposite of traditional “long” investments where the value of the Fund increases as the value of a portfolio security or instrument increases. The Fund may enter into short positions in U.S. Treasuries as well as short derivative positions through futures contracts on U.S. Treasuries. If the price of the security or derivative that is the subject of a short sale increases, then the Fund will incur a loss equal to the increase in price from the time that the short sale was entered into plus any premiums and interest paid to a third party in connection with the short sale. The risk of loss on a shorted position is potentially unlimited unlike the risk of loss on a long position, which is limited to the amount paid for the investment plus transaction costs. Therefore, short sales involve the risk that losses may be exaggerated, potentially losing more money than the actual cost of the investment. Also, there is the risk that the third party to the short sale may fail to honor its contract terms, causing a loss to the Fund. Further, in times of unusual or adverse economic, market or political conditions, neither the Index nor the Fund may be able to fully or partially implement its short selling strategy.
U.S. Treasury Exposure Risk
The methodology used to select U.S. Treasuries for the Index (or U.S. Treasuries or U.S. Treasury futures, in the case of the Fund) for different maturities within the short exposure could produce performance that is dissimilar from other U.S. Treasuries of similar maturities. For example, unique supply and demand conditions could create a market whereby selected U.S. Treasuries or positions trade either more or less expensively than other U.S. Treasuries or positions of the same maturity, which could negatively impact the performance of the Fund.
Yield Curve Risk
The Index and Fund will have short exposure to U.S. Treasuries with different maturity dates and weightings and are expected to be more heavily weighted to longer maturity U.S. Treasuries. The short exposure in the Index and the Fund, respectively, is expected to have greater sensitivity to interest rates than the long exposure of the Index and the Fund, respectively. Interest rates do not change uniformly for U.S. Treasuries of differing lengths of maturity in response to market and economic conditions. For example, interest rates for shorter maturity U.S. Treasuries may rise or fall more or less than interest rates for longer maturity U.S. Treasuries and rates may rise for U.S. Treasuries of certain maturities but fall for U.S. Treasuries of different maturities. Changes in interest rates among U.S. Treasuries with different maturities could impact returns produced both by the long exposures and short exposures of the Index and Fund in different ways, which could lead to unexpected performance, including Fund losses. This risk is heightened for the Index and the Fund, respectively, given the significant difference in maturity exposures between the long exposure and short exposure with the Index and Fund, respectively.
Additional Non-Principal Risk Information
Trading. Although the Fund’s shares are listed for trading on [ ] (the “Listing Exchange”) and may be listed or traded on U.S. and non-U.S. stock exchanges other than the Listing Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such shares will develop or be maintained. Trading in shares may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Listing Exchange, make trading in shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in shares on the Listing Exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to Listing Exchange “circuit breaker” rules. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Listing Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged or that Fund shares will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange.
Costs of Buying or Selling Shares. 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 Fund shares. In addition, secondary market investors will also incur the cost of the difference between the price at which an investor is willing to buy shares (the “bid” price) and the price at which an investor is willing to sell shares (the “ask” price). This difference in bid and ask prices is often referred to as the “spread” or “bid/ask spread.” The bid/ask spread varies over time for shares based on trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the Fund’s shares have more trading volume and market liquidity and higher if the Fund’s shares have little trading volume and market liquidity. Further, increased market volatility may cause increased bid/ask spreads. Due to the costs of buying or selling Fund shares, including bid/ask spreads, frequent trading of Fund shares may significantly reduce investment results and an investment in shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.
| 10 | WisdomTree Trust Prospectus |
Securities Lending. Although the Fund is indemnified by the Fund’s lending agent for losses incurred in connection with a borrower’s default with respect to a loan, the Fund bears the risk of loss of investing cash collateral and may be required to make payments to a borrower upon return of loaned securities if invested collateral has declined in value. Furthermore, because of the risks in delay of recovery, the Fund may lose the opportunity to sell the securities at a desirable price, and the Fund will generally not have the right to vote securities while they are being loaned. These events could also trigger negative tax consequences for the Fund.
Portfolio Holdings Information
Information about the Fund’s daily portfolio holdings is available at www.wisdomtree.com. In addition, the Fund will disclose its complete portfolio holdings as of the end of its fiscal year (August 31) and its second fiscal quarter (February 28) in its reports to shareholders. The Fund files its complete portfolio holdings as of the end of its first and third fiscal quarters (November 30 and May 31, respectively) with the SEC on Form N-Q no later than 60 days after the relevant fiscal period. You can find the SEC filings on the SEC’s website, www.sec.gov. A summarized description of the Fund’s policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of the Fund’s portfolio holdings is available in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”).
| WisdomTree Trust Prospectus | 11 |
As investment adviser, WisdomTree Asset Management has overall responsibility for the general management and administration of WisdomTree Trust (the “Trust”) and each of its separate investment portfolios called “Funds.” WisdomTree Asset Management is a registered investment adviser with offices located at 380 Madison Avenue, 21st Floor, New York, New York 10017 and is a leader in ETF management. As of [ ], 2014, WisdomTree Asset Management had assets under management totaling approximately $[ ] billion. WisdomTree Investments, Inc.* (“WisdomTree Investments”) is the parent company of WisdomTree Asset Management (collectively, “WisdomTree”). WisdomTree Asset Management provides an investment program for the Fund. WisdomTree Asset Management also arranges for sub-advisory, transfer agency, custody, fund administration, securities lending, and all other non-distribution related services necessary for the Fund to operate. For its services, WisdomTree Asset Management expects to receive fees from the Fund, based on a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets, as shown in the following table:
| Name of Fund | Management Fee | |||
| WisdomTree 20+ Year U.S. Treasury Negative Duration Fund | [ | ]% | ||
Under the Investment Advisory Agreement for the Fund, WisdomTree Asset Management has agreed to pay generally all expenses of the Fund, subject to certain exceptions. For a detailed description of the Investment Advisory Agreement for the Fund, please see the “Management of the Trust” section of the SAI. Pursuant to a separate contractual arrangement, WisdomTree Asset Management arranges for the provision of chief compliance officer (“CCO”) services with respect to the Fund, and is liable and responsible for, and administers, payments to the CCO, the Independent Trustees and counsel to the Independent Trustees. WisdomTree Asset Management receives a fee of up to 0.0044% of the Fund’s average daily net assets for providing such services and paying such expenses. WisdomTree Asset Management provides CCO services to the Trust.
The basis for the Board of Trustees’ approval of the Fund’s Investment Advisory Agreement will be available in the Trust’s Annual Report to Shareholders for the period ended August 31, 2014.
[ ] (“[ ]” or the “Sub-Adviser”) is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund. [ ], a registered investment adviser, is a leading innovator in the investment industry and manages [ ]. Its principal office is located at [ ]. As of [ ], 2014, [ ] had assets under management totaling approximately $[ ] billion (including $[ ] billion in overlay). [ ] is a wholly-owned indirect subsidiary of [ ], a publicly traded financial holding company. [ ] chooses the portfolio investments of the Fund and places orders to buy and sell the portfolio investments. WisdomTree Asset Management pays [ ] for providing sub-advisory services to the Fund.
The basis for the Board of Trustees’ approval of the Fund’s Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement will be available in the Trust’s Annual Report to Shareholders for the period ended August 31, 2014.
WisdomTree Asset Management, as the investment adviser for the Fund, may hire one or more sub-advisers to oversee the day-to-day activities of the Fund. The sub-advisers are subject to oversight by WisdomTree Asset Management. WisdomTree Asset Management and the Trust have received an exemptive order from the SEC that permits WisdomTree Asset Management, with the approval of the Independent Trustees of the Trust, to retain unaffiliated investment sub-advisers for the Fund without submitting the sub-advisory agreement to a vote of the Fund’s shareholders. The Trust will notify shareholders in the event of any change in the identity of such sub-adviser or sub-advisers. WisdomTree Asset Management has ultimate responsibility for the investment performance of the Fund due to its responsibility to oversee each sub-adviser and recommend their hiring, termination and replacement. WisdomTree Asset Management is not required to disclose fees paid to any sub-adviser retained pursuant to the order.
| * | “WisdomTree” is a registered mark of WisdomTree Investments and has been licensed for use by the Trust. WisdomTree Investments has patent applications pending on the methodology and operation of its Indexes and the Funds. |
The Fund is managed by [ ] Portfolio management team. The individual members of the team responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio are described below.
[PM bios to be provided by amendment]
The Fund’s SAI provides additional information about the Portfolio Managers’ compensation, other accounts managed by the Portfolio Managers, and the Portfolio Managers’ ownership of shares in the Fund.
| 12 | WisdomTree Trust Prospectus |
Additional Information on Buying and Selling Fund Shares
Most investors will buy and sell shares of the Fund through brokers. Shares of the Fund trade on the Listing Exchange and elsewhere during the trading day and can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like other shares of publicly traded securities. When buying or selling shares through a broker, most investors will incur customary brokerage commissions and charges. Shares of the Fund trade under the trading symbol listed on the cover of this Prospectus.
Transactions in Fund shares will be priced at NAV only if you are an institutional investor (e.g., broker-dealer) that has signed an agreement with the Distributor (as defined below) and you thereafter purchase or redeem shares directly from the Fund in Creation Units. As with other types of securities, the trading prices of shares in the secondary market can be affected by market forces such as supply and demand, economic conditions and other factors. The price you pay or receive when you buy or sell your shares in the secondary market may be more or less than the NAV of such shares.
The approximate value of shares of the Fund is disseminated every 15 seconds throughout the trading day by the Listing Exchange or by other information providers. This approximate value should not be viewed as a “real-time” update of the Fund’s NAV, because the approximate value may not be calculated in the same manner as the NAV, which is computed once per day. The approximate value generally is determined by using current market quotations, price quotations obtained from broker-dealers that may trade in the portfolio securities and instruments held by the Fund, and/or amortized cost for securities with remaining maturities of 60 days or less. The Fund, the adviser and their affiliates are not involved in, or responsible for, the calculation or dissemination of the approximate value and makes no warranty as to its accuracy.
Determination of Net Asset Value
The NAV of the Fund’s shares is calculated each day the national securities exchanges are open for trading as of the close of regular trading on the Listing Exchange, generally 4:00 p.m. New York time (the “NAV Calculation Time”). NAV per share is calculated by dividing the Fund’s net assets by the number of Fund shares outstanding.
In calculating its NAV, the Fund generally values its assets on the basis of market quotations, last sale prices, or estimates of value furnished by a pricing service or brokers who make markets in such instruments. Debt obligations with maturities of 60 days or less are valued at amortized cost.
Fair value pricing is used by the Fund when reliable market valuations are not readily available or are not deemed to reflect current market values. Securities that may be valued using “fair value” pricing may include, but are not limited to, securities for which there are no current market quotations or whose issuer is in default or bankruptcy, securities subject to corporate actions (such as mergers or reorganizations), securities subject to non-U.S. investment limits or currency controls, and securities affected by “significant events.” An example of a significant event is an event occurring after the close of the market in which a security trades but before the Fund’s next NAV Calculation Time that may materially affect the value of the Fund’s investment (e.g., government action, natural disaster, or significant market fluctuation). When fair value pricing is employed, the prices of securities used by the Fund to calculate its NAV may differ from quoted or published prices for the same securities.
The Fund intends to pay out dividends on a monthly basis. Nonetheless, the Fund may not make a dividend payment every month. The Fund intends to distribute its net realized capital gains to investors annually. The Fund occasionally may be required to make supplemental distributions at some other time during the year. Distributions in cash may be reinvested automatically in additional whole shares only if the broker through whom you purchased shares makes such option available. Your broker is responsible for distributing the income and capital gain distributions to you.
Shares of the Fund are held in book-entry form, which means that no stock certificates are issued. The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) or its nominee is the record owner of all outstanding shares of the Fund.
Investors owning shares of the Fund are beneficial owners as shown on the records of DTC or its participants. DTC serves as the securities depository for all shares of the Fund. Participants include DTC, securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations, and other institutions that directly or indirectly maintain a custodial relationship with DTC. As a beneficial owner of shares, you are not entitled to receive physical delivery of stock certificates or to have shares registered in your name, and you are not considered a registered owner of shares. Therefore, to exercise any right as an owner of shares, you must rely upon the procedures of DTC and its participants. These procedures are the same as those that apply to any securities that you hold in book-entry or “street name” form. Your broker will provide you with account statements, confirmations of your purchases and sales, and tax information.
| WisdomTree Trust Prospectus | 13 |
Delivery of Shareholder Documents – Householding
Householding is an option available to certain investors of the Fund. Householding is a method of delivery, based on the preference of the individual investor, in which a single copy of certain shareholder documents can be delivered to investors who share the same address, even if their accounts are registered under different names. Householding for the Fund is available through certain broker-dealers. If you are interested in enrolling in householding and receiving a single copy of prospectuses and other shareholder documents, please contact your broker-dealer. If you are currently enrolled in householding and wish to change your householding status, please contact your broker-dealer.
Frequent Purchases and Redemptions of Fund Shares
The Fund has adopted policies and procedures with respect to frequent purchases and redemptions of Creation Units of Fund shares. Since the Fund is an ETF, only a few institutional investors (known as “Authorized Participants”) are authorized to purchase and redeem shares directly from the Fund. Because purchase and redemption transactions with Authorized Participants are an essential part of the ETF process and may help keep ETF trading prices in line with NAV, the Fund accommodates frequent purchases and redemptions by Authorized Participants. Frequent purchases and redemptions for cash may increase index tracking error and portfolio transaction costs and may lead to the realization of capital gains. Frequent in-kind creations and redemptions generally do not give rise to these concerns. The Fund reserves the right to reject any purchase order at any time. The Fund reserves the right to impose restrictions on disruptive, excessive, or short-term trading.
Investments by Registered Investment Companies
Section 12(d)(1) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 restricts investments by registered investment companies in the securities of other investment companies, including shares of the Fund. Registered investment companies are permitted to invest in the Fund beyond the limits set forth in section 12(d)(1), subject to certain terms and conditions set forth in an SEC exemptive order issued to the Trust, including that such investment companies enter into an agreement with the Fund.
The following discussion is a summary of some important U.S. federal income tax considerations generally applicable to investments in the Fund. Your investment in the Fund may have other tax implications. Please consult your tax advisor about the tax consequences of an investment in Fund shares, including the possible application of foreign, state, and local tax laws.
The Fund intends to qualify each year for treatment as a regulated investment company. If it meets certain minimum distribution requirements, a regulated investment company is not subject to tax at the fund level on income and gains from investments that are timely distributed to shareholders. However, the Fund’s failure to qualify as a regulated investment company or to meet minimum distribution requirements would result (if certain relief provisions were not available) in fund-level taxation and, consequently, a reduction in income available for distribution to shareholders.
Unless your investment in Fund shares is made through a tax-exempt entity or tax-deferred retirement account, such as an individual retirement account, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when:
| n | The Fund makes distributions; |
| n | You sell Fund shares; and |
| n | You purchase or redeem Creation Units (institutional investors only). |
For federal income tax purposes, distributions of investment income are generally taxable as ordinary income or qualified dividend income. Taxes on distributions of capital gains (if any) are determined by how long the Fund owned the investments that generated them, rather than how long a shareholder has owned his or her Fund shares. Sales of assets held by the Fund for more than one year generally result in long-term capital gains and losses, and sales of assets held by the Fund for one year or less generally result in short-term capital gains and losses. Distributions of the Fund’s net capital gain (the excess of net long-term capital gains over net short-term capital losses) that are properly reported by the Fund as capital gain dividends (“Capital Gain Dividends”) will be taxable as long-term capital gains. For noncorporate shareholders, long-term capital gains are generally subject to tax at reduced rates. Distributions of short-term capital gain will be taxable as ordinary income.
In general, your distributions are subject to federal income tax for the year in which they are paid. Certain distributions paid in January, however, may be treated as paid on December 31 of the prior year. Distributions are generally taxable even if they are paid from income or gains earned by the Fund before your investment (and thus were included in the price you paid for your shares).
| 14 | WisdomTree Trust Prospectus |
Dividends and distributions from the Fund and capital gain on the sale of Fund shares are generally taken into account in determining a shareholder’s “net investment income” for purposes of the Medicare contribution tax applicable to certain individuals, estates and trusts.
Unlike many ETFs, the redemption of Creation Units of the Fund generally incorporates a payment of cash by the Fund in addition to, or in place of, the delivery of a basket of securities. To meet this requirement, the Fund may be required to sell portfolio securities in order to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. This may cause the Fund to recognize income and/or capital gains or losses that it might not have recognized if it had completely satisfied the redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may be less tax efficient than if the in-kind redemption process was used.
Distributions (other than Capital Gain Dividends) paid to individual shareholders that are neither citizens nor residents of the U.S. or to foreign entities will generally be subject to a U.S. withholding tax at the rate of 30%, unless a lower treaty rate applies. However, for taxable years beginning before January 1, 2014, distributions reported by the Fund as either “interest-related dividends” or “short-term capital gain dividends” and paid to a foreign shareholder will be eligible for an exemption from this withholding tax.
The Fund (or financial intermediaries, such as brokers, through which shareholders own Fund shares) generally is required to withhold and to remit to the U.S. Treasury a percentage of the taxable distributions and the sale or redemption proceeds paid to any shareholder who fails to properly furnish a correct taxpayer identification number, who has under-reported dividend or interest income, or who fails to certify that he, she or it is not subject to such withholding.
Taxes When Fund Shares Are Sold
Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Fund shares is generally treated as a long-term gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than one year. Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Fund shares held for one year or less is generally treated as a short-term gain or loss, except that any capital loss on a sale of shares held for six months or less is treated as long-term capital loss to the extent that Capital Gain Dividends were paid with respect to such shares. The ability to deduct capital losses may be limited depending on your circumstances.
Taxes on Creation and Redemption of Creation Units
An Authorized Participant having the U.S. dollar as its functional currency for U.S. federal tax purposes that exchanges securities for Creation Units generally will recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between (i) the sum of the market value of the Creation Units at the time of the exchange and any amount of cash received by the Authorized Participant in the exchange and (ii) the sum of the exchanger’s aggregate basis in the securities surrendered and any amount of cash paid for such Creation Units. A person who redeems Creation Units for securities will generally recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the exchanger’s basis in the Creation Units and the sum of the aggregate U.S. dollar market value of the securities plus the amount of any cash received for such Creation Units. The Internal Revenue Service, however, may assert that a loss that is realized by an Authorized Participant upon an exchange of securities for Creation Units cannot be currently deducted under the rules governing “wash sales,” or on the basis that there has been no significant change in economic position.
Gain or loss recognized by an Authorized Participant upon an issuance of Creation Units in exchange for non-U.S. currency will generally be treated as ordinary income or loss. Gain or loss recognized by an Authorized Participant upon an issuance of Creation Units in exchange for securities, or upon a redemption of Creation Units, may be capital or ordinary gain or loss depending on the circumstances. Any capital gain or loss realized upon an issuance of Creation Units in exchange for securities will generally be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the securities have been held for more than one year. Any capital gain or loss realized upon the redemption of a Creation Unit will generally be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the Fund shares comprising the Creation Unit have been held for more than one year. Otherwise, such capital gains or losses are treated as short-term capital gains or losses.
Persons exchanging securities for Creation Units should consult their own tax advisors with respect to the tax treatment of any creation or redemption transaction. If you purchase or redeem Creation Units, you will be sent a confirmation statement showing how many Fund shares you purchased or redeemed and at what price.
ALPS Distributors, Inc. (the “Distributor”) serves as the distributor of Creation Units for the Fund on an agency basis. The Distributor does not maintain a secondary market in shares of the Fund. The Distributor’s principal address is 1290 Broadway, Suite 1100, Denver, Colorado 80203. The Distributor has no role in determining the policies of the Fund or the securities that are purchased or sold by the Fund.
| WisdomTree Trust Prospectus | 15 |
Premium/Discount and NAV Information
Information regarding the Fund’s NAV and how often shares of the Fund traded on the Listing Exchange at a price above (i.e., at a premium) or below (i.e., at a discount) the NAV of the Fund during the past calendar year and most recent calendar quarter will be able to be found at www.wisdomtree.com when it becomes available.
Listing Exchange
Shares of the Fund are not sponsored, endorsed, or promoted by the Listing Exchange. The Listing Exchange makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of the shares of the Fund or any member of the public regarding the ability of the Fund to track the total return performance of the Index or the ability of the Index identified herein to track U.S. investment grade fixed income performance. The Listing Exchange is not responsible for, nor has it participated in, the determination of the compilation or the calculation of the Index, nor in the determination of the timing of, prices of, or quantities of the shares of the Fund to be issued, nor in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the shares are redeemable. The Listing Exchange has no obligation or liability to owners of the shares of the Fund in connection with the administration, marketing, or trading of the shares of the Fund.
The Listing Exchange does not guarantee the accuracy and/or the completeness of the Index or the data included therein. The Listing Exchange makes no warranty, express or implied, as to results to be obtained by the Trust on behalf of the Fund, owners of the shares, or any other person or entity from the use of the Index or the data included therein. The Listing Exchange makes no express or implied warranties, and hereby expressly disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose with respect to the Index or the data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall the Listing Exchange have any liability for any lost profits or indirect, punitive, special, or consequential damages even if notified of the possibility thereof.
WisdomTree and the Fund
WisdomTree Investments, WisdomTree Asset Management and the Fund make no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of shares of the Fund or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally or in the Fund particularly or the ability of the Index to track U.S. investment grade fixed income performance. WisdomTree Investments is the licensor of certain trademarks, service marks and trade names of the Fund. WisdomTree Investments has no obligation to take the needs of the Fund or the owners of shares of the Fund into consideration in determining, composing, or calculating the Index. WisdomTree Investments is not responsible for, and has not participated in, the determination of the timing of, prices of, or quantities of shares of the Fund to be issued or in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the shares of the Fund are redeemable. The Fund, WisdomTree Investments and WisdomTree Asset Management do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or performance of the Index or the data included therein and shall have no liability in connection with the Index or Index calculation. WisdomTree Investments has contracted with an unaffiliated calculation agent to maintain and calculate the Index used by the Fund. The calculation agent shall have no liability for any errors or omissions in calculating the Index.
Financial information for the Fund will be available after the Fund has completed a fiscal year of operations.
| 16 | WisdomTree Trust Prospectus |
WisdomTree Trust
380 Madison Avenue, 21st Floor
New York, NY 10017
The Trust’s current SAI provides additional detailed information about the Fund. The Trust has electronically filed the SAI with the SEC. It is incorporated by reference in this Prospectus.
Additional information about the Fund’s investments will be available in the Fund’s annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders. In the annual report you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund’s performance after the first fiscal year the Fund is in operation.
To make shareholder inquiries, for more detailed information on the Fund, or to request the SAI or annual or semi-annual shareholder reports (once available) free of charge, please:
| Call: | 1-866-909-9473 Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. (Eastern time) |
Write: | WisdomTree Trust c/o ALPS Distributors, Inc. 1290 Broadway, Suite 1100 Denver, Colorado 80203 | |||
| Visit: | www.wisdomtree.com |
Information about the Fund (including the SAI) can be reviewed and copied at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C., and information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling the SEC at 1-202-551-8090. Reports and other information about the Fund are available on the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s Internet site at www.sec.gov, and copies of this information may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by electronic request at the following e-mail address: publicinfo@sec.gov, or by writing the SEC’s Public Reference Section, Washington, D.C. 20549-1520.
No person is authorized to give any information or to make any representations about the Fund and its shares not contained in this Prospectus and you should not rely on any other information. Read and keep this Prospectus for future reference.
©2014 WisdomTree Trust
WisdomTree Funds are distributed by
ALPS Distributors, Inc.
1290 Broadway, Suite 1100
Denver, Colorado 80203
WisdomTree® is a registered mark of WisdomTree Investments, Inc.
INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT FILE NO. 811-21864
[WIS-PR-046-xx14]
WISDOMTREE® TRUST
WisdomTree 20+ Year U.S. Treasury Negative Duration Fund
Ticker: [ ]
Principal U.S. Listing Exchange: [ ]
STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
[ ], 2014
This Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) is not a prospectus. It should be read in conjunction with the current prospectus (the “Prospectus”) for the WisdomTree 20+ Year U.S. Treasury Negative Duration Fund (the “Fund”), a separate series of WisdomTree Trust (the “Trust”), as may be revised from time to time.
The current Prospectus for the Fund is dated [ ], 2014. Capitalized terms used herein that are not defined have the same meaning as in the Prospectus, unless otherwise noted. The Fund’s audited financial statements for the most recent fiscal year (when available) are incorporated in this SAI by reference to the Fund’s most recent Annual Report to Shareholders (File No. 811-21864). When available, you may obtain a copy of the Fund’s Annual Report at no charge by request to the Fund at the address or phone number noted below.
THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION (“SEC”) HAS NOT APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED THESE SECURITIES OR PASSED UPON THE ADEQUACY OF THIS SAI. ANY REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY IS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE.
THE INFORMATION HEREIN IS NOT COMPLETE AND MAY BE CHANGED. WE MAY NOT SELL THESE SECURITIES UNTIL THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT FILED WITH THE SEC IS EFFECTIVE. THIS SAI IS NOT AN OFFER TO SELL THESE SECURITIES AND IS NOT SOLICITING AN OFFER TO BUY THESE SECURITIES IN ANY JURISDICTION IN WHICH THE OFFER OR SALE IS NOT PERMITTED.
A copy of the Prospectus for the Fund may be obtained, without charge, by calling 1-866-909-9473, visiting www.wisdomtree.com, or writing to WisdomTree Trust, c/o ALPS Distributors, Inc., 1290 Broadway, Suite 1100, Denver, Colorado 80203.
| 3 | ||||
| 3 | ||||
| 4 | ||||
| 4 | ||||
| 11 | ||||
| 12 | ||||
| 13 | ||||
| 14 | ||||
| 15 | ||||
| 16 | ||||
| 25 | ||||
| 25 | ||||
| 27 | ||||
| 32 | ||||
| 37 | ||||
| 38 | ||||
| 38 | ||||
| 38 |
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE TRUST AND THE FUND
The Trust was organized as a Delaware statutory trust on December 15, 2005 and is authorized to issue multiple series or portfolios. The Trust is an open-end management investment company, registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). The offering of the Trust’s shares is registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”).
The Fund described in this SAI seeks to track the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the WisdomTree 20+ Year U.S. Treasury Negative Duration Index (the “Index”). The Index is created using proprietary methodology developed by WisdomTree Investments, Inc. (“WisdomTree Investments”). WisdomTree Investments is the parent company of WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. (“WisdomTree Asset Management” or the “Adviser”) is the investment adviser to the Fund. [ ] (“[ ]” or the “Sub-Adviser”) serves as is the investment sub-adviser to the Fund. The Adviser and the Sub-Adviser may be referred to together as the “Advisers”. ALPS Distributors, Inc. serves as the distributor (the “Distributor”) of the shares of the Fund.
The Fund issues and redeems shares at net asset value per share (“NAV”) only in large blocks of shares, typically 50,000 shares or more (“Creation Units” or “Creation Unit Aggregations”). Currently, Creation Units generally consist of 100,000 shares, though this may change from time to time. Creation Units are not expected to consist of less than 50,000 shares. These transactions are usually in exchange for a basket of securities and an amount of cash. As a practical matter, only institutions or large investors purchase or redeem Creation Units. Except when aggregated in Creation Units, shares of the Fund are not redeemable securities.
Shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange, such as [ ] (“[ ]” or the “Listing Exchange”), and trade throughout the day on the Listing Exchange and other secondary markets at market prices that may differ from NAV. As in the case of other publicly traded securities, brokers’ commissions on transactions will be based on commission rates charged by the applicable broker.
The Trust reserves the right to adjust the prices of shares in the future to maintain convenient trading ranges for investors. Any adjustments would be accomplished through stock splits or reverse stock splits, which would have no effect on the net assets of the applicable Fund.
“WisdomTree” is a registered mark of WisdomTree Investments and has been licensed for use by the Trust. WisdomTree Investments has patent applications pending on the methodology and operation of its Index and the Fund.
INVESTMENT STRATEGIES AND RISKS
The Fund’s investment objective, principal investment strategies and associated risks are described in the Fund’s Prospectus. The sections below supplement these principal investment strategies and risks and describe the Fund’s additional investment policies and the different types of investments that may be made by the Fund as a part of its non-principal investment strategies. With respect to the Fund’s investments, unless otherwise noted, if a percentage limitation on investment is adhered to at the time of investment or contract, a subsequent increase or decrease as a result of market movement or redemption will not result in a violation of such investment limitation. The Fund is new and therefore portfolio turnover information is not yet available.
The Fund intends to qualify each year for treatment as a regulated investment company (a “RIC”) under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), so that it will not be subject to federal income tax on income and gains that are timely distributed to Fund shareholders. The Fund will invest its assets, and otherwise conduct its operations, in a manner that is intended to satisfy the qualifying income, diversification and distribution requirements necessary to establish and maintain eligibility for such treatment.
The Fund is considered “non-diversified,” as such term is used in the 1940 Act.
The Fund’s investment strategy, known as “indexing,” may eliminate some of the risks of active portfolio management, such as poor security selection. In addition, indexing may also help increase after-tax investment performance by keeping portfolio turnover low in comparison to more actively managed investment strategies.
3
An investment in the Fund should be made with an understanding that the value of the Fund’s portfolio securities may fluctuate in accordance with changes in the financial condition of an issuer or counterparty, changes in specific economic or political conditions that affect a particular security or issuer and changes in general economic or political conditions. An investor in the Fund could lose money over short or long periods of time.
Investor perceptions may also impact the value of Fund investments and the value of an investment in Fund shares. These investor perceptions are based on various and unpredictable factors, including expectations regarding government, economic, monetary and fiscal policies, inflation and interest rates, economic expansion or contraction, and global or regional political, economic or banking crises. Issuer-specific conditions may also affect the value of the Fund’s investments. The financial condition of an issuer of a security or counterparty to a contract may cause it to default or become unable to pay interest or principal due on the security or contract. The Fund cannot collect interest and principal payments if the issuer or counterparty defaults. Accordingly, the value of an investment in the Fund may change in response to issuer or counterparty defaults and changes in the credit ratings of the Fund’s portfolio securities.
Events in the financial sector have resulted, and may continue to result, in an unusually high degree of volatility in the financial markets, both domestic and foreign. Domestic and foreign fixed income and equity markets experienced extreme volatility and turmoil starting in late 2008 and volatility has continued to be experienced in the markets. Issuers that have exposure to the real estate, mortgage and credit markets have been particularly affected, and well-known financial institutions have experienced significant liquidity and other problems. Some of these institutions have declared bankruptcy or defaulted on their debt. It is uncertain whether or for how long these conditions will continue. These events and possible continuing market turbulence may have an adverse effect on Fund performance.
Although the Fund attempts to invest in liquid securities and instruments, there can be no guarantee that a liquid market for such securities and instruments will be maintained. The price at which securities may be sold and the value of the Fund’s shares will be adversely affected if trading markets for the Fund’s portfolio holdings are limited.
Authorized Participants should refer to the section herein entitled “Creation and Redemption of Creation Unit Aggregations” for additional information that may impact them.
LACK OF DIVERSIFICATION. The Fund is considered to be “non-diversified.” A “non-diversified” classification means that the Fund is not limited by the 1940 Act with regard to the percentage of its total assets that may be invested in the securities of a single issuer. As a result, the Fund may invest more of its total assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were classified as a diversified fund. Therefore, the Fund may be more exposed to the risks associated with and developments affecting an individual issuer or a small number of issuers than a fund that invests more widely, which may have a greater impact on the Fund’s volatility and performance.
A discussion of some of the other risks associated with an investment in the Fund is contained in the Fund’s Prospectus.
SPECIFIC INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
A description of certain investment strategies and types of investments used by the Fund is set forth below.
BANK DEPOSITS AND OBLIGATIONS. The Fund may invest in deposits and other obligations of U.S. and non-U.S. banks and financial institutions. Deposits and obligations of banks and financial institutions include certificates of deposit, time deposits, and bankers’ acceptances. Certificates of deposit and time deposits represent an institution’s obligation to repay funds deposited with it that earn a specified interest rate. Certificates of deposit are negotiable certificates, while time deposits are non-negotiable deposits. A banker’s acceptance is a time draft drawn on and accepted by a bank that becomes a primary and unconditional liability of the bank upon acceptance. Investments in obligations of non-U.S. banks and financial institutions may involve risks that are different from investments in obligations of U.S. banks. These risks include future unfavorable political and economic developments, seizure or nationalization of foreign deposits, currency controls, interest limitations or other governmental restrictions that might affect the payment of principal or interest on the securities held in the Fund.
4
COMMERCIAL PAPER. The Fund may invest in commercial paper. Commercial paper is an unsecured short-term promissory note with a fixed maturity of no more than 270 days issued by corporations, generally to finance short-term business needs. The commercial paper purchased by the Fund generally will be rated in the upper two short-term ratings by at least two NRSROs or, if unrated, deemed to be of equivalent quality by the Adviser or the Sub-Adviser. If a security satisfies the rating requirement upon initial purchase and is subsequently downgraded, the Fund is not required to dispose of the security. In the event of such an occurrence, the Adviser or the Sub-Adviser will determine what action, including potential sale, is in the best interest of the Fund. The Fund may also purchase unrated commercial paper provided that such paper is determined to be of comparable quality by the Adviser or the Sub-Adviser. Commercial paper issues in which the Fund may invest include securities issued by corporations without registration under the Securities Act in reliance on the exemption from such registration afforded by Section 3(a)(3) thereof, and commercial paper issued in reliance on the so-called “private placement” exemption from registration, which is afforded by Section 4(2) of the Securities Act (“Section 4(2) paper”). Section 4(2) paper is restricted as to disposition under the federal securities laws in that any resale must similarly be made in an exempt transaction. Section 4(2) paper is normally resold to other institutional investors through or with the assistance of investment dealers who make a market in Section 4(2) paper, thus providing liquidity.
CORPORATE DEBT OBLIGATIONS. The Fund may invest in corporate debt obligations. Corporate debt securities are interest bearing securities in which the corporate issuer has a contractual obligation to pay interest at a stated rate on specific dates and to repay principal periodically or on a specified maturity date. Notes, bonds, debentures and commercial paper are the most common types of corporate debt securities. The primary differences between the different types of corporate debt securities are their maturities and secured or un-secured status. Commercial paper has the shortest term and is usually unsecured.
Corporate debt may be issued by domestic or foreign companies of all kinds, including those with small-, mid- and large-capitalizations. Corporate debt may be rated investment-grade or below investment-grade and may carry variable or floating rates of interest.
Because of the wide range of types, and maturities, of corporate debt obligations, as well as the range of creditworthiness of its issuers, corporate debt obligations have widely varying potentials for return and risk profiles. For example, commercial paper issued by a large established domestic corporation that is rated investment-grade may have a modest return on principal, but carries relatively limited risk. On the other hand, a long-term corporate note issued by a small foreign corporation from an emerging market country that has not been rated may have the potential for relatively large returns on principal, but carries a relatively high degree of risk.
Like most fixed income securities, corporate debt obligations carry both credit risk and interest rate risk. Credit risk is the risk that a Fund could lose money if the issuer of a corporate debt security is unable to pay interest or repay principal when it is due. Interest rate risk is the risk that the value of certain corporate debt securities will tend to fall when interest rates rise. In general, corporate debt securities with longer terms tend to fall more in value when interest rates rise than corporate debt securities with shorter terms. Aggregate portfolio duration is important to investors as an indication of the Fund’s sensitivity to changes in interest rates. Funds with higher durations generally are subject to greater interest rate risk. The Fund’s portfolio duration will vary depending upon market conditions.
Investments will be limited to securities rated by at least one NRSRO, or if unrated, deemed to be of appropriate quality. If a security satisfies the rating requirement upon initial purchase and is subsequently downgraded, the Fund is not required to dispose of the security. In the event of such an occurrence, WisdomTree Asset Management or the Sub-Adviser will determine what action, including potential sale, is in the best interest of the Fund. See also “High Yield Risk” above under “GENERAL RISKS.”
DERIVATIVES. The Fund will use derivative instruments as part of its investment strategies. The Fund will not use derivatives to increase leverage and the Fund will provide margin or collateral, as applicable, with respect to investments in derivatives in such amounts as determined under applicable law, regulatory guidance or related interpretations.
Generally, derivatives are financial contracts whose value depends upon, or is derived from, the value of an underlying asset, reference rate or index, and may relate to bonds, interest rates, currencies, commodities, and related indexes. Examples of derivative instruments include forward currency contracts, futures contracts, currency, total return and interest rate swaps, currency options, options on futures contracts, swap agreements and
5
credit-linked notes. The Fund’s use of derivative instruments will be underpinned by investments in short-term, high-quality instruments, such as U.S. money market securities.
With respect to certain kinds of derivative transactions that involve obligations to make future payments to third parties, including, but not limited to, futures contracts, forward contracts, swap contracts, the purchase of securities on a when-issued or delayed delivery basis, or reverse repurchase agreements, under applicable federal securities laws, rules, and interpretations thereof, the Fund must “set aside” liquid assets, or engage in other measures to “cover” open positions with respect to such transactions in a manner consistent with the 1940 Act, specifically Sections 8 and 18 thereunder. In complying with such requirements, the Fund will include assets of any wholly-owned subsidiary in which that Fund invests on an aggregate basis.
For example, with respect to forward contracts and futures contracts that are not contractually required to “cash-settle,” the Fund must cover its open positions by setting aside liquid assets equal to the contracts’ full, notional value. The Fund treats deliverable forward contracts for currencies that are liquid as the equivalent of “cash-settled” contracts. As such, the Fund may set aside liquid assets in an amount equal to the Fund’s daily marked-to-market (net) obligation (i.e., the Fund’s daily net liability if any) rather than the full notional amount under such deliverable forward contracts. Similarly, with respect to futures contracts that are contractually required to “cash-settle” the Fund may set aside liquid assets in an amount equal to the Fund’s daily marked-to-market (net) obligation rather than the notional value. The Fund reserves the right to modify these policies in the future.
Effective April 24, 2012, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) revised, among other things, CFTC Rule 4.5 and rescinded CFTC Rule 4.13(a)(4). The CFTC has adopted amendments to its regulations of CPOs managing funds registered under the 1940 Act that “harmonize” the SEC’s and the CFTC’s regulatory schemes. The adopted amendments to the CFTC regulations allow CPOs to registered investment companies to satisfy certain recordkeeping, reporting and disclosure requirements that would otherwise apply to them under Part 4 of the CFTC’s regulations by continuing to comply with comparable SEC requirements. To the extent that the CFTC recordkeeping, disclosure and reporting requirements deviate from the comparable SEC requirements, such deviations are not expected to materially adversely affect the ability of the Fund to continue to operate and achieve its investment objectives. If, however, future regulatory changes were to result in the Fund having difficulty in achieving its investment objectives, the Trust may determine to reorganize or close the Fund or to materially change the Fund’s investment objectives and strategies.
With regard to the Fund, WisdomTree Asset Management will continue to claim relief from the definition of CPO under revised CFTC Rule 4.5. Specifically, pursuant to CFTC Rule 4.5, WisdomTree Asset Management may claim exclusion from the definition of CPO, and thus from having to register as a CPO, with regard to a Fund that enters into commodity futures, commodity options or swaps solely for “bona fide hedging purposes,” or that limits its investment in commodities to a “de minimis” amount, as defined in CFTC rules, so long as the shares of such Fund are not marketed as interests in a commodity pool or other vehicle for trading in commodity futures, commodity options or swaps. It is expected that the Fund will be able to operate pursuant to the limitations under the revised CFTC Rule 4.5 without materially adversely affecting its ability to achieve its investment objective. If, however, these limitations were to make it difficult for the Fund to achieve its investment objective in the future, the Trust may determine to operate the Fund as a regulated commodity pool pursuant to WisdomTree Asset Management’s CPO registration or to reorganize or close the Fund or to materially change the Fund’s investment objective and strategy.
Credit-Linked Notes. The Fund may invest in credit-linked notes. A credit-linked note is a type of structured note whose value is linked to an underlying reference asset. Credit-linked notes typically provide periodic payments of interest as well as payment of principal upon maturity. The value of the periodic payments and the principal amount payable upon maturity are tied (positively or negatively) to a reference asset, such as an index, government bond, interest rate or currency exchange rate. The ongoing payments and principal upon maturity typically will increase or decrease depending on increases or decreases in the value of the reference asset. A credit-linked note typically is issued by a special purpose trust or similar entity and is a direct obligation of the issuing entity. The entity, in turn, invests in bonds or derivative contracts in order to provide the exposure set forth in the credit-linked note. The periodic interest payments and principal obligations payable under the terms of the note typically are conditioned upon the entity’s receipt of payments on its underlying investment. If the underlying investment defaults, the periodic payments and principal received by the Fund will be reduced or
6
eliminated. The buyer of a credit-linked note assumes the risk of default by the issuer and the underlying reference asset or entity. Generally, investors in credit-linked notes assume the risk of default by the issuer and the reference entity in return for a potentially higher yield on their investment or access to an investment that they could not otherwise obtain. In the event the issuer defaults or there is a credit event that relates to the reference asset, the recovery rate is generally less than the Fund’s initial investment and the Fund may lose money.
Futures Contracts and Options on Futures Contracts. The Fund may use futures contracts and related options to attempt to gain exposure to a particular market, instrument or index.
The risk of loss in trading futures contracts or uncovered call options in some strategies (e.g., selling uncovered stock index futures contracts) is potentially unlimited. The Fund does not plan to use futures and options contracts in this way. The risk of a futures position may still be large as traditionally measured due to the low margin deposits required. In many cases, a relatively small price movement in a futures contract may result in immediate and substantial loss or gain to the investor relative to the size of a required margin deposit. The Fund, however, intends to utilize futures and options contracts in a manner designed to limit its risk exposure to levels comparable to direct investment in stocks.
Utilization of futures and options on futures by the Fund involves the risk of imperfect or even negative correlation to the underlying Index if the index underlying the futures contract differs from the Fund’s underlying Index. There is also the risk of loss by the Fund of margin deposits in the event of bankruptcy of a broker with whom the Fund has an open position in the futures contract or option. The purchase of put or call options will be based upon predictions by the Fund as to anticipated trends, which predictions could prove to be incorrect.
The potential for loss related to the purchase of an option on a futures contract is limited to the premium paid for the option plus transaction costs. Because the value of the option is fixed at the point of sale, there are no daily cash payments by the purchaser to reflect changes in the value of the underlying contract; however, the value of the option changes daily and that change would be reflected in the NAV of the Fund. The potential for loss related to writing options may be unlimited.
Futures Contracts. A futures contract is a standardized contract traded on a recognized exchange in which two parties agree to exchange either a specified financial asset or the cash equivalent of said asset of standardized quantity and quality for a price agreed today (the futures price or the strike price) with delivery occurring at a specified future date. The Fund’s investments in listed futures contracts will be backed by investments in U.S. government securities in an amount equal to the exposure of such contracts. The Fund may take long or short positions in listed futures contracts.
The Fund may transact in listed U.S. Treasury futures contracts. When the Fund purchases a listed futures contract, it agrees to purchase a specified reference asset (e.g., Treasury security) at a specified future date. When the Fund sells a listed futures contract, it agrees to sell a specified reference asset (e.g., Treasury security) at a specified future date. The price at which the purchase and sale will take place is fixed when the Fund enters into the contract. The exchange clearing corporation is the ultimate counterparty for all exchange listed contracts, so credit risk is limited to the creditworthiness of the exchange’s clearing corporation. Margin deposits are posted as performance bonds with the clearing broker and, in turn, with the exchange clearing corporation.
The Fund may buy and sell index futures contracts with respect to any index traded on a recognized exchange or board of trade. An index futures contract is a bilateral agreement pursuant to which two parties agree to take or make delivery of an amount of cash equal to a specified dollar amount times the difference between the index value at the close of trading of the contract and the price at which the futures contract is originally struck. No physical delivery of the securities comprising the index is made. Instead, settlement in cash must occur upon the termination of the contract, with the settlement being the difference between the contract price, and the actual level of the stock index at the expiration of the contract. Generally, contracts are closed out prior to the expiration date of the contract.
When the Fund purchases or sells a futures contract, the Fund will segregate assets as described above.
There are significant risks associated with the Fund’s use of futures contracts including the following: (1) the success of a strategy may depend on the Adviser’s ability to predict movements in the prices of currencies or
7
securities, fluctuations in markets and movements in interest rates; (2) there may be an imperfect or no correlation between the changes in market value of the currencies or securities and the prices of futures contracts; (3) although the Fund intends to enter into futures contracts only if there is an active market for such contracts, there is no assurance that an active market will exist for the contracts at any particular time; (4) trading restrictions or limitations may be imposed by an exchange; and (5) government regulations may restrict trading in futures contracts.
Options Contracts. The Fund reserves the right to buy or sell options on listed futures contracts. An option on a futures contract gives the purchaser the right, in exchange for payment of a premium, to assume a position in a futures contract at a specified exercise price during the term of the option. A put option gives the purchaser of the option the right to sell, and the writer of the option the obligation to buy, the underlying security or instrument at any time during the option period. A call option on a security gives the purchaser of the option the right to buy, and the writer of the option the obligation to sell, the underlying security or instrument at any time during the option period. A premium is paid to the writer of an option as consideration for undertaking the obligation in the contract.
The Fund may purchase and write options on an exchange or over the counter (“OTC”). OTC options differ from exchange traded options in several respects. They are transacted directly with dealers and not with a clearing corporation, and therefore entail the risk of non-performance by the dealer. OTC options are available for a greater variety of securities and for a wider range of expiration dates and exercise prices than are available for exchange traded options. Because OTC options are not traded on an exchange, pricing is done normally by reference to information from a market maker. It is the SEC’s position that OTC options are generally illiquid.
When the Fund purchases or sells an options contract, the Fund will segregate assets as described above.
There are significant risks associated with the Fund’s use of options contracts, including the following: (1) the success of a strategy may depend on the Adviser’s ability to predict movements in the prices of individual currencies or securities, fluctuations in markets and movements in interest rates; (2) there may be an imperfect or no correlation between the changes in market value of the currencies or securities and the price of options; (3) although the Fund intends to enter into options contracts only if there is an active market for such contracts, there is no assurance that an active market will exist for the contracts at any particular time; (4) trading restrictions or limitations may be imposed by an exchange; and (5) government regulations may restrict trading in options contracts.
Swap Agreements. The Fund may enter into swap agreements, including interest rate swaps, credit default swaps and total return swaps. Swaps agreements can be structured to provide for periodic payments over the term of the swap contract or a single payment at maturity (also known as a “bullet swap”). Swap agreements may be used to hedge or achieve exposure to, for example, currencies and interest rates without actually purchasing such currencies or securities. Swap agreements will tend to shift the Fund’s investment exposure from one type of investment to another or from one payment stream to another. Depending on their structure, swap agreements may increase or decrease the Fund’s exposure to long- or short-term interest rates (in the United States or abroad) and may increase or decrease the overall volatility of the Fund’s investments and its share price. Swaps may be used to enhance leverage. Leverage is a technique used to multiply gains or losses. When the Fund purchases or sells a swap contract, the Fund is required to “cover” its position in order to limit the risk associated with the use of leverage and other related risks. As discussed above under “Derivatives,” to cover its position, the Fund will maintain with its custodian bank (and mark-to-market on a daily basis) a segregated account consisting of cash or liquid securities that, when added to any amounts deposited as margin, are equal to the market value of the swap contract or otherwise “cover” its position in a manner consistent with the 1940 Act or the rules and SEC interpretations thereunder. If the Fund continues to engage in the described securities trading practices and properly segregates assets, the segregated account will function as a practical limit on the amount of leverage which the Fund may undertake and on the potential increase in the speculative character of the Fund’s outstanding portfolio securities. Additionally, such segregated accounts will generally ensure the availability of adequate funds to meet the obligations of the Fund arising from such investment activities.
Interest Rate, Credit Default and Total Return Swaps. A typical interest rate swap involves the exchange of a floating interest rate payment for a fixed interest payment. A typical credit default swap (“CDS”) involves an
8
agreement to make a series of payments by the buyer in exchange for receipt of payment by the seller if the loan defaults. In the event of default the buyer of the CDS receives compensation (usually the face value of the loan), and the seller of the CDS takes possession of the defaulted loan. A typical total return swap involves the payment of the total return on a reference asset in return for payments equal to a rate of return on another reference asset. The total return includes appreciation or depreciation on the reference asset, plus any interest or dividend payments. Swap agreements will tend to shift the Fund’s investment exposure from one type of investment to another or from one payment stream to another.
EQUITY SECURITIES. The Fund may invest in equity securities. Equity securities, such as the common stocks of an issuer, are subject to stock market fluctuations and therefore may experience volatile changes in value as market conditions, consumer sentiment or the financial condition of the issuers change. A decrease in value of the equity securities in the Fund’s portfolio may also cause the value of the Fund’s shares to decline.
EXCHANGE-TRADED NOTES. The Fund may invest in exchange-traded notes (“ETNs”). ETNs generally are senior, unsecured, unsubordinated debt securities issued by a sponsor, such as an investment bank. ETNs are traded on exchanges and the returns are linked to the performance of market indexes. In addition to trading ETNs on exchanges, investors may redeem ETNs directly with the issuer on a periodic basis, typically in a minimum amount of 50,000 units, or hold the ETNs until maturity. The value of an ETN may be influenced by time to maturity, level of supply and demand for the ETN, volatility and lack of liquidity in the underlying market, changes in the applicable interest rates, and economic, legal, political or geographic events that affect the referenced market. Because ETNs are debt securities, they are subject to credit risk. If the issuer has financial difficulties or goes bankrupt, the Fund may not receive the return it was promised. If a rating agency lowers an issuer’s credit rating, the value of the ETN may decline and a lower credit rating reflects a greater risk that the issuer will default on its obligation. There may be restrictions on the Fund’s right to redeem its investment in an ETN. There are no periodic interest payments for ETNs, and principal is not protected. The Fund’s decision to sell its ETN holdings may be limited by the availability of a secondary market.
FIXED INCOME SECURITIES. The Fund will invest in fixed income securities, such as bonds and notes. Fixed income securities change in value in response to interest rate changes and other factors, such as the perception of the issuer’s creditworthiness. For example, the value of fixed income securities will generally decrease when interest rates rise, which may cause the value of the Fund to decrease. In addition, investments in fixed income securities with longer maturities will generally fluctuate more in response to interest rate changes.
FLOATING AND ADJUSTABLE RATE NOTES. The Fund may invest in floating-rate and adjustable rate obligations, such as demand notes, bonds, and commercial paper. Variable- and floating-rate securities generally are less sensitive to interest rate changes but may decline in value if their interest rates do not rise as much, or as quickly, as interest rates in general. Conversely, floating-rate securities will not generally increase in value if interest rates decline. When the Fund holds variable- or floating-rate securities, a decrease (or, in the case of inverse floating-rate securities, an increase) in market interest rates will adversely affect the income received from such securities and the net asset value of the Fund’s shares.
These securities may bear interest at a rate that resets based on standard money market indices or are remarketed at current market rates. They may permit the holder to demand payment of principal at any time or at specified intervals not exceeding 397 days. The issuer of such obligations may also have the right to prepay, in its discretion, the principal amount of the obligations plus any accrued interest. The “reset date” of securities held by the Fund may not be longer than 397 days. Given that most floating-rate securities reset their interest rates prior to their final maturity date, the Fund uses the period to the next reset date to calculate the securities contribution to the average portfolio maturity of the Fund.
ILLIQUID SECURITIES. The Fund may invest up to an aggregate amount of 15% of its net assets in illiquid securities. Illiquid securities include securities subject to contractual or other restrictions on resale and other instruments that lack readily available markets to the extent the Adviser or Sub-Adviser has not deemed such security liquid. The inability of the Fund to dispose of illiquid or not readily marketable investments readily or at a reasonable price could impair the Fund’s ability to raise cash for redemptions or other purposes. The Fund’s holdings will be reviewed to determine what action, if any, is required to ensure that the retention of such security does not result in the Fund having more than 15% of its net assets invested in illiquid securities.
9
INVESTMENT COMPANY SECURITIES. The Fund may invest in the securities of other investment companies. The 1940 Act generally prohibits a fund from acquiring more than 3% of the outstanding voting shares of an investment company and limits such investments to no more than 5% of the fund’s total assets in any single investment company and no more than 10% in any combination of two or more investment companies. The Fund may purchase or otherwise invest in shares of affiliated exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) and affiliated money market funds.
MONEY MARKET INSTRUMENTS. The Fund may invest a portion of its assets in high-quality money market instruments on an ongoing basis to provide liquidity or for other reasons. The instruments in which the Fund may invest include: (i) short-term obligations issued by the U.S. Government; (ii) negotiable certificates of deposit (“CDs”), fixed time deposits and bankers’ acceptances of U.S. and foreign banks and similar institutions; (iii) commercial paper rated at the date of purchase “Prime-1” by Moody’s or “A-1+” or “A-1” by Standard & Poor’s (“S&P”) or, if unrated, of comparable quality as determined by the Fund; and (iv) repurchase agreements. CDs are short-term negotiable obligations of commercial banks. Time deposits are non-negotiable deposits maintained in banking institutions for specified periods of time at stated interest rates. Banker’s acceptances are time drafts drawn on commercial banks by borrowers, usually in connection with international transactions.
REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS. The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements with counterparties that are deemed to present acceptable credit risks. A repurchase agreement is a transaction in which the Fund purchases securities or other obligations from a bank or securities dealer (or its affiliate) and simultaneously commits to resell them to a counterparty at an agreed-upon date or upon demand and at a price reflecting a market rate of interest unrelated to the coupon rate or maturity of the purchased obligations. The Fund maintains custody of the underlying obligations prior to their repurchase, either through its regular custodian or through a special “triparty” custodian or sub-custodian that maintains separate accounts for both the Fund and its counterparty. Thus, the obligation of the counterparty to pay the repurchase price on the date agreed to or upon demand is, in effect, secured by such obligations.
Repurchase agreements carry certain risks not associated with direct investments in securities, including a possible decline in the market value of the underlying obligations. If their value becomes less than the repurchase price, plus any agreed-upon additional amount, the counterparty must provide additional collateral so that at all times the collateral is at least equal to the repurchase price plus any agreed-upon additional amount. The difference between the total amount to be received upon repurchase of the obligations and the price that was paid by the Fund upon acquisition is accrued as interest and included in its net investment income. Repurchase agreements involving obligations other than U.S. Government securities (such as commercial paper and corporate bonds) may be subject to special risks and may not have the benefit of certain protections in the event of the counterparty’s insolvency. If the seller or guarantor becomes insolvent, the Fund may suffer delays, costs and possible losses in connection with the disposition of collateral.
REVERSE REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS. The Fund may enter into reverse repurchase agreements, which involve the sale of securities held by the Fund subject to its agreement to repurchase the securities at an agreed-upon date or upon demand and at a price reflecting a market rate of interest. Reverse repurchase agreements are subject to the Fund’s limitation on borrowings and may be entered into only with banks or securities dealers or their affiliates. While a reverse repurchase agreement is outstanding, the Fund will maintain the segregation, either on its records or with the Trust’s custodian, of cash or other liquid securities, marked-to-market daily, in an amount at least equal to its obligations under the reverse repurchase agreement.
Reverse repurchase agreements involve the risk that the buyer of the securities sold by the Fund might be unable to deliver them when that Fund seeks to repurchase. If the buyer of securities under a reverse repurchase agreement files for bankruptcy or becomes insolvent, the buyer or trustee or receiver may receive an extension of time to determine whether to enforce the Fund’s obligation to repurchase the securities, and the Fund’s use of the proceeds of the reverse repurchase agreement may effectively be restricted pending such decision.
SECURITIES LENDING. The Fund may lend portfolio securities to certain creditworthy borrowers, including the Fund’s securities lending agent. Loans of portfolio securities provide the Fund with the opportunity to earn additional income on the Fund’s portfolio securities. All securities loans will be made pursuant to agreements requiring the loans to be continuously secured by collateral in cash, or money market instruments, money market funds or U.S. government securities at least equal at all times to the market value of the loaned securities. The
10
borrower pays to the Fund an amount equal to any dividends or interest received on loaned securities. The Fund retains all or a portion of the interest received on investment of cash collateral or receives a fee from the borrower. Lending portfolio securities involves risks of delay in recovery of the loaned securities or in some cases loss of rights in the collateral should the borrower fail financially. Furthermore, because of the risks of delay in recovery, the Fund may lose the opportunity to sell the securities at a desirable price. The Fund will generally not have the right to vote securities while they are being loaned.
SHORT SALE TRANSACTIONS. The Fund will engage in “short sale” transactions. A short sale involves the sale by the Fund of a listed futures contract, security or commodity that it does not own at a specified price on a future date. A Fund entering into a short sale transaction would generally expect the trading price of the subject listed futures contract, security or commodity to be lower on the specified future date than the price at which it agreed to sell the security or commodity. The Fund would hope to acquire the listed futures contract, security or commodity at a lower price on such date, thereby realizing a gain equal to the difference in the acquisition price and the sale price (less any costs). The Fund may also enter into a short derivative position through a futures contract or swap agreement. If the price of the listed futures contract, security, commodity or derivative subject to a short sale transaction increases during the period covered by the contract, then the Fund will incur a loss equal to the increase in price from the time that the short sale was entered (plus any costs). Because it requires little or no money to enter into a short sale transaction, a Fund could potentially lose more money than the actual cost of entering into the transaction.
Also, there is the risk that the third party to the short sale may fail to honor its contract terms, causing a loss to a Fund. Each Fund engaging in short sale transactions may be subject to expenses related to short sales that are not typically associated with investing in securities directly, such as costs of borrowing and margin account maintenance costs associated with the Fund’s open short positions. These expenses negatively impact the performance of the Fund. A Fund’s investment performance may also suffer if the Fund is required to close out a short position earlier than it had intended. Each Fund is required to segregate cash and other assets on its books to cover its short sale obligations. This means that such cash and other assets may not be available to meet the Fund’s needs for immediate cash or other liquidity.
U.S. GOVERNMENT SECURITIES. The Fund will invest in obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury or the agencies or instrumentalities of the U.S. government. Such obligations may be short-, intermediate- or long-term. U.S. government securities are obligations of, or guaranteed by, the U.S. government, its agencies or government-sponsored enterprises. U.S. government securities are subject to market and interest rate risk, and may be subject to varying degrees of credit risk. U.S. government securities include inflation-indexed fixed income securities, such as U.S. Treasury Inflation Protected Securities (TIPS). U.S. government securities include zero coupon securities, which tend to be subject to greater market risk than interest-paying securities of similar maturities.
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS. The Trust’s Board of Trustees (the “Board”) may, in the future, authorize the Fund to invest in securities contracts and investments other than those listed in this SAI and in the Fund’s Prospectus, provided they are consistent with the Fund’s investment objective and do not violate any investment restrictions or policies.
The Trust has adopted as its proxy voting policies for the Fund the proxy voting guidelines of the Fund’s Sub-Adviser, [ ]. The Trust has delegated to the Sub-Adviser the authority and responsibility for voting proxies on the portfolio securities held by the Fund. The remainder of this section discusses the Fund’s proxy voting guidelines and the Sub-Adviser’s role in implementing such guidelines.
The Sub-Adviser, through its participation on [ ] (“[ ]”) Corporation’s Proxy Policy Committee (“PPC”), has adopted a Proxy Voting Policy, related procedures, and voting guidelines which are applied to those client accounts over which it has been delegated the authority to vote proxies. In voting proxies, the Sub-Adviser seeks to act solely in the best financial and economic interest of the applicable client. The Sub-Adviser will carefully review proposals that would limit shareholder control or could affect the value of a client’s investment. It will generally oppose proposals designed to insulate an issuer’s management unnecessarily from the wishes of a majority of shareholders. It will generally support proposals designed to provide management with short-term
11
insulation from outside influences so as to enable management to negotiate effectively and otherwise achieve long-term goals. On questions of social responsibility where economic performance does not appear to be an issue, the Sub-Adviser will attempt to ensure that management reasonably responds to the social issues. Responsiveness will be measured by management’s efforts to address the proposal including, where appropriate, assessment of the implications of the proposal to the ongoing operations of the company. The PPC will pay particular attention to repeat issues where management has failed in its commitment in the intervening period to take action on issues. The Sub-Adviser recognizes its duty to vote proxies in the best interests of its clients. The Sub-Adviser seeks to avoid material conflicts of interest through its participation in the PPC, which applies detailed, pre-determined proxy voting guidelines (the “Voting Guidelines”) in an objective and consistent manner across client accounts, based on internal and external research and recommendations provided by a third party vendor, and without consideration of any client relationship factors. Further, the Sub-Adviser and its affiliates engage a third party as an independent fiduciary to vote all proxies for [ ] securities and affiliated mutual fund securities.
Proxy voting proposals are reviewed, categorized, analyzed and voted in accordance with the Sub-Adviser’s Voting Guidelines. These guidelines are reviewed periodically and updated as necessary to reflect new issues and any changes in policies on specific issues. Items that can be categorized under the Voting Guidelines will be voted in accordance with any applicable guidelines or referred to the PPC, if the applicable guidelines so require. Proposals that cannot be categorized under these voting guidelines will be referred to the PPC for discussion and vote. Additionally, the PPC may review any proposal where it has identified a particular company, industry or issue for special scrutiny. With regard to voting proxies of foreign companies, the Sub-Adviser may weigh the cost of voting, and potential inability to sell the securities (which may occur during the voting process), against the benefit of voting the proxies to determine whether or not to vote.
In evaluating proposals regarding incentive plans and restricted stock plans, the PPC typically employs a shareholder value transfer model. This model seeks to assess the amount of shareholder equity flowing out of the company to executives as options are exercised. After determining the cost of the plan, the PPC evaluates whether the cost is reasonable based on a number of factors, including industry classification and historical performance information. The PPC generally votes against proposals that permit the repricing or replacement of stock options without shareholder approval.
A complete copy of the Sub-Adviser’s Proxy Voting Policy may be obtained by calling 1-866-909-9473 or by writing to: WisdomTree Trust, c/o ALPS Distributors, Inc., 1290 Broadway, Suite 1100, Denver, Colorado 80203.
The Trust is required to disclose annually the Fund’s complete proxy voting record on Form N-PX covering the period from July 1 of one year through June 30 of the next and to file Form N-PX with the SEC no later than August 31 of each year. When available, the current Form N-PX for the Fund may be obtained at no charge upon request by calling 1-866-909-9473. When available, the Fund’s Form N-PX will also be available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.
PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS DISCLOSURE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
The Trust has adopted a Portfolio Holdings Policy (the “Policy”) designed to govern the disclosure of Fund portfolio holdings and the use of material non-public information about Fund holdings. The Policy applies to all officers, employees, and agents of the Fund, including the Advisers. The Policy is designed to ensure that the disclosure of information about the Fund’s portfolio holdings is consistent with applicable legal requirements and otherwise in the best interest of the Fund.
As an exchange-traded fund, information about the Fund’s portfolio holdings is made available on a daily basis in accordance with the provisions of any Order of the SEC applicable to the Fund, regulations of the Fund’s Listing Exchange and other applicable SEC regulations, orders and no-action relief. Such information typically reflects all or a portion of the Fund’s anticipated portfolio holdings as of the next Business Day. A “Business Day” is any day on which the Fund’s Listing Exchange is open for business. As of the date of this SAI, the Listing Exchange observes the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day (observed), Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. This information is used in connection with the creation and redemption process and is disseminated on a daily basis through the facilities of the Listing Exchange, the National Securities Clearing Corporation (“NSCC”) and/or third-party service providers.
12
The Fund may disclose on its website at the start of each Business Day the identities and quantities of the securities and other assets held by the Fund that will form the basis of the Fund’s calculation of its NAV on that Business Day. The portfolio holdings so disclosed will be based on information as of the close of business on the prior Business Day and/or trades that have been completed prior to the opening of business on that Business Day and that are expected to settle on that Business Day.
Daily access to the Fund’s portfolio holdings with no lag time is permitted to personnel of the Advisers, the Distributor and the Fund’s administrator (“Administrator”), custodian and accountant and other agents or service providers of the Trust who have need of such information in connection with the ordinary course of their respective duties to the Fund. The Fund’s chief compliance officer (“CCO”) may authorize disclosure of portfolio holdings.
The Fund may disclose its complete portfolio holdings or a portion of its portfolio holdings online at www.wisdomtree.com. Online disclosure of such holdings is publicly available at no charge.
The Fund will disclose its complete portfolio holdings schedule in public filings with the SEC on a quarterly basis, based on the Fund’s fiscal year, within sixty (60) days of the end of the quarter, and will provide that information to shareholders, as required by federal securities laws and regulations thereunder.
No person is authorized to disclose the Fund’s portfolio holdings or other investment positions except in accordance with the Policy. The Board reviews the implementation of the Policy on a periodic basis.
A description of the Fund’s underlying Index is provided in the Prospectus under “Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund” with certain additional details provided below. Additional information about the Index, including the components and weightings of the Index, as well as the rules that govern inclusion and weighting in the Index, is available at www.wisdomtree.com.
WisdomTree 20+ Year U.S. Treasury Negative Duration Index
Index Rebalance. The Index is “rebalanced” or “reconstituted” on a monthly basis. New securities are added to the Index only during the monthly rebalance.
Based on this screening, securities that meet index requirements are added to the Index, and securities that do not meet such requirements are dropped from the Index.
In response to market conditions, security weights and the weights of the short positions and long positions may fluctuate above or below a specified cap between monthly Index rebalance dates.
Index Maintenance. Index maintenance occurs throughout the year and includes monitoring and implementing adjustments. To the extent reasonably practicable, such changes will be announced at least two days prior to their implementation.
Index Availability: The Index is calculated and disseminated throughout each day the Listing Exchange is open for trading.
Changes to the Index Methodology. The Index is governed by a published, rules-based methodology. Changes to the methodology will be publicly disclosed at www.wisdomtree.com/etfs/index-notices.aspx prior to implementation. Sixty days’ notice will be given prior to the implementation of any such change.
Index Calculation Agent. In order to minimize any potential for conflicts caused by the fact that WisdomTree Investments and its affiliates act as Index provider and investment adviser to the Fund, WisdomTree Investments has retained an unaffiliated third party to calculate the Index (the “Calculation Agent”). The Calculation Agent, using the rules-based methodology, will calculate, maintain and disseminate the Index on a daily basis. WisdomTree Investments will monitor the results produced by the Calculation Agent to help ensure that the Index is being calculated in accordance with the rules-based methodology. In addition, WisdomTree Investments and WisdomTree Asset Management have established policies and procedures designed to prevent non-public information about pending changes to the Index from being used or disseminated in an improper manner. Furthermore, WisdomTree Investments and WisdomTree Asset Management have established policies and procedures designed to prevent improper use and dissemination of non-public information about the Fund’s
13
portfolio strategies and to prevent the Fund’s portfolio managers from having any influence on the construction of the Index methodology.
The following fundamental investment policies and limitations supplement those set forth in the Fund’s Prospectus. Unless otherwise noted, whenever a fundamental investment policy or limitation states a maximum percentage of the Fund’s assets that may be invested in any security or other asset, or sets forth a policy regarding quality standards, such standard or percentage limitation will be determined immediately after and as a result of the Fund’s acquisition of such security or other asset. Accordingly, other than with respect to the Fund’s limitations on borrowings, any subsequent change in values, net assets, or other circumstances will not be considered when determining whether the investment complies with the Fund’s investment policies and limitations.
The Fund’s fundamental investment policies cannot be changed without the approval of the holders of a majority of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities as defined under the 1940 Act. The Fund, however, may change the non-fundamental investment policies described below, its investment objective, and its underlying Index without a shareholder vote provided that it obtains Board approval and notifies its shareholders with at least sixty (60) days’ prior written notice of any such change.
Fundamental Policies. The following investment policies and limitations are fundamental and may NOT be changed without shareholder approval.
The Fund, as a fundamental investment policy, may not:
Senior Securities
Issue senior securities, except as permitted under the 1940 Act.
Borrowing
Borrow money, except as permitted under the 1940 Act.
Underwriting
Act as an underwriter of another issuer’s securities, except to the extent that the Fund may be considered an underwriter within the meaning of the Securities Act in the disposition of portfolio securities.
Concentration
Purchase the securities of any issuer (other than securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government or any of its agencies or instrumentalities) if, as a result, more than 25% of the Fund’s total assets would be invested in the securities of companies whose principal business activities are in the same industry, except that the Fund will invest more than 25% of its total assets in securities of the same industry to approximately the same extent that the Fund’s underlying Index concentrates in the securities of a particular industry or group of industries.
Real Estate
Purchase or sell real estate unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments (but this shall not prevent the Fund from investing in securities or other instruments backed by real estate, real estate investment trusts or securities of companies engaged in the real estate business).
Commodities
Purchase or sell physical commodities unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments (but this shall not prevent the Fund from purchasing or selling options and futures contracts or from investing in securities or other instruments backed by physical commodities).
Loans
Lend any security or make any other loan except as permitted under the 1940 Act.
14
This means that no more than 331/3% of its total assets would be lent to other parties. This limitation does not apply to purchases of debt securities or to repurchase agreements, or to acquisitions of loans, loan participations or other forms of debt instruments, permissible under the Fund’s investment policies.
Non-Fundamental Policies. The following investment policy is not fundamental and may be changed without shareholder approval.
The Fund has adopted a non-fundamental investment policy in accordance with Rule 35d-1 under the 1940 Act to invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of the value of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in the types of securities suggested by the Fund’s name, including investments that are tied economically to the particular country or geographic region suggested by the Fund’s name. If, subsequent to an investment, the 80% requirement is no longer met, the Fund’s future investments will be made in a manner that will bring the Fund into compliance with this policy.
The method by which Creation Unit Aggregations of shares are created and traded may raise certain issues under applicable securities laws. Because new Creation Unit Aggregations of shares are issued and sold by the Fund on an ongoing basis, at any point a “distribution,” as such term is used in the Securities Act, may occur. Broker-dealers and other persons are cautioned that some activities on their part may, depending on the circumstances, result in their being deemed participants in a distribution in a manner which could render them statutory underwriters and subject them to the prospectus delivery requirement and liability provisions of the Securities Act.
For example, a broker-dealer firm or its client may be deemed a statutory underwriter if it takes Creation Unit Aggregations after placing an order with the Fund’s Distributor, breaks them down into constituent shares, and sells such shares directly to 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 shares. A determination of whether one is an underwriter for purposes of the Securities Act 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 could lead to a categorization as an underwriter.
Broker-dealer firms should also note that dealers who are not “underwriters” but are effecting transactions in shares, whether or not participating in the distribution of shares, generally are required to deliver a prospectus. This is because the prospectus delivery exemption in Section 4(3) of the Securities Act is not available in respect of such transactions as a result of Section 24(d) of the 1940 Act. Firms that incur a prospectus delivery obligation with respect to shares of the Fund are reminded that, pursuant to Rule 153 under the Securities Act, a prospectus delivery obligation under Section 5(b)(2) of the Securities Act owed to an exchange member in connection with the sale on the Listing Exchange is satisfied by the fact that the prospectus is available at the Listing Exchange upon request. The prospectus delivery mechanism provided in Rule 153 is only available with respect to transactions on an exchange.
15
Board Responsibilities. The Board is responsible for overseeing the management and affairs of the Fund and the Trust. The Board has considered and approved contracts, as described herein, under which certain companies provide essential management and administrative services to the Trust. Like most ETFs, the day-to-day business of the Trust, including the day-to-day management of risk, is performed by third-party service providers, such as the Advisers, Distributor and Administrator. The Board is responsible for overseeing the Trust’s service providers and, thus, has oversight responsibility with respect to the risk management performed by those service providers. Risk management seeks to identify and eliminate or mitigate the potential effects of risks, i.e., events or circumstances that could have material adverse effects on the business, operations, shareholder services, investment performance or reputation of the Trust or the Fund. Under the overall supervision of the Board and the Audit Committee (discussed in more detail below), the service providers to the Fund employ a variety of processes, procedures and controls to identify risks relevant to the operations of the Trust and the Fund to lessen the probability of their occurrence and/or to mitigate the effects of such events or circumstances if they do occur. Each service provider is responsible for one or more discrete aspects of the Trust’s business (e.g., the Advisers are responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio investments) and, consequently, for managing the risks associated with that activity.
The Board’s role in risk management oversight begins before the inception of the Fund, at which time the Fund’s Adviser presents the Board with information concerning the investment objectives, strategies and risks of the Fund. Additionally, the Fund’s Adviser and Sub-Adviser provide the Board with an overview of, among other things, its investment philosophy, brokerage practices and compliance infrastructure. Thereafter, the Board oversees the risk management of the Fund’s operations, in part, by requesting periodic reports from and otherwise communicating with various personnel of the Fund and its service providers, including the Trust’s CCO and the Fund’s independent registered public accountants. The Board and, with respect to identified risks that relate to its scope of expertise, the Audit Committee oversee efforts by management and service providers to manage risks to which the Fund may be exposed.
The Board is responsible for overseeing the nature, extent and quality of the services provided to the Fund by the Advisers and receives information about those services at its regular meetings. In addition, on at least an annual basis, in connection with its consideration of whether to renew any Advisory Agreements and Sub-Advisory Agreements with the Adviser and Sub-Adviser, respectively, the Board meets with the Advisers to review such services. Among other things, the Board regularly considers the Advisers’ adherence to the Fund’s investment restrictions and compliance with various Fund policies and procedures and with applicable securities regulations. The Board also reviews information about the Fund’s performance and investments.
The Trust’s CCO meets regularly with the Board to review and discuss compliance and other issues. At least annually, the Trust’s CCO provides the Board with a report reviewing the adequacy and effectiveness of the Trust’s policies and procedures and those of its service providers, including the Advisers. The report addresses the operation of the policies and procedures of the Trust and each service provider since the date of the last report; material changes to the policies and procedures since the date of the last report; any recommendations for material changes to the policies and procedures; and material compliance matters since the date of the last report.
The Board receives reports from the Trust’s service providers regarding operational risks, portfolio valuation and other matters. Annually, an independent registered public accounting firm reviews with the Audit Committee its audit of the Trust’s financial statements, focusing on major areas of risk encountered by the Trust and noting any significant deficiencies or material weaknesses in the Trust’s internal controls.
The Board recognizes that not all risks that may affect the Fund can be identified, that it may not be practical or cost-effective to eliminate or mitigate certain risks, that it may be necessary to bear certain risks (such as investment-related risks) to achieve the Fund’s goals, and that the processes, procedures and controls employed to address certain risks may be limited in their effectiveness. Moreover, despite the periodic reports the Board receives and the Board’s discussions with the service providers to the Fund, it may not be made aware of all of the relevant information of a particular risk. Most of the Trust’s investment management and business affairs are carried out by or through the Fund’s Advisers and other service providers, each of which has an independent interest in risk management but whose policies and the methods by which one or more risk management functions are carried out may differ from the Trust’s and each other’s in the setting of priorities, the resources available or the effectiveness
16
of relevant controls. As a result of the foregoing and other factors, the Board’s risk management oversight is subject to substantial limitations.
Members of the Board and Officers of the Trust. Set forth below are the names, birth years, positions with the Trust, term of office, number of portfolios overseen, and the principal occupations and other directorships for a minimum of the last five years of each of the persons currently serving as members of the Board and as Executive Officers of the Trust. Also included below is the term of office for each of the Executive Officers of the Trust. The members of the Board serve as Trustees for the life of the Trust or until retirement, removal, or their office is terminated pursuant to the Trust’s Declaration of Trust. The address of each Trustee and Officer is c/o WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc., 380 Madison Avenue, 21st Floor, New York, New York 10017.
The Chairman of the Board, Victor Ugolyn, is not an interested person of the Fund as that term is defined in the 1940 Act. The Board is composed of a super-majority (75%) of Trustees who are not interested persons of the Fund (i.e., “Independent Trustees”). There is an Audit Committee and a Governance and Nominating Committee of the Board, each of which is chaired by an Independent Trustee and comprised solely of Independent Trustees. The Committee chair for each is responsible for running the Committee meeting, formulating agendas for those meetings, and coordinating with management to serve as a liaison between the Independent Trustees and management on matters within the scope of the responsibilities of the Committee as set forth in its Board-approved charter. The Fund has determined that this leadership structure is appropriate given the specific characteristics and circumstances of the Fund. The Fund made this determination in consideration of, among other things, the fact that the Independent Trustees of the Fund constitute a super-majority of the Board, the assets under management of the Fund, the number of Funds overseen by the Board, the total number of Trustees on the Board, and the fact that an Independent Trustee serves as Chairman of the Board.
| Name and Year of Birth of Trustee/Officer |
Position(s) Held with the Trust, Term of Office and Length of Time Served |
Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years |
Number of Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen by Trustee/ Officer+ |
Other | ||||
| Trustees Who Are Interested Persons of the Trust | ||||||||
| Jonathan Steinberg (1964) |
Trustee, 2005 – present; President, 2005 – present |
President, WisdomTree Trust since 2005; President, WisdomTree Investments, Inc. and WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc.; Chief Executive Officer, WisdomTree Investments, Inc. and WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. | [62] | Director, WisdomTree Investments, Inc. and WisdomTree Asset Management | ||||
| Trustees Who Are Not Interested Persons of the Trust | ||||||||
| Joel Goldberg* (1945) |
Trustee, 2012 – present |
Attorney, Partner at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP, 2010 to present; Attorney, Partner at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, 2006 to 2010. | [62] | None | ||||
| Toni Massaro** (1955) |
Trustee, 2006 – present |
Dean Emerita at the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law (“Rogers College of Law”) since 2009 (distinguished Emerita in July 2009); Dean of the Rogers College of Law from 1999 to 2009; Regents’ Professor since 2006; Milton O. Riepe Chair in Constitutional Law since 1997; Professor at the Rogers College of Law since 1990. | [62] | None | ||||
17
| Name and Year of Birth of Trustee/Officer |
Position(s) Held with the Trust, Term of Office and Length of Time Served |
Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years |
Number of Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen by Trustee/ Officer+ |
Other | ||||
| Victor Ugolyn (1947) |
Trustee, 2006 – present; Chairman of the Board of Trustees, 2006 – present |
Private Investor, 2005 to present; President and Chief Executive Officer of William D. Witter, Inc. from 2005 to 2006; Consultant to AXA Enterprise in 2004; Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Enterprise Capital Management (subsidiary of The MONY Group, Inc.) and Enterprise Group of Funds, Chairman of MONY Securities Corporation, and Chairman of the Fund Board of Enterprise Group of Funds from 1991 to 2004. | [62] | Member of the Board of Governors of Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. | ||||
| Officers of the Trust | ||||||||
| Jonathan Steinberg*** (1964) |
President, 2005 – present; Trustee, 2005 – present |
President, WisdomTree Trust since 2005; President, WisdomTree Investments, Inc. and WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc.; Chief Executive Officer, WisdomTree Investments, Inc. and WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. | [62] | |||||
| David Castano*** (1971) |
Treasurer, 2013 – present |
Director of Fund Accounting & Administration, WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc., since 2011; Vice President of Legg Mason & Co. and served as Treasurer from 2010 to 2011 and Controller from 2006 to 2010 of certain mutual funds associated with Legg Mason & Co.; Assistant Treasurer of Lord Abbett mutual funds from 2004 to 2006. | [62] | |||||
| Ryan Louvar*** (1972) |
Secretary and Chief Legal Officer, 2013 – present |
General Counsel, WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. since 2013; Vice President and Senior Managing Counsel, State Street, 2005 to 2013. | [62] | |||||
| Sarah English*** (1977) |
Assistant Secretary, 2013 – present |
Counsel, WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. since 2010; Attorney, NYFIX, Inc. 2006 to 2009. | [62] | |||||
| Terry Jane Feld*** (1960) |
Chief Compliance Officer, 2012 – present |
Chief Compliance Officer WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. since 2012; Senior Compliance Officer, WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. since 2011; Senior Compliance Officer, TIAA-CREF, 2007 to 2010; Vice President/NASD-SEC Compliance, Mutual of America Life Insurance Co., 2004 to 2007. | [62] | |||||
| * | Chair of the Governance and Nominating Committee. |
| ** | Chair of the Audit Committee. |
| *** | Elected by and serves at the pleasure of the Board. |
| + | As of [ ], 2014. |
Audit Committee. Each Independent Trustee, except Joel Goldberg, is a member of the Trust’s Audit Committee (the “Audit Committee”). The principal responsibilities of the Audit Committee are the appointment, compensation and oversight of the Trust’s independent registered public accountants, including the resolution of disagreements regarding financial reporting between Trust management and such independent registered public accountants. The Audit Committee’s responsibilities include, without limitation, to (i) oversee the accounting and financial reporting processes of the Trust and its internal control over financial reporting and, as the Committee deems appropriate, to inquire into the internal control over financial reporting of certain third-party service providers; (ii) oversee the quality and integrity of the Fund’s financial statements and the independent audits thereof; (iii) oversee, or, as appropriate, assist Board oversight of, the Trust’s compliance with legal and regulatory requirements that relate to
18
the Trust’s accounting and financial reporting, internal control over financial reporting and independent audits; (iv) approve prior to appointment the engagement of the Trust’s independent registered public accountants and, in connection therewith, to review and evaluate the qualifications, independence and performance of the Trust’s independent registered public accountants; and (v) act as a liaison between the Trust’s independent registered public accountants and the full Board. The Board of the Trust has adopted a written charter for the Audit Committee. The Independent Trustees’ independent legal counsel assists the Audit Committee in connection with these duties. During the fiscal year ended August 31, 2013, the Audit Committee held seven (7) meetings.
Governance and Nominating Committee. Each Independent Trustee is a member of the Trust’s Governance and Nominating Committee. The principal responsibilities of the Governance and Nominating Committee are to (i) oversee Fund governance matters and (ii) identify individuals qualified to serve as Independent Trustees of the Trust and to recommend its nominees for consideration by the full Board. While the Governance and Nominating Committee is solely responsible for the selection and nomination of the Trust’s Independent Trustees, the Governance and Nominating Committee may consider nominations for the office of Trustee made by Trust stockholders as it deems appropriate. The Governance and Nominating Committee considers nominees recommended by shareholders if such nominees are submitted in accordance with Rule 14a-8 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “1934 Act”), in conjunction with a shareholder meeting to consider the election of Trustees. Trust stockholders who wish to recommend a nominee should send nominations to the Secretary of the Trust that include biographical information and set forth the qualifications of the proposed nominee. During the fiscal year ended August 31, 2013, the Governance and Nominating Committee held two (2) meetings.
Individual Trustee Qualifications. The Trust has concluded that each of the Trustees should serve on the Board because of his or her ability to review and understand information about the Trust and the Fund provided by management, to identify and request other information he or she may deem relevant to the performance of the Trustees’ duties, to question management and other service providers regarding material factors bearing on the management and administration of the Fund, and to exercise his or her business judgment in a manner that serves the best interests of the Fund’s shareholders. The Trust has concluded that each of the Trustees should serve as a Trustee based on his or her own experience, qualifications, attributes and skills as described below.
The Trust has concluded that Mr. Steinberg should serve as Trustee of the Fund because of the experience he has gained as President, Chief Executive Officer and director of WisdomTree Investments, his knowledge of and experience in the financial services industry, and the experience he has gained serving as Trustee of the Trust since 2005.
The Trust has concluded that Mr. Goldberg should serve as Trustee of the Fund because of the experience he has gained as a member of the staff of the SEC, including serving as Director of the SEC’s Division of Investment Management, as well as his experience as legal counsel for many mutual funds, investment advisers, and independent directors.
The Trust has concluded that Ms. Massaro should serve as Trustee of the Fund because of the experience she has gained as a law professor, dean and advisor at various universities, and the experience she has gained serving as Trustee of the Trust since 2006.
The Trust has concluded that Mr. Ugolyn should serve as Trustee of the Fund because of the experience he gained as chief executive officer of a firm specializing in financial services, his experience in and knowledge of the financial services industry, his service as chairman for another mutual fund family, and the experience he has gained serving as Trustee of the Trust since 2006.
Fund Shares Owned by Board Members. The following table shows the dollar amount range of each Trustee’s “beneficial ownership” of shares of the Fund and each other series of the Trust as of the end of the most recently completed calendar year. Dollar amount ranges disclosed are established by the SEC. “Beneficial ownership” is
19
determined in accordance with Rule 16a-1(a)(2) under the 1934 Act. The Trustees and officers of the Trust collectively own less than 1% of the outstanding shares of the Trust.
| Name of Trustee |
Name of Fund |
Dollar Range of Equity Securities in the Fund* |
Aggregate Dollar Range of | |||
| Interested Trustee | ||||||
| Jonathan L. Steinberg |
WisdomTree 20+ Year U.S. Treasury Negative Duration Fund | None | [Over $100,000] | |||
| Independent Trustees | ||||||
| Joel H. Goldberg*** |
WisdomTree 20+ Year U.S. Treasury Negative Duration Fund | None | [Over $100,000] | |||
| Toni M. Massaro |
WisdomTree 20+ Year U.S. Treasury Negative Duration Fund | None | [Over $100,000] | |||
| Victor Ugolyn |
WisdomTree 20+ Year U.S. Treasury Negative Duration Fund | None | [$50,001 – $100,000] | |||
| * | Values based on Trustees’ ownership as of date of this SAI. |
| ** | These values are based on the Trustees’ ownership as of December 31, 2013. |
| *** | Joel Goldberg was appointed to the Board on October 5, 2012. |
Board Compensation. The following table sets forth the compensation paid by the Trust to each Trustee for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2013.
| Name of Interested Trustee |
Aggregate Compensation from the Trust |
Pension or Retirement Benefits Accrued as Part of Company Expenses |
Estimated Annual Benefits upon Retirement |
Total Compensation from the Funds and Fund Complex* |
||||||||||||
| Jonathan L. Steinberg |
$ | 0 | None | None | $ | 0 | ||||||||||
| Name of Independent Trustee |
Aggregate Compensation from the Trust |
Pension or Retirement Benefits Accrued as Part of Company Expenses |
Estimated Annual Benefits upon Retirement |
Total Compensation from the Funds and Fund Complex* |
||||||||||||
| Gregory E. Barton** |
$ | 15,156 | None | None | $ | 15,156 | ||||||||||
| Joel Goldberg*** |
$ | 156,138 | None | None | $ | 156,138 | ||||||||||
| Toni M. Massaro |
$ | 170,867 | None | None | $ | 170,867 | ||||||||||
| Victor Ugolyn |
$ | 233,000 | None | None | $ | 233,000 | ||||||||||
| * | The Trust is the only trust in the “Fund Complex.” |
| ** | Gregory Barton resigned from the Board on October 5, 2012. |
| *** | Joel Goldberg was appointed to the Board on October 5, 2012. |
Control Persons and Principal Holders of Securities. Because the Fund is new there were no beneficial owners as of the date of this SAI.
Investment Adviser. WisdomTree Asset Management serves as investment adviser to the Fund pursuant to an investment advisory agreement between the Trust and WisdomTree Asset Management (the “Investment Advisory Agreement”). WisdomTree Asset Management is a Delaware corporation registered as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the “Advisers Act”), and has offices located at 380 Madison Avenue, 21st Floor, New York, New York 10017.
Under the Investment Advisory Agreement, WisdomTree Asset Management has overall responsibility for the general management and administration of the Trust. WisdomTree Asset Management provides an investment program for the Fund. The Adviser also arranges for sub-advisory, transfer agency, custody, fund administration, securities lending, and all other non-distribution-related services necessary for the Fund to operate. The Fund pays WisdomTree Asset Management a fee equal to [ ]% of the Fund’s average daily net assets.
Pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement, WisdomTree Asset Management has agreed to pay all expenses of the Fund, except for: (i) brokerage expenses and other fees, charges, taxes, levies or expenses (such as stamp taxes) incurred in connection with the execution of portfolio transactions or in connection with creation and redemption transactions (including without limitation any fees, charges, taxes, levies or expenses related to the purchase or sale
20
of an amount of any currency, or the patriation or repatriation of any security or other asset, related to the execution of portfolio transactions or any creation or redemption transactions); (ii) legal fees or expenses in connection with any arbitration, litigation or pending or threatened arbitration or litigation, including any settlements in connection therewith; (iii) compensation and expenses of each Independent Trustee; (iv) compensation and expenses of counsel to the Independent Trustees; (v) compensation and expenses of the Trust’s CCO; (vi) extraordinary expenses (in each case as determined by a majority of the Independent Trustees); (vii) distribution fees and expenses paid by the Trust under any distribution plan adopted pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act; (viii) interest and taxes of any kind or nature (including, but not limited to, income, excise, transfer and withholding taxes); (ix) fees and expenses related to the provision of securities lending services; and (x) the advisory fee payable to WisdomTree Asset Management. The internal expenses of pooled investment vehicles in which the Fund may invest (acquired fund fees and expenses) are not expenses of the Fund and are not paid by WisdomTree Asset Management.
Pursuant to a separate contractual arrangement, WisdomTree Asset Management arranges for the provision of CCO services with respect to the Fund, and is liable and responsible for, and administers, payments to the CCO, the Independent Trustees and counsel to the Independent Trustees. WisdomTree Asset Management receives a fee of up to 0.0044% of the Fund’s average daily net assets for providing such services and paying such expenses. WisdomTree Asset Management provides CCO services to the Trust.
The Adviser, from its own resources, including profits from advisory fees received from the Fund, provided such fees are legitimate and not excessive, may make payments to broker-dealers and other financial institutions for their expenses in connection with the distribution of Fund shares, and otherwise currently pays all distribution costs for Fund shares.
The Investment Advisory Agreement with respect to the Fund continues in effect for two years from its effective date, and thereafter is subject to annual approval by (i) the Board of Trustees of the Trust or (ii) the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Fund, provided that in either event such continuance also is approved by a vote of a majority of the Trustees of the Trust who are not interested persons (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Fund, by a vote cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval. If the shareholders of the Fund fail to approve the Investment Advisory Agreement, WisdomTree Asset Management may continue to serve in the manner and to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act and rules and regulations thereunder.
The Investment Advisory Agreement with respect to the Fund is terminable without any penalty, by vote of the Board of Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Fund, or by WisdomTree Asset Management, in each case on not less than thirty (30) days’ nor more than sixty (60) days’ prior written notice to the other party; provided that a shorter notice period shall be permitted for the Fund in the event its shares are no longer listed on a national securities exchange. The Investment Advisory Agreement will terminate automatically and immediately in the event of its “assignment” (as defined in the 1940 Act).
Sub-Adviser. [ ] (“[ ]”) is sub-adviser to the Fund and is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund. [ ], a registered investment adviser, manages global quantitative-based investment strategies for institutional and private investors. Its principal office is located at [ ]. [ ] is a wholly-owned indirect subsidiary of [ ], a publicly traded financial holding company. [ ] chooses the portfolio investments of the Fund and places orders to buy and sell the portfolio investments. WisdomTree Asset Management pays [ ] for providing sub-advisory services to the Fund.
The Sub-Adviser believes that it may perform sub-advisory and related services for the Trust without violating applicable banking laws or regulations. However, the legal requirements and interpretations about the permissible activities of banks and their affiliates may change in the future. These changes could prevent the Sub-Adviser from continuing to perform services for the Trust. If this happens, the Board would consider selecting other qualified firms. Any new investment sub-advisory agreement would be subject to shareholder approval.
The Sub-Advisory Agreement with respect to the Fund continues in effect for two years from its effective date, and thereafter is subject to annual approval by (i) the Board of Trustees of the Trust or (ii) the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Fund, provided that in either event such continuance is also approved by a vote of a majority of the Trustees of the Trust who are not interested persons (as
21
defined in the 1940 Act) of the Fund, by a vote cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval. The Sub-Advisory Agreement with respect to the Fund is terminable without any penalty, by vote of the Board of Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Fund, or by WisdomTree Asset Management, in each case on not less than thirty (30) days’ nor more than sixty (60) days’ prior written notice to the Sub-Adviser; provided that a shorter notice period shall be permitted for the Fund in the event its shares are no longer listed on a national securities exchange. The Sub-Advisory Agreement will terminate automatically and immediately in the event of its “assignment” (as defined in the 1940 Act).
Portfolio Managers. The Fund is managed by the Sub-Adviser’s portfolio management team. The individual members of the team responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio are [ ] and [ ].
Including the WisdomTree ETFs, as of [ ], 2014, the Sub-Adviser’s Index Fund Management team managed [ ] registered investment companies with approximately $[ ] billion in assets; [ ] pooled investment vehicles with approximately $[ ] billion in assets and [ ] other accounts with approximately $[ ] billion in assets.
Portfolio Manager Fund Ownership. As of the date of this SAI, none of the portfolio managers owned shares of the Fund.
Portfolio Manager Compensation. The primary objectives of the Sub-Adviser’s compensation plans are to:
| n | Motivate and reward superior investment and business performance |
| n | Motivate and reward continued growth and profitability |
| n | Attract and retain high-performing individuals critical to the on-going success of the Sub-Adviser |
| n | Create an ownership mentality for all plan participants |
Cash compensation is comprised primarily of a market-based base salary and variable incentives (cash and deferred). Base salary is determined by the employees’ experience and performance in the role, taking into account the ongoing compensation benchmark analyses. Base salary is generally a fixed amount that may change as a result of an annual review, upon assumption of new duties, or when a market adjustment of the position occurs. Funding for the Sub-Adviser’s Annual and Long Term Incentive Plan is through a pre-determined fixed percentage of overall Sub-Adviser profitability. Therefore, all bonus awards are based initially on the Sub-Adviser’s financial performance. Annual incentive opportunities are pre-established for each individual, expressed as a percentage of base salary (“target awards”). These targets are derived based on a review of competitive market data for each position annually.
Annual awards are determined by applying multiples to this target award. Awards are 100% discretionary. Factors considered in awards include individual performance, team performance, investment performance of the associated portfolio(s) (including both short and long term returns) and qualitative behavioral factors. Other factors considered in determining the award are the asset size and revenue growth/retention of the products managed (if applicable). Awards are paid partially in cash with the balance deferred through the Long Term Incentive Plan.
Participants in the Long Term Incentive Plan have a high level of accountability and a large impact on the success of the business due to the position’s scope and overall responsibility. This plan provides for an annual award, payable in cash after a three-year cliff vesting period as well as a grant of [ ] Restricted Stock for senior level roles. The Sub-Adviser’s portfolio managers responsible for managing mutual funds are paid by the Sub-Adviser and not by the mutual funds.
The same methodology described above is used to determine portfolio manager compensation with respect to the management of mutual funds and other accounts. Mutual fund portfolio managers are also eligible for the standard retirement benefits and health and welfare benefits available to all Sub-Adviser employees. Certain portfolio managers may be eligible for additional retirement benefits under several supplemental retirement plans that the Sub-Adviser provides to restore dollar-for-dollar the benefits of management employees that had been cut back solely as a result of certain limits due to the tax laws. These plans are structured to provide the same retirement benefits as the standard retirement benefits. In addition, mutual fund portfolio managers whose compensation
22
exceeds certain limits may elect to defer a portion of their salary and/or bonus under the [ ] Corporation Deferred Compensation Plan for Employees.
Description of Material Conflicts of Interest. Because the Sub-Adviser’s portfolio managers manage multiple portfolios for multiple clients, the potential for conflicts of interest exists. Each portfolio manager generally manages portfolios having substantially the same investment style as the Fund. However, the portfolios managed by a portfolio manager may not have portfolio compositions identical to those of the Fund due, for example, to specific investment limitations or guidelines present in some portfolios or accounts, but not others. The portfolio managers may purchase securities for one portfolio and not another portfolio, and the performance of securities purchased for one portfolio may vary from the performance of securities purchased for other portfolios. A portfolio manager may place transactions on behalf of other accounts that are directly or indirectly contrary to investment decisions made on behalf of the Fund, or make investment decisions that are similar to those made for the Fund, both of which have the potential to adversely impact the Fund depending on market conditions. For example, a portfolio manager may purchase a security in one portfolio while appropriately selling that same security in another portfolio. In addition, some of these portfolios have fee structures that are or have the potential to be higher than the advisory fees paid by the Fund, which can cause potential conflicts in the allocation of investment opportunities between the Fund and the other accounts. However, the compensation structure for portfolio managers does not generally provide incentive to favor one account over another because that part of a manager’s bonus based on performance is not based on the performance of one account to the exclusion of others. There are many other factors considered in determining the portfolio manager’s bonus and there is no formula that is applied to weight the factors listed (see “Portfolio Manager Compensation”). The Sub-Adviser has a fiduciary duty to manage all client accounts in a fair and equitable manner. To accomplish this, the Sub-Adviser has adopted various policies and procedures (including, but not limited to, policies relating to trading operations, best execution, trade order aggregation and allocation, short sales, cross-trading, code of conduct, personal securities trading and purchases of securities from affiliate underwriters). These procedures are intended to help employees identify and mitigate potential side by side conflicts of interest. The Sub-Adviser has also developed a conflicts matrix listing potential side by side conflicts and compliance policies and procedures reasonably designed to mitigate such potential conflicts of interest.
Codes of Ethics. The Trust, the Advisers and the Distributor have each adopted a Code of Ethics pursuant to Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act and Rule 204A-1 under the Advisers Act, where applicable. Each Code of Ethics permits personnel subject to that Code of Ethics to invest in securities for their personal investment accounts, subject to certain limitations, including securities that may be purchased or held by the Fund. Each Code of Ethics is on public file with, and is available from, the SEC.
Administrator, Custodian, Transfer Agent and Securities Lending Agent. BNY Mellon serves as administrator, custodian, transfer agent and securities lending agent for the Fund. BNY Mellon’s principal address is One Wall Street, New York, New York 10286. Under the Fund Administration and Accounting Agreement with the Trust, BNY Mellon provides necessary administrative, legal, tax, accounting services and financial reporting for the maintenance and operations of the Trust and the Fund. In addition, BNY Mellon makes available the office space, equipment, personnel and facilities required to provide such services. Under the custody agreement with the Trust, BNY Mellon maintains in separate accounts cash, securities and other assets of the Trust and the Fund, keeps all necessary accounts and records, and provides other services. BNY Mellon is required, upon the order of the Trust, to deliver securities held by BNY Mellon and to make payments for securities purchased by the Trust for the Fund. Also, under a Delegation Agreement, BNY Mellon is authorized to appoint certain foreign custodians or foreign custody managers for Fund investments outside the United States. Pursuant to a Transfer Agency and Service Agreement with the Trust, BNY Mellon acts as transfer agent for the Fund’s authorized and issued shares of beneficial interest, and as dividend disbursing agent of the Trust. As compensation for the foregoing services, BNY Mellon receives certain out-of-pocket costs, transaction fees and asset-based fees which are accrued daily and paid monthly by the Trust from the Trust’s custody account with BNY Mellon. BNY Mellon serves as the Fund’s securities lending agent. As compensation for providing such services, BNY Mellon receives a portion of the income earned by the Funds on collateral investments made in connection with the lending program. The Fund is new and the Adviser had not paid BNY Mellon any fees for services to the Fund as of the fiscal year ended August 31, 2013.
Distributor. ALPS Distributors, Inc. serves as Distributor for the Trust and its principal address is 1290 Broadway, Suite 1100, Denver, Colorado 80203. The Distributor has entered into a Distribution Agreement with the Trust
23
pursuant to which it distributes shares of the Fund. The Distribution Agreement will continue for two years from its effective date and is renewable annually. Shares are continuously offered for sale by the Fund through the Distributor only in Creation Unit Aggregations, as described in the applicable Prospectus and below in the Creation and Redemption of Creation Unit Aggregations section. Shares in less than Creation Unit Aggregations are not distributed by the Distributor. The Distributor will deliver the applicable Prospectus and, upon request, this SAI to persons purchasing Creation Unit Aggregations and will maintain records of both orders placed with it and confirmations of acceptance furnished by it. The Distributor is a broker-dealer registered under the 1934 Act and a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”). The Distributor is not affiliated with WisdomTree Investments, WisdomTree Asset Management, or any stock exchange.
The Distribution Agreement for the Fund will provide that it may be terminated at any time, without the payment of any penalty, on at least sixty (60) days’ prior written notice to the other party (i) by vote of a majority of the Independent Trustees or (ii) by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Fund. The Distribution Agreement will terminate automatically in the event of its “assignment” (as defined in the 1940 Act).
The Distributor may also enter into agreements with securities dealers (“Soliciting Dealers”) who will solicit purchases of Creation Unit Aggregations of shares. Such Soliciting Dealers may also be Authorized Participants (as defined below) or DTC Participants (as defined below).
Intermediary Compensation. WisdomTree Asset Management or its affiliates, out of their own resources and not out of Fund assets (i.e., without additional cost to the Fund or its shareholders), may pay certain broker dealers, banks and other financial intermediaries (“Intermediaries”) for certain activities related to the Fund, including participation in activities that are designed to make Intermediaries more knowledgeable about exchange traded products, including the Fund, or for other activities, such as marketing and educational training or support. In addition, WisdomTree Asset Management and E*Trade Securities LLC (“ETS”) have entered into an agreement whereby ETS has agreed not to charge its customers any transaction fee or brokerage commission for the purchase of shares of applicable Funds made through ETS’s distribution system and to disclose that such Funds are sold with the fee waiver, and WisdomTree Asset Management has agreed to pay ETS during the term of the agreement an amount based on net purchases and sales of such Funds in the ETS distribution system. These arrangements are not financed by the Fund and, thus, do not result in increased Fund expenses. They are not reflected in the fees and expenses listed in the fees and expenses sections of the Fund’s Prospectus and they do not change the price paid by investors for the purchase of the Fund’s shares or the amount received by a shareholder as proceeds from the redemption of Fund shares.
Such compensation may be paid to Intermediaries that provide services to the Fund, including marketing and education support (such as through conferences, webinars and printed communications). WisdomTree Asset Management periodically assesses the advisability of continuing to make these payments. Payments to an Intermediary may be significant to the Intermediary, and amounts that Intermediaries pay to your adviser, broker or other investment professional, if any, may also be significant to such adviser, broker or investment professional. Because an Intermediary may make decisions about what investment options it will make available or recommend, and what services to provide in connection with various products, based on payments it receives or is eligible to receive, such payments create conflicts of interest between the Intermediary and its clients. For example, these financial incentives may cause the Intermediary to recommend the Fund over other investments. The same conflict of interest exists with respect to your financial adviser, broker or investment professionals if he or she receives similar payments from his or her Intermediary firm.
Intermediary information is current only as of the date of this SAI. Please contact your adviser, broker or other investment professional for more information regarding any payments his or her Intermediary firm may receive. Any payments made by WisdomTree Asset Management or its affiliates to an Intermediary may create the incentive for an Intermediary to encourage customers to buy shares of WisdomTree Funds.
If you have any additional questions, please call 1-866-909-9473.
24
The Sub-Adviser assumes general supervision over placing orders on behalf of the Fund for the purchase and sale of portfolio securities. In selecting the brokers or dealers for any transaction in portfolio securities, the Sub-Adviser’s policy is to make such selection based on factors deemed relevant, including but not limited to, the breadth of the market in the security; the price of the security; the reasonableness of the commission or mark-up or mark-down, if any; execution capability; settlement capability; back office efficiency; and the financial condition of the broker or dealer, both for the specific transaction and on a continuing basis. The overall reasonableness of brokerage commissions paid is evaluated by the Sub-Adviser based upon its knowledge of available information as to the general level of commissions paid by other institutional investors for comparable services. Brokers may also be selected because of their ability to handle special or difficult executions, such as may be involved in large block trades, less liquid securities, broad distributions, or other circumstances. The Sub-Adviser does not consider the provision or value of research, products or services a broker or dealer may provide, if any, as a factor in the selection of a broker or dealer or the determination of the reasonableness of commissions paid in connection with portfolio transactions. The Trust has adopted policies and procedures that prohibit the consideration of sales of the Fund’s shares as a factor in the selection of a broker or a dealer to execute its portfolio transactions. To the extent creation or redemption transactions are conducted on a cash or “cash in lieu” basis, the Fund may contemporaneously transact with broker-dealers for the purchase or sale of portfolio securities in connection with such transactions (see “Creation and Redemption of Creation Unit Aggregations” herein). Such orders may be placed with an Authorized Participant in its capacity as broker-dealer or with an affiliated broker-dealer of such Authorized Participant. In such cases, the Fund will require such broker-dealer to achieve execution at a price that is at least as favorable to the Fund as the value of such securities used to calculate the Fund’s NAV. The broker-dealer will be required to reimburse the Fund for, among other things, any difference between the price (including applicable brokerage commissions, taxes and transaction costs) at which such securities were bought or sold and the value of such securities used to calculate the Fund’s NAV. This amount will vary depending on the quality of the execution and may be capped at amounts determined by WisdomTree Asset Management in its sole discretion.
Brokerage Commissions. The Fund is new and had not paid any brokerage commissions as of the fiscal year ended August 31, 2013.
Affiliated Brokers. The Fund is new and had not paid any commissions to any affiliated brokers as of the fiscal year ended August 31, 2013.
Regular Broker-Dealers. The Fund is new and did not acquire securities of its regular brokers or dealers (as defined in the 1940 Act) or of their parents during the fiscal year ended August 31, 2013.
Portfolio Turnover. Portfolio turnover may vary from year to year, as well as within a year. High turnover rates are likely to result in comparatively greater brokerage expenses. The overall reasonableness of brokerage commissions is evaluated by the Adviser based upon its knowledge of available information as to the general level of commissions paid by the other institutional investors for comparable services.
The Fund is new and therefore did not have a portfolio turnover rate for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2013.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONCERNING THE TRUST
Shares. The Trust was established as a Delaware statutory trust on December 15, 2005, and consists of multiple series of funds (“Funds”). The Fund issues shares of beneficial interest, with $0.001 par value. The Board may establish additional Funds. The Trust is registered with the SEC as an open-end management investment company.
Each share issued by the Fund has a pro rata interest in the assets of the Fund. Shares have no preemptive, exchange, subscription or conversion rights and are freely transferable. Each share is entitled to participate equally in dividends and distributions declared by the Board with respect to the Fund, and in the net distributable assets of the Fund on liquidation.
Each share has one vote with respect to matters upon which a shareholder vote is required consistent with the requirements of the 1940 Act and the rules promulgated thereunder. Shares of all Funds vote together as a single class except that if the matter being voted on affects only a particular Fund or if a matter affects a particular Fund differently from other Funds, that Fund will vote separately on such matter.
25
Under Delaware law, the Trust is not required to hold an annual meeting of shareholders unless required to do so under the 1940 Act. The policy of the Trust is not to hold an annual meeting of shareholders unless required to do so under the 1940 Act. All shares (regardless of the Fund) have non-cumulative voting rights for the Board. Under Delaware law, Trustees of the Trust may be removed by vote of the shareholders.
Following the creation of the initial Creation Unit Aggregation(s) of shares of the Fund and immediately prior to the commencement of trading in such Fund’s shares, a holder of shares may be a “control person” of the Fund, as defined in the 1940 Act. The Fund cannot accurately predict the length of time for which one or more shareholders may remain a control person or persons of the Fund.
Shareholders may make inquiries by writing to the Trust, c/o ALPS Distributors, Inc., 1290 Broadway, Suite 1100, Denver, Colorado 80203.
Absent an applicable exemption or other relief from the SEC or its staff, beneficial owners of more than 5% of the shares of the Fund may be subject to the reporting provisions of Section 13 of the 1934 Act and the SEC’s rules promulgated thereunder. In addition, absent an applicable exemption or other relief from the SEC staff, officers and Trustees of the Fund and beneficial owners of 10% of the shares of the Fund (“Insiders”) may be subject to the insider reporting, short-swing profit and short-sale provisions of Section 16 of the 1934 Act and the SEC’s rules promulgated thereunder. Beneficial owners and Insiders should consult with their own legal counsel concerning their obligations under Sections 13 and 16 of the 1934 Act.
Termination of the Trust or the Fund. The Trust or the Fund may be terminated by a majority vote of the Board of Trustees or the affirmative vote of a super-majority of the holders of the Trust or the Fund entitled to vote on termination. Although the shares are not automatically redeemable upon the occurrence of any specific event, the Trust’s organizational documents provide that the Board will have the unrestricted power to alter the number of shares in a Creation Unit Aggregation. In the event of a termination of the Trust or the Fund, the Board, in its sole discretion, could determine to permit the shares to be redeemable in aggregations smaller than Creation Unit Aggregations or to be individually redeemable. In such circumstances, the Trust may make redemptions in-kind, for cash, or for a combination of cash and securities.
Role of the Depository Trust Company (“DTC”). DTC acts as Securities Depository for the shares of the Trust. Shares of the Fund are represented by securities registered in the name of DTC or its nominee and deposited with, or on behalf of, DTC.
DTC, a limited-purpose trust company, was created to hold securities of its participants (“DTC Participants”) and to facilitate the clearance and settlement of securities transactions among the DTC Participants in such securities through electronic book-entry changes in accounts of the DTC Participants, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of securities’ certificates. DTC Participants include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and certain other organizations, some of which (and/or their representatives) own DTC. More specifically, DTC is owned by a number of DTC Participants and by the NYSE, the AMEX and FINRA. Access to the DTC system is also available to others such as banks, brokers, dealers and trust companies that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a DTC Participant, either directly or indirectly (“Indirect Participants”).
Beneficial ownership of shares is limited to DTC Participants, Indirect Participants and persons holding interests through DTC Participants and Indirect Participants. Ownership of beneficial interests in shares (owners of such beneficial interests are referred to herein as “Beneficial Owners”) is shown on, and the transfer of ownership is effected only through, records maintained by DTC (with respect to DTC Participants) and on the records of DTC Participants (with respect to Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners that are not DTC Participants). Beneficial Owners will receive from or through the DTC Participant a written confirmation relating to their purchase of shares. No Beneficial Owner shall have the right to receive a certificate representing such shares.
Conveyance of all notices, statements and other communications to Beneficial Owners is effected as follows. Pursuant to the Depositary Agreement between the Trust and DTC, DTC is required to make available to the Trust upon request and for a fee to be charged to the Trust a listing of the shares of the Fund held by each DTC Participant. The Trust shall inquire of each such DTC Participant as to the number of Beneficial Owners holding shares, directly or indirectly, through such DTC Participant. The Trust shall provide each such DTC Participant with copies of such notice, statement or other communication, in such form and number and at such place as such DTC
26
Participant may reasonably request, in order that such notice, statement or communication may be transmitted by such DTC Participant, directly or indirectly, to such Beneficial Owners. In addition, the Trust shall pay to each such DTC Participant a fair and reasonable amount as reimbursement for the expenses attendant to such transmittal, all subject to applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.
Share distributions shall be made to DTC or its nominee, Cede & Co., as the registered holder of all shares of the Trust. DTC or its nominee, upon receipt of any such distributions, shall immediately credit DTC Participants’ accounts with payments in amounts proportionate to their respective beneficial interests in shares of the Fund as shown on the records of DTC or its nominee. Payments by DTC Participants to Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners of shares held through such DTC Participants will be governed by standing instructions and customary practices, as is now the case with securities held for the accounts of customers in bearer form or registered in a “street name,” and will be the responsibility of such DTC Participants.
The Trust has no responsibility or liability for any aspect of the records relating to or notices to Beneficial Owners, or payments made on account of beneficial ownership interests in such shares, or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records relating to such beneficial ownership interests, or for any other aspect of the relationship between DTC and the DTC Participants or the relationship between such DTC Participants and the Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners owning through such DTC Participants. DTC may decide to discontinue its service with respect to shares of the Trust at any time by giving reasonable notice to the Trust and discharging its responsibilities with respect thereto under applicable law. Under such circumstances, the Trust shall take action to find a replacement for DTC to perform its functions at a comparable cost.
CREATION AND REDEMPTION OF CREATION UNIT AGGREGATIONS
Creation. The Trust issues and sells shares of the Fund only in Creation Unit Aggregations on a continuous basis through the Distributor, without a sales load, at the NAV next determined after receipt, on any Business Day, of an order in proper form.
Fund Deposit. The consideration for purchase of Creation Unit Aggregations of the Fund generally consists of (i) the in-kind deposit of a designated portfolio of fixed income securities and other instruments closely approximating the holdings of the Fund, and (ii) U.S. cash and/or non-U.S. currency (together, the “Deposit Securities”) and an amount of cash denominated in U.S. dollars (the “Cash Component”) computed as described below. Together, the Deposit Securities and the Cash Component constitute the “Fund Deposit,” which represents the minimum initial and subsequent investment amount for a Creation Unit Aggregation of the Fund.
The Fund may permit or require the submission of a basket of fixed income securities and other instruments, non-U.S. currency or cash denominated in U.S. dollars that differs from the composition of the published basket. The Fund may permit or require the consideration for Creation Unit Aggregations to consist solely of cash or non-U.S. currency. The Fund reserves the right to permit or require the substitution of an amount of cash denominated in U.S. dollars or non-U.S. currency (i.e., a “cash in lieu” amount) to be added, at its discretion, to the Cash Component to replace any Deposit Security (typically 102%-110% of the value of any missing Deposit Security). For example, cash may be substituted to replace any Deposit Security that may not be available in sufficient quantity for delivery or that may not be eligible for transfer through the systems of DTC or the Clearing Process (discussed below). The Trust reserves the right to permit or require a “cash in lieu” amount where the delivery of the Deposit Security by the Authorized Participant (as described below) would be prohibited or restricted under applicable securities laws, or in certain other situations at the sole discretion of the Trust.
The Cash Component is sometimes also referred to as the “Balancing Amount.” The Cash Component is an amount equal to the difference between the NAV of the shares (per Creation Unit Aggregation) and the value of Deposit Securities. If the Cash Component is a positive number, the Authorized Participant will deliver the Cash Component. If the Cash Component is a negative number, the Authorized Participant will receive the Cash Component. The Cash Component does not include any stamp duty tax or other similar fees and expenses payable upon transfer of beneficial ownership of the Deposit Securities. These are the sole responsibility of the Authorized Participant.
The Fund, through the National Securities Clearing Corporation (“NSCC”), makes available on each Business Day, immediately prior to the opening of business on the Listing Exchange (currently 9:30 a.m., Eastern time), the list of
27
the names and the required number of shares of Deposit Securities to be included in the current Fund Deposit (based on information at the end of the previous Business Day) for the Fund. Such Deposit Securities are applicable, subject to any adjustments, as described below, in order to effect creations of Creation Unit Aggregations of the Fund until such time as the next-announced composition of the Deposit Securities is made available.
The identity and number of shares of the Deposit Securities required for a Fund Deposit for the Fund changes from time to time based on changes to the Fund’s Underlying Index and other factors.
Procedures for Creation of Creation Unit Aggregations. To be eligible to place orders with the Distributor and to create a Creation Unit Aggregation of the Fund, an entity must be: (i) a “Participating Party,” i.e., a broker-dealer or other participant in the clearing process through the Continuous Net Settlement System of the NSCC (the “Clearing Process”), a clearing agency that is registered with the SEC; or (ii) a DTC Participant. In each case, such entity must have executed an agreement with the Distributor with respect to creations and redemptions of Creation Unit Aggregations (“Participant Agreement”). A Participating Party or DTC Participant that has entered a Participant Agreement is referred to as an “Authorized Participant.” Investors should contact the Distributor for the names of Authorized Participants that have signed a Participant Agreement. All shares of the Fund, however created, will be entered on the records of DTC in the name of Cede & Co. for the account of a DTC Participant.
All orders to create shares must be placed for one or more Creation Unit Aggregations. All orders to create Creation Unit Aggregations must be received by the Distributor no later than the closing time of the regular trading session on the Listing Exchange (“Closing Time”) (ordinarily 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) on the date such orders are placed in order to receive that day’s NAV. All orders must be received in proper form. The date on which an order to create Creation Unit Aggregations is placed is referred to as the “Transmittal Date.” Orders must be transmitted by an Authorized Participant by telephone or other transmission method acceptable to the Distributor pursuant to procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement, as described below, which procedures may change from time to time without notice at the discretion of the Trust. Economic or market disruptions or changes, or telephone or other communication failure, may impede the ability to reach the Distributor or an Authorized Participant. On days when the Listing Exchange or U.S. markets close earlier than normal, the Fund may require purchase orders to be placed earlier in the day. All questions as to the number of Deposit Securities to be delivered, and the validity, form and eligibility (including time of receipt) for the deposit of any tendered securities, will be determined by the Trust, whose determination shall be final and binding.
All orders to create Creation Unit Aggregations through an Authorized Participant shall be placed with an Authorized Participant, in the form required by such Authorized Participant. In addition, the Authorized Participant may require an investor to make certain representations or enter into agreements with respect to the order, e.g., to provide for payments of cash, when required. Investors should be aware that their particular broker may not have executed a Participant Agreement and, in that case, orders to create Creation Unit Aggregations of the Fund have to be placed by each investor’s broker through an Authorized Participant that has executed a Participant Agreement. In such cases, there may be additional charges to such investor. At any given time, there may be only a limited number of broker-dealers that have executed a Participant Agreement and only a small number of such Authorized Participants may have international capabilities.
Those placing orders for Creation Unit Aggregations through the Clearing Process should afford sufficient time to permit proper submission of the order to the Distributor prior to the Closing Time on the Transmittal Date. Orders for Creation Unit Aggregations that are effected outside the Clearing Process are likely to require transmittal by the DTC Participant earlier on the Transmittal Date than orders effected using the Clearing Process. Those persons placing orders outside the Clearing Process should ascertain the deadlines applicable to DTC and the Federal Reserve Bank wire system by contacting the operations department of the broker or depository institution effectuating such transfer of Deposit Securities and the Cash Component.
Placement of Creation Orders Using the Clearing Process. Fund Deposits made through the Clearing Process must be delivered through a Participating Party that has executed a Participant Agreement. The Participant Agreement authorizes the Distributor to transmit through BNY Mellon to NSCC, on behalf of the Participating Party, such trade instructions as are necessary to effect the Participating Party’s creation order. Pursuant to such trade instructions to NSCC, the Participating Party agrees to deliver the requisite Deposit Securities and the Cash Component to the Trust, together with such additional information as may be required by the Distributor. An order to create Creation Unit Aggregations through the Clearing Process is deemed received by the Distributor on the Transmittal Date if:
28
(i) such order is received by the Distributor not later than the Closing Time on such Transmittal Date; and (ii) all other procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement are properly followed.
Placement of Creation Orders Outside the Clearing Process. Fund Deposits made outside the Clearing Process must be delivered through a DTC Participant that has executed a Participant Agreement. A DTC Participant who wishes to place an order creating Creation Unit Aggregations to be effected outside the Clearing Process does not need to be a Participating Party, but such orders must state that the DTC Participant is not using the Clearing Process and that the creation of Creation Unit Aggregations will instead be effected through a transfer of securities and cash directly through DTC. The Fund Deposit transfer must be ordered by the DTC Participant on the Transmittal Date in a timely fashion so as to ensure the delivery of the requisite number of Deposit Securities through DTC to the account of the Fund by no later than 2:00 p.m., Eastern time, on the “Settlement Date.” The Settlement Date is typically the third Business Day following the Transmittal Date. The Fund reserves the right to settle transactions on a basis other than “T” plus three Business Days (i.e., days on which the NYSE is open) (“T+3”). In certain cases Authorized Participants will create and redeem Creation Unit Aggregations of the same Fund on the same trade date. In these instances, the Trust reserves the right to settle these transactions on a net basis. On days when the Listing Exchange or U.S. markets close earlier than normal, the Fund may require purchase orders to be placed earlier in the day. All questions as to the number of Deposit Securities to be delivered, and the validity, form and eligibility (including time of receipt) for the deposit of any tendered securities, will be determined by the Trust, whose determination shall be final and binding. The amount of cash equal to the Cash Component must be transferred directly to BNY Mellon through the Federal Reserve Bank wire transfer system in a timely manner so as to be received by BNY Mellon no later than 2:00 p.m., Eastern time, on the Settlement Date. An order to create Creation Unit Aggregations outside the Clearing Process is deemed received by the Distributor on the Transmittal Date if: (i) such order is received by the Distributor not later than the Closing Time on such Transmittal Date; and (ii) all other procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement are properly followed. However, if BNY Mellon does not receive both the required Deposit Securities and the Cash Component by the specified time on the Settlement Date, the Trust may cancel or revoke acceptance of such order. Upon written notice to the Distributor, such canceled or revoked order may be resubmitted the following Business Day using a Fund Deposit as newly constituted to reflect the then current NAV of the Fund. The delivery of Creation Unit Aggregations so created generally will occur no later than the Settlement Date.
Creation Unit Aggregations may be created in advance of receipt by the Trust of all or a portion of the applicable Deposit Securities as described below. In these circumstances, the initial deposit will have a value greater than the NAV of the shares on the date the order is placed in proper form since, in addition to available Deposit Securities, U.S. cash must be deposited in an amount equal to the sum of (i) the Cash Component, plus (ii) at least 102%, which the Trust may change from time to time, of the market value of the undelivered Deposit Securities (the “Additional Cash Deposit”) with the Fund pending delivery of any missing Deposit Securities.
If an Authorized Participant determines to post an Additional Cash Deposit as collateral for any undelivered Deposit Securities, such Authorized Participant must deposit with BNY Mellon the appropriate amount of federal funds by 2:00 p.m., Eastern time (or such other time as specified by the Trust), on the Settlement Date. If the Authorized Participant does not place its purchase order by the closing time or BNY Mellon does not receive federal funds in the appropriate amount by such time, then the order may be deemed to be rejected and the Authorized Participant shall be liable to the Fund for losses, if any, resulting therefrom. An additional amount of cash shall be required to be deposited with BNY Mellon, pending delivery of the missing Deposit Securities to the extent necessary to maintain the Additional Cash Deposit with the Trust in an amount at least equal to 102%, which the Trust may change from time to time, of the daily marked-to-market value of the missing Deposit Securities. To the extent that missing Deposit Securities are not received by the specified time on the Settlement Date, or in the event a marked-to-market payment is not made within one Business Day following notification by the Distributor that such a payment is required, the Trust may use the Additional Cash Deposit to purchase the missing Deposit Securities.
The Authorized Participant will be liable to the Trust for the costs incurred by the Trust in connection with any such purchases. These costs will be deemed to include the amount by which the actual purchase price of the Deposit Securities exceeds the market value of such Deposit Securities on the Transmittal Date plus the brokerage and related transaction costs associated with such purchases. The Trust will return any unused portion of the Additional Cash Deposit once all of the missing Deposit Securities have been properly received by BNY Mellon or purchased
29
by the Trust and deposited into the Trust. In addition, a Transaction Fee, as listed below, will be charged in all cases. The delivery of Creation Unit Aggregations so created generally will occur no later than the Settlement Date.
Cash Purchases. When, in the sole discretion of the Trust, cash purchases of Creation Unit Aggregations of shares are available or specified for the Fund, such purchases shall be effected in essentially the same manner as in-kind purchases thereof. In the case of a cash purchase, the Authorized Participant must pay the cash equivalent of the Deposit Securities it would otherwise be required to provide through an in-kind purchase, plus the same Cash Component required to be paid by an in-kind purchaser. In addition, to offset brokerage and other costs associated with using cash to purchase the requisite Deposit Securities, the Authorized Participant must pay the Transaction Fees required by the Fund. If the Authorized Participant acts as a broker for the Fund in connection with the purchase of Deposit Securities, the Authorized Participant will also be required to pay certain brokerage commissions, taxes, and transaction and market impact costs as discussed under the heading “Brokerage Transactions” herein.
Acceptance of Orders for Creation Unit Aggregations. The Trust reserves the absolute right to reject or revoke acceptance of a creation order transmitted to it by the Distributor with respect to the Fund. Orders may be rejected and acceptance may be revoked if, for example: (i) the order is not in proper form; (ii) the investor(s), upon obtaining the shares ordered, would own 80% or more of the currently outstanding shares of the Fund; (iii) the Deposit Securities delivered are not the same as those disseminated through the facilities of the NSCC for that date by the Fund as described above; (iv) acceptance of the Deposit Securities would have certain adverse tax consequences to the Fund; (v) acceptance of the Fund Deposit would, in the opinion of counsel, be unlawful; (vi) acceptance of the Fund Deposit would otherwise, in the discretion of the Trust or WisdomTree Asset Management, have an adverse effect on the Trust or the rights of beneficial owners; or (vii) in the event that circumstances outside the control of the Trust, BNY Mellon, the Distributor or WisdomTree Asset Management make it for all practical purposes impossible to process creation orders. Examples of such circumstances include acts of God; public service or utility problems such as fires, floods, extreme weather conditions and power outages resulting in telephone, telecopy and computer failures; market conditions or activities causing trading halts; systems failures involving computer or other information systems affecting the Trust, WisdomTree Asset Management, the Distributor, DTC, NSCC, BNY Mellon or a sub-custodian or any other participant in the creation process and similar extraordinary events. The Distributor shall notify a prospective creator of a Creation Unit and/or the Authorized Participant acting on behalf of the creator of a Creation Unit Aggregation of its rejection of the order of such person. The Trust, BNY Mellon, a sub-custodian and the Distributor are under no duty, however, to give notification of any defects or irregularities in the delivery of Fund Deposits nor shall any of them incur any liability for the failure to give any such notification.
All questions as to the number of shares of each security in the Deposit Securities and the validity, form, eligibility and acceptance for deposit of any securities to be delivered shall be determined by the Trust, and the Trust’s determination shall be final and binding.
Creation/Redemption Transaction Fee. The Fund imposes a “Transaction Fee” on investors purchasing or redeeming Creation Units. The purpose of the Transaction Fee is to protect the existing shareholders of the Fund from the dilutive costs associated with the purchase and redemption of Creation Units. Where the Fund permits cash creations (or redemptions) or cash in lieu of depositing one or more Deposit Securities, the purchaser (or redeemer) may be assessed a higher Transaction Fee to offset the transaction cost to the Fund of buying (or selling) those particular Deposit Securities. Transaction Fees for the Fund will differ from Transaction Fees for other WisdomTree Funds, depending on the transaction expenses related to the Fund’s portfolio securities, and will be limited to amounts that have been determined by WisdomTree Asset Management to be appropriate. The maximum Transaction Fee, as set forth in the table below for the Fund, may be charged in cases where the Fund permits cash or cash in lieu of Deposit Securities. Investors purchasing or redeeming through the DTC process generally will pay a higher Transaction Fee than will investors doing so through the NSCC process. Also, investors who use the services of a broker or other such intermediary may be charged a fee for such services, in addition to the Transaction Fee imposed by the Fund.
30
The following table sets forth the standard and maximum creation and redemption Transaction Fee for the Fund. These fees may be changed by the Trust.
| Fund |
Standard Creation/Redemption Transaction Fee |
Maximum Creation/Redemption Transaction Fee |
||||||
| WisdomTree 20+ Year U.S. Treasury Negative Duration Fund |
$ | [ | ] | $ | [ | ] | ||
Placement of Redemption Orders Using the Clearing Process. Orders to redeem Creation Unit Aggregations through the Clearing Process must be delivered through a Participating Party that has executed the Participant Agreement. Except as described herein, an order to redeem Creation Unit Aggregations using the Clearing Process is deemed received by the Trust on the Transmittal Date if: (i) such order is received by BNY Mellon (in its capacity as Transfer Agent) not later than the Closing Time on such Transmittal Date, and (ii) all other procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement are properly followed. Such order will be effected based on the NAV of the Fund as next determined. The consideration for redemption of Creation Unit Aggregations of the Fund generally consists of (i) a designated portfolio of fixed income securities and other instruments that closely approximate the holdings of the Fund (the “Fund Securities”) and (ii) an amount of cash denominated in U.S. dollars (the “Cash Redemption Amount”) as described below. The requisite Fund Securities and the Cash Redemption Amount generally will be transferred by the third NSCC Business Day following the date on which such request for redemption is deemed received.
Placement of Redemption Orders Outside the Clearing Process. Orders to redeem Creation Unit Aggregations outside the Clearing Process must be delivered through a DTC Participant that has executed the Participant Agreement. An order to redeem Creation Unit Aggregations outside the Clearing Process is deemed received by the Trust on the Transmittal Date if: (i) such order is received by BNY Mellon (in its capacity as Transfer Agent) not later than the Closing Time on such Transmittal Date; (ii) such order is accompanied or followed by the requisite number of shares of the Fund specified in such order, which delivery must be made through DTC to BNY Mellon no later than 11:00 a.m., Eastern time, on the contracted settlement date; and (iii) all other procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement are properly followed. After the Trust has deemed an order for redemption outside the Clearing Process received, the Trust will initiate procedures to transfer the requisite Fund Securities which are expected to be delivered within three Business Days and the Cash Redemption Amount to the Authorized Participant on behalf of the redeeming Beneficial Owner by the Settlement Date. In certain cases Authorized Participants will redeem and create Creation Unit Aggregations of the same Fund on the same trade date. In these instances, the Trust reserves the right to settle these transactions on a net basis.
If the requisite number of shares of the Fund is not delivered on the Transmittal Date as described above, the Fund may reject or revoke acceptance of the redemption request because the Authorized Participant has not satisfied all of the settlement requirements.
The current procedures for collateralization of missing shares require, among other things, that any cash collateral shall be in the form of U.S. dollars in immediately available funds and shall be held by BNY Mellon and marked-to-market daily, and that the fees of BNY Mellon and any sub-custodians in respect of the delivery, maintenance and redelivery of the cash collateral shall be payable by the Authorized Participant. The Authorized Participant’s agreement will permit the Trust, on behalf of the Fund, to purchase the missing shares or acquire the Deposit Securities and the Cash Component underlying such shares at any time and will subject the Authorized Participant to liability for any shortfall between the cost to the Trust of purchasing such shares, Deposit Securities or Cash Component and the value of the collateral.
The calculation of the value of the Fund Securities and the Cash Redemption Amount to be delivered upon redemption will be made by BNY Mellon according to the procedures set forth under Determination of NAV computed on the Business Day on which a redemption order is deemed received by the Trust. Therefore, if a redemption order in proper form is submitted to BNY Mellon by a DTC Participant not later than the Closing Time on the Transmittal Date, and the requisite number of shares of the Fund are delivered to BNY Mellon prior to the DTC cut-off time, then the value of the Fund Securities and the Cash Redemption Amount to be delivered will be determined by BNY Mellon on such Transmittal Date. If, however, a redemption order is submitted to BNY Mellon by a DTC Participant not later than the Closing Time on the Transmittal Date but either (i) the requisite number of shares of the Fund are not delivered by the DTC cut-off-time on such Transmittal Date, or (ii) the redemption order is not submitted in proper form, then the
31
redemption order will not be deemed received as of the Transmittal Date. In such case, the value of the Fund Securities and the Cash Redemption Amount to be delivered will be computed on the Business Day that such order is deemed received by the Trust on which the shares of the Fund are delivered through DTC to BNY Mellon by the DTC cut-off-time on such Business Day pursuant to a properly submitted redemption order.
The Fund may also, in its sole discretion, upon request of a shareholder, provide such redeemer a portfolio of securities that differs from the exact composition of the Fund Securities but does not differ in NAV.
Redemptions of shares for Fund Securities will be subject to compliance with applicable federal and state securities laws and the Fund (whether or not it otherwise permits cash redemptions) reserves the right to redeem Creation Unit Aggregations for cash to the extent that the Trust could not lawfully deliver specific Fund Securities upon redemptions or could not do so without first registering the Fund Securities under such laws. An Authorized Participant or an investor for which it is acting subject to a legal restriction with respect to a particular security included in the Fund Securities applicable to the redemption of a Creation Unit Aggregation may be paid an equivalent amount of cash. The Authorized Participant may request the redeeming Beneficial Owner of the shares to complete an order form or to enter into agreements with respect to such matters as compensating cash payment.
Cash Redemptions. The Fund may pay out the proceeds of redemptions of Creation Unit Aggregations solely in cash or through any combination of cash or securities. In addition, an investor may request a redemption in cash that the Fund may, in its sole discretion, permit. In either case, the investor will receive a cash payment equal to the NAV of its shares based on the NAV of shares of the Fund next determined after the redemption request is received in proper form (minus a redemption transaction fee and additional charge for requested cash redemptions specified above, to offset the Trust’s brokerage and other transaction costs associated with the disposition of Fund Securities). Proceeds will be paid to the Authorized Participant redeeming shares on behalf of the redeeming investor as soon as practicable after the date of redemption. If the Authorized Participant acts as a broker for the Fund in connection with the sale of Fund Securities, the Authorized Participant will also be required to pay certain brokerage commissions, taxes, and transaction and market impact costs as discussed under the heading “Brokerage Transactions” herein.
Redemptions of shares for Fund Securities will be subject to compliance with applicable federal and state securities laws and the Fund (whether or not it otherwise permits cash redemptions) reserves the right to redeem Creation Unit Aggregations for cash to the extent that the Trust could not lawfully deliver specific Fund Securities upon redemptions or could not do so without first registering the Fund Securities under such laws.
In-Kind Redemptions. The ability of the Trust to effect in-kind creations and redemptions is subject, among other things, to the condition that, within the time period from the date of the order to the date of delivery of the securities, there are no days that are holidays in the applicable foreign market. For every occurrence of one or more intervening holidays in the applicable foreign market that are not holidays observed in the U.S. equity market, the redemption settlement cycle may be extended by the number of such intervening holidays. In addition to holidays, other unforeseeable closings in a foreign market due to emergencies may also prevent the Trust from delivering securities within the normal settlement period. The Fund will not suspend or postpone redemption beyond seven days, except as permitted under Section 22(e) of the 1940 Act. Section 22(e) provides that the right of redemption may be suspended or the date of payment postponed with respect to the Fund (1) for any period during which the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is closed (other than customary weekend and holiday closings); (2) for any period during which trading on the NYSE is suspended or restricted; (3) for any period during which an emergency exists as a result of which disposal of the shares of the Fund’s portfolio securities or determination of its net asset value is not reasonably practicable; or (4) in such other circumstance as is permitted by the SEC.
The following discussion of certain U.S. federal income tax consequences of investing in the Fund is based on the Code, U.S. Treasury regulations, and other applicable authority, all as in effect as of the date of the filing of this SAI. These authorities are subject to change by legislative or administrative action, possibly with retroactive effect. The following discussion is only a summary of some of the important U.S. federal income tax considerations generally applicable to investments in the Fund. There may be other tax considerations applicable to particular shareholders. Shareholders should consult their own tax advisors regarding their particular situation and the possible application of foreign, state, and local tax laws.
32
Qualification as a Regulated Investment Company (RIC). The Fund has elected or intends to elect to be treated, and intends to qualify each year, as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code. In order to qualify for the special tax treatment accorded RICs and their shareholders, the Fund must, among other things:
| (a) | derive at least 90% of its gross income each year from (i) dividends, interest, payments with respect to certain securities loans, gains from the sale or other disposition of stock or securities or foreign currencies, or other income (including but not limited to gains from options, futures or forward contracts) derived with respect to its business of investing in such stock, securities or currencies, and (ii) net income derived from interests in “qualified publicly traded partnerships” (as defined below); |
| (b) | diversify its holdings so that, at the end of each quarter of its taxable year, (i) at least 50% of the market value of the Fund’s total assets consists of cash and cash items, U.S. government securities, securities of other RICs and other securities, with investments in such other securities limited with respect to any one issuer to an amount not greater than 5% of the value of the Fund’s total assets and not greater than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer, and (ii) not more than 25% of the value of the Fund’s total assets is invested in (1) the securities (other than those of the U.S. government or other RICs) of any one issuer or two or more issuers that are controlled by the Fund and that are engaged in the same, similar or related trades or businesses or (2) the securities of one or more qualified publicly traded partnerships; and |
| (c) | distribute with respect to each taxable year an amount at least equal to the sum of 90% of its investment company taxable income (as that term is defined in the Code without regard to the deduction for dividends paid – generally taxable ordinary income and the excess, if any, of net short-term capital gains over net long-term capital losses) and 90% of its net tax-exempt interest income. |
In general, for purposes of the 90% of gross income requirement described in (a) above, income derived from a partnership will be treated as qualifying income only to the extent such income is attributable to items of income of the partnership that would be qualifying income if realized directly by the Fund. However, 100% of the net income derived from an interest in a “qualified publicly traded partnership” (generally, a partnership (i) interests in which are traded on an established securities market or are readily tradable on a secondary market or the substantial equivalent thereof, and (ii) that derives less than 90% of its income from the qualifying income described in (a)(i) of the prior paragraph) will be treated as qualifying income. In addition, although in general the passive loss rules of the Code do not apply to RICs, such rules do apply to a RIC with respect to items attributable to an interest in a qualified publicly traded partnership.
The U.S. Treasury Department has authority to issue regulations that would exclude foreign currency gains from the 90% test described in (a) above if such gains are not directly related to a fund’s business of investing in stock or securities. Accordingly, regulations may be issued in the future that could treat some or all of the Fund’s non-U.S. currency gains as non-qualifying income, thereby potentially jeopardizing the Fund’s status as a RIC for all years to which the regulations are applicable.
Taxation of the Fund. If the Fund qualifies for treatment as a RIC, the Fund will not be subject to federal income tax on income and gains that are distributed in a timely manner to its shareholders in the form of dividends.
If, for any taxable year, the Fund were to fail to qualify as a RIC or were to fail to meet the distribution requirement, it would be taxed in the same manner as an ordinary corporation and distributions to its shareholders would not be deductible by the Fund in computing its taxable income. In addition, the Fund’s distributions, to the extent derived from the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits, including any distributions of net long-term capital gains, would be taxable to shareholders as ordinary dividend income for federal income tax purposes. However, such dividends would be eligible, subject to any generally applicable limitations, (i) to be treated as qualified dividend income in the case of shareholders taxed as individuals and (ii) for the dividends-received deduction in the case of corporate shareholders. Moreover, the Fund would be required to pay out its earnings and profits accumulated in that year in order to qualify for treatment as a RIC in a subsequent year. Under certain circumstances, the Fund may be able to cure a failure to qualify as a RIC, but in order to do so the Fund may incur significant Fund-level taxes and may be forced to dispose of certain assets. If the Fund failed to qualify as a RIC for a period greater than two taxable years, the Fund would generally be required to recognize any net built-in gains with respect to certain of its assets upon a disposition of such assets within ten years of qualifying as a RIC in a subsequent year.
33
The Fund intends to distribute at least annually substantially all of its investment company taxable income and net capital gain (the excess of the Fund’s net long-term capital gain over its net short-term capital loss). Investment company taxable income that is retained by the Fund will be subject to tax at regular corporate rates. If the Fund retains any net capital gain, that gain will be subject to tax at corporate rates, but the Fund may designate the retained amount as undistributed capital gains in a notice to its shareholders who (i) will be required to include in income for federal income tax purposes, as long-term capital gain, their shares of such undistributed amount, (ii) will be deemed to have paid their proportionate shares of the tax paid by the Fund on such undistributed amount against their federal income tax liabilities, if any, and (iii) will be entitled to claim refunds on a properly filed U.S. tax return to the extent the credit exceeds such liabilities. For federal income tax purposes, the tax basis of shares owned by a shareholder of the Fund will be increased by an amount equal to the difference between the amount of undistributed capital gains included in the shareholder’s gross income and the tax deemed paid by the shareholder.
If the Fund fails to distribute in a calendar year an amount at least equal to the sum of 98% of its ordinary income for such year and 98.2% of its capital gain net income for the one-year period ending October 31 of such year, plus any retained amount from the prior year, the Fund will be subject to a non-deductible 4% excise tax on the undistributed amount. For these purposes, the Fund will be treated as having distributed any amount on which it has been subject to corporate income tax in the taxable year ending within the calendar year. The Fund intends to declare and pay dividends and distributions in the amounts and at the times necessary to avoid the application of the 4% excise tax, although there can be no assurance that it will be able to do so.
The Fund may elect to treat part or all of any “qualified late year loss” as if it had been incurred in the succeeding taxable year in determining the Fund’s taxable income, net capital gain, net short-term capital gain, and earning and profits. A “qualified late year loss” generally includes net capital loss, net long-term capital loss, or net short-term capital loss incurred after October 31 of the current taxable year, and certain other late-year losses.
If the Fund has a “net capital loss” (that is, capital losses in excess of capital gains) for a taxable year beginning after December 22, 2010, the excess of the Fund’s net short-term capital losses over its net long-term capital gains is treated as a short-term capital loss arising on the first day of the Fund’s next taxable year, and the excess (if any) of the Fund’s net long-term capital losses over its net short-term capital gains is treated as a long-term capital loss arising on the first day of the Fund’s next taxable year.
Fund Distributions. Distributions are generally taxable whether shareholders receive them in cash or reinvest them in additional shares. Moreover, distributions on the Fund’s shares are generally subject to federal income tax as described herein to the extent they do not exceed the Fund’s realized income and gains, even though such distributions may economically represent a return of a particular shareholder’s investment. Investors may therefore wish to avoid purchasing shares at a time when the Fund’s NAV reflects gains that are either unrealized, or realized but not distributed. Realized income and gains must generally be distributed even when the Fund’s NAV also reflects unrealized losses.
Dividends and other distributions by the Fund are generally treated under the Code as received by the shareholders at the time the dividend or distribution is made. However, if any dividend or distribution is declared by the Fund in October, November or December of any calendar year and payable to its shareholders of record on a specified date in such a month but is actually paid during the following January, such dividend or distribution will be deemed to have been received by each shareholder on December 31 of the year in which the dividend was declared.
Distributions by the Fund of investment income are generally taxable as ordinary income. Taxes on distributions of capital gains are determined by how long the Fund owned the investments that generated those gains, rather than how long a shareholder has owned his or her Fund shares. Sales of assets held by the Fund for more than one year generally result in long-term capital gains and losses, and sales of assets held by the Fund for one year or less generally result in short-term capital gains and losses. Distributions from the Fund’s net capital gain that are properly reported by the Fund as capital gain dividends (“Capital Gain Dividends”) will be taxable as long-term capital gains. For individuals, long-term capital gains are subject to tax at reduced maximum tax rates. Distributions of gains from the sale of investments that the Fund owned for one year or less will be taxable as ordinary income.
Since the Fund will invest primarily in investments other than stock of the U.S. corporations, the Fund does not expect a substantial portion of its dividends will qualify for the dividends-received deduction available to corporate shareholders. The Fund also does not expect a substantial portion of their dividends to be treated as “qualified dividend income,” which is taxable to noncorporate shareholders at reduced rates.
34
Dividends and distributions from the Fund and capital gain on the sale of Fund shares are generally taken into account in determining a shareholder’s “net investment income” for purposes of the Medicare contribution tax applicable to certain individuals, estates and trusts.
If the Fund makes distributions in excess of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits in any taxable year, the excess distribution to each shareholder will be treated as a return of capital to the extent of the shareholder’s tax basis in its shares, and, after the shareholder’s basis has been reduced to zero, as capital gain, assuming the shareholder holds his or her shares as capital assets. A return of capital is not taxable, but reduces a shareholder’s tax basis in its shares, thus reducing any loss or increasing any gain on a subsequent taxable disposition by the shareholder of its shares.
Sale or Exchange of Shares. A sale or exchange of shares in the Fund may give rise to a gain or loss. In general, any gain or loss realized upon a taxable disposition of shares will be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than 12 months. Otherwise, the gain or loss on the taxable disposition of shares will be treated as short-term capital gain or loss. However, any loss realized upon a taxable disposition of shares held for six months or less will be treated as long-term, rather than short-term, to the extent of any long-term capital gain distributions received (or deemed received) by the shareholder with respect to the shares. All or a portion of any loss realized upon a taxable disposition of shares will be disallowed if other substantially identical shares of the Fund are purchased within 30 days before or after the disposition. In such a case, the basis of the newly purchased shares will be adjusted to reflect the disallowed loss.
Backup Withholding. The Fund (or a financial intermediary, such as a broker, through which a shareholder holds Fund shares) generally is required to withhold and to remit to the U.S. Treasury a percentage of the taxable distributions and sale or redemption proceeds paid to any shareholder who fails to properly furnish a correct taxpayer identification number, who has under-reported dividend or interest income, or who fails to certify that he, she or it is not subject to such withholding. The backup withholding rate is currently 28%.
Federal Tax Treatment of Certain Fund Investments. Transactions of the Fund in options, futures contracts, hedging transactions, forward contracts, swap agreements, straddles and foreign currencies may be subject to various special and complex tax rules, including mark-to-market, constructive sale, straddle, wash sale and short sale rules. These rules could affect whether gains and losses recognized by the Fund are treated as ordinary income or capital gain, accelerate the recognition of income to the Fund and/or defer the Fund’s ability to recognize losses. These rules may in turn affect the amount, timing or character of the income distributed to shareholders by the Fund.
The Fund is required, for federal income tax purposes, to mark to market and recognize as income for each taxable year its net unrealized gains and losses as of the end of such year on certain regulated futures contracts, foreign currency contracts and options that qualify as Section 1256 contracts in addition to the gains and losses actually realized with respect to such contracts during the year. Except as described below under “Certain Foreign Currency Tax Issues,” gain or loss from Section 1256 contracts that are required to be marked to market annually will generally be 60% long-term and 40% short-term capital gain or loss. Application of this rule may alter the timing and character of distributions to shareholders.
Some debt obligations that may be acquired by the Fund may be treated as having original issue discount (“OID”). Generally, the Fund will be required to include OID in taxable income over the term of the debt security, even though payment of the OID is not received until a later time, usually when the debt security matures. If the Fund holds such debt instruments, it may be required to pay out as distributions each year an amount that is greater than the total amount of cash interest the Fund actually received. Such distributions may be made from the cash assets of the Fund or by liquidation of portfolio securities, if necessary.
The Fund may invest in inflation-linked debt securities. Any increase in the principal amount of an inflation-linked debt security will be OID, which is taxable as ordinary income and is required to be distributed, even though the Fund will not receive the principal, including any increase thereto, until maturity. If the Fund invests in securities that have OID, it may be required to liquidate other investments, including at times when it is not advantageous to do so, in order to satisfy its distribution requirements and to eliminate any possible taxation at the Fund level. Moreover, the Fund may realize gains or losses from such liquidations. In the event the Fund realizes net gains from such transactions, its shareholders may receive larger distributions than they would have in the absence of such transactions.
35
Tax-Exempt Shareholders. Under current law, income of a RIC that would be treated as unrelated business taxable income (“UBTI”) if earned directly by a tax-exempt entity generally will not be attributed as UBTI to a tax-exempt entity that is a shareholder in the RIC. Notwithstanding this “blocking” effect, a tax-exempt shareholder could realize UBTI by virtue of its investment in the Fund if shares in the Fund constitute debt-financed property in the hands of the tax-exempt shareholder within the meaning of Code Section 514(b).
Non-U.S. Shareholders. In general, dividends other than Capital Gain Dividends paid by the Fund to a shareholder that is not a “U.S. person” within the meaning of the Code (a “foreign person”) are subject to withholding of U.S. federal income tax at a rate of 30% (or lower applicable treaty rate) even if they are funded by income or gains (such as portfolio interest, short-term capital gains, or foreign-source dividend and interest income) that, if paid to a foreign person directly, would not be subject to withholding.
For taxable years beginning before January 1, 2014, assuming certain certification requirements are complied with, the Fund generally is not required to withhold any amounts (i) with respect to distributions attributable to U.S. source interest income that would be treated as “portfolio interest” and accordingly would not be subject to U.S. federal income tax if earned directly by an individual foreign person, and (ii) with respect to distributions of net short-term capital gains in excess of net long-term capital losses, to the extent such distributions are reported by the Fund as “interest-related dividends” and “short-term capital gain dividends,” respectively. Depending on the circumstances, the Fund may so report all, some or none of its potentially eligible dividends or treat such dividends, in whole or in part, as ineligible for this exemption from withholding. Moreover, in the case of shares held through an intermediary, the intermediary may withhold even if the Fund reports such a payment.
A beneficial holder of shares who is a non-U.S. person is not, in general, subject to U.S. federal income tax on gains (and is not allowed a U.S. income tax deduction for losses) realized on a sale of shares of the Fund or on Capital Gain Dividends unless (i) such gain or dividend is effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business carried on by such holder within the United States or (ii) in the case of an individual holder, the holder is present in the United States for a period or periods aggregating 183 days or more during the year of the sale or the receipt of the Capital Gain Dividend and certain other conditions are met.
Ordinary dividends, redemption payments and certain Capital Gain Dividends paid after June 30, 2014 to a non-U.S. shareholder that fails to make certain required certifications, or that is a “foreign financial institution” as defined in Section 1471 of the Code and that does not meet the requirements imposed on foreign financial institutions by Section 1471, are generally subject to withholding tax at a 30% rate. Under current IRS guidance, withholding on such payments will begin at different times depending on the type of payment, the type of payee, and whether the shareholder’s account is opened before or after July 1, 2014. Withholding with respect to ordinary dividends is currently scheduled to begin on July 1, 2014 for accounts opened on or after that date and on certain later dates for accounts opened before July 1, 2014. Withholding on redemption payments and certain Capital Gain Dividends is currently scheduled to begin on January 1, 2017. The extent, if any, to which such withholding tax may be reduced or eliminated by an applicable tax treaty is unclear. A non-U.S. shareholder may be exempt from the withholding described in this paragraph under an intergovernmental agreement between the U.S. and a foreign government, provided that the shareholder and the applicable foreign government comply with the terms of such agreement.
In order for a non-U.S. person to qualify for an exemption from backup withholding, the foreign investor must comply with special certification and filing requirements. Foreign investors in the Fund should consult their tax advisors in this regard. Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld may be credited against the shareholder’s U.S. federal income tax liability, provided the appropriate information is furnished to the IRS.
A beneficial holder of shares who is a non-U.S. person may be subject to the U.S. federal estate tax in addition to the federal income tax consequences referred to above. If a shareholder is eligible for the benefits of a tax treaty, any effectively connected income or gain will generally be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a net basis only if it is also attributable to a permanent establishment maintained by the shareholder in the United States.
Creation and Redemption of Creation Unit Aggregations. An Authorized Participant having the U.S. dollar as its functional currency for U.S. federal tax purposes that exchanges securities or non-U.S. currency for Creation Unit Aggregations generally will recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between (i) the sum of the market value of the Creation Unit Aggregations at the time of the exchange and any cash received by the Authorized Participant
36
in the exchange, and (ii) the sum of the exchanger’s aggregate basis in the securities or non-U.S. currency surrendered and any cash paid for such Creation Unit Aggregations. All or a portion of any gain or loss recognized by an Authorized Participant exchanging a currency other than its functional currency for Creation Units may be treated as ordinary income or loss. A person who redeems Creation Unit Aggregations for securities or non-U.S. currency will generally recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the exchanger’s basis in the Creation Unit Aggregations and the sum of the aggregate U.S. dollar market value of the securities or non-U.S. currency plus the amount of any cash received for such Creation Unit Aggregations. The IRS, however, may assert that a loss that is realized by an Authorized Participant upon an exchange of securities or non-U.S. currency for Creation Unit Aggregations cannot be currently deducted under the rules governing “wash sales.” Gain or loss recognized by an Authorized Participant upon an issuance of Creation Unit Aggregations in exchange for non-U.S. currency will generally be treated as ordinary income or loss. Gain or loss recognized by an Authorized Participant upon an issuance of Creation Unit Aggregations in exchange for securities, or upon a redemption of Creation Unit Aggregations, may be capital or ordinary gain or loss depending on the circumstances. All or some portion of any capital gain or loss realized upon the issuance of Creation Unit Aggregations in exchange for securities will generally be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if securities exchanged for such Creation Unit Aggregations have been held for more than one year. Any capital gain or loss realized upon the redemption of Creation Unit Aggregations will generally be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the Creation Unit Aggregations have been held for more than one year. Otherwise, such gains or losses are treated as short-term capital gains or losses.
A person subject to U.S. federal income tax who receives non-U.S. currency upon a redemption of Creation Unit Aggregations and does not immediately convert the non-U.S. currency into U.S. dollars may, upon a later conversion of the non-U.S. currency into U.S. dollars, or upon the use of the non-U.S. currency to pay expenses or acquire assets, recognize as ordinary gains or losses any gains or losses resulting from fluctuations in the value of the non-U.S. currency relative to the U.S. dollar since the date of the redemption.
Persons exchanging securities or non-U.S. currency for Creation Unit Aggregations should consult their own tax advisors with respect to the tax treatment of any creation or redemption transaction. If you purchase or redeem Creation Unit Aggregations, you will be sent a confirmation statement showing how many shares you purchased or redeemed and at what price.
Section 351. The Trust on behalf of the Fund has the right to reject an order for a purchase of shares of the Fund if the purchaser (or any group of purchasers) would, upon obtaining the shares so ordered, own 80% or more of the outstanding shares of the Fund and if, pursuant to Section 351 of the Code, the Fund would have a basis in the securities different from the market value of such securities on the date of deposit. The Trust also has the right to require information necessary to determine beneficial share ownership for purposes of the 80% determination.
Certain Reporting Regulations. Under U.S. Treasury regulations, if a shareholder recognizes a loss of $2 million or more for an individual shareholder or $10 million or more for a corporate shareholder, the shareholder must file with the IRS a disclosure statement on Form 8886. Direct shareholders of portfolio securities are in many cases excepted from this reporting requirement, but under current guidance, shareholders of a RIC are not excepted. The fact that a loss is reportable under these regulations does not affect the legal determination of whether the taxpayer’s treatment of the loss is proper. Shareholders should consult their tax advisors to determine the applicability of these regulations in light of their individual circumstances.
General Considerations. The federal income tax discussion set forth above is for general information only. Prospective investors should consult their tax advisors regarding the specific federal income tax consequences of purchasing, holding and disposing of shares of the Fund, as well as the effect of state, local and foreign tax law and any proposed tax law changes.
The NAV of the Fund’s shares is calculated each day the national securities exchanges are open for trading as of the close of regular trading on the Listing Exchange, generally 4:00 p.m. New York time (the “NAV Calculation Time”). NAV per share is calculated by dividing the Fund’s net assets by the number of Fund shares outstanding.
In calculating the Fund’s NAV, Fund investments generally are valued using market valuations. Short-term debt securities with remaining maturities of sixty (60) days or less generally are valued on the basis of amortized cost,
37
which approximates fair value. U.S. fixed income assets may be valued as of the announced closing time for such securities on any day that the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association announces an early closing time. The values of any assets or liabilities of the Fund that are denominated in a currency other than the U.S. dollar are converted into U.S. dollars using an exchange rate deemed appropriate by the Fund.
In certain instances, such as when reliable market valuations are not readily available or are not deemed to reflect current market values, the Fund’s investments will be valued in accordance with the Fund’s pricing policy and procedures. Securities that may be valued using “fair value” pricing may include, but are not limited to, securities for which there are no current market quotations or whose issuer is in default or bankruptcy, securities subject to corporate actions (such as mergers or reorganizations), securities subject to non-U.S. investment limits or currency controls, and securities affected by “significant events.” An example of a significant event is an event occurring after the close of the market in which a security trades but before the Fund’s next NAV Calculation Time that may materially affect the value of the Fund’s investment (e.g., government action, natural disaster, or significant market fluctuation). Price movements in U.S. markets that are deemed to affect the value of foreign securities, or reflect changes to the value of such securities, also may cause securities to be “fair valued.”
When fair-value pricing is employed, the prices of securities used by the Fund to calculate its NAV may differ from quoted or published prices for the same securities.
Fund shares are purchased or sold on a national securities exchange at market prices, which may be higher or lower than NAV. No secondary sales will be made to brokers or dealers at a concession by the Distributor or by the Fund. Purchases and sales of shares in the secondary market, which will not involve the Fund, will be subject to customary brokerage commissions and charges. Transactions in Fund shares will be priced at NAV only if you purchase or redeem shares directly from the Fund in Creation Units.
The Fund intends to pay out dividends, if any, on a monthly basis but in any event no less frequently than annually. Nonetheless, the Fund might not make a dividend payment every month. The Fund intends to distribute its net realized capital gains, if any, to investors annually. The Fund may occasionally be required to make supplemental distributions at some other time during the year. Distributions in cash may be reinvested automatically in additional whole shares only if the broker through whom you purchased shares makes such option available. Your broker is responsible for distributing the income and capital gain distributions to you.
The Trust reserves the right to declare special distributions if, in its reasonable discretion, such action is necessary or advisable to preserve the status of the Fund as a RIC or to avoid imposition of income or excise taxes on undistributed income.
Financial Statements and Annual Reports will be available after the Fund has completed a fiscal year of operations. When available, you may request a copy of the Trust’s Annual Report at no charge by calling 866-909-9473 or through the Trust’s website at www.wisdomtree.com.
Counsel. Bingham McCutchen LLP, with offices located at 2020 K Street, NW, Washington, DC 20006, serves as legal counsel to the Trust.
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm. Ernst & Young LLP, with offices located at 5 Times Square, New York, New York 10036, serves as the independent registered public accounting firm to the Trust.
WIS-SAI-046-xx14
38
Part C: Other Information
| Item 28. | Exhibits |
| (a)(1) |
Trust Instrument of WisdomTree Trust (the “Trust” or the “Registrant”) dated December 15, 2005 is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (a) of the Registrant’s Initial Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed with the U.S. Securities Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on March 13, 2006. | |
| (a)(2) |
Schedule A, as revised December 5, 2013, to the Trust Instrument dated December 15, 2005 is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (a)(2) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 283 filing, as filed with the SEC on December 23, 2013. | |
| (a)(3) |
Revised Schedule A, reflecting the addition of the WisdomTree Brazil Low Volatility Equity Fund, WisdomTree Brazil Bond Fund, WisdomTree Emerging Markets Low Volatility Equity Fund, WisdomTree Bloomberg U.S. Dollar Bearish Fund, WisdomTree Commodity Currency Bearish Fund, WisdomTree Short-Term Credit Bond Zero Duration Fund, WisdomTree Short-Term Credit Bond Negative Duration Fund, WisdomTree Intermediate Credit Bond Zero Duration Fund, WisdomTree Intermediate Credit Bond Negative Duration Fund, WisdomTree International Hedged Dividend Growth Fund, WisdomTree Japan Hedged Real Estate Fund, WisdomTree Japan Hedged Financials Fund, WisdomTree Japan Hedged Tech, Media and Telecom Fund, WisdomTree Japan Hedged Capital Goods Fund, WisdomTree Japan Hedged Health Care Fund, WisdomTree Floating Rate Treasury Fund, and WisdomTree 20+ Year U.S. Treasury Negative Duration Fund, to the Trust Instrument dated December 15, 2005, to be filed by amendment. | |
| (a)(4) |
Certificate of Trust, as filed with the State of Delaware on December 15, 2005, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (a)(2) of the Registrant’s Initial Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed with the SEC on March 13, 2006. | |
| (b) |
Registrant’s By-Laws are incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (b) of the Registrant’s Initial Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed with the SEC on March 13, 2006. | |
| (c) |
Portions of the Registrant’s Trust Instrument and By-Laws defining the rights of holders of shares of the Registrant are incorporated herein by reference to Article II, Sections 2, 3 and 8, and Articles III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX and X of the Registrant’s Trust Instrument dated December 15, 2005, filed as Exhibit (a)(1) to the Registrant’s Initial Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed with the SEC on March 13, 2006; and to Articles I, V, and VI of the Registrant’s By-Laws, filed as Exhibit (b) to the Registrant’s Initial Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed with SEC on March 13, 2006. | |
| (d)(1) |
Investment Advisory Agreement dated November 20, 2012 between the Registrant and WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d)(1) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 142 filing, as filed with the SEC on December 28, 2012. | |
| (d)(2) |
Schedule A, as revised January 31, 2013, to the Investment Advisory Agreement dated November 20, 2012 between the Registrant and WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d)(2) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 198 filing, as filed with the SEC on July 29, 2013. | |
| (d)(3) |
Investment Advisory Agreement dated March 26, 2013 between the Registrant and WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d)(3) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 198 filing, as filed with the SEC on July 29, 2013. | |
| (d)(4) |
Schedule A, dated as of December 5, 2013, to the Investment Advisory Agreement dated March 26, 2013 between the Registrant and WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d)(4) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 283 filing, as filed with the SEC on December 23, 2013. | |
1
| (d)(5) |
Revised Schedule A to the Investment Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc., reflecting the addition of the WisdomTree Brazil Low Volatility Equity Fund, WisdomTree Brazil Bond Fund, WisdomTree Emerging Markets Low Volatility Equity Fund, WisdomTree Bloomberg U.S. Dollar Bearish Fund, WisdomTree Commodity Currency Bearish Fund, WisdomTree Short-Term Credit Bond Zero Duration Fund, WisdomTree Short-Term Credit Bond Negative Duration Fund, WisdomTree Intermediate Credit Bond Zero Duration Fund, WisdomTree Intermediate Credit Bond Negative Duration Fund, WisdomTree International Hedged Dividend Growth Fund, WisdomTree Japan Hedged Real Estate Fund, WisdomTree Japan Hedged Financials Fund, WisdomTree Japan Hedged Tech, Media and Telecom Fund, WisdomTree Japan Hedged Capital Goods Fund, WisdomTree Japan Hedged Health Care Fund, WisdomTree Floating Rate Treasury Fund, and WisdomTree 20+ Year U.S. Treasury Negative Duration Fund, to be filed by amendment. | |
| (d)(6) |
Amended and Restated Sub-Advisory Agreement dated January 1, 2013 between WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. and Mellon Capital Management Corporation is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d)(6) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 144 filing, as filed with the SEC on January 11, 2013. | |
| (d)(7) |
Clarifying Amendment and revised Appendices A, B-1, and B-2, each dated June 18, 2013, to the Amended and Restated Sub-Advisory Agreement dated January 1, 2013 between WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. and Mellon Capital Management Corporation are incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d)(7) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 198 filing, as filed with the SEC on July 29, 2013. | |
| (d)(8) |
Appendices A and B2, dated June 18, 2013, to the Amended and Restated Sub-Advisory Agreement dated January 1, 2013 between WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. and Mellon Capital Management Corporation are incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d)(8) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 243 filing, as filed with the SEC on October 25, 2013. | |
| (d)(9) |
Form of Appendix A to the Amended and Restated Sub-Advisory Agreement dated January 1, 2013 between WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. and Mellon Capital Management Corporation is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d)(9) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 283 filing, as filed with the SEC on December 23, 2013. | |
| (d)(10) |
Amended and Restated Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement dated December 5, 2012 between WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. and Western Asset Management Company, Western Asset Management Company Ltd., and Western Asset Management Company Pte., Ltd. is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d)(8) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 144 filing, as filed with the SEC on January 11, 2013. | |
| (d)(11) |
Form of Letter Agreement adding Appendix C to the Amended and Restated Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement dated December 5, 2012 between WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. and Western Asset Management Company, Western Asset Management Company Ltd., Western Asset Management Company Pte., Ltd, and Western Asset Management Company Ltd. (Japan) is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d)(33) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 266 filing, as filed with the SEC on December 12, 2013. | |
| (d)(12) |
Sub-Advisory Agreement dated November 20, 2012 between WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. and Old Mutual Global Index Trackers (Proprietary) Limited is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d)(5) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 151 filing, as filed with the SEC on March 6, 2013. | |
| (d)(13) |
Sub-Advisory Agreement between WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc., on behalf of the WisdomTree Brazil Low Volatility Equity Fund, and [SUB-ADVISER], to be filed by amendment. | |
| (d)(14) |
Sub-Advisory Agreement between WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc., on behalf of the WisdomTree Brazil Bond Fund, and [SUB-ADVISER], to be filed by amendment. | |
| (d)(15) |
Sub-Advisory Agreement between WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc., on behalf of the WisdomTree Emerging Markets Low Volatility Equity Fund, and [SUB-ADVISER], to be filed by amendment. | |
2
| (d)(16) |
Sub-Advisory Agreement between WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc., on behalf of the WisdomTree Bloomberg U.S. Dollar Bearish Fund, and [SUB-ADVISER], to be filed by amendment. | |
| (d)(17) |
Sub-Advisory Agreement between WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc., on behalf of the WisdomTree Commodity Currency Bearish Fund, and [SUB-ADVISER], to be filed by amendment. | |
| (d)(18) |
Sub-Advisory Agreement between WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc., on behalf of the WisdomTree Short-Term Credit Bond Zero Duration Fund, and [SUB-ADVISER], to be filed by amendment. | |
| (d)(19) |
Sub-Advisory Agreement between WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc., on behalf of the WisdomTree Short-Term Credit Bond Negative Duration Fund, and [SUB-ADVISER], to be filed by amendment. | |
| (d)(20) |
Sub-Advisory Agreement between WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc., on behalf of the WisdomTree Intermediate Credit Bond Zero Duration Fund, and [SUB-ADVISER], to be filed by amendment. | |
| (d)(21) |
Sub-Advisory Agreement between WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc., on behalf of the WisdomTree Intermediate Credit Bond Negative Duration Fund, and [SUB-ADVISER], to be filed by amendment. | |
| (d)(22) |
Sub-Advisory Agreement between WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc., on behalf of the WisdomTree International Hedged Dividend Growth Fund, and [SUB-ADVISER], to be filed by amendment. | |
| (d)(23) |
Sub-Advisory Agreement between WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc., on behalf of the WisdomTree Japan Hedged Real Estate Fund, and [SUB-ADVISER], to be filed by amendment. | |
| (d)(24) |
Sub-Advisory Agreement between WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc., on behalf of the WisdomTree Japan Hedged Financials Fund, and [SUB-ADVISER], to be filed by amendment. | |
| (d)(25) |
Sub-Advisory Agreement between WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc., on behalf of the WisdomTree Japan Hedged Tech, Media and Telecom Fund, and [SUB-ADVISER], to be filed by amendment. | |
| (d)(26) |
Sub-Advisory Agreement between WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc., on behalf of the WisdomTree Japan Hedged Capital Goods Fund, and [SUB-ADVISER], to be filed by amendment. | |
| (d)(27) |
Sub-Advisory Agreement between WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc., on behalf of the WisdomTree Japan Hedged Health Care Fund, and [SUB-ADVISER], to be filed by amendment. | |
| (d)(28) |
Sub-Advisory Agreement between WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc., on behalf of the WisdomTree Floating Rate Treasury Fund, and [SUB-ADVISER], to be filed by amendment. | |
| (d)(29) |
Sub-Advisory Agreement between WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc., on behalf of the WisdomTree 20+ Year Treasury Negative Duration Fund, and [SUB-ADVISER], to be filed by amendment. | |
| (d)(30) |
Investment Advisory Agreement dated February 14, 2008 between WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. and WisdomTree India Investment Portfolio, Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d)(7) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 14 filing, as filed with the SEC on April 4, 2008. | |
| (d)(31) |
Form of Sub-Advisory Agreement dated November 20, 2012 between WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc., on behalf of the WisdomTree India Investment Portfolio Inc., and Mellon Capital Management Corporation is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d)(10) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 142 filing, as filed with the SEC on December 28, 2012. | |
| (e)(1) |
Distribution Agreement dated November 1, 2011 between the Registrant and ALPS Distributors, Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (e)(1) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 198 filing, as filed with the SEC on July 29, 2013. | |
| (e)(2) |
Form of Amendment and revised Exhibit A to the Distribution Agreement dated November 1, 2011 between the Registrant and ALPS Distributors, Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (e)(2) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 283 filing, as filed with the SEC on December 23, 2013. | |
3
| (e)(3) |
Amendment and revised Exhibit A, reflecting the addition of the WisdomTree Brazil Low Volatility Equity Fund, WisdomTree Brazil Bond Fund, WisdomTree Emerging Markets Low Volatility Equity Fund, WisdomTree Bloomberg U.S. Dollar Bearish Fund, WisdomTree Commodity Currency Bearish Fund, WisdomTree Short-Term Credit Bond Zero Duration Fund, WisdomTree Short-Term Credit Bond Negative Duration Fund, WisdomTree Intermediate Credit Bond Zero Duration Fund, WisdomTree Intermediate Credit Bond Negative Duration Fund, WisdomTree International Hedged Dividend Growth Fund, WisdomTree Japan Hedged Real Estate Fund, WisdomTree Japan Hedged Financials Fund, WisdomTree Japan Hedged Tech, Media and Telecom Fund, WisdomTree Japan Hedged Capital Goods Fund, WisdomTree Japan Hedged Health Care Fund, WisdomTree Floating Rate Treasury Fund, and WisdomTree 20+ Year U.S. Treasury Negative Duration Fund, to the Distribution Agreement dated November 1, 2011 between the Registrant and ALPS Distributors, Inc., to be filed by amendment. | |
| (e)(4) |
Form of Authorized Participant Agreement is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (e)(2) of the Registrant’s Initial Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed with the SEC on March 13, 2006. | |
| (f) |
Not applicable. | |
| (g)(1) |
Custody Agreement dated May 24, 2006 between the Registrant and The Bank of New York is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (g)(1) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 2 filing, as filed with the SEC on September 29, 2006. | |
| (g)(2) |
Form of Schedule II to the Custody Agreement dated May 24, 2006 between the Registrant and The Bank of New York is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (g)(2) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 283 filing, as filed with the SEC on December 23, 2013. | |
| (g)(3) |
Revised Schedule II, reflecting the addition of the WisdomTree Brazil Low Volatility Equity Fund, WisdomTree Brazil Bond Fund, WisdomTree Emerging Markets Low Volatility Equity Fund, WisdomTree Bloomberg U.S. Dollar Bearish Fund, WisdomTree Commodity Currency Bearish Fund, WisdomTree Short-Term Credit Bond Zero Duration Fund, WisdomTree Short-Term Credit Bond Negative Duration Fund, WisdomTree Intermediate Credit Bond Zero Duration Fund, WisdomTree Intermediate Credit Bond Negative Duration Fund, WisdomTree International Hedged Dividend Growth Fund, WisdomTree Japan Hedged Real Estate Fund, WisdomTree Japan Hedged Financials Fund, WisdomTree Japan Hedged Tech, Media and Telecom Fund, WisdomTree Japan Hedged Capital Goods Fund, WisdomTree Japan Hedged Health Care Fund, WisdomTree Floating Rate Treasury Fund, and WisdomTree 20+ Year U.S. Treasury Negative Duration Fund, to the Custody Agreement dated May 24, 2006 between the Registrant and The Bank of New York, to be filed by amendment. | |
| (g)(4) |
Foreign Custody Manager Agreement dated May 24, 2006 between the Registrant and The Bank of New York is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (g)(2) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 2 filing, as filed with the SEC on September 29, 2006. | |
| (g)(5) |
Form of Schedule I to the Foreign Custody Manager Agreement dated May 24, 2006 between the Registrant and The Bank of New York is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (g)(5) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 283 filing, as filed with the SEC on December 23, 2013. | |
| (g)(6) |
Revised Schedule I, reflecting the addition of the WisdomTree Brazil Low Volatility Equity Fund, WisdomTree Brazil Bond Fund, WisdomTree Emerging Markets Low Volatility Equity Fund, WisdomTree Bloomberg U.S. Dollar Bearish Fund, WisdomTree Short-Term Credit Bond Zero Duration Fund, WisdomTree Short-Term Credit Bond Negative Duration Fund, WisdomTree Intermediate Credit Bond Zero Duration Fund, WisdomTree Intermediate Credit Bond Negative Duration Fund, WisdomTree International Hedged Dividend Growth Fund, WisdomTree Japan Hedged Real Estate Fund, WisdomTree Japan Hedged Financials Fund, WisdomTree Japan Hedged Tech, Media and Telecom Fund, WisdomTree Japan Hedged Capital Goods Fund, WisdomTree Japan Hedged Health Care Fund, WisdomTree Floating Rate Treasury Fund, and WisdomTree 20+ Year U.S. Treasury Negative Duration Fund, to the Foreign Custody Manager Agreement dated May 24, 2006 between the Registrant and The Bank of New York, to be filed by amendment. | |
| (g)(7) |
Custody Agreement dated February 18, 2008 between WisdomTree India Investment Portfolio, Inc. and The Bank of New York is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (g)(5) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 14 filing, as filed with the SEC on April 4, 2008. | |
4
| (h)(1) |
Fund Administration and Accounting Agreement dated May 24, 2006 between the Registrant and The Bank of New York is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(1) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 2 filing, as filed on September 29, 2006. | |
| (h)(2) |
Form of Schedule A to the Fund Administration and Accounting Agreement dated May 24, 2006 between the Registrant and The Bank of New York is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(2) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 283 filing, as filed with the SEC on December 23, 2013. | |
| (h)(3) |
Revised Schedule A, reflecting the addition of the WisdomTree Brazil Low Volatility Equity Fund, WisdomTree Brazil Bond Fund, WisdomTree Emerging Markets Low Volatility Equity Fund, WisdomTree Bloomberg U.S. Dollar Bearish Fund, WisdomTree Commodity Currency Bearish Fund, WisdomTree Short-Term Credit Bond Zero Duration Fund, WisdomTree Short-Term Credit Bond Negative Duration Fund, WisdomTree Intermediate Credit Bond Zero Duration Fund, WisdomTree Intermediate Credit Bond Negative Duration Fund, WisdomTree International Hedged Dividend Growth Fund, WisdomTree Japan Hedged Real Estate Fund, WisdomTree Japan Hedged Financials Fund, WisdomTree Japan Hedged Tech, Media and Telecom Fund, WisdomTree Japan Hedged Capital Goods Fund, WisdomTree Japan Hedged Health Care Fund, WisdomTree Floating Rate Treasury Fund, and WisdomTree 20+ Year U.S. Treasury Negative Duration Fund, to the Fund Administration and Accounting Agreement dated May 24, 2006 between the Registrant and The Bank of New York, to be filed by amendment. | |
| (h)(4) |
Transfer Agency and Service Agreement dated May 24, 2006 between the Registrant and The Bank of New York is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(2) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 2 filing, as filed with the SEC on September 29, 2006. | |
| (h)(5) |
Form of Appendix A to the Transfer Agency and Service Agreement dated May 24, 2006 between the Registrant and The Bank of New York is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(5) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 283 filing, as filed with the SEC on December 23, 2013. | |
| (h)(6) |
Revised Appendix A, reflecting the addition of the WisdomTree Brazil Low Volatility Equity Fund, WisdomTree Brazil Bond Fund, WisdomTree Emerging Markets Low Volatility Equity Fund, Bloomberg U.S. Dollar Bearish Fund, WisdomTree Commodity Currency Bearish Fund, WisdomTree Short-Term Credit Bond Zero Duration Fund, WisdomTree Short-Term Credit Bond Negative Duration Fund, WisdomTree Intermediate Credit Bond Zero Duration Fund, WisdomTree Intermediate Credit Bond Negative Duration Fund, WisdomTree International Hedged Dividend Growth Fund, WisdomTree Japan Hedged Real Estate Fund, WisdomTree Japan Hedged Financials Fund, WisdomTree Japan Hedged Tech, Media and Telecom Fund, WisdomTree Japan Hedged Capital Goods Fund, WisdomTree Japan Hedged Health Care Fund, WisdomTree Floating Rate Treasury Fund, and WisdomTree 20+ Year U.S. Treasury Negative Duration Fund, to the Transfer Agency and Service Agreement dated May 24, 2006 between the Registrant and The Bank of New York, to be filed by amendment. | |
| (h)(7) |
License Agreement dated March 21, 2006 between the Registrant and WisdomTree Investments, Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(3) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 2 filing, as filed with the SEC on September 29, 2006. | |
| (h)(8) |
Exhibit A, as of December 4, 2013, to the License Agreement dated March 21, 2006 between the Registrant and WisdomTree Investments, Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(10) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 266 filing, as filed with the SEC on December 12, 2013. | |
| (h)(9) |
Revised Exhibit A, reflecting the addition of the WisdomTree Brazil Low Volatility Equity Fund, WisdomTree Brazil Bond Fund, WisdomTree Emerging Markets Low Volatility Equity Fund, WisdomTree Short-Term Credit Bond Zero Duration Fund, WisdomTree Short-Term Credit Bond Negative Duration Fund, WisdomTree Intermediate Credit Bond Zero Duration Fund, WisdomTree Intermediate Credit Bond Negative Duration Fund, WisdomTree International Hedged Dividend Growth Fund, WisdomTree Japan Hedged Real Estate Fund, WisdomTree Japan Hedged Financials Fund, | |
5
| WisdomTree Japan Hedged Tech, Media and Telecom Fund, WisdomTree Japan Hedged Capital Goods Fund, WisdomTree Japan Hedged Health Care Fund, WisdomTree Floating Rate Treasury Fund, and WisdomTree 20+ Year U.S. Treasury Negative Duration Fund, to the License Agreement dated March 21, 2006 between the Registrant and WisdomTree Investments, Inc., to be filed by amendment. | ||
| (h)(10) |
Securities Lending Authorization Agreement dated September 17, 2008 between the Registrant and The Bank of New York Mellon is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(10) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 198 filing, as filed with the SEC on July 29, 2013. | |
| (h)(11) |
Amendment No. 5, dated June 17, 2011, to the Securities Lending Authorization Agreement dated September 17, 2008 between the Registrant and The Bank of New York Mellon is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(10) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 60 filing, as filed with the SEC on July 29, 2011. | |
| (h)(12) |
Chief Compliance Officer Services Agreement dated October 1, 2009 between the Registrant and WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(10) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 27 filing, as filed with the SEC on October 15, 2009. | |
| (h)(13) |
Form of Exhibit C to the Chief Compliance Officer Services Agreement dated October 1, 2009 between the Registrant and WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(13) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 283 filing, as filed with the SEC on December 23, 2013. | |
| (h)(14) |
Revised Exhibit C, reflecting the addition of the WisdomTree Brazil Low Volatility Equity Fund, WisdomTree Brazil Bond Fund, WisdomTree Emerging Markets Low Volatility Equity Fund, WisdomTree Bloomberg U.S. Dollar Bearish Fund, WisdomTree Commodity Currency Bearish Fund, WisdomTree Short-Term Credit Bond Zero Duration Fund, WisdomTree Short-Term Credit Bond Negative Duration Fund, WisdomTree Intermediate Credit Bond Zero Duration Fund, WisdomTree Intermediate Credit Bond Negative Duration Fund, WisdomTree International Hedged Dividend Growth Fund, WisdomTree Japan Hedged Real Estate Fund, WisdomTree Japan Hedged Financials Fund, WisdomTree Japan Hedged Tech, Media and Telecom Fund, WisdomTree Japan Hedged Capital Goods Fund, WisdomTree Japan Hedged Health Care Fund, WisdomTree Floating Rate Treasury Fund, and WisdomTree 20+ Year U.S. Treasury Negative Duration Fund, to the Chief Compliance Officer Services Agreement dated October 1, 2009 between the Registrant and WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc., to be filed by amendment. | |
| (h)(15) |
Fund Services Agreement dated June 15, 2009 between the Registrant and WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(11) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 131 filing, as filed with the SEC on September 10, 2012. | |
| (h)(16) |
WisdomTree Rules-Based Earnings-Weighted Methodology, dated June 2012, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(13) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 124 filing, as filed with the SEC on July 27, 2012. | |
| (h)(17) |
WisdomTree Rules-Based Methodology (Growth Index), dated June 2012, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(14) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 124 filing, as filed with the SEC on July 27, 2012. | |
| (h)(18) |
WisdomTree Rules-Based Methodology (Hedged Equity Indexes), dated June 2013, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(18) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 180 filing, as filed with the SEC on June 24, 2013. | |
| (h)(19) |
WisdomTree Rules-Based Methodology (Domestic and International Dividend Indexes), dated May 2013, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(20) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 172 filing, as filed May 20, 2013. | |
| (h)(20) |
WisdomTree Rules-Based Methodology (Global Dividend and World ex-U.S. Indexes), dated June 2012, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(17) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 124 filing, as filed with the SEC on July 27, 2012. | |
| (h)(21) |
WisdomTree Rules-Based Methodology (Emerging Market Earnings Indexes), dated July 2010, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(18) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 124 filing, as filed with the SEC on July 27, 2012. | |
6
| (h)(22) |
WisdomTree Rules-Based Methodology (Emerging Market Dividend Indexes), dated June 2012, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(19) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 124 filing, as filed with the SEC on July 27, 2012. | |
| (h)(23) |
WisdomTree Rules-Based Methodology (Global ex-US Growth Index), dated June 2012, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(20) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 124 filing, as filed with the SEC on July 27, 2012. | |
| (h)(24) |
WisdomTree Rules-Based Earnings-Weighted Value Index Methodology, dated March 2012, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(21) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 124 filing, as filed with the SEC on July 27, 2012. | |
| (h)(25) |
WisdomTree Rules-Based Methodology (Middle East Dividend Index), dated July 2010, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(22) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 124 filing, as filed with the SEC on July 27, 2012. | |
| (h)(26) |
WisdomTree Rules-Based Methodology (Emerging Markets Consumer Growth Index), dated August 2013, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(26) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 221 filing, as filed with the SEC on September 19, 2013. | |
| (h)(27) |
WisdomTree Index Methodology (WisdomTree Japan Interest Rate Strategy Index) is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(31) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 272 filing, as filed with the SEC on December 16, 2013. | |
| (h)(28) |
WisdomTree Rules-Based Methodology (Brazil Low Volatility Equity Index), to be filed by amendment. | |
| (h)(29) |
WisdomTree Rules-Based Methodology (Emerging Markets Low Volatility Equity Index), to be filed by amendment. | |
| (h)(30) |
WisdomTree Index Methodology (WisdomTree Short-Term Credit Bond Zero Duration Fund), to be filed by amendment. | |
| (h)(31) |
WisdomTree Index Methodology (WisdomTree Short-Term Credit Bond Negative Duration Fund), to be filed by amendment. | |
| (h)(32) |
WisdomTree Index Methodology (WisdomTree Intermediate Credit Bond Zero Duration Fund), to be filed by amendment. | |
| (h)(33) |
WisdomTree Index Methodology (WisdomTree Intermediate Credit Bond Negative Duration Fund), to be filed by amendment. | |
| (h)(34) |
WisdomTree Index Methodology (WisdomTree International Hedged Dividend Growth Fund), to be filed by amendment. | |
| (h)(35) |
WisdomTree Index Methodology (WisdomTree Japan Hedged Index Funds), to be filed by amendment. | |
| (h)(36) |
WisdomTree Index Methodology (WisdomTree Floating Rate Treasury Fund), to be filed by amendment. | |
| (h)(37) |
WisdomTree Index Methodology (WisdomTree 20+ Year U.S. Treasury Negative Duration Fund), to be filed by amendment. | |
| (i)(1) |
Opinion of counsel, Bingham McCutchen LLP, relating to the WisdomTree Currency Income Funds, WisdomTree Fixed Income Funds and WisdomTree Alternative Funds is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (i)(1) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 283 filing, as filed with the SEC on December 23, 2013. | |
| (i)(2) |
Opinion of counsel, Bingham McCutchen LLP, relating to the WisdomTree International Equity ETFs and WisdomTree U.S. Equity ETFs, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (i)(2) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 198 filing, as filed with the SEC on July 29, 2013. | |
7
| (i)(3) |
Opinion of counsel, Bingham McCutchen LLP, relating to the WisdomTree Emerging Markets Consumer Growth Fund, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (i)(3) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 221 filing, as filed with the SEC on September 19, 2013. | |
| (i)(4) |
Opinion of counsel, Bingham McCutchen LLP, relating to the WisdomTree Germany Hedged Equity Fund, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (i)(4) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 234 filing, as filed with the SEC on October 3, 2013. | |
| (i)(5) |
Opinion of counsel, Bingham McCutchen LLP, relating to the WisdomTree Korea Hedged Equity Fund, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (i)(5) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 243 filing, as filed with the SEC on October 25, 2013. | |
| (i)(6) |
Opinion of counsel, Bingham McCutchen LLP, relating to the WisdomTree Bloomberg U.S. Dollar Bullish Fund, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (i)(6) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 271 filing, as filed with the SEC on December 13, 2013. | |
| (i)(7) |
Opinion of counsel, Bingham McCutchen LLP, relating to the WisdomTree BofA Merrill Lynch High Yield Bond Zero Duration Fund (formerly the WisdomTree Short-Term High Yield Corporate Bond Zero Duration Fund) is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (i)(7) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 272 filing, as filed with the SEC on December 16, 2013. | |
| (i)(8) |
Opinion of counsel, Bingham McCutchen LLP, relating to the WisdomTree BofA Merrill Lynch High Yield Bond Negative Duration Fund (formerly the WisdomTree Short-Term High Yield Corporate Bond Negative Duration Fund) is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (i)(8) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 273 filing, as filed with the SEC on December 16, 2013. | |
| (i)(9) |
Opinion of counsel, Bingham McCutchen LLP, relating to the WisdomTree Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Zero Duration Fund (formerly the WisdomTree Government/Corporate Bond Zero Duration Fund) is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (i)(9) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 274 filing, as filed with the SEC on December 16, 2013. | |
| (i)(10) |
Opinion of counsel, Bingham McCutchen LLP, relating to the WisdomTree Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Negative Duration Fund (formerly the WisdomTree Government/Corporate Bond Negative Duration Fund) is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (i)(10) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 275 filing, as filed with the SEC on December 16, 2013. | |
| (i)(11) |
Opinion of counsel, Bingham McCutchen LLP, relating to the WisdomTree Japan Interest Rate Strategy Fund, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (i)(7) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 266 filing, as filed with the SEC on December 12, 2013. | |
| (i)(12) |
Opinion of counsel, Bingham McCutchen LLP, relating to the WisdomTree Brazil Low Volatility Equity Fund, to be filed by amendment. | |
| (i)(13) |
Opinion of counsel, Bingham McCutchen LLP, relating to the WisdomTree Brazil Bond Fund, to be filed by amendment. | |
| (i)(14) |
Opinion of counsel, Bingham McCutchen LLP, relating to the WisdomTree Emerging Markets Low Volatility Equity Fund, to be filed by amendment. | |
| (i)(15) |
Opinion of counsel, Bingham McCutchen LLP, relating to the WisdomTree Bloomberg U.S. Dollar Bearish Fund, to be filed by amendment. | |
| (i)(16) |
Opinion of counsel, Bingham McCutchen LLP, relating to the WisdomTree Commodity Currency Bearish Fund, to be filed by amendment. | |
| (i)(17) |
Opinion of counsel, Bingham McCutchen LLP, relating to the WisdomTree Commodity Currency Bearish Fund, to be filed by amendment. | |
| (i)(18) |
Opinion of counsel, Bingham McCutchen LLP, relating to the WisdomTree Short-Term Credit Bond Negative Duration Fund, to be filed by amendment. | |
| (i)(19) |
Opinion of counsel, Bingham McCutchen LLP, relating to the WisdomTree Short-Term Credit Bond Negative Duration Fund, to be filed by amendment. | |
8
| (i)(20) |
Opinion of counsel, Bingham McCutchen LLP, relating to the WisdomTree Intermediate Credit Bond Zero Duration Fund, to be filed by amendment. | |
| (i)(21) |
Opinion of counsel, Bingham McCutchen LLP, relating to the WisdomTree Intermediate Credit Bond Negative Duration Fund, to be filed by amendment. | |
| (i)(22) |
Opinion of counsel, Bingham McCutchen LLP, relating to the WisdomTree International Hedged Dividend Growth Fund, to be filed by amendment. | |
| (i)(23) |
Opinion of counsel, Bingham McCutchen LLP, relating to the WisdomTree Japan Hedged Real Estate Fund, to be filed by amendment. | |
| (i)(24) |
Opinion of counsel, Bingham McCutchen LLP, relating to the WisdomTree Japan Hedged Financials Fund, to be filed by amendment. | |
| (i)(25) |
Opinion of counsel, Bingham McCutchen LLP, relating to the WisdomTree Japan Hedged Tech, Media and Telecom Fund, to be filed by amendment. | |
| (i)(26) |
Opinion of counsel, Bingham McCutchen LLP, relating to the WisdomTree Japan Hedged Capital Goods Fund, to be filed by amendment. | |
| (i)(27) |
Opinion of counsel, Bingham McCutchen LLP, relating to the WisdomTree Japan Hedged Health Care Fund, to be filed by amendment. | |
| (i)(28) |
Opinion of counsel, Bingham McCutchen LLP, relating to the WisdomTree Floating Rate Treasury Fund, to be filed by amendment. | |
| (i)(29) |
Opinion of counsel, Bingham McCutchen LLP, relating to the WisdomTree 20+ Year U.S. Treasury Negative Duration Fund, to be filed by amendment. | |
| (j) |
Not applicable. | |
| (k) |
Not applicable. | |
| (l) |
Form of Letter of Representations between the Registrant and The Depository Trust Company is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (l) of the Registrant’s Pre-Effective Amendment No. 2 filing, as filed with the SEC on June 9, 2006. | |
| (m) |
Not applicable. | |
| (n) |
Not applicable. | |
| (o) |
Not applicable. | |
| (p)(1) |
Code of Ethics of the Registrant is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (p)(1) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 27 filing, as filed with the SEC on October 15, 2009. | |
| (p)(2) |
Code of Ethics of WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (p)(2) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 124 filing, as filed with the SEC on July 27, 2012. | |
| (p)(3) |
Code of Ethics of BNY Mellon is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (p)(3) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 124 filing, as filed with the SEC on July 27, 2012. | |
| (p)(4) |
Code of Ethics of ALPS Distributors, Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (p)(4) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 124 filing, as filed with the SEC on July 27, 2012. | |
| (p)(5) |
Code of Ethics of Western Asset Management Company is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (p)(5) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 97 filing, as filed with the SEC on February 9, 2012. | |
| (p)(6) |
Code of Ethics of Old Mutual Global Index Trackers (Proprietary) Limited is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (p)(7) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 137 filing, as filed with the SEC on October 26, 2012. | |
9
| (p)(7) |
Code of Ethics of [SUB-ADVISER], sub-adviser to the WisdomTree Brazil Low Volatility Equity Fund, to be filed by amendment. | |
| (p)(8) |
Code of Ethics of [SUB-ADVISER], sub-adviser to the WisdomTree Brazil Bond Fund, to be filed by amendment. | |
| (p)(9) |
Code of Ethics of [SUB-ADVISER], sub-adviser to the WisdomTree Emerging Markets Low Volatility Equity Fund, to be filed by amendment. | |
| (p)(10) |
Code of Ethics of [SUB-ADVISER], sub-adviser to the WisdomTree Bloomberg U.S. Dollar Bearish Fund, to be filed by amendment. | |
| (p)(11) |
Code of Ethics of [SUB-ADVISER], sub-adviser to the WisdomTree Commodity Currency Bearish Fund, to be filed by amendment. | |
| (p)(12) |
Code of Ethics of [SUB-ADVISER], sub-adviser to the WisdomTree Short-Term Credit Bond Zero Duration Fund, to be filed by amendment. | |
| (p)(13) |
Code of Ethics of [SUB-ADVISER], sub-adviser to the WisdomTree Short-Term Credit Bond Negative Duration Fund, to be filed by amendment. | |
| (p)(14) |
Code of Ethics of [SUB-ADVISER], sub-adviser to the WisdomTree Intermediate Credit Bond Zero Duration Fund, to be filed by amendment. | |
| (p)(15) |
Code of Ethics of [SUB-ADVISER], sub-adviser to the WisdomTree Intermediate Credit Bond Negative Duration Fund, to be filed by amendment. | |
| (p)(16) |
Code of Ethics of [SUB-ADVISER], sub-adviser to the WisdomTree International Hedged Dividend Growth Fund, to be filed by amendment. | |
| (p)(17) |
Code of Ethics of [SUB-ADVISER], sub-adviser to the WisdomTree Japan Hedged Real Estate Fund, to be filed by amendment. | |
| (p)(18) |
Code of Ethics of [SUB-ADVISER], sub-adviser to the WisdomTree Japan Hedged Financials Fund, to be filed by amendment. | |
| (p)(19) |
Code of Ethics of [SUB-ADVISER], sub-adviser to the WisdomTree Japan Hedged Tech, Media and Telecom Fund, to be filed by amendment. | |
| (p)(20) |
Code of Ethics of [SUB-ADVISER], sub-adviser to the WisdomTree Japan Hedged Capital Goods Fund, to be filed by amendment. | |
| (p)(21) |
Code of Ethics of [SUB-ADVISER], sub-adviser to the WisdomTree Japan Hedged Health Care Fund, to be filed by amendment. | |
| (p)(22) |
Code of Ethics of [SUB-ADVISER], sub-adviser to the WisdomTree Floating Rate Treasury Fund, to be filed by amendment. | |
| (p)(23) |
Code of Ethics of [SUB-ADVISER], sub-adviser to the WisdomTree 20+ Year Treasury Negative Duration Fund, to be filed by amendment. | |
| (q) |
Powers of Attorney for David Castano, Joel Goldberg, Toni Massaro, Jonathan Steinberg and Victor Ugolyn are incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (q) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 222 filing, as filed with the SEC on September 24, 2013. | |
| (r) |
Secretary’s Certificate related to certain signatory authority is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (r) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 222 filing, as filed with the SEC on September 24, 2013. | |
10
| Item 29. | Persons Controlled by or Under Common Control with the Registrant |
Not applicable.
| Item 30. | Indemnification |
Reference is made to Article IX of the Registrant’s Trust Instrument included as Exhibit (a)(1) to this Registration Statement with respect to the indemnification of the Registrant’s trustees and officers, which is set forth below:
Section 1. Limitation of Liability.
All Persons contracting with or having any claim against the Trust or a particular Series shall look only to the assets of the Trust or Assets belonging to such Series, respectively, for payment under such contract or claim; and neither the Trustees nor any of the Trust’s officers, employees, or agents, whether past, present, or future, shall be personally liable therefor. Every written instrument or obligation on behalf of the Trust or any Series shall contain a statement to the foregoing effect, but the absence of such statement shall not operate to make any Trustee or officer of the Trust liable thereunder. Provided they have exercised reasonable care and have acted under the reasonable belief that their actions are in the best interest of the Trust, the Trustees and officers of the Trust shall not be responsible or liable for any act or omission or for neglect or wrongdoing of them or any officer, agent, employee, Investment Adviser, or independent contractor of the Trust, but nothing contained in this Trust Instrument or in the Delaware Act shall protect any Trustee or officer of the Trust against liability to the Trust or to Shareholders to which he would otherwise be subject by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of his office.
Section 2. Indemnification.
| (a) | Subject to the exceptions and limitations contained in subsection (b) below: |
| (i) | every Person who is, or has been, a Trustee or an officer, employee, or agent of the Trust (“Covered Person”) shall be indemnified by the Trust or the appropriate Series (out of Assets belonging to that Series) to the fullest extent permitted by law against liability and against all expenses reasonably incurred or paid by him in connection with any claim, action, suit, or proceeding in which he becomes involved as a party or otherwise by virtue of his being or having been a Covered Person and against amounts paid or incurred by him in the settlement thereof; provided that the transfer agent of the Trust or any Series shall not be considered an agent for these purposes unless expressly deemed to be such by the Trustees in a resolution referring to this Article. |
| (ii) | as used herein, the words “claim,” “action,” “suit,” or “proceeding” shall apply to all claims, actions, suits, or proceedings (civil, criminal, or other, including appeals), actual or threatened, and the words “liability” and “expenses” shall include attorney’s fees, costs, judgments, amounts paid in settlement, fines, penalties, and other liabilities. |
11
| (b) | No indemnification shall be provided hereunder to a Covered Person: |
| (i) | who has been adjudicated by a court or body before which the proceeding was brought: |
| (A) | to be liable to the Trust or its Shareholders by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of his office or |
| (B) | not to have acted in good faith in the reasonable belief that his action was in the best interest of the Trust; or |
| (ii) | in the event of a settlement, unless there has been a determination that such Covered Person did not engage in willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of his office (A) by the court or other body approving the settlement, (B) by at least a majority of those Trustees who are neither Interested Persons of the Trust nor are parties to the matter based on a review of readily available facts (as opposed to a full trial-type inquiry), or (C) by written opinion of independent legal counsel based on a review of readily available facts (as opposed to a full trial-type inquiry). |
| (c) | The rights of indemnification herein provided may be insured against by policies maintained by the Trust, shall be severable, shall not be exclusive of or affect any other rights to which any Covered Person may now or hereafter be entitled, and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors, and administrators of a Covered Person. |
| (d) | To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, expenses in connection with the preparation and presentation of a defense to any claim, action, suit, or proceeding of the character described in subsection (a) of this Section shall be paid by the Trust or applicable Series from time to time prior to final disposition thereof on receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of such Covered Person that such amount will be paid over by him to the Trust or applicable Series if it is ultimately determined that he is not entitled to indemnification under this Section, provided that either (i) such Covered Person has provided appropriate security for such undertaking, (ii) the Trust is insured against losses arising out of any such advance payments, or (iii) either a majority of the Trustees who are neither Interested Persons of the Trust nor parties to the matter, or independent legal counsel in a written opinion, has determined, based on a review of readily available facts (as opposed to a full trial-type inquiry) that there is reason to believe that such Covered Person will not be disqualified from indemnification under this Section. |
| (e) | Any repeal or modification of this Article IX by the Shareholders, or adoption or modification of any other provision of this Trust Instrument or the By-laws inconsistent with this Article, shall be prospective only, to the extent that such repeal, modification, or adoption would, if applied retrospectively, adversely affect any limitation on the liability of any Covered Person or indemnification available to any Covered Person with respect to any act or omission that occurred prior to such repeal, modification, or adoption. |
Reference is made to Article VI of the Registrant’s By-Laws included as Exhibit (b) to this Registration Statement with respect to the indemnification of the Registrant’s trustees and officers, which is set forth below:
Section 6.2. Limitation of Liability.
The Declaration refers to the Trustees as Trustees, but not as individuals or personally; and no Trustee, officer, employee or agent of the Trust shall be held to any personal liability, nor shall resort be had to their private property for the satisfaction of any obligation or claim or otherwise in connection with the affairs of the Trust; provided, that nothing contained in the Declaration or the By-Laws shall protect any Trustee or officer of the Trust from any liability to the Trust or its Shareholders to which he would otherwise be subject by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of his office.
12
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, may be provided to trustees, officers and controlling persons of the Trust, pursuant to the foregoing provisions or otherwise, the Trust has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Trust of expenses incurred or paid by a trustee, officer or controlling person of the Trust in connection with the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding or payment pursuant to any insurance policy) is asserted against the Trust by such trustee, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Trust will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.
| Item 31. | Business and Other Connections of the Investment Adviser |
WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. (“WTAM”), 380 Madison Avenue, 21st Floor, New York, NY 10017, a wholly-owned subsidiary of WisdomTree Investments, Inc., is a registered investment adviser and serves as investment adviser for each series of the Trust. The description of WTAM under the caption of “Management-Investment Adviser” in the Prospectus and under the caption “Management of the Trust” in the Statement of Additional Information constituting Parts A and B, respectively, of this Registration Statement are incorporated herein by reference.
Each of the directors and officers of WTAM will also generally have substantial responsibilities (as noted below) as directors and/or officers of WisdomTree Investments, Inc., 380 Madison Avenue, 21st Floor, New York, NY 10017. To the knowledge of the Registrant, except as set forth below or otherwise disclosed in the Prospectus or Statement of Additional Information as noted above, none of the directors or executive officers of WTAM is or has been at any time during the past two fiscal years engaged in any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature.
| Name |
Position with WTAM |
Principal Business(es) During Last Two Fiscal Years | ||
| Jonathan Steinberg |
Chief Executive Officer, President, and Director | Dual officer/director of WisdomTree Investments, Inc. | ||
| Bruce Lavine |
Director and Vice Chairman | Dual officer/director of WisdomTree Investments, Inc. | ||
| Peter Ziemba |
Chief Legal Officer and EVP of Business and Legal Affairs | Dual officer of WisdomTree Investments, Inc. | ||
| Amit Muni |
Chief Financial Officer and EVP of Finance | Dual officer of WisdomTree Investments, Inc. | ||
| Luciano Siracusano |
Chief Investment Strategist and EVP of Sales | Dual officer of WisdomTree Investments, Inc. | ||
| Gregory Barton |
Chief Operating Officer and EVP of Operations | Dual officer of WisdomTree Investments, Inc. | ||
| Terry Feld |
Chief Compliance Officer | None | ||
| Ryan Louvar |
General Counsel | None | ||
13
WTAM, with the approval of the Trust’s Board of Trustees, selects the sub-adviser for each of the Trust’s series, as applicable. Western Asset Management Company serves as sub-adviser for the Trust’s WisdomTree Emerging Markets Corporate Bond Fund and WisdomTree Global Corporate Bond Fund. Old Mutual Global Index Trackers (Proprietary) Limited serves as sub-adviser for the Trust’s China Dividend ex-Financials Fund. Mellon Capital Management Corporation serves as sub-adviser for each other series of the Trust.
To the knowledge of the Registrant, except as set forth below, none of the directors or executive officers of the sub-advisers is or has been at any time during the past two fiscal years engaged in any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature.
Mellon Capital Management Corporation
| Name |
Position Held with Mellon Capital Management Corporation |
Principal Business(es) During the Last Two Fiscal Years | ||
| William Fouse |
Board of Directors and Chairman Emeritus | Dual officer of The Bank of New York | ||
| Thomas Hazuka |
Board of Directors | None | ||
| David Kwan |
Managing Director, Head of Fixed Income | Dual officer of The Bank of New York, employee of The Dreyfus Corporation | ||
| Thomas Loeb |
Board of Directors and Chairman Emeritus | Dual officer of The Bank of New York | ||
| Gabriella Parcella |
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Board of Directors | Dual officer of The Bank of New York | ||
| Linda Lillard |
Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer | Dual officer of The Bank of New York | ||
| Warren Chiang |
Managing Director, Head of Active Equity | Dual officer of The Bank of New York, employee of The Dreyfus Corporation | ||
| Chris Appler |
Managing Director, Chief Compliance Officer | Dual officer of The Bank of New York | ||
| Sinead Colton |
Managing Director, Global Investment Strategist | None | ||
| William S. Cazalet |
Managing Director, Global Investment Strategist | None | ||
| Ronald P. Gala |
Director, Senior Portfolio Manager | Dual officer of The Bank of New York, employee of The Dreyfus Corporation | ||
| Keiko Kai |
Managing Director, Head of Relationship Management and Client Service, International | Dual officer of The Bank of New York | ||
| Eric Goodbar |
Managing Director, Global Investment Strategist | Dual officer of The Bank of New York | ||
| Karen Wong |
Managing Director, Head of Equity Indexing | Dual officer of The Bank of New York, employee of The Dreyfus Corporation | ||
| Lynn Spang |
Managing Director, Senior Managing Counsel | None | ||
| Andrew Pellegrino |
Managing Director, Head of Consultant Relations, Product Development and Product Management | Dual officer of The Bank of New York | ||
14
| Name |
Position Held with Mellon Capital Management Corporation |
Principal Business(es) During the Last Two Fiscal Years | ||
| Jeffrey Zhang |
Executive Vice President, Chief Investment Officer, and Board of Directors. |
Dual officer of The Bank of New York | ||
| David Manuel |
Director, Chief Financial Officer | None | ||
| Rose Huening-Clark |
Managing Director, Manager of Strategic Project Office | None | ||
| Mitchell Harris |
Board of Directors | BNY Mellon - President, Investment Management; BNY Mellon Asset Management -Chairman of the Fixed Income, Cash & Currency Group; Insight Investment Management (Global) Limited- Chairman, Board of Directors; Walter Scott & Partners- Director; BNY Alcentra Group Holdings, Inc- Director; Standish Mellon Asset Management Company LLC-Director; BNY Mellon Asset Management Operations LLC (Formerly Fixed Income and Cash AM Service Company LLC)- Board of Managers; The Dreyfus Corporation- Director; EMEA – Chairman and Investment Management Sub Committee | ||
| David Dirks |
Managing Director, Head of Relationship Management and Client Service North America | Dual officer of The Bank of New York | ||
| Lynn Challenger |
Managing Director, Head of Global Trading | Dual officer of The Bank of New York | ||
| Alexander Huberts |
President, Board of Directors | Dual officer of The Bank of New York | ||
| Vassilis Dagioglu |
Managing Director, Head of Asset Allocation Portfolio Management | Dual officer of The Bank of New York, employee of The Dreyfus Corporation | ||
| Anjun Zhou |
Managing Director, Head of Multi-Asset Research | None | ||
| Nicholas Fohl |
Managing Director, Chief Administrative Officer | None | ||
| Richard Watson |
Executive Vice President, Global Head of Distribution | Dual officer of The Bank of New York | ||
| Sheryl Linck |
Managing Director, Head of North American Business Development | Dual officer of The Bank of New York | ||
| Abou Diop |
Managing Director, Chief Information Officer | None | ||
| Cynthia Fryer Steer |
Board of Directors | None | ||
15
Western Asset Management Company (“Western Asset Management”)
| Name |
Position with Western Asset Management |
Principal Business(es) During the Last Two Fiscal Years | ||
| James W. Hirschmann III | Director, President and Chief Executive Officer | None | ||
| Jeffery A. Nattans | Director | Executive Vice President, Legg Mason, Inc. | ||
| Director, Barrett Associates, Inc. | ||||
| Director, Legg Mason Fund Asset Management, Inc. | ||||
| Director, Legg Mason Investment Counsel & Trust Company, N.A. | ||||
| Director, LMOBC, INC. | ||||
| Director, LMREC | ||||
| Director, LMREC II | ||||
| Manager, PCM Holdings II, LLC | ||||
| Director, Permal Group Limited | ||||
| Manager, Clearbridge Investments, LLC | ||||
| Manager, Legg Mason Capital Management, LLC | ||||
| Manager, Legg Mason Investment Counsel, LLC | ||||
| Manager, Legg Mason Private Portfolio Group, LLC | ||||
| Manager, Royce & Associates, LLC | ||||
| Francis B. Bilson | Director | Senior Vice President, Legg Mason, Inc. | ||
| Director, Permal Group Limited | ||||
| Director, Western Asset London | ||||
| Manager, Royce & Associates, LLC | ||||
| Bruce D. Alberts | Chief Financial Officer | None | ||
| Brett B. Canon | Director of Risk Management and Operations | None | ||
| Daniel E. Giddings | Assistant Secretary | None | ||
| James J. Flick | Director of Global Client Service and Marketing | None | ||
| Gavin L. James | Director of Portfolio Operations | None | ||
| Charles A. Ruys de Perez | Secretary, General Counsel and Head of Legal and Compliance | Director, Western Asset London Secretary, General Counsel and Head of Legal and Compliance, Western Asset Management | ||
| Director, Western Asset Japan | ||||
| Director, Western Asset Singapore | ||||
| Director, Western Asset Australia | ||||
| Director, Western Asset Holdings (Australia) Pty Ltd | ||||
Western Asset Management Company Limited (“Western Asset London”)
| Name |
Position with Western Asset London |
Principal Business(es) During the Last Two Fiscal Years | ||
| Michael B. Zelouf | Director and Senior Executive Officer | Director, Western Asset Management Company (UK) Holdings Limited | ||
| Charles A. Ruys de Perez | Director | Secretary, General Counsel and Head of Legal and Compliance, Western Asset Management | ||
| Director, Western Asset Japan | ||||
| Director, Western Asset Singapore | ||||
| Director, Western Asset Australia | ||||
| Director, Western Asset Holdings (Australia) Pty Ltd | ||||
| Kate Blackledge | Secretary | Officer, Western Asset Management Company (UK) Holdings Limited | ||
Western Asset Management Company Pte. Ltd. in Singapore (“Western Asset Singapore”)
| Name |
Position with Western Asset Singapore |
Principal Business(es) During the Last Two Fiscal Years | ||
| Charles A. Ruys de Perez | Director | Director, Western Asset London | ||
| Secretary, General Counsel and Head of Legal and Compliance, Western Asset Management | ||||
| Director, Western Asset Japan | ||||
| Director, Western Asset Australia | ||||
| Director, Western Asset Holdings (Australia) Pty Ltd | ||||
| Alvin Lee Lip Sin | Director and Secretary | None | ||
| Henry H. Hamrock | Head of Singapore Operations | None | ||
| Hui Kwoon Thor | Finance Manager | None | ||
Western Asset Management Company Pte. Ltd. (“Western Asset Japan”)
| Name |
Position with Western Asset Japan |
Principal Business(es) During the Last Two Fiscal Years | ||
| Takashi Komatsu | Director, Head of Legal and Compliance (Japan) | None | ||
| Naoya Orime | Representative Director, Head of Tokyo Operations | None | ||
| Charles A. Ruys de Perez | Director | Director, Western Asset London | ||
| Secretary, General Counsel and Head of Legal and Compliance, Western Asset Management | ||||
| Director, Western Asset Singapore | ||||
| Director, Western Asset Australia | ||||
| Director, Western Asset Holdings (Australia) Pty Ltd | ||||
| Yasuaki Sudo | Finance Officer | None | ||
Old Mutual Global Index Trackers (Proprietary) Limited
| Name |
Position with Old Mutual Global Index Trackers (Proprietary) Limited |
Principal Business(es) During the Last Two Fiscal Years | ||
| Tendai Musikavanhu |
Director, Chief Executive Officer | Trustee of Inhlakaniphu Education Development Trust Founder/Trustee and Beneficiary of Musikavanhu Investment Trust Chairman and Shareholder of One Stone Capital (Pty) Ltd Shareholder of Umbono Capital Partners (Pty) Limited Trustee of Umbono Group Share Incentive Trust Beneficiary of Umbono Staff Consortium Trust |
16
| Name |
Position with Old Mutual Global Index Trackers (Proprietary) Limited |
Principal Business(es) During the Last Two Fiscal Years | ||
| Craig Michael Chambers |
Director, Managing Director | Chairman of Adapt IT | ||
| Kingsley Williams |
Chief Investment Officer | Chief Investment Officer | ||
| Brett William Pohl |
Chief Compliance Officer | None | ||
| Diane Claire Radley |
Chairman | Director of Business Venture Investments No 1457 (Pty) Limited Trustee of Cait McCann Trust Trustee of Claire McCann Trust Chairman of Futuregrowth Asset Management (Pty) Limited Trustee of McCann Family Trust Chairman of Old Mutual Capital Partners (Pty) Limited Chairman Old Mutual Global Index Trackers Director Old Mutual Investment Group Namibia CEO Old Mutual Investment Group South Africa Director Old Mutual Investment Group South Africa Holdings Ltd Chairman Old Mutual Property Limited Chairman Old Mutual Specialised Finance Limited Director Triangle External Board | ||
| Mobasheer Patel |
Director | Director of Amabubesi Capital (Pty) Limited Director of Amabubesi Investments (Pty) Limited Director of Friedshelf 1168 (Pty) Limited Director of Futuregrowth Asset Management (Pty) Limited Director of Hluma Development Local Investment Agency (Pty) Limited Director IMFUNDO SPV Holdings Limited Trustee Old Mutual Alternative Assets Truse Director Old Mutual Global Index Trackers Chairman Old Mutual Investment Group South Africa Green Hands Trust Director Old Mutual Investment Group South Africa Director Old Mutual Investment Group South Africa Holdings Ltd Trustee Old Mutual Medium Term Incentive Trust Director Winter Breeze Investment Holding Company Limited | ||
17
[Item 31 information for the WisdomTree Brazil Low Volatility Equity Fund, WisdomTree Brazil Bond Fund, WisdomTree Emerging Markets Low Volatility Equity Fund, WisdomTree Bloomberg U.S. Dollar Bearish Fund, WisdomTree Commodity Currency Bearish Fund, WisdomTree Short-Term Credit Bond Zero Duration Fund, WisdomTree Short-Term Credit Bond Negative Duration Fund, WisdomTree Intermediate Credit Bond Zero Duration Fund, WisdomTree Intermediate Credit Bond Negative Duration Fund, WisdomTree International Hedged Dividend Growth Fund, WisdomTree Japan Hedged Real Estate Fund, WisdomTree Japan Hedged Financials Fund, WisdomTree Japan Hedged Tech, Media and Telecom Fund, WisdomTree Japan Hedged Capital Goods Fund, WisdomTree Japan Hedged Health Care Fund, WisdomTree Floating Rate Treasury Fund, and WisdomTree 20+ Year U.S. Treasury Negative Duration Fund, to be filed by amendment].
| Item 32. | Principal Underwriters |
| (a) | ALPS Distributors, Inc. acts as the distributor for the Registrant and the following investment companies: ALPS Series Trust, Arbitrage Funds, AQR Funds, Babson Capital Funds Trust, BBH Trust, BLDRS Index Funds Trust, BPV Family of Funds, Broadview Funds Trust, Brown Management Funds, Caldwell & Orkin Funds, Inc., Campbell Multi-Strategy Trust, Centaur Mutual Funds Trust, Century Capital Management Trust, Columbia ETF Trust, CornerCap Group of Funds, Cortina Funds, Inc., CRM Mutual Fund Trust, Cullen Funds, DBX ETF TRUST, db-X Exchange-Traded Funds Inc., Drexel Hamilton Mutual Funds, EGA Emerging Global Shares Trust, EGA Frontier Diversified Core Fund, Financial Investors Trust, Firsthand Funds, Heartland Group, Inc., Henssler Funds, Inc., Holland Balanced Fund, IndexIQ Trust, Index IQ ETF Trust, James Advantage Funds, Laudus Trust, Laudus Institutional Trust, Mairs & Power Funds Trust, Oak Associates Funds, Pax World Series Trust I, Pax World Funds Trust II, PowerShares QQQ 100 Trust Series 1, RiverNorth Funds, Russell Exchange Traded Funds Trust, SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF Trust, SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust, SPDR S&P MidCap 400 ETF Trust, Stadion Investment Trust, Stone Harbor Investment Funds, Transparent Value Trust, Wakefield Alternative Series Trust, Wasatch Funds, WesMark Funds, Westcore Trust, Whitebox Mutual Funds, Williams Capital Liquid Assets Fund, and Wilmington Funds. |
| (b) | To the best of the Registrant’s knowledge, the directors and executive officers of ALPS Distributors, Inc., are as follows: |
| Name* |
Position with Underwriter |
Positions with Fund | ||
| Edmund J. Burke | Director | None | ||
| Thomas A. Carter | President, Director | None | ||
| Jeremy O. May | Executive Vice President, Director | None | ||
| Kevin J. Ireland | Senior Vice President, Director of Institutional Sales | None | ||
| Mark R. Kiniry | Senior Vice President, National Sales Director – Investments | None | ||
| Bradley J. Swenson | Senior Vice President, Chief Compliance Officer | None | ||
| Robert J. Szydlowski | Senior Vice President, Chief Technology Officer | None | ||
18
| Name* |
Position with Underwriter |
Positions with Fund | ||
| Kenneth V. Hager | Vice President, Treasurer and Assistant Secretary | None | ||
| Eric Parsons | Vice President, Controller and Assistant Treasurer | None | ||
| Steven Price | Vice President, Deputy Chief Compliance Officer | None | ||
| James Stegall | Vice President, Institutional Sales Manager | None | ||
| Gary Ross | Vice President, Director of Sales | None | ||
| Jeff Brainard | Vice President, Divisional Sales Manager - Internal Sales | None | ||
| Erin E. Nelson | Vice President, Assistant General Counsel | None | ||
| JoEllen Legg | Vice President, Assistant General Counsel | None | ||
| David T. Buhler | Vice President, Senior Associate Counsel | None | ||
| Rhonda A. Mills | Vice President, Associate Counsel | None | ||
| Jennifer Welsh | Vice President, Associate Counsel | None | ||
| Paul F. Leone | Vice President, Associate Counsel | None | ||
| Randall D. Young | Secretary | None | ||
| Gregg Wm. Givens | Assistant Treasurer | None | ||
| * | The principal business address for each of the above directors and executive officers is 1290 Broadway, Suite 1100, Denver, Colorado 80203. |
| (c) | Not applicable. |
| Item 33. | Location of Accounts and Records |
| (a) | The Registrant maintains accounts, books and other documents required by Section 31(a) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the rules thereunder (collectively, “Records”) at its offices at 380 Madison Avenue, 21st Floor, New York, NY 10017. |
| (b) | WTAM maintains all Records relating to its services as investment adviser to the Registrant at 380 Madison Avenue, 21st Floor, New York, New York 10017. |
| (c) | Mellon Capital Management Corporation maintains all Records relating to its services as sub-adviser at 50 Fremont Street, Suite 3900, San Francisco, California 94105. |
| (d) | Western Asset Management Company maintains all Records relating to its services as sub-adviser at 385 E. Colorado Boulevard, Pasadena, California 91101 and at local offices, as applicable, identified in Item 31. |
| (e) | Old Mutual Index Trackers (Proprietary) Limited maintains all Records relating to its services as sub-adviser at the Umnotho Building, Mutual Square, 93 Grayston Drive, 3rd Floor, Sandton, Johannesburg, South Africa 2196. |
19
| (f) | ALPS Distributors, Inc. maintains all Records relating to its services as Distributor of the Registrant at 1290 Broadway, Suite 1100, Denver, Colorado 80203. |
| (g) | The Bank of New York Mellon maintains all Records relating to its services as administrator, transfer agent and custodian of the Registrant at One Wall Street, New York, New York 10286. |
[Location of Accounts and Records for the WisdomTree Brazil Low Volatility Equity Fund, WisdomTree Brazil Bond Fund, WisdomTree Emerging Markets Low Volatility Equity Fund, WisdomTree Bloomberg U.S. Dollar Bearish Fund, WisdomTree Commodity Currency Bearish Fund, WisdomTree Short-Term Credit Bond Zero Duration Fund, WisdomTree Short-Term Credit Bond Negative Duration Fund, WisdomTree Intermediate Credit Bond Zero Duration Fund, WisdomTree Intermediate Credit Bond Negative Duration Fund, WisdomTree International Hedged Dividend Growth Fund, WisdomTree Japan Hedged Real Estate Fund, WisdomTree Japan Hedged Financials Fund, WisdomTree Japan Hedged Tech, Media and Telecom Fund, WisdomTree Japan Hedged Capital Goods Fund, WisdomTree Japan Hedged Health Care Fund, WisdomTree Floating Rate Treasury Fund and WisdomTree 20+ Year U.S. Treasury Negative Duration Fund Sub-Advisers to be included by amendment].
| Item 34. | Management Services |
Not applicable.
| Item 35. | Undertakings |
Not applicable.
20
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Registrant has duly caused this Post-Effective Amendment No. 287 to Registration Statement No. 333-132380 to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of New York, State of New York, on the 6th day of January, 2014.
| WISDOMTREE TRUST (Registrant) | ||
| By: | /s/ Jonathan Steinberg* | |
| Jonathan Steinberg President (Principal Executive Officer) | ||
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Post-Effective Amendment No. 287 to the Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacity and on the dates indicated.
| Signature | Title | Date | ||
| /s/ Jonathan Steinberg* |
President (Principal Executive Officer) and Trustee | January 6, 2014 | ||
| Jonathan Steinberg | ||||
| /s/ David Castano* |
Treasurer (Principal Financial and Accounting | January 6, 2014 | ||
| David Castano | Officer) | |||
| /s/ Joel Goldberg* |
Trustee | January 6, 2014 | ||
| Joel Goldberg | ||||
| /s/ Toni Massaro* |
Trustee | January 6, 2014 | ||
| Toni Massaro | ||||
| /s/ Victor Ugolyn* |
Trustee | January 6, 2014 | ||
| Victor Ugolyn | ||||
| *By: | /s/ Ryan Louvar | |
| Ryan Louvar | ||
| (Attorney-in-Fact) |
21