As
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 7,
2010
Registration
No. 333-167594
UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON,
D.C. 20549
Amendment
No. 1
to
FORM S-1
REGISTRATION
STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
Teucrium
Commodity Trust
(Registrant)
Delaware
(State
or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)
6799
(Primary
Standard Industrial Classification Code Number)
61-1604335
(I.R.S.
Employer Identification No.)
c/o
Teucrium Trading, LLC
232
Hidden Lake Road
Building
A
Brattleboro,
Vermont 05301
Phone:
(802) 257-1617
(Address,
including zip code, and telephone number, including area code,
of
Registrant’s principal executive offices)
Sal
Gilbertie
President
Teucrium
Trading, LLC
232
Hidden Lake Road
Building
A
Brattleboro,
Vermont 05301
Phone:
(802) 257-1617
(Name,
address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent
for service)
Copy
to:
Heather
C. Harker, Esq.
Dykema
Gossett PLLC
1300
I Street, N.W.
Suite
300 West
Washington,
DC 20005
Approximate
date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: As soon as practicable
after the effective date of this Registration Statement.
If any of
the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or
continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, check
the following box. x
If this
Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule
462(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities
Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration
statement for the same offering. ¨
If this
Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the
Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration
statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same
offering. ¨
If this
Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the
Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration
statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same
offering. ¨
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an
accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer or a smaller reporting company under
Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. (Check one):
Large
accelerated filer ¨
|
Accelerated
filer ¨
|
Non-accelerated
filer ¨
|
Smaller
reporting company x
|
CALCULATION
OF REGISTRATION FEE
Title of Securities to be
Registered
|
|
Amount to be
Registered
|
|
|
Proposed Maximum
Offering Price Per
Share*
|
|
|
Proposed
Maximum
Aggregate
Offering Price*
|
|
|
Amount of
Registration
Fee
|
|
Common units of
Teucrium WTI Crude Oil Fund, a series of the
Registrant
|
|
|
15,000,000 |
|
|
$ |
50.00 |
|
|
$ |
750,000,000 |
|
|
$ |
53,478.00 |
|
*
Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee pursuant to
Rule 457(d) under the Securities Act of 1933.
**Reflects
prior payment of registration fee of $178.26 for 100,000 shares pursuant to the
initial filing of the registration statement on June 17, 2010.
The
registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as
may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a
further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statement
shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the
Securities Act or until this Registration Statement shall become effective on
such date as the Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may
determine.
The
information in this preliminary prospectus is not complete and may be changed.
These securities may not be sold until the registration statement filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This preliminary
prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and the Sponsor and the
Trust are not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction
where the offer or sale is not permitted.
Preliminary
Prospectus
|
Subject
to Completion September 7, 2010
|
Teucrium
WTI Crude Oil Fund
15,000,000
Shares
Teucrium
WTI Crude Oil
Fund (the “Fund”) is a commodity pool that is a series of Teucrium Commodity
Trust (“Trust”), a Delaware statutory trust. The Fund will issue common
units representing fractional undivided beneficial interests in such Fund,
called “Shares.” The Fund intends to continuously offer creation
baskets consisting of 25,000 Shares at their net asset value (“NAV”) to
“Authorized Purchasers” (as defined below) through Foreside Fund Services, LLC,
which is the marketing agent for Shares of the Fund (the “Marketing
Agent”). Authorized Purchasers, in turn, may offer to the public Shares of
any baskets they create. Merrill Lynch Professional Clearing Corp. is
expected to be the initial Authorized Purchaser. Authorized Purchasers
will sell such Shares, which will be listed on the NYSE Arca exchange (“NYSE
Arca”) and, to the public at per-Share offering prices that are expected to
reflect, among other factors, the trading price of the Shares on the NYSE Arca,
the NAV of the Fund at the time the Authorized Purchaser purchased the Creation
Baskets and the NAV at the time of the offer of the Shares to the public, the
supply of and demand for Shares at the time of sale, and the liquidity of the
markets for oil interests. The prices of Shares offered by Authorized
Purchasers are expected to fall between the Fund’s NAV and the trading price of
the Shares on the NYSE Arca at the time of sale. The Fund’s Shares
are expected to trade on the secondary market on the NYSE Arca at prices that
are lower or higher than their net asset value per Share. Fund Shares will
be listed on the NYSE Arca under the symbol “CRUD.”
The
investment objective of the Fund is to have daily changes in percentage terms of
the Fund’s NAV per Share reflect the daily changes in percentage terms of a
weighted average of the closing settlement prices for three West Texas
Intermediate (“WTI”) crude oil futures contracts. The Fund’s sponsor is
Teucrium Trading, LLC (the “Sponsor“).
This is a
best efforts offering; the Marketing Agent is not required to sell any specific
number or dollar amount of Shares, but will use its best efforts to sell
Shares. An Authorized Purchaser is under no obligation to purchase
Shares. This is intended to be a continuous offering that will terminate
on _________, 2012 (two years from the date of this prospectus), unless
suspended or terminated at any earlier time for certain reasons specified in
this prospectus or unless extended as permitted under the rules under the
Securities Act of 1933. See “Prospectus Summary – The Shares” and
“Creation and Redemption of Shares – Rejection of Purchase Orders”
below.
Investing
in the Fund involves significant risks. See “What Are the Risk Factors
Involved with an Investment in the Fund?” beginning on page 16 . The Fund
is not a mutual fund registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 and is
not subject to regulation under such Act.
NEITHER
THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION (“SEC”) NOR ANY STATE SECURITIES
COMMISSION HAS APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED OF THE SECURITIES OFFERED IN THIS
PROSPECTUS, OR DETERMINED IF THIS PROSPECTUS IS TRUTHFUL OR COMPLETE. ANY
REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY IS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE.
THE
COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION HAS NOT PASSED UPON THE MERITS OF
PARTICIPATING IN THIS COMMODITY POOL NOR HAS THE COMMISSION PASSED ON THE
ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS DISCLOSURE DOCUMENT.
This
prospectus is in two parts: a disclosure document and a statement of additional
information. These parts are bound together, and both contain important
information.
|
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Per share
|
|
|
Per Basket
|
|
Price
of the Shares *
|
|
$
|
50.00
|
|
|
$
|
1,
250,000
|
|
* Based on
closing net asset value on [date]. The price may vary based on net asset value
in effect on a particular day.
The date
of this prospectus is ________, 2010.
COMMODITY
FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION
RISK
DISCLOSURE STATEMENT
YOU
SHOULD CAREFULLY CONSIDER WHETHER YOUR FINANCIAL CONDITION PERMITS YOU TO
PARTICIPATE IN A COMMODITY POOL. IN SO DOING, YOU SHOULD BE AWARE THAT
FUTURES AND OPTIONS TRADING CAN QUICKLY LEAD TO LARGE LOSSES AS WELL AS
GAINS. SUCH TRADING LOSSES CAN SHARPLY REDUCE THE NET ASSET VALUE OF THE
POOL AND CONSEQUENTLY THE VALUE OF YOUR INTEREST IN THE POOL. IN ADDITION,
RESTRICTIONS ON REDEMPTIONS MAY AFFECT YOUR ABILITY TO WITHDRAW YOUR
PARTICIPATION IN THE POOL.
FURTHER,
COMMODITY POOLS MAY BE SUBJECT TO SUBSTANTIAL CHARGES FOR MANAGEMENT, AND
ADVISORY AND BROKERAGE FEES. IT MAY BE NECESSARY FOR THOSE POOLS THAT ARE
SUBJECT TO THESE CHARGES TO MAKE SUBSTANTIAL TRADING PROFITS TO AVOID DEPLETION
OR EXHAUSTION OF THEIR ASSETS. THIS DISCLOSURE DOCUMENT CONTAINS A
COMPLETE DESCRIPTION OF EACH EXPENSE TO BE CHARGED THIS POOL BEGINNING AT PAGE
57 AND A STATEMENT OF THE PERCENTAGE RETURN NECESSARY TO BREAK EVEN, THAT IS, TO
RECOVER THE AMOUNT OF YOUR INITIAL INVESTMENT, AT PAGE 1.
THIS
BRIEF STATEMENT CANNOT DISCLOSE ALL THE RISKS AND OTHER FACTORS NECESSARY TO
EVALUATE YOUR PARTICIPATION IN THIS COMMODITY POOL. THEREFORE, BEFORE YOU
DECIDE TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS COMMODITY POOL, YOU SHOULD CAREFULLY STUDY THIS
DISCLOSURE DOCUMENT, INCLUDING THE DESCRIPTION OF THE PRINCIPAL RISK FACTORS OF
THIS INVESTMENT, AT PAGE 7 .
YOU
SHOULD ALSO BE AWARE THAT THIS COMMODITY POOL MAY TRADE FOREIGN FUTURES OR
OPTIONS CONTRACTS. TRANSACTIONS ON MARKETS LOCATED OUTSIDE THE UNITED
STATES, INCLUDING MARKETS FORMALLY LINKED TO A UNITED STATES MARKET, MAY BE
SUBJECT TO REGULATIONS WHICH OFFER DIFFERENT OR DIMINISHED PROTECTION TO THE
POOL AND ITS PARTICIPANTS. FURTHER, UNITED STATES REGULATORY AUTHORITIES
MAY BE UNABLE TO COMPEL THE ENFORCEMENT OF THE RULES OF REGULATORY AUTHORITIES
OR MARKETS IN NON-UNITED STATES JURISDICTIONS WHERE TRANSACTIONS FOR THE POOL
MAY BE EFFECTED.
THIS
POOL HAS NOT COMMENCED TRADING AND DOES NOT HAVE ANY PERFORMANCE
HISTORY.
TEUCRIUM
WTI CRUDE OIL FUND
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
STATEMENT
REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
|
iii
|
PROSPECTUS
SUMMARY
|
1
|
Principal
Offices of the Fund and the Sponsor
|
1
|
Breakeven
Point
|
1
|
Overview
of the Fund
|
1
|
The
Shares
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5
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The
Fund’s Investments in Oil Interests
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6
|
Principal
Investment Risks of an Investment in the Fund
|
7
|
Financial
Condition of the Fund
|
9
|
Defined
Terms
|
9
|
Breakeven
Analysis
|
9
|
The
Offering
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11
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WHAT
ARE THE RISK FACTORS INVOLVED WITH AN INVESTMENT IN THE
FUND?
|
16
|
Risks
Associated With Investing Directly or Indirectly in Crude
Oil
|
16
|
The
Fund’s Operating Risks
|
23
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Risk
of Leverage and Volatility
|
35
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Over-the-Counter
Contract Risk
|
35
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Risk
of Trading in International Markets
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36
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Tax
Risk
|
37
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THE
OFFERING
|
39
|
The
Fund in General
|
39
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The
Sponsor
|
39
|
The
Trustee
|
42
|
Operation
of the Fund
|
43
|
Futures
Contracts
|
47
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Over-the-Counter
Derivatives
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51
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Benchmark
Performance
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53
|
WTI
Light, Sweet Crude Oil and the Oil Industry
|
53
|
The
Fund’s Investments in Treasury Securities, Cash and Cash
Equivalents
|
54
|
Other
Trading Policies of the Fund
|
54
|
The
Service Providers
|
55
|
Fees
to be Paid by the Fund
|
57
|
Form
of Shares
|
58
|
Transfer
of Shares
|
58
|
Inter-Series
Limitation on Liability
|
59
|
Plan
of Distribution
|
60
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The
Flow of Shares
|
62
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Calculating
NAV
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63
|
Creation
and Redemption of Shares
|
64
|
Secondary
Market Transactions
|
69
|
Use
of Proceeds
|
69
|
Management’s
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations
|
70
|
The
Trust Agreement
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74
|
The
Sponsor Has Conflicts of Interest
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78
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Provisions
of Federal and State Securities Laws
|
80
|
Books
and Records
|
80
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Analysis
of Critical Accounting Policies
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81
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Statements,
Filings, and Reports to Shareholders
|
81
|
Fiscal
Year
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81
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Governing
Law; Consent to Delaware Jurisdiction
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82
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Legal
Matters
|
82
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Privacy
Policy
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82
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U.S.
Federal Income Tax Considerations
|
83
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Investment
By ERISA Accounts
|
96
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INFORMATION
YOU SHOULD KNOW
|
99
|
WHERE
YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
|
100
|
TEUCRIUM
TRADING, LLC — INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
|
101 |
TEUCRIUM
COMMODITY TRUST — INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
|
114 |
TEUCRIUM WTI
CRUDE OIL FUND — INDEX TO FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS
|
129
|
STATEMENT
REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This
prospectus includes “forward-looking statements” which generally relate to
future events or future performance. In some cases, you can identify
forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may,” “will,” “should,”
“expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential” or
the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. All statements
(other than statements of historical fact) included in this prospectus that
address activities, events or developments that will or may occur in the future,
including such matters as movements in the commodities markets and indexes that
track such movements, the Fund’s operations, the Sponsor’s plans and references
to the Fund’s future success and other similar matters, are forward-looking
statements. These statements are only predictions. Actual events or results may
differ materially. These statements are based upon certain assumptions and
analyses the Sponsor has made based on its perception of historical trends,
current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors
appropriate in the circumstances. Whether or not actual results and developments
will conform to the Sponsor’s expectations and predictions, however, is subject
to a number of risks and uncertainties, including the special considerations
discussed in this prospectus, general economic, market and business conditions,
changes in laws or regulations, including those concerning taxes, made by
governmental authorities or regulatory bodies, and other world economic and
political developments. See “What Are the Risk Factors Involved with an
Investment in the Fund?” Consequently, all the forward-looking statements made
in this prospectus are qualified by these cautionary statements, and there can
be no assurance that actual results or developments the Sponsor anticipates will
be realized or, even if substantially realized, that they will result in the
expected consequences to, or have the expected effects on, the Fund’s operations
or the value of its Shares.
PROSPECTUS
SUMMARY
This
is only a summary of the prospectus and, while it contains material information
about the Fund and its Shares, it does not contain or summarize all of the
information about the Fund and the Shares contained in this prospectus that is
material and/or which may be important to you. You should read this entire
prospectus, including “What Are the Risk Factors Involved with an Investment in
the Fund?” beginning on page 16, before making an investment decision about the
Shares. In addition, this prospectus includes a statement of additional
information that follows and is bound together with the primary disclosure
document. Both the primary disclosure document and the statement of additional
information contain important information.
Principal
Offices of the Fund and the Sponsor
The
principal office of the Trust and the Fund is located at 232 Hidden Lake Road,
Building A, Brattleboro, Vermont 05301. The telephone number is (802) 257-1617.
The Sponsor’s principal office is also located at 232 Hidden Lake Road, Building
A, Brattleboro, Vermont 05301, and its telephone number is also (802)
257-1617.
Breakeven
Point
The
amount of trading income required for the redemption value of a Share at the end
of one year to equal the initial selling price of the Share, assuming an initial
selling price of $50.00, is $0.67 or 1.34% of the initial selling price. For
more information, see “Breakeven Analysis” below.
Overview
of the Fund
Teucrium
WTI Crude Oil Fund (the “Fund” or “Us” or “We”) is a commodity pool that will
issue Shares that may be purchased and sold on the NYSE Arca. The Fund is a
series of the Teucrium Commodity Trust (“Trust”), a Delaware statutory trust
organized on September 11, 2009. The Fund is one of five series of the Trust;
each series is operated as a separate commodity pool. Additional series of the
Trust may be created in the future. The Trust and the Fund operate pursuant to
the Trust’s Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust and Trust Agreement (the
“Trust Agreement”). The Fund was formed and is managed and controlled by the
Sponsor, Teucrium Trading, LLC. The Sponsor is a limited liability company
formed in Delaware on July 28, 2009 that is registered as a commodity pool
operator (“CPO”) with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) and is a
member of the National Futures Association (“NFA”). The Sponsor first intends to
use this prospectus on or about _____,
2010, the date of this prospectus.
The
investment objective of the Fund is to have the daily changes in percentage
terms of the Shares’ NAV reflect the daily changes in percentage terms of a
weighted average of the closing settlement prices for futures contracts for WTI
crude oil, also known as Texas Light Sweet crude oil (“Oil Futures Contracts”)
traded on the NYMEX, specifically (1) the nearest to spot June or December Oil
Futures Contract, weighted 35%; (2) the June or December Oil Futures Contract
following the aforementioned (1), weighted 30%; and (3) the June or December Oil
Futures Contract following the aforementioned (2), weighted 35%; before taking
Fund expenses and interest income into account. (This weighted average of the
three referenced Oil Futures Contracts is referred to herein as the “Benchmark,”
and the three Oil Futures Contracts that at any given time make up the Benchmark
are referred to herein as the “Benchmark Component Futures
Contracts.”)
The Fund
seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal market
conditions primarily in Benchmark Component Futures Contracts and in comparable
contracts traded on the NYMEX and to a lesser extent the
IntercontinentalExchange (“ICE”). The Fund may also invest in other kinds of
crude oil futures contracts traded on the NYMEX or ICE or on other domestic or
foreign exchanges. This prospectus refers to exchange-traded crude oil futures
contracts, collectively, as “Oil Futures Contracts.” In addition to Oil Futures
Contracts, the Fund may invest in exchange-traded options on Oil Futures
Contracts and in over-the-counter investment options based on the price of crude
oil and Oil Futures Contracts, such as forward contracts and swaps
(collectively, “Other Oil Interests,” and together with Oil Futures Contracts,
“Oil Interests”). See “The Offering – Futures Contracts” below. By utilizing
certain or all of these investments, the Sponsor will endeavor to cause the
Fund's performance, before taking Fund expenses and any interest income from the
cash, cash equivalents and U.S. Treasury securities held by the Fund into
account, to closely track that of the Benchmark. The Sponsor expects to manage
the Fund’s investments directly, although it has been authorized by the Trust to
retain, establish the terms of retention for, and terminate third-party
commodity trading advisors to provide such management. The Sponsor is also
authorized to select futures commission merchants to execute the Fund’s
transactions in Oil Futures Contracts.
Light
Sweet Crude Oil Futures Contracts traded on the NYMEX are listed for the current
year and the next 8 years. However, the nature of the Benchmark is such that the
Fund will not hold futures contracts beyond approximately the first 18 months of
listed Oil Futures Contracts.
It is
the intent of the Sponsor to never hold a Benchmark Component Futures Contract
to spot. For example, in terms of the Benchmark, in April of a given year, the
Benchmark Component Futures Contracts will be the contracts expiring in June
(the first-to-expire Benchmark Component), December (the second-to-expire
Benchmark Component), and June of the following year (the third-to-expire
Benchmark Component). Because the next-to-expire Benchmark Component Oil Futures
Contract (the June contract) will become spot on the third-to-last trading day
prior to the 25th
calendar day in April, the Sponsor will “roll” or change that contract prior to
the third-to-last trading day prior to the 25 calendar day in April for a
position in December of the following year, never holding any futures contract
to spot. The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective primarily by
investing in Oil Interests such that daily changes in the Fund’s NAV will be
expected to closely track the changes in the Benchmark. The Fund’s positions in
Oil Interests will be changed or “rolled” on a regular basis in order to track
the changing nature of the Benchmark. For example, three times a year (on the
month in which a Benchmark Component Oil Futures Contract is set to become the
first-to-expire Oil Futures contract listed on NYMEX (commonly call the “spot”
contract), the first-to-expire Benchmark Component Contract will become the
next-to-expire (spot) Oil Futures Contract and will no longer be a Benchmark
Component Futures Contract, and the Fund’s investments will have to be changed
accordingly.
In
order that the Fund’s trading does not cause unwanted market movements and to
make it more difficult for third parties to profit by trading based on such
expected market movements, the Fund’s investments typically will not be rolled
entirely on that day, but will typically be rolled over a period of several
days.
The Fund
may invest in Oil Interests other than the Benchmark Component Futures
Contracts. For example, Other Oil Interests that do not have standardized terms
and are not exchange-traded, referred to as “over-the-counter” Oil Interests,
can generally be structured as the parties to the Oil Interest contract desire.
Therefore, the Fund might enter into multiple over-the-counter Oil Interests
intended to exactly replicate the performance of each of the three Benchmark
Component Futures Contracts, or a single over-the-counter Oil Interest designed
to replicate the performance of the Benchmark as a whole. Assuming that there is
no default by a counterparty to an over-the-counter Oil Interest, the
performance of the Oil Interest will necessarily correlate exactly with the
performance of the Benchmark or the applicable Benchmark Component Futures
Contract. The Fund might also enter into or hold Oil Interests other than
Benchmark Component Futures Contracts to facilitate effective trading,
consistent with the discussion of the Fund’s “roll” strategy in the preceding
paragraph. In addition, the Fund might enter into or hold Oil Interests that
would be expected to alleviate overall deviation between the Fund’s performance
and that of the Benchmark that may result from certain market and trading
inefficiencies or other reasons. By utilizing certain or all of the investments
described above, the Sponsor will endeavor to cause the Fund’s performance,
before taking Fund expenses and any interest income from the cash, cash
equivalents and U.S. Treasury securities held by the Fund into account, to
closely track that of the Benchmark.
The Fund
invests in Oil Interests to the fullest extent possible without being leveraged
or unable to satisfy its expected current or potential margin or collateral
obligations with respect to its investments in Oil Interests. After fulfilling
such margin and collateral requirements, the Fund will invest the remainder of
its proceeds from the sale of baskets in short-term obligations of the United
States government (“Treasury Securities”) or cash equivalents, and/or merely
hold such assets in cash (generally in interest-bearing accounts). Therefore,
the focus of the Sponsor in managing the Fund is investing in Oil Interests and
in Treasury Securities, cash and/or cash equivalents. The Fund will earn
interest income from the Treasury Securities and/or cash equivalents that it
purchases and on the cash it holds through the Fund’s custodian, the Bank of New
York Mellon (the “Custodian”).
The
Sponsor endeavors to place the Fund’s trades in Oil Interests and otherwise
manage the Fund’s investments so that the Fund’s average daily tracking error
against the Benchmark will be less than 10 percent over any period of 30 trading
days. More specifically, the Sponsor will endeavor to manage the Fund so that A
will be within plus/minus 10 percent of B, where:
|
·
|
A is the average daily change in
the Fund’s NAV for any period of 30 successive valuation days, i.e., any
trading day as of which the Fund calculates its NAV,
and
|
|
·
|
B is the average daily change in
the Benchmark over the same
period.
|
The
Sponsor believes that market arbitrage opportunities will cause the Fund’s Share
price on the NYSE Arca to closely track the Fund’s NAV per share. The Sponsor
believes that the net effect of this expected relationship and the expected
relationship described above between the Fund’s NAV and the Benchmark will be
that the changes in the price of the Fund’s Shares on the NYSE Arca will closely
track, in percentage terms, changes in the Benchmark, before taking Fund
expenses and any interest income into account.
The
Sponsor employs a “neutral” investment strategy intended to track the changes in
the Benchmark regardless of whether the Benchmark goes up or goes down. The
Fund’s “neutral” investment strategy is designed to permit investors generally
to purchase and sell the Fund’s Shares for the purpose of investing indirectly
in crude oil in a cost-effective manner. Such investors may include participants
in the crude oil market and other industries seeking to hedge the risk of losses
in their crude oil-related transactions, as well as investors seeking exposure
to the crude oil market. Accordingly, depending on the investment objective of
an individual investor, the risks generally associated with investing in the
crude oil market and/or the risks involved in hedging may exist. In addition, an
investment in the Fund involves the risks that the changes in the price of the
Fund’s Shares will not accurately track the changes in the Benchmark, and that
changes in the Benchmark will not closely correlate with changes in the price of
WTI light, sweet crude oil on the spot market. Furthermore, as noted above, the
Fund also invests in Treasury Securities, cash and/or cash equivalents to meet
its current or potential margin or collateral requirements with respect to its
investments in Oil Interests and to invest cash not required to be used as
margin or collateral. The Fund does not expect there to be any meaningful
correlation between the performance of the Fund’s investments in Treasury
Securities/cash/cash equivalents and the changes in the price of WTI light,
sweet crude oil or Oil Interests. While the level of interest earned on or the
market price of these investments may in some respects correlate to changes in
the price of WTI light, sweet crude oil, this correlation is not anticipated as
part of the Fund’s efforts to meet its objective. This and certain risk factors
discussed in this prospectus may cause a lack of correlation between changes in
the Fund’s NAV and changes in the price of WTI light, sweet crude oil. The
Sponsor does not intend to operate the Fund in a fashion such that its per share
NAV will equal, in dollar terms, the spot price of a barrel of WTI light, sweet
crude oil or the price of any particular Oil Futures Contract.
The Fund
creates and redeems Shares only in blocks called Creation Baskets and Redemption
Baskets, respectively. Only Authorized Purchasers may purchase or redeem
Creation Baskets or Redemption Baskets. An Authorized Purchaser is under no
obligation to create or redeem baskets, and an Authorized Purchaser is under no
obligation to offer to the public Shares of any baskets it does create. Baskets
are generally created when there is a demand for Shares, including, but not
limited to, when the market price per share is at (or perceived to be at) a
premium to the NAV per share. Similarly, baskets are generally redeemed when the
market price per share is at (or perceived to be at) a discount to the NAV per
share. Retail investors seeking to purchase or sell Shares on any day are
expected to effect such transactions in the secondary market, on the NYSE Arca,
at the market price per share, rather than in connection with the creation or
redemption of baskets.
The Fund
will commence making the investments described in this prospectus as quickly as
practicable (no more than three business days) after the initial Creation Basket
is sold. All proceeds from the sale of subsequent Creation Baskets will also be
invested as quickly as practicable in such investments. The Fund’s cash and
investments are held through the Fund’s Custodian, in accounts with the Fund’s
commodity futures brokers or in collateral accounts with respect to
over-the-counter Oil Interests. There is no stated maximum time period for the
Fund’s operations and the Fund will continue until all Shares are redeemed or
the Fund is liquidated pursuant to the terms of the Trust
Agreement.
There is
no specified limit on the maximum amount of Creation Baskets that can be sold.
At some point, however, accountability levels on Oil Futures Contracts or Other
Oil Interests may practically limit the number of Creation Baskets that will be
sold if the Sponsor determines that the other investment alternatives available
to the Fund at that time will not enable it to meet its stated investment
objective.
Shares
may also be purchased and sold by individuals and entities that are not
Authorized Purchasers in smaller increments than Creation Baskets on the NYSE
Arca. However, these transactions are effected at bid and ask prices established
by specialist firm(s). Like any listed security, Shares of the Fund can be
purchased and sold at any time a secondary market is open.
In
managing the Fund’s assets, the Sponsor does not use a technical trading system
that automatically issues buy and sell orders. Instead, each time one or more
baskets are purchased or redeemed, the Sponsor will purchase or sell Oil
Interests with an aggregate market value that approximates the amount of
Treasury Securities and/or cash received or paid upon the purchase or redemption
of the basket(s).
Note to Secondary Market
Investors: The Shares can be directly purchased from or redeemed by the
Fund only in Creation Baskets or Redemption Baskets, respectively, and only by
Authorized Purchasers. Each Creation Basket and Redemption Basket consists of
25,000 Shares and therefore may require a commitment of over a million dollars (
e.g., 25,000 Shares
times an initial Share price of $50.00 equals $1.25 million). Accordingly,
investors who do not have such resources or who are not Authorized Purchasers
should be aware that some of the information contained in this prospectus,
including information about purchases and redemptions of Shares directly with
the Fund, is only relevant to Authorized Purchasers. Shares will be listed and
traded on the NYSE Arca under the ticker symbol “CRUD” and may be purchased and
sold as individual Shares. Individuals interested in purchasing Shares in the
secondary market should contact their broker. Shares purchased or sold through a
broker may be subject to commissions.
Except
when aggregated in Redemption Baskets, Shares are not redeemable securities.
There is no guarantee that Shares will trade at prices that are at or near the
per-Share NAV.
The
Shares
The
Shares are registered as securities under the Securities Act of 1933 (“1933
Act”) and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”) and do not
provide dividend rights or conversion rights and there will not be sinking
funds. The Shares may only be redeemed when aggregated in Redemption Baskets as
discussed under “Creation and Redemption of Shares” and holders of Fund shares
(“Shareholders”) generally will not have voting rights as discussed under “The
Trust Agreement – Voting Rights” below. Cumulative voting is neither permitted
nor required and there are no preemptive rights. The Trust Agreement provides
that, upon liquidation of the Fund, its assets will be distributed pro rata to
the Shareholders based upon the number of Shares held. Each Shareholder will
receive its share of the assets in cash or in kind, and the proportion of such
share that is received in cash may vary from Shareholder to Shareholder, as the
Sponsor in its sole discretion may decide.
The
offering of Shares under this prospectus is a continuous offering under Rule 415
of the 1933 Act and will terminate on _________,
2012 (two years from the date of this prospectus). The offering may be
extended beyond such date as permitted under the rules under 1933 Act. The
offering will terminate before such date or before the end of any extension
period if all of the registered Shares have been sold. However, the Sponsor
expects to cause the Trust to file one or more additional registration
statements as necessary to permit additional Shares to be registered and offered
on an uninterrupted basis. This offering may also be suspended or terminated at
any time for certain specified reasons, including if and when suitable
investments for the Fund are not available or practicable. See “Creation and
Redemption of Shares – Rejection of Purchase Orders” below. As discussed above,
the minimum purchase requirement for Authorized Purchasers is a Creation Basket,
which consists of 25,000 Shares. Under the plan of distribution, the Fund does
not require a minimum purchase amount for investors who purchase Shares from
Authorized Purchasers. There are no arrangements to place funds in an escrow,
trust, or similar account.
The
Fund’s Investments in Oil Interests
The Fund
intends to invest primarily in Oil Futures Contracts.
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·
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A futures contract is a
standardized contract traded on a futures exchange that calls for the
future delivery of a specified quantity of a commodity at a specified
price, on a specified date and at a specified
location.
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·
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A swap agreement is a bilateral
contract to exchange a periodic stream of payments determined by reference
to a notional amount, with payment typically made between the parties on a
net basis.
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·
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A forward contract is an
over-the-counter bilateral contract for the purchase of sale of a
specified quantity of a commodity at a specified price, on a specified
date and at a specified
location.
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·
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An option on a futures contract,
forward contract or a commodity on the spot market gives the buyer of the
option the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell a futures
contract, forward contract or commodity, as applicable, at a specified
price on or before a specified date. Options on futures contracts, like
the future contracts to which they relate, are standardized contracts
traded on an exchange, while options on forward contracts and commodities
generally are individually negotiated, over-the-counter, bilateral
contracts.
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·
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Over-the-counter contracts (such
as swap contracts) generally involve an exchange of a stream of payments
between the contracting parties. Over-the counter contracts generally are
not uniform and are not
exchange-traded.
|
Unlike
exchange-traded contracts, over-the-counter contracts expose the Fund to the
credit risk of the other party to the contract. (As discussed below,
exchange-traded contracts may expose the Fund to the risk of the clearing
broker’s and/or the exchange clearing house(s)’ bankruptcy.)
The
Sponsor does not currently intend to purchase and sell WTI light, sweet crude
oil in the “spot market” for the Fund. Spot market transactions are cash
transactions in which the buyer and seller agree to the immediate purchase and
sale of a commodity, usually with a two-day settlement period. In addition, the
Sponsor does not currently intend that the Fund will enter into or hold spot
month Oil Futures Contracts, except that spot month contracts that were formerly
second-to-expire contracts may be held for a brief period until they can be
disposed of in accordance with the Fund’s roll strategy.
A more
detailed description of Oil Interests and other aspects of the crude oil and Oil
Interests markets can be found later in this prospectus.
As
noted, the Fund invests in Oil Futures Contracts, including those traded on the
NYMEX and the ICE. The Fund expressly disclaims any association with the NYMEX
or ICE or endorsement of the Fund by such exchange and acknowledges that “NYMEX”
and “New York Mercantile Exchange”, as well as “ICE” and
“IntercontinentalExchange” are registered trademarks of each respective
exchange.
Principal
Investment Risks of an Investment in the Fund
An
investment in the Fund involves a degree of risk. Some of the risks you may face
are summarized below. A more extensive discussion of these risks appears
beginning on page 16.
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·
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Unlike mutual funds, commodity
pools and other investment pools that manage their investments so as to
realize income and gains for distribution to their investors, the Fund
generally will not distribute dividends to Shareholders. You should not
invest in the Fund if you will need cash distributions from the Fund to
pay taxes on your share of income and gains of the Fund, if any, or for
other purposes.
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There is a risk that the changes
in the price of the Fund’s Shares on the NYSE Arca in percentage terms
will not closely track the changes in the price of WTI light, sweet crude
oil in percentage terms. This could happen if: the price of Shares traded
on the NYSE Arca does not correlate closely with the Fund’s NAV; the
changes in the Fund’s NAV do not correlate closely with the changes in the
price of the Benchmark Component Futures Contracts; or the changes in the
Benchmark Component Futures Contracts do not correlate closely with
changes in the cash or spot price of WTI light, sweet crude oil. This is a
risk because if these correlations are not sufficiently close, then
investors may not be able to use the Fund as a cost-effective way to
invest indirectly in crude oil or as a hedge against the risk of loss in
crude oil-related
transactions.
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·
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Investors may choose to use the
Fund as a means of investing indirectly in crude oil, and there are risks
involved in such investments. The risks and hazards that are inherent in
oil production may cause the price of crude oil to fluctuate widely. Price
movements for crude oil are influenced by, among other things, many
operating risks. Such operating risks include, but are not limited to,
risk of fire, explosions, blow-outs, pipe failure, abnormally pressured
formations and environmental hazards. Environmental hazards include oil
spills, natural gas leaks, ruptures and discharges of toxic gases. Crude
oil operations are also subject to various U.S. federal, state and local
regulations that materially affect
operations.
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The Sponsor has limited
experience operating a commodity
pool.
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The Fund has no operating
history, so there is no performance history to serve as a basis for you to
evaluate an investment in the
Trust.
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The price relationship between
the near month Oil Futures Contract to expire and the Benchmark Component
Futures Contracts will vary and may impact both the Fund’s total return
over time and the degree to which such total return tracks the total
return of crude oil price indices. In cases in which the near month
contract’s price is lower than later-expiring contracts’ prices (a
situation known as “contango” in the futures markets), then absent the
impact of the overall movement in crude oil prices, the value of the
Benchmark Component Futures Contracts would tend to decline as they
approach expiration. In cases in which the near month contract’s price is
higher than later-expiring contracts’ prices (a situation known as
“backwardation” in the futures markets), then absent the impact of the
overall movement in crude oil prices the value of the Benchmark Component
Futures Contracts would tend to rise as they approach
expiration.
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·
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Investors, including those who
directly participate in the crude oil market, may choose to use the Fund
as a vehicle to hedge against the risk of loss and there are risks
involved in hedging activities. While hedging can provide protection
against an adverse movement in market prices, it can also preclude a
hedger’s opportunity to benefit from a favorable market
movement.
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The Fund seeks to have the
changes in its Shares’ NAV in percentage terms track changes in the
Benchmark in percentage terms, rather than profit from speculative trading
of Oil Interests. The Sponsor therefore endeavors to manage the Fund so
that the Fund’s assets are, unlike those of many other commodity pools,
not leveraged ( i.e. , so that the aggregate value of
the Fund’s exposure to losses from its investments in Oil Interests at any
time will not exceed the value of the Fund’s assets). There is no
assurance that the Sponsor will successfully implement this investment
strategy. If the Sponsor permits the Fund to become leveraged, you could
lose all or substantially all of your investment if the Fund’s trading
positions suddenly turn unprofitable. These movements in price may be the
result of factors outside of the Sponsor’s control and may not be
anticipated by the Sponsor.
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·
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The Fund may invest in Other Oil
Interests. To the extent that these Other Oil Interests are contracts
individually negotiated between their parties, they may not be as liquid
as Oil Futures Contracts and will expose the Fund to credit risk that its
counterparty may not be able to satisfy its obligations to the
Fund.
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The Fund invests primarily in Oil
Interests that are traded or sold in the United States. However, a portion
of the Fund’s trades may take place in markets and on exchanges outside
the United States. Some non-U.S. markets present risks because they are
not subject to the same degree of regulation as their U.S. counterparts.
In some of these non-U.S. markets, the performance on a contract is the
responsibility of the counterparty and is not backed by an exchange or
clearing corporation and therefore exposes the Fund to credit risk.
Trading in non-U.S. markets also leaves the Fund susceptible to
fluctuations in the value of the local currency against the U.S.
dollar.
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·
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Global political risks, including
geopolitical conflicts and war could cause the price of WTI sweet, crude
oil to fluctuate greatly impacting the Fund’s ability to meet its
investment strategy.
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·
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The Fund invests primarily in Oil
Futures Contracts traded on the NYMEX and
ICE.
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The structure and operation of
the Fund may involve conflicts of interest. For example, a conflict may
arise because the Sponsor and its principals and affiliates may trade for
themselves. In addition, the Sponsor has sole current authority to manage
the investments and operations, and the interests of the Sponsor may
conflict with the Shareholders’ best
interests.
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·
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You will have no rights to
participate in the management of the Fund and will have to rely on the
duties and judgment of the Sponsor to manage the
Fund.
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The
Fund pays fees and expenses that are incurred regardless of whether it is
profitable.
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Regulation
of the financial markets is extensive and dynamic. On July 21, 2010, “The
Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act” was signed into
law. This new law contains broad changes to the financial services
industry including provisions changing the regulation of commodity
interests. Such changes include the requirement that position limits on
energy-based commodity futures contracts be established; new registration,
recordkeeping, capital and margin requirements for “swap dealers” and
“major swap participants”; the forced use of clearinghouse mechanisms for
most over-the-counter transactions; and the aggregation, for purposes of
position limits, of all positions in energy futures held by a single
entity and its affiliates, whether such positions exist on U.S. futures
exchanges, non-U.S. futures exchanges, or in over-t he-counter contracts.
The new law and the rules to be promulgated thereunder may negatively
impact the Fund’s ability to meet its investment
objective.
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For
additional risks, see “What Are the Risk Factors Involved with an Investment in
the Fund?”
Financial
Condition of the Fund
The
Fund will not calculate the NAV prior to the effective date. The Fund’s
NAV is determined as of the earlier of the close of the New York Stock Exchange
or 4:00 p.m. New York time on each day that the NYSE Arca is open for
trading.
Defined
Terms
For a
glossary of defined terms, see Appendix A.
Breakeven
Analysis
The
breakeven analysis below indicates the approximate dollar returns and percentage
returns required for the redemption value of a hypothetical $50.00 initial
investment in a single Share to equal the amount invested twelve months after
the investment was made. This breakeven analysis refers to the redemption of
baskets by Authorized Purchasers and is not related to any gains an individual
investor would have to achieve in order to break even. The breakeven analysis is
an approximation only.
Assumed
initial selling price per Share
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$ |
50.00 |
|
Sponsor’s
Fee (1.00%) (1)
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$ |
0.50 |
|
Redemption
Basket Fee (2)
|
|
$ |
0.01 |
|
Estimated
Brokerage Fees (0.01%) (3)
|
|
$ |
0.01 |
|
Other
Fund Fees and Expenses (4)
|
|
$ |
0.19 |
|
Interest
Income (0.17%) (5)
|
|
$ |
(0.04 |
) |
Amount
of trading income (loss) required for the redemption value at the end of
one year to equal the initial selling price of the
Share
|
|
$ |
0.67 |
|
Percentage
of initial selling price per share
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|
1.34 |
% |
(1) The
Fund is obligated to pay the Sponsor a management fee at the annual rate of
1.00% of the Fund’s average daily net assets, payable monthly.
(2)
Authorized Purchasers are required to pay a Redemption Basket fee of $250.00 for
each order they place to redeem one or more baskets. A redemption order
must be at least one basket, which is 25,000 Shares. This breakeven
analysis assumes a hypothetical investment in a single Share so the Redemption
Basket fee is $0.01 (250/25,000).
(3)
The Fund determined this amount as follows. Assuming that the price of a Share
is $50.00, the Fund would receive $1,250,000 upon the sale of a Creation Basket
(25,000 Shares multiplied by $50.00). Assuming that this entire amount is
invested in Oil Futures Contracts and that there is no change in the settlement
price of such contracts, the Fund would be required to purchase approximately 15
Oil Futures Contracts to support the Creation Basket ($1,250,000 divided by
$80,000, the value of the April 2010 Oil Futures Contract as of October, 2009,
which is used to approximate the price of the Benchmark Component Futures
Contracts). In order to reflect changes in the Benchmark Component Futures
Contracts, the Fund would have to replace one-quarter (approximately 4) of the
contracts it holds with new contracts three times per year. Assuming
further that futures commission merchants charge approximately $4.00 per Oil
Futures Contract for each purchase or sale, the annual futures commission
merchant charge would be approximately $96.00 (24 total Oil Futures Contract
transactions (4 purchases and 4 sales) multiplied by three times per year
multiplied by $4.00). As a percentage of the total investment of $1,250,000,
this annual commission expense would be approximately 0.01%.
(4)
Other Fund Fees and Expenses include legal, printing, accounting, custodial,
administration, bookkeeping, transfer agency and marketing agent costs. The Fund
assumed the aggregate costs to be $380,000. This estimate is based on
experience of the Sponsor to-date. The number in the breakeven analysis
assumes the Fund has $100 million in assets.
(5)
The Fund earns interest on funds it deposits with the futures commission
merchant and the Custodian and it estimates that the interest rate will be 0.17%
based on the interest rate on three-month Treasury Bills as of July 6, 2010. The
actual rate will vary.
(6) For
purposes of this breakeven analysis, we have assumed that the Fund has $100
million in assets. If, however, only the initial Creation Basket is sold
for $1.25 million, the amount of trading income required for the redemption
value at the end of the year to equal the initial selling price of one Share
would be $15 or 30% of the initial selling price per Share.
The
Offering
Offering
|
The
Fund will offer Creation Baskets consisting of 25,000 Shares through the
Marketing Agent to Authorized Purchasers. Authorized Purchasers may
purchase Creation Baskets consisting of 25,000 Shares at the Fund’s NAV,
which is expected to initially be $50.00. The initial Authorized
Purchaser intends to offer the Shares of the initial Creation Baskets
publicly. The initial Creation Basket is expected to be purchased by
the initial Authorized Purchaser on, or soon after, the day the SEC
declares the registration statement effective. The Shares are expected to
begin trading on the NYSE Arca on the day following the purchase of the
initial Creation Basket(s) by the initial Authorized
Purchaser.
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Use
of Proceeds
|
The
Sponsor will apply substantially all of the Fund’s assets toward investing
in Oil Interests, Treasury Securities, cash and/or cash equivalents. The
Sponsor will deposit a portion of the Fund’s net assets with the futures
commission merchant, Newedge USA, LLC, or other custodians to be used to
meet its current or potential margin or collateral requirements in
connection with its investment in Oil Interests. The Fund will use only
Treasury Securities, cash and/or cash equivalents to satisfy these
requirements. The Sponsor expects that all entities that will hold or
trade the Fund’s assets will be based in the United States and will be
subject to United States regulations. The Sponsor believes that
approximately 5% to 10% of the Fund’s assets will normally be committed as
margin for Oil Futures Contracts and collateral for Other Oil Interests.
However, from time to time, the percentage of assets committed as
margin/collateral may be substantially more, or less, than such range. The
remaining portion of the Fund’s assets will be held in Treasury
Securities, cash and/or cash equivalents by the Custodian. All interest
income earned on these investments is retained for the Fund’s
benefit.
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NYSE
Arca Symbol
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“CRUD”
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Creation
and Redemption
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Authorized
Purchasers do not pay for each order of Creation Baskets. However,
Authorized Purchasers pay a $250.00 fee for each order to redeem one or
more Redemption Baskets. Authorized Purchasers are not required to sell
any specific number or dollar amount of Shares. The per share price of
Shares offered in Creation Baskets on any day after the effective date of
the registration statement relating to this prospectus is the total NAV of
the Fund calculated as of the close of the NYSE Arca on that day divided
by the number of issued and outstanding Shares.
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Inter-Series
Limitation on Liability
|
The
Fund is one of multiple series of the Trust; additional series may be
created in the future. The Trust has been formed and will be operated with
the goal that the Fund and any other series of the Trust will be liable
only for obligations of such series, and a series will not be responsible
for or affected by any liabilities or losses of or claims against any
other series. If any creditor or shareholder in any particular series
(such as the Fund) were to successfully assert against a series a claim
with respect to its indebtedness or Shares, the creditor or shareholder
could recover only from that particular series and its assets.
Accordingly, the debts and other obligations incurred, contracted for or
otherwise existing solely with respect to a particular series will be
enforceable only against the assets of that series, and not against any
other series or the Trust generally or any of their respective assets. The
assets of the Fund and any other series will include only those funds and
other assets that are paid to, held by or distributed to the series on
account of and for the benefit of that series, including, without
limitation, amounts delivered to the Trust for the purchase of Shares in a
series.
|
Registration
Clearance and Settlement
|
Individual
certificates will not be issued for the Shares. Instead, Shares will be
represented by one or more global certificates, which will be deposited by
the Custodian with the Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) and registered in
the name of Cede & Co., as nominee for DTC. The global certificates
evidence all of the Shares outstanding at any time. Beneficial interests
in Shares will be held through DTC’s book-entry system, which means that
Shareholders are limited to: (1) participants in DTC such as banks,
brokers, dealers and trust companies (“DTC Participants”), (2) those who
maintain, either directly or indirectly, a custodial relationship with a
DTC Participant (“Indirect Participants”), and (3) those who hold
interests in the Shares through DTC Participants or Indirect Participants,
in each case who satisfy the requirements for transfers of Shares. DTC
Participants acting on behalf of investors holding Shares through such DTC
Participants’ accounts in DTC will follow the delivery practice applicable
to securities eligible for DTC’s Same-Day Funds Settlement System. Shares
will be credited to DTC Participants’ securities accounts following
confirmation of receipt of payment.
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Net
Asset Value
|
The
NAV will be calculated by taking the current market value of the Fund’s
total assets and subtracting any liabilities. Under the Fund’s current
operational procedures, the Fund’s administrator, The Bank of New York
Mellon (the “Administrator”), will calculate the NAV of the Fund’s Shares
as of the earlier of 4:00 p.m. New York time or the close of the New York
Stock Exchange each day. NYSE Arca will calculate an approximate net asset
value every 15 seconds throughout each day that the Fund’s Shares are
traded on the NYSE Arca for as long as NYMEX’s main pricing mechanism is
open.
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Fund
Expenses
|
The
Fund pays the Sponsor a management fee at an annual rate of 1.00% of the
Fund’s average daily net assets. The Fund is also responsible for other
ongoing fees, costs and expenses of its operations, including ( i)
brokerage and other fees and commissions incurred in connection with the
trading activities of the Fund; (ii) expenses incurred in connection with
registering additional Shares of the Fund or offering Shares of the Fund
after the time any Shares have begun trading on the NYSE Arca; (iii) the
routine expenses associated with the preparation and, if required, the
printing and mailing of monthly, quarterly, annual and other reports
required by applicable U.S. federal and state regulatory authorities,
Trust meetings and preparing, printing and mailing proxy statements to
Shareholders; (iv) the payment of any distributions related to redemption
of Shares; (v) payment for routine services of the Trustee, legal counsel
and independent accountants; (vi) payment for routine accounting,
bookkeeping, custody and transfer agency services, whether performed by an
outside service provider or by Affiliates of the Sponsor; (vii) postage
and insurance; (viii) costs and expenses associated with investor
relations and services; (ix) costs of preparation of all federal, state,
local and foreign tax returns and any taxes payable on the income, assets
or operations of the Fund; and (xi) extraordinary expenses (including, but
not limited to, legal claims and liabilities and litigation costs and any
indemnification related thereto). The Sponsor will bear the costs and
expenses related to the initial offer and sale of Shares, including
registration fees paid or to be paid to the SEC, FINRA or any other
regulatory body. Total fees to be paid by the Fund are currently estimated
to be approximately 1.34%
of the daily net assets for the twelve-month period ending ______, 2011,
though this amount may change in future years. The Sponsor may, in its
discretion, pay or reimburse the Fund for, or waive a portion of its
management fee to offset, expenses that would otherwise be borne by the
Fund.
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General
expenses of the Trust will be allocated among the existing and any future
series of the Trust as determined by the Sponsor in its discretion. The
Trust may be required to indemnify the Sponsor, and the Trust and/or the
Sponsor may be required to indemnify the Trustee, Marketing Agent or
Administrator, under certain
circumstances.
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Termination
Events
|
The
Trust and the Fund shall continue in existence from the date of their
formation in perpetuity, unless the Trust or the Fund, as the case may be,
is sooner terminated upon the occurrence of certain events specified in
the Trust Agreement, including the following: (1) the filing of a
certificate of dissolution or cancellation of the Sponsor or revocation of
the Sponsor’s charter or the withdrawal of the Sponsor, unless
shareholders holding a majority of the outstanding shares of the Trust
elect within ninety (90) days after such event to continue the business of
the Trust and appoint a successor Sponsor; (2) the occurrence of any event
which would make the existence of the Trust or the Fund unlawful; (3) the
suspension, revocation, or termination of the Sponsor’s registration as a
CPO with the CFTC or membership with the NFA; (4) the insolvency or
bankruptcy of the Trust or the Fund; (5) a vote by the Shareholders
holding at least seventy-five percent (75%) of the outstanding Shares of
the Trust to dissolve the Trust, subject to certain conditions; and (6)
the determination by the Sponsor to dissolve the Trust or the Fund,
subject to certain conditions. Upon termination of the Fund, the affairs
of the Fund shall be wound up and all of its debts and liabilities
discharged or otherwise provided for in the order of priority as provided
by law. The fair market value of the remaining assets of the Fund shall
then be determined by the Sponsor. Thereupon, the assets of the Fund shall
be distributed pro rata to the Shareholders in accordance with their
Shares.
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Authorized
Purchasers
|
We
expect the initial Authorized Purchaser to be Merrill Lynch Clearing
Corp., and we expect there will be additional Authorized Purchasers in the
future. A list of Authorized Purchasers will be available from the
Marketing Agent. Authorized Purchasers must be (1) registered
broker-dealers or other securities market participants, such as banks and
other financial institutions, that are not required to register as
broker-dealers to engage in securities transactions, and (2) DTC
Participants. To become an Authorized Purchaser, a person must enter into
an Authorized Purchaser Agreement with the Marketing
Agent.
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WHAT
ARE THE RISK FACTORS INVOLVED WITH AN INVESTMENT IN THE FUND?
You
should consider carefully the risks described below before making an investment
decision. You should also refer to the other information included in this
prospectus, which includes the Fund’s and the Sponsor’s financial statements and
the related notes.
Risks
Associated With Investing Directly or Indirectly in Crude Oil
Investing
in Oil Interests subjects the Fund to the risks of the crude oil market, and
this could result in substantial fluctuations in the price of the Fund’s
Shares.
The Fund
is subject to the risks and hazards of the crude oil market because it invests
in Oil Interests. The risks and hazards that are inherent in the oil market may
cause the price of oil to fluctuate widely. If the changes in percentage terms
of the Fund’s Shares accurately track the percentage changes in the Benchmark or
the spot price of WTI light, sweet crude oil, then the price of its Shares will
fluctuate accordingly.
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The price and availability of
light, sweet crude oil is influenced by economic and industry conditions,
including but not limited
to:
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the economic activity of users -
as certain economies expand, oil consumption and prices increase, and as
economies contract (in a recession or depression), oil demand and prices
fall;
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the increases in oil production
due to price increases making it more economical to extract oil from
additional sources which may later stabilize further price
increases;
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decisions of the cartel of oil
producing countries (e.g., OPEC, the Organization of the Petroleum
Exporting Countries) to produce more or less
oil;
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mechanical difficulties or
shortages or delays in the delivery of drilling rigs and other
equipment;
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compliance with government
regulations;
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adverse weather
conditions;
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political conflicts- including
war;
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the cancellation, shortening or
delaying of crude oil drilling and production
activities;
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not finding commercially
productive crude oil
reservoirs;
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operating risks including risk of
fire, explosions, blow-outs, pipe failure, abnormally pressured formations
and environmental hazards;
and
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environmental hazards including
oil spills, natural gas leaks, ruptures and the discharge of toxic
gases.
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Crude
oil operations are also subject to various U.S. federal, state and local
regulations that materially affect operations. Matters regulated include
discharge permits for drilling operations, drilling and abandonment bonds,
reports concerning operations the spacing of wells and pooling of properties and
taxation. At various times, regulatory agencies have imposed price controls and
limitations on production. In order to conserve supplies of crude oil and
natural gas, these agencies have restricted the rates of flow of crude oil and
natural gas wells below actual production capacity. Federal, state and local
laws regulate production, handling, storage, transportation and disposal of
crude oil and natural gas, by-products from crude oil and natural gas and other
substances and materials produced or used in connection with crude oil and
natural gas operations.
The
impact of environmental and other laws and regulations may affect the price of
crude oil.
Environmental
and other governmental laws and regulations have increased the costs to plan,
design, drill, install, operate and abandon oil wells. Other laws have prevented
exploration and drilling of oil in certain environmentally sensitive federal
lands and waters. Several environmental laws that have a direct or an indirect
impact on the price of crude oil include, but are not limited to, the Clean Air
Act, Clean Water Act, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, and the
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980.
..
The
Benchmark is not designed to correlate exactly with the spot price of WTI light,
sweet crude oil and this could cause the changes in the price of the Shares to
substantially vary from the changes in the spot price of WTI light, sweet crude
oil. Therefore, you may not be able to effectively use the Fund to hedge against
oil-related losses or to indirectly invest in crude oil.
The
Benchmark Component Futures Contracts reflect the price of WTI light, sweet
crude oil for future delivery, not the current spot price of WTI light, sweet
crude oil, so at best the correlation between changes in such Oil Futures
Contracts and the spot price of WTI light, sweet crude oil will be only
approximate. Weak correlation between the Benchmark and the spot price of WTI
light, sweet crude oil may result from the typical seasonal fluctuations in WTI
light, sweet crude oil prices discussed above. Imperfect correlation may also
result from speculation in Oil Interests, technical factors in the trading of
Oil Futures Contracts, and expected inflation in the economy as a whole. If
there is a weak correlation between the Benchmark and the spot price of WTI
light, sweet crude oil, then the price of Shares may not accurately track the
spot price of WTI light, sweet crude oil and you may not be able to effectively
use the Fund as a way to hedge the risk of losses in your oil-related
transactions or as a way to indirectly invest in crude oil.
Changes
in the Fund’s NAV may not correlate well with changes in the price of the
Benchmark. If this were to occur, you may not be able to effectively use the
Fund as a way to hedge against crude oil-related losses or as a way to
indirectly invest in crude oil.
The
Sponsor endeavors to invest the Fund’s assets as fully as possible in Oil
Interests so that the changes in percentage terms in the NAV closely correlate
with the changes in percentage terms in the Benchmark. However, changes in the
Fund’s NAV may not correlate with the changes in the Benchmark for various
reasons, including those set forth below:
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The Fund does not intend to
invest only in the Benchmark Component Futures Contracts. While its
investments in Oil Futures Contracts other than the Benchmark Component
Futures Contracts and in Other Oil Interests would be for the purpose of
causing the Fund’s performance to track that of the Benchmark most
effectively and efficiently, the performance of these Oil Interests may
not correlate well with the performance of the Benchmark Component Futures
Contracts, resulting in a greater potential for error in tracking price
changes in those futures contracts. Additionally, if the trading market
for Oil Futures Contracts is suspended or closed, the Fund may not be able
to purchase these investments at the last reported price for such
investments.
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The Fund will incur certain
expenses in connection with its operations, and will hold most of its
assets in income-producing, short-term securities for margin and other
liquidity purposes and to meet redemptions that may be necessary on an
ongoing basis. These expenses and income will cause imperfect correlation
between changes in the Fund’s NAV and changes in the
Benchmark.
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The Sponsor may not be able to
invest the Fund’s assets in Oil Interests having an aggregate notional
amount exactly equal to the Fund’s NAV. As a standardized contract, a
single Oil Futures Contract is for a specified amount of light, sweet
crude oil, and the Fund’s NAV and the proceeds from the sale of a Creation
Basket are unlikely to be an exact multiple of that amount. In such case,
the Fund could not invest the entire proceeds from the purchase of the
Creation Basket in such futures contracts. (For example, assuming the Fund
receives $1,250,000 for the sale of a Creation Basket and that the value
(i.e., the notional amount) of an Oil Futures Contract is $80,000, the
Fund could only enter into 15 Oil Futures Contracts with an aggregate
value of $1,200,000). While the Fund may be better able to achieve the
exact amount of exposure to the crude oil market through the use of
over-the-counter Other Oil Interests, there is no assurance that the
Sponsor will be able to continually adjust the Fund’s exposure to such
Other Oil Interests to maintain such exact exposure. Furthermore, as noted
above, the use of Other Oil Interests may itself result in imperfect
correlation with the Benchmark. Any amounts not invested in Oil Interests
will be held in Treasury Securities, cash and/or cash
equivalents.
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As Fund assets increase, there
may be more or less correlation. On the one hand, as the Fund grows it
should be able to invest in Oil Futures Contracts with a notional amount
that is closer on a percentage basis to the Fund’s NAV. For example, if
the Fund’s NAV is equal to 4.9 times the value of a single futures
contract, it can purchase only four futures contracts, which would cause
only 81.6% of the Fund’s assets to be exposed to the crude oil market. On
the other hand, if the Fund’s NAV is equal to 100.9 times the value of a
single Oil Futures Contract, it can purchase 100 such contracts, resulting
in 99.1% exposure. However, at certain asset levels the Fund may be
limited in its ability to purchase Oil Futures Contracts due to applicable
accountability levels. In these instances, the Fund would likely invest to
a greater extent in Oil Interests not subject to these accountability
levels. To the extent that the Fund invests in Other Oil Interests, the
correlation between the Fund’s NAV and the Benchmark may be lower. In
certain circumstances, accountability levels could limit the number of
Creation Baskets that will be
sold.
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If
changes in the Fund’s NAV do not correlate with changes in the Benchmark, then
investing in the Fund may not be an effective way to hedge against crude
oil-related losses or indirectly invest in crude oil.
Changes
in the price of the Fund’s Shares on the NYSE Arca may not correlate perfectly
with changes in the NAV of the Fund’s Shares. If this variation occurs, then you
may not be able to effectively use the Fund to hedge against crude oil-related
losses or to indirectly invest in crude oil.
While it
is expected that the trading prices of the Shares will fluctuate in accordance
with the changes in the Fund’s NAV, the prices of Shares may also be influenced
by other factors, including the supply of and demand for the Shares, whether for
the short term or the longer term. There is no guarantee that the Shares will
not trade at appreciable discounts from, and/or premiums to, the Fund’s NAV.
This could cause the changes in the price of the Shares to substantially vary
from the changes in the spot price of WTI light, sweet crude oil, even if the
Fund’s NAV was closely tracking movements in the spot price of WTI light, sweet
crude oil. If this occurs, you may not be able to effectively use the Fund to
hedge the risk of losses in your crude oil-related transactions or to indirectly
invest in crude oil.
The
Fund may experience a loss if it is required to sell Treasury Securities or cash
equivalents at a price lower than the price at which they were
acquired.
If the
Fund is required to sell Treasury Securities or cash equivalents at a price
lower than the price at which they were acquired, the Fund will experience a
loss. This loss may adversely impact the price of the Shares and may decrease
the correlation between the price of the Shares, the Benchmark, and the spot
price of WTI light, sweet crude oil. The value of Treasury Securities and other
debt securities generally moves inversely with movements in interest rates. The
prices of longer maturity securities are subject to greater market fluctuations
as a result of changes in interest rates. While the short-term nature of the
Fund’s investments in Treasury Securities and cash equivalents should minimize
the interest rate risk to which the Fund is subject, it is possible that the
Treasury Securities and cash equivalents held by the Fund will decline in
value.
Certain
of the Fund’s investments could be illiquid, which could cause large losses to
investors at any time or from time to time.
The Fund
may not always be able to liquidate its positions in its investments at the
desired price. As to futures contracts, it may be difficult to execute a trade
at a specific price when there is a relatively small volume of buy and sell
orders in a market. Limits imposed by futures exchanges or other regulatory
organizations, such as accountability levels, position limits and price
fluctuation limits, may contribute to a lack of liquidity with respect to some
exchange-traded Oil Interests. In addition, over-the-counter contracts may be
illiquid because they are contracts between two parties and generally may not be
transferred by one party to a third party without the counterparty’s consent.
Conversely, a counterparty may give its consent, but the Fund still may not be
able to transfer an over-the-counter Oil Interest to a third party due to
concerns regarding the counterparty’s credit risk.
A market
disruption, such as a foreign government taking political actions that disrupt
the market in its currency, its crude oil production or exports, or in another
major export, can also make it difficult to liquidate a position. Unexpected
market illiquidity may cause major losses to investors at any time or from time
to time. In addition, the Fund does not intend at this time to establish a
credit facility, which would provide an additional source of liquidity, but
instead will rely only on the Treasury Securities, cash and/or cash equivalents
that it holds to meet its liquidity needs. The anticipated large value of the
positions in Oil Interests that the Sponsor will acquire or enter into for the
Fund increases the risk of illiquidity. Oil Interests in which the Fund invests,
such as over-the counter contracts, may have a greater likelihood of being
illiquid since they are contracts between two parties that take into account not
only market risk, but also the relative credit, tax and settlement risks under
such contracts. Such contracts also have limited transferability that results
from such risks and the express limitations in the contracts. Because Oil
Interests may be illiquid, the Fund’s holdings may be more difficult to
liquidate at favorable prices in periods of illiquid markets and losses may be
incurred during the period in which positions are being liquidated.
If
the nature of the participants in the futures market shifts such that crude oil
purchasers are the predominant hedgers in the market, the Fund might have to
reinvest at higher futures prices or choose Other Oil Interests.
The
changing nature of the participants in the crude oil market will influence
whether futures prices are above or below the expected future spot price. WTI
crude oil producers and distributors will typically seek to hedge against
falling WTI crude oil prices by selling Oil Futures Contracts. Therefore, if WTI
crude oil producers and distributors become the predominant hedgers in the
futures market, prices of Oil Futures Contracts will typically be below expected
future spot prices. Conversely, if the predominant hedgers in the futures market
are the purchasers of WTI crude oil who purchase Oil Futures Contracts to hedge
against a rise in prices, prices of Oil Futures Contracts will likely be higher
than expected future spot prices. This can have significant implications for the
Fund when it is time to sell a Oil Futures Contract that is no longer a
Benchmark Component Futures Contract and purchase a new Oil Futures Contract or
sell a Oil Futures Contract to meet redemption requests.
While
the Fund does not intend to take physical delivery of crude oil under its Oil
Interests, the possibility of physical delivery impacts the value of the
contracts.
While
it is not the current intention of the Fund to take physical delivery of crude
oil under its Oil Interests, Oil Futures Contracts are traditionally not
cash-settled contracts, and it is possible to take delivery under these and some
Other Oil Interests. Storage costs associated with purchasing crude oil could
result in costs and other liabilities that could impact the value of Oil Futures
Contracts or certain Other Oil Interests. Storage costs include the time value
of money invested in crude oil as a physical commodity plus the actual costs of
storing the crude oil less any benefits from ownership of crude oil that are not
obtained by the holder of a futures contract. In general, Oil Futures Contracts
have a one-month delay for contract delivery and the pricing of back month
contracts (the back month is any future delivery month other than the spot
month) includes storage costs. To the extent that these storage costs change for
crude oil while the Fund holds Oil Interests, the value of the Oil Interests,
and therefore the Fund’s NAV, may change as well.
The
price relationship between the Benchmark Component Futures Contracts at any
point in time and the Oil Futures Contacts that will become Benchmark Component
Futures Contracts on the next roll date will vary and may impact both the Fund’s
total return and the degree to which its total return tracks that of crude oil
price indices.
The
design of the Fund’s Benchmark is such that the Benchmark Component Futures
Contracts will change three times per year, and the Fund’s investments must be
rolled periodically to reflect the changing composition of the Benchmark. For
example, when the second near month Oil Futures Contract to expire becomes the
next near month contract to expire, such contract will no longer be a Benchmark
Component Futures Contract and the Fund’s position in it will no longer be
consistent with tracking the Benchmark. In the event of a crude oil futures
market where near-to-expire contracts trade at a higher price than
longer-to-expire contracts, a situation referred to as “backwardation,” then
absent the impact of the overall movement in crude oil prices the value of the
Benchmark Component Futures Contracts would tend to rise as they approach
expiration. As a result the Fund may benefit because it would be selling more
expensive contracts and buying less expensive ones on an ongoing basis.
Conversely, in the event of a crude oil futures market where near-to-expire
contracts trade at a lower price than longer-to-expire contracts, a situation
referred to as “contango,” then absent the impact of the overall movement in
crude oil prices the value of the Benchmark Component Futures Contracts would
tend to decline as they approach expiration. As a result the Fund’s total return
may be lower than might otherwise be the case because it would be selling less
expensive contracts and buying more expensive ones. The impact of backwardation
and contango may lead the total return of the Fund to vary significantly from
the total return of other price references, such as the spot price of crude oil.
In the event of a prolonged period of contango, and absent the impact of rising
or falling light, sweet crude oil prices, this could have a significant negative
impact on the Fund’s NAV and total return.
Regulation
of the commodity interests and commodity markets is extensive and constantly
changing; future regulatory developments are impossible to predict but may
significantly and adversely affect the Fund.
The
regulation of futures contracts and futures exchanges has historically been
comprehensive. The CFTC and the exchanges are authorized to take extraordinary
actions in the event of a market emergency, including, for example, the
retroactive implementation of speculative position limits or higher margin
requirements, the establishment of daily price limits and the suspension of
trading.
The
regulation of commodity interest transactions in the United States is a rapidly
changing area of the law and is subject to ongoing modification by governmental
and judicial action. Considerable regulatory attention has recently been focused
on both over-the-counter commodity interests and non-traditional publicly
distributed investment pools such as the Fund, and a number of proposals that
would alter the regulation of Oil Interests are being considered by federal
regulators and Congress. These proposals include the extension of position and
accountability limits to futures contracts on non-U.S. exchanges and to
over-the-counter commodity interests previously exempt from such limits, and the
forced use of certain clearinghouse mechanisms for all over-the-counter
transactions. There is a possibility that future regulatory changes would result
in changes, perhaps to a material extent, to the nature of an investment in the
Fund and the investments that may be available to the Fund, and that could
affect the ability of the Fund to continue to implement its investment strategy.
In addition, various national governments have expressed concern regarding the
disruptive effects of speculative trading in certain commodity markets and the
need to regulate the derivatives markets in general. The effect of any future
regulatory change on the Fund is impossible to predict, but could be substantial
and adverse.
On
July 21, 2010, “The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act”
was signed into law that includes provisions altering the regulation of
commodity interests. Provisions in the new law include the requirement
that position limits on energy-based commodity futures contracts be established;
new registration, recordkeeping, capital and margin requirements for “swap
dealers” and “major swap participants”; and forced use of clearing house
mechanisms for most over-the-counter transactions. Additionally, the new
law requires the aggregation, for purposes of position limits, of all positions
in energy futures held by a single entity and its affiliates, whether such
positions exist on U.S. futures exchanges, non-U.S. futures exchanges, or in
over-the-counter contracts. The CFTC, along with the SEC and other federal
regulators, has been tasked with developing the rules and regulations enacting
the provisions noted above. The new law and rules to be promulgated may
negatively impact the Fund’s ability to meet its investment objective either
through limits or requirements imposed on it or upon its counterparties.
In particular, new position limits imposed on the Fund or its counterparty may
impact the Fund’s ability to invest in a manner that most efficiently meets its
investment objective, and new requirements including capital and mandatory
clearing, may increase the cost of the Fund’s investments and doing
business.
If
you are investing in the Fund for purposes of hedging, you might be subject to
several risks, including the possibility of losing the benefit of favorable
market movements.
Participants
in the crude oil industry may use the Fund as a vehicle to hedge the risk of
losses in their crude oil-related transactions. There are several risks in
connection with using the Fund as a hedging device. While hedging can provide
protection against an adverse movement in market prices, it can also preclude a
hedger’s opportunity to benefit from a favorable market movement. For instance,
in a hedging transaction the hedger may be a user of a commodity concerned that
the hedged commodity will increase in price, but must recognize the risk that
the price may instead decline. If this happens, the hedger will have lost the
benefit of being able to purchase the commodity at the lower price because the
hedging transaction will result in a loss that would offset (at least in part)
this benefit. Thus, the hedger forgoes the opportunity to profit from favorable
price movements. In addition, if the hedge is not a perfect one, the hedger can
lose on the hedging transaction and not realize an offsetting gain in the value
of the underlying item being hedged.
When
using Oil Interests as a hedging technique, at best, the correlation between
changes in prices of futures contracts and of the items being hedged can be only
approximate. The degree of imperfection of correlation depends upon
circumstances such as: variations in speculative markets, demand for futures and
for crude oil products, technical influences in futures trading, and differences
between anticipated costs being hedged and the instruments underlying the
standard futures contracts available for trading. Even a well-conceived hedge
may be unsuccessful to some degree because of unexpected market behavior as well
as the expenses associated with creating the hedge.
In
addition, using an investment in the Fund as a hedge for changes in energy
costs, such as investing in crude oil, heating oil, gasoline, natural gas or
other fuels and electricity, generally may not be successful because changes in
the price of crude oil may vary substantially from changes in the prices of
other energy products. In addition, the price of crude oil and the Fund’s NAV
would not reflect the refining, transportation, and other costs that are
specific to the hedger.
An
investment in the Fund may provide you little or no diversification benefits.
Thus, in a declining market, the Fund may have no gains to offset your losses
from other investments, and you may suffer losses on your investment in the Fund
at the same time you incur losses with respect to other asset
classes.
Historically,
Oil Interests have not generally been correlated to the performance of other
asset classes such as stocks and bonds. Non-correlation means that there is a
low statistical relationship between the performance of Oil Interests, on the
one hand, and stocks or bonds, on the other hand. However, there can be no
assurance that such non-correlation will continue during future periods. If,
contrary to historic patterns, the Fund’s performance were to move in the same
general direction as the financial markets, you will obtain little or no
diversification benefits from an investment in the Shares. In such a case, the
Fund may have no gains to offset your losses from other investments, and you may
suffer losses on your investment in the Fund at the same time you incur losses
with respect to other investments.
Variables
such as floods, weather, embargoes, tariffs and other political events may have
a larger impact on prices for crude oil and crude-oil linked instruments,
including Oil Interests, than on prices for traditional securities. These
additional variables may create additional investment risks that subject the
Fund’s investments to greater volatility than investments in traditional
securities.
Non-correlation
should not be confused with negative correlation, where the performance of two
asset classes would be opposite of each other. There is no historic evidence
that the spot price of crude oil and prices of other financial assets, such as
stocks and bonds, are negatively correlated. In the absence of negative
correlation, the Fund cannot be expected to be automatically profitable during
unfavorable periods for the stock market, or vice versa.
The
Fund’s Operating Risks
The
Fund is not a registered investment company, so you do not have the protections
of the Investment Company Act of 1940.
The Fund
is not an investment company subject to the Investment Company Act of 1940.
Accordingly, you do not have the protections afforded by that statute, which,
for example, requires investment companies to have a board of directors with a
majority of disinterested directors and regulates the relationship between the
investment company and its investment manager.
The
Sponsor has limited experience operating a commodity pool.
While
certain of the Sponsor’s principals have experience with investing in Oil
Interests and other commodity interests, the Sponsor has been formed for the
purpose of sponsoring the Trust and serving as the Fund’s commodity pool
operator and has limited experience operating a commodity pool or trading other
commodity accounts. In addition, the Fund is new and has no operating history.
Therefore, you do not have the benefit of reviewing past performance of the
Sponsor, the Fund or other series of the Trust. If the experience of the Sponsor
and its management is not adequate or suitable, the operation and performance of
the Fund may be adversely affected.
The
Sponsor is leanly staffed and relies heavily on key personnel to manage trading
activities.
In
managing and directing the day-to-day activities and affairs of the Fund, the
Sponsor relies almost entirely on Mr. Sal Gilbertie, Mr. Dale Riker, Mr. Carl N.
Miller III and Mr. Kelley Teevan If one or more of these individuals were to
leave or be unable to carry out their present responsibilities, it may have an
adverse effect on the management of the Fund. These individuals currently manage
one commodity pool which is the first series of the Trust. The first series of
the Trust was available to the public on June 9, 2010. It is the intention of
the Sponsor to establish additional commodity pools in the future. To the extent
that the Sponsor establishes additional commodity pools, even greater demands
will be placed on these individuals.
The
Sponsor has limited capital and may be unable to continue to manage the Fund if
it sustains continued losses.
The
Sponsor was formed for the purpose of managing the Trust, including the Fund and
any other series of the Trust, and has been provided with capital primarily by
its principals and a small number of outside investors. If the Sponsor operates
at a loss for an extended period, its capital will be depleted and it may be
unable to obtain additional financing necessary to continue its operations. If
the Sponsor were unable to continue to provide services to the Fund, the Fund
would be terminated if a replacement sponsor could not be found.
Accountability
levels, position limits and daily price fluctuation limits set by the CFTC and
the exchanges have the potential to cause tracking error, which could cause the
price of Shares to substantially vary from the Benchmark and prevent you from
being able to effectively use the Fund as a way to hedge against crude
oil-related losses or as a way to indirectly invest in crude oil.
The CFTC
and U.S. designated contract markets such as the NYMEX have established
accountability levels and position limits on the maximum net long or net short
futures contracts in commodity interests that any person or group of persons
under common trading control (other than as a hedge, which an investment by the
Fund is not) may hold, own or control. For example, the current accountability
level for investments at any one time in Oil Futures Contracts is 20,000. While
this is not a fixed ceiling, it is a threshold above which the NYMEX may
exercise greater scrutiny and control over an investor, including limiting an
investor to holding no more than 20,000 Oil Future Contracts. With regard to
position limits, the NYMEX limits an investor from holding more than 3,000 net
futures in the last 3 days of trading in the near month contract to expire. The
Fund, however, does not believe the current position limits imposed by the NYMEX
will have any impact on the Fund and therefore, position limits are not
addressed further as a specific risk factor. On January 26, 2010, the CFTC
proposed additional position limits to be placed on energy futures contracts,
which would include Oil Futures Contracts ( see , Commodity Futures
Trading Commission, Federal Speculative Position Limits for Referenced Energy
contracts and Associated Regulations 17 CFR Parts 1, 20 and 151). The Sponsor
does not believe that the proposed rules, if adopted, will have any material
impact on the Fund’s investment objective.
In
addition to accountability levels and position limits, the exchanges set daily
price fluctuation limits on futures contracts. The daily price fluctuation limit
establishes the maximum amount that the price of futures contracts may vary
either up or down from the previous day’s settlement price. Once the daily price
fluctuation limit has been reached in a particular futures contract, no trades
may be made at a price beyond that limit.
For
example, the NYMEX imposes a $10.00 per barrel ($10,000 per contract) price
fluctuation limit for Oil Futures Contracts. This limit is initially based off
of the previous trading day’s settlement price. If any Oil Futures Contract is
traded, bid or offered at the limit for five minutes, trading is halted for five
minutes. When trading resumes it begins at the point where the limit was imposed
and the limit is reset to be $10.00 per barrel in either direction of that
point. If another halt were triggered, the market would continue to be expanded
by $10.00 per barrel in either direction after each successive five-minute
trading halt. There is no maximum price fluctuation limit during any one trading
session.
All of
these limits may potentially cause a tracking error between the price of the
Shares and the Benchmark. This may in turn prevent you from being able to
effectively use the Fund as a way to hedge against crude oil-related losses or
as a way to indirectly invest in crude oil.
The Fund
does not intend to limit the size of the offering and will attempt to expose
substantially all of its proceeds to the oil market utilizing Oil Interests. If
the Fund encounters position limits, accountability levels, or price fluctuation
limits for Oil Futures Contracts on the NYMEX or ICE, it may, if permitted under
applicable regulatory requirements, purchase Other Oil Interests and/or Oil
Futures Contracts listed on foreign exchanges. However, the Oil Futures
Contracts available on such foreign exchanges may have different underlying
sizes, deliveries, and prices. In addition, the Oil Futures Contracts available
on these exchanges may be subject to their own position limits and
accountability levels. In any case, notwithstanding the potential availability
of these instruments in certain circumstances, accountability levels and
position limits could force the Fund to limit the number of Creation Baskets
that it sells.
There
are no independent advisers representing Fund investors.
The
Sponsor has consulted with legal counsel, accountants and other advisers
regarding the formation and operation of the Trust and Fund. No counsel has been
appointed to represent you in connection with the offering of Shares.
Accordingly, you should consult your own legal, tax and financial advisers
regarding the desirability of an investment in the Shares.
There
are technical and fundamental risks inherent in the trading system the Sponsor
intends to employ.
The
Sponsor’s trading system is quantitative in nature and it is possible that the
Sponsor may make errors. In addition, it is possible that a computer or software
program may malfunction and cause an error in computation.
The
Sponsor may use spreads and straddles as part of its trading strategy which may
cause the Fund’s NAV to not closely track the change in the
Benchmark.
The
Sponsor may use spreads and straddles as part of its overall trading strategy
to closely follow the Benchmark. There is risk that the Fund’s NAV may
not closely track the change in the Benchmark.
Spreads
combine simultaneous long and short positions in related futures contracts that
differ by commodity, by market or by delivery month (long June, short December).
Spreads gain or lose value as a result of relative changes in price between the
long and short positions. Spreads often reduce risk to investors, because the
contracts tend to move up or down together. However, both legs of the spread
could move against an investor simultaneously, in which case the spread would
lose value. Certain types of spreads may face unlimited risk, e.g., because the price of a
futures contract underlying a short position can increase by an unlimited amount
and the investor would have to take delivery or offset at that
price.
A
commodity straddle takes both long and short option positions in the same
commodity in the same market and delivery month simultaneously. The buyer of a
straddle profits if either the long or the short leg of the straddle moves
further than the combined cost of both options. The seller of the straddle
profits if both the long and short positions do not trade beyond a range equal
to the combined premium for selling both options.
If the
Sponsor were to utilize a spread or straddle position and the position performed
differently than expected, the results could impact the Fund’s tracking error.
This could affect the Fund’s investment objective of having its NAV closely
track the Benchmark. Additionally, a loss on the position would negatively
impact the Fund’s absolute return.
The
Fund and the Sponsor may have conflicts of interest, which may cause them to
favor their own interests to your detriment.
The Fund
and the Sponsor may have inherent conflicts to the extent the Sponsor attempts
to maintain the Fund’s asset size in order to preserve its fee income and this
may not always be consistent with the Fund’s objective of having the value of
its Shares’ NAV track changes in the Benchmark. The Sponsor’s officers,
directors and employees do not devote their time exclusively to the Fund. These
persons may be directors, officers or employees of other entities. They could
have a conflict between their responsibilities to the Fund and to those other
entities.
In
addition, the Sponsor’s principals, officers, directors or employees may trade
futures and related contracts for their own accounts. A conflict of interest may
exist if their trades are in the same markets and at the same time as the Fund
trades using the clearing broker to be used by the Fund. A potential conflict
also may occur if the Sponsor’s principals, officers, directors or employees
trade their accounts more aggressively or take positions in their accounts that
are opposite, or ahead of, the positions taken by the Fund.
The
Sponsor has sole current authority to manage the investments and operations of
the Fund, and this may allow it to act in a way that furthers its own interests
and in conflict with your best interests. Shareholders have very limited voting
rights, which will limit the ability to influence matters such as amendment of
the Trust Agreement, changes in the Fund’s basic investment policies,
dissolution of the Fund, or the sale or distribution of the Fund’s
assets.
Shareholders
have only very limited voting rights and generally will not have the power to
replace the Sponsor. Shareholders will not participate in the management of the
Fund and do not control the Sponsor so they will not have influence over basic
matters that affect the Fund.
Shareholders
will have very limited voting rights with respect to the Fund’s affairs.
Shareholders may elect a replacement Sponsor only if the current Sponsor resigns
voluntarily or loses its corporate charter. Shareholders will not be permitted
to participate in the management or control of the Fund or the conduct of its
business. Shareholders must therefore rely upon the duties and judgment of the
Sponsor to manage the Fund’s affairs.
The
Sponsor may manage a large amount of assets and this could affect the Fund’s
ability to trade profitably.
Increases
in assets under management may affect trading decisions. While the Fund
currently has only nominal assets, the Sponsor does not intend to limit the
amount of Fund assets. The more assets the Sponsor manages, the more difficult
it may be for it to trade profitably because of the difficulty of trading larger
positions without adversely affecting prices and performance and of managing
risk associated with larger positions.
The
liability of the Sponsor and the Trustee are limited, and the value of the
Shares will be adversely affected if the Fund is required to indemnify the
Trustee or the Sponsor.
Under the
Trust Agreement, the Trustee and the Sponsor are not liable, and have the right
to be indemnified, for any liability or expense incurred absent gross negligence
or willful misconduct on the part of the Trustee or Sponsor, as the case may be.
That means the Sponsor may require the assets of a Fund to be sold in order to
cover losses or liability suffered by the Sponsor or by the Trustee. Any sale of
that kind would reduce the NAV of the Fund and the value of its
Shares.
Although
the Shares of the Fund are limited liability investments, certain circumstances
such as bankruptcy could increase a Shareholder’s liability.
The
Shares of the Fund are limited liability investments; Shareholders may not lose
more than the amount that they invest plus any profits recognized on their
investment. However, Shareholders could be required, as a matter of
bankruptcy law, to return to the estate of the Fund any distribution they
received at a time when the Fund was in fact insolvent or in violation of its
Trust Agreement.
You
cannot be assured of the Sponsor’s continued services, and discontinuance may be
detrimental to the Fund.
You
cannot be assured that the Sponsor will be willing or able to continue to
service the Fund for any length of time. The Sponsor was formed for the
purpose of sponsoring the series of the Trust and other commodity pools, and has
limited financial resources and no significant source of income apart from its
management fee from the series of the Trust to support its continued service for
the Fund. If the Sponsor discontinues its activities on behalf of the Fund
or another series of the Trust, the Fund may be adversely affected. If the
Sponsor’s registrations with the CFTC or memberships in the NFA were revoked or
suspended, the Sponsor would no longer be able to provide services to the
Fund.
The
Fund could terminate at any time and cause the liquidation and potential loss of
your investment and could upset the overall maturity and timing of your
investment portfolio.
The Fund
may terminate at any time, regardless of whether the Fund has incurred losses,
subject to the terms of the Trust Agreement. For example, the dissolution
or resignation of the Sponsor would cause the Fund to terminate unless
shareholders holding a majority of the outstanding shares of the Trust elect
within 90 days of the event to continue the Trust and appoint a successor
Sponsor. In addition, the Sponsor may terminate the Fund if it determines
that the Fund’s aggregate net assets in relation to its operating expenses make
the continued operation of the Fund unreasonable or imprudent. However, no
level of losses will require the Sponsor to terminate the Fund. The Fund’s
termination would result in the liquidation of its investments and the
distribution of its remaining assets to the Shareholders on a pro rata basis in
accordance with their Shares, and the Fund could incur losses in liquidating its
investments in connection with a termination. Termination could also
negatively affect the overall maturity and timing of your investment
portfolio.
As
a Shareholder, you will not have the rights enjoyed by investors in certain
other types of entities.
As
interests in separate series of a Delaware statutory trust, the Shares do not
involve the rights normally associated with the ownership of shares of a
corporation (including, for example, the right to bring shareholder oppression
and derivative actions). In addition, the Shares have limited voting and
distribution rights (for example, Shareholders do not have the right to elect
directors, as the Trust does not have a board of directors, and generally will
not receive regular distributions of the net income and capital gains earned by
the Fund). The Fund is also not subject to certain investor protection
provisions of the Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002 and the NYSE Arca governance rules
(for example, audit committee requirements).
A
court could potentially conclude that the assets and liabilities of the Fund are
not segregated from those of another series of the Trust, thereby potentially
exposing assets in the Fund to the liabilities of another series.
The Fund
is a series of a Delaware statutory trust and not itself a separate legal
entity. The Delaware Statutory Trust Act provides that if certain
provisions are included in the formation and governing documents of a statutory
trust organized in series and if separate and distinct records are maintained
for any series and the assets associated with that series are held in separate
and distinct records and are accounted for in such separate and distinct records
separately from the other assets of the statutory trust, or any series thereof,
then the debts, liabilities, obligations and expenses incurred by a particular
series are enforceable against the assets of such series only, and not against
the assets of the statutory trust generally or any other series thereof.
Conversely, none of the debts, liabilities, obligations and expenses incurred
with respect to any other series thereof are enforceable against the assets of
such series. The Sponsor is not aware of any court case that has
interpreted this inter-series limitation on liability or provided any guidance
as to what is required for compliance. The Sponsor intends to maintain
separate and distinct records for the Fund and account for the Fund separately
from any other Trust series, but it is possible a court could conclude that the
methods used do not satisfy the Delaware Statutory Trust Act, which would
potentially expose assets in the Fund to the liabilities of any other series of
the Trust currently in existence, as well as any series created in the
future.
The
Sponsor and the Trustee are not obligated to prosecute any action, suit or other
proceeding in respect of any Fund property.
Neither
the Sponsor nor the Trustee is obligated to, although each may in its respective
discretion, prosecute any action, suit or other proceeding in respect of any
Fund property. The Trust Agreement does not confer upon Shareholders the
right to prosecute any such action, suit or other proceeding.
The
Fund does not expect to make cash distributions.
The
Sponsor intends to re-invest any income and realized gains of the Fund in
additional Oil Interests rather than distributing cash to Shareholders.
Therefore, unlike mutual funds, commodity pools or other investment pools that
generally distribute income and gains to their investors, the Fund generally
will not distribute cash to Shareholders. You should not invest in the
Fund if you will need cash distributions from the Fund to pay taxes on your
share of income and gains of the Fund, if any, or for any other reason.
Although the Fund does not intend to make cash distributions, it reserves the
right to do so in the Sponsor’s sole discretion, in certain situations,
including for example, if the income earned from its investments held directly
or posted as margin reaches levels that merit distribution, e.g., at levels
where such income is not necessary to support its underlying investments in Oil
Interests and investors adversely react to being taxed on such income without
receiving distributions that could be used to pay such tax. Cash
distributions may be made in these and similar instances.
There
is a risk that the Fund will not earn gains sufficient to compensate for the
fees and expenses that it must pay and as such the Fund may not earn any
profit.
The
Fund pays management fees at an annual rate of 1.00% of its average net assets,
brokerage charges of approximately 0.01% (based on futures commission merchant
fees of $4.00 per buy or sell), over-the-counter spreads and various other
expenses of its ongoing operations (e.g., fees of the Administrator, Trustee and
Marketing Agent), resulting in a total estimated first year expense ratio of
approximately 1.34% of net assets (including any transaction fees paid by an
Authorized Purchaser when redeeming baskets). These fees and expenses must
be paid in all events, regardless of whether the Fund’s activities are
profitable. Accordingly, the Fund must realize interest income and/or
gains on Oil Interests sufficient to cover these fees and expenses before it can
earn any profit.
If
this offering of Shares does not raise sufficient funds to make the Fund’s
future operations viable, the Fund may be forced to terminate and investors may
lose all or part of their investment.
All of
the expenses relating to the Fund incurred prior to the date of this prospectus
have been or will be paid by the Sponsor. These payments by the Sponsor
were designed to allow the Fund the ability to commence the public offering of
its Shares. As of the date of this prospectus, the Fund pays the fees,
costs and expenses of its operations. If the Sponsor and the Fund are
unable to raise sufficient funds so that the Fund’s expenses are reasonable in
relation to its NAV, the Fund may be forced to terminate and investors may lose
all or part of their investment.
The
Fund may incur higher fees and expenses upon renewing existing or entering into
new contractual relationships.
The
arrangements between clearing brokers and counterparties on the one hand and the
Fund on the other generally are terminable by the clearing brokers or
counterparty upon notice to the Fund. In addition, the agreements between
the Fund and its third-party service providers, such as the Marketing Agent and
the Custodian, are generally terminable at specified intervals. Upon
termination, the Sponsor may be required to renegotiate or make other
arrangements for obtaining similar services if the Fund intends to continue to
operate. Comparable services from another party may not be available, or
even if available, these services may not be available on the terms as favorable
as those of the expired or terminated arrangements.
The
Fund may miss certain trading opportunities because it will not receive the
benefit of the expertise of independent trading advisors.
The
Sponsor does not employ trading advisors for the Fund; however, it reserves the
right to employ them in the future. The only advisor to the Fund is the
Sponsor. A lack of independent trading advisors may be disadvantageous to
the Fund because it will not receive the benefit of their
expertise.
The
net asset value calculation of the Fund may be overstated or understated due to
the valuation method employed when a settlement price is not available on the
date of net asset value calculation.
The
Fund’s NAV includes, in part, any unrealized profits or losses on open swap
agreements, futures or forward contracts. Under normal circumstances, the
NAV will reflect the settlement price of open futures contracts on the date when
the NAV is being calculated. However, if a futures contract traded on an
exchange could not be liquidated on such day (due to the operation of daily
limits or other rules of the exchange or otherwise), the settlement price on the
most recent day on which the futures contract position could have been
liquidated will be the basis for determining the market value of such position
for such day. In these situations, there is a risk that the calculation of
the NAV of the Fund on such day will not accurately reflect the realizable
market value of the futures contracts.
An
unanticipated number of redemption requests during a short period of time could
have an adverse effect on the NAV of the Fund.
If a
substantial number of requests for redemption of Redemption Baskets are received
by the Fund during a relatively short period of time, the Fund may not be able
to satisfy the requests from the Fund’s assets not committed to trading. As a
consequence, it could be necessary to liquidate the Fund’s trading positions
before the time that its trading strategies would otherwise call for
liquidation.
The
financial markets have recently been in a period of disruption and
recession and these conditions may not improve in the near future.
A period
of recession for the economy as a whole began in 2008, and, the financial
markets have experienced very difficult conditions and volatility since that
period. The conditions in these markets resulted in a decrease in
availability of corporate credit and liquidity and led indirectly to the
insolvency, closure or acquisition of a number of major financial institutions
and contributed to further consolidation within the financial services
industry. A continued recession or a depression could adversely affect the
financial condition and results of operations of the Fund’s service providers
and Authorized Purchasers, which would impact the ability of the Sponsor to
achieve the Fund’s investment objective.
The
liquidity of the Shares may be affected by the withdrawal from participation of
Authorized Purchasers, which could adversely affect the market price of the
Shares.
In the
event that one or more Authorized Purchasers that are actively involved in
purchasing and selling Shares cease to be so involved, the liquidity of the
Shares will likely decrease, which could adversely affect the market price of
the Shares and result in your incurring a loss on your investment.
You
may be adversely affected by redemption orders that are subject to postponement,
suspension or rejection under certain circumstances.
The Trust
may, in its discretion, suspend the right to redeem Shares of the Fund or
postpone the redemption settlement date: (1) for any period during
which an applicable exchange is closed other than customary weekend or holiday
closing, or trading is suspended or restricted; (2) for any period during which
an emergency exists as a result of which delivery, disposal or evaluation of the
Fund’s assets is not reasonably practicable; or (3) for such other period as the
Sponsor determines to be necessary for the protection of Shareholders. In
addition, the Trust will reject a redemption order if the order is not in proper
form as described in the agreement with the Authorized Purchaser or if the
fulfillment of the order, in the opinion of its counsel, might be
unlawful. Any such postponement, suspension or rejection could adversely
affect a redeeming Shareholder. For example, the resulting delay may
adversely affect the value of the Shareholder’s redemption proceeds if the NAV
of the Fund declines during the period of delay. The Trust Agreement
provides that the Sponsor and its designees will not be liable for any loss or
damage that may result from any such suspension or
postponement.
The
failure or bankruptcy of a clearing broker could result in substantial losses
for the Fund; the clearing broker could be subject to proceedings that impair
its ability to execute the Fund’s trades.
Under
CFTC regulations, a clearing broker with respect to the Fund’s exchange-traded
Oil Interests must maintain customers’ assets in a bulk segregated
account. If a clearing broker fails to do so, or is unable to satisfy a
substantial deficit in a customer account, its other customers may be subject to
risk of a substantial loss of their funds in the event of that clearing broker’s
bankruptcy. In that event, the clearing broker’s customers, such as the
Fund, are entitled to recover, even in respect of property specifically
traceable to them, only a proportional share of all property available for
distribution to all of that clearing broker’s customers. The Fund also may
be subject to the risk of the failure of, or delay in performance by, any
exchanges and markets and their clearing organizations, if any, on which Oil
Interests are traded.
From time
to time, the clearing brokers may be subject to legal or regulatory proceedings
in the ordinary course of their business. A clearing broker’s involvement
in costly or time-consuming legal proceedings may divert financial resources or
personnel away from the clearing broker’s trading operations, which could impair
the clearing broker’s ability to successfully execute and clear the Fund’s
trades.
The
failure or insolvency of the Fund’s Custodian could result in a substantial loss
of the Fund’s assets.
As
noted above, the vast majority of the Fund’s assets are held in Treasury
Securities, cash and/or cash equivalents with the Custodian. The
insolvency of the Custodian could result in a complete loss of the Fund’s assets
held by the Custodian, which, at any given time, would likely comprise a
substantial portion of the Fund’s total assets.
Third
parties may infringe upon or otherwise violate intellectual property rights or
assert that the Sponsor has infringed or otherwise violated their intellectual
property rights, which may result in significant costs and diverted
attention.
Third
parties may assert that the Sponsor has infringed or otherwise violated their
intellectual property rights. Third parties may independently develop
business methods, trademarks or proprietary software and other technology
similar to that of the Sponsor and claim that the Sponsor has violated their
intellectual property rights, including their copyrights, trademark rights,
trade names, trade secrets and patent rights. As a result, the Sponsor may
have to litigate in the future to determine the validity and scope of other
parties’ proprietary rights, or defend itself against claims that it has
infringed or otherwise violated other parties’ rights. Any litigation of
this type, even if the Sponsor is successful and regardless of the merits, may
result in significant costs, divert resources from the Fund, or require the
Sponsor to change its proprietary software and other technology or enter into
royalty or licensing agreements.
Third
parties may utilize the Sponsor’s intellectual property or technology, including
the use of its business methods, trademarks or trade names and trading program
software, without permission, which could cause competitive harm to the Sponsor
and the Fund. The Sponsor has not registered any trademarks and does not
have patent protections on any business methods or technology used with respect
to the Fund. The Sponsor does not currently have any proprietary
software. However, if it obtains proprietary software in the future, then
any unauthorized use of such proprietary software and other technology could
also adversely affect the competitive advantage of the Sponsor or the Fund
and/or cause the Sponsor to take legal action to protect its
rights.
The
success of the Fund depends on the ability of the Sponsor to accurately
implement its trading strategies, and any failure to do so could subject the
Fund to losses on such transactions.
The
Sponsor’s trading strategy is quantitative in nature and it is possible that the
Sponsor will make errors in its implementation. The execution of the
quantitative strategy is subject to human error, such as incorrect inputs into
the Sponsor’s computer systems and incorrect information provided to the Fund’s
clearing brokers. In addition, it is possible that a computer or software
program may malfunction and cause an error in computation. Any failure,
inaccuracy or delay in executing the Fund’s transactions could affect its
ability to achieve its investment objective. It could also result in
decisions to undertake transactions based on inaccurate or incomplete
information. This could cause substantial losses on
transactions.
The
Fund may experience substantial losses on transactions if the computer or
communications system fails.
The
Fund’s trading activities, including its risk management, depend on the
integrity and performance of the computer and communications systems supporting
them. Extraordinary transaction volume, hardware or software failure,
power or telecommunications failure, a natural disaster or other catastrophe
could cause the computer systems to operate at an unacceptably slow speed or
even fail. Any significant degradation or failure of the systems that the
Sponsor uses to gather and analyze information, enter orders, process data,
monitor risk levels and otherwise engage in trading activities may result in
substantial losses on transactions, liability to other parties, lost profit
opportunities, damages to the Sponsor’s and Fund’s reputations, increased
operational expenses and diversion of technical resources.
If
the computer and communications systems are not upgraded when necessary, the
Fund’s financial condition could be harmed.
The
development of complex computer and communications systems and new technologies
may render the existing computer and communications systems supporting the
Fund’s trading activities obsolete. In addition, these computer and
communications systems must be compatible with those of third parties, such as
the systems of exchanges, clearing brokers and the executing brokers. As a
result, if these third parties upgrade their systems, the Sponsor will need to
make corresponding upgrades to continue effectively its trading activities. The
Fund’s future success may depend on the Fund’s ability to respond to changing
technologies on a timely and cost-effective basis.
The
Fund depends on the reliable performance of the computer and communications
systems of third parties, such as brokers and futures exchanges, and may
experience substantial losses on transactions if they fail.
The Fund
depends on the proper and timely function of complex computer and communications
systems maintained and operated by the futures exchanges, brokers and other data
providers that the Sponsor uses to conduct trading activities. Failure or
inadequate performance of any of these systems could adversely affect the
Sponsor’s ability to complete transactions, including its ability to close out
positions, and result in lost profit opportunities and significant losses on
commodity interest transactions. This could have a material adverse effect
on revenues and materially reduce the Fund’s available capital. For
example, unavailability of price quotations from third parties may make it
difficult or impossible for the Sponsor to conduct trading activities so that
the Fund will closely track the Benchmark. Unavailability of records from
brokerage firms may make it difficult or impossible for the Sponsor to
accurately determine which transactions have been executed or the details,
including price and time, of any transaction executed. This unavailability
of information also may make it difficult or impossible for the Sponsor to
reconcile its records of transactions with those of another party or to
accomplish settlement of executed transactions.
The
occurrence of a terrorist attack, or the outbreak, continuation or expansion of
war or other hostilities could disrupt the Fund’s trading activity and
materially affect the Fund’s profitability.
The operations of the Fund, the
exchanges, brokers and counterparties with which Fund does business, and the
markets in which the Fund does business could be severely disrupted in the event
of a major terrorist attack or the outbreak, continuation or expansion of war or
other hostilities. Global terrorist attacks, anti-terrorism initiatives and
political unrest continue to fuel this concern.
The
NYSE Arca may halt trading in the Shares which would adversely impact your
ability to sell Shares.
Trading in Shares of the Fund may be
halted due to market conditions or, in light of NYSE Arca rules and procedures,
for reasons that, in view the NYSE Arca, make trading in Shares
inadvisable. In addition, trading is subject to trading halts caused by
extraordinary market volatility pursuant to “circuit breaker” rules that require
trading to be halted for a specified period based on a specified market
decline. There can be no assurance that the requirements necessary to
maintain the listing of the Shares will continue to be met or will remain
unchanged. The Fund will be terminated if its Shares are
delisted.
Risk
of Leverage and Volatility
If
the Sponsor causes or permits the Fund to become leveraged, you could lose all
or substantially all of your investment if the Fund’s trading positions suddenly
turn unprofitable.
Commodity
pools’ trading positions in futures contracts or other commodity interests are
typically required to be secured by the deposit of margin funds that represent
only a small percentage of a futures contract’s (or other commodity interest’s)
entire market value. This feature permits commodity pools to “leverage”
their assets by purchasing or selling futures contracts (or other commodity
interests) with an aggregate face amount in excess of the commodity pool’s
assets. While this leverage can increase a pool’s profits, relatively
small adverse movements in the price of the pool’s commodity interests can cause
significant losses to the pool. While the Sponsor does not intend to
leverage the Fund’s assets, it is not prohibited from doing so under the Trust
Agreement. If the Sponsor were to cause or permit the Fund to become
leveraged, you could lose all or substantially all of your investment if the
Fund’s trading positions suddenly turn unprofitable.
The
price of crude oil can be volatile which could cause large fluctuations in the
price of Shares.
Movements in the price of crude oil
will be the result of factors outside of the Sponsor’s control and may not be
anticipated by the Sponsor. As discussed in more detail above, price
movements for barrels of crude oil are influenced by, among other
things: (1) operational hazards, such as risk of fire, explosions,
blow outs, pipe failure and abnormally pressured formations; (2) environmental
hazards, such as oil spills, natural gas leaks, ruptures and the discharge of
toxic gases; (3) weather and climate changes; (4) economic variances, such as
changes in interest rates, actions by oil producing countries, such as OPEC,
changes in supply and demand, shifts in demand domestically or other countries
such as India and China, currency deviations, inflation rates and changes in
balances of payment and trade, as well as changes in philosophies and emotions
of market participants; and (4) political influences, such as war,
counter-terrorism and government regulation and oversight. More generally,
commodity prices may be influenced by economic and monetary events such as
changes in interest rates, changes in balances of payments and trade, U.S. and
international inflation rates, currency valuations and devaluations, U.S. and
international economic events, and changes in the philosophies and emotions of
market participants. Because the Fund invests primarily in interests in a
single commodity, it is not a diversified investment vehicle, and therefore may
be subject to greater volatility than a diversified portfolio of stocks or bonds
or a more diversified commodity pool.
Over-the-Counter
Contract Risk
Over-the-counter
transactions are subject to little, if any, regulation.
A portion
of the Fund’s assets may be used to trade over-the-counter Oil Interests, such
as forward contracts or swaps. Over-the-counter contracts are typically
traded on a principal-to-principal basis through dealer markets that are
dominated by major money center and investment banks and other institutions and
are essentially unregulated by the CFTC. You therefore do not receive the
protection of CFTC regulation or the statutory scheme of the Commodity Exchange
Act in connection with this trading activity. The markets for
over-the-counter contracts rely upon the integrity of market participants in
lieu of the additional regulation imposed by the CFTC on participants in the
futures markets. The lack of regulation in these markets could expose the
Fund in certain circumstances to significant losses in the event of trading
abuses or financial failure by participants.
The
Fund will be subject to credit risk with respect to counterparties to
over-the-counter contracts entered into by the Fund.
The Fund
faces the risk of non-performance by the counterparties to the over-the-counter
contracts. Unlike in futures contracts, the counterparty to these contracts is
generally a single bank or other financial institution, rather than a clearing
organization backed by a group of financial institutions. As a result,
there will be greater counterparty credit risk in these transactions. A
counterparty may not be able to meet its obligations to the Fund, in which case
the Fund could suffer significant losses on these contracts.
If a
counterparty becomes bankrupt or otherwise fails to perform its obligations due
to financial difficulties, the Fund may experience significant delays in
obtaining any recovery in a bankruptcy or other reorganization proceeding.
During any such period, the Fund may have difficulty in determining the value of
its contracts with the counterparty, which in turn could result in the
overstatement or understatement of the Fund’s NAV. The Fund may eventually
obtain only limited recovery or no recovery in such circumstances.
The
Fund may be subject to liquidity risk with respect to its over-the-counter
contracts.
Over-the-counter
contracts may have terms that make them less marketable than futures
contracts. Over-the-counter contracts are less marketable because they are
not traded on an exchange, do not have uniform terms and conditions, and are
entered into based upon the creditworthiness of the parties and the availability
of credit support, such as collateral, and in general, they are not transferable
without the consent of the counterparty. These conditions may diminish the
ability to realize the full value of such contracts.
In
general, valuing over-the-counter (“OTC”) derivatives is less certain than
valuing actively traded financial instruments such as exchange traded futures
contracts and securities because the price and terms on which such OTC
derivatives are entered into or can be terminated are individually negotiated,
and those prices and terms may not reflect the best price or terms available
from other sources. In addition, while market makers and dealers generally
quote indicative prices or terms for entering into or terminating OTC contracts,
they typically are not contractually obligated to do so, particularly if they
are not a party to the transaction. As a result, it may be difficult to
obtain an independent value for an outstanding OTC derivatives
transaction.
Risk
of Trading in International Markets
Trading
in international markets would expose the Fund to credit and regulatory
risk.
The
Sponsor may make substantial investments for the Fund in Oil Futures Contracts,
a significant portion of which will be on United States exchanges including the
NYMEX. However, a portion of the Fund’s trades may take place on markets
and exchanges outside the United States. Some non-U.S. markets present
risks because they are not subject to the same degree of regulation as their
U.S. counterparts. None of the CFTC, NFA, or any domestic exchange
regulates activities of any foreign boards of trade or exchanges, including the
execution, delivery and clearing of transactions, nor has the power to compel
enforcement of the rules of a foreign board of trade or exchange or of any
applicable non-U.S. laws. Similarly, the rights of market participants,
such as the Fund, in the event of the insolvency or bankruptcy of a non-U.S.
market or broker are also likely to be more limited than in the case of U.S.
markets or brokers. As a result, in these markets, the Fund has less legal
and regulatory protection than it does when it trades
domestically.
In some
of these non-U.S. markets, the performance on a futures contract is the
responsibility of the counterparty and is not backed by an exchange or clearing
corporation and therefore exposes the Fund to credit risk. Additionally,
trading on non-U.S. exchanges is subject to the risks presented by exchange
controls, expropriation, increased tax burdens and exposure to local economic
declines and political instability. An adverse development with respect to
any of these variables could reduce the profit or increase the loss earned on
trades in the affected international markets.
International
trading activities subject the Fund to foreign exchange risk.
The price
of any non-U.S. Oil Interest and, therefore, the potential profit and loss on
such investment, may be affected by any variance in the foreign exchange rate
between the time the order is placed and the time it is liquidated, offset or
exercised. As a result, changes in the value of the local currency
relative to the U.S. dollar may cause losses to the Fund even if the contract is
profitable.
The
Fund’s international trading could expose it to losses resulting from non-U.S.
exchanges that are less developed or less reliable than United States
exchanges.
Some
non-U.S. exchanges also may be in a more developmental stage so that prior price
histories may not be indicative of current price dynamics. In addition,
the Fund may not have the same access to certain positions on foreign trading
exchanges as do local traders, and the historical market data on which the
Sponsor bases its strategies may not be as reliable or accessible as it is for
U.S. exchanges.
Tax
Risk
Please
refer to “U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations” for information regarding the
U.S. federal income tax consequences of the purchase, ownership and disposition
of Shares.
Your
tax liability from holding Shares may exceed the amount of distributions, if
any, on your Shares.
Cash or
property will be distributed at the sole discretion of the Sponsor, and the
Sponsor currently does not intend to make cash or other distributions with
respect to Shares. You will be required to pay U.S. federal income tax
and, in some cases, state, local, or foreign income tax, on your allocable share
of the Fund’s taxable income, without regard to whether you receive
distributions or the amount of any distributions. Therefore, the tax
liability resulting from your ownership of Shares may exceed the amount of cash
or value of property (if any) distributed.
Your
allocable share of income or loss for tax purposes may differ from your economic
income or loss on your Shares.
Due to
the application of the assumptions and conventions applied by the Fund in making
allocations for tax purposes and other factors, your allocable share of the
Fund’s income, gain, deduction or loss may be different than your economic
profit or loss from your Shares for a taxable year. This difference could
be temporary or permanent and, if permanent, could result in your being taxed on
amounts in excess of your economic income.
Items
of income, gain, deduction, loss and credit with respect to Shares could be
reallocated if the IRS does not accept the assumptions and conventions applied
by the Fund in allocating those items, with potential adverse consequences for
you.
The Fund
will be treated as a partnership for United States federal income tax
purposes. The U.S. tax rules pertaining to entities taxed as partnerships
are complex and their application to publicly traded partnerships such as the
Fund is in many respects uncertain. The Fund will apply certain
assumptions and conventions in an attempt to comply with the intent of the
applicable rules and to report taxable income, gains, deductions, losses and
credits in a manner that properly reflects Shareholders’ economic gains and
losses. These assumptions and conventions may not fully comply with all
aspects of the Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”) and applicable Treasury
Regulations, however, and it is possible that the U.S. Internal Revenue Service
will successfully challenge our allocation methods and require us to reallocate
items of income, gain, deduction, loss or credit in a manner that adversely
affects you. If this occurs, you may be required to file an amended tax
return and to pay additional taxes plus deficiency interest.
The
Fund could be treated as a corporation for federal income tax purposes, which
may substantially reduce the value of your Shares.
The Trust
has received an opinion of counsel that, under current U.S. federal income tax
laws, the Fund will be treated as a partnership that is not taxable as a
corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, provided that (i) at least 90
percent of the Fund’s annual gross income consists of “qualifying income” as
defined in the Code, (ii) the Fund is organized and operated in accordance with
its governing agreements and applicable law, and (iii) the Fund does not elect
to be taxed as a corporation for federal income tax purposes. Although the
Sponsor anticipates that the Fund has satisfied and will continue to satisfy the
“qualifying income” requirement for all of its taxable years, that result cannot
be assured. The Fund has not requested and will not request any ruling
from the IRS with respect to its classification as a partnership not taxable as
a corporation for federal income tax purposes. If the IRS were to
successfully assert that the Fund is taxable as a corporation for federal income
tax purposes in any taxable year, rather than passing through its income, gains,
losses and deductions proportionately to Shareholders, the Fund would be subject
to tax on its net income for the year at corporate tax rates. In addition,
although the Sponsor does not currently intend to make distributions with
respect to Shares, any distributions would be taxable to Shareholders as
dividend income. Taxation of the Fund as a corporation could materially
reduce the after-tax return on an investment in Shares and could substantially
reduce the value of your Shares.
PROSPECTIVE
INVESTORS ARE STRONGLY URGED TO CONSULT THEIR OWN TAX ADVISORS WITH RESPECT TO
THE POSSIBLE TAX CONSEQUENCES TO THEM OF AN INVESTMENT IN SHARES; SUCH TAX
CONSEQUENCES MAY DIFFER IN RESPECT OF DIFFERENT INVESTORS.
THE
OFFERING
The
Fund in General
The Fund
is a series of the Trust, a statutory trust organized under the laws of the
State of Delaware on September 11, 2009. The Fund is one of six series of
the Trust. Additional series may be offered in the future at the Sponsor’s
discretion. The Fund maintains its main business office at 232 Hidden Lake
Road, Building A, Brattleboro, Vermont 05301. The Fund is a commodity
pool. It operates pursuant to the terms of the Trust Agreement dated as of
March 31, 2010, which grants full management control to the
Sponsor.
The
Fund is publicly traded, and seeks to have the daily changes in percentage terms
of the Shares’ NAV reflect the daily changes in percentage terms of the price of
WTI light, sweet crude oil delivered to Cushing, Oklahoma for future delivery,
as measured by the Benchmark, before taking Fund expenses and interest income
into account. The Fund will invest in a mixture of Oil Futures Contracts,
Other Oil Interests, Treasury Securities, cash and cash
equivalents.
THE
FUND HAS NOT COMMENCED TRADING AND DOES NOT HAVE ANY PERFORMANCE
HISTORY.
The
Sponsor
The
Sponsor of the Trust is Teucrium Trading, LLC, a Delaware limited liability
company. The principal office of the Sponsor and the Trust are located at
232 Hidden Lake Road, Building A, Brattleboro, Vermont 05301. The Sponsor
registered as a CPO with the CFTC and became a member of the NFA on November 10,
2009.
The
Sponsor established the Trust and caused the Trust to establish one series, The
Teucrium Corn Fund that commenced offering its shares to the public on June 9,
2010; and five other series including the Teucrium WTI Crude Oil Fund, the
shares of which are covered by this prospectus. Aside from the activity
described in the previous sentence and obtaining capital from a small number of
outside investors in order to engage in this activity, the Sponsor did not
engage in any business activity prior to the date of this prospectus.
Under the Trust Agreement, the Sponsor is solely responsible for the management
and conducts or directs the conduct of the business of the Trust, the Fund, and
any other series of the Trust that may from time to time be established and
designated by the Sponsor. The Sponsor is required to oversee the purchase
and sale of Shares by Authorized Purchasers and to manage the Fund’s
investments, including to evaluate the credit risk of futures commission
merchants and swap counterparties and to review daily positions and
margin/collateral requirements. The Sponsor has the power to enter into
agreements as may be necessary or appropriate for the offer and sale of the
Fund’s Shares and the conduct of the Trust’s activities. Accordingly, the
Sponsor is responsible for selecting the Trustee, Administrator, Marketing
Agent, the independent registered public accounting firm of the Trust, and any
legal counsel employed by the Trust. The Sponsor is also responsible for
preparing and filing periodic reports on behalf of the Trust with the SEC and
will provide any required certification for such reports. No person other
than the Sponsor and its principals was involved in the organization of the
Trust or the Fund.
The
Marketing Agent will assist the Sponsor in marketing the Shares. The
Sponsor may determine to engage additional or successor marketing agents.
See “Plan of Distribution” for more information about the Marketing
Agent.
The
Sponsor maintains a public website on behalf of the Fund,
www.teucriumoilfund.com which contains information about the Trust, the Fund,
and the Shares, and oversees certain services for the benefit of
Shareholders.
The
Sponsor has discretion to appoint one or more of its affiliates as additional
Sponsors.
The
Sponsor receives a fee as compensation for services performed under the Trust
Agreement. The Sponsor’s fee accrues daily and is paid monthly at an
annual rate of 1.00% of the average daily net assets of the Fund. The
Sponsor receives no compensation from the Fund other than such fee. The
Fund is also responsible for other ongoing fees, costs and expenses of its
operations, including brokerage fees, SEC and FINRA registration fees and legal,
printing, accounting, custodial, administration and transfer agency costs,
although the
Sponsor has borne or will bear the costs and expenses related to the initial
offer and sale of Shares.
Shareholders
have no right to elect the Sponsor on an annual or any other continuing basis or
to remove the Sponsor. If the Sponsor voluntarily withdraws, the holders
of a majority of the Trust’s outstanding Shares (excluding for purposes of such
determination Shares owned by the withdrawing Sponsor and its affiliates) may
elect its successor. Prior to withdrawing, the Sponsor must give ninety
days’ written notice to the Shareholders and the Trustee.
Ownership
or “membership” interests in the Sponsor are owned by persons referred to as
“members.” The Sponsor currently has three voting or “Class A”
members – Mr. Sal Gilbertie, Mr. Dale Riker and Mr. Carl N. Miller III – and a
small number of non-voting or “Class B” members who have provided working
capital to the Sponsor. Messrs. Gilbertie and Riker each currently own 45%
of the Sponsor’s Class A membership interests.
Management
of the Sponsor
In
general, under the Sponsor’s Limited Liability Company Agreement, the Sponsor
(and as a result the Trust and the Fund) is managed by the officers of the
Sponsor. In particular, the President of the Sponsor is responsible for
the general and active management of the business of the Sponsor, and for the
supervision and direction of the Sponsor’s other officers. However,
certain fundamental actions regarding the Sponsor, such as the removal of
officers, the addition or substitution of members, or the incurrence of
liabilities other than those incurred in the ordinary course of business and
de minimis liabilities,
may not be taken without the affirmative vote of a majority of the Class A
members (which is generally defined as the affirmative vote of Mr. Gilbertie and
one of the other two Class A members). The Sponsor has no board of
directors, and the Trust has no board of directors or officers.
The three
Class A members of the Sponsor, two of whom also serve as its officers, are as
follows:
Sal
Gilbertie has been the President of the Sponsor since its inception, was
approved by the NFA as a principal of the Sponsor on September 23, 2009, and was
registered as an associated person of the Sponsor on November 10, 2009. He
maintains his main business office at 436 Cerrillos Road, Suite C,
Santa Fe, New Mexico 85701. From October, 2005 until December, 2009, Mr.
Gilbertie was employed by Newedge USA, LLC, where he headed the Renewable
Fuels/Energy Derivatives OTC Execution Desk and was an active futures contract
and over-the-counter derivatives trader and market maker in multiple classes of
commodities. (Between January 2008 and October 2008, he also held a
comparable position with Newedge Financial, Inc., an affiliate of Newedge USA,
LLC.) From October 1998 until October 2005, Mr. Gilbertie was
principal and co-founder of Cambial Asset Management, LLC, an adviser to two
private funds that focused on equity options, and Cambial Financing Dynamics, a
private boutique investment bank. While at Cambial Asset Management, LLC
and Cambial Financing Dynamics, Mr. Gilbertie served as principal and managed
the day-to-day activities of the business and the portfolio of both
companies. Mr. Gilbertie is 50 years old.
Dale Riker
has been the Treasurer of the Sponsor since its inception and its Secretary
since January, 2010, was approved by the NFA as a principal of the Sponsor on
October 29, 2009, and was registered as an associated person of the Sponsor on
February 17, 2010. He maintains his main business office at 232 Hidden
Lake Road, Brattleboro, Vermont 05301. From February 2005 to the present,
Mr. Riker has been President of Cambial Emerging Markets LLC, a consulting
company specializing in emerging market equity investment. As President of
Cambial Emerging Markets LLC, Mr. Riker had responsibility for the business
strategy, planning and operations. From July 1996 to February 2005, Mr.
Riker was a private investor. Mr. Riker is 52 years old.
Carl N. (Chuck)
Miller III was approved by the NFA as a principal of the Sponsor on
November 10, 2009, was registered as an associated person of the Sponsor on
April 19, 2010 and was registered as a branch office manager of the Sponsor on
June 4, 2010. He maintains his main business office at 436 Cerrillos Road,
Suite C, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501. Mr. Miller is an investor in the
Sponsor, and his duties include business development and serving as the branch
office manager of the Sponsor’s branch office noted above. Mr. Miller
co-founded Garnet Advisors, LLC, a proprietary trading firm that focuses on a
broad array of investment opportunities, in November, 2001. He served as a
Member of Garnet Advisors, LLC, from November 2001 until December 2008 and, in
his role as co-founding Member, was responsible for new business development and
risk management oversight of trading and management within the firm. Mr.
Miller was a private investor in Teucrium Trading, LLC from December, 2008
through August, 2009. Mr. Miller is 58 years old.
The three
individuals set forth above are individual “principals,” as that term is defined
in CFTC Rule 3.1, for the Sponsor. These individuals are principals due to
their positions and/or due to their ownership interests in the Sponsor.
None of the principals owns or has any other beneficial interest in the
Fund. In addition, each of the three Class A members of the Sponsor are
registered with the CFTC as associated persons of the Sponsor and are NFA
associate members. GFI Group LLC is a principal for the Sponsor under CFTC
Rules due to its ownership of certain non-voting securities of the
Sponsor.
Mr.
Gilbertie and Kelly Teevan, an employee of the Sponsor who is not a member of
the Sponsor, are primarily responsible for making trading and investment
decisions for the Fund, and for directing Fund trades for execution. Mr.
Teevan has been a Managing Director of the Sponsor since October 2009, was
approved by the NFA as a principal of the Sponsor on March 25, 2010, was
registered as an associated person of the Sponsor on February 24, 2010 and was
registered as a branch office manager of the Sponsor on June 11, 2010.. He
maintains his main business office at 42 West Union Street, Goffstown, NH
03045. Mr. Teevan graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy, Harvard College
and Stanford Graduate School of Business, following which he worked as
commodities broker and trader at several brokerage and investment firms in New
York City, San Francisco and Sydney, Australia. Mr. Teevan has
primarily been retired since January 2003. Mr. Teevan is 59 years
old.
Contributions
to the Fund
The Sponsor contributed $100.00 to
the Fund representing an initial contribution of capital to the pool. In
connection with the commencement of the offering, the Sponsor will receive two
Shares of the Fund to be issued in exchange for the capital contribution,
representing a beneficial interest in the pool.
Executive
Compensation and Fees to the Sponsor
The Fund is contractually obligated
to pay the Sponsor a management fee based on the daily net assets and paid
monthly of 1.00% per annum on average net assets. These fees are
calculated on a daily basis.
Prior
Performance of the Sponsor and Affiliates
THIS
POOL OPERATOR AND ITS TRADING PRINCIPALS HAVE LIMITED EXPERIENCE OPERATING ANY
OTHER POOLS OR TRADING ANY OTHER ACCOUNTS.
The
Trustee
The
sole Trustee of the Trust is Wilmington Trust Company, a Delaware banking
corporation. The Trustee’s principal offices are located at 1100 North
Market Street, Wilmington, Delaware 19890-0001. The Trustee is
unaffiliated with the Sponsor. The Trustee’s duties and liabilities with
respect to the offering of Shares and the management of the Trust and the Fund
are limited to its express obligations under the Trust Agreement.
The
Trustee will accept service of legal process on the Trust in the State of
Delaware and will make certain filings under the Delaware Statutory Trust
Act. The Trustee does not owe any other duties to the Trust, the Sponsor
or the Shareholders. The Trustee is permitted to resign upon at least
sixty (60) days’ notice to the Sponsor. If no successor trustee has been
appointed by the Sponsor within such sixty-day period, the Trustee may, at the
expense of the Trust, petition a court to appoint a successor. The Trust
Agreement provides that the Trustee is entitled to reasonable compensation for
its services from the Sponsor or an affiliate of the Sponsor (including the
Trust), and is indemnified by the Sponsor against any expenses it incurs
relating to or arising out of the formation, operation or termination of the
Trust, or any action or inaction of the Trustee under the Trust Agreement,
except to the extent that such expenses result from the gross negligence or
willful misconduct of the Trustee. The Sponsor has the discretion to
replace the Trustee.
The
Trustee has not signed the registration statement of which this prospectus is a
part, and is not subject to issuer liability under the federal securities laws
for the information contained in this prospectus and under federal securities
laws with respect to the issuance and sale of the Shares. Under such laws,
neither the Trustee, either in its capacity as Trustee or in its individual
capacity, nor any director, officer or controlling person of the Trustee is, or
has any liability as, the issuer or a director, officer or controlling person of
the issuer of the Shares.
Under the
Trust Agreement, the Trustee has delegated to the Sponsor the exclusive
management and control of all aspects of the business of the Trust and the
Fund. The Trustee has no duty or liability to supervise or monitor the
performance of the Sponsor, nor does the Trustee have any liability for the acts
or omissions of the Sponsor.
Because
the Trustee has delegated substantially all of its authority over the operation
of the Trust to the Sponsor, the Trustee itself is not registered in any
capacity with the CFTC.
Operation
of the Fund
The
investment objective of the Fund is to have the daily changes in percentage
terms of the Shares’ NAV reflect the daily changes in percentage terms of a
weighted average of the closing settlement prices for three futures contracts
for WTI crude oil, also known as Texas Light Sweet crude oil (“Oil Futures
Contracts”) that are traded on the NYMEX, specifically (1) the nearest to spot
June or December Oil Futures Contract, weighted 35%; (2) the June or December
Oil Futures Contract following the aforementioned (1), weighted 30%; and (3) the
June or December Oil Futures Contract following the aforementioned (2), weighted
35%; before taking Fund expenses and interest income into account. (This
weighted average of the three referenced Oil Futures Contracts is referred to
herein as the “Benchmark,” and the three Oil Futures Contracts that at any given
time make up the Benchmark are referred to herein as the “Benchmark Component
Futures Contracts.”)
The
Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal market
conditions in Benchmark Component Futures Contracts or, in certain
circumstances, in other Oil Futures Contracts traded on the NYMEX or on foreign
exchanges. The Fund may invest in Oil Future Contracts and in Other Oil
Interests. See “The Offering – Futures Contracts” below. By
utilizing certain or all of these investments, the Sponsor will endeavor to
cause the Fund’s performance, before taking fund expenses and any interest
income from the cash, cash equivalents and U.S. Treasury securities held by the
Fund into account, to closely track that of the Benchmark.
The
Fund intends to invest in Oil Interests to the fullest extent possible an
aggregate notional amount equal to the Fund’s NAV without being leveraged or
unable to satisfy its current or potential margin or collateral obligations with
respect to its investments in Oil Interests. After fulfilling such margin
and collateral requirements, the Fund will invest the remainder of its proceeds
from the sale of baskets in Treasury Securities or cash equivalents, and/or
merely hold such assets in cash (generally in interest-bearing accounts).
Therefore, the focus of the Sponsor in managing the Fund is investing in Oil
Interests and in Treasury Securities, cash and/or cash equivalents. The
Sponsor expects to manage the Fund’s investments directly, although it has been
authorized by the Trust to retain, establish the terms of retention for, and
terminate third-party commodity trading advisors to provide such
management. The Sponsor has substantial discretion in managing the Fund’s
investments consistent with meeting its investment objective of closely tracking
the Benchmark, including the discretion: (1) to choose whether to invest in the
Benchmark Component Futures Contracts or Other Oil Interests with similar
investment characteristics; (2) to choose when to “roll” the Fund’s positions in
Oil Interests as described above, and (3) to manage the Fund’s investments in
Treasury Securities, cash and cash equivalents. The Fund seeks to achieve
its investment objective primarily by investing in Oil Interests such that daily
changes in the Fund’s NAV will be expected to closely track the changes in the
Benchmark. The Fund’s positions in Crude Oil Interests will be changed or
“rolled” on a regular basis in order to track the changing nature of the
Benchmark. For example, three times a year (on the month in which a Benchmark
Component Futures Contract is set to become the first-to-expire Oil Futures
contract listed on NYMEX (commonly call the “spot” contract), the
first-to-expire Benchmark Component Contract will become the next-to-expire
(spot) Oil Futures Contract and will no longer be a Benchmark Component Futures
Contract, and the Fund’s investments will have to be changed
accordingly.
In
order that the Fund’s trading does not cause unwanted market movements and to
make it more difficult for third parties to profit by trading based on such
expected market movements, the Fund’s investments typically will not be rolled
entirely on that day, but rather will typically be rolled over a period of
several
Consistent
with achieving the Fund’s investment objective of closely tracking the
Benchmark, the Sponsor may for certain reasons cause the Fund to enter into or
hold Oil Futures Contracts other than the Benchmark Component Futures Contracts
and/or Other Oil Interests. For example, over-the-counter Oil Interests
can generally be structured as the parties to the contract desire.
Therefore, the Fund might enter into multiple over-the-counter Oil Interests
intended to exactly replicate the performance of each of the three Benchmark
Component Futures Contracts, or a single over-the-counter Oil Interest designed
to replicate the performance of the Benchmark as a whole. Assuming that
there is no default by a counterparty to an over-the-counter Oil Interest, the
performance of the Oil Interest will necessarily correlate exactly with the
performance of the Benchmark or the applicable Benchmark Component Futures
Contract. The Fund might also enter into or hold Oil Interests other than
the Benchmark Component Futures Contracts to facilitate effective trading,
consistent with the discussion of the Fund’s “roll” strategy in the preceding
paragraph. In addition, the Fund might enter into or hold Oil Interests
that would be expected to alleviate overall deviation between the Fund’s
performance and that of the Benchmark that may result from certain market and
trading inefficiencies or other reasons. By utilizing certain or all of
the investments described above, the Sponsor will endeavor to cause the Fund’s
performance, before taking Fund expenses and any interest income from the cash,
cash equivalents and Treasury Securities held by the Fund into account, to
closely track that of the Benchmark.
The
Sponsor endeavors to place the Fund’s trades in Oil Interests and otherwise
manage the Fund’s investments so that the Fund’s average daily tracking error
against the Benchmark will be less than 10 percent over any period of 30 trading
days. More specifically, the Sponsor will endeavor to manage the Fund so
that A will be within plus/minus 10 percent of B, where:
|
·
|
A is the average daily change in
the Fund’s NAV for any period of 30 successive valuation days; i.e., any
trading day as of which the Fund calculates its NAV;
and
|
|
·
|
B is the average daily change in
the price of the Benchmark over the same
period.
|
The
Sponsor believes that market arbitrage opportunities cause daily changes in the
Fund’s Share price on the NYSE Arca to closely track daily changes in the Fund’s
NAV per share. The Sponsor believes that the net effect of this expected
relationship and the expected relationship described above between the Fund’s
NAV and the Benchmark will be that daily changes in the price of the Fund’s
Shares on the NYSE Arca will closely track daily changes in the Benchmark,
before taking Fund expenses and interest income into account. While the
Benchmark is composed of Oil Futures Contracts and is therefore a measure of the
price of WTI light, sweet crude oil for future delivery, there is nonetheless
expected to be a reasonable degree of correlation between the Benchmark and the
cash or spot price of WTI light, sweet crude oil.
These
relationships are illustrated in the following diagram:
An
investment in the Shares provides a means for diversifying an investor’s
portfolio or hedging exposure to changes in crude oil prices. An
investment in the Shares allows both retail and institutional investors to
easily gain this exposure to the crude oil market in a transparent,
cost-effective manner.
The
Sponsor employs a “neutral” investment strategy intended to track changes in the
Benchmark regardless of whether the Benchmark goes up or goes down. The
Fund’s “neutral” investment strategy is designed to permit investors generally
to purchase and sell the Fund’s Shares for the purpose of investing indirectly
in the crude oil market in a cost-effective manner. Such investors may
include participants in the crude oil market and other industries seeking to
hedge the risk of losses in their crude oil-related transactions, as well as
investors seeking exposure to the crude oil market. Accordingly, depending
on the investment objective of an individual investor, the risks generally
associated with investing in the crude oil market and/or the risks involved in
hedging may exist. In addition, an investment in the Fund involves the
risk that the changes in the price of the Fund’s Shares will not accurately
track the changes in the Benchmark, and that changes in the Benchmark will not
closely correlate with changes in the price of WTI light, sweet crude oil on the
spot market. Furthermore, as noted above, the Fund will also hold Treasury
Securities, cash and/or cash equivalents to meet its current or potential margin
or collateral requirements with respect to its investments in Oil Interests and
to invest cash not required to be used as margin or collateral. The Fund
does not expect there to be any meaningful correlation between the performance
of the Fund’s investments in Treasury Securities/cash/cash equivalents and the
changes in the price of WTI light, sweet crude oil or Oil Interests. While
the level of interest earned on or the market price of these investments may in
some respects correlate to changes in the price of WTI light, sweet crude oil,
this correlation is not anticipated as part of the Fund’s efforts to meet its
objective.
The
Fund’s total portfolio composition is disclosed each business day that the NYSE
Arca is open for trading on the Fund’s website at www.teucriumoilfund.com.
The website disclosure of portfolio holdings is made daily and includes, as
applicable, the name and value of each Oil Futures Contract, the specific types
of Other Oil Interests and characteristics of such Other Oil Interests, the name
and value of each Treasury Security and cash equivalent, and the amount of cash
held in the Fund’s portfolio. The Fund’s website is publicly accessible at
no charge.
The
Shares issued by the Fund may only be purchased by Authorized Purchasers and
only in blocks of 25,000 Shares called Creation Baskets. The amount of the
purchase payment for a Creation Basket is equal to the aggregate NAV of Shares
in the Creation Basket. Similarly, only Authorized Purchasers may redeem
Shares and only in blocks of 25,000 Shares called Redemption Baskets. The
amount of the redemption proceeds for a Redemption Basket is equal to the
aggregate NAV of Shares in the Redemption Basket. The purchase price for
Creation Baskets and the redemption price for Redemption Baskets are the actual
NAV calculated at the end of the business day when a request for a purchase or
redemption is received by the Fund. The NYSE Arca will publish an
approximate NAV intra-day based on the prior day’s NAV and the current price of
the Benchmark Component Futures Contracts, but the price of Creation Baskets and
Redemption Baskets is determined based on the actual NAV calculated at the end
of each trading day.
While the
Fund issues Shares only in Creation Baskets, Shares may also be purchased and
sold in much smaller increments on the NYSE Arca. These transactions,
however, are effected at the bid and ask prices established by the specialist
firm(s). Like any listed security, Shares can be purchased and sold at any
time a secondary market is open.
The
Fund’s Investment Strategy
In
managing the Fund’s assets, the Sponsor does not use a technical trading system
that automatically issues buy and sell orders. Instead, each time one or
more baskets are purchased or redeemed, the Sponsor will purchase or sell Oil
Interests with an aggregate market value that approximates the amount of cash
received or paid upon the purchase or redemption of the basket(s).
As an
example, assume that a Creation Basket is sold by the Fund, and that the Fund’s
closing NAV per share is $50.00. In that case, the Fund would receive
$1,250,000 in proceeds from the sale of the Creation Basket ($50.00 NAV per
share multiplied by 25,000 Shares). If one were to assume further that the
Sponsor wants to expose the entire proceeds from the Creation Basket to the
Benchmark Component Futures Contracts and that the market value of each such
Benchmark Component Futures Contracts is $80,000, the Fund would be unable to
buy an exact number of Oil Futures Contracts with an aggregate market value
equal to $1,250,000. Instead, the Fund would be able to purchase 15
Benchmark Component Futures Contracts with an aggregate market value of
$1,200,000. Assuming a margin requirement equal to 10% of the value of the
Oil Futures Contracts, the Fund would be required to deposit $120,000 in
Treasury Securities and cash with the futures commission merchant through which
the Oil Futures Contracts were purchased. The remainder of the proceeds
from the sale of the Creation Basket,
$1,130,000, would
remain invested in cash, cash equivalents, and Treasury Securities as determined
by the Sponsor from time to time based on factors such as potential calls for
margin or anticipated redemptions.
The
specific Oil Interests purchased will depend on various factors, including a
judgment by the Sponsor as to the appropriate diversification of the Fund’s
investments in Oil Interests. While the Sponsor anticipates that a
substantial majority of its assets will be exposed to Oil Futures Contracts, for
various reasons, including the ability to enter into the precise amount of
exposure to the crude oil market and position limits on Oil Futures Contracts,
it will also hold Other Oil Interests, including swaps, in the over-the-counter
market to a potentially significant degree.
The
Sponsor does not anticipate letting its Oil Futures Contracts expire and taking
delivery of crude oil. Instead, the Sponsor will close out existing
positions, e.g., in response to ongoing changes in the Benchmark or if it
otherwise determines it would be appropriate to do so and reinvest the proceeds
in new Oil Interests. Positions may also be closed out to meet orders for
Redemption Baskets, in which case the proceeds from closing the positions will
not be reallocated.
Futures
Contracts
Futures
contracts are agreements between two parties. One party agrees to buy a
commodity such as crude oil from the other party at a later date at a price and
quantity agreed-upon when the contract is made. In market terminology, a
party who purchases a futures contract is long in the market and a party who
sells a futures contract is short in the market. The contractual
obligations of a buyer or seller may generally be satisfied by taking or making
physical delivery of the underlying commodity or by making an offsetting sale or
purchase of an identical futures contract on the same or linked exchange before
the designated date of delivery. The difference between the price at which
the futures contract is purchased or sold and the price paid for the offsetting
sale or purchase, after allowance for brokerage commissions, constitutes the
profit or loss to the trader.
If the
price of the commodity increases after the original futures contract is entered
into, the buyer of the futures contract will generally be able to sell a futures
contract to close out its original long position at a price higher than that at
which the original contract was purchased, generally resulting in a profit to
the buyer. Conversely, the seller of a futures contract will generally
profit if the price of the underlying commodity decreases, as it will generally
be able to buy a futures contract to close out its original short position at a
price lower than which the original contract was sold. Because the Fund
seeks to track the Benchmark directly and profit when the price of WTI light,
sweet crude oil and, as a likely result of an increase in the price of WTI
light, sweet crude oil, the price of Oil Futures Contracts increase, the Fund
will generally be long in the market for WTI light, sweet crude oil, and will
generally sell Oil Futures Contracts only to close out existing long
positions.
Certain
typical and significant characteristics of Oil Futures Contracts are discussed
below. The Fund anticipates that to the extent that it invests in Oil
Futures Contracts other than WTI light, sweet crude oil contracts and Other Oil
Interests, it will enter into various non-exchange traded derivative contracts
to hedge the short-term price movements of such Oil Futures Contracts and Other
Oil Interests against the current Benchmark Component Futures Contracts.
Additional risks of investing in Oil Futures Contracts are included in “What are
the Risk Factors Involved with an Investment in the Fund?”
Impact
of Position Limits, Accountability Levels, and Price Fluctuation
Limits.
The CFTC
and U.S. designated contract markets such as the NYMEX have established position
limits and accountability levels on the maximum net long or net short positions
in futures contracts in commodities that any person or group of persons under
common trading control (other than as a hedge, which an investment by the Fund
would not be) may hold, own or control. The net position is the difference
between an individual or firm’s open long contracts and open short contracts in
any one commodity. In addition, most U.S. futures exchanges, such as the
NYMEX, limit the daily price fluctuation for futures contracts.
Accountability
levels for the Oil Futures Contracts traded on the NYMEX are not a fixed
ceiling, but rather a threshold above which the NYMEX may exercise greater
scrutiny and control over an investor’s positions. The current accountability
level for any one month in the Benchmark Component Futures Contracts is 10,000
contracts. In addition, the NYMEX imposes an accountability level for all
months of 20,000 net futures contracts for investments in future contracts for
light, sweet crude oil. If the Fund exceeds these accountability levels
for investments in light, sweet crude oil, the NYMEX will monitor the Fund’s
exposure and ask for further information on its activities including the total
size of all positions, investment and trading strategy, and the extent of
liquidity resources of the Fund.
If the
NYMEX orders the Fund to reduce it position back to the accountability level, or
to an accountability level that the NYMEX deems appropriate for the Fund, such
an accountability level may impact the mix of investments in Oil
Interests. To illustrate, assume that the price of the Benchmark Component
Futures Contract and the share price of the Fund are each $100, and that the
NYMEX has determined that the Fund may not own more than 10,000 contracts in
Benchmark Component Futures Contracts. In such case, the Fund could invest
up to $1 billion of its daily net assets in the Benchmark Component Futures
Contract ( i.e., $100
per contract multiplied by 1,000 (a Benchmark Component Futures Contract is a
contract for 1,000 barrels of oil multiplied by 10,000 contracts)) before
reaching the accountability level imposed by the NYMEX. Once the daily net
assets of the Fund exceed $1 billion in the Benchmark Component Futures
Contracts, the Fund may not be able to make any further investments in the
Benchmark Component Futures Contract, depending on whether the NYMEX imposes
limits. If the NYMEX does impose limits at the $1 billion level (or
another level), the Fund anticipates that it will invest the majority of its
assets above that level in a mix of Oil Interests.
In
addition to accountability levels, the NYMEX may impose position limits on
contracts held in the last few days of trading in the near month contract to
expire. It is unlikely that the Fund will be subject to such position
limits because the Fund’s investment strategy is to “roll” from the near month
contract to expire to the next month contract during the period beginning two
weeks from the expiration of the contract.
There is
a limit on the amount of price fluctuation for Oil Futures Contracts imposed by
the NYMEX of $10 per barrel ($10,000 per contract). This limit is
initially based off the previous trading day’s settlement price. If any
Oil Futures Contract is traded, bid, or offered at the limit for five minutes,
trading is halted for five minutes. When trading resumes it begins at the
point where the limit was imposed and the limit is reset to be $10 per barrel in
either direction after successive five-minute trading halt. There is no
maximum price fluctuation limit during any one trading session.
Generally,
futures contracts traded on the NYMEX are priced by floor brokers and other
exchange members through an “open outcry” to offers to purchase or sell the
contracts and through an electronic, screen-based system that determines the
price by matching electronically offers to purchase and sell. Futures
contracts may also be based on commodities indices, in that they call for a cash
payment based on the change in the value of the specified index during a
specified period.
The Fund
anticipates that to the extent that it invest in Oil Interests, it will enter
into various non-exchange-traded derivative contracts to achieve our investment
objective of tracking the Benchmark.
Price
Volatility
Despite
daily price limits, the price volatility of futures contracts generally has been
historically greater than that for traditional securities such as stocks and
bonds. Price volatility often is greater day-to-day as opposed to
intra-day. Economic factors that may cause volatility in Oil Futures
Contracts include changes in interest rates; governmental, trade, fiscal,
monetary and exchange control programs and policies; weather and climate
conditions; changing supply and demand relationships; changes in balances of
payments and trade; U.S. and international rates of inflation; currency
devaluations and revaluations; U.S. and international political and economic
events; and changes in philosophies and emotions of market participants.
Because the Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in futures
contracts, the assets of the Fund, and therefore the price of the Fund’s Shares,
may be subject to greater volatility than traditional securities.
Term
Structure of Futures Contracts and the Impact on Total Return
Several
factors determine the total return from investing in futures contracts.
Because the Fund must periodically “roll” futures contract positions, closing
out soon-to-expire contracts that are no longer part of the Benchmark and
entering into subsequent-to-expire contracts, one such factor is the price
relationship between soon-to-expire contracts and later-to-expire
contracts. For example, if market conditions are such that the prices of
soon-to-expire contracts are higher than later-to-expire contracts (a situation
referred to as “backwardation” in the futures market), then the price of
contracts will rise as they approach expiration. Conversely, if the price
of soon-to-expire contracts is lower than later-to-expire contracts (a situation
referred to as “contango” in the futures market), then absent a change in the
market the price of contracts will decline as they approach
expiration.
Over
time, the price of the crude oil will fluctuate based on a number of market
factors, including demand for crude oil relative to its supply. The value
of Oil Futures Contracts will likewise fluctuate in reaction to a number of
market factors. If investors seek to maintain their holdings in Oil
Futures Contracts with a roughly constant expiration profile and not take
delivery of the crude oil, they must on an ongoing basis sell their current
positions as they approach expiration and invest in later-to-expire
contracts.
If the
futures market is in a state of backwardation (i.e., when the price of crude oil
in the future is expected to be less than the current price), the Fund will buy
later-to-expire contracts for a lower price than the sooner-to-expire contracts
that it sells. Hypothetically, and assuming no changes to either
prevailing crude oil prices or the price relationship between the spot price,
soon-to-expire contracts and later-to-expire contracts, the value of a contract
will rise as it approaches expiration, increasing the Fund’s total return
(ignoring the impact of commission costs and the interest earned on Treasury
Securities, cash and/or cash equivalents). For example, assume the price
of crude oil for immediate delivery (“spot price”) is $80 per barrel and the
value of a position in the near month futures contract was also $80. In
backwardation, the investment would tend to rise slower than the spot price of
crude oil, or fall faster. As a result, it would be possible for the spot
price of crude oil to have risen to $100 after some period of time, while the
value of the investment in the futures contract would have only risen to $90,
assuming the backwardation is large enough or enough time has elapsed.
Similarly, the spot price of crude oil could have fallen to $70 while the value
of an investment in the futures contract could have remained at $80. Over
time, if backwardation remained constant, the differences would continue to
increase.
If the
futures market is in contango, the Fund will buy later-to-expire contracts for a
higher price than the sooner-to-expire contracts that it sells.
Hypothetically, and assuming no other changes to either prevailing crude oil
prices or the price relationship between the spot price, soon-to-expire
contracts and later-to-expire contracts, the value of a contract will fall as it
approaches expiration, decreasing the Fund’s total return (ignoring the impact
of commission costs and the interest earned on Treasury Securities, cash and/or
cash equivalents). For example, in contango, the $80 investment would rise
faster than the spot price of crude oil, or fall slower. As a result, it
is possible, for the spot price to have risen to $100 per barrel after some
period time, while the value of the investment in the futures contract has risen
to $110, assuming contango is large enough or enough time has elapsed.
Similarly, the spot price of crude could have fallen to $60 while the value of
an investment in the futures contact would have fallen to $70. Over time,
if contango remained constant, the difference would continue to
increase.
Historically,
the crude oil futures markets have experienced periods of both contango and
backwardation. During 2006 and the first half of 2007, the crude oil
futures markets experienced contango. However, starting early in the third
quarter 2007, the crude oil futures markets moved into backwardation and
remained in backwardation until late in the second quarter 2008 when the crude
oil futures markets moved into contango. The crude oil markets remained in
contango until late third quarter 2008, when they moved into
backwardation. The crude oil markets moved back into contango for the
balance of 2008, reaching supercontango in December 2008. The crude oil
futures markets have been in contango since 2008.
Marking-to-Market
Futures Positions
Futures
contracts are marked to market at the end of each trading day and the margin
required with respect to such contracts is adjusted accordingly. This
process of marking-to-market is designed to prevent losses from accumulating in
any futures account. Therefore, if the Fund’s futures positions have
declined in value, the Fund may be required to post “variation margin” to cover
this decline. Alternatively, if the Fund’s futures positions have
increased in value, this increase will be credited to the Fund’s
account.
Over-the-Counter
Derivatives
In
addition to futures contracts and options on futures contracts, derivative
contracts that are tied to various commodities, including crude oil, are entered
into outside of public exchanges. These “over-the-counter” contracts are
entered into between two parties in private contracts. Unlike Oil Futures
Contracts, which are guaranteed by a clearing organization, each party to an
over-the-counter derivative contract bears the credit risk of the other party,
i.e. , the risk that
the other party will not be able to perform its obligations under its
contract.
Some
crude oil-based over-the-counter derivatives contracts contain relatively
standardized terms and conditions and are available from a wide range of
participants. Others have highly customized terms and conditions and are
not as widely available. While the Fund may enter into these more
customized contracts, the Fund will only enter into over-the-counter contracts
containing certain terms and conditions, as discussed further below, that are
designed to minimize the credit risk to which the Fund will be subject and only
if the terms and conditions of the contract are consistent with achieving the
Fund’s investment objective of closely tracking the Benchmark. The
over-the-counter contracts that the Fund may enter into will take the form of
either forward contracts or swaps.
A forward
contract is a contractual obligation to purchase or sell a specified quantity of
a commodity at or before a specified date in the future at a specified price
and, therefore, is economically similar to a futures contract. Unlike
futures contracts, however, forward contracts are typically traded in the
over-the-counter markets. In some instances such contracts may provide for
cash settlement instead of making or taking delivery of the underlying
commodity. Forward contracts for a given commodity are generally available
for various amounts and maturities and are subject to individual negotiation
between the parties involved. Moreover, generally there is no direct means
of offsetting or closing out a forward contract by taking an offsetting position
as one would a futures contract on a U.S. exchange. If a trader desires to
close out a forward contract position, he generally will establish an opposite
position in the contract but will settle and recognize the profit or loss on
both positions simultaneously on the delivery date. Thus, unlike in the
futures contract market where a trader who has offset positions will recognize
profit or loss immediately, in the forward market a trader with a position that
has been offset at a profit will generally not receive such profit until the
delivery date, and likewise a trader with a position that has been offset at a
loss will generally not have to pay money until the delivery date.
However, in some instances such contracts may provide a right of offset that
will allow for the receipt of profit and payment for losses prior to the
delivery date.
An
over-the-counter swap agreement is a bilateral contract to exchange a periodic
stream of payments determined by reference to a notional amount, with payment
typically made between the parties on a net basis. For instance, in the
case of an oil swap, the Fund may be obligated to pay a fixed price per barrel
of crude oil and be entitled to receive an amount per barrel equal to the
current value of an index of crude oil prices, the price of a specified Oil
Futures Contract, or the average price of a group of Oil Futures Contracts such
as the Benchmark. Each party to the swap, however, is subject to the
credit risk of the other party. The Fund will only enter into
over-the-counter swaps on a net basis, where the two payment streams are netted
out on a daily basis, with the parties receiving or paying, as the case may be,
only the net amount of the two payments. Swaps do not generally involve
the delivery of underlying assets or principal. Accordingly, the Fund’s
risk of loss with respect to an over-the-counter swap will generally be limited
to the net amount of payments that the counterparty is contractually obligated
to make less any collateral deposits the Fund is holding.
To reduce
the credit risk that arises in connection with over-the-counter contracts, the
Fund will generally enter into an agreement with each counterparty based on the
Master Agreement published by the International Swaps and Derivatives
Association, Inc. that provides for the netting of the Fund’s overall exposure
to its counterparty and for daily payments based on the marked to market value
of the contract.
The
creditworthiness of each potential counterparty will be assessed by the
Sponsor. The Sponsor will assess or review, as appropriate, the
creditworthiness of each potential or existing counterparty to an
over-the-counter contract pursuant to guidelines approved by the Sponsor.
The creditworthiness of existing counterparties will be reviewed
periodically by the Sponsor. The Sponsor’s President has over 25 years of
experience in over-the-counter derivatives trading, including the counterparty
creditworthiness analysis inherent therein, and the Sponsor’s Treasurer and
Secretary, through his prior experience as a Chief Financial Officer and
Treasurer, has extensive experience evaluating the creditworthiness of business
partners and counterparties to commercial and derivative contracts.
Notwithstanding this experience, there is no guarantee that the Sponsor’s
creditworthiness analysis will be successful and that counterparties selected
for Fund transactions will not default on their contractual
obligations.
The Fund
also may require that a counterparty be highly rated and/or provide collateral
or other credit support. The Sponsor on behalf of the Fund may enter into
over-the-counter contracts with various types of counterparties, including: (a)
banks regulated by a United States federal bank regulator, (b) broker-dealers
regulated by the SEC, (c) insurance companies domiciled in the United States,
(d) producers of crude oil and crude oil-related products, (e) users of crude
oil such as refiners, (f) any other person (including affiliates of any of the
above) who are engaged to a substantial degree in the business of trading
commodities. Certain of these types of counterparties will not be subject
to regulation by the CFTC or any other significant federal or state regulatory
structure; While it is the Sponsor’s preference to use regulated entities as
counterparties, the Sponsor will primarily consider creditworthiness in
selecting counterparties rather than the primary business of the prospective
counterparty or the regulatory structure to which it is subject.
The Fund
may also employ spreads or straddles to mitigate the differences in its
investment portfolio and in order to achieve its goal of tracking the
Benchmark.
Benchmark
Performance
See
the graph below under “Benchmark Performance” in the Statement of Additional
Information at the end of this prospectus.
WTI
Light, Sweet Crude Oil and the Oil Industry
WTI
light, sweet crude oil comprises a blend of several U.S. domestic streams of
crude oil delivered to Cushing, Oklahoma where there are many intersecting
pipelines and storage facilities, along with easy access to refiners and
suppliers. WTI light, sweet crude oil flows both inbound and outbound from
Cushing.
Light,
sweet crudes are preferred by refiners because of the low sulfur content and
relatively high yields of high-value products such as gasoline, diesel fuel,
heating oil, and jet fuel. The price of light, sweet crude oil has
historically exhibited periods of significant volatility.
Demand
for petroleum products by consumers, as well as agricultural, manufacturing and
transportation industries, determines demand for crude oil by refiners.
Since product demand is linked to economic activity, crude oil demand will tend
to reflect economic conditions. According to the U.S. Primary Energy
Consumption by Source and Sector, for 2009, about 72% of petroleum was used for
transportation, 22% by industry, 5% for residential and 1% for electricity
production. Changes in consumer behavior, such as mass transportation
initiatives, alternative fuels, and change in economic standards in China and
India may change petroleum consumption. In addition, other factors such as
weather also influence product and crude oil demand.
Crude
oil supply is determined by economic, political and environmental factors.
Oil prices (along with drilling costs, availability of attractive prospects for
drilling, taxes and technology, among other factors) determine exploration and
development spending, which influence output capacity with a lag. In the
short run, production decisions by OPEC also affect supply and prices. Oil
export embargoes represent other routes through which political developments
move the market. Oil extraction may also have a significant impact on the
environment, from accidents and routine activities such as seismic exploration
and drilling. Oil spills, such as the 2010 oil spill on the Gulf Coast,
can spread for hundreds of nautical miles, killing sea birds, mammals, shellfish
and other organisms. Control and clean-up of an oil spill can be
time-consuming and costly and also negatively impact other industries, such as
the commercial fishing industry. It is not possible to predict the aggregate
effect of all or any combination of these factors.
The
Fund’s Investments in Treasury Securities, Cash and Cash
Equivalents
The
Fund seeks to have the aggregate “notional” amount of the Oil Interests it holds
approximate at all times the Fund’s aggregate NAV. At any given time,
however, most of the Fund’s investments will be in Treasury Securities, cash
and/or cash equivalents that support the Fund’s positions in Oil
Interests. For example, the purchase of an Oil Futures Contract with a
stated or notional amount of $10 million would not require the Fund to pay $10
million upon entering into the contract; rather, only a margin deposit,
generally of 5%-10% of the notional amount, would be required. To secure
its Oil Futures Contract obligations, the Fund would deposit the required margin
with the futures commission merchant and would separately hold its remaining
assets through its Custodian in Treasury Securities, cash and/or cash
equivalents. Such remaining assets may be used to meet future margin
payments that the Fund is required to make on its Oil Futures Contracts.
Other Oil Interests typically also involve collateral requirements that
represent a small fraction of their notional amounts, so most of the Fund’s
assets dedicated to these Oil Interests will also be held in Treasury
Securities, cash and cash equivalents.
The Fund
earns interest income from the Treasury Securities and/or cash equivalents that
it purchases and on the cash it holds through the Custodian. The Sponsor
anticipates that the earned interest income will increase the Fund’s NAV.
The Fund applies the earned interest income to the acquisition of additional
investments or uses it to pay its expenses. If the Fund reinvests the
earned interest income, it makes investments that are consistent with its
investment objectives.
Any
Treasury Security and cash equivalent invested in by the Fund will have a
remaining maturity of less than two years at the time of investment, or will be
subject to a demand feature that enables that Fund to sell the security within
one year at approximately the security’s face value (plus accrued
interest). Any cash equivalents invested in by the Fund will be rated in
the highest short-term rating category by a nationally recognized statistical
rating organization or will be deemed by the Sponsor to be of comparable
quality.
Other
Trading Policies of the Fund
Exchange
For Risk
An
“exchange for risk” transaction, sometimes refers to a “exchange for swap” or
“exchange of futures for risk,” is a privately negotiated and simultaneous
exchange of a futures contract position for a swap or other over-the-counter
instrument on the corresponding commodity. An exchange for risk can be
used by the Fund as a technique to avoid taking physical delivery of light,
sweet crude oil, in that a counterparty will take the Fund’s position in an Oil
Futures Contract into its own account in exchange for a swap that does not by
its terms call for physical delivery. The Fund will become subject to the
credit risk of a counterparty when it acquires an over-the-counter position in
an exchange for risk transaction.
Options
on Futures Contracts
In
addition to Oil Futures Contracts, there are also a number of options on Oil
Futures Contracts listed on the NYMEX. These contracts offer investors and
hedgers another set of financial vehicles to use in managing exposure to the
commodities market. The Fund may purchase and sell (write) options on Oil
Futures Contracts in pursuing its investment objective, except that it will not
sell call options when it does not own the underlying Oil Futures
Contract. The Fund would make use of options on Oil Futures Contracts if,
in the opinion of the Sponsor, such an approach would cause the Fund to more
closely track its Benchmark or if it would lead to an overall lower cost of
trading to achieve a given level of economic exposure to movements in WTI light,
sweet crude oil prices.
Liquidity
The Fund
invests only in Oil Futures Contracts that, in the opinion of the Sponsor, are
traded in sufficient volume to permit the ready taking and liquidation of
positions in these financial interests and in over-the-counter Oil Interests
that, in the opinion of the Sponsor, may be readily liquidated with the original
counterparty or through a third party assuming the Fund’s position.
Spot
Commodities
While
most futures contracts can be physically settled, the Fund does not intend to
take or make physical delivery. However, the Fund may from time to time
trade in Other Oil Interests based on the spot price of WTI light, sweet crude
oil.
Leverage
The
Sponsor endeavors to have the value of the Fund’s Treasury Securities, cash and
cash equivalents, whether held by the Fund or posted as margin or collateral, at
all times approximate the aggregate market value of its obligations under the
Fund’s Oil Interests. Commodity pools’ trading positions in futures
contracts are typically required to be secured by the deposit of margin funds
that represent only a small percentage of a futures contract’s (or other
commodity interest’s) entire market value. While the Sponsor does not
intend to leverage the Fund’s assets, it is not prohibited from doing so under
the Trust Agreement.
Borrowings
The
Fund does not intend to, nor foresee the need to borrow money or establish
credit lines. The Fund maintains the value of its Treasury Securities,
cash and cash equivalents, whether held by the Fund or posted as margin or
collateral, to at all times approximate the aggregate market value of its
obligations under Oil Interests.
Pyramiding
The Fund
does not and will not employ the technique, commonly known as pyramiding, in
which the speculator uses unrealized profits on existing positions as variation
margin for the purchase or sale of additional positions in the same or another
commodity interest.
The
Service Providers
In its
capacity as the Fund’s custodian, the Custodian holds the Fund’s Treasury
Securities, cash and/or cash equivalents pursuant to a custodial
agreement. The Custodian is also the registrar and transfer agent for the
Fund’s Shares. In addition, the Custodian also serves as Administrator for
the Fund, performing certain administrative and accounting services and
preparing certain SEC and CFTC reports on behalf of the Fund. For these
services, the Fund pays fees to the Custodian as set forth in the table
below.
The
Custodian’s principal business address is One Wall Street, New York, New York
10286. The Custodian is a New York state chartered bank subject to
regulation by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the New
York State Banking Department.
The
Fund also employs Foreside Fund Services, LLC, as Marketing Agent, which is
further discussed under “Plan of Distribution” The Fund pays the
Marketing Agent’s fees as set forth in the table below. In no event may
the aggregate compensation paid to the Marketing Agent and any affiliate of the
Marketing Agent for distribution-related services in connection with the
offering of Shares exceed ten percent (10%) of the gross proceeds of the
offering.
The
Marketing Agent’s principal business address is Three Canal Plaza,
Suite 100, Portland, Maine 04101. The Marketing Agent is a broker-dealer
registered with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority and a member of the
Securities Investor Protection Corporation.
Currently,
Newedge USA, LLC (“Newedge”) serves as the Fund’s clearing broker to execute and
clear the Fund’s futures transactions and provide other brokerage-related
services. Newedge USA’s affiliate, Newedge Alternative Strategies, Inc.
(“NAST”), may execute foreign exchange or other over the counter transactions
with the Fund as principal. Newedge USA and NAST are subsidiaries of
Newedge Group. Newedge is a futures commission merchant and broker-dealer
registered with the CFTC and the SEC. Newedge is a clearing member of all
principal futures exchanges located in the United States as well as a member of
the Chicago Board Options Exchange, International Securities Exchange, New York
Stock Exchange, Options Clearing Corporation, and Government Securities Clearing
Corporation. NAST is an eligible swap participant that is not registered
or required to be registered with the CFTC or the SEC, and is not a member of
any exchange.
Newedge
and NAST are headquartered at 550 W. Jackson, Suite 500, Chicago, IL 60661 with
branch offices in San Francisco, California; New York, New York; Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania; Kansas City, Missouri and Houston, Texas.
Prior to
January 2, 2008, Newedge USA was known as Fimat USA, LLC, while NAST was known
as Fimat Alternative Strategies Inc. On September 1, 2008, Newedge merged
with future commission merchant and broker-dealer Newedge Financial Inc. (“NFI”)
– formerly known as Calyon Financial Inc. Newedge was the surviving
entity.
In March
2008, NFI settled, without admitting or denying the allegations, a disciplinary
action brought by the New York Mercantile Exchange (“NYMEX”) alleging that NFI
violated NYMEX rules related to: numbering and time stamping orders by failing
properly to record a floor order ticket; wash trading; failure to adequately
supervise employees; and violation of a prior NYMEX cease and desist order,
effective as of December 5, 2006, related to numbering and time stamping orders
and block trades. NFI paid a $100,000 fine to NYMEX in connection with
this settlement.
Other
than the foregoing proceeding, which did not have a material adverse effect upon
the financial condition of Newedge, there have been no material administrative,
civil or criminal actions brought, pending or concluded against Newedge, NAST or
their principals in the past five years.
None of
Newedge, NAST or any affiliate, officer, director or employee thereof have
passed on the merits of this prospectus or the offering of Shares, or given any
guarantee as to the performance or any other aspect of the Fund.
Newedge
is not affiliated with the Fund or the Sponsor. Therefore, the Sponsor and
the Fund do not believe that the Fund has any conflicts of interest with them or
their trading principals arising from their acting as the Fund’s futures
commission merchant. While Sal Gilbertie, the President of the Sponsor,
was previously employed by Newedge, he no longer receives any compensation from
Newedge and will not receive any share of the commissions paid to Newedge by the
Fund.
Currently,
the Sponsor does not employ commodity trading advisors. If, in the future,
the Sponsor does employ commodity trading advisors, it will choose each advisor
based on arm’s-length negotiations and will consider the advisor’s experience,
fees, and reputation.
Fees
to be Paid by the Fund
Fees
and Compensation Arrangements with the Sponsor and Non-Affiliated Service
Providers
Service Provider
|
|
Compensation Paid by the
Fund
|
Teucrium Trading, LLC,
Sponsor
|
|
1.00% of average net assets
annually
|
The
Bank of New York Mellon, Custodian, Transfer Agent and
Administrator
|
|
For
custody services: 0.0075% of average gross assets up to $1
billion, and 0.0050% of average gross assets over $1 billion, annually,
plus certain per-transaction charges
For
transfer agency services: 0.0075% of average gross assets
annually
For
administrative services: 0.05% of average gross assets up to $1
billion, 0.04% of average gross assets between $1 billion and $3 billion,
and 0.03% of average gross assets over $3 billion,
annually
A
combined minimum annual fee of $125,000 for custody, transfer agency and
administrative services will be assessed.
|
Foreside
Fund Services, LLC
|
|
0.10%
of average net assets annually, with a minimum annual fee of
$90,000. The minimum annual fee is for all series of the
Trust.
|
Newedge
USA, LLC, Futures Commission Merchant and Clearing
Broker
|
|
$4.00
per Oil Futures Contract purchase or sale
|
Wilmington
Trust Company, Trustee
|
|
$3,000
annually
|
Asset-based
fees are calculated on a daily basis (accrued at 1/365 of the applicable
percentage of NAV on that day) and paid on a monthly basis. NAV is
calculated by taking the current market value of the Fund’s total assets and
subtracting any liabilities.
Form
of Shares
Registered
Form
Shares
are issued in registered form in accordance with the Trust Agreement. The
Custodian has been appointed registrar and transfer agent for the purpose of
transferring Shares in certificated form. The Custodian keeps a record of
all Shareholders and holders of the Shares in certificated form in the registry
(“Register”). The Sponsor recognizes transfers of Shares in certificated
form only if done in accordance with the Trust Agreement. The beneficial
interests in such Shares are held in book-entry form through participants and/or
accountholders in DTC.
Book
Entry
Individual
certificates are not issued for the Shares. Instead, Shares are
represented by one or more global certificates, which are deposited by the
Administrator with DTC and registered in the name of Cede & Co., as nominee
for DTC. The global certificates evidence all of the Shares outstanding at
any time. Shareholders are limited to (1) participants in DTC such as
banks, brokers, dealers and trust companies (“DTC Participants”), (2) those who
maintain, either directly or indirectly, a custodial relationship with a DTC
Participant (“Indirect Participants”), and (3) those who hold interests in the
Shares through DTC Participants or Indirect Participants, in each case who
satisfy the requirements for transfers of Shares. DTC Participants acting
on behalf of investors holding Shares through such participants’ accounts in DTC
will follow the delivery practice applicable to securities eligible for DTC’s
Same-Day Funds Settlement System. Shares are credited to DTC Participants’
securities accounts following confirmation of receipt of payment.
DTC
DTC has
advised us as follows: It is a limited purpose trust company
organized under the laws of the State of New York and is a member of the Federal
Reserve System, a “clearing corporation” within the meaning of the New York
Uniform Commercial Code and a “clearing agency” registered pursuant to the
provisions of Section 17A of the Exchange Act. DTC holds securities for
DTC Participants and facilitates the clearance and settlement of transactions
between DTC Participants through electronic book-entry changes in accounts of
DTC Participants.
Transfer
of Shares
The
Shares are only transferable through the book-entry system of DTC.
Shareholders who are not DTC Participants may transfer their Shares through DTC
by instructing the DTC Participant holding their Shares (or by instructing the
Indirect Participant or other entity through which their Shares are held) to
transfer the Shares. Transfers are made in accordance with standard
securities industry practice.
Transfers
of interests in Shares with DTC are made in accordance with the usual rules and
operating procedures of DTC and the nature of the transfer. DTC has
established procedures to facilitate transfers among the participants and/or
accountholders of DTC. Because DTC can only act on behalf of DTC
Participants, who in turn act on behalf of Indirect Participants, the ability of
a person or entity having an interest in a global certificate to pledge such
interest to persons or entities that do not participate in DTC, or otherwise
take actions in respect of such interest, may be affected by the lack of a
certificate or other definitive document representing such
interest.
DTC has
advised us that it will take any action permitted to be taken by a Shareholder
(including, without limitation, the presentation of a global certificate for
exchange) only at the direction of one or more DTC Participants in whose account
with DTC interests in global certificates are credited and only in respect of
such portion of the aggregate principal amount of the global certificate as to
which such DTC Participant or Participants has or have given such
direction.
Inter-Series
Limitation on Liability
Because
the Trust was established as a Delaware statutory trust, the Fund and each other
series established under the Trust will be operated so that it will be liable
only for obligations attributable to such series and will not be liable for
obligations of any other series or affected by losses of any other series.
If any creditor or Shareholder of any particular series (such as the Fund)
asserts against the series a valid claim with respect to its indebtedness or
Shares, the creditor or shareholder will only be able to obtain recovery from
the assets of that series and not from the assets of any other series or the
Trust generally. The assets of the Fund and any other series will include
only those funds and other assets that are paid to, held by or distributed to
the series on account of and for the benefit of that series, including, without
limitation, amounts delivered to the Trust for the purchase of Shares in a
series. This limitation on liability is referred to as the Inter-Series
Limitation on Liability. The Inter-Series Limitation on Liability is
expressly provided for under the Delaware Statutory Trust Act, which provides
that if certain conditions (as set forth in Section 3804(a)) are met, then the
debts of any particular series will be enforceable only against the assets of
such series and not against the assets of any other series or the Trust
generally. In furtherance of the Inter-Series Limitation on Liability,
every party providing services to the Trust, the Fund or the Sponsor on behalf
of the Trust or the Fund, will acknowledge and consent in writing to the
Inter-Series Limitation on Liability with respect to such party’s
claims.
The
existence of a Trustee should not be taken as an indication of any additional
level of management or supervision over the Fund. Consistent with Delaware
law, the Trustee acts in an entirely passive role, delegating all authority for
the management and operation of the Fund and the Trust to the Sponsor. The
Trustee does not provide custodial services with respect to the assets of the
Fund.
Plan
of Distribution
Buying
and Selling Shares
Most
investors buy and sell Shares of the Fund in secondary market transactions
through brokers. Shares trade on the NYSE Arca under the ticker symbol
“CRUD.” Shares are bought and sold throughout the trading day like
other publicly traded securities. When buying or selling Shares through a
broker, most investors incur customary brokerage commissions and charges.
Investors are encouraged to review the terms of their brokerage account for
details on applicable charges and, as discussed below under “U.S. Federal Income
Tax Considerations,” any provisions authorizing the broker to borrow Shares held
on your behalf.
Marketing
Agent and Authorized Purchasers
The
offering of the Fund’s Shares is a best efforts offering. The Fund will
continuously offer Creation Baskets consisting of 25,000 Shares at their NAV
through the Marketing Agent, to Authorized Purchasers. Merrill Lynch
Professional Clearing Corp. is expected to be the initial Authorized
Purchaser. It is expected that on the effective date, the initial
Authorized Purchaser will purchase one or more initial Creation Baskets of
25,000 Shares at the initial NAV of $50.00 per Share. The initial NAV of
$50.00 was set as an appropriate and convenient price that would facilitate
secondary market trading of Shares, and the Shares of the Fund acquired by the
Sponsor in connection with its initial capital contribution were purchased at a
price of $50.00 per Share.
The
Marketing Agent will receive, for its services as marketing agent to the Fund, a
fee at an annual rate of 0.10% of the Fund’s average daily net assets, subject
to a minimum annual fee of $90,000; provided, however, that in no event may the
aggregate compensation paid to the Marketing Agent and any affiliate of the
Marketing Agent for distribution-related services in connection with this
offering of Shares exceed 10 percent (10%) of the gross proceeds of this
offering. The maximum compensation the Marketing Agent may receive over
the expected two year period of this offering is estimated to be
$1,500,000. This estimate assumes that: (1) all Shares being registered
are sold on the first day of the offering at a price equal to the closing NAV on
that day ($50.00); and (2) the value of the Fund's net assets remain constant
throughout the period. This actual compensation received by the Marketing
Agent may vary. The actual compensation could be lower if the NAV of the
Shares declines or if, as is likely, the full number of Shares being registered
is not sold on the first day of the offering, and could be higher if the NAV of
the Shares increases.
In
exchange for its fees, the Marketing Agent will develop an overall sales and
marketing plan for the Fund, supervise sales-related activities, and participate
in field sales activities. The Marketing Agent Agreement among the
Marketing Agent, the Sponsor and the Trust calls for the Marketing Agent to
provide a shared National Accounts Manager, shared external and internal
wholesalers, and call center support for the Fund.
The
offering of baskets is being made in compliance with Conduct Rule 2310 of
FINRA. Accordingly, Authorized Purchasers will not make any sales to any
account over which they have discretionary authority without the prior written
approval of a purchaser of Shares.
The per
share price of Shares offered in Creation Baskets on any subsequent day will be
the total NAV of the Fund calculated shortly after the close of the NYSE Arca on
that day divided by the number of issued and outstanding Shares. An
Authorized Purchaser is not required to sell any specific number or dollar
amount of Shares.
By
executing an Authorized Purchaser Agreement, an Authorized Purchaser becomes
part of the group of parties eligible to purchase baskets from, and put baskets
for redemption to, the Fund. An Authorized Purchaser is under no
obligation to create or redeem baskets or to offer to the public Shares of any
baskets it does create. If an Authorized Purchaser sells Shares that it
has created to the public, it will be expected to sell them at per-Share
offering prices that reflect, among other factors, the trading price of the
Shares on the NYSE Arca, the NAV of the Fund at the time the Authorized
Purchaser purchased the Creation Baskets and the NAV at the time of the offer of
the Shares to the public, the supply of and demand for Shares at the time of
sale, and the liquidity of the Corn Interest markets. The prices of Shares
offered by Authorized Purchasers are expected to fall between the Fund’s NAV and
the trading price of the Shares on the NYSE Arca at the time of
sale.
We
expect the initial Authorized Purchaser to be Merrill Lynch Professional
Clearing Corp., and we expect that there will be additional Authorized
Purchasers in the future. A list of Authorized Purchasers will
be available from the Marketing Agent. Because new Shares can be created
and issued on an ongoing basis, at any point during the life of the Fund, a
“distribution,” as such term is used in the 1933 Act, will be occurring.
Authorized Purchasers, other broker-dealers and other persons are cautioned that
some of their activities may result in their being deemed participants in a
distribution in a manner that would render them statutory underwriters and
subject them to the prospectus-delivery and liability provisions of the 1933
Act. For example, the initial Authorized Purchaser will be a statutory
underwriter with respect to the initial purchase of Creation Baskets. In
addition, an Authorized Purchaser, other broker-dealer firm or its client will
be deemed a statutory underwriter if it purchases a basket from the Fund, breaks
the basket down into the constituent Shares and sells the Shares to its
customers; or if it chooses to couple the creation of a supply of new Shares
with an active selling effort involving solicitation of secondary market demand
for the Shares. In this regard, the excess, if any, of the price at which
an Authorized Purchaser sells a Share over the price paid by such Authorized
Purchaser in connection with the creation of such Share in a Creation Basket may
be deemed to be underwriting compensation. In contrast, Authorized
Purchasers may engage in secondary market or other transactions in Shares that
would not be deemed “underwriting.” For example, an Authorized
Purchaser may act in the capacity of a broker or dealer with respect to Shares
that were previously distributed by other Authorized Purchasers. A
determination of whether a particular market participant is an underwriter must
take into account all the facts and circumstances pertaining to the activities
of the broker-dealer or its client in the particular case, and the examples
mentioned above should not be considered a complete description of all the
activities that would lead to designation as an underwriter and subject them to
the prospectus-delivery and liability provisions of the 1933
Act.
Dealers
who are neither Authorized Purchasers nor “underwriters” but are nonetheless
participating in a distribution (as contrasted to ordinary secondary trading
transactions), and thus dealing with Shares that are part of an “unsold
allotment” within the meaning of Section 4(3)(C) of the 1933 Act, would be
unable to take advantage of the prospectus-delivery exemption provided by
Section 4(3) of the 1933 Act.
The
Sponsor expects that any broker-dealers selling Shares will be members of
FINRA. Investors intending to create or redeem baskets through Authorized
Purchasers in transactions not involving a broker-dealer registered in such
investor’s state of domicile or residence should consult their legal advisor
regarding applicable broker-dealer regulatory requirements under the state
securities laws prior to such creation or redemption.
While the
Authorized Purchasers may be indemnified by the Sponsor, they will not be
entitled to receive a discount or commission from the Trust or the Sponsor for
their purchases of Creation Baskets.
The
Flow of Shares
Calculating
NAV
The
Fund’s NAV is calculated by:
|
·
|
Taking the current market value
of its total assets, and
|
|
·
|
Subtracting any
liabilities.
|
The
Administrator will calculate the NAV of the Fund once each trading day. It
will calculate NAV as of the earlier of the close of the New York
Stock Exchange or 4:00 p.m. New York time. The NAV for a particular
trading day will be released after 4:15 p.m. New York time.
In
determining the value of Oil Futures Contracts, the Administrator will use the
NYMEX closing price (usually determined as of 2:30 p.m. New York time).
The Administrator will determine the value of all other Fund investments as of
the earlier of the close of the New York Stock Exchange or 4:00 p.m. New York
time, in accordance with the current Services Agreement between the
Administrator and the Trust. The value of over-the-counter Oil Interests
will be determined based on the value of the commodity or Futures Contract
underlying such Oil Interest, except that a fair value may be determined if the
Sponsor believes that the Fund is subject to significant credit risk relating to
the counterparty to such Oil Interest. Treasury Securities held by the
Fund will be valued by the Administrator using values received from recognized
third-party vendors (such as Reuters) and dealer quotes. NAV will include
any unrealized profit or loss on open Oil Interests and any other credit or
debit accruing to the Fund but unpaid or not received by the Fund.
In
addition, in order to provide updated information relating to the Fund for use
by investors and market professionals, NYSE Arca will calculate and disseminate
throughout the trading day an updated “indicative fund value.” The
indicative fund value is calculated by using the prior day’s closing NAV per
share of the Fund as a base and updating that value throughout the trading day
to reflect changes in the value of the Fund’s Oil Interests during the trading
day. Changes in the value of Treasury Securities and cash equivalents will
not be included in the calculation of indicative value. For this and other
reasons, the indicative fund value disseminated during NYSE Arca trading hours
should not be viewed as an actual real time update of the NAV. NAV is
calculated only once at the end of each trading day.
The
indicative fund value will be disseminated on a per Share basis every 15 seconds
during regular NYSE Arca trading hours of 9:30 a.m. New York time to 4:00 p.m.
New York time.
The normal trading hours for Oil Futures Contracts on the NYMEX are 9:00 a.m.
New York time to 2:30 p.m. New York time. This means that there is a gap
in time at the beginning and the end of each day during which the Fund’s Shares
are traded on the NYSE Arca, but real-time NYMEX trading prices for Oil Futures
Contracts traded on such Exchange are not available. As a result, during
those gaps there will be no update to the indicative fund value.
The NYSE
Arca will disseminate the indicative fund value through the facilities of CTA/CQ
High Speed Lines. In addition, the indicative fund value is published on
the NYSE Arca’s website and is available through on-line information services
such as Bloomberg and Reuters.
Dissemination
of the indicative fund value provides additional information that is not
otherwise available to the public and is useful to investors and market
professionals in connection with the trading of Fund Shares on the NYSE
Arca. Investors and market professionals are able throughout the trading
day to compare the market price of the Fund and the indicative fund value.
If the market price of Fund Shares diverges significantly from the indicative
fund value, market professionals will have an incentive to execute arbitrage
trades. For example, if the Fund appears to be trading at a discount
compared to the indicative fund value, a market professional could buy Fund
Shares on the NYSE Arca, aggregate them into Redemption Baskets, and receive the
NAV of such Shares by redeeming them to the Trust. Such arbitrage trades
can tighten the tracking between the market price of the Fund and the indicative
fund value and thus can be beneficial to all market participants.
Creation
and Redemption of Shares
The Fund
creates and redeems Shares from time to time, but only in one or more Creation
Baskets or Redemption Baskets. The creation and redemption of baskets are
only made in exchange for delivery to the Fund or the distribution by the Fund
of the amount of Treasury Securities and/or cash equal to the combined NAV of
the number of Shares included in the baskets being created or redeemed
determined as of 4:00 p.m. New York time on the day the order to create or
redeem baskets is properly received.
Authorized
Purchasers are the only persons that may place orders to create and redeem
baskets. Authorized Purchasers must be (1) either registered
broker-dealers or other securities market participants, such as banks and other
financial institutions, that are not required to register as broker-dealers to
engage in securities transactions as described below, and (2) DTC
Participants. To become an Authorized Purchaser, a person must enter into
an Authorized Purchaser Agreement with the Sponsor. The Authorized
Purchaser Agreement provides the procedures for the creation and redemption of
baskets and for the delivery of the Treasury Securities and/or cash required for
such creations and redemptions. The Authorized Purchaser Agreement and the
related procedures attached thereto may be amended by the Sponsor, without the
consent of any Shareholder or Authorized Purchaser. Authorized Purchasers
pay a redemption fee of $250.00 to the Sponsor for each order they place to
redeem one or more baskets. There is no fee charged for the purchase of
Creation Baskets. Authorized Purchasers who make deposits with the Fund in
exchange for baskets receive no fees, commissions or other form of compensation
or inducement of any kind from either the Trust or the Sponsor, and no such
person will have any obligation or responsibility to the Trust or the Sponsor to
effect any sale or resale of Shares.
Certain
Authorized Purchasers are expected to be capable of participating directly in
the physical crude oil and the Oil Interest markets. Some Authorized
Purchasers or their affiliates may from time to time buy or sell crude oil or
Oil Interests and may profit in these instances. The Sponsor believes that
the size and operation of the oil market make it unlikely that Authorized
Purchasers’ direct activities in the crude oil or securities markets will
significantly affect the price of crude oil, Oil Interests, or the Fund’s
Shares.
Each
Authorized Purchaser will be required to be registered as a broker-dealer under
the Exchange Act and a member in good standing with FINRA, or exempt from being
or otherwise not required to be registered as a broker-dealer or a member of
FINRA, and will be qualified to act as a broker or dealer in the states or other
jurisdictions where the nature of its business so requires. Certain
Authorized Purchasers may also be regulated under federal and state banking laws
and regulations. Each Authorized Purchaser has its own set of rules and
procedures, internal controls and information barriers as it determines is
appropriate in light of its own regulatory regime.
Under the
Authorized Purchaser Agreement, the Sponsor has agreed to indemnify the
Authorized Purchasers against certain liabilities, including liabilities under
the 1933 Act, and to contribute to the payments the Authorized Purchasers may be
required to make in respect of those liabilities.
The
following description of the procedures for the creation and redemption of
baskets is only a summary and an investor should refer to the relevant
provisions of the Trust Agreement and the form of Authorized Purchaser Agreement
for more detail, each of which has been filed as an exhibit to the registration
statement of which this prospectus is a part. See “Where You Can Find More
Information” for information about where you can obtain the registration
statement.
Creation
Procedures
On any
business day, an Authorized Purchaser may place an order with the Custodian to
create one or more baskets. For purposes of processing purchase and
redemption orders, a “business day” means any day other than a day when any of
the NYSE Arca, the NYMEX or the New York Stock Exchange is closed for regular
trading. Purchase orders must be placed by 12:00 p.m. New York time or the
close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange, whichever is
earlier. The day on which the Custodian receives a valid purchase order is
referred to as the purchase order date.
By
placing a purchase order, an Authorized Purchaser agrees to deposit Treasury
Securities, cash or a combination of Treasury Securities and cash with the
Trust, as described below. Authorized Purchasers may not withdraw a
creation request.
Determination
of Required Deposits
The total
deposit required to create each basket (“Creation Basket Deposit”) is the amount
of Treasury Securities and/or cash that is in the same proportion to the total
assets of the Fund (net of estimated accrued but unpaid fees, expenses and other
liabilities) on the purchase order date as the number of Shares to be created
under the purchase order is in proportion to the total number of Shares
outstanding on the purchase order date. The Sponsor determines, directly
in its sole discretion or in consultation with the Custodian, the requirements
for Treasury Securities and cash, including the remaining maturities of the
Treasury Securities and proportions of Treasury Securities and cash, that will
be included in deposits to create baskets. The Marketing Agent will
publish an estimate of the Creation Basket Deposit requirements at the beginning
of each business day.
Delivery
of Required Deposits
An
Authorized Purchaser who places a purchase order is responsible for transferring
to the Fund’s account with the Custodian the required amount of Treasury
Securities and/or cash by the end of the next business day following the
purchase order date or by the end of such later business day, not to exceed
three business days after the purchase order date, as agreed to between the
Authorized Purchaser and the Custodian when the purchase order is placed (the
“Purchase Settlement Date”). Upon receipt of the deposit amount, the
Custodian will direct DTC to credit the number of baskets ordered to the
Authorized Purchaser’s DTC account on the Purchase Settlement Date.
Because
orders to purchase baskets must be placed by 12:00 p.m., New York time, but the
total payment required to create a basket during the continuous offering period
will not be determined until 4:00 p.m., New York time, on the date the purchase
order is received, Authorized Purchasers will not know the total amount of the
payment required to create a basket at the time they submit an irrevocable
purchase order for the basket. The Fund’s NAV and the total amount of the
payment required to create a basket could rise or fall substantially between the
time an irrevocable purchase order is submitted and the time the amount of the
purchase price in respect thereof is determined.
Rejection
of Purchase Orders
The
Sponsor acting by itself or through the Marketing Agent or Custodian may reject
a purchase order or a Creation Basket Deposit if:
|
·
|
it determines that, due to
position limits or otherwise, investment alternatives that will enable the
Fund to meet its investment objective are not available or practicable at
that time;
|
|
·
|
it determines that the purchase
order or the Creation Basket Deposit is not in proper
form;
|
|
·
|
it believes that acceptance of
the purchase order or the Creation Basket Deposit would have adverse tax
consequences to the Fund or its
Shareholders;
|
|
·
|
the acceptance or receipt of the
Creation Basket Deposit would, in the opinion of counsel to the Sponsor,
be unlawful; or
|
|
·
|
circumstances outside the control
of the Sponsor, Marketing Agent or Custodian make it, for all practical
purposes, not feasible to process creations of
baskets.
|
None of
the Sponsor, Marketing Agent or Custodian will be liable for the rejection of
any purchase order or Creation Basket Deposit.
Redemption
Procedures
The
procedures by which an Authorized Purchaser can redeem one or more baskets
mirror the procedures for the creation of baskets. On any business day, an
Authorized Purchaser may place an order with the Custodian to redeem one or more
baskets. Redemption orders must be placed by 12:00 p.m. New York time
or the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange, whichever is
earlier. A redemption order so received will be effective on the date it
is received in satisfactory form by the Custodian. The redemption
procedures allow Authorized Purchasers to redeem baskets and do not entitle an
individual Shareholder to redeem any Shares in an amount less than a Redemption
Basket, or to redeem baskets other than through an Authorized Purchaser.
By placing a redemption order, an Authorized Purchaser agrees to deliver the
baskets to be redeemed through DTC’s book-entry system to the Fund by the end of
the next business day following the effective date of the redemption order or by
the end of such later business day, not to exceed three business days after the
effective date of the redemption order, as agreed to between the Authorized
Purchaser and the Custodian when the redemption order is placed (the “Redemption
Settlement Date”). Prior to the delivery of the redemption distribution
for a redemption order, the Authorized Purchaser must also have wired to the
Sponsor’s account at the Custodian the non-refundable transaction fee due for
the redemption order. An Authorized Purchaser may not withdraw a
redemption order.
Determination
of Redemption Distribution
The
redemption distribution from the Fund will consist of a transfer to the
redeeming Authorized Purchaser of an amount of Treasury Securities and/or cash
that is in the same proportion to the total assets of the Fund (net of estimated
accrued but unpaid fees, expenses and other liabilities) on the date the order
to redeem is properly received as the number of Shares to be redeemed under the
redemption order is in proportion to the total number of Shares outstanding on
the date the order is received. The Sponsor, directly or in consultation
with the Custodian, determines the requirements for Treasury Securities and
cash, including the remaining maturities of the Treasury Securities and
proportions of Treasury Securities and cash, that may be included in
distributions to redeem baskets. The Custodian will publish an estimate of
the redemption distribution per basket as of the beginning of each business
day.
Delivery
of Redemption Distribution
The
redemption distribution due from the Fund will be delivered to the Authorized
Purchaser on the Redemption Settlement Date if the Fund’s DTC account has been
credited with the baskets to be redeemed. If the Fund’s DTC account has
not been credited with all of the baskets to be redeemed by the end of such
date, the redemption distribution will be delivered to the extent of whole
baskets received. Any remainder of the redemption distribution will be
delivered on the next business day after the Redemption Settlement Date to the
extent of remaining whole baskets received if the Sponsor receives the fee
applicable to the extension of the Redemption Settlement Date which the Sponsor
may, from time to time, determine and the remaining baskets to be redeemed are
credited to the Fund’s DTC account on such next business day. Any further
outstanding amount of the redemption order shall be cancelled. Pursuant to
information from the Sponsor, the Custodian will also be authorized to deliver
the redemption distribution notwithstanding that the baskets to be redeemed are
not credited to the Fund’s DTC account by the Redemption Settlement Date if the
Authorized Purchaser has collateralized its obligation to deliver the baskets
through DTC’s book entry-system on such terms as the Sponsor may from time to
time determine.
Suspension
or Rejection of Redemption Orders
The
Sponsor may, in its discretion, suspend the right of redemption, or postpone the
redemption settlement date, (1) for any period during which the NYSE Arca or the
NYMEX is closed other than customary weekend or holiday closings, or trading on
the NYSE Arca or the NYMEX is suspended or restricted, (2) for any period during
which an emergency exists as a result of which delivery, disposal or evaluation
of Treasury Securities is not reasonably practicable, or (3) for such other
period as the Sponsor determines to be necessary for the protection of the
Shareholders. For example, the Sponsor may determine that it is necessary
to suspend redemptions to allow for the orderly liquidation of the Fund’s assets
at an appropriate value to fund a redemption. If the Sponsor has
difficulty liquidating the Fund’s positions, e.g., because of a market
disruption event in the futures markets or an unanticipated delay in the
liquidation of a position in an over the counter contract, it may be appropriate
to suspend redemptions until such time as such circumstances are
rectified. None of the Sponsor, the Marketing Agent, or the Custodian will
be liable to any person or in any way for any loss or damages that may result
from any such suspension or postponement.
Redemption
orders must be made in whole baskets. The Sponsor will reject a redemption order
if the order is not in proper form as described in the Authorized Purchaser
Agreement or if the fulfillment of the order, in the opinion of its counsel,
might be unlawful. The Sponsor may also reject a redemption order if the
number of Shares being redeemed would reduce the remaining outstanding Shares to
50,000 Shares ( i.e.
two baskets) or less, unless the Sponsor has reason to believe that the
placer of the redemption order does in fact possess all the outstanding Shares
and can deliver them.
Redemption
Transaction Fee
To
compensate the Sponsor for its expenses in connection with the redemption of
baskets, an Authorized Purchaser is required to pay a transaction fee to the
Sponsor of $250.00 per order to redeem baskets, regardless of the number of
baskets in such order. The transaction fee may be reduced, increased or
otherwise changed by the Sponsor. The Sponsor shall notify DTC of any
change in the transaction fee and will not implement any increase in the fee for
the redemption of baskets until 30 days after the date of the
notice.
Tax
Responsibility
Authorized
Purchasers are responsible for any transfer tax, sales or use tax, stamp tax,
recording tax, value added tax or similar tax or governmental charge applicable
to the creation or redemption of baskets, regardless of whether or not such tax
or charge is imposed directly on the Authorized Purchaser, and agree to
indemnify the Sponsor and the Fund if they are required by law to pay any such
tax, together with any applicable penalties, additions to tax and interest
thereon.
Secondary
Market Transactions
As noted,
the Fund will create and redeem Shares from time to time, but only in one or
more Creation Baskets or Redemption Baskets. The creation and redemption
of baskets are only made in exchange for delivery to the Fund or the
distribution by the Fund of the amount of Treasury Securities and/or cash equal
to the aggregate NAV of the number of Shares included in the baskets being
created or redeemed determined on the day the order to create or redeem baskets
is properly received.
As
discussed above, Authorized Purchasers are the only persons that may place
orders to create and redeem baskets. Authorized Purchasers must be registered
broker-dealers or other securities market participants, such as banks and other
financial institutions that are not required to register as broker-dealers to
engage in securities transactions. An Authorized Purchaser is under no
obligation to create or redeem baskets, and an Authorized Purchaser is under no
obligation to offer to the public Shares of any baskets it does create.
Authorized Purchasers that do offer to the public Shares from the baskets they
create will do so at per-Share offering prices that are expected to reflect,
among other factors, the trading price of the Shares on the NYSE Arca, the NAV
of the Shares at the time the Authorized Purchaser purchased the Creation
Baskets, the NAV of the Shares at the time of the offer of the Shares to the
public, the supply of and demand for Shares at the time of sale, and the
liquidity of the Oil Interest markets. The prices of Shares offered by
Authorized Purchasers are expected to fall between the Fund’s NAV and the
trading price of the Shares on the NYSE Arca at the time of sale. Shares
initially comprising the same basket but offered by Authorized Purchasers to the
public at different times may have different offering prices. An order for one
or more baskets may be placed by an Authorized Purchaser on behalf of multiple
clients. Shares are expected to trade in the secondary market on the NYSE Arca.
Shares may trade in the secondary market at prices that are lower or higher
relative to their NAV per Share. The amount of the discount or premium in the
trading price relative to the NAV per Share may be influenced by various
factors, including the number of investors who seek to purchase or sell Shares
in the secondary market and the liquidity of the Oil Interest markets. While the
Shares trade on the NYSE Arca until 4:00 p.m. New York time, liquidity in the
markets for Oil Interests may be reduced after the close of the NYMEX at 2:30
p.m. New York time. As a result, during this time, trading spreads, and the
resulting premium or discount, on the Shares may widen.
Use
of Proceeds
The
Sponsor will cause the Fund to transfer the proceeds of the sale of Creation
Baskets to the Custodian or another custodian for use in trading
activities. The Sponsor will invest the Fund’s assets in Oil Futures
Contracts and Other Oil Interests, Treasury Securities, cash and cash
equivalents. When the Fund purchases Oil Futures Contracts and certain
Other Oil Interests that are exchange-traded, the Fund will be required to
deposit with the futures commission merchant on behalf of the exchange a portion
of the value of the contract or other interest as security to ensure payment for
the obligation under the Oil Interests at maturity. This deposit is known
as initial margin. Counterparties in transactions in over-the-counter Oil
Interests will generally impose similar collateral requirements on the
Fund. The Sponsor will invest the Fund’s assets that remain after margin
and collateral is posted in Treasury Securities, cash and/or cash
equivalents. Subject to these margin and collateral requirements, the
Sponsor has sole authority to determine the percentage of assets that will
be:
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held as margin or collateral with
futures commission merchants or other
custodians;
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used for other investments;
and
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held in bank accounts to pay
current obligations and as
reserves.
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In
general, the Fund expects that it will be required to post between 5% and 10% of
the notional amount of a Oil Interest as initial margin when entering into such
Oil Interest. Ongoing margin and collateral payments will generally be required
for both exchange-traded and over-the-counter Oil Interests based on changes in
the value of the Oil Interests. Furthermore, ongoing collateral requirements
with respect to over-the-counter Oil Interests are negotiated by the parties,
and may be affected by overall market volatility, volatility of the underlying
commodity or index, the ability of the counterparty to hedge its exposure under
the Oil Interest, and each party’s creditworthiness. In light of the differing
requirements for initial payments under exchange-traded and over-the-counter Oil
Interests and the fluctuating nature of ongoing margin and collateral payments,
it is not possible to estimate what portion of the Fund’s assets will be posted
as margin or collateral at any given time. The Treasury Securities, cash and
cash equivalents held by the Fund will constitute reserves that will be
available to meet ongoing margin and collateral requirements. All interest
income will be used for the Fund’s benefit.
A futures
commission merchant, counterparty, government agency or commodity exchange could
increase margin or collateral requirements applicable to the Fund to hold
trading positions at any time. Moreover, margin is merely a security
deposit and has no bearing on the profit or loss potential for any positions
held.
The
Fund’s assets will be held in segregation pursuant to the Commodity Exchange Act
and CFTC regulations.
Management’s
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations
Critical
Accounting Policies
Preparation
of the financial statements and related disclosures in compliance with
accounting principles generally accepted in the United States requires the
application of appropriate accounting rules and guidance, as well as the use of
estimates. The Trust’s application of these policies involves judgments
and actual results may differ from the estimates used.
The
Sponsor has evaluated the nature and types of estimates that it will make in
preparing the Fund’s financial statements and related disclosures once the Fund
commences operations. The Sponsor has determined that the valuation of Oil
Interests that are not traded on a U.S. or internationally recognized futures
exchange (such as swaps and other over-the-counter contracts) involves a
critical accounting policy. While not currently applicable given the fact
that the Fund is not currently involved in trading activities, the Administrator will use the NYMEX
closing price to determine the value of Oil Futures Contracts, and will
determine the value of over-the-counter Oil Interests based on the value of the
commodity or Futures Contract underlying such Oil Interest, except that a fair
value may be determined if the Sponsor believes that the Fund is subject to
significant credit risk relating to the counterparty to such Oil
Interests. Values will be determined on a daily
basis.
Liquidity
and Capital Resources
The Fund
does not anticipate making use of borrowings or other lines of credit to meet
its obligations. It is anticipated that the Fund will meet its liquidity
needs in the normal course of business from the proceeds of the sale of its
investments or from the cash, cash equivalents and/or the Treasury Securities
that it intends to hold at all times. The Fund’s liquidity needs include:
redeeming Shares, providing margin deposits for existing futures contracts or
the purchase of additional futures contracts, posting collateral for
over-the-counter Oil Interests, and payment of expenses, summarized below under
“Contractual Obligations.”
The
Fund will generate cash primarily from (i) the sale of Creation Baskets and (ii)
interest earned on cash, cash equivalents and its investments in Treasury
Securities. Trading activities for the Fund have not begun. Once the
Fund begins trading activities, it is anticipated that the Fund will invest in
Oil Interests that have a notional value approximate to the net asset value of
the Fund. Most of the assets of the Fund will be held in Treasury
Securities, cash and/or cash equivalents that could or will be used as margin or
collateral for trading in Oil Interests. The percentage that such assets
will bear to the total net assets will vary from period to period as the market
values of the Oil Interests change. Interest earned on interest-bearing
assets of the Fund will be paid to the Fund.
The
investments of the Fund in Oil Interests will be subject to periods of
illiquidity because of market conditions, regulatory considerations and other
reasons.
To
date, all of the expenses of the Trust and the Fund have been funded by
Sponsor. If the Fund is unsuccessful in raising sufficient funds to cover
the expenses of the Fund and the Trust or in locating any other source of
funding, the Fund may terminate.
Market
Risk
Trading
in Oil Interests such as Oil Futures Contracts will involve the Fund entering
into contractual commitments to purchase or sell specific amounts of WTI light,
sweet crude oil at a specified date in the future. The gross or face
amount of the contracts is expected to significantly exceed the future cash
requirements of the Fund since the Fund intends to close out
any open positions prior to the contractual expiration date. As a result,
the Fund’s market risk is the risk of loss arising from the decline in value of
the contracts, not from the need to make delivery under the contracts. The
Fund considers the “fair value” of derivative instruments to be the unrealized
gain or loss on the contracts. The market risk associated with the
commitment by the Fund to purchase a specific commodity will be limited to the
aggregate face amount of the contacts held.
The
exposure of the Fund to market risk will depend on a number of factors including
the markets for WTI light, sweet crude oil, the volatility of interest rates and
foreign exchange rates, the liquidity of the Oil Interest markets and the
relationships among the contracts held by the Fund. The lack of experience
of the Sponsor in utilizing its model to trade in Oil Interests in a manner that
tracks changes in the Benchmark , as well as drastic market
events, could ultimately lead to the loss of all or substantially all of a
Shareholder’s investment.
Credit
Risk
When the
Fund enters into Oil Interests, it will be exposed to the credit risk that the
counterparty will not be able to meet its obligations. For purposes of
credit risk, the counterparty for the Oil Futures Contracts traded on the NYMEX
is the clearinghouse associated with the NYMEX. In general, clearinghouses
are backed by their members who may be required to share in the financial burden
resulting from the nonperformance of one of their members, which should
significantly reduce credit risk. Some foreign exchanges are not backed by
their clearinghouse members but may be backed by a consortium of banks or other
financial institutions. Unlike in the case of exchange-traded futures
contracts, the counterparty to an over-the-counter Oil Interest contract is
generally a single bank or other financial institution. As a result, there
will be greater counterparty credit risk in over-the-counter transactions.
There can be no assurance that any counterparty, clearing house, or their
financial backers will satisfy their obligations to the Fund.
The
Sponsor will attempt to manage the credit risk of the Fund by following certain
trading limitations and policies. In particular, the Fund intends to post margin
and collateral and/or hold liquid assets that will be equal to approximately the
face amount of the Oil Interests it holds. The Sponsor will implement procedures
that will include, but will not be limited to, executing and clearing trades and
entering into over-the-counter transactions only with parties it deems
creditworthy and/or requiring the posting of collateral by such parties for the
benefit of the Fund to limit its credit exposure.
Any
commodity broker for the Fund, when acting as the futures commission merchant in
accepting orders to purchase or sell futures contracts on United States
exchanges, will be required by CFTC regulations to separately account for and
treat as belonging to the Fund all of the Fund’s assets that relate to domestic
futures contract trading. These commodity brokers are not allowed to
commingle the assets of the Fund with the commodity broker’s other assets
although commodity brokers are allowed to commingle the assets of multiple
customers in a bulk segregated account. In addition, the CFTC requires
commodity brokers to hold in a secure account the assets of the Fund related to
foreign futures contract trading.
Off
Balance Sheet Financing
As of the
date of this prospectus, neither the Trust nor the Fund has any loan guarantees,
credit support or other off-balance sheet arrangements of any kind other than
agreements entered into in the normal course of business, which may include
indemnification provisions relating to certain risks service providers undertake
in performing services which are in the best interests of the Fund. While
the Fund’s exposure under these indemnification provisions cannot be estimated,
they are not expected to have a material impact on the Fund’s financial
positions.
Redemption
Basket Obligation
Other
than as necessary to meet the investment objective of the Fund and pay its
contractual obligations described below, the Fund will require liquidity to
redeem Redemption Baskets. The Fund intends to satisfy this obligation
through the transfer of cash of the Fund (generated, if necessary, through the
sale of Treasury Securities) in an amount proportionate to the number of Shares
being redeemed, as described above under “Redemption
Procedures.”
Contractual
Obligations
The
Fund’s primary contractual obligations will be with the Sponsor and certain
other service providers. The Sponsor, in return for its services, will be
entitled to a management fee calculated as a fixed percentage of the Fund’s NAV,
currently 1.00% of its average net assets. The Fund will also be
responsible for all ongoing fees, costs and expenses of its operation, including
( i) brokerage and other fees and commissions incurred in connection with the
trading activities of the Fund; (ii) expenses incurred in connection with
registering additional Shares of the Fund or offering Shares of the Fund after
the time any Shares have begun trading on NYSE Arca; (iii) the routine expenses
associated with the preparation and, if required, the printing and mailing of
monthly, quarterly, annual and other reports required by applicable U.S. federal
and state regulatory authorities, Trust meetings and preparing, printing and
mailing proxy statements to Shareholders; (iv) the payment of any distributions
related to redemption of Shares; (v) payment for routine services of the
Trustee, legal counsel and independent accountants; (vi) payment for routine
accounting, bookkeeping, custody and transfer agency services, whether performed
by an outside service provider or by Affiliates of the Sponsor; (vii) postage
and insurance; (viii) costs and expenses associated with client relations and
services; (ix) costs of preparation of all federal, state, local and foreign tax
returns and any taxes payable on the income, assets or operations of the Fund;
and (xi) extraordinary expenses (including, but not limited to, legal claims and
liabilities and litigation costs and any indemnification related
thereto).
While
the Sponsor has agreed to pay registration fees to the SEC, FINRA and any other
regulatory agency in connection with the offer and sale of the Shares offered
through this prospectus, the legal, printing, accounting and other expenses
associated with such registrations, and the initial fee of $5,000 for listing
the Shares on the NYSE Arca, the Fund will be responsible for all future
registration fees and related expenses.
Each
Fund pays its own brokerage and other transaction costs. The Fund
will pay fees to futures commission merchants in connection with its
transactions in futures contracts. Futures commission merchant fees
are estimated to be 0.01% annually for the Fund. In general,
transaction costs on over-the-counter Oil Interests and on Treasury Securities
and other short-term securities will be embedded in the purchase or sale price
of the instrument being purchased or sold, and may not readily be
estimated. Other expenses to be paid by the Fund, included but not
limited to the fees paid to the Custodian and Marketing Agent with respect to
the Fund, are estimated to be 1.00% for the twelve-month period ending ______,
2011, though this amount may change in future years. The Sponsor may,
in its discretion, pay or reimburse the Fund for, or waive a portion of its
management fee to offset, expenses that would otherwise be borne by the
Fund.
Any
general expenses of the Trust will be allocated among the Fund and any other
series of the Trust as determined by the Sponsor in its sole and absolute
discretion. The Trust is also responsible for extraordinary expenses,
including, but not limited to, legal claims and liabilities and litigation costs
and any indemnification related thereto. The Trust and/or the Sponsor
may be required to indemnify the Trustee, Marketing Agent or
Custodian/Administrator under certain circumstances.
The
parties cannot anticipate the amount of payments that will be required under
these arrangements for future periods as the Fund’s NAV and trading levels to
meet their investment objectives will not be known until a future date. These
agreements are effective for a specific term agreed upon by the parties with an
option to renew, or, in some cases, are in effect for the duration of the Fund’s
existence. The parties may terminate these agreements earlier for certain
reasons listed in the agreements.
The
Trust Agreement
The
following paragraphs are a summary of certain provisions of the Trust Agreement.
The following discussion is qualified in its entirety by reference to the Trust
Agreement.
Authority
of the Sponsor
The
Sponsor is generally authorized to perform all acts deemed necessary to carry
out the purposes of the Trust and to conduct the business of the
Trust. The Trust and the Fund will continue to exist until terminated
in accordance with the Trust Agreement. The Sponsor’s authority
includes, without limitation, the right to take the following
actions:
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To enter into, execute, deliver
and maintain contracts, agreements and any other documents as may be in
furtherance of the Trust’s purpose or necessary or appropriate for the
offer and sale of the Shares and the conduct of Trust
activities;
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To establish, maintain, deposit
into, sign checks and otherwise draw upon accounts on behalf of the Trust
with appropriate banking and savings institutions, and execute and accept
any instrument or agreement incidental to the Trust’s business and in
furtherance of its purposes;
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To adopt, implement or amend,
from time to time, such disclosure and financial reporting information
gathering and control policies and procedures as are necessary or
desirable to ensure compliance with applicable disclosure and financial
reporting obligations under any applicable securities
laws;
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To pay or authorize the payment
of distributions to the Shareholders and expenses of the
Fund;
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To make any elections on behalf
of the Trust under the Code, or any other applicable U.S. federal or state
tax law as the Sponsor shall determine to be in the best interests of the
Trust; and
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In its sole discretion, to
determine to admit an affiliate or affiliates of the Sponsor as additional
Sponsors.
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The
Sponsor’s Obligations
In
addition to the duties imposed by the Delaware Trust Statute, under the Trust
Agreement the Sponsor has the following obligations as a sponsor of the
Trust:
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Devote to the business and
affairs of the Trust such of its time as it determines in its discretion
(exercised in good faith) to be necessary for the benefit of the Trust and
the Shareholders;
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Execute, file, record and/or
publish all certificates, statements and other documents and do any and
all other things as may be appropriate for the formation, qualification
and operation of the Trust and for the conduct of its business in all
appropriate jurisdictions;
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Appoint and remove independent
public accountants to audit the accounts of the Trust and employ attorneys
to represent the Trust;
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Use its best efforts to maintain
the status of the Trust as a statutory trust for state law purposes and as
a partnership for U.S. federal income tax
purposes;
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Have fiduciary responsibility for
the safekeeping and use of the Trust’s assets, whether or not in the
Sponsor’s immediate possession or
control;
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Enter into and perform agreements
with each Authorized Purchaser, receive from Authorized Purchasers and
process properly submitted purchase orders, receive Creation Basket
Deposits, deliver or cause the delivery of Creation Baskets to the
Depository for the account of the Authorized Purchaser submitting a
purchase order;
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Receive from Authorized
Purchasers and process, or cause the Marketing Agent or other Fund service
provider to process, properly submitted redemption orders, receive from
the redeeming Authorized Purchasers through the Depository, and thereupon
cancel or cause to be cancelled, Shares corresponding to the Redemption
Baskets to be redeemed;
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Interact with the Depository;
and
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Delegate duties to one or more
administrators, as the Sponsor
determines.
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To the
extent that, at law (common or statutory) or in equity, the Sponsor has duties
(including fiduciary duties) and liabilities relating thereto to the Trust, the
Fund, the Shareholders or to any other person, the Sponsor will not be liable to
the Trust, the Fund, the Shareholders or to any other person for its good faith
reliance on the provisions of the Trust Agreement or this prospectus unless such
reliance constitutes gross negligence or willful misconduct on the part of the
Sponsor.
Liability
and Indemnification
Under the
Trust Agreement, the Sponsor, the Trustee and their respective Affiliates
(collectively, “Covered Persons”) shall have no liability to the Trust, the
Fund, or to any Shareholder for any loss suffered by the Trust or the Fund which
arises out of any action or inaction of such Covered Person if such Covered
Person, in good faith, determined that such course of conduct was in the best
interest of the Trust or the Fund and such course of conduct did not constitute
gross negligence or willful misconduct of such Covered Person. A
Covered Person shall not be liable for the conduct or willful misconduct of any
administrator or other delegatee selected by the Sponsor with reasonable care,
provided, however, that the Trustee and its Affiliates shall not, under any
circumstances be liable for the conduct or willful misconduct of any
administrator or other delegatee or any other person selected by the Sponsor to
provide services to the Trust.
The Trust
Agreement also provides that the Sponsor shall be indemnified by the Trust (or
by a series separately to the extent the matter in question relates to a single
series or disproportionately affects a specific series in relation to other
series) against any losses, judgments, liabilities, expenses and amounts paid in
settlement of any claims sustained by it in connection with its activities for
the Trust, provided that (i) the Sponsor was acting on behalf of or performing
services for the Trust and has determined, in good faith, that such course of
conduct was in the best interests of the Trust and such liability or loss was
not the result of gross negligence, willful
misconduct, or a breach of the Trust Agreement on the part of the Sponsor and
(ii) any such indemnification will only be recoverable from the assets of the
applicable series. The Sponsor’s rights to indemnification permitted
under the Trust Agreement shall not be affected by the dissolution or other
cessation to exist of the Sponsor, or the withdrawal, adjudication of bankruptcy
or insolvency of the Sponsor, or the filing of a voluntary or involuntary
petition in bankruptcy under Title 11 of the Bankruptcy Code by or against the
Sponsor.
The
payment of any indemnification shall be allocated, as appropriate, among the
Trust’s series. The Trust and its series shall not incur the cost of
that portion of any insurance which insures any party against any liability, the
indemnification of which is prohibited under the Trust Agreement.
Expenses
incurred in defending a threatened or pending action, suit or proceeding against
the Sponsor shall be paid by the Trust in advance of the final disposition of
such action, suit or proceeding, if (i) the legal action relates to the
performance of duties or services by the Sponsor on behalf of the Trust; (ii)
the legal action is initiated by a party other than the Trust; and (iii) the
Sponsor undertakes to repay the advanced funds with interest to the Trust in
cases in which it is not entitled to indemnification.
The Trust
Agreement provides that the Sponsor and the Trust shall indemnify the Trustee
and its successors, assigns, legal representatives, officers, directors,
shareholders. employees, agents and servants (the “Trustee Indemnified Parties”)
against any liabilities, obligations, losses, damages, penalties, taxes, claims,
actions, suits, costs, expenses or disbursements which may be imposed on a
Trustee Indemnified Party relating to or arising out of the formation, operation
or termination of the Trust, the execution, delivery and performance of any
other agreements to which the Trust is a party, or the action or inaction of the
Trustee under the Trust Agreement or any other agreement, except for expenses
resulting from the gross negligence or willful
misconduct of a Trustee Indemnified Party.
In the
event the Trust is made a party to any claim, dispute, demand or litigation or
otherwise incurs any liability or expense as a result of or in connection with
any Shareholder’s (or assignee’s) obligations or liabilities unrelated to the
Trust business, such Shareholder (or assignees cumulatively) is required under
the Trust Agreement to indemnify the Trust for all such liability and expense
incurred, including attorneys’ and accountants’ fees.
Withdrawal
of the Sponsor
The
Sponsor may withdraw voluntarily as the Sponsor of the Trust only upon ninety
(90) days’ prior written notice to all Shareholders and the
Trustee. If the withdrawing Sponsor is the last remaining Sponsor,
Shareholders holding a majority (over 50%) of the Trust’s Shares (not including
Shares acquired by the Sponsor through its initial capital contribution) may
vote to elect a successor Sponsor. The successor Sponsor will
continue the business of the Trust. Shareholders have no right to
remove the Sponsor.
In the
event of withdrawal, the Sponsor is entitled to a redemption of the Shares it
acquired through its initial capital contribution to the Fund at their NAV per
Share. If the Sponsor withdraws and a successor Sponsor is named, the
withdrawing Sponsor shall pay all expenses as a result of its
withdrawal.
Meetings
Meetings
of the Shareholders may be called by the Sponsor and will be called by it upon
the written request of Shareholders holding at least 25% of the Shares of the
Trust or the Fund, as applicable (not including Shares acquired by the Sponsor
through its initial capital contribution), to vote on any matter with respect to
which Shareholders have a right to vote under the Trust
Agreement. The Sponsor shall deposit in the United States mail or
electronically transmit written notice to all Shareholders of the Fund of the
meeting and the purpose of the meeting, which shall be held on a date not less
than 30 nor more than 60 days after the date of mailing of such notice, at a
reasonable time and place. When the meeting is being requested by
Shareholders, the notice of the meeting shall be mailed or transmitted within 45
days after receipt of the written request from Shareholders. Any
notice of meeting shall be accompanied by a description of the action to be
taken at the meeting. Shareholders may vote in person or by proxy at
any such meeting. Any action required or permitted to be taken by
Shareholders by vote may be taken without a meeting by written consent setting
forth the actions so taken. Such written consents shall be treated
for all purposes as votes at a meeting. If the vote or consent of any
Shareholder to any action of the Trust, the Fund or any Shareholder, as
contemplated by the Trust Agreement, is solicited by the Sponsor, the
solicitation shall be effected by notice to each Shareholder given in the manner
provided in accordance with the Trust Agreement.
Voting
Rights
Shareholders
have very limited voting rights. Specifically, the Trust Agreement
provides that Shareholders holding Shares representing at least a majority (50%)
of the Trust’s outstanding Shares (excluding Shares acquired by the Sponsor in
connection with its initial capital contribution) may vote to (i) continue the
Trust by electing a successor Sponsor as described above, and (ii) approve
amendments to the Trust Agreement that impair the right to surrender Redemption
Baskets for redemption. (Trustee consent to any amendment to the
Trust Agreement is required if the Trustee reasonably believes that such
amendment adversely affects any of its rights, duties or
liabilities.) In addition, Shareholders holding Shares representing
seventy-five percent (75%) of the Trust’s outstanding Shares (excluding Shares
acquired by the Sponsor in connection with its initial capital contribution) may
vote to dissolve the Trust upon not less than ninety (90) days’ notice to the
Sponsor. Shareholders have no voting rights with respect to the Trust
or the Fund except as expressly provided in the Trust Agreement.
Limited
Liability of Shareholders
Shareholders
shall be entitled to the same limitation of personal liability extended to
stockholders of private corporations for profit organized under the general
corporation law of Delaware, and no Shareholder shall be liable for claims
against, or debts of the Trust or the Fund in excess of his share of the Fund’s
assets. The Trust or the Fund shall not make a claim against a
Shareholder with respect to amounts distributed to such Shareholder or amounts
received by such Shareholder upon redemption unless, under Delaware law, such
Shareholder is liable to repay such amount.
The Trust
or the Fund shall indemnify to the full extent permitted by law and the Trust
Agreement each Shareholder (excluding the Sponsor to the extent of its ownership
of any Shares acquired through its initial capital contribution) against any
claims of liability asserted against such Shareholder solely because of its
ownership of Shares (other than for taxes on income from Shares for which such
Shareholder is liable).
Every
written note, bond, contract, instrument, certificate or undertaking made or
issued by the Sponsor on behalf of the Trust or the Fund shall give notice to
the effect that the same was executed or made by or on behalf of the Trust or
the Fund and that the obligations of such instrument are not binding upon the
Shareholders individually but are binding only upon the assets and property of
the Fund and no recourse may be had with respect to the personal property of a
Shareholder for satisfaction of any obligation or claim.
The
Sponsor Has Conflicts of Interest
There are
present and potential future conflicts of interest in the Trust’s structure and
operation you should consider before you purchase Shares. The Sponsor may use
this notice of conflicts as a defense against any claim or other proceeding
made.
The
Sponsor’s principals, officers and employees, do not devote their time
exclusively to the Fund. Under the organizational documents of the
Sponsor, Mr. Sal Gilbertie and Mr. Dale Riker are obligated to use commercially
reasonable efforts to manage the Sponsor, devote such amount of time to the
Sponsor as would be consistent with their roles in similarly placed commodity
pool operators, and remain active in managing the Sponsor until they are no
longer managing members of the Sponsor or the Sponsor dissolves. In
addition, the Sponsor expects that it will generally constitute the principal
and a full-time business activity of its principals, officers and employees.
Notwithstanding these obligations and expectations, the Sponsor’s principals may
be directors, officers or employees of other entities, and may manage assets of
other entities through the Sponsor or otherwise. The Fund is
currently one of several commodity pools managed by the Sponsor and its
personnel. In addition, the Sponsor may establish additional pools in
the future. The principals could have a conflict between their
responsibilities to the Fund on the one hand and to those other entities on the
other. The Sponsor believes that it currently has sufficient
personnel, time, and working capital to discharge its responsibilities to the
Fund in a fair manner and that these persons’ conflicts should not impair their
ability to provide services to the Fund. However, it is not possible
to quantify the proportion of their time that the Sponsor’s personnel will
devote to the Fund and its management, which in large part will depend on
whether the Sponsor establishes additional commodity pools in the future and how
many such pools are established.
The
Sponsor and its principals, officers and employees may trade futures and related
contracts for their own accounts. Shareholders will not be permitted
to inspect the trading records of such persons or any written policies of the
Sponsor related to such trading. A conflict of interest may exist if
their trades are in the same markets and at approximately the same times as the
trades for the Fund. A potential conflict also may occur when the
Sponsor’s principals trade their accounts more aggressively or take positions in
their accounts which are opposite, or ahead of, the positions taken by the
Fund.
The
Sponsor has sole current authority to manage the investments and operations of
the Fund, and this may allow it to act in a way that furthers its own interests
and conflicts with your best interests. Shareholders have very
limited voting rights, which will limit the ability to influence matters such as
amendment of the Trust Agreement, change in the Fund’s basic investment
policies, or dissolution of the Fund or the Trust.
The
Sponsor serves as the Sponsor or investment adviser to commodity pools other
than the Fund. The Sponsor may have a conflict to the extent that its
trading decisions for the Fund may be influenced by the effect they would have
on the other pools it manages. In addition, the Sponsor may be
required to indemnify the officers and directors of the other pools, if the need
for indemnification arises. This potential indemnification will cause
the Sponsor’s assets to decrease. If the Sponsor’s other sources of
income are not sufficient to compensate for the indemnification, it could cease
operations, which could in turn result in Fund losses and/or termination of the
Fund.
If the
Sponsor acquires knowledge of a potential transaction or arrangement that may be
an opportunity for the Fund, it shall have no duty to offer such opportunity to
the Fund. The Sponsor will not be liable to the Fund or the
Shareholders for breach of any fiduciary or other duty if Sponsor pursues such
opportunity or directs it to another person or does not communicate such
opportunity to the Fund. Neither the Fund nor any Shareholder has any
rights or obligations by virtue of the Trust Agreement, the trust relationship
created thereby, or this prospectus in such business ventures or the income or
profits derived from such business ventures. The pursuit of such
business ventures, even if competitive with the activities of the Fund, will not
be deemed wrongful or improper.
Resolution
of Conflicts Procedures
The Trust
Agreement provides that whenever a conflict of interest exists between the
Sponsor or any of its Affiliates, on the one hand, and the Trust or any
Shareholder or any other Person, on the other hand, the Sponsor shall resolve
such conflict of interest considering the relative interest of each party
(including its own interest) and the benefits and burdens relating to such
interests, any customary or accepted industry practices, and any applicable
accepted accounting practices or principles.
Provisions
of Federal and State Securities Laws
This
offering is made pursuant to federal and state securities laws. The
SEC and state securities agencies take the position that indemnification of the
Sponsor that arises out of an alleged violation of such laws is prohibited
unless certain conditions are met. Those conditions require that no
indemnification of the Sponsor or any underwriter for the Fund may be made in
respect of any losses, liabilities or expenses arising from or out of an alleged
violation of federal or state securities laws unless: (i) there has
been a successful adjudication on the merits of each count involving alleged
securities law violations as to the party seeking indemnification and the court
approves the indemnification; (ii) such claim has been dismissed with prejudice
on the merits by a court of competent jurisdiction as to the party seeking
indemnification; or (iii) a court of competent jurisdiction approves a
settlement of the claims against the party seeking indemnification and finds
that indemnification of the settlement and related costs should be made,
provided that, before seeking such approval, the Sponsor or other indemnitee
must apprise the court of the position held by regulatory agencies against such
indemnification.
Books
and Records
The Trust
keeps its books of record and account at its office located at 232 Hidden Lake
Road, Building A, Brattleboro, Vermont 05301, or at the offices of the
Administrator located at One Wall Street, New York, New York 10286, or such
office, including of an administrative agent, as it may subsequently designate
upon notice. The books of account of the Fund are open to inspection by any
Shareholder (or any duly constituted designee of a Shareholder) at all times
during the usual business hours of the Fund upon reasonable advance notice to
the extent such access is required under CFTC rules and regulations. In
addition, the Trust keeps a copy of the Trust Agreement on file in its office
which will be available for inspection by any Shareholder at all times during
its usual business hours upon reasonable advance notice.
Analysis
of Critical Accounting Policies
The
Fund’s critical accounting policies are set forth in the financial statements
that are in this prospectus prepared in accordance with accounting principles
generally accepted in the United States, which require the use of certain
accounting policies that affect the amounts reported in these financial
statements, including the following: (i) Fund trades are accounted
for on a trade-date basis and marked to market on a daily basis; (ii) the
difference between the cost and market value of Oil Interests is recorded as
“change in unrealized profit/loss” for open (unrealized) contracts, and recorded
as “realized profit/loss” when open positions are closed out; and (iii) earned
interest income, as well as the fees and expenses of the Fund, are recorded on
an accrual basis. The Sponsor believes that all relevant accounting
assumptions and policies have been considered.
Statements,
Filings, and Reports to Shareholders
The Trust
will furnish to DTC Participants for distribution to Shareholders annual reports
(as of the end of each fiscal year) for the Fund as are required to be provided
to Shareholders by the CFTC and the NFA. These annual reports will
contain financial statements prepared by the Sponsor and audited by an
independent registered public accounting firm designated by the
Sponsor. The Trust will also post monthly reports to the Fund’s
website www.teucriumoilfund.com. These monthly reports will contain
certain unaudited financial information regarding the Fund, including the Fund’s
NAV. The Sponsor will furnish to the Shareholders other reports or
information which the Sponsor, in its discretion, determines to be necessary or
appropriate. In addition, under SEC rules the Trust will be required
to file quarterly and annual reports for the Fund with the SEC, which need not
be sent to Shareholders but will be publicly available through the
SEC. The Trust will post the same information that would otherwise be
provided in the Trust’s CFTC, NFA and SEC reports on the Fund’s website
www.teucriumoilfund.com.
The
Sponsor is responsible for the registration and qualification of the Shares
under the federal securities laws, federal commodities laws, and laws of any
other jurisdiction as the Sponsor may select. The Sponsor is
responsible for preparing all required reports, but has entered into an
agreement with the Administrator to prepare these reports on the Trust’s
behalf.
The
accountants’ report on its audit of the Fund’s financial statements will be
furnished by the Trust to Shareholders upon request. The Trust will
make such elections, file such tax returns, and prepare, disseminate and file
such tax reports for the Fund, as it is advised by its counsel or accountants
are from time to time required by any applicable statute, rule or
regulation.
PricewaterhouseCoopers
(“PwC”), 2001 Ross Avenue, Suite 1800, Dallas, Texas 75201-2997,
, will provide tax information in accordance with applicable U.S.
Treasury Regulations relating to information reporting with respect to widely
held fixed investment trusts. Persons treated as middlemen for
purposes of these regulations may obtain tax information regarding the Fund from
PwC or from the Fund’s website, www.teucriumoilfund.com.
Fiscal
Year
The
fiscal year of the Fund is the calendar year.
Governing
Law; Consent to Delaware Jurisdiction
The
rights of the Sponsor, the Trust, the Fund, DTC (as registered owner of the
Fund’s global certificate for Shares) and the Shareholders are governed by the
laws of the State of Delaware. The Sponsor, the Trust, the Fund and DTC and, by
accepting Shares, each DTC Participant and each Shareholder, consent to the
jurisdiction of the courts of the State of Delaware and any federal courts
located in Delaware. Such consent is not required for any person to
assert a claim of Delaware jurisdiction over the Sponsor, the Trust or the
Fund.
Legal
Matters
Litigation
and Claims
Within
the past 5 years of the date of this prospectus, there have been no material
administrative, civil or criminal actions against the Sponsor, the Trust or the
Fund, or any principal or affiliate of any of them. This includes any
actions pending, on appeal, concluded, threatened, or otherwise known to
them.
Legal
Opinion
The
validity of the Shares being issued hereunder will be passed upon on behalf of
the Trust and the Sponsor by Dykema Gossett PLLC. Dykema Gossett PLLC
has also provided the Trust and the Sponsor with its opinion with respect to
federal income tax matters addressed herein.
Experts
Rothstein,
Kass & Company, P.C., an independent registered public accounting firm, has
audited the financial statements of the Trust and the Sponsor as of December 31,
2009, and has audited the financial statements of the Fund as of July 31,
2010
Privacy
Policy
The Trust
and the Sponsor collect certain nonpublic personal information about investors
from the information provided by them in certain documents, as well as in the
course of processing transaction requests. None of this information
is disclosed except as necessary in the course of processing creations and
redemptions and otherwise administering the Trust (and then only subject to
customary undertakings of confidentiality) or as required by law. The
Trust and the Sponsor restrict access to the nonpublic personal information they
collect from investors to those employees and service providers who need access
to this information to provide services relating to the Trust to
investors. The Trust and the Sponsor each maintain physical,
electronic and procedural controls to safeguard this
information. These standards are reasonably designed to (1) ensure
the security and confidentiality of investors’ records and information, (2)
protect against any anticipated threats or hazards to the security or integrity
of investors’ records and information, and (3) protect against unauthorized
access to or use of investors’ records or information that could result in
substantial harm or inconvenience to any investor. A copy of the current Privacy
Policy can be provided on request and is provided to investors
annually.
U.S.
Federal Income Tax Considerations
The
following discussion summarizes the material U.S. federal income tax
consequences of the purchase, ownership and disposition of Shares of the Fund
and the U.S. federal income tax treatment of the Fund. Except where
noted otherwise, it deals only with the tax consequences relating to Shares held
as capital assets by persons not subject to special tax
treatment. For example, in general it does not address the tax
consequences to dealers in securities or currencies or commodities, traders in
securities or dealers or traders in commodities that elect to use a
mark-to-market method of accounting, financial institutions, tax-exempt
entities, insurance companies, persons holding Shares as a part of a position in
a “straddle” or as part of a “hedging,” “conversion” or other integrated
transaction for federal income tax purposes, or holders of Shares whose
“functional currency” is not the U.S. dollar. Furthermore, the
discussion below is based upon the provisions of the Code, and regulations
(“Treasury Regulations”), rulings and judicial decisions thereunder as of the
date hereof, and such authorities may be repealed, revoked or modified (possibly
with retroactive effect) so as to result in U.S. federal income tax consequences
different from those discussed below.
The
Sponsor has received the opinion of Dykema Gossett PLLC (“Dykema”), counsel to
the Trust, that the material U.S. federal income tax consequences to the Fund
and to U.S. Shareholders and Non-U.S. Shareholders (as defined below) will be
described in the following paragraphs. In rendering its opinion,
Dykema has relied on the facts and assumption described in this prospectus as
well as certain factual representations made by the Trust and the
Sponsor. This opinion is not binding on the Internal Revenue Service
(“IRS”). No ruling has been requested from the IRS with respect to
any matter affecting the Fund or prospective investors, and the IRS may disagree
with tax positions taken by the Trust. If the IRS were to challenge
the Trust’s tax positions in litigation, they might not be sustained by the
courts.
As used
herein, the term “U.S. Shareholder” means a Shareholder that is, for United
States federal income tax purposes, (i) a citizen or resident of the United
States, (ii) a corporation or partnership created or organized in or under the
laws of the United States or any political subdivision thereof, (iii) an estate
the income of which is subject to United States federal income taxation
regardless of its source or (iv) a trust that (X) is subject to the supervision
of a court within the United States and the control of one or more United States
persons as described in section 7701(a)(30) of the Code or (Y) has a valid
election in effect under applicable Treasury Regulations to be treated as a
United States person. A “Non-U.S. Shareholder” is a holder that is
not a U.S. Shareholder. If a partnership holds our Shares, the tax
treatment of a partner will generally depend upon the status of the partner and
the activities of the partnership. If you are a partner of a partnership holding
our Shares, you should consult your own tax advisor regarding the tax
consequences.
EACH
PROSPECTIVE INVESTOR IS ADVISED TO CONSULT ITS OWN TAX ADVISOR REGARDING THE
U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES OF AN INVESTMENT IN SHARES, AS WELL AS ANY
APPLICABLE STATE, LOCAL OR FOREIGN TAX CONSEQUENCES, IN LIGHT OF ITS PARTICULAR
CIRCUMSTANCES.
Tax
Status of the Trust and the Fund
The Trust
is organized and will be operated as a statutory trust in accordance with the
provisions of the Trust Agreement and applicable Delaware
law. Notwithstanding the Trust’s status as a statutory trust and the
Fund’s status as a series of that trust, due to the nature of its activities the
Fund will be treated as a partnership rather than a trust for U.S. federal
income tax purposes. In addition, the trading of Shares on the NYSE
Arca will cause the Fund to be classified as a “publicly traded partnership” for
federal income tax purposes. Under the Code, a publicly traded
partnership is generally taxable as a corporation. In the case of an
entity (such as the Fund) not registered under the Investment Company Act of
1940, however, an exception to this general rule applies if at least 90% of the
entity’s gross income is “qualifying income” for each taxable year of its
existence (the “qualifying income exception”). For this purpose,
qualifying income is defined as including, in pertinent part, interest (other
than from a financial business), dividends, and gains from the sale or
disposition of capital assets held for the production of interest or
dividends. In the case of a partnership a principal activity of which
is the buying and selling of commodities other than as inventory or of futures,
forwards and options with respect to commodities, “qualifying income” also
includes income and gains from commodities and from futures, forwards, options,
and swaps and other notional principal contracts with respect to
commodities. The Trust and the Sponsor have represented the following
to Dykema.
|
•
|
At least 90% of the Fund’s gross
income for each taxable year will constitute “qualifying income” within
the meaning of Code section 7704 (as described
above);
|
|
•
|
the Fund is organized and will be
operated in accordance with its governing documents and applicable law;
and
|
|
•
|
the
Fund has not elected, and will not elect, to be classified as a
corporation for U.S. federal income tax
purposes.
|
Based in
part on these representations, Dykema is of the opinion that the Fund will be
treated as a partnership that it is not taxable as a corporation for U.S.
federal income tax purposes. The Fund’s taxation as a partnership rather than a
corporation will require the Sponsor to conduct the Fund’s business activities
in such a manner that it satisfies the requirements of the qualifying income
exception on a continuing basis. No assurances can be given that the Fund’s
operations for any given year will produce income that satisfies these
requirements. Dykema will not review the Fund’s ongoing compliance with these
requirements and will have no obligation to advise the Trust, the Fund or the
Fund’s Shareholders in the event of any subsequent change in the facts,
representations or applicable law relied upon in reaching its
opinion.
If the
Fund failed to satisfy the qualifying income exception in any year, other than a
failure that is determined by the IRS to be inadvertent and that is cured within
a reasonable time after discovery (in which case, as a condition of relief, the
Fund could be required to pay the government amounts determined by the IRS), the
Fund would be taxable as a corporation for federal income tax purposes and would
pay federal income tax on its income at regular corporate rates. In that event,
Shareholders would not report their share of the Fund’s income or loss on their
tax returns. In addition, any distributions to Shareholders would not be
deductible by the Fund in computing its taxable income. Such distributions would
be treated as ordinary dividend income to the Shareholders to the extent of the
Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits. Accordingly, if the Fund
were to be taxable as a corporation, it would likely have a material adverse
effect on the economic return from an investment in the Fund and on the value of
the Shares.
The
remainder of this summary assumes that the Fund is classified for federal income
tax purposes as a partnership that it is not taxable as a
corporation.
U.S.
Shareholders
Tax
Consequences of Ownership of Shares
Taxation of the Fund’s Income
.. No U.S. federal income tax is paid by the Fund on its income.
Instead, the Fund files annual partnership returns, and each U.S. Shareholder is
required to report on its U.S. federal income tax return its allocable share of
the income, gain, loss, deductions and credits reflected on such returns. If the
Fund recognizes income in the form of interest on Treasury Securities and net
capital gains from cash settlement of Oil Interests for a taxable year,
Shareholders must report their share of these items even though the Fund makes
no distributions of cash or property during the taxable year. Consequently, a
Shareholder may be taxable on income or gain recognized by the Fund but receive
no cash distribution with which to pay the resulting tax liability, or may
receive a distribution that is insufficient to pay such liability. Because the
Sponsor currently does not intend to make distributions, it is likely that that
a U.S. Shareholder that realizes net income or gain with respect to Shares for a
taxable year will be required to pay any resulting tax from sources other than
Fund distributions.
Monthly Conventions for Allocations
of the Fund’s Profit and Loss and Capital Account Restatements
.. Under Code section 704, the determination of a partner’s
distributive share of any item of income, gain, loss, deduction or credit is
governed by the applicable organizational document unless the allocation
provided by such document lacks “substantial economic effect.” An allocation
that lacks substantial economic effect nonetheless will be respected if it is in
accordance with the partners’ interests in the partnership, determined by taking
into account all facts and circumstances relating to the economic arrangements
among the partners. Subject to the discussion below concerning certain
conventions to be used by the Fund, allocations pursuant to the Trust Agreement
should be considered as having substantial economic effect or being in
accordance with Shareholders’ interests in the Fund.
In
situations where a partner’s interest in a partnership is redeemed or sold
during a taxable year, the Code generally requires that partnership tax items
for the year be allocated to the partner using either an interim closing of the
books or a daily proration method. The Fund intends to allocate tax items using
an interim closing of the books method under which income, gains, losses and
deductions will be determined on a monthly basis, taking into account the Fund’s
accrued income and deductions and gains and losses (both realized and
unrealized) for the month. The tax items for each month during a taxable year
will then be allocated among the holders of Shares in proportion to the number
of Shares owned by them as of the close of trading on the last trading day of
the preceding month (the “monthly allocation convention”).
Under the
monthly allocation convention, an investor who disposes of a Share during the
current month will be treated as disposing of the Share as of the beginning of
the first day of the immediately succeeding month. For example, an investor who
buys a Share on April 10 of a year and sells it on May 20 of the same year will
be allocated all of the tax items attributable to May (because he owned it is
deemed to hold it through the last day of May) but none of those attributable to
April. The tax items attributable to that Share for April will be allocated to
the person who is the actual or deemed holder of the Share as of the close of
trading on the last trading day of March. Under the monthly convention, an
investor who purchases and sells a Share during the same month, and therefore
does not hold (and is not deemed to hold) the Share at the close of the last
trading day of either that month or the previous month, will receive no
allocations with respect to that Share for any period. Accordingly, investors
may receive no allocations with respect to Shares that they actually held, or
may receive allocations with respect to Shares attributable to periods that they
did not actually hold the Share. Investors who hold a Share on the last trading
day of the first month of the Fund’s operation will be allocated the tax items
for that month, as well as the tax items for the following month, attributable
to the Share.
By
investing in Shares, a U.S. Shareholder agrees that, in the absence of new
legislation, regulatory or administrative guidance, or judicial rulings to the
contrary, it will file its U.S. income tax returns in a manner that is
consistent with the monthly allocation convention as described above and with
the IRS Schedule K-1 or any successor form provided to Shareholders by the
Trust.
For any
month in which a Creation Basket is issued or a Redemption Basket is redeemed,
the Fund will credit or debit the “book” capital accounts of existing
Shareholders with the amount of any unrealized gain or loss, respectively, on
Fund assets. For this purpose, unrealized gain or loss will be computed based on
the lowest NAV of the Fund’s assets during the month in which Shares are issued
or redeemed, which may be different than the value of the assets on the date of
an issuance or redemption. The capital accounts as adjusted in this manner will
be used in making tax allocations intended to account for differences between
the tax basis and fair market value of property owned by the Fund at the time
new Shares are issued or outstanding Shares are redeemed (so-called “reverse
Code section 704(c) allocations”). The intended effect of these adjustments is
to equitably allocate among Shareholders any unrealized appreciation or
depreciation in the Fund’s assets existing at the time of a contribution or
redemption for book and tax purposes.
The
Sponsor believes that application of the conventions and methods described above
is consistent with the intent of the partnership provisions of the Code and that
the resulting allocations should have substantial economic effect or otherwise
should be respected as being in accordance with Shareholders’ interests in the
Fund for federal income tax purposes. The Code and existing Treasury Regulations
do not expressly permit adoption of these conventions, although the monthly
allocation convention described above is consistent with a method permitted
under recently proposed Treasury Regulations. It is possible that the IRS could
successfully challenge the Fund’s allocation methods on the ground that they do
not satisfy the technical requirements of the Code or Treasury Regulations,
requiring a Shareholder to report a greater or lesser share of items of income,
gain, loss, or deduction than if the conventions were respected. The Sponsor is
authorized to revise the Fund’s methods to conform to the requirements of any
future Treasury Regulations.
As noted
above, the conventions used by the Fund in making tax allocations may cause a
Shareholder to be allocated more or less income or loss for federal income tax
purposes than its proportionate share of the economic income or loss realized by
the Fund during the period it held its Shares. This mismatch between taxable and
economic income or loss in some cases may be temporary, reversing itself in a
later year when the Shares are sold, but could be permanent. For example, a
Shareholder could be allocated income accruing before it purchased its Shares,
resulting in an increase in the basis of the Shares (see “ Tax Basis of Shares ”,
below). On a subsequent disposition of the Shares, the additional basis might
produce a capital loss the deduction of which may be limited (see “ Limitations on Deductibility of
Losses and Certain Expenses ”, below).
Section 754 election. The
Fund intends to make the election permitted by section 754 of the Code, which
election is irrevocable without the consent of the IRS. The effect of this
election is that when a secondary market sale of Shares occurs, the Fund adjusts
the purchaser’s proportionate share of the tax basis of the Fund’s assets to
fair market value, as reflected in the price paid for the Shares, as if the
purchaser had directly acquired an interest in the Fund’s assets. The section
754 election is intended to eliminate disparities between a partner’s basis in
its partnership interest and its share of the tax bases of the partnership’s
assets, so that the partner’s allocable share of taxable gain or loss on a
disposition of an asset will correspond to its share of the appreciation or
depreciation in the value of the asset since it acquired its interest. Depending
on the price paid for Shares and the tax bases of the Fund’s assets at the time
of the purchase, the effect of the section 754 election on a purchaser of Shares
may be favorable or unfavorable. In order to make the appropriate basis
adjustments in a cost effective manner, the Fund will use certain simplifying
conventions and assumptions. In particular, the Fund will obtain information
regarding secondary market transactions in its Shares and use this information
to make adjustments to Shareholders’ basis in Fund assets. It is possible the
IRS could successfully assert that the conventions and assumptions applied are
improper and require different basis adjustments to be made, which could
adversely affect some Shareholders.
Section 1256 Contracts
.. Under the Code, special rules apply to instruments constituting
“section 1256 contracts.” A section 1256 contract is defined as including, in
relevant part: (1) a futures contract that is traded on or subject to the rules
of a national securities exchange which is registered with the SEC, a domestic
board of trade designated as a contract market by the CFTC, or any other board
of trade or exchange designated by the Secretary of the Treasury, and with
respect to which the amount required to be deposited and the amount that may be
withdrawn depends on a system of “marking to market”; and (2) a non-equity
option traded on or subject to the rules of a qualified board or exchange.
Section 1256 contracts held at the end of each taxable year are treated as if
they were sold for their fair market value on the last business day of the
taxable year ( i.e. ,
are “marked to market”). In addition, any gain or loss realized from a
disposition, termination or marking-to-market of a section 1256 contract is
treated as long-term capital gain or loss to the extent of 60% thereof, and as
short-term capital gain or loss to the extent of 40% thereof, without regard to
the actual holding period (“60-40 treatment”).
Many
of the Fund’s Oil Futures Contracts will qualify as “section 1256 contracts”
under the Code. Some Other Oil Interests that are cleared
through a qualified board or exchange will constitute section 1256
contracts. Gain or loss recognized as a result of the disposition,
termination or marking-to-market of the Fund’s section 1256 contracts during a
calendar month will be subject to 60-40 treatment and allocated to Shareholders
in accordance with the monthly allocation convention. Under recently
enacted legislation, Cleared Oil Swaps and other commodity swaps will most
likely not qualify as 1256 contracts for the Fund’s taxable years beginning
after July 21, 2010. If a commodity swap is not taxable as a section
1256 contract, it is likely that: (i) any gain or loss recognized by
the Fund on the sale of such a swap will be treated as a gain or loss from the
sale or exchange of a capital asset, (ii) any such gain or loss will be
long-term or shot-term capital gain or loss depending on the holding period of
the swap in the Fund’s hands, and (iii) such swap will no longer be marked to
market for federal income tax purposes like a 1256 contract.
Limitations on Deductibility of
Losses and Certain Expenses . A number of different provisions
of the Code may defer or disallow the deduction of losses or expenses allocated
to Shareholders by the Fund, including but not limited to those described
below.
A
Shareholder’s deduction of its allocable share of any loss of the Fund is
limited to the lesser of (1) the tax basis in its Shares or (2) in the case of a
Shareholder that is an individual or a closely held corporation, the amount
which the Shareholder is considered to have “at risk” with respect to the Fund’s
activities. In general, the amount at risk will be a Shareholder’s invested
capital. Losses in excess of the amount at risk must be deferred until years in
which the Fund generates additional taxable income against which to offset such
carryover losses or until additional capital is placed at risk.
Individuals
and other non-corporate taxpayers are permitted to deduct capital losses only to
the extent of their capital gains for the taxable year plus $3,000 of other
income. Unused capital losses can be carried forward and used to offset capital
gains in future years. In addition, a non-corporate taxpayer may elect to carry
back net losses on section 1256 contracts to each of the three preceding years
and use them to offset section 1256 contract gains in those years, subject to
certain limitations. Corporate taxpayers generally may deduct capital losses
only to the extent of capital gains, subject to special carryback and
carryforward rules.
Otherwise
deductible expenses incurred by non-corporate taxpayers constituting
“miscellaneous itemized deductions,” generally including investment-related
expenses (other than interest and certain other specified expenses), are
deductible only to the extent they exceed 2% of the taxpayer’s adjusted gross
income for the year. Although the matter is not free from doubt, we believe
management fees the Fund pays to the Sponsor and other expenses of the Fund
constitute investment-related expenses subject to this miscellaneous itemized
deduction limitation, rather than expenses incurred in connection with a trade
or business, and will report these expenses consistent with that
interpretation.
Non-corporate
Shareholders generally may deduct “investment interest expense” only to the
extent of their “net investment income.” Investment interest expense of a
Shareholder will generally include any interest accrued by the Fund and any
interest paid or accrued on direct borrowings by a Shareholder to purchase or
carry its Shares, such as interest with respect to a margin account. Net
investment income generally includes gross income from property held for
investment (including “portfolio income” under the passive loss rules but not,
absent an election, long-term capital gains or certain qualifying dividend
income) less deductible expenses other than interest directly connected with the
production of investment income.
To the
extent that the Fund allocates losses or expenses to you that must be deferred
or are disallowed as a result of these or other limitations in the Code, you may
be taxed on income in excess of your economic income or distributions (if any)
on your Shares. As one example, you could be allocated and required to pay tax
on your share of interest income accrued by the Fund for a particular taxable
year, and in the same year allocated a share of a capital loss that you cannot
deduct currently because you have insufficient capital gains against which to
offset the loss. As another example, you could be allocated and required to pay
tax on your share of interest income and capital gain for a year, but be unable
to deduct some or all of your share of management fees and/or margin account
interest incurred by you with respect to your Shares. Shareholders are urged to
consult their own professional tax advisor regarding the effect of limitations
under the Code on their ability to deduct your allocable share of the Fund’s
losses and expenses.
Tax
Basis of Shares
A
Shareholder’s tax basis in its Shares is important in determining (1) the amount
of taxable gain it will realize on the sale or other disposition of its Shares,
(2) the amount of non-taxable distributions that it may receive from the Fund,
and (3) its ability to utilize its distributive share of any losses of the Fund
on its tax return. A Shareholder’s initial tax basis of its Shares will equal
its cost for the Shares plus its share of the Fund’s liabilities (if any) at the
time of purchase. In general, a Shareholder’s “share” of those liabilities will
equal the sum of (i) the entire amount of any otherwise nonrecourse liability of
the Fund as to which the Shareholder or an affiliate is the creditor (a “partner
nonrecourse liability”) and (ii) a pro rata share of any nonrecourse liabilities
of the Fund that are not partner nonrecourse liabilities as to any
Shareholder.
A
Shareholder’s tax basis in its Shares generally will be (1) increased by (a) its
allocable share of the Fund’s taxable income and gain and (b) any additional
contributions by the Shareholder to the Fund and (2) decreased (but not below
zero) by (a) its allocable share of the Fund’s tax deductions and losses and (b)
any distributions by the Fund to the Shareholder. For this purpose, an increase
in a Shareholder’s share of the Fund’s liabilities will be treated as a
contribution of cash by the Shareholder to the Fund and a decrease in that share
will be treated as a distribution of cash by the Fund to the Shareholder.
Pursuant to certain IRS rulings, a Shareholder will be required to maintain a
single, “unified” basis in all Shares that it owns. As a result, when a
Shareholder that acquired its Shares at different prices sells less than all of
its Shares, such Shareholder will not be entitled to specify particular Shares (
e.g. , those with a
higher basis) as having been sold. Rather, it must determine its gain or loss on
the sale by using an “equitable apportionment” method to allocate a portion of
its unified basis in its Shares to the Shares sold.
Treatment of Fund
Distributions . If the Fund makes non-liquidating
distributions to Shareholders, such distributions generally will not be taxable
to the Shareholders for federal income tax purposes except to the extent that
the sum of (i) the amount of cash and (ii) the fair market value of marketable
securities distributed exceeds the Shareholder’s adjusted basis of its interest
in the Fund immediately before the distribution. Any cash distributions in
excess of a Shareholder’s tax basis generally will be treated as gain from the
sale or exchange of Shares.
Constructive Termination of the
Partnership . The Fund will be considered to have been
terminated for tax purposes if there is a sale or exchange of 50% or more of the
total interests in its Shares within a 12-month period. A termination would
result in the closing of the Fund’s taxable year for all Shareholders. In the
case of a Shareholder reporting on a taxable year other than a fiscal year
ending December 31, the closing of the Fund’s taxable year may result in more
than 12 months of our taxable income or loss being includable in its taxable
income for the year of termination. We would be required to make new tax
elections after a termination. A termination could result in tax penalties if we
were unable to determine that the termination had occurred. Moreover, a
termination might either accelerate the application of, or subject us to, any
tax legislation enacted before the termination.
Tax
Consequences of Disposition of Shares
If a
Shareholder sells its Shares, it will recognize gain or loss equal to the
difference between the amount realized and its adjusted tax basis for the Shares
sold. A Shareholder’s amount realized will be the sum of the cash or the fair
market value of other property received plus its share of any Fund debt
outstanding.
Gain or
loss recognized by a Shareholder on the sale or exchange of Shares held for more
than one year will generally be taxable as long-term capital gain or loss;
otherwise, such gain or loss will generally be taxable as short-term capital
gain or loss. A special election is available under the Treasury Regulations
that allows Shareholders to identify and use the actual holding periods for the
Shares sold for purposes of determining whether the gain or loss recognized on a
sale of Shares will give rise to long-term or short-term capital gain or loss.
It is expected that most Shareholders will be eligible to elect, and generally
will elect, to identify and use the actual holding period for Shares sold. If a
Shareholder fails to make the election or is not able to identify the holding
periods of the Shares sold, the Shareholder will have a split holding period in
the Shares sold. Under such circumstances, a Shareholder will be required to
determine its holding period in the Shares sold by first determining the portion
of its entire interest in the Fund that would give rise to long-term capital
gain or loss if its entire interest were sold and the portion that would give
rise to short-term capital gain or loss if the entire interest were sold. The
Shareholder would then treat each Share sold as giving rise to long-term capital
gain or loss and short-term capital gain or loss in the same proportions as if
it had sold its entire interest in the Fund.
Under
Section 751 of the Code, a portion of a Shareholder’s gain or loss from the sale
of Shares (regardless of the holding period for such Shares), will be separately
computed and taxed as ordinary income or loss to the extent attributable to
“unrealized receivables” or “inventory” owned by the Fund. The term “unrealized
receivables” includes, among other things, market discount bonds and short-term
debt instruments to the extent such items would give rise to ordinary income if
sold by the Fund.
If some
or all of a Shareholder’s Shares are lent by its broker or other agent to a
third party — for example, for use by the third party in covering a
short sale — the Shareholder may be considered as having made a
taxable disposition of the loaned Shares, in which
case —
|
•
|
the Shareholder may recognize
taxable gain or loss to the same extent as if it had sold the Shares for
cash;
|
|
•
|
any of the income, gain, loss or
deduction allocable to those Shares during the period of the loan is not
reportable by the Shareholder for tax purposes;
and
|
|
•
|
any distributions the Shareholder
receives with respect to the Shares under the loan agreement will be fully
taxable to the Shareholder, most likely as ordinary
income.
|
Shareholders
desiring to avoid these and other possible consequences of a deemed disposition
of their Shares should consider modifying any applicable brokerage account
agreements to prohibit the lending of their Shares.
Other
Tax Matters
Information Reporting
.. The Fund provides tax information to the beneficial owners of
Shares and to the IRS. Shareholders of the Fund are treated as partners for
federal income tax purposes. Accordingly, the Fund will furnish Shareholders
each year with tax information on IRS Schedule K-1 (Form 1065), which will be
used by the Shareholders in completing their tax returns. The IRS has ruled that
assignees of partnership interests who have not been admitted to a partnership
as partners but who have the capacity to exercise substantial dominion and
control over the assigned partnership interests will be considered partners for
federal income tax purposes. On the basis of this ruling, except as otherwise
provided herein, we will treat as a Shareholder any person whose shares are held
on their behalf by a broker or other nominee if that person has the right to
direct the nominee in the exercise of all substantive rights attendant to the
ownership of the Shares.
Persons
who hold an interest in the Fund as a nominee for another person are required to
furnish to us the following information: (1) the name, address and taxpayer
identification number of the beneficial owner and the nominee; (2) whether the
beneficial owner is (a) a person that is not a U.S. person, (b) a foreign
government, an international organization or any wholly-owned agency or
instrumentality of either of the foregoing, or (c) a tax-exempt entity; (3) the
number and a description of Shares acquired or transferred for the beneficial
owner; and (4) certain information including the dates of acquisitions and
transfers, means of acquisitions and transfers, and acquisition cost for
purchases, as well as the amount of net proceeds from sales. Brokers and
financial institutions are required to furnish additional information, including
whether they are U.S. persons and certain information on Shares they acquire,
hold or transfer for their own account. A penalty of $50 per failure, up to a
maximum of $100,000 per calendar year, is imposed by the Code for failure to
report such information to the Fund. The nominee is required to supply the
beneficial owner of the Shares with the information furnished to the
Fund.
Partnership Audit Procedures
.. The IRS may audit the federal income tax returns filed by the Fund.
Adjustments resulting from any such audit may require each Shareholder to adjust
a prior year’s tax liability and could result in an audit of the Shareholder’s
own return. Any audit of a Shareholder’s return could result in adjustments of
non-partnership items as well as Fund items. Partnerships are generally treated
as separate entities for purposes of federal tax audits, judicial review of
administrative adjustments by the IRS, and tax settlement proceedings. The tax
treatment of partnership items of income, gain, loss and deduction are
determined at the partnership level in a unified partnership proceeding rather
than in separate proceedings with the partners. The Code provides for one
partner to be designated as the “tax matters partner” and to represent the
partnership purposes of these proceedings. The Trust Agreement appoints the
Sponsor as the tax matters partner of the Fund.
Tax Shelter Disclosure Rules
.. In certain circumstances the Code and Treasury Regulations require
that the IRS be notified of transactions through a disclosure statement attached
to a taxpayer’s United States federal income tax return. These disclosure rules
may apply to transactions irrespective of whether they are structured to achieve
particular tax benefits. They could require disclosure by the Trust or
Shareholders if a Shareholder incurs a loss in excess a specified threshold from
a sale or redemption of its Shares and possibly in other circumstances. While
these rules generally do not require disclosure of a loss recognized on the
disposition of an asset in which the taxpayer has a “qualifying basis”
(generally a basis equal to the amount of cash paid by the taxpayer for such
asset), they apply to a loss recognized with respect to interests in a
pass-through entity, such as the Shares, even if the taxpayer’s basis in such
interests is equal to the amount of cash it paid. In addition, significant
monetary penalties may be imposed in connection with a failure to comply with
these reporting requirements. Investors should consult their own tax advisor
concerning the application of these reporting requirements to their specific
situation.
Tax-Exempt Organizations.
Subject to numerous exceptions, qualified retirement plans and
individual retirement accounts, charitable organizations and certain other
organizations that otherwise are exempt from federal income tax (collectively
“exempt organizations”) nonetheless are subject to the tax on unrelated business
taxable income (“UBTI”). Generally, UBTI means the gross income derived by an
exempt organization from a trade or business that it regularly carries on, the
conduct of which is not substantially related to the exercise or performance of
its exempt purpose or function, less allowable deductions directly connected
with that trade or business. If the Fund were to regularly carry on (directly or
indirectly) a trade or business that is unrelated with respect to an exempt
organization Shareholder, then in computing its UBTI, the Shareholder must
include its share of (1) the Fund’s gross income from the unrelated trade or
business, whether or not distributed, and (2) the Fund’s allowable deductions
directly connected with that gross income.
UBTI
generally does not include dividends, interest, or payments with respect to
securities loans and gains from the sale of property (other than property held
for sale to customers in the ordinary course of a trade or business).
Nonetheless, income on, and gain from the disposition of, “debt-financed
property” is UBTI. Debt-financed property generally is income-producing property
(including securities), the use of which is not substantially related to the
exempt organization’s tax-exempt purposes, and with respect to which there is
“acquisition indebtedness” at any time during the taxable year (or, if the
property was disposed of during the taxable year, the 12-month period ending
with the disposition). Acquisition indebtedness includes debt incurred to
acquire property, debt incurred before the acquisition of property if the debt
would not have been incurred but for the acquisition, and debt incurred
subsequent to the acquisition of property if the debt would not have been
incurred but for the acquisition and at the time of acquisition the incurrence
of debt was foreseeable. The portion of the income from debt-financed property
attributable to acquisition indebtedness is equal to the ratio of the average
outstanding principal amount of acquisition indebtedness over the average
adjusted basis of the property for the year. The Fund currently does not
anticipate that it will borrow money to acquire investments; however, the Fund
cannot be certain that it will not borrow for such purpose in the future. In
addition, an exempt organization Shareholder that incurs acquisition
indebtedness to purchase its Shares in the Fund may have UBTI.
The
federal tax rate applicable to an exempt organization Shareholder on its UBTI
generally will be either the corporate or trust tax rate, depending upon the
Shareholder’s form of organization. The Fund may report to each such Shareholder
information as to the portion, if any, of the Shareholder’s income and gains
from the Fund for any year that will be treated as UBTI; the calculation of that
amount is complex, and there can be no assurance that the Fund’s calculation of
UBTI will be accepted by the IRS. An exempt organization Shareholder will be
required to make payments of estimated federal income tax with respect to its
UBTI.
Regulated Investment
Companies. Interests in and income from “qualified publicly
traded partnerships” satisfying certain gross income tests are treated as
qualifying assets and income, respectively, for purposes of determining
eligibility for regulated investment company (“RIC”) status. A RIC may invest up
to 25% of its assets in interests in a qualified publicly traded partnership.
The determination of whether a publicly traded partnership such as the Fund is a
qualified publicly traded partnership is made on an annual basis. The Fund
expects to be a qualified publicly traded partnership in each of its taxable
years. However, such qualification is not assured.
Non-U.S.
Shareholders
Generally,
non-U.S. persons who derive U.S. source income or gain from investing or
engaging in a U.S. business are taxable on two categories of income. The first
category consists of amounts that are fixed, determinable, annual and periodic
income, such as interest, dividends and rent that are not connected with the
operation of a U.S. trade or business (“FDAP”). The second category is income
that is effectively connected with the conduct of a U.S. trade or business
(“ECI”). FDAP income (other than interest that is considered “portfolio
interest;” as discussed below) is generally subject to a 30% withholding tax,
which may be reduced for certain categories of income by a treaty between the
U.S. and the recipient’s country of residence. In contrast, ECI is generally
subject to U.S. tax on a net basis at graduated rates upon the filing of a U.S.
tax return. Where a non-U.S. person has ECI as a result of an investment in a
partnership, the ECI is currently subject to a withholding tax at a rate of 35%
for both individual and corporate Shareholders. The tax withholding
on ECI, which is the highest tax rate under Code section 1 for non-corporate
Non-U.S. Shareholders and Code section 11(b) for corporate Non-U.S.
Shareholders, may increase in future tax years if tax rates increase from their
current levels.
Withholding on Allocations and
Distributions . The Code provides that a non-U.S. person who
is a partner in a partnership that is engaged in a U.S. trade or business during
a taxable year will also be considered to be engaged in a U.S. trade or business
during that year. Classifying an activity by a partnership as an investment or
an operating business is a factual determination. Under certain safe harbors in
the Code, an investment fund whose activities consist of trading in stocks,
securities, or commodities for its own account generally will not be considered
to be engaged in a U.S. trade or business unless it is a dealer is such stocks,
securities, or commodities. This safe harbor applies to investments in
commodities only if the commodities are of a kind customarily dealt in on an
organized commodity exchange and if the transaction is of a kind customarily
consummated at such place. Although the matter is not free from doubt, the Fund
believes that the activities directly conducted by the Fund do not result in the
Fund being engaged in a trade or business within in the United States. However,
there can be no assurance that the IRS would not successfully assert that the
Fund’s activities constitute a U.S. trade or business.
In the
event that the Fund’s activities were considered to constitute a U.S. trade or
business, the Fund would be required to withhold at the highest rate specified
in Code section 1 (currently 35%) on allocations of our income to non-corporate
Non-U.S. Shareholders and the highest rate specified in Code section 11(b) on
allocations of our income to corporate Non-U.S. Shareholders. A
Non-U.S. Shareholder with ECI will generally be required to file a U.S. federal
income tax return, and the return will provide the Non-U.S. Shareholder with the
mechanism to seek a refund of any withholding in excess of such Shareholder’s
actual U.S. federal income tax liability. Any amount withheld by the Fund will
be treated as a distribution to the Non-U.S. Shareholder.
If the
Fund is not treated as engaged in a U.S. trade or business, a Non-U.S.
Shareholder may nevertheless be treated as having FDAP income, which would be
subject to a 30% withholding tax (possibly subject to reduction by treaty), with
respect to some or all of its distributions from the Fund or its allocable share
of Fund income. Amounts withheld on behalf of a Non-U.S. Shareholder will be
treated as being distributed to such Shareholder.
To the
extent any interest income allocated to a Non-U.S. Shareholder that otherwise
constitutes FDAP is considered “portfolio interest,” neither the allocation of
such interest income to the non-U.S. Shareholder nor a subsequent distribution
of such interest income to the non-U.S. Shareholder will be subject to
withholding, provided that the Non-U.S. Shareholder is not otherwise engaged in
a trade or business in the U.S. and provides the Fund with a timely and properly
completed and executed IRS Form W-8BEN or other applicable form. In general,
portfolio interest is interest paid on debt obligations issued in registered
form, unless the recipient owns 10% or more of the voting power of the
issuer.
The Trust
expects that most of the Fund’s interest income will qualify as portfolio
interest. In order for the Fund to avoid withholding on any interest income
allocable to Non-U.S. Shareholders that would qualify as portfolio interest, it
will be necessary for all Non-U.S. Shareholders to provide the Fund with a
timely and properly completed and executed Form W-8BEN (or other applicable
form).
Gain from Sale of Shares
.. Gain from the sale or exchange of Shares may be taxable to a
Non-U.S. Shareholder if the Non-U.S. Shareholder is a nonresident alien
individual who is present in the U.S. for 183 days or more during the taxable
year. In such case, the nonresident alien individual will be subject to a 30%
withholding tax on the amount of such individual’s gain.
Prospective
Non-U.S. Shareholders should consult their own tax advisor regarding these and
other tax issues unique to Non-U.S. Shareholders.
Backup
Withholding
The
Fund may be required to withhold U.S. federal income tax (“backup withholding”)
at a current rate of 28% from payments to: (1) any Shareholder who fails to
furnish the Fund with his, her or its correct taxpayer identification number or
a certificate that the Shareholder is exempt from backup withholding, and (2)
any Shareholder with respect to whom the IRS notifies the Fund that the
Shareholder has failed to properly report certain interest and dividend income
to the IRS and to respond to notices to that effect. Backup withholding is not
an additional tax and may be returned or credited against a taxpayer’s regular
federal income tax liability if appropriate information is provided to the
IRS. The backup withholding rate is the fourth lowest rate applicable
to individuals under Code section 1(c), and may increase in future tax
years.
Other
Tax Considerations
In
addition to federal income taxes, Shareholders may be subject to other taxes,
such as state and local income taxes, unincorporated business taxes, business
franchise taxes, and estate, inheritance or intangible taxes that may be imposed
by the various jurisdictions in which the Fund does business or owns property or
where the Shareholders reside. Although an analysis of those various taxes is
not presented here, each prospective Shareholder should consider their potential
impact on its investment in the Fund. It is each Shareholder’s responsibility to
file the appropriate U.S. federal, state, local, and foreign tax returns. Dykema
has not provided an opinion concerning any aspects of state, local or foreign
tax or U.S. federal tax other than those U.S. federal income tax issues
discussed herein.
Additionally,
under the recently-enacted Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act (“Hire
Act”), Congress modified certain rules with respect to information reporting and
certification requirements, in particular with respect to “U.S. accounts”
maintained at foreign institutions. Congress delegated broad authority to
the United States Treasury Department to promulgate regulations to implement the
new withholding and reporting regime. Prospective investors in Shares
should consult their tax advisors regarding elements of the Hire Act that may be
relevant to an investment in Shares.
Investment
By ERISA Accounts
General
Most
employee benefit plans and individual retirement accounts (“IRAs”) are subject
to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”), or
the Code, or both. This section discusses certain considerations that
arise under ERISA and the Code that a fiduciary of an employee benefit plan as
defined in ERISA or a plan as defined in Section 4975 of the Code who has
investment discretion should take into account before deciding to invest the
plan’s assets in the Fund. Employee benefit plans under ERISA and plans
under the Code are collectively referred to below as “plans,” and fiduciaries
with investment discretion are referred to below as “plan
fiduciaries.”
This
summary is based on the provisions of ERISA and the Code as of the date
hereof. This summary is not intended to be complete, but only to address
certain questions under ERISA and the Code likely to be raised by your
advisors. The summary does not include state or local law.
Potential
plan investors are urged to consult with their own professional advisors
concerning the appropriateness of an investment in the Fund and the manner in
which Shares should be purchased.
Special
Investment Considerations
Each plan
fiduciary must consider the facts and circumstances that are relevant to an
investment in the Fund, including the role that an investment in the Fund would
play in the plan’s overall investment portfolio. Each plan fiduciary,
before deciding to invest in the Fund, must be satisfied that the investment is
prudent for the plan, that the investments of the plan are diversified so as to
minimize the risk of large losses, and that an investment in the Fund complies
with the terms of the plan.
The
Fund and Plan Assets
A
regulation issued under ERISA contains rules for determining when an investment
by a plan in an equity interest of a statutory trust will result in the
underlying assets of the statutory trust being deemed plan assets for purposes
of ERISA and Section 4975 of the Code. Those rules provide that assets of
a statutory trust will not be plan assets of a plan that purchases an equity
interest in the statutory trust if the equity interest purchased is a
publicly-offered security. If the underlying assets of a statutory trust
are considered to be assets of any plan for purposes of ERISA or Section 4975 of
the Code, the operations of that trust would be subject to and, in some cases,
limited by the provisions of ERISA and Section 4975 of the Code.
The
publicly-offered security exception described above applies if the equity
interest is a security that is:
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(1)
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freely transferable (determined
based on the relevant facts and
circumstances);
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(2)
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part of a class of securities
that is widely held (meaning that the class of securities is owned by 100
or more investors independent of the issuer and of each other);
and
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(3)
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either (a) part of a class of
securities registered under Section 12(b) or 12(g) of the Exchange Act or
(b) sold to the plan as part of a public offering pursuant to an effective
registration statement under the 1933 Act and the class of which such
security is a part is registered under the Exchange Act within 120 days
(or such later time as may be allowed by the SEC) after the end of the
fiscal year of the issuer in which the offering of such security
occurred.
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The plan
asset regulations under ERISA state that the determination of whether a security
is freely transferable is to be made based on all the relevant facts and
circumstances. In the case of a security that is part of an offering in
which the minimum investment is $10,000 or less, the following requirements,
alone or in combination, ordinarily will not affect a finding that the security
is freely transferable: (1) a requirement that no transfer or assignment of the
security or rights relating to the security be made that would violate any
federal or state law; and (2) a requirement that no transfer or assignment be
made without advance written notice given to the entity that issued the
security.
The
Sponsor believes that the conditions described above are satisfied with respect
to the Shares. The Sponsor believes that the Shares therefore constitute
publicly-offered securities, and the underlying assets of the Fund should not be
considered to constitute plan assets of any plan that purchases
Shares.
Prohibited
Transactions
ERISA and
the Code generally prohibit certain transactions involving a plan and persons
who have certain specified relationships to the plan. In general, Shares
may not be purchased with the assets of a plan if the Sponsor, the clearing
brokers, the trading advisors (if any), or any of their affiliates, agents or
employees either:
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·
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exercise any discretionary
authority or discretionary control with respect to management of the
plan;
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·
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exercise any authority or control
with respect to management or disposition of the assets of the
plan;
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·
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render investment advice for a
fee or other compensation, direct or indirect, with respect to any moneys
or other property of the
plan;
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·
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have any authority or
responsibility to render investment advice with respect to any monies or
other property of the plan;
or
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have any discretionary authority
or discretionary responsibility in the administration of the
plan.
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Also, a
prohibited transaction may occur under ERISA or the Code when circumstances
indicate that (1) the investment in Shares is made or retained for the purpose
of avoiding application of the fiduciary standards of ERISA, (2) the investment
in Shares constitutes an arrangement under which the Fund is expected to engage
in transactions that would otherwise be prohibited if entered into directly by
the plan purchasing the Shares, (3) the investing plan, by itself, has the
authority or influence to cause the Fund to engage in such transactions, or (4)
a person who is prohibited from transacting with the investing plan may, but
only with the aid of certain of its affiliates and the investing plan, cause the
Fund to engage in such transactions with such person.
Special
IRA Rules
IRAs are
not subject to ERISA’s fiduciary standards, but are subject to their own rules,
including the prohibited transaction rules of Section 4975 of the Code, which
generally mirror ERISA’s prohibited transaction rules. For example, IRAs
are subject to special custody rules and must maintain a qualifying IRA
custodial arrangement separate and distinct from the Fund and its custodial
arrangement. If a separate qualifying custodial arrangement is not
maintained, an investment in the Shares will be treated as a distribution from
the IRA. Second, IRAs are prohibited from investing in certain commingled
investments, and the Sponsor makes no representation regarding whether an
investment in Shares is an inappropriate commingled investment for an IRA.
Third, in applying the prohibited transaction provisions of Section 4975 of the
Code, in addition to the rules summarized above, the individual for whose
benefit the IRA is maintained is also treated as the creator of the IRA.
For example, if the owner or beneficiary of an IRA enters into any transaction,
arrangement, or agreement involving the assets of his or her IRA to benefit the
IRA owner or beneficiary (or his or her relatives or business affiliates)
personally, or with the understanding that such benefit will occur, directly or
indirectly, such transaction could give rise to a prohibited transaction that is
not exempted by any available exemption. Moreover, in the case of an IRA,
the consequences of a non-exempt prohibited transaction are that the IRA’s
assets will be treated as if they were distributed, causing immediate taxation
of the assets (including any early distribution penalty tax applicable under
Section 72 of the Code), in addition to any other fines or penalties that may
apply.
Exempt
Plans
Certain
employee benefit plans may be governmental plans or church plans.
Governmental plans and church plans are generally not subject to ERISA, nor do
the prohibited transaction provisions described above apply to them. These
plans are, however, subject to prohibitions against certain related-party
transactions under Section 503 of the Code, which are similar to the prohibited
transaction rules described above. In addition, the fiduciary of any
governmental or church plan must consider any applicable state or local laws and
any restrictions and duties of common law imposed upon the plan.
No view
is expressed as to whether an investment in the Fund (and any continued
investment in the Fund), or the operation and administration of the fund, is
appropriate or permissible for any governmental plan or church plan under Code
Section 503, or under any state, county, local or other law relating to that
type of plan.
Allowing
an investment in the Fund is not to be construed as a representation by the
Trust, the Fund, the Sponsor, any trading advisor, any clearing broker, the
Marketing Agent or legal counsel or other advisors to such parties or any other
party that this investment meets some or all of the relevant legal requirements
with respect to investments by any particular plan or that this investment is
appropriate for any such particular plan. The person with investment
discretion should consult with the plan’s attorney and financial advisors as to
the propriety of an investment in the Fund in light of the circumstances of the
particular plan, current tax law and ERISA.
INFORMATION
YOU SHOULD KNOW
This
prospectus contains information you should consider when making an investment
decision about the Shares. You should rely only on the information
contained in this prospectus or any applicable prospectus supplement. None
of the Trust, the Fund or the Sponsor has authorized any person to provide you
with different information and, if anyone provides you with different or
inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. This prospectus is
not an offer to sell the Shares in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale of
the Shares is not permitted.
The
information contained in this prospectus was obtained from us and other sources
believed by us to be reliable.
You
should disregard anything we said in an earlier document that is inconsistent
with what is included in this prospectus or any applicable prospectus
supplement. Where the context requires, when we refer to this
“prospectus,” we are referring to this prospectus and (if applicable) the
relevant prospectus supplement.
You
should not assume that the information in this prospectus or any applicable
prospectus supplement is current as of any date other than the date on the front
page of this prospectus or the date on the front page of any applicable
prospectus supplement.
We
include cross references in this prospectus to captions in these materials where
you can find further related discussions. The table of contents tells you
where to find these captions.
WHERE
YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
The Trust
has filed on behalf of the Fund a registration statement on Form S-1 with the
SEC under the 1933 Act. This prospectus does not contain all of the
information set forth in the registration statement (including the exhibits to
the registration statement), parts of which have been omitted in accordance with
the rules and regulations of the SEC. For further information about the
Trust, the Fund or the Shares, please refer to the registration statement, which
you may inspect, without charge, at the public reference facilities of the SEC
at the below address or online at www.sec.gov, or obtain at prescribed rates
from the public reference facilities of the SEC at the below address.
Information about the Trust, the Fund and the Shares can also be obtained from
the Fund’s website, which is www.teucriumoilfund.com. The Fund’s website
address is only provided here as a convenience to you and the information
contained on or connected to the website is not part of this prospectus or the
registration statement of which this prospectus is part. The Trust is
subject to the informational requirements of the Exchange Act and will file
certain reports and other information with the SEC under the Exchange Act.
The Sponsor will file an updated prospectus annually for the Fund pursuant to
the 1933 Act. The reports and other information can be inspected at the
public reference facilities of the SEC located at 100 F Street, N.E.,
Washington, DC 20549 and online at www.sec.gov. You may also obtain copies of
such material from the public reference facilities of the SEC at 100 F Street,
NE, Washington, D.C. 20549, at prescribed rates. You may obtain more information
concerning the operation of the public reference facilities of the SEC by
calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 or visiting online at www.sec.gov
..
TEUCRIUM
TRADING, LLC — INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
|
Page
|
|
|
Report
of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
|
102
|
|
|
Consolidated
Statement of Financial Condition
|
103
|
|
|
Consolidated
Statement of Operations
|
105
|
|
|
Consolidated
Statement of Changes in Members’ Equity
|
106
|
|
|
Consolidated
Statement of Cash Flows
|
107
|
|
|
Notes
to Consolidated Financial Statements
|
108
|
Report
of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To the
Members of
Teucrium
Trading, LLC
We
have audited the accompanying consolidated statement of financial condition of
Teucrium Trading, LLC and subsidiary (A Development Stage Company) (the
“Company”) as of December 31, 2009, and the related consolidated statements of
operations, changes in members’ equity, and cash flows for the period from
September 1, 2009 (date of inception) to December 31, 2009. These
consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s
management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these
consolidated financial statements based on our audits.
We
conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the Public Company
Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that
we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the
consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement. The
Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its
internal control over financial reporting. Our audit included consideration of
internal control over financial reporting as a basis for designing audit
procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of
expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control
over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion. An
audit also includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts
and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements, assessing the
accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well
as evaluating the overall consolidated financial statement presentation.
We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our
opinion.
In our
opinion, the consolidated financial statements referred to above present fairly,
in all material respects, the financial position of Teucrium Trading, LLC and
subsidiary as of December 31, 2009, and the results of its operations, changes
in members’ equity, and its cash flows for the period from September 1, 2009
(date of inception) to December 31, 2009, in conformity with U.S. generally
accepted accounting principles.
/s/
Rothstein, Kass & Company, P.C.
Roseland,
New Jersey
March
22, 2010
Teucrium
Trading, LLC and Subsidiary
(A
Development Stage Company)
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION
|
|
June 30, 2010
(Unaudited)
|
|
|
December 31, 2009
|
|
ASSETS
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash
and cash equivalents
|
|
$ |
5,697,882 |
|
|
$ |
847,433 |
|
Prepaid
expenses
|
|
|
7,701 |
|
|
|
6,000 |
|
Commodity
futures contracts
|
|
|
204,495 |
|
|
|
- |
|
Collateral,
due from broker
|
|
|
481,410 |
|
|
|
- |
|
Interest
receivable
|
|
|
609 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
assets
|
|
$ |
6,392,097 |
|
|
$ |
853,433 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
LIABILITIES
AND MEMBERS' EQUITY
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Liabilities
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Accrued
expenses
|
|
$ |
621,941 |
|
|
$ |
163,040 |
|
Short-term
debt
|
|
|
800,000 |
|
|
|
- |
|
Other
liabilities
|
|
|
25,469 |
|
|
|
- |
|
Interest
payable
|
|
|
4,159 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
|
1,451,569 |
|
|
|
163,040 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Members'
Equity
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Members'
(deficit) equity
|
|
|
(186,999 |
) |
|
|
740,393 |
|
Less
subscription receivable
|
|
|
(50,000 |
) |
|
|
(50,000 |
) |
Total
Teucrium Trading, LLC members' equity
|
|
|
(236,999 |
) |
|
|
690,393 |
|
Noncontrolling
interest
|
|
|
5,177,527 |
|
|
|
- |
|
Total
members' equity
|
|
|
4,940,528 |
|
|
|
690,393 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
liabilities and members' equity
|
|
$ |
6,392,097 |
|
|
$ |
853,433 |
|
See
accompanying notes.
Teucrium
Trading, LLC and Subsidiary
(A
Development Stage Company)
CONSOLIDATED
SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS
June
30, 2010 (Unaudited)
|
|
Fair
|
|
|
Percentage of
|
|
|
Notional
|
|
Description
|
|
Value
|
|
|
Net Assets
|
|
|
Value
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Commodity
futures contracts
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
United
States Corn Futures Contracts
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
CBOT
Corn Futures (100 contracts, settlement date Sept. 14,
2010)
|
|
$ |
83,350 |
|
|
|
1.61
|
% |
|
$ |
1,813,750 |
|
CBOT
Corn Futures (84 contracts, settlement date Dec. 14,
2010)
|
|
|
71,064 |
|
|
|
1.37 |
|
|
|
1,568,700 |
|
CBOT
Corn Futures (89 contracts, settlement date Dec. 14,
2011)
|
|
|
50,081 |
|
|
|
0.97 |
|
|
|
1,806,700 |
|
|
|
$ |
204,495 |
|
|
|
3.95
|
% |
|
$ |
5,189,150 |
|
See
accompanying notes.
Teucrium
Trading, LLC and Subsidiary
(A
Development Stage Company)
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
|
|
For the six months ended
June 30, 2010
(unaudited)
|
|
|
From Inception
(September 1, 2009)
through December 31,
2009
|
|
|
From Inception
(September
1, 2009) through June
30, 2010 (unaudited)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Income
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Realized
and unrealized gain on trading of commodity futures
contracts:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Realized
gain on commodity futures contracts
|
|
$ |
980 |
|
|
$ |
- |
|
|
$ |
980 |
|
Net
change in unrealized appreciation or depreciation on commodity
futures contracts
|
|
|
204,495 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
204,495 |
|
Interest
income
|
|
|
1,314 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
1,314 |
|
Other
income
|
|
|
196 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
196 |
|
Total
income
|
|
|
206,985 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
206,985 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Expenses
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Professional
fees
|
|
|
680,217 |
|
|
|
816,374 |
|
|
|
1,496,591 |
|
Salaries,
wages and benefits
|
|
|
166,500 |
|
|
|
41,118 |
|
|
|
207,618 |
|
General
and administrative
|
|
|
97,602 |
|
|
|
11,035 |
|
|
|
108,637 |
|
Unit-based
compensation
|
|
|
86,000 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
86,000 |
|
Custodian's
fees and expenses
|
|
|
7,787 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
7,787 |
|
Interest
expense
|
|
|
4,159 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
4,159 |
|
Business
permits and licenses
|
|
|
585 |
|
|
|
117,580 |
|
|
|
118,165 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
expenses
|
|
|
1,042,850 |
|
|
|
986,107 |
|
|
|
2,028,957 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
loss
|
|
|
(835,865 |
) |
|
|
(986,107 |
) |
|
|
(1,821,972 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
income attributable to noncontrolling interest
|
|
|
(177,527 |
) |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
(177,527 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
loss attributable to Teucrium Trading, LLC
|
|
$ |
(1,013,392 |
) |
|
$ |
(986,107 |
) |
|
$ |
(1,999,499 |
) |
See
accompanying notes.
TEUCRIUM
TRADING, LLC and Subsidiary
(A
Development Stage Company)
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN MEMBERS' EQUITY
For
the period from Inception (September 1, 2009) through December 31,
2009
and
for the Six Months Ended June 30, 2010 (unaudited)
|
|
|
|
|
Par Unit
|
|
|
Class A
|
|
|
Class B-1
|
|
|
Class B-2
|
|
|
Subscription
|
|
|
|
|
|
Noncontrolling
|
|
|
Members'
|
|
|
|
Units
|
|
|
Value
|
|
|
Equity Total
|
|
|
Equity Total
|
|
|
Equity Total
|
|
|
Receivable
|
|
|
Subtotal
|
|
|
Interest
|
|
|
Equity Total
|
|
Balances,
at Inception
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
- |
|
|
$ |
- |
|
|
$ |
- |
|
|
$ |
- |
|
|
$ |
- |
|
|
$ |
- |
|
|
$ |
- |
|
Equity
Contributed through
Note Conversion
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Class
B-1 Units - issued October
26, 2009
|
|
|
38.961 |
|
|
|
5,775.01 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
225,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(50,000 |
) |
|
|
175,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
175,000 |
|
Equity
Contributed for Member
Interest and Option
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Class
A Units - issued August
12, 2009
|
|
|
1,000.000 |
|
|
|
1.50 |
|
|
|
1,500 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,500 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,500 |
|
Class
B-1 Units - issued October
26, 2009
|
|
|
259.740 |
|
|
|
5,775.01 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,500,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,500,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,500,000 |
|
Net
loss
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(882 |
) |
|
|
(985,225 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(986,107 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
(986,107 |
) |
Balances,
December 31, 2009
|
|
|
1,298.701 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
618 |
|
|
|
739,775 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
(50,000 |
) |
|
|
690,393 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
690,393 |
|
Class
B-2 Units - issued February
11, 2010 (Unaudited)
|
|
|
100.000 |
|
|
|
860.00 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
86,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
86,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
86,000 |
|
Purchase
of Units by Noncontrolling
Interest (Unaudited)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
5,000,000 |
|
|
|
5,000,000 |
|
Net
(loss) income (Unaudited)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(131,517 |
) |
|
|
(782,785 |
) |
|
|
(99,090 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1,013,392 |
) |
|
|
177,527 |
|
|
|
(835,865 |
) |
Balances,
June 30, 2010 (Unaudited)
|
|
|
1,398.701 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
(130,899 |
) |
|
$ |
(43,010 |
) |
|
$ |
(13,090 |
) |
|
$ |
(50,000 |
) |
|
$ |
(236,999 |
) |
|
$ |
5,177,527 |
|
|
$ |
4,940,528 |
|
See
accompanying notes.
Teucrium
Trading, LLC and Subsidiary
(A
Development Stage Company)
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
|
|
For the six months ended
June 30, 2010
(unaudited)
|
|
|
From Inception
(September 1, 2009)
through December 31,
2009
|
|
|
From Inception
(September
1, 2009) through June
30, 2010 (unaudited)
|
|
Cash Flows from Operating
Activities
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
loss before allocation to noncontrolling interest
|
|
$ |
(835,865 |
) |
|
$ |
(986,107 |
) |
|
$ |
(1,821,972 |
) |
Adjustments
to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating
activities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
change in unrealized appreciation or depreciation on commodity futures
contracts
|
|
|
(204,495 |
) |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
(204,495 |
) |
Unit-based
compensation
|
|
|
86,000 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
86,000 |
|
Changes
in Operating Assets and Liabilities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Prepaid
expenses
|
|
|
(1,701 |
) |
|
|
(6,000 |
) |
|
|
(7,701 |
) |
Collateral,
due from broker
|
|
|
(481,410 |
) |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
(481,410 |
) |
Interest
receivable
|
|
|
(609 |
) |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
(609 |
) |
Accrued
expenses
|
|
|
458,901 |
|
|
|
163,040 |
|
|
|
621,941 |
|
Other
liabilities
|
|
|
25,469 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
25,469 |
|
Interest
payable
|
|
|
4,159 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
4,159 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
cash used in operating activities
|
|
|
(949,551 |
) |
|
|
(829,067 |
) |
|
|
(1,778,618 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash
Flow from Financing Activities
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Proceeds
from short-term debt
|
|
|
800,000 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
800,000 |
|
Proceeds
from convertible debt
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
175,000 |
|
|
|
175,000 |
|
Proceeds
from sale of member equity and option
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
1,501,500 |
|
|
|
1,501,500 |
|
Purchase
of units by noncontrolling interest
|
|
|
5,000,000 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
5,000,000 |
|
Net
cash provided by financing activities
|
|
|
5,800,000 |
|
|
|
1,676,500 |
|
|
|
7,476,500 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
Increase in Cash and Cash Equivalents
|
|
|
4,850,449 |
|
|
|
847,433 |
|
|
|
5,697,882 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash and Cash Equivalents,
beginning of period
|
|
|
847,433 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash and Cash Equivalents,
end of period
|
|
$ |
5,697,882 |
|
|
$ |
847,433 |
|
|
$ |
5,697,882 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Non-Cash
Transactions
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Conversion
of debt into members' equity (including $50,000
which had not been received by the Company)
|
|
$ |
- |
|
|
$ |
225,000 |
|
|
$ |
225,000 |
|
See
accompanying notes.
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Unaudited)
Note
1 — Organization and Operation
Teucrium
Trading, LLC, (the “Company”), a Delaware limited liability company, formed on
July 28, 2009 and began operations on September 1, 2009. The
principal office is located at 232 Hidden Lake Road, Brattleboro, Vermont
05301. The Company is registered as a commodity pool operator (“CPO”)
with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) and became a member of
the National Futures Association (“NFA”) on November 10, 2009.
The
Company is solely responsible for the management and conducts or directs the
conduct of the business of the Teucrium Commodity Trust (the “Trust”), a
Delaware statutory trust, and any other series of the Trust that may from time
to time be established and designated by the Company. Teucrium Corn Fund (the
“Fund”) is a commodity pool that is a series of the Trust.
The
Company is required to oversee the purchase and sale of Shares by Authorized
Purchasers (one that
purchases or redeems creation baskets or redemption baskets, respectively, from
or to the Fund), and to manage the Fund’s investments, including to evaluate the
credit risk of futures commission merchants and swap counterparties and to
review daily positions and margin/collateral requirements.
The
Company has the power to enter into agreements as may be necessary or
appropriate for the offer and sale of the Fund’s units and the conduct of the
Trust’s activities.
The
Company, together with the Fund, entered into marketing agent agreements with
ALPS Distributors, Inc. (“ALPS”), a Colorado corporation, whereby ALPS provides
certain marketing services for the Funds as outlined in their respective
agreements.
On
June 5, 2010 the Fund’s initial registration of 30,000,000 shares on form S-1
was declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission
(“SEC”). On June 9, 2010, the Fund listed its shares on the NYSE Arca
under the ticker symbol “CORN”. On that day, the Fund issued 200,000
shares in exchange for $5,000,000 at the Fund’s initial net asset value (“NAV”)
of $25 per share. The Fund also commenced investment operations on
June 9, 2010 by purchasing commodity futures contracts traded on the Chicago
Board of Trade (“CBOT”). As of June 30, 2010, the Fund had a total of
200,004 shares outstanding. Registration statements have also been
filed to register units of the Teucrium WTI Crude Oil Fund (“CRUD”), Teucrium
Natural Gas Fund (“NAGS”), Teucrium Sugar Fund (“CANE”), Teucrium Soybean Fund
(“SOYB”), and Teucrium Wheat Fund (“WEAT”), which would represent additional
future series of the Trust. The Trust and the Fund operate pursuant
to the Trust’s Declaration of Trust and Trust Agreement (the “Trust
Agreement”).
Note
2 — Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Principles
of Consolidation
The
consolidated financial statements include the Company and the Trust. All
material inter-company transactions and balances have been eliminated in the
consolidation. The consolidated financial statements of the Company
also include the noncontrolling interests of the unit holders in the
Fund.
Basis
of Presentation
The
accompanying unaudited interim consolidated financial statements for the six
months ended June 30, 2010 have been prepared pursuant to the rules and
regulations of the SEC and were prepared on the same basis as the consolidated
financial statements for the period ended December 31, 2009. In the
opinion of management, all adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring
adjustments necessary for a fair presentation of the information for this
interim period, have been made. The operations for such interim
period are not necessarily indicative of the operations for the full
year.
Noncontrolling
Interests
The
consolidated financial statements of the Company include the noncontrolling
interests of the unitholders in the Fund. Net income and loss is
allocated between the Company and the noncontrolling interests based on their
respective relative ownership interest in the Fund.
Development
Stage Company
The
Company has been classified as a development stage enterprise. The accompanying
consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with FASB
Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 915, “Development Stage
Entities.”A development-stage enterprise is one in which planned principal
operations have not commenced or if its operations have commenced, there has
been no significant revenues there from.
Revenue
Recognition
The
Company receives a fee as compensation for services performed under the Trust
agreement. The Company’s fee accrues daily and is paid monthly at an
annual rate of 1.00% of the average daily net assets of the Fund. The
Company will receive no compensation from the Fund other than such
fee. The Fund is also responsible for other ongoing fees, costs and
expenses of its operations, including brokerage fees, SEC and the Financial
Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) registration fees and legal, printing,
accounting, custodial, administration and transfer agency costs. The Company has
borne or will bear the costs and expenses related to the initial offering and
sale of units.
Commodity
futures contracts are recorded on the trade date. All such transactions are
recorded on the identified cost basis and marked to market daily. Unrealized
appreciation or depreciation on commodity futures contracts are reflected in the
statement of operations as the difference between the original contract amount
and the market value (as determined by exchange settlement prices) as of the
last business day of the year or as of the last date of the financial
statements. Changes in the appreciation or depreciation between periods are
reflected in the statement of operations. The Fund earns interest
on its assets denominated in U.S. dollars on deposit with the futures
commission merchant at a rate equal to 85% of the overnight of Federal
Funds Rate. In addition, the Fund earns interest on funds held at the custodian
at prevailing market rates for such investments.
Brokerage
Commissions
Brokerage
commissions on all open commodity futures contracts are accrued on a full-turn
basis.
Creations
and Redemptions
Authorized
purchasers purchase creation baskets of the Fund only in blocks of 100,000 units
equal to the net asset value of the units calculated shortly after the close of
the core trading session on the NYSE Arca on the day the order is placed.
Authorized purchasers redeem units from the Fund only in blocks of 100,000 units
called “Redemption Baskets”. The amount of the redemption proceeds for a
Redemption Basket will be equal to the net asset value of the Fund’s units in
the Redemption Basket as of the end of each business day.
The
Fund will receive or pay the proceeds from units sold or redeemed within three
business days after the trade-date of the purchase or redemption. The amounts
due from authorized purchasers will be reflected in the Fund’s statement of
financial condition as receivables for units sold, and amounts payable to
authorized purchasers upon redemption are reflected as payable for units
redeemed.
Accounting
Estimates
The
preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles
generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make
estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and
liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of
the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses
during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those
estimates.
Income
Taxes
The
Company does not record a provision for income taxes because the partners report
their share of the Company’s income or loss on their income tax
returns. The financial statements reflect the Company’s transactions
without adjustment, if any, required for income tax purposes.
In
accordance with FASB ASC 740-10, Accounting for Uncertainty in Income
Taxes, the Company is required to determine whether a tax position is
more likely than not to be sustained upon examination by the applicable taxing
authority, including resolution of any related appeals or litigation processes,
based on the technical merits of the position. The Company files an
income tax return in the U.S. federal jurisdiction, and may file income tax
returns in various U.S. states and foreign jurisdictions. The Company
is subject to income tax examinations by major taxing authorities for all tax
years since inception. The tax benefit recognized is measured as the largest
amount of benefit that has a greater than fifty percent likelihood of being
realized upon ultimate settlement. De-recognition of a tax benefit
previously recognized results in the Company recoding a tax liability that
reduces net assets. This policy has been applied to all existing tax
positions upon the Company’s initial adoption for the period ended December 31,
2009. Based on its analysis, the Company has determined that the
adoption of this policy did not have a material impact on the Company’s
financial statements upon adoption. However, the Company’s
conclusions regarding this policy may be subject to review and adjustment at a
later date based on factors including, but not limited to, on-going analysis of
and changes to tax laws, regulations, and interpretations
thereof. The Company recognizes interest accrued related to
unrecognized tax benefits and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits in
income tax fees payable, if assessed. No interest expense or
penalties have been recognized as of and for the periods ended June 30, 2010
(unaudited) and December 31, 2009.
Offering
Costs
The
Company expenses all initial offering costs associated with the registration of
the Funds. Costs include, but are not limited to, legal fees pertaining to the
Funds’ units offered for sale, SEC and state registration fees, initial fees
paid to be listed on an exchange and underwriting and other similar costs. The
initial offering and organization costs incurred to start the Funds will be
borne by the Company and not be charged to the Funds.
Cash
Equivalents
Cash
equivalents are highly-liquid investments with original maturity dates of three
months or less. The Company reported its cash equivalents in the
Consolidated Statement of Financial Condition at market value, or at carrying
amounts that approximate fair value, because of their highly-liquid nature and
short-term maturities. The Company has a substantial portion of its assets on
deposit with banks. Assets deposited with the bank may, at times, exceed
federally insured limits of $250,000. The Company had a balance of
$5,519,755(unaudited) and $183,167 in money market funds at June 30, 2010 and
December 31, 2009, respectively; these balances are included in cash and cash
equivalents on the Consolidated Statement of Financial
Condition.
Valuation
of Cash Equivalents at Fair Value - Definition and Hierarchy
In
accordance with GAAP, fair value is defined as the price that would be received
to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability (i.e., the “exit price”) in an
orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement
date.
In
determining fair value, the Fund uses various valuation approaches. In
accordance with GAAP, a fair value hierarchy for inputs is used in measuring
fair value that maximizes the use of observable inputs and minimizes the use of
unobservable inputs by requiring that the most observable inputs be used when
available. Observable inputs are those that market participants would use
in pricing the asset or liability based on market data obtained from sources
independent of the Fund. Unobservable inputs reflect the Fund’s
assumptions about the inputs market participants would use in pricing the asset
or liability developed based on the best information available in the
circumstances. The fair value hierarchy is categorized into three levels
based on the inputs as follows:
Level 1 - Valuations based on
unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities
that the Fund has the ability to access. Valuation adjustments and block
discounts are not applied to Level 1 securities. Since valuations are
based on quoted prices that are readily and regularly available in an active
market, valuation of these securities does not entail a significant degree of
judgment.
Level 2 - Valuations based on
quoted prices in markets that are not active or for which all significant inputs
are observable, either directly or indirectly.
Level 3 - Valuations based on
inputs that are unobservable and significant to the overall fair value
measurement.
The
availability of valuation techniques and observable inputs can vary from
security to security and is affected by a wide variety of factors including, the
type of security, whether the security is new and not yet established in the
marketplace, and other characteristics particular to the transaction. To
the extent that valuation is based on models or inputs that are less observable
or unobservable in the market, the determination of fair value requires more
judgment. Those estimated values do not necessarily represent the amounts
that may be ultimately realized due to the occurrence of future circumstances
that cannot be reasonably determined. Because of the inherent uncertainty
of valuation, those estimated values may be materially higher or lower than the
values that would have been used had a ready market for the securities
existed. Accordingly, the degree of judgment exercised by the Fund in
determining fair value is greatest for securities categorized in Level 3.
In certain cases, the inputs used to measure fair value may fall into
different levels of the fair value hierarchy. In such cases, for
disclosure purposes, the level in the fair value hierarchy within which the fair
value measurement in its entirety falls, is determined based on the lowest level
input that is significant to the fair value measurement.
Fair
value is a market-based measure considered from the perspective of a market
participant rather than an entity-specific measure. Therefore, even when
market assumptions are not readily available, the Fund’s own assumptions are set
to reflect those that market participants would use in pricing the asset or
liability at the measurement date. The Fund uses prices and inputs that
are current as of the measurement date, including periods of market
dislocation. In periods of market dislocation, the observability of prices
and inputs may be reduced for many securities. This condition could cause
a security to be reclassified to a lower level within the fair value hierarchy.
The Company’s adoption of this standard did not have a material effect on its
consolidated financial position, results of operations or
liquidity.
Note
3 – Fair Value Measurements
The
Fund’s assets and liabilities recorded at fair value have been categorized based
upon a fair value hierarchy as described in the Fund’s significant accounting
policies in Note 2.
The
following table presents information about the Fund’s assets measured at fair
value as of June 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009:
June
30, 2010 (Unaudited)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Quoted Prices
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
in
Active
|
|
|
Significant
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Markets
for
|
|
|
other
|
|
|
Significant
|
|
|
Balance
|
|
|
|
Identical
|
|
|
Observable
|
|
|
Observable
|
|
|
as
of
|
|
|
|
Assets
|
|
|
Inputs
|
|
|
Inputs
|
|
|
June 30,
|
|
|
|
Levels
1
|
|
|
Level
2
|
|
|
Level
3
|
|
|
2010
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash
equivalents
|
|
$ |
5,519,755 |
|
|
$ |
- |
|
|
$ |
- |
|
|
$ |
5,519,755 |
|
Futures
contracts
|
|
|
204,495 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
204,495 |
|
Total
|
|
$ |
5,724,250 |
|
|
$ |
- |
|
|
$ |
- |
|
|
$ |
5,724,250 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
December
31, 2009
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Quoted Prices
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
in
Active
|
|
|
Significant
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Markets for
|
|
|
other
|
|
|
Significant
|
|
|
Balance
|
|
|
|
Identical
|
|
|
Observable
|
|
|
Observable
|
|
|
as
of
|
|
|
|
Assets
|
|
|
Inputs
|
|
|
Inputs
|
|
|
June 30,
|
|
|
|
Levels
1
|
|
|
Level
2
|
|
|
Level
3
|
|
|
2010
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash
equivalents
|
|
$ |
183,167 |
|
|
$ |
- |
|
|
$ |
- |
|
|
$ |
183,167 |
|
Note
4 -Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities
In the
normal course of business, the Fund utilizes derivative contracts in connection
with its proprietary trading activities. Investments in derivative
contracts are subject to additional risks that can result in a loss of all or
part of an investment. The Fund’s derivative activities and exposure to
derivative contracts are classified by the following primary underlying risks:
interest rate, credit, commodity price, and equity price risks. In
addition to its primary underlying risks, the Fund is also subject to additional
counterparty risk due to inability of its counterparties to meet the terms
of their contracts. For the period ended June 30, 2010, the Fund had
invested only in corn commodity futures contracts.
Futures
Contracts
The
Fund is subject to commodity price risk in the normal course of pursuing its
investment objectives. A futures contract represents a commitment for the future
purchase or sale of an asset at a specified price on a specified
date.
The
purchase and sale of futures contracts requires margin deposits with a Futures
Commission Merchant (“FCM”). Subsequent payments (variation margin) are
made or received by the Fund each day, depending on the daily fluctuations in
the value of the contract, and are recorded as unrealized gains or losses by the
Fund. Futures contracts may reduce the Fund’s exposure to counterparty
risk since futures contracts are exchange-traded; and the exchange’s
clearinghouse, as the counterparty to all exchange-traded futures, guarantees
the futures against default.
The
Commodity Exchange Act requires an FCM to segregate all customer transactions
and assets from the FCM's proprietary activities. A customer's cash and
other equity deposited with an FCM are considered commingled with all other
customer funds subject to the FCM’s segregation requirements. In the event
of an FCM’s insolvency, recovery may be limited to the Fund’s pro rata share of
segregated customer funds available. It is possible that the recovery
amount could be less than the total of cash and other equity
deposited.
The
following tables identify the fair value amounts of derivative instruments
(unaudited) included in the consolidated statements of financial condition as
commodity futures contratcs, categorized by primary underlying risk, at June 30,
2010. Balances are presented on a gross basis, prior to the application of
the impact of counterparty and collateral netting. Total derivative assets
and liabilities are adjusted on an aggregate basis to take into consideration
the effects of master netting arrangements and have been reduced by the
application of cash collateral receivables and payables with its counterparties.
The following tables also identify the net gain and loss amounts (unaudited)
included in the consolidated statement of operations as realized and
unrealized gain on trading of commodity futures contracts, categorized by
primary underlying risk, for the period ended June 30, 2010.
At
June 30, 2010, the fair values of derivative instruments (unaudited) were as
follows:
Primary Underlying Risk
|
|
Asset Derivatives
|
|
|
Liability Derivatives
|
|
|
Net Derivatives
|
|
Commodity
Price
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Futures
Contracts
|
|
$
|
204,495
|
|
|
$
|
-
|
|
|
$
|
204,495
|
|
The
following is a summary of realized and unrealized gains and losses of the
derivative instruments (unaudited) utilized by the Fund, as of June 30,
2010.
|
|
Realized Gain on
|
|
|
Net Change in Unrealized Gain
|
|
Primary Underlying Risk
|
|
Derivative Instruments
|
|
|
on Derivative Instruments
|
|
Commodity
Price
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Futures
Contracts
|
|
$
|
980
|
|
|
$
|
204,495
|
|
Volume
of Derivative Activities
At
June 30, 2010, the notional amounts and number of contracts (unaudited),
categorized by primary underlying risk, are as follows:
|
|
Long exposure
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Notional
|
|
|
Number
|
|
Primary
underlying risk
|
|
amounts
|
|
|
of contracts
|
|
Commodity
price
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Futures
contracts
|
|
$
|
5,189,150
|
|
|
|
273
|
|
Note
5 – Capitalization (including debt)
The
Company is authorized to issue equity interests in the Company designated as
"membership units" which shall constitute "membership interests" and shall
initially include Class A units, Class B-1 units and Class B-2 units. Class A
Units are granted the right to vote on all matters regarding management and
members. The voting rights granted to Class B units are limited to matters
requiring a majority vote of Class A units, including but not limited to,
dissolution.
Ownership
or “membership” interests in the Company are owned by persons referred to as
“members.” The Company currently has three voting or “ClassA” members
– Mr. Sal Gilbertie, Mr. Dale Riker and Mr. Carl N. Miller III – and a small
number of non-voting or “Class B” members who have provided working capital to
the Company. Messrs. Gilbertie and Riker each currently own 45% of
the Company’s Class A membership interests.
The
members (acting by a majority vote of the Class A members) are authorized, by
resolution or resolutions, to create and to issue, on behalf of the Company,
different classes, groups or series of membership units and to fix for each such
class, group or series such voting powers (full or limited or no voting powers),
and such distinctive designations, preferences and relative participating,
optional or other special rights and qualifications, limitations or restrictions
as determined by the members (acting by a majority vote of the Class A members)
in exchange for contributions of cash or property, the provision of services or
such other consideration, as may be determined by the members (acting by a
majority vote of the Class A members). Each membership unit of a class of
membership units shall be identical in all respects to each other membership
unit of such class. All membership units may be issued as fractional
units.
The
Company entered into convertible notes on September 28, 2009 for $225,000, and
the note holders have rights to convert for 3% interest in the Company. On
October 28, 2009, the note holders converted $225,000, including $50,000 which
had not been received by the Company. Due primarily to the short-term nature of
the convertible notes, the Company has determined that the bifurcation of the
convertible debt would not have had material impact on the consolidated
financial statements. In August 2010, the Company received the
$50,000 included in subscription receivable.
During
the period from inception (September 1, 2009) through December 31, 2009,
GFI Group LLC contributed $1,500,000 in cash in connection with its interest in
the Company through Class B-1 units and an option agreement.The Company granted
GFI Group LLC the right and option to purchase that number of Class B-1
units of the Company representing the Percentage Interest in the Company at the
exercise price shown below (the “Option”):
-Percentage
Interest subject to Option: Up to 5%
-Exercise
Price: $2,500,000 per each two and one-half percent (2.5%) (the “Incremental
Exercise Percentage”) Percentage Interest, for an aggregate exercise
price of $5,000,000.
-TheOption
shall become vested and exercisable in full as of the date of
grant.
-The
Option shall expire and cease to be exercisable upon the five-year anniversary
of the date the option was granted, October 28, 2009.
On
June 7, 2010, the Company entered into a debt agreement (the “Loan Agreement”)
with GFI Group LLC. Under the terms of the Loan Agreement, the Company borrowed
$800,000 for a one year term at an annual interest rate of 8.25%.
The payment of principal and interest is due at maturity and is subject to
optional prepayment by the Company at anytime without premium or
penalty. The Loan Agreement is collateralized by substantially all of
the current and future assets of the Company.
In
connection with the execution of the Loan Agreement, the terms of the Option
Agreement were modified to allow GFI Group LLC to purchase that number of Class
B-1 units of the Company representing the Percentage Interest in the Company at
the exercise price shown below (the “Modified Option”):
-Percentage
Interest subject to the Modified Option: Up to 5%
-Exercise
Price: $2,100,000 per each two and one-half percent (2.5%)
Incremental Exercise Percentage Interest for an aggregate exercise price of
$4,200,000.
The
Company determined that modification of the Option Agreement did not change the
de minimus value of the Option.
Note
6 — Unit-Based Compensation
In
February 2010, the Company issued 100 units of Class B-2 shares to a small
number of non-employee individuals representing 7% of the total collective
Company membership interests. The Class B-2 shares were awarded based
on services. The Class B-2 shares generally have the same rights as Class
B-1 shares; however in the event of termination, the Class B-2 shares
are subordinate to Class B-1 shares regarding any distributions. The Class
B-2 shares are redeemable at the sole option of the Company at a
predetermined price of $1,000,000 per 1% of collective membership interests
represented by the Class B-2 shares.
For
the six months and inception to date period ended June 30, 2010, $86,000
(unaudited) of unit-based compensation expense representing the estimated fair
value of the Class B-2 shares issued is included on the statement of
operations. In accordance with FASB ASC Topic 505, “Equity,” the Company
determined the fair value of the Class B-2 shares issued based on recent similar
transactions, the financial condition and book value of the Company at
the time of issuance, and the respective rights of the Class B-2 shares
versus the other classes of membership interests.
Note
7 — Related Party Transactions
The
Riker Group has invoiced $120,000 (unaudited) and $100,000 for professional
services rendered by Dale Riker for the periods ended June 30, 2010 and December
31, 2009, respectively; $20,000 is included in the accrued expenses balance
on the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition at June 30,
2010 (unaudited) and December 31, 2009.
Carl
Miller received a salary of $60,000 (unaudited) and $20,000 for the periods
ending June 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009, respectively.
Sal
Gilbertie received a salary of $67,500 (unaudited) for the period ending June
30, 2009.
Gilbertie
Herb Farm was paid $9,000 for rent for the period September 1, 2009 through
December 31, 2010. Prepaid expenses on the Consolidated Statements of
Financial Condition included prepaid rent of $3,000 (unaudited) and $6,000 at
June 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009, respectively.
Note
8 — Recent Accounting Pronouncements
In
June 2009, the FASB issued the FASB Accounting Standards Codification (the
“Codification”) and a new Hierarchy of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles
which establishes only two levels of GAAP: authoritative and nonauthoritative.
The Codification is now the source of authoritative U.S. GAAP recognized by the
FASB to be applied by nongovernmental entities in the preparation of financial
statements in conformity with GAAP, except for rules and interpretive releases
of the SEC, which are additional sources of authoritative GAAP for SEC
registrants. All other nongrandfathered, non-SEC accounting literature not
included in the Codification will become nonauthoritative. The Codification is
effective for financial statements for interim or annual reporting periods
ending after September 15, 2009. The Company adopted the new guidelines and
numbering system prescribed by the Codification when referring to GAAP for the
year ended December 31, 2009. The application of the Codification did not have
an impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements; however, all
references to authoritative accounting literature will now be references in
accordance with the Codification.
In
August 2009, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2009-05 (ASU
2009-05), “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures (Topic 820) – Measuring
Liabilities at Fair Value,” to amend FASB ASC Topic 820, “Fair Value
Measurements and Disclosures,” to provide guidance on the measurement of
liabilities at fair value. The guidance provides clarification that in
circumstances in which a quoted market price in an active market for an
identical liability is not available, an entity is required to measure fair
value using a valuation technique that uses the quoted price of an identical
liability when traded as an asset or, if unavailable, quoted prices for similar
liabilities or similar assets when traded as assets. If none of this information
is available, an entity should use a valuation technique in accordance with
existing fair valuation principles. The Company adopted the guidance for the
year ended December 31, 2009, and there was no material impact on the
Company’s consolidated financial statements or related
footnotes.
In
December 2009, the FASB issued ASU 2009-17, “Consolidations (FASB ASC Topic 810)
- Improvements to Financial Reporting by Enterprises Involved with Variable
Interest Entities,” which codifies FASB Statement No. 167, Amendments to
FASB Interpretation No. 46(R). ASU 2009-17 represents a revision to former
FASB Interpretation No. 46 (Revised December 2003), “Consolidation of
Variable Interest Entities,” and changes how a reporting entity determines when
an entity that is insufficiently capitalized or is not controlled through voting
(or similar rights) should be consolidated. The determination of whether a
reporting entity is required to consolidate another entity is based on, among
other things, the other entity’s purpose and design and the reporting entity’s
ability to direct the activities of the other entity that most significantly
impact the other entity’s economic performance. ASU 2009-17 also requires a
reporting entity to provide additional disclosures about its involvement with
variable interest entities and any significant changes in risk exposure due to
that involvement. A reporting entity will be required to disclose how its
involvement with a variable interest entity affects the reporting entity’s
financial statements. ASU 2009-17 is effective at the start of a reporting
entity’s first fiscal year beginning after November 15, 2009, or the
Company’s fiscal year beginning January 1, 2010.The Company adopted this
guidance on January 1, 2010 with no impact on the Company’s consolidated
financial statements.
In
January 2010, the FASB issued ASU 2010-06, “Fair Value Measurements and
Disclosures (Topic 820) - Improving Disclosures about Fair Value Measurements”
(ASU 2010-06), to require new disclosures related to transfers into and out of
Levels 1 and 2 of the fair value hierarchy and additional disclosure
requirements related to Level 3 measurements. The guidance also clarifies
existing fair value measurement disclosures about the level of disaggregation
and about inputs and valuation techniques used to measure fair value. The
additional disclosure requirements are effective for the first reporting period
beginning after December 15, 2009, except for the additional disclosure
requirements related to Level 3 measurements, which are effective for fiscal
years beginning after December 15, 2010. The Company adopted
this guidance on January 1, 2010 with no impact on the Company’s consolidated
financial statements.
Note 9 - Financial Highlights - Fund
(Unaudited)
The
following table presents per unit performance data and other supplemental
financial data for the Fund for the period June 9, 2010 (commencement of
operations) to June 30, 2010. This information has been derived from information
presented in the financial statements.
Per
Share Operation Performance
|
|
|
|
Net
asset value at beginning of period
|
|
$ |
25.00 |
|
Income
from investment operations:
|
|
|
|
|
Investment
income
|
|
|
- |
|
Net
realized and unrealized gain on commodityfutures
contracts
|
|
|
1.04 |
|
Total
expenses
|
|
|
(0.15 |
) |
Net
increase in net asset value
|
|
|
0.89 |
|
Net
asset value end of period
|
|
$ |
25.89 |
|
Total
Return
|
|
|
3.56 |
% |
Ratios
to Average Net Assets (Annualized)
|
|
|
|
|
Total
expense
|
|
|
9.95 |
% |
Total
returns are calculated based on the change in value during the period. An
individual shareholder’s total return and ratio may vary from the above total
returns and ratios based on the timing of contributions to and withdrawals from
the Fund. The ratios, excluding non-recurring expenses, have been
annualized.
|
|
Page
|
|
|
|
Report
of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
|
|
115
|
|
|
|
Statement
of Assets and Liabilities
|
|
116
|
|
|
|
Notes
to Statement of Assets and Liabilities
|
|
121
|
To the
Sponsor of
Teucrium
Commodity Trust
We have
audited the accompanying statement of assets and liabilities of Teucrium
Commodity Trust (the “Trust”) as of December 31, 2009. These financial
statements are the responsibility of the Trust’s management. Our responsibility
is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our
audit.
We
conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the Public Company
Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan
and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial
statements are free of material misstatement. The Trust is not required to have,
nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial
reporting. Our audit included consideration of internal control over financial
reporting as a basis for designing audit procedures that are appropriate in the
circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the
effectiveness of the Trust’s internal control over financial reporting.
Accordingly, we express no such opinion. An audit also includes examining, on a
test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial
statements, assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates
made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement
presentation. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our
opinion.
In our
opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all
material respects, the financial position of Teucrium Commodity Trust as
of December 31, 2009, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting
principles.
Roseland,
New Jersey
March 22,
2010
TEUCRIUM
COMMODITY TRUST
CONDENSED
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES
|
|
June 30, 2010
(unaudited)
|
|
|
December 31,
2009
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Assets
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Equity
in BNY Mellon trading accounts:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash
and cash equivalents
|
|
$
|
4,519,670
|
|
|
$
|
100
|
|
Commodity
futures contracts
|
|
|
204,495
|
|
|
-
|
|
Collateral,
due from broker
|
|
|
481,410
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
Interest
receivable
|
|
|
609
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
5,206,184
|
|
|
|
100
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Liabilities
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Management
fee payable to Sponsor
|
|
|
3,084
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
Other
liabilities
|
|
|
25,469
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
Total
liabilities
|
|
|
28,553
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
Assets
|
|
$
|
5,177,631
|
|
|
$
|
100
|
|
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of this financial
statement.
TEUCRIUM
COMMODITY TRUST
CONDENSED
CONSOLIDATED SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS (Unaudited)
June
30, 2010
|
|
Fair
|
|
|
Percentage of
|
|
|
Notional
|
|
Description
|
|
Value
|
|
|
Net Assets
|
|
|
Value
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Commodity
futures contracts
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
United
States Corn Futures Contracts
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
CBOT
Corn Futures (100 contracts, settlement date Sept. 14,
2010)
|
|
$ |
83,350 |
|
|
|
1.61 |
% |
|
$ |
1,813,750 |
|
CBOT
Corn Futures (84 contracts, settlement date Dec. 14,
2010)
|
|
|
71,064 |
|
|
|
1.37 |
|
|
|
1,568,700 |
|
CBOT
Corn Futures (89 contracts, settlement date Dec. 14,
2011)
|
|
|
50,081 |
|
|
|
0.97 |
|
|
|
1,806,700 |
|
|
|
$ |
204,495 |
|
|
|
3.95 |
% |
|
$ |
5,189,150 |
|
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of this financial
statement.
TEUCRIUM
COMMODITY TRUST
CONDENSED
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS (Unaudited)
|
|
From commencement of
|
|
|
|
operations (June 9, 2010)
|
|
|
|
through June 30, 2010
|
|
Income
|
|
|
|
Realized
and unrealized gain on trading of commodity futures
contracts:
|
|
|
|
Realized
gain on commodity futures contracts
|
|
$ |
980 |
|
Net
change in unrealized appreciation or depreciation on commodity futures
contracts
|
|
|
204,495 |
|
Interest
income
|
|
|
609 |
|
Total
Income
|
|
|
206,084 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Expenses
|
|
|
|
|
Audit
fee
|
|
|
8,010 |
|
Custodian's
fees and expenses
|
|
|
7,787 |
|
Distribution
and marketing fee
|
|
|
6,230 |
|
Other
fees
|
|
|
3,442 |
|
Management
fee
|
|
|
3,084 |
|
Total
Expenses
|
|
|
28,553 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
Income
|
|
$ |
177,531 |
|
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of this financial
statement.
TEUCRIUM
COMMODITY TRUST
CONDENSED
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS (Unaudited)
|
|
From commencement of
|
|
|
|
operations (June 9, 2010)
|
|
|
|
through June 30,
2010
|
|
Operations
|
|
|
|
Net
Income
|
|
$ |
177,531 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Capital
transactions
|
|
|
|
|
Issuance
of 200,000 Shares
|
|
|
5,000,000 |
|
Net
change in net assets
|
|
|
5,177,531 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
assets, beginning of period
|
|
|
100 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
assets, end of period
|
|
$ |
5,177,631 |
|
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of this financial
statement.
TEUCRIUM
COMMODITY TRUST
CONDENSED
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS (Unaudited)
|
|
From
commencement
of
|
|
|
|
operations
(June 9,
2010)
|
|
|
|
through June 30,
2010
|
|
Cash
Flows from Operating Activities:
|
|
|
|
Net
income
|
|
$ |
177,531 |
|
Net
change in unrealized appreciation or depreciation on commodity fututures
contracts
|
|
|
(204,495 |
) |
Adjustments
to reconcile net income to net cash used in operating
activities:
|
|
|
|
|
Changes
in operating assets and liabilities:
|
|
|
|
|
Collateral,
due from broker
|
|
|
(481,410 |
) |
Interest
receivable
|
|
|
(609 |
) |
Management
fee payable to Sponsor
|
|
|
3,084 |
|
Other
liabilities
|
|
|
25,469 |
|
Net
cash used in operating activities
|
|
|
(453,466 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
Cash
Flows from Financing Activities:
|
|
|
|
|
Proceeds
from sale of Shares
|
|
|
5,000,000 |
|
Net
change in cash
|
|
|
4,519,570 |
|
Cash
and cash equivalents, beginning of period
|
|
|
100 |
|
Cash
and cash equivalents, end of period
|
|
$ |
4,519,670 |
|
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of this financial
statement.
NOTES
TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Unaudited)
Note
1 – Organization and Operation
Teucrium
Commodity Trust (“Trust”) is a Delaware statutory trust organized on September
11, 2009, and is a series trust which includes Teucrium Corn Fund (the “Fund”),
a commodity pool which shares may be purchased and sold on the New York Stock
Exchange (“NYSE”) Arca. The Fund issues common units, called the “Shares,”
representing fractional undivided beneficial interests in the Fund.
Additional series of the Trust that will be separate commodity pools may be
created in the future, but the Fund is currently the Trust’s only series in
operation. Registration statements have also been filed to register units
of the Teucrium WTI Crude Oil Fund (“CRUD”), Teucrium Natural Gas Fund (“NAGS”),
Teucrium Sugar Fund (“CANE”), Teucrium Soybean Fund (“SOYB”), and Teucrium Wheat
Fund (“WEAT”), which would represent additional future series of the
Trust. The Trust and the Fund operate pursuant to the Trust’s Declaration
of Trust and Trust Agreement (the “Trust Agreement”).
The
investment objective of the Fund is to have the daily changes in percentage
terms of the Shares’ NAV reflect the daily changes in percentage terms of a
weighted average of the closing settlement prices for three futures contracts
for corn (“Corn Futures Contracts”) that are traded on the Chicago Board of
Trade (“CBOT”), specifically (1) the second-to-expire CBOT Corn Futures
Contract, weighted 35%, (2) the third-to-expire CBOT Corn Futures Contract,
weighted 30%, and (3) the CBOT Corn Futures Contract expiring in the December
following the expiration month of the third-to-expire contract, weighted 35%,
less the Fund’s expenses. (This weighted average of the three referenced
Corn Futures Contracts is referred to herein as the “Benchmark,” and the three
Corn Futures Contracts that at any given time make up the Benchmark are referred
to herein as the “Benchmark Component Futures Contracts.”)
The
Fund commenced investment operations on June 9, 2010 and has a fiscal year
ending on December 31. The Fund’s sponsor is Teucrium Trading, LLC (the
“Sponsor”). The Sponsor is responsible for the management of the Fund. The
Sponsor is a member of the National Futures Association (the “NFA”) and became a
commodity pool operator registered with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission
(the “CFTC”) effective November 10, 2009.
The
accompanying unaudited financial statements have been prepared in accordance
with Rule 10-01 of Regulation S-X promulgated by the U.S. Securities and
Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and, therefore, do not include all
information and footnote disclosure required under accounting principles
generally accepted in the United States of America. The financial
information included herein is unaudited; however, such financial information
reflects all adjustments which are, in the opinion of management, necessary for
the fair presentation of the Fund’s financial statements for the interim
period. It is suggested that these condensed consolidated interim
financial statements be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial
statements and related notes included in Amendment No. 3 to Form S-1. The
operating results from the commencement of operations (June 9, 2010) through
June 30, 2010 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for
the full year ending December 31, 2010.
On
June 5, 2010, the Fund’s initial registration of 30,000,000 shares on Form S-1
was declared effective by the SEC. On June 9, 2010, the Fund listed its shares
on the NYSE Arca under the ticker symbol “CORN”. On that day, the Fund issued
200,000 shares in exchange for $5,000,000 at the Fund’s initial NAV of $25 per
share. The Fund also commenced investment operations on June 9, 2010 by
purchasing commodity futures contracts traded on the Chicago Board of Trade
(“CBOT”). As of June 30, 2010, the Fund had a total of 200,004 shares
outstanding.
Note
2 – Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Basis
of Presentation
The
consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Trust and the
Fund. All intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in
consolidation. For the period ended June 30, 2010, the operations of the
Trust consist entirely of the operations of the Fund, which commenced operations
on June 9, 2010.
Revenue
Recognition
Commodity
futures contracts are recorded on the trade date. All such transactions are
recorded on the identified cost basis and marked to market daily. Unrealized
appreciation or depreciation on commodity futures contracts are reflected in the
statement of operations as the difference between the original contract amount
and the market value (as determined by exchange settlement prices) as of the
last business day of the year or as of the last date of the financial
statements. Changes in the appreciation or depreciation between periods are
reflected in the statement of operations. The Fund earns interest
on its assets denominated in U.S. dollars on deposit with the futures
commission merchant at a rate equal to 85% of the overnight of Federal
Funds Rate. In addition, the Fund earns interest on funds held at the custodian
at prevailing market rates for such investments.
Brokerage
Commissions
Brokerage
commissions on all open commodity futures contracts are accrued on a full-turn
basis.
Income
Taxes
The
Trust does not record a provision for income taxes because the partners report
their share of the Trust’s income or loss on their income tax returns. The
financial statements reflect the Trust’s transactions without adjustment, if
any, required for income tax purposes.
In
accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”), the Trust is
required to determine whether a tax position is more likely than not to be
sustained upon examination by the applicable taxing authority, including
resolution of any related appeals or litigation processes, based on the
technical merits of the position. The Trust files an income tax return in
the U.S. federal jurisdiction, and may file income tax returns in various U.S.
states and foreign jurisdictions. The Trust is subject to income tax
examinations by major taxing authorities for all tax years since inception. The
tax benefit recognized is measured as the largest amount of benefit that has a
greater than fifty percent likelihood of being realized upon ultimate
settlement. De-recognition of a tax benefit previously recognized results
in the Trust recoding a tax liability that reduces net assets. This policy
has been applied to all existing tax positions upon the Trust’s initial adoption
for the period ended December 31, 2009. Based on its analysis, the Trust
has determined that the adoption of this policy did not have a material impact
on the Trust’s financial statements upon adoption. However, the Trust’s
conclusions regarding this policy may be subject to review and adjustment at a
later date based on factors including, but not limited to, on-going analysis of
and changes to tax laws, regulations, and interpretations thereof. The
Trust recognizes interest accrued related to unrecognized tax benefits and
penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits in income tax fees payable, if
assessed. No interest expense or penalties have been recognized as of and
for the periods ended June 30, 2010 (unaudited) and December 31,
2009.
Creations
and Redemptions
Authorized
Purchasers may purchase creation baskets consisting of 100,000 shares from the
Fund as of the beginning of each business day based upon the prior day’s net
asset value. Authorized Purchasers may redeem shares from the Fund only in
blocks of 100,000 shares called “redemption baskets”. The amount of the
redemption proceeds for a redemption basket will be equal to the net asset value
of the shares in the redemption basket determined as of 4:00 p.m. New York Time
on the day the order to redeem the basket is properly received.
The
Fund receives or pays the proceeds from shares sold or redeemed within three
business days after the trade date of the purchase or redemption. The amounts
due from Authorized Purchasers are reflected in the statement of assets and
liabilities as receivable for shares sold and amounts payable to Authorized
Purchasers upon redemption is reflected as payable for shares
redeemed.
Cash
Equivalents
Cash
equivalents are highly-liquid investments with original maturity dates of three
months or less at inception. The Trust reported its cash equivalents in
the statement of assets and liabilities at market value, or at carrying amounts
that approximate fair value, because of their highly-liquid nature and
short-term maturities. The Trust has a substantial portion of its assets on
deposit with banks. Assets deposited with the bank may, at times, exceed
federally insured limits. The Trust had a balance of $4,519,670
(unaudited) and $0 in money market funds at June 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009,
respectively; these balances are included in cash and cash equivalents on the
statement of assets and liabilities.
Sponsor
Fee
The
Sponsor is responsible for investing the assets of the Fund in accordance with
the objectives and policies of the Fund. In addition, the Sponsor arranges for
one or more third parties to provide administrative, custody, accounting,
transfer agency and other necessary services to the Trust and the Fund. For
these services, the Fund is contractually obligated to pay a monthly management
fee to the Sponsor, based on average daily net assets, at a rate equal to 1.00%
per annum on average net assets. The Fund pays for all brokerage fees, taxes and
other expenses, including licensing fees for the use of intellectual property,
registration or other fees paid to the SEC, the Financial Industry Regulatory
Authority (“FINRA”), formerly the National Association of Securities Dealers, or
any other regulatory agency in connection with the offer and sale of subsequent
Shares after its initial registration and all legal, accounting, printing and
other expenses associated therewith. The Fund also pays the fees and expenses
associated with the Trust’s tax accounting and reporting
requirements.
Use
of Estimates
The
preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles
generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make
estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amount of assets and
liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of
the financial statements, and the reported amounts of the revenue and expenses
during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those
estimates.
Valuation
of Cash Equivalents at Fair Value - Definition and Hierarchy
In
accordance with GAAP, fair value is defined as the price that would be received
to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability (i.e., the “exit price”) in an
orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement
date.
In
determining fair value, the Trust uses various valuation approaches. In
accordance with GAAP, a fair value hierarchy for inputs is used in measuring
fair value that maximizes the use of observable inputs and minimizes the use of
unobservable inputs by requiring that the most observable inputs be used when
available. Observable inputs are those that market participants would use
in pricing the asset or liability based on market data obtained from sources
independent of the Trust. Unobservable inputs reflect the Trust’s
assumptions about the inputs market participants would use in pricing the asset
or liability developed based on the best information available in the
circumstances. The fair value hierarchy is categorized into three levels
based on the inputs as follows:
Level 1 - Valuations based on
unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities
that the Fund has the ability to access. Valuation adjustments and block
discounts are not applied to Level 1 securities. Since valuations are
based on quoted prices that are readily and regularly available in an active
market, valuation of these securities does not entail a significant degree of
judgment.
Level 2 - Valuations based on
quoted prices in markets that are not active or for which all significant inputs
are observable, either directly or indirectly.
Level 3 - Valuations based on
inputs that are unobservable and significant to the overall fair value
measurement.
The
availability of valuation techniques and observable inputs can vary from
security to security and is affected by a wide variety of factors including, the
type of security, whether the security is new and not yet established in the
marketplace, and other characteristics particular to the transaction. To
the extent that valuation is based on models or inputs that are less observable
or unobservable in the market, the determination of fair value requires more
judgment. Those estimated values do not necessarily represent the amounts
that may be ultimately realized due to the occurrence of future circumstances
that cannot be reasonably determined. Because of the inherent uncertainty
of valuation, those estimated values may be materially higher or lower than the
values that would have been used had a ready market for the securities
existed. Accordingly, the degree of judgment exercised by the Fund in
determining fair value is greatest for securities categorized in Level 3.
In certain cases, the inputs used to measure fair value may fall into
different levels of the fair value hierarchy. In such cases, for
disclosure purposes, the level in the fair value hierarchy within which the fair
value measurement in its entirety falls, is determined based on the lowest level
input that is significant to the fair value measurement.
Fair
value is a market-based measure considered from the perspective of a market
participant rather than an entity-specific measure. Therefore, even when
market assumptions are not readily available, the Trust’s own assumptions are
set to reflect those that market participants would use in pricing the asset or
liability at the measurement date. The Trust uses prices and inputs that
are current as of the measurement date, including periods of market
dislocation. In periods of market dislocation, the observability of prices
and inputs may be reduced for many securities. This condition could cause
a security to be reclassified to a lower level within the fair value
hierarchy.
Note
3 – Fair Value Measurements
The
Trust’s assets and liabilities recorded at fair value have been categorized
based upon a fair value hierarchy as described in the Trust’s significant
accounting policies in Note 2.
The
following table presents information about the Trust’s assets measured at fair
value as of June 30, 2010:
June
30, 2010 (Unaudited)
|
|
Quoted Prices
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
in Active
|
|
|
Significant
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Markets for
|
|
|
Other
|
|
|
Significant
|
|
|
Balance
|
|
|
|
Identical
Assets
|
|
|
Observable
Inputs
|
|
|
Unobservable
Inputs
|
|
|
as of
June 30,
|
|
|
|
Level 1
|
|
|
Level 2
|
|
|
Level 3
|
|
|
2010
|
|
Cash
Equivalents
|
|
$ |
4,519,670 |
|
|
$ |
- |
|
|
$ |
- |
|
|
$ |
4,519,670 |
|
Futures
Contracts
|
|
|
204,495 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
204,495 |
|
Total
|
|
$ |
4,724,165 |
|
|
$ |
- |
|
|
$ |
- |
|
|
$ |
4,724,165 |
|
Note
4 -Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities
In
the normal course of business, the Fund utilizes derivative contracts in
connection with its proprietary trading activities. Investments in
derivative contracts are subject to additional risks that can result in a loss
of all or part of an investment. The Fund’s derivative activities and
exposure to derivative contracts are classified by the following primary
underlying risks: interest rate, credit, commodity price, and equity price
risks. In addition to its primary underlying risks, the Fund is also
subject to additional counterparty risk due to inability of its
counterparties to meet the terms of their contracts. For the period ending
June 30, 2010, the Fund had invested only in corn commodity futures
contracts.
Futures
Contracts
The
Fund is subject to commodity price risk in the normal course of pursuing its
investment objectives. A futures contract represents a commitment for the future
purchase or sale of an asset at a specified price on a specified
date.
The
purchase and sale of futures contracts requires margin deposits with a Futures
Commission Merchant (“FCM”). Subsequent payments (variation margin) are
made or received by the Fund each day, depending on the daily fluctuations in
the value of the contract, and are recorded as unrealized gains or losses by the
Fund. Futures contracts may reduce the Fund’s exposure to counterparty
risk since futures contracts are exchange-traded; and the exchange’s
clearinghouse, as the counterparty to all exchange-traded futures, guarantees
the futures against default.
The
Commodity Exchange Act requires an FCM to segregate all customer transactions
and assets from the FCM's proprietary activities. A customer's cash and
other equity deposited with an FCM are considered commingled with all other
customer funds subject to the FCM’s segregation requirements. In the event
of an FCM’s insolvency, recovery may be limited to the Fund’s pro rata share of
segregated customer funds available. It is possible that the recovery
amount could be less than the total of cash and other equity
deposited.
The
following tables identify the fair value amounts of derivative instruments
included in the condensed statement of assets and liabilities as derivative
contracts, categorized by primary underlying risk, at June 30, 2010.
Balances are presented on a gross basis, prior to the application of the impact
of counterparty and collateral netting. Total derivative assets and
liabilities are adjusted on an aggregate basis to take into consideration the
effects of master netting arrangements and have been reduced by the application
of cash collateral receivables and payables with its counterparties. The
following tables also identify the net gain and loss amounts included in the
condensed statement of operations as net gain (loss) from derivative contracts,
categorized by primary underlying risk, for the period ended June 30,
2010.
At
June 30, 2010, the fair value of derivative instruments were as
follows:
Primary Underlying Risk
|
|
Asset Derivatives
|
|
|
Liability Derivatives
|
|
|
Net Derivatives
|
|
Commodity
Price
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Futures
Contracts
|
|
$
|
204,495
|
|
|
$
|
-
|
|
|
$
|
204,495
|
|
The
following is a summary of realized and unrealized gains and losses of the
derivative instruments utilized by the Fund, as of June 30,
2010.
|
|
Realized Gain on
|
|
|
Net Change in Unrealized Gain
|
|
Primary Underlying Risk
|
|
Derivative Instruments
|
|
|
on Derivative Instruments
|
|
Commodity
Price
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Futures
Contracts
|
|
$
|
980
|
|
|
$
|
204,495
|
|
Volume
of Derivative Activities
At
June 30, 2010, the notional amounts and number of contracts, categorized by
primary underlying risk, are as follows:
|
|
Long exposure
|
|
|
|
Notional
|
|
|
Number
|
|
Primary underlying
risk
|
|
amounts
|
|
|
of contracts
|
|
Commodity
price
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Futures
contracts
|
|
$
|
5,189,150
|
|
|
|
273
|
|
Total
|
|
$
|
5,189,150
|
|
|
|
273
|
|
Note
5 – Recent Accounting Pronouncements
In
January 2010, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Accounting
Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2010-06 “Improving Disclosures about Fair
Value Measurements.” ASU No. 2010-06 clarifies existing disclosure
and requires additional disclosures regarding fair value
measurements. Effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15,
2010, and for interim periods within those fiscal years, entities will need to
disclose information about purchases, sales, issuances and settlements of
Level 3 securities on a gross basis, rather than as a net number
as currently required. The Sponsor is currently evaluating the impact ASU
No. 2010-06 will have on the Trust’s financial
statement disclosures.
Note
6 - Organizational and Offering Costs
Expenses
incurred in organizing of the Trust and the initial offering of the shares,
including applicable SEC registration fees will be borne directly by the
Sponsor. The Trust will not be obligated to reimburse the
Sponsor.
|
|
Page
|
|
|
|
Report
of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
|
|
130 |
|
|
|
Statement
of Assets and Liabilities
|
|
131 |
|
|
|
Notes
to Statement of Assets and Liabilities
|
|
132 |
Report
of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To the
Sponsor of
Teucrium
WTI Crude Oil Fund
We
have audited the accompanying statement of assets and liabilities of Teucrium
WTI Crude Oil Fund (the “Fund”) as of July 31, 2010. This financial
statement is the responsibility of the Fund’s management. Our
responsibility is to express an opinion on this financial statement based on our
audit.
We
conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the Public Company
Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that
we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the
financial statements are free of material misstatement. The Fund is not
required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal
control over financial reporting. Our audit included consideration of internal
control over financial reporting as a basis for designing audit procedures that
are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an
opinion on the effectiveness of the Fund’s internal control over financial
reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion. An audit also includes
examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in
the financial statement, assessing the accounting principles used and
significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall
financial statement presentation. We believe that our audit provides a
reasonable basis for our opinion.
In our
opinion, the financial statement referred to above presents fairly, in all
material respects, the financial position of Teucrium WTI Crude Oil Fund as of
July 31, 2010, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting
principles.
/s/
Rothstein, Kass & Company, P.C.
Roseland,
New Jersey
September
2, 2010
TEUCRIUM
WTI CRUDE OIL FUND
STATEMENT
OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES
July
31, 2010
Assets
|
|
|
|
Cash
|
|
$ |
100 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
Assets
|
|
$ |
100 |
|
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of this financial
statement.
TeucriumWTI
Crude Oil Fund
NOTES
TO STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES
Note
1 — Organization and Business
TeucriumWTI
Crude Oil Fund (the “Fund”), is a series of Teucrium Commodity Trust (the
“Trust”), a Delaware statutory trust organized on September 11, 2009. The
Fund operates pursuant to the Trust’s Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust
and Trust Agreement (the “Trust Agreement”). The Fund was formed and
is managed and controlled by Teucrium Trading, LLC (the “Sponsor”). The Sponsor
is a limited liability company formed in Delaware on July 28, 2009 that is
registered as a commodity pool operator (“CPO”) with the Commodity Futures
Trading Commission (“CFTC”) and is a member of the National Futures Association
(“NFA”).
The
investment objective of the Fund is to have the daily changes in percentage
terms of the shares’ net asset value (“NAV”) reflect the daily changes in
percentage terms of a weighted average of the closing settlement prices for
futures contracts for WTI crude oil, also known as Texas Light Sweet crude oil
(“Oil Futures Contracts”) traded on the NYMEX, specifically (1) the nearest to
spot June or December Oil Futures Contract, weighted 35%; (2) the June or
December Oil Futures Contract following the aforementioned (1), weighted 30%;
and (3) the next December Oil Future Contract that immediately follows the
aforementioned (2), weighted 35%; less the Fund’s expenses.
The
Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal
market conditions primarily in Benchmark Component Futures Contracts and in
comparable contracts traded on the NYMEX and to a lesser extent the
Intercontinental Exchange (“ICE”). The Fund may also invest in other kinds of
crude oil futures contracts traded on the NYMEX or ICE or on other domestic or
foreign exchanges. This prospectus refers to exchange-traded crude oil futures
contracts, collectively, as “Oil Futures Contracts.” In addition to Oil Futures
Contracts, the Fund may invest in exchange-traded options on Oil Futures
Contracts and in over-the-counter investment options based on the price of crude
oil and Oil Futures Contracts, such as forward contracts and swaps
(collectively, “Other Oil Interests,” and together with Oil Futures Contracts,
“Oil Interests”). The Sponsor expects to manage the Fund’s
investments directly, although it has been authorized by the Trust to retain,
establish the terms of retention for, and terminate third-party commodity
trading advisors to provide such management. The Sponsor is also
authorized to select futures commission merchants to execute the Fund’s
transactions in Oil Futures Contracts.
The
Fund invests in Oil Interests to the fullest extent possible without being
leveraged or unable to satisfy its expected current or potential margin or
collateral obligations with respect to its investments in Oil Interests. After
fulfilling such margin and collateral requirements, the Fund will invest the
remainder of its proceeds from the sale of baskets in short-term obligations of
the United States government (“Treasury Securities”) or cash equivalents, and/or
merely hold such assets in cash (generally in interest-bearing accounts).
Therefore, the focus of the Sponsor in managing the Fund is investing in Oil
Interests and in Treasury Securities, cash and/or cash equivalents. The Fund
will earn interest income from the Treasury Securities and/or cash equivalents
that it purchases and on the cash it holds through the Fund’s custodian, the
Bank of New York Mellon (the “Custodian”).
The
Fund will create and redeem units only in blocks called creation baskets and
redemption baskets, respectively. Only authorized purchasers may
purchase or redeem creation baskets or redemption baskets. An
authorized purchaser is under no obligation to create or redeem baskets, and an
authorized purchaser is under no obligation to offer to the public units of any
baskets it does create. Baskets are generally created when there is a
demand for units, including, but not limited to, when the market price per unit
is at (or perceived to be at) a premium to the NAV per
share. Authorized purchasers will then sell such units, which will be
listed on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) Arca, to the public at per-unit
offering prices that are expected to reflect, among other factors, the trading
price of the units on the NYSE Arca, the NAV of the Fund at the time the
authorized purchaser purchased the creation baskets and the NAV at the time of
the offer of the units to the public, the supply of and demand for units at the
time of sale, and the liquidity of the Oil Futures Contracts market and the
market for Other Oil Interests. The prices of units offered by
authorized purchasers are expected to fall between the Fund’s NAV and the
trading price of the units on the NYSE Arca at the time of
sale. Similarly, baskets are generally redeemed when the market price
per unit is at (or perceived to be at) a discount to the NAV per
share. Retail investors seeking to purchase or sell units on any day
are expected to affect such transactions in the secondary market, on the NYSE
Arca, at the market price per unit, rather than in connection with the creation
or redemption of baskets.
Sponsor
Fee
Under
the Trust Agreement, the Sponsor is responsible for investing the assets of the
Fund in accordance with the objectives and policies of the Fund. In addition,
the Sponsor will arrange for one or more third parties to provide
administrative, custody, accounting, transfer agency and other necessary
services to the Fund. For these services, the Fund is contractually obligated to
pay a monthly management fee to the Sponsor, based on average daily net assets,
at a rate equal to 1.00% per annum on average net assets. The Fund will pay for
all brokerage fees, taxes and other expenses, including licensing fees for the
use of intellectual property, registration or other fees paid to the Securities
and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority
(“FINRA”), formerly the National Association of Securities Dealers, or any other
regulatory agency in connection with the offer and sale of subsequent units
after its initial registration and all legal, accounting, printing and other
expenses associated therewith. The Fund also pays the fees and expenses
associated with the Trust’s tax accounting and reporting requirements with the
exception of certain initial implementation services fees and base services fees
which will be paid by the Sponsor.
Income
Taxes
The
Fund does not record a provision for income taxes because the partners report
their share of the Fund’s income or loss on their income tax
returns. The financial statements reflect the Fund’s transactions
without adjustment, if any, required for income tax purposes.
In
accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”), the Fund is
required to determine whether a tax position is more likely than not to be
sustained upon examination by the applicable taxing authority, including
resolution of any related appeals or litigation processes, based on the
technical merits of the position. The Fund files an income tax return
in the U.S. federal jurisdiction, and may file income tax returns in various
U.S. states and foreign jurisdictions. The Fund is subject to income
tax examinations by major taxing authorities for all tax years since inception.
The tax benefit recognized is measured as the largest amount of benefit that has
a greater than fifty percent likelihood of being realized upon ultimate
settlement. De-recognition of a tax benefit previously recognized
results in the Fund recording a tax liability that reduces net
assets. This policy has been applied to all existing tax positions
upon the Fund’s initial adoption at July 31, 2010. Based on its
analysis, the Fund has determined that the adoption of this policy did not have
a material impact on the Fund’s financial statements upon
adoption. However, the Fund’s conclusions regarding this policy may
be subject to review and adjustment at a later date based on factors including,
but not limited to, on-going analysis of and changes to tax laws, regulations,
and interpretations thereof. The Fund recognizes interest accrued
related to unrecognized tax benefits and penalties related to unrecognized tax
benefits in income tax fees payable, if assessed. No interest expense
or penalties have been recognized as of July 31, 2010.
Additions
and Redemptions
Authorized
purchasers may purchase creation baskets consisting of 25,000 units from the
Fund as of the beginning of each business day based upon the prior day’s net
asset value. Authorized purchasers may redeem units from the Fund only in blocks
of 25,000 units called “redemption baskets”. The amount of the redemption
proceeds for a redemption basket will be equal to the net asset value of the
units in the redemption basket determined as of 4:00 p.m. New York time on the
day the order to redeem the basket is properly received.
The
Fund receives the proceeds from units sold or pays for redeemed units within
three business days after the trade date of the purchase or redemption,
respectively. The amounts due from authorized purchasers are reflected in the
Fund’s statement of assets and liabilities as receivable for Units sold and
amounts payable to authorized purchasers upon redemption is reflected as payable
for Units redeemed.
Calculation
of Net Asset Value
The
Fund’s NAV is calculated by:
|
·
|
Taking
the current market value of its total assets,
and
|
|
·
|
Subtracting
any liabilities.
|
The
administrator will calculate the NAV of the Fund once each trading
day. It will calculate NAV as of the earlier of the close of the
New York Stock Exchange or 4:00 p.m. New York time. The NAV for a
particular trading day will be released after 4:15 p.m. New York
time.
In
determining the value of Oil Futures Contracts, the Administrator will use the
NYMEX closing price (usually determined as of 2:30 p.m. New York
time). The Administrator will determine the value of all other Fund
investments as of the earlier of the close of the New York Stock Exchange or
4:00 p.m. New York time, in accordance with the current Services Agreement
between the Administrator and the Trust. The value of
over-the-counter Oil Interests will be determined based on the value of the
commodity or futures contract underlying such Oil Interest, except that a fair
value may be determined if the Sponsor believes that the Fund is subject to
significant credit risk relating to the counterparty to such Oil
Interest. Treasury Securities held by the Fund will be valued by the
Administrator using values received from recognized third-party vendors (such as
Reuters) and dealer quotes. NAV will include any unrealized profit or
loss on open Oil Interests and any other income or expense accruing to the Fund
but unpaid or not received by the Fund.
Use
of Estimates
The
preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles
generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make
estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amount of assets and
liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of
the financial statements, and the reported amounts of the revenue and expenses
during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those
estimates.
Note 2 — Recent
Accounting Pronouncements
In
June 2009, the FASB issued the FASB Accounting Standards Codification (the
“Codification”) and a new Hierarchy of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles
(“GAAP”) which establishes only two levels of GAAP: authoritative and
nonauthoritative. The Codification is now the source of authoritative U.S. GAAP
recognized by the FASB to be applied by nongovernmental entities in the
preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP, except for rules
and interpretive releases of the SEC, which are additional sources of
authoritative GAAP for SEC registrants. All other nongrandfathered, non-SEC
accounting literature not included in the Codification will become
nonauthoritative. The Codification is effective for financial statements for
interim or annual reporting periods ending after September 15, 2009. The
Fund adopted the new guidelines and numbering system prescribed by the
Codification when referring to GAAP on upon formation. The application of the
Codification did not have an impact on the Fund’s financial statements; however,
all references to authoritative accounting literature will now be references in
accordance with the Codification.
In
August 2009, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2009-05 (ASU
2009-05), “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures (Topic 820) – Measuring
Liabilities at Fair Value,” to amend FASB ASC Topic 820, “Fair Value
Measurements and Disclosures,” to provide guidance on the measurement of
liabilities at fair value. The guidance provides clarification that in
circumstances in which a quoted market price in an active market for an
identical liability is not available, an entity is required to measure fair
value using a valuation technique that uses the quoted price of an identical
liability when traded as an asset or, if unavailable, quoted prices for similar
liabilities or similar assets when traded as assets. If none of this information
is available, an entity should use a valuation technique in accordance with
existing fair valuation principles. The Fund adopted this guidance upon
formation.
In
December 2009, the FASB issued ASU 2009-17 (“ASU 2009-17”), “Consolidations
(FASB ASC Topic 810) - Improvements to Financial Reporting by Enterprises
Involved with Variable Interest Entities,” which codifies FASB Statement
No. 167, Amendments to FASB Interpretation No. 46(R). ASU 2009-17
represents a revision to former FASB Interpretation No. 46 (Revised
December 2003), “Consolidation of Variable Interest Entities,” and changes how a
reporting entity determines when an entity that is insufficiently capitalized or
is not controlled through voting (or similar rights) should be consolidated. The
determination of whether a reporting entity is required to consolidate another
entity is based on, among other things, the other entity’s purpose and design
and the reporting entity’s ability to direct the activities of the other entity
that most significantly impact the other entity’s economic performance. ASU
2009-17 also requires a reporting entity to provide additional disclosures about
its involvement with variable interest entities and any significant changes in
risk exposure due to that involvement. A reporting entity will be required to
disclose how its involvement with a variable interest entity affects the
reporting entity’s financial statements. The Fund adopted the guidance in
ASU 2009-17 upon formation.
In
January 2010, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update 2010-06 (“ASU
2010-06”), “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures (Topic 820) - Improving
Disclosures about Fair Value Measurements,” to require new disclosures related
to transfers into and out of Levels 1 and 2 of the fair value hierarchy and
additional disclosure requirements related to Level 3 measurements. The guidance
also clarifies existing fair value measurement disclosures about the level of
disaggregation and about inputs and valuation techniques used to measure fair
value. The additional disclosure requirements are effective for the first
reporting period beginning after December 15, 2009, except for the
additional disclosure requirements related to Level 3 measurements, which are
effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15,
2010. The Fund adopted the guidance in ASU 2010-06 upon
formation.
Note
3 - Organizational and Offering Costs
Expenses
incurred in organizing of the Fund and the initial offering of the shares,
including applicable SEC registration fees will be borne directly by the
Sponsor. The Fund will not be obligated to reimburse the
Sponsor.
Note
4 - Indemnification
Under
the Trust Agreement, the trustee (and its directors, employees and agents) is
indemnified against any liability, cost or expense it incurs without gross
negligence, bad faith or willful misconduct on its part and without reckless
disregard on its part of its obligations and duties under the Trust’s
organizational documents. The Fund’s maximum exposure under these arrangements
is unknown as this would involve future claims that may be made against the Fund
that have not yet occurred.
Glossary
of Defined Terms
In this
prospectus, each of the following terms have the meanings set forth after such
term:
Administrator: The Bank of New
York Mellon
Authorized
Purchaser: One that purchases or redeems Creation Baskets or
Redemption Baskets, respectively, from or to the Fund.
Benchmark : A
weighted average of daily changes in the closing settlement prices
of: (1) the nearest to spot June or December Oil Futures Contract,
weighted 35%; (2) the June or December Oil Futures Contract following the
aforementioned (1), weighted 30%; and (3) the June or December Oil Futures
Contract following the aforementioned (2), weighted 35%; before taking Fund
expenses and interest income into account.
Benchmark Component Futures
Contracts: The three Oil Futures Contracts that at any given
time make up the Benchmark.
Business Day: Any
day other than a day when any of the NYSE Arca, the NYMEX or the New York Stock
Exchange is closed for regular trading.
CFTC: Commodity
Futures Trading Commission, an independent agency with the mandate to regulate
commodity futures and options in the United States.
Code: Internal Revenue
Code.
Commodity Pool: An
enterprise in which several individuals contribute funds in order to trade
futures contracts or options on futures contracts collectively.
Commodity Pool Operator or
CPO: Any person engaged in a business which is of the nature
of an investment trust, syndicate, or similar enterprise, and who, in connection
therewith, solicits, accepts, or receives from others, funds, securities, or
property, either directly or through capital contributions, the sale of stock or
other forms of securities, or otherwise, for the purpose of trading in any
commodity for future delivery or commodity option on or subject to the rules of
any contract market.
Creation Basket: A
block of 25,000 Shares used by the Fund to issue Shares.
Custodian: The
Bank of New York Mellon
DTC: The
Depository Trust Company. DTC will act as the securities depository for the
Shares.
DTC Participant:
An entity that has an account with DTC.
DTEF: A
derivatives transaction execution facility.
Exchange for Risk:
A privately negotiated and simultaneous exchange of a futures contract position
for a swap or other over-the-counter instrument on the corresponding
commodity.
FINRA: Financial
Industry Regulatory Authority, formerly the National Association of Securities
Dealers.
Indirect
Participants: Banks, brokers, dealers and trust companies
that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a DTC Participant,
either directly or indirectly.
IntercontinentalExchange
(ICE): An Internet-based exchange for the trading of
over-the-counter energy contracts. The Fund expressly disclaims any
association with the ICE or endorsement of the Fund by the ICE and acknowledges
that “ICE” and the “IntercontinentalExchange” are registered trademarks of such
exchange
Limited Liability Company
(LLC): A type of business ownership combining several
features of corporation and partnership structures.
Margin: The amount
of equity required for an investment in futures contracts.
NAV: Net Asset
Value of the Fund.
NFA: National
Futures Association.
NSCC: National
Securities Clearing Corporation.
New York Mercantile Exchange
(“NYMEX”): The primary exchange on which Oil Futures
Contracts are traded in the U.S. The Fund expressly disclaims any
association with the NYMEX or endorsement of the Fund by the NYMEX and
acknowledges that “NYMEX” and “New York Mercantile Exchange” are registered
trademarks of such exchange.
1933 Act: The
Securities Act of 1933.
Oil Futures
Contracts: WTI future contracts and other future contracts
that are traded on the NYMEX or other domestic or foreign
exchanges.
Oil Interests: Oil
Futures Contracts and Other Oil Interests.
Option: The right,
but not the obligation, to buy or sell a futures contract or forward contract at
a specified price on or before a specified date.
Other Oil
Interests: Other crude oil-related investments such as
options on Oil Futures Contracts, swaps agreements and forward contracts
relating to crude oil, and over-the-counter transactions that are based on the
price of crude oil, Oil Futures Contracts and indices based on the
foregoing.
Over-the-Counter
Derivative: A financial contract, whose value is designed to
track the return on stocks, bonds, currencies, commodities, or some other
benchmark, that is traded over-the-counter or off organized
exchanges.
Redemption Basket:
A block of 25,000 Shares used by the Fund to redeem Shares.
SEC: Securities
and Exchange Commission.
Secondary Market:
The stock exchanges and the over-the-counter market. Securities are first issued
as a primary offering to the public. When the securities are traded from that
first holder to another, the issues trade in these secondary
markets.
Shareholders:
Holders of Shares.
Shares: Common
units representing fractional undivided beneficial interests in the
Fund.
Sponsor: Teucrium
Trading, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, which is registered as a
Commodity Pool Operator, who controls the investments and other decisions of the
Fund.
Spot Contract: A
cash market transaction in which the buyer and seller agree to the immediate
purchase and sale of a commodity, usually with a two-day
settlement.
Swap Agreement: An
over-the-counter derivative that generally involves an exchange of a stream of
payments between the contracting parties based on a notional amount and a
specified index.
Tracking Error:
Possibility that the daily NAV of the Fund will not track the
Benchmark.
Treasury
Securities: Obligations of the U.S. government with remaining
maturities of 2 years or less.
Trust Agreement:
The Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust and Trust Agreement of the Trust
effective as of March 31, 2010.
Valuation Day: Any
day as of which the Fund calculates its NAV.
You: The owner of
Shares.
[This
page intentionally left blank.]
TEUCRIUM
WTI CRUDE OIL FUND
This
statement of additional information is the second part of a two part
document. The first part is the Fund’s disclosure document. The
disclosure document and this statement of additional information are bound
together, and both parts contain important information. This statement of
additional information should be read in conjunction with the disclosure
document. Before you decide whether to invest, you should read the entire
prospectus carefully and consider the risk factors beginning on page
16.
This
statement of additional information and accompanying disclosure document are
both dated [date], 2010.
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
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Page
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The
Commodity Interest Markets
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141 |
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Potential
Advantages of Investment
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151 |
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Benchmark
Performance
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152 |
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The
Commodity Interest Markets
General
The
Commodity Exchange Act or CEA governs the regulation of commodity interest
transactions, markets and intermediaries. In December 2000, the CEA was
amended by the Commodity Futures Modernization Act of 2000, or CFMA, which
substantially revised the regulatory framework governing certain commodity
interest transactions and the markets on which they trade. The CEA, as
amended by the CFMA, now provides for varying degrees of regulation of commodity
interest transactions depending upon the variables of the transaction. In
general, these variables include (1) the type of instrument being traded (e.g.,
contracts for future delivery, options, swaps or spot contracts), (2) the type
of commodity underlying the instrument (distinctions are made between
instruments based on agricultural commodities, energy and metals commodities and
financial commodities), (3) the nature of the parties to the transaction
(retail, eligible contract participant, or eligible commercial entity), (4)
whether the transaction is entered into on a principal-to-principal or
intermediated basis, (5) the type of market on which the transaction occurs, and
(6) whether the transaction is subject to clearing through a clearing
organization. Information regarding commodity interest transactions,
markets and intermediaries, and their associated current regulatory environment,
is provided below. Legislative and regulatory changes relating to the
information set forth below are currently being discussed, so such information
is subject to change.
Futures
Contracts
A futures
contract such as an Oil Futures Contract is a standardized contract traded on,
or subject to the rules of, an exchange that calls for the future delivery of a
specified quantity and type of a commodity at a specified time and place.
Futures contracts are traded on a wide variety of physical and financial
commodities, including agricultural products, bonds, stock indices, interest
rates, currencies, energy and metals. The size and terms of futures
contracts on a particular commodity are identical and are not subject to any
negotiation, other than with respect to price and the number of contracts traded
between the buyer and seller.
The
contractual obligations of a buyer or seller may generally be satisfied by
taking or making physical delivery of the underlying commodity or by making an
offsetting sale or purchase of an identical futures contract on the same or
linked exchange before the designated date of delivery. The difference
between the price at which the futures contract is purchased or sold and the
price paid for the offsetting sale or purchase, after allowance for brokerage
commissions, constitutes the profit or loss to the trader. Some futures
contracts, such as stock index contracts, settle in cash (reflecting the
difference between the contract purchase/sale price and the contract settlement
price) rather than by delivery of the underlying commodity.
In market
terminology, a trader who purchases a futures contract is long in the market and
a trader who sells a futures contract is short in the market. Before a
trader closes out his long or short position by an offsetting sale or purchase,
his outstanding contracts are known as open trades or open positions. The
aggregate amount of open positions held by traders in a particular contract is
referred to as the open interest in such contract.
Options
on Futures Contracts
Options
on futures contracts are standardized contracts traded on an exchange. An
option on futures contract gives the buyer of the option the right, but not the
obligation, to take a position at a specified price (the striking, strike, or
exercise price) in the underlying futures contract or underlying interest.
The buyer of a call option acquires the right, but not the obligation, to
purchase or take a long position in the underlying interest, and the buyer of a
put option acquires the right, but not the obligation, to sell or take a short
position in the underlying interest.
The
seller, or writer, of an option is obligated to take a position in the
underlying interest at a specified price opposite to the option buyer if the
option is exercised. Thus, the seller of a call option must stand ready to
take a short position in the underlying interest at the strike price if the
buyer should exercise the option. The seller of a put option, on the other
hand, must stand ready to take a long position in the underlying interest at the
strike price.
A call
option is said to be in-the-money if the strike price is below current market
levels and out-of-the-money if the strike price is above current market
levels. Conversely, a put option is said to be in-the-money if the strike
price is above the current market levels and out-of-the-money if the strike
price is below current market levels.
Options
have limited life spans, usually tied to the delivery or settlement date of the
underlying interest. Some options, however, expire significantly in
advance of such date. The purchase price of an option is referred to as
its premium, which consists of its intrinsic value (which is related to the
underlying market value) plus its time value. As an option nears its
expiration date, the time value shrinks and the market and intrinsic values move
into parity. An option that is out-of-the-money and not offset by the time
it expires becomes worthless. On certain exchanges, in-the-money options
are automatically exercised on their expiration date, but on others all
unexercised options simply become worthless after their expiration
date.
Regardless
of how much the market swings, the most an option buyer can lose is the option
premium. The option buyer deposits his premium with his broker, and the
money goes to the option seller. Option sellers, on the other hand, face
risks similar to participants in the futures markets. For example, since
the seller of a call option is assigned a short futures position if the option
is exercised, his risk is the same as someone who initially sold a futures
contract. Because no one can predict exactly how the market will move, the
option seller posts margin to demonstrate his ability to meet any potential
contractual obligations.
Over-the-Counter
Contracts (Forward Contracts and Swaps)
A forward
contract is a contractual obligation to purchase or sell a specified quantity of
a commodity at or before a specified date in the future at a specified price
and, therefore, is economically similar to a futures contract. Unlike
futures contracts, however, forward contracts are typically traded in the
over-the-counter markets and are not standardized contracts. Forward
contracts for a given commodity are generally available for various amounts and
maturities and are subject to individual negotiation between the parties
involved. Moreover, generally there is no direct means of offsetting or
closing out a forward contract by taking an offsetting position as one would a
futures contract on a U.S. exchange. If a trader desires to close out a
forward contract position, he generally will establish an opposite position in
the contract but will settle and recognize the profit or loss on both positions
simultaneously on the delivery date. Thus, unlike in the futures contract
market where a trader who has offset positions will recognize profit or loss
immediately, in the forward market a trader with a position that has been offset
at a profit will generally not receive such profit until the delivery date, and
likewise a trader with a position that has been offset at a loss will generally
not have to pay money until the delivery date. In recent years, however,
the terms of forward contracts have become more standardized, and in some
instances such contracts now provide a right of offset or cash settlement as an
alternative to making or taking delivery of the underlying
commodity.
The
forward markets provide what has typically been a highly liquid market for
foreign exchange trading, and in certain cases the prices quoted for foreign
exchange forward contracts may be more favorable than the prices for foreign
exchange futures contracts traded on U.S. exchanges. The forward markets
are largely unregulated. Forward contracts are, in general, not cleared or
guaranteed by a third party. Commercial banks participating in trading
foreign exchange forward contracts often do not require margin deposits, but
rely upon internal credit limitations and their judgments regarding the
creditworthiness of their counterparties. In recent years, however, many
over-the-counter market participants in foreign exchange trading have begun to
require that their counterparties post margin.
Swap
transactions generally involve contracts between two parties to exchange a
stream of payments computed by reference to a notional amount and the price of
the asset that is the subject of the swap. Like forward contracts, swap
agreements are principally traded off-exchange. Swaps are usually entered
into on a net basis, that is, the two payment streams are netted out in a cash
settlement on the payment date or dates specified in the agreement, with the
parties receiving or paying, as the case may be, only the net amount of the two
payments. Swaps do not generally involve the delivery of underlying assets
or principal. Accordingly, the risk of loss with respect to swaps is
generally limited to the net amount of payments that the party is contractually
obligated to make. In some swap transactions one or both parties may
require collateral deposits from the counterparty to support that counterparty’s
obligation under the swap agreement. If the counterparty to such a swap
defaults, the risk of loss consists of the net amount of payments that the party
is contractually entitled to receive less to any collateral deposits it is
holding.
As the
result of the CFMA, over-the-counter derivative instruments such as forward
contracts and swap agreements (and options on forwards and physical commodities)
may begin to be traded on lightly-regulated exchanges or electronic trading
platforms that may, but are not required to, provide for clearing
facilities. (Exchanges and electronic trading platforms on which
over-the-counter instruments may be traded and the regulation and criteria for
that trading are more fully described below under “Futures Exchanges and
Clearing Organizations.”) Absent a clearing facility, trading in
forward contracts and swap agreements is exposed to the creditworthiness of the
counterparties on the other side of the trades. In contrast, where a
clearing facility is present, a market participant can look to the clearing
facility to guarantee the counterparty’s performance, which effectively
eliminates counterparty risk as a concern in entering into derivative
instruments.
Options
on Forward Contracts or Commodities
Options
on forward contracts or commodities operate in a manner similar to options on
futures contracts. An option on a forward contract or commodity gives the
buyer of the option the right, but not the obligation, to take a position at a
specified price in the underlying forward contract or commodity. However,
similar to forward contracts, options on forward contracts or on commodities are
individually negotiated contracts between counterparties and are typically
traded in the over-the-counter market. Therefore, options on forward
contracts and physical commodities possess many of the same characteristics of
forward contracts with respect to offsetting positions and credit risk that are
described above. As a result of certain regulatory limitations, options on
forward contracts and other over-the-counter options relating to energy
commodities such as light, sweet crude oil may not be generally available in
United States markets.
Participants
The two
broad classes of persons who trade commodities are hedgers and
speculators. Hedgers include financial institutions that manage or deal in
interest rate-sensitive instruments, foreign currencies or stock portfolios, and
commercial market participants, such as oil producers and manufacturers, that
market or process commodities. Hedging is a protective procedure designed
to effectively lock in prices that would otherwise change due to an adverse
movement in the price of the underlying commodity, for example, the adverse
price movement between the time a merchandiser or processor enters into a
contract to buy or sell a raw or processed commodity at a certain price and the
time he must perform the contract. For example, if a hedger contracts to
physically sell the commodity at a future date, he may simultaneously buy a
futures or forward contract for the necessary equivalent quantity of the
commodity. At the time for performance of the physical contract, the
hedger may accept delivery under his futures contract and sell the commodity
quantity as required by the physical contract or he may buy the actual
commodity, sell it under the physical contract and close out his futures
contract position by making an offsetting sale.
The
commodity interest markets enable the hedger to shift the risk of price
fluctuations. The usual objective of the hedger is to protect the profit
that he expects to earn from drilling, merchandising, or processing operations
rather than to profit from his trading. However, at times the impetus for
a hedge transaction may result in part from speculative objectives and hedgers
can end up paying higher prices than they would have if they did not enter into
a commodity interest transaction if current market prices are lower than the
locked-in price.
Unlike
the hedger, the speculator generally expects neither to make nor take delivery
of the underlying commodity. Instead, the speculator risks his capital
with the hope of making profits from price fluctuations in the
commodities. The speculator is, in effect, the risk bearer who assumes the
risks that the hedger seeks to avoid. Speculators rarely make or take
delivery of the underlying commodity; rather they attempt to close out their
positions prior to the delivery date. A speculator who takes a long
position generally will make a profit if the price of the underlying commodity
goes up and incur a loss if the price of the underlying commodity goes down,
while a speculator who takes a short position generally will make a profit if
the price of the underlying commodity goes down and incur a loss if the price of
the underlying commodity goes up.
Futures
Exchanges and Clearing Organizations
Futures
exchanges provide centralized market facilities in which multiple persons have
the ability to execute or trade contracts by accepting bids and offers from
multiple participants. Futures exchanges may provide for execution of
trades at a physical location utilizing trading pits and/or may provide for
trading to be done electronically through computerized matching of bids and
offers pursuant to various algorithms. Members of a particular exchange
and the trades executed on such exchange are subject to the rules of that
exchange. Futures exchanges and clearing organizations are given
reasonable latitude in promulgating rules and regulations to control and
regulate their members. Examples of regulations by exchanges and clearing
organizations include the establishment of initial margin levels, rules
regarding trading practices, contract specifications, speculative position
limits, daily price fluctuation limits, and execution and clearing
fees.
Clearing
organizations provide services designed to mutualize or transfer the credit risk
arising from the trading of contracts on an exchange or other electronic trading
facility. Once trades made between members of an exchange or electronic
trading facility have been confirmed, the clearing organization becomes
substituted for the clearing member acting on behalf of each buyer and each
seller of contracts traded on the exchange or trading platform and in effect
becomes the other party to the trade. Thereafter, each clearing member
party to the trade looks only to the clearing organization for
performance. The clearing organization generally establishes some sort of
security or guarantee fund to which all clearing members of the exchange must
contribute; this fund acts as an emergency buffer that is intended to enable the
clearing organization to meet its obligations with regard to the other side of
an insolvent clearing member’s contracts. Furthermore, the clearing
organization requires margin deposits and continuously marks positions to market
to provide some assurance that its members will be able to fulfill their
contractual obligations. Thus, a central function of the clearing
organization is to ensure the integrity of trades, and members effecting
transactions on an exchange need not concern themselves with the solvency of the
party on the opposite side of the trade; their only remaining concerns are the
respective solvencies of their own customers, their clearing broker and the
clearing organization. The clearing organizations do not deal with
customers, but only with their member firms and the guarantee of performance for
open positions provided by the clearing organization does not run to
customers.
U.S.
Futures Exchanges
Futures
exchanges in the United States are subject to varying degrees of regulation by
the CFTC based on their designation as one of the following: a designated
contract market, a derivatives transaction execution facility, an exempt board
of trade or an electronic trading facility.
A
designated contract market is the most highly regulated level of futures
exchange. Designated contract markets may offer products to retail
customers on an unrestricted basis. To be designated as a contract market,
the exchange must demonstrate that it satisfies specified general criteria for
designation, such as having the ability to prevent market manipulation, rules
and procedures to ensure fair and equitable trading, minimization of conflicts
of interest and protection of market participants, position limits and dispute
resolution procedures. Among the principal designated contract markets in
the United States are the NYMEX, Chicago Board of Trade and the Chicago
Mercantile Exchange. Each of the designated contract markets in the United
States must provide for the clearance and settlement of transactions with a
CFTC-registered derivatives clearing organization.
A
derivatives transaction execution facility, or DTEF, is a new type of exchange
that is subject to fewer regulatory requirements than a designated contract
market but is subject to both commodity interest and participant
limitations. DTEFs limit access to eligible traders that qualify as either
eligible contract participants or eligible commercial entities for futures and
option contracts on commodities that have a nearly inexhaustible deliverable
supply, are highly unlikely to be susceptible to the threat of manipulation, or
have no cash market, security futures products, and futures and option contracts
on commodities that the CFTC may determine, on a case-by-case basis, are highly
unlikely to be susceptible to the threat of manipulation. In addition,
certain commodity interests excluded or exempt from the CEA, such as swaps, may
be traded on a DTEF. There is no requirement that a DTEF use a clearing
organization, except with respect to trading in security futures contracts, in
which case the clearing organization must be a securities clearing agency.
However, if futures contracts and options on futures contracts traded on a DTEF
are cleared, then it must be through a CFTC-registered derivatives clearing
organization, except that some excluded or exempt commodities traded on a DTEF
may be cleared through a clearing organization other than one registered with
the CFTC.
An exempt
board of trade is also a newly designated form of exchange. An exempt
board of trade is substantially unregulated, subject only to CFTC anti-fraud and
anti-manipulation authority. An exempt board of trade is permitted to
trade futures contracts and options on futures contracts provided that the
underlying commodity is not a security or securities index and has an
inexhaustible deliverable supply or no cash market. All traders on an
exempt board of trade must qualify as eligible contract participants.
Contracts deemed eligible to be traded on an exempt board of trade include
contracts on interest rates, exchange rates, currencies, credit risks or
measures, debt instruments, measures of inflation, or other macroeconomic
indices or measures. There is no requirement that an exempt board of trade
use a clearing organization. However, if contracts on an exempt board of
trade are cleared, then it must be through a CFTC-registered derivatives
clearing organization. A board of trade electing to operate as an exempt
board of trade must file a written notification with the CFTC.
An
electronic trading facility is a new form of trading platform that operates by
means of an electronic or telecommunications network and maintains an automated
audit trail of bids, offers, and the matching of orders or the execution of
transactions on the electronic trading facility. The CEA does not apply
to, and the CFTC has no jurisdiction over, transactions on an electronic trading
facility in certain excluded commodities that are entered into between
principals that qualify as eligible contract participants, subject only to CFTC
anti-fraud and anti-manipulation authority. In general, excluded
commodities include interest rates, currencies, securities, securities indices
or other financial, economic or commercial indices or measures, but not physical
commodities.
The
Sponsor intends to monitor the development of and opportunities and risks
presented by the new less-regulated exchanges and exempt boards as well as other
trading platforms currently in place or that are being considered by regulators
and may, in the future, allocate a percentage of the Fund’s assets to trading in
products on these exchanges. Provided the Fund maintains assets exceeding $5
million, the Fund would qualify as an eligible contract participant and thus
would be able to trade on such exchanges.
Non-U.S.
Futures Exchanges
Non-U.S.
futures exchanges differ in certain respects from their U.S. counterparts.
Importantly, non-U.S. futures exchanges are not subject to regulation by the
CFTC, but rather are regulated by their home country regulator. In
contrast to U.S. designated contract markets, some non-U.S. exchanges are
principals’ markets, where trades remain the liability of the traders involved,
and the exchange or a clearing organization does not become substituted for any
party. Due to the absence of a clearing system, such exchanges are
significantly more susceptible to disruptions. Further, participants in
such markets must often satisfy themselves as to the individual creditworthiness
of each entity with which they enter into a trade. Trading on non-U.S.
exchanges is often in the currency of the exchange’s home jurisdiction.
Consequently, if it enters into transactions on these non-U.S. exchanges, the
Fund would be subject to the additional risk of fluctuations in the exchange
rate between such currency and the U.S. dollar and the possibility that exchange
controls could be imposed in the future. Trading on non-U.S. exchanges may
differ from trading on U.S. exchanges in a variety of ways and, accordingly, may
subject the Fund to additional risks.
Accountability
Levels and Position Limits
The CFTC
and U.S. designated contract market have established accountability levels on
the maximum net long or net short futures contracts in commodity interests that
any person or group of persons under common trading control (other than a
hedger, which the Fund is not) may hold, own or control. Accountability
levels are not fixed ceilings, but rather thresholds above which an exchange may
exercise greater scrutiny and control over an investor including by imposing
position limits. Among the purposes of accountability levels and position
limits is to prevent a corner or squeeze on a market or undue influence on
prices by any single trader or group of traders. The accountability levels
currently established by the CFTC and NYMEX apply to certain energy commodity
interests, such as crude oil and natural gas. Specifically, the NYMEX’s
accountability levels for oil future contracts are 20,000. While this is
not a fixed ceiling, it is a threshold above which the .NYMEX may exercise
greater scrutiny and control over an investor, including limiting an investor to
holding no more than 20,000 Oil Future Contracts. U.S. exchanges may set
accountability levels and position limits for all commodity interests traded on
that exchange. Certain exchanges or clearing organizations also set limits
on the total net positions that may be held by a clearing broker. In
general, no position limits are in effect in forward or other over-the-counter
contract trading or in trading on non-U.S. futures exchanges, although the
principals with which the Fund and the clearing brokers may trade in such
markets may impose such limits as a matter of credit policy. The Fund’s
commodity interest positions will not be attributable to Shareholders for
purposes of determining whether those Shareholders have exceeded applicable
accountability levels and position limits.
Daily
Price Limits
Most U.S.
futures exchanges (but generally not non-U.S. exchanges) limit the amount of
fluctuation in some futures contract or options on futures contract prices
during a single trading period by regulations. These regulations specify
what are referred to as daily price fluctuation limits or more commonly, daily
limits. The daily limits establish the maximum amount that the price of a
futures or option on a futures contract may vary either up or down from the
previous day’s settlement price. In general, the NYMEX daily limit for
light, sweet crude oil futures contracts is $10 per barrel ($10,000 per
contract). Once the daily limit has been reached in a particular futures
or option on a futures contract, no trades may be made at a price beyond the
limit. Positions in the futures or options contract may then be taken or
liquidated, if at all, only if traders are willing to effect trades at or within
the limit. Because the daily limit rule governs price movement only for a
particular trading day, it does not limit losses and may in fact substantially
increase losses because it may prevent the liquidation of unfavorable
positions. Futures contract prices have occasionally moved the daily limit
for several consecutive trading days, thus preventing prompt liquidation of
positions and subjecting the trader to substantial losses for those days.
The concept of daily price limits is not relevant to over-the-counter contracts,
including forwards and swaps, and thus such limits are not imposed by banks and
others who deal in those markets.
Commodity
Prices
Commodity
prices are volatile and, although ultimately determined by the interaction of
supply and demand, are subject to many other influences, including the
psychology of the marketplace and speculative assessments of future world and
economic events. Political climate, interest rates, treaties, balance of
payments, exchange controls and other governmental interventions as well as
numerous other variables affect the commodity markets, and even with
comparatively complete information it is impossible for any trader to predict
reliably commodity prices.
Regulation
Futures
exchanges in the United States are subject to varying degrees of regulation
under the CEA depending on whether such exchange is a designated contract
market, DTEF, exempt board of trade or electronic trading facility.
Derivatives clearing organizations are also subject to the CEA and CFTC
regulation. The CFTC is the governmental agency charged with
responsibility for regulation of futures exchanges and commodity interest
trading conducted on those exchanges. The CFTC’s function is to implement
the CEA’s objectives of preventing price manipulation and excessive speculation
and promoting orderly and efficient commodity interest markets. In
addition, the various exchanges and clearing organizations themselves exercise
regulatory and supervisory authority over their member firms.
The CFTC
possesses exclusive jurisdiction to regulate the activities of commodity pool
operators and commodity trading advisors and has adopted regulations with
respect to the activities of those persons and/or entities. Under the CEA,
a registered commodity pool operator, such as the Sponsor, is required to make
annual filings with the CFTC describing its organization, capital structure,
management and controlling persons. In addition, the CEA authorizes the
CFTC to require and review books and records of, and documents prepared by,
registered commodity pool operators. Pursuant to this authority, the CFTC
requires commodity pool operators to keep accurate, current and orderly records
for each pool that they operate. The CFTC may suspend the registration of
a commodity pool operator (1) if the CFTC finds that the operator’s trading
practices tend to disrupt orderly market conditions, (2) if any controlling
person of the operator is subject to an order of the CFTC denying such person
trading privileges on any exchange, and (3) in certain other
circumstances. Suspension, restriction or termination of the Sponsor’s
registration as a commodity pool operator would prevent it, until that
registration were to be reinstated, from managing the Fund, and might result in
the termination of the Fund if a successor sponsor is not elected pursuant to
the Trust Agreement. Neither the Trust nor the Fund is required to be
registered with the CFTC in any capacity.
The CEA
gives the CFTC similar authority with respect to the activities of commodity
trading advisors. If a trading advisor’s commodity trading advisor
registration were to be terminated, restricted or suspended, the trading advisor
would be unable, until the registration were to be reinstated, to render trading
advice to the Fund.
The CEA
requires all futures commission merchants, such as the Fund’s clearing brokers,
to meet and maintain specified fitness and financial requirements, to segregate
customer funds from proprietary funds and account separately for all customers’
funds and positions, and to maintain specified books and records open to
inspection by the staff of the CFTC. The CFTC has similar authority over
introducing brokers, who are persons that solicit or accept orders for commodity
interest trades but that do not accept margin deposits for the execution of
trades. The CEA authorizes the CFTC to regulate trading by futures
commission merchants and by their officers and directors, permits the CFTC to
require action by exchanges in the event of market emergencies, and establishes
an administrative procedure under which customers may institute complaints for
damages arising from alleged violations of the CEA. The CEA also gives the
states powers to enforce its provisions and the regulations of the
CFTC.
The
Fund’s investors are afforded prescribed rights for reparations under the
CEA. Investors may also be able to maintain a private right of action for
violations of the CEA. The CFTC has adopted rules implementing the
reparation provisions of the CEA, which provide that any person may file a
complaint for a reparations award with the CFTC for violation of the CEA against
a floor broker or a futures commission merchant, introducing broker, commodity
trading advisor, commodity pool operator, and their respective associated
persons.
Pursuant
to authority in the CEA, the NFA has been formed and registered with the CFTC as
a registered futures association. At the present time, the NFA is the only
self-regulatory organization for commodity interest professionals, other than
futures exchanges. The CFTC has delegated to the NFA responsibility for
the registration of commodity trading advisors, commodity pool operators,
futures commission merchants, introducing brokers, and their respective
associated persons and floor brokers. The Sponsor, any trading advisor,
the selling agents and the clearing brokers will be members of the NFA. As
such, they will be subject to NFA standards relating to fair trade practices,
financial condition and consumer protection. Neither the Trust nor the
Fund is itself required to become a member of the NFA. As the self-regulatory
body of the commodity interest industry, the NFA promulgates rules governing the
conduct of professionals and disciplines those professionals that do not comply
with these rules. The NFA also arbitrates disputes between members and
their customers and conducts registration and fitness screening of applicants
for membership and audits of its existing members.
The
regulations of the CFTC and the NFA prohibit any representation by a person
registered with the CFTC or by any member of the NFA, that registration with the
CFTC, or membership in the NFA, in any respect indicates that the CFTC or the
NFA, as the case may be, has approved or endorsed that person or that person’s
trading program or objectives. The registrations and memberships of the
parties described in this summary must not be considered as constituting any
such approval or endorsement. Likewise, no futures exchange has given or
will give any similar approval or endorsement.
The
regulation of commodity interest trading in the United States and other
countries is an evolving area of the law. The various statements made in
this summary are subject to modification by legislative action and changes in
the rules and regulations of the CFTC, the NFA, the futures exchanges, clearing
organizations and other regulatory bodies.
The
function of the CFTC is to implement the objectives of the CEA of preventing
price manipulation and other disruptions to market integrity, avoiding systemic
risk, preventing fraud and promoting innovation, competition and financial
integrity of transactions. As mentioned above, this regulation, among
other things, provides that the trading of commodity interest contracts
generally must be upon exchanges designated as contract markets or DTEFs and
that all trading on those exchanges must be done by or through exchange
members. Under the CFMA, commodity interest trading in some commodities
between sophisticated persons may be traded on a trading facility not regulated
by the CFTC. As a general matter, trading in spot contracts, forward
contracts, options on forward contracts or commodities, or swap contracts
between eligible contract participants is not within the jurisdiction of the
CFTC and may therefore be effectively unregulated. The Sponsor may engage
in those transactions on behalf of the Fund in reliance on this exclusion from
regulation. Although U.S. banks that may act as the Fund’s counterparties
in commodity interest transactions are regulated in various ways by the Federal
Reserve Board, the Comptroller of the Currency and other U.S. federal and state
banking officials, banking authorities do not regulate the commodity interest
markets.
The CFTC
is prohibited by statute from regulating trading on non-U.S. futures exchanges
and markets. The CFTC, however, has adopted regulations relating to the
marketing of non-U.S. futures contracts in the United States. These regulations
permit certain contracts traded on non-U.S. exchanges to be offered and sold in
the United States.
On
July 21, 2010, “The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act”
was signed into law that includes provisions altering the regulation of
commodity interests. Provisions in the new law include the
requirement that position limits on energy-based commodity futures contracts be
established; new registration, recordkeeping, capital and margin requirements
for “swap dealers” and “major swap participants”; and forced use of clearing
house mechanisms for most over-the-counter
transactions. Additionally, the new law requires the aggregation, for
purposes of position limits, of all positions in energy futures held by a single
entity and its affiliates, whether such positions exist on U.S. futures
exchanges, non-U.S. futures exchanges, or in over-the-counter
contracts. The CFTC, along with the SEC and other federal regulators,
has been tasked with developing the rules and regulations enacting the
provisions noted above. The new law and rules to be promulgated may
negatively impact the Fund’s ability to meet its investment objective either
through limits or requirements imposed on it or upon its
counterparties. In particular, new position limits imposed on the
Fund or its counterparty may impact the Fund’s ability to invest in a manner
that most efficiently meets its investment objective, and new requirements
including capital and mandatory clearing, may increase the cost of the Fund’s
investments and doing business.
Commodity
Margin
Margin is
the minimum amount of funds that must be deposited by a commodity interest
trader with the trader’s broker to initiate and maintain an open position in
futures contracts. A margin deposit is like a cash performance bond.
It helps assure the trader’s performance of the futures contracts that he or she
purchases or sells. Futures contracts are customarily bought and sold on
initial margin that represents a very small percentage (ranging upward from less
than 2%) of the aggregate purchase or sales price of the contract. Because
of such low margin requirements, price fluctuations occurring in the futures
markets may create profits and losses that, in relation to the amount invested,
are greater than are customary in other forms of investment or
speculation. As discussed below, adverse price changes in the futures
contract may result in margin requirements that greatly exceed the initial
margin. In addition, the amount of margin required in connection with a
particular futures contract is set from time to time by the exchange on which
the contract is traded and may be modified from time to time by the exchange
during the term of the contract. Brokerage firms, such as the Fund’s
clearing brokers, carrying accounts for traders in commodity interest contracts
generally require higher amounts of margin as a matter of policy to further
protect themselves. Over-the-counter trading generally involves the
extension of credit between counterparties, so the counterparties may agree to
require the posting of collateral by one or both parties to address credit
exposure.
When a
trader purchases an option, there is no margin requirement; however, the option
premium must be paid in full. When a trader sells an option, on the other
hand, he or she is required to deposit margin in an amount determined by the
margin requirements established for the underlying interest and, in addition, an
amount substantially equal to the current premium for the option. The
margin requirements imposed on the selling of options, although adjusted to
reflect the probability that out-of-the-money options will not be exercised, can
in fact be higher than those imposed in dealing in the futures markets
directly. Complicated margin requirements apply to spreads and
conversions, which are complex trading strategies in which a trader acquires a
mixture of options positions and positions in the underlying
interest.
Ongoing
or “maintenance” margin requirements are computed each day by a trader’s
clearing broker. When the market value of a particular open futures
contract changes to a point where the margin on deposit does not satisfy
maintenance margin requirements, a margin call is made by the broker. If
the margin call is not met within a reasonable time, the broker may close out
the trader’s position. With respect to the Fund’s trading, the Fund (and
not its Shareholders personally) is subject to margin calls.
Finally,
many major U.S. exchanges have passed certain cross margining arrangements
involving procedures pursuant to which the futures and options positions held in
an account would, in the case of some accounts, be aggregated and margin
requirements would be assessed on a portfolio basis, measuring the total risk of
the combined positions.
Potential
Advantages of Investment
The
Advantages of Non-Correlation
Given
that historically, the price of crude oil and of Oil Interests has had very
little correlation to the stock and bond markets, the Sponsor believes that the
performance of the Fund should also exhibit little correlation with the
performance of traditional equity and debt portfolio components. However,
non-correlation does not mean that the Fund’s performance will be better than
that of other types of investment, and it is entirely possible that the Fund may
not outperform other sectors of an investor’s portfolio, or may produce
losses. Additionally, although adding the Fund’s Shares to an investor’s
portfolio may provide diversification, the Fund is not a hedging mechanism
vis-a-vis traditional debt and equity portfolio components and you should not
assume that Fund Shares will appreciate during periods of inflation or stock and
bond market declines.
Non-correlated
performance should not be confused with negatively correlated performance.
Negative correlation occurs when the performance of two asset classes tend to
move in opposite direction to each other. Non-correlation means only that
the Fund’s performance will likely have little relation to the performance of
equity and debt instruments, reflecting that certain factors that affect equity
and debt prices may affect the Fund differently and that certain factors that
affect equity and debt prices may not affect the Fund at all. The Fund’s
net asset value per share may decline or increase more or less than equity and
debt instruments during periods of both rising and falling equity and debt
markets. The Sponsor does not expect that the Fund’s performance will be
negatively correlated to general debt and equity markets.
Interest
Income
Unlike
some alternative investment funds, the Fund does not borrow money in order to
obtain leverage, so the Fund does not incur any interest expense. Rather,
the Fund’s margin deposits and cash reserves are maintained in Treasury
Securities and cash and interest is earned on 100% of these assets,
which include unrealized profits credited to the Fund’s
accounts
Benchmark
Performance
The
following graph provides certain information about the historical performance
and volatility of the Benchmark, and the historical correlation of the Benchmark
with the spot price of WTI light, sweet crude oil. The graph shows (1)
historical price information for the Benchmark by taking the prices of each
Benchmark Component Futures Contract according to publicly available data,
weighting each such futures contract as weighted in the Benchmark, and deducting
estimated commission charges and other fees and expenses that the Fund will pay,
and (2) historical information on the spot price of WTI light, sweet crude oil
using the price of the spot month Oil Futures Contract as a proxy. The
graph assumes that each Benchmark Component Futures Contract was rolled into its
replacement on the date that it no longer was a Benchmark Component Futures
Contract, and each spot month Oil Futures Contract was rolled into the new spot
month Oil Futures Contract on its expiration date, and each of these “rolls” is
volume adjusted to account for price differentials between the original Oil
Futures Contract and its replacement. For example, if the original Oil
Futures Contracts were closed out at a lower price than the price at which the
replacement Oil Futures Contracts were entered into, then a lesser number of
replacement Oil Futures Contracts were entered into than were closed out.
In this way, the graph takes the hypothetical effect of contango and
backwardation into account. The spot month data in the chart does not
reflect any commission charges or the other fees and expenses that the Fund will
pay.
The
information regarding the Benchmark in the graph is hypothetical, in that
neither the Sponsor nor the Fund was using the Benchmark to trade Oil Interests
during the period covered by the chart. HYPOTHETICAL PERFORMANCE RESULTS HAVE
MANY INHERENT LIMITATIONS, SOME OF WHICH ARE DESCRIBED BELOW. NO
REPRESENTATION IS BEING MADE THAT THE FUND WILL OR IS LIKELY TO ACHIEVE PROFITS
OR LOSSES SIMILAR TO THOSE SHOWN. IN FACT, THERE ARE FREQUENTLY SHARP
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN HYPOTHETICAL PERFORMANCE RESULTS AND THE ACTUAL RESULTS
ACHIEVED BY ANY PARTICULAR TRADING PROGRAM.
ONE
OF THE LIMITATIONS OF HYPOTHETICAL PERFORMANCE RESULTS IS THAT THEY ARE
GENERALLY PREPARED WITH THE BENEFIT OF HINDSIGHT. IN ADDITION,
HYPOTHETICAL TRADING DOES NOT INVOLVE FINANCIAL RISK, AND NO HYPOTHETICAL
TRADING RECORD CAN COMPLETELY ACCOUNT FOR THE IMPACT OF FINANCIAL RISK IN ACTUAL
TRADING. FOR EXAMPLE, THE ABILITY TO WITHSTAND LOSSES OR TO ADHERE TO A
PARTICULAR TRADING PROGRAM IN SPITE OF TRADING LOSSES ARE MATERIAL POINTS WHICH
CAN ALSO ADVERSELY AFFECT ACTUAL TRADING RESULTS. THERE ARE NUMEROUS OTHER
FACTORS RELATED TO THE MARKETS IN GENERAL OR TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF ANY
SPECIFIC TRADING PROGRAM WHICH CANNOT BE FULLY ACCOUNTED FOR IN THE PREPARATION
OF HYPOTHETICAL PERFORMANCE RESULTS AND ALL OF WHICH CAN ADVERSELY AFFECT ACTUAL
TRADING RESULTS.
THE
SPONSOR HAS HAD NO EXPERIENCE IN TRADING ACTUAL ACCOUNTS FOR ITSELF OF FOR
CUSTOMERS. BECAUSE THERE ARE NO ACTUAL TRADING RESULTS TO COMPARE TO THE
HYPOTHETICAL PERFORMANCE RESULTS, INVESTORS SHOULD BE PARTICULARLY WARY OF
PLACING UNDUE RELIANCE ON THESE HYPOTHETICAL PERFORMANCE RESULTS.
Furthermore,
while the graph below provides information on the hypothetical correlation of
the Benchmark with the spot price of WTI light, sweet crude oil, it does not
attempt to provide any information on the ability of the Sponsor to cause the
Fund’s performance to correlate closely with that of the Benchmark.
Information
Not Required in the Prospectus
Item
13. Other Expenses of Issuance
and Distribution
Set forth
below is an estimate (except as indicated) of the amount of fees and expenses
(other than underwriting commissions and discounts) payable by the registrant in
connection with the issuance and distribution of the units pursuant to the
prospectus contained in this registration statement.
|
|
Amount
|
|
SEC
registration fee (actual)
|
|
$
|
53,478.00
|
|
NYSE
Arca Listing Fee
|
|
$
|
5,000.00
|
|
FINRA
filing fees
|
|
$
|
75,000.00
|
|
Blue
Sky expenses
|
|
|
n/a
|
|
Auditor’s
fees and expenses
|
|
$
|
250,000.00
|
|
Legal
fees and expenses
|
|
$
|
250,000.00
|
|
Printing
expenses
|
|
$
|
5,000.00
|
|
Miscellaneous
expenses
|
|
|
n/a
|
|
Total
|
|
$
|
683,478.00
|
|
Item
14. Indemnification of
Directors and Officers
The
Trust’s Declaration of Trust and Trust Agreement (the “Trust Agreement”)
provides that the Sponsor shall be indemnified by the Trust (or, by a series of
the Trust separately to the extent the matter in question relates to a single
series or disproportionately affects a series in relation to other series)
against any losses, judgments, liabilities, expenses and amounts paid in
settlement of any claims sustained by it in connection with its activities for
the Trust, provided that (i) the Sponsor was acting on behalf of or performing
services for the Trust and has determined, in good faith, that such course of
conduct was in the best interests of the Trust and such liability or loss was
not the result of gross negligence, willful misconduct, or a breach of the Trust
Agreement on the part of the Sponsor and (ii) any such indemnification will only
be recoverable from the applicable trust estate or trust estates. All rights to
indemnification permitted by the Trust Agreement and payment of associated
expenses shall not be affected by the dissolution or other cessation to exist of
the Sponsor, or the withdrawal, adjudication of bankruptcy or insolvency of the
Sponsor, or the filing of a voluntary or involuntary petition in bankruptcy
under Title 11 of the Bankruptcy Code by or against the Sponsor.
Notwithstanding
the foregoing, the Sponsor shall not be indemnified for any losses, liabilities
or expenses arising from or out of an alleged violation of U.S. federal or state
securities laws unless (i) there has been a successful adjudication on the
merits of each count involving alleged securities law violations as to the
particular indemnitee and the court approves the indemnification of such
expenses (including, without limitation, litigation costs), (ii) such claims
have been dismissed with prejudice on the merits by a court of competent
jurisdiction as to the particular indemnitee and the court approves the
indemnification of such expenses (including, without limitation, litigation
costs) or (iii) a court of competent jurisdiction approves a settlement of the
claims against a particular indemnitee and finds that indemnification of the
settlement and related costs should be made.
The Trust
and its series shall not incur the cost of that portion of any insurance which
insures any party against any liability, the indemnification of which is
prohibited by the Trust Agreement.
Expenses
incurred in defending a threatened or pending civil, administrative or criminal
action suit or proceeding against the Sponsor shall be paid by the Trust in
advance of the final disposition of such action, suit or proceeding, if (i) the
legal action relates to the performance of duties or services by the Sponsor on
behalf of the Trust; (ii) the legal action is initiated by a party other than
the Trust; and (iii) the Sponsor undertakes to repay the advanced funds with
interest to the Trust in cases in which it is not entitled to indemnification
under the Trust Agreement.
For
purposes of the indemnification provisions of the Trust Agreement, the term
“Sponsor” includes, in addition to the Sponsor, any other covered person
performing services on behalf of the Trust and acting within the scope of the
Sponsor’s authority as set forth in the Trust Agreement.
In the
event the Trust is made a party to any claim, dispute, demand or litigation or
otherwise incurs any loss, liability, damage, cost or expense as a result of or
in connection with any Shareholder’s (or assignee’s) obligations or liabilities
unrelated to Trust business, such Shareholder (or assignees cumulatively) shall
indemnify, defend, hold harmless, and reimburse the Trust for all such loss,
liability, damage, cost and expense incurred, including attorneys’ and
accountants’ fees.
The
payment of any amount pursuant to the Trust Agreement shall take into account
the allocation of liabilities and other amounts, as appropriate, among the
series of the Trust.
Item
15. Recent Sales of
Unregistered Securities
On
July 31, 2010, the Sponsor made a $100 capital contribution to the
Fund. In connection with the commencement of the offering, the
Sponsor will receive 2 Sponsor’s Shares of the Fund to be issued in exchange for
the previously received capital contribution, representing a beneficial interest
in the pool.
The
above-described transaction was exempt from registration pursuant to Section
4(2) of the Securities Act or Regulation D promulgated thereunder as a
transaction not involving a public offering. No general solicitation
was made by the Fund, the Trust or any person acting on their behalf; the
securities sold are subject to transfer restrictions and may not be offered or
sold absent registration or pursuant to an exemption therefrom.
Item
16. Exhibits and Financial
Statement Schedules
(a) Exhibits
(a)
Exhibits
|
|
|
|
Form
of Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust and Trust Agreement of the
Registrant.- filed herewith
|
3.2
|
Certificate
of Trust of the Registrant.*
|
5.1
|
Opinion
of Dykema Gossett PLLC relating to the legality of the Shares.- filed
herewith
|
8.1
|
Opinion
of Dykema Gossett PLLC with respect to federal income tax consequences. –
filed herewith
|
10.1
|
Form
of Authorized Purchaser Agreement. – filed herewith
|
10.2
|
Form
of Marketing Agent Agreement and Distribution Agreement - filed
herewith
|
10.3
|
Global
Custody Agreement.**
|
10.4
|
Services
Agreement.**
|
10.5
|
Transfer
Agency and Service Agreement.**
|
23.1
|
Consents
of Dykema Gossett PLLC (included in Exhibit 5.1 and
8.1)
|
23.2
|
Consent
of Rothstein, Kass & Company, P.C.—filed
herewith
|
* Incorporated
by reference to Registration Statement on Form S-1 for Teucrium Commodity Trust
(File No. 333-162033) filed on September 21, 2009 (Accession No.
0001144204-09-049264).
** Incorporated
by reference to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 3 on Form S-1 for Teucrium Commodity
Trust (File No. 333-162033) filed on March 29, 2010 (Accession No.
0001144204-10-016181).
(b) Financial Statement
Schedules
The
financial statement schedules are either not applicable or the required
information is included in the financial statements and footnotes related
thereto.
Item
17. Undertakings
(a) Each
undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:
(1) To
file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a
post-effective amendment to this registration
statement:
(i) To
include any prospectus required by section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of
1933;
(iii) To
include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not
previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to
such information in the registration statement.
(2) That,
for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933,
each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration
statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such
securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering
thereof.
(3) To
remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the
securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the
offering.
(4) That,
for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act of 1933 to any
purchaser:
(i) If
the registrant is subject to Rule 430C (§230.430C of this chapter), each
prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) as part of a registration statement
relating to an offering, other than registration statements relying on Rule 430B
or other than prospectuses filed in reliance on Rule 430A (§230.430A of this
chapter), shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration
statement as of the date it is first used after effectiveness. Provided,
however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that
is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or
deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus
that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time
of contract of sale prior to such first use, supersede or modify any statement
that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the
registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such
date of first use.
(5) That,
for the purpose of determining liability of the registrant under the Securities
Act of 1933 to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities: The
undersigned registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of
the undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless
of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the
securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the
following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the
purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such
purchaser:
(i) Any
preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to
the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424 (§230.424 of this
chapter);
(ii) Any
free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the
undersigned registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned
registrant;
(iii) The
portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing
material information about the undersigned registrant or its securities provided
by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and
(iv) Any
other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned
registrant to the purchaser.
(b)
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of
1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the
registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant
has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission
such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is,
therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against
such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred
or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the
successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such
director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being
registered, the registrant 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.
SIGNATURES
Pursuant
to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the Registrant has duly
caused this Amendment No. 1 to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 to be
signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunder duly authorized, in the town
of Easton, state of Connecticut, on September 7, 2010.
Teucrium
Commodity Trust
|
|
|
|
|
By:
|
Teucrium
Trading, LLC, Sponsor
|
|
|
|
|
By:
|
/s/ Sal
Gilbertie
|
September
7, 2010
|
Name:
|
Sal
Gilbertie
|
|
Title:
President, Principal Executive Officer and Member
Signature
|
|
Title
|
|
Date
|
|
|
|
|
|
/s/ Sal Gilbertie
|
|
In
his own capacity as
|
|
September
7, 2010
|
Sal
Gilbertie
|
|
President/Principal
Executive
|
|
|
|
|
Officer/Member
of the Sponsor, and
|
|
|
|
|
as
Attorney-In- Fact
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
/s/ Dale Riker *
|
|
Treasurer/Principal
Financial
|
|
September
7, 2010
|
Dale
Riker
|
|
Officer/Principal
Accounting
|
|
|
|
|
Officer/Secretary/Member
of the
|
|
|
|
|
Sponsor
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
/s/ Carl N. Miller III
*
|
|
Member
of the Sponsor
|
|
September
7, 2010
|
Carl
N. Miller III
|
|
|
|
|
* By Power of Attory
Filed with Form
S-1 (SEC File No. 333-167593)
on June 17,
2010.
3.1
|
Form
of Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust and Trust Agreement of the
Registrant
|
5.1
|
Opinion
of Dykema Gossett PLLC relating to the legality of the
Shares
|
8.1
|
Opinion
of Dykema Gossett PLLC with respect to federal income tax
consequences
|
10.1
|
Form
of Authorized Purchaser Agreement
|
10.2
|
Form
of Marketing Agent Agreement and Distribution
Agreement
|
23.2
|
Consent
of Rothstein, Kass & Company,
P.C.
|