J.P. MORGAN EXCHANGE-TRADED FUND TRUST
277 PARK AVENUE
NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10172
VIA EDGAR
June 11, 2021
Alison T. White
Securities and Exchange Commission
100 F Street, NE
Washington, DC 20549
Re: J.P. Morgan Exchange-Traded Fund Trust (the Trust), on behalf of JPMorgan International Equity Core ETF and JPMorgan U.S. Large Cap Equity Core ETF
File Nos. 333-191837; 811-22903
Post-Effective Amendment No. 316
Dear Ms. White:
This letter is in response to the comments you provided telephonically on May 11, 2021 with respect to the filing related to the JPMorgan International Equity Core ETF and JPMorgan U.S. Large Cap Equity Core ETF (each, a Fund and collectively, the Funds). Our responses to your comments are set forth below. Except as otherwise noted below, we will incorporate the changes referenced below into the Trusts Registration Statement in a filing made pursuant to Rule 485(b) under the Securities Act of 1933. Capitalized terms used but not defined in this letter have the meanings given to them in the Funds Registration Statement.
1. | Comment: Please update the series information on EDGAR with each Funds Class IDs and tickers |
Response: The update for each Fund will be made prior to its launch.
PROSPECTUS
2. | Comment: Items 4 and 9 require you to disclose the funds principal investment strategies, which, as noted in Instruction 2 to Item 9(b)(1) of Form N-1A, depends on the strategys anticipated importance in achieving the funds investment objectives, and how the strategy affects the Funds potential risks and returns. |
Your current disclosure indicates that, as part of its investment process, the adviser seeks to assess the impact of certain ESG factors to identify issuers that you believe may be negatively or positively impacted by such factors relative to other issuers.
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As written, it is unclear that the ESG analysis is closely integrated into the investment decision making process to such an extent that it could be considered part of your principal strategies. Please either (1) expand on your disclosure to address specific E, S and G factors considered including the types of data and analysis reviewed and how the factors relate to buy/sell decisions or (2) relocate the disclosure to a more appropriate location. This comment applies to both Funds.
Response: We respectfully acknowledge your comment; however, we believe the current disclosure is appropriate. The disclosure related to ESG factors is not provided in response to Item 9(b)(1), which requires a Fund to describe its principal investment strategy, but rather the disclosure relates to Item 9(b)(2), which requires a Fund to explain in general terms how the Funds adviser decides which securities to buy and sell. Per Form N-1A, the Item 4 disclosure should be based on the information given in response to Item 9(b) (not just Item 9(b)(1)). As a result, we believe the current disclosure is appropriate and in compliance with Form N-1A, and that it is not misleading to provide a summary of the advisers investment process in the What are the Funds main investment strategies section, as it provides information to shareholders as to how the adviser decides which securities to buy and sell. In addition, we believe the level of detail explaining the ESG factors is appropriate. As indicated in the disclosure, the portfolio managers assess the impact of ESG factors on the cash flows of many companies in which they may invest. Such analysis is part of the Funds normal investment process and is integrated into the advisers research process. The first paragraph of the The Funds Main Investment Risks section states the risks associated with management risk, noting that the Fund is subject to management risk and may not achieve its objective if the advisers expectations regarding particular instruments or markets are not met. Therefore, we believe the current disclosure is appropriate.
3. | Comment: The disclosure in the Investment Process section for each Fund states that |
The Fund is designed to provide exposure to high conviction ideas across the advisers investment platform, leveraging the portfolios of multiple strategies.
Please rewrite the statement to explain what is meant by high conviction securities. Also provide more specific disclosure about the types of strategies that will be leveraged by each Fund.
Response: For the JPMorgan U.S. Large Cap Equity Core ETF (US Large Cap ETF), we will revise the disclosure in the first paragraph of its Investment Process to read as follows:
Investment Process: The Fund seeks to meet its objective by investing in U.S. equities. The Fund is designed to provide exposure to attractively valued securities across the advisers investment platform, leveraging U.S. large cap portfolios across the value, core and growth style spectrum. This approach combines the benefits of top down fundamental macro views with bottom up securities selection in each of these strategies.
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For the JPMorgan International Equity Core ETF (International ETF), we will add the following disclosure:
Investment Process: The Fund seeks to meet its objective by investing in international equities. The Fund is designed to provide exposure to attractively valued securities across the advisers investment platform, leveraging international portfolios across the value, core and growth style spectrum. This approach combines the benefits of top down fundamental macro views with bottom up securities selection in each of these strategies.
4. | Comment: Please disclose the number of securities that the US Large Cap ETF will hold and whether the Fund will be diversified. |
Response: We respectfully acknowledge your comment, but we do not believe that Item 4 requires disclosure that the Fund is diversified and the number of securities the Fund will hold. Therefore, we are not going to revise the current disclosure.
5. | Comment: The US Large Cap ETF discloses in response to Item 9 that the Fund may invest in small cap securities. If the investments in small cap securities is a principal strategy, please disclose that fact in the Funds Risk/Return Summary. |
Response: Investments in small cap securities is not a principal investment of the Fund so we will not include such disclosure in the Risk/Return Summary. We will clarify that fact in the Item 9 disclosure.
6. | Comment: For each Fund, please disclose supplementally how the Funds will value derivatives for purposes of each Funds 80% test. |
Response: Derivatives are not included in the numerator for purposes of determining the Funds compliance with its 80% policy.
7. | Comment: For each Fund, please add principal strategy disclosure to match the sector risk disclosure. |
Response: For the US Large Cap ETF, we will add the following disclosure:
In implementing its strategy, the Fund seeks to construct a portfolio of holdings that will outperform the Benchmark over time while maintaining similar risk characteristics, including sector risks; in doing so, the Fund may increase the relative emphasis of its investments in a particular sector.
For the International ETF, we will add the following disclosure:
In implementing its strategy, the Fund seeks to construct a portfolio of holdings that will outperform the Benchmark over time while maintaining similar risk characteristics, including sector and geographic risks; in doing so, the Fund may increase the relative emphasis of its investments in a particular sector or country.
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STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION (the SAI)
8. | Comment: On page I-2 of the SAI Part I for the International ETF, the disclosure regarding the treatment of utilities and wholly-owned finance companies is different from the disclosure of the US Large Cap ETF. Please explain why the disclosure is different or revise it to match the disclosure for the US Large Cap ETF. |
Response: The disclosure will be revised so that the disclosure for the two Funds is the same.
We hope that the Staff finds this letter responsive to the Staffs comments. Should members of the Staff have any questions or comments concerning this letter, please call the undersigned at (614) 213-4020.
Sincerely,
/s/ Elizabeth A. Davin
Elizabeth A. Davin
Executive Director and Assistant General Counsel
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