N-1A 1 tm2125228d2_n1a.htm N-1A

 

  Securities Act Registration No. 333-
  Investment Company Act
  Registration No. 811-23731

 

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

___________________________________

 

FORM N-1A

________________________________

 

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

Pre-Effective Amendment No.

Post-Effective Amendment No.

and

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940

Investment Company Act File No.

Amendment No.

__________________

BONDBLOXX ETF TRUST

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Declaration of Trust)

 

____________________________________________

35 Miller Avenue #145

Mill Valley, CA 94941

(800) 896-5089

 

Name and Address of Agent for Service

BondBloxx Investment Management LLC

35 Miller Avenue #145

Mill Valley, CA 94941

 

Copy to:

 

Edward Baer

Ropes & Gray LLP

Three Embarcadero Center

San Francisco, CA 94111

 

________________________________________________

 

Approximate Date of proposed public offering: As soon as practicable after the effective date of this Registration Statement.

 

TO THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION:

 

Registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until 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 of 1933, as amended, or until this Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.

 

 

 

 

The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any state where the offer or sale is not permitted.

 

 

 

 

Subject to Completion—Dated [______________________]

 

[ ], 2021 Prospectus 

 

 

 

BondBloxxSM ETF Trust 

•   BondBloxx US High Yield Industrial Sector ETF | [Ticker] | NYSE Arca 

•   BondBloxx US High Yield Telecom Media Technology Sector ETF | [Ticker] | NYSE Arca 

•   BondBloxx US High Yield Healthcare Sector ETF | [Ticker] | NYSE Arca 

•   BondBloxx US High Yield Financial Sector ETF | [Ticker] | NYSE Arca 

•   BondBloxx US High Yield Energy Sector ETF | [Ticker] | NYSE Arca 

•   BondBloxx US High Yield Consumer Cyclicals Sector ETF | [Ticker] | NYSE Arca 

•   BondBloxx US High Yield Consumer Non-Cyclicals Sector ETF | [Ticker] | NYSE Arca

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The SEC has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

BondBloxxSM  is a service mark of BondBloxx Investment Management LLC.

 

 

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Table of Contents

 

Fund Overviews 1  
     
BondBloxx US High Yield Industrial Sector ETF 1  
     
BondBloxx US High Yield Telecom Media Technology Sector ETF 8  
     
BondBloxx US High Yield Healthcare Sector ETF 15  
     
BondBloxx US High Yield Financial Sector ETF 22  
     
BondBloxx US High Yield Energy Sector ETF 29  
     
BondBloxx US High Yield Consumer Cyclicals Sector ETF 36  
     
BondBloxx US High Yield Consumer Non-Cyclicals Sector ETF 43  
     
More Information About the Funds 50  
     
A Further Discussion of Principal Risks 50  
     
A Further Discussion of Other Risks 62  
     
Portfolio Holdings Information 64  
     
Management 64  
     
Shareholder Information 65  
     
Distribution 69  
     
Financial Highlights 70  
     
Index Provider 70  
     
Disclaimers 70  
     

 

[ICE® is a registered trademark of ICE Data Indices, LLC (“IDI”) or its affiliates and is used with permission under license. BofA® is a registered trademark of Bank of America Corporation licensed by Bank of America Corporation and its affiliates (“BofA”), and may not be used without BofA’s prior written approval. These trademarks, together with the “ICE BofA US High Yield Constrained Index” have been licensed from IDI for use for certain purposes by BondBloxx Investment Management LLC or its affiliates in connection with the Fund.]

 

 

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BONDBLOXX US HIGH YIELD INDUSTRIAL SECTOR ETF

Ticker: [ ]                       Stock Exchange: NYSE Arca

 

Investment Objective

 

The BondBloxx US High Yield Industrial Sector ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of U.S. dollar-denominated, high yield corporate bonds in the industrial sector.

 

Fees and Expenses

 

The following table describes the fees and expenses that you will incur if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. The investment advisory agreement between BondBloxx ETF Trust (the “Trust”) and BondBloxx Investment Management LLC (“BIM”) (the “Investment Advisory Agreement”) provides that BIM will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except the management fees, interest expenses, taxes, expenses incurred with respect to the acquisition and disposition of portfolio securities and the execution of portfolio transactions, including brokerage commissions, distribution fees or expenses, litigation expenses and any extraordinary expenses.

 

You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below.

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a
percentage of the value of your investments)
Management
Fees
  Distribution and
Service (12b-1)
Fees
  Other
Expenses1
  Total Annual
Fund
Operating
Expenses
 
[ ]%   None   [ ]%   [ ]%  

 

 

1 Other Expenses are based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year.

 

Example. This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of owning shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:

 

1 Year   3 Years
$[ ]   $[ ]

 

Portfolio Turnover. The Fund may pay transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. Portfolio turnover information for the Fund is not presented because the Fund had not commenced investment operations as of the date of this prospectus.

 

Principal Investment Strategies

 

The Fund is newly organized, non-diversified and seeks to track the investment results of the ICE Diversified US Cash Pay High Yield Core Industrial Index (the “Index”), which is a rules-based index consisting of U.S. dollar-denominated below investment grade securities (as determined by ICE Data Indices, LLC or its affiliates (collectively “Index Provider” or “IDI”)) that contains issuers from the industrial sector, including the basic materials, capital goods, transportation and services sub-sectors. The Index is a modified market value-weighted index with a cap on each issuer of 25%. There is no limit to the number of issues in the Index, but as of [June 30], 2021, the Index included approximately [ ] constituents. The issuers in the Index are principally located in the United States. The components of the Index are likely to change over time.

 

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The Index is composed of a subset of securities in the ICE BofA US Cash Pay High Yield Constrained Index (the “Underlying Index”). As of the date of this prospectus (the “Prospectus”), the bonds eligible for inclusion in the Underlying Index include U.S. dollar-denominated high yield corporate bonds, currently in a coupon paying period, that are publicly issued in the U.S. domestic market, and that: (i) are issued by companies having “risk exposure” to countries (i.e., issuers that are subject to the risks of one or more of these countries as a result of the principal country of domicile of the issuers (as determined by the Index Provider)) that are members of the FX-G10, which include Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the U.K. and the U.S. and their respective territories; (ii) have an average rating of below investment grade (ratings from Fitch Ratings, Inc. (“Fitch”), Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody's”) or S&P Global Ratings are considered; if more than one agency provides a rating, the average rating is attached to the bond); (iii) are registered with the SEC, exempt from registration at issuance, or offered pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”), with or without registration rights; (iv) have at least $250 million of outstanding face value; (v) have an original maturity date of at least 18 months; and (vi) have at least one year to maturity. Underlying Index constituents are capitalization-weighted, based on their current amount outstanding, provided the total allocation to an individual issuer does not exceed 2%.

 

BIM uses a “passive” or indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not try to “outperform” the index it tracks and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued.

 

Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by aiming to keep portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies.

 

BIM uses a representative sampling indexing strategy to manage the Fund. “Representative sampling” is an indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to that of an applicable underlying index. The securities selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market value and sector weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability, duration, maturity, credit ratings and yield) and liquidity measures similar to those of an applicable underlying index. The Fund may or may not hold all of the securities in the Index.

 

The Fund generally will invest at least 80% of its assets in the component securities of the Index and may invest up to 20% of its assets in certain futures, options and swap contracts, U.S. Treasury obligations, U.S. Government obligations, U.S. agency securities, securities of other registered investment companies, cash and cash equivalents, as well as in securities not included in its Index, but which BIM believes will help the Fund track its Index.

 

The Fund seeks to track the investment results of the Index before fees and expenses of the Fund.

 

The Index is sponsored by the Index Provider, which is independent of the Fund and BIM. The Index Provider determines the composition and relative weightings of the securities in the Index and publishes information regarding the market value of the Index.

 

Industry Concentration Policy. The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent that the Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities), repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities, and securities of state or municipal governments and their political subdivisions are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.

 

Summary of Principal Risks

 

As with any investment, you could lose all or a substantial part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments. The Fund is subject to certain risks, including the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund's net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. The order of the below risk factors does not indicate the significance of any particular risk factor.

 

Market Trading Risk. The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including the potential lack of an active market for Fund shares or the Fund’s underlying portfolio securities, losses from trading in secondary markets, periods of high volatility and disruptions in the creation/redemption process. ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO THE FUND'S SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NAV.

 

Index-Related Risk. There is no guarantee that the Fund’s investment results will have a high degree of correlation to those of the Index or that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Fund’s ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Index.

 

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Errors in index data, index computations or the construction of the Index in accordance with its methodology may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Index Provider for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. Unusual market conditions may cause the Index Provider to postpone a scheduled rebalance, which could cause the Index to vary from its normal or expected composition. In addition, the Index Provider may be subject to business or regulatory changes that impair its ability to continue to operate the Index in its current form.

 

Tracking Error Risk. The Fund may be subject to tracking error, which is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of the Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities and other instruments held in the Fund’s portfolio and those included in the Index, pricing differences (including, as applicable, differences between a security’s price at the local market close and the Fund's valuation of a security at the time of calculation of the Fund's NAV or differences between the securities prices used to value the Index and those used by the Fund), transaction costs incurred by the Fund, securities lending earnings, the Fund’s holding of uninvested cash, differences in timing of the accrual of or the valuation of distributions, the requirements to maintain pass-through tax treatment, portfolio transactions carried out to minimize the distribution of capital gains to shareholders, acceptance of custom baskets, changes to the Index or the costs to the Fund of complying with various new or existing regulatory requirements. This risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Index does not. INDEX-BASED EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS (“ETFs”) THAT TRACK INDICES WITH SIGNIFICANT WEIGHT IN HIGH YIELD SECURITIES MAY EXPERIENCE HIGHER TRACKING ERROR THAN OTHER INDEX ETFs THAT DO NOT TRACK SUCH INDICES.

 

Passive Investment Risk. The Fund is not actively managed, and BIM generally does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets or changing interest rate environments.

 

Interest Rate Risk. During periods of very low or negative interest rates, the Fund may be unable to maintain positive returns or pay dividends to Fund shareholders. Very low or negative interest rates may magnify interest rate risk. Changing interest rates, including rates that fall below zero, may have unpredictable effects on markets, result in heightened market volatility and detract from the Fund’s performance to the extent the Fund is exposed to such interest rates. Additionally, under certain market conditions in which interest rates are low and the market prices for portfolio securities have increased, the Fund may have a very low, or even negative yield. A low or negative yield would cause the Fund to lose money in certain conditions and over certain time periods. An increase in interest rates will generally cause the value of securities held by the Fund to decline, may lead to heightened volatility in the fixed-income markets and may adversely affect the liquidity of certain fixed-income investments, including those held by the Fund. The recent historically low interest rate environment heightens the risks associated with rising interest rates that may result from central bank or government intervention or other inflationary pressures.

 

Income Risk. The Fund's income may decline if interest rates fall. This decline in income can occur because the Fund may subsequently invest in lower-yielding bonds as bonds in its portfolio mature, are near maturity or are called, bonds in the Index are substituted, or the Fund otherwise needs to purchase additional bonds.

 

Call Risk. During periods of falling interest rates, an issuer of a callable bond held by the Fund may “call” or repay the security prior to its stated maturity, and the Fund may have to reinvest the proceeds in securities with lower interest rates, which would result in a decline in the Fund's income, or in securities with greater risks or with other less favorable features.

 

Credit Risk. Debt issuers and other counterparties may be unable or unwilling to make timely interest and/or principal payments when due or otherwise honor their obligations. Changes in an issuer’s credit rating or the market’s perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness may also adversely affect the value of the Fund’s investment in that issuer. The degree of credit risk depends on an issuer's or counterparty's financial condition and on the terms of an obligation. The Fund expects to invest in fixed income securities of high yield issuers that may exhibit higher levels of credit risk than other types of fixed income instruments.

 

Inflation Risk. Inflation is a sustained rise in overall price levels. Moderate inflation is associated with economic growth, while high inflation can signal an overheated economy. Inflation risk is the risk that the value of assets or income from investments will be less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money (i.e., as inflation increases, the values of the Fund’s assets can decline). Inflation poses a “stealth” threat to investors because it reduces savings and investment returns. Central banks, such as the U.S. Federal Reserve, generally attempt to control inflation by regulating the pace of economic activity. They typically attempt to affect economic activity by raising and lowering short-term interest rates. At times, governments may attempt to manage inflation through fiscal policy, such as by raising taxes or reducing spending, thereby reducing economic activity; conversely, governments can attempt to combat deflation with tax cuts and increased spending designed to stimulate economic activity. Inflation rates may change frequently and significantly as a result of various factors, including unexpected shifts in the domestic or global economy and changes

 

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in economic policies, and the Fund’s investments may not keep pace with inflation, which may result in losses to Fund shareholders. This risk is greater for fixed-income instruments with longer maturities.

  

High Yield Securities Risk. Securities that are rated below investment-grade (sometimes referred to as “junk bonds,” which may include those bonds rated below “BBB-” by S&P Global Ratings and Fitch or below “Baa3” by Moody’s), or similar securities that are unrated, may be deemed speculative, may involve greater levels of risk than higher-rated securities of similar maturity and may be more likely to default.

 

Market Risk. The Fund could lose money over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during more prolonged market downturns. Local, regional or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, the spread of infectious illness or other public health issues, recessions, the advent of significant inflation, or other events could have a significant impact on the Fund and its investments and could result in increased premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV.

 

Issuer Risk. The performance of the Fund depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. The Fund may be adversely affected if an issuer of underlying securities held by the Fund is unable or unwilling to repay principal or interest when due. Changes in the financial condition or credit rating of an issuer of those securities may cause the value of the securities to decline.

 

Asset Class Risk. Securities and other assets in the Index or in the Fund's portfolio may underperform in comparison to the general financial markets, a particular financial market or other asset classes.

 

Geographic Risk. A natural disaster could occur in a geographic region in which the Fund invests, which could adversely affect the economy or the business operations of companies in the specific geographic region, causing an adverse impact on the Fund's investments in, or which are exposed to, the affected region.

 

Risk of Investing in the U.S. Certain changes in the U.S. economy, such as when the U.S. economy weakens or when its financial markets decline, may have an adverse effect on the securities to which the Fund has exposure.

 

Infectious Illness Risk. An outbreak of an infectious respiratory illness, COVID-19, caused by a novel coronavirus has resulted in travel restrictions, disruption of healthcare systems, prolonged quarantines, cancellations, supply chain disruptions, lower consumer demand, layoffs, business shutdowns, ratings downgrades, defaults and other significant economic impacts. Certain markets have experienced temporary closures, extreme volatility, severe losses, reduced liquidity and increased trading costs. In addition, certain government and regulatory responses to COVID-19 have created uncertain economic conditions and/or exacerbated certain economic challenges faced by individuals, businesses and government entities. These events will have an impact on the Fund and its investments and could impact the Fund’s ability to purchase or sell securities or cause elevated tracking error and increased premiums or discounts to the Fund's NAV. Other infectious illness outbreaks in the future may result in similar impacts.

 

Industrial Sector Risk. The industrial sector consists of numerous sub-sectors, including the basic materials, capital goods, transportation and services sub-sectors. Industrial companies are affected by supply and demand both for their specific product or service and for industrial sector products in general. Government regulation, world events, exchange rates and economic conditions, technological developments and liabilities for environmental damage and general civil liabilities will likewise affect the performance of these companies. Aerospace and defense companies, a component of the industrial sector, can be significantly affected by government spending policies because companies involved in this sector rely, to a significant extent, on U.S. and foreign government demand for their products and services. Transportation securities, a component of the industrial sector, are cyclical and have occasional sharp price movements which may result from changes in the economy, fuel prices, labor agreements and insurance costs.

 

Basic Materials Sub-Sector Risk. Issuers in the basic materials sub-sector may be adversely affected by commodity price volatility, exchange rate fluctuations, import controls and increased competition. Production of industrial materials often exceeds demand as a result of over-building or economic downturns, leading to poor investment returns. Issuers in the basic materials sub-sector are at risk for environmental damage and product liability claims and may be adversely affected by depletion of resources, interruptions in supplies of certain commodities, delays in technical progress, labor relations and government and environmental regulations.

 

Capital Goods Sub-Sector Risk. Companies in the capital goods sub-sector include aerospace & defense, building products, construction & engineering, and other manufacturers of capital intensive products. Companies in the capital goods sub-sector may be affected by fluctuations in the business cycle and by other factors affecting manufacturing demands, including the availability and price of certain commodities. The capital goods sub-sector depends heavily on corporate spending. Companies in the capital goods sub-sector may perform well during times of economic expansion, but as economic conditions worsen, the demand for capital goods may decrease. Many capital goods are sold internationally, and companies in this sub-sector may be affected by market conditions in other countries and regions.

 

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Transportation Sub-Sector Risk. Companies in the transportation sub-sector may be adversely affected by changes in the economy, increases in fuel and operating costs, labor relations, technology developments, exchange rates, insurance costs, industry competition and government regulation. Companies in the transportation sub-sector are also affected by severe weather events, mass casualty accidents or environmental catastrophes, acts of terrorism and other similar events that target or damage transportation infrastructure or vessels, war or risk of war, widespread disruption of technology systems and increasing equipment and operational costs. Such global or regional events and conditions may adversely affect the operations, financial condition and liquidity of companies in the transportation sub-sector and cause insurance premiums to increase dramatically or result in insurance coverage becoming unavailable for certain business lines or assets. Securities of companies in the transportation sub-sector are generally cyclical and occasionally subject to sharp price movements.

 

Focused Investment Risk. To the extent the Fund invests more heavily in particular sectors, sub-sectors, industries, groups of industries, asset classes, markets, regions, countries, or groups of countries, its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that significantly affect those sectors, sub-sectors, industries, asset classes, markets, regions, or countries. In addition, the value of the Fund’s shares may change at different rates compared to the value of shares of a fund with investments in a more diversified mix of sectors, sub-sectors, industries, asset classes, markets, regions, or countries. An individual sector, sub-sector, industry, group of industries, asset-class, market, region, country, or group of countries may outperform the broader market during particular periods, but may do so with considerably greater volatility than the broader market. In addition, the several industries that constitute a sector or sub-sector or the several countries or markets that constitute a region or group of countries may all react similarly to economic, political, regulatory or other market events. The Fund’s performance could also be affected if the sectors, sub-sectors, industries, asset classes, markets, regions, or countries do not perform as expected. Alternatively, a lack of exposure to one or more other sectors, sub-sectors, industries, asset classes, markets, regions, or countries may adversely affect performance.

 

Concentration Risk. The Fund may be susceptible to an increased risk of loss, including losses due to adverse events that affect the Fund’s investments more than the market as a whole, to the extent that the Fund's investments are concentrated in the securities and/or other assets of a particular issuer or issuers, sector, sub-sector, market segment, market, industry, group of industries, country, group of countries, region or asset class.

 

Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is classified as a “non-diversified” fund under the 1940 Act. Accordingly, the Fund may invest a greater portion of its assets in the securities of a single issuer than if it were a “diversified” fund. To the extent that the Fund invests a higher percentage of its assets in the securities of a single issuer, the Fund is subject to a higher degree of risk associated with and developments affecting that issuer than a fund that invests more widely.

 

Illiquid Investments Risk. The Fund may invest up to an aggregate amount of 15% of its net assets in illiquid investments. An illiquid investment is any investment that the Fund reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without significantly changing the market value of the investment. To the extent the Fund holds illiquid investments, the illiquid investments may reduce the returns of the Fund because the Fund may be unable to transact at advantageous times or prices. During periods of market volatility, liquidity in the market for the Fund’s shares may be impacted by the liquidity in the market for the underlying securities or instruments held by the Fund, which could lead to the Fund’s shares trading at a premium or discount to the Fund’s NAV. The high yield securities in which the Fund invests may experience greater liquidity challenges than other types of securities during periods of market stress.

 

Privately Issued Securities Risk. The Fund will invest in privately issued securities, including those that are normally purchased pursuant to Rule 144A or Regulation S promulgated under the 1933 Act. Privately issued securities are securities that have not been registered under the 1933 Act and as a result may be subject to legal restrictions on resale. Privately issued securities are generally not traded on established markets. As a result of the absence of a public trading market, privately issued securities may be deemed to be illiquid investments, may be more difficult to value than publicly traded securities and may be subject to wide fluctuations in value. Delay or difficulty in selling such securities may result in a loss to the Fund.

 

Authorized Participant Concentration Risk. Only an Authorized Participant (as defined in the Creations and Redemptions section of the Prospectus) may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund, and Authorized Participants are not obligated to engage in creation and/or redemption transactions. The Fund has a limited number of institutions that may act as Authorized Participants on an agency basis (i.e., on behalf of other market participants). To the extent that Authorized Participants exit the business or are unable or unwilling to proceed with creation or redemption orders with respect to the Fund and no other Authorized Participant is willing or able to step forward to create or redeem, Fund shares may be more likely to trade at a premium or discount to NAV and possibly face trading halts or delisting.

 

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Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF) and Other Investment Company Risk. The Fund may invest in shares of other investment companies and ETFs. Shareholders bear both their proportionate share of the Fund’s expenses and similar expenses of the underlying investment company or ETF when the Fund invests in shares of another investment company or ETF. The Fund is subject to the risks associated with the ETF or investment company’s investments. The price and movement of an ETF designed to track an index may not track the index and may result in a loss. In addition, ETFs may trade at a price above (premium) or below (discount) their net asset value, especially during periods of significant market volatility or stress, causing investors to pay significantly more or less than the value of the ETF’s underlying portfolio. Certain ETFs traded on exchanges may be thinly traded and experience large spreads between the “ask” price quoted by a seller and the “bid” price offered by a buyer.

  

Management Risk. Because BIM uses a representative sampling indexing strategy, the Fund may not be able to fully replicate the Index and may hold securities not included in the Index. As a result, the Fund is subject to the risk that BIM’s investment strategy, the implementation of which is subject to a number of constraints, may not produce the intended results.

 

Operational Risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risks arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, Authorized Participants, market makers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate processes and computer, technology or systems failures. The Fund and BIM seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate to address significant operational risks.

 

Valuation Risk. The price the Fund could receive upon the sale of a security or other asset may differ from the Fund's valuation of the security or other asset and from the value used by the Index, particularly for securities or other assets that trade in low volume or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair value methodology as a result of trade suspensions or for other reasons. In addition, the value of the securities or other assets in the Fund's portfolio may change on days or during time periods when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund's shares. Authorized Participants who purchase or redeem Fund shares on days when the Fund is holding fair-valued securities may receive fewer or more shares, or lower or higher redemption proceeds, than they would have received had the Fund not fair-valued securities or used a different valuation methodology. The Fund’s ability to value investments may be impacted by a lack of current market prices, technological issues or errors by pricing services or other third-party service providers.

 

Cybersecurity Risk. Failures or breaches of the electronic or computer systems of the Fund, the Fund's adviser, distributor, the Index Provider and other service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests have the ability to cause disruptions, negatively impact the Fund’s business operations and/or potentially result in financial losses to the Fund and its shareholders. While the Fund has established business continuity plans and risk management systems seeking to address system breaches or failures, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cybersecurity plans and systems of the Fund’s Index Provider and other service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants or issuers of securities in which the Fund invests.

 

LIBOR Transition Risk. The risk related to the anticipated discontinuation of the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) by the end of 2021. On November 30, 2020, the administrator of LIBOR announced a delay in the phase out of a majority of the U.S. dollar LIBOR publications until June 30, 2023, and the remainder of LIBOR publications are expected to end at the end of 2021. Certain instruments held by the Fund may rely in some fashion upon LIBOR. Although the transition process away from LIBOR has become increasingly well-defined in advance of the anticipated discontinuation date, there remains uncertainty regarding the nature of any replacement rate, and any potential effects of the transition away from LIBOR on the Fund or on certain instruments in which the Fund invests can be difficult to ascertain. The transition process may involve, among other things, increased volatility or illiquidity in markets for instruments that currently rely on LIBOR, and may result in a reduction in value of certain instruments held by the Fund.

 

Performance Information

 

In the future, this section will show how the Fund’s total return has varied from year-to-year, along with a broad-based market index for reference. Past performance (before and after taxes) is not an indication of future performance. Because the Fund has not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus, there is no past performance to return. Updated performance information, including the Fund’s current NAV, may be obtained by visiting our website at [www.bondbloxx.com] or by calling [ ] (toll free).

 

Management

 

Investment Adviser. BondBloxx Investment Management LLC.

 

6

 

 

 

Portfolio Manager. Elya Schwartzman (the “Portfolio Manager”) is primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund. The Portfolio Manager has been a fixed income Portfolio Manager of the Fund since the Fund’s inception.

 

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

 

The Fund is an ETF. Individual shares of the Fund may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through a broker-dealer. When you buy or sell shares of the Fund, you may be required to pay a brokerage commission, and you may experience tax consequences, including gains or losses, in connection with these transactions. Because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than at NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (a premium) or less than NAV (a discount). An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for shares of the Fund (ask) when buying or selling shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). Recent information regarding the Fund's NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads is available at [www.BondBloxx.com].

 

Tax Information

 

The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxable to you as ordinary income or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement such as a 401(k) plan or an IRA, in which case, your distributions generally will be taxed when withdrawn.

 

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

 

If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), BIM or other related companies may pay the intermediary for marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and reporting systems or other services related to the sale or promotion of the Fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

 

7

 

 

BONDBLOXX US HIGH YIELD TELECOM MEDIA
TECHNLOGY SECTOR ETF

Ticker: [ ]                       Stock Exchange: NYSE Arca

 

Investment Objective

 

The BondBloxx US High Yield Telecom Media Technology Sector ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of U.S. dollar-denominated, high yield corporate bonds in the telecommunications, media and technology sector.

 

Fees and Expenses

 

The following table describes the fees and expenses that you will incur if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. The investment advisory agreement between BondBloxx ETF Trust (the “Trust”) and BondBloxx Investment Management LLC (“BIM”) (the “Investment Advisory Agreement”) provides that BIM will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except the management fees, interest expenses, taxes, expenses incurred with respect to the acquisition and disposition of portfolio securities and the execution of portfolio transactions, including brokerage commissions, distribution fees or expenses, litigation expenses and any extraordinary expenses.

 

You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below.

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a
percentage of the value of your investments)
Management
Fees
  Distribution and
Service (12b-1)
Fees
  Other
Expenses1
  Total Annual
Fund
Operating
Expenses
 
[ ]%   None   [ ]%   [ ]%  

 

__________________

1 Other Expenses are based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year.

 

Example. This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of owning shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:

 

1 Year   3 Years
$[ ]   $[ ]

 

Portfolio Turnover. The Fund may pay transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. Portfolio turnover information for the Fund is not presented because the Fund had not commenced investment operations as of the date of this prospectus.

 

Principal Investment Strategies

 

The Fund is newly organized, non-diversified and seeks to track the investment results of the ICE Diversified US Cash Pay High Yield Telecom, Media & Technology Index (the “Index”), which is a rules-based index consisting of U.S. dollar-denominated below investment grade securities (as determined by ICE Data Indices, LLC or its affiliates (collectively “Index Provider” or “IDI”)) that contains issuers from the telecom, media and technology sector, including the telecommunications, communication services, technology & electronics, and media sub-sectors. The Index is a modified market value-weighted index with a cap on each issuer of 25%. There is no limit to the number of issues in

  

8

 

 

the Index, but as of [June 30], 2021, the Index included approximately [ ] constituents. The issuers in the Index are principally located in the United States. The components of the Index are likely to change over time.

 

The Index is composed of a subset of securities in the ICE BofA US Cash Pay High Yield Constrained Index (the “Underlying Index”). As of the date of this prospectus (the “Prospectus”), the bonds eligible for inclusion in the Underlying Index include U.S. dollar-denominated high yield corporate bonds, currently in a coupon paying period, that are publicly issued in the U.S. domestic market, and that: (i) are issued by companies having “risk exposure” to countries (i.e., issuers that are subject to the risks of one or more of these countries as a result of the principal country of domicile of the issuers (as determined by the Index Provider)) that are members of the FX-G10, which include Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the U.K. and the U.S. and their respective territories; (ii) have an average rating of below investment grade (ratings from Fitch Ratings, Inc. (“Fitch”), Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody's”) or S&P Global Ratings are considered; if more than one agency provides a rating, the average rating is attached to the bond); (iii) are registered with the SEC, exempt from registration at issuance, or offered pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”), with or without registration rights; (iv) have at least $250 million of outstanding face value; (v) have an original maturity date of at least 18 months; and (vi) have at least one year to maturity. Underlying Index constituents are capitalization-weighted, based on their current amount outstanding, provided the total allocation to an individual issuer does not exceed 2%.

 

BIM uses a “passive” or indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not try to “outperform” the index it tracks and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued.

 

Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by aiming to keep portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies.

 

BIM uses a representative sampling indexing strategy to manage the Fund. “Representative sampling” is an indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to that of an applicable underlying index. The securities selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market value and sector weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability, duration, maturity, credit ratings and yield) and liquidity measures similar to those of an applicable underlying index. The Fund may or may not hold all of the securities in the Index.

 

The Fund generally will invest at least 80% of its assets in the component securities of the Index and may invest up to 20% of its assets in certain futures, options and swap contracts, U.S. Treasury obligations, U.S. Government obligations, U.S. agency securities, securities of other registered investment companies, cash and cash equivalents, as well as in securities not included in its Index, but which BIM believes will help the Fund track its Index.

 

The Fund seeks to track the investment results of the Index before fees and expenses of the Fund.

 

The Index is sponsored by the Index Provider, which is independent of the Fund and BIM. The Index Provider determines the composition and relative weightings of the securities in the Index and publishes information regarding the market value of the Index.

 

Industry Concentration Policy. The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent that the Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities), repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities, and securities of state or municipal governments and their political subdivisions are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.

 

Summary of Principal Risks

 

As with any investment, you could lose all or a substantial part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments. The Fund is subject to certain risks, including the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund's net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. The order of the below risk factors does not indicate the significance of any particular risk factor.

 

Market Trading Risk. The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including the potential lack of an active market for Fund shares or the Fund’s underlying portfolio securities, losses from trading in secondary markets, periods of high volatility and disruptions in the creation/redemption process. ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO THE FUND'S SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NAV.

 

9

 

 

Index-Related Risk. There is no guarantee that the Fund’s investment results will have a high degree of correlation to those of the Index or that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Fund’s ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Index. Errors in index data, index computations or the construction of the Index in accordance with its methodology may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Index Provider for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. Unusual market conditions may cause the Index Provider to postpone a scheduled rebalance, which could cause the Index to vary from its normal or expected composition. In addition, the Index Provider may be subject to business or regulatory changes that impair its ability to continue to operate the Index in its current form.

 

Tracking Error Risk. The Fund may be subject to tracking error, which is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of the Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities and other instruments held in the Fund’s portfolio and those included in the Index, pricing differences (including, as applicable, differences between a security’s price at the local market close and the Fund's valuation of a security at the time of calculation of the Fund's NAV or differences between the securities prices used to value the Index and those used by the Fund), transaction costs incurred by the Fund, securities lending earnings, the Fund’s holding of uninvested cash, differences in timing of the accrual of or the valuation of distributions, the requirements to maintain pass-through tax treatment, portfolio transactions carried out to minimize the distribution of capital gains to shareholders, acceptance of custom baskets, changes to the Index or the costs to the Fund of complying with various new or existing regulatory requirements. This risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Index does not. INDEX-BASED EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS (“ETFs”) THAT TRACK INDICES WITH SIGNIFICANT WEIGHT IN HIGH YIELD SECURITIES MAY EXPERIENCE HIGHER TRACKING ERROR THAN OTHER INDEX ETFs THAT DO NOT TRACK SUCH INDICES.

 

Passive Investment Risk. The Fund is not actively managed, and BIM generally does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets or changing interest rate environments.

 

Interest Rate Risk. During periods of very low or negative interest rates, the Fund may be unable to maintain positive returns or pay dividends to Fund shareholders. Very low or negative interest rates may magnify interest rate risk. Changing interest rates, including rates that fall below zero, may have unpredictable effects on markets, result in heightened market volatility and detract from the Fund’s performance to the extent the Fund is exposed to such interest rates. Additionally, under certain market conditions in which interest rates are low and the market prices for portfolio securities have increased, the Fund may have a very low, or even negative yield. A low or negative yield would cause the Fund to lose money in certain conditions and over certain time periods. An increase in interest rates will generally cause the value of securities held by the Fund to decline, may lead to heightened volatility in the fixed-income markets and may adversely affect the liquidity of certain fixed-income investments, including those held by the Fund. The recent historically low interest rate environment heightens the risks associated with rising interest rates that may result from central bank or government intervention or other inflationary pressures.

 

Income Risk. The Fund's income may decline if interest rates fall. This decline in income can occur because the Fund may subsequently invest in lower-yielding bonds as bonds in its portfolio mature, are near maturity or are called, bonds in the Index are substituted, or the Fund otherwise needs to purchase additional bonds.

 

Call Risk. During periods of falling interest rates, an issuer of a callable bond held by the Fund may “call” or repay the security prior to its stated maturity, and the Fund may have to reinvest the proceeds in securities with lower interest rates, which would result in a decline in the Fund's income, or in securities with greater risks or with other less favorable features.

 

Credit Risk. Debt issuers and other counterparties may be unable or unwilling to make timely interest and/or principal payments when due or otherwise honor their obligations. Changes in an issuer’s credit rating or the market’s perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness may also adversely affect the value of the Fund’s investment in that issuer. The degree of credit risk depends on an issuer's or counterparty's financial condition and on the terms of an obligation. The Fund expects to invest in fixed income securities of high yield issuers that may exhibit higher levels of credit risk than other types of fixed income instruments.

 

Inflation Risk. Inflation is a sustained rise in overall price levels. Moderate inflation is associated with economic growth, while high inflation can signal an overheated economy. Inflation risk is the risk that the value of assets or income from investments will be less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money (i.e., as inflation increases, the values of the Fund’s assets can decline). Inflation poses a “stealth” threat to investors because it reduces savings and investment returns. Central banks, such as the U.S. Federal Reserve, generally attempt to control inflation by regulating the pace of economic activity. They typically attempt to affect economic activity by raising and lowering short-term interest rates. At times, governments may attempt to manage inflation through fiscal policy, such as by raising taxes or

 

10

 

 

reducing spending, thereby reducing economic activity; conversely, governments can attempt to combat deflation with tax cuts and increased spending designed to stimulate economic activity. Inflation rates may change frequently and significantly as a result of various factors, including unexpected shifts in the domestic or global economy and changes in economic policies, and the Fund’s investments may not keep pace with inflation, which may result in losses to Fund shareholders. This risk is greater for fixed-income instruments with longer maturities.

 

High Yield Securities Risk. Securities that are rated below investment-grade (sometimes referred to as “junk bonds,” which may include those bonds rated below “BBB-” by S&P Global Ratings and Fitch or below “Baa3” by Moody’s), or similar securities that are unrated, may be deemed speculative, may involve greater levels of risk than higher-rated securities of similar maturity and may be more likely to default.

 

Market Risk. The Fund could lose money over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during more prolonged market downturns. Local, regional or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, the spread of infectious illness or other public health issues, recessions, the advent of significant inflation, or other events could have a significant impact on the Fund and its investments and could result in increased premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV.

 

Issuer Risk. The performance of the Fund depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. The Fund may be adversely affected if an issuer of underlying securities held by the Fund is unable or unwilling to repay principal or interest when due. Changes in the financial condition or credit rating of an issuer of those securities may cause the value of the securities to decline.

 

Asset Class Risk. Securities and other assets in the Index or in the Fund's portfolio may underperform in comparison to the general financial markets, a particular financial market or other asset classes.

Geographic Risk. A natural disaster could occur in a geographic region in which the Fund invests, which could adversely affect the economy or the business operations of companies in the specific geographic region, causing an adverse impact on the Fund's investments in, or which are exposed to, the affected region.

Risk of Investing in the U.S. Certain changes in the U.S. economy, such as when the U.S. economy weakens or when its financial markets decline, may have an adverse effect on the securities to which the Fund has exposure.

 

Infectious Illness Risk. An outbreak of an infectious respiratory illness, COVID-19, caused by a novel coronavirus has resulted in travel restrictions, disruption of healthcare systems, prolonged quarantines, cancellations, supply chain disruptions, lower consumer demand, layoffs, business shutdowns, ratings downgrades, defaults and other significant economic impacts. Certain markets have experienced temporary closures, extreme volatility, severe losses, reduced liquidity and increased trading costs. In addition, certain government and regulatory responses to COVID-19 have created uncertain economic conditions and/or exacerbated certain economic challenges faced by individuals, businesses and government entities. These events will have an impact on the Fund and its investments and could impact the Fund’s ability to purchase or sell securities or cause elevated tracking error and increased premiums or discounts to the Fund's NAV. Other infectious illness outbreaks in the future may result in similar impacts.

 

Telecom, Media and Technology Sector Risk. The telecom, media and technology sector consists of a number of sub-sectors, including the telecommunications, communication services, technology and electronics and media sub-sectors. These sectors are subject to the risks of rapid innovation and obsolescence cycles, intellectual property theft, government regulation, cybersecurity incidents and labor force challenges, among others. There is significant competition for technological advances, and issuers that fail to innovate will be adversely impacted. In addition, issuers in certain sub-sectors require substantial capital investments to develop products and services.

 

Telecommunications Sub-Sector Risk. The telecommunications sub-sector is subject to extensive government regulation. The costs of complying with governmental regulations, delays or failure to receive required regulatory approvals, or the enactment of new regulatory requirements may negatively affect the business of telecommunications companies. Government actions around the world, specifically in the area of pre-marketing clearance of products and prices, can be arbitrary and unpredictable. Companies in the telecommunications sub-sector may encounter distressed cash flows due to the need to commit substantial capital to meet increasing competition, particularly in developing new products and services using new technology. Technological innovations may make the products and services of certain telecommunications companies obsolete. Licensing and franchise rights in the telecommunications sub-sector are limited, which may provide an advantage to certain participants. Limited availability of such rights, high barriers to market entry, and regulatory oversight, among other factors, have led to consolidation of companies within the sub-sector, which could lead to further regulation or other negative effects in the future.

 

Communication Services Sub-Sector Risk. The communication services sub-sector consists of companies in either the telecommunication services or entertainment sub-sector. Companies in the communication services sub-sector may be affected by sub-sector competition, substantial capital requirements, government regulation, and obsolescence of communications products and services due to technological advancement. Fluctuating domestic and international

 

11

 

 

 

demand, shifting demographics and often unpredictable changes in consumer tastes can drastically affect a communication services company's profitability. In addition, while all companies may be susceptible to network security breaches, certain companies in the communication services sub-sector may be particular targets of hacking and potential theft of proprietary or consumer information or disruptions in service, which could have a material adverse effect on their businesses. The communication services sub-sector of a country’s economy is often subject to extensive government regulation. The communications services sub-sector can also be significantly affected by intense competition for market share, including competition with alternative technologies such as wireless communications, product compatibility and standardization, consumer preferences, rapid product obsolescence, research and development of new products, lack of standardization or compatibility with existing technologies, and a dependency on patent and copyright protections.

 

Media Sub-Sector Risk. Companies in the media sub-sector may encounter distressed cash flows due to the need to commit substantial capital to meet increasing competition, particularly in formulating new content, products and services using new technology. Media companies are subject to risks that include cyclicality of revenues and earnings, a potential decrease in the discretionary income of targeted individuals, changing consumer tastes and interests, competition in the sub-sector and among different media delivery mechanisms, and the potential for increased state and federal regulation. Advertising spending is an important source of revenue for media companies. During economic downturns advertising spending typically decreases and as a result, media companies tend to generate less revenue.

 

Technology and Electronics Sub-Sector Risk. Technology and electronics companies, including information technology companies, face intense competition, both domestically and internationally, which may have an adverse effect on a company’s profit margins. Technology companies may have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. The products of technology and electronics companies may face obsolescence due to rapid technological developments, frequent new product introduction, unpredictable changes in growth rates and competition for the services of qualified personnel. Companies in the technology and electronics sub-sector are heavily dependent on patent and other intellectual property rights. A technology company’s loss or impairment of these rights, including through industrial espionage or state action, may adversely affect the company’s profitability. Companies in the technology and electronics sub-sector are facing increased government and regulatory scrutiny and may be subject to adverse government or regulatory action.

 

Focused Investment Risk. To the extent the Fund invests more heavily in particular sectors, sub-sectors, industries, groups of industries, asset classes, markets, regions, countries, or groups of countries, its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that significantly affect those sectors, sub-sectors, industries, asset classes, markets, regions, or countries. In addition, the value of the Fund’s shares may change at different rates compared to the value of shares of a fund with investments in a more diversified mix of sectors, sub-sectors, industries, asset classes, markets, regions, or countries. An individual sector, sub-sector, industry, group of industries, asset-class, market, region, country, or group of countries may outperform the broader market during particular periods, but may do so with considerably greater volatility than the broader market. In addition, the several industries that constitute a sector or sub-sector or the several countries or markets that constitute a region or group of countries may all react similarly to economic, political, regulatory or other market events. The Fund’s performance could also be affected if the sectors, sub-sectors, industries, asset classes, markets, regions, or countries do not perform as expected. Alternatively, a lack of exposure to one or more other sectors, sub-sectors, industries, asset classes, markets, regions, or countries may adversely affect performance.

 

Concentration Risk. The Fund may be susceptible to an increased risk of loss, including losses due to adverse events that affect the Fund’s investments more than the market as a whole, to the extent that the Fund's investments are concentrated in the securities and/or other assets of a particular issuer or issuers, sector, sub-sector, market segment, market, industry, group of industries, country, group of countries, region or asset class.

 

Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is classified as a “non-diversified” fund under the 1940 Act. Accordingly, the Fund may invest a greater portion of its assets in the securities of a single issuer than if it were a “diversified” fund. To the extent that the Fund invests a higher percentage of its assets in the securities of a single issuer, the Fund is subject to a higher degree of risk associated with and developments affecting that issuer than a fund that invests more widely. 

 

Illiquid Investments Risk. The Fund may invest up to an aggregate amount of 15% of its net assets in illiquid investments. An illiquid investment is any investment that the Fund reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without significantly changing the market value of the investment. To the extent the Fund holds illiquid investments, the illiquid investments may reduce the returns of the Fund because the Fund may be unable to transact at advantageous times or prices. During periods of market volatility, liquidity in the market for the Fund’s shares may be impacted by the liquidity in the market for the underlying securities or instruments held by the Fund, which could lead to the Fund’s shares trading at a premium or discount to the Fund’s

 

12

 

 

NAV. The high yield securities in which the Fund invests may experience greater liquidity challenges than other types of securities during periods of market stress.

 

Privately Issued Securities Risk. The Fund will invest in privately issued securities, including those that are normally purchased pursuant to Rule 144A or Regulation S promulgated under the 1933 Act. Privately issued securities are securities that have not been registered under the 1933 Act and as a result may be subject to legal restrictions on resale. Privately issued securities are generally not traded on established markets. As a result of the absence of a public trading market, privately issued securities may be deemed to be illiquid investments, may be more difficult to value than publicly traded securities and may be subject to wide fluctuations in value. Delay or difficulty in selling such securities may result in a loss to the Fund.

 

Authorized Participant Concentration Risk. Only an Authorized Participant (as defined in the Creations and Redemptions section of the Prospectus) may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund, and Authorized Participants are not obligated to engage in creation and/or redemption transactions. The Fund has a limited number of institutions that may act as Authorized Participants on an agency basis (i.e., on behalf of other market participants). To the extent that Authorized Participants exit the business or are unable or unwilling to proceed with creation or redemption orders with respect to the Fund and no other Authorized Participant is willing or able to step forward to create or redeem, Fund shares may be more likely to trade at a premium or discount to NAV and possibly face trading halts or delisting.

 

Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF) and Other Investment Company Risk. The Fund may invest in shares of other investment companies and ETFs. Shareholders bear both their proportionate share of the Fund’s expenses and similar expenses of the underlying investment company or ETF when the Fund invests in shares of another investment company or ETF. The Fund is subject to the risks associated with the ETF or investment company’s investments. The price and movement of an ETF designed to track an index may not track the index and may result in a loss. In addition, ETFs may trade at a price above (premium) or below (discount) their net asset value, especially during periods of significant market volatility or stress, causing investors to pay significantly more or less than the value of the ETF’s underlying portfolio. Certain ETFs traded on exchanges may be thinly traded and experience large spreads between the “ask” price quoted by a seller and the “bid” price offered by a buyer.

 

Management Risk. Because BIM uses a representative sampling indexing strategy, the Fund may not be able to fully replicate the Index and may hold securities not included in the Index. As a result, the Fund is subject to the risk that BIM’s investment strategy, the implementation of which is subject to a number of constraints, may not produce the intended results.

 

Operational Risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risks arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, Authorized Participants, market makers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate processes and computer, technology or systems failures. The Fund and BIM seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate to address significant operational risks.

 

Valuation Risk. The price the Fund could receive upon the sale of a security or other asset may differ from the Fund's valuation of the security or other asset and from the value used by the Index, particularly for securities or other assets that trade in low volume or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair value methodology as a result of trade suspensions or for other reasons. In addition, the value of the securities or other assets in the Fund's portfolio may change on days or during time periods when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund's shares. Authorized Participants who purchase or redeem Fund shares on days when the Fund is holding fair-valued securities may receive fewer or more shares, or lower or higher redemption proceeds, than they would have received had the Fund not fair-valued securities or used a different valuation methodology. The Fund’s ability to value investments may be impacted by a lack of current market prices, technological issues or errors by pricing services or other third-party service providers.

 

Cybersecurity Risk. Failures or breaches of the electronic or computer systems of the Fund, the Fund's adviser, distributor, the Index Provider and other service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests have the ability to cause disruptions, negatively impact the Fund’s business operations and/or potentially result in financial losses to the Fund and its shareholders. While the Fund has established business continuity plans and risk management systems seeking to address system breaches or failures, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cybersecurity plans and systems of the Fund’s Index Provider and other service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants or issuers of securities in which the Fund invests.

 

LIBOR Transition Risk. The risk related to the anticipated discontinuation of the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) by the end of 2021. On November 30, 2020, the administrator of LIBOR announced a delay in the phase out of a majority of the U.S. dollar LIBOR publications until June 30, 2023, and the remainder of LIBOR publications are

 

13

 

 

expected to end at the end of 2021. Certain instruments held by the Fund may rely in some fashion upon LIBOR. Although the transition process away from LIBOR has become increasingly well-defined in advance of the anticipated discontinuation date, there remains uncertainty regarding the nature of any replacement rate, and any potential effects of the transition away from LIBOR on the Fund or on certain instruments in which the Fund invests can be difficult to ascertain. The transition process may involve, among other things, increased volatility or illiquidity in markets for instruments that currently rely on LIBOR, and may result in a reduction in value of certain instruments held by the Fund.

 

Performance Information

 

In the future, this section will show how the Fund’s total return has varied from year-to-year, along with a broad-based market index for reference. Past performance (before and after taxes) is not an indication of future performance. Because the Fund has not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus, there is no past performance to return. Updated performance information, including the Fund’s current NAV, may be obtained by visiting our website at [www.bondbloxx.com] or by calling [ ] (toll free).

 

Management

 

Investment Adviser. BondBloxx Investment Management LLC.

 

Portfolio Manager. Elya Schwartzman (the “Portfolio Manager”) is primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund. The Portfolio Manager has been a fixed income Portfolio Manager of the Fund since the Fund’s inception.

 

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

The Fund is an ETF. Individual shares of the Fund may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through a broker-dealer. When you buy or sell shares of the Fund, you may be required to pay a brokerage commission, and you may experience tax consequences, including gains or losses, in connection with these transactions. Because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than at NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (a premium) or less than NAV (a discount). An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for shares of the Fund (ask) when buying or selling shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). Recent information regarding the Fund's NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads is available at [www.BondBloxx.com].

 

Tax Information

The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxable to you as ordinary income or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement such as a 401(k) plan or an IRA, in which case, your distributions generally will be taxed when withdrawn.

 

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), BIM or other related companies may pay the intermediary for marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and reporting systems or other services related to the sale or promotion of the Fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

 

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BONDBLOXX US HIGH YIELD HEALTHCARE SECTOR ETF

Ticker: [ ]                       Stock Exchange: NYSE Arca

 

Investment Objective

 

The BondBloxx US High Yield Healthcare Sector ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of U.S. dollar-denominated, high yield corporate bonds in the healthcare sector.

 

Fees and Expenses

 

The following table describes the fees and expenses that you will incur if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. The investment advisory agreement between BondBloxx ETF Trust (the “Trust”) and BondBloxx Investment Management LLC (“BIM”) (the “Investment Advisory Agreement”) provides that BIM will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except the management fees, interest expenses, taxes, expenses incurred with respect to the acquisition and disposition of portfolio securities and the execution of portfolio transactions, including brokerage commissions, distribution fees or expenses, litigation expenses and any extraordinary expenses.

 

You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below.

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a
percentage of the value of your investments)
Management
Fees
  Distribution and
Service (12b-1)
Fees
  Other
Expenses1
  Total Annual
Fund
Operating
Expenses
 
[ ]%   None   [ ]%   [ ]%  

___________________ 

1 Other Expenses are based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year.

 

Example. This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of owning shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:

 

1 Year   3 Years
$[ ]   $[ ]

 

Portfolio Turnover. The Fund may pay transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. Portfolio turnover information for the Fund is not presented because the Fund had not commenced investment operations as of the date of this prospectus.

 

Principal Investment Strategies

 

The Fund is newly organized, non-diversified and seeks to track the investment results of the ICE Diversified US Cash Pay High Yield Healthcare Index (the “Index”), which is a rules-based index consisting of U.S. dollar-denominated below investment grade securities (as determined by ICE Data Indices, LLC or its affiliates (collectively “Index Provider” or “IDI”)) that contains issuers from the healthcare sector, including the health facilities, health services, managed care, medical products, and pharmaceuticals sub-sectors. The Index is a modified market value-weighted index with a cap on each issuer of 25%. There is no limit to the number of issues in the Index, but as of [June 30], 2021, the Index

 

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included approximately [ ] constituents. The issuers in the Index are principally located in the United States. The components of the Index are likely to change over time.

 

The Index is composed of a subset of securities in the ICE BofA US Cash Pay High Yield Constrained Index (the “Underlying Index”). As of the date of this prospectus (the “Prospectus”), the bonds eligible for inclusion in the Underlying Index include U.S. dollar-denominated high yield corporate bonds, currently in a coupon paying period, that are publicly issued in the U.S. domestic market, and that: (i) are issued by companies having “risk exposure” to countries (i.e., issuers that are subject to the risks of one or more of these countries as a result of the principal country of domicile of the issuers (as determined by the Index Provider)) that are members of the FX-G10, which include Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the U.K. and the U.S. and their respective territories; (ii) have an average rating of below investment grade (ratings from Fitch Ratings, Inc. (“Fitch”), Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody's”) or S&P Global Ratings are considered; if more than one agency provides a rating, the average rating is attached to the bond); (iii) are registered with the SEC, exempt from registration at issuance, or offered pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”), with or without registration rights; (iv) have at least $250 million of outstanding face value; (v) have an original maturity date of at least 18 months; and (vi) have at least one year to maturity. Underlying Index constituents are capitalization-weighted, based on their current amount outstanding, provided the total allocation to an individual issuer does not exceed 2%.

 

BIM uses a “passive” or indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not try to “outperform” the index it tracks and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued.

 

Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by aiming to keep portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies.

 

BIM uses a representative sampling indexing strategy to manage the Fund. “Representative sampling” is an indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to that of an applicable underlying index. The securities selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market value and sector weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability, duration, maturity, credit ratings and yield) and liquidity measures similar to those of an applicable underlying index. The Fund may or may not hold all of the securities in the Index.

 

The Fund generally will invest at least 80% of its assets in the component securities of the Index and may invest up to 20% of its assets in certain futures, options and swap contracts, U.S. Treasury obligations, U.S. Government obligations, U.S. agency securities, securities of other registered investment companies, cash and cash equivalents, as well as in securities not included in its Index, but which BIM believes will help the Fund track its Index.

The Fund seeks to track the investment results of the Index before fees and expenses of the Fund.

 

The Index is sponsored by the Index Provider, which is independent of the Fund and BIM. The Index Provider determines the composition and relative weightings of the securities in the Index and publishes information regarding the market value of the Index.

 

Industry Concentration Policy. The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent that the Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities), repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities, and securities of state or municipal governments and their political subdivisions are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.

 

Summary of Principal Risks

 

As with any investment, you could lose all or a substantial part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments. The Fund is subject to certain risks, including the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund's net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. The order of the below risk factors does not indicate the significance of any particular risk factor.

 

Market Trading Risk. The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including the potential lack of an active market for Fund shares or the Fund’s underlying portfolio securities, losses from trading in secondary markets, periods of high volatility and disruptions in the creation/redemption process. ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO THE FUND'S SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NAV.

 

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Index-Related Risk. There is no guarantee that the Fund’s investment results will have a high degree of correlation to those of the Index or that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Fund’s ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Index. Errors in index data, index computations or the construction of the Index in accordance with its methodology may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Index Provider for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. Unusual market conditions may cause the Index Provider to postpone a scheduled rebalance, which could cause the Index to vary from its normal or expected composition. In addition, the Index Provider may be subject to business or regulatory changes that impair its ability to continue to operate the Index in its current form.

 

Tracking Error Risk. The Fund may be subject to tracking error, which is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of the Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities and other instruments held in the Fund’s portfolio and those included in the Index, pricing differences (including, as applicable, differences between a security’s price at the local market close and the Fund's valuation of a security at the time of calculation of the Fund's NAV or differences between the securities prices used to value the Index and those used by the Fund), transaction costs incurred by the Fund, securities lending earnings, the Fund’s holding of uninvested cash, differences in timing of the accrual of or the valuation of distributions, the requirements to maintain pass-through tax treatment, portfolio transactions carried out to minimize the distribution of capital gains to shareholders, acceptance of custom baskets, changes to the Index or the costs to the Fund of complying with various new or existing regulatory requirements. This risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Index does not. INDEX-BASED EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS (“ETFs”) THAT TRACK INDICES WITH SIGNIFICANT WEIGHT IN HIGH YIELD SECURITIES MAY EXPERIENCE HIGHER TRACKING ERROR THAN OTHER INDEX ETFs THAT DO NOT TRACK SUCH INDICES.

 

Passive Investment Risk. The Fund is not actively managed, and BIM generally does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets or changing interest rate environments.

 

Interest Rate Risk. During periods of very low or negative interest rates, the Fund may be unable to maintain positive returns or pay dividends to Fund shareholders. Very low or negative interest rates may magnify interest rate risk. Changing interest rates, including rates that fall below zero, may have unpredictable effects on markets, result in heightened market volatility and detract from the Fund’s performance to the extent the Fund is exposed to such interest rates. Additionally, under certain market conditions in which interest rates are low and the market prices for portfolio securities have increased, the Fund may have a very low, or even negative yield. A low or negative yield would cause the Fund to lose money in certain conditions and over certain time periods. An increase in interest rates will generally cause the value of securities held by the Fund to decline, may lead to heightened volatility in the fixed-income markets and may adversely affect the liquidity of certain fixed-income investments, including those held by the Fund. The recent historically low interest rate environment heightens the risks associated with rising interest rates that may result from central bank or government intervention or other inflationary pressures.

 

Income Risk. The Fund's income may decline if interest rates fall. This decline in income can occur because the Fund may subsequently invest in lower-yielding bonds as bonds in its portfolio mature, are near maturity or are called, bonds in the Index are substituted, or the Fund otherwise needs to purchase additional bonds.

 

Call Risk. During periods of falling interest rates, an issuer of a callable bond held by the Fund may “call” or repay the security prior to its stated maturity, and the Fund may have to reinvest the proceeds in securities with lower interest rates, which would result in a decline in the Fund's income, or in securities with greater risks or with other less favorable features.

 

Credit Risk. Debt issuers and other counterparties may be unable or unwilling to make timely interest and/or principal payments when due or otherwise honor their obligations. Changes in an issuer’s credit rating or the market’s perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness may also adversely affect the value of the Fund’s investment in that issuer. The degree of credit risk depends on an issuer's or counterparty's financial condition and on the terms of an obligation. The Fund expects to invest in fixed income securities of high yield issuers that may exhibit higher levels of credit risk than other types of fixed income instruments.

 

Inflation Risk. Inflation is a sustained rise in overall price levels. Moderate inflation is associated with economic growth, while high inflation can signal an overheated economy. Inflation risk is the risk that the value of assets or income from investments will be less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money (i.e., as inflation increases, the values of the Fund’s assets can decline). Inflation poses a “stealth” threat to investors because it reduces savings and investment returns. Central banks, such as the U.S. Federal Reserve, generally attempt to control inflation by regulating the pace of economic activity. They typically attempt to affect economic activity by raising and lowering short-term interest rates. At times, governments may attempt to manage inflation through fiscal policy, such as by raising taxes or reducing

 

17

 

 

spending, thereby reducing economic activity; conversely, governments can attempt to combat deflation with tax cuts and increased spending designed to stimulate economic activity. Inflation rates may change frequently and significantly as a result of various factors, including unexpected shifts in the domestic or global economy and changes in economic policies, and the Fund’s investments may not keep pace with inflation, which may result in losses to Fund shareholders. This risk is greater for fixed-income instruments with longer maturities.

 

High Yield Securities Risk. Securities that are rated below investment-grade (sometimes referred to as “junk bonds,” which may include those bonds rated below “BBB-” by S&P Global Ratings and Fitch or below “Baa3” by Moody’s), or similar securities that are unrated, may be deemed speculative, may involve greater levels of risk than higher-rated securities of similar maturity and may be more likely to default.

 

Market Risk. The Fund could lose money over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during more prolonged market downturns. Local, regional or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, the spread of infectious illness or other public health issues, recessions, the advent of significant inflation, or other events could have a significant impact on the Fund and its investments and could result in increased premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV.

 

Issuer Risk. The performance of the Fund depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. The Fund may be adversely affected if an issuer of underlying securities held by the Fund is unable or unwilling to repay principal or interest when due. Changes in the financial condition or credit rating of an issuer of those securities may cause the value of the securities to decline.

 

Asset Class Risk. Securities and other assets in the Index or in the Fund's portfolio may underperform in comparison to the general financial markets, a particular financial market or other asset classes.

 

Geographic Risk. A natural disaster could occur in a geographic region in which the Fund invests, which could adversely affect the economy or the business operations of companies in the specific geographic region, causing an adverse impact on the Fund's investments in, or which are exposed to, the affected region.

 

Risk of Investing in the U.S. Certain changes in the U.S. economy, such as when the U.S. economy weakens or when its financial markets decline, may have an adverse effect on the securities to which the Fund has exposure.

 

Infectious Illness Risk. An outbreak of an infectious respiratory illness, COVID-19, caused by a novel coronavirus has resulted in travel restrictions, disruption of healthcare systems, prolonged quarantines, cancellations, supply chain disruptions, lower consumer demand, layoffs, business shutdowns, ratings downgrades, defaults and other significant economic impacts. Certain markets have experienced temporary closures, extreme volatility, severe losses, reduced liquidity and increased trading costs. In addition, certain government and regulatory responses to COVID-19 have created uncertain economic conditions and/or exacerbated certain economic challenges faced by individuals, businesses and government entities. These events will have an impact on the Fund and its investments and could impact the Fund’s ability to purchase or sell securities or cause elevated tracking error and increased premiums or discounts to the Fund's NAV. Other infectious illness outbreaks in the future may result in similar impacts.

 

Healthcare Sector Risk. The healthcare sector consists of numerous sub-sectors, including the health facilities, health services, managed care, medical products, and pharmaceuticals sub-sectors. The profitability of companies in the healthcare sector may be adversely affected by the following factors, among others: extensive government regulations, restrictions on government reimbursement for medical expenses, rising costs of medical products and services, pricing pressure, an increased emphasis on outpatient and tele-health services, changes in the demand for medical products and services, a limited number of products, industry innovation, changes in technologies and other market developments. Many healthcare companies are heavily dependent on patent protection. The expiration of a company’s patents, or regulations restricting the ability of healthcare companies to enforce its patents, may adversely affect that company’s profitability. Many healthcare companies are subject to extensive litigation based on product liability and similar claims. Many new products in the healthcare sector may be subject to regulatory approvals. The process of obtaining such approvals may be long and costly, and such efforts ultimately may be unsuccessful. In addition, many healthcare products and services may be impacted by changes in healthcare insurance coverage practices and regulations.

 

Focused Investment Risk. To the extent the Fund invests more heavily in particular sectors, sub-sectors, industries, groups of industries, asset classes, markets, regions, countries, or groups of countries, its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that significantly affect those sectors, sub-sectors, industries, asset classes, markets, regions, or countries. In addition, the value of the Fund’s shares may change at different rates compared to the value of shares of a fund with investments in a more diversified mix of sectors, sub-sectors, industries, asset classes, markets, regions, or countries. An individual sector, sub-sector, industry, group of industries, asset-class, market, region, country, or group of countries may outperform the broader market during particular periods, but may do so with considerably greater volatility than the broader market. In addition, the several industries that constitute a sector or sub-sector or the several countries or markets that constitute a region or group of countries may all react similarly to economic, political, regulatory or other market events. The Fund’s performance could also be affected if the sectors, sub-

 

18

 

 

 

sectors, industries, asset classes, markets, regions, or countries do not perform as expected. Alternatively, a lack of exposure to one or more other sectors, sub-sectors, industries, asset classes, markets, regions, or countries may adversely affect performance.

 

Concentration Risk. The Fund may be susceptible to an increased risk of loss, including losses due to adverse events that affect the Fund’s investments more than the market as a whole, to the extent that the Fund's investments are concentrated in the securities and/or other assets of a particular issuer or issuers, sector, sub-sector, market segment, market, industry, group of industries, country, group of countries, region or asset class.

 

Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is classified as a “non-diversified” fund under the 1940 Act. Accordingly, the Fund may invest a greater portion of its assets in the securities of a single issuer than if it were a “diversified” fund. To the extent that the Fund invests a higher percentage of its assets in the securities of a single issuer, the Fund is subject to a higher degree of risk associated with and developments affecting that issuer than a fund that invests more widely. 

 

Illiquid Investments Risk. The Fund may invest up to an aggregate amount of 15% of its net assets in illiquid investments. An illiquid investment is any investment that the Fund reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without significantly changing the market value of the investment. To the extent the Fund holds illiquid investments, the illiquid investments may reduce the returns of the Fund because the Fund may be unable to transact at advantageous times or prices. During periods of market volatility, liquidity in the market for the Fund’s shares may be impacted by the liquidity in the market for the underlying securities or instruments held by the Fund, which could lead to the Fund’s shares trading at a premium or discount to the Fund’s NAV. The high yield securities in which the Fund invests may experience greater liquidity challenges than other types of securities during periods of market stress.

 

Privately Issued Securities Risk. The Fund will invest in privately issued securities, including those that are normally purchased pursuant to Rule 144A or Regulation S promulgated under the 1933 Act. Privately issued securities are securities that have not been registered under the 1933 Act and as a result may be subject to legal restrictions on resale. Privately issued securities are generally not traded on established markets. As a result of the absence of a public trading market, privately issued securities may be deemed to be illiquid investments, may be more difficult to value than publicly traded securities and may be subject to wide fluctuations in value. Delay or difficulty in selling such securities may result in a loss to the Fund.

 

Authorized Participant Concentration Risk. Only an Authorized Participant (as defined in the Creations and Redemptions section of the Prospectus) may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund, and Authorized Participants are not obligated to engage in creation and/or redemption transactions. The Fund has a limited number of institutions that may act as Authorized Participants on an agency basis (i.e., on behalf of other market participants). To the extent that Authorized Participants exit the business or are unable or unwilling to proceed with creation or redemption orders with respect to the Fund and no other Authorized Participant is willing or able to step forward to create or redeem, Fund shares may be more likely to trade at a premium or discount to NAV and possibly face trading halts or delisting.

 

Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF) and Other Investment Company Risk. The Fund may invest in shares of other investment companies and ETFs. Shareholders bear both their proportionate share of the Fund’s expenses and similar expenses of the underlying investment company or ETF when the Fund invests in shares of another investment company or ETF. The Fund is subject to the risks associated with the ETF or investment company’s investments. The price and movement of an ETF designed to track an index may not track the index and may result in a loss. In addition, ETFs may trade at a price above (premium) or below (discount) their net asset value, especially during periods of significant market volatility or stress, causing investors to pay significantly more or less than the value of the ETF’s underlying portfolio. Certain ETFs traded on exchanges may be thinly traded and experience large spreads between the “ask” price quoted by a seller and the “bid” price offered by a buyer.

 

Management Risk. Because BIM uses a representative sampling indexing strategy, the Fund may not be able to fully replicate the Index and may hold securities not included in the Index. As a result, the Fund is subject to the risk that BIM’s investment strategy, the implementation of which is subject to a number of constraints, may not produce the intended results.

 

Operational Risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risks arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, Authorized Participants, market makers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate processes and computer, technology or systems failures. The Fund and BIM seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate to address significant operational risks.

 

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Valuation Risk. The price the Fund could receive upon the sale of a security or other asset may differ from the Fund's valuation of the security or other asset and from the value used by the Index, particularly for securities or other assets that trade in low volume or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair value methodology as a result of trade suspensions or for other reasons. In addition, the value of the securities or other assets in the Fund's portfolio may change on days or during time periods when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund's shares. Authorized Participants who purchase or redeem Fund shares on days when the Fund is holding fair-valued securities may receive fewer or more shares, or lower or higher redemption proceeds, than they would have received had the Fund not fair-valued securities or used a different valuation methodology. The Fund’s ability to value investments may be impacted by a lack of current market prices, technological issues or errors by pricing services or other third-party service providers.

 

Cybersecurity Risk. Failures or breaches of the electronic or computer systems of the Fund, the Fund's adviser, distributor, the Index Provider and other service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests have the ability to cause disruptions, negatively impact the Fund’s business operations and/or potentially result in financial losses to the Fund and its shareholders. While the Fund has established business continuity plans and risk management systems seeking to address system breaches or failures, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cybersecurity plans and systems of the Fund’s Index Provider and other service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants or issuers of securities in which the Fund invests.

 

LIBOR Transition Risk. The risk related to the anticipated discontinuation of the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) by the end of 2021. On November 30, 2020, the administrator of LIBOR announced a delay in the phase out of a majority of the U.S. dollar LIBOR publications until June 30, 2023, and the remainder of LIBOR publications are expected to end at the end of 2021. Certain instruments held by the Fund may rely in some fashion upon LIBOR. Although the transition process away from LIBOR has become increasingly well-defined in advance of the anticipated discontinuation date, there remains uncertainty regarding the nature of any replacement rate, and any potential effects of the transition away from LIBOR on the Fund or on certain instruments in which the Fund invests can be difficult to ascertain. The transition process may involve, among other things, increased volatility or illiquidity in markets for instruments that currently rely on LIBOR, and may result in a reduction in value of certain instruments held by the Fund.

 

Performance Information

 

In the future, this section will show how the Fund’s total return has varied from year-to-year, along with a broad-based market index for reference. Past performance (before and after taxes) is not an indication of future performance. Because the Fund has not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus, there is no past performance to return. Updated performance information, including the Fund’s current NAV, may be obtained by visiting our website at [www.bondbloxx.com] or by calling [ ] (toll free).

 

Management

 

Investment Adviser. BondBloxx Investment Management LLC.

 

Portfolio Manager. Elya Schwartzman (the “Portfolio Manager”) is primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund. The Portfolio Manager has been a fixed income Portfolio Manager of the Fund since the Fund’s inception.

 

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

 

The Fund is an ETF. Individual shares of the Fund may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through a broker-dealer. When you buy or sell shares of the Fund, you may be required to pay a brokerage commission, and you may experience tax consequences, including gains or losses, in connection with these transactions. Because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than at NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (a premium) or less than NAV (a discount). An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for shares of the Fund (ask) when buying or selling shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). Recent information regarding the Fund's NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads is available at [www.BondBloxx.com].

 

Tax Information

 

The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxable to you as ordinary income or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement such as a 401(k) plan or an IRA, in which case, your distributions generally will be taxed when withdrawn.

 

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Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

 

If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), BIM or other related companies may pay the intermediary for marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and reporting systems or other services related to the sale or promotion of the Fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

 

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BONDBLOXX US HIGH YIELD FINANCIAL SECTOR ETF

Ticker: [ ]                       Stock Exchange: NYSE Arca

 

Investment Objective

 

The BondBloxx US High Yield Financial Sector ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of U.S. dollar-denominated, high yield corporate bonds in the financial sector.

 

Fees and Expenses

 

The following table describes the fees and expenses that you will incur if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. The investment advisory agreement between BondBloxx ETF Trust (the “Trust”) and BondBloxx Investment Management LLC (“BIM”) (the “Investment Advisory Agreement”) provides that BIM will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except the management fees, interest expenses, taxes, expenses incurred with respect to the acquisition and disposition of portfolio securities and the execution of portfolio transactions, including brokerage commissions, distribution fees or expenses, litigation expenses and any extraordinary expenses.

 

You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below.

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a
percentage of the value of your investments)
Management
Fees
  Distribution and
Service (12b-1)
Fees
  Other
Expenses1
  Total Annual
Fund
Operating
Expenses
 
[ ]%   None   [ ]%   [ ]%  

 

 

1 Other Expenses are based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year.

 

Example. This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of owning shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:

 

1 Year   3 Years  
$[ ]   $[ ]  

 

Portfolio Turnover. The Fund may pay transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. Portfolio turnover information for the Fund is not presented because the Fund had not commenced investment operations as of the date of this prospectus.

 

Principal Investment Strategies

 

The Fund is newly organized, non-diversified and seeks to track the investment results of the ICE Diversified US Cash Pay High Yield Financial & REIT Index (the “Index”), which is a rules-based index consisting of U.S. dollar-denominated below investment grade securities (as determined by ICE Data Indices, LLC or its affiliates (collectively “Index Provider” or “IDI”)) that contains issuers from the financial sector, including the banking, financial services, insurance, and REIT sub-sectors. The Index is a modified market value-weighted index with a cap on each issuer of 25%. There is no limit to the number of issues in the Index, but as of [June 30], 2021, the Index included approximately [ ] constituents. The issuers in the Index are principally located in the United States. The components of the Index are likely to change over time.

 

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The Index is composed of a subset of securities in the ICE BofA US Cash Pay High Yield Constrained Index (the “Underlying Index”). As of the date of this prospectus (the “Prospectus”), the bonds eligible for inclusion in the Underlying Index include U.S. dollar-denominated high yield corporate bonds, currently in a coupon paying period, that are publicly issued in the U.S. domestic market, and that: (i) are issued by companies having “risk exposure” to countries (i.e., issuers that are subject to the risks of one or more of these countries as a result of the principal country of domicile of the issuers (as determined by the Index Provider)) that are members of the FX-G10, which include Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the U.K. and the U.S. and their respective territories; (ii) have an average rating of below investment grade (ratings from Fitch Ratings, Inc. (“Fitch”), Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody's”) or S&P Global Ratings are considered; if more than one agency provides a rating, the average rating is attached to the bond); (iii) are registered with the SEC, exempt from registration at issuance, or offered pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”), with or without registration rights; (iv) have at least $250 million of outstanding face value; (v) have an original maturity date of at least 18 months; and (vi) have at least one year to maturity. Underlying Index constituents are capitalization-weighted, based on their current amount outstanding, provided the total allocation to an individual issuer does not exceed 2%.

 

BIM uses a “passive” or indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not try to “outperform” the index it tracks and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued.

 

Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by aiming to keep portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies.

 

BIM uses a representative sampling indexing strategy to manage the Fund. “Representative sampling” is an indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to that of an applicable underlying index. The securities selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market value and sector weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability, duration, maturity, credit ratings and yield) and liquidity measures similar to those of an applicable underlying index. The Fund may or may not hold all of the securities in the Index.

 

The Fund generally will invest at least 80% of its assets in the component securities of the Index and may invest up to 20% of its assets in certain futures, options and swap contracts, U.S. Treasury obligations, U.S. Government obligations, U.S. agency securities, securities of other registered investment companies, cash and cash equivalents, as well as in securities not included in its Index, but which BIM believes will help the Fund track its Index.

 

The Fund seeks to track the investment results of the Index before fees and expenses of the Fund.

 

The Index is sponsored by the Index Provider, which is independent of the Fund and BIM. The Index Provider determines the composition and relative weightings of the securities in the Index and publishes information regarding the market value of the Index.

 

Industry Concentration Policy. The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent that the Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities), repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities, and securities of state or municipal governments and their political subdivisions are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.

 

Summary of Principal Risks

 

As with any investment, you could lose all or a substantial part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments. The Fund is subject to certain risks, including the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund's net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. The order of the below risk factors does not indicate the significance of any particular risk factor.

 

Market Trading Risk. The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including the potential lack of an active market for Fund shares or the Fund’s underlying portfolio securities, losses from trading in secondary markets, periods of high volatility and disruptions in the creation/redemption process. ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO THE FUND'S SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NAV.

 

Index-Related Risk. There is no guarantee that the Fund’s investment results will have a high degree of correlation to those of the Index or that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Fund’s ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Index.

 

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Errors in index data, index computations or the construction of the Index in accordance with its methodology may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Index Provider for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. Unusual market conditions may cause the Index Provider to postpone a scheduled rebalance, which could cause the Index to vary from its normal or expected composition. In addition, the Index Provider may be subject to business or regulatory changes that impair its ability to continue to operate the Index in its current form.

 

Tracking Error Risk. The Fund may be subject to tracking error, which is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of the Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities and other instruments held in the Fund’s portfolio and those included in the Index, pricing differences (including, as applicable, differences between a security’s price at the local market close and the Fund's valuation of a security at the time of calculation of the Fund's NAV or differences between the securities prices used to value the Index and those used by the Fund), transaction costs incurred by the Fund, securities lending earnings, the Fund’s holding of uninvested cash, differences in timing of the accrual of or the valuation of distributions, the requirements to maintain pass-through tax treatment, portfolio transactions carried out to minimize the distribution of capital gains to shareholders, acceptance of custom baskets, changes to the Index or the costs to the Fund of complying with various new or existing regulatory requirements. This risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Index does not. INDEX-BASED EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS (“ETFs”) THAT TRACK INDICES WITH SIGNIFICANT WEIGHT IN HIGH YIELD SECURITIES MAY EXPERIENCE HIGHER TRACKING ERROR THAN OTHER INDEX ETFs THAT DO NOT TRACK SUCH INDICES.

 

Passive Investment Risk. The Fund is not actively managed, and BIM generally does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets or changing interest rate environments.

 

Interest Rate Risk. During periods of very low or negative interest rates, the Fund may be unable to maintain positive returns or pay dividends to Fund shareholders. Very low or negative interest rates may magnify interest rate risk. Changing interest rates, including rates that fall below zero, may have unpredictable effects on markets, result in heightened market volatility and detract from the Fund’s performance to the extent the Fund is exposed to such interest rates. Additionally, under certain market conditions in which interest rates are low and the market prices for portfolio securities have increased, the Fund may have a very low, or even negative yield. A low or negative yield would cause the Fund to lose money in certain conditions and over certain time periods. An increase in interest rates will generally cause the value of securities held by the Fund to decline, may lead to heightened volatility in the fixed-income markets and may adversely affect the liquidity of certain fixed-income investments, including those held by the Fund. The recent historically low interest rate environment heightens the risks associated with rising interest rates that may result from central bank or government intervention or other inflationary pressures.

 

Income Risk. The Fund's income may decline if interest rates fall. This decline in income can occur because the Fund may subsequently invest in lower-yielding bonds as bonds in its portfolio mature, are near maturity or are called, bonds in the Index are substituted, or the Fund otherwise needs to purchase additional bonds.

 

Call Risk. During periods of falling interest rates, an issuer of a callable bond held by the Fund may “call” or repay the security prior to its stated maturity, and the Fund may have to reinvest the proceeds in securities with lower interest rates, which would result in a decline in the Fund's income, or in securities with greater risks or with other less favorable features.

 

Credit Risk. Debt issuers and other counterparties may be unable or unwilling to make timely interest and/or principal payments when due or otherwise honor their obligations. Changes in an issuer’s credit rating or the market’s perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness may also adversely affect the value of the Fund’s investment in that issuer. The degree of credit risk depends on an issuer's or counterparty's financial condition and on the terms of an obligation. The Fund expects to invest in fixed income securities of high yield issuers that may exhibit higher levels of credit risk than other types of fixed income instruments.

 

Inflation Risk. Inflation is a sustained rise in overall price levels. Moderate inflation is associated with economic growth, while high inflation can signal an overheated economy. Inflation risk is the risk that the value of assets or income from investments will be less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money (i.e., as inflation increases, the values of the Fund’s assets can decline). Inflation poses a “stealth” threat to investors because it reduces savings and investment returns. Central banks, such as the U.S. Federal Reserve, generally attempt to control inflation by regulating the pace of economic activity. They typically attempt to affect economic activity by raising and lowering short-term interest rates. At times, governments may attempt to manage inflation through fiscal policy, such as by raising taxes or reducing spending, thereby reducing economic activity; conversely, governments can attempt to combat deflation with tax cuts and increased spending designed to stimulate economic activity. Inflation rates may change frequently and significantly as a result of various factors, including unexpected shifts in the domestic or global economy and changes

 

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in economic policies, and the Fund’s investments may not keep pace with inflation, which may result in losses to Fund shareholders. This risk is greater for fixed-income instruments with longer maturities.

 

High Yield Securities Risk. Securities that are rated below investment-grade (sometimes referred to as “junk bonds,” which may include those bonds rated below “BBB-” by S&P Global Ratings and Fitch or below “Baa3” by Moody’s), or similar securities that are unrated, may be deemed speculative, may involve greater levels of risk than higher-rated securities of similar maturity and may be more likely to default.

 

Market Risk. The Fund could lose money over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during more prolonged market downturns. Local, regional or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, the spread of infectious illness or other public health issues, recessions, the advent of significant inflation, or other events could have a significant impact on the Fund and its investments and could result in increased premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV.

 

Issuer Risk. The performance of the Fund depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. The Fund may be adversely affected if an issuer of underlying securities held by the Fund is unable or unwilling to repay principal or interest when due. Changes in the financial condition or credit rating of an issuer of those securities may cause the value of the securities to decline.

 

Asset Class Risk. Securities and other assets in the Index or in the Fund's portfolio may underperform in comparison to the general financial markets, a particular financial market or other asset classes.

 

Geographic Risk. A natural disaster could occur in a geographic region in which the Fund invests, which could adversely affect the economy or the business operations of companies in the specific geographic region, causing an adverse impact on the Fund's investments in, or which are exposed to, the affected region.

 

Risk of Investing in the U.S. Certain changes in the U.S. economy, such as when the U.S. economy weakens or when its financial markets decline, may have an adverse effect on the securities to which the Fund has exposure.

 

Infectious Illness Risk. An outbreak of an infectious respiratory illness, COVID-19, caused by a novel coronavirus has resulted in travel restrictions, disruption of healthcare systems, prolonged quarantines, cancellations, supply chain disruptions, lower consumer demand, layoffs, business shutdowns, ratings downgrades, defaults and other significant economic impacts. Certain markets have experienced temporary closures, extreme volatility, severe losses, reduced liquidity and increased trading costs. In addition, certain government and regulatory responses to COVID-19 have created uncertain economic conditions and/or exacerbated certain economic challenges faced by individuals, businesses and government entities. These events will have an impact on the Fund and its investments and could impact the Fund’s ability to purchase or sell securities or cause elevated tracking error and increased premiums or discounts to the Fund's NAV. Other infectious illness outbreaks in the future may result in similar impacts.

 

Financial Sector Risk. The financial sector consists of numerous sub-sectors, including the banking, financial services, insurance and REIT sub-sectors. Companies in the financial sector of an economy are subject to extensive governmental regulation and intervention, which may adversely affect the scope of their activities, the prices they can charge, the amount of capital they must maintain and, potentially, their size. The extent to which the Fund may invest in a company that engages in securities-related activities or banking is limited by applicable law. Governmental regulation may change frequently and may have significant adverse consequences for companies in the financial sector, including effects not intended by such regulation. Companies in the financial sector may also be adversely affected by increases in interest rates and loan losses, decreases in the availability of money or asset valuations, credit rating downgrades and adverse conditions in other related markets. Insurance companies, in particular, may be subject to severe price competition and/or rate regulation, which may have an adverse impact on their profitability. The financial sector is also a target for cyberattacks, and may experience technology malfunctions and disruptions. In recent years, cyberattacks and technology malfunctions and failures have become increasingly frequent in this sector and have reportedly caused losses to companies in this sector, which may negatively impact the Fund.

 

Banking Sub-Sector Risk. Banking and financial services companies are subject to extensive regulation. Recently enacted legislation in the U.S. has relaxed capital requirements and other regulatory burdens on certain U.S. banks. While the effect of the legislation may benefit certain companies in the banking sub-sector, increased risk taking by affected banks may also result in greater overall risk in the U.S. and global financial sector. The impact of changes in capital requirements, or recent or future regulation in various countries, on any individual financial company or on the banking sub-sector as a whole cannot be predicted. Certain risks may impact the value of investments in the banking sub-sector more severely than those of investments outside this sub-sector, including the risks associated with companies that operate with substantial financial leverage,

 

Insurance Sub-Sector Risk. The insurance sub-sector is subject to extensive government regulation in some countries and can be significantly affected by changes in interest rates, general economic conditions, price and marketing competition, the imposition of premium rate caps or other changes in government regulation or tax law.

 

25

 

 

 

Different segments of the insurance sub-sector can be significantly affected by changes in mortality and morbidity rates, environmental clean-up costs and catastrophic events such as earthquakes, hurricanes and terrorist acts.

 

Real Estate and REIT Sub-Sector Risk. Investments in real estate related securities are subject to the risk that the value of the real estate underlying the securities will go down. Investments in REITs involve unique risks. REITs may have limited financial resources, may trade less frequently and in limited volume, and may be more volatile than other securities. REITs may fail to qualify for the favorable tax treatment available to REITs or may fail to maintain their exemptions from investment company registration. Securities of such issuers may lack sufficient market liquidity to enable the Fund to effect sales at an advantageous time or without a substantial drop in price. Additionally, rising interest rates may cause REIT investors to demand a higher annual yield, which may, in turn, cause a decline in the market price of the equity securities issued by a REIT. Some REITs may utilize leverage, which increases investment risk and may potentially increase the Fund’s losses.

 

Focused Investment Risk. To the extent the Fund invests more heavily in particular sectors, sub-sectors, industries, groups of industries, asset classes, markets, regions, countries, or groups of countries, its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that significantly affect those sectors, sub-sectors, industries, asset classes, markets, regions, or countries. In addition, the value of the Fund’s shares may change at different rates compared to the value of shares of a fund with investments in a more diversified mix of sectors, sub-sectors, industries, asset classes, markets, regions, or countries. An individual sector, sub-sector, industry, group of industries, asset-class, market, region, country, or group of countries may outperform the broader market during particular periods, but may do so with considerably greater volatility than the broader market. In addition, the several industries that constitute a sector or sub-sector or the several countries or markets that constitute a region or group of countries may all react similarly to economic, political, regulatory or other market events. The Fund’s performance could also be affected if the sectors, sub-sectors, industries, asset classes, markets, regions, or countries do not perform as expected. Alternatively, a lack of exposure to one or more other sectors, sub-sectors, industries, asset classes, markets, regions, or countries may adversely affect performance.

 

Concentration Risk. The Fund may be susceptible to an increased risk of loss, including losses due to adverse events that affect the Fund’s investments more than the market as a whole, to the extent that the Fund's investments are concentrated in the securities and/or other assets of a particular issuer or issuers, sector, sub-sector, market segment, market, industry, group of industries, country, group of countries, region or asset class.

 

Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is classified as a “non-diversified” fund under the 1940 Act. Accordingly, the Fund may invest a greater portion of its assets in the securities of a single issuer than if it were a “diversified” fund. To the extent that the Fund invests a higher percentage of its assets in the securities of a single issuer, the Fund is subject to a higher degree of risk associated with and developments affecting that issuer than a fund that invests more widely. 

 

Illiquid Investments Risk. The Fund may invest up to an aggregate amount of 15% of its net assets in illiquid investments. An illiquid investment is any investment that the Fund reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without significantly changing the market value of the investment. To the extent the Fund holds illiquid investments, the illiquid investments may reduce the returns of the Fund because the Fund may be unable to transact at advantageous times or prices. During periods of market volatility, liquidity in the market for the Fund’s shares may be impacted by the liquidity in the market for the underlying securities or instruments held by the Fund, which could lead to the Fund’s shares trading at a premium or discount to the Fund’s NAV. The high yield securities in which the Fund invests may experience greater liquidity challenges than other types of securities during periods of market stress.

 

Privately Issued Securities Risk. The Fund will invest in privately issued securities, including those that are normally purchased pursuant to Rule 144A or Regulation S promulgated under the 1933 Act. Privately issued securities are securities that have not been registered under the 1933 Act and as a result may be subject to legal restrictions on resale. Privately issued securities are generally not traded on established markets. As a result of the absence of a public trading market, privately issued securities may be deemed to be illiquid investments, may be more difficult to value than publicly traded securities and may be subject to wide fluctuations in value. Delay or difficulty in selling such securities may result in a loss to the Fund.

 

Authorized Participant Concentration Risk. Only an Authorized Participant (as defined in the Creations and Redemptions section of the Prospectus) may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund, and Authorized Participants are not obligated to engage in creation and/or redemption transactions. The Fund has a limited number of institutions that may act as Authorized Participants on an agency basis (i.e., on behalf of other market participants). To the extent that Authorized Participants exit the business or are unable or unwilling to proceed with creation or redemption orders with respect to the Fund and no other Authorized Participant is willing or able to step forward to create or redeem, Fund shares may be more likely to trade at a premium or discount to NAV and possibly face trading halts or delisting.

 

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Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF) and Other Investment Company Risk. The Fund may invest in shares of other investment companies and ETFs. Shareholders bear both their proportionate share of the Fund’s expenses and similar expenses of the underlying investment company or ETF when the Fund invests in shares of another investment company or ETF. The Fund is subject to the risks associated with the ETF or investment company’s investments. The price and movement of an ETF designed to track an index may not track the index and may result in a loss. In addition, ETFs may trade at a price above (premium) or below (discount) their net asset value, especially during periods of significant market volatility or stress, causing investors to pay significantly more or less than the value of the ETF’s underlying portfolio. Certain ETFs traded on exchanges may be thinly traded and experience large spreads between the “ask” price quoted by a seller and the “bid” price offered by a buyer.

 

Management Risk. Because BIM uses a representative sampling indexing strategy, the Fund may not be able to fully replicate the Index and may hold securities not included in the Index. As a result, the Fund is subject to the risk that BIM’s investment strategy, the implementation of which is subject to a number of constraints, may not produce the intended results.

 

Operational Risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risks arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, Authorized Participants, market makers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate processes and computer, technology or systems failures. The Fund and BIM seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate to address significant operational risks.

 

Valuation Risk. The price the Fund could receive upon the sale of a security or other asset may differ from the Fund's valuation of the security or other asset and from the value used by the Index, particularly for securities or other assets that trade in low volume or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair value methodology as a result of trade suspensions or for other reasons. In addition, the value of the securities or other assets in the Fund's portfolio may change on days or during time periods when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund's shares. Authorized Participants who purchase or redeem Fund shares on days when the Fund is holding fair-valued securities may receive fewer or more shares, or lower or higher redemption proceeds, than they would have received had the Fund not fair-valued securities or used a different valuation methodology. The Fund’s ability to value investments may be impacted by a lack of current market prices, technological issues or errors by pricing services or other third-party service providers.

 

Cybersecurity Risk. Failures or breaches of the electronic or computer systems of the Fund, the Fund's adviser, distributor, the Index Provider and other service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests have the ability to cause disruptions, negatively impact the Fund’s business operations and/or potentially result in financial losses to the Fund and its shareholders. While the Fund has established business continuity plans and risk management systems seeking to address system breaches or failures, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cybersecurity plans and systems of the Fund’s Index Provider and other service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants or issuers of securities in which the Fund invests.

 

LIBOR Transition Risk. The risk related to the anticipated discontinuation of the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) by the end of 2021. On November 30, 2020, the administrator of LIBOR announced a delay in the phase out of a majority of the U.S. dollar LIBOR publications until June 30, 2023, and the remainder of LIBOR publications are expected to end at the end of 2021. Certain instruments held by the Fund may rely in some fashion upon LIBOR. Although the transition process away from LIBOR has become increasingly well-defined in advance of the anticipated discontinuation date, there remains uncertainty regarding the nature of any replacement rate, and any potential effects of the transition away from LIBOR on the Fund or on certain instruments in which the Fund invests can be difficult to ascertain. The transition process may involve, among other things, increased volatility or illiquidity in markets for instruments that currently rely on LIBOR, and may result in a reduction in value of certain instruments held by the Fund.

 

Performance Information

 

In the future, this section will show how the Fund’s total return has varied from year-to-year, along with a broad-based market index for reference. Past performance (before and after taxes) is not an indication of future performance. Because the Fund has not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus, there is no past performance to return. Updated performance information, including the Fund’s current NAV, may be obtained by visiting our website at [www.bondbloxx.com] or by calling [ ] (toll free).

 

Management

 

Investment Adviser. BondBloxx Investment Management LLC.

 

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Portfolio Manager. Elya Schwartzman (the “Portfolio Manager”) is primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund. The Portfolio Manager has been a fixed income Portfolio Manager of the Fund since the Fund’s inception.

 

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

 

The Fund is an ETF. Individual shares of the Fund may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through a broker-dealer. When you buy or sell shares of the Fund, you may be required to pay a brokerage commission, and you may experience tax consequences, including gains or losses, in connection with these transactions. Because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than at NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (a premium) or less than NAV (a discount). An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for shares of the Fund (ask) when buying or selling shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). Recent information regarding the Fund's NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads is available at [www.BondBloxx.com].

 

Tax Information

 

The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxable to you as ordinary income or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement such as a 401(k) plan or an IRA, in which case, your distributions generally will be taxed when withdrawn.

 

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

 

If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), BIM or other related companies may pay the intermediary for marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and reporting systems or other services related to the sale or promotion of the Fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

 

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BONDBLOXX US HIGH YIELD ENERGY SECTOR ETF

Ticker: [ ]                       Stock Exchange: NYSE Arca 

 

Investment Objective

 

The BondBloxx US High Yield Energy Sector ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of U.S. dollar-denominated, high yield corporate bonds in the energy sector.

 

Fees and Expenses

 

The following table describes the fees and expenses that you will incur if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. The investment advisory agreement between BondBloxx ETF Trust (the “Trust”) and BondBloxx Investment Management LLC (“BIM”) (the “Investment Advisory Agreement”) provides that BIM will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except the management fees, interest expenses, taxes, expenses incurred with respect to the acquisition and disposition of portfolio securities and the execution of portfolio transactions, including brokerage commissions, distribution fees or expenses, litigation expenses and any extraordinary expenses.

 

You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below.

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a
percentage of the value of your investments)
Management
Fees
  Distribution and
Service (12b-1)
Fees
  Other
Expenses1
  Total Annual
Fund
Operating
Expenses
 
[ ]%   None   [ ]%   [ ]%  

 

1 Other Expenses are based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year.

 

Example. This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of owning shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:

 

1 Year   3 Years  
$[ ]   $[ ]  

Portfolio Turnover. The Fund may pay transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. Portfolio turnover information for the Fund is not presented because the Fund had not commenced investment operations as of the date of this prospectus.

 

Principal Investment Strategies

 

The Fund is newly organized, non-diversified and seeks to track the investment results of the ICE Diversified US Cash Pay High Yield Consumer Energy Index (the “Index”), which is a rules-based index consisting of U.S. dollar-denominated below investment grade securities (as determined by ICE Data Indices, LLC or its affiliates (collectively “Index Provider” or “IDI”)) that contains issuers from the energy sector, including the exploration & production, gas distribution, oil field equipment & services, and oil refining & marketing sub-sectors. The Index is a modified market value-weighted index with a cap on each issuer of 25%. There is no limit to the number of issues in the Index, but as of [June 30], 2021, the Index included approximately [ ] constituents. The issuers in the Index are principally located in the United States. The components of the Index are likely to change over time.

 

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The Index is composed of a subset of securities in the ICE BofA US Cash Pay High Yield Constrained Index (the “Underlying Index”). As of the date of this prospectus (the “Prospectus”), the bonds eligible for inclusion in the Underlying Index include U.S. dollar-denominated high yield corporate bonds, currently in a coupon paying period, that are publicly issued in the U.S. domestic market, and that: (i) are issued by companies having “risk exposure” to countries (i.e., issuers that are subject to the risks of one or more of these countries as a result of the principal country of domicile of the issuers (as determined by the Index Provider)) that are members of the FX-G10, which include Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the U.K. and the U.S. and their respective territories; (ii) have an average rating of below investment grade (ratings from Fitch Ratings, Inc. (“Fitch”), Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody's”) or S&P Global Ratings are considered; if more than one agency provides a rating, the average rating is attached to the bond); (iii) are registered with the SEC, exempt from registration at issuance, or offered pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”), with or without registration rights; (iv) have at least $250 million of outstanding face value; (v) have an original maturity date of at least 18 months; and (vi) have at least one year to maturity. Underlying Index constituents are capitalization-weighted, based on their current amount outstanding, provided the total allocation to an individual issuer does not exceed 2%.

 

BIM uses a “passive” or indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not try to “outperform” the index it tracks and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued.

 

Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by aiming to keep portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies.

 

BIM uses a representative sampling indexing strategy to manage the Fund. “Representative sampling” is an indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to that of an applicable underlying index. The securities selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market value and sector weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability, duration, maturity, credit ratings and yield) and liquidity measures similar to those of an applicable underlying index. The Fund may or may not hold all of the securities in the Index.

 

The Fund generally will invest at least 80% of its assets in the component securities of the Index and may invest up to 20% of its assets in certain futures, options and swap contracts, U.S. Treasury obligations, U.S. Government obligations, U.S. agency securities, securities of other registered investment companies, cash and cash equivalents, as well as in securities not included in its Index, but which BIM believes will help the Fund track its Index.

 

The Fund seeks to track the investment results of the Index before fees and expenses of the Fund.

 

The Index is sponsored by the Index Provider, which is independent of the Fund and BIM. The Index Provider determines the composition and relative weightings of the securities in the Index and publishes information regarding the market value of the Index.

 

Industry Concentration Policy. The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent that the Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities), repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities, and securities of state or municipal governments and their political subdivisions are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.

 

Summary of Principal Risks

 

As with any investment, you could lose all or a substantial part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments. The Fund is subject to certain risks, including the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund's net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. The order of the below risk factors does not indicate the significance of any particular risk factor.

 

Market Trading Risk. The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including the potential lack of an active market for Fund shares or the Fund’s underlying portfolio securities, losses from trading in secondary markets, periods of high volatility and disruptions in the creation/redemption process. ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO THE FUND'S SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NAV.

 

Index-Related Risk. There is no guarantee that the Fund’s investment results will have a high degree of correlation to those of the Index or that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Fund’s ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Index.

 

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Errors in index data, index computations or the construction of the Index in accordance with its methodology may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Index Provider for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. Unusual market conditions may cause the Index Provider to postpone a scheduled rebalance, which could cause the Index to vary from its normal or expected composition. In addition, the Index Provider may be subject to business or regulatory changes that impair its ability to continue to operate the Index in its current form.

 

Tracking Error Risk. The Fund may be subject to tracking error, which is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of the Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities and other instruments held in the Fund’s portfolio and those included in the Index, pricing differences (including, as applicable, differences between a security’s price at the local market close and the Fund's valuation of a security at the time of calculation of the Fund's NAV or differences between the securities prices used to value the Index and those used by the Fund), transaction costs incurred by the Fund, securities lending earnings, the Fund’s holding of uninvested cash, differences in timing of the accrual of or the valuation of distributions, the requirements to maintain pass-through tax treatment, portfolio transactions carried out to minimize the distribution of capital gains to shareholders, acceptance of custom baskets, changes to the Index or the costs to the Fund of complying with various new or existing regulatory requirements. This risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Index does not. INDEX-BASED EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS (“ETFs”) THAT TRACK INDICES WITH SIGNIFICANT WEIGHT IN HIGH YIELD SECURITIES MAY EXPERIENCE HIGHER TRACKING ERROR THAN OTHER INDEX ETFs THAT DO NOT TRACK SUCH INDICES.

 

Passive Investment Risk. The Fund is not actively managed, and BIM generally does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets or changing interest rate environments.

 

Interest Rate Risk. During periods of very low or negative interest rates, the Fund may be unable to maintain positive returns or pay dividends to Fund shareholders. Very low or negative interest rates may magnify interest rate risk. Changing interest rates, including rates that fall below zero, may have unpredictable effects on markets, result in heightened market volatility and detract from the Fund’s performance to the extent the Fund is exposed to such interest rates. Additionally, under certain market conditions in which interest rates are low and the market prices for portfolio securities have increased, the Fund may have a very low, or even negative yield. A low or negative yield would cause the Fund to lose money in certain conditions and over certain time periods. An increase in interest rates will generally cause the value of securities held by the Fund to decline, may lead to heightened volatility in the fixed-income markets and may adversely affect the liquidity of certain fixed-income investments, including those held by the Fund. The recent historically low interest rate environment heightens the risks associated with rising interest rates that may result from central bank or government intervention or other inflationary pressures.

 

Income Risk. The Fund's income may decline if interest rates fall. This decline in income can occur because the Fund may subsequently invest in lower-yielding bonds as bonds in its portfolio mature, are near maturity or are called, bonds in the Index are substituted, or the Fund otherwise needs to purchase additional bonds.

 

Call Risk. During periods of falling interest rates, an issuer of a callable bond held by the Fund may “call” or repay the security prior to its stated maturity, and the Fund may have to reinvest the proceeds in securities with lower interest rates, which would result in a decline in the Fund's income, or in securities with greater risks or with other less favorable features.

 

Credit Risk. Debt issuers and other counterparties may be unable or unwilling to make timely interest and/or principal payments when due or otherwise honor their obligations. Changes in an issuer’s credit rating or the market’s perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness may also adversely affect the value of the Fund’s investment in that issuer. The degree of credit risk depends on an issuer's or counterparty's financial condition and on the terms of an obligation. The Fund expects to invest in fixed income securities of high yield issuers that may exhibit higher levels of credit risk than other types of fixed income instruments.

 

Inflation Risk. Inflation is a sustained rise in overall price levels. Moderate inflation is associated with economic growth, while high inflation can signal an overheated economy. Inflation risk is the risk that the value of assets or income from investments will be less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money (i.e., as inflation increases, the values of the Fund’s assets can decline). Inflation poses a “stealth” threat to investors because it reduces savings and investment returns. Central banks, such as the U.S. Federal Reserve, generally attempt to control inflation by regulating the pace of economic activity. They typically attempt to affect economic activity by raising and lowering short-term interest rates. At times, governments may attempt to manage inflation through fiscal policy, such as by raising taxes or reducing spending, thereby reducing economic activity; conversely, governments can attempt to combat deflation with tax cuts and increased spending designed to stimulate economic activity. Inflation rates may change frequently and significantly as a result of various factors, including unexpected shifts in the domestic or global economy and changes

 

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in economic policies, and the Fund’s investments may not keep pace with inflation, which may result in losses to Fund shareholders. This risk is greater for fixed-income instruments with longer maturities.

 

High Yield Securities Risk. Securities that are rated below investment-grade (sometimes referred to as “junk bonds,” which may include those bonds rated below “BBB-” by S&P Global Ratings and Fitch or below “Baa3” by Moody’s), or similar securities that are unrated, may be deemed speculative, may involve greater levels of risk than higher-rated securities of similar maturity and may be more likely to default.

 

Market Risk. The Fund could lose money over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during more prolonged market downturns. Local, regional or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, the spread of infectious illness or other public health issues, recessions, the advent of significant inflation, or other events could have a significant impact on the Fund and its investments and could result in increased premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV.

 

Issuer Risk. The performance of the Fund depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. The Fund may be adversely affected if an issuer of underlying securities held by the Fund is unable or unwilling to repay principal or interest when due. Changes in the financial condition or credit rating of an issuer of those securities may cause the value of the securities to decline.

 

Asset Class Risk. Securities and other assets in the Index or in the Fund's portfolio may underperform in comparison to the general financial markets, a particular financial market or other asset classes.

 

Geographic Risk. A natural disaster could occur in a geographic region in which the Fund invests, which could adversely affect the economy or the business operations of companies in the specific geographic region, causing an adverse impact on the Fund's investments in, or which are exposed to, the affected region.

 

Risk of Investing in the U.S. Certain changes in the U.S. economy, such as when the U.S. economy weakens or when its financial markets decline, may have an adverse effect on the securities to which the Fund has exposure.

 

Infectious Illness Risk. An outbreak of an infectious respiratory illness, COVID-19, caused by a novel coronavirus has resulted in travel restrictions, disruption of healthcare systems, prolonged quarantines, cancellations, supply chain disruptions, lower consumer demand, layoffs, business shutdowns, ratings downgrades, defaults and other significant economic impacts. Certain markets have experienced temporary closures, extreme volatility, severe losses, reduced liquidity and increased trading costs. In addition, certain government and regulatory responses to COVID-19 have created uncertain economic conditions and/or exacerbated certain economic challenges faced by individuals, businesses and government entities. These events will have an impact on the Fund and its investments and could impact the Fund’s ability to purchase or sell securities or cause elevated tracking error and increased premiums or discounts to the Fund's NAV. Other infectious illness outbreaks in the future may result in similar impacts.

 

Energy Sector Risk. The energy sector consists of a number of sub-sectors, including the exploration & production, gas distribution, oil field equipment & services, and oil refining & marketing sub-sectors. The market value of securities in the energy sector may decline for many reasons, including, among others, changes in energy prices, energy supply and demand, geopolitical instability, government regulations and energy conservation efforts. The energy sector has recently experienced increased volatility. In particular, there has been significant market volatility in the crude oil markets as well as the oil futures markets, which resulted in the market price of certain crude oil futures contract falling below zero for a period of time.

 

Oil and Gas Sub-Sector Risk. Companies in the oil and gas sub-sector are strongly affected by the levels and volatility of global energy prices, oil and gas supply and demand, government regulations and policies, oil and gas production and conservation efforts and technological change. The oil and gas sub-sector is cyclical and from time to time may experience a shortage of drilling rigs, equipment, supplies or qualified personnel, or due to significant demand, such services may not be available on commercially reasonable terms. Prices and supplies of oil and gas may fluctuate significantly over short and long periods of time due to national and international political changes, OPEC policies, changes in relationships among OPEC members and between OPEC and oil-importing nations, the regulatory environment, taxation policies, and the economies of key energy-consuming countries. Disruptions in the oil and gas sub-sector or shifts in energy consumption may significantly impact companies in this sub-sector.

 

Focused Investment Risk. To the extent the Fund invests more heavily in particular sectors, sub-sectors, industries, groups of industries, asset classes, markets, regions, countries, or groups of countries, its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that significantly affect those sectors, sub-sectors, industries, asset classes, markets, regions, or countries. In addition, the value of the Fund’s shares may change at different rates compared to the value of shares of a fund with investments in a more diversified mix of sectors, sub-sectors, industries, asset classes, markets, regions, or countries. An individual sector, sub-sector, industry, group of industries, asset-class, market, region, country, or group of countries may outperform the broader market during particular periods, but may do so with considerably greater volatility than the broader market. In addition, the several industries that constitute a sector or sub-

 

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sector or the several countries or markets that constitute a region or group of countries may all react similarly to economic, political, regulatory or other market events. The Fund’s performance could also be affected if the sectors, sub-sectors, industries, asset classes, markets, regions, or countries do not perform as expected. Alternatively, a lack of exposure to one or more other sectors, sub-sectors, industries, asset classes, markets, regions, or countries may adversely affect performance.

 

Concentration Risk. The Fund may be susceptible to an increased risk of loss, including losses due to adverse events that affect the Fund’s investments more than the market as a whole, to the extent that the Fund's investments are concentrated in the securities and/or other assets of a particular issuer or issuers, sector, sub-sector, market segment, market, industry, group of industries, country, group of countries, region or asset class.

 

Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is classified as a “non-diversified” fund under the 1940 Act. Accordingly, the Fund may invest a greater portion of its assets in the securities of a single issuer than if it were a “diversified” fund. To the extent that the Fund invests a higher percentage of its assets in the securities of a single issuer, the Fund is subject to a higher degree of risk associated with and developments affecting that issuer than a fund that invests more widely. 

 

Illiquid Investments Risk. The Fund may invest up to an aggregate amount of 15% of its net assets in illiquid investments. An illiquid investment is any investment that the Fund reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without significantly changing the market value of the investment. To the extent the Fund holds illiquid investments, the illiquid investments may reduce the returns of the Fund because the Fund may be unable to transact at advantageous times or prices. During periods of market volatility, liquidity in the market for the Fund’s shares may be impacted by the liquidity in the market for the underlying securities or instruments held by the Fund, which could lead to the Fund’s shares trading at a premium or discount to the Fund’s NAV. The high yield securities in which the Fund invests may experience greater liquidity challenges than other types of securities during periods of market stress.

 

Privately Issued Securities Risk. The Fund will invest in privately issued securities, including those that are normally purchased pursuant to Rule 144A or Regulation S promulgated under the 1933 Act. Privately issued securities are securities that have not been registered under the 1933 Act and as a result may be subject to legal restrictions on resale. Privately issued securities are generally not traded on established markets. As a result of the absence of a public trading market, privately issued securities may be deemed to be illiquid investments, may be more difficult to value than publicly traded securities and may be subject to wide fluctuations in value. Delay or difficulty in selling such securities may result in a loss to the Fund.

 

Authorized Participant Concentration Risk. Only an Authorized Participant (as defined in the Creations and Redemptions section of the Prospectus) may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund, and Authorized Participants are not obligated to engage in creation and/or redemption transactions. The Fund has a limited number of institutions that may act as Authorized Participants on an agency basis (i.e., on behalf of other market participants). To the extent that Authorized Participants exit the business or are unable or unwilling to proceed with creation or redemption orders with respect to the Fund and no other Authorized Participant is willing or able to step forward to create or redeem, Fund shares may be more likely to trade at a premium or discount to NAV and possibly face trading halts or delisting.

 

Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF) and Other Investment Company Risk. The Fund may invest in shares of other investment companies and ETFs. Shareholders bear both their proportionate share of the Fund’s expenses and similar expenses of the underlying investment company or ETF when the Fund invests in shares of another investment company or ETF. The Fund is subject to the risks associated with the ETF or investment company’s investments. The price and movement of an ETF designed to track an index may not track the index and may result in a loss. In addition, ETFs may trade at a price above (premium) or below (discount) their net asset value, especially during periods of significant market volatility or stress, causing investors to pay significantly more or less than the value of the ETF’s underlying portfolio. Certain ETFs traded on exchanges may be thinly traded and experience large spreads between the “ask” price quoted by a seller and the “bid” price offered by a buyer.

 

Management Risk. Because BIM uses a representative sampling indexing strategy, the Fund may not be able to fully replicate the Index and may hold securities not included in the Index. As a result, the Fund is subject to the risk that BIM’s investment strategy, the implementation of which is subject to a number of constraints, may not produce the intended results.

 

Operational Risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risks arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, Authorized Participants, market makers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate processes and computer, technology or systems failures. The Fund and BIM seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate to address significant operational risks.

 

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Valuation Risk. The price the Fund could receive upon the sale of a security or other asset may differ from the Fund's valuation of the security or other asset and from the value used by the Index, particularly for securities or other assets that trade in low volume or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair value methodology as a result of trade suspensions or for other reasons. In addition, the value of the securities or other assets in the Fund's portfolio may change on days or during time periods when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund's shares. Authorized Participants who purchase or redeem Fund shares on days when the Fund is holding fair-valued securities may receive fewer or more shares, or lower or higher redemption proceeds, than they would have received had the Fund not fair-valued securities or used a different valuation methodology. The Fund’s ability to value investments may be impacted by a lack of current market prices, technological issues or errors by pricing services or other third-party service providers.

 

Cybersecurity Risk. Failures or breaches of the electronic or computer systems of the Fund, the Fund's adviser, distributor, the Index Provider and other service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests have the ability to cause disruptions, negatively impact the Fund’s business operations and/or potentially result in financial losses to the Fund and its shareholders. While the Fund has established business continuity plans and risk management systems seeking to address system breaches or failures, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cybersecurity plans and systems of the Fund’s Index Provider and other service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants or issuers of securities in which the Fund invests.

 

LIBOR Transition Risk. The risk related to the anticipated discontinuation of the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) by the end of 2021. On November 30, 2020, the administrator of LIBOR announced a delay in the phase out of a majority of the U.S. dollar LIBOR publications until June 30, 2023, and the remainder of LIBOR publications are expected to end at the end of 2021. Certain instruments held by the Fund may rely in some fashion upon LIBOR. Although the transition process away from LIBOR has become increasingly well-defined in advance of the anticipated discontinuation date, there remains uncertainty regarding the nature of any replacement rate, and any potential effects of the transition away from LIBOR on the Fund or on certain instruments in which the Fund invests can be difficult to ascertain. The transition process may involve, among other things, increased volatility or illiquidity in markets for instruments that currently rely on LIBOR, and may result in a reduction in value of certain instruments held by the Fund.

 

Performance Information

 

In the future, this section will show how the Fund’s total return has varied from year-to-year, along with a broad-based market index for reference. Past performance (before and after taxes) is not an indication of future performance. Because the Fund has not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus, there is no past performance to return. Updated performance information, including the Fund’s current NAV, may be obtained by visiting our website at [www.bondbloxx.com] or by calling [ ] (toll free).

 

Management

 

Investment Adviser. BondBloxx Investment Management LLC.

 

Portfolio Manager. Elya Schwartzman (the “Portfolio Manager”) is primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund. The Portfolio Manager has been a fixed income Portfolio Manager of the Fund since the Fund’s inception.

 

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

The Fund is an ETF. Individual shares of the Fund may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through a broker-dealer. When you buy or sell shares of the Fund, you may be required to pay a brokerage commission, and you may experience tax consequences, including gains or losses, in connection with these transactions. Because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than at NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (a premium) or less than NAV (a discount). An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for shares of the Fund (ask) when buying or selling shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). Recent information regarding the Fund's NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads is available at [www.BondBloxx.com].

 

Tax Information

 

The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxable to you as ordinary income or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement such as a 401(k) plan or an IRA, in which case, your distributions generally will be taxed when withdrawn.

 

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Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

 

If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), BIM or other related companies may pay the intermediary for marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and reporting systems or other services related to the sale or promotion of the Fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

 

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BONDBLOXX US HIGH YIELD CONSUMER CYCLICALS SECTOR ETF

Ticker: [ ]                       Stock Exchange: NYSE Arca

 

Investment Objective

 

The BondBloxx US High Yield Consumer Cyclicals Sector ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of U.S. dollar-denominated, high yield corporate bonds in the consumer cyclicals sector.

 

Fees and Expenses

 

The following table describes the fees and expenses that you will incur if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. The investment advisory agreement between BondBloxx ETF Trust (the “Trust”) and BondBloxx Investment Management LLC (“BIM”) (the “Investment Advisory Agreement”) provides that BIM will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except the management fees, interest expenses, taxes, expenses incurred with respect to the acquisition and disposition of portfolio securities and the execution of portfolio transactions, including brokerage commissions, distribution fees or expenses, litigation expenses and any extraordinary expenses.

 

You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below.

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a
percentage of the value of your investments)
Management
Fees
  Distribution and
Service (12b-1)
Fees
  Other
Expenses1
  Total Annual
Fund
Operating
Expenses
 
[ ]%   None   [ ]%   [ ]%  

 

 

1 Other Expenses are based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year.

 

Example. This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of owning shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:

 

1 Year   3 Years  
$[ ]   $[ ]  

 

Portfolio Turnover. The Fund may pay transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. Portfolio turnover information for the Fund is not presented because the Fund had not commenced investment operations as of the date of this prospectus.

 

Principal Investment Strategies

 

The Fund is newly organized, non-diversified and seeks to track the investment results of the ICE Diversified US Cash Pay High Yield Consumer Cyclical Index (the “Index”), which is a rules-based index consisting of U.S. dollar-denominated below investment grade securities (as determined by ICE Data Indices, LLC or its affiliates (collectively “Index Provider” or “IDI”)) that contains issuers from the consumer cyclicals sector, including the automotive, leisure, real estate development & management, department stores, and specialty retail sub-sectors. The Index is a modified market value-weighted index with a cap on each issuer of 25%. There is no limit to the number of issues in the Index,

 

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but as of [June 30], 2021, the Index included approximately [ ] constituents. The issuers in the Index are principally located in the United States. The components of the Index are likely to change over time.

The Index is composed of a subset of securities in the ICE BofA US Cash Pay High Yield Constrained Index (the “Underlying Index”). As of the date of this prospectus (the “Prospectus”), the bonds eligible for inclusion in the Underlying Index include U.S. dollar-denominated high yield corporate bonds, currently in a coupon paying period, that are publicly issued in the U.S. domestic market, and that: (i) are issued by companies having “risk exposure” to countries (i.e., issuers that are subject to the risks of one or more of these countries as a result of the principal country of domicile of the issuers (as determined by the Index Provider)) that are members of the FX-G10, which include Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the U.K. and the U.S. and their respective territories; (ii) have an average rating of below investment grade (ratings from Fitch Ratings, Inc. (“Fitch”), Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody's”) or S&P Global Ratings are considered; if more than one agency provides a rating, the average rating is attached to the bond); (iii) are registered with the SEC, exempt from registration at issuance, or offered pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”), with or without registration rights; (iv) have at least $250 million of outstanding face value; (v) have an original maturity date of at least 18 months; and (vi) have at least one year to maturity. Underlying Index constituents are capitalization-weighted, based on their current amount outstanding, provided the total allocation to an individual issuer does not exceed 2%.

BIM uses a “passive” or indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not try to “outperform” the index it tracks and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued.

Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by aiming to keep portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies.

BIM uses a representative sampling indexing strategy to manage the Fund. “Representative sampling” is an indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to that of an applicable underlying index. The securities selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market value and sector weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability, duration, maturity, credit ratings and yield) and liquidity measures similar to those of an applicable underlying index. The Fund may or may not hold all of the securities in the Index.

The Fund generally will invest at least 80% of its assets in the component securities of the Index and may invest up to 20% of its assets in certain futures, options and swap contracts, U.S. Treasury obligations, U.S. Government obligations, U.S. agency securities, securities of other registered investment companies, cash and cash equivalents, as well as in securities not included in its Index, but which BIM believes will help the Fund track its Index.

The Fund seeks to track the investment results of the Index before fees and expenses of the Fund.

The Index is sponsored by the Index Provider, which is independent of the Fund and BIM. The Index Provider determines the composition and relative weightings of the securities in the Index and publishes information regarding the market value of the Index.

Industry Concentration Policy. The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent that the Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities), repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities, and securities of state or municipal governments and their political subdivisions are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.

Summary of Principal Risks

As with any investment, you could lose all or a substantial part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments. The Fund is subject to certain risks, including the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund's net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. The order of the below risk factors does not indicate the significance of any particular risk factor.

Market Trading Risk. The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including the potential lack of an active market for Fund shares or the Fund’s underlying portfolio securities, losses from trading in secondary markets, periods of high volatility and disruptions in the creation/redemption process. ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO THE FUND'S SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NAV.

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Index-Related Risk. There is no guarantee that the Fund’s investment results will have a high degree of correlation to those of the Index or that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Fund’s ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Index. Errors in index data, index computations or the construction of the Index in accordance with its methodology may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Index Provider for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. Unusual market conditions may cause the Index Provider to postpone a scheduled rebalance, which could cause the Index to vary from its normal or expected composition. In addition, the Index Provider may be subject to business or regulatory changes that impair its ability to continue to operate the Index in its current form.

Tracking Error Risk. The Fund may be subject to tracking error, which is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of the Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities and other instruments held in the Fund’s portfolio and those included in the Index, pricing differences (including, as applicable, differences between a security’s price at the local market close and the Fund's valuation of a security at the time of calculation of the Fund's NAV or differences between the securities prices used to value the Index and those used by the Fund), transaction costs incurred by the Fund, securities lending earnings, the Fund’s holding of uninvested cash, differences in timing of the accrual of or the valuation of distributions, the requirements to maintain pass-through tax treatment, portfolio transactions carried out to minimize the distribution of capital gains to shareholders, acceptance of custom baskets, changes to the Index or the costs to the Fund of complying with various new or existing regulatory requirements. This risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Index does not. INDEX-BASED EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS (“ETFs”) THAT TRACK INDICES WITH SIGNIFICANT WEIGHT IN HIGH YIELD SECURITIES MAY EXPERIENCE HIGHER TRACKING ERROR THAN OTHER INDEX ETFs THAT DO NOT TRACK SUCH INDICES.

Passive Investment Risk. The Fund is not actively managed, and BIM generally does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets or changing interest rate environments.

Interest Rate Risk. During periods of very low or negative interest rates, the Fund may be unable to maintain positive returns or pay dividends to Fund shareholders. Very low or negative interest rates may magnify interest rate risk. Changing interest rates, including rates that fall below zero, may have unpredictable effects on markets, result in heightened market volatility and detract from the Fund’s performance to the extent the Fund is exposed to such interest rates. Additionally, under certain market conditions in which interest rates are low and the market prices for portfolio securities have increased, the Fund may have a very low, or even negative yield. A low or negative yield would cause the Fund to lose money in certain conditions and over certain time periods. An increase in interest rates will generally cause the value of securities held by the Fund to decline, may lead to heightened volatility in the fixed-income markets and may adversely affect the liquidity of certain fixed-income investments, including those held by the Fund. The recent historically low interest rate environment heightens the risks associated with rising interest rates that may result from central bank or government intervention or other inflationary pressures.

Income Risk. The Fund's income may decline if interest rates fall. This decline in income can occur because the Fund may subsequently invest in lower-yielding bonds as bonds in its portfolio mature, are near maturity or are called, bonds in the Index are substituted, or the Fund otherwise needs to purchase additional bonds.

Call Risk. During periods of falling interest rates, an issuer of a callable bond held by the Fund may “call” or repay the security prior to its stated maturity, and the Fund may have to reinvest the proceeds in securities with lower interest rates, which would result in a decline in the Fund's income, or in securities with greater risks or with other less favorable features.

Credit Risk. Debt issuers and other counterparties may be unable or unwilling to make timely interest and/or principal payments when due or otherwise honor their obligations. Changes in an issuer’s credit rating or the market’s perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness may also adversely affect the value of the Fund’s investment in that issuer. The degree of credit risk depends on an issuer's or counterparty's financial condition and on the terms of an obligation. The Fund expects to invest in fixed income securities of high yield issuers that may exhibit higher levels of credit risk than other types of fixed income instruments.

Inflation Risk. Inflation is a sustained rise in overall price levels. Moderate inflation is associated with economic growth, while high inflation can signal an overheated economy. Inflation risk is the risk that the value of assets or income from investments will be less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money (i.e., as inflation increases, the values of the Fund’s assets can decline). Inflation poses a “stealth” threat to investors because it reduces savings and investment returns. Central banks, such as the U.S. Federal Reserve, generally attempt to control inflation by regulating the pace of economic activity. They typically attempt to affect economic activity by raising and lowering short-term interest rates. At times, governments may attempt to manage inflation through fiscal policy, such as by raising taxes or

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reducing spending, thereby reducing economic activity; conversely, governments can attempt to combat deflation with tax cuts and increased spending designed to stimulate economic activity. Inflation rates may change frequently and significantly as a result of various factors, including unexpected shifts in the domestic or global economy and changes in economic policies, and the Fund’s investments may not keep pace with inflation, which may result in losses to Fund shareholders. This risk is greater for fixed-income instruments with longer maturities.

High Yield Securities Risk. Securities that are rated below investment-grade (sometimes referred to as “junk bonds,” which may include those bonds rated below “BBB-” by S&P Global Ratings and Fitch or below “Baa3” by Moody’s), or similar securities that are unrated, may be deemed speculative, may involve greater levels of risk than higher-rated securities of similar maturity and may be more likely to default.

Market Risk. The Fund could lose money over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during more prolonged market downturns. Local, regional or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, the spread of infectious illness or other public health issues, recessions, the advent of significant inflation, or other events could have a significant impact on the Fund and its investments and could result in increased premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV.

Issuer Risk. The performance of the Fund depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. The Fund may be adversely affected if an issuer of underlying securities held by the Fund is unable or unwilling to repay principal or interest when due. Changes in the financial condition or credit rating of an issuer of those securities may cause the value of the securities to decline.

Asset Class Risk. Securities and other assets in the Index or in the Fund's portfolio may underperform in comparison to the general financial markets, a particular financial market or other asset classes.

Geographic Risk. A natural disaster could occur in a geographic region in which the Fund invests, which could adversely affect the economy or the business operations of companies in the specific geographic region, causing an adverse impact on the Fund's investments in, or which are exposed to, the affected region.

Risk of Investing in the U.S. Certain changes in the U.S. economy, such as when the U.S. economy weakens or when its financial markets decline, may have an adverse effect on the securities to which the Fund has exposure.

Infectious Illness Risk. An outbreak of an infectious respiratory illness, COVID-19, caused by a novel coronavirus has resulted in travel restrictions, disruption of healthcare systems, prolonged quarantines, cancellations, supply chain disruptions, lower consumer demand, layoffs, business shutdowns, ratings downgrades, defaults and other significant economic impacts. Certain markets have experienced temporary closures, extreme volatility, severe losses, reduced liquidity and increased trading costs. In addition, certain government and regulatory responses to COVID-19 have created uncertain economic conditions and/or exacerbated certain economic challenges faced by individuals, businesses and government entities. These events will have an impact on the Fund and its investments and could impact the Fund’s ability to purchase or sell securities or cause elevated tracking error and increased premiums or discounts to the Fund's NAV. Other infectious illness outbreaks in the future may result in similar impacts.

Consumer Cyclicals Sector Risk. The consumer cyclicals sector consists of a number of sub-sectors, including the automotive, consumer discretionary, leisure, real estate development and management, department store and specialty retail sub-sectors. The success of consumer cyclical companies is tied closely to the performance of domestic and international economies, exchange rates, interest rates, competition, consumer confidence, changes in demographics and preferences. Companies in the consumer cyclicals sector depend heavily on disposable household income and consumer spending, and may be strongly affected by social trends and marketing campaigns. These companies may be subject to severe competition, which may have an adverse impact on their profitability.

Automotive Sub-Sector Risk. The automotive sub-sector can be highly cyclical, and companies in the automotive sub-sector may suffer periodic losses. The automotive sub-sector is also highly competitive and there may be, at times, excess capacity in the global and domestic automotive sub-sector. Over the last several decades, the U.S. automotive sub-sector has experienced periodic downturns; certain automotive companies required stimulus from the U.S. government, while others formed strategic industry alliances in order to weather the substantially difficult market conditions. In general, the automotive sub-sector is susceptible to labor disputes, product defect litigation, patent expiration, increased pension liabilities, rise in material or component prices and changing consumer tastes.

Consumer Discretionary Sub-Sector Risk. Companies engaged in the design, production or distribution of products or services for the consumer discretionary sub-sector (including, for example, leisure, gaming, hotels, recreation, theaters, entertainment, etc.) are subject to the risk that their products or services may become obsolete quickly. The success of these companies can depend heavily on disposable household income and consumer spending. During periods of an expanding economy, the consumer discretionary sub-sector may outperform the other sub-sectors, but may underperform when economic conditions worsen. Moreover, the consumer discretionary sub-sector can be significantly affected by several factors, including, without limitation, the performance of domestic and international

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economies, exchange rates, changing consumer preferences, demographics, marketing campaigns, cyclical revenue generation, consumer confidence, commodity price volatility, labor relations, interest rates, import and export controls, intense competition, technological developments and government regulation.

Retail Sub-Sector Risk. The retail sub-sector may be affected by changes in domestic and international economies, consumer confidence, disposable household income and spending, and consumer tastes and preferences. Companies in the retail sub-sector face intense competition, which may have an adverse effect on their profitability. The success of companies in the retail sub-sector may be strongly affected by social trends, marketing campaigns and public perceptions. Companies in the retail sub-sector may be dependent on outside financing, which may be difficult to obtain. Many of these companies are dependent on third party suppliers and distribution systems. Retail companies may be unable to protect their intellectual property rights or may be liable for infringing the intellectual property rights of others.

Focused Investment Risk. To the extent the Fund invests more heavily in particular sectors, sub-sectors, industries, groups of industries, asset classes, markets, regions, countries, or groups of countries, its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that significantly affect those sectors, sub-sectors, industries, asset classes, markets, regions, or countries. In addition, the value of the Fund’s shares may change at different rates compared to the value of shares of a fund with investments in a more diversified mix of sectors, sub-sectors, industries, asset classes, markets, regions, or countries. An individual sector, sub-sector, industry, group of industries, asset-class, market, region, country, or group of countries may outperform the broader market during particular periods, but may do so with considerably greater volatility than the broader market. In addition, the several industries that constitute a sector or sub-sector or the several countries or markets that constitute a region or group of countries may all react similarly to economic, political, regulatory or other market events. The Fund’s performance could also be affected if the sectors, sub-sectors, industries, asset classes, markets, regions, or countries do not perform as expected. Alternatively, a lack of exposure to one or more other sectors, sub-sectors, industries, asset classes, markets, regions, or countries may adversely affect performance.

Concentration Risk. The Fund may be susceptible to an increased risk of loss, including losses due to adverse events that affect the Fund’s investments more than the market as a whole, to the extent that the Fund's investments are concentrated in the securities and/or other assets of a particular issuer or issuers, sector, sub-sector, market segment, market, industry, group of industries, country, group of countries, region or asset class.

Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is classified as a “non-diversified” fund under the 1940 Act. Accordingly, the Fund may invest a greater portion of its assets in the securities of a single issuer than if it were a “diversified” fund. To the extent that the Fund invests a higher percentage of its assets in the securities of a single issuer, the Fund is subject to a higher degree of risk associated with and developments affecting that issuer than a fund that invests more widely. 

Illiquid Investments Risk. The Fund may invest up to an aggregate amount of 15% of its net assets in illiquid investments. An illiquid investment is any investment that the Fund reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without significantly changing the market value of the investment. To the extent the Fund holds illiquid investments, the illiquid investments may reduce the returns of the Fund because the Fund may be unable to transact at advantageous times or prices. During periods of market volatility, liquidity in the market for the Fund’s shares may be impacted by the liquidity in the market for the underlying securities or instruments held by the Fund, which could lead to the Fund’s shares trading at a premium or discount to the Fund’s NAV. The high yield securities in which the Fund invests may experience greater liquidity challenges than other types of securities during periods of market stress.

Privately Issued Securities Risk. The Fund will invest in privately issued securities, including those that are normally purchased pursuant to Rule 144A or Regulation S promulgated under the 1933 Act. Privately issued securities are securities that have not been registered under the 1933 Act and as a result may be subject to legal restrictions on resale. Privately issued securities are generally not traded on established markets. As a result of the absence of a public trading market, privately issued securities may be deemed to be illiquid investments, may be more difficult to value than publicly traded securities and may be subject to wide fluctuations in value. Delay or difficulty in selling such securities may result in a loss to the Fund.

Authorized Participant Concentration Risk. Only an Authorized Participant (as defined in the Creations and Redemptions section of the Prospectus) may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund, and Authorized Participants are not obligated to engage in creation and/or redemption transactions. The Fund has a limited number of institutions that may act as Authorized Participants on an agency basis (i.e., on behalf of other market participants). To the extent that Authorized Participants exit the business or are unable or unwilling to proceed with creation or redemption orders with respect to the Fund and no other Authorized Participant is willing or able to step forward to create or redeem, Fund shares may be more likely to trade at a premium or discount to NAV and possibly face trading halts or delisting.

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Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF) and Other Investment Company Risk. The Fund may invest in shares of other investment companies and ETFs. Shareholders bear both their proportionate share of the Fund’s expenses and similar expenses of the underlying investment company or ETF when the Fund invests in shares of another investment company or ETF. The Fund is subject to the risks associated with the ETF or investment company’s investments. The price and movement of an ETF designed to track an index may not track the index and may result in a loss. In addition, ETFs may trade at a price above (premium) or below (discount) their net asset value, especially during periods of significant market volatility or stress, causing investors to pay significantly more or less than the value of the ETF’s underlying portfolio. Certain ETFs traded on exchanges may be thinly traded and experience large spreads between the “ask” price quoted by a seller and the “bid” price offered by a buyer.

Management Risk. Because BIM uses a representative sampling indexing strategy, the Fund may not be able to fully replicate the Index and may hold securities not included in the Index. As a result, the Fund is subject to the risk that BIM’s investment strategy, the implementation of which is subject to a number of constraints, may not produce the intended results.

Operational Risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risks arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, Authorized Participants, market makers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate processes and computer, technology or systems failures. The Fund and BIM seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate to address significant operational risks.

Valuation Risk. The price the Fund could receive upon the sale of a security or other asset may differ from the Fund's valuation of the security or other asset and from the value used by the Index, particularly for securities or other assets that trade in low volume or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair value methodology as a result of trade suspensions or for other reasons. In addition, the value of the securities or other assets in the Fund's portfolio may change on days or during time periods when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund's shares. Authorized Participants who purchase or redeem Fund shares on days when the Fund is holding fair-valued securities may receive fewer or more shares, or lower or higher redemption proceeds, than they would have received had the Fund not fair-valued securities or used a different valuation methodology. The Fund’s ability to value investments may be impacted by a lack of current market prices, technological issues or errors by pricing services or other third-party service providers.

Cybersecurity Risk. Failures or breaches of the electronic or computer systems of the Fund, the Fund's adviser, distributor, the Index Provider and other service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests have the ability to cause disruptions, negatively impact the Fund’s business operations and/or potentially result in financial losses to the Fund and its shareholders. While the Fund has established business continuity plans and risk management systems seeking to address system breaches or failures, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cybersecurity plans and systems of the Fund’s Index Provider and other service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants or issuers of securities in which the Fund invests.

LIBOR Transition Risk. The risk related to the anticipated discontinuation of the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) by the end of 2021. On November 30, 2020, the administrator of LIBOR announced a delay in the phase out of a majority of the U.S. dollar LIBOR publications until June 30, 2023, and the remainder of LIBOR publications are expected to end at the end of 2021. Certain instruments held by the Fund may rely in some fashion upon LIBOR. Although the transition process away from LIBOR has become increasingly well-defined in advance of the anticipated discontinuation date, there remains uncertainty regarding the nature of any replacement rate, and any potential effects of the transition away from LIBOR on the Fund or on certain instruments in which the Fund invests can be difficult to ascertain. The transition process may involve, among other things, increased volatility or illiquidity in markets for instruments that currently rely on LIBOR, and may result in a reduction in value of certain instruments held by the Fund.

Performance Information

In the future, this section will show how the Fund’s total return has varied from year-to-year, along with a broad-based market index for reference. Past performance (before and after taxes) is not an indication of future performance. Because the Fund has not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus, there is no past performance to return. Updated performance information, including the Fund’s current NAV, may be obtained by visiting our website at [www.bondbloxx.com] or by calling [ ] (toll free).

Management

Investment Adviser. BondBloxx Investment Management LLC.

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Portfolio Manager. Elya Schwartzman (the “Portfolio Manager”) is primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund. The Portfolio Manager has been a fixed income Portfolio Manager of the Fund since the Fund’s inception.

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

The Fund is an ETF. Individual shares of the Fund may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through a broker-dealer. When you buy or sell shares of the Fund, you may be required to pay a brokerage commission, and you may experience tax consequences, including gains or losses, in connection with these transactions. Because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than at NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (a premium) or less than NAV (a discount). An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for shares of the Fund (ask) when buying or selling shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). Recent information regarding the Fund's NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads is available at [www.BondBloxx.com].

Tax Information

The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxable to you as ordinary income or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement such as a 401(k) plan or an IRA, in which case, your distributions generally will be taxed when withdrawn.

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), BIM or other related companies may pay the intermediary for marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and reporting systems or other services related to the sale or promotion of the Fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

42

 

BONDBLOXX US HIGH YIELD CONSUMER NON-
CYCLICALS SECTOR ETF

Ticker: [ ]                       Stock Exchange: NYSE Arca

 

Investment Objective

The BondBloxx US High Yield Consumer Non-Cyclicals Sector ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of U.S. dollar-denominated, high yield corporate bonds in the consumer non-cyclicals sector.

Fees and Expenses

The following table describes the fees and expenses that you will incur if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. The investment advisory agreement between BondBloxx ETF Trust (the “Trust”) and BondBloxx Investment Management LLC (“BIM”) (the “Investment Advisory Agreement”) provides that BIM will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except the management fees, interest expenses, taxes, expenses incurred with respect to the acquisition and disposition of portfolio securities and the execution of portfolio transactions, including brokerage commissions, distribution fees or expenses, litigation expenses and any extraordinary expenses.

You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below.

Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a
percentage of the value of your investments)
Management
Fees
  Distribution and
Service (12b-1)
Fees
  Other
Expenses1
  Total Annual
Fund
Operating
Expenses
 
[ ]%   None   [ ]%   [ ]%  

 

1 Other Expenses are based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year.

Example. This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of owning shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:

 

1 Year   3 Years
$[ ]   $[ ]

Portfolio Turnover. The Fund may pay transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. Portfolio turnover information for the Fund is not presented because the Fund had not commenced investment operations as of the date of this prospectus.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund is newly organized, non-diversified and seeks to track the investment results of the ICE Diversified US Cash Pay High Yield Consumer Non-Cyclical Index (the “Index”), which is a rules-based index consisting of U.S. dollar-denominated below investment grade securities (as determined by ICE Data Indices, LLC or its affiliates (collectively “Index Provider” or “IDI”)) that contains issuers from the consumer non-cyclicals sector, including the consumer goods, discount stores, food & drug retail, restaurants, and utilities sub-sectors. The Index is a modified market value-weighted index with a cap on each issuer of 25%. There is no limit to the number of issues in the Index, but as of [June 30], 2021,

43

 

 

the Index included approximately [ ] constituents. The issuers in the Index are principally located in the United States. The components of the Index are likely to change over time.

The Index is composed of a subset of securities in the ICE BofA US Cash Pay High Yield Constrained Index (the “Underlying Index”). As of the date of this prospectus (the “Prospectus”), the bonds eligible for inclusion in the Underlying Index include U.S. dollar-denominated high yield corporate bonds, currently in a coupon paying period, that are publicly issued in the U.S. domestic market, and that: (i) are issued by companies having “risk exposure” to countries (i.e., issuers that are subject to the risks of one or more of these countries as a result of the principal country of domicile of the issuers (as determined by the Index Provider)) that are members of the FX-G10, which include Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the U.K. and the U.S. and their respective territories; (ii) have an average rating of below investment grade (ratings from Fitch Ratings, Inc. (“Fitch”), Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody's”) or S&P Global Ratings are considered; if more than one agency provides a rating, the average rating is attached to the bond); (iii) are registered with the SEC, exempt from registration at issuance, or offered pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”), with or without registration rights; (iv) have at least $250 million of outstanding face value; (v) have an original maturity date of at least 18 months; and (vi) have at least one year to maturity. Underlying Index constituents are capitalization-weighted, based on their current amount outstanding, provided the total allocation to an individual issuer does not exceed 2%.

BIM uses a “passive” or indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not try to “outperform” the index it tracks and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued.

Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by aiming to keep portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies.

BIM uses a representative sampling indexing strategy to manage the Fund. “Representative sampling” is an indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to that of an applicable underlying index. The securities selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market value and sector weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability, duration, maturity, credit ratings and yield) and liquidity measures similar to those of an applicable underlying index. The Fund may or may not hold all of the securities in the Index.

The Fund generally will invest at least 80% of its assets in the component securities of the Index and may invest up to 20% of its assets in certain futures, options and swap contracts, U.S. Treasury obligations, U.S. Government obligations, U.S. agency securities, securities of other registered investment companies, cash and cash equivalents, as well as in securities not included in its Index, but which BIM believes will help the Fund track its Index.

The Fund seeks to track the investment results of the Index before fees and expenses of the Fund.

The Index is sponsored by the Index Provider, which is independent of the Fund and BIM. The Index Provider determines the composition and relative weightings of the securities in the Index and publishes information regarding the market value of the Index.

Industry Concentration Policy. The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent that the Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities), repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities, and securities of state or municipal governments and their political subdivisions are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.

Summary of Principal Risks

As with any investment, you could lose all or a substantial part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments. The Fund is subject to certain risks, including the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund's net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. The order of the below risk factors does not indicate the significance of any particular risk factor.

Market Trading Risk. The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including the potential lack of an active market for Fund shares or the Fund’s underlying portfolio securities, losses from trading in secondary markets, periods of high volatility and disruptions in the creation/redemption process. ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO THE FUND'S SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NAV.

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Index-Related Risk. There is no guarantee that the Fund’s investment results will have a high degree of correlation to those of the Index or that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Fund’s ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Index. Errors in index data, index computations or the construction of the Index in accordance with its methodology may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Index Provider for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. Unusual market conditions may cause the Index Provider to postpone a scheduled rebalance, which could cause the Index to vary from its normal or expected composition. In addition, the Index Provider may be subject to business or regulatory changes that impair its ability to continue to operate the Index in its current form.

Tracking Error Risk. The Fund may be subject to tracking error, which is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of the Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities and other instruments held in the Fund’s portfolio and those included in the Index, pricing differences (including, as applicable, differences between a security’s price at the local market close and the Fund's valuation of a security at the time of calculation of the Fund's NAV or differences between the securities prices used to value the Index and those used by the Fund), transaction costs incurred by the Fund, securities lending earnings, the Fund’s holding of uninvested cash, differences in timing of the accrual of or the valuation of distributions, the requirements to maintain pass-through tax treatment, portfolio transactions carried out to minimize the distribution of capital gains to shareholders, acceptance of custom baskets, changes to the Index or the costs to the Fund of complying with various new or existing regulatory requirements. This risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Index does not. INDEX-BASED EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS (“ETFs”) THAT TRACK INDICES WITH SIGNIFICANT WEIGHT IN HIGH YIELD SECURITIES MAY EXPERIENCE HIGHER TRACKING ERROR THAN OTHER INDEX ETFs THAT DO NOT TRACK SUCH INDICES.

Passive Investment Risk. The Fund is not actively managed, and BIM generally does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets or changing interest rate environments.

Interest Rate Risk. During periods of very low or negative interest rates, the Fund may be unable to maintain positive returns or pay dividends to Fund shareholders. Very low or negative interest rates may magnify interest rate risk. Changing interest rates, including rates that fall below zero, may have unpredictable effects on markets, result in heightened market volatility and detract from the Fund’s performance to the extent the Fund is exposed to such interest rates. Additionally, under certain market conditions in which interest rates are low and the market prices for portfolio securities have increased, the Fund may have a very low, or even negative yield. A low or negative yield would cause the Fund to lose money in certain conditions and over certain time periods. An increase in interest rates will generally cause the value of securities held by the Fund to decline, may lead to heightened volatility in the fixed-income markets and may adversely affect the liquidity of certain fixed-income investments, including those held by the Fund. The recent historically low interest rate environment heightens the risks associated with rising interest rates that may result from central bank or government intervention or other inflationary pressures.

Income Risk. The Fund's income may decline if interest rates fall. This decline in income can occur because the Fund may subsequently invest in lower-yielding bonds as bonds in its portfolio mature, are near maturity or are called, bonds in the Index are substituted, or the Fund otherwise needs to purchase additional bonds.

Call Risk. During periods of falling interest rates, an issuer of a callable bond held by the Fund may “call” or repay the security prior to its stated maturity, and the Fund may have to reinvest the proceeds in securities with lower interest rates, which would result in a decline in the Fund's income, or in securities with greater risks or with other less favorable features.

Credit Risk. Debt issuers and other counterparties may be unable or unwilling to make timely interest and/or principal payments when due or otherwise honor their obligations. Changes in an issuer’s credit rating or the market’s perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness may also adversely affect the value of the Fund’s investment in that issuer. The degree of credit risk depends on an issuer's or counterparty's financial condition and on the terms of an obligation. The Fund expects to invest in fixed income securities of high yield issuers that may exhibit higher levels of credit risk than other types of fixed income instruments.

Inflation Risk. Inflation is a sustained rise in overall price levels. Moderate inflation is associated with economic growth, while high inflation can signal an overheated economy. Inflation risk is the risk that the value of assets or income from investments will be less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money (i.e., as inflation increases, the values of the Fund’s assets can decline). Inflation poses a “stealth” threat to investors because it reduces savings and investment returns. Central banks, such as the U.S. Federal Reserve, generally attempt to control inflation by regulating the pace of economic activity. They typically attempt to affect economic activity by raising and lowering short-term interest rates. At times, governments may attempt to manage inflation through fiscal policy, such as by raising taxes or

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reducing spending, thereby reducing economic activity; conversely, governments can attempt to combat deflation with tax cuts and increased spending designed to stimulate economic activity. Inflation rates may change frequently and significantly as a result of various factors, including unexpected shifts in the domestic or global economy and changes in economic policies, and the Fund’s investments may not keep pace with inflation, which may result in losses to Fund shareholders. This risk is greater for fixed-income instruments with longer maturities.

High Yield Securities Risk. Securities that are rated below investment-grade (sometimes referred to as “junk bonds,” which may include those bonds rated below “BBB-” by S&P Global Ratings and Fitch or below “Baa3” by Moody’s), or similar securities that are unrated, may be deemed speculative, may involve greater levels of risk than higher-rated securities of similar maturity and may be more likely to default.

Market Risk. The Fund could lose money over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during more prolonged market downturns. Local, regional or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, the spread of infectious illness or other public health issues, recessions, the advent of significant inflation, or other events could have a significant impact on the Fund and its investments and could result in increased premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV.

Issuer Risk. The performance of the Fund depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. The Fund may be adversely affected if an issuer of underlying securities held by the Fund is unable or unwilling to repay principal or interest when due. Changes in the financial condition or credit rating of an issuer of those securities may cause the value of the securities to decline.

Asset Class Risk. Securities and other assets in the Index or in the Fund's portfolio may underperform in comparison to the general financial markets, a particular financial market or other asset classes.

Geographic Risk. A natural disaster could occur in a geographic region in which the Fund invests, which could adversely affect the economy or the business operations of companies in the specific geographic region, causing an adverse impact on the Fund's investments in, or which are exposed to, the affected region.

Risk of Investing in the U.S. Certain changes in the U.S. economy, such as when the U.S. economy weakens or when its financial markets decline, may have an adverse effect on the securities to which the Fund has exposure.

Infectious Illness Risk. An outbreak of an infectious respiratory illness, COVID-19, caused by a novel coronavirus has resulted in travel restrictions, disruption of healthcare systems, prolonged quarantines, cancellations, supply chain disruptions, lower consumer demand, layoffs, business shutdowns, ratings downgrades, defaults and other significant economic impacts. Certain markets have experienced temporary closures, extreme volatility, severe losses, reduced liquidity and increased trading costs. In addition, certain government and regulatory responses to COVID-19 have created uncertain economic conditions and/or exacerbated certain economic challenges faced by individuals, businesses and government entities. These events will have an impact on the Fund and its investments and could impact the Fund’s ability to purchase or sell securities or cause elevated tracking error and increased premiums or discounts to the Fund's NAV. Other infectious illness outbreaks in the future may result in similar impacts.

Consumer Non-Cyclicals Sector Risk. The consumer non-cyclicals sector consists principally of consumer staples companies that operate in numerous sub-sectors, including the consumer goods, discount stores, food & drug retail, restaurants, and utilities sub-sectors. Investments in the consumer non-cyclicals sector involve risks associated with companies that manufacture products and provide discretionary services directly to the consumer. Performance of companies in the consumer non-cyclicals sector may be adversely impacted by fluctuations in supply and demand, changes in the global economy, consumer spending, competition, demographics and consumer preferences, and production spending. Companies in the consumer non-cyclicals sector are also affected by changes in government regulation, global economic, environmental and political events, and economic conditions.

Consumer Staples Sub-Sector Risk. Companies in the consumer goods sub-sector may be strongly affected by social trends, marketing campaigns and other factors affecting consumer demand. Governmental regulation affecting the use of various food additives may affect the profitability of certain consumer goods companies represented in the Index. Many consumer goods in the U.S. may also be marketed globally, and such consumer goods companies may be affected by the demand and market conditions in non-U.S. countries.

Utilities Sub-Sector Risk. The utilities sub-sector may be adversely affected by changing commodity prices, government regulation stipulating rates charged by utilities, increased tariffs, changes in tax laws, interest rate fluctuations and changes in the cost of providing specific utility services. The utilities sub-sector is also subject to potential terrorist attacks, including hacks and cyber-security attacks, natural disasters and severe weather conditions, as well as regulatory and operational burdens associated with the operation and maintenance of nuclear facilities. Government regulators monitor and control utility revenues and costs, and therefore may limit utility profits. In certain countries, regulatory authorities may also restrict a company’s access to new markets, thereby diminishing the company’s long-term prospects.

 

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Focused Investment Risk. To the extent the Fund invests more heavily in particular sectors, sub-sectors, industries, groups of industries, asset classes, markets, regions, countries, or groups of countries, its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that significantly affect those sectors, sub-sectors, industries, asset classes, markets, regions, or countries. In addition, the value of the Fund’s shares may change at different rates compared to the value of shares of a fund with investments in a more diversified mix of sectors, sub-sectors, industries, asset classes, markets, regions, or countries. An individual sector, sub-sector, industry, group of industries, asset-class, market, region, country, or group of countries may outperform the broader market during particular periods, but may do so with considerably greater volatility than the broader market. In addition, the several industries that constitute a sector or sub-sector or the several countries or markets that constitute a region or group of countries may all react similarly to economic, political, regulatory or other market events. The Fund’s performance could also be affected if the sectors, sub-sectors, industries, asset classes, markets, regions, or countries do not perform as expected. Alternatively, a lack of exposure to one or more other sectors, sub-sectors, industries, asset classes, markets, regions, or countries may adversely affect performance.

 

Concentration Risk. The Fund may be susceptible to an increased risk of loss, including losses due to adverse events that affect the Fund’s investments more than the market as a whole, to the extent that the Fund's investments are concentrated in the securities and/or other assets of a particular issuer or issuers, sector, sub-sector, market segment, market, industry, group of industries, country, group of countries, region or asset class.

 

Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is classified as a “non-diversified” fund under the 1940 Act. Accordingly, the Fund may invest a greater portion of its assets in the securities of a single issuer than if it were a “diversified” fund. To the extent that the Fund invests a higher percentage of its assets in the securities of a single issuer, the Fund is subject to a higher degree of risk associated with and developments affecting that issuer than a fund that invests more widely.

 

Illiquid Investments Risk. The Fund may invest up to an aggregate amount of 15% of its net assets in illiquid investments. An illiquid investment is any investment that the Fund reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without significantly changing the market value of the investment. To the extent the Fund holds illiquid investments, the illiquid investments may reduce the returns of the Fund because the Fund may be unable to transact at advantageous times or prices. During periods of market volatility, liquidity in the market for the Fund’s shares may be impacted by the liquidity in the market for the underlying securities or instruments held by the Fund, which could lead to the Fund’s shares trading at a premium or discount to the Fund’s NAV. The high yield securities in which the Fund invests may experience greater liquidity challenges than other types of securities during periods of market stress.

 

Privately Issued Securities Risk. The Fund will invest in privately issued securities, including those that are normally purchased pursuant to Rule 144A or Regulation S promulgated under the 1933 Act. Privately issued securities are securities that have not been registered under the 1933 Act and as a result may be subject to legal restrictions on resale. Privately issued securities are generally not traded on established markets. As a result of the absence of a public trading market, privately issued securities may be deemed to be illiquid investments, may be more difficult to value than publicly traded securities and may be subject to wide fluctuations in value. Delay or difficulty in selling such securities may result in a loss to the Fund.

 

Authorized Participant Concentration Risk. Only an Authorized Participant (as defined in the Creations and Redemptions section of the Prospectus) may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund, and Authorized Participants are not obligated to engage in creation and/or redemption transactions. The Fund has a limited number of institutions that may act as Authorized Participants on an agency basis (i.e., on behalf of other market participants). To the extent that Authorized Participants exit the business or are unable or unwilling to proceed with creation or redemption orders with respect to the Fund and no other Authorized Participant is willing or able to step forward to create or redeem, Fund shares may be more likely to trade at a premium or discount to NAV and possibly face trading halts or delisting.

 

Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF) and Other Investment Company Risk. The Fund may invest in shares of other investment companies and ETFs. Shareholders bear both their proportionate share of the Fund’s expenses and similar expenses of the underlying investment company or ETF when the Fund invests in shares of another investment company or ETF. The Fund is subject to the risks associated with the ETF or investment company’s investments. The price and movement of an ETF designed to track an index may not track the index and may result in a loss. In addition, ETFs may trade at a price above (premium) or below (discount) their net asset value, especially during periods of significant market volatility or stress, causing investors to pay significantly more or less than the value of the ETF’s underlying portfolio. Certain ETFs traded on exchanges may be thinly traded and experience large spreads between the “ask” price quoted by a seller and the “bid” price offered by a buyer.

 

Management Risk. Because BIM uses a representative sampling indexing strategy, the Fund may not be able to fully replicate the Index and may hold securities not included in the Index. As a result, the Fund is subject to the risk that

 

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BIM’s investment strategy, the implementation of which is subject to a number of constraints, may not produce the intended results.

 

Operational Risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risks arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, Authorized Participants, market makers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate processes and computer, technology or systems failures. The Fund and BIM seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate to address significant operational risks.

 

Valuation Risk. The price the Fund could receive upon the sale of a security or other asset may differ from the Fund's valuation of the security or other asset and from the value used by the Index, particularly for securities or other assets that trade in low volume or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair value methodology as a result of trade suspensions or for other reasons. In addition, the value of the securities or other assets in the Fund's portfolio may change on days or during time periods when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund's shares. Authorized Participants who purchase or redeem Fund shares on days when the Fund is holding fair-valued securities may receive fewer or more shares, or lower or higher redemption proceeds, than they would have received had the Fund not fair-valued securities or used a different valuation methodology. The Fund’s ability to value investments may be impacted by a lack of current market prices, technological issues or errors by pricing services or other third-party service providers.

 

Cybersecurity Risk. Failures or breaches of the electronic or computer systems of the Fund, the Fund's adviser, distributor, the Index Provider and other service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests have the ability to cause disruptions, negatively impact the Fund’s business operations and/or potentially result in financial losses to the Fund and its shareholders. While the Fund has established business continuity plans and risk management systems seeking to address system breaches or failures, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cybersecurity plans and systems of the Fund’s Index Provider and other service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants or issuers of securities in which the Fund invests.

 

LIBOR Transition Risk. The risk related to the anticipated discontinuation of the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) by the end of 2021. On November 30, 2020, the administrator of LIBOR announced a delay in the phase out of a majority of the U.S. dollar LIBOR publications until June 30, 2023, and the remainder of LIBOR publications are expected to end at the end of 2021. Certain instruments held by the Fund may rely in some fashion upon LIBOR. Although the transition process away from LIBOR has become increasingly well-defined in advance of the anticipated discontinuation date, there remains uncertainty regarding the nature of any replacement rate, and any potential effects of the transition away from LIBOR on the Fund or on certain instruments in which the Fund invests can be difficult to ascertain. The transition process may involve, among other things, increased volatility or illiquidity in markets for instruments that currently rely on LIBOR, and may result in a reduction in value of certain instruments held by the Fund.

 

Performance Information

 

In the future, this section will show how the Fund’s total return has varied from year-to-year, along with a broad-based market index for reference. Past performance (before and after taxes) is not an indication of future performance. Because the Fund has not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus, there is no past performance to return. Updated performance information, including the Fund’s current NAV, may be obtained by visiting our website at [www.bondbloxx.com] or by calling [ ] (toll free).

 

Management

 

Investment Adviser. BondBloxx Investment Management LLC.

 

Portfolio Manager. Elya Schwartzman (the “Portfolio Manager”) is primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund. The Portfolio Manager has been a fixed income Portfolio Manager of the Fund since the Fund’s inception.

 

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

 

The Fund is an ETF. Individual shares of the Fund may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through a broker-dealer. When you buy or sell shares of the Fund, you may be required to pay a brokerage commission, and you may experience tax consequences, including gains or losses, in connection with these transactions. Because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than at NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (a premium) or less than NAV (a discount). An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for shares of the

 

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Fund (ask) when buying or selling shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). Recent information regarding the Fund's NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads is available at [www.BondBloxx.com].

 

Tax Information

 

The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxable to you as ordinary income or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement such as a 401(k) plan or an IRA, in which case, your distributions generally will be taxed when withdrawn.

 

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

 

If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), BIM or other related companies may pay the intermediary for marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and reporting systems or other services related to the sale or promotion of the Fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

 

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More Information About the Funds

 

This Prospectus contains important information about investing in the Funds. Please read this Prospectus carefully before you make any investment decisions. Additional information regarding the Funds is available at [www.BondBloxx.com].

 

The investment objective of each Fund is to track the investment results of its Index. Each Index of is composed of U.S. dollar-denominated, high yield corporate bonds from a particular sector or group of sectors. Each Fund's investment objective and the Index may be changed without shareholder approval.

 

BIM is the investment adviser to the Funds. Shares of the Funds are listed for trading on NYSE Arca, Inc. ("NYSE Arca"). The market price for a share of a Fund may be different from the Fund’s most recent NAV.

 

ETFs are funds that trade like other publicly-traded securities. Each Fund is designed to track an index. Similar to shares of an index mutual fund, each share of a Fund represents an ownership interest in an underlying portfolio of securities and other instruments intended to track a market index. Unlike shares of a mutual fund, which can be bought and redeemed from the issuing fund by all shareholders at a price based on NAV, shares of the Funds may be purchased or redeemed directly from the Funds at NAV solely by Authorized Participants and only in aggregations of a specified number of shares (“Creation Units”). Also unlike shares of a mutual fund, shares of the Funds are listed on a national securities exchange and trade in the secondary market at market prices that change throughout the day.

 

Each Fund invests in a particular segment of the securities markets and seeks to track the performance of a securities index that is not representative of the market as a whole. Each Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent that its Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities), repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities, and securities of state or municipal governments and their political subdivisions are not considered to be issued by members of any industry. Each Fund is designed to be used as part of broader asset allocation strategies. Accordingly, an investment in a Fund should not constitute a complete investment program.

 

An index is a financial calculation, based on a grouping of financial instruments, and is not an investment product, while each Fund is an actual investment portfolio. The performance of the Funds and the Indexes may vary for a number of reasons, including transaction costs, non-U.S. currency valuations, asset valuations, corporate actions (such as mergers and spin-offs), securities lending earnings, timing variances and differences between a Fund’s portfolio and an Index resulting from the Fund's use of representative sampling or from legal restrictions (such as diversification requirements) that apply to the Fund but not to the Index. From time to time, the Index Provider may make changes to the methodology or other adjustments to an Index. Unless otherwise determined by BIM, any such change or adjustment will be reflected in the calculation of the Index performance on a going-forward basis after the effective date of such change or adjustment. Therefore, the Index performance shown for periods prior to the effective date of any such change or adjustment will generally not be recalculated or restated to reflect such change or adjustment.

 

“Tracking error” is the divergence of a Fund's performance from that of the Index. Because each Fund uses a representative sampling indexing strategy, it can be expected to have a larger tracking error than if it used a replication indexing strategy. “Replication” is an indexing strategy in which a fund invests in substantially all of the securities in its underlying index in approximately the same proportions as in the underlying index.

 

An investment in a Fund is not a bank deposit and it is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency, BIM or any of its affiliates.

 

A Further Discussion of Principal Risks

 

Each Fund is subject to various risks, including the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect a Fund’s NAV, trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. You could lose all or a substantial part of your investment in a Fund, and a Fund could underperform other investments. The order of the below risk factors does not indicate the significance of any particular risk factor.

 

Market Trading Risk.

 

Absence of Active Market. Although shares of the Fund are listed for trading on one or more stock exchanges, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such shares or the Fund’s underlying portfolio securities will develop or be maintained by market makers or Authorized Participants.

 

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Risk of Secondary Listings. The Fund's shares may be listed or traded on U.S. and non-U.S. stock exchanges other than the U.S. stock exchange where the Fund's primary listing is maintained, and may otherwise be made available to non-U.S. investors through funds or structured investment vehicles similar to depositary receipts. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s shares will continue to trade on any such stock exchange or in any market or that the Fund’s shares will continue to meet the requirements for listing or trading on any exchange or in any market. The Fund's shares may be less actively traded in certain markets than in others, and investors are subject to the execution and settlement risks and market standards of the market where they or their broker direct their trades for execution. Certain information available to investors who trade Fund shares on a U.S. stock exchange during regular U.S. market hours may not be available to investors who trade in other markets, which may result in secondary market prices in such markets being less efficient.

 

Secondary Market Trading Risk. Shares of the Fund may trade in the secondary market at times when the Fund does not accept orders to purchase or redeem shares. At such times, shares may trade in the secondary market with more significant premiums or discounts than might be experienced at times when the Fund accepts purchase and redemption orders.

 

Secondary market trading in Fund shares may be halted by a stock exchange because of market conditions or for other reasons. In addition, trading in Fund shares on a stock exchange or in any market may be subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to “circuit breaker” rules on the stock exchange or market.

 

Shares of the Fund, similar to shares of other issuers listed on a stock exchange, may be sold short and are therefore subject to the risk of increased volatility and price decreases associated with being sold short. In addition, Fund shares may be loaned, borrowed, pledged or purchased on margin, and certain ETFs have options associated with them. The use of Fund shares in these ways may result in increased volatility and larger premiums and discounts on Fund shares.

 

Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. Shares of the Fund trade on stock exchanges at prices at, above or below the Fund’s most recent NAV. The NAV of the Fund is calculated at the end of each business day and fluctuates with changes in the market value of the Fund’s holdings. The trading price of the Fund's shares fluctuates continuously throughout trading hours based on both market supply of and demand for Fund shares and the underlying value of the Fund's portfolio holdings or NAV. As a result, the trading prices of the Fund’s shares may deviate significantly from NAV during periods of market volatility, including during periods of significant redemption requests or other unusual market conditions. ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO THE FUND'S SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NAV. However, because shares can be created and redeemed in Creation Units at NAV, BIM believes that large discounts or premiums to the NAV of the Fund are not likely to be sustained over the long term (unlike shares of many closed-end funds, which frequently trade at appreciable discounts from, and sometimes at premiums to, their NAVs). While the creation/redemption feature is designed to make it more likely that the Fund’s shares normally will trade on stock exchanges at prices close to the Fund’s next calculated NAV, exchange prices are not expected to correlate exactly with the Fund's NAV due to timing reasons, supply and demand imbalances and other factors. In addition, disruptions to creations and redemptions, including disruptions at market makers, Authorized Participants, or other market participants, and during periods of significant market volatility, may result in trading prices for shares of the Fund that differ significantly from its NAV. Authorized Participants may be less willing to create or redeem Fund shares if there is a lack of an active market for such shares or its underlying investments, which may contribute to the Fund’s shares trading at a premium or discount to NAV.

 

Costs of Buying or Selling Fund Shares. Buying or selling Fund shares on an exchange involves two types of costs that apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling shares of the Fund through a broker, you will likely incur a brokerage commission and other charges. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “bid-ask spread”; that is, the difference between what investors are willing to pay for Fund shares (the “bid” price) and the price at which they are willing to sell Fund shares (the “ask” price). The bid-ask spread, which varies over time for shares of the Fund based on trading volume and market liquidity, is generally narrower if the Fund has more trading volume and market liquidity and wider if the Fund has less trading volume and market liquidity. In addition, increased market volatility may cause wider bid-ask spreads. There may also be regulatory and other charges that are incurred as a result of trading activity. Because of the costs inherent in buying or selling Fund shares, frequent trading may detract significantly from investment results and an investment in Fund shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments through a brokerage account.

 

Index-Related Risk. The Fund seeks to achieve a return that corresponds generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Index as published by the Index Provider. There is no assurance that the Index Provider or any agents that may act on its behalf will compile the Index accurately, or that the Index will be determined, composed, disseminated or calculated accurately. While the Index Provider provides descriptions of what the Index is designed to achieve, neither the Index Provider nor its agents provide any warranty or accept any liability in relation to the quality, accuracy or completeness of the Index or its related data, and they do not guarantee that the Index will be

 

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in line with the Index Provider’s methodology. BIM’s mandate as described in this Prospectus is to manage the Fund consistently with the Index provided by the Index Provider to BIM. BIM does not provide any warranty or guarantee against the Index Provider’s or any agent’s errors. Errors in respect of the quality, accuracy and completeness of the data used to compile the Index may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Index Provider for a period of time or at all, particularly where the indices are less commonly used as benchmarks by funds or managers. Such errors may negatively or positively impact the Fund and its shareholders. For example, during a period where the Index contains incorrect constituents, the Fund would have market exposure to such constituents and would be underexposed to the Index’s correct constituents. Shareholders should understand that any gains from Index Provider errors will be kept by the Fund and its shareholders and any losses or costs resulting from Index Provider errors will be borne by the Fund and its shareholders.

 

Unusual market conditions may cause the Index Provider to postpone a scheduled rebalance to the Index, which could cause the Index to vary from its normal or expected composition. The postponement of a scheduled rebalance in a time of market volatility could mean that constituents of the Index that would otherwise be removed at rebalance due to changes in market value, issuer credit ratings, or other reasons may remain, causing the performance and constituents of the Index to vary from those expected under normal conditions. Apart from scheduled rebalances, the Index Provider or its agents may carry out additional ad hoc rebalances to the Index due to reaching certain weighting constraints, unusual market conditions or corporate events or in order, for example, to correct an error in the selection of index constituents. In addition, the Index Provider may be subject to business or regulatory changes that impair its ability to continue to operate the Index in its current form. When the Index is rebalanced and the Fund in turn rebalances its portfolio to attempt to increase the correlation between the Fund’s portfolio and the Index, any transaction costs and market exposure arising from such portfolio rebalancing will be borne directly by the Fund and its shareholders. Therefore, errors and additional ad hoc rebalances carried out by the Index Provider or its agents to the Index may increase the costs to and the tracking error risk of the Fund.

 

Tracking Error Risk. The Fund may be subject to tracking error, which is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of the Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities and other instruments held in the Fund’s portfolio and those included in the Index, pricing differences (including, as applicable, differences between a security’s price at the local market close and the Fund's valuation of a security at the time of calculation of the Fund's NAV or differences between the securities prices used to value the Index and those used by the Fund), transaction costs incurred by the Fund, securities lending earnings, the Fund’s holding of uninvested cash, differences in timing of the accrual of or the valuation of distributions, the requirements to maintain pass-through tax treatment, portfolio transactions carried out to minimize the distribution of capital gains to shareholders, use of custom baskets, changes to the Index or the costs to the Fund of complying with various new or existing regulatory requirements. This risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Index does not. INDEX ETFs THAT TRACK INDICES WITH SIGNIFICANT WEIGHT IN HIGH YIELD SECURITIES MAY EXPERIENCE HIGHER TRACKING ERROR THAN OTHER INDEX ETFs THAT DO NOT TRACK SUCH INDICES.

 

Passive Investment Risk. The Fund is not actively managed and may be affected by a general decline in market segments related to the Index. The Fund invests in securities included in, or representative of, the Index, regardless of their investment merits. BIM generally does not attempt to invest the Fund's assets in defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets or changing interest rate environments.

 

Interest Rate Risk. If interest rates rise, the value of fixed-income securities or other instruments held by the Fund would likely decrease. A measure investors commonly use to determine this price sensitivity is called duration. Fixed-income securities with longer durations tend to be more sensitive to interest rate changes, usually making their prices more volatile than those of securities with shorter durations. To the extent the Fund invests a substantial portion of its assets in fixed-income securities with longer duration, rising interest rates may cause the value of the Fund's investments to decline significantly, which would adversely affect the value of the Fund. An increase in interest rates may lead to heightened volatility in the fixed-income markets and adversely affect certain fixed-income investments, including those held by the Fund. In addition, decreases in fixed income dealer market-making capacity may lead to lower trading volume, heightened volatility, wider bid-ask spreads and less transparent pricing in certain fixed-income markets.

 

The recent historically low interest rate environment was created in part by the world’s major central banks keeping their overnight policy interest rates at, near or below zero percent and implementing monetary policy facilities, such as asset purchase programs, to anchor longer-term interest rates below historical levels. During periods of very low or negative interest rates, the Fund may be unable to maintain positive returns or pay dividends to Fund shareholders. Certain countries have recently experienced negative interest rates on certain fixed-income instruments. Very low or negative interest rates may magnify interest rate risk. Changing interest rates, including rates that fall below zero, may have unpredictable effects on markets, result in heightened market volatility and detract from the Fund’s performance

 

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to the extent the Fund is exposed to such interest rates. Additionally, under certain market conditions in which interest rates are set at low levels and the market prices of portfolio securities have increased, the Fund may have a very low, or even negative yield. A low or negative yield would cause the Fund to lose money in certain conditions and over certain time periods. Central banks may increase their short-term policy rates or begin phasing out, or “tapering,” accommodative monetary policy facilities in the future. The timing, coordination, magnitude and effect of such policy changes on various markets is uncertain, and such changes in monetary policy may adversely affect the value of the Fund’s investments.

 

Income Risk. The Fund’s income may decline if interest rates fall. This decline in income can occur because the Fund may subsequently invest in lower-yielding bonds as bonds in its portfolio mature, are near maturity or are called, bonds in the Index are substituted, or the Fund otherwise needs to purchase additional bonds. The Index Provider’s substitution of bonds in the Index may occur, for example, when the time to maturity for the bond no longer matches the Index’s stated maturity guidelines.

 

Call Risk. During periods of falling interest rates, an issuer of a callable bond held by the Fund may “call” or repay the security prior to its stated maturity, and the Fund may have to reinvest the proceeds in securities with lower interest rates, which would result in a decline in the Fund’s income, or in securities with greater risks or with other less favorable features.

 

Credit Risk. Credit risk is the risk that the issuer or guarantor of a debt instrument or the counterparty to a derivatives contract, repurchase agreement or loan of portfolio securities will be unable or unwilling to make its timely interest and/or principal payments when due or otherwise honor its obligations. There are varying degrees of credit risk, depending on an issuer’s or counterparty’s financial condition and on the terms of an obligation, which may be reflected in the issuer’s or counterparty’s credit rating. There is the chance that the Fund’s portfolio holdings will have their credit ratings downgraded or will default (i.e., fail to make scheduled interest or principal payments), or that the market’s perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness may worsen, potentially reducing the Fund’s income level or share price. The Fund expects to invest in fixed income securities of high yield issuers that may exhibit higher levels of credit risk than other types of fixed income instruments.

 

Inflation Risk. Inflation is a sustained rise in overall price levels. Moderate inflation is associated with economic growth, while high inflation can signal an overheated economy. Inflation risk is the risk that the value of assets or income from investments will be less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money (i.e., as inflation increases, the values of the Fund’s assets can decline). Inflation poses a “stealth” threat to investors because it reduces savings and investment returns. Central banks, such as the U.S. Federal Reserve, generally attempt to control inflation by regulating the pace of economic activity. They typically attempt to affect economic activity by raising and lowering short-term interest rates. At times, governments may attempt to manage inflation through fiscal policy, such as by raising taxes or reducing spending, thereby reducing economic activity; conversely, governments can attempt to combat deflation with tax cuts and increased spending designed to stimulate economic activity. Inflation rates may change frequently and significantly as a result of various factors, including unexpected shifts in the domestic or global economy and changes in economic policies, and the Fund’s investments may not keep pace with inflation, which may result in losses to Fund shareholders. This risk is greater for fixed-income instruments with longer maturities.

 

High Yield Securities Risk. Securities that are rated below investment-grade (sometimes referred to as “junk bonds,” which may include those bonds rated below “BBB-” by S&P Global Ratings and Fitch, or below “Baa3” by Moody’s), or similar securities that are unrated, may be deemed speculative, may involve greater levels of risk than higher-rated securities of similar maturity and may be more likely to default.

 

The major risks of high yield securities investments include:

 

High yield securities may be issued by less creditworthy issuers. Issuers of high yield securities may have a larger amount of outstanding debt relative to their assets than issuers of investment-grade bonds. In the event of an issuer’s bankruptcy, claims of other creditors may have priority over the claims of high yield securities holders, leaving few or no assets available to repay high yield securities holders.
Prices of high yield securities are subject to extreme price fluctuations. Adverse changes in an issuer’s sector and general economic conditions may have a greater impact on the prices of high yield securities than on other higher rated fixed-income securities. The credit rating of a high yield security does not necessarily address its market value risk. Ratings and market value may change from time to time, positively or negatively, to reflect new developments regarding the issuer.
Issuers of high yield securities may be unable to meet their interest or principal payment obligations because of an economic downturn, specific issuer developments, or the unavailability of additional financing.

 

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High yield securities frequently have redemption features that permit an issuer to repurchase the security from the Fund before it matures. If the issuer redeems high yield securities held by the Fund, the Fund may have to invest the proceeds in bonds with lower yields and may lose income.
High yield securities may be less liquid than higher rated fixed-income securities, even under normal economic conditions. There are fewer dealers in the high yield securities market, and there may be significant differences in the prices quoted for high yield securities by the dealers. Because high yield securities may be less liquid than higher rated fixed-income securities, judgment may play a greater role in valuing certain of the Fund's securities than is the case with securities trading in a more liquid market. These valuation differences may lead to wider variations between the Fund’s NAV and the market price of the Fund’s shares.
The Fund may incur expenses to the extent necessary to seek recovery upon default or to negotiate new terms with a defaulting issuer.

 

Market Risk. The Fund could lose money over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during more prolonged market downturns. Market risk arises mainly from uncertainty about future values of financial instruments and may be influenced by price, currency and interest rate movements. It represents the potential loss the Fund may suffer through holding financial instruments in the face of market movements or uncertainty. The value of a security or other asset may decline due to changes in general market conditions, the advent of significant inflation, economic trends or events that are not specifically related to the issuer of the security or other asset, or factors that affect a particular issuer or issuers, country, group of countries, region, market, industry, group of industries, sector or asset class. Local, regional or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, the spread of infectious illness or other public health issues, recessions, or other events could have a significant impact on the Fund and its investments and could result in increased premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV. During a general market downturn, multiple asset classes may be negatively affected. Fixed-income securities with short-term maturities are generally less sensitive to such changes than are fixed-income securities with longer-term maturities. Changes in market conditions and interest rates generally do not have the same impact on all types of securities and instruments.

 

Issuer Risk. The performance of the Fund depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. The Fund may be adversely affected if an issuer of underlying securities held by the Fund is unable or unwilling to repay principal or interest when due. Any issuer of these securities may perform poorly, causing the value of its securities to decline. Poor performance may be caused by poor management decisions, competitive pressures, changes in technology, expiration of patent protection, disruptions in supply, labor problems or shortages, corporate restructurings, fraudulent disclosures, credit deterioration of the issuer, adverse regulatory changes or other factors. Changes to the financial condition or credit rating of an issuer of those securities may cause the value of the securities to decline. An issuer may also be subject to risks associated with the countries, states and regions in which the issuer resides, invests, sells products, or otherwise conducts operations.

 

Asset Class Risk. The securities and other assets in the Index or in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform in comparison to other securities or indexes that track other countries, groups of countries, regions, industries, groups of industries, markets, market segments, asset classes or sectors. Various types of securities, currencies and indexes may experience cycles of outperformance and underperformance in comparison to the general financial markets depending upon a number of factors including, among other things, inflation, interest rates, productivity, global demand for local products or resources, income taxes, and regulation and governmental controls. This may cause the Fund to underperform other investment vehicles that invest in different asset classes.

 

Geographic Risk. Some of the companies in which the Fund invests are located in parts of the world that have historically been prone to natural disasters, such as earthquakes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, droughts, floods, hurricanes or tsunamis, and are economically sensitive to environmental events. Any such event may adversely impact the economies of these geographic areas or business operations of companies in these geographic areas, causing an adverse impact on the value of the Fund.

 

Risk of Investing in the U.S. A decrease in imports or exports, changes in trade regulations and/or an economic recession in the U.S. may have a material adverse effect on the U.S. economy and the securities listed on U.S. exchanges. Proposed and adopted policy and legislative changes in the U.S. are changing many aspects of financial and other regulation and may have a significant effect on the U.S. markets generally, as well as on the value of certain securities. In addition, a continued rise in the U.S. public debt level or the imposition of U.S. austerity measures may adversely affect U.S. economic growth and the securities to which the Fund has exposure.

 

The U.S. has developed increasingly strained relations with a number of foreign countries. If relations with certain countries continue to worsen, it could adversely affect U.S. issuers as well as non-U.S. issuers that rely on the U.S. for trade. The U.S. has also experienced increased internal unrest and discord, as well as significant challenges in

 

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managing and containing the outbreak of COVID-19. If these trends were to continue, it may have an adverse impact on the U.S. economy and many of the issuers in which the Fund invests.

 

Infectious Illness Risk. An outbreak of an infectious respiratory illness, COVID-19, caused by a novel coronavirus that was first detected in December 2019 has spread globally. The impact of this outbreak has adversely affected the economies of many nations and the global economy, and may impact individual issuers and capital markets in ways that cannot be foreseen. The duration of the outbreak and its effects cannot be predicted with certainty. Any market or economic disruption can be expected to result in elevated tracking error and increased premiums or discounts to the Fund's NAV.

 

General Impact. This outbreak has resulted in travel restrictions, closed international borders, enhanced health screenings at ports of entry and elsewhere, disruption of and delays in healthcare service preparation and delivery, prolonged quarantines, cancellations, supply chain disruptions, lower consumer demand, temporary and permanent closures of stores, restaurants and other commercial establishments, layoffs, business shutdowns, defaults and other significant economic impacts, as well as general concern and uncertainty.
Market Volatility. The outbreak has also resulted in extreme volatility, severe losses, and disruptions in markets which can adversely impact the Fund and its investments, including impairing hedging activity to the extent a Fund engages in such activity, as expected correlations between related markets or instruments may no longer apply. In addition, to the extent the Fund invests in short-term instruments that have negative yields, the Fund’s value may be impaired as a result. Certain issuers of equity securities have cancelled or announced the suspension of dividends. The outbreak has, and may continue to, negatively affect the credit ratings of some fixed income securities and their issuers.
 
Market Closures. Certain local markets have been or may be subject to closures, and there can be no assurance that trading will continue in any local markets in which the Fund may invest, when any resumption of trading will occur or, once such markets resume trading, whether they will face further closures. Any suspension of trading in markets in which the Fund invests will have an impact on the Fund and its investments and will impact the Fund’s ability to purchase or sell securities in such markets.
Operational Risk. The outbreak could also impair the information technology and other operational systems upon which the Fund’s service providers, including BIM, rely, and could otherwise disrupt the ability of employees of the Fund’s service providers to perform critical tasks relating to the Fund, for example, due to the service providers’ employees performing tasks in alternate locations than under normal operating conditions or the illness of certain employees of the Fund’s service providers.
Governmental Interventions. Governmental and quasi-governmental authorities and regulators throughout the world have responded to the outbreak and the resulting economic disruptions with a variety of fiscal and monetary policy changes, including direct capital infusions into companies and other issuers, new monetary policy tools, and lower interest rates. An unexpected or sudden reversal of these policies, or the ineffectiveness of such policies, is likely to increase market volatility, which could adversely affect the Fund’s investments. In addition, certain government and regulatory responses to COVID-19 have created uncertain economic conditions and/or exacerbated certain economic challenges faced by individuals, businesses and government entities.
Pre-Existing Conditions. Public health crises caused by the outbreak may exacerbate other pre-existing political, social and economic risks in certain countries or globally, which could adversely affect the Fund and its investments and could result in increased premiums or discounts to the Fund's NAV.

 

Other infectious illness outbreaks that may arise in the future could have similar or other unforeseen effects.

 

Industrial Sector Risk. Industrial companies are affected by supply and demand both for their specific product or service and for industrial sector products in general. Government regulation, world events, exchange rates and economic conditions, technological developments and liabilities for environmental damage and general civil liabilities will likewise affect the performance of these companies. Aerospace and defense companies, a component of the industrial sector, can be significantly affected by government spending policies because companies involved in this sector rely, to a significant extent, on U.S. and foreign government demand for their products and services. Thus, the financial condition of, and investor interest in, aerospace and defense companies are heavily influenced by governmental defense spending policies which are typically under pressure from efforts to control the U.S. (and other) government budgets. Transportation securities, a component of the industrial sector, are cyclical and have occasional sharp price movements which may result from changes in the economy, fuel prices, labor agreements and insurance costs.

 

Basic Materials Sub-Sector Risk. Issuers in the basic materials sub-sector may be adversely affected by commodity price volatility, exchange rate fluctuations, import controls and increased competition. Production of industrial materials

 

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often exceeds demand as a result of over-building or economic downturns, leading to poor investment returns. Issuers in the basic materials sub-sector are at risk for environmental damage and product liability claims and may be adversely affected by depletion of resources, interruptions in supplies of certain commodities, delays in technical progress, labor relations and government and environmental regulations.

 

Capital Goods Sub-Sector Risk. Companies in the capital goods sub-sector include aerospace & defense, building products, construction & engineering, and other manufacturers of capital intensive products. Companies in the capital goods sub-sector may be affected by fluctuations in the business cycle and by other factors affecting manufacturing demands, including the availability and price of certain commodities. The capital goods sub-sector depends heavily on corporate spending. Companies in the capital goods sub-sector may perform well during times of economic expansion, but as economic conditions worsen, the demand for capital goods may decrease. Many capital goods are sold internationally, and companies in this sub-sector may be affected by market conditions in other countries and regions.

 

Transportation Sub-Sector Risk. Companies in the transportation sub-sector may be adversely affected by changes in the economy, increases in fuel and operating costs, labor relations, technology developments, exchange rates, insurance costs, industry competition and government regulation. Companies in the transportation sub-sector are also affected by severe weather events, mass casualty accidents or environmental catastrophes, acts of terrorism and other similar events that target or damage transportation infrastructure or vessels, war or risk of war, widespread disruption of technology systems and increasing equipment and operational costs. Such global or regional events and conditions may adversely affect the operations, financial condition and liquidity of companies in the transportation sub-sector and cause insurance premiums to increase dramatically or result in insurance coverage becoming unavailable for certain business lines or assets. Securities of companies in the transportation sub-sector are generally cyclical and occasionally subject to sharp price movements.

 

Telecom, Media and Technology Sector Risk. The telecom, media and technology sector consists of a number of sub-sectors, including the telecommunications, communication services, technology and electronics and media sub-sectors. These sectors are subject to the risks of rapid innovation and obsolescence cycles, intellectual property theft, government regulation, cybersecurity incidents and labor force challenges, among others. There is significant competition for technological advances, and issuers that fail to innovate will be adversely impacted. In addition, issuers in certain sub-sectors require substantial capital investments to develop products and services.

 

Telecommunications Sub-Sector Risk. The telecommunications sub-sector is subject to extensive government regulation. The costs of complying with governmental regulations, delays or failure to receive required regulatory approvals, or the enactment of new regulatory requirements may negatively affect the business of telecommunications companies. Government actions around the world, specifically in the area of pre-marketing clearance of products and prices, can be arbitrary and unpredictable. The domestic telecommunications market is characterized by increasing competition and regulation, including environmental regulations applicable to telecommunications facilities, by various state and federal regulatory authorities. Companies in the telecommunications sub-sector may encounter distressed cash flows due to the need to commit substantial capital to meet increasing competition, particularly in developing new products and services using new technology. Technological innovations may make the products and services of certain telecommunications companies obsolete. Telecommunications providers are generally required to obtain franchises or licenses in order to provide services in a given location. Licensing and franchise rights in the telecommunications sub-sector are limited, which may provide an advantage to certain participants. Limited availability of such rights, high barriers to market entry, and regulatory oversight, among other factors, have led to consolidation of companies within the sub-sector, which could lead to further regulation or other negative effects in the future.

 

Communication Services Sub-Sector Risk. The communication services sub-sector consists of both companies in the telecommunication services and entertainment sub-sectors. Companies in the communication services sub-sector may be affected by sub-sector competition, substantial capital requirements, government regulation, and obsolescence of communications products and services due to technological advancement. Fluctuating domestic and international demand, shifting demographics and often unpredictable changes in consumer tastes can drastically affect a communication services company's profitability. In addition, while all companies may be susceptible to network security breaches, certain companies in the communication services sub-sector may be particular targets of hacking and potential theft of proprietary or consumer information or disruptions in service, which could have a material adverse effect on their businesses. The communication services sub-sector of a country’s economy is often subject to extensive government regulation. The communications services sub-sector can also be significantly affected by intense competition for market share, including competition with alternative technologies such as wireless communications, product compatibility and standardization, consumer preferences, rapid product obsolescence, research and development of new products, lack of standardization or compatibility with existing technologies, and a dependency on patent and copyright protections.

 

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Media Sub-Sector Risk. Companies in the media sub-sector may encounter distressed cash flows due to the need to commit substantial capital to meet increasing competition, particularly in formulating new content, products and services using new technology. Media companies are subject to risks that include cyclicality of revenues and earnings, a potential decrease in the discretionary income of targeted individuals, changing consumer tastes and interests, competition in the sub-sector and among different media delivery mechanisms, and the potential for increased state and federal regulation. Advertising spending is an important source of revenue for media companies. During economic downturns advertising spending typically decreases and as a result, media companies tend to generate less revenue.

 

Technology and Electronics Sub-Sector Risk. Technology and electronics companies, including information technology companies, face intense competition, both domestically and internationally, which may have an adverse effect on a company’s profit margins. Technology and electronics companies may have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. The products of technology and electronics companies may face obsolescence due to rapid technological developments, frequent new product introduction, unpredictable changes in growth rates and competition for the services of qualified personnel. Companies in the technology and electronics sub-sector are heavily dependent on patent and other intellectual property rights. A technology or electronics company’s loss or impairment of these rights, including through industrial espionage or state action, may adversely affect the company’s profitability. Companies in the technology and electronics sub-sector are facing increased government and regulatory scrutiny and may be subject to adverse government or regulatory action. The technology and electronics sub-sector may also be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices, especially for certain key components such as “rare earth” elements, which may be influenced or characterized by unpredictable factors, including political instability and environmental regulation.

 

Healthcare Sector Risk. The profitability of companies in the healthcare sector may be adversely affected by the following factors, among others: extensive government regulations, restrictions on government reimbursement for medical expenses, rising costs of medical products and services, pricing pressure, an increased emphasis on outpatient and tele-health services, changes in the demand for medical products and services, a limited number of products, industry innovation, changes in technologies and other market developments. A number of issuers in the healthcare sector have recently merged or otherwise experienced consolidation. The effects of this trend toward consolidation are unknown and may be far-reaching. Many healthcare companies are heavily dependent on patent protection. The expiration of a company’s patents, or regulations restricting the ability of healthcare companies to enforce its patents, may adversely affect that company’s profitability. Many healthcare companies are subject to extensive litigation based on product liability and similar claims. Healthcare companies are subject to competitive forces that may make it difficult to raise prices and, in fact, may result in price discounting. Many new products in the healthcare sector may be subject to regulatory approvals. The process of obtaining such approvals may be long and costly, and such efforts ultimately may be unsuccessful. Companies in the healthcare sector may be thinly capitalized and may be susceptible to product obsolescence. In addition, a number of legislative proposals concerning healthcare have been considered by the U.S. Congress in recent years. It is unclear what proposals will ultimately be enacted, if any, and what effect they may have on companies in the healthcare sector. In addition, many healthcare products and services may be impacted by changes in healthcare insurance coverage practices and regulations.

 

Financial Sector Risk. The financial sector consists of numerous sub-sectors, including the banking, financial services, insurance and REIT sub-sectors. Companies in the financial sector of an economy are subject to extensive governmental regulation and intervention, which may adversely affect the scope of their activities, the prices they can charge, the amount of capital they must maintain and, potentially, their size. The extent to which the Fund may invest in a company that engages in securities-related activities or banking is limited by applicable law. Governmental regulation may change frequently and may have significant adverse consequences for companies in the financial sector, including effects not intended by such regulation. Companies in the financial sector may also be adversely affected by increases in interest rates and loan losses, decreases in the availability of money or asset valuations, credit rating downgrades and adverse conditions in other related markets. Insurance companies, in particular, may be subject to severe price competition and/or rate regulation, which may have an adverse impact on their profitability. The financial sector is particularly sensitive to fluctuations in interest rates. The financial sector is also a target for cyberattacks, and may experience technology malfunctions and disruptions. In recent years, cyberattacks and technology malfunctions and failures have become increasingly frequent in this sector and have reportedly caused losses to companies in this sector, which may negatively impact the Fund.

 

Banking Sub-Sector Risk. Banking and financial services companies are subject to extensive regulation. Recently enacted legislation in the U.S. has relaxed capital requirements and other regulatory burdens on certain U.S. banks. While the effect of the legislation may benefit certain companies in the banking sub-sector, increased risk taking by affected banks may also result in greater overall risk in the U.S. and global financial sector. The impact of changes in capital requirements, or recent or future regulation in various countries, on any individual financial company or on the banking sub-sector as a whole cannot be predicted. Certain risks may impact the value of investments in the banking

 

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sub-sector more severely than those of investments outside this sub-sector, including the risks associated with companies that operate with substantial financial leverage.

 

Insurance Sub-Sector Risk. The insurance sub-sector is subject to extensive government regulation in some countries and can be significantly affected by changes in interest rates, general economic conditions, price and marketing competition, the imposition of premium rate caps or other changes in government regulation or tax law. Different segments of the insurance sub-sector can be significantly affected by changes in mortality and morbidity rates, environmental clean-up costs and catastrophic events such as earthquakes, hurricanes and terrorist acts.

 

Real Estate and REIT Sub-Sector Risk. Investments in real estate related securities are subject to the risk that the value of the real estate underlying the securities will decline. Many factors may affect the value of real estate underlying real estate related securities, such as, but not limited to, national, regional, and local economies in which the real estate is located, amounts of new construction, consumer demand, laws and regulations (including zoning and tax laws), availability of mortgages and changes in interest rates, the imposition of rent control, and the economy and consumer perception in general.

 

Investments in REITs involve unique risks. REITs may have limited financial resources, may trade less frequently and in limited volume, and may be more volatile than other securities. In addition, to the extent the Fund holds interests in REITs, investors in the Fund bear two layers of asset-based management fees and expenses (directly at the Fund level and indirectly at the REIT level). REITs may fail to qualify for the favorable tax treatment available to REITs or may fail to maintain their exemptions from investment company registration. Securities of such issuers may lack sufficient market liquidity to enable the Fund to effect sales at an advantageous time or without a substantial drop in price. Additionally, rising interest rates may cause REIT investors to demand a higher annual yield, which may, in turn, cause a decline in the market price of the equity securities issued by a REIT. Some REITs may utilize leverage, which increases investment risk and may potentially increase the Fund’s losses.

 

The risks of investing in REITs include certain risks associated with the direct ownership of real estate and the real estate sector in general. These include risks related to general, regional, and local economic conditions; fluctuations in interest rates and property tax rates; declines in the availability of real estate financing; increases in borrower defaults; shifts in zoning laws, environmental liabilities, or regulations and other governmental action such as the exercise of eminent domain; losses due to “special hazards” (e.g. floods, earthquakes, and hurricanes); cash flow dependency; increased operating expenses; declines in real estate property demand; deterioration of the rental market; lack of availability of mortgage funds; losses due to natural disasters; overbuilding; losses due to casualty or condemnation; changes in property values and rental rates; and other factors.

 

Energy Sector Risk. The energy sector consists of a number of sub-sectors, including the exploration & production, gas distribution, oil field equipment & services, and oil refining & marketing sub-sectors. The success of companies in the energy sector may be cyclical and highly dependent on energy prices. The market value of securities issued by companies in the energy sector may decline for the following reasons, among others: changes in the levels and volatility of global energy prices, energy supply and demand, geopolitical instability and capital expenditures on exploration and production of energy sources; exchange rates, interest rates, economic conditions, and tax treatment; regulation of energy production and the cost and availability of government subsidies; and energy conservation efforts, increased competition and technological advances. Companies in this sector may be subject to substantial government regulation and contractual fixed pricing, which may increase the cost of doing business and limit the earnings of these companies. A significant portion of the revenues of these companies may depend on a relatively small number of customers, including governmental entities and utilities. As a result, governmental budget constraints may have a material adverse effect on the stock prices of companies in this sector. Energy companies may also operate in, or engage in, transactions involving countries with less developed regulatory regimes or a history of expropriation, nationalization or other adverse policies. Energy companies also face a significant risk of liability from accidents resulting in injury or loss of life or property, pollution or other environmental problems, equipment malfunctions or mishandling of materials and a risk of loss from terrorism, political strife or natural disasters. Any such event could have serious consequences for the general population of the affected area and could have an adverse impact on the Fund’s portfolio and the performance of the Fund. Energy companies can be significantly affected by the supply of, and demand for, specific products (e.g., oil and natural gas) and services, exploration and production spending, construction and maintenance of pipelines and transmission facilities, world events and general economic conditions. In the context of the COVID-19 outbreak and disputes among oil-producing countries regarding potential limits on the production of crude oil, the energy sector has recently experienced increased volatility. In particular, there has been significant market volatility in the crude oil markets as well as the oil futures markets, which resulted in the market price of certain crude oil futures contract falling below zero for a period of time. Energy companies may have relatively high levels of debt and may be more likely than other companies to restructure their businesses if there are downturns in energy markets or in the global economy.

 

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Oil and Gas Sub-Sector Risk. Companies in the oil and gas sub-sector are strongly affected by the levels and volatility of global energy prices, oil and gas supply and demand, government regulations and policies, oil and gas production and conservation efforts and technological change. The oil and gas sub-sector is cyclical and from time to time may experience a shortage of drilling rigs, equipment, supplies or qualified personnel, or due to significant demand, such services may not be available on commercially reasonable terms. Prices and supplies of oil and gas may fluctuate significantly over short and long periods of time due to national and international political changes, OPEC policies, changes in relationships among OPEC members and between OPEC and oil-importing nations, the regulatory environment, taxation policies, and the economies of key energy-consuming countries. Disruptions in the oil and gas sub-sector or shifts in energy consumption may significantly impact companies in this sub-sector.

 

Consumer Cyclicals Sector Risk. The consumer cyclicals sector consists of a number of sub-sectors, including the automotive, consumer discretionary, leisure, real estate development and management, department store and specialty retail sub-sectors. The success of consumer cyclical companies is tied closely to the performance of domestic and international economies, exchange rates, interest rates, competition, consumer confidence, changes in demographics and preferences. Companies in the consumer cyclicals sector depend heavily on disposable household income and consumer spending, and may be strongly affected by social trends and marketing campaigns. These companies may be subject to severe competition, which may have an adverse impact on their profitability.

 

Automotive Sub-Sector Risk. The automotive sub-sector can be highly cyclical, and companies in the automotive sub-sector may suffer periodic losses. The automotive sub-sector is also highly competitive and there may be, at times, excess capacity in the global and domestic automotive sub-sector. Over the last several decades, the U.S. automotive sub-sector has experienced periodic downturns; certain automotive companies required stimulus from the U.S. government, while others formed strategic industry alliances in order to weather the substantially difficult market conditions. In general, the automotive sub-sector is susceptible to labor disputes, product defect litigation, patent expiration, increased pension liabilities, rise in material or component prices and changing consumer tastes.

 

Consumer Discretionary Sub-Sector Risk. Companies engaged in the design, production or distribution of products or services for the consumer discretionary sub-sector (including, for example, leisure, gaming, hotels, recreation, theaters, entertainment, etc.) are subject to the risk that their products or services may become obsolete quickly. The success of these companies can depend heavily on disposable household income and consumer spending. During periods of an expanding economy, the consumer discretionary sub-sector may outperform other sub-sectors, but may underperform when economic conditions worsen. Moreover, the consumer discretionary sub-sector can be significantly affected by several factors, including, without limitation, the performance of domestic and international economies, exchange rates, changing consumer preferences, demographics, marketing campaigns, cyclical revenue generation, consumer confidence, commodity price volatility, labor relations, interest rates, import and export controls, intense competition, technological developments and government regulation.

 

Retail Sub-Sector Risk. The retail sub-sector may be affected by changes in domestic and international economies, consumer confidence, disposable household income and spending, and consumer tastes and preferences. Companies in the retail sub-sector face intense competition, which may have an adverse effect on their profitability. The success of companies in the retail sub-sector may be strongly affected by social trends, marketing campaigns and public perceptions. Companies in the retail sub-sector may be dependent on outside financing, which may be difficult to obtain. Many of these companies are dependent on third party suppliers and distribution systems. Retail companies may be unable to protect their intellectual property rights or may be liable for infringing the intellectual property rights of others.

 

Consumer Non-Cyclicals Sector Risk. The consumer non-cyclicals sector consists principally of consumer staples companies that operate in numerous sub-sectors, including the consumer goods, discount stores, food & drug retail, restaurants, and utilities sub-sectors. Investments in the consumer non-cyclicals sector involve risks associated with companies that manufacture products and provide discretionary services directly to the consumer. Performance of companies in the consumer non-cyclicals sector may be adversely impacted by fluctuations in supply and demand, changes in the global economy, consumer spending, competition, demographics and consumer preferences, and production spending. Companies in the consumer non-cyclicals sector are also affected by global economic, environmental and political events, and economic conditions. The products of consumer non-cyclical companies are subject to government regulation which may negatively impact such companies' performance.

 

Consumer Staples Sub-Sector Risk. Companies in the consumer goods sub-sector may be strongly affected by social trends, marketing campaigns and other factors affecting consumer demand. Governmental regulation affecting the use of various food additives may affect the profitability of certain consumer goods companies represented in the Index. Many consumer goods in the U.S. may also be marketed globally, and such consumer goods companies may be affected by the demand and market conditions in non-U.S. countries.

 

Utilities Sub-Sector Risk. The utilities sub-sector may be adversely affected by changing commodity prices, government regulation stipulating rates charged by utilities, increased tariffs, changes in tax laws, interest rate

 

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fluctuations and changes in the cost of providing specific utility services. The utilities sub-sector is also subject to potential terrorist attacks, including hacks and cyber-security attacks, natural disasters and severe weather conditions, as well as regulatory and operational burdens associated with the operation and maintenance of nuclear facilities. Government regulators monitor and control utility revenues and costs, and therefore may limit utility profits. In certain countries, regulatory authorities may also restrict a company’s access to new markets, thereby diminishing the company’s long-term prospects.

 

Focused Investment Risk. To the extent the Fund invests more heavily in particular sectors, sub-sectors, industries, groups of industries, asset classes, markets, regions, countries, or groups of countries, its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that significantly affect those sectors, sub-sectors, industries, asset classes, markets, regions, or countries. In addition, the value of the Fund’s shares may change at different rates compared to the value of shares of a fund with investments in a more diversified mix of sectors, sub-sectors, industries, asset classes, markets, regions, or countries. An individual sector, sub-sector, industry, group of industries, asset-class, market, region, country, or group of countries may outperform the broader market during particular periods, but may do so with considerably greater volatility than the broader market. In addition, the several industries that constitute a sector or sub-sector or the several countries or markets that constitute a region or group of countries may all react similarly to economic, political, regulatory or other market events. The Fund’s performance could also be affected if the sectors, sub-sectors, industries, asset classes, markets, regions, or countries do not perform as expected. Alternatively, a lack of exposure to one or more other sectors, sub-sectors, industries, asset classes, markets, regions, or countries may adversely affect performance.

 

Concentration Risk. The Fund may be susceptible to an increased risk of loss, including losses due to adverse events that affect the Fund’s investments more than the market as a whole, to the extent that the Fund's investments are concentrated in the securities of a particular issuer or issuers, sector, sub-sector, market segment, market, industry, group of industries, country, group of countries, region or asset class. The Fund may be more adversely affected by the underperformance of those securities, may experience increased price volatility and may be more susceptible to adverse economic, market, political or regulatory occurrences affecting those securities and/or other assets than a fund that does not concentrate its investments.

 

Non-Diversification Risk. The Funds are classified as a “non-diversified” fund under the 1940 Act. Accordingly, a Fund may invest a greater portion of its assets in the securities of a single issuer than if it were a “diversified” fund. To the extent that a Fund invests a higher percentage of its assets in the securities of a single issuer, the Fund is subject to a higher degree of risk associated with and developments affecting that issuer than a fund that invests more widely.

 

Illiquid Investments Risk. The Fund may invest up to an aggregate amount of 15% of its net assets in illiquid investments. An illiquid investment is any investment that the Fund reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without significantly changing the market value of the investment. To the extent the Fund holds illiquid investments, the illiquid investments may reduce the returns of the Fund because the Fund may be unable to transact at advantageous times or prices. An investment may be illiquid due to, among other things, the reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in securities or instruments or the lack of an active market for such securities or instruments. To the extent that the Fund invests in securities or instruments with substantial market and/or credit risk, the Fund will tend to have increased exposure to the risks associated with illiquid investments. Liquid investments may become illiquid after purchase by the Fund, particularly during periods of market turmoil. There can be no assurance that a security or instrument that is deemed to be liquid when purchased will continue to be liquid for as long as it is held by the Fund, and any security or instrument held by the Fund may be deemed an illiquid investment pursuant to the Fund’s liquidity risk management program. Illiquid investments may be harder to value, especially in changing markets. Although the Fund primarily seeks to redeem shares of the Fund on an in-kind basis, if the Fund is forced to sell underlying investments at reduced prices or under unfavorable conditions to meet redemption requests or for other cash needs, the Fund may suffer a loss. This may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where redemptions from the Fund may be greater than normal. Other market participants may be attempting to liquidate holdings at the same time as the Fund, causing increased supply of the Fund’s underlying investments in the market and contributing to illiquid investments risk and downward pricing pressure. During periods of market volatility, liquidity in the market for the Fund’s shares may be impacted by the liquidity in the market for the underlying securities or instruments held by the Fund, which could lead to the Fund’s shares trading at a premium or discount to the Fund’s NAV. The high yield securities in which the Fund invests may experience greater liquidity challenges than other types of securities during periods of market stress.

 

Privately Issued Securities Risk. The Fund will invest in privately issued securities, including those that are normally purchased pursuant to Rule 144A or Regulation S under the 1933 Act. Privately issued securities typically may be resold only to qualified institutional buyers, or in a privately negotiated transaction, or to a limited number of purchasers, or in limited quantities after they have been held for a specified period of time and other conditions are met for an

 

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exemption from registration. Because there may be relatively few potential purchasers for such securities, especially under adverse market or economic conditions or in the event of adverse changes in the financial condition of the issuer, the Fund may find it more difficult to sell such securities when it may be advisable to do so or it may be able to sell such securities only at prices lower than if such securities were more widely held and traded. At times, it also may be more difficult to determine the fair value of such securities for purposes of computing the Fund’s NAV due to the absence of an active trading market. There can be no assurance that a privately-issued security that is deemed to be liquid when purchased will continue to be liquid for as long as it is held by the Fund, and its value may decline as a result.

 

Authorized Participant Concentration Risk. Only an Authorized Participant may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund, and Authorized Participants are not obligated to engage in creation and/or redemption transactions. The Fund has a limited number of institutions that may act as Authorized Participants on an agency basis (i.e., on behalf of other market participants). To the extent that Authorized Participants exit the business or are unable or unwilling to proceed with creation or redemption orders with respect to the Fund and no other Authorized Participant is willing or able to step forward to create or redeem Creation Units, Fund shares may be more likely to trade at a premium or discount to NAV and possibly face trading halts or delisting. Authorized Participant concentration risk may be heightened because ETFs, such as the Fund, that invest in high yield securities, securities issued by non-U.S. issuers or other securities or instruments that are less widely traded often involve greater settlement and operational issues and capital costs for Authorized Participants, which may limit the availability of Authorized Participants.

 

Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF) and Other Investment Company Risk. The Fund may invest in shares of other investment companies and ETFs. Shareholders bear both their proportionate share of the Fund’s expenses and similar expenses of the underlying investment company or ETF when the Fund invests in shares of another investment company or ETF. The Fund is subject to the risks associated with the ETF or investment company’s investments. The price and movement of an ETF designed to track an index may not track the index and may result in a loss. In addition, ETFs may trade at a price above (premium) or below (discount) their net asset value, especially during periods of significant market volatility or stress, causing investors to pay significantly more or less than the value of the ETF’s underlying portfolio. Certain ETFs traded on exchanges may be thinly traded and experience large spreads between the “ask” price quoted by a seller and the “bid” price offered by a buyer.

 

Management Risk. Because BIM uses a representative sampling indexing strategy, the Fund may not be able to fully replicate the Index and may hold securities not included in the Index. As a result, the Fund is subject to the risk that BIM’s investment strategy, the implementation of which is subject to a number of constraints, may not produce the intended results.

 

Operational Risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risks arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund's service providers, Authorized Participants, market makers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate processes and computer, technology or systems failures. The Fund and BIM seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate to address significant operational risks.

 

Valuation Risk. The debt securities in which the Fund may invest typically are valued by a pricing service utilizing a range of market-based inputs and assumptions, including readily available market quotations obtained from broker-dealers making markets in such instruments, cash flows and transactions for comparable instruments. There is no assurance that the Fund will be able to sell a portfolio security at the price established by the pricing service, which could result in a loss to the Fund. Pricing services generally price debt securities assuming orderly transactions of an institutional “round lot” size, but some trades may occur in smaller, “odd lot” sizes, often at lower prices than institutional round lot trades. The price the Fund could receive upon the sale of a security or other asset may differ from the Fund's valuation of the security or other asset and from the value used by the Index, particularly for securities or other assets that trade in low volume or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair value methodology as a result of trade suspensions or for other reasons. Authorized Participants who purchase or redeem Fund shares on days when the Fund is holding fair-valued securities may receive fewer or more shares, or lower or higher redemption proceeds, than they would have received had the Fund not fair-valued securities or used a different valuation methodology. The Fund’s ability to value investments may be impacted by a lack of current market prices, technological issues or errors by pricing services or other third-party service providers.

 

Cybersecurity Risk. With the increased use of technologies such as the internet to conduct business, the Fund, Authorized Participants, service providers and the relevant listing exchange are susceptible to operational, information security and related “cyber” risks both directly and through their service providers. Similar types of cybersecurity risks are also present for issuers of securities in which the Fund invests, which could result in material adverse consequences for such issuers and may cause the Fund’s investment in such portfolio companies to lose value. Unlike many other types of risks faced by the Fund, these risks typically are not covered by insurance. In general,

 

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cyber incidents can result from deliberate attacks or unintentional events. Cyber incidents include, but are not limited to, gaining unauthorized access to computer or digital systems (e.g., through “hacking” or malicious software coding) for purposes of misappropriating assets or sensitive information, “ransomware” attacks (a form of malware designed to encrypt files on a device, rendering any files and the systems that rely on them unusable), corrupting data, or causing operational disruption. Cyberattacks may also be carried out in a manner that does not require gaining unauthorized access, such as causing denial-of-service attacks on websites (i.e., efforts to make network services unavailable to intended users). The rapidly-evolving nature of both technologies and of cyberattacks makes preventing and mitigating cybersecurity risks or resolving cybersecurity incidents especially challenging, and the cost of prevention, responses and mitigation efforts may be substantial. Recently, geopolitical tensions may have increased the scale and sophistication of deliberate attacks, particularly those from nation-states or from entities with nation-state backing.

 

Cybersecurity failures by, or breaches of, the systems of the Fund’s adviser, distributor and other service providers (including, but not limited to, index and benchmark providers, fund accountants, custodians, transfer agents and administrators), market makers, Authorized Participants or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests, have the ability to cause disruptions and impact business operations, potentially resulting in: financial losses, theft of assets, interference with the Fund’s ability to calculate its NAV, disclosure of confidential trading information, impediments to trading, submission of erroneous trades or erroneous creation or redemption orders, the inability of the Fund or its service providers to transact business, violations of applicable privacy and other laws, regulatory fines, penalties, reputational damage, reimbursement or other compensation costs, or additional compliance costs. In addition, cyberattacks may render records of Fund assets and transactions, shareholder ownership of Fund shares, and other data integral to the functioning of the Fund inaccessible or inaccurate or incomplete. While the Fund has established business continuity plans in the event of, and risk management systems to prevent, such cyber incidents, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems, including the possibility that certain risks have not been identified and that prevention and remediation efforts will not be successful or that cyberattacks will go undetected. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cybersecurity plans and systems put in place by service providers to the Fund, issuers in which the Fund invests, the Index Provider, market makers or Authorized Participants. The Fund and its shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result.

 

LIBOR Transition Risk. The risk related to the anticipated discontinuation of the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) by the end of 2021. On November 30, 2020, the administrator of LIBOR announced a delay in the phase out of a majority of the U.S. dollar LIBOR publications until June 30, 2023, and the remainder of LIBOR publications are expected to end at the end of 2021. Certain instruments held by the Fund may rely in some fashion upon LIBOR. Although the transition process away from LIBOR has become increasingly well-defined in advance of the anticipated discontinuation date, there remains uncertainty regarding the nature of any replacement rate, and any potential effects of the transition away from LIBOR on the Fund or on certain instruments in which the Fund invests can be difficult to ascertain. The transition process may involve, among other things, increased volatility or illiquidity in markets for instruments that currently rely on LIBOR, and may result in a reduction in value of certain instruments held by the Fund.

 

A Further Discussion of Other Risks

 

Each Fund may also be subject to certain other risks associated with its investments and investment strategies. The order of the below risk factors does not indicate the significance of any particular risk factor.

 

European Economic Risk. The Economic and Monetary Union (the “eurozone”) of the European Union (the “EU”) requires compliance by member states that are members of the eurozone with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, interest rates and debt levels, as well as fiscal and monetary controls, each of which may significantly affect every country in Europe, including those countries that are not members of the eurozone. Changes in imports or exports, changes in governmental or EU regulations on trade, changes in the exchange rate of the euro (the common currency of eurozone countries), changes in interest rates or other monetary policy changes, the default or threat of default by an EU member state on its sovereign debt and/or an economic recession in an EU member state may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of other EU member states and their trading partners. The European financial markets have historically experienced volatility and adverse trends due to concerns about economic downturns or rising government debt levels in several European countries, including, but not limited to, Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Ukraine. These events have adversely affected the exchange rate of the euro and may continue to significantly affect European countries, and these consequences may be exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Responses to financial problems by European governments, central banks and others, including austerity measures and reforms, may not produce the desired results, may result in social unrest, may limit future growth and economic recovery or may have other unintended consequences. Further defaults or restructurings by governments and other entities of their debt could have additional adverse effects on economies, financial markets and asset valuations around the world. In addition, one or more countries may abandon the euro and/or withdraw from the EU. The United Kingdom

 

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(the “U.K.”) left the EU (“Brexit”) on January 31, 2020. The U.K. and EU have reached an agreement on the terms of their future trading relationship effective January 1, 2021, which principally relates to the trading of goods rather than services, including financial services. Further discussions are to be held between the U.K. and the EU in relation to matters not covered by the trade agreement, such as financial services. The Fund will face risks associated with the potential uncertainty and consequences that may follow Brexit, including with respect to volatility in exchange rates and interest rates. Brexit could adversely affect European or worldwide political, regulatory, economic or market conditions and could contribute to instability in global political institutions, regulatory agencies and financial markets. Brexit has also led to legal uncertainty and could lead to politically divergent national laws and regulations as a new relationship between the U.K. and EU is defined and the U.K. determines which EU laws to replace or replicate. Any of these effects of Brexit could adversely affect any of the companies to which the Fund has exposure and any other assets in which the Fund invests. The political, economic and legal consequences of Brexit are not yet fully known. In the short term, financial markets may experience heightened volatility, particularly those in the U.K. and Europe, but possibly worldwide. The U.K. and Europe may be less stable than they have been in recent years, and investments in the U.K. and the EU may be difficult to value, or subject to greater or more frequent volatility. In the longer term, there is likely to be a period of significant political, regulatory and commercial uncertainty as the U.K. continues to negotiate the terms of its future trading relationships.

 

Secessionist movements, such as the Catalan movement in Spain and the independence movement in Scotland, as well as governmental or other responses to such movements, may also create instability and uncertainty in the region. In addition, the national politics of countries in the EU have been unpredictable and subject to influence by disruptive political groups and ideologies. The governments of EU countries may be subject to change and such countries may experience social and political unrest. Unanticipated or sudden political or social developments may result in sudden and significant investment losses. The occurrence of terrorist incidents throughout Europe could also impact financial markets. The impact of these events is not clear but could be significant and far-reaching and could adversely affect the value and liquidity of the Fund's investments.

 

The EU and its member states have also experienced increased internal unrest and discord, as well as significant challenges in managing and containing the outbreak of COVID-19. If these trends were to continue, it may have an adverse impact on European economies and many of the issuers in which the Fund invests.

 

Non-U.S. Issuers Risk. Securities issued by non-U.S. issuers have different risks from securities issued by U.S. issuers. These risks include differences in accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, the possibility of expropriation or confiscatory taxation, restrictions or limitations on trade, including export controls and tariffs, adverse changes in investment or exchange control regulations, political instability which could affect U.S. investments in non-U.S. countries, uncertainties of transnational litigation, and potential restrictions on the flow of international capital, including the possible seizure or nationalization of the securities issued by non-U.S. issuers held by the Fund. Non-U.S. issuers may be subject to less governmental regulation than U.S. issuers. Moreover, individual non-U.S. economies may differ favorably or unfavorably from the U.S. economy in such respects as growth of gross domestic product, rate of inflation, capital reinvestment, resource self-sufficiency and balance of payment positions. Unfavorable political, economic or governmental developments in non-U.S. countries could affect the payment of a security’s principal and interest. Securities issued by non-U.S. issuers may also be less liquid than, and more difficult to value than, securities of U.S. issuers. In addition, the value of these securities may fluctuate due to changes in the exchange rate of the issuer’s local currency against the U.S. dollar.

 

Risk of Investing in Developed Countries. Investment in developed country issuers may subject the Fund to regulatory, political, demographic, currency, security, economic and other risks associated with developed countries. Developed countries generally tend to rely on services sectors (e.g., the financial services sector) as the primary means of economic growth. A prolonged slowdown in one or more services sectors is likely to have a negative impact on economies of certain developed countries, although economies of individual developed countries can be impacted by slowdowns in other sectors. In the past, certain developed countries have been targets of terrorism, and some geographic areas in which the Fund invests have experienced strained international relations due to territorial disputes, historical animosities, defense concerns and other resource or security concerns. These situations may cause uncertainty in the financial markets in these countries or geographic areas and may adversely affect the performance of the issuers to which the Fund has exposure. Heavy regulation of certain markets, including labor and product markets, may have an adverse effect on certain issuers. Such regulations may negatively affect economic growth or cause prolonged periods of recession. Many developed countries are heavily indebted and face rising healthcare and retirement expenses, often associated with aging populations and adverse demographic trends. In addition, price fluctuations of certain commodities and regulations impacting the import of commodities may negatively affect developed country economies.

 

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Portfolio Holdings Information

 

A description of the Trust's policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of each Fund’s portfolio securities is available in the Funds’ Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”). Each Fund discloses its portfolio holdings daily at [www.BondBloxx.com]. Fund fact sheets provide information regarding each Fund's top holdings and may be requested by calling [(800) 896-5089].

 

Management

 

Investment Adviser. As investment adviser, BIM has overall responsibility for the general management and administration of the Funds. BIM provides an investment program for the Funds and manages the investment of each Fund’s assets.

 

Pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement between BIM and the Trust (entered into on behalf of each Fund), BIM is responsible for substantially all expenses of the Funds, except the management fees, interest expenses, taxes, expenses incurred with respect to the acquisition and disposition of portfolio securities and the execution of portfolio transactions, including brokerage commissions, distribution fees or expenses, litigation expenses and any extraordinary expenses (as determined by a majority of the Trustees who are not “interested persons” of the Trust).

 

For its investment advisory services to the Fund, BIM is paid a management fee from each Fund based on a percentage of each Fund's average daily net assets, at the annual rate of [  ]%.BIM may from time to time voluntarily waive and/or reimburse fees or expenses in order to limit total annual fund operating expenses (excluding acquired fund fees and expenses, if any). Any such voluntary waiver or reimbursement may be eliminated by BIM at any time.

 

BIM is located at [  ]. As of [  ], 2021, BIM and its affiliates provided investment advisory services for assets in excess of $[  ]. BIM and its affiliates may [trade and] invest for their own accounts in the actual securities and types of securities in which a Fund may also invest, which may affect the price of such securities.

 

A discussion regarding the basis for the approval by the Trust's Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of the Investment Advisory Agreement with BIM will available in each Fund's first Annual or Semi-Annual Report for the period ended [  ].

 

Portfolio Manager.

 

Elya Schwartzman

 

Elya Schwartzman, Portfolio Manager, is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Funds and their investments. Mr. Schwartzman is a co-founder of BIM. Prior to joining BIM in 2021, Mr. Schwartzman was the president & founder of ESIC LLC, a consulting firm specializing in fixed income ETF portfolio management, strategy, and infrastructure. From 2010 to 2019, Mr. Schwartzman was a director at BlackRock, Inc., where he oversaw a portfolio management team and was responsible for over $200 billion in ETFs and other global bond portfolios, while developing systems and technology for the ETF ecosystem. Prior, Mr. Schwartzman was a senior portfolio manager at State Street Global Advisors, where he guided the initial launch of fixed income ETFs and managed active high yield funds. Mr. Schwartzman holds a US patent on a system for processing ETF custom baskets, developed during his time with BlackRock. Mr. Schwartzman received his MBA in quantitative finance from the Sloan School of Management (MIT).

 

The Funds’ SAI provides additional information about the Portfolio Manager’s compensation, other accounts managed by the Portfolio Manager and the Portfolio Manager’s ownership (if any) of shares in the Funds.

 

Administrator, Custodian and Transfer Agent. [Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.] (“BBH”) is the administrator, custodian and transfer agent for the Funds.

 

Conflicts of Interest. An investment in a Fund is subject to a number of actual or potential conflicts of interest. For example, BIM and/or its affiliates provide a variety of different services to the Funds, for which the Funds compensate them. As a result, BIM and/or its affiliates have an incentive to enter into arrangements with the Funds, and face conflicts of interest when balancing that incentive against the best interests of the Funds. BIM and/or its affiliates also face conflicts of interest in their service as investment adviser to other clients, and, from time to time, make investment decisions that differ from and/or negatively impact those made by BIM on behalf of the Funds. Affiliates of BIM may provide a broad range of services and products to their clients. In certain circumstances by providing services and products to their clients, these affiliates’ activities will disadvantage or restrict and/or benefit these affiliates. BIM may also acquire material non-public information which would negatively affect BIM’s ability to transact in securities for the Funds. BIM and the Funds have adopted policies and procedures reasonably designed to appropriately prevent, limit or mitigate conflicts of interest. In addition, many of the activities that create these conflicts of interest are limited and/or prohibited by law, unless an exception is available. For more information about conflicts of interest, see the Potential Conflicts of Interest section in the SAI.

 

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Shareholder Information

 

Additional shareholder information, including how to buy and sell shares of the Funds, is available free of charge by calling toll-free: [  ] or visiting our website at [www.BondBloxx.com].

 

Buying and Selling Shares. Shares of the Funds may be acquired or redeemed directly from the Funds only in Creation Units or multiples thereof, as discussed in the Creations and Redemptions section of this Prospectus. Only an Authorized Participant may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Funds. Once created, shares of the Funds generally trade in the secondary market in amounts less than a Creation Unit.

 

Shares of each Fund are listed on a national securities exchange for trading during the trading day. Shares can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like shares of other publicly-traded companies. The Trust does not impose any minimum investment for shares of a Fund purchased on an exchange or otherwise in the secondary market.

 

Buying or selling Fund shares on an exchange or other secondary market involves two types of costs that may apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling shares of a Fund through a broker, you may incur a brokerage commission and other charges. The commission is frequently a fixed amount and may be a significant proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell small amounts of shares. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “bid-ask spread,” that is, any difference between the bid price and the ask price. The bid-ask spread varies over time for shares of a Fund based on the Fund’s trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the Fund has high trading volume and market liquidity, and higher if the Fund has little trading volume and market liquidity (which is often the case for funds that are newly launched or small in size). A Fund's bid-ask spread may also be impacted by the liquidity or illiquidity of the underlying securities held by the Fund, particularly for newly launched or smaller funds or in instances of significant volatility of the underlying securities.

 

Because shares of the Funds are listed for trading on a national securities exchange, the Board has adopted a policy of not monitoring for frequent purchases and redemptions of Fund shares (“frequent trading”) that appear to attempt to take advantage of a potential arbitrage opportunity presented by a lag between a change in the value of each Fund’s portfolio securities after the close of the primary markets for the Fund’s portfolio securities and the reflection of that change in the Fund’s NAV (“market timing”), because the Fund sells and redeems its shares directly through transactions that are in-kind and/or for cash, subject to the conditions described below under Creations and Redemptions.

 

The national securities exchange on which each Fund's shares are listed is open for trading Monday through Friday and is closed on weekends and the following holidays (or the days on which they are observed): New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. The Fund’s primary listing exchange is NYSE Arca.

 

Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act restricts investments by investment companies, including foreign investment companies, in the securities of other investment companies. Registered investment companies are permitted to invest in each Fund beyond the limits set forth in Section 12(d)(1), subject to certain terms and conditions set forth in SEC rules or in an SEC exemptive order issued to the Trust. In order for a registered investment company to invest in shares of each Fund beyond the limitations of Section 12(d)(1) pursuant to the exemptive relief obtained by the Trust, the registered investment company must enter into an agreement with the Trust. Foreign investment companies are permitted to invest in the Fund only up to the limits set forth in Section 12(d)(1), subject to any applicable SEC no-action relief.

 

Book Entry. Shares of the Funds are held in book-entry form, which means that no stock certificates are issued. The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) or its nominee is the record owner of, and holds legal title to, all outstanding shares of the Fund.

 

Investors owning shares of the Funds are beneficial owners as shown on the records of DTC or its participants. DTC serves as the securities depository for shares of the Fund. DTC participants include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and other institutions that directly or indirectly maintain a custodial relationship with DTC. As a beneficial owner of shares, you are not entitled to receive physical delivery of stock certificates or to have shares registered in your name, and you are not considered a registered owner of shares. Therefore, to exercise any right as an owner of shares, you must rely upon the procedures of DTC and its participants. These procedures are the same as those that apply to any other securities that you hold in book-entry or “street name” form.

 

Share Prices. The trading prices of a Fund’s shares in the secondary market generally differ from the Fund’s daily NAV and may be affected by market forces such as the supply of and demand for Fund shares and underlying securities held by the Fund, interest rate changes, economic conditions and other factors.

 

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Determination of Net Asset Value. The NAV of each Fund normally is determined once daily Monday through Friday, generally as of the regularly scheduled close of business of the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) (normally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) on each day that the NYSE is open for trading, based on prices of the Fund’s assets at the time of closing, provided that (i) any Fund assets or liabilities denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar are translated into U.S. dollars at the prevailing market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers and (ii) U.S. fixed-income assets may be valued as of the announced closing time for trading in fixed-income instruments in a particular market or exchange. The NAV of each Fund is calculated by dividing the value of the net assets of the Fund (i.e., the value of its total assets less total liabilities) by the total number of outstanding shares of the Fund, generally rounded to the nearest cent.

 

The value of the securities and other assets and liabilities held by each Fund are determined pursuant to valuation policies and procedures approved by the Board and administered by BIM.

 

Each Fund values fixed-income portfolio securities using last available bid prices or current market quotations provided by dealers or prices (including evaluated prices) supplied by the Fund's approved independent third-party pricing services, each in accordance with valuation policies and procedures approved by the Board. Pricing services may use matrix pricing or valuation models that utilize certain inputs and assumptions to derive values. Pricing services generally value fixed-income securities assuming orderly transactions of an institutional round lot size, but the Fund may hold or transact in such securities in smaller odd lot sizes. Odd lots often trade at lower prices than institutional round lots. An amortized cost method of valuation may be used with respect to debt obligations with sixty days or less remaining to maturity unless BIM determines in good faith that such method does not represent fair value.

 

Generally, trading in money market instruments is substantially completed each day at various times prior to the close of business on the NYSE. The values of such securities used in computing the NAV of the Fund are determined as of such times.

 

When market quotations are not readily available or are believed by BIM to be unreliable, each Fund’s investments are valued at fair value. Fair value determinations are made by BIM in accordance with policies and procedures approved by the Board. BIM may conclude that a market quotation is not readily available or is unreliable if a security or other asset or liability does not have a price source due to its lack of trading or other reasons, if a market quotation differs significantly from recent price quotations or otherwise no longer appears to reflect fair value, where the security or other asset or liability is thinly traded, when there is a significant event subsequent to the most recent market quotation, or if the trading market on which a security is listed is suspended or closed and no appropriate alternative trading market is available. A “significant event” is deemed to occur if BIM determines, in its reasonable business judgment prior to or at the time of pricing the Fund’s assets or liabilities, that the event is likely to cause a material change to the closing market price of one or more assets or liabilities held by the Fund.

 

Fair value represents a good faith approximation of the value of an asset or liability. The fair value of an asset or liability held by a Fund is the amount the Fund might reasonably expect to receive from the current sale of that asset or the cost to extinguish that liability in an arm’s-length transaction. Valuing a Fund’s investments using fair value pricing will result in prices that may differ from current market valuations and that may not be the prices at which those investments could have been sold during the period in which the particular fair values were used. Use of fair value prices and certain current market valuations could result in a difference between the prices used to calculate a Fund’s NAV and the prices used by the Index, which, in turn, could result in a difference between the Fund’s performance and the performance of the Index.

 

In December 2020, the SEC adopted Rule 2a-5 under the 1940 Act, which is intended to address valuation practices and the role of the board of trustees with respect to the fair value of the investments of a registered investment company. Among other things, Rule 2a-5 will permit a fund’s board to designate the fund’s primary investment adviser to perform the fund’s fair value determinations, which will be subject to board oversight and certain reporting and other requirements intended to ensure that the board receives the information it needs to oversee the investment adviser’s fair value determinations. Compliance with Rule 2a-5 will not be required until September 2022. BIM continues to review Rule 2a-5 and its impact on BIM’s and each Fund’s valuation policies and related practices.

 

Dividends and Distributions

 

General Policies. Dividends from net investment income, if any, generally are declared and paid at least [once] a year by each Fund. Distributions of net realized securities gains, if any, generally are declared and paid once a year, but the Trust may make distributions on a more frequent basis for each Fund. The Trust reserves the right to declare special distributions if, in its reasonable discretion, such action is necessary or advisable to preserve its status as a regulated investment company or to avoid imposition of income or excise taxes on undistributed income or realized gains.

 

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Dividends and other distributions on shares of each Fund are distributed on a pro rata basis to beneficial owners of such shares. Dividend payments are made through DTC participants and indirect participants to beneficial owners then of record with proceeds received from the Fund.

 

Dividend Reinvestment Service. No dividend reinvestment service is provided by the Trust. Broker-dealers may make available the DTC book-entry Dividend Reinvestment Service for use by beneficial owners of each Fund for reinvestment of their dividend distributions. Beneficial owners should contact their broker to determine the availability and costs of the service and the details of participation therein. Brokers may require beneficial owners to adhere to specific procedures and timetables. If this service is available and used, dividend distributions of both income and realized gains will be automatically reinvested in additional whole shares of a Fund purchased in the secondary market.

 

Taxes. As with any investment, you should consider how your investment in shares of a Fund will be taxed. The tax information in this Prospectus is provided as general information, based on current law. There is no guarantee that shares of the Fund will receive certain regulatory or accounting treatment. You should consult your own tax professional about the tax consequences of an investment in shares of the Fund.

 

Unless your investment in Fund shares is made through a tax-exempt entity or tax-deferred retirement account, such as an IRA, in which case your distributions generally will be taxable when withdrawn, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when the Fund makes distributions or you sell Fund shares.

 

Taxes on Distributions. Distributions from a Fund’s net investment income, including distributions out of the Fund's net short-term capital gains, if any, are taxable to you as ordinary income. The Fund's distributions of net long-term capital gains, if any, in excess of net short-term capital losses are taxable as long-term capital gains, regardless of how long you have held the shares. Long-term capital gains are eligible for taxation at a maximum rate of 15% or 20% for non-corporate shareholders, depending on whether their income exceeds certain threshold amounts. Distributions from the Fund are subject to a 3.8% U.S. federal Medicare contribution tax on “net investment income,” for individuals with incomes exceeding $200,000 ($250,000 if married and filing jointly) and of estates and trusts. In general, your distributions are subject to U.S. federal income tax for the year when they are paid. Certain distributions paid in January, however, may be treated as paid on December 31 of the prior year.

 

If a Fund's distributions exceed current and accumulated earnings and profits, all or a portion of the distributions made in the taxable year may be recharacterized as a return of capital to shareholders. Distributions in excess of the Fund’s minimum distribution requirements, but not in excess of the Fund’s earnings and profits, will be taxable to shareholders and will not constitute nontaxable returns of capital. A return of capital distribution generally will not be taxable but will reduce the shareholder's cost basis and will result in a higher capital gain or lower capital loss when those shares on which the distribution was received are sold. Once a shareholder's cost basis is reduced to zero, further distributions will be treated as capital gain, if the shareholder holds shares of the Fund as capital assets.

 

Dividends, interest and capital gains earned by the Fund with respect to securities issued by non-U.S. issuers may give rise to withholding, capital gains and other taxes imposed by non-U.S. countries. Tax conventions between certain countries and the U.S. may reduce or eliminate such taxes. If more than 50% of the total assets of the Fund at the close of a year consists of non-U.S. stocks or securities (generally, for this purpose, depositary receipts, no matter where traded, of non-U.S. companies are treated as “non-U.S.”), generally the Fund may “pass through” to you certain non-U.S. income taxes (including withholding taxes) paid by the Fund. This means that you would be considered to have received as an additional dividend your share of such non-U.S. taxes, but you may be entitled to either a corresponding tax deduction in calculating your taxable income, or, subject to certain limitations, a credit in calculating your U.S. federal income tax.

 

For purposes of foreign tax credits for U.S. shareholders of a Fund, foreign capital gains taxes may not produce associated foreign source income, limiting the availability of such credits for U.S. persons.

 

If you are neither a resident nor a citizen of the U.S. or if you are a non-U.S. entity (other than a pass-through entity to the extent owned by U.S. persons), a Fund’s ordinary income dividends (which include distributions of net short-term capital gains) will generally be subject to a 30% U.S. federal withholding tax, unless a lower treaty rate applies provided that withholding tax will generally not apply to any gain or income realized by a non-U.S. shareholder in respect of any distributions of long-term capital gains or upon the sale or other disposition of shares of the Fund.

 

Separately, a 30% withholding tax is currently imposed on U.S.-source dividends, interest and other income items paid to (i) foreign financial institutions, including non-U.S. investment funds, unless they agree to collect and disclose to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. account holders and (ii) certain other foreign entities, unless they certify certain information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. owners. To avoid withholding, foreign financial institutions will need to (i) enter into agreements with the IRS that state that they will provide the IRS information, including the names, addresses and taxpayer identification numbers of direct and indirect U.S. account holders; comply with due diligence procedures with respect to the identification of U.S. accounts; report

 

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to the IRS certain information with respect to U.S. accounts maintained, agree to withhold tax on certain payments made to non-compliant foreign financial institutions or to account holders who fail to provide the required information; and determine certain other information concerning their account holders, or (ii) in the event that an applicable intergovernmental agreement and implementing legislation are adopted, provide local revenue authorities with similar account holder information. Other foreign entities may need to report the name, address, and taxpayer identification number of each substantial U.S. owner or provide certifications of no substantial U.S. ownership, unless certain exceptions apply.

 

If you are a resident or a citizen of the U.S., by law, backup withholding at a 24% rate will apply to your distributions and proceeds if you have not provided a taxpayer identification number or social security number and made other required certifications.

 

Taxes When Shares are Sold. Currently, any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Fund shares is generally treated as a long-term gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than one year. Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Fund shares held for one year or less is generally treated as short-term gain or loss, except that any capital loss on the sale of shares held for six months or less is treated as long-term capital loss to the extent that capital gain dividends were paid with respect to such shares. Any such capital gains, including from sales of Fund shares or from capital gain dividends, are included in “net investment income” for purposes of the 3.8% U.S. federal Medicare contribution tax mentioned above.

 

The foregoing discussion summarizes some of the consequences under current U.S. federal tax law of an investment in the Fund. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. You may also be subject to state and local taxation on Fund distributions and sales of shares. Consult your personal tax advisor about the potential tax consequences of an investment in shares of the Fund under all applicable tax laws.

 

Creations and Redemptions. Prior to trading in the secondary market, shares of each Fund are “created” at their NAV by authorized participants (each an “Authorized Participant”) that has entered into an agreement with the Fund's distributor, [  ] (the “Distributor”). Shares are available only in block-size Creation Units or multiples thereof.

 

A creation transaction, which is subject to acceptance by the Distributor and a Fund, generally takes place when an Authorized Participant deposits into the Fund a designated portfolio of securities, assets or other positions (a “creation basket”), and an amount of cash (including any cash representing the value of any substituted securities, assets or other positions), if any, which together approximate the holdings of the Fund in exchange for a specified number of Creation Units. Similarly, shares can be redeemed only in Creation Units, generally for a designated portfolio of securities, assets or other positions (a “redemption basket”) held by the Fund and an amount of cash (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted). The Fund may, in certain circumstances, offer Creation Units partially or solely for cash. Except when aggregated in Creation Units, shares are generally not redeemable by the Fund. Creation and redemption baskets may differ and the Fund may accept “custom baskets.” More information regarding custom baskets is contained in the Fund's SAI.

 

The prices at which creations and redemptions occur are based on the next calculation of NAV after a creation or redemption order is received in proper form under the authorized participant agreement and related AP procedures.

 

Only an Authorized Participant may create or redeem Creation Units with a Fund. Authorized Participants may create or redeem Creation Units for their own accounts or for the accounts of customers, including, without limitation, affiliates of the Fund.

 

In the event of a system failure or other interruption, including disruptions at market makers or Authorized Participants, orders to purchase or redeem Creation Units either may not be executed according to a Fund's instructions or may not be executed at all, or the Fund may not be able to place or change orders.

 

To the extent a Fund engages in in-kind transactions, the Fund intends to comply with the U.S. federal securities laws in accepting securities for deposit and satisfying redemptions with redemption securities by, among other means, assuring that any securities accepted for deposit and any securities used to satisfy redemption requests will be sold in transactions that would be exempt from registration under the 1933 Act. Further, an Authorized Participant that is not a “qualified institutional buyer,” as such term is defined in Rule 144A under the 1933 Act, will not be able to receive restricted securities eligible for resale under Rule 144A.

 

Creations and redemptions must be made through a firm that is either a member of the Continuous Net Settlement System of the National Securities Clearing Corporation or a DTC participant that has executed an agreement with the Distributor with respect to creations and redemptions of Creation Unit aggregations. Information about the procedures regarding creation and redemption of Creation Units (including the cut-off times for receipt of creation and redemption orders) is included in the Fund's SAI.

 

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Because new shares may be created and issued on an ongoing basis, at any point during the life of a Fund a “distribution,” as such term is used in the 1933 Act, may be occurring. Broker-dealers and other persons are cautioned that some activities on their part may, depending on the circumstances, result in their being deemed participants in a distribution in a manner that could render them statutory underwriters subject to the prospectus delivery and liability provisions of the 1933 Act. Any determination of whether one is an underwriter must take into account all the relevant facts and circumstances of each particular case.

 

Broker-dealers should also note that dealers who are not “underwriters” but are participating in a distribution (as contrasted to ordinary secondary transactions), and thus dealing with shares that are part of an “unsold allotment” within the meaning of Section 4(a)(3)(C) of the 1933 Act, would be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(a)(3) of the 1933 Act. For delivery of prospectuses to exchange members, the prospectus delivery mechanism of Rule 153 under the 1933 Act is available only with respect to transactions on a national securities exchange.

 

Householding. Householding is an option available to certain Fund investors. Householding is a method of delivery, based on the preference of the individual investor, in which a single copy of certain shareholder documents can be delivered to investors who share the same address, even if their accounts are registered under different names. Please contact your broker-dealer if you are interested in enrolling in householding and receiving a single copy of prospectuses and other shareholder documents, or if you are currently enrolled in householding and wish to change your householding status.

 

Distribution

 

The Distributor or its agent distributes Creation Units for the Fund on an agency basis. The Distributor does not maintain a secondary market in shares of the Funds. The Distributor has no role in determining the policies of the Funds or the securities that are purchased or sold by the Funds. The Distributor’s principal address is [  ].

 

BIM or its affiliates may make payments to broker-dealers, registered investment advisers, banks or other intermediaries (together, “intermediaries”) related to marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and reporting systems, data provision services, or their making shares of the Funds and certain other BondBloxx funds available to their customers generally and in certain investment programs. Such payments, which may be significant to the intermediary or its representatives, are not made by the Funds. Rather, such payments are made by BIM or its affiliates from their own resources, which come directly or indirectly in part from fees paid by the BondBloxx funds complex. Payments of this type are sometimes referred to as revenue-sharing payments. A financial intermediary may make decisions about which investment options it recommends or makes available, or the level of services provided, to its customers based on the payments or other financial incentives it is eligible to receive. Therefore, such payments or other financial incentives offered or made to an intermediary create conflicts of interest between the intermediary (or its representatives) and its customers and may cause the intermediary to recommend the Funds or other BondBloxx funds over another investment. More information regarding these payments is contained in the Funds’ SAI. Please contact your salesperson or other investment professional for more information regarding any such payments his or her firm may receive from BIM or its affiliates.

 

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Financial Highlights

 

The Funds are newly organized and have not yet commenced operations. Accordingly, financial highlights are not available as of the date of this prospectus.

 

Index Provider

 

The Index is owned, maintained and administered by IDI. IDI is not affiliated with the Trust, BIM, [BBH], the Distributor or any of their respective affiliates.

 

BIM or its affiliates have entered into a license agreement with the Index Provider to use the Index. BIM, or its affiliates, sublicenses rights in the Index to the Trust at no charge.

 

Disclaimers

 

Source ICE Data Indices, LLC (“ICE Data”), is used with permission. “[IDISM/®]” is a service/trade mark of ICE Data Indices, LLC or its affiliates and has been licensed, along with the ICE BofA US High Yield [Constrained] Index (“Index”) for use by BIM and its affiliates in connection with Funds (each, a “Product”). Neither BIM, the Trust nor the Funds, as applicable, is sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by ICE Data Indices, LLC, its affiliates or its Third Party Suppliers (“ICE Data and its Suppliers”). ICE Data and its Suppliers make no representations or warranties regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally, in the Product particularly, the Trust or the ability of the Index to track general stock market performance. ICE Data’s only relationship to BIM and its affiliates is the licensing of certain trademarks and trade names and the Index or components thereof. The Index is determined, composed and calculated by ICE Data without regard to BIM, the Trust or the Funds or their holders. ICE Data has no obligation to take the needs of BIM, the Trust or the holders of the Funds into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the Index. ICE Data is not responsible for and has not participated in the determination of the timing of, prices of, or quantities of the Funds to be issued or in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the Funds are to be priced, sold, purchased, or redeemed. Except for certain custom index calculation services, all information provided by ICE Data is general in nature and not tailored to the needs of BIM and its affiliates or any other person, entity or group of persons. ICE Data has no obligation or liability in connection with the administration, marketing, or trading of the Product. ICE Data is not an investment advisor. Inclusion of a security within an index is not a recommendation by ICE Data to buy, sell, or hold such security, nor is it considered to be investment advice.

 

ICE DATA AND ITS SUPPLIERS DISCLAIM ANY AND ALL WARRANTIES AND REPRESENTATIONS, EXPRESS AND/OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING ANY WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR USE, INCLUDING THE INDICES, INDEX DATA AND ANY INFORMATION INCLUDED IN, RELATED TO, OR DERIVED THEREFROM (“INDEX DATA”). ICE DATA AND ITS SUPPLIERS SHALL NOT BE SUBJECT TO ANY DAMAGES OR LIABILITY WITH RESPECT TO THE ADEQUACY, ACCURACY, TIMELINESS OR COMPLETENESS OF THE INDICES AND THE INDEX DATA, WHICH ARE PROVIDED ON AN “AS IS” BASIS AND YOUR USE IS AT YOUR OWN RISK.

 

Shares of the Funds are not sponsored, endorsed or promoted by NYSE Arca. NYSE Arca makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of shares of the Funds or any member of the public regarding the ability of the Funds to track the total return performance of the Index or the ability of the Index to track stock market performance. NYSE Arca is not responsible for, nor has it participated in, the determination of the compilation or the calculation of the Index, nor in the determination of the timing of, prices of, or quantities of shares of the Funds to be issued, nor in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the shares are redeemable. NYSE Arca has no obligation or liability to owners of shares of the Funds in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the shares of the Funds.

 

NYSE Arca does not guarantee the accuracy and/or the completeness of the Index or any data included therein. NYSE Arca makes no warranty, express or implied, as to results to be obtained by the Trust on behalf of the Funds as licensee, licensee’s customers and counterparties, owners of shares of the Funds, or any other person or entity from the use of the Index or any data included therein in connection with the rights licensed as described herein or for any other use.

 

NYSE Arca makes no express or implied warranties and hereby expressly disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose with respect to the Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall NYSE Arca have any liability for any direct, indirect, special, punitive, consequential or any other damages (including lost profits) even if notified of the possibility of such damages.

 

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The past performance of the Index is not a guide to future performance. BIM and its affiliates do not guarantee the accuracy or the completeness of the Index or any data included therein and BIM and its affiliates shall have no liability for any errors, omissions or interruptions therein. BIM and its affiliates make no warranty, express or implied, to the owners of shares of the Funds or to any other person or entity, as to results to be obtained by the Funds from the use of the Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall BIM or its affiliates have any liability for any special, punitive, direct, indirect, consequential or any other damages (including lost profits), even if notified of the possibility of such damages.

 

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Want to know more?

[www.BondBloxx.com]     |    1 (800) 696-5089

 

 

Information on each Fund’s net asset value, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads can be found at [www.BondBloxx.com]. Copies of the Prospectus, SAI and recent shareholder reports can be found on our website at [www.BondBloxx.com]. For more information about the Funds, you may request a copy of the SAI. The SAI provides detailed information about the Funds and is incorporated by reference into this Prospectus. This means that the SAI, for legal purposes, is a part of this Prospectus.

 

Additional information about each Fund's investments will be available in the Fund's Annual and Semi-Annual Reports to shareholders. In the Fund's Annual Report, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund's performance during the last fiscal year.

 

If you have any questions about the Trust or shares of the Funds or you wish to obtain the SAI, Semi-Annual or Annual Report free of charge, please:

 

  Call: [ ]
  Email: [ ]
  Write: [ ]

 

Reports and other information about the Funds are available on the EDGAR database on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov, and copies of this information may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by electronic request at the following e-mail address: publicinfo@sec.gov.

 

No person is authorized to give any information or to make any representations about each Fund and its shares not contained in this Prospectus and you should not rely on any other information. Read and keep this Prospectus for future reference.

 

©2021 BondBloxx Investment Management LLC. All rights reserved.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Investment Company Act File No.: 811-23731

 

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The information in this Statement of Additional Information is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This Statement of Additional Information is not an offer to sell these securities and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any state where the offer or sale is not permitted.

 

Subject to Completion-Dated [ ]

 

BondBloxxSM ETF Trust

 

Statement of Additional Information

Dated [ ], 2021

 

This combined Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) is not a prospectus. It should be read in conjunction with the current prospectuses (each, a “Prospectus” and collectively, the “Prospectuses”) for the following series of BondBloxx ETF Trust (the “Trust”):

 

Fund   Ticker   Listing Exchange
BondBloxx US High Yield Industrial Sector ETF   []   NYSE Arca
BondBloxx US High Yield Telecom Media Technology Sector ETF   []   NYSE Arca
BondBloxx US High Yield Healthcare Sector ETF   []   NYSE Arca
BondBloxx US High Yield Financial Sector ETF   []   NYSE Arca
BondBloxx US High Yield Energy Sector ETF   []   NYSE Arca
BondBloxx US High Yield Consumer Cyclicals Sector ETF   []   NYSE Arca
BondBloxx US High Yield Consumer Non-Cyclicals Sector ETF   []   NYSE Arca

 

The Prospectuses for the above-listed funds (each, a “Fund” and collectively, the “Funds”) are dated [], 2021, as amended and supplemented from time to time. Capitalized terms used herein that are not defined have the same meaning as in the applicable Prospectus, unless otherwise noted. A copy of each Fund's Prospectus may be obtained without charge by writing to the Trust's distributor, [Dist. Name] (the “Distributor” or “[ ]”), [dist. Address], calling [dist. Phone #] or visiting [www.BondBloxx.com]. Each Fund's Prospectus is incorporated by reference into this SAI.

 

References to the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), or other applicable law, will include any rules promulgated thereunder and any guidance, interpretations or modifications by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), SEC staff or other authority with appropriate jurisdiction, including court interpretations, and exemptive, no action or other relief or permission from the SEC, SEC staff or other authority.

 

BondBloxx is a service mark of BondBloxx Investment Management LLC.

 


 

 

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Page 
General Description of the Trust and its Funds 1
Exchange Listing and Trading 2
Investment Strategies and Risks 2
Bonds 3
Borrowing 3
Corporate Bonds 4
Derivatives 4
Diversification Status 4
High Yield Securities 5
Liquidity Risk Management 6
Non-U.S. Securities 7
Privately Issued Securities 7
Ratings 7
Regulation Regarding Derivatives 7
Repurchase Agreements 8
Securities of Investment Companies 9
Short-Term Instruments and Temporary Investments 9
Swap Agreements 10
U.S. Government Obligations 10
U.S.-Registered and Restricted Securities of Non-U.S. Issuers 10
When Issued Securities, Delayed Delivery Securities and Forward Commitments 10
Future Developments 11
General Considerations and Risks 11
Proxy Voting Policy 29
Portfolio Holdings Information 29
Construction and Maintenance of the Indexes 30
Investment Policies 33
Fundamental Investment Policies 33
Non-Fundamental Investment Policies 35
Continuous Offering 36
Management 36
Trustees and Officers 36
Committees of the Board of Trustees 38
Remuneration of Trustees 39
Control Persons and Principal Holders of Securities 39
Potential Conflicts of Interest 39

 

 

 

 

  Page
Investment Advisory, Administrative and Distribution Services 45
Investment Adviser 45
Portfolio Manager 46
Codes of Ethics 49
Anti-Money Laundering Requirements 49
Administrator, Custodian and Transfer Agent 49
Distributor 49
Payments by BIM and its Affiliates 50
Determination of Net Asset Value 51
Brokerage Transactions 54
Additional Information Concerning the Trust 57
Shares 57
DTC as Securities Depository for Shares of the Funds 58
Distribution of Shares 59
Creation and Redemption of Creation Units 60
General 60
Fund Deposit 60
Cash Purchase Method 61
Procedures for Creation of Creation Units 61
Role of the Authorized Participant 61
Placement of Creation Orders 62
Purchase Orders 62
Timing of Submission of Purchase Orders 63
Acceptance of Orders for Creation Units 63
Issuance of a Creation Unit 64
Costs Associated with Creation Transactions 64
Redemption of Creation Units 65
Cash Redemption Method 66
Costs Associated with Redemption Transactions 66
Placement of Redemption Orders 67
Custom Baskets 68
Taxation on Creations and Redemptions of Creation Units 69
Taxes 69
Financial Statements 76
Miscellaneous Information 77
Counsel 77
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm 77
Shareholder Communications to the Board 77

 

 

 

 

  Page 
Investors’ Rights 77
Appendix A1 – BondBloxx ETFs Proxy Voting Policy 77
Appendix A2 – BondBloxx  Proxy Voting Policies 77
Appendix B – Description of Fixed-Income Ratings B-1

 

 

 

 

General Description of the Trust and its Funds

 

The Trust currently consists of seven investment series or portfolios. The Trust was organized as a Delaware statutory trust on August 17, 2021 and is authorized to have multiple series or portfolios. The Trust is an open-end management investment company registered with the SEC under the 1940 Act. The offering of the Trust’s shares is registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”). This SAI relates to the following Funds:

 

BondBloxx US High Yield Industrial Sector ETF
BondBloxx US High Yield Telecom Media Technology Sector ETF
BondBloxx US High Yield Healthcare Sector ETF
BondBloxx US High Yield Financial Sector ETF
BondBloxx US High Yield Energy Sector ETF
BondBloxx US High Yield Consumer Cyclicals Sector ETF
BondBloxx US High Yield Consumer Non-Cyclicals Sector ETF

 

Each Fund is managed by BondBloxx Investment Management LLC (“BIM”) and generally seeks to track the investment results of a component (each, an “Index”) of the ICE BofA US Cash Pay High Yield Constrained Index (the “Underlying Index”). Each Index models the performance of the securities of issuers within a particular sector or group of sectors that make up the broad U.S. high yield market.

 

Each Fund offers and issues shares at their net asset value per share (“NAV”) only in aggregations of a specified number of shares (each, a “Creation Unit”), generally in exchange for a designated portfolio of securities, assets or other positions (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) included in its Index (the “Deposit Securities” or “Creation Basket”), together with the deposit of a specified cash payment (the “Cash Component”). Shares of the Funds are listed and trade on [NYSE Arca]. Shares of each Fund are traded in the secondary market and elsewhere at market prices that may be at, above or below the Fund's NAV. Shares are redeemable only in Creation Units, by Authorized Participants (as defined in the Portfolio Holdings Information section of this SAI), and, generally, in exchange for portfolio securities and a Cash Amount (as defined in the Redemption of Creation Units section of this SAI). Creation Units typically are a specified number of shares, generally ranging from [10,000] to [25,000] or multiples thereof.

 

The Trust reserves the right to permit or require that creations and redemptions of shares are effected fully or partially in cash and reserves the right to permit or require the substitution of Deposit Securities in lieu of cash. Shares may be issued in advance of receipt of Deposit Securities, subject to various conditions, including a requirement that the Authorized Participant maintain with the Trust collateral as set forth in the handbook for Authorized Participants. The Trust may use such collateral at any time to purchase Deposit Securities. See the Creation and Redemption of Creation Units section of this SAI. Transaction fees and other costs associated with creations or redemptions that include a cash portion may be higher than the transaction fees and other costs associated with in-kind creations or redemptions. In all cases, conditions with respect to creations and redemptions of shares and fees will be limited in

 

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accordance with the requirements of SEC rules and regulations applicable to management investment companies offering redeemable securities.

 

Exchange Listing and Trading

 

A discussion of exchange listing and trading matters associated with an investment in each Fund is contained in the Shareholder Information section of each Fund's Prospectus. The discussion below supplements, and should be read in conjunction with, that section of the applicable Prospectus.

 

Shares of each Fund are listed for trading, and trade throughout the day, on the applicable Listing Exchange and in other secondary markets. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Listing Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of shares of any Fund will continue to be met. The Listing Exchange may, but is not required to, remove the shares of a Fund from listing if, among other things: (i) following the initial 12-month period beginning upon the commencement of trading of Fund shares, there are fewer than 50 record and/or beneficial owners of shares of a Fund; (ii) a Fund is no longer eligible to operate in reliance on Rule 6c-11 under the 1940 Act; (iii) any of the other listing requirements are not continuously maintained; or (iv) any event shall occur or condition shall exist that, in the opinion of the Listing Exchange, makes further dealings on the Listing Exchange inadvisable. The Listing Exchange will also remove shares of a Fund from listing and trading upon termination of the Fund.

 

As in the case of other publicly-traded securities, when you buy or sell shares of a Fund through a broker, you may incur a brokerage commission determined by that broker, as well as other charges.

 

The Trust reserves the right to adjust the share prices of the Funds in the future to maintain convenient trading ranges for investors. Any adjustments would be accomplished through stock splits or reverse stock splits, which would have no effect on the net assets of the Funds or an investor's equity interest in the Funds.

 

Investment Strategies and Risks

 

The investment objective of each Fund is to track its benchmark Index. Each Fund seeks to achieve its objective by investing primarily in both fixed-income securities that comprise its relevant Index and in investments that provide substantially similar exposure to securities in the Index. Each Fund operates as an index fund and is not actively managed. Adverse performance of a security in a Fund’s portfolio or Index will ordinarily not result in the elimination of the security from the Fund’s portfolio or Index.

 

Each Fund engages in representative sampling, which is investing in a sample of securities selected by BIM to have a collective investment profile similar to that of the Fund's Index. Securities selected are designed to have aggregate investment characteristics (based on market value, sector and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as yield, credit rating, maturity and duration) and liquidity measures similar to those of the Fund’s Index. The Fund may or may not hold all of the securities that are in its index.

 

Although the Funds do not seek leveraged returns, certain instruments that may be used by the Funds may have a leveraging effect as described below. Each Fund seeks to track the investment results of its Index before the fees and expenses of each Fund.

 

Each Fund generally will invest at least 80% of its assets in the component securities of its Index and may invest up to 20% of its assets in certain futures, options and swap contracts, U.S. Treasury obligations, U.S. Government obligations, U.S. agency securities, securities of other registered investment

 

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companies, cash and cash equivalents, as well as in securities not included in its Index, but which BIM believes will help the Fund track its Index.

 

Bonds.  Each Fund invests a substantial portion of its assets in U.S. dollar-denominated bonds. A bond is an interest-bearing security issued by a U.S. or non-U.S. company, or U.S. or non-U.S. governmental unit. The issuer of a bond has a contractual obligation to pay interest at a stated rate on specific dates and to repay principal (the bond’s face value) periodically or on a specified maturity date. Bonds generally are used by corporations and governments to borrow money from investors.

 

An issuer may have the right to redeem or “call” a bond before maturity, in which case a fund may have to reinvest the proceeds at lower market rates. Similarly, a fund may have to reinvest interest income or payments received when bonds mature, sometimes at lower market rates. Most bonds bear interest income at a “coupon” rate that is fixed for the life of the bond. The value of a fixed-rate bond usually rises when market interest rates fall, and falls when market interest rates rise. Accordingly, a fixed-rate bond’s yield (income as a percent of the bond’s current value) may differ from its coupon rate as its value rises or falls. When an investor purchases a fixed-rate bond at a price that is greater than its face value, the investor is purchasing the bond at a premium. Conversely, when an investor purchases a fixed-rate bond at a price that is less than its face value, the investor is purchasing the bond at a discount. Fixed-rate bonds that are purchased at a discount pay less current income than securities with comparable yields that are purchased at face value, with the result that prices for such fixed-rate securities can be more volatile than prices for such securities that are purchased at face value. Other types of bonds bear interest at an interest rate that is adjusted periodically. Interest rates on “floating rate” or “variable rate” bonds may be higher or lower than current market rates for fixed-rate bonds of comparable quality with similar final maturities. Because of their adjustable interest rates, the value of “floating rate” or “variable rate” bonds fluctuates much less in response to market interest rate movements than the value of fixed-rate bonds, but their value may decline if their interest rates do not rise as much, or as quickly, as interest rates in general. Each Fund may treat some of these bonds as having a shorter maturity for purposes of calculating the weighted average maturity of its investment portfolio. Generally, prices of higher quality issues tend to fluctuate less with changes in market interest rates than prices of lower quality issues and prices of longer maturity issues tend to fluctuate more than prices of shorter maturity issues. Bonds may be senior or subordinated obligations. Senior obligations generally have the first claim on a corporation’s earnings and assets and, in the event of liquidation, are paid before subordinated obligations. Bonds may be unsecured (backed only by the issuer’s general creditworthiness) or secured (backed by specified collateral).

 

Borrowing.  Each Fund may borrow for temporary or emergency purposes, including to meet payments due from redemptions or to facilitate the settlement of securities or other transactions, as permitted by the 1940 Act.

 

The purchase of securities while borrowings are outstanding may have the effect of leveraging a Fund. The incurrence of leverage increases a Fund’s exposure to risk, and borrowed funds are subject to interest costs that will reduce net income. Purchasing securities while borrowings are outstanding creates special risks, such as the potential for greater volatility in the NAV of Fund shares and in the yield on a Fund’s portfolio. In addition, the interest expenses from borrowings may exceed the income generated by a Fund’s portfolio and, therefore, the amount available (if any) for distribution to shareholders as dividends may be reduced. BIM may determine to maintain outstanding borrowings if it expects that the benefits to a Fund’s shareholders will outweigh the current reduced return.

 

The SEC takes the position that transactions, including certain derivatives transactions that have a leveraging effect on the capital structure of a fund can be viewed as constituting a form of  “senior security” of the fund for purposes of the 1940 Act. As described above, each Fund will cover its

 

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commitment under these instruments by the segregation of assets determined to be liquid by the Manager in accordance with procedures adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Funds (the “Board”), equal in value to the amount of the Fund’s commitment, or by entering into offsetting transactions or owning positions covering its obligations. Such procedures adopted by the Board are based upon published guidance of the staff of the SEC with respect to segregation and coverage. In such cases, the instruments will not be considered “senior securities” under the 1940 Act for purposes of the asset coverage requirements otherwise applicable to borrowings by a Fund. Borrowing will tend to exaggerate the effect on net asset value of any increase or decrease in the market value of the Fund’s portfolio. A Fund also may be required to maintain minimum average balances in connection with such borrowing or to pay a commitment or other fee to maintain a line of credit; either of these requirements would increase the cost of borrowing over the stated interest rate.

 

Corporate Bonds.  The Funds will invest in investment-grade and/or high yield corporate bonds. High yield corporate bonds may be deemed speculative and more volatile than higher rated securities of similar maturity. The investment return of corporate bonds reflects interest earned on the security and changes in the market value of the security. The market value of a corporate bond may be affected by changes in the market rate of interest, the credit rating of the corporation, the corporation’s performance and perceptions of the corporation in the marketplace. There is a risk that the issuers of the securities may not be able to meet their obligations on interest or principal payments at the time called for by an instrument.

 

Derivatives.  Derivatives are financial instruments the value of which is derived from another security, commodity (such as gold or oil), currency, index (a measure of value or rates, such as the S&P 500 Index or the prime lending rate) or some other reference measure. Derivatives allow a Fund to increase or decrease the level of risk to which a Fund is exposed more quickly and efficiently than transactions in other types of instruments. The Funds may use derivatives for hedging purposes. The Funds may also use derivatives for speculative purposes to seek to enhance returns. The use of a derivative is speculative if a Fund is primarily seeking to achieve gains, rather than to offset the risk of other positions. When a Fund invests in a derivative for speculative purposes, a Fund will be fully exposed to the risks of loss of that derivative, which may sometimes be greater than the derivative’s cost. Unless otherwise permitted, a Fund may not use any derivatives to gain exposure to an asset or class of assets that it would be prohibited by its investment restrictions from purchasing directly.

 

Diversification Status. Each Fund is “non-diversified” under the 1940 Act.  A “non-diversified” fund is a fund that is not limited by the 1940 Act with regard to the percentage of its assets that may be invested in the securities of a single issuer. The securities of a particular issuer (or securities of issuers in particular sectors) may constitute a significant percentage of the index of such a fund and, consequently, the fund’s investment portfolio. This may adversely affect a fund’s performance or subject the fund’s shares to greater price volatility than that experienced by more diversified investment companies.

 

Each Fund intends to maintain the required level of diversification and otherwise conduct its operations so as to qualify as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) for purposes of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Internal Revenue Code”), and to relieve the Fund of any liability for U.S. federal income tax to the extent that its earnings are distributed to shareholders, provided that the Fund satisfies a minimum distribution requirement. Compliance with the diversification requirements of the Internal Revenue Code may limit the investment flexibility of the Funds and may make it less likely that the Funds will meet their respective investment objectives.

 

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High Yield Securities.  The Funds will invest in non-investment grade securities. Non-investment grade or “high yield” fixed-income or convertible securities, commonly known to investors as “junk bonds” or “high yield bonds,” are generally debt securities that are rated below investment grade by one or more of the major rating agencies or similar securities that are unrated that BIM believes are of comparable quality. While generally providing greater income and opportunity for gain, non-investment grade debt securities may be subject to greater risks than securities that have higher credit ratings, including a high risk of default, and their yields will fluctuate over time. High yield securities will generally be in the lower rating categories of recognized rating agencies (rated below Baa3 by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody's”) or below BBB- by Standard & Poor's® Global Ratings, a subsidiary of S&P Global (“S&P Global Ratings”) or Fitch Ratings, Inc. (“Fitch”)) or be unrated. The credit rating of a high yield security does not necessarily address its market value risk, and ratings may from time to time change, positively or negatively, to reflect developments regarding the issuer’s financial condition. High yield securities are considered to be speculative with respect to the capacity of the issuer to timely repay principal and pay interest in accordance with the terms of the obligation and may have more credit risk than higher rated securities.

 

The major risks of high yield bond investments include the following:

 

High yield bonds may be issued by less creditworthy issuers. These securities are vulnerable to adverse changes in the issuer’s industry or to general economic conditions. Issuers of high yield bonds may be unable to meet their interest or principal payment obligations because of an economic downturn, specific issuer developments or the unavailability of additional financing.
   
The issuers of high yield bonds may have a larger amount of outstanding debt relative to their assets than issuers of investment grade bonds. If the issuer experiences financial stress, it may be unable to meet its debt obligations. The issuer’s ability to pay its debt obligations also may be lessened by specific issuer developments, or the unavailability of additional financing. Issuers of high yield securities are often in the growth stage of their development and/or involved in a reorganization or takeover.
   
High yield bonds are frequently ranked junior to claims by other creditors. If the issuer cannot meet its obligations, the senior obligations are generally paid off before the junior obligations, which will potentially limit a Fund’s ability to fully recover principal, to receive interest payments when senior securities are in default or to receive restructuring benefits paid to holders of more senior classes of debt. Thus, investors in high yield securities frequently have a lower degree of protection with respect to principal and interest payments than do investors in higher rated securities.
   
High yield bonds frequently have redemption features that permit an issuer to repurchase the security from a Fund before it matures. If an issuer redeems the high yield bonds, a Fund may have to invest the proceeds in bonds with lower yields and may lose income.

 

Prices of high yield bonds are subject to extreme fluctuations. Negative economic developments may have a greater impact on the prices of high yield bonds than on those of other higher rated fixed-income securities.

 

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Under certain economic and/or market conditions, a Fund may have difficulty disposing of certain high yield securities due to the limited number of investors in that sector of the market. There are fewer dealers in the high yield bond market, and there may be significant differences in the prices quoted for high yield bonds by dealers, and such quotations may not be the actual prices available for a purchase or sale. Judgment may play a greater role in the prices and values generated for such securities than in the case of securities trading in a more liquid market.
   
The secondary markets for high yield securities are often not as liquid as the secondary markets for higher rated securities. The secondary markets for high yield securities may be concentrated in relatively few market makers and, participants in the markets are mostly institutional investors, including insurance companies, banks, other financial institutions and mutual funds. In addition, the trading volume for high yield securities is generally lower than that for higher rated securities and the secondary markets could contract under adverse market or economic conditions independent of any specific adverse changes in the condition of a particular issuer. Under certain economic and/or market conditions, a Fund may have difficulty disposing of certain high yield securities due to the limited number of investors in that sector of the market (although the Funds’ ability to meet redemptions in kind may mitigate this risk). In fact, in certain stressed markets, high yield ETFs such as the Funds may be more liquid than the underlying high yield markets. An illiquid secondary market may adversely affect the market price of the high yield security, which may result in increased difficulty selling the particular issue and obtaining accurate market quotations on the issue when valuing a Fund's assets. Market quotations on high yield securities are available only from a limited number of dealers, and such quotations may not be the actual prices available for a purchase or sale. When the secondary market for high yield securities becomes more illiquid, or in the absence of readily available market quotations for such securities, the relative lack of reliable objective data makes it more difficult to value such securities, and judgment plays a more important role in determining such valuations.
   
A Fund may incur expenses to the extent necessary to seek recovery upon default or to negotiate new terms with a defaulting issuer.
   
The high yield bond markets may react strongly to adverse news about an issuer or the economy, or to the perception or expectation of adverse news, whether or not it is based on fundamental analysis. Additionally, prices for high yield securities may be affected by legislative and regulatory developments. These developments could adversely affect a Fund’s NAV and investment practices, the secondary market for high yield securities, the financial condition of issuers of these securities and the value and liquidity of outstanding high yield securities, especially in a thinly traded market. For example, federal legislation requiring the divestiture by federally insured savings and loan associations of their investments in high yield bonds and limiting the deductibility of interest by certain corporate issuers of high yield bonds adversely affected the market in the past.

 

Liquidity Risk Management.  Rule 22e-4 under the 1940 Act (the “Liquidity Rule”) requires open-end funds, including exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) such as the Funds, to establish a liquidity risk management program (the “Liquidity Program”) and enhance disclosures regarding fund liquidity. As required by the Liquidity Rule, the Funds have implemented a Liquidity Program, and the Board, including a majority of the Independent Trustees of the Trust, has appointed BIM as the administrator of the Liquidity Program. Under the Liquidity Program, BIM assesses, manages, and periodically reviews each Fund’s liquidity risk and classifies each investment held by a Fund as a “highly liquid investment,” “moderately liquid investment,” “less liquid investment” or “illiquid investment.” The Liquidity Rule defines “liquidity risk” as the risk that a Fund could not meet requests to redeem shares issued by a Fund without

 

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significant dilution of the remaining investors’ interest in a Fund. The liquidity of a Fund's portfolio investments is determined based on relevant market, trading and investment-specific considerations under the Liquidity Program. There are exclusions from certain portions of the liquidity risk management program requirements for “in-kind” ETFs, as defined in the Liquidity Rule. To the extent that an investment is deemed to be an illiquid investment or a less liquid investment, a Fund can expect to be exposed to greater liquidity risk.

 

Non-U.S. Securities.  If your Fund shares are loaned pursuant to securities lending arrangements, you may lose the ability to use any non-U.S. tax credits passed through by a Fund or to treat Fund dividends (paid while the shares are held by the borrower) as qualified dividends. Regarding a short sale with respect to shares of a Fund, substitute payments made to the lender of such shares may not be deductible under certain circumstances. Consult your financial intermediary or tax advisor.

 

Privately Issued Securities.   The Funds may invest in privately issued securities, including those that may be resold only in accordance with Rule 144A under the 1933 Act (“Restricted Securities”). Restricted Securities are not publicly-traded and are subject to a variety of restrictions, which limit a purchaser's ability to acquire or resell such securities. Accordingly, the liquidity of the market for specific Restricted Securities may vary. Delay or difficulty in selling such securities may result in a loss to a Fund.

 

The Board has adopted policies and procedures and appointed BIM as the administrator of the Liquidity Program, which includes the assessment of the liquidity of Restricted Securities. In making determinations regarding the liquidity of a Restricted Security, BIM will take into account relevant market, trading and investment-specific considerations. Additional characteristics that may be considered in determining the liquidity of Restricted Securities include: (a) the existence of an active market, including whether the security is listed on an exchange as well as the number, diversity and quality of market participants; (b) frequency of trades or quotes; and (c) restrictions on trading.

 

Ratings.  An investment-grade rating generally means the security or issuer is rated investment-grade by one or more of Moody’s, S&P Global Ratings, Fitch, or another credit rating agency designated as a nationally recognized statistical rating organization (“NRSRO”) by the SEC, or is unrated but considered to be of equivalent quality by BIM. Generally, bonds rated Baa3 or above by Moody’s or BBB- or above by S&P Global Ratings and Fitch are considered “investment-grade” securities, bonds rated Baa are considered medium grade obligations subject to moderate credit risk and may possess certain speculative characteristics, while bonds rated BBB are regarded as having adequate capacity to meet financial commitments.

 

Subsequent to purchase by a Fund, a rated security may cease to be rated or its rating may be reduced below an investment-grade rating. Bonds rated below Baa3 by Moody’s or below BBB- by S&P Global Ratings or Fitch are generally considered below investment-grade quality and are obligations of issuers that are generally considered predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal according to the terms of the obligation and, therefore, carry greater investment risk, including the possibility of issuer default and bankruptcy and increased market price volatility. Such lower-rated securities are commonly referred to as “junk bonds” and are subject to a substantial degree of credit risk. Please see Appendix B of this SAI for a description of each rating category of Moody's, S&P Global Ratings and Fitch and BIM's treatment of investments that are not rated by any of the rating agencies.

 

Regulation Regarding Derivatives.  The CFTC subjects advisers to registered investment companies to regulation by the CFTC if a fund that is advised by the adviser either (i) invests, directly or indirectly, more than a prescribed level of its liquidation value in CFTC-regulated futures and swaps (“CFTC Derivatives”) or (ii) markets itself as providing investment exposure to such instruments. The CFTC also subjects

 

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advisers to registered investment companies to regulation by the CFTC if the registered investment company invests in one or more commodity pools.  Futures and swaps entered into by the Fund will be treated as CFTC Derivatives for these purposes. To the extent a Fund uses CFTC Derivatives, it intends to do so below such prescribed levels and intends not to market itself as a “commodity pool” or a vehicle for trading such instruments.

 

Derivative contracts, such as swaps, are subject to regulation under the Dodd-Frank Act in the U.S. and under comparable regimes in Europe, Asia and other non-U.S. jurisdictions. Swaps and certain other derivatives traded in the OTC market are subject to variation margin requirements, and initial margining requirements will be phased in through 2020. Implementation of the margining and other provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act regarding clearing, mandatory trading, reporting and documentation of swaps and other derivatives have impacted and may continue to impact the costs to a Fund of trading these instruments and, as a result, may affect returns to investors in a Fund.

 

As a result of regulatory requirements under the 1940 Act, a Fund is currently required to maintain an amount of liquid assets, accrued on a daily basis, having an aggregate value at least equal to the value of a Fund’s obligations under the applicable derivatives contract. To the extent that derivatives contracts are settled on a physical basis, a Fund will generally be required to maintain an amount of liquid assets equal to the notional value of the contract. On the other hand, in connection with derivatives contracts that are performed on a net basis, a Fund will generally be required to maintain liquid assets, accrued daily, equal only to the accrued excess, if any, of a Fund’s obligations over those of its counterparty under the contract. Accordingly, reliance by a Fund on physically-settled derivatives contracts may adversely impact investors by requiring a Fund to set aside a greater amount of liquid assets than would generally be required if a Fund were relying on cash-settled derivatives contracts.

 

On October 28, 2020, the SEC adopted new regulations governing the use of derivatives by registered investment companies (“Rule 18f-4”). The Funds will be required to implement and comply with Rule 18f-4 by August 19, 2022. Once implemented, Rule 18f-4 will impose limits on the amount of derivatives a fund can enter into, eliminate the asset segregation framework currently used by funds to comply with Section 18 of the 1940 Act, treat derivatives as senior securities and require funds whose use of derivatives is more than a limited specified exposure amount to establish and maintain a comprehensive derivatives risk management program and appoint a derivatives risk manager.

 

Repurchase Agreements.  A repurchase agreement is an instrument under which the purchaser (i.e., a Fund) acquires a security and the seller agrees, at the time of the sale, to repurchase the security at a mutually agreed-upon time and price, thereby determining the yield during the purchaser’s holding period. Repurchase agreements may be construed to be collateralized loans by the purchaser to the seller secured by the securities transferred to the purchaser. If a repurchase agreement is construed to be a collateralized loan, the underlying securities will not be considered to be owned by a Fund but only to constitute collateral for the seller’s obligation to pay the repurchase price, and, in the event of a default by the seller, the Fund may suffer time delays and incur costs or losses in connection with the disposition of the collateral.

 

In any repurchase transaction, the collateral for a repurchase agreement may include: (i) cash items; (ii) obligations issued by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities; or (iii) obligations that, at the time the repurchase agreement is entered into, are determined to (A) have exceptionally strong capacity to meet their financial obligations and (B) are sufficiently liquid such that they can be sold at approximately their carrying value in the ordinary course of business within seven days.

 

Repurchase agreements pose certain risks for a Fund that utilizes them. Such risks are not unique to the Funds, but are inherent in repurchase agreements. Each Fund seeks to minimize such risks, but because

 

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of the inherent legal uncertainties involved in repurchase agreements, such risks cannot be eliminated. Lower quality collateral and collateral with a longer maturity may be subject to greater price fluctuations than higher quality collateral and collateral with a shorter maturity. If the repurchase agreement counterparty were to default, lower quality collateral may be more difficult to liquidate than higher quality collateral. Should the counterparty default and the amount of collateral not be sufficient to cover the counterparty’s repurchase obligation, a Fund would likely retain the status of an unsecured creditor of the counterparty (i.e., the position a Fund would normally be in if it were to hold, pursuant to its investment policies, other unsecured debt securities of the defaulting counterparty) with respect to the amount of the shortfall. As an unsecured creditor, a Fund would be at risk of losing some or all of the principal and income involved in the transaction.

 

Securities of Investment Companies.  Each Fund may invest in the securities of other investment companies (including money market funds) to the extent permitted by law, regulation, exemptive order or SEC staff guidance. Under the 1940 Act, a fund’s investment in investment companies is limited to, subject to certain exceptions, (i) 3% of the total outstanding voting stock of any one investment company, (ii) 5% of the fund’s total assets with respect to any one investment company, and (iii) 10% of the fund’s total assets with respect to investment companies in the aggregate. To the extent allowed by law or regulation, the Funds intend from time to time to invest their assets in securities of investment companies, including, but not limited to, money market funds, in excess of the limits discussed above. Other investment companies in which a Fund invests can be expected to incur fees and expenses for operations, such as investment advisory and administration fees, which would be in addition to those incurred by a Fund. Pursuant to guidance issued by the SEC staff, fees and expenses of money market funds used for cash collateral received in connection with loans of securities are not treated as Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, which reflect a Fund's pro rata share of the fees and expenses incurred by investing in other investment companies (as disclosed in the Prospectus, as applicable).

 

The SEC adopted Rule 12d1-4, which permits an investment company to invest in other investment companies beyond the statutory limits, subject to certain conditions, rescinded certain SEC exemptive orders permitting investments in excess of the statutory limits and withdrew certain related SEC staff no-action letters effective January 19, 2022. After such time, an investment company will no longer be able to rely on the aforementioned exemptive orders and no-action letters, and will be subject instead to Rule 12d1-4 and other applicable rules under Section 12(d)(1), which could affect a Fund’s ability to redeem its investments in other investment companies, make such investments less attractive, cause the Fund to incur losses, realize taxable gains distributable to shareholders, incur greater or unexpected expenses or experience other adverse consequences.

 

Short-Term Instruments and Temporary Investments.   Each Fund may invest in short-term instruments, including variable rate demand notes, short-term municipal securities, short-term municipal money market funds and money market instruments, on an ongoing basis to provide liquidity or for other reasons. Money market instruments are generally short-term investments that may include, but are not limited to: (i) shares of money market funds; (ii) obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities (including government-sponsored enterprises); (iii) negotiable certificates of deposit, bankers’ acceptances, fixed-time deposits and other obligations of U.S. and non-U.S. banks (including non-U.S. branches) and similar institutions; (iv) commercial paper rated, at the date of purchase, “Prime-1” by Moody's, “F-1” by Fitch or “A-1” by S&P Global Ratings, or if unrated, of comparable quality as determined by BIM; (v) non-convertible corporate debt securities (e.g., bonds and debentures) with remaining maturities at the date of purchase of not more than 397 days and that have been determined to present minimal credit risks, in accordance with the requirements set forth in Rule 2a-7 under the 1940 Act; (vi) repurchase agreements; and (vii) short-term U.S. dollar-denominated obligations of non-U.S. banks (including U.S. branches) that, in the opinion of BIM, are of comparable

 

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quality to obligations of U.S. banks that may be purchased by a Fund. Any of these instruments may be purchased on a current or forward-settled basis. Time deposits are non-negotiable deposits maintained in banking institutions for specified periods of time at stated interest rates. Bankers’ acceptances are time drafts drawn on commercial banks by borrowers, usually in connection with international transactions.

 

Swap Agreements.  Swap agreements are contracts between parties in which one party agrees to make periodic payments to the other party based on a pre-determined underlying investment or notional amount. In return, the other party agrees to make periodic payments to the first party based on the return (or a differential in rate of return) earned or realized on the underlying investment or notional amount. Swap agreements will usually be performed on a net basis, with a Fund receiving or paying only the net amount of the two payments. The net amount of the excess, if any, of a Fund’s obligations over its entitlements with respect to each swap is accrued on a daily basis, and an amount of liquid assets having an aggregate value at least equal to the accrued excess will be maintained by the Fund.

 

Certain of the Funds may enter into swap agreements, including interest rate swaps and index swaps. The use of swaps is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio security transactions. These transactions generally do not involve the delivery of securities or other underlying assets.

 

U.S. Government Obligations.  Certain of the Funds may invest in various types of U.S. government obligations. U.S. government obligations are a type of bond and include securities issued or guaranteed as to principal and interest by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities. Payment of principal and interest on U.S. government obligations (i) may be backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. or (ii) may be backed solely by the issuing or guaranteeing agency or instrumentality itself (as with Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Federal Home Loan Bank notes). In the latter case, each Fund must look principally to the agency or instrumentality issuing or guaranteeing the obligation for ultimate repayment, which agency or instrumentality may be privately owned. There can be no assurance that the U.S. government would provide financial support to its agencies or instrumentalities where it is not obligated to do so. As a general matter, the value of debt instruments, including U.S. government obligations, declines when market interest rates increase and rises when market interest rates decrease. Certain types of U.S. government obligations are subject to fluctuations in yield or value due to their structure or contract terms.

 

U.S.-Registered and Restricted Securities of Non-U.S. Issuers.  Each Fund may invest in U.S.-registered, U.S. dollar-denominated bonds of non-U.S. corporate issuers. The Funds may also invest in Restricted Securities issued by non-U.S. issuers. Investing in U.S.-registered, U.S. dollar-denominated bonds or Restricted Securities issued by non-U.S. issuers involves some risks and considerations not typically associated with investing in U.S. issuers. These include differences in accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards; the possibility of expropriation or confiscatory taxation; adverse changes in investment or exchange control regulations; political instability, which could affect U.S. investments in foreign countries; and potential restrictions of the flow of international capital. Non-U.S. issuers may be subject to less governmental regulation than U.S. issuers. In addition, the risk that the issuer may fail to meet its obligations on these securities may be affected by fluctuations in non-U.S. currency exchange rates between the issuer's local currency and the U.S. dollar. Moreover, individual non-U.S. economies may differ favorably or unfavorably from the U.S. economy in such respects as growth of gross domestic product (“GDP”), rate of inflation, capital reinvestment, resource self-sufficiency and balance of payment positions.

 

When Issued Securities, Delayed Delivery Securities and Forward Commitments.  Each Fund may purchase or sell securities that it is entitled to receive on a when issued basis. Each Fund may also purchase or sell securities on a delayed delivery basis or through a forward commitment. These transactions involve the purchase or sale of securities by each Fund at an established price with payment

 

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and delivery taking place in the future. Each Fund enters into these transactions to obtain what is considered an advantageous price to each Fund at the time of entering into the transaction. When each Fund purchases securities in these transactions, each Fund segregates liquid securities in an amount equal to the amount of its purchase commitments.

 

There can be no assurance that a security purchased on a when issued basis will be issued or that a security purchased or sold on a delayed delivery basis or through a forward commitment will be delivered. Also, the value of securities in these transactions on the delivery date may be more or less than the price paid by each Fund to purchase the securities.

 

Each Fund will lose money if the value of the security in such a transaction declines below the purchase price and will not benefit if the value of the security appreciates above the sale price during the commitment period.

 

Each Fund may dispose of or renegotiate a commitment after it has been entered into, and may sell securities it has committed to purchase before those securities are delivered to each Fund on the settlement date. In these cases each Fund may realize a taxable capital gain or loss.

 

When each Fund engages in when-issued transactions or forward commitment transactions, it relies on the other party to consummate the trade. Failure of such party to do so may result in the Fund’s incurring a loss or missing an opportunity to obtain a price considered to be advantageous.

 

The market value of the securities underlying a commitment to purchase securities, and any subsequent fluctuations in their market value, is taken into account when determining the market value of each Fund starting on the day each Fund agrees to purchase the securities. Each Fund does not earn interest on the securities it has committed to purchase until they are paid for and delivered on the settlement date.

 

Future Developments.  The Board may, in the future, authorize each Fund to invest in securities contracts and investments other than those listed in this SAI and in the applicable Prospectus, provided they are consistent with each Fund's investment objective and do not violate any investment restrictions or policies.

 

General Considerations and Risks

 

A discussion of some of the principal risks associated with an investment in a Fund is contained in each Fund's Prospectus. An investment in a Fund should be made with an understanding that the value of the Fund’s portfolio securities may fluctuate in accordance with changes in the financial condition of the issuers of the portfolio securities, the value of bonds in general, and other factors that affect the market. The order of the below risk factors does not indicate the significance of any particular risk factor.

 

Borrowing Risk.  Borrowing may exaggerate changes in the NAV of Fund shares and in the return on a Fund’s portfolio. Borrowing will cause a Fund to incur interest expense and other fees. The costs of borrowing may reduce a Fund’s return. Borrowing may cause a Fund to liquidate positions when it may not be advantageous to do so to satisfy its obligations.

 

Call Risk.  During periods of falling interest rates, an issuer of a callable bond held by certain Funds may “call” or repay the security before its stated maturity, and a Fund may have to reinvest the proceeds in securities with lower yields, which would result in a decline in the Fund's income, or in securities with greater risks or with other less favorable features.

 

Custody Risk.  Custody risk refers to the risks inherent in the process of clearing and settling trades and to the holding of securities, cash and other assets by local banks, agents and depositories. Low trading

 

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volumes and volatile prices in less developed markets make trades harder to complete and settle, and governments or trade groups may compel local agents to hold securities in designated depositories that may not be subject to independent evaluation. Local agents are held only to the standards of care of their local markets, and thus may be subject to limited or no government oversight. Communications between the U.S. and emerging market countries may be unreliable, increasing the risk of delayed settlements or losses of security certificates. In general, the less developed a country’s securities market is, the greater the likelihood of custody problems. Practices in relation to the settlement of securities transactions in emerging markets involve higher risks than those in developed markets, in part because of the use of brokers and counterparties that are often less well capitalized, and custody and registration of assets in some countries may be unreliable. The possibility of fraud, negligence or undue influence being exerted by the issuer or refusal to recognize ownership exists in some emerging markets, and, along with other factors, could result in ownership registration being lost. A Fund would absorb any loss resulting from such custody problems and may have no successful claim for compensation.

 

Illiquid Investments Risk.  Each Fund may invest up to an aggregate amount of 15% of its net assets in illiquid investments. An illiquid investment is any investment that a Fund reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without significantly changing the market value of the investment. The liquidity of an investment will be determined based on relevant market, trading and investment specific considerations as set out in the Liquidity Program as required by the Liquidity Rule. Illiquid investments may trade at a discount to comparable, more liquid investments and a Fund may not be able to dispose of illiquid investments in a timely fashion or at their expected prices. If illiquid investments exceed 15% of a Fund’s net assets, the Liquidity Rule and the Liquidity Program will require that certain remedial actions be taken.

 

Issuer Insolvency Risk.  Each Fund's potential exposure to financially or operationally troubled issuers involves a high degree of credit and market risk, which may be heightened during an economic downturn or recession. Should an issuer of securities held by a Fund become involved in a bankruptcy proceeding, reorganization or financial restructuring, a wide variety of considerations make an evaluation of the outcome of a Fund’s exposure to the issuer uncertain.

 

During the period of a bankruptcy proceeding, reorganization or financial restructuring, it is unlikely that each Fund will receive any interest payments on the securities of the issuer. Each Fund will be subject to significant uncertainty as to whether the reorganization or restructuring will be completed, and each Fund may bear certain extraordinary expenses to protect and recover its investment. Each Fund will also be subject to significant uncertainty as to when and in what manner and for what value the obligations evidenced by the securities of the issuer held by each Fund will eventually be satisfied. Even if a plan of reorganization or restructuring is adopted with respect to the securities of the issuer held by each Fund, there can be no assurance that the securities or other assets received by each Fund in connection with such plan of reorganization or restructuring will not have a lower value or income potential than may have been anticipated or no value. A Fund may be unable to enforce its claims or rights in any collateral or may have its claims or security interest in any collateral challenged, disallowed or subordinated to the claims or security interests of other creditors. In addition, amendments to the U.S. Bankruptcy Code or other relevant laws could alter the expected outcome or introduce greater uncertainty regarding the outcome of each Fund's securities holdings in the issuer. In a bankruptcy proceeding, a reorganization or restructuring, the securities of the issuer held by each Fund could be re-characterized or each Fund may receive different securities or other assets, including equity securities. These types of equity securities include, but are not limited to: common stock; preferred stock (including convertible preferred stock); bonds, notes and debentures convertible into common or preferred stock; stock purchase warrants and rights; equity interests in trusts; and depositary receipts. Equity securities are subject to changes in value, and their value may be more volatile than those of other asset classes. Holders of equity securities are

 

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subject to more risk than holders of debt securities because the status of equity holders is subordinate to debtholders in an issuer's capital structure. The value of equity securities received by each Fund could decline if the financial condition of the issuer deteriorates or if overall market and economic conditions, or conditions within the issuer’s region or industry, deteriorate. Equity securities received by a Fund through a bankruptcy proceeding, reorganization or restructuring of an issuer would not be component securities of a Fund’s Index, which could subject a Fund to additional tracking error risk and potential tax consequences.

 

To the extent that each Fund receives other assets in connection with a bankruptcy proceeding, reorganization or financial restructuring, each Fund may also be subject to additional risks associated with the assets received. One example of assets that each Fund could receive is an interest in one or more loans made to the issuer as part of a workout agreed to by a consortium of lienholders and creditors of the issuer. A Fund may receive such interests in loans to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act.

 

Securities or other assets received in a reorganization or restructuring typically entail a higher degree of risk than investments in securities of issuers that have not undergone a reorganization or restructuring and may be subject to heavy selling or downward pricing pressure after completion of the reorganization or restructuring. The post-reorganization/restructuring assets and securities may also be illiquid and difficult to sell or value. If each Fund participates in negotiations with respect to a plan of reorganization or restructuring with respect to securities of the issuer held by each Fund, each Fund also may be restricted from disposing of such securities for a period of time. If a Fund becomes involved in such proceedings, the Fund may have more active participation in the affairs of the issuer than that assumed generally by an investor.

 

Focus Risk. Issuers in a single industry or sector can react similarly to market, currency, political, economic, regulatory, geopolitical, public health and other conditions, and a Fund’s performance will be affected by the conditions in the industries, sectors, countries, and regions to which the Fund is exposed.

 

LIBOR Transition Risk.  A Fund may be exposed to financial instruments that are tied to the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) to determine payment obligations, financing terms, hedging strategies or investment value. A Fund’s investments may pay interest at floating rates based on LIBOR or may be subject to interest caps or floors based on LIBOR. A Fund may also obtain financing at floating rates based on LIBOR. Derivative instruments utilized by a Fund may also reference LIBOR.

 

In 2017, the head of the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”) announced a desire to phase out the use of LIBOR by the end of 2021, and it is expected that LIBOR will cease to be published after that time. The ICE Benchmark Administration, which is appointed by the FCA as the administrator of LIBOR recently announced that it will issue a consultation on extending the discontinuation date for USD LIBOR to June 30, 2023. By extending the publication of USD LIBOR to June 30, 2023 it would allow most legacy USD LIBOR contracts to mature before LIBOR experiences disruptions. A Fund may have investments linked to other interbank offered rates, such as the Euro Overnight Index Average (“EONIA”), which may also cease to be published. Various financial industry groups have begun planning for the transition away from LIBOR, but there are challenges to converting certain securities and transactions to a new reference rate (e.g., the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”), which is intended to replace the U.S. dollar LIBOR).

 

Neither the effect of the LIBOR transition process nor its ultimate success can yet be known. The transition process might lead to increased volatility and illiquidity in markets for, and reduce the effectiveness of, new hedges placed against, instruments whose terms currently include LIBOR. While some existing LIBOR-based instruments may contemplate a scenario where LIBOR is no longer available by providing for an alternative rate-setting methodology, there may be significant uncertainty regarding

 

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the effectiveness of any such alternative methodologies to replicate LIBOR. Not all existing LIBOR-based instruments may have alternative rate-setting provisions and there remains uncertainty regarding the willingness and ability of issuers to add alternative rate-setting provisions in certain existing instruments. In addition, a liquid market for newly-issued instruments that use a reference rate other than LIBOR still may be developing. There may also be challenges for a Fund to enter into hedging transactions against such newly-issued instruments until a market for such hedging transactions develops. All of the aforementioned may adversely affect a Fund’s performance or NAV.

 

Liquidity Risk.  Liquidity risk is the risk associated with any event, circumstance, or characteristic of an investment or market that negatively impacts a Fund’s ability to sell, or realize the proceeds from the sale of, an investment at a desirable time or price. Liquidity risk may arise because of, for example, a lack of marketability of the investment. Decreases in the number of financial institutions, including banks and broker-dealers willing to make markets (match up sellers and buyers) in a Fund’s investments or decreases in their capacity or willingness to trade such investments may increase the Fund’s exposure to this risk. The debt market has experienced considerable growth, and financial institutions making markets in instruments purchased and sold by a Fund (e.g., bond dealers) have been subject to increased regulation. The impact of that growth and regulation on the ability and willingness of financial institutions to engage in trading or “making a market” in such instruments remains unsettled. As a result, the Funds, when seeking to sell its portfolio investments, could find that selling is more difficult than anticipated, especially during times of high market volatility. Market participants attempting to sell the same or a similar instrument at the same time as a Fund could exacerbate a Fund’s exposure to liquidity risk. A Fund may have to accept a lower selling price for the holding, sell other investments that it might otherwise prefer to hold, or forego another more appealing investment opportunity. The liquidity of Fund investments may change significantly over time and certain investments that were liquid when purchased by a Fund may later become illiquid, particularly in times of overall economic distress. Changing regulatory, market or other conditions or environments (for example, the interest rate or credit environments) may also adversely affect the liquidity and the price of a Fund's investments.

 

Certain types of investments, such as structured notes and non-investment grade debt instruments, as an example, may be especially subject to liquidity risk. Floating rate loans also generally are subject to legal or contractual restrictions on resale and may trade infrequently on the secondary market. The value of the loan to a Fund may be impaired in the event that the Fund needs to liquidate such loans. The inability to purchase or sell floating rate loans and other debt instruments at a fair price may have a negative impact on a Fund’s performance. Securities or other assets in which a Fund invests may be traded in the over-the-counter market rather than on an exchange and therefore may be more difficult to purchase or sell at a fair price. Judgment plays a larger role in valuing illiquid or less liquid investments as compared to valuing liquid or more liquid investments. Price volatility may be higher for illiquid or less liquid investments as a result of, for example, the relatively less frequent pricing of such securities (as compared to liquid or more liquid investments). Generally, the less liquid the market at the time a Fund sells a portfolio investment, the greater the risk of loss or decline of value to the Fund. Overall market liquidity and other factors can lead to an increase in Fund redemptions, which may negatively impact Fund performance and NAV, including, for example, if a Fund is forced to sell investments in a down market. In addition, in stressed market conditions, the market for Fund shares may become less liquid. Deterioration in the liquidity of Fund shares may adversely impact the liquidity of a Fund's underlying portfolio securities. These adverse impacts on the liquidity of Fund shares and on the liquidity of a Fund's underlying portfolio securities could in turn lead to differences between the market price of Fund shares and the underlying value of those shares.

 

Operational Risk.  BIM and a Fund's other service providers, as well as a Fund’s counterparties, may experience disruptions or operating errors such as processing errors, communication errors, or human

 

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errors, inadequate or failed internal or external processes, or systems or technology failures, that could negatively impact the Funds. While service providers are required to have appropriate operational risk management policies and procedures, their methods of operational risk management may differ from a Fund’s in the setting of priorities, the personnel and resources available or the effectiveness of relevant controls. BIM, through its monitoring and oversight of service providers, seeks to ensure that service providers take appropriate precautions to avoid and mitigate risks that could lead to disruptions and operating errors. However, it is not possible for BIM or the other Fund service providers to identify all of the operational risks that may affect a Fund or to develop processes and controls to completely eliminate or mitigate their occurrence or effects.

 

Call Risk.  During periods of falling interest rates, issuers of certain debt obligations may “call” or repay principal prior to the security’s maturity, which may cause a Fund to have to reinvest in securities with lower yields or higher risk of default, resulting in a decline in the Fund’s income or return potential. Also, if a security subject to call had been purchased at a premium, the value of the premium would be lost in the event of prepayment.

 

Repurchase Agreement Risk.  A repurchase agreement is an instrument under which the purchaser (i.e., a Fund) acquires a security and the seller agrees, at the time of the sale, to repurchase the security at a mutually agreed upon time and price. Repurchase agreements may be construed to be collateralized loans by the purchaser to the seller secured by the securities transferred to the purchaser. If a repurchase agreement is construed to be a collateralized loan, the underlying securities will not be considered to be owned by a Fund but only to constitute collateral for the seller’s obligation to pay the repurchase price. If the seller defaults on its obligation under the agreement, a Fund may suffer delays and incur costs or lose money in exercising its rights under the agreement. If the seller fails to repurchase the security and the market value of the security declines, a Fund may lose money.

 

Risk of Close-Out for Qualified Financial Contracts. Regulations adopted by global prudential regulators that are now in effect require counterparties that are part of U.S. or foreign global systemically important banking organizations to include contractual restrictions on close-out and cross-default in agreements relating to qualified financial contracts. Qualified financial contracts include agreements relating to swaps and other derivatives. The restrictions prevent a Fund from closing out a qualified financial contract during a specified time period if the counterparty is subject to resolution proceedings and also prohibit a Fund from exercising default rights due to a receivership or similar proceeding of an affiliate of the counterparty. These requirements may increase credit risk and other risks to the Fund.

 

Risk of Derivatives.  A derivative is a financial contract, the value of which depends on, or is derived from, the value of an underlying asset, such as a security, a commodity (such as gold or silver), a currency or an index (a measure of value or rates, such as the S&P 500 or the prime lending rate). Certain Funds may invest in variable rate demand notes and obligations, and tender option bonds, which may be considered derivatives. Compared to securities, derivatives can be more sensitive to changes in interest rates or to sudden fluctuations in market prices and thus a Fund's losses may be greater if it invests in derivatives than if it invests only in conventional securities. Derivatives are also subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the other party in the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations. Derivatives generally involve the incurrence of leverage. To address such leverage and to prevent a Fund from being deemed to have issued senior securities as a result of an investment in derivatives, such Fund will segregate liquid assets equal to its obligations under the derivatives throughout the life of the investment.

 

When a derivative is used as a hedge against a position that a Fund holds or is committed to purchase, any loss generated by the derivative generally should be substantially offset by gains on the hedged investment, and vice versa. While hedging can reduce or eliminate losses, it can also reduce or eliminate

 

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gains, and in some cases, hedging can cause losses that are not offset by gains, and the Fund will recognize losses on both the investment and the hedge. Hedges are sometimes subject to imperfect matching between the derivative and the underlying security, and there can be no assurance that a Fund’s hedging transactions, which entail additional transaction costs, will be effective.

 

Risk of Swap Agreements.  The risk of loss with respect to swaps is generally limited to the net amount of payments that a Fund is contractually obligated to make. Swap agreements are subject to the risk that the swap counterparty will default on its obligations. If such a default occurs, a Fund will have contractual remedies pursuant to the agreements related to the transaction. However, such remedies may be subject to bankruptcy and insolvency laws, which could affect such Fund’s rights as a creditor (e.g., a Fund may not receive the net amount of payments that it is contractually entitled to receive), which could result in a Fund losing the benefits of any hedging position. A Fund is required to post and collect variation margin (comprised of specified liquid securities subject to haircuts) in connection with trading of OTC swaps. Initial margin requirements are in the process of being phased in, and a Fund may be subject to such requirements as early as September 2021. These requirements may raise the costs for a Fund’s investment in swaps.

 

Valuation Risk.  In certain circumstances, some of a Fund’s portfolio holdings may be valued on the basis of factors other than market quotations by employing the fair value procedures adopted by the Board. This may occur more often in times of market turmoil or reduced liquidity. There are multiple methods that can be used to value a portfolio holding when market quotations are not readily available. The value established for any portfolio holding at a point in time might differ from what would be produced using a different methodology or if it had been priced using market quotations. Portfolio holdings that are valued using techniques other than market quotations, including “fair valued” securities, may be subject to greater fluctuation in their valuations from one day to the next than if market quotations were used. Technological issues or other service disruption issues involving third-party service providers may cause a Fund to value its investments incorrectly. In addition, there is no assurance that a Fund could sell or close out a portfolio position for the value established for it at any time, and it is possible that the Fund would incur a loss because a portfolio position is sold or closed out at a discount to the valuation established by the Fund at that time. Investors who purchase or redeem shares on days when a Fund is holding fair-valued investments may receive fewer or more shares or lower or higher redemption proceeds than they would have received if the Fund had not fair-valued the holding(s) or had used a different valuation methodology.

 

Risk of Investing in Developed Countries.  Many countries with developed markets have recently experienced significant economic pressures. These countries generally tend to rely on the services sectors (e.g., the financial services sector) as the primary source of economic growth and may be susceptible to the risks of individual service sectors. For example, companies in the financial services sector are subject to governmental regulation and, recently, government intervention, which may adversely affect the scope of their activities, the prices they can charge and amount of capital they must maintain. Recent dislocations in the financial sector and perceived or actual governmental influence over certain financial companies may lead to credit rating downgrades and, as a result, impact, among other things, revenue growth for such companies. If financial companies experience a prolonged decline in revenue growth, certain developed countries that rely heavily on financial companies as an economic driver may experience a correlative slowdown. Recently, new concerns have emerged with respect to the economic health of certain developed countries. These concerns primarily stem from heavy indebtedness of many developed countries and their perceived inability to continue to service high debt loads without simultaneously implementing stringent austerity measures. Such concerns have led to tremendous downward pressure on the economies of these countries. As a result, it is possible that interest rates on debt of certain developed countries may rise to levels that make it difficult for such countries to service

 

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such debt. Spending on health care and retirement pensions in most developed countries has risen dramatically over the last few years. Medical innovation, extended life expectancy and higher public expectations are likely to continue the increase in health care and pension costs. Any increase in health care and pension costs will likely have a negative impact on the economic growth of many developed countries. Certain developed countries rely on imports of certain key items, such as crude oil, natural gas, and other commodities. As a result, an increase in demand for, or price fluctuations of, certain commodities may negatively affect developed country economies. Developed market countries generally are dependent on the economies of certain key trading partners. Changes in any one economy may cause an adverse impact on several developed countries. In addition, heavy regulation of, among others, labor and product markets may have an adverse effect on certain issuers. Such regulations may negatively affect economic growth or cause prolonged periods of recession. Such risks, among others, may adversely affect the value of a Fund’s investments.

 

Risk of Investing in Europe.  Investing in securities of corporate issuers located in European countries may expose a Fund to the economic and political risks associated with Europe in general and the specific European countries in which it invests. The economies and markets of European countries are often closely connected and interdependent, and events in one European country can have an adverse impact on other European countries. A Fund makes investments in securities of issuers that are domiciled in, have significant operations in, or that are listed on at least one securities exchange within member states of the European Union (the “EU”). A number of countries within the EU are also members of the Economic and Monetary Union (the “eurozone”) and have adopted the euro as their currency. Eurozone membership requires member states to comply with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, interest rates, debt levels and fiscal and monetary controls, each of which may significantly affect every country in Europe. Changes in import or export tariffs, changes in governmental or EU regulations on trade, changes in the exchange rate of the euro and other currencies of certain EU countries which are not in the eurozone, the default or threat of default by an EU member state on its sovereign debt, and/or an economic recession in an EU member state may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of other EU member states and their trading partners. Although certain European countries are not in the eurozone, many of these countries are obliged to meet the criteria for joining the eurozone. Consequently, these countries must comply with many of the restrictions noted above. The European financial markets have experienced volatility and adverse trends due to concerns about economic downturns, rising government debt levels and the possible default of government debt in several European countries, including, but not limited to, Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Ukraine. In order to prevent further economic deterioration, certain countries, without prior warning, can institute “capital controls.” Countries may use these controls to restrict volatile movements of capital entering and exiting their country. Such controls may negatively affect a Fund’s investments. A default or debt restructuring by any European country would adversely impact holders of that country’s debt and sellers of credit default swaps linked to that country’s creditworthiness, which may be located in countries other than those listed above. In addition, the credit ratings of certain European countries were downgraded in the past. These events have adversely affected the value and exchange rate of the euro and may continue to significantly affect the economies of every country in Europe, including countries that do not use the euro and non-EU member states. Responses to the financial problems by European governments, central banks and others, including austerity measures and reforms, may not produce the desired results, may result in social unrest and may limit future growth and economic recovery or have other unintended consequences. Further defaults or restructurings by governments and other entities of their debt could have additional adverse effects on economies, financial markets and asset valuations around the world. In addition, one or more countries may abandon the euro and/or withdraw from the EU. The impact of these actions, especially if they occur in a disorderly fashion, is not clear but could be significant and far-reaching and could adversely impact the value of a Fund’s investments in the region. The United Kingdom (the “U.K.”) left the EU (“Brexit”) on January 31, 2020. The

 

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U.K. and EU have reached an agreement on the terms of their future trading relationship effective January 1, 2021, which principally relates to the trading of goods rather than services, including financial services. Further discussions are to be held between the U.K. and the EU in relation to matters not covered by the trade agreement, such as financial services. A Fund will face risks associated with the potential uncertainty and consequences that may follow Brexit, including with respect to volatility in exchange rates and interest rates. Brexit could adversely affect European or worldwide political, regulatory, economic or market conditions and could contribute to instability in global political institutions, regulatory agencies and financial markets. Brexit has also led to legal uncertainty and could lead to politically divergent national laws and regulations as a new relationship between the U.K. and EU is defined and the U.K. determines which EU laws to replace or replicate. Any of these effects of Brexit could adversely affect any of the companies to which a Fund has exposure and any other assets in which a Fund invests. The political, economic and legal consequences of Brexit are not yet fully known. In the short term, financial markets may experience heightened volatility, particularly those in the U.K. and Europe, but possibly worldwide. The U.K. and Europe may be less stable than they have been in recent years, and investments in the U.K. and the EU may be difficult to value, or subject to greater or more frequent volatility. In the longer term, there is likely to be a period of significant political, regulatory and commercial uncertainty as the U.K. continues to negotiate its long-term exit from the EU and the terms of its future trading relationships.

 

Certain European countries have also developed increasingly strained relationships with the U.S., and if these relations were to worsen, they could adversely affect European issuers that rely on the U.S. for trade. Secessionist movements, such as the Catalan movement in Spain and the independence movement in Scotland, as well as governmental or other responses to such movements, may also create instability and uncertainty in the region. In addition, the national politics of countries in the EU have been unpredictable and subject to influence by disruptive political groups and ideologies. The governments of EU countries may be subject to change and such countries may experience social and political unrest. Unanticipated or sudden political or social developments may result in sudden and significant investment losses. The occurrence of terrorist incidents throughout Europe also could impact financial markets. The impact of these events is not clear but could be significant and far-reaching and could adversely affect the value and liquidity of a Fund's investments.

 

Risk of Investing in North America.  A decrease in imports or exports, changes in trade regulations or an economic recession in any North American country can have a significant economic effect on the entire North American region and on some or all of the North American countries in which a Fund invests.

 

The U.S. is Canada's and Mexico's largest trading and investment partner. The Canadian and Mexican economies are significantly affected by developments in the U.S. economy. Since the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (“NAFTA”) in 1994 among Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, total merchandise trade among the three countries has increased. However, political developments including the implementation of tariffs by the U.S., and the renegotiation of NAFTA in the form of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (“USMCA”), which replaced NAFTA on July 1, 2020, could negatively affect North America’s economic outlook and, as a result, the value of securities held by a Fund. Policy and legislative changes in one country may have a significant effect on North American markets generally, as well as on the value of certain securities held by a Fund.

 

Risk of Investing in the Industrial Sector

 

The value of securities issued by companies in the industrial sector may be adversely affected by supply of and demand for both their specific products or services and for industrial sector products in general. The products of manufacturing companies may face obsolescence due to rapid technological developments and frequent new product introduction. Government regulations, trade disputes, world

 

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events and economic conditions may affect the performance of companies in the industrial sector. The industrial sector may also be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices, which may be influenced by unpredictable factors. For example, commodity price declines and unit volume reductions resulting from an over-supply of materials used in the industrial sector can adversely affect the sector. Furthermore, companies in the industrial sector may be subject to liability for environmental damage, product liability claims, depletion of resources, and mandated expenditures for safety and pollution control.

 

Risk of Investing in the Basic Materials Sub-Sector.  Issuers in the basic materials sub-sector could be adversely affected by commodity price volatility, exchange rate fluctuations, social and political unrest, import controls and increased competition. Companies in the basic materials sub-sector may be subject to swift fluctuations in supply and demand. Fluctuations may be caused by events relating to political and economic developments, the environmental impact of basic materials operations, and the success of exploration projects. Production of industrial materials often exceeds demand as a result of over-building or economic downturns, leading to poor investment returns. Issuers in the basic materials sub-sector are at risk for environmental damage and product liability claims and may be adversely affected by depletion of resources, delays in technical progress, labor relations, tax and government regulations related to changes to, among other things, energy and environmental policies.

 

Risk of Investing in the Capital Goods Sub-Sector.  Companies in the capital goods sub-sector may be affected by fluctuations in the business cycle and by other factors affecting manufacturing demands. Companies in the capital goods sub-sector depend heavily on corporate spending. Companies in the capital goods sub-sector may perform well during times of economic expansion, and as economic conditions worsen, the demand for capital goods may decrease due to weakening demand, worsening business cash flows, tighter credit controls and deteriorating profitability. During times of economic volatility, corporate spending may fall and adversely affect the capital goods sub-sector. This sub-sector may also be affected by changes in interest rates, corporate tax rates and other government policies. Many capital goods are sold internationally and such companies are subject to market conditions in other countries and regions.

 

Risk of Investing in the Transportation Sub-Sector.  Companies in the transportation sub-sector may be adversely affected by changes in the economy, increases in fuel and operating costs, labor relations, technology developments, exchange rates, insurance costs, sector competition and government regulation. Companies in the transportation sub-sector are also affected by severe weather events, mass casualty accidents or environmental catastrophes, acts of terrorism and other similar events that target or damage transportation infrastructure or vessels, war or risk of war, widespread disruption of technology systems and increasing equipment and operational costs. Such global or regional events and conditions may adversely affect the operations, financial condition and liquidity of companies in the transportation sub-sector and cause insurance premiums to increase dramatically or result in insurance coverage becoming unavailable for certain business lines or assets. Securities of companies in the transportation sub-sector are generally cyclical and occasionally subject to sharp price movements.

 

Risk of Investing in the Telecommunications, Media and Technology Sector

 

Risk of Investing in the Telecommunications Sub-Sector.  The telecommunications sub-sector of a country’s economy is often subject to extensive government regulation. The costs of complying with governmental regulations, delays or failure to receive required regulatory approvals, or the enactment of new regulatory requirements may negatively affect the business of telecommunications companies. Government actions around the world, specifically in the area of pre-marketing clearance of products and prices, can be arbitrary and unpredictable. Companies in the telecommunications sector may experience distressed cash flows due to the need to commit substantial capital to meet increasing competition,

 

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particularly in developing new products and services using new technology. Technological innovations may make the products and services of certain telecommunications companies obsolete. Finally, while all companies may be susceptible to network security breaches, certain companies in the telecommunications sector may be particular targets of hacking and potential theft of proprietary or consumer information or disruptions in service, which could have a material adverse effect on their businesses.

 

Risk of Investing in the Communication Services Sub-Sector. The communication services sub-sector consists of both companies in the telecommunication services sub-sector as well as those in the media and entertainment sub-sector. Examples of companies in the telecommunication services sub-sector group include providers of fiber-optic, fixed-line, cellular and wireless telecommunications networks. Companies in the media and entertainment sub-sector encompass a variety of services and products including television broadcasting, gaming products, social media, networking platforms, online classifieds, online review websites, and Internet search engines. Companies in the communication services sub-sector may be affected by sub-sector competition, substantial capital requirements, government regulation, and obsolescence of communications products and services due to technological advancement. Fluctuating domestic and international demand, shifting demographics and often unpredictable changes in consumer tastes can drastically affect a communication services company's profitability. In addition, while all companies may be susceptible to network security breaches, certain companies in the communication services sub-sector may be particular targets of hacking and potential theft of proprietary or consumer information or disruptions in service, which could have a material adverse effect on their businesses.

 

The communication services sub-sector of a country’s economy is often subject to extensive government regulation. The costs of complying with governmental regulations, delays or failure to receive required regulatory approvals, or the enactment of new regulatory requirements may negatively affect the business of communications companies. Government actions around the world, specifically in the area of pre-marketing clearance of products and prices, can be arbitrary and unpredictable. The communications services sub-sector can also be significantly affected by intense competition for market share, including competition with alternative technologies such as wireless communications, product compatibility and standardization, consumer preferences, rapid product obsolescence, research and development of new products, lack of standardization or compatibility with existing technologies, and a dependency on patent and copyright protections. Companies in the communication services sub-sector may encounter distressed cash flows due to the need to commit substantial capital to meet increasing competition, particularly in developing new products and services using new technology. Technological innovations may make the products and services of certain communications companies obsolete.

 

Telecommunications providers with exposure to the U.S. are generally required to obtain franchises or licenses in order to provide services in a given location. Licensing and franchise rights in the telecommunications sector are limited, which may provide an advantage to certain participants. Limited availability of such rights, high barriers to market entry and regulatory oversight, among other factors, have led to consolidation of companies within the sector, which could lead to further regulation or other negative effects in the future. Telecommunication providers investing in non-U.S. countries may be subject to similar risks. Additional risks include those related to competitive challenges in the U.S. from non-U.S. competitors engaged in strategic joint ventures with U.S. companies and in non-U.S. markets from both U.S. and non-U.S. competitors. Companies in the media and entertainment sub-sector can be significantly affected by several factors, including competition, particularly in formulation of products and services using new technologies, cyclicality of revenues and earnings, a potential decrease in the discretionary income of targeted individuals, changing consumer tastes and interests, and the potential increase in government regulation. Companies in the media and entertainment sub-sector may become

 

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obsolete quickly. Advertising spending can be an important revenue source for media and entertainment companies. During economic downturns advertising spending typically decreases and, as a result, media and entertainment companies tend to generate less revenue.

 

Risk of Investing in the Media Sub-Sector.  Companies in the media sub-sector may encounter distressed cash flows due to the need to commit substantial capital to meet increasing competition, particularly in formulating new products and services using new technology. Media companies are subject to risks that include cyclicality of revenues and earnings, a potential decrease in the discretionary income of targeted individuals, changing consumer tastes and interests, competition in the sub-sector and the potential for increased state and federal regulation. Advertising spending is an important source of revenue for media companies. During economic downturns, advertising spending typically decreases and, as a result, media companies tend to generate less revenue.

 

Risk of Investing in the Technology and Electronics Sub-Sector.  Technology and electronics companies are characterized by periodic new product introductions, innovations and evolving industry standards, and, as a result, face intense competition, both domestically and internationally, which may have an adverse effect on profit margins. Companies in the technology and electronics sub-sector are often smaller and less experienced companies and may be subject to greater risks than larger companies; these risks may be heightened for technology and electronics companies in foreign markets. Technology and electronics companies may have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. The products of technology and electronics companies may face product obsolescence due to rapid technological developments and frequent new product introduction, changes in consumer and business purchasing patterns, unpredictable changes in growth rates and competition for the services of qualified personnel. In addition, a rising interest rate environment tends to negatively affect companies in the technology and electronics sub-sector because, in such an environment, those companies with high market valuations may appear less attractive to investors, which may cause sharp decreases in the companies’ market prices. Companies in the technology and electronics sub-sector are heavily dependent on patent and intellectual property rights. The loss or impairment of these rights may adversely affect the profitability of these companies. Companies in the technology and electronics sub-sector are facing increased government and regulatory scrutiny and may be subject to adverse government or regulatory action. The technology and electronics sub-sector may also be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices, which may be influenced or characterized by unpredictable factors. Finally, while all companies may be susceptible to network security breaches, certain companies in the technology and electronics sub-sector may be particular targets of hacking and potential theft of proprietary or consumer information or disruptions in service, which could have a material adverse effect on their businesses.

 

Risk of Investing in the Healthcare Sector

 

Companies in the healthcare sector are often issuers whose profitability may be affected by extensive government regulation, restrictions on government reimbursement for medical expenses, rising or falling costs of medical products and services, pricing pressure, an increased emphasis on outpatient services, a limited number of products, industry innovation, changes in technologies and other market developments. Many healthcare companies are heavily dependent on patent protection and the actual or perceived safety and efficiency of their products.

 

Patents have a limited duration, and, upon expiration, other companies may market substantially similar “generic” products that are typically sold at a lower price than the patented product, which can cause the original developer of the product to lose market share and/or reduce the price charged for the product, resulting in lower profits for the original developer. As a result, the expiration of patents may adversely affect the profitability of these companies.

 

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In addition, because the products and services of many companies in the healthcare sector affect the health and well-being of many individuals, these companies are especially susceptible to extensive litigation based on product liability and similar claims. Healthcare companies are subject to competitive forces that may make it difficult to raise prices and, in fact, may result in price discounting. Many new products in the healthcare sector may be subject to regulatory approvals. The process of obtaining such approvals may be long and costly, which can result in increased development costs, delayed cost recovery and loss of competitive advantage to the extent that rival companies have developed competing products or procedures, adversely affecting the company’s revenues and profitability. In other words, delays in the regulatory approval process may diminish the opportunity for a company to profit from a new product or to bring a new product to market, which could have a material adverse effect on a company’s business. Healthcare companies may also be strongly affected by scientific biotechnology or technological developments, and their products may quickly become obsolete. Also, many healthcare companies offer products and services that are subject to governmental regulation and may be adversely affected by changes in governmental policies or laws. Changes in governmental policies or laws may span a wide range of topics, including cost control, national health insurance, incentives for compensation in the provision of healthcare services, tax incentives and penalties related to healthcare insurance premiums, and promotion of prepaid healthcare plans. In addition, a number of legislative proposals concerning healthcare have been considered by the U.S. Congress in recent years. It is unclear what proposals will ultimately be enacted, if any, and what effect they may have on companies in the healthcare sector.

 

Additionally, the expansion of facilities by healthcare-related providers may be subject to “determinations of need” by certain government authorities. This process not only generally increases the time and costs involved in these expansions, but also makes expansion plans uncertain, limiting the revenue and profitability growth potential of healthcare-related facilities operators and negatively affecting the prices of their securities. Moreover, in recent years, both local and national governmental budgets have come under pressure to reduce spending and control healthcare costs, which could both adversely affect regulatory processes and public funding available for healthcare products, services and facilities.

 

Risk of Investing in the Financial Sector

 

Companies in the financial sector include regional and money center banks, securities brokerage firms, asset management companies, savings banks and thrift institutions, specialty finance companies (e.g., credit card, mortgage providers), insurance and insurance brokerage firms, consumer finance firms, financial conglomerates and foreign banking and financial companies.

 

Most financial companies are subject to extensive governmental regulation, which limits their activities and may affect their ability to earn a profit from a given line of business. Government regulation may change frequently and may have significant adverse consequences for companies in the financial sector, including effects not intended by the regulation. Direct governmental intervention in the operations of financial companies and financial markets may materially and adversely affect the companies in which a Fund invests, including legislation in many countries that may increase government regulation, repatriation and other intervention. The impact of governmental intervention and legislative or regulatory changes on any individual financial company or on the financial sector as a whole, such as the imposition of a financial transaction tax of transfers between financial institutions or the imposition of additional capital requirements, cannot be predicted. The valuation of financial companies has been and continues to be subject to unprecedented volatility and may be influenced by unpredictable factors, including interest rate risk and sovereign debt default. Certain financial businesses are subject to intense competitive pressures, including market share and price competition. Financial companies in foreign countries are subject to market specific and general regulatory and interest rate concerns. In particular, government regulation in certain foreign countries may include taxes and controls on interest rates, credit

 

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availability, minimum capital requirements, bans on short sales, limits on prices and restrictions on currency transfers. Further, certain foreign jurisdictions may impose additional regulations, taxes and costs on financial institutions from other jurisdictions as a means of protecting domestic financial institutions. In addition, companies in the financial sector may be the targets of hacking and potential theft of proprietary or customer information or disruptions in service, which could have a material adverse effect on their businesses.

 

The profitability of banks, savings and loan associations and financial companies is largely dependent on the availability and cost of capital funds and can fluctuate significantly when interest rates change; for instance, when interest rates go up, the value of securities issued by many types of companies in the financial sector generally goes down. In other words, financial companies may be adversely affected in certain market cycles, including, without limitation, during periods of rising interest rates, which may restrict the availability and increase the cost of capital, and during periods of declining economic conditions, which may cause, among other things, credit losses due to financial difficulties of borrowers.

 

In addition, general economic conditions are important to the operations of these companies, and financial difficulties of borrowers may have an adverse effect on the profitability of financial companies. Financial companies can be highly dependent upon access to capital markets, and any impediments to such access, such as adverse overall economic conditions or a negative perception in the capital markets of a financial company’s financial condition or prospects, could adversely affect its business. Deterioration of credit markets can have an adverse impact on a broad range of financial markets, causing certain financial companies to incur large losses. In these conditions, companies in the financial sector may experience significant declines in the valuation of their assets, take actions to raise capital and even cease operations. Some financial companies may also be required to accept or borrow significant amounts of capital from government sources and may face future government-imposed restrictions on their businesses or increased government intervention. In addition, there is no guarantee that governments will provide any such relief in the future. These actions may cause the securities of many companies in the financial sector to decline in value.

 

Risk of Investing in the Insurance Sub-Sector.  The insurance sub-sector is subject to extensive government regulation in some countries and can be significantly affected by changes in interest rates, general economic conditions, price and marketing competition, the imposition of premium rate caps or other changes in government regulation or tax law. Different segments of the insurance sub-sector can be significantly affected by changes in mortality and morbidity rates, environmental clean-up costs and catastrophic events such as earthquakes, hurricanes and terrorist acts.

 

Risk of Investing in the Real Estate Sub-Sector. Companies in the real estate sub-sector include companies that invest in real estate, such as REITs, real estate holding and operating companies or real estate development companies (collectively, “Real Estate Companies”). Investing in Real Estate Companies exposes investors to the risks of owning real estate directly, as well as to risks that relate specifically to the way in which Real Estate Companies are organized and operated. The real estate sector is highly sensitive to general and local economic conditions and developments, and characterized by intense competition and periodic overbuilding. Investing in Real Estate Companies involves various risks. Some risks that are specific to Real Estate Companies are discussed in greater detail below.

 

Interest Rate Risk. Rising interest rates could result in higher costs of capital for Real Estate Companies, which could negatively impact a Real Estate Company’s ability to meet its payment obligations. Declining interest rates could result in increased prepayment on loans and require redeployment of capital in less desirable investments.

 

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Leverage Risk. Real Estate Companies may use leverage (and some may be highly leveraged), which increases investment risk and could adversely affect a Real Estate Company’s operations and market value in periods of rising interest rates. Real Estate Companies are also exposed to the risks normally associated with debt financing. Financial covenants related to a Real Estate Company’s leverage may affect the ability of the Real Estate Company to operate effectively. In addition, real property may be subject to the quality of credit extended and defaults by borrowers and tenants. If the properties do not generate sufficient income to meet operating expenses, including, where applicable, debt service, ground lease payments, tenant improvements, third-party leasing commissions and other capital expenditures, the income and ability of a Real Estate Company to make payments of any interest and principal on its debt securities will be adversely affected.

 

Loan Foreclosure Risk. Real Estate Companies may foreclose on loans that the Real Estate Company originated and/or acquired. Foreclosure may generate negative publicity for the underlying property that affects its market value. In addition to the length and expense of such proceedings, the validity of the terms of the applicable loan may not be recognized in foreclosure proceedings. Claims and defenses asserted by borrowers or other lenders may interfere with the enforcement of rights by a Real Estate Company. Parallel proceedings, such as bankruptcy, may also delay resolution and limit the amount of recovery on a foreclosed loan by a Real Estate Company even where the property underlying the loan is liquidated.

 

Property Risk. Real Estate Companies may be subject to risks relating to functional obsolescence or reduced desirability of properties; extended vacancies due to economic conditions and tenant bankruptcies; catastrophic events such as earthquakes, hurricanes and terrorist acts; and casualty or condemnation losses. Real estate income and values also may be greatly affected by demographic trends, such as population shifts or changing tastes and values, or increasing vacancies or declining rents resulting from legal, cultural, technological, global or local economic developments.

 

Distressed Investment Risk. Real Estate Companies may invest in distressed, defaulted or out-of-favor bank loans. Identification and implementation by a Real Estate Company of loan modification and restructure programs involves a high degree of uncertainty. Even successful implementation may still require adverse compromises and may not prevent bankruptcy. Real Estate Companies may also invest in other debt instruments that may become non-performing, including the securities of companies with higher credit and market risk due to financial or operational difficulties. Higher risk securities may be less liquid and more volatile than the securities of companies not in distress.

 

Underlying Investment Risk. Real Estate Companies make investments in a variety of debt and equity instruments with varying risk profiles. For instance, Real Estate Companies may invest in debt instruments secured by commercial property that have higher risks of delinquency and foreclosure than loans on single family homes due to a variety of factors associated with commercial property, including the tie between income available to service debt and productive use of the property. Real Estate Companies may also invest in debt instruments and preferred equity that are junior in an issuer’s capital structure and that involve privately negotiated structures. Subordinated debt investments, such as B-Notes and mezzanine loans, involve a greater credit risk of default due to the need to service more senior debt of the issuer. Similarly, preferred equity investments involve a greater risk of loss than conventional debt financing due to their non-collateralized nature and subordinated ranking. Investments in senior loans may be effectively subordinated if the senior loan is pledged as collateral. The ability of a holder of junior claims to proceed against a defaulting issuer is circumscribed by the terms of the particular contractual arrangement, which vary considerably from transaction to transaction.

 

Management Risk. Real Estate Companies are dependent upon management skills and may have limited financial resources. Real Estate Companies are generally not diversified and may be subject to heavy

 

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cash flow dependency, default by borrowers and voluntary liquidation. In addition, transactions between Real Estate Companies and their affiliates may be subject to conflicts of interest, which may adversely affect a Real Estate Company’s shareholders. A Real Estate Company may also have joint venture investments in certain of its properties, and, consequently, its ability to control decisions relating to such properties may be limited.

 

Illiquidity Risk. Investing in Real Estate Companies may involve risks similar to those associated with investing in small-capitalization companies. Real Estate Company securities, like the securities of small-capitalization companies, may be more volatile than, and perform differently from, shares of large-capitalization companies. There may be less trading in Real Estate Company shares, which means that buy and sell transactions in those shares could have a magnified impact on share price, resulting in abrupt or erratic price fluctuations. In addition, real estate is relatively illiquid, and, therefore, a Real Estate Company may have a limited ability to vary or liquidate properties in response to changes in economic or other conditions.

 

Concentration Risk. Real Estate Companies may own a limited number of properties and concentrate their investments in a particular geographic region or property type. Economic downturns affecting a particular region, sector or property type may lead to a high volume of defaults within a short period.

 

U.S. Tax Risk. Certain U.S. Real Estate Companies are subject to special U.S. federal tax requirements. A REIT that fails to comply with such tax requirements may be subject to U.S. federal income taxation, which may affect the value of the REIT and the characterization of the REIT’s distributions. The U.S. federal tax requirement that a REIT distribute substantially all of its net income to its shareholders may result in a REIT having insufficient capital for future expenditures. A REIT that successfully maintains its qualification may still become subject to U.S. federal, state and local taxes, including excise, penalty, franchise, payroll, mortgage recording, and transfer taxes, both directly and indirectly through its subsidiaries. Because REITs often do not provide complete tax information until after the calendar year-end, a Fund may at times need to request permission to extend the deadline for issuing your tax reporting statement or supplement the information otherwise provided to you.

 

Regulatory Risk. Real estate income and values may be adversely affected by such factors as applicable domestic and foreign laws (including tax laws). Government actions, such as tax increases, zoning law changes or environmental regulations, also may have a major impact on real estate income and values. In addition, quarterly compliance with regulations limiting the proportion of asset types held by a U.S. REIT may force certain Real Estate Companies to liquidate or restructure otherwise attractive investments. Some countries may not recognize REITs or comparable structures as a viable form of real estate funds.

 

Risk of Investing in the Energy Sector

 

Companies in the energy sector are strongly affected by the levels and volatility of global energy prices, energy supply and demand, government regulations and policies, energy production and conservation efforts, technological change, development of alternative energy sources, and other factors that they cannot control. These companies may also lack resources and have limited business lines. Energy companies may have relatively high levels of debt and may be more likely to restructure their businesses if there are downturns in certain energy markets or in the global economy. If an energy company in a Fund's portfolio becomes distressed, a Fund could lose all or a substantial portion of its investment.

 

The energy sector is cyclical and is highly dependent on commodity prices; prices and supplies of energy may fluctuate significantly over short and long periods of time due to, among other things, national and international political changes, OPEC policies, changes in relationships among OPEC members and between OPEC and oil-importing nations, the regulatory environment, taxation policies, and the economy

 

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of the key energy-consuming countries. Commodity prices have recently been subject to increased volatility and declines, which may negatively affect companies in which a Fund invests. For example, in the context of the COVID-19 outbreak and disputes among oil-producing countries regarding potential limits on the production of crude oil, the energy sector has experienced increased volatility. In particular, significant market volatility occurred in the crude oil markets as well as the oil futures markets, which resulted in the market price of certain crude oil futures contract falling below zero for a period of time.

 

Companies in the energy sector may be adversely affected by terrorism, hacks and cyber-security incidents, natural disasters or other catastrophes. Companies in the energy sector are at risk of civil liability from accidents resulting in injury, loss of life or property, pollution or other environmental damage claims. Disruptions in the oil sector or shifts in fuel consumption may significantly impact companies in this sector. Significant oil and gas deposits are located in emerging markets countries where corruption and security may raise significant risks, in addition to the other risks of investing in emerging markets. Additionally, the Middle East, where many companies in the energy sector may operate, has historically and recently experienced widespread social unrest.

 

Companies in the energy sector may also be adversely affected by changes in exchange rates, interest rates, economic conditions, tax treatment, government regulation and intervention, negative perception, efforts at energy conservation and world events in the regions in which the companies operate (e.g., expropriation, nationalization, confiscation of assets and property or the imposition of restrictions on foreign investments and repatriation of capital, military coups, social unrest, violence or labor unrest). Because a significant portion of revenues of companies in this sector is derived from a relatively small number of customers that are largely composed of governmental entities and utilities, governmental budget constraints may have a significant impact on the stock prices of companies in this sector. The energy sector is highly regulated. Entities operating in the energy sector are subject to significant regulation of nearly every aspect of their operations by governmental agencies. Such regulation can change rapidly or over time in both scope and intensity. Stricter laws, regulations or enforcement policies could be enacted in the future which would likely increase compliance costs and may materially adversely affect the financial performance of companies in the energy sector.

 

Risk of Investing in the Oil and Gas Sub-Sector.  Companies in the oil and gas sub-sector are strongly affected by the levels and volatility of global energy prices, oil and gas supply and demand, government regulations and policies, oil and gas production and conservation efforts and technological change. The oil and gas sub-sector is cyclical and from time to time may experience a shortage of drilling rigs, equipment, supplies or qualified personnel, or due to significant demand, such services may not be available on commercially reasonable terms. Prices and supplies of oil and gas may fluctuate significantly over short and long periods of time due to national and international political changes, OPEC policies, changes in relationships among OPEC members and between OPEC and oil-importing nations, the regulatory environment, taxation policies, and the economies of key energy-consuming countries. Disruptions in the oil and gas sub-sector or shifts in energy consumption may significantly impact companies in this sub-sector. For instance, significant oil and gas deposits are located in emerging market countries where corruption and security may raise significant risks, in addition to the other risks of investing in emerging markets. In addition, the Middle East, where many companies in the oil and gas sub-sector may operate, has recently experienced widespread social unrest. Oil and gas companies operate in a highly competitive sub-sector, with intense price competition. A significant portion of their revenues may depend on a relatively small number of customers, including governmental entities and utilities.

 

Risk of Investing in the Utilities Sub-Sector. The utilities sub-sector may be adversely affected by changing commodity prices, government regulation stipulating rates charged by utilities, increased tariffs, changes in tax laws, interest rate fluctuations and changes in the cost of providing specific utility services.

 

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The utilities sub-sector is also subject to potential terrorist attacks, hacks and cyber-security incidents, natural disasters and severe weather conditions, as well as regulatory and operational burdens associated with the operation and maintenance of nuclear facilities. Government regulators monitor and control utility revenues and costs, and therefore may limit utility profits. In certain countries, regulatory authorities may also restrict a company’s access to new markets, thereby diminishing the company’s long-term prospects.

 

There are substantial differences among the regulatory practices and policies of various jurisdictions, and any regulatory agency may make major shifts in policy from time to time. There is no assurance that regulatory authorities will, in the future, grant rate increases. Additionally, existing and possible future regulatory legislation may make it even more difficult for utilities to obtain adequate relief. Certain of the issuers of securities held in a Fund's portfolio may own or operate nuclear generating facilities. Governmental authorities may from time to time review existing policies and impose additional requirements governing the licensing, construction and operation of nuclear power plants. Prolonged changes in climate conditions can also have a significant impact on both the revenues of an electric and gas utility as well as the expenses of a utility, particularly a hydro-based electric utility.

 

The rates that traditional regulated utility companies may charge their customers generally are subject to review and limitation by governmental regulatory commissions. Rate changes may occur only after a prolonged approval period or may not occur at all, which could adversely affect utility companies when costs are rising. The value of regulated utility debt securities tends to have an inverse relationship to the movement of interest rates. Certain utility companies have experienced full or partial deregulation in recent years. These utility companies are frequently more similar to industrial companies in that they are subject to greater competition and have been permitted by regulators to diversify outside of their original geographic regions and their traditional lines of business. As a result, some companies may be forced to defend their core business and may be less profitable. Deregulation may also permit a utility company to expand outside of its traditional lines of business and engage in riskier ventures.

 

Risk of Investing in the Consumer Cyclicals Sector

 

A Fund may invest in consumer cyclical companies, which rely heavily on business cycles and economic conditions. Consumer cyclical companies include automotive manufacturers, retail companies, and housing-related companies. The consumer cyclicals sector can be significantly affected by several factors, including, without limitation, the performance of domestic and international economies, exchange rates, changing consumer tastes and trends, marketing campaigns, cyclical revenue generation, consumer confidence, commodity price volatility, labor relations, interest rates, import and export controls, intense competition, technological developments and government regulation.

 

Risk of Investing in the Automotive Sub-Sector.  The automotive sub-sector can be highly cyclical, and companies in the automotive sub-sector may suffer periodic losses. The automotive sub-sector is also highly competitive and there may be, at times, excess capacity in the global and domestic automotive sub-sector. Over the last several decades, the U.S. automotive sub-sector has experienced periodic downturns; certain automotive companies required stimulus from the U.S. government, while others formed strategic industry alliances in order to weather the substantially difficult market conditions. In general, the automotive sub-sector is susceptible to labor disputes, product defect litigation, patent expiration, increased pension liabilities, rise in material or component prices and changing consumer tastes.

 

Risk of Investing in the Consumer Discretionary Sub-Sector.  Companies engaged in the design, production or distribution of products or services for the consumer discretionary sub-sector (including, without limitation, television and radio broadcasting, manufacturing, publishing, recording and musical

 

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instruments, motion pictures, photography, amusement and theme parks, gaming casinos, sporting goods and sports arenas, camping and recreational equipment, toys and games, apparel, travel-related services, automobiles, hotels and motels, and fast food and other restaurants) are subject to the risk that their products or services may become obsolete quickly. The success of these companies can depend heavily on disposable household income and consumer spending. During periods of an expanding economy, the consumer discretionary sub-sector may outperform the consumer staples sub-sector, but may underperform when economic conditions worsen. Moreover, the consumer discretionary sub-sector can be significantly affected by several factors, including, without limitation, the performance of domestic and international economies, exchange rates, changing consumer preferences, demographics, marketing campaigns, cyclical revenue generation, consumer confidence, commodity price volatility, labor relations, interest rates, import and export controls, intense competition, technological developments and government regulation.

 

Risk of Investing in the Retail Sub-Sector.  The retail sub-sector may be affected by changes in domestic and international economies, consumer confidence, disposable household income and spending, and consumer tastes and preferences. Companies in the retail sub-sector face intense competition, which may have an adverse effect on their profitability. The success of companies in the retail sub-sector may be strongly affected by social trends, marketing campaigns and public perceptions. Companies in the retail sub-sector may be dependent on outside financing, which may be difficult to obtain. Many of these companies are dependent on third party suppliers and distribution systems. Retail companies may be unable to protect their intellectual property rights or may be liable for infringing the intellectual property rights of others.

 

Risk of investing in the Consumer Non-Cyclicals Sector

 

Investments in the consumer non-cyclicals sector involve risks associated with companies that manufacture products and provide discretionary services directly to the consumer. Performance of companies in the consumer non-cyclicals sector may be adversely impacted by fluctuations in supply and demand, changes in the global economy, consumer spending, competition, demographics and consumer preferences, and production spending. Companies in the consumer non-cyclicals sector are also affected by global economic, environmental and political events, and economic conditions. The products of consumer non-cyclical companies are subject to government regulation which may negatively impact such companies' performance.

 

Risk of Investing in the Consumer Services Sub-Sector.  The success of firms in the consumer services sub-sector and certain retailers (including food and beverage, general retailers, media, and travel and leisure) is tied closely to the performance of the domestic and international economy, interest rates, exchange rates, competition and consumer confidence. The consumer services sub-sector depends heavily on disposable household income and consumer spending. Companies in the consumer services sub-sector may be subject to severe competition, which may also have an adverse impact on their profitability. Companies in the consumer services sub-sector are facing increased government and regulatory scrutiny and may be subject to adverse government or regulatory action. Changes in demographics and consumer preferences may affect the success of consumer service providers.

 

Risk of Investing in the Consumer Staples Sub-Sector.  Companies in the consumer staples sub-sector may be adversely affected by changes in the global economy, consumer spending, competition, demographics and consumer preferences, and production spending. Companies in the consumer staples sub-sector may also be affected by changes in global economic, environmental and political events, economic conditions, the depletion of resources, and government regulation. For instance, government regulations may affect the permissibility of using various food additives and production methods of companies that make food products, which could affect company profitability. In addition, tobacco companies may be adversely affected by the adoption of proposed legislation and/or by litigation.

 

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Companies in the consumer staples sub-sector also may be subject to risks pertaining to the supply of, demand for and prices of raw materials. The prices of raw materials fluctuate in response to a number of factors, including, without limitation, changes in government agricultural support programs, exchange rates, import and export controls, changes in international agricultural and trading policies, and seasonal and weather conditions. Companies in the consumer staples sub-sector may be subject to severe competition, which may also have an adverse impact on their profitability.

 

Proxy Voting Policy

 

For the Fund, the Board has delegated the voting of proxies for each Fund’s securities to BIM pursuant to the Funds' Proxy Voting Policy (the [“BondBloxx ETFs Proxy Voting Policy”]), and BIM has adopted policies and procedures (the “BondBloxx Proxy Voting Policy”) governing proxy voting by accounts managed by BIM, including the Funds.

 

Under the BondBloxx Proxy Voting Policies, BIM will vote proxies related to Fund securities in the best interests of a Fund and its shareholders. From time to time, a vote may present a conflict between the interests of a Fund’s shareholders, on the one hand, and those of BIM, or any affiliated person of a Fund or BIM, on the other. BIM maintains policies and procedures that are designed to prevent undue influence on BIM’s proxy voting activity that might stem from any relationship between the issuer of a proxy (or any dissident shareholder) and BIM, [BIM’s affiliates,] a Fund or a Fund’s affiliates. Most conflicts are managed through a structural separation of BIM’s portfolio management team from BIM’s employees with sales and client responsibilities. In addition, BIM maintains procedures to ensure that all engagements with corporate issuers or dissident shareholders are managed consistently and without regard to BIM’s relationship with the issuer of the proxy or the dissident shareholder. In certain instances, BIM may determine to engage an independent fiduciary to vote proxies as a further safeguard to avoid potential conflicts of interest or as otherwise required by applicable law.

 

Copies of the BondBloxx ETFs Proxy Voting Policy and the BondBloxx Proxy Voting Policies are attached as Appendices [ ] and [ ], respectively.

 

Information with respect to how proxies relating to the Funds' portfolio securities were voted during the 12-month period ended June 30 will be available: (i) without charge, upon request, by calling [ ] or through the Funds' website at [www.BondBloxx.com]; and (ii) on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

 

Portfolio Holdings Information

 

On each Business Day (as defined in the Creation and Redemption of Creation Units section of this SAI), prior to the opening of regular trading on the Fund’s primary listing exchange, a Fund discloses on its website [www.BondBloxx.com] certain information relating to the portfolio holdings that will form the basis of a Fund’s next net asset value per share calculation.

 

A Fund may make available through the facilities of the [National Securities Clearing Corporation (“NSCC”)] or through posting on [www.BondBloxx.com], prior to the opening of trading on each business day, a list of a Fund’s holdings (generally pro-rata) that Authorized Participants could deliver to a Fund to settle purchases of a Fund (i.e. Deposit Securities) or that Authorized Participants would receive from a Fund to settle redemptions of a Fund (i.e. Fund Securities). These files are known as the Portfolio Composition File and the Fund Data File (collectively, “Files”). The Files are applicable for the next trading day and are provided to the NSCC and/or posted on www.BondBloxx.com after the close of markets in the U.S.

 

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Certain employees of BIM are responsible for interacting with Authorized Participants, market makers and liquidity providers with respect to discussing custom basket proposals as described in the Custom Baskets section of this SAI. As part of these discussions, these employees may discuss with an Authorized Participant, market or liquidity provider the securities a Fund is willing to accept for a creation, and securities that a Fund may be willing provide on a redemption.

 

BIM employees may also discuss portfolio holdings-related information with broker-dealers, in connection with settling a Fund’s transactions, as may be necessary to conduct business in the ordinary course in a manner consistent with the disclosure in the Funds' current registration statements. From time to time, employees of BIM may discuss portfolio holdings information with the applicable primary listing exchange for a Fund as needed to meet the exchange listing standards. Certain explanatory information regarding the Files is released to Authorized Participants, market makers and liquidity providers on a daily basis, but is only done so after the Files are posted to www.BondBloxx.com.

 

Certain portfolio holdings information may be disclosed to Fund Trustees and their counsel, outside counsel for the Funds, auditors, regulators, and certain third-party service providers (i.e., fund administrator, custodian, proxy voting service) and other entities for which a non-disclosure, confidentiality agreement or other obligation is in place, as may be necessary to conduct business in the ordinary course in a manner consistent with applicable policies, agreements with the Funds, the terms of the current registration statements and federal securities laws and regulations thereunder.

 

“Liquidity Metrics” seek to ascertain a Fund’s liquidity profile under BondBloxx’s global liquidity risk methodology, which include but are not limited to: (a) disclosure regarding the number of days needed to liquidate a portfolio or the portfolio’s underlying investments; and (b) the percentage of a Fund’s NAV invested in a particular liquidity tier under BondBloxx’s liquidity risk methodology. The dissemination of position-level liquidity metrics data and any non-public regulatory data pursuant to the Liquidity Rule (including SEC liquidity tiering) is not permitted unless pre-approved. Disclosure of portfolio-level liquidity metrics prior to 60 calendar days after calendar quarter-end requires a non-disclosure or confidentiality agreement and approval of the Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer. Portfolio-level liquidity metrics disclosure subsequent to 60 calendar days after calendar quarter-end requires the approval of portfolio management and must be disclosed to all parties requesting the information if disclosed to any party.

 

The Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer or his or her delegate may authorize disclosure of portfolio holdings and related information, including information regarding portfolio characteristics or metrics, pursuant to the above policy and procedures, subject to restrictions on selective disclosure imposed by applicable law. The Board reviews the policy and procedures for disclosure of portfolio holdings information at least annually.

 

Construction and Maintenance of the Indexes

 

Descriptions of the Funds’ Indexes are provided below. With respect to certain Indexes of the BondBloxx funds, BIM or its affiliates have held discussions with ICE Data Indices, LLC (“ICE Data”) regarding their business interest in licensing an index to track a particular market segment and conveyed investment concepts and strategies that could be considered for the index. ICE Data designed and constituted such Indices using concepts conveyed by BIM or its affiliates. For each of these Indices, the relevant fund may be the first or sole user of the Index. In its sole discretion, ICE Data determines the composition of the securities and other instruments in such Index, the rebalance protocols of the Index, the weightings of the

 

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securities and other instruments in the Index, and any updates to the methodology. From time to time, BIM or its affiliates may also provide input relating to possible methodology changes of such Index pursuant to ICE Data’s consultation process or pursuant to other communications with ICE Data.

 

ICE BofA US Cash Pay High Yield Constrained Index

 

Index Description. The ICE BofA US Cash Pay High Yield Constrained Index (the “Underlying Index”) tracks the performance of US dollar denominated below investment grade corporate debt, currently in a coupon paying period, that are publicly issued in the US domestic market. The Underlying Index caps issuer exposure at 2%.

 

Index Methodology. Constituents of the Underlying Index are capitalization-weighted, based on their current amount outstanding, provided the total allocation to an individual issuer in the Underlying Index does not exceed 2%. Qualifying securities must have a below investment grade rating (based on an average of Moody’s, S&P and Fitch), at least 18 months to final maturity at the time of issuance, at least one year remaining term to final maturity as of the rebalancing date, a fixed coupon schedule and a minimum amount outstanding of $250 million. Restricted Securities (both with and without registration rights) may be included in the Underlying Index. Callable perpetual securities may be included provided they are at least one year from the first call date. Fixed-to-floating rate securities may be included provided they are callable within the fixed rate period and are at least one year from the last call date prior to the date the bond transitions from a fixed to a floating rate security. Securities trading without accrued interest (i.e., trading flat), deferred interest bonds that are not yet accruing a coupon, and original issue zero coupon bonds are excluded from the Underlying Index. Pay-in-kind bonds are excluded from the Underlying Index, but toggle notes no longer within the toggle period may be included.

 

Accrued interest is calculated assuming next-day settlement. Cash flows from bond payments that are received during the month are retained in the Index until the end of the month and then are removed as part of the rebalancing. Cash does not earn any reinvestment income while it is held in the Underlying Index. The Index is rebalanced on the last calendar day of the month, based on information available up to and including the third business day before the last business day of the month.

 

Each Index described below consists of a sub-set of the securities and the sectors and sub-sectors of the Underlying Index.

 

ICE Diversified US Cash Pay High Yield Core Industrial Index

 

Index Description. The ICE Diversified US Cash Pay High Yield Core Industrial Index (for the purposes of this sub-section, the “Index”) tracks the performance of US dollar denominated below investment grade corporate debt, currently in a coupon paying period, that is publicly issued in the US domestic market, from issuers in the basic industry, capital goods, transportation, and services sub-sectors as reflected in the Underlying Index.

 

Index Methodology. The Index is comprised of certain securities from the Underlying Index. Securities from the following sub-sectors are included in the Index: basic industry, capital goods, transportation, and services. The Index applies a capping methodology whereby any single issuer is capped at 25% of the Index, and the sum of issuers 5% and greater is capped at 48% of the Index.

 

ICE Diversified US Cash Pay High Yield Telecom, Media & Technology Index

 

Index Description. The ICE Diversified US Cash Pay High Yield Telecom, Media & Technology Index (for the purposes of this sub-section, the “Index”) tracks the performance of US dollar denominated below investment grade corporate debt, currently in a coupon paying period, that is publicly issued in the

 

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US domestic market, from issuers in the telecommunications, technology & electronics, and media sub-sectors as reflected in the Underlying Index.

 

Index Methodology. The Index is comprised of certain securities from the Underlying Index. Securities from the following sub-sectors are included in the Index: telecommunications, technology & electronics, and media. The Index applies a capping methodology whereby any single issuer is capped at 25% of the Index, and the sum of issuers 5% and greater is capped at 48% of the Index.

 

ICE Diversified US Cash Pay High Yield Healthcare Index

 

Index Description. The ICE Diversified US Cash Pay High Yield Healthcare Index (for the purposes of this sub-section, the “Index”) tracks the performance of US dollar-denominated below investment grade corporate debt, currently in a coupon paying period, that is publicly issued in the

US domestic market, from issuers in the healthcare sector as reflected in the Underlying Index.

 

Index Methodology. The Index is comprised of certain securities from the Underlying Index. Securities from the following sub-sectors are included in the Index: health facilities, health services, managed care, medical products, and pharmaceutical. The Index applies a capping methodology whereby any single issuer is capped at 25% of the Index, and the sum of issuers 5% and greater is capped at 48% of the Index.

 

ICE Diversified US Cash Pay High Yield Financial & REIT Index

 

Index Description. The ICE Diversified US Cash Pay High Yield Financial & REIT Index (for the purposes of this sub-section, the “Index”) tracks the performance of US dollar denominated below investment grade corporate debt, currently in a coupon paying period, that is publicly issued in the US domestic market, from issuers in the financial sector and REIT sub-sector as reflected in the Underlying Index.

 

Index Methodology. The Index is comprised of certain securities from the Underlying Index. Securities from the following sub-sectors are included in the Index: banking, financial services, insurance, and REITs. The Index applies a capping methodology whereby any single issuer is capped at 25% of the Index, and the sum of issuers 5% and greater is capped at 48% of the Index.

 

ICE Diversified US Cash Pay High Yield Energy Index

 

Index Description. The ICE Diversified US Cash Pay High Yield Consumer Energy Index (for the purposes of this sub-section, the “Index”) tracks the performance of US dollar-denominated below investment grade corporate debt, currently in a coupon paying period, that is publicly issued in the US domestic market, from issuers in the energy sector as reflected in the Underlying Index.

 

Index Methodology. The Index is comprised of certain securities from the Underlying Index. Securities from the following sub-sectors are included in the Index: exploration & production, gas distribution, oil field equipment & services, and oil refining & marketing. The index applies a capping methodology whereby any single issuer is capped at 25% of the index, and the sum of issuers 5% and greater is capped at 48% of the index.

 

ICE Diversified US Cash Pay High Yield Consumer Cyclical Index

 

Index Description. The ICE Diversified US Cash Pay High Yield Consumer Cyclical Index (for the purposes of this sub-section, the “Index”) tracks the performance of U.S. dollar denominated below investment grade corporate debt, currently in a coupon paying period, that is publicly issued in the U.S.

 

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domestic market, from issuers in the automotive, leisure, department stores, specialty retail, and real estate sub-sectors as reflected in the Underlying Index. The Index does not include REITS.

 

Index Methodology. The Index is comprised of certain securities from the Underlying Index. Securities from the following sub-sectors are included in the Index: automotive, leisure, department stores, specialty retail, and real estate development & management. The Index applies a capping methodology whereby any issuer is capped at 25% of the Index, and the sum of issuers 5% and greater is capped at 48% of the Index.

 

ICE Diversified US Cash Pay High Yield Consumer Non-Cyclical Index

 

Index Description. The ICE Diversified US Cash Pay High Yield Consumer Non-Cyclical Index (for the purposes of this sub-section, the “Index”) tracks the performance of U.S. dollar denominated below investment grade corporate debt, currently in a coupon paying period, that is publicly issued in the U.S. domestic market, from issuers in the utilities sector and consumer goods, discount stores, restaurants, and food & drug retail sub-sectors as reflected in the Underlying Index.

 

Index Methodology. The Index is comprised of certain securities from the Underlying Index. Securities from the following sub-sectors are included in the Index: utilities, consumer goods, discount stores, restaurants, food & drug retail. The Index applies a capping methodology whereby any single issuer is capped at 25% of the Index, and the sum of issuers 5% and greater is capped at 48% of the Index.

 

Investment Policies

 

The Board has adopted as fundamental policies the following numbered investment policies, which cannot be changed without the approval of the holders of a majority of the applicable Fund’s outstanding voting securities. A vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of a Fund is defined in the 1940 as the lesser of (i) 67% or more of the voting securities present at a shareholder meeting, if the holders of more than 50% of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund are present or represented by proxy, or (ii) more than 50% of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. Each Fund has also adopted certain non-fundamental investment policies, including its investment objective. Non-fundamental investment policies may be changed by the Board without shareholder approval. Therefore, each Fund may change its investment objective and its Index without shareholder approval.

 

Fundamental Investment Policies

 

The Funds will not:

 

1. Concentrate its investments in a particular industry or group of industries, as that term is used in the 1940 Act, except that each Fund will concentrate to approximately the same extent that its Index concentrates in the securities of a particular industry or group of industries.
The Funds may:
2. Borrow money to the extent permitted by applicable law.
3. Issue senior securities to the extent to the extent permitted by applicable law.
4. Purchase, sell or hold real estate to the extent permitted by applicable law.
5. Underwrite securities to the extent permitted by applicable law.
6. Purchase or sell commodities or commodity contracts to the extent permitted by applicable law.
7. Make loans to the extent permitted by applicable law.

 

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Notations Regarding each Fund's Fundamental Investment Policies

 

The following notations are not considered to be part of each Fund’s fundamental investment policies and are subject to change without shareholder approval.

 

With respect to the fundamental policy relating to concentration set forth in (1) above, the 1940 Act does not define what constitutes “concentration” in an industry. The SEC staff has taken the position that investment of 25% or more of a fund’s total assets in one or more issuers conducting their principal activities in the same industry or group of industries constitutes concentration. It is possible that interpretations of concentration could change in the future. The policy in (1) above will be interpreted to refer to concentration as that term may be interpreted from time to time. The policy also will be interpreted to permit investment without limit in the following: securities of the U.S. government and its agencies or instrumentalities; securities of state, territory, possession or municipal governments and their authorities, agencies, instrumentalities or political subdivisions; and repurchase agreements collateralized by any such obligations. Accordingly, issuers of the foregoing securities will not be considered to be members of any industry. There also will be no limit on investment in issuers domiciled in a single jurisdiction or country. Finance companies will be considered to be in the industries of their parents if their activities are primarily related to financing the activities of the parents. With respect to each Fund's industry classifications, each Fund currently utilizes any one or more of the sector sub-classifications used by one or more widely recognized market indexes or rating group indexes, and/or as defined by Fund management. The policy also will be interpreted to give broad authority to each Fund as to how to classify issuers within or among industries.

 

With respect to the fundamental policy relating to borrowing money set forth in (2) above, the 1940 Act permits each Fund to borrow money in amounts of up to one-third of the Fund’s total assets from banks for any purpose, and to borrow up to 5% of the Fund’s total assets from banks or other lenders for temporary purposes. (The Fund’s total assets include the amounts being borrowed.) To limit the risks attendant to borrowing, the 1940 Act requires each Fund to maintain at all times an “asset coverage” of at least 300% of the amount of its borrowings. Asset coverage means the ratio that the value of each Fund’s total assets (including amounts borrowed), minus liabilities other than borrowings, bears to the aggregate amount of all borrowings. Borrowing money to increase portfolio holdings is known as “leveraging.” Certain trading practices and investments, such as reverse repurchase agreements, may be considered to be borrowings or involve leverage and thus are subject to the 1940 Act restrictions. In accordance with SEC staff guidance and interpretations, when each Fund engages in such transactions, the Fund instead of maintaining asset coverage of at least 300%, may segregate or earmark liquid assets, or enter into an offsetting position, in an amount at least equal to the Fund’s exposure, on a mark-to-market basis, to the transaction (as calculated pursuant to requirements of the SEC). The policy in (2) above will be interpreted to permit each Fund to engage in trading practices and investments that may be considered to be borrowing or to involve leverage to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act and to permit each Fund to segregate or earmark liquid assets or enter into offsetting positions in accordance with the 1940 Act. Short-term credits necessary for the settlement of securities transactions and arrangements with respect to securities lending will not be considered to be borrowings under the policy. Practices and investments that may involve leverage but are not considered to be borrowings are not subject to the policy.

 

With respect to the fundamental policy relating to underwriting set forth in (5) above, the 1940 Act does not prohibit each Fund from engaging in the underwriting business or from underwriting the securities of other issuers; in fact, in the case of diversified funds, the 1940 Act permits the Fund to have underwriting commitments of up to 25% of its assets under certain circumstances. Those circumstances currently are that the amount of each Fund’s underwriting commitments, when added to the value of the Fund’s investments in issuers where each Fund owns more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of those issuers, cannot exceed the 25% cap. A fund engaging in transactions involving the acquisition or

 

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disposition of portfolio securities may be considered to be an underwriter under the 1933 Act. Although it is not believed that the application of the 1933 Act provisions described above would cause each Fund to be engaged in the business of underwriting, the policy in (5) above will be interpreted not to prevent the Fund from engaging in transactions involving the acquisition or disposition of portfolio securities, regardless of whether the Fund may be considered to be an underwriter under the 1933 Act or is otherwise engaged in the underwriting business to the extent permitted by applicable law.

 

With respect to the fundamental policy relating to lending set forth in (7) above, the 1940 Act does not prohibit each Fund from making loans (including lending its securities); however, SEC staff interpretations currently prohibit funds from lending more than one-third of their total assets (including lending its securities), except through the purchase of debt obligations or the use of repurchase agreements. In addition, collateral arrangements with respect to options, forward currency and futures transactions and other derivative instruments (as applicable), as well as delays in the settlement of securities transactions, will not be considered loans.

 

Non-Fundamental Investment Policies

 

In addition to the investment restrictions adopted as fundamental policies, set forth above, each Fund has adopted a non-fundamental policy not to make short sales of securities or maintain a short position, except to the extent permitted by each Fund's Prospectus and SAI, as amended from time to time, and by applicable law.

 

Each Fund has also adopted a non-fundamental policy not to invest in the securities of a company for the purpose of exercising management or control, or purchase or otherwise acquire any illiquid investment, except as permitted under the 1940 Act, which currently limits each Fund’s holdings in illiquid investments to 15% of a Fund’s net assets. BIM monitors Fund holdings in illiquid investments pursuant to the Liquidity Program. Except with regard to the fundamental policy relating to senior securities set forth in (3) above for all Funds, if any percentage restriction described above is complied with at the time of an investment, a later increase or decrease in percentage resulting from a change in values of assets will not constitute a violation of such restriction.

 

Each Fund has adopted a non-fundamental investment policy in accordance with Rule 35d-1 under the 1940 Act to invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of the value of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in component securities in each Fund's Index. Each Fund also has adopted a policy to provide its shareholders with at least 60 days’ prior written notice of any change in such policy. If, subsequent to an investment, an 80% requirement is no longer met, a Fund’s future investments will be made in a manner that will bring the Fund into compliance with this policy.

 

Each Fund has adopted a non-fundamental policy not to purchase securities of other investment companies, except to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act. As a matter of policy, however, each Fund will not purchase shares of any registered open-end investment company or registered unit investment trust, in reliance on Section 12(d)(1)(F) or (G) (the “fund of funds” provisions) of the 1940 Act, at any time each Fund has knowledge that its shares are purchased by another investment company investor in reliance on the provisions of Section 12(d)(1)(G).

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all limitations under each Fund's fundamental or non-fundamental investment policies apply only at the time that a transaction is undertaken. Any change in the percentage of each Fund's assets invested in certain securities or other instruments resulting from market fluctuations or other changes in each Fund’s total assets will not require each Fund to dispose of an investment until BIM determines that it is practicable to sell or close out the investment without undue market or tax consequences.

 

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Continuous Offering

 

The method by which Creation Units are created and traded may raise certain issues under applicable securities laws. Because new Creation Units are issued and sold by the Funds on an ongoing basis, at any point a “distribution,” as such term is used in the 1933 Act, may occur. Broker-dealers and other persons are cautioned that some activities on their part may, depending on the circumstances, result in their being deemed participants in a distribution in a manner that could render them statutory underwriters and subject them to the prospectus delivery requirement and liability provisions of the 1933 Act.

 

For example, a broker-dealer firm or its client may be deemed a statutory underwriter if it takes Creation Units after placing an order with the Distributor, breaks them down into constituent shares and sells such shares directly to customers or if it chooses to couple the creation of new shares with an active selling effort involving solicitation of secondary market demand for shares. A determination of whether one is an underwriter for purposes of the 1933 Act must take into account all of the facts and circumstances pertaining to the activities of the broker-dealer or its client in the particular case and the examples mentioned above should not be considered a complete description of all the activities that could lead to a categorization as an underwriter.

 

Broker-dealer firms should also note that dealers who are not “underwriters” but are effecting transactions in shares, whether or not participating in the distribution of shares, generally are required to deliver a prospectus. This is because the prospectus delivery exemption in Section 4(a)(3) of the 1933 Act is not available in respect of such transactions as a result of Section 24(d) of the 1940 Act. Firms that incur a prospectus delivery obligation with respect to shares of the Funds are reminded that, pursuant to Rule 153 under the 1933 Act, a prospectus delivery obligation under Section 5(b)(2) of the 1933 Act owed to an exchange member in connection with a sale on the Listing Exchange generally is satisfied by the fact that the prospectus is available at the Listing Exchange upon request. The prospectus delivery mechanism provided in Rule 153 is available only with respect to transactions on an exchange.

 

Management

 

Trustees and Officers.  The Board has responsibility for the overall management and operations of the Funds, including general supervision of the duties performed by BIM and other service providers. Each Trustee serves until he or she resigns, is removed, dies, retires or becomes incapacitated. Each officer shall hold office until his or her successor is elected and qualifies or until his or her death, resignation or removal. Trustees who are not “interested persons” (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Trust are referred to as independent trustees (“Independent Trustees”).

 

The address of each Trustee and officer is c/o []. The Board has designated [] as its Independent Board Chair. Additional information about the Funds' Trustees and officers may be found in this SAI, which is available without charge, upon request, by calling toll-free [].

 

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Interested Trustees

 

Name (Age)   Position   Principal Occupation(s)
During the Past 5 Years
Officers        
Leland C. Clemons, Jr. (44)   [President]   Managing Director, Tradeweb Europe Ltd.; Managing Director, BlackRock, Inc.
Elya Schwartzman (53)   [Treasurer]   President, ESIC LLC; Director, BlackRock, Inc.

 

The Board has concluded that, based on each Trustee’s experience, qualifications, attributes or skills on an individual basis and in combination with those of the other Trustees, each Trustee should serve as a Trustee of the Board. Among the attributes common to all Trustees are their ability to review critically, evaluate, question and discuss information provided to them, to interact effectively with the Funds' investment adviser, other service providers, counsel and the independent registered public accounting firm, and to exercise effective business judgment in the performance of their duties as Trustees. A Trustee’s ability to perform his or her duties effectively may have been attained through the Trustee’s educational background or professional training; business, consulting, public service or academic positions; experience from service as a Board member of the Funds and the other funds in the Trust (and any predecessor funds), other investment funds, public companies, or non-profit entities or other organizations; and/or other life experiences. Also, set forth below is a brief discussion of the specific experience, qualifications, attributes or skills of each Trustee that led the Board to conclude that he or she should serve (or continue to serve) as a Trustee.

 

[Trustee biographies to be provided by amendment.]

 

Board – Leadership Structure and Oversight Responsibilities

 

Overall responsibility for oversight of the Funds rests with the Board. The Board has engaged BIM to manage the Funds on a day-to-day basis. The Board is responsible for overseeing BIM and other service providers in the operations of the Funds in accordance with the provisions of the 1940 Act, applicable provisions of state and other laws and the Trust’s charter. The Board is currently composed of [4] members, [3] of whom are Independent Trustees. The Board will conduct regular meetings [at least four] times a year, at least [two] of which will be in person. In addition, the Board expects to hold special in person or telephonic meetings or informal conference calls to discuss specific matters that may arise or require action between regular meetings. The Independent Trustees meet regularly outside the presence of management, in executive session or with other service providers to the Trust.

 

The Board has appointed an Independent Trustee to serve in the role of Board Chair. The Board Chair’s role is to preside at all meetings of the Board and to act as a liaison with service providers, officers, attorneys, and other Trustees generally between meetings. The Board Chair may also perform such other functions as may be delegated by the Board from time to time. The Board has established [2] standing Committees: an Audit Committee [and a Risk Committee] to assist the Board in the oversight and direction of the business and affairs of the Funds. From time to time the Board may establish ad hoc committees or informal working groups to review and address the policies and practices of the Funds with respect to certain specified matters. The Chair of each standing Committee is an Independent Trustee. The role of the Chair of each Committee is to preside at all meetings of the Committee and to act as a liaison with service providers, officers, attorneys and other Trustees between meetings. Each standing Committee meets regularly to conduct the oversight functions delegated to the Committee by the Board and reports its finding to the Board. The Board and each standing Committee conduct annual assessments of their oversight function and structure. The Board has determined that the Board’s

 

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leadership structure is appropriate because it allows the Board to exercise independent judgment over management and it allocates areas of responsibility among committees of Independent Trustees and the full Board to enhance effective oversight.

 

Day-to-day risk management with respect to the Funds is the responsibility of BIM or other service providers (depending on the nature of the risk), subject to the supervision of BIM. Each Fund is subject to a number of risks, including investment, compliance, operational, reputational, counterparty and valuation risks, among others. While there are a number of risk management functions performed by BIM and other service providers, as applicable, it is not possible to identify and eliminate all of the risks applicable to the Funds. The Trustees have an oversight role in this area, satisfying themselves that risk management processes and controls are in place and operating effectively. Risk oversight forms part of the Board’s general oversight of each Fund and is addressed as part of various Board and committee activities. In some cases, risk management issues are specifically addressed in presentations and discussions. The Board, directly or through a committee, also reviews reports from, among others, management and the independent registered public accounting firm for the Trust, as appropriate, regarding risks faced by each Fund and management’s risk functions. The Board has appointed a Chief Compliance Officer who oversees the implementation and testing of the Trust's compliance program, including assessments by independent third parties, and reports to the Board regarding compliance matters for the Trust and its principal service providers. In testing and maintaining the compliance program, the Chief Compliance Officer (and his or her delegates) assesses key compliance risks affecting each Fund, and addresses them in periodic reports to the Board. In addition, the Audit Committee meets with both the Funds' independent registered public accounting firm and BIM’s internal audit group to review risk controls in place that support each Fund as well as test results. Board oversight of risk is also performed as needed between meetings through communications between BIM and the Board. The Independent Trustees may engage independent legal counsel to assist them in performing their oversight responsibilities. From time to time, the Board may modify the manner in which it conducts risk oversight. The Board’s oversight role does not make it a guarantor of the Funds' investment performance or other activities.

 

Committees of the Board of Trustees.  The members of the Audit Committee are [], each of whom is an Independent Trustee. The purposes of the Audit Committee are to assist the Board (i) in its oversight of the Trust's accounting and financial reporting principles and policies and related controls and procedures maintained by or on behalf of the Trust; (ii) in its oversight of the Trust's financial statements and the independent audit thereof; (iii) in selecting, evaluating and, where deemed appropriate, replacing the independent accountants (or nominating the independent accountants to be proposed for shareholder approval in any proxy statement); (iv) in evaluating the independence of the independent accountants; (v) in complying with legal and regulatory requirements that relate to the Trust's accounting and financial reporting, internal controls, compliance controls and independent audits; and (vi) to assume such other responsibilities as may be delegated by the Board. As of the date of this SAI, the Audit Committee has not yet met.

 

The members of the Risk Committee are [ ], [each of whom is an Independent Trustee]. The principal responsibility of the Risk Committee is to consider and organize on behalf of the Board risk related matters of the Funds so the Board may most effectively structure itself to oversee them.

 

As the Chair of the Board, [_________] may serve as an ex-officio member of each Committee.

 

As of [ ], none of the Trustees owned any outstanding shares of the Funds, as the Funds had not yet begun investment operations.

 

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As of [ ], none of the Independent Trustees or their immediate family members owned beneficially or of record any securities of BIM (the Funds' investment adviser), the Distributor or any person controlling, controlled by or under common control with BIM or the Distributor.

 

Remuneration of Trustees.  Effective [], each current Independent Trustee will be paid an annual retainer of [] for his or her services as a Board member to the BondBloxx Funds, together with out-of-pocket expenses in accordance with the Board’s policy on travel and other business expenses relating to attendance at meetings. The Independent Chair of the Board is paid an additional annual retainer of []. The Chair of the Risk Committee is paid an additional annual retainer of []. The Chair of the Audit Committee is paid an additional annual retainer of [].

 

The tables below set forth the estimated compensation to be earned by each Independent Trustee and Interested Trustee for services to each Fund for the fiscal year ended [] and the estimated aggregate compensation to be paid to them for services to the Exchange-Traded Fund Complex for the calendar year ended [].

 

Name                
Independent Trustees:                
                 
                 
                 
                 
                 
                 
                 
                 
                 
Interested Trustees:                
                 
                 
                 

 

1 [No Trustee or officer is entitled to any pension or retirement benefits from the Trust. ]

 

Control Persons and Principal Holders of Securities.

 

The Trustees and officers of the Trust collectively owned less than 1% of each Fund's outstanding shares as of [].

 

Potential Conflicts of Interest.  Certain activities of BIM, and the other [affiliates and subsidiaries of BIM] (collectively referred to in this section as “BondBloxx”) and their respective directors, officers and employees, with respect to the Funds and/or other accounts managed by BondBloxx, may give rise to actual or perceived conflicts of interest such as those described below.

 

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BondBloxx, its subsidiaries and their respective directors, officers and employees, including, the business units or entities and personnel who may be involved in the investment activities and business operations of a Fund, may be engaged in businesses and have interests other than that of managing the Funds. These are considerations of which investors in a Fund should be aware, and which may cause conflicts of interest that could disadvantage a Fund and its shareholders. These businesses and interests include potential multiple advisory, financial and other relationships with, or interests in, companies and interests in securities or other instruments that may be purchased or sold by a Fund.

 

When BondBloxx seeks to purchase or sell the same assets for managed accounts, including a Fund, the assets actually purchased or sold may be allocated among the accounts on a basis determined in its good faith discretion to be equitable. In some cases, this system may adversely affect the size or price of the assets purchased or sold for a Fund. In addition, transactions in investments by one or more other accounts managed by BondBloxx may have the effect of diluting or otherwise disadvantaging the values, prices or investment strategies of a Fund, particularly, but not limited to, with respect to small-capitalization, emerging market or less liquid strategies. This may occur with respect to BondBloxx-advised accounts when investment decisions regarding a Fund are based on research or other information that is also used to support decisions for other accounts. When BondBloxx implements a portfolio decision or strategy on behalf of another account ahead of, or contemporaneously with, similar decisions or strategies for a Fund, market impact, liquidity constraints, or other factors could result in the Fund receiving less favorable trading results and the costs of implementing such decisions or strategies could be increased or the Fund could otherwise be disadvantaged. BondBloxx may, in certain cases, elect to implement internal policies and procedures designed to limit such consequences, which may cause a Fund to be unable to engage in certain activities, including purchasing or disposing of securities, when it might otherwise be desirable for it to do so.

 

In certain circumstances, BondBloxx, on behalf of the Funds, may seek to buy from or sell securities to another fund or account advised by BondBloxx. BondBloxx may (but is not required to) effect purchases and sales between BondBloxx clients (“cross trades”), including the Funds, if BondBloxx believes such transactions are appropriate based on each party's investment objectives and guidelines, subject to applicable law and regulation. There may be potential conflicts of interest or regulatory issues relating to these transactions which could limit BondBloxx’s decision to engage in these transactions for the Funds. BondBloxx may have a potentially conflicting division of loyalties and responsibilities to the parties in such transactions. On any occasion when a Fund participates in a cross trade, BondBloxx will comply with procedures adopted under applicable rules and SEC guidance.

 

BondBloxx and its clients may pursue or enforce rights with respect to an issuer in which a Fund has invested, and those activities may have an adverse effect on the Fund. As a result, prices, availability, liquidity and terms of the Fund's investments may be negatively impacted by the activities of BondBloxx or its clients, and transactions for the Fund may be impaired or effected at prices or terms that may be less favorable than would otherwise have been the case.

 

In connection with its management of a Fund, BondBloxx may have access to certain fundamental analysis and proprietary technical models developed by BondBloxx. BondBloxx will not be under any obligation, however, to effect transactions on behalf of a Fund in accordance with such analysis and models. In addition, BondBloxx will not have any obligation to make available any information regarding its proprietary activities or strategies, or the activities or strategies used for other accounts managed by them, for the benefit of the management of a Fund and it is not anticipated that BondBloxx will have access to such information for the purpose of managing the Fund. The proprietary activities or portfolio strategies of BondBloxx, or the activities or strategies used for accounts managed by BondBloxx or other client accounts could conflict with the transactions and strategies employed by BondBloxx in managing a Fund.

 

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At times, these activities may cause business units or entities within BondBloxx to give advice to clients that may cause these clients to take actions adverse to the interests of a Fund. To the extent such transactions are permitted, a Fund will deal with BondBloxx on an arm’s-length basis. To the extent authorized by applicable law, BondBloxx may act as agent, lender or adviser or in other commercial capacities for a Fund. It is anticipated that the commissions, mark-ups, mark-downs, financial advisory fees, underwriting and placement fees, sales fees, financing and commitment fees, brokerage fees, other fees, compensation or profits, rates, terms and conditions charged by BondBloxx will be in its view commercially reasonable, although BondBloxx, including its sales personnel, will have an interest in obtaining fees and other amounts that are favorable to BondBloxx and such sales personnel, which may have an adverse effect on the Funds. Index based funds may use an index provider that is affiliated with another service provider of the Fund or BondBloxx that acts as a broker, dealer, agent, lender or in other commercial capacities for a Fund or BondBloxx.

 

Subject to applicable law, BondBloxx (and its personnel and other distributors) will be entitled to retain fees and other amounts that they receive in connection with their service to the Funds as agent, lender, adviser or in other commercial capacities. No accounting to the Funds or their shareholders will be required, and no fees or other compensation payable by the Funds or their shareholders will be reduced by reason of receipt by BondBloxx of any such fees or other amounts.

 

When BondBloxx acts as agent, adviser or in other commercial capacities in relation to the Funds, BondBloxx may take commercial steps in its own interests, which may have an adverse effect on the Funds. A Fund will be required to establish business relationships with its counterparties based on the Fund's own credit standing. BondBloxx will not have any obligation to allow its credit to be used in connection with a Fund's establishment of its business relationships, nor is it expected that the Fund's counterparties will rely on the credit of BondBloxx in evaluating the Fund's creditworthiness.

 

Purchases and sales of securities and other assets for a Fund may be bunched or aggregated with orders for other BondBloxx client accounts, including with accounts that pay different transaction costs solely due to the fact that they have different research payment arrangements. BondBloxx, however, is not required to bunch or aggregate orders if portfolio management decisions for different accounts are made separately, or if they determine that bunching or aggregating is not practicable or required, or in cases involving client direction.

 

Prevailing trading activity frequently may make impossible the receipt of the same price or execution on the entire volume of securities purchased or sold. When this occurs, the various prices may be averaged, and the Funds will be charged or credited with the average price. Thus, the effect of the aggregation may operate on some occasions to the disadvantage of the Funds. In addition, under certain circumstances, the Funds will not be charged the same commission or commission equivalent rates in connection with a bunched or aggregated order.

 

Subject to applicable law, BondBloxx may select brokers that furnish BondBloxx, the Funds, other BondBloxx client accounts or personnel, directly or through correspondent relationships, with research or other appropriate services which provide, in BondBloxx's view, appropriate assistance to BondBloxx in the investment decision-making process (including with respect to fixed-price offerings and OTC transactions). Such research or other services may include, to the extent permitted by law, research reports on companies, industries and securities; economic and financial data; financial publications; proxy analysis; trade industry seminars; computer data bases; research-oriented software and other services and products. Research or other services obtained in this manner may be used in servicing any or all of the Funds and other BondBloxx client accounts, including in connection with BondBloxx client accounts other than those that pay commissions to the broker relating to the research or other service arrangements. Such products and services may disproportionately benefit other BondBloxx client

 

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accounts relative to the Funds based on the amount of brokerage commissions paid by the Funds and such other BondBloxx client accounts. For example, research or other services that are paid for through one client's commissions may not be used in managing that client's account. In addition, other BondBloxx client accounts may receive the benefit, including disproportionate benefits, of economies of scale or price discounts in connection with products and services that may be provided to the Funds and to such other BondBloxx client accounts. To the extent that BondBloxx uses soft dollars, it will not have to pay for those products and services itself.

 

BondBloxx does not currently enter into arrangements to use the Funds' assets for, or participate in, soft dollars, although BondBloxx may receive research that is bundled with the trade execution, clearing, and/or settlement services provided by a particular broker-dealer. To the extent that BondBloxx receives research on this basis, many of the same conflicts related to traditional soft dollars may exist. For example, the research effectively will be paid by client commissions that also will be used to pay for the execution, clearing, and settlement services provided by the broker-dealer and will not be paid by BondBloxx. BondBloxx, unless prohibited by applicable law, may endeavor to execute trades through brokers who, pursuant to such arrangements, provide research or other services in order to ensure the continued receipt of research or other services BondBloxx believes are useful in its investment decision-making process. BondBloxx may from time to time choose not to engage in the above described arrangements to varying degrees. BondBloxx, unless prohibited by applicable law, may also enter into commission sharing arrangements under which BondBloxx may execute transactions through a broker-dealer, and request that the broker-dealer allocate a portion of the commissions or commission credits to another firm that provides research to BondBloxx. To the extent that BondBloxx engages in commission sharing arrangements, many of the same conflicts related to traditional soft dollars may exist.

 

BondBloxx may utilize certain electronic crossing networks (“ECNs”) (including, without limitation, ECNs in which BondBloxx has an investment or other interest, to the extent permitted by applicable law) in executing client securities transactions for certain types of securities. These ECNs may charge fees for their services, including access fees and transaction fees. The transaction fees, which are similar to commissions or markups/markdowns, will generally be charged to clients and, like commissions and markups/markdowns, would generally be included in the cost of the securities purchased. Access fees may be paid by BondBloxx even though incurred in connection with executing transactions on behalf of clients, including the Funds. In certain circumstances, ECNs may offer volume discounts that will reduce the access fees typically paid by BondBloxx. BondBloxx will only utilize ECNs consistent with its obligation to seek to obtain best execution in client transactions.

 

BondBloxx has adopted policies and procedures designed to prevent conflicts of interest from influencing proxy voting decisions that it makes on behalf of advisory clients, including the Funds, and to help ensure that such decisions are made in accordance with BondBloxx's fiduciary obligations to its clients. Nevertheless, notwithstanding such proxy voting policies and procedures, actual proxy voting decisions of BondBloxx may have the effect of favoring the interests of other clients or businesses of other divisions or units of BondBloxx, provided that BondBloxx believes such voting decisions to be in accordance with its fiduciary obligations. For a more detailed discussion of these policies and procedures, see the Proxy Voting Policy section of this SAI.

 

It is also possible that, from time to time, BondBloxx and/or its advisory clients (including other funds and separately managed accounts) may, subject to compliance with applicable law, purchase and hold shares of a Fund. Increasing a Fund’s assets may enhance liquidity, investment flexibility and diversification and may contribute to economies of scale that tend to reduce the Fund's expense ratio. BondBloxx reserves the right, subject to compliance with applicable law, to sell into the market or redeem in Creation Units through an Authorized Participant at any time some or all of the shares of a Fund acquired for its own accounts or the account of a BondBloxx advisory client. A large sale or redemption of shares of a Fund by

 

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BondBloxx itself or a BondBloxx advisory client could significantly reduce the asset size of the Fund, which might have an adverse effect on the Fund's liquidity, investment flexibility, portfolio diversification, expense ratio or ability to comply with the listing requirements for the Fund.

 

It is possible that a Fund may invest in securities of, or engage in transactions with, companies in which BondBloxx has significant debt or equity investments or other interests. A Fund may also invest in issuances (such as structured notes) by entities for which BondBloxx provides and is compensated for cash management services relating to the proceeds from the sale of such issuances. In making investment decisions for a Fund, BondBloxx is not permitted to obtain or use material non-public information acquired by any unit of BondBloxx in the course of these activities. In addition, from time to time, the activities of BondBloxx may limit a Fund's flexibility in purchases and sales of securities. As indicated below, BondBloxx may engage in transactions with companies in which BondBloxx-advised funds or other clients of BondBloxx have an investment.

 

BondBloxx, its personnel and other financial service providers may have interests in promoting sales of the Funds. With respect to BondBloxx and its personnel, the remuneration and profitability relating to services to and sales of the Funds or other products may be greater than remuneration and profitability relating to services to and sales of certain funds or other products that might be provided or offered. BondBloxx and its sales personnel may directly or indirectly receive a portion of the fees and commissions charged to the Funds or their shareholders. BondBloxx and its advisory or other personnel may also benefit from increased amounts of assets under management. Fees and commissions may also be higher than for other products or services, and the remuneration and profitability to BondBloxx and such personnel resulting from transactions on behalf of or management of the Funds may be greater than the remuneration and profitability resulting from other funds or products.

 

Third parties, including service providers to BondBloxx or a Fund, may sponsor events (including, but not limited to, marketing and promotional activities and presentations, educational training programs and conferences) for registered representatives, other professionals and individual investors. There is a potential conflict of interest as such sponsorships may defray the costs of such activities to BondBloxx, and may provide an incentive to BondBloxx to retain such third parties to provide services to a Fund.

 

As disclosed in more detail in the Determination of Net Asset Value section of each Fund’s Prospectus and this SAI, when market quotations are not readily available or are believed by BondBloxx to be unreliable, a Fund’s investments are valued at fair value by BondBloxx in accordance with procedures adopted by the Board. When determining “fair value price,” BondBloxx seeks to determine the price that a Fund might reasonably expect to receive from the current sale of that asset or liability in an arm’s-length transaction. The price generally may not be determined based on what a Fund might reasonably expect to receive for selling an asset or liability at a later time or if it holds the asset or liability to maturity. While fair value determinations will be based upon all available factors that BondBloxx deems relevant at the time of the determination, and may be based on analytical values determined by BondBloxx using proprietary or third-party valuation models, fair value represents only a good faith approximation of the value of an asset or liability. The fair value of one or more assets or liabilities may not, in retrospect, be the price at which those assets or liabilities could have been sold during the period in which the particular fair values were used in determining a Fund’s NAV. As a result, a Fund’s sale or redemption of its shares at NAV, at a time when a holding or holdings are valued by BondBloxx (pursuant to Board-adopted procedures) at fair value, may have the effect of diluting or increasing the economic interest of existing shareholders and may affect the amount of revenue received by BondBloxx with respect to services for which it receives an asset-based fee.

 

BondBloxx and its directors, officers and employees, may buy and sell securities or other investments for their own accounts and may have conflicts of interest with respect to investments made on behalf of a

 

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Fund. As a result of differing trading and investment strategies or constraints, positions may be taken by directors, officers and employees that are the same, different from or made at different times than positions taken for the Fund. To lessen the possibility that a Fund will be adversely affected by this personal trading, each Fund, BIM and BondBloxx have each adopted a code of ethics in compliance with Section 17(j) of the 1940 Act that restricts securities trading in the personal accounts of investment professionals and others who normally come into possession of information regarding a Fund's portfolio transactions. Each code of ethics is available by contacting BondBloxx at the telephone number on the back cover of each Fund’s Prospectus or by accessing the EDGAR Database on the SEC's Internet site at http://www.sec.gov, and copies may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by e-mail at publicinfo@sec.gov.

 

BondBloxx will not purchase securities or other property from, or sell securities or other property to, a Fund, except that a Fund may in accordance with rules or guidance adopted under the 1940 Act engage in transactions with another Fund or accounts that are affiliated with a Fund as a result of common officers, directors, or investment advisers or pursuant to exemptive orders granted to the Funds and/or BondBloxx by the SEC. These transactions would be effected in circumstances in which BondBloxx determined that it would be appropriate for a Fund to purchase and another client of BondBloxx to sell, or a Fund to sell and another client of BondBloxx to purchase, the same security or instrument on the same day. From time to time, the activities of a Fund may be restricted because of regulatory requirements applicable to BondBloxx and/or BondBloxx's internal policies designed to comply with, limit the applicability of, or otherwise relate to such requirements. A client not advised by BondBloxx would not be subject to some of those considerations. There may be periods when BondBloxx may not initiate or recommend certain types of transactions, or may otherwise restrict or limit its advice in certain securities or instruments issued by or related to companies for which BondBloxx is performing advisory or other services or has proprietary positions. For example, when BondBloxx is engaged to provide advisory or risk management services for a company, BondBloxx may be prohibited from or limited in purchasing or selling securities of that company on behalf of a Fund, particularly where such services result in BondBloxx obtaining material non-public information about the company (e.g., in connection with participation in a creditors’ committee). Similar situations could arise if personnel of BondBloxx serve as directors of companies the securities of which a Fund wishes to purchase or sell. However, if permitted by applicable law, and where consistent with BondBloxx’s policies and procedures (including the necessary implementation of appropriate information barriers), the Funds may purchase securities or instruments that are issued by such companies, are the subject of an advisory or risk management assignment by BondBloxx, or where personnel of BondBloxx are directors or officers of the issuer.

 

The investment activities of BondBloxx for its proprietary accounts and for client accounts may also limit the investment strategies and rights of the Funds. For example, in certain circumstances where the Funds invest in securities issued by companies that operate in certain regulated industries or in certain emerging or international markets, or are subject to corporate or regulatory ownership restrictions, or invest in certain derivative transactions, there may be limits on the aggregate amount invested by BondBloxx for their proprietary accounts and for client accounts (including the Funds) that may not be exceeded without the grant of a license or other regulatory or corporate consent or, if exceeded, may cause BondBloxx, the Funds or other client accounts to suffer disadvantages or business restrictions.

 

In those circumstances where ownership thresholds or limitations must be observed, BondBloxx seeks to allocate limited investment opportunities equitably among clients (including the Funds), taking into consideration benchmark weight and investment strategy. BondBloxx has adopted certain controls designed to prevent the occurrence of a breach of any applicable ownership threshold or limits, including, for example, when ownership in certain securities nears an applicable threshold, BondBloxx may remove such securities from the list of Deposit Securities to be delivered to the Fund in connection with

 

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purchases of Creation Units of such Fund and may limit purchases in such securities to the issuer's weighting in the applicable benchmark used by BondBloxx to manage such Fund. If client (including Fund) holdings of an issuer exceed an applicable threshold and BondBloxx is unable to obtain relief to enable the continued holding of such investments, it may be necessary to sell down these positions to meet the applicable limitations. In these cases, benchmark overweight positions will be sold prior to benchmark positions being reduced to meet applicable limitations.

 

In addition to the foregoing, other ownership thresholds may trigger reporting requirements to governmental and regulatory authorities, and such reports may entail the disclosure of the identity of a client or BondBloxx’s intended strategy with respect to such security or asset.

 

BondBloxx may enter into contractual arrangements with third-party service providers to a Fund (e.g., custodians, administrators and index providers) pursuant to which BondBloxx receives fee discounts or concessions in recognition of BondBloxx’s overall relationship with such service providers. To the extent that BondBloxx is responsible for paying these service providers out of its management fee, the benefits of any such fee discounts or concessions may accrue, in whole or in part, to BondBloxx.

 

BondBloxx’s receipt of fees from a service provider in connection with the use of systems provided by BondBloxx may create an incentive for BondBloxx to recommend that a Fund enter into or renew an arrangement with the service provider.

 

In recognition of a BondBloxx client’s overall relationship with BondBloxx, BondBloxx may offer special pricing arrangements for certain services provided by BondBloxx. Any such special pricing arrangements will not apply to the client’s investment in a Fund.

 

Present and future activities of BondBloxx (including BIM), its directors, officers and employees, in addition to those described in this section, may give rise to additional conflicts of interest.

 

Investment Advisory, Administrative and Distribution Services

 

Investment Adviser.  BIM serves as investment adviser to each Fund pursuant to an investment advisory agreement between the Trust, on behalf of each Fund, and BIM. BIM is a Delaware limited liability company and is registered as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended. Under the investment advisory agreement, BIM, subject to the supervision of the Board and in conformity with the stated investment policies of each Fund, manages and administers the Trust and the investment of each Fund’s assets. BIM is responsible for placing purchase and sale orders and providing continuous supervision of the investment portfolio of each Fund.

 

Pursuant to the investment advisory agreement, BIM may, from time to time, in its sole discretion and to the extent permitted by applicable law, appoint one or more sub-advisers, including, without limitation, affiliates of BIM, to perform investment advisory or other services with respect to a Fund. In addition, BIM may delegate certain of its investment advisory functions under the investment advisory agreement to one or more of its affiliates to the extent permitted by applicable law.

 

BIM is responsible, under the investment advisory agreement, for substantially all expenses of the Funds, including the cost of transfer agency, custody, fund administration, legal, audit and other services. BIM is not responsible for, and the Funds will bear, the management fees, interest expenses, taxes, expenses

 

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incurred with respect to the acquisition and disposition of portfolio securities and the execution of portfolio transactions, including brokerage commissions, distribution fees or expenses, litigation expenses and any extraordinary expenses (as determined by a majority of the Independent Trustees).

 

The following describes the calculation of the management fee for each Fund whose management fee is subject to breakpoints. The management fee for all Funds is set forth in the table that follows the description of breakpoints.

 

For its investment advisory services to the Funds, BIM is paid a management fee from each Fund calculated based on the aggregate average daily net assets of each Fund:[]. The management fee for a Fund equals the ratio of the Fund's net assets over the aggregate net assets of all of the Funds multiplied by the amount calculated as follows: [] per annum of the aggregate net assets less than or equal to $[], plus [] per annum of the aggregate net assets in excess of [].

 

For its investment advisory services to each Fund, BIM is entitled to receive a management fee at the annual rates (as a percentage of such Fund’s average net assets) set forth below:

 

Fund   Management Fee    
BondBloxx US High Yield Industrial Sector ETF        
BondBloxx US High Yield Telecom Media Technology Sector ETF        
BondBloxx US High Yield Healthcare Sector ETF        
BondBloxx US High Yield Financial Sector ETF        
BondBloxx US High Yield Energy Sector ETF        
BondBloxx US High Yield Consumer Cyclicals Sector ETF        
BondBloxx US High Yield Consumer Non-Cyclicals Sector ETF        

 

Each Advisory Agreement with respect to each Fund is terminable without penalty, on 60 days' notice, by the Board or by a vote of the holders of a majority of the applicable Fund’s outstanding voting securities (as defined in the 1940 Act) and will terminate automatically in the event of its assignment (as defined in the 1940 Act).

 

Portfolio Manager.   As of _________, 2021, the individual named as Portfolio Manager in each Fund’s Prospectus was also primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of other BondBloxx funds and certain other types of portfolios and/or accounts as follows:

 

Elya Schwartzman        
Types of Accounts   Number   Total Assets
Registered Investment Companies        
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles        
Other Accounts        

 

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BIM anticipates that for each of the portfolios or accounts for which the Portfolio Manager is primarily responsible for the day-to-day management seeks to track the rate of return, risk profile and other characteristics of independent third-party indexes by either replicating the same combination of securities and other financial instruments that compose those indexes or through a representative sampling of the securities and other financial instruments that compose those indexes based on objective criteria and data. Pursuant to BIM policy, investment opportunities are allocated equitably among the Funds and other portfolios and accounts. For example, under certain circumstances, an investment opportunity may be restricted due to limited supply in the market, legal constraints or other factors, in which event the investment opportunity will be allocated equitably among those portfolios and accounts, including the Funds, seeking such investment opportunity. As a consequence, from time to time the Funds may receive a smaller allocation of an investment opportunity than they would have if the Portfolio Manager and BIM and its affiliates did not manage other portfolios or accounts.

 

Like the Funds, the other portfolios or accounts for which the Portfolio Manager is primarily responsible for the day-to-day portfolio management generally pay an asset-based fee to BIM or its affiliates, as applicable, for its advisory services. One or more of those other portfolios or accounts, however, may pay BIM or its affiliates a performance-based fee in lieu of, or in addition to, an asset-based fee for its advisory services. A portfolio or account with a performance-based fee would pay BIM or its affiliates a portion of that portfolio's or account's gains, or would pay BIM or its affiliates more for its services than would otherwise be the case if BIM or its affiliates meets or exceeds specified performance targets. Performance-based fee arrangements could present an incentive for BIM or its affiliates to devote greater resources, and allocate more investment opportunities, to the portfolios or accounts that have those fee arrangements, relative to other portfolios or accounts, in order to earn larger fees. Although BIM and its affiliates have an obligation to allocate resources and opportunities equitably among portfolios and accounts and intends to do so, shareholders of the Funds should be aware that, as with any group of portfolios and accounts managed by an investment adviser and/or its affiliates pursuant to varying fee arrangements, including performance-based fee arrangements, there is the potential for a conflict-of-interest, which may result in the Portfolio Manager's favoring those portfolios or accounts with performance-based fee arrangements.

 

The table below shows, for the Portfolio Manager, the number of portfolios or accounts of the types set forth in the above tables and the aggregate of total assets in those portfolios or accounts with respect to which the investment management fees are based on the performance of those portfolios or accounts:

 

Elya Schwartzman        
Types of Accounts   Number of Other
Accounts with Performance
Fees Managed by Portfolio
Manager
  Aggregate
of Total
Assets
Registered Investment Companies   0   N/A
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles   0   N/A
Other Accounts   0   N/A

 

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Portfolio Manager Compensation Overview

 

The discussion below describes the Portfolio Manager's compensation as of [], 2021.

 

BIM's financial arrangements with its Portfolio Manager and its competitive compensation reflect the value senior management places on key resources. Compensation may include a variety of components and may vary from year to year based on a number of factors. The principal components of compensation include a base salary, a performance-based discretionary bonus, participation in various benefits programs and one or more of the incentive compensation programs established by BIM.

 

The portfolio manager receives base compensation based on their position with the firm, as well as retirement and other benefits offered to all BIM employees. Additionally, each portfolio manager receives discretionary incentive compensation, determined based on several components, including: the performance of BIM, the performance of the portfolio manager’s group within BIM, the performance of portfolios managed by the portfolio manager and the team relative to the portfolios’ investment objectives (which in the case of index ETFs would be how closely the ETF tracks its Index), and the individual’s performance and contribution to the overall performance of these portfolios and BIM. Discretionary incentive compensation is paid in cash up to a certain threshold with the remaining portion represented by deferred BIM stock awards. In some cases, additional deferred BIM stock may be granted to certain key employees as part of a long-term incentive award to aid in retention, align interests with long-term shareholders and motivate performance.

 

As of _______, 2021, the Portfolio Manager beneficially owned shares of the Funds in the amounts reflected in the following tables:

 

Elya Schwartzman                              
    Dollar Range  
Fund   None   $1
to
$10k
  $10,001
to $50k
  $50,001
to
$100k
  $100,001
to $500k
  $500,001
to $1m
  over
$1m
 
BondBloxx US High Yield Industrial Sector ETF   X                          
BondBloxx US High Yield Telecom Media Technology Sector ETF   X                          
BondBloxx US High Yield Healthcare Sector ETF   X                          
BondBloxx US High Yield Financial Sector ETF   X                          
BondBloxx US High Yield Energy Sector ETF   X                          
BondBloxx US High Yield Consumer Cyclicals Sector ETF   X                          
BondBloxx US High Yield Consumer Non-Cyclicals Sector ETF     X                          

 

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Codes of Ethics.  The Trust, BIM and the Distributor have adopted codes of ethics pursuant to Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act. The codes of ethics permit personnel subject to the codes of ethics to invest in securities, subject to certain limitations, including securities that may be purchased or held by the Funds. Each code of ethics is available by contacting BIM at the telephone number on the back cover of each Fund’s Prospectus or by accessing the EDGAR Database on the SEC's Internet site at http://www.sec.gov, and copies may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by e-mail at publicinfo@sec.gov.

 

Anti-Money Laundering Requirements.  The Funds are subject to the USA PATRIOT Act (the “Patriot Act”). The Patriot Act is intended to prevent the use of the U.S. financial system in furtherance of money laundering, terrorism or other illicit activities. Pursuant to requirements under the Patriot Act, a Fund may request information from Authorized Participants to enable it to form a reasonable belief that it knows the true identity of its Authorized Participants. This information will be used to verify the identity of Authorized Participants or, in some cases, the status of financial professionals; it will be used only for compliance with the requirements of the Patriot Act.

 

The Funds reserve the right to reject purchase orders from persons who have not submitted information sufficient to allow the Fund to verify their identity. Each Fund also reserves the right to redeem any amounts in a Fund from persons whose identity it is unable to verify on a timely basis. It is the Funds' policy to cooperate fully with appropriate regulators in any investigations conducted with respect to potential money laundering, terrorism or other illicit activities.

 

Administrator, Custodian and Transfer Agent.  Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. (“ BBH”) serves as administrator, custodian and transfer agent for the Funds pursuant to separate agreements with the Trust. BBH’s principal address is [ ]. Pursuant to the Transfer and Administrative Agency Agreement with the Trust, BBH provides necessary administrative, legal, tax and accounting and financial reporting services for the maintenance and operations of the Trust and each Fund. In addition, BBH makes available the office space, equipment, personnel and facilities required to provide such services. BBH also acts as a transfer agent for each Fund’s authorized and issued shares of beneficial interest, and as dividend disbursing agent of the Trust. Pursuant to the Custodian Agreement with the Trust, BBH maintains, in separate accounts, cash, securities and other assets of the Trust and each Fund, keeps all necessary accounts and records and provides other services. BBH is required, upon the order of the Trust, to deliver securities held by BBH and to make payments for securities purchased by the Trust for each Fund. As compensation for these services, BBH receives certain out-of-pocket costs, transaction fees and asset-based fees which are accrued daily and paid monthly by BIM from its management fee.

 

Distributor.  The distributor of each Fund is [ ]. The Distributor's principal address is [ ]. Shares are continuously offered for sale by the Funds through the Distributor or its agent only in Creation Units, as described in the applicable Prospectus and below in the Creation and Redemption of Creation Units section of this SAI. Fund shares in amounts less than Creation Units are generally not distributed by the Distributor or its agent. The Distributor or its agent will arrange for the delivery of the applicable Prospectus and, upon request, this SAI to persons purchasing Creation Units and will maintain records of both orders placed with it or its agents and confirmations of acceptance furnished by it or its agents. The Distributor is a broker-dealer registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “1934 Act”), and a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”). [The Distributor is also licensed as a broker-dealer in all 50 U.S. states, as well as in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the District of Columbia.]

 

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The Distribution Agreement for each Fund provides that it may be terminated at any time, without the payment of any penalty, on at least 60 days' prior written notice to the other party following (i) the vote of a majority of the Independent Trustees, or (ii) the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the relevant Fund. The Distribution Agreement will terminate automatically in the event of its assignment (as defined in the 1940 Act).

 

The Distributor may also enter into agreements with securities dealers (“Soliciting Dealers”) who will solicit purchases of Creation Units of Fund shares. Such Soliciting Dealers may also be Authorized Participants (as described below), DTC Participants and/or investor services organizations.

 

BIM or its affiliates may, from time to time and from its own resources, pay, defray or absorb costs relating to distribution, including payments out of its own resources to the Distributor, or to otherwise promote the sale of shares.

 

Payments by BIM and its Affiliates.  BIM and/or its affiliates (“BIM Entities”) may pay certain broker-dealers, registered investment advisers, banks and other financial intermediaries (“Intermediaries”) for certain activities related to the Funds, or exchange-traded products in general. BIM Entities make these payments from their own assets and not from the assets of the Funds. Although a portion of BIM Entities’ revenue comes directly or indirectly in part from fees paid by the Funds, or exchange-traded products, these payments do not increase the price paid by investors for the purchase of shares of, or the cost of owning, the Funds, exchange-traded products. BIM Entities make payments for Intermediaries’ participation in activities that are designed to make registered representatives, other professionals and individual investors more knowledgeable about exchange-traded products, including the Funds, or for other activities, such as participation in marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and reporting systems (“Education Costs”). BIM Entities also make payments to Intermediaries for certain printing, publishing and mailing costs or materials relating to the Funds or exchange-traded products (“Publishing Costs”). In addition, BIM Entities make payments to Intermediaries that make shares of the Funds or exchange-traded products available to their clients and develop new products that promote the Funds and other exchange-traded products. BIM Entities may also reimburse expenses or make payments from their own assets to Intermediaries or other persons in consideration of services or other activities that the BIM Entities believe may benefit the BIM business or facilitate investment in the Funds or exchange-traded products. Payments of the type described above are sometimes referred to as revenue-sharing payments.

 

Payments to an Intermediary may be significant to the Intermediary, and amounts that Intermediaries pay to your salesperson or other investment professional may also be significant for your salesperson or other investment professional. Because an Intermediary may make decisions about which investment options it will recommend or make available to its clients or what services to provide for various products based on payments it receives or is eligible to receive, such payments may create conflicts of interest between the Intermediary and its clients and these financial incentives may cause the Intermediary to recommend the Funds or other exchange-traded products over other investments. The same conflicts of interest and financial incentives exist with respect to your salesperson or other investment professional if he or she receives similar payments from his or her Intermediary firm.

 

BIM Entities may enter into other contractual arrangements with Intermediaries and certain other third parties that the BIM Entities believe may benefit the BondBloxx business or facilitate investment in BondBloxx funds. Such agreements may include payments by BIM Entities to such Intermediaries and third parties for data collection and provision, technology support, platform enhancement, or co-marketing and cross-promotional efforts. Payments made pursuant to such arrangements may vary in any year and may be different for different Intermediaries and third parties. In certain cases, the payments described in the preceding sentence may be subject to certain minimum payment levels.

 

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Further, BIM Entities may make Education Costs and Publishing Costs payments to other Intermediaries. BIM Entities may determine to make such payments based on any number of metrics. For example, BIM Entities may make payments at year-end or other intervals in a fixed amount, an amount based upon an Intermediary’s services at defined levels or an amount based on the Intermediary’s net sales of one or more Funds in a year or other period, any of which arrangements may include an agreed-upon minimum or maximum payment, or any combination of the foregoing. As of the date of this SAI, BIM anticipates that the payments paid by BIM Entities in connection with the Funds, Funds and exchange-traded products in general will be immaterial to BIM Entities in the aggregate for the next year. Please contact your salesperson or other investment professional for more information regarding any such payments or financial incentives his or her Intermediary firm may receive. Any payments made, or financial incentives offered, by the BIM Entities to an Intermediary may create the incentive for the Intermediary to encourage customers to buy shares of the Funds or other exchange-traded products.

 

[The Funds may participate in certain market maker incentive programs of a national securities exchange in which an affiliate of the Funds would pay a fee to the exchange used for the purpose of incentivizing one or more market makers in the securities of a Fund to enhance the liquidity and quality of the secondary market of securities of a Fund. The fee would then be credited by the exchange to one or more market makers that meet or exceed liquidity and market quality standards with respect to the securities of a Fund. Each market maker incentive program is subject to approval from the SEC. Any such fee payments made to an exchange will be made by an affiliate of a Fund solely for the benefit of a Fund and will not be paid from any Fund assets. Other funds managed by BIM may also participate in such programs.]

 

Determination of Net Asset Value

 

Valuation of Shares. The NAV for each Fund is generally calculated as of the close of business on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) (normally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) on each business day the NYSE is open. Valuation of securities held by a Fund is as follows:

 

Equity Investments. Equity securities traded on a recognized securities exchange (e.g., NYSE), on separate trading boards of a securities exchange or through a market system that provides contemporaneous transaction pricing information (each, an “Exchange”) are valued using information obtained via independent pricing services, generally at the closing price on the Exchange on which the security is primarily traded, or if an Exchange closing price is not available, the last traded price on that Exchange prior to the time as of which a Fund’s assets or liabilities are valued. However, under certain circumstances, other means of determining current market value may be used. If an equity security is traded on more than one Exchange, the current market value of the security where it is primarily traded generally will be used. In the event that there are no sales involving an equity security held by a Fund on a day on which a Fund values such security, the prior day’s price will be used, unless, in accordance with valuation procedures approved by the Board (the “Valuation Procedures”), BIM determines in good faith that such prior day’s price no longer reflects the fair value of the security, in which case such asset would be treated as a Fair Value Asset (as defined below).

 

Fixed-Income Investments. Fixed-income securities for which market quotations are readily available are generally valued using such securities’ current market value. A Fund values fixed-income portfolio securities using the last available bid prices or current market quotations provided by dealers or prices (including evaluated prices) supplied by a Fund’s approved independent third-party pricing services, each in accordance with the Valuation Procedures. The pricing services may use matrix pricing or valuation models that utilize certain inputs and assumptions to derive values, including transaction data (e.g.,

 

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recent representative bids and offers), credit quality information, perceived market movements, news, and other relevant information and by other methods, which may include consideration of: yields or prices of securities of comparable quality, coupon, maturity and type; indications as to values from dealers; general market conditions; and/or other factors and assumptions. Pricing services generally value fixed-income securities assuming orderly transactions of an institutional round lot size, but a Fund may hold or transact in such securities in smaller, odd lot sizes. Odd lots may trade at lower prices than institutional round lots. The amortized cost method of valuation may be used with respect to debt obligations with sixty days or less remaining to maturity unless BIM determines in good faith that such method does not represent fair value. Loan participation notes are generally valued at the mean of the last available bid prices from one or more brokers or dealers as obtained from independent third-party pricing services. Certain fixed-income investments, including asset-backed and mortgage-related securities, may be valued based on valuation models that consider the estimated cash flows of each tranche of the entity, establish a benchmark yield and develop an estimated tranche-specific spread to the benchmark yield based on the unique attributes of the tranche.

 

Options, Futures, Swaps and Other Derivatives. Exchange-traded equity options for which market quotations are readily available are valued at the mean of the last bid and ask prices as quoted on the Exchange or the board of trade on which such options are traded. In the event that there is no mean price available for an exchange traded equity option held by a Fund on a day on which a Fund values such option, the last bid (long positions) or ask (short positions) price, if available, will be used as the value of such option. If no such bid or ask price is available on a day on which a Fund values such option, the prior day’s price will be used, unless BIM determines in good faith that such prior day’s price no longer reflects the fair value of the option, in which case such option will be treated as a Fair Value Asset (as defined below). OTC derivatives are valued using the last available bid prices or current market quotations provided by dealers or prices (including evaluated prices) supplied by a Fund’s approved independent third-party pricing services, each in accordance with the Valuation Procedures. OTC derivatives may be valued using a mathematical model which may incorporate a number of market data factors. Financial futures contracts and options thereon, which are traded on exchanges, are valued at their settle price as of the close of such exchanges. Swap agreements and other derivatives are generally valued daily based upon quotations from market makers or by a pricing service in accordance with the Valuation Procedures.

 

Underlying Funds. Shares of underlying ETFs will be valued at their most recent closing price on an Exchange. Shares of underlying money market funds will be valued at their NAV.

 

General Valuation Information. The price a Fund could receive upon the sale of any particular portfolio investment may differ from a Fund’s valuation of the investment, particularly for securities that trade in thin or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair valuation methodology or a price provided by an independent pricing service. As a result, the price received upon the sale of an investment may be less than the value ascribed by a Fund, and a Fund could realize a greater than expected loss or lesser than expected gain upon the sale of the investment. A Fund’s ability to value its investment may also be impacted by technological issues and/or errors by pricing services or other third-party service providers.

 

All cash, receivables and current payables are carried on a Fund’s books at their fair value.

 

Prices obtained from independent third-party pricing services, broker-dealers or market makers to value a Fund’s securities and other assets and liabilities are based on information available at the time a Fund values its assets and liabilities. In the event that a pricing service quotation is revised or updated subsequent to the day on which a Fund valued such security or other asset or liability, the revised pricing service quotation generally will be applied prospectively. Such determination will be made considering pertinent facts and circumstances surrounding the revision.

 

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In the event that application of the methods of valuation discussed above result in a price for a security which is deemed not to be representative of the fair market value of such security, the security will be valued by, under the direction of or in accordance with a method approved by the Board as reflecting fair value. All other assets and liabilities (including securities for which market quotations are not readily available) held by a Fund (including restricted securities) are valued at fair value as determined in good faith by the Board or by BIM (its delegate) pursuant to the Valuation Procedures.

 

Certain of the securities acquired by a Fund may be traded on OTC markets on days on which a Fund’s NAV is not calculated. In such cases, the NAV of a Fund’s shares may be significantly affected on days when Authorized Participants can neither purchase nor redeem shares of a Fund.

 

Use of fair value prices and certain current market valuations could result in a difference between the prices used to calculate a Fund’s NAV and the prices used in an Index, which, in turn, could result in a difference between a Fund’s performance and the performance of its Index.

 

Fair Value. When market quotations are not readily available or are believed in good faith by BIM to be unreliable, a Fund’s investments are valued at fair value (“Fair Value Assets”). Fair Value Assets are valued by BIM in accordance with the Valuation Procedures. BIM may reasonably conclude that a market quotation is not readily available or is unreliable if, among other things, a security or other asset or liability does not have a price source due to its complete lack of trading, if BIM believes in good faith that a market quotation from a broker-dealer or other source is unreliable (e.g., where it varies significantly from a recent trade, or no longer reflects the fair value of the security or other asset or liability subsequent to the most recent market quotation), or where the security or other asset or liability is only thinly traded or due to the occurrence of a significant event subsequent to the most recent market quotation. For this purpose, a “significant event” is deemed to occur if BIM determines, in its reasonable business judgment, that an event has occurred after the close of trading for an asset or liability but prior to or at the time of pricing a Fund’s assets or liabilities, and that the event is likely to cause a material change to the closing market price of the assets or liabilities held by a Fund. [Non-U.S. securities whose values are affected by volatility that occurs in the markets or in related or highly correlated assets (e.g., ETFs that invest in components of the Underlying Index) on a trading day after the close of non-U.S. securities markets may be fair valued. On any day the NYSE is open and a foreign market or the primary exchange on which a foreign asset or liability is traded is closed, such asset or liability will be valued using the prior day’s price, provided that BIM is not aware of any significant event or other information that would cause such price to no longer reflect the fair value of the asset or liability, in which case such asset or liability would be treated as a Fair Value Asset.]

 

BIM will submit its recommendations regarding the valuation and/or valuation methodologies for Fair Value Assets to BIM’s Valuation Committee. The BIM Valuation Committee may accept, modify or reject any recommendations. In addition, a Fund’s accounting agent periodically endeavors to confirm the prices it receives from all third-party pricing services, index providers and broker-dealers, and, with the assistance of BIM, to regularly evaluate the values assigned to the securities and other assets and liabilities of a Fund. The pricing of all Fair Value Assets is subsequently reported to and, where appropriate, ratified by the Board.

 

When determining the price for a Fair Value Asset, the BIM Valuation Committee will seek to determine the price that a Fund might reasonably expect to receive upon the current sale of that asset or liability in an arm’s-length transaction on the date on which the assets or liabilities are being valued, and does not seek to determine the price that a Fund might expect to receive for selling the asset, or the cost of extinguishing a liability, at a later time or if it holds the asset or liability to maturity. Fair value determinations will be based upon all available factors that the BIM Valuation Committee deems relevant

 

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at the time of the determination, and may be based on analytical values determined by BIM using proprietary or third-party valuation models.

 

Fair value represents a good faith approximation of the value of an asset or liability. When determining the fair value of an asset, one or more of a variety of fair valuation methodologies may be used (depending on certain factors, including the asset type). For example, the asset may be priced on the basis of the original cost of the investment or, alternatively, using proprietary or third-party models (including models that rely upon direct portfolio management pricing inputs and which reflect the significance attributed to the various factors and assumptions being considered). Prices of actual, executed or historical transactions in the relevant asset and/or liability (or related or comparable assets and/or liabilities) or, where appropriate, an appraisal by a third-party experienced in the valuation of similar assets and/or liabilities, may also be used as a basis for establishing the fair value of an asset or liability. The fair value of one or more assets or liabilities may not, in retrospect, be the price at which those assets or liabilities could have been sold during the period in which the particular fair values were used in determining a Fund’s NAV. As a result, a Fund’s sale or redemption of its shares at NAV, at a time when a holding or holdings are valued at fair value, may have the effect of diluting or increasing the economic interest of existing shareholders.

 

Each Fund’s annual audited financial statements, which are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“US GAAP”), follow the requirements for valuation set forth in Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification Topic 820, “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures” (“ASC 820”), which defines and establishes a framework for measuring fair value under US GAAP and expands financial statement disclosure requirements relating to fair value measurements. Generally, ASC 820 and other accounting rules applicable to funds and various assets in which they invest are evolving. Such changes may adversely affect a Fund. For example, the evolution of rules governing the determination of the fair market value of assets or liabilities to the extent such rules become more stringent would tend to increase the cost and/or reduce the availability of third-party determinations of fair market value. This may in turn increase the costs associated with selling assets or affect their liquidity due to a Fund’s inability to obtain a third-party determination of fair market value.

 

Brokerage Transactions

 

Subject to policies established by the Board, BIM is primarily responsible for the execution of a Fund’s portfolio transactions and the allocation of brokerage. BIM executes transactions through the following entities: []. While BIM generally seeks reasonable trade execution costs, a Fund does not necessarily pay the lowest spread or commission available, and payment of the lowest commission or spread is not necessarily consistent with obtaining the best price and execution in particular transactions. [Subject to applicable legal requirements, BIM may select a broker based partly upon brokerage or research services provided to BIM and its clients, including a Fund. In return for such services, BIM may cause a Fund to pay a higher commission than other brokers would charge if BIM determines in good faith that the commission is reasonable in relation to the services provided.]

 

In selecting brokers or dealers to execute portfolio transactions, BIM seeks to obtain the best price and most favorable execution for a Fund and may take into account a variety of factors including: (i) the size, nature and character of the security or instrument being traded and the markets in which it is purchased or sold; (ii) the desired timing of the transaction; (iii) BIM’s knowledge of the expected commission rates and spreads currently available; (iv) the activity existing and expected in the market for the particular security or instrument, including any anticipated execution difficulties; (v) the full range of brokerage services provided; (vi) the broker’s or dealer’s capital; (vii) the quality of research and research services

 

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provided; (viii) the reasonableness of the commission, dealer spread or its equivalent for the specific transaction; and (ix) BIM’s knowledge of any actual or apparent operational problems of a broker or dealer. Brokers may also be selected because of their ability to handle special or difficult executions, such as may be involved in large block trades, thinly traded securities, or other circumstances.

 

Section 28(e) of the 1934 Act (“Section 28(e)”) permits a U.S. investment adviser, under certain circumstances, to cause an account to pay a broker or dealer a commission for effecting a transaction in securities that exceeds the amount another broker or dealer would have charged for effecting the same transaction in recognition of the value of brokerage and research services provided by that broker or dealer. This includes commissions paid on riskless principal transactions in securities under certain conditions.

 

From time to time, a Fund may purchase new issues of securities in a fixed price offering. In these situations, the broker may be a member of the selling group that will, in addition to selling securities, provide BIM with research services. FINRA has adopted rules expressly permitting these types of arrangements under certain circumstances.

 

OTC issues, including most fixed-income securities such as corporate debt and U.S. Government securities, are normally traded on a “net” basis without a stated commission, through dealers acting for their own account and not as brokers. The Funds will primarily engage in transactions with these dealers or deal directly with the issuer unless a better price or execution could be obtained by using a broker. Prices paid to a dealer with respect to securities will generally include a “spread,” which is the difference between the prices at which the dealer is willing to purchase and sell the specific security at the time, and includes the dealer’s normal profit.

 

Under the 1940 Act, persons affiliated with a Fund and persons who are affiliated with such affiliated persons are prohibited from dealing with the Fund as principal in the purchase and sale of securities unless a permissive order allowing such transactions is obtained from the SEC. Since transactions in the OTC market usually involve transactions with the dealers acting as principal for their own accounts, the Funds will not deal with affiliated persons and affiliated persons of such affiliated persons in connection with such transactions. The Funds will not purchase securities during the existence of any underwriting or selling group relating to such securities of which BIM or any affiliated person (as defined in the 1940 Act) thereof is a member except pursuant to procedures adopted by the Board in accordance with Rule 10f-3 under the 1940 Act.

 

Purchases of money market instruments by the Funds are made from dealers, underwriters and issuers. The Funds do not currently expect to incur any brokerage commission expense on such transactions because money market instruments are generally traded on a “net” basis with dealers acting as principal for their own accounts without a stated commission. The price of the security, however, usually includes a profit to the dealer.

 

BIM may, from time to time, effect trades on behalf of and for the account of the Funds with brokers or dealers that are affiliated with BIM, in conformity with Rule 17e-1 under the 1940 Act and SEC rules and regulations. Under these provisions, any commissions paid to affiliated brokers or dealers must be reasonable and fair compared to the commissions charged by other brokers or dealers in comparable transactions.

 

Securities purchased in underwritten offerings include a fixed amount of compensation to the underwriter, generally referred to as the underwriter’s concession or discount. When securities are purchased or sold directly from or to an issuer, no commissions or discounts are paid.

 

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Investment decisions for the Funds and for any other investment accounts managed by BIM and the other Affiliates are made independently of each other in light of differing conditions. A variety of factors will be considered in making investment allocations. These factors include: (i) investment objectives or strategies for particular accounts, including sector, industry, country or region and capitalization weightings; (ii) tax considerations of an account; (iii) risk or investment concentration parameters for an account; (iv) supply or demand for a security at a given price level; (v) size of available investment; (vi) cash availability and liquidity requirements for accounts; (vii) regulatory restrictions; (viii) minimum investment size of an account; (ix) relative size of account; and (x) such other factors as may be approved by BIM. Moreover, investments may not be allocated to one client account over another based on any of the following considerations: (i) to favor one client account at the expense of another; (ii) to generate higher fees paid by one client account over another or to produce greater performance compensation to BIM; (iii) to develop or enhance a relationship with a client or prospective client; (iv) to compensate a client for past services or benefits rendered to BIM or to induce future services or benefits to be rendered to BIM; or (v) to manage or equalize investment performance among different client accounts. BIM and the other Affiliates may deal, trade and invest for their own respective accounts in the types of securities in which the Funds may invest.

 

Because different accounts may have differing investment objectives and policies, BIM may buy and sell the same securities at the same time for different clients based on the particular investment objective, guidelines and strategies of those accounts. For example, BIM may decide that it may be entirely appropriate for a growth fund to sell a security at the same time a value fund is buying that security. To the extent that transactions on behalf of more than one client of BIM or the other Affiliates during the same period increase the demand for securities being purchased or the supply of securities being sold, there may be an adverse effect on price. For example, sales of a security by BIM on behalf of one or more of its clients may decrease the market price of such security, adversely impacting other BIM clients that still hold the security. If purchases or sales of securities arise for consideration at or about the same time that would involve the Funds or other clients or funds for which BIM or another Affiliate act as investment manager, transactions in such securities will be made, insofar as feasible, for the respective funds and clients in a manner deemed equitable to all.

 

In certain instances, BIM may find it efficient for purposes of seeking to obtain best execution, to aggregate or “bunch” certain contemporaneous purchases or sale orders of the Funds. In general, all contemporaneous trades for accounts under management by the same portfolio manager or investment team will be bunched in a single order if the trader believes the bunched trade would provide each client with an opportunity to achieve a more favorable execution at a potentially lower execution cost. The costs associated with a bunched order will be shared pro rata among the Funds in the bunched order. Generally, if an order for a particular portfolio manager or management team is filled at several different prices through multiple trades, all accounts participating in the order will receive the average price (except in the case of certain international markets where average pricing is not permitted). While in some cases this practice could have a detrimental effect upon the price or value of the security as far as the Funds are concerned, in other cases it could be beneficial to the Funds. Transactions effected by BIM or the other Affiliates on behalf of more than one of the Funds during the same period may increase the demand for securities being purchased or the supply of securities being sold, causing an adverse effect on price. The trader will give the bunched order to the broker-dealer that the trader has identified as being able to provide the best execution of the order. Orders for purchase or sale of securities will be placed within a reasonable amount of time of the order receipt and bunched orders will be kept bunched only long enough to execute the order.

 

The Funds will periodically disclose the names of the Funds’ “regular” broker-dealers, as defined under Rule 10b-1 of the 1940 Act, which derive more than 15% of their gross revenues from securities-related

 

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activities and in which the Funds invest, together with the market value of each investment. The Funds' purchase and sale orders for securities may be combined with those of other investment companies, clients or accounts that BIM manages or advises. If purchases or sales of portfolio securities of the Funds and one or more other accounts managed or advised by BIM are considered at or about the same time, transactions in such securities are allocated among the Funds and the other accounts in a manner deemed equitable to all by BIM. In some cases, this procedure could have a detrimental effect on the price or volume of the security as far as the Funds are concerned. However, in other cases, it is possible that the ability to participate in volume transactions and to negotiate lower transaction costs will be beneficial to the Funds. BIM may deal, trade and invest for its own account in the types of securities in which the Funds may invest.

 

Portfolio turnover may vary from year to year, as well as within a year. . While each Fund's portfolio turnover rates are generally expected to be low, any increase in turnover rates would likely result in comparatively greater brokerage expenses and other transaction costs.

 

Additional Information Concerning the Trust

 

Shares.  The Trust currently consists of seven separate investment series or portfolios called funds. The Trust issues shares of beneficial interests in the funds with no par value. The Board may designate additional BIM funds.

 

Each share issued by a fund has a pro rata interest in the assets of that fund. Shares have no preemptive, exchange, subscription or conversion rights and are freely transferable. Each share is entitled to participate equally in dividends and distributions declared by the Board with respect to the relevant fund, and in the net distributable assets of such fund on liquidation.

 

Each share has one vote with respect to matters upon which the shareholder is entitled to vote. In any matter submitted to shareholders for a vote, each fund shall hold a separate vote, provided that shareholders of all affected funds will vote together when: (i) required by the 1940 Act, or (ii) the Trustees determine that the matter affects the interests of more than one fund.

 

Under Delaware law, the Trust is not required to hold an annual meeting of shareholders unless required to do so under the 1940 Act. The policy of the Trust is not to hold an annual meeting of shareholders unless required to do so under the 1940 Act. All shares (regardless of the fund) have noncumulative voting rights in the election of members of the Board. Under Delaware law, Trustees of the Trust may be removed by vote of the shareholders.

 

Following the creation of the initial Creation Unit(s) of shares of a fund and immediately prior to the commencement of trading in such fund’s shares, a holder of shares may be a “control person” of the fund, as defined in Rule 0-1 under the 1940 Act. A fund cannot predict the length of time for which one or more shareholders may remain a control person of the fund.

 

Shareholders may make inquiries by writing to BondBloxx ETF Trust, c/o BondBloxx Investment Management LLC, [address].

 

Absent an applicable exemption or other relief from the SEC or its staff, beneficial owners of more than 5% of the shares of a fund may be subject to the reporting provisions of Section 13 of the 1934 Act and the SEC’s rules promulgated thereunder. In addition, absent an applicable exemption or other relief from the SEC or its staff, officers and trustees of a fund and beneficial owners of 10% of the shares of a fund (“Insiders”) may be subject to the insider reporting, short-swing profit and short sale provisions of Section 16 of the 1934 Act and the SEC’s rules promulgated thereunder. Beneficial owners and Insiders should

 

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consult with their own legal counsel concerning their obligations under Sections 13 and 16 of the 1934 Act and existing guidance provided by the SEC staff.

 

In accordance with the Trust's current Agreement and Declaration of Trust (the “Declaration of Trust”), the Board may, without shareholder approval (unless such shareholder approval is required by the Declaration of Trust or applicable law, including the 1940 Act), authorize certain funds to merge, reorganize, consolidate, sell all or substantially all of their assets, or take other similar actions with, to or into another fund.  The Trust or a fund may be terminated by a majority vote of the Board, subject to the affirmative vote of a majority of the shareholders of the Trust or such fund entitled to vote on termination; however, in certain circumstances described in the Declaration of Trust, only a majority vote of the Board is required. Although the shares are not automatically redeemable upon the occurrence of any specific event, the Declaration of Trust provides that the Board will have the unrestricted power to alter the number of shares in a Creation Unit. Therefore, in the event of a termination of the Trust or a fund, the Board, in its sole discretion, could determine to permit the shares to be redeemable in aggregations smaller than Creation Units or to be individually redeemable. In such circumstance, the Trust or a fund may make redemptions in-kind, for cash or for a combination of cash or securities. Further, in the event of a termination of the Trust or a fund, the Trust or a fund might elect to pay cash redemptions to all shareholders, with an in-kind election for shareholders owning in excess of a certain stated minimum amount.

 

DTC as Securities Depository for Shares of the Funds.  Shares of each Fund are represented by securities registered in the name of DTC or its nominee and deposited with, or on behalf of, DTC.

 

DTC was created in 1973 to enable electronic movement of securities between its participants (“DTC Participants”), and NSCC was established in 1976 to provide a single settlement system for securities clearing and to serve as CCP for securities trades among DTC Participants. In 1999, DTC and NSCC were consolidated within The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (“DTCC”) and became wholly-owned subsidiaries of DTCC. The common stock of DTCC is owned by the DTC Participants, but NYSE and FINRA, through subsidiaries, hold preferred shares in DTCC that provide them with the right to elect one member each to the DTCC board of directors. Access to the DTC system is available to entities, such as banks, brokers, dealers and trust companies, that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a DTC Participant, either directly or indirectly (“Indirect Participants”).

 

Beneficial ownership of shares is limited to DTC Participants, Indirect Participants and persons holding interests through DTC Participants and Indirect Participants. Ownership of beneficial interests in shares (owners of such beneficial interests are referred to herein as “Beneficial Owners”) is shown on, and the transfer of ownership is effected only through, records maintained by DTC (with respect to DTC Participants) and on the records of DTC Participants (with respect to Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners that are not DTC Participants). Beneficial Owners will receive from or through the DTC Participant a written confirmation relating to their purchase of shares. The laws of some jurisdictions may require that certain purchasers of securities take physical delivery of such securities in definitive form. Such laws may impair the ability of certain investors to acquire beneficial interests in shares of the Fund.

 

Conveyance of all notices, statements and other communications to Beneficial Owners is effected as follows. Pursuant to the Depositary Agreement between the Trust and DTC, DTC is required to make available to the Trust upon request and for a fee to be charged to the Trust a listing of the shares of each Fund held by each DTC Participant. The Trust shall inquire of each such DTC Participant as to the number of Beneficial Owners holding shares, directly or indirectly, through such DTC Participant. The Trust shall provide each such DTC Participant with copies of such notice, statement or other communication, in such form, number and at such place as such DTC Participant may reasonably request, in order that such notice, statement or communication may be transmitted by such DTC

 

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Participant, directly or indirectly, to such Beneficial Owners. In addition, the Trust shall pay to each such DTC Participant a fair and reasonable amount as reimbursement for the expenses attendant to such transmittal, all subject to applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.

 

Share distributions shall be made to DTC or its nominee, Cede & Co., as the registered holder of all shares of the Trust. DTC or its nominee, upon receipt of any such distributions, shall credit immediately DTC Participants’ accounts with payments in amounts proportionate to their respective beneficial interests in shares of each Fund as shown on the records of DTC or its nominee. Payments by DTC Participants to Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners of shares held through such DTC Participants will be governed by standing instructions and customary practices, as is now the case with securities held for the accounts of customers in bearer form or registered in a “street name,” and will be the responsibility of such DTC Participants.

 

The Trust has no responsibility or liability for any aspect of the records relating to or notices to Beneficial Owners, or payments made on account of beneficial ownership interests in such shares, or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records relating to such beneficial ownership interests, or for any other aspect of the relationship between DTC and the DTC Participants or the relationship between such DTC Participants and the Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners owning through such DTC Participants. DTC may decide to discontinue providing its service with respect to shares of the Trust at any time by giving reasonable notice to the Trust and discharging its responsibilities with respect thereto under applicable law. Under such circumstances, the Trust shall take action to find a replacement for DTC to perform its functions at a comparable cost.

 

Distribution of Shares.  In connection with each Fund's launch, each Fund was seeded through the sale of one or more Creation Units by each Fund to one or more initial investors. Initial investors participating in the seeding may be Authorized Participants, a lead market maker or other third party investor or an affiliate of each Fund or each Fund’s adviser. Each such initial investor may sell some or all of the shares underlying the Creation Unit(s) held by them pursuant to the registration statement for each Fund (each, a “Selling Shareholder”), which shares have been registered to permit the resale from time to time after purchase. Each Fund will not receive any of the proceeds from the resale by the Selling Shareholders of these shares.

 

Selling Shareholders may sell shares owned by them directly or through broker-dealers, in accordance with applicable law, on any national securities exchange on which the shares may be listed or quoted at the time of sale, through trading systems, in the OTC market or in transactions other than on these exchanges or systems at fixed prices, at prevailing market prices at the time of the sale, at varying prices determined at the time of sale, or at negotiated prices. These sales may be effected through brokerage transactions, privately negotiated trades, block sales, entry into derivatives transactions or through any other means authorized by applicable law. Selling Shareholders may redeem the shares held in Creation Unit size by them through an Authorized Participant.

 

Any Selling Shareholder and any broker-dealer or agents participating in the distribution of shares may be deemed to be “underwriters” within the meaning of Section 2(a)(11) of the 1933 Act, in connection with such sales.

 

Any Selling Shareholder and any other person participating in such distribution will be subject to applicable provisions of the 1934 Act and the rules and regulations thereunder.

 

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Creation and Redemption of Creation Units

 

General.  The Trust issues and sells shares of each Fund only in Creation Units on a continuous basis through the Distributor or its agent, without a sales load, at a price based on each Fund's NAV next determined after receipt, on any Business Day (as defined below), of an order received by the Distributor or its agent in proper form. On days when the applicable Listing Exchange or the bond markets close earlier than normal, a Fund may require orders to be placed earlier in the day. The following table sets forth the number of shares of a Fund that constitute a Creation Unit for such Fund and the approximate value of such Creation Unit as of []:

 

Fund   Shares Per
Creation Unit
  Approximate
Value Per
Creation
Unit (U.S.$)
BondBloxx US High Yield Industrial Sector ETF        
BondBloxx US High Yield Telecom Media Technology Sector ETF        
BondBloxx US High Yield Healthcare Sector ETF        
BondBloxx US High Yield Financial Sector ETF        
BondBloxx US High Yield Energy Sector ETF        
BondBloxx US High Yield Consumer Cyclicals Sector ETF        
BondBloxx US High Yield Consumer Non-Cyclicals Sector ETF        

 

In its discretion, the Trust reserves the right to increase or decrease the number of a Fund’s shares that constitute a Creation Unit. The Board reserves the right to declare a split or a consolidation in the number of shares outstanding of any Fund, and to make a corresponding change in the number of shares constituting a Creation Unit, in the event that the per share price in the secondary market rises (or declines) to an amount that falls outside the range deemed desirable by the Board.

 

A “Business Day” with respect to each Fund is any day the Fund is open for business, including any day when it satisfies redemption requests as required by Section 22(e) of the 1940 Act. Each Fund is open for business any day on which the Listing Exchange on which the Fund is listed for trading is open for business. As of the date of this SAI, each Listing Exchange observes the following holidays, as observed: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.

 

Fund Deposit.  The consideration for purchase of Creation Units of a Fund, generally consists of Deposit Securities and the Cash Component computed as described below. Together, the Deposit Securities and the Cash Component constitute the “Fund Deposit,” which, when combined with the Fund's portfolio securities, is designed to generate performance that has a collective investment profile similar to that of the Index. The Fund Deposit represents the minimum initial and subsequent investment amount for a Creation Unit of any Fund. Such Fund Deposit is applicable, subject to any adjustments as described below, to purchases of Creation Units of shares of a given Fund until such time as the next-announced Fund Deposit is made available.

 

The “Cash Component” is an amount equal to the difference between the NAV of the shares (per Creation Unit) and the “Deposit Amount,” which is an amount equal to the market value of the Deposit Securities, and serves to compensate for any differences between the NAV per Creation Unit and the Deposit Amount. Payment of any stamp duty or other similar fees and expenses payable upon transfer of

 

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beneficial ownership of the Deposit Securities are the sole responsibility of the Authorized Participant purchasing the Creation Unit.

 

The identity and number or par value of the Deposit Securities change pursuant to changes in the composition of a Fund's portfolio and as rebalancing adjustments and corporate action events are reflected from time to time by BIM with a view to the investment objective of the Fund. The composition of the Deposit Securities may also change in response to adjustments to the weighting or composition of the component securities constituting the relevant Index.

 

The Fund Deposit may also be modified to minimize the Cash Component by redistributing the cash to the Deposit Securities portion of the Fund Deposit through “systematic rounding.” The rounding methodology “rounds up” position sizes of securities in the Deposit Securities (which in turn reduces the cash portion). However, the methodology limits the maximum allowed percentage change in weight and share quantity of any given security in the Fund Deposit.

 

Fund Deposits may also be modified to position a fund towards a forward index rebalance to reflect revisions that account for index additions, deletions, and re-weights.

 

The Trust may, in its sole discretion, substitute a “cash in lieu” amount to be added to the Cash Component to replace any Deposit Security in certain circumstances, including: (i) when instruments are not available in sufficient quantity for delivery; (ii) when instruments are not eligible for transfer through DTC or the clearing process (as discussed below); (iii) when instruments that the Authorized Participant (or an investor on whose behalf the Authorized Participant is acting) are not able to be traded due to a trading restriction; (iv) when delivery of the Deposit Security by the Authorized Participant (or by an investor on whose behalf the Authorized Participant is acting) would be restricted under applicable securities or other local laws; (v) in connection with distribution payments to be made by a Fund; or (vi) in certain other situations.

 

Cash Purchase Method.  Although the Trust does not generally permit partial or full cash purchases of Creation Units of its funds, when partial or full cash purchases of Creation Units are available or specified, they will be effected in essentially the same manner as in-kind purchases thereof. In the case of a partial or full cash purchase, the Authorized Participant must pay the cash equivalent of the Deposit Securities it would otherwise be required to provide through an in-kind purchase, plus the same Cash Component required to be paid by an in-kind purchaser.

 

Procedures for Creation of Creation Units.  To be eligible to place orders with the Distributor and to create a Creation Unit of the Funds, an entity must be: (i) a “Participating Party,” i.e., a broker-dealer or other participant in the clearing process through the Continuous Net Settlement System (“CNS”) of the NSCC (the “Clearing Process”), a clearing agency that is registered with the SEC, or (ii) a DTC Participant, and must have executed an agreement with the Distributor, with respect to creations and redemptions of Creation Units (“Authorized Participant Agreement”) (discussed below). A member or participant of a clearing agency registered with the SEC which has a written agreement with the Funds or one of their service providers that allows such member or participant to place orders for the purchase and redemption of Creation Units is referred to as an “Authorized Participant.” All shares of the Funds, however created, will be entered on the records of DTC in the name of Cede & Co. for the account of a DTC Participant.

 

Role of the Authorized Participant.  Creation Units may be purchased only by or through a member or participant of a clearing agency registered with the SEC, which has a written agreement with the Funds or one of their service providers that allows such member or participant to place orders for the purchase and redemption of Creation Units. Such Authorized Participant will agree, pursuant to the terms of such Authorized Participant Agreement and on behalf of itself or any investor on whose behalf it will act, to

 

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certain conditions, including that such Authorized Participant will make available in advance of each purchase of shares an amount of cash sufficient to pay the Cash Component, once the NAV of a Creation Unit is next determined after receipt of the purchase order in proper form, together with the transaction fees described below. An Authorized Participant, acting on behalf of an investor, may require the investor to enter into an agreement with such Authorized Participant with respect to certain matters, including payment of the Cash Component. Investors who are not Authorized Participants must make appropriate arrangements with an Authorized Participant. Investors should be aware that their particular broker may not be a DTC Participant or may not have executed an Authorized Participant Agreement and that orders to purchase Creation Units may have to be placed by the investor's broker through an Authorized Participant. As a result, purchase orders placed through an Authorized Participant may result in additional charges to such investor. The Trust does not expect to enter into an Authorized Participant Agreement with more than a small number of DTC Participants. A list of current Authorized Participants may be obtained from the Distributor. The Distributor has adopted guidelines regarding Authorized Participants’ transactions in Creation Units that are made available to all Authorized Participants. These guidelines set forth the processes and standards for Authorized Participants to transact with the Distributor and its agents in connection with creation and redemption transactions. In addition, the Distributor may be appointed as the proxy of the Authorized Participant and may be granted a power of attorney under its Authorized Participant Agreement.

 

Placement of Creation Orders.  Fund Deposits must be delivered through the Federal Reserve System (for cash and U.S. government securities), through DTC (for corporate and municipal securities) or through a central depository account, such as with Euroclear or DTC, maintained by BBH or a sub-custodian (a “Central Depository Account”). Any portion of a Fund Deposit that may not be delivered through the Federal Reserve System or DTC must be delivered through a Central Depository Account. The Fund Deposit transfers made through DTC must be ordered by the DTC Participant in a timely fashion so as to ensure the delivery of the requisite number of Deposit Securities through DTC to the account of the Funds generally before 3:00 p.m., Eastern time on the Settlement Date. Fund Deposit transfers made through the Federal Reserve System must be deposited by the participant institution in a timely fashion so as to ensure the delivery of the requisite number or amount of Deposit Securities or cash through the Federal Reserve System to the account of the Funds generally before 3:00 p.m., Eastern time on the Settlement Date. Fund Deposit transfers made through a Central Depository Account must be completed pursuant to the requirements established by the custodian or sub-custodian for such Central Depository Account generally before 2:00 p.m., Eastern time on the Settlement Date. The “Settlement Date” for all funds is generally the first, second or third Business Day, as applicable, after the Transmittal Date. All questions as to the number of Deposit Securities to be delivered, and the validity, form and eligibility (including time of receipt) for the deposit of any tendered securities, will be determined by the Trust, whose determination shall be final and binding. The amount of cash equal to the Cash Component must be transferred directly to BBH through the Federal Reserve Bank wire transfer system in a timely manner so as to be received by BBH generally before 3:00 p.m., Eastern time on the Settlement Date. If the Cash Component and the Deposit Securities are not received by 3:00 p.m., Eastern time on the Settlement Date, the creation order may be canceled. Upon written notice to the Distributor, such canceled order may be resubmitted the following Business Day using the Fund Deposit as newly constituted to reflect the then current NAV of the Funds. The delivery of Creation Units so created generally will occur no later than the first, second or third Business Day, as applicable, following the day on which the purchase order is deemed received by the Distributor, provided that the relevant Fund Deposit has been received by the Funds prior to such time.

 

Purchase Orders.   To initiate an order for a Creation Unit, an Authorized Participant must submit to the Distributor or its agent an irrevocable order to purchase shares of a Fund, in proper form, generally before [4:00 p.m.]., Eastern time on any Business Day to receive that day’s NAV. The Distributor or its agent will

 

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notify BIM and the custodian of such order. The custodian will then provide such information to any appropriate sub-custodian. Procedures and requirements governing the delivery of the Fund Deposit are set forth in the procedures handbook for Authorized Participants and may change from time to time. Investors, other than Authorized Participants, are responsible for making arrangements for a creation request to be made through an Authorized Participant. The Distributor or its agent will provide a list of current Authorized Participants upon request. Those placing orders to purchase Creation Units through an Authorized Participant should allow sufficient time to permit proper submission of the purchase order to the Distributor or its agent by the Cutoff Time (as defined below) on such Business Day.

 

The Authorized Participant must also make available on or before the contractual settlement date, by means satisfactory to the Funds, immediately available or same day funds estimated by the Funds to be sufficient to pay the Cash Component next determined after acceptance of the purchase order, together with the applicable purchase transaction fees. Those placing orders should ascertain the applicable deadline for cash transfers by contacting the operations department of the broker or depositary institution effectuating the transfer of the Cash Component. This deadline is likely to be significantly earlier than the Cutoff Time of the Funds. Investors should be aware that an Authorized Participant may require orders for purchases of shares placed with it to be in the particular form required by the individual Authorized Participant.

 

The Authorized Participant is responsible for any and all expenses and costs incurred by a Fund, including any applicable cash amounts, in connection with any purchase order.

 

Timing of Submission of Purchase Orders.  An Authorized Participant must submit an irrevocable order to purchase shares of a Fund generally before 4:00 p.m., Eastern time on any Business Day in order to receive that day's NAV. Creation Orders must be transmitted by an Authorized Participant in the form required by the Funds to the Distributor or its agent pursuant to procedures set forth in the Authorized Participant Agreement. Economic or market disruptions or changes, or telephone or other communication failure, may impede the ability to reach the Distributor or its agent or an Authorized Participant. Orders to create shares of a Fund that are submitted on the Business Day immediately preceding a holiday may not be accepted. Each Fund's deadline specified above for the submission of purchase orders is referred to as that Fund's “Cutoff Time.” The Distributor or its agent, in their discretion, may permit the submission of such orders and requests by or through an Authorized Participant at any time (including on days on which the Listing Exchange is not open for business) via communication through the facilities of the Distributor's or its agent's proprietary website maintained for this purpose. Purchase orders and redemption requests, if accepted by the Trust, will be processed based on the NAV next determined after such acceptance in accordance with a Fund's Cutoff Times as provided in the Authorized Participant Agreement and disclosed in this SAI.

 

Acceptance of Orders for Creation Units.   Subject to the conditions that (i) an irrevocable purchase order has been submitted by the Authorized Participant (either on its own or another investor's behalf) and (ii) arrangements satisfactory to the Funds are in place for payment of the Cash Component and any other cash amounts which may be due, the Funds will accept the order, subject to each Fund's right (and the right of the Distributor and BIM) to reject any order until acceptance, as set forth below.

 

Once a Fund has accepted an order, upon the next determination of the NAV of the shares, the Fund will confirm the issuance of a Creation Unit, against receipt of payment, at such NAV. The Distributor or its agent will then transmit a confirmation of acceptance to the Authorized Participant that placed the order.

 

Each Fund reserves the absolute right to reject or revoke a creation order transmitted to it by the Distributor or its agent if (i) the order is not in proper form; (ii) the investor(s), upon obtaining the shares ordered, would own 80% or more of the currently outstanding shares of the Fund; (iii) the Deposit

 

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Securities delivered do not conform to the identity and number of shares specified, as described above; (iv) acceptance of the Deposit Securities would have certain adverse tax consequences to the Fund; (v) acceptance of the Fund Deposit would, in the opinion of counsel, be unlawful; (vi) acceptance of the Fund Deposit would, in the discretion of the Fund or BIM, have an adverse effect on the Fund or the rights of beneficial owners; or (vii) circumstances outside the control of the Fund, the Distributor or its agent and BIM make it impracticable to process purchase orders. The Distributor or its agent shall notify a prospective purchaser of a Creation Unit and/or the Authorized Participant acting on behalf of such purchaser of its rejection of such order. The Funds, BBH, any sub-custodian and the Distributor or its agent are under no duty, however, to give notification of any defects or irregularities in the delivery of Fund Deposits nor shall any of them incur any liability for failure to give such notification.

 

Issuance of a Creation Unit.   Except as provided herein, a Creation Unit will not be issued until the transfer of good title to the applicable Fund of the Deposit Securities and the payment of the Cash Component have been completed. When the sub-custodian has confirmed to the custodian that the securities included in the Fund Deposit (or the cash value thereof) have been delivered to the account of the relevant sub-custodian or sub-custodians, the Distributor or its agent and BIM shall be notified of such delivery and the applicable Fund will issue and cause the delivery of the Creation Unit. Creation Units are generally issued on a “T+2 basis” (i.e., two Business Days after trade date). Each Fund reserves the right to settle Creation Unit transactions on a basis other than T+1 or T+2, including a shorter settlement period, if necessary or appropriate under the circumstances and compliant with applicable law.

 

To the extent contemplated by an Authorized Participant Agreement with the Distributor, each Fund will issue Creation Units to such Authorized Participant, notwithstanding the fact that the corresponding Fund Deposits have not been received in part or in whole, in reliance on the undertaking of the Authorized Participant to deliver the missing Deposit Securities as soon as possible, which undertaking shall be secured by such Authorized Participant's delivery and maintenance of collateral as set forth in the handbook for Authorized Participants. The Trust may use such collateral at any time to buy Deposit Securities for the Funds. Such collateral must be delivered no later than the time specified by a Fund or its custodian on the contractual settlement date. Information concerning the Funds' current procedures for collateralization of missing Deposit Securities is available from the Distributor or its agent. The Authorized Participant Agreement will permit the Funds to buy the missing Deposit Securities at any time and will subject the Authorized Participant to liability for any shortfall between the cost to the Funds of purchasing such securities and the collateral including, without limitation, liability for related brokerage, borrowings and other charges.

 

In certain cases, Authorized Participants may create and redeem Creation Units on the same trade date and in these instances, the Funds reserve the right to settle these transactions on a net basis or require a representation from the Authorized Participants that the creation and redemption transactions are for separate beneficial owners. All questions as to the number of shares of each security in the Deposit Securities and the validity, form, eligibility and acceptance for deposit of any securities to be delivered shall be determined by each Fund and the Fund's determination shall be final and binding.

 

Costs Associated with Creation Transactions.   A standard creation transaction fee is imposed to offset the transfer and other transaction costs associated with the issuance of Creation Units. The standard creation transaction fee is charged to the Authorized Participant on the day such Authorized Participant creates a Creation Unit, and is the same, regardless of the number of Creation Units purchased by the Authorized Participant on the applicable Business Day. If a purchase consists solely or partially of cash, the Authorized Participant may also be required to cover (up to the maximum amount shown below) certain brokerage, tax, foreign exchange, execution, price movement and other costs and expenses related to the execution of trades resulting from such transaction (which may, in certain instances, be based on a good faith estimate of transaction costs). Authorized Participants will also bear

 

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the costs of transferring the Deposit Securities to the Funds. Certain fees/costs associated with creation transactions may be waived in certain circumstances. Investors who use the services of a broker or other financial intermediary to acquire Fund shares may be charged a fee for such services.

 

The following table sets forth each Fund's standard creation transaction fees (as described above):

 

Fund   Standard Creation
Transaction Fee*
 
BondBloxx US High Yield Industrial Sector ETF   []  
BondBloxx US High Yield Telecom Media Technology Sector ETF   []  
BondBloxx US High Yield Healthcare Sector ETF   []  
BondBloxx US High Yield Financial Sector ETF   []  
BondBloxx US High Yield Energy Sector ETF   []  
BondBloxx US High Yield Consumer Cyclicals Sector ETF   []  
BondBloxx US High Yield Consumer Non-Cyclicals Sector ETF   []  

 

* As a percentage of the net asset value per Creation Unit.

 

Redemption of Creation Units.  Shares of a Fund may be redeemed by Authorized Participants only in Creation Units at their NAV next determined after receipt of a redemption request in proper form by the Distributor or its agent and only on a Business Day. The Funds will not redeem shares in amounts less than Creation Units. There can be no assurance, however, that there will be sufficient liquidity in the secondary market at any time to permit assembly of a Creation Unit. Investors should expect to incur brokerage and other costs in connection with assembling a sufficient number of shares to constitute a Creation Unit that could be redeemed by an Authorized Participant. Beneficial owners also may sell shares in the secondary market.

 

The designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) that will be applicable (subject to possible amendment or correction) to redemption requests received in proper form (as defined below) on that day (“Fund Securities” or “Redemption Basket”), and an amount of cash (the “Cash Amount,” as described below) (each subject to possible amendment or correction) are applicable, in order to effect redemptions of Creation Units of a Fund until such time as the next announced composition of the Fund Securities and Cash Amount is made available. Fund Securities received on redemption may not be identical to Deposit Securities that are applicable to creations of Creation Units. Procedures and requirements governing redemption transactions are set forth in the handbook for Authorized Participants and may change from time to time.

 

Unless cash redemptions are available or specified for a Fund, the redemption proceeds for a Creation Unit generally consist of Fund Securities, plus the Cash Amount, which is an amount equal to the difference between the NAV of the shares being redeemed, as next determined after the receipt of a redemption request in proper form, and the value of Fund Securities, less a redemption transaction fee (as described below).

 

The Trust may, in its sole discretion, substitute a “cash in lieu” amount to replace any Fund Security in certain circumstances, including: (i) when the delivery of a Fund Security to the Authorized Participant (or to an investor on whose behalf the Authorized Participant is acting) would be restricted under applicable securities or other local laws or due to a trading restriction; (ii) when the delivery of a Fund Security to the Authorized Participant would result in the disposition of the Fund Security by the Authorized Participant

 

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due to restrictions under applicable securities or other local laws; (iii) when the delivery of a Fund Security to the Authorized Participant would result in unfavorable tax treatment; (iv) when a Fund Security cannot be settled or otherwise delivered in time to facilitate an in-kind redemption; or (v) in certain other situations. The amount of cash paid out in such cases will be equivalent to the value of the substituted security listed as a Fund Security. In the event that the Fund Securities have a value greater than the NAV of the shares, a compensating cash payment equal to the difference is required to be made by or through an Authorized Participant by the redeeming shareholder. Each Fund generally redeems Creation Units for Fund Securities, but each Fund reserves the right to utilize a cash option for redemption of Creation Units. Each Fund may, in its sole discretion, provide such redeeming Authorized Participant a portfolio of securities that differs from the exact composition of the Fund Securities, but does not differ in NAV. The Redemption Basket may also be modified to minimize the Cash Component by redistributing the cash to the Fund Securities portion of the Redemption Basket through systematically rounding. The rounding methodology allows position sizes of securities in the Fund Securities to be “rounded up,” while limiting the maximum allowed percentage change in weight and share quantity of any given security in the Redemption Basket. Redemption Baskets may also be modified to position a fund towards a forward index rebalance to reflect revisions that account for index additions, deletions, and re-weights.

 

Cash Redemption Method.   Although the Trust does not generally permit partial or full cash redemptions of Creation Units of its funds or the Funds that are normally redeemed on a cash basis only, when partial or full cash redemptions of Creation Units are available or specified for a Fund, they will be effected in essentially the same manner as in-kind redemptions thereof. In the case of partial or full cash redemption, the Authorized Participant receives the cash equivalent of the Fund Securities it would otherwise receive through an in-kind redemption, plus the same Cash Amount to be paid to an in-kind redeemer.

 

Costs Associated with Redemption Transactions.  A standard redemption transaction fee is imposed to offset transfer and other transaction costs that may be incurred by the relevant Fund. The standard redemption transaction fee is charged to the Authorized Participant on the day such Authorized Participant redeems a Creation Unit, and is the same regardless of the number of Creation Units redeemed by an Authorized Participant on the applicable Business Day. If a redemption consists solely or partially of cash, the Authorized Participant may also be required to cover (up to the maximum amount shown below) certain brokerage, tax, foreign exchange, execution, price movement and other costs and expenses related to the execution of trades resulting from such transaction (which may, in certain instances, be based on a good faith estimate of transaction costs). Authorized Participants will also bear the costs of transferring the Fund Securities from a Fund to their account on their order. Certain fees/costs associated with redemption transactions may be waived in certain circumstances. Investors who use the services of a broker or other financial intermediary to dispose of Fund shares may be charged a fee for such services.

 

The following table sets forth each Fund's standard redemption transaction fees and maximum additional charge (as described above):

 

Fund   Standard
Redemption
Transaction Fee
  Maximum
Additional
Charge*
BondBloxx US High Yield Industrial Sector ETF   []   2%
BondBloxx US High Yield Telecom Media Technology Sector ETF   []   2%
BondBloxx US High Yield Healthcare Sector ETF   []   2%
BondBloxx US High Yield Financial Sector ETF   []   2%

 

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Fund   Standard
Redemption
Transaction Fee
  Maximum
Additional
Charge*
BondBloxx US High Yield Energy Sector ETF   []   2%
BondBloxx US High Yield Consumer Cyclicals Sector ETF   []   2%
BondBloxx US High Yield Consumer Non-Cyclicals Sector ETF   []   2%

 

 

 

* As a percentage of the net asset value per Creation Unit, inclusive of the standard redemption transaction fee.

 

Placement of Redemption Orders.  Redemption requests for Creation Units of the Funds must be submitted to the Distributor or its agent by or through an Authorized Participant. An Authorized Participant must submit an irrevocable request to redeem shares of a Fund generally before 4:00 p.m., Eastern time on any Business Day in order to receive that day's NAV. On days when the Listing Exchange closes earlier than normal, a Fund may require orders to redeem Creation Units to be placed earlier that day. Investors, other than Authorized Participants, are responsible for making arrangements for a redemption request to be made through an Authorized Participant. The Distributor or its agent will provide a list of current Authorized Participants upon request.

 

The Authorized Participant must transmit the request for redemption in the form required by the Funds to the Distributor or its agent in accordance with procedures set forth in the Authorized Participant Agreement. Investors should be aware that their particular broker may not have executed an Authorized Participant Agreement and that, therefore, requests to redeem Creation Units may have to be placed by the investor's broker through an Authorized Participant who has executed an Authorized Participant Agreement. At any time, only a limited number of broker-dealers will have an Authorized Participant Agreement in effect. Investors making a redemption request should be aware that such request must be in the form specified by such Authorized Participant. Investors making a request to redeem Creation Units should allow sufficient time to permit proper submission of the request by an Authorized Participant and transfer of the shares to the Funds' transfer agent; such investors should allow for the additional time that may be required to effect redemptions through their banks, brokers or other financial intermediaries if such intermediaries are not Authorized Participants.

 

A redemption request is considered to be in “proper form” if: (i) an Authorized Participant has transferred or caused to be transferred to the Funds' transfer agent the Creation Unit redeemed through the book-entry system of DTC so as to be effective by the Listing Exchange closing time on any Business Day on which the redemption request is submitted; (ii) a request in form satisfactory to the applicable Fund is received by the Distributor or its agent from the Authorized Participant on behalf of itself or another redeeming investor within the time periods specified above; and (iii) all other procedures set forth in the Authorized Participant Agreement are properly followed.

 

Upon receiving a redemption request, the Distributor or its agent shall notify the applicable Fund and the Fund's transfer agent of such redemption request. The tender of an investor's shares for redemption and the distribution of the securities and/or cash included in the redemption payment made in respect of Creation Units redeemed will be made through DTC and the relevant Authorized Participant to the Beneficial Owner thereof as recorded on the book-entry system of DTC or the DTC Participant through which such investor holds, as the case may be, or by such other means specified by the Authorized Participant submitting the redemption request.

 

A redeeming Authorized Participant, whether on its own account or acting on behalf of a Beneficial Owner, must maintain appropriate security arrangements with a qualified broker-dealer, bank or other custody providers in each jurisdiction in which any of the portfolio securities are customarily traded, to which account such portfolio securities will be delivered.

 

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Deliveries of redemption proceeds by a Fund are generally made within two Business Days (i.e., “T+2”). Each Fund reserves the right to settle redemption transactions on a basis other than T+1 or T+2, if necessary or appropriate under the circumstances and compliant with applicable law. Delayed settlement may occur due to a number of different reasons, including, without limitation, settlement cycles for the underlying securities, unscheduled market closings, an effort to link distribution to dividend record dates and ex-dates and newly announced holidays. For example, the redemption settlement process may be extended beyond T+1 or T+2 because of the occurrence of a holiday in in the U.S. bond market that is not a holiday observed in the U.S. equity market.

 

To the extent contemplated by an Authorized Participant's agreement with the Distributor or its agent, in the event an Authorized Participant has submitted a redemption request in proper form but is unable to transfer all or part of the Creation Unit to be redeemed to a Fund, at or prior to the time specified by a Fund or its custodian on the Business Day after the date of submission of such redemption request, the Distributor or its agent will accept the redemption request in reliance on the undertaking by the Authorized Participant to deliver the missing shares as soon as possible. Such undertaking shall be secured by the Authorized Participant's delivery and maintenance of collateral as set forth in the handbook for Authorized Participants. Such collateral must be delivered no later than the time specified by a Fund or its custodian on the Business Day after the date of submission of such redemption request and shall be held by BBH and marked-to-market daily. The fees of BBH and any sub-custodians in respect of the delivery, maintenance and redelivery of the collateral shall be payable by the Authorized Participant. The Authorized Participant Agreement permits the Funds to acquire shares of the Funds at any time and subjects the Authorized Participant to liability for any shortfall between the aggregate of the cost to the Funds of purchasing such shares, plus the value of the Cash Amount, and the value of the collateral together with liability for related brokerage and other charges.

 

[Because the portfolio securities of a Fund may trade on exchange(s) on days that the Listing Exchange is closed, are SIFMA holidays or are otherwise not Business Days for such Fund, shareholders may not be able to redeem their shares of such Fund, or purchase or sell shares of such Fund on the Listing Exchange on days when the NAV of such a Fund could be significantly affected by events in the relevant non-U.S. markets.]

 

The right of redemption may be suspended or the date of payment postponed with respect to any Fund: (i) for any period during which the applicable Listing Exchange is closed (other than customary weekend and holiday closings); (ii) for any period during which trading on the applicable Listing Exchange is suspended or restricted; (iii) for any period during which an emergency exists as a result of which disposal of the shares of the Fund's portfolio securities or determination of its NAV is not reasonably practicable; or (iv) in such other circumstance as is permitted by the SEC.

 

Custom Baskets.  Creation and Redemption baskets may differ and each Fund will accept “custom baskets.” A custom basket may include any of the following: (i) a basket that is composed of a non-representative selection of a Fund's portfolio holdings; (ii) a representative basket that is different from the initial basket used in transactions on the same business day; or (iii) a basket that contains bespoke cash substitutions for a single Authorized Participant. Each Fund has adopted policies and procedures that govern the construction and acceptance of baskets, including heightened requirements for certain types of custom baskets. Such policies and procedures provide the parameters for the construction and acceptance of custom baskets that are in the best interests of a Fund and its shareholders, establish processes for revisions to, or deviations from, such parameters, and specify the titles and roles of the employees of BIM who are required to review each custom basket for compliance with those parameters. In addition, when constructing custom baskets for redemptions, the tax efficiency of a Fund may be taken into account. The policies and procedures distinguish among different types of custom baskets that may be used for each Fund and impose different requirements for different types of custom baskets in order to

 

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seek to mitigate against potential risks of conflicts and/or overreaching by an Authorized Participant. BIM has established a governance process to oversee basket compliance for the Funds, as set forth in each Fund's policies and procedures.

 

Taxation on Creations and Redemptions of Creation Units.   An Authorized Participant generally will recognize either gain or loss upon the exchange of Deposit Securities for Creation Units. This gain or loss is calculated by taking the market value of the Creation Units purchased over the Authorized Participant’s aggregate basis in the Deposit Securities exchanged therefor. However, the IRS may apply the wash sales rules to determine that any loss realized upon the exchange of Deposit Securities for Creation Units is not currently deductible. Authorized Participants should consult their own tax advisors.

 

Current U.S. federal income tax laws dictate that capital gain or loss realized from the redemption of Creation Units will generally create long-term capital gain or loss if the Authorized Participant holds the Creation Units for more than one year, or short-term capital gain or loss if the Creation Units were held for one year or less, if the Creation Units are held as capital assets.

 

Taxes

 

The following is a summary of certain material U.S. federal income tax considerations regarding the purchase, ownership and disposition of shares of a Fund. This summary does not address all of the potential U.S. federal income tax consequences that may be applicable to a Fund or to all categories of investors, some of which may be subject to special tax rules. Current and prospective shareholders are urged to consult their own tax advisors with respect to the specific federal, state, local and non-U.S. tax consequences of investing in a Fund. The summary is based on the laws and judicial and administrative interpretations thereof in effect on the date of this SAI, all of which are subject to change, possibly with retroactive effect.

 

Regulated Investment Company Qualifications.  Each Fund intends to continue to qualify for and to elect treatment as a separate RIC under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code. To qualify for treatment as a RIC, each Fund must annually distribute at least 90% of its investment company taxable income (which includes dividends, interest and net short-term capital gains) and meet several other requirements. Among such other requirements are the following: (i) at least 90% of each Fund’s annual gross income must be derived from dividends, interest, payments with respect to securities loans, gains from the sale or other disposition of stock or securities or non-U.S. currencies, other income derived with respect to its business of investing in such stock, securities or currencies, and net income derived from interests in qualified publicly-traded partnerships (i.e., partnerships that are traded on an established securities market or tradable on a secondary market, other than a partnership that derives at least 90% of its income from interest, dividends, capital gains and other traditionally permitted RIC income); and (ii) at the close of each quarter of each Fund’s taxable year, (a) at least 50% of the market value of each Fund’s total assets must be represented by cash and cash items, U.S. government securities, securities of other RICs and other securities, with such other securities limited for purposes of this calculation in respect of any one issuer to an amount not greater than 5% of the value of the Fund’s assets and not greater than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer, and (b) not more than 25% of the value of the Fund’s total assets may be invested in the securities of any one issuer, of two or more issuers of which 20% or more of the voting stock is held by the Fund and that are engaged in the same or similar trades or businesses or related trades or businesses (other than the securities of other RICs) or the securities of one or more qualified publicly-traded partnerships.

 

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A Fund may be able to cure a failure to derive at least 90% of its income from the sources specified above or a failure to diversify its holdings in the manner described above by paying a tax and/or by disposing of certain assets. If, in any taxable year, a Fund fails one of these tests and does not timely cure the failure, that Fund will be taxed in the same manner as an ordinary corporation and distributions to its shareholders will not be deductible by that Fund in computing its taxable income.

 

Although in general the passive loss rules of the Internal Revenue Code do not apply to RICs, such rules do apply to a RIC with respect to items attributable to an interest in a qualified publicly-traded partnership. A Fund’s investments in partnerships, including in qualified publicly-traded partnerships, may result in the Fund being subject to state, local, or non-U.S. income, franchise or withholding tax liabilities.

 

Taxation of RICs.  As a RIC, a Fund will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the portion of its taxable investment income and capital gains that it distributes to its shareholders, provided that it satisfies a minimum distribution requirement. To satisfy the minimum distribution requirement, a Fund must distribute to its shareholders at least the sum of (i) 90% of its “investment company taxable income” (i.e., income other than its net realized long-term capital gain over its net realized short-term capital loss), plus or minus certain adjustments, and (ii) 90% of its net tax-exempt income for the taxable year. A Fund will be subject to income tax at regular corporate rates on any taxable income or gains that it does not distribute to its shareholders. If a Fund fails to qualify for any taxable year as a RIC or fails to meet the distribution requirement, all of its taxable income will be subject to tax at regular corporate income tax rates without any deduction for distributions to shareholders, and such distributions generally will be taxable to shareholders as ordinary dividends to the extent of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits. In such event, distributions to individuals should be eligible to be treated as qualified dividend income and distributions to corporate shareholders generally should be eligible for the dividends-received deduction. Although each Fund intends to distribute substantially all of its net investment income and its capital gains for each taxable year, a Fund may decide to retain a portion of its income or gains if the Fund determines that doing so is in the interest of its shareholders. Each Fund will be subject to U.S. federal income taxation to the extent any such income or gains are not distributed. Moreover, if a Fund fails to qualify as a RIC in any year, it must pay out its earnings and profits accumulated in that year in order to qualify again as a RIC. If a Fund fails to qualify as a RIC for a period greater than two taxable years, the Fund may be required to recognize any net built-in gains with respect to certain of its assets (i.e., the excess of the aggregate gains, including items of income, over aggregate losses that would have been realized with respect to such assets if the Fund had been liquidated) if it qualifies as a RIC in a subsequent year.

 

Net Capital Loss Carryforwards.  Net capital loss carryforwards may be applied against any net realized capital gains in each succeeding year, until they have been reduced to zero.

 

In the event that a Fund were to experience an ownership change as defined under the Internal Revenue Code, the loss carryforwards and other favorable tax attributes of a Fund, if any, may be subject to limitation.

 

Excise Tax.  A Fund will be subject to a 4% excise tax on certain undistributed income if it does not distribute to its shareholders in each calendar year at least 98% of its ordinary income for the calendar year plus at least 98.2% of its capital gain net income for the 12 months ended October 31 of such year. For this purpose, however, any ordinary income or capital gain net income retained by a Fund that is subject to corporate income tax will be considered to have been distributed by year-end. In addition, the minimum amounts that must be distributed in any year to avoid the excise tax will be increased or decreased to reflect any underdistribution or overdistribution, as the case may be, from the previous year. Each Fund intends to declare and distribute dividends and distributions in the amounts and at the times necessary to avoid the application of this 4% excise tax.

 

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Taxation of U.S. Shareholders.  Dividends and other distributions by a Fund are generally treated under the Internal Revenue Code as received by the shareholders at the time the dividend or distribution is made. However, any dividend or capital gain distribution declared by a Fund in October, November or December of any calendar year and payable to shareholders of record on a specified date in such a month shall be deemed to have been received by each shareholder on December 31 of such calendar year and to have been paid by the Fund not later than such December 31, provided such dividend is actually paid by the Fund during January of the following calendar year.

 

Each Fund intends to distribute annually to its shareholders substantially all of its net tax-exempt income, investment company taxable income and any net realized long-term capital gains in excess of net realized short-term capital losses (including any capital loss carryovers). However, if a Fund retains for investment an amount equal to all or a portion of its net long-term capital gains in excess of its net short-term capital losses (including any capital loss carryovers), it will be subject to a corporate tax (at a flat rate of 21%) on the amount retained. In that event, the Fund will report such retained amounts as undistributed capital gains in a notice to its shareholders who (a) will be required to include in income for U.S. federal income tax purposes, as long-term capital gains, their proportionate shares of the undistributed amount, (b) will be entitled to credit their proportionate shares of the tax paid by the Fund on the undistributed amount against their U.S. federal income tax liabilities, if any, and to claim refunds to the extent their credits exceed their liabilities, if any, and (c) will be entitled to increase their tax basis, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, in their shares by an amount equal to the excess of the amount in clause (a) over the amount in clause (b). Organizations or persons not subject to U.S. federal income tax on such capital gains will be entitled to a refund of their pro rata share of such taxes paid by the Fund upon filing appropriate returns or claims for refund with the IRS.

 

Distributions of net realized long-term capital gains, if any, that a Fund reports as capital gain dividends are taxable as long-term capital gains, whether paid in cash or in shares and regardless of how long a shareholder has held shares of the Fund. All other dividends of a Fund (including dividends from short-term capital gains) from its current and accumulated earnings and profits (“regular dividends”) are generally subject to tax as ordinary income. Long-term capital gains are eligible for taxation at a maximum rate of 15% or 20% for non-corporate shareholders, depending on whether their income exceeds certain threshold amounts.

 

If an individual receives a regular dividend qualifying for the long-term capital gain rates and such dividend constitutes an “extraordinary dividend,” and the individual subsequently recognizes a loss on the sale or exchange of stock in respect of which the extraordinary dividend was paid, then the loss will be long-term capital loss to the extent of such extraordinary dividend. An “extraordinary dividend” on common stock for this purpose is generally a dividend (i) in an amount greater than or equal to 10% of the taxpayer’s tax basis (or trading value) in a share of stock, aggregating dividends with ex-dividend dates within an 85-day period, or (ii) in an amount greater than 20% of the taxpayer’s tax basis (or trading value) in a share of stock, aggregating dividends with ex-dividend dates within a 365-day period.

 

Distributions in excess of a Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits will, as to each shareholder, be treated as a tax-free return of capital to the extent of a shareholder’s basis in shares of the Fund, and as a capital gain thereafter (if the shareholder holds shares of the Fund as capital assets). Distributions in excess of a Fund’s minimum distribution requirements, but not in excess of the Fund’s earnings and profits, will be taxable to shareholders and will not constitute nontaxable returns of capital. Shareholders receiving dividends or distributions in the form of additional shares should be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as receiving a distribution in an amount equal to the amount of money that the shareholders receiving cash dividends or distributions will receive and should have a cost basis in the shares received equal to such amount. No deduction would be allowed to an investor for interest on

 

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indebtedness incurred or continued to purchase or carry shares of the Fund to the extent the interest deduction would relate to exempt-interest dividends received.

 

A 3.8% U.S. federal Medicare contribution tax is imposed on net investment income, including, but not limited to, interest, dividends, and net gain from investments, of U.S. individuals with income exceeding $200,000 (or $250,000 if married and filing jointly), and of estates and trusts.

 

Investors considering buying shares just prior to a dividend or capital gain distribution should be aware that, although the price of shares purchased at that time may reflect the amount of the forthcoming distribution, such dividend or distribution may nevertheless be taxable to them. If a Fund is the holder of record of any security on the record date for any dividends payable with respect to such security, such dividends will be included in the Fund’s gross income not as of the date received but as of the later of (i) the date such security became ex-dividend with respect to such dividends (i.e., the date on which a buyer of the security would not be entitled to receive the declared, but unpaid, dividends); or (ii) the date the Fund acquired such security. Accordingly, in order to satisfy its income distribution requirements, a Fund may be required to pay dividends based on anticipated earnings, and shareholders may receive dividends in an earlier year than would otherwise be the case.

 

In certain situations, a Fund may, for a taxable year, defer all or a portion of its net capital loss (or if there is no net capital loss, then any net long-term or short-term capital loss) realized after October and its late-year ordinary loss (defined as the sum of the excess of post-October foreign currency and passive foreign investment company (“PFIC”) losses over post-October foreign currency and PFIC gains, plus the excess of post-December ordinary losses over post-December ordinary income) until the next taxable year in computing its investment company taxable income and net capital gain, which will defer the recognition of such realized losses. Such deferrals and other rules regarding gains and losses realized after October (or December) may affect the tax character of shareholder distributions.

 

Sales of Shares.  Upon the sale or exchange of shares of a Fund, a shareholder will realize a taxable gain or loss equal to the difference between the amount realized and the shareholder’s basis in shares of the Fund. A redemption of shares by a Fund will be treated as a sale for this purpose. Such gain or loss will be treated as capital gain or loss if the shares are capital assets in the shareholder’s hands and will be long-term capital gain or loss if the shares are held for more than one year and short-term capital gain or loss if the shares are held for one year or less. Any loss realized on a sale or exchange will be disallowed to the extent the shares disposed of are replaced, including replacement through the reinvesting of dividends or capital gains distributions or contract to acquire substantially identical shares, within a 61-day period beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after the disposition of the shares. In such a case, the basis of the shares acquired will be increased to reflect the disallowed loss. Any loss realized by a shareholder on the sale of Fund shares held by the shareholder for six months or less will be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a long-term capital loss to the extent of any distributions or deemed distributions of long-term capital gains received by the shareholder with respect to such share. The Medicare contribution tax described above will apply to the sale of Fund shares.

 

If a shareholder incurs a sales charge in acquiring shares of a Fund, disposes of those shares within 90 days and then, on or before January 31 of the following calendar year, acquires shares in a mutual fund for which the otherwise applicable sales charge is reduced by reason of a reinvestment right (e.g., an exchange privilege), the original sales charge will not be taken into account in computing gain/loss on the original shares to the extent the subsequent sales charge is reduced. Instead, the disregarded portion of the original sales charge will be added to the tax basis of the newly acquired shares. Furthermore, the same rule also applies to a disposition of the newly acquired shares made within 90 days of the second acquisition. This provision prevents a shareholder from immediately deducting the sales charge by shifting his or her investment within a family of mutual funds.

 

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Backup Withholding.  In certain cases, a Fund will be required to withhold at a 24% rate and remit to the U.S. Treasury such amounts withheld from any distributions paid to a shareholder who: (i) has failed to provide a correct taxpayer identification number; (ii) is subject to backup withholding by the IRS; (iii) has failed to certify to a Fund that such shareholder is not subject to backup withholding; or (iv) has not certified that such shareholder is a U.S. person (including a U.S. resident alien). Backup withholding is not an additional tax and any amount withheld may be credited against a shareholder's U.S. federal income tax liability.

 

Sections 351 and 362.  The Trust, on behalf of each Fund, has the right to reject an order for a purchase of shares of the Fund if the purchaser (or group of purchasers) would, upon obtaining the shares so ordered, own 80% or more of the outstanding shares of a given Fund and if, pursuant to Sections 351 and 362 of the Internal Revenue Code, that Fund would have a basis in the securities different from the market value of such securities on the date of deposit. If a Fund’s basis in such securities on the date of deposit was less than market value on such date, the Fund, upon disposition of the securities, would recognize more taxable gain or less taxable loss than if its basis in the securities had been equal to market value. It is not anticipated that the Trust will exercise the right of rejection except in a case where the Trust determines that accepting the order could result in material adverse tax consequences to a Fund or its shareholders. The Trust also has the right to require information necessary to determine beneficial share ownership for purposes of the 80% determination.

 

Taxation of Certain Derivatives.  A Fund’s transactions in zero coupon securities, forward contracts, and futures contracts, to the extent permitted, will be subject to special provisions of the Internal Revenue Code (including provisions relating to “hedging transactions” and “straddles”) that, among other consequences, may affect the character of gains and losses realized by the Fund (i.e., may affect whether gains or losses are ordinary or capital), accelerate recognition of income to the Fund and defer Fund losses. These rules could therefore affect the character, amount and timing of distributions to shareholders. These provisions also (a) will require the Fund to mark-to-market certain types of the positions in its portfolio (i.e., treat them as if they were closed out at the end of each year) and (b) may cause the Fund to recognize income without receiving cash with which to pay dividends or make distributions in amounts necessary to satisfy the distribution requirements for avoiding income and excise taxes. Each Fund will monitor its transactions, will make the appropriate tax elections and will make the appropriate entries in its books and records when it acquires any zero coupon security, non-U.S. currency, forward contract, futures contract or hedged investment in order to mitigate the effect of these rules and prevent disqualification of the Fund as a RIC.

 

A Fund’s investments in so-called “section 1256 contracts,” such as regulated futures contracts, are subject to special tax rules. All section 1256 contracts held by the Fund at the end of its taxable year are required to be marked to their market value, and any unrealized gain or loss on those positions will be included in the Fund’s income as if each position had been sold for its fair market value at the end of the taxable year. The resulting gain or loss will be combined with any gain or loss realized by the Fund from positions in section 1256 contracts closed during the taxable year. Provided such positions were held as capital assets and were not part of a “hedging transaction” nor part of a “straddle,” 60% of the resulting net gain or loss will be treated as long-term capital gain or loss, and 40% of such net gain or loss will be treated as short-term capital gain or loss, regardless of the period of time the positions were actually held by the Fund.

 

As a result of entering into swap contracts, a Fund may make or receive periodic net payments. A Fund may also make or receive a payment when a swap is terminated prior to maturity through an assignment of the swap or other closing transaction. Periodic net payments will generally constitute ordinary income or deductions, while termination of a swap will generally result in capital gain or loss (which will be a long-term capital gain or loss if the Fund has been a party to the swap for more than one year). The cost of

 

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any payments made by the Fund on a swap transaction will be netted pro rata against both tax exempt and taxable gross income. With respect to certain types of swaps, a Fund may be required to currently recognize income or loss with respect to future payments on such swaps or may elect under certain circumstances to mark such swaps to market annually for tax purposes as ordinary income or loss.

 

Market Discount.  Any market discount recognized on a bond is taxable as ordinary income. A market discount bond is a bond acquired in the secondary market at a price below redemption value or adjusted issue price if issued with original issue discount (“OID”). To the extent a Fund does not include the market discount in income as it accrues, gain on the Fund’s disposition of such an obligation will be treated as ordinary income rather than capital gain to the extent of the accrued market discount.

 

[Non-U.S. Investments.  Income (including, in some cases, capital gains) received by certain of the Funds from investments in non-U.S. securities may be subject to withholding and other taxes imposed by non-U.S. countries. Tax conventions between certain countries and the U.S. may reduce or eliminate such taxes in some cases. If more than 50% of a Fund’s total assets at the close of its taxable year consists of securities of non-U.S. corporations, the Fund may elect for U.S. income tax purposes to treat non-U.S. income taxes paid by it as paid by its shareholders. A Fund may qualify for and make this election in some, but not necessarily all, of its taxable years. If a Fund were to make an election, shareholders of the Fund would be required to take into account an amount equal to their pro rata portions of such non-U.S. taxes in computing their taxable income and then treat an amount equal to those non-U.S. taxes as a U.S. federal income tax deduction or as a foreign tax credit against their U.S. federal income taxes. Shortly after any year for which it makes such an election, a Fund will report to its shareholders the amount per share of such non-U.S. income tax that must be included in each shareholder’s gross income and the amount which will be available for the deduction or credit. No deduction for non-U.S. taxes may be claimed by a shareholder who does not itemize deductions. Certain limitations will be imposed on the extent to which the credit (but not the deduction) for non-U.S. taxes may be claimed.

 

Under Section 988 of the Internal Revenue Code, gains or losses attributable to fluctuations in exchange rates between the time a Fund accrues income or receivables or expenses or other liabilities denominated in a non-U.S. currency and the time a Fund actually collects such income or pays such liabilities are generally treated as ordinary income or ordinary loss. In general, gains (and losses) realized on debt instruments will be treated as Section 988 gain (or loss) to the extent attributable to changes in exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and the currencies in which the instruments are denominated. Similarly, gain or losses on non-U.S. currency, non-U.S. currency forward contracts, certain non-U.S. currency options or futures contracts and the disposition of debt securities denominated in non-U.S. currency, to the extent attributable to fluctuations in exchange rates between the acquisition and disposition dates, are also treated as ordinary income or loss unless the Fund were to elect otherwise.]

 

Original Issue Discount.  OID on tax-exempt bonds is recognized over the term of the bond and is tax-exempt to the holder of the bond. Special U.S. federal income tax rules apply to inflation-indexed bonds. Generally, all stated interest on such bonds is taken into income by a Fund under its regular method of accounting for interest income. The amount of a positive inflation adjustment, which results in an increase in the inflation-adjusted principal amount of the bond, is treated as OID. The OID is included in a Fund’s gross income ratably during the period ending with the maturity of the bond, under the general OID inclusion rules. The amount of a Fund’s OID in a taxable year with respect to a bond will increase a Fund’s taxable income for such year without a corresponding receipt of cash, until the bond matures. As a result, a Fund may need to use other sources of cash to satisfy its distributions for such year. The amount of negative inflation adjustment, which results in a decrease in the inflation-adjusted principal amount of the bond, reduces the amount of interest (including stated, interest, OID, and market discount, if any) otherwise includible in a Fund’s income with respect to the bond for the taxable year.

 

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Reporting.  If a shareholder recognizes a loss with respect to a Fund’s shares of $2 million or more for an individual shareholder or $10 million or more for a corporate shareholder, the shareholder must file with the IRS a disclosure statement on IRS Form 8886. Direct shareholders of portfolio securities are in many cases exempted from this reporting requirement, but under current guidance, shareholders of a RIC are not exempted. The fact that a loss is reportable under these regulations does not affect the legal determination of whether the taxpayer’s treatment of the loss is proper. Shareholders should consult their tax advisors to determine the applicability of these regulations in light of their individual circumstances.

 

Other Taxes.  Dividends, distributions and redemption proceeds may also be subject to additional state, local and non-U.S. taxes depending on each shareholder’s particular situation.

 

Taxation of Non-U.S. Shareholders.  Dividends paid by a Fund to non-U.S. shareholders are generally subject to withholding tax at a 30% rate or a reduced rate specified by an applicable income tax treaty to the extent derived from investment income and short-term capital gains. Dividends paid by a Fund from net tax-exempt income or long-term capital gains are generally not subject to such withholding tax. In order to obtain a reduced rate of withholding, a non-U.S. shareholder will be required to provide an IRS Form W-8BEN or IRS Form W-8BEN-E certifying its entitlement to benefits under a treaty. The withholding tax does not apply to regular dividends paid to a non-U.S. shareholder who provides an IRS Form W-8ECI, certifying that the dividends are effectively connected with the non-U.S. shareholder’s conduct of a trade or business within the U.S. Instead, the effectively connected dividends will be subject to regular U.S. income tax as if the non-U.S. shareholder were a U.S. shareholder. A non-U.S. corporation receiving effectively connected dividends may also be subject to additional “branch profits tax” imposed at a rate of 30% (or lower treaty rate). A non-U.S. shareholder who fails to provide an IRS Form W-8BEN, IRS Form W-8BEN-E or other applicable form may be subject to backup withholding at the appropriate rate.

 

Properly-reported dividends are generally exempt from U.S. federal withholding tax where they (i) are paid in respect of a Fund’s “qualified net interest income” (generally, a Fund’s U.S. source interest income, other than certain contingent interest and interest from obligations of a corporation or partnership in which a Fund is at least a 10% shareholder or partner, reduced by expenses that are allocable to such income); or (ii) are paid in respect of a Fund’s “qualified short-term capital gains” (generally, the excess of a Fund’s net short-term capital gain over a Fund’s long-term capital loss for such taxable year). However, depending on its circumstances, a Fund may report all, some or none of its potentially eligible dividends as such qualified net interest income or as qualified short-term capital gains and/or treat such dividends, in whole or in part, as ineligible for this exemption from withholding. In order to qualify for this exemption from withholding, a non-U.S. shareholder will need to comply with applicable certification requirements relating to its non-U.S. status (including, in general, furnishing an IRS Form W-8BEN, IRS Form W-8BEN-E or substitute Form). In the case of shares held through an intermediary, the intermediary may withhold even if a Fund reports the payment as qualified net interest income or qualified short-term capital gain. Non-U.S. shareholders should contact their intermediaries with respect to the application of these rules to their accounts.

 

Special rules may apply to a foreign shareholder receiving a Fund distribution if at least 50% of the Fund's assets consist of interests in U.S. real property interests, including certain REITs and U.S. real property holding corporations (as defined in the Internal Revenue Code and Treasury regulations). Fund distributions that are attributable to gain from the disposition of a U.S. real property interest will be taxable as ordinary dividends and subject to withholding at a 30% or lower treaty rate if the foreign shareholder held no more than 5% of the Fund's shares at any time during the one-year period ending on the date of the distribution. If the foreign shareholder held at least 5% of the Fund's shares, the distribution would be treated as income effectively connected with a trade or business within the U.S. and the foreign

 

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shareholder would be subject to withholding tax at a rate of 21% and would generally be required to file a U.S. federal income tax return.

 

Similar consequences would generally apply to a foreign shareholder's gain on the sale of Fund shares unless the Fund is domestically controlled (meaning that more than 50% of the value of the Fund's shares is held by U.S. shareholders) or the foreign shareholder owns no more than 5% of the Fund's shares at any time during the five-year period ending on the date of sale. Finally, a domestically controlled Fund may be required to recognize a portion of its gain on the in-kind distribution of certain U.S. real property interests. Shareholders that are nonresident aliens or foreign entities are urged to consult their own tax advisors concerning the particular tax consequences to them of an investment in the Fund.

 

The rules laid out in the previous paragraph, other than the withholding rules, will apply notwithstanding the Fund’s participation in a wash sale transaction or its payment of a substitute dividend.

 

Shareholders that are nonresident aliens or foreign entities are urged to consult their own tax advisors concerning the particular tax consequences to them of an investment in a Fund.

 

Separately, a 30% withholding tax is currently imposed on U.S.-source dividends, interest and other income items paid to: (i) foreign financial institutions, including non-U.S. investment funds, unless they agree to collect and disclose to the IRS information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. account holders and (ii) certain other foreign entities, unless they certify certain information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. owners. To avoid withholding, foreign financial institutions will need to: (i) enter into agreements with the IRS that state that they will provide the IRS information including the names, addresses and taxpayer identification numbers of direct and indirect U.S. account holders; comply with due diligence procedures with respect to the identification of U.S. accounts; report to the IRS certain information with respect to U.S. accounts maintained; agree to withhold tax on certain payments made to non-compliant foreign financial institutions or to account holders who fail to provide the required information; and determine certain other information as to their account holders, or (ii) in the event that an applicable intergovernmental agreement and implementing legislation are adopted, provide local revenue authorities with similar account holder information. Other foreign entities will need to provide the name, address and taxpayer identification number of each substantial U.S. owner or provide certifications of no substantial U.S. ownership, unless certain exceptions apply.

 

Shares of a Fund held by a non-U.S. shareholder at death will be considered situated within the U.S. and subject to the U.S. estate tax.

 

The foregoing discussion is a summary of certain material U.S. federal income tax considerations only and is not intended as a substitute for careful tax planning. Purchasers of shares should consult their own tax advisors as to the tax consequences of investing in such shares, including consequences under state, local and non-U.S. tax laws. Finally, the foregoing discussion is based on applicable provisions of the Internal Revenue Code, regulations, judicial authority and administrative interpretations in effect on the date of this SAI. Changes in applicable authority could materially affect the conclusions discussed above, and such changes often occur.

 

Financial Statements

 

Each Fund's audited Financial Statements, including the Financial Highlights, will appear in the Trust’s Annual Report to Shareholders and the report therein of [], an independent registered public accounting firm. The applicable Annual Report to Shareholders, which contains the referenced audited financial statements, will be available upon request and without charge.

 

76

 

 

Miscellaneous Information

 

Counsel.  Ropes & Gray LLP, located at 3 Embarcadero Center, San Francisco, CA 94111, is counsel to the Trust.

 

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm.  [], located at [], serves as the Trust's independent registered public accounting firm, audits the Funds' financial statements, and may perform other services.

 

Shareholder Communications to the Board.  The Board has established a process for shareholders to communicate with the Board. Shareholders may contact the Board by mail. Correspondence should be addressed to [], c/o BondBloxx Investment Management LLC, []. Shareholder communications to the Board should include the following information: (i) the name and address of the shareholder; (ii) the number of shares owned by the shareholder; (iii) the Fund(s) of which the shareholder owns shares; and (iv) if these shares are owned indirectly through a broker, financial intermediary or other record owner, the name of the broker, financial intermediary or other record owner. All correspondence received as set forth above shall be reviewed by the Secretary of the Trust and reported to the Board.

 

Investors’ Rights.  Each Fund relies on the services of BIM and its other service providers, including the Distributor, administrator, custodian and transfer agent. Further information about the duties and roles of these service providers is set out in this SAI. Investors who acquire shares of a Fund are not parties to the relevant agreement with these service providers and do not have express contractual rights against the Fund or its service providers, except certain institutional investors that are Authorized Participants may have certain express contractual rights with respect to the Distributor under the terms of the relevant Authorized Participant Agreement. Investors may have certain legal rights under federal or state law against a Fund or its service providers. In the event that an investor considers that it may have a claim against a Fund, or against any service provider in connection with its investment in a Fund, such investor should consult its own legal advisor.

 

By contract, Authorized Participants irrevocably submit to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of any [New York State or U.S. federal court sitting in New York City] over any suit, action or proceeding arising out of or relating to the Authorized Participant Agreement. Jurisdiction over other claims, whether by investors or Authorized Participants, will turn on the facts of the particular case and the law of the jurisdiction in which the proceeding is brought.

 

Appendix A1 - BondBloxx ETFs Proxy Voting Policy

 

[To be provided by amendment.]

 

Appendix A2 –BondBloxx Proxy Voting Policies

 

[To be provided by amendment.]

 

77

 

 

Appendix B – Description of Fixed-Income Ratings

 

A rating is generally assigned to a fixed-income security at the time of issuance by a credit rating agency designated as a NRSRO by the SEC. While NRSROs may from time to time revise such ratings, they undertake no obligation to do so, and the ratings given to securities at issuance do not necessarily represent ratings which would be given to these securities on a particular subsequent date.

 

NRSROs may rate specific investments (e.g., bonds), issuers (e.g., corporations, governments and financial institutions) and/or programs (e.g., commercial paper programs). However, certain types of investments generally are not rated by NRSROs, such as certain government/sovereign obligations, US agency securities, commercial paper, time deposits at financial institutions, and derivative instruments such as credit default swaps. For these types of investments, as well as US Treasury securities (some of which are not rated), where a NRSRO has not rated the specific investment but has rated the investment’s issuer, program, financial institution or underlying reference asset, BIM may consider the investment to have the same NRSRO rating as its issuer, program, financial institution or underlying reference asset, as applicable. In the case of municipal securities, where one NRSRO provides multiple ratings for the same security (e.g., “underlying,” “insured” and/or “enhanced” ratings), BIM may consider the security to have the highest of the multiple ratings.

 

New issue securities (regardless of type) rarely are rated by a NRSRO at the time of their initial offering. Preliminary prospectuses or term sheets for new issue securities often include an expected rating for the security (as determined by the underwriter and/or issuer) or a NRSRO rating for the issuer of the security. If applicable, when deciding whether to purchase a new issue security that has not yet been rated by a NRSRO, BIM may attribute an expected rating to the security based on: (i) the expected rating of the security set forth in the preliminary prospectus or term sheet for the security; (ii) the NRSRO’s rating for the issuer of the security set forth in the preliminary prospectus or term sheet for the security; or (iii) with respect to asset-backed securities, the rating of a prior issuance having a similar structure or the same sponsor.

 

Where the investment objective of a Fund is to track the performance of an index that includes credit ratings eligibility criteria as part of its index methodology, a Fund may purchase any security within the index, such security having been determined by the index provider as meeting its credit ratings eligibility criteria. The credit ratings practices of an index provider may differ from BondBloxx’s practices, as described above. Further, a Fund may invest, directly or indirectly, in securities that are not rated by a rating agency or securities with a credit rating that differs from the credit rating specified in its index methodology in various circumstances, including where a security is downgraded but not yet removed from an index, following the removal of a security from an index prior to its sale by the Fund or as a result of a corporate action or restructuring affecting an issuer of a security held by a Fund.

 

Fixed-income securities which are unrated expose the investor to risks with respect to capacity to pay interest or repay principal which are similar to the risks of lower-rated speculative bonds. Evaluation of these securities is dependent on the investment adviser’s judgment, analysis and experience in the evaluation of such securities.

 

Investors should note that the assignment of a rating to a security by an NRSRO may not reflect the effect of recent developments on the issuer’s ability to make interest and principal payments or on the likelihood of default.

 

B-1

 

 

Securities deemed to be high yield are rated below Baa3 by Moody’s and below BBB- by S&P Global Ratings and Fitch.

 

The descriptions below relate to general long-term and short-term obligations of an issuer.

 

Moody’s Ratings

 

Long-Term Obligations

 

Aaa: Obligations rated Aaa are judged to be of the highest quality, subject to the lowest level of credit risk.

 

Aa: Obligations rated Aa are judged to be of high quality and are subject to very low credit risk.

 

A: Obligations rated A are judged to be upper-medium grade and are subject to low credit risk.

 

Baa: Obligations rated Baa are judged to be medium-grade and subject to moderate credit risk and as such may possess certain speculative characteristics.

 

Ba: Obligations rated Ba are judged to be speculative and are subject to substantial credit risk.

 

B: Obligations rated B are considered speculative and are subject to high credit risk.

 

Caa: Obligations rated Caa are judged to be speculative, of poor standing and are subject to very high credit risk.

 

Ca: Obligations rated Ca are highly speculative and are likely in, or very near, default, with some prospect of recovery of principal and interest.

 

C: Obligations rated C are the lowest rated and are typically in default, with little prospect for recovery of principal or interest.

 

Note: Moody's appends numerical modifiers 1, 2 and 3 in each generic rating classification from Aa through Caa. The modifier 1 indicates that the obligation ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and the modifier 3 indicates a ranking in the lower end of that generic rating category.

 

Absence of Rating: Where no rating has been assigned or where a rating has been withdrawn, it may be for reasons unrelated to the creditworthiness of the issue.

 

Should no rating be assigned, the reason may be one of the following:

 

1. An application was not received or accepted.

 

2. The issue or issuer belongs to a group of securities or entities that are not rated as a matter of policy.

 

3. There is a lack of essential data pertaining to the issue or issuer.

 

4. The issue was privately placed, in which case the rating is not published in Moody’s publications.

 

Withdrawal may occur if new and material circumstances arise, the effects of which preclude satisfactory analysis; if there is no longer available reasonable up-to-date data to permit a judgment to be formed; if a bond is called for redemption; or for other reasons.

 

Short-Term Obligations

 

Moody’s short-term debt ratings are opinions of the ability of issuers to honor short-term financial obligations, generally with an original maturity not exceeding thirteen months.

 

B-2

 

 

Moody's employs the following designations to indicate the relative repayment ability of rated issuers:

 

P-1: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-1 have a superior ability to repay short-term debt obligations.

 

P-2: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-2 have a strong ability to repay short-term debt obligations.

 

P-3: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-3 have an acceptable ability to repay short-term obligations.

 

NP: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Not Prime do not fall within any of the Prime rating categories.

 

US Municipal Short-Term Debt Obligations

 

There are three rating categories for short-term municipal obligations that are considered investment grade and are designated as Municipal Investment Grade (MIG). In addition, those short-term obligations that are of speculative quality are designated SG, or speculative grade. MIG ratings expire at the maturity of the obligation.

 

MIG 1: This designation denotes superior credit quality. Excellent protection is afforded by established cash flows, highly reliable liquidity support, or demonstrated broad-based access to the market for refinancing.

 

MIG 2: This designation denotes strong credit quality. Margins of protection are ample, although not as large as in the preceding group.

 

MIG 3: This designation denotes acceptable credit quality. Liquidity and cash-flow protection may be narrow, and market access for refinancing is likely to be less well-established.

 

SG: This designation denotes speculative-grade credit quality. Debt instruments in this category may lack sufficient margins of protection.

 

S&P Global Ratings

 

Long-Term Obligations

 

AAA: An obligation rated AAA has the highest rating assigned by S&P Global Ratings. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is extremely strong.

 

AA: An obligation rated AA differs from the highest-rated obligations only to a small degree. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment is very strong.

 

A: An obligation rated A is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher-rated categories. However, the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is still strong.

 

BBB: An obligation rated BBB exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

 

BB; B; CCC; CC; and C: Obligations rated BB, B, CCC, CC, and C are regarded as having significant speculative characteristics. BB indicates the least degree of speculation and C the highest. While such

 

B-3

 

 

obligations will likely have some quality and protective characteristics, these may be outweighed by large uncertainties or major exposures to adverse conditions.

 

BB: An obligation rated BB is less vulnerable to nonpayment than other speculative issues. However, it faces major ongoing uncertainties or exposure to adverse business, financial, or economic conditions which could lead to the obligor’s inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

 

B: An obligation rated B is more vulnerable to nonpayment than obligations rated BB, but the obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. Adverse business, financial, or economic conditions will likely impair the obligor’s capacity or willingness to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

 

CCC: An obligation rated CCC is currently vulnerable to nonpayment, and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. In the event of adverse business, financial, or economic conditions, the obligor is not likely to have the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

 

CC: An obligation rated CC is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment. The CC rating is used when a default has not yet occurred, but S&P Global Ratings expects default to be a virtual certainty, regardless of the anticipated time to default.

 

C: An obligation rated C is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment, and the obligation is expected to have lower relative seniority or lower ultimate recovery compared to obligations that are rated higher.

 

D: An obligation rated D is in default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, the D rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless S&P Global Ratings believes that such payments will be made within five business days in the absence of a stated grace period or within the earlier of the stated grace period or 30 calendar days. The D rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions. An obligation's rating is lowered to D if it is subject to a distressed exchange offer.

 

NR: NR indicates no rating has been requested, or that there is insufficient information on which to base a rating, or that S&P Global Ratings does not rate a particular obligation as a matter of policy.

 

Note: The ratings from AA to CCC may be modified by the addition of a plus (+) or minus (-) sign to show relative standing within the major rating categories.

 

Short-Term Obligations

 

A-1: A short-term obligation rated A-1 is rated in the highest category by S&P Global Ratings. The obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is strong. Within this category, certain obligations are designated with a plus sign (+). This indicates that the obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on these obligations is extremely strong.

 

A-2: A short-term obligation rated A-2 is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher rating categories. However, the obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is satisfactory.

 

A-3: A short-term obligation rated A-3 exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

 

B-4

 

 

B: A short-term obligation rated B is regarded as vulnerable and has significant speculative characteristics. The obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitments; however, it faces major ongoing uncertainties which could lead to the obligor's inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitments.

 

C: A short-term obligation rated C is currently vulnerable to nonpayment and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

 

D: A short-term obligation rated D is in default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, the D rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless S&P Global Ratings believes that such payments will be made within any stated grace period. However, any stated grace period longer than five business days will be treated as five business days. The D rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of a similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions. An obligation's rating is lowered to D if it is subject to a distressed exchange offer.

 

Municipal Short-Term Obligations

 

An S&P U.S. municipal note rating reflects S&P Global Ratings opinion about the liquidity factors and market access risks unique to the notes. Notes due in three years or less will likely receive a note rating. Notes with an original maturity of more than three years will most likely receive a long-term debt rating.

 

SP-1: Strong capacity to pay principal and interest. An issue determined to possess a very strong capacity to pay debt service is given a plus (+) designation.

 

SP-2: Satisfactory capacity to pay principal and interest, with some vulnerability to adverse financial and economic changes over the term of the notes.

 

SP-3: Speculative capacity to pay principal and interest.

 

Fitch Ratings

 

Long-Term Obligations

 

AAA: Highest credit quality. AAA ratings denote the lowest expectation of credit risk. They are assigned only in cases of exceptionally strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is highly unlikely to be adversely affected by foreseeable events.

 

AA: Very high credit quality. AA ratings denote expectations of very low credit risk. They indicate very strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is not significantly vulnerable to foreseeable events.

 

A: High credit quality. A ratings denote expectations of low credit risk. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered strong. This capacity may, nevertheless, be more vulnerable to adverse business or economic conditions than is the case for higher ratings.

 

BBB: Good credit quality. BBB ratings indicate that expectations of credit risk are currently low. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered adequate but adverse business or economic conditions are more likely to impair this capacity.

 

BB: Speculative. BB ratings indicate an elevated vulnerability to credit risk, particularly in the event of adverse changes in business or economic conditions over time; however, business or financial alternatives may be available to allow financial commitments to be met.

 

B-5

 

 

B: Highly speculative. B ratings indicate that material credit risk is present.

 

CCC: Substantial credit risk. CCC ratings indicate that substantial credit risk is present.

 

CC: Very high levels of credit risk. CC ratings indicate very high levels of credit risk.

 

C: Exceptionally high levels of credit risk. C indicates exceptionally high levels of credit risk.

 

Defaulted obligations typically are not assigned RD or D ratings, but are instead rated in the B to C rating categories, depending upon their recovery prospects and other relevant characteristics. This approach better aligns obligations that have comparable overall expected loss but varying vulnerability to default and loss.

 

Note: The modifiers “+” or “-” may be appended to a rating to denote relative status within major rating categories. Such suffixes are not added to the AAA obligation rating category, or to corporate finance obligation ratings in the categories below CCC.

 

The subscript 'emr' is appended to a rating to denote embedded market risk which is beyond the scope of the rating. The designation is intended to make clear that the rating solely addresses the counterparty risk of the issuing bank. It is not meant to indicate any limitation in the analysis of the counterparty risk, which in all other respects follows published Fitch criteria for analyzing the issuing financial institution. Fitch does not rate these instruments where the principal is to any degree subject to market risk.

 

Short-Term Obligations (Corporate and Public Finance)

 

A short-term issuer or obligation rating is based in all cases on the short-term vulnerability to default of the rated entity or security stream and relates to the capacity to meet financial obligations in accordance with the documentation governing the relevant obligation. Short-Term Ratings are assigned to obligations whose initial maturity is viewed as “short-term” based on market convention. Typically, this means up to 13 months for corporate, sovereign, and structured obligations, and up to 36 months for obligations in U.S. public finance markets.

 

F1: Highest short-term credit quality. Indicates the strongest intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments; may have an added “+” to denote any exceptionally strong credit feature.

 

F2: Good short-term credit quality. Good intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments.

 

F3: Fair short-term credit quality. The intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments is adequate.

 

B: Speculative short-term credit quality. Minimal capacity for timely payment of financial commitments, plus heightened vulnerability to near term adverse changes in financial and economic conditions.

 

C: High short-term default risk. Default is a real possibility.

 

RD: Restricted default. Indicates an entity that has defaulted on one or more of its financial commitments, although it continues to meet other financial obligations. Typically applicable to entity ratings only.

 

D: Default. Indicates a broad-based default event for an entity, or the default of a short-term obligation.

 

B-6

 

BondBloxx ETF Trust

 

PART C. OTHER INFORMATION

 

ITEM 28.EXHIBITS

 

(a)(1)Certificate of Trust of BondBloxx ETF Trust (the “Trust” or the “Registrant”) is filed herein as Exhibit (a)(1).

 

(2)Agreement and Declaration of Trust of the Trust is filed herein as Exhibit (a)(2).

 

(b)Bylaws

 

(1)Bylaws of the Registrant is filed herein as Exhibit (b)(1).

 

(c)Instruments Defining Rights of Security Holders – To be provided by amendment.

 

(d)Management Contracts

 

(1)Investment Management Agreement between the Trust and BondBloxx Investment Management LLC (“BIM”) on behalf of each Fund, to be filed by Amendment.

 

(e)Underwriting Contracts

 

(1)Distribution Agreement, to be filed by amendment.

 

(f)Bonus or Profit Sharing Contracts, to be filed by amendment.

 

(g)Custodian Agreements

 

(1)Custodian Agreement, to be filed by amendment.

 

(h)Other Material Contracts

 

(1)Administration Agreement, to be filed by amendment.

 

(i)Legal Opinions

 

(1)Opinion & Consent of Counsel, to be filed by amendment.

 

(j)Other Opinions

 

(1)Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm, to be filed by amendment.

 

(k)Not applicable.

 

(l)Subscription Agreement for Initial Capital, to be filed by amendment.

 

(m)Rule 12b-1 Plan

 

(1)Rule 12b-1 Plan, to be filed by amendment.

 

 

 

 

(n)Not applicable.
  
(o)Reserved
  
(p)Codes of Ethics, to be filed by amendment.
  
(q)Power of attorney, to be filed by amendment.
  
ITEM 29.PERSONS CONTROLLED BY OR UNDER COMMON CONTROL WITH THE FUND

 

To be provided by amendment.

 

ITEM 30.INDEMNIFICATION

 

To be provided by amendment.

 

ITEM 31.BUSINESS AND OTHER CONNECTIONS OF THE INVESTMENT ADVISER

 

To be provided by amendment.

 

ITEM 32.PRINCIPAL UNDERWRITERS
  
(a)To be provided by amendment.
  
(b)To be provided by amendment.
  
(c)To be provided by amendment.

 

ITEM 33.LOCATION OF ACCOUNTS AND RECORDS

 

Each account, book, or other document required to be maintained by Registrant pursuant to Section 31(a) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 and Rules 31a-1 to 31a-3 thereunder are maintained as follows:

 

To be provided by amendment.

 

ITEM 34.MANAGEMENT SERVICES

 

To be provided by amendment.

 

ITEM 35.UNDERTAKINGS

 

Not applicable.

 

 

 

 

SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, the Registrant has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereto duly authorized, in the City of Mill Valley and the State of California as of the 20th day of August, 2021.

 

 BondBloxx ETF Trust

 

By:/s/ Elya Schwartzman
  Elya Schwartzman
  Initial Trustee

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities as indicated as of the 20th day of August, 2021.

 

Signature  Title
    
/s/ Leland Clemons     
Leland Clemons  (Principal Executive Officer)
    
/s/ Elya Schwartzman     
Elya Schwartzman  (Principal Financial Officer & Initial Trustee)

 

 

 

 

  INDEX TO EXHIBITS
   
Exhibit No. Title of Exhibit
   
   
(a)(1) Certificate of Trust of BondBloxx ETF Trust.
   
(a)(2) Agreement and Declaration of Trust of BondBloxx ETF Trust.
   
(b)(1) Bylaws of BondBloxx ETF Trust.