497K 1 d839871d497k.htm GMO TRUST GMO TRUST
GMO EMERGING COUNTRY DEBT SHARES FUND
Summary Prospectus
June 30, 2024
 
Share Class:
Class R6
Class I
Ticker:
GMAFX
GMAJX
Before you invest, you may want to review the Fund’s prospectus, which contains more information about the Fund and its risks. You can find the Fund’s prospectus, statement of additional information and other information about the Fund online at https://www.gmo.com/north-america/investment-capabilities/mutual-funds/. You can also get this information at no cost by calling 1-617-346-7646, by sending an email request to SHS@gmo.com, or by contacting your financial intermediary. The Fund’s prospectus and statement of additional information, each dated June 30, 2024, each as may be revised and/or supplemented from time to time, are incorporated by reference into this summary prospectus.
Investment objective
Total return in excess of that of its benchmark, the J.P. Morgan EMBI Global Diversified.
Fees and expenses
The tables below describe the fees and expenses that you may bear for each class of shares if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund. 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.
Shareholder fees 
 
Fees paid directly
from your investment
Fees paid
by the Fund
Purchase premium (as a percentage of amount invested)
0.00%
0.75%1
Redemption fee (as a percentage of amount redeemed)
0.00%
0.75%1
Annual Fund operating expenses2
(expenses that you bear each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) 
 
Class R6
Class I
Management fee
0.50%3
0.50%3
Other expenses
0.41%
0.51%4
Acquired fund fees and expenses (underlying fund expenses)
0.58%5
0.58%5
Total annual fund operating expenses
1.49%
1.59%
Expense reimbursement/waiver
(0.89%)3
(0.89%)3,4
Total annual fund operating expenses after expense reimbursement/waiver
(Fund and underlying fund expenses)
0.60%
0.70%
1 These amounts are paid to and retained by GMO Emerging Country Debt Fund (“ECDF”), the underlying fund in which the Fund invests, to help offset estimated portfolio transaction and other related costs. The purchase premiums and redemption fees paid by the Fund to ECDF are indirectly borne pro rata by each Fund shareholder in connection with the Fund’s investments in, and redemptions from, ECDF (including investments or redemptions made in connection with another Fund shareholder’s purchase or redemption of Fund shares).
2 The amounts represent an annualized estimate of the Fund’s operating expenses for its initial fiscal year.
3 Includes both management fee of 0.35% and class-specific shareholder service fee, if any, for each class of shares. For additional information about the shareholder service fee applicable to each class of shares of the Fund, please see the table included in the section of the Prospectus entitled “Multiple Classes and Eligibility.” Grantham, Mayo, Van Otterloo & Co. LLC (“GMO”) has contractually agreed to reimburse the Fund for the portion of its “Specified Operating Expenses” (as defined below) that exceeds 0.02% of the Fund’s average daily net assets. “Specified Operating Expenses” means only the following expenses: audit expenses, fund accounting expenses, pricing service expenses, expenses of non-investment related tax services, transfer agency expenses (excluding, in the case of Class I shares, any amounts paid for sub-transfer agency, recordkeeping and other administrative services provided by financial intermediaries for the benefit of Class I shareholders), expenses of non-investment related legal services provided to the Fund by or at the direction of GMO, organizational and start-up expenses, federal securities law filing expenses, printing expenses, state and federal registration fees and custody expenses. GMO also has contractually agreed to waive or reduce the Fund’s management fees and shareholder service fees to the extent necessary to offset the management fees and shareholder service fees paid to GMO that are directly or indirectly borne by the Fund or a class of shares of the Fund as a result of the Fund’s direct or indirect investments in other series of GMO Trust (“GMO Funds”). Management fees and shareholder service fees will not be waived below zero. These reimbursements and waivers will continue through at least June 30, 2025 and may not be terminated prior to this date without the action or consent of the Trust’s Board of Trustees.
4  Includes estimate of payments for sub-transfer agency, recordkeeping and other administrative services for Class I’s initial fiscal year. GMO has contractually agreed to waive its fees with respect to and/or reimburse Class I shares to the extent that amounts paid by the Fund out of the net assets attributable to Class I shares for sub-transfer agency, recordkeeping and other administrative services provided by financial intermediaries for the benefit of Class I shareholders exceed 0.15% of the average daily net assets attributable to Class I shares. This reimbursement will continue through at least June 30, 2025 and may not be terminated prior to this date without the action or consent of the Trust’s Board of Trustees.
5 Consists of approximately 0.54% in underlying fund fees and expenses and 0.04% in interest expense incurred by underlying funds.
GMO EMERGING COUNTRY DEBT SHARES FUND
Example
This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same as those shown in the table. The one year amounts shown reflect the expense reimbursement and waiver noted in the expense table. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be: 
 
If you sell your shares
If you do not sell your shares
 
 1 Year 
 3 Years 
 1 Year 
 3 Years 
Class R6
$214
$539
$136
$456
Class I
$224
$569
$146
$486
Portfolio turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities. A higher portfolio turnover rate may result in higher transaction costs and, for holders of Fund shares subject to U.S. taxes, higher income taxes. These transaction costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund had not commenced operations as of the fiscal year ended February 29, 2024, the Fund has no reportable portfolio turnover rate.
Principal investment strategies
The Fund invests substantially all of its assets in Class III shares of Emerging Country Debt Fund (“ECDF”). ECDF invests in securities and other instruments. The Fund’s investment objective and principal investment strategies are substantially similar to those of ECDF. Except as otherwise indicated, references to the Fund may also refer to ECDF, and references to actions undertaken or investments held by the Fund may also refer to those by ECDF. GMO serves as investment adviser to both the Fund and ECDF.
The Fund invests primarily in debt of emerging country sovereign and quasi-sovereign issuers. “Sovereign” refers to a government and “quasi-sovereign” refers to a governmental agency, political subdivision or other instrumentality or issuer that is majority owned, directly or indirectly, or whose obligations are guaranteed, by a government. Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests directly and indirectly (e.g., through other GMO Funds or derivatives) at least 80% of its assets in debt investments tied economically to emerging countries (see “Name Policies”). In general, the Fund considers “emerging countries” to be countries whose securities are included in the Fund’s benchmark or countries that have similar national domestic products or default histories to those of countries whose securities are included in the Fund’s benchmark. The Fund’s performance is likely to be more volatile than that of its benchmark.
The Fund typically gains its investment exposure by purchasing debt investments or by investing in derivatives, typically credit default swaps. The Fund may invest in debt investments of all credit qualities, including securities that are in default, and may invest in corporate bonds. (The debt investments in which the Fund invests includes below investment grade debt investments, which are commonly referred to as “high yield” or “junk bonds,” although these terms are not generally used to refer to emerging country debt securities.) The Fund invests in both non-local currency denominated debt (“external debt”) and, to a lesser extent, local currency denominated debt. The external debt investments in which the Fund invests are usually denominated in U.S. dollars, Euros, Japanese yen, Swiss francs, or British pounds sterling. After hedging, U.S. dollars typically represent at least 75% of the Fund’s currency exposures. The Fund typically invests in less liquid debt investments with the intention of holding them for an extended period of time.
When constructing the Fund’s portfolio, GMO considers risk at both the portfolio and individual security level and generally takes into account, among other factors, interest rate duration, credit spread duration, liquidity, transaction costs and default scenarios as well as the idiosyncratic risk of each instrument. When making investment decisions, GMO typically relies more heavily on its assessment of the risk-reward characteristics of individual investments in a given country than on its outlook for that particular country. GMO uses fundamental analytical techniques as the basis for its analysis of both individual investments and country outlook. In performing its analysis with respect to country outlook, GMO typically considers a country’s economic structure, fiscal sustainability, external liquidity, and ESG (environmental, social, and governance) criteria. The factors GMO considers and investment methods GMO uses can change over time.
In seeking to achieve the Fund’s investment objective, GMO typically invests a portion of the Fund’s assets in over-the-counter (OTC) and exchange-traded derivatives, including options, swap contracts (including interest rate swaps, total return swaps and credit default swaps), forward currency contracts (including forward contracts on currencies of developed markets), and reverse repurchase agreements. The Fund is not limited in its use of derivatives or in the total notional value of its derivative positions. Leverage is not a principal component of the Fund’s investment strategy. However, because of its derivative positions, the Fund may at times have gross investment exposure in excess of its net assets (i.e., the Fund may be leveraged) and, therefore may be subject to a higher risk of loss during those times than if the Fund were not leveraged. The Fund’s performance can depend substantially on the performance of assets or indices underlying its derivatives even though it does not own those assets or indices.
The Fund also may invest in U.S. Treasury Fund, in money market funds unaffiliated with GMO, and directly in the types of investments typically held by money market funds.
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GMO EMERGING COUNTRY DEBT SHARES FUND
GMO normally seeks to maintain an interest rate duration for the Fund that is similar to that of its benchmark (approximately 6.5 years as of May 31, 2024). For an additional discussion of duration, see “Additional Information About the Funds’ Investment Strategies, Risks, and Expenses — Bond Funds — Duration.”
Principal risks of investing in the Fund
The value of the Fund’s shares changes with the value of the Fund’s investments. Many factors can affect this value, and you may lose money by investing in the Fund. Because the Fund invests substantially all of its assets in Class III shares of ECDF, the most significant risks of investing in the Fund are the risks to which the Fund is exposed through ECDF, which include those outlined in the following brief summary of principal risks. In addition to the risks to which the Fund is exposed through its investment in ECDF, the Fund is subject to the risk that cash flows into or out of the Fund will cause its performance to be worse than the performance of ECDF, including as a result of the transaction fees associated with its purchases and redemptions of shares of ECDF. For a more complete discussion of these risks, see “Additional Information about the Funds’ Investment Strategies, Risks, and Expenses” and “Description of Principal Risks.”
●
Credit Risk – The Fund runs the risk that the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income investment (including a sovereign or quasi-sovereign debt issuer) or the obligor of an obligation underlying an asset-backed security will be unable or unwilling to satisfy its obligation to pay principal and interest or otherwise to honor its obligations in a timely manner or at all. The market price of a fixed income investment will normally decline as a result of the failure of an issuer, guarantor, or obligor to meet its payment obligations or in anticipation of such a failure. Below investment grade investments have speculative characteristics, and negative changes in economic conditions or other circumstances are more likely to impair the ability of issuers of those investments to make principal and interest payments than issuers of investment grade investments. In addition, investments in emerging country sovereign or quasi-sovereign debt are subject to a heightened risk that the issuer responsible for repayment of the debt may be unable or unwilling to pay interest and repay principal when due, and the Fund may lack recourse against the issuer in the event of a default. Investments in quasi-sovereign debt also are subject to the risk that the issuer will default independently of its sovereign. Investments in distressed or defaulted or other low quality debt investments generally are considered speculative and are subject to substantial risks not normally associated with investments in higher quality securities, including adverse business, financial or economic conditions that lead to their issuers’ payment defaults and insolvency proceedings. In particular, distressed or defaulted obligations might be repaid, if at all, only after lengthy workout or bankruptcy proceedings during which the issuer might not make any interest or other payments, and the Fund may incur additional expenses in its effort to be repaid. If GMO’s assessment of the eventual recovery value of a distressed or defaulted debt investment proves incorrect, the Fund may lose a substantial portion or all of its original investment or may be required to accept cash or instruments worth less than its original investment.
●
Market Risk – Fixed Income – The market price of a fixed income investment can decline due to market-related factors, including rising interest or inflation rates and widening credit spreads, or decreased liquidity due, for example, to market uncertainty about the value of a fixed income investment (or class of fixed income investments). In addition, the market prices of emerging country sovereign and quasi-sovereign debt investments can decline due to uncertainty about their credit quality and the reliability of their payment streams.
●
Illiquidity Risk – Low trading volume, lack of a market maker, large position size, or legal restrictions increase the risk that the Fund or an underlying fund is limited or prevented from selling particular securities or closing derivative positions at desirable prices at a particular time or at all.
●
Derivatives and Short Sales Risk – The use of derivatives involves the risk that their value may not change as expected relative to changes in the value of the underlying assets, pools of assets, rates, currencies or indices. Derivatives also present other risks, including market risk, illiquidity risk, currency risk, credit risk, leveraging risk, commodities risk and counterparty risk. The market price of an option is affected by many factors, including changes in the market prices or dividend rates of underlying securities (or in the case of indices, the securities in such indices); the time remaining before expiration; changes in interest rates or exchange rates; and changes in the actual or perceived volatility of the relevant index or underlying securities. The Fund typically creates short investment exposure by selling securities short or by taking a derivative position in which the value of the derivative moves in the opposite direction from the price of an underlying asset, pool of assets, rate, currency or index. Specifically, the net asset value of the Fund’s shares will be adversely affected if the equities or other assets that are the subject of the Fund’s short exposures appreciate in value. The risk of loss associated with derivatives that provide short investment exposure and short sales of securities is theoretically unlimited.
●
Counterparty Risk – The Fund runs the risk that the counterparty to a derivatives contract or a clearing member used by the Fund to hold a cleared derivatives contract is unable or unwilling to make timely settlement payments, return the Fund’s collateral or otherwise honor its obligations.
●
Market Disruption and Geopolitical Risk – Geopolitical and other events (e.g., wars, pandemics, sanctions, terrorism) often disrupt securities markets and adversely affect the general economy or particular economies and markets. Those events, as well as other changes in non-U.S. and U.S. economic and political conditions, could exacerbate other risks or otherwise reduce the value of the Fund’s investments.
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GMO EMERGING COUNTRY DEBT SHARES FUND
●
Non-U.S. Investment Risk – The market prices of many non-U.S. securities fluctuate more than those of U.S. securities. Many non-U.S. securities markets are less stable, smaller, less liquid, and less regulated than U.S. securities markets, and the cost of trading in those markets often is higher than in U.S. securities markets. In addition, non-U.S. securities issuers often are not subject to as much regulation as U.S. issuers, and the reporting, recordkeeping, accounting, custody, and auditing standards to which those issuers are subject often are not as rigorous as U.S. standards. In addition, the Fund is subject to taxation by countries other than the United States, including potentially on a retroactive basis, on (i) capital gains it realizes or dividends, interest, or other amounts it realizes or accrues in respect of non-U.S. investments; (ii) transactions in those investments; and (iii) repatriation of proceeds generated from the sale or other disposition of those investments. Also, the Fund needs a license to invest directly in securities traded in many non-U.S. securities markets, and the Fund is subject to the risk that its license is terminated or suspended. In some non-U.S. securities markets, prevailing custody and trade settlement practices (e.g., the requirement to pay for securities prior to receipt) expose the Fund to credit and other risks. Further, adverse changes in investment regulations, capital requirements or exchange controls could adversely affect the value of the Fund’s investments. The risks above (such as substantial price fluctuations and market instability, illiquidity and lack of regulation) and other risks (e.g., nationalization, expropriation or other confiscation of assets of non-U.S. issuers, difficulties enforcing legal judgments or contractual rights and geopolitical risks) tend to be higher for investments in the securities of issuers tied economically to emerging countries. The economies of emerging countries often depend predominantly on only a few industries or commodities and often are more volatile than the economies of developed countries.
●
Large Shareholder Risk – To the extent that a large number of shares of the Fund is held by a single shareholder (e.g., an institutional investor or another GMO Fund) or a group of shareholders with a common investment strategy (e.g., GMO asset allocation accounts), the Fund is subject to the risk that a redemption by that shareholder or group will require the Fund to sell investments at disadvantageous prices, disrupt the Fund’s operations, or force the Fund’s liquidation.
●
Currency Risk – Fluctuations in exchange rates can adversely affect the market value of the Fund’s foreign currency holdings and investments denominated in foreign currencies.
●
Focused Investment Risk – Investments in countries, regions, asset classes, sectors, industries, currencies, or issuers that are subject to the same or similar risk factors and investments whose market prices are closely correlated are subject to higher overall risk than investments that are more diversified or whose market prices are not as closely correlated.
●
Management and Operational Risk – The Fund runs the risk that GMO’s investment techniques will fail to produce intended results. The Fund also runs the risk that GMO’s assessment of an investment, including a security’s fundamental fair (or intrinsic) value, is wrong or that deficiencies in GMO’s or another service provider’s internal systems or controls will cause losses for the Fund or impair Fund operations.
●
Fund of Funds Risk – The Fund is indirectly exposed to all of the risks of an investment in the underlying funds in which it invests, including the risk that those underlying funds will not perform as expected.
●
Leveraging Risk – The use of derivatives, short sales and securities lending can create leverage. Leverage increases the Fund’s losses when the value of its investments (including derivatives) declines. In addition, the Fund’s portfolio will be leveraged if it exercises its right to delay payment on a redemption and the value of the Fund’s assets declines between the time a redemption request is treated as being received by the Fund and the time the Fund liquidates assets to fund that redemption.
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GMO EMERGING COUNTRY DEBT SHARES FUND
Performance
The bar chart and table below provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s annual total returns from year to year for the periods indicated and by comparing the Fund’s average annual total returns for different calendar periods with those of a composite index computed by GMO that tracks historical changes in ECDF’s benchmark over time (which has always been comprised of broad-based indices). As of the date of this Prospectus, the Fund had not commenced operations. Returns shown are those of ECDF (Class III shares), adjusted to reflect the gross expenses (on a percentage basis) that are expected to be borne by shareholders of each class of shares of the Fund, as reflected in the Annual Fund operating expenses table. The impact of ECDF’s purchase premiums and redemption fees are not reflected in the bar chart, but are reflected in the table; as a result, the returns in the table are lower than the returns in the bar chart. Returns in the table reflect the impact of ECDF’s current purchase premiums and redemption fees. After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on your tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns shown are not relevant if you are tax-exempt or if you hold your Fund shares through tax-advantaged arrangements (such as a 401(k) plan or individual retirement account). After-tax returns are shown for Class I shares only; after-tax returns for other classes will vary. Updated performance information for the Fund and ECDF is or will be (as applicable) available at www.gmo.com. Past performance (before and after taxes) is not an indication of future performance.
Annual Total Returns/Class I Shares
Years Ending December 31
  
Highest Quarter:
12.51%
2Q 2020
Lowest Quarter:
-14.50%
1Q 2020
Year-to-Date:
5.60%
As of
3/31/2024
Average Annual Total Returns
Periods Ending December 31, 2023 
 
1 Year
5 Years
10 Years
Incept.
Class I
 
 
 
4/19/19941
Return Before Taxes
15.75%
3.13%
4.02%
11.77%
Return After Taxes on
Distributions
11.16%
-0.80%
0.34%
6.80%
Return After Taxes on
Distributions and Sale of Fund
Shares
9.23%
0.85%
1.51%
7.23%
J.P. Morgan EMBI Global
Diversified +2 (Composite index)
(Fund benchmark) (reflects no
deduction for fees, expenses, or
taxes)
11.09%
1.63%
2.90%
8.27%
Class R6
 
 
 
4/19/19941
Return Before Taxes
15.86%
3.23%
4.12%
11.88%
J.P. Morgan EMBI Global
Diversified +2 (Composite index)
(Fund benchmark) (reflects no
deduction for fees, expenses, or
taxes)
11.09%
1.63%
2.90%
8.27%
1 Inception date for ECDF (Class III shares).
2 Effective March 1, 2020, the Fund’s benchmark is the J.P. Morgan EMBI Global Diversified. In order to present a performance comparison that tracks changes in the Fund’s benchmark over time, the J.P. Morgan EMBI Global Diversified + (Composite index) is shown in the table above and reflects the performance of (i) the J.P. Morgan EMBI through 8/31/1995, (ii) the J.P. Morgan EMBI Plus through 12/31/1999, (iii) the J.P. Morgan EMBI Global through 2/29/2020 and (iv) the J.P. Morgan EMBI Global Diversified thereafter.
Management of the Fund
Investment Adviser: Grantham, Mayo, Van Otterloo & Co. LLC
Investment Team and Senior Member of GMO primarily responsible for portfolio management of the Fund: 
Investment Team
Senior Member (Length of Service with Fund)
Title
Emerging Country
Debt
Tina Vandersteel (since the Fund’s inception in 2020)
Head, Emerging Country Debt Team, GMO.
Purchase and sale of Fund shares
Under ordinary circumstances, you may purchase the Fund’s shares on days when both (i) the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) is open for business and (ii) the U.S. bond markets are also open for business. Purchase orders should be submitted directly to GMO Trust (the “Trust”) or through a broker or agent authorized to accept purchase and redemption orders on the Funds’ behalf. Investors who have entered into agreements with the Trust may purchase shares of the Fund through the National Securities Clearing Corporation (“NSCC”).
Class R6 shares and Class I shares are available for purchase by (i) eligible retirement plans (e.g., 401(k) plans, 457 plans, employer-sponsored 403(b) plans, profit-sharing and money purchase pension plans, defined benefit plans and non-qualified deferred compensation plans), (ii) section 529 plans, and (iii) other investors whose accounts are maintained by the Fund through third-party platforms or intermediaries. Purchases of Class R6 shares or Class I shares are not subject to any minimum dollar amount.
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GMO EMERGING COUNTRY DEBT SHARES FUND
Fund shares are redeemable. Under ordinary circumstances, you may redeem the Fund’s shares on days when both (i) the NYSE is open for business and (ii) the U.S. bond markets are also open for business. Redemption orders should be submitted directly to the Trust unless the Fund shares to be redeemed were purchased through a broker or agent, in which case the redemption order should be submitted to that broker or agent. Investors who have entered into agreements with the Trust may redeem shares of the Fund through the NSCC. For instructions on redeeming shares directly, call the Trust at 1-617-346-7646 or send an email to SHS@GMO.com.
U.S. tax information
The Fund intends to elect to be treated, and intends to qualify and be treated each year, as a regulated investment company (a “RIC”) under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”) for U.S. federal income tax purposes and to distribute net investment income and net realized capital gains, if any, to shareholders. These distributions are taxable as ordinary income or capital gain to U.S. shareholders that are not exempt from U.S. income tax or that are not investing through a tax-advantaged account. U.S. shareholders who are investing through a tax-advantaged account may be taxed upon withdrawals from that account.
Financial intermediary compensation
The Fund makes payments out of the net assets attributable to Class I shares for sub-transfer agency, recordkeeping and other administrative services provided by financial intermediaries for the benefit of Class I shareholders. In addition, GMO pays brokers, agents, or other financial intermediaries for transfer agency and related services. These payments create a conflict of interest by creating a financial incentive for the broker, agent or other financial intermediary and salesperson to recommend the purchase of Fund shares over another investment. GMO also makes payments to financial intermediaries for the purchase of Fund shares, which creates a similar conflict of interest. Ask your salesperson or consult your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
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