Filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on September 25, 2025
1933 Act Registration File No. 333-201530
1940 Act File No. 811-23024
U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM N-1A
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REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
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Pre-Effective Amendment No.
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Post-Effective Amendment No.
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137
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and/or
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REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940
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Amendment No.
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139
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(Check appropriate box or boxes.)
PACER FUNDS TRUST
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)
500 Chesterfield Parkway,
Malvern, Pennsylvania 19355
(Address of Principal Executive Offices, including Zip Code)
Registrant's Telephone Number, including Area Code: (610) 644-8100
Joe M. Thomson, Chairman and President
Pacer Funds Trust
500 Chesterfield Parkway,
Malvern, Pennsylvania 19355
(Name and Address of Agent for Service)
With Copies to:
John F. Ramirez
Practus, LLP
11300 Tomahawk Creek Parkway, Suite 310
Leawood, Kansas 66211
It is proposed that this filing will become effective (check appropriate box)
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immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b)
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on [ ] pursuant to paragraph (b)
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60 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)
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on (date) pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)
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75 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(2)
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on (date) pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of Rule 485
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If appropriate, check the following box:
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[ ]
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This post-effective amendment designates a new effective date for a previously filed post-effective amendment.
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Subject to completion, dated September 25, 2025
The information herein 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 is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction in which the offer or sale is not permitted.
PROSPECTUS
[ ], 2025
Pacer US Export Leaders ETF (PEXL)
Pacer Data & Infrastructure Real Estate ETF (SRVR)
listed on the NYSE Arca, Inc.
These securities have not been approved or disapproved by the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") nor has the SEC passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this Prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
The Funds offered through this Prospectus are not money market funds and do not seek to maintain a fixed or stable NAV of $1.00 per share.
INVESTMENT PRODUCTS: ¨ ARE NOT FDIC INSURED ¨ MAY LOSE VALUE ¨ ARE NOT BANK GUARANTEED
Table of Contents
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SUMMARY SECTION
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2
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Pacer US Export Leaders ETF
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3
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Pacer Data & Infrastructure Real Estate ETF
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8
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUNDS
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15
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ADDITIONAL NON-PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGY INFORMATION
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23
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ADDITIONAL NON-PRINCIPAL RISK INFORMATION
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23
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PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS INFORMATION
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24
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MANAGEMENT
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON BUYING AND SELLING FUND SHARES
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ADDITIONAL TAX INFORMATION
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27
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DISTRIBUTION
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29
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PREMIUM/DISCOUNT INFORMATION
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29
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ADDITIONAL NOTICES
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30
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FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
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32
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2
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Pacer US Export Leaders ETF
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Investment Objective
The Pacer US Export Leaders ETF (the "Fund") is an exchange traded fund ("ETF") that seeks to track the total return performance, before fees and expenses, of the Pacer US Export Leaders Index (the "Index").
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund ("Shares"). You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below.
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Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
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Management Fees
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0.60%
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Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees
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None
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Other Expenses
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0.00%
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Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses
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0.60%
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Example
The following example is intended to help retail investors compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. It illustrates the hypothetical expenses that such investors would incur over various periods if they were to invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of the Shares at the end of those periods. This example assumes that the Fund provides a return of 5% a year and that operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:
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1 Year
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3 Years
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5 Years
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10 Years
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$61
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$192
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$335
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$750
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Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund's performance. For the fiscal year ended April 30, 2025, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 71% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund
The Fund employs a "passive management" (or indexing) investment approach designed to track the total return performance, before fees and expenses, of the Index. The Index is based on a proprietary methodology developed and maintained by Index Design Group (the "Index Provider"), an affiliate of Pacer Advisors, Inc., the Fund's investment adviser (the "Adviser").
The Index
The Index uses an objective, rules-based methodology to measure the performance of a portfolio of approximately 100 large- and mid-capitalization U.S. companies with a high percentage of foreign sales and high free cash flow growth. Free cash flow is a company's cash flow from operations minus its capital expenditures.
Construction of the Index begins with an initial universe of the 200 companies across the S&P 900® Index (which is comprised of the S&P 500® Index ("S&P 500") and S&P MidCap 400® Index ("S&P MidCap 400")) that have the highest annual foreign sales as a percentage of total sales.
The 200 companies are then narrowed to the 100 companies with the highest change in free cash flow growth over the past five years, and those 100 companies are weighted based on free-float market capitalization (i.e., market capitalization based on the number of shares available to the public), with a 5% cap for each index constituent, to create the Index. The five-year free cash flow growth is determined by measuring the change between each company's most recent trailing twelve-month free cash flow per share versus their trailing twelve-month free cash flow per share five years ago. As of
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[September 30], 2025, the Index was made up of 100 companies and included significant allocations to companies in the [information technology] sector.
The Index is reconstituted and rebalanced quarterly. At the time of each rebalance of the Index, the companies included in the Index are weighted in proportion to their current free float market capitalization, and weightings are capped at 5% of the weight of the Index for any individual company.
From time to time, the Index may include more or less than 100 companies as a result of events such as acquisitions, spin-offs and other corporate actions.
The Fund's Investment Strategy
The Fund is classified as "diversified" under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act"). However, the Fund may become "non-diversified" solely as a result of a change in the relative market capitalization or index weighting of one or more constituents of the Index.
Under normal circumstances, at least 80% of the Fund's net assets, plus borrowings for investment purposes, will be invested in the component securities of the Index. The Adviser expects that, over time, the correlation between the Fund's performance and that of the Index, before fees and expenses, will be 95% or better.
The Fund will generally use a "replication" strategy to achieve its investment objective, meaning it will invest in all of the component securities of the Index in the same approximate proportion as in the Index.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund
You can lose money on your investment in the Fund. The Fund is subject to the risks summarized below. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund's net asset value per share ("NAV"), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its objectives. For more information about the risks of investing in the Fund, see the section in the Fund's prospectus entitled "Additional Information about the Principal Risks of Investing in the Funds." The principal risks are presented in alphabetical order to facilitate finding particular risks and comparing them with other funds. Each risk summarized below is considered a "principal risk" of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears.
▪Calculation Methodology Risk. The Index relies directly or indirectly on various sources of information to assess the criteria of issuers included in the Index, including information that may be based on assumptions and estimates. Neither the Fund, the Index Provider, or the Adviser can offer assurances that the Index's calculation methodology or sources of information will provide an accurate assessment of included components or a correct valuation of securities, nor can they guarantee the availability or timeliness of the production of the Index.
▪Concentration Risk. If the Index concentrates in an industry or group of industries, the Fund's investments may be concentrated accordingly. In such event, the value of the Fund's shares may rise and fall more than the value of shares of a fund that invests in securities of companies in a broader range of industries. In addition, at times, an industry or group of industries in which the Fund is concentrated may be out of favor and underperform other industries or groups of industries.
▪Diversification Risk. The Fund is classified as "diversified" under the 1940 Act. However, the Fund may become "non-diversified" solely as a result of a change in the relative market capitalization or index weighting of one or more constituents of the Index. Operating as "non-diversified" may make the Fund more susceptible to adverse developments affecting any single issuer held in its portfolio and may be more susceptible to greater losses because of these developments.
▪Equity Market Risk. The equity securities held in the Fund's portfolio may experience sudden, unpredictable drops in value or long periods of decline in value. This may occur because of factors that affect securities markets generally or factors affecting specific industries, sectors or companies in which the Fund invests. Common stocks are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and to volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence in and perceptions of their issuers change. The Fund's NAV and market price may fluctuate significantly in response to these and other factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time.
▪ETF Risks. The Fund is an ETF and, as a result of an ETF's structure, is exposed to the following risks:
◦Authorized Participants ("APs"), Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as APs. In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, shares of
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the Fund may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.
◦Costs of Buying or Selling Shares of the Fund. Due to the costs of buying or selling shares of the Fund, including brokerage commissions imposed by brokers and bid/ask spreads, frequent trading of shares of the Fund may significantly reduce investment results and an investment in shares of the Fund may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.
◦Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all ETFs, shares of the Fund may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The price of shares of the Fund, like the price of all traded securities, will be subject to factors such as supply and demand, as well as the current value of the Fund's portfolio holdings. Although it is expected that the market price of the shares of the Fund will approximate the Fund's NAV, there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility, periods of steep market declines, and periods when there is limited trading activity for shares in the secondary market, in which case such premiums or discounts may be significant. Shares of the Fund will be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices.
◦Trading. Although shares of the Fund are listed for trading on a national securities exchange, such as NYSE Arca, Inc. (the "Exchange"), and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that shares of the Fund will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. In stressed market conditions, the liquidity of shares of the Fund may begin to mirror the liquidity of the Fund's underlying portfolio holdings, which can be significantly less liquid than shares of the Fund, and this could lead to differences between the market price of the shares of the Fund and the underlying value of those shares.
▪Foreign Sales Risk. The Fund invests in companies that derive a significant portion of their sales to non-U.S. customers. Consequently, investments in such companies may be subject to risk of loss due to unfavorable changes in currency exchange rates, political, economic or social changes or instability in such non-U.S. countries, events affecting the transportation, shipping or delivery of goods to such customers, and changes in U.S. or foreign laws or regulations affecting exports.
▪Large-Capitalization Investing Risk. The Fund may invest in the securities of large-capitalization companies. As a result, the Fund's performance may be adversely affected if securities of large-capitalization companies underperform securities of smaller-capitalization companies or the market as a whole. The securities of large-capitalization companies may be relatively mature compared to smaller companies and therefore subject to slower growth during times of economic expansion.
▪Mid-Capitalization Investing Risk. The Fund may invest in the securities of mid-capitalization companies. As a result, the Fund's performance may be adversely affected if securities of mid-capitalization companies underperform securities of other capitalization ranges or the market as a whole. Securities of smaller companies trade in smaller volumes and are often more vulnerable to market volatility than securities of larger companies.
▪Passive Investment Risk. The Fund is not actively managed and the Adviser would not sell a security due to current or projected underperformance of a security, industry or sector, unless that security is removed from the Index or the selling of shares of that security is otherwise required upon a reconstitution of the Index in accordance with the Index methodology. The Fund invests in securities included in the Index, regardless of their investment merits. The Fund does not take defensive positions under any market conditions, including conditions that are adverse to the performance of the Fund.
▪Sector Risk. To the extent the Fund invests more heavily in particular sectors of the economy, its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that significantly affect those sectors.
◦Information Technology Sector Risk. Market or economic factors impacting information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technological advances could have a significant effect on the value of the Fund's investments. The value of stocks of information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technology is particularly vulnerable to rapid changes in technology product cycles, rapid product obsolescence, government regulation and competition, both domestically and internationally, including competition from
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foreign competitors with lower production costs. Stocks of information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technology, especially those of smaller, less-seasoned companies, tend to be more volatile than the overall market. Information technology companies are heavily dependent on patent and intellectual property rights, the loss or impairment of which may adversely affect profitability.
▪Tracking Risk. The Fund's return may not track the return of the Index for a number of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs a number of operating expenses not applicable to the Index, and incurs costs in buying and selling securities, especially when rebalancing the Fund's securities holdings to reflect changes in the composition of the Index. In addition, when the Fund uses a representative sampling approach, the Fund may not be as well correlated with the return of the Index as when the Fund purchases all of the securities in the Index in the proportions in which they are represented in the Index.
Fund Performance
The following information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows the Fund's performance (based on NAV) for calendar years ended December 31. The table shows how the Fund's average annual returns for the one year, five year, and since inception periods compared with those of the Index and a broad measure of market performance. The index the Fund tracks updated its methodology in [… 2025] moving from an equal-weighted index to a free-float market capitalization weighted index with a 5% cap on constituent companies. This change may limit the relevance of this information. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available on the Fund's website at www.PacerETFs.com or by calling the Fund toll-free at 1-800-617-0004.
Calendar Year Total Return as of December 31
For the year-to-date period ended September 30, 2025, the Fund's total return was [ ]%. During the period of time shown in the bar chart, the Fund's highest return for a calendar quarter was 26.73% (quarter ended June 30, 2020) and the Fund's lowest return for a calendar quarter was -24.91% (quarter ended March 31, 2020).
Average Annual Total Returns
(for the periods ended December 31, 2024)
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1 Year
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5 Years
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Since Inception
(7/23/18)
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Pacer US Export Leaders ETF
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Return Before Taxes
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6.02%
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11.27%
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11.33%
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Return After Taxes on Distributions
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5.91%
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11.14%
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11.19%
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Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
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3.65%
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8.96%
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9.13%
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Pacer US Export Leaders Index
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
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6.69%
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11.95%
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12.02%
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S&P 900 IndexTM
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
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24.37%
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14.28%
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13.75%
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After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates during the period covered by the table above and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown. In certain cases, the figure representing "Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares" may be higher than the other return figures for the same period. A higher after-tax return results when a capital loss occurs upon redemption and provides an assumed tax deduction that benefits the investor. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Shares through tax-deferred arrangements such as an individual retirement account ("IRA") or other tax-advantaged accounts.
Management
Investment Adviser
Pacer Advisors, Inc. serves as investment adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers
The Fund employs a rules-based, passive investment strategy. The Adviser uses a committee approach to managing the Fund. Bruce Kavanaugh, Executive Vice President of the Adviser, and Danke Wang, CFA, FRM, Portfolio Manager for the Adviser, are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund. Mr. Kavanaugh has served as a portfolio manager since the Fund's inception and Mr. Wang has served as a portfolio manager since June 2022.
Buying and Selling Fund Shares
The Fund is an ETF. This means that individual Shares of the Fund may only be purchased and sold in the secondary market through brokers at market prices, rather than NAV. Because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).
The Fund generally issues and redeems shares at NAV only in large blocks of shares known as "Creation Units," which only institutions or large investors may purchase or redeem. The Fund generally issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities (the "Deposit Securities") and/or a designated amount of U.S. cash that the Fund specifies each day.
Investors may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares (ask) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market (the "bid-ask spread"). Recent information about the Fund, including its net asset value, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads is available on the Fund's website at www.PacerETFs.com.
Tax Information
Fund distributions are generally taxable as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains (or a combination), unless your investment is in an IRA or other tax-advantaged retirement account. Distributions may be taxable upon withdrawal from tax-deferred accounts.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase the Fund through a broker or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Adviser and its related companies may pay the intermediary for activities related to the marketing and 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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Pacer Data & Infrastructure Real Estate ETF
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Investment Objective
The Pacer Data & Infrastructure Real Estate ETF (the "Fund") is an exchange traded fund ("ETF") that seeks to track the total return performance, before fees and expenses, of the Solactive GPR Data & Infrastructure Real Estate Index (the "Index").
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund ("Shares"). You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below.
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Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
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Management Fees
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0.49%
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Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees
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None
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Other Expenses
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0.00%
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Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses1
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0.49%
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1 The expense information in the table has been restated to reflect current fees as if they had been in effect during the previous fiscal year to reflect a reduction in the Management Fees effective August 29, 2025.
Example
The following example is intended to help retail investors compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. It illustrates the hypothetical expenses that such investors would incur over various periods if they were to invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of the Shares at the end of those periods. This example assumes that the Fund provides a return of 5% a year and that operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:
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1 Year
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3 Years
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5 Years
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10 Years
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$50
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$157
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$274
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$616
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Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund's performance. For the fiscal year ended April 30, 2025, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 40% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund
The Fund employs a "passive management" (or indexing) investment approach designed to track the total return performance, before fees and expenses, of the Index. The Index was developed by Global Property Research B.V. and Solactive AG (the "Index Provider"), and measures the performance of the data and infrastructure real estate sectors primarily of the U.S. equity market.
The Index
The Index is generally composed of (i) equity securities of U.S. and global companies that derive at least 85% of their earnings or revenues from real estate operations in the data and infrastructure real estate sectors ("Data and Infrastructure Real Estate Companies") and (ii) equity securities of U.S. and global companies that generate at least 50% of their revenues from activities that make use of one or more of the following technologies (collectively, "Power Generation Companies"):
• Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) : Companies involved in the development, manufacturing, engineering, or supply of technologies, components, or services related to small modular reactors, including activities that support the deployment, operation, and integration of SMRs into energy systems.
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• Nuclear Power : Companies engaged in activities connected to nuclear energy generation, including the construction, operation, maintenance, or supply of technologies and services for nuclear power plants, as well as companies that provide equipment, engineering, or infrastructure solutions that enable nuclear power production.
• Power Infrastructure & Energy Systems : Companies that provide products, technologies, or services that enable the generation, transmission, and/or distribution of electricity, including grid equipment, power conversion systems, backup and reserve power solutions, and other infrastructure related to maintaining energy supply for industrial, commercial, and utility-scale applications.
• Digital Infrastructure & Connectivity Systems : Companies that deliver hardware, software, and services that support the power, cooling, networking, and/or operational resilience of digital infrastructure, including data center power and thermal management solutions, networking and connectivity equipment, and integrated systems that assist in the operation of information technology and communication facilities.
At the time of each reconstitution of the Index, the Index is comprised of companies that fulfill the following requirements ("Index Constituents"):
• Components of the GPR Pure Infrastructure Index that are allocated to the communication sector;
• All global data center companies that are components of the GPR 250 Index;
• Companies that are listed in developed or emerging markets (excluding India and Mexico);
• Companies that have a free float market capitalization of at least $250 million at the time of reconstitution and at least $500 million on any day within two years prior to the reconstitution date;
• Companies with an average daily volume traded in the last 12 months of at least 10,000 shares; and
• With respect to Power Generation Companies, all components of the Solactive Small Modular Reactor Index.
To be eligible for inclusion in the Solactive Small Modular Reactor Index, companies must have a free float market capitalization of at least $100 million and minimum average daily value traded of at least $1 million over the six month period prior to the reconstitution date. Companies are selected for inclusion in the Solactive Small Modular Reactor Index by Solactive AG ("Solactive"), using ARTIS®, Solactive's proprietary natural language processing algorithm. ARTIS uses key words to review large volumes of publicly available data, such as company annual reports, published business descriptions, company publications, and financial news reports, which Solactive believes will identify and classify companies eligible for inclusion in the Index.
A portion of the Index is expected to be composed of real estate investment trusts ("REITs"). The real estate companies included in the Index may utilize leverage, and some may be highly leveraged. Additionally, such companies may include significant business operations outside of the United States.
The Index is reconstituted and rebalanced (i.e., companies are added or deleted and weights are reset based on Index rules) quarterly as of the close of business on the third Friday of March, June, September, and December. Index Constituents are weighted based on their free-float market capitalization (i.e., market capitalization based on the number of shares available to the public), subject to the following constraints as of the time of each reconstitution of the Index. Each Index Constituent's weight is capped at 15% and the sum of Index Constituents with weights greater than 4.5% cannot exceed 45% of the total Index weight. In addition, the ratio of the Index Constituents that are not part of the Solactive Small Modular Reactor Index relative to the Index Constituents that are part of the Solactive Small Modular Reactor Index will be approximately 80%:20%. The aggregate weight of the Index Constituents from emerging markets is capped at 10%. If the foregoing limits would be exceeded at the time of a reconstitution of the Index, the excess weight is proportionally redistributed to all Index Constituents with weights below such limits.
The Fund's Investment Strategy
Under normal circumstances, the Fund will invest at least 80% of the value of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in Data and Infrastructure Real Estate Companies and Power Generation Companies. The Fund defines Data and Infrastructure Real Estate Companies as U.S. and global companies that derive at least 85% of their earnings or revenues from real estate operations in the data and infrastructure sectors. The Fund defines Power Generation Companies as U.S. and global companies that generate at least 50% of their revenues from activities that make use of small modular reactors (SMRs), nuclear power, power infrastructure and energy systems, or digital infrastructure
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and connectivity systems. Pacer Advisors, Inc. (the "Adviser") expects that, over time, the correlation between the Fund's performance and that of the Index, before fees and expenses, will be 95% or better.
The Fund will generally use a "replication" strategy to achieve its investment objective, meaning it will invest in all of the component securities of the Index.
The Fund may also invest up to 20% of its assets in cash and cash equivalents, other investment companies, as well as securities and other instruments not included in the Index but which the Adviser believes will help the Fund track the Index.
The Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund
You can lose money on your investment in the Fund. The Fund is subject to the risks summarized below. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund's net asset value per share ("NAV"), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its objectives. For more information about the risks of investing in the Fund, see the section in the Fund's prospectus entitled "Additional Information about the Principal Risks of Investing in the Funds." The principal risks are presented in alphabetical order to facilitate finding particular risks and comparing them with other funds. Each risk summarized below is considered a "principal risk" of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears.
▪Calculation Methodology Risk. The Index relies directly or indirectly on various sources of information to assess the criteria of issuers included in the Index, including information that may be based on assumptions and estimates. Neither the Fund, the Index Provider, or the Adviser can offer assurances that the Index's calculation methodology or sources of information will provide an accurate assessment of included components or a correct valuation of securities, nor can they guarantee the availability or timeliness of the production of the Index.
▪Concentration in Real Estate Risk. The Index, and consequently the Fund, is expected to concentrate its investments (i.e., hold more than 25% of its total assets) in real estate companies. As a result, the value of the Fund's shares may rise and fall more than the value of shares of a fund that invests in securities of companies in a broader range of industries. In addition, at times, the real estate industry may be out of favor and underperform other industries or groups of industries.
▪Currency Exchange Rate Risk. The Fund's assets may include investments denominated in non-U.S. currencies, such as the euro, or in securities or other assets that provide exposure to such currencies. Changes in currency exchange rates and the relative value of non-U.S. currencies will affect the value of the Fund's investment and the value of your Fund shares. Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably. As a result, the value of an investment in the Fund may change quickly and without warning and you may lose money.
▪ Emerging Markets Risk. The Fund may invest in companies organized in emerging market nations. Investments in securities and instruments traded in developing or emerging markets, or that provide exposure to such securities or markets, can involve additional risks relating to political, economic, or regulatory conditions not associated with investments in U.S. securities and instruments or investments in more developed international markets. Such conditions may impact the ability of the Fund to buy, sell or otherwise transfer securities, adversely affect the trading market and price for Shares and cause the Fund to decline in value.
▪Equity Market Risk. The equity securities held in the Fund's portfolio may experience sudden, unpredictable drops in value or long periods of decline in value. This may occur because of factors that affect securities markets generally or factors affecting specific industries, sectors or companies in which the Fund invests. Common stocks are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and to volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence in and perceptions of their issuers change. The Fund's NAV and market price may fluctuate significantly in response to these and other factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time.
▪ETF Risks. The Fund is an ETF and, as a result of an ETF's structure, is exposed to the following risks:
◦Authorized Participants ("APs"), Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as APs. In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, shares of the Fund may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform
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these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.
◦Costs of Buying or Selling Shares of the Fund. Due to the costs of buying or selling shares of the Fund, including brokerage commissions imposed by brokers and bid/ask spreads, frequent trading of shares of the Fund may significantly reduce investment results and an investment in shares of the Fund may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.
◦Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all ETFs, shares of the Fund may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The price of shares of the Fund, like the price of all traded securities, will be subject to factors such as supply and demand, as well as the current value of the Fund's portfolio holdings. Although it is expected that the market price of the shares of the Fund will approximate the Fund's NAV, there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility, periods of steep market declines, and periods when there is limited trading activity for shares in the secondary market, in which case such premiums or discounts may be significant. Because securities held by the Fund trade on foreign exchanges that are closed when the Fund's primary listing exchange is open, the Fund is likely to experience premiums and discounts greater than those of domestic ETFs.
◦Trading. Although shares of the Fund are listed for trading on a national securities exchange, such as NYSE Arca, Inc. (the "Exchange"), and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that shares of the Fund will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. In stressed market conditions, the liquidity of shares of the Fund may begin to mirror the liquidity of the Fund's underlying portfolio holdings, which can be significantly less liquid than shares of the Fund, and this could lead to differences between the market price of the shares of the Fund and the underlying value of those shares.
▪Foreign Securities Risk. Investments in non-U.S. securities involve certain risks that may not be present with investments in U.S. securities. For example, investments in non-U.S. securities may be subject to risk of loss due to foreign currency fluctuations or to political or economic instability. Investments in non-U.S. securities also may be subject to withholding or other taxes and may be subject to additional trading, settlement, custodial, and operational risks. These and other factors can make investments in the Fund more volatile and potentially less liquid than other types of investments. Foreign securities held by the Fund may trade on markets that are closed when U.S. markets are open, which may lead to a difference in the value of the Fund and the underlying foreign securities.
▪Geographic Concentration Risk. To the extent the Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in the securities of companies of a single country or region, it is more likely to be impacted by events or conditions affecting that country or region.
▪International Operations Risk. Investments in companies with significant business operations outside of the United States may involve certain risks that may not be present with investments in U.S. companies. For example, international operations may be subject to risk of loss due to foreign currency fluctuations; changes in foreign political and economic environments, regionally, nationally, and locally; challenges of complying with a wide variety of foreign laws, including corporate governance, operations, taxes, and litigation; differing lending practices; differences in cultures; changes in applicable laws and regulations in the United States that affect international operations; changes in applicable laws and regulations in foreign jurisdictions; difficulties in managing international operations; and obstacles to the repatriation of earnings and cash. These and other factors can make an investment in the Fund more volatile than other types of investments.
▪Large-Capitalization Investing Risk. The Fund may invest in the securities of large-capitalization companies. As a result, the Fund's performance may be adversely affected if securities of large-capitalization companies underperform securities of smaller-capitalization companies or the market as a whole. The securities of large-capitalization companies may be relatively mature compared to smaller companies and therefore subject to slower growth during times of economic expansion.
▪Mid-Capitalization Investing Risk. The Fund may invest in the securities of mid-capitalization companies. As a result, the Fund's performance may be adversely affected if securities of mid-capitalization companies underperform securities of other capitalization ranges or the market as a whole. Securities of smaller companies trade in smaller volumes and are often more vulnerable to market volatility than securities of larger companies.
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▪Non-Diversification Risk. Although the Fund intends to invest in a variety of securities and instruments, the Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. As a result, the Fund may be more exposed to the risks associated with and developments affecting an individual issuer or a smaller number of issuers than a fund that invests more widely. This may increase the Fund's volatility and cause the performance of a relatively smaller number of issuers to have a greater impact on the Fund's performance.
▪ Nuclear Power Companies Risk. Nuclear power companies may face considerable risk as a result of incidents and accidents, breaches of security, ill-intentioned acts of terrorism, natural disasters, equipment malfunctions or mishandling in storage, handling, transportation, treatment or conditioning of substances and nuclear materials. Such events could have serious consequences, especially in the case of radioactive contamination and irradiation of the environment, for the general population, as well as a material, negative impact on nuclear infrastructure companies. In addition, nuclear infrastructure companies are subject to competitive risk associated with the prices of other energy sources, such as natural gas and oil. Consumers of nuclear energy may have the ability to switch between nuclear energy and other energy sources and, as a result, during periods when competing energy sources are less expensive, the revenues of nuclear infrastructure companies may decline with a corresponding impact on earnings. Nuclear activity is also subject to particularly detailed and restrictive regulations, with a scheme for the monitoring and periodic re-examination of operating authorization, which primarily takes into account nuclear safety, environmental and public health protection, and also national security considerations, including terrorist threats in particular. These regulations and any future regulations may be subject to significant tightening by national and international authorities. This could result in increased operating costs, which would have a negative impact on nuclear power companies and may cause operating businesses related to nuclear energy to become unprofitable or impractical to operate.
▪Passive Investment Risk. The Fund is not actively managed and the Adviser would not sell a security due to current or projected underperformance of a security, industry or sector, unless that security is removed from the Index or the selling of shares of that security is otherwise required upon a reconstitution of the Index in accordance with the Index methodology. The Fund invests in securities included in the Index, regardless of their investment merits. The Fund does not take defensive positions under any market conditions, including conditions that are adverse to the performance of the Fund.
▪Real Estate Companies Risk. The Fund invests in real estate companies, including REITs and real estate holdings companies, which will expose investors to the risks of owning real estate directly, as well as to the risks that relate specifically to the way in which such companies are organized and operated. Real estate is highly sensitive to general and local economic conditions and developments. The U.S. real estate market may, in the future, experience and has, in the past, experienced a decline in value, with certain regions experiencing significant losses in property values. Many real estate companies, including REITs, utilize leverage (and some may be highly leveraged), which increases investment risk and the risk normally associated with debt financing, and could potentially increase the Fund's volatility and losses. Exposure to such real estate may adversely affect Fund performance.
In addition to the foregoing risks common to most real estate companies, companies in certain real estate sectors may have additional unique risks.
◦Risks of Investing in the Data & Infrastructure Real Estate Sector. Companies in the Data & Infrastructure Real Estate sector may be affected by unique supply and demand factors that do not apply to other real estate sectors, such as changes in demand for communications infrastructure, consolidation of tower sites, new technologies that may affect demand for communications towers, and changes in demand for wireless infrastructure and wireless connectivity.
▪REIT Investment Risk. 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, it is expected that investors in the Fund will bear two layers of asset-based management fees and expenses (directly at the Fund level and indirectly at the REIT level). The risks of investing in REITs include certain risks associated with the direct ownership of real estate and the real estate industry in general. These include risks related to general, regional and local economic conditions; fluctuations in interest rates and property tax rates; shifts in zoning laws, environmental regulations and other governmental action such as the exercise of eminent domain; cash flow dependency; increased operating expenses; 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.
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In addition to these risks, REITs are dependent upon management skills and generally may not be diversified. REITs are also subject to heavy cash flow dependency, defaults by borrowers and self-liquidation. In addition, REITs could possibly fail to qualify for the beneficial tax treatment available to REITs under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, or to maintain their exemptions from registration under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act"). The Fund expects that dividends received from a REIT and distributed to Fund shareholders generally will be taxable to the shareholder as ordinary income, but may be taxable as return of capital. In the event of a default by a borrower or lessee, the REIT may experience delays in enforcing its rights as a mortgagee or lessor and may incur substantial costs associated with protecting investments.
▪Sector Risk. To the extent the Fund invests more heavily in particular sectors of the economy, its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that significantly affect those sectors.
•Communication Services Sector Risk. The Fund is generally expected to invest significantly in companies in the communications services sector, and therefore the performance of the Fund could be negatively impacted by events affecting this sector. Communications services companies are 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 adverse regulatory requirements may adversely affect the business of the such companies. Companies in the communications services sector can also be significantly affected by intense competition, including competition with alternative technologies such as wireless communications (including with 5G and other technologies), product compatibility, consumer preferences, rapid product obsolescence, and research and development of new products. Technological innovations may make the products and services of such companies obsolete.
▪Small-Capitalization Investing Risk. The securities of small-capitalization companies may be more vulnerable to adverse issuer, market, political, or economic developments than securities of larger capitalization companies. The securities of small-capitalization companies generally trade in lower volumes and are subject to greater and more unpredictable price changes than larger capitalization stocks or the stock market as a whole. There is typically less publicly available information concerning smaller capitalization companies than for larger, more established companies.
▪Tax Risk. To qualify for the favorable tax treatment generally available to regulated investment companies, the Fund must satisfy certain diversification requirements. In particular, the Fund generally may not acquire a security if, as a result of the acquisition, more than 50% of the value of the Fund's assets would be invested in (a) issuers in which the Fund has, in each case, invested more than 5% of the Fund's assets or (b) issuers more than 10% of whose outstanding voting securities are owned by the Fund. While the weighting of the Index is not inconsistent with these rules, given the concentration of the Index in a relatively small number of securities, it may not always be possible for the Fund to fully implement a replication strategy or a representative sampling strategy while satisfying these diversification requirements. The Fund's efforts to satisfy the diversification requirements may affect the Fund's execution of its investment strategy and may cause the Fund's return to deviate from that of the Index, and the Fund's efforts to replicate or represent the Index may cause it inadvertently to fail to satisfy the diversification requirements. If the Fund were to fail to satisfy the diversification requirements, it could incur penalty taxes and be forced to dispose of certain assets, or it could fail to qualify as a regulated investment company. If the Fund were to fail to qualify as a regulated investment company, it would be taxed in the same manner as an ordinary corporation, and distributions to its shareholders would not be deductible by the Fund in computing its taxable income.
▪Tracking Risk. The Fund's return may not track the return of the Index for a number of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs a number of operating expenses not applicable to the Index, and incurs costs in buying and selling securities, especially when rebalancing the Fund's securities holdings to reflect changes in the composition of the Index. Additionally, the Fund's return may not track the return of the Index if the Fund is not able to replicate the holdings of the Index due to the diversification requirements described above under "Tax Risk," which apply to the Fund but not the Index.
Fund Performance
The following information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows the Fund's performance (based on NAV) for calendar years ended December 31. The table shows how the Fund's average annual returns for the one year, five year, and since inception periods compared with those of the Index and a broad measure of market performance. The index the Fund tracks updated its methodology in [… 2025] expanding its investment universe
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to include companies from both developed and emerging market countries that are involved in small modular reactors, nuclear power, power infrastructure and energy systems, or digital infrastructure and connectivity systems. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available on the Fund's website at www.PacerETFs.com or by calling the Fund toll-free at 1-800-617-0004.
Calendar Year Total Return as of December 31
For the year-to-date period ended September 30, 2025, the Fund's total return was [ ]%. During the period of time shown in the bar chart, the Fund's highest return for a calendar quarter was 20.82% (quarter ended March 31, 2019) and the Fund's lowest return for a calendar quarter was -16.38% (quarter ended September 30, 2022).
Average Annual Total Returns
(for the periods ended December 31, 2024)
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1 Year
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5 Years
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Since Inception
(5/15/18)
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Pacer Data & Infrastructure Real Estate ETF
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Return Before Taxes
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2.55%
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0.45%
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5.26%
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Return After Taxes on Distributions
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1.89%
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-0.21%
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4.52%
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Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
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1.68%
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0.15%
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3.88%
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Solactive GPR Data & Infrastructure Real Estate Index1
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
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3.42%
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3.36%
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7.72%
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S&P 500® Index
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
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25.02%
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14.53%
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14.30%
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FTSE NAREIT All Equity REITS Total Return Index
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
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4.92%
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3.29%
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6.77%
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1 Effective November 1, 2022, the Fund's investment objective changed to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Solactive GPR Data & Infrastructure Real Estate Index. Prior to November 1, 2022, the Fund's investment objective was to track the price and total return performance, before fees and expenses, of the Kelly Data Center & Tech Infrastructure Index. Performance shown for periods prior to November 1, 2022, is that of the Kelly Data Center & Tech Infrastructure Index.
After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates during the period covered by the table above and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown. In certain cases, the figure representing "Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares" may be higher than the other return figures for the same period. A higher after-tax return results when a capital loss occurs upon redemption and provides an assumed tax deduction that benefits the investor. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Shares through tax-deferred arrangements such as an individual retirement account ("IRA") or other tax-advantaged accounts.
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Management
Investment Adviser
Pacer Advisors, Inc. serves as investment adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers
The Fund employs a rules-based, passive investment strategy. The Adviser uses a committee approach to managing the Fund. Bruce Kavanaugh, Executive Vice President of the Adviser, and Danke Wang, CFA, FRM, Portfolio Manager for the Adviser, are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund. Mr. Kavanaugh has served as a portfolio manager since the Fund's inception and Mr. Wang has served as a portfolio manager since June 2022.
Buying and Selling Fund Shares
The Fund is an ETF. This means that individual Shares of the Fund may only be purchased and sold in the secondary market through brokers at market prices, rather than NAV. Because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).
The Fund generally issues and redeems shares at NAV only in large blocks of shares known as "Creation Units," which only institutions or large investors may purchase or redeem. The Fund generally issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities (the "Deposit Securities") and/or a designated amount of U.S. cash that the Fund specifies each day.
Investors may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares (ask) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market (the "bid-ask spread"). Recent information about the Fund, including its net asset value, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads is available on the Fund's website at www.PacerETFs.com.
Tax Information
Fund distributions are generally taxable as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains (or a combination), unless your investment is in an IRA or other tax-advantaged retirement account. Distributions may be taxable upon withdrawal from tax-deferred accounts.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase the Fund through a broker or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Adviser and its related companies may pay the intermediary for activities related to the marketing and 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.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUNDS
Each Fund's ticker symbol appears on the cover of this Prospectus, and references to specific Funds in the sections below will refer to such Funds by their ticker symbol.
Additional Information About Each Fund's Investment Objective
Each Fund's investment objective has been adopted as a non-fundamental investment policy and may be changed without a vote of shareholders upon written notice to shareholders.
Additional Information About Each Fund's Principal Investment Strategies
Each Fund will concentrate its investments ( i.e. , hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of related industries to approximately the same extent that the Fund's underlying index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities) are not considered to be issued by members of any industry. The components of each Fund's underlying index, and the degree to which these components represent certain industries, may change over time.
With respect to SRVR, the Fund has adopted a policy to comply with Rule 35d-1 under the 1940 Act. The policy has been adopted as a non-fundamental policy and may be changed without shareholder approval upon 60 days' written notice to shareholders.
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Additional Information About Each Index and the Underlying Indices
Index Calculation and Trademark Ownership
The Solactive GPR Data & Infrastructure Real Estate Index is calculated by a third party calculation agent that is not affiliated with the Funds, Index Design Group ("IDG"), the Adviser, or the Funds' distributor. The calculation agent shall have no liability for any errors or omissions in calculating any Index.
Each Index for which IDG is the Index Provider is owned by IDG, an affiliate of the Adviser, and was created and is sponsored by the Adviser or one of its affiliates.
The Solactive GPR Data & Infrastructure Real Estate Index may include the following security types: common stocks, REITs, American Depositary Receipts ("ADRs"), limited partnership interests, shares or units of beneficial interest, and shares of limited liability companies. If at any time a security no longer meets the eligibility criteria for being included in an Index, the security is removed from such Index and not replaced. Solactive has contracted to calculate and maintain the Solactive GPR Data & Infrastructure Real Estate Index, which is the exclusive property of Global Property Research B.V. and Solactive AG.
Simple Moving Average Calculation. The 200-day moving average for an index can be calculated by adding the closing price of the index for each of the 200 most recent business days and dividing the resulting sum by 200.
S&P 500 ® Index. The S&P 500 Index measures the performance of approximately 500 leading companies in the United States representing approximately 80% of the total U.S. market capitalization.
S&P 900® Index. The S&P 900 Index is s comprised of the S&P 500 ® Index and S&P MidCap 400 ® Index.
S&P MidCap 400 Index. The S&P MidCap 400 Index measures the performance of approximately 400 mid-sized companies in the United States. As of [ ], 2025, the average market capitalization of companies in the S&P MidCap 400 Index was $[8.9 billion].
Additional Information about the Principal Risks of Investing in the Funds
This section provides additional information regarding the principal risks described under "Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund" in each of the Fund Summaries. The principal risks are presented in alphabetical order to facilitate finding particular risks and comparing them with other funds. Each risk summarized below is considered a 'principal risk' of investing in the Funds as noted in the respective Fund Summaries, regardless of the order in which they appear. The factors below apply to each Fund as indicated in the following table; additional information about each such risk and how it impacts each Fund that is subject thereto is set forth below the chart. Each of the factors below could have a negative impact on the applicable Fund's performance and trading prices.
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PEXL
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SRVR
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Calculation Methodology Risk
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X
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X
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Concentration in Real Estate Risk
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X
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Concentration Risk
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X
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Currency Exchange Rate Risk
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X
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Diversification Risk
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X
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Emerging Markets Risk
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X
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Equity Market Risk
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X
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X
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ETF Risks
|
X
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X
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Foreign Sales Risk
|
X
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Foreign Securities Risk
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X
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Geographic Concentration Risk
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X
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International Operations Risk
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|
X
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Large-Capitalization Investing Risk
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X
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X
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Mid-Capitalization Investing Risk
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X
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X
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Non-Diversification Risk
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X
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Nuclear Power Companies Risk
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X
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Passive Investment Risk
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X
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X
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Real Estate Companies Risk
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X
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REIT Investment Risk
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X
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Sector Risk
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X
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X
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- Communication Services Sector Risk
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X
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- Information Technology Sector Risk
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X
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Small-Capitalization Investing Risk
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X
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Tax Risk
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X
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Tracking Risk
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X
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X
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Calculation Methodology Risk
A Fund that seeks to track the performance of an Index is subject to calculation methodology risk. The Index relies directly or indirectly on various sources of information to assess the criteria of issuers included in the Index, including information that may be based on assumptions and estimates. Neither the Fund, the Index Provider, or the Adviser can offer assurances that the Index's calculation methodology or sources of information will provide an accurate assessment of included issuers or a correct valuation of securities, nor can they guarantee the availability or timeliness of the production of the Index.
Concentration in Real Estate Risk
The Solactive GPR Data & Infrastructure Real Estate Index, and consequently SRVR, is expected to concentrate its investments (i.e., hold more than 25% of its total assets) in real estate companies. As a result, the value of the Fund's shares may rise and fall more than the value of shares of a fund that invests in securities of companies in a broader range of industries. In addition, at times, the real estate industry may be out of favor and underperform other industries or groups of industries.
Concentration Risk
Concentration of investments may increase the risk of loss, including losses due to adverse occurrences affecting the Fund 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, country, group of countries, region, market, industry, group of industries, sector or asset class. In addition, at times, an industry or group of industries in which the Fund is concentrated may be out of favor and underperform other industries or groups of industries.
Currency Exchange Rate Risk
Changes in currency exchange rates and the relative value of non-U.S. currencies will affect the value of the Fund's investments and the value of your Shares. Because the Fund's NAV is determined on the basis of U.S. dollars, the U.S.
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dollar value of your investment in the Fund may go down if the value of the local currency of the non-U.S. markets in which the Fund invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar. This is true even if the local currency value of securities in the Fund's holdings goes up. Conversely, the dollar value of your investment in the Fund may go up if the value of the local currency appreciates against the U.S. dollar. The value of the U.S. dollar measured against other currencies is influenced by a variety of factors. These factors include: national debt levels and trade deficits, changes in balances of payments and trade, domestic and foreign interest and inflation rates, global or regional political, economic or financial events, monetary policies of governments, actual or potential government intervention, and global energy prices. Political instability, the possibility of government intervention and restrictive or opaque business and investment policies may also reduce the value of a country's currency. Government monetary policies and the buying or selling of currency by a country's government may also influence exchange rates. Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably. As a result, the value of an investment in the Fund may change quickly and without warning, and you may lose money.
Diversification Risk
The Fund is classified as "diversified" under the 1940 Act. However, the Fund may become "non-diversified" solely as a result of a change in the relative market capitalization or index weighting of one or more constituents of the Index. Operating as "non-diversified" may make the Fund more susceptible to adverse developments affecting any single issuer held in its portfolio and may be more susceptible to greater losses because of these developments.
Emerging Markets Risk
The Fund may invest in companies organized in emerging market nations. Investments in securities and instruments traded in developing or emerging markets, or that provide exposure to such securities or markets, can involve additional risks relating to political, economic, or regulatory conditions not associated with investments in U.S. securities and instruments or investments in more developed international markets. Such conditions may impact the ability of the Fund to buy, sell or otherwise transfer securities, adversely affect the trading market and price for Shares and cause the Fund to decline in value.
Equity Market Risk
Equity securities may experience sudden, unpredictable drops in value or long periods of decline in value. This may occur because of factors that affect securities markets generally or factors affecting specific industries, sectors or companies. Common stocks are generally exposed to greater risk than other types of securities, such as preferred stock and debt obligations, because common stockholders generally have inferior rights to receive payment from issuers. Common stocks are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and to volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence in and perceptions of their issuers change. These investor perceptions are based on various and unpredictable factors including: expectations regarding government, economic, monetary and fiscal policies; inflation and interest rates; economic expansion or contraction; and global or regional political, public health, cyber, economic and banking crises. If you held common stock, or common stock equivalents, of any given issuer, you would generally be exposed to greater risk than if you held preferred stocks and debt obligations of the issuer because common stockholders, or holders of equivalent interests, generally have inferior rights to receive payments from issuers in comparison with the rights of preferred stockholders, bondholders, and other creditors of such issuers. Other conditions affecting the general economy, including political, public health, cyber, or economic instability at the local, regional, or global level and pandemics, epidemics, or other similar circumstances in one or more countries or regions may also affect the market value of a security.
For example, the COVID-19 pandemic and efforts to contain its spread resulted in extreme volatility in the financial markets. As the global pandemic illustrated, such events may affect certain regions, sectors and industries more significantly than others. The impact of these events and other epidemics or pandemics in the future could adversely affect Fund performance.
ETF Risks
The Fund is an ETF and, as a result of an ETF's structure, is exposed to the following risks:
◦APs, Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. The Fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that may act as APs. In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, Shares of a Fund may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become
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unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.
◦Costs of Buying or Selling Shares. Investors buying or selling Shares in the secondary market will pay brokerage commissions or other charges imposed by brokers, as determined by that broker. Brokerage commissions are often a fixed amount and may be a significant proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell relatively small amounts of Shares. In addition, secondary market investors will also incur the cost of the difference between the price at which an investor is willing to buy Shares (the "bid" price) and the price at which an investor is willing to sell Shares (the "ask" price). This difference in bid and ask prices is often referred to as the "spread" or "bid/ask spread." The bid/ask spread varies over time for Shares based on trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if Shares have more trading volume and market liquidity and higher if Shares have little trading volume and market liquidity. Further, a relatively small investor base in the Fund, asset swings in the Fund and/or increased market volatility may cause increased bid/ask spreads. Due to the costs of buying or selling Shares, including bid/ask spreads, frequent trading of Shares may significantly reduce investment results and an investment in Shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.
◦Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all ETFs, Shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of Shares will approximate the Fund's NAV, there may be times when the market price of Shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount) due to supply and demand of Shares or during periods of market volatility. This risk is heightened in times of market volatility, periods of steep market declines, and periods when there is limited trading activity for Shares in the secondary market, in which case such premiums or discounts may be significant. Certain securities held by the Fund may trade on foreign exchanges that are closed when the Fund's primary listing exchange is open, and the Fund may experience premiums and discounts greater than those of ETFs that hold securities that are traded only in the United States.
◦Trading. Although Shares are listed for trading on its applicable Exchange and may be listed or traded on U.S. and non-U.S. stock exchanges other than its applicable Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such Shares will develop or be maintained. Trading in Shares may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of its applicable Exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in Shares on its applicable Exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to each Exchange's "circuit breaker" rules, which temporarily halt trading on such Exchange when a decline in the S&P 500 Index during a single day reaches certain thresholds (e.g., 7%, 13%, and 20%). Additional rules applicable to each Exchange may halt trading in Shares when extraordinary volatility causes sudden, significant swings in the market price of Shares. There can be no assurance that Shares will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. In stressed market conditions, the liquidity of Shares may begin to mirror the liquidity of a Fund's underlying portfolio holdings, which can be significantly less liquid than Shares and this could lead to differences between the market price of the shares of the Fund and the underlying value of those Shares.
Foreign Sales Risk
Investments in companies that derive a significant portion of their sales to foreign customers may be subject to risk of loss due to unfavorable changes in currency exchange rates, political, economic or social changes or instability in foreign countries, events affecting the transportation, shipping or delivery of goods to customers, and changes in U.S. or foreign laws or regulations affecting exports. In addition, conditions and changes in regulatory, tax, or economic policy in a country could significantly affect the market in that country and in surrounding or related countries and have a negative impact on the Fund's performance. Currency developments or restrictions, political and social instability, and changing economic conditions have resulted in significant market volatility.
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Foreign Securities Risk
Investments in foreign securities involve certain risks that may not be present with investments in U.S. securities. For example, investments in foreign securities may be subject to risk of loss due to foreign currency fluctuations or to political or economic instability. There may be less information publicly available about a foreign issuer than a U.S. issuer. Foreign issuers may be subject to different accounting, auditing, financial reporting and investor protection standards than U.S. issuers. Investments in foreign securities may be subject to withholding or other taxes and may be subject to additional trading, settlement, custodial, and operational risks. With respect to certain countries, there is the possibility of government intervention and expropriation or nationalization of assets. Because legal systems differ, there is also the possibility that it will be difficult to obtain or enforce legal judgments in certain countries. Since foreign exchanges may be open on days when the Fund does not price its Shares, the value of foreign securities or an Underlying ETF holding foreign securities may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell Shares. Conversely, Shares may trade on days when foreign exchanges are closed. Each of these factors can make investments in the Fund more volatile and potentially less liquid than other types of investments.
Geographic Concentration Risk
The Fund is subject to geographic concentration risk, which is the chance that world events-such as political upheaval, financial troubles, or natural disasters-will adversely affect the value of securities issued by companies in foreign countries or regions. Because the Fund may invest a large portion of its assets in securities of companies located in any one country or region, the Fund's performance may be hurt disproportionately by the poor performance of its investments in that area.
International Operations Risk
Investments in companies with significant business operations outside of the United States may involve certain risks that may not be present with investments in U.S. companies. For example, international operations may be subject to risk of loss due to foreign currency fluctuations; changes in foreign political and economic environments, regionally, nationally, and locally; challenges of complying with a wide variety of foreign laws, including corporate governance, operations, taxes, and litigation; differing lending practices; differences in cultures; changes in applicable laws and regulations in the United States that affect international operations; changes in applicable laws and regulations in foreign jurisdictions; difficulties in managing international operations; and obstacles to the repatriation of earnings and cash. These and other factors can make an investment in the Fund more volatile than other types of investments.
Large-Capitalization Investing Risk
The securities of large-capitalization companies may be relatively mature compared to smaller companies and therefore subject to slower growth during times of economic expansion. Large-capitalization companies may also be unable to respond quickly to new competitive challenges, such as changes in technology and consumer tastes.
Mid-Capitalization Investing Risk
The securities of mid-capitalization companies may be more vulnerable to adverse issuer, market, political, public health, cyber, or economic developments than securities of large-capitalization companies. The securities of mid-capitalization companies generally trade in lower volumes and are subject to greater and more unpredictable price changes than large capitalization stocks or the stock market as a whole. Some medium capitalization companies have limited product lines, markets, financial resources, and management personnel and tend to concentrate on fewer geographical markets relative to large-capitalization companies.
Non-Diversification Risk
Although the Fund intends to invest in a variety of securities and instruments, the Fund is considered to be non-diversified. This means that the Fund may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. As a result, the Fund may be more exposed to the risks associated with and developments affecting an individual issuer or a smaller number of issuers than a fund that invests more widely. This may increase the Fund's volatility and cause the performance of a relatively smaller number of issuers to have a greater impact on the Fund's performance.
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Nuclear Power Companies Risk
Nuclear power companies may face considerable risk as a result of incidents and accidents, breaches of security, ill-intentioned acts of terrorism, natural disasters, equipment malfunctions or mishandling in storage, handling, transportation, treatment or conditioning of substances and nuclear materials. Such events could have serious consequences, especially in the case of radioactive contamination and irradiation of the environment, for the general population, as well as a material, negative impact on nuclear infrastructure companies. In addition, nuclear infrastructure companies are subject to competitive risk associated with the prices of other energy sources, such as natural gas and oil. Consumers of nuclear energy may have the ability to switch between nuclear energy and other energy sources and, as a result, during periods when competing energy sources are less expensive, the revenues of nuclear infrastructure companies may decline with a corresponding impact on earnings. Nuclear activity is also subject to particularly detailed and restrictive regulations, with a scheme for the monitoring and periodic re-examination of operating authorization, which primarily takes into account nuclear safety, environmental and public health protection, and also national security considerations, including terrorist threats in particular. These regulations and any future regulations may be subject to significant tightening by national and international authorities. This could result in increased operating costs, which would have a negative impact on nuclear power companies and may cause operating businesses related to nuclear energy to become unprofitable or impractical to operate.
Passive Investment Risk
The Fund is not actively managed and the Adviser would not sell a security due to current or projected underperformance of a security, industry or sector, unless that security is removed from the Index or the selling of shares of that security is otherwise required upon a reconstitution of the Index in accordance with the Index methodology. Other than in response to a trigger if set forth in the Fund's Index methodology, the Fund invests in securities included in, or representative of securities included in the Index regardless of their investment merits. The Fund does not take defensive positions under any market conditions, including conditions that are adverse to the performance of the Fund. The returns from the types of securities in which the Fund invests may underperform returns from the various general securities markets or different asset classes. This may cause the Fund to underperform other investment vehicles that invest in different asset classes. Different types of securities (for example, large-, mid- and small-capitalization stocks) tend to go through cycles of doing better - or worse - than the general securities markets. In the past, these periods have lasted for as long as several years.
Real Estate Companies Risk
The Fund invests in real estate companies, including REITs and real estate holdings companies, it will expose investors to the risks of owning real estate directly, as well as to the risks that relate specifically to the way in which such companies are organized and operated. Real estate is highly sensitive to general and local economic conditions and developments and is characterized by intense competition and periodic overbuilding. Many real estate companies, including REITs, utilize leverage (and some may be highly leveraged), which increases investment risk and the risk normally associated with debt financing, and could potentially increase a Fund's volatility and losses. The U.S. real estate market may, in the future, experience and has, in the past, experienced a decline in value, with certain regions experiencing significant losses in property values. Exposure to such real estate may adversely affect Fund performance. In addition, many investors may already have exposure to residential real estate through ownership of a home. So called "Acts of God," such as hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis, and other natural disasters, as well as the effects of climate change, terrorist activity, political unrest, or civil strife may result in physical damage to properties or a decrease in demand, which can affect profits.
In addition to the foregoing risks common to most real estate companies, companies in certain real estate sectors may have additional unique risks.
◦Risks of Investing in the Data & Infrastructure Real Estate Sector (SRVR only). Companies in the Data & Infrastructure Real Estate sector may be affected by unique supply and demand factors that do not apply to other real estate sectors, such as changes in demand for communications infrastructure, consolidation of tower sites, and new technologies that may affect demand for communications towers. Data and infrastructure real estate companies are particularly affected by changes in demand for wireless infrastructure and wireless connectivity. Such demand is affected by numerous factors, including consumer demand for wireless connectivity; availability or capacity of wireless infrastructure or associated land interests; location of wireless infrastructure; financial condition of customers, including their profitability and availability or cost of capital; availability and cost of spectrum for commercial use; increased use of network sharing, roaming, joint development, or resale agreements by customers; mergers or consolidations by and among customers; governmental regulations, including local or
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state restrictions on the proliferation of wireless infrastructure; cost of constructing wireless infrastructure; and technological changes, including those affecting the number or type of wireless infrastructure needed to provide wireless connectivity to a given geographic area or resulting in the obsolescence or decommissioning of certain existing wireless networks.
REIT Investment Risk
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, it is expected that investors in the Fund will bear two layers of asset-based management fees and expenses (directly at the Fund level and indirectly at the REIT level). The risks of investing in REITs include certain risks associated with the direct ownership of real estate and the real estate industry in general. These include risks related to general, regional and local economic conditions; fluctuations in interest rates and property tax rates; shifts in zoning laws, environmental regulations and other governmental action such as the exercise of eminent domain; cash flow dependency; increased operating expenses; 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.
In addition to these risks, REITs are dependent upon management skills and generally may not be diversified. REITs are also subject to heavy cash flow dependency, defaults by borrowers and self-liquidation. In addition, REITs could possibly fail to qualify for the beneficial tax treatment available to REITs under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, or to maintain their exemptions from registration under the 1940 Act. The Fund expects that dividends received from a REIT and distributed to Fund shareholders generally will be taxable to the shareholder as ordinary income, but may be taxable as return of capital. In the event of a default by a borrower or lessee, the REIT may experience delays in enforcing its rights as a mortgagee or lessor and may incur substantial costs associated with protecting investments.
Sector Risk
To the extent the Fund invests more heavily in particular sectors of the economy, its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that significantly affect those sectors.
◦Communications Services Sector Risk. The Fund is generally expected to invest significantly in companies in the communications services sector, and therefore the performance of the Fund could be negatively impacted by events affecting this sector. Communications services companies are 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 adverse regulatory requirements may adversely affect the business of the such companies. Companies in the communications services sector can also be significantly affected by intense competition, including competition with alternative technologies such as wireless communications (including with 5G and other technologies), product compatibility, consumer preferences, rapid product obsolescence, and research and development of new products. Technological innovations may make the products and services of such companies obsolete.
◦Information Technology Sector Risk. The Fund may invest in companies in the information technology sector, and therefore the performance of the Fund could be negatively impacted by events affecting this sector. Market or economic factors impacting information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technological advances could have a significant effect on the value of the Fund's investments. The value of stocks of information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technology is particularly vulnerable to rapid changes in technology product cycles, rapid product obsolescence, government regulation and competition, both domestically and internationally, including competition from foreign competitors with lower production costs. Stocks of information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technology, especially those of smaller, less-seasoned companies, tend to be more volatile than the overall market. Information technology companies are heavily dependent on patent and intellectual property rights, the loss or impairment of which may adversely affect profitability. Additionally, companies in the information technology sector may face dramatic and often unpredictable changes in growth rates and competition for the services of qualified personnel.
Small-Capitalization Investing Risk
The securities of small-capitalization companies may be more vulnerable to adverse issuer, market, political, public health, cyber or economic developments than securities of larger-capitalization companies. The securities of small-capitalization companies generally trade in lower volumes and are subject to greater and more unpredictable price changes
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than larger capitalization stocks or the stock market as a whole. Some small capitalization companies have limited product lines, markets, and financial and managerial resources and tend to concentrate on fewer geographical markets relative to larger capitalization companies. There is typically less publicly available information concerning smaller-capitalization companies than for larger, more established companies. Small-capitalization companies also may be particularly sensitive to changes in interest rates, government regulation, borrowing costs and earnings.
Tax Risk
To qualify for the favorable tax treatment generally available to regulated investment companies, a Fund must satisfy certain diversification requirements. In particular, a Fund generally may not acquire a security if, as a result of the acquisition, more than 50% of the value of such Fund's assets would be invested in (a) issuers in which such Fund has, in each case, invested more than 5% of its assets or (b) issuers more than 10% of whose outstanding voting securities are owned by the Fund. While the weighting of the Index is not inconsistent with these rules, given the concentration of the Index in a relatively small number of securities, it may not always be possible for a Fund to fully implement a replication strategy or a representative sampling strategy while satisfying these diversification requirements. A Fund's efforts to satisfy the diversification requirements may affect such Fund's execution of its investment strategy and may cause the Fund's return to deviate from that of the Index, and a Fund's efforts to replicate or represent the Index may cause it inadvertently to fail to satisfy the diversification requirements. If a Fund were to fail to satisfy the diversification requirements, it could incur penalty taxes and be forced to dispose of certain assets, or it could fail to qualify as a regulated investment company. If a Fund were to fail to qualify as a regulated investment company, it would be taxed in the same manner as an ordinary corporation, and distributions to its shareholders would not be deductible by such Fund in computing its taxable income.
Tracking Risk
The Fund seeks to track the performance of its underlying index and is subject to the risk of tracking variance. Tracking variance may result from share purchases and redemptions, transaction costs, expenses and other factors. Tracking variance may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. Additionally, a Fund's return may not track the return of the Index if the Fund is not able to replicate the holdings of the Index due to the diversification requirements described above under "Tax Risk," which apply to the Fund but not the Index. The use of sampling techniques may affect the Fund's ability to achieve close correlation with its Index. The Fund may use a representative sampling strategy to achieve its investment objective, if the Adviser believes it is in the best interest of the Fund, which generally can be expected to produce a greater non-correlation risk.
ADDITIONAL NON-PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGY INFORMATION
Each Fund will generally use a "replication" strategy to achieve its investment objective, meaning it will invest in all of the component securities of the applicable Index in the same approximate proportion as in such Index, but may, when the Adviser believes it is in the best interests of such Fund, use a "representative sampling" strategy, meaning it may invest in a sample of the securities in the applicable Index whose risk, return, and other characteristics closely resemble the risk, return, and other characteristics of the applicable Index as a whole ( e.g. , when replicating the Index involves practical difficulties or substantial costs, an Index constituent becomes temporarily illiquid, unavailable or less liquid, or as a result of legal restrictions or limitations that apply to the Fund but not to the Index).
Each Fund may invest up to 20% of its assets in cash and cash equivalents, other investment companies, as well as securities and other instruments not included in the Index but which the Adviser believes will help the Fund track the applicable Index.
ADDITIONAL NON-PRINCIPAL RISK INFORMATION
Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments. Normally, a Fund invests substantially all of its assets to meet its investment objective. A Fund may invest the remainder of its assets in securities with maturities of less than one year or cash equivalents, or each may hold cash. The percentage of a Fund invested in such holdings varies and depends on several factors, including market conditions. During such periods, the Fund may not be able to achieve its investment objective. The Fund may adopt a temporary defensive strategy when the portfolio managers believe securities in which the Fund normally invests have elevated risks due to political or economic factors and in other extraordinary circumstances. For more information on eligible short-term investments, see the SAI.
Absence of a Prior Active Market. Although the Funds' Shares are approved for listing on the a national securities exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market will develop and be maintained for Fund Shares. There
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can be no assurance that a Fund will grow to or maintain an economically viable size, in which case such Fund may experience greater tracking error to its Index than it otherwise would at higher asset levels or the Fund may ultimately liquidate.
Liquidity Risk. The Funds may hold certain investments that may be subject to restrictions on resale, trade over-the-counter or in limited volume, or lack an active trading market. Accordingly, the Funds may not be able to sell or close out of such investments at favorable times or prices (or at all), or at prices approximating those at which a Fund currently values them. Illiquid securities may trade at a discount from comparable, more liquid investments and may be subject to wide fluctuations in market value.
Securities Lending Risk. There are certain risks associated with securities lending, including the risk that the borrower may fail to return the securities on a timely basis or even the loss of rights in the collateral deposited by the borrower, if the borrower should fail financially. As a result, a Fund may lose money. A Fund could also lose money in the event of a decline in the value of collateral provided for loaned securities or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for a Fund.
PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS INFORMATION
Information about each Fund's daily portfolio holdings is available at www.PacerETFs.com. A summarized description of each Fund's policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of each Fund's portfolio holdings is available in each Fund's Statement of Additional Information ("SAI").
MANAGEMENT
The Funds are series of Pacer Funds Trust (the "Trust"), a Delaware statutory trust, which is overseen by a board of trustees.
Investment Adviser
The Adviser has overall responsibility for the general management and administration of the Trust and each of its separate investment portfolios. The Adviser is a registered investment adviser with offices located at 500 Chesterfield Parkway, Malvern, Pennsylvania 19355. The Adviser has managed ETFs since 2015. The Adviser also arranges for transfer agency, custody, fund administration, securities lending and all other related services necessary for each Fund to operate. For its services, the Adviser receives a fee from each Fund, calculated daily and paid monthly, based on a percentage of each Fund's average daily net assets, as shown in the following table:
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Name of Fund
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Management Fee
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Pacer US Export Leaders ETF
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0.60%
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Pacer Data & Infrastructure Real Estate ETF*
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0.49%
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*Effective August 29, 2025, the management fee for the Fund was reduced from 0.60% to 0.49%.
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Under the Investment Advisory Agreement between the Adviser and the Trust, on behalf of the Funds (the "Investment Advisory Agreement"), the Adviser has agreed to pay all expenses of each Fund, except for: the fee paid to the Adviser pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement, interest charges on any borrowings, taxes, brokerage commissions and other expenses incurred in placing orders for the purchase and sale of securities and other investment instruments, acquired fund fees and expenses, accrued deferred tax liability, extraordinary expenses, and distribution (12b-1) fees and expenses.
The basis for the Board of Trustees' approval of the Investment Advisory Agreement for each Fund is available in such Funds' Annual Report to Shareholders for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2025, which is included in such Funds' most recent Form N-CSR filing.
Portfolio Managers
With respect to each Fund, the Funds' portfolio management team consists of Bruce Kavanaugh and Danke Wang, CFA, FRM, who are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of such Funds' portfolios.
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Pacer Advisors, Inc.
Mr. Kavanaugh has been Vice President of the Adviser since it began operations in 2004. He has been a portfolio manager with the Adviser since 2015. Mr. Kavanaugh has more than 25 years of experience in financial services.
Mr. Wang, Head Portfolio Analyst and Portfolio Manager, joined the Adviser in 2014. He served as a Senior Portfolio Analyst of the Adviser from 2014 to 2022, and became Head Portfolio Analyst and a portfolio manager in 2022. Mr. Wang obtained an MS in Finance from Villanova University and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst and Financial Risk Manager designations.
The SAI provides additional information about each Portfolio Manager's compensation structure, other accounts managed by the Portfolio Managers, and the Portfolio Managers' ownership of Shares of each Fund for which they are a portfolio manager.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON BUYING AND SELLING FUND SHARES
Most investors will buy and sell Shares of the Funds through brokers. Shares of each Fund trade on the applicable exchange as listed on the cover of this Prospectus (each, the applicable "Exchange") and elsewhere during the trading day and can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like other shares of publicly traded securities. When buying or selling Shares through a broker, most investors will incur customary brokerage commissions and charges. Shares of each Fund trade under the trading symbol listed on the cover of this Prospectus. Only authorized participants ("Authorized Participants" or "APs") who have entered into agreements with the Funds' distributor may acquire Shares directly from a Fund, and only APs may tender their Shares for redemption directly to each Fund, at NAV in Creation Units. Once created, Shares trade in the secondary market in amounts less than a Creation Unit.
Share Trading Prices
Transactions in each Fund's Shares will be priced at NAV only if you purchase Shares directly from each Fund in Creation Units. As with other types of securities, the trading prices of Shares in the secondary market can be affected by market forces such as supply and demand, economic conditions and other factors. The price you pay or receive when you buy or sell your Shares in the secondary market may be more or less than the NAV of such Shares.
Determination of Net Asset Value
The NAV of each Fund's Shares is calculated each day the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") is open for trading as of the close of regular trading on the NYSE, generally 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time (the "NAV Calculation Time"). If the NYSE closes before 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, as it occasionally does, the NAV Calculation Time will be the time the NYSE closes. In addition, any U.S. fixed-income assets may be valued as of the announced closing time of trading in fixed income instruments on any day that the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association announces an early closing time. Each Fund's NAV per share is calculated by dividing the Fund's net assets by the number of Fund Shares outstanding.
In calculating its NAV, each Fund generally values its assets on the basis of market quotations, last sale prices, or estimates of value furnished by a pricing service or brokers who make markets in such instruments. Debt obligations with maturities of 60 days or less are valued at amortized cost.
Fair Value Pricing
The Adviser has been designated by the Board as the valuation designee for each Fund pursuant to Rule 2a-5 under the 1940 Act. In its capacity as valuation designee, the Adviser has adopted procedures and methodologies to fair value Fund securities whose market prices are not "readily available" or are deemed to be unreliable. For example, such circumstances may arise when: (i) a security has been de-listed or has had its trading halted or suspended; (ii) a security's primary pricing source is unable or unwilling to provide a price; (iii) a security's primary trading market is closed during regular market hours; or (iv) a security's value is materially affected by events occurring after the close of the security's primary trading market. The Board has appointed the Adviser as the Fund's valuation designee to perform all fair valuations of the Fund's portfolio investments, subject to the Board's oversight. Accordingly, the Adviser has established procedures for its fair valuation of the Fund's portfolio investments. Generally, when fair valuing a security held by the Fund, the Adviser will take into account all reasonably available information that may be relevant to a particular valuation including, but not limited to, fundamental analytical data regarding the issuer, information relating to the issuer's business, recent trades or offers of the security, general and/or specific market conditions and the specific facts giving rise to the need to fair value the security. Fair value determinations are made in good faith and in accordance with the fair value
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methodologies established by the Adviser and approved by the Board. Due to the subjective and variable nature of determining the fair value of a security or other investment, there can be no assurance that the Adviser's fair value will match or closely correlate to any market quotation that subsequently becomes available or the price quoted or published by other sources. In addition, the Fund may not be able to obtain the fair value assigned to the security upon the sale of such security.
Dividends and Distributions
Each Fund expects to pay out dividends, if any, on a quarterly basis. Nonetheless, each Fund may make more frequent dividend payments. Each Fund expects to distribute its net realized capital gains to investors annually. Each Fund occasionally may be required to make supplemental distributions at some other time during the year. Distributions in cash may be reinvested automatically in additional whole Shares only if the broker through whom you purchased Shares makes such option available. Your broker is responsible for distributing the income and capital gain distributions to you.
Book Entry
Shares of each Fund are held in book-entry form, which means that no stock certificates are issued. The Depository Trust Company ("DTC") or its nominee is the record owner of all outstanding Shares of each Fund.
Investors owning Shares of each Fund are beneficial owners as shown on the records of DTC or its participants. DTC serves as the securities depository for all Shares of each Fund. Participants include DTC, securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations, and other institutions that directly or indirectly maintain a custodial relationship with DTC. As a beneficial owner of Shares, you are not entitled to receive physical delivery of stock certificates or to have Shares registered in your name, and you are not considered a registered owner of Shares. Therefore, to exercise any right as an owner of Shares, you must rely upon the procedures of DTC and its participants. These procedures are the same as those that apply to any securities that you hold in book-entry or "street name" form. Your broker will provide you with account statements, confirmations of your purchases and sales, and tax information.
Delivery of Shareholder Documents - Householding
Householding is an option available to certain investors of each Fund. Householding is a method of delivery, based on the preference of the individual investor, in which a single copy of certain shareholder documents can be delivered to investors who share the same address, even if their accounts are registered under different names. Householding for each Fund is available through certain broker-dealers. If you are interested in enrolling in householding and receiving a single copy of prospectuses and other shareholder documents, please contact your broker-dealer. If you are currently enrolled in householding and wish to change your householding status, please contact your broker-dealer.
Frequent Purchases and Redemptions of Fund Shares
Each Fund imposes no restrictions on the frequency of purchases and redemptions of Fund Shares. In determining not to impose such restrictions, the Board evaluated the risks of market timing activities by Fund shareholders. Purchases and redemptions by APs, who are the only parties that may purchase or redeem Shares directly with a Fund, are an essential part of the ETF process and help keep Fund Share trading prices in line with NAV. As such, each Fund accommodates frequent purchases and redemptions by APs. However, the Board has also determined that frequent purchases and redemptions for cash may increase tracking error and portfolio transaction costs and may lead to the realization of capital gains. To minimize these potential consequences of frequent purchases and redemptions, each Fund imposes transaction fees on purchases and redemptions of Creation Units to cover the custodial and other costs incurred by the Fund in effective trades. In addition, each Fund and the Adviser reserve the right to reject any purchase order at any time.
Investments by Registered Investment Companies
Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act restricts investments by registered investment companies in the securities of other investment companies, including Shares of each Fund. 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 Rule 12d1-4 under the 1940 Act, including that such investment companies enter into an agreement with the applicable Fund(s).
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ADDITIONAL TAX INFORMATION
The following discussion is a summary of some important U.S. federal income tax considerations generally applicable to investments in the Funds. Your investment in the Funds may have other tax implications. Please consult your tax advisor about the tax consequences of an investment in Fund Shares, including the possible application of foreign, state, and local tax laws.
The Funds have qualified and intend to continue to qualify each year for treatment as a regulated investment company ("RIC"). If it meets certain minimum distribution requirements, a RIC is not subject to tax at the fund level on income and gains from investments that are timely distributed to shareholders. However, a Fund's failure to qualify as a RIC or to meet minimum distribution requirements would result (if certain relief provisions were not available) in fund-level taxation and, consequently, a reduction in income available for distribution to shareholders.
Unless you are a tax-exempt entity or your investment in Fund Shares is made through a tax advantaged retirement account, such as an IRA, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when:
•A Fund makes distributions;
•You sell Fund Shares; and
•You purchase or redeem Creation Units (institutional investors only).
Taxes on Distributions
Tax reform legislation commonly known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the "Tax Act") was enacted on December 22, 2017. The Tax Act made significant changes to the U.S. federal income tax rules for individuals and corporations, generally effective for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017. The application of certain provisions of the Tax Act is uncertain, and the changes in the act may have indirect effects on the Funds, its investments and its shareholders that cannot be predicted. For federal income tax purposes, distributions of investment income are generally taxable as ordinary income or "qualified dividend income." Taxes on distributions of capital gains (if any) depend on how long a Fund owned the assets that generated them, rather than how long a shareholder has owned his or her Fund Shares. Sales of assets held by a Fund for more than one year generally result in long-term capital gains and losses, and sales of assets held by a Fund for one year or less generally result in short-term capital gains and losses. Distributions of a Fund's net capital gain (the excess of net long-term capital gains over net short-term capital losses) that are properly reported by the Fund as capital gain dividends ("Capital Gain Dividends") are taxable as long-term capital gains. For noncorporate shareholders, long-term capital gains are generally subject to tax at reduced rates and currently set at a maximum rate of 20%. Distributions of short-term capital gain are generally taxable as ordinary income. Distributions of investment income reported by a Fund as derived from "qualified dividend income" will be taxed at long term capital gain rates for non-corporate shareholders.
U.S. individuals with income exceeding specified thresholds are subject to a 3.8% Medicare contribution tax on all or a portion of their "net investment income," which includes interest, dividends, and certain capital gains (generally including capital gain distributions and capital gains realized on the sale or exchange of Fund Shares).
In general, your distributions are subject to federal income tax for the year in which they are paid. Certain distributions paid in January, however, may be treated as paid on December 31 of the prior year. Distributions are generally taxable even if they are paid from income or gains earned by the Funds before your investment (and thus were included in the Fund Shares' NAV when you purchased your Fund Shares).
A Fund may include a payment of cash in addition to, or in place of, the delivery of a basket of securities upon the redemption of Creation Units. The Funds may sell portfolio securities to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. This may cause the Funds to recognize investment income and/or capital gains or losses that it might not have recognized if it had completely satisfied the redemption in-kind. As a result, the Funds may be less tax efficient if it includes such a cash payment in the proceeds paid upon the redemption of Creation Units.
Nonresident aliens, foreign corporations and other foreign shareholders in the Funds will generally be exempt from U.S. federal income tax on Capital Gain Dividends. The exemption may not apply, however, if the investment in a Fund is connected to a trade or business for the foreign shareholder in the United States or if the foreign shareholder is present in the United States for 183 days or more in a year and certain other conditions are met.
27
Distributions (other than Capital Gain Dividends) paid to individual shareholders that are neither citizens nor residents of the U.S. or to foreign entities will generally be subject to a U.S. withholding tax at the rate of 30%, unless a lower treaty rate applies. The Funds may, under certain circumstances, report all or a portion of a dividend as an "interest-related dividend" or a "short-term capital gain dividend," which would generally be exempt from this 30% U.S. withholding tax, provided certain other requirements are met. Short-term capital gain dividends received by a nonresident alien individual who is present in the U.S. for a period or periods aggregating 183 days or more during the taxable year are not exempt from this 30% withholding tax. Gains realized by foreign shareholders from the sale or other disposition of Shares of a Fund generally are not subject to U.S. taxation, unless the recipient is an individual who is physically present in the U.S. for 183 days or more per year.
The Funds (or a financial intermediary, such as a broker, through which shareholders own Fund Shares) generally are required to withhold and to remit to the US Treasury a percentage of the taxable distributions and the sale or redemption proceeds paid to any shareholder who fails to properly furnish a correct taxpayer identification number, who has under-reported dividend or interest income, or who fails to certify that he, she or it is not subject to such withholding.
A U.S. withholding tax at a 30% rate will be imposed on dividends effective July 1, 2014 (and proceeds of sales in respect of Fund Shares (including certain capital gain dividends) received by Fund shareholders beginning after December 31, 2018) for shareholders who own their Shares through foreign accounts or foreign intermediaries if certain disclosure requirements related to U.S. accounts or ownership are not satisfied. The Funds will not pay any additional amounts in respect to any amounts withheld.
To the extent a Fund invests in foreign securities, it may be subject to foreign withholding taxes with respect to dividends or interest the Fund received from sources in foreign countries. If more than 50% of the total assets of a Fund consists of foreign securities, such Fund will be eligible to elect to treat some of those taxes as a distribution to shareholders, which would allow shareholders to offset some of their U.S. federal income tax. The Funds (or its administrative agent) will notify you if it makes such an election and provide you with the information necessary to reflect foreign taxes paid on your income tax return.
Taxes When Fund Shares Are Sold
Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Fund Shares is generally treated as a long-term gain or loss if the Shares have been held for more than one year. Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Fund Shares held for one year or less is generally treated as a short-term gain or loss, except that any capital loss on a sale of Shares held for six months or less is treated as long-term capital loss to the extent that Capital Gain Dividends were paid with respect to such Shares. The ability to deduct capital losses may be limited depending on your circumstances.
A foreign shareholder will generally not be subject to U.S. tax on gains realized on sales or exchange of Fund Shares unless the investment in a Fund is connected to a trade or business of the investor in the United States or if the shareholder is present in the United States for 183 days or more in a year and certain other conditions are met. All foreign shareholders should consult their own tax advisors regarding the tax consequences in their country of residence of an investment in a Fund.
Creation and Redemption Units
An Authorized Participant who exchanges securities for Creation Units generally will recognize a gain or a loss. The gain or loss will be equal to the difference between the market value of the Creation Units at the time and the sum of the exchanger's aggregate basis in the securities surrendered plus the amount of cash paid for such Creation Units. A person who redeems Creation Units will generally recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the exchanger's basis in the Creation Units and the sum of the aggregate market value of any securities received plus the amount of any cash received for such Creation Units. The Internal Revenue Service, however, may assert that a loss realized upon an exchange of securities for Creation Units cannot be deducted currently under the rules governing "wash sales," or on the basis that there has been no significant change in economic position.
Any capital gain or loss realized upon the creation of Creation Units will generally be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the securities exchanged for such Creation Units have been held for more than one year. Any capital gain or loss realized upon the redemption of Creation Units will generally be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the Shares comprising the Creation Units have been held for more than one year. Otherwise, such capital gains or losses will be treated as short-term capital gains or losses. Persons purchasing or redeeming Creation Units should consult their own tax advisors with respect to the tax treatment of any creation or redemption transaction.
28
The Funds have the right to reject an order for Creation Units if the purchaser (or group of purchasers) would, upon obtaining the Shares so ordered, own 80% or more of the outstanding Shares of the Fund and if, pursuant to section 351 of the Internal Revenue Code, the respective Fund would have a basis in the deposit securities different from the market value of such securities on the date of deposit. The Funds also have the right to require information necessary to determine beneficial Share ownership for purposes of the 80% determination.
Foreign Investments by the Funds
Interest and other income received by the Funds with respect to foreign securities may give rise to withholding and other taxes imposed by foreign countries. Tax conventions between certain countries and the United States may reduce or eliminate such taxes. If as of the close of a taxable year more than 50% of the value of a Fund's assets consists of certain foreign stock or securities, each such Fund will be eligible to elect to "pass through" to investors the amount of foreign income and similar taxes (including withholding taxes) paid by such Fund during that taxable year. This means that investors would be considered to have received as additional income their respective Shares of such foreign taxes, but may be entitled to either a corresponding tax deduction in calculating taxable income, or, subject to certain limitations, a credit in calculating federal income tax. If a Fund does not so elect, each such Fund will be entitled to claim a deduction for certain foreign taxes incurred by such Fund. A Fund (or your broker) will notify you if it makes such an election and provide you with the information necessary to reflect foreign taxes paid on your income tax return.
The foregoing discussion summarizes some of the possible consequences under current federal tax law of an investment in the Funds. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. You also may be subject to state and local tax on Fund distributions and sales of Shares. Consult your personal tax advisor about the potential tax consequences of an investment in Shares under all applicable tax laws. For more information, please see the section entitled "Federal Income Taxes" in the SAI.
State and Local Taxes
Shareholders may also be subject to state and local taxes on income and gain attributable to your ownership of Fund Shares. State income taxes may not apply, however, to the portions of a Fund's distributions, if any, that are attributable to interest earned by a Fund on U.S. government securities. You should consult your tax professional regarding the tax status of distributions in your state and locality.
Foreign Taxes
To the extent the Fund invests in foreign securities, it may be subject to foreign withholding taxes with respect to dividends or interest the Fund received from sources in foreign countries.
DISTRIBUTION
The Distributor, Pacer Financial, Inc., is a broker-dealer registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The Distributor distributes Creation Units for each Fund on an agency basis and does not maintain a secondary market in Shares. The Distributor has no role in determining the policies of each Fund or the securities that are purchased or sold by each Fund. The Distributor's principal address is 500 Chesterfield Parkway, Malvern, Pennsylvania, 19355. The Distributor is an affiliate of the Adviser.
The Board has adopted a Distribution and Service Plan (the "Plan") pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act. In accordance with the Plan, each Fund is authorized to pay an amount up to 0.25% of its average daily net assets each year for certain distribution-related activities and shareholder services.
No Rule 12b-1 fees are currently paid by the Funds, and there are no plans to impose these fees. However, in the event Rule 12b-1 fees are charged in the future, because the fees are paid out of a Fund's assets, over time these fees will increase the cost of your investment and may cost you more than certain other types of sales charges.
PREMIUM/DISCOUNT INFORMATION
With respect to the Future Funds, information regarding how often Shares of each Fund traded on the Exchange at a price above (i.e., at a premium) or below (i.e., at a discount) the NAV of the fund will be available in the future on the Funds' website at www.PacerETFs.com. With respect to all other Funds, information regarding how often Shares of each Fund traded on an Exchange at a price above (i.e., at a premium) or below (i.e., at a discount) the NAV of the fund is available on the Funds' website at www.PacerETFs.com.
29
ADDITIONAL NOTICES
Shares are not sponsored, endorsed, or promoted by the Exchange. The Exchange makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of Fund Shares or any member of the public regarding the ability of the Funds to track the total return performance of the Indexes or the ability of the Indexes identified herein to track the performance of its constituent securities. The Exchange is not responsible for, nor has it participated in, the determination of the compilation or the calculation of the Indexes, nor in the determination of the timing of, prices of, or quantities of Fund Shares to be issued, nor in the determination or calculation of the equation by which Shares are redeemable. The Exchange has no obligation or liability to owners of Fund Shares in connection with the administration, marketing, or trading of Fund Shares.
The Exchange does not guarantee the accuracy and/or the completeness of the Indexes or the data included therein. The Exchange makes no warranty, express or implied, as to results to be obtained by the Trust on behalf of each Fund, owners of the Shares, or any other person or entity from the use of the Index or the data included therein. The Exchange makes no express or implied warranties, and hereby expressly disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose with respect to the Indexes or the data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall the Exchange have any liability for any lost profits or indirect, punitive, special, or consequential damages even if notified of the possibility thereof.
The Adviser, the Index Provider, the Exchange, and each Fund make no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of Fund Shares or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally or in each Fund particularly. The Adviser has no obligation to take the needs of each Fund or the owners of Shares of each Fund into consideration in determining, composing, or calculating each Index.
The Adviser, the Index Provider, the Exchange, and the Funds make no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of Shares or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally or in the Funds particularly. The Funds do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or performance of the Indexes or the data included therein and shall have no liability in connection with the Indexes or Index calculation.
The Index Provider owns the Indexes and each Index methodology and is a licensor of the Indexes to the Adviser and index receipt agent. The Index Provider has contracted with an index calculation agent to maintain and calculate the Indexes used by the Funds. The index calculation agents maintain and calculate the Indexes used by the Funds. The index calculation agent shall have no liability for any errors or omissions in calculating the Indexes.
IDG and its affiliates have not passed on the legality or suitability of, or the accuracy or adequacy of descriptions and disclosures relating to each Index. IDG makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of the Funds or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally or in any Fund particularly, or the ability of the Index to track general market performance. IDG's only relationship to the Funds is in the licensing to the Adviser of certain indexes, related trademarks, and certain trade names of IDG and the use of each Index for which it is the Index Provider. Each such Index is determined, composed, and calculated independently by a third party on behalf of IDG without regard to the Adviser or the Funds. IDG has no obligation to take the needs of the Adviser or the owners of the Fund into consideration in determining, composing, or calculating the Index. IDG is not responsible for and has not participated in the determination of the timing of, prices at, or quantities of the Funds to be issued or in the determination or calculation of the equation by which shares of the Fund are to be converted into cash. IDG has no liability in connection with the administration, marketing, or trading of the Fund.
IDG DOES NOT GUARANTEE THE ACCURACY AND/OR UNINTERRUPTED CALCULATION OF ANY INDEX OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. IDG MAKES NO WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED BY THE ADVISER, OWNERS OF THE FUNDS, OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY FROM THE USE OF ANY INDEX. IDG MAKES NO EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR USE WITH RESPECT TO EACH INDEX OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OF THE FOREGOING, IN NO EVENT SHALL THE INDEX PROVIDER HAVE ANY LIABILITY FOR ANY LOST PROFITS OR SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, PUNITIVE, INDIRECT, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF NOTIFIED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
SRVR is not sponsored, promoted, sold or supported in any other manner by Solactive AG nor does Solactive AG offer any express or implicit guarantee or assurance either with regard to the results of using the Solactive GPR Data &
30
Infrastructure Real Estate Index (for this paragraph only, the "Index") and/or Index's trade mark or the Index's price at any time or in any other respect. The Index is calculated and published by Solactive AG. Solactive AG uses its best efforts to ensure that the Index is calculated correctly. Irrespective of its obligations towards the Funds, Solactive AG has no obligation to point out errors in the Index to third parties including but not limited to investors and/or financial intermediaries of SRVR. Neither publication of the Index by Solactive AG nor the licensing of the Index or Index's trade mark for the purpose of use in connection with SRVR constitutes a recommendation by Solactive AG to invest capital in said Fund, nor does it in any way represent an assurance or opinion of Solactive AG with regard to any investment in the Fund.
31
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
The financial highlights tables are intended to help you understand each Fund's financial performance for the past five years or, if shorter, for the period of each Fund's operations.
Certain information reflects financial results for a single Fund share. The total returns in the table represent the rate that an investor would have earned or lost on an investment in the applicable Fund (assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions). This information has been audited by Sanville & Company, the Funds' independent registered public accounting firm, whose report, along with the Funds' financial statements, is included in the Funds' Annual Report , which is available upon request.
32
PACER US EXPORT LEADERS ETF
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
|
|
Year Ended
|
|
Year Ended
|
|
Year Ended
|
|
Year Ended
|
|
Year Ended
|
|
April 30, 2025
|
|
April 30, 2024
|
|
April 30, 2023
|
|
April 30, 2022
|
|
April 30, 2021
|
PER SHARE DATA:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Year
|
$
|
47.07
|
|
|
$
|
39.95
|
|
|
$
|
38.27
|
|
|
$
|
40.41
|
|
|
$
|
25.15
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
INVESTMENT OPERATIONS:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net Investment Income(a)
|
0.24
|
|
|
0.21
|
|
|
0.25
|
|
|
0.12
|
|
|
0.14
|
|
Net Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Investments
|
(2.08)
|
|
|
7.12
|
|
|
1.67
|
|
|
(2.13)
|
|
|
15.27
|
|
Total from Investment Operations
|
(1.84)
|
|
|
7.33
|
|
|
1.92
|
|
|
(2.01)
|
|
|
15.41
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
LESS DISTRIBUTIONS FROM:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net Investment Income
|
(0.21)
|
|
|
(0.21)
|
|
|
(0.24)
|
|
|
(0.12)
|
|
|
(0.15)
|
|
Return of Capital
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
(0.01)
|
|
|
-
|
|
Total Distributions
|
(0.21)
|
|
|
(0.21)
|
|
|
(0.24)
|
|
|
(0.13)
|
|
|
(0.15)
|
|
Net Asset Value, End of Year
|
$
|
45.02
|
|
|
$
|
47.07
|
|
|
$
|
39.95
|
|
|
$
|
38.27
|
|
|
$
|
40.41
|
|
Total Return
|
-3.95
|
%
|
|
18.40
|
%
|
|
5.06
|
%
|
|
-5.00
|
%
|
|
61.47
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
SUPPLEMENTAL DATA AND RATIOS:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net Assets, End of Year (in thousands)
|
$
|
40,521
|
|
|
$
|
61,194
|
|
|
$
|
19,976
|
|
|
$
|
3,827
|
|
|
$
|
2,021
|
|
Ratio of Expenses to Average Net Assets
|
0.60
|
%
|
|
0.60
|
%
|
|
0.60
|
%
|
|
0.61
|
%
|
|
0.60
|
%
|
Ratio of Net Investment Income (Loss) to Average Net Assets
|
0.48
|
%
|
|
0.47
|
%
|
|
0.64
|
%
|
|
0.29
|
%
|
|
0.43
|
%
|
Portfolio Turnover Rate(b)
|
71
|
%
|
|
75
|
%
|
|
74
|
%
|
|
79
|
%
|
|
111
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(a)
|
Net investment income per share has been calculated based on average shares outstanding during the years.
|
(b)
|
Portfolio turnover rate excludes in-kind transactions.
|
33
PACER DATA & INFRASTRUCTURE REAL ESTATE ETF
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
|
|
Year Ended
|
|
Year Ended
|
|
Year Ended
|
|
Year Ended
|
|
Year Ended
|
|
April 30,
2025
|
|
April 30,
2024
|
|
April 30,
2023
|
|
April 30,
2022
|
|
April 30,
2021
|
PER SHARE DATA:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Year
|
$
|
26.32
|
|
|
$
|
29.68
|
|
|
$
|
37.50
|
|
|
$
|
38.48
|
|
|
$
|
33.27
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
INVESTMENT OPERATIONS:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net Investment Income(a)
|
0.61
|
|
|
0.71
|
|
|
0.77
|
|
|
0.32
|
|
|
0.36
|
|
Net Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Investments
|
4.37
|
|
|
(2.98)
|
|
|
(7.92)
|
|
|
(0.91)
|
|
|
5.39
|
|
Total from Investment Operations
|
4.98
|
|
|
(2.27)
|
|
|
(7.15)
|
|
|
(0.59)
|
|
|
5.75
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
LESS DISTRIBUTIONS FROM:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net Investment Income
|
(0.51)
|
|
|
(1.09)
|
|
|
(0.61)
|
|
|
(0.33)
|
|
|
(0.37)
|
|
Net Realized Gains
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
(0.06)
|
|
|
(0.06)
|
|
|
-
|
|
Return of Capital
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
(0.17)
|
|
Total Distributions
|
(0.51)
|
|
|
(1.09)
|
|
|
(0.67)
|
|
|
(0.39)
|
|
|
(0.54)
|
|
ETF transaction fees per share
|
0.00
|
|
(b)
|
0.00
|
|
(b)
|
0.00
|
|
(b)
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
Net Asset Value, End of Year
|
$
|
30.79
|
|
|
$
|
26.32
|
|
|
$
|
29.68
|
|
|
$
|
37.50
|
|
|
$
|
38.48
|
|
Total Return
|
19.05
|
%
|
|
-7.74
|
%
|
|
-19.11
|
%
|
|
-1.63
|
%
|
|
17.46
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
SUPPLEMENTAL DATA AND RATIOS:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net Assets, End of Year (in thousands)
|
$
|
432,583
|
|
|
$
|
421,162
|
|
|
$
|
700,548
|
|
|
$
|
1,299,321
|
|
|
$
|
1,119,810
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
RATIO OF EXPENSES TO AVERAGE NET ASSETS:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Before Expense Reimbursement/Recoupment
|
0.60
|
%
|
|
0.60
|
%
|
|
0.60
|
%
|
|
0.62
|
%
|
|
0.60
|
%
|
After Expense Reimbursement/Recoupment
|
0.55
|
%
|
|
0.55
|
%
|
|
0.58
|
%
|
|
N/A
|
|
N/A
|
RATIO OF NET INVESTMENT INCOME (LOSS) TO AVERAGE NET ASSETS:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Before Reimbursement/Recoupment
|
2.04
|
%
|
|
2.52
|
%
|
|
2.43
|
%
|
|
0.81
|
%
|
|
1.02
|
%
|
After Reimbursement/Recoupment
|
1.99
|
%
|
|
2.57
|
%
|
|
2.41
|
%
|
|
N/A
|
|
N/A
|
Portfolio Turnover Rate(c)
|
40
|
%
|
|
68
|
%
|
|
51
|
%
|
|
23
|
%
|
|
30
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(a)
|
Net investment income per share has been calculated based on average shares outstanding during the years.
|
(b)
|
Amount represents less than $0.005 per share.
|
(c)
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Portfolio turnover rate excludes in-kind transactions.
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34
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Adviser
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Pacer Advisors, Inc.
500 Chesterfield Parkway
Malvern, Pennsylvania 19355
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Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
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Sanville & Company
2617 Huntingdon Pike
Huntingdon Valley, PA 19006
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Fund Accountant, Administrator, Index Receipt Agent, and Transfer Agent
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U.S. Bank Global Fund Services
615 East Michigan Street
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202
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Distributor
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Pacer Financial, Inc.
500 Chesterfield Parkway
Malvern, Pennsylvania 19355
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Custodian
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U.S. Bank National Association
1555 N. Rivercenter Drive
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53212
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Legal Counsel
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Practus LLP
11300 Tomahawk Creek Parkway,
Suite 310
Leawood, Kansas 66211
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The Trust's current SAI provides additional detailed information about each Fund. A current SAI dated [ ], 2025, as supplemented from time to time, is on file with the SEC and is herein incorporated by reference into this Prospectus.
Additional information about each Fund's investments is available in the Funds' annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders (when available). In the annual report you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected each Fund's performance for the respective period.
To make shareholder inquiries, for more detailed information on each Fund, or to request the SAI or annual or semi-annual shareholder reports (once available) free of charge, please:
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Call:
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1-800-617-0004
Monday through Friday
8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (Central time)
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Visit:
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www.PacerETFs.com
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Reports and other information about each Fund are also available:
•Free of charge from the SEC's EDGAR database on the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov; or
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.
(The Trust's SEC Investment Company Act file number is 811-23024)
35
Subject to completion, dated September 25, 2025
The information herein 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 is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction in which the offer or sale is not permitted.
STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
[ ], 2025
Pacer US Export Leaders ETF (PEXL)
Pacer Data & Infrastructure Real Estate ETF (SRVR)
listed on the NYSE Arca, Inc.
This Statement of Additional Information ("SAI") is not a Prospectus. It should be read in conjunction with the current Prospectus, as may be revised from time to time ("Prospectus"), for the exchange traded funds ("ETFs") listed above (each a "Fund" and collectively the "Funds"), each a separate series of Pacer Funds Trust (the "Trust"). The current Prospectus for the Funds is dated [...], 2025. Capitalized terms used herein that are not defined have the same meaning as in the Prospectus, unless otherwise noted. A copy of the Prospectus for the Funds may be obtained, without charge, by calling 1-800-617-0004 or by visiting www.PacerETFs.com.
The Funds' audited financial statements for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2025 are incorporated into this SAI by reference to the Funds' Annual Financial Statements and Other Information dated April 30, 2025. A copy of the Funds' Annual Financial Statements and Other Information as well as the Funds' Annual Report, each of which was filed as part of the Funds' most recent Form N-CSR (File No. 811-23024), may be obtained without charge through the Funds' website or by request to the Funds at the phone number or website noted above.
An investment in a Fund is not a deposit of any bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, or any other government agency or any bank. An investment in a Fund involves investment risks, including possible loss of principal.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE TRUST AND THE FUNDS
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2
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INVESTMENT STRATEGIES AND RISKS
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2
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GENERAL RISKS
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3
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SPECIFIC INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
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5
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INVESTMENT LIMITATIONS
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26
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PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS DISCLOSURE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
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27
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CONTINUOUS OFFERING
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28
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MANAGEMENT OF THE TRUST
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28
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INVESTMENT ADVISER
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34
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THE ADMINISTRATOR, TRANSFER AGENT, AND INDEX RECEIPT AGENT
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36
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THE CUSTODIAN
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36
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SECURITIES LENDING ACTIVITIES
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36
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THE DISTRIBUTOR
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37
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LEGAL COUNSEL
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39
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INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
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39
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BROKERAGE TRANSACTIONS
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39
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONCERNING THE TRUST
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41
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LIMITATION OF TRUSTEES' LIABILITY
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42
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PURCHASE AND REDEMPTION OF SHARES IN CREATION UNITS
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42
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DETERMINATION OF NAV
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47
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DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS
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47
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FEDERAL INCOME TAXES
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48
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FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
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55
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APPENDIX A
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A-1
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APPENDIX B
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B-1
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GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE TRUST AND THE FUNDS
The Trust was organized as a Delaware statutory trust on August 12, 2014 and is authorized to issue multiple series or portfolios. The Trust is an open-end, management investment company, registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act"). The offering of the Trust's shares is registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"). Each Fund's ticker symbol appears on the cover of this SAI, and references to specific Funds in the sections below will refer to such Funds by their ticker symbol.
The Funds described in this SAI seek to track the total return performance, before fees and expenses, of their respective indices (each, an "Index").
Pacer Advisors, Inc. ("Pacer" or the "Adviser") is the investment adviser to the Funds. Pacer Financial, Inc. is the distributor (the "Distributor") of the shares of the Funds and is an affiliate of the Adviser.
The Funds issue and redeem shares ("Shares") at net asset value per share ("NAV") only in large blocks of Shares ("Creation Units" or "Creation Unit Aggregations"). Currently, Creation Units generally consist of the following number of shares:
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Name of Fund
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Creation Unit Size
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Pacer US Export Leaders ETF
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50,000
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Pacer Data & Infrastructure Real Estate ETF
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50,000
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These amounts may change from time to time. These transactions are usually in exchange for a basket of securities included in its portfolio and an amount of cash. As a practical matter, only institutions or large investors (authorized participants) who have entered into agreements with the Trust's distributor, can purchase or redeem Creation Units. Except when aggregated in Creation Units, Shares of the Funds are not redeemable securities.
Shares of the Funds are listed on a national securities exchange, NYSE Arca, Inc., (the "Exchange"), as indicated on the cover of this SAI, and trade throughout the day on the Exchange and other secondary markets at market prices that may differ from NAV. As in the case of other publicly traded securities, brokers' commissions on transactions will be based on negotiated commission rates at customary levels.
The Trust reserves the right to adjust the prices of Shares in the future to maintain convenient trading ranges for investors. Any adjustments would be accomplished through stock splits or reverse stock splits, which would have no effect on the net assets of the applicable Fund.
Prior to November 1, 2022, the Pacer Data & Infrastructure Real Estate ETF was known as the Pacer Benchmark Data & Infrastructure Real Estate SCTR ETF.
The below table illustrates the inception date for each Fund.
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Name of Fund
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Inception Date
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PEXL
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July 23, 2018
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SRVR
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May 15, 2018
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INVESTMENT STRATEGIES AND RISKS
Each Fund's investment objective, principal investment strategies and associated risks are described in the Funds' Prospectus. The sections below supplement these principal investment strategies and risks and describe each Fund's additional investment policies and the different types of investments that may be made by a Fund as a part of its non-principal investment strategies. With respect to each Fund's investments, unless otherwise noted, if a percentage limitation on investment is adhered to at the time of investment or contract, a subsequent increase or decrease as a result of market movement or redemption will not result in a violation of such investment limitation.
Each Fund intends to qualify each year as a regulated investment company (a "RIC") under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code"), so that it will not be subject to federal income tax on income and gains that are timely distributed to Fund shareholders. The Funds will seek to invest their assets, and otherwise conduct their operations, in a manner that is intended to satisfy the qualifying income, diversification and distribution requirements necessary to establish and maintain RIC qualification under Subchapter M of the Code.
GENERAL RISKS
An investment in a Fund should be made with an understanding that the value of that Fund's portfolio securities may fluctuate in accordance with changes in the financial condition of an issuer or counterparty, changes in specific economic, political, public health or cyber conditions that affect a particular security or issuer and changes in general economic, political, public health or cyber conditions. An investor in the Funds could lose money over short or long periods of time.
An investment in a Fund should also be made with an understanding of the risks inherent in an investment in equity securities, including the risk that the financial condition of issuers may become impaired or that the general condition of the stock market may deteriorate (either of which may cause a decrease in the value of a Fund's portfolio securities and therefore a decrease in the value of Shares of that Fund). Common stocks are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and to volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence and perceptions change. These investor perceptions are based on various and unpredictable factors, including expectations regarding government, economic, monetary and fiscal policies; inflation and interest rates; economic expansion or contraction; and global or regional political, economic, public health, cyber, or banking crises.
Holders of common stocks incur more risk than holders of preferred stocks and debt obligations because common stockholders, as owners of the issuer, generally have inferior rights to receive payments from the issuer in comparison with the rights of creditors or holders of debt obligations or preferred stocks. Further, unlike debt securities, which typically have a stated principal amount payable at maturity (whose value, however, is subject to market fluctuations prior thereto), or preferred stocks, which typically have a liquidation preference and which may have stated optional or mandatory redemption provisions, common stocks have neither a fixed principal amount nor a maturity. Common stock values are subject to market fluctuations as long as the common stock remains outstanding.
Although all of the equity securities in the Indexes are listed on major U.S. and non-U.S. stock exchanges, there can be no guarantee that a liquid market for the securities held by the Funds will be maintained. The existence of a liquid trading market for certain securities may depend on whether dealers will make a market in such securities. There can be no assurance that a market will be made or maintained or that any such market will be or remain liquid. The price at which securities may be sold and the value of the Shares will be adversely affected if trading markets for a Fund's portfolio securities are limited or absent, or if bid/ask spreads are wide.
Cyber Security Risk. As the use of technology has become more prevalent in the course of business, the Funds may be more susceptible to operational and financial risks associated with cyber security, including: theft, loss, misuse, improper release, corruption and destruction of, or unauthorized access to, confidential or highly restricted data relating to a Fund and its shareholders; and compromises or failures to systems, networks, devices and applications relating to the operations of a Fund and its service providers. Cyber security risks may result in financial losses to a Fund and its shareholders; the inability of a Fund to transact business with its shareholders; delays or mistakes in the calculation of a Fund's NAV or other materials provided to shareholders; the inability to process transactions with shareholders or other parties; violations of privacy and other laws; regulatory fines, penalties and reputational damage; and compliance and remediation costs, legal fees and other expenses. A Fund's service providers (including, but not limited to, its investment adviser, administrator, transfer agent, and custodian or their agents), financial intermediaries, companies in which a Fund invests and parties with which a Fund engages in portfolio or other transactions also may be adversely impacted by cyber security risks in their own businesses, which could result in losses to a Fund or its shareholders. While measures have been developed which are designed to reduce the risks associated with cyber security, there is no guarantee that those measures will be effective, particularly since the Funds do not directly control the cyber security defenses or plans of their service providers, financial intermediaries and companies in which they invest or with which they do business.
Geopolitical, Social and Economic Uncertainty Risk. Geopolitical, social, economic and other conditions and events (such as natural disasters, epidemics and pandemics, terrorism, conflicts and social unrest) that occur from time to time will create uncertainty and may have significant impacts on issuers, industries, governments and other systems, including the financial markets, to which the Funds and the issuers in which they invest are exposed. As global systems, economies and financial markets are increasingly interconnected, events that once had only local impact are now more likely to have regional or even global effects. Events that occur in one country, region or financial market will, more frequently, impact issuers in other countries, regions or markets, including in established markets such as the United States. These impacts can be exacerbated by failures of governments and societies to adequately respond to an emerging event or threat.
Uncertainty can result in or coincide with: increased volatility in the global financial markets, including those related to equity and debt securities, loans, credit, derivatives and currency; a decrease in the reliability of market prices and difficulty in valuing assets; greater fluctuations in currency exchange rates; increased risk of default (by both government and private issuers); further social, economic, and political instability; nationalization of private enterprises; greater governmental involvement in the economy or in social factors that impact the economy; greater, less or different governmental regulation and supervision of the securities markets and market participants and increased, decreased or different processes for and approaches to monitoring markets and enforcing rules and regulations by governments or self-regulatory organizations; limited, or limitations on the, activities of investors in such markets;
controls or restrictions on foreign investment, capital controls and limitations on repatriation of invested capital; inability to purchase and sell assets or otherwise settle transactions (i.e., a market freeze); unavailability of currency hedging techniques; substantial, and in some periods extremely high, rates of inflation, which can last many years and have substantial negative effects on markets as well as the economy as a whole; recessions; and difficulties in obtaining and/or enforcing legal judgments.
For example, in early 2020, a novel coronavirus and related respiratory disease (COVID-19) spread rapidly across the world, including to the United States. The coronavirus outbreak resulted in, among other consequences, the closing of borders, the imposition of travel restrictions, enhanced health screenings, the need for accelerated acute healthcare service preparation and delivery, disruptions and delays in healthcare services, quarantines and "shelter at home" orders, restrictions on gatherings of people, event and service cancellations, business closures, disruptions to supply chains and customer activity, lower consumer demand, as well as general heightened uncertainty. The impact of COVID-19, and other infectious illness outbreaks, epidemics or pandemics that may arise in the future, could adversely affect the economies of many nations or the entire global economy, the financial well-being and performance of individual issuers, borrowers and sectors and the health of the markets generally in potentially significant and unforeseen ways. In addition, the impact of infectious illnesses, such as COVID-19, in emerging market countries may be greater due to generally less established healthcare systems. This crisis or other public health crises may exacerbate other pre-existing political, social and economic risks in certain countries or globally. In addition, U.S. and global markets recently have experienced increased volatility, including as a result of the recent failures of certain U.S. and non-U.S. banks, which could be harmful to the Funds and issuers in which they invest. For example, if a bank in which the Funds or issuer have an account fail, any cash or other assets in bank accounts may be temporarily inaccessible or permanently lost by the Fund or issuer. If a bank that provides a subscription line credit facility, asset-based facility, other credit facility and/or other services to an issuer fails, the issuer could be unable to draw funds under its credit facilities or obtain replacement credit facilities or other services from other lending institutions with similar terms. Even if banks used by issuers in which the Funds invest remain solvent, continued volatility in the banking sector could cause or intensify an economic recession, increase the costs of banking services or result in the issuers being unable to obtain or refinance indebtedness at all or on as favorable terms as could otherwise have been obtained. Conditions in the banking sector are evolving, and the scope of any potential impacts to the Funds and issuers, both from market conditions and also potential legislative or regulatory responses, are uncertain. Continued market volatility and uncertainty and/or a downturn in market and economic and financial conditions, as a result of developments in the banking industry or otherwise (including as a result of delayed access to cash or credit facilities), could have an adverse impact on the Funds and issuers in which they invest.
Although it is impossible to predict the precise nature and consequences of these events, or of any political or policy decisions and regulatory changes occasioned by emerging events or uncertainty on applicable laws or regulations that impact a Fund's investments, it is clear that these types of events will impact the Fund and the issuers in which each invests. The government response to these events, including emergency health measures, welfare benefit programs, fiscal stimulus, industry support programs, and measures that impact interest rates, among other responses, is also a factor that may impact the financial markets and the value of a Fund's holdings. The issuers in which the Fund invests could be significantly impacted by emerging events and uncertainty of this type. The Funds will also be negatively affected if the operations and effectiveness of the Fund or its key service providers are compromised or if necessary or beneficial systems and processes are disrupted.
Foreign countries, companies, or individuals may become subject to economic sanctions or other government restrictions, which may negatively impact the value or liquidity of a fund's investments, and could impair a Fund's ability to meet its investment objective or invest in accordance with its investment strategy. In addition, sanctions and similar measures could result in downgrades in credit ratings of the sanctioned country or companies located in or economically exposed to the sanctioned country or company, devaluation of the sanctioned country's currency, and increased market volatility and disruption in the sanctioned country and throughout the world. The Funds may be prohibited from investing in securities issued by companies subject to such restrictions, and sanctions or other similar measures could significantly delay or prevent the settlement of securities transactions. For example, in 2020, the U.S. government imposed sanctions generally prohibiting U.S. investors from directly or indirectly purchasing or otherwise gaining exposure to certain securities identified as having ties to China's military and related industries. In 2022, because of ongoing regional armed conflict in Europe, many countries around the world, including the United States, imposed sanctions on Russia. Such sanctions have included, among others, freezing the assets of particular entities and persons, and banning Russia from global payment systems that facilitate cross-border payments. These sanctions and similar measures could result in Russia taking counter measures or retaliatory actions, which may further impair the value and liquidity of Russian securities. Moreover, disruptions caused by Russian military action or other actions (including cyberattacks and espionage) or resulting actual and threatened responses to such activity, including cyberattacks on the Russian government, Russian companies, or Russian individuals, including politicians, may impact Russia's economy and Russian issuers of instruments in which the Funds invest. These and potential similar future sanctions may limit the potential universe of securities in which the Funds may invest, may require the Fund to freeze or divest its existing investments in a company that becomes subject to such restrictions, and may negatively impact investment performance of the Fund.
A discussion of some of the other risks associated with investments in the Funds is contained in the Funds' Prospectus.
Index Calculation
To minimize any potential for conflicts caused by the fact that Index Design Group, an affiliate of the Adviser, acts as Index provider ("IDG") to certain Funds, as described in the Prospectus (collectively, the "IDG Funds"), the Adviser has retained an unaffiliated third party to calculate each such Index (the "Calculation Agent"). The Calculation Agent, using the applicable rules-based methodology, will calculate, maintain, and disseminate each such Index on a daily basis. IDG will monitor the results produced by the Calculation Agent to help ensure that each such Index is being calculated in accordance with the rules-based methodologies. In addition, IDG and the Adviser have established policies and procedures designed to prevent non-public information about pending changes to such Indexes from being used or disseminated in an improper manner. Furthermore, IDG and the Adviser have established policies and procedures designed to prevent improper use and dissemination of non-public information about each Fund's portfolio strategies.
DIVERSIFICATION
PEXL is "diversified" within the meaning of the 1940 Act. Under applicable federal laws, to qualify as a diversified fund, a Fund, with respect to 75% of its total assets, may not invest greater than 5% of its total assets in any one issuer and may not hold greater than 10% of the securities of one issuer, other than investments in cash and cash items (including receivables), U.S. government securities, and securities of other investment companies. The remaining 25% of such Fund's total assets does not need to be "diversified" and may be invested in securities of a single issuer, subject to other applicable laws. The diversification of a Fund's holdings is measured at the time the Fund purchases a security. However, if the Fund purchases a security and holds it for a period of time, the security may become a larger percentage of the Fund's total assets due to movements in the financial markets. If the market affects several securities held by a Fund, the Fund may have a greater percentage of its assets invested in securities of a single issuer or a small number of issuers.
While PEXL is "diversified" within the meaning of the 1940 Act, it may become "non-diversified" solely as a result of a change in the relative market capitalization or index weighting of one or more constituents of the Fund's Index.
NON-DIVERSIFICATION
SRVR is classified as a non-diversified investment company under the 1940 Act. A "non-diversified" classification means that a Fund is not limited by the 1940 Act with regard to the percentage of its total assets that may be invested in the securities of a single issuer. This means that a Fund may invest a greater portion of its total assets in the securities of a single issuer or a small number of issuers than if it was a diversified fund. The securities of a particular issuer may constitute a greater portion of the Index and, therefore, those securities may constitute a greater portion of a Fund's portfolio. This may have an adverse effect on a Fund's performance or subject a Fund's Shares to greater price volatility than more diversified investment companies. Moreover, in pursuing its objective, a Fund may hold the securities of a single issuer in an amount exceeding 10% of the value of the outstanding securities of the issuer, subject to restrictions imposed by the Code. In particular, as a Fund's size grows and its assets increase, it will be more likely to hold more than 10% of the securities of a single issuer if the issuer has a relatively small public float as compared to other components in the Index.
Although SRVR is non-diversified for purposes of the 1940 Act, SRVR intends to maintain the required level of diversification and otherwise conduct its operations so as to qualify as a RIC for purposes of the Code, and to relieve the Fund of any liability for federal income tax to the extent that its earnings are distributed to shareholders. Compliance with the diversification requirements of the Code may limit the investment flexibility of a Fund and may make it less likely that a Fund will meet its investment objectives. See "Federal Income Taxes" in this SAI for further discussion.
SPECIFIC INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
The following are descriptions of the Funds' permitted investments and investment practices and the associated risk factors. A Fund will only invest in any of the following instruments or engage in any of the following investment practices if such investment or activity is consistent with a Fund's investment objective and permitted by a Fund's stated investment policies.
BORROWING. While the Funds do not intend to borrow for investment purposes, the Funds reserve the right to do so. Borrowing for investment purposes is a form of leverage. Leveraging investments, by purchasing securities with borrowed money, is a speculative technique that increases investment risk, but also increases investment opportunity. The Funds also may enter into certain transactions, including reverse repurchase agreements, which can be viewed as constituting a form of leveraging by the Funds. Leveraging will exaggerate the effect on the net asset value per share ("NAV") of the Funds of any increase or decrease in the market value of the Funds' portfolio. Because substantially all of the Funds' assets will fluctuate in value, whereas the interest obligations on borrowings may be fixed, the NAV of the Funds will increase more when the Funds' portfolio assets increase in value and decrease more when the Funds' portfolio assets decrease in value than would otherwise be the case. Moreover, interest costs on borrowings may fluctuate with changing market rates of interest and may partially offset or exceed the returns on the borrowed funds. Under adverse conditions, the Funds might have to sell portfolio securities to meet interest or principal payments at a time when investment considerations would not favor such sales. Generally, the Funds would use this form of leverage during periods when the Adviser believes that the Funds' investment objective would be furthered.
The Funds also may borrow money to facilitate management of the Funds' portfolio by enabling the Funds to meet redemption requests when the liquidation of portfolio instruments would be inconvenient or disadvantageous. Such borrowing is not for investment purposes and will be repaid by the Funds promptly. As required by the 1940 Act, the Funds must maintain continuous asset coverage (total assets, including assets acquired with borrowed funds, less liabilities exclusive of borrowings) of 300% of all amounts borrowed. If, at any time, the value of the Funds' assets should fail to meet this 300% coverage test, the Funds, within three days (not including Sundays and holidays), will reduce the amount of the Funds' borrowings to the extent necessary to meet this 300% coverage requirement. Maintenance of this percentage limitation may result in the sale of portfolio securities at a time when investment considerations otherwise indicate that it would be disadvantageous to do so.
In addition to the foregoing, the Funds are authorized to borrow money as a temporary measure for extraordinary or emergency purposes in amounts not in excess of 5% of the value of the Funds' total assets. Borrowings for extraordinary or emergency purposes are not subject to the foregoing 300% asset coverage requirement. While the Funds do not anticipate doing so, the Funds are authorized to pledge (i.e., transfer a security interest in) portfolio securities in an amount up to one-third of the value of the Funds' total assets in connection with any borrowing.
COMMERCIAL PAPER. The Funds may invest in high-quality, short-term commercial paper. Commercial paper is the term used to designate unsecured, short-term promissory notes issued by corporations and other entities. Maturities on these issues vary from a few days up to 270 days. The Funds may invest up to 20% of its net assets in commercial paper.
CONCENTRATION. A Fund may concentrate its investments in a particular industry or group of industries, as described in the Prospectus. The securities of issuers in particular industries may dominate a Fund's Index and consequently the Fund's portfolio. This may adversely affect the Fund's performance or subject its shares to greater price volatility than that experienced by less concentrated investment companies.
CURRENCY TRANSACTIONS. The Funds may enter into foreign currency forward and foreign currency futures contracts for the purpose of hedging against declines in the value of a Fund's total assets that are denominated in one or more foreign currencies, to facilitate local securities settlements, or to protect against currency exposure in connection with distributions to shareholders.
Forward Foreign Currency Contracts. A forward foreign currency exchange contract ("forward contract") involves an obligation to purchase or sell a specific currency at a future date, which may be any fixed number of days from the date of the contract agreed upon by the parties, at a price set at the time of the contract. These contracts are principally traded in the interbank market conducted directly between currency traders (usually large commercial banks) and their customers. Forward contracts are contracts between parties in which one party agrees to make a payment to the other party (the counterparty) based on the market value or level of a specified currency. In return, the counterparty agrees to make payment to the first party based on the return of a different specified currency. A forward contract generally has no margin deposit requirement, and no commissions are charged at any stage for trades. These contracts typically are settled by physical delivery of the underlying currency or currencies in the amount of the full contract value.
A non-deliverable forward contract is a forward contract where there is no physical settlement of two currencies at maturity. Non-deliverable forward contracts will usually be done on a net basis, with the Funds 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 non-deliverable forward contract is accrued on a daily basis and an amount of cash or highly liquid securities having an aggregate value at least equal to the accrued excess is maintained in an account at the Fund's custodian bank. The risk of loss with respect to non-deliverable forward contracts generally is limited to the net amount of payments that a Fund is contractually obligated to make or receive.
Foreign Currency Futures Contracts. A foreign currency futures contract is a contract involving an obligation to deliver or acquire the specified amount of a specific currency, at a specified price and at a specified future time. Futures contracts may be settled on a net cash payment basis rather than by the sale and delivery of the underlying currency.
Currency exchange transactions involve a significant degree of risk and the markets in which currency exchange transactions are effected are highly volatile, highly specialized and highly technical. Significant changes, including changes in liquidity and prices, can occur in such markets within very short periods of time, often within minutes. Currency exchange trading risks include, but are not limited to, exchange rate risk, maturity gap, interest rate risk, and potential interference by foreign governments through regulation of local exchange markets, foreign investment or particular transactions in foreign currency. If a Fund utilizes foreign currency transactions at an inappropriate time, such transactions may not serve their intended purpose of improving the correlation of the Fund's return with the performance of its underlying Index and may lower the Fund's return. A Fund could experience losses if the value of any currency forwards and futures positions is poorly correlated with its other investments or if it could not close out its positions because of an illiquid market. Such contracts are subject to the risk that the counterparty will default on its obligations. In addition, the Funds will incur transaction costs, including trading commissions, in connection with certain foreign currency transactions.
DEPOSITARY RECEIPTS. To the extent the Funds invest in stocks of foreign corporations, a Fund's investment in securities of foreign companies may be in the form of depositary receipts or other securities convertible into securities of foreign issuers. American Depositary Receipts ("ADRs") are dollar-denominated receipts representing interests in the securities of a foreign issuer, which securities may not necessarily be denominated in the same currency as the securities into which they may be converted. ADRs are receipts typically issued by United States banks and trust companies which evidence ownership of underlying securities issued by a foreign corporation. Generally, ADRs in registered form are designed for use in domestic securities markets and are traded on exchanges or over-the-counter in the United States. Depositary receipts will not necessarily be denominated in the same currency as their underlying securities.
The Funds will not invest in any unlisted Depositary Receipts or any Depositary Receipt that the Adviser deems to be illiquid or for which pricing information is not readily available. In addition, all Depositary Receipts generally must be sponsored; however, the Funds may invest in unsponsored Depositary Receipts under certain limited circumstances. The issuers of unsponsored Depositary Receipts are not obligated to disclose material information in the United States, and, therefore, there may be less information available regarding such issuers and there may not be a correlation between such information and the market value of the Depositary Receipts. The use of Depositary Receipts may increase tracking error relative to an underlying Index.
DERIVATIVES. A Fund may use derivative instruments as part of its investment strategies. Generally, derivatives are financial contracts whose value depends upon, or is derived from, the value of an underlying asset, reference rate, or index, and may relate to bonds, interest rates, currencies, commodities, and related indexes. To the extent the Fund's use of derivative instruments creates liabilities for the Fund, such derivative instruments will be underpinned by investments in short-term, high-quality instruments, such as U.S. money market securities.
The use of derivatives presents risks different from, and possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in traditional securities. The use of derivatives can lead to losses because of adverse movements in the price or value of the underlying asset, index or rate, which may be magnified by certain features of the derivatives. In addition, when the Fund invests in certain derivative securities, the Fund is effectively leveraging its investments which could result in exaggerated changes in the net asset value of the Fund's shares and can result in losses that exceed the amount originally invested. The success of the derivatives strategies will depend on the ability to assess and predict the impact of market or economic developments on the underlying asset, index or rate and the derivative itself, without the benefit of observing the performance of the derivative under all possible market conditions. Liquidity risk exists when a security cannot be purchased or sold at the time desired, or cannot be purchased or sold without adversely affecting the price. Certain specific risks associated with an investment in derivatives may include: market risk, credit risk, correlation risk, liquidity risk, legal risk and systemic or "interconnection" risk, as specified below.
Rule 18f-4 under the 1940 Act permits a Fund to enter into Derivatives Transactions (as defined below) and certain other transactions notwithstanding the restrictions on the issuance of "senior securities" under Section 18 of the 1940 Act. Section 18 of the 1940 Act, among other things, prohibits open-end funds, including the Funds, from issuing or selling any "senior security," other than borrowing from a bank (subject to a requirement to maintain 300% "asset coverage").
Under Rule 18f-4, "Derivatives Transactions" include the following: (1) any swap, security-based swap (including a contract for differences), futures contract, forward contract, option (excluding purchased options), any combination of the foregoing, or any similar instrument, under which the Fund is or may be required to make any payment or delivery of cash or other assets during the life of the instrument or at maturity or early termination, whether as margin or settlement payment or otherwise; (2) any short sale borrowing; (3) reverse repurchase agreements and similar financing transactions (e.g., recourse and non-recourse tender option bonds, and borrowed bonds), if the Fund elects to treat these transactions as Derivatives Transactions under Rule 18f-4; and (4) when-issued or forward-settling securities (e.g., firm and standby commitments, including to-be-announced ("TBA") commitments, and dollar rolls) and non-standard settlement cycle securities, unless the Fund intends to physically settle the transaction and the transaction will settle within 35 days of its trade date (the "Delayed-Settlement Securities Provision").
Unless the Fund is relying on the Limited Derivatives User Exception (as defined below), the Fund must comply with Rule 18f-4 with respect to its Derivatives Transactions. Rule 18f-4, among other things, requires the Fund to adopt and implement a comprehensive written derivatives risk management program ("DRMP") and comply with a relative or absolute limit on Fund leverage risk calculated based on value-at-risk ("VaR"). The DRMP is administered by a "derivatives risk manager," who is appointed by the Board, including a majority of Independent Trustees, and periodically reviews the DRMP and reports to the Board.
Rule 18f-4 provides an exception from the DRMP, VaR limit and certain other requirements if the Fund's "derivatives exposure" (as defined in Rule 18f-4) is limited to 10% of its net assets (as calculated in accordance with Rule 18f-4) and the Fund adopts and implements written policies and procedures reasonably designed to manage its derivatives risks (the "Limited Derivatives User Exception").
Rule 18f-4 under the 1940 Act permits a Fund to enter into reverse repurchase agreements and similar financing transactions (e.g., recourse and non-recourse tender option bonds, borrowed bonds) notwithstanding the limitation on the issuance of senior securities in
Section 18 of the 1940 Act, provided that the Fund either (i) complies with the 300% asset coverage ratio with respect to such transactions and any other borrowings in the aggregate, or (ii) treats such transactions as Derivatives Transactions under Rule 18f-4. See "-Regulation Regarding Derivatives" above.
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 Rule 18f-4 under the 1940 Act, when the Fund engages in reverse repurchase agreements and similar financing transactions, the Fund may either (i) maintain asset coverage of at least 300% with respect to such transactions and any other borrowings in the aggregate, or (ii) treat such transactions as "derivatives transactions" and comply with Rule 18f-4 with respect to such transactions. 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.
•Market Risk. Market risk is the risk that the value of the underlying assets may go up or down. Adverse movements in the value of an underlying asset can expose the Fund to losses. Derivative instruments may include elements of leverage and, accordingly, fluctuations in the value of the derivative instrument in relation to the underlying asset may be magnified. The successful use of derivative instruments depends upon a variety of factors, particularly the ability to predict movements of the securities markets, which may be different than the ability to predict changes in the prices of individual securities. There can be no assurance that any particular strategy adopted will succeed. A decision to engage in a derivative transaction will reflect a judgment that the derivative transaction will provide value to the Fund and its shareholders and is consistent with such Fund's objective, investment limitations, and operating policies.
•Credit Risk/Counterparty Risk. Credit risk is the risk that a loss may be sustained as a result of the failure of a counterparty to comply with the terms of a derivative instrument. With respect to exchange-traded derivatives, there is less counterparty risk, because generally a clearing agency, which is the issuer or counterparty to each exchange-traded instrument, provides a guarantee of performance. For privately negotiated instruments, there is no similar clearing agency guarantee. In all transactions, the Fund will bear the risk that the counterparty will default, and this could result in a loss of the expected benefit of the derivative transactions and possibly other losses to the Fund. The Fund will enter into transactions in derivative instruments only with counterparties that the reasonably believes are capable of performing under the contract.
•Correlation Risk. Correlation risk is the risk that there might be an imperfect correlation, or even no correlation, between price movements of a derivative instrument and price movements of investments being hedged. When a derivative transaction is used to completely hedge another position, changes in the market value of the combined position (the derivative instrument plus the position being hedged) result from an imperfect correlation between the price movements of the two instruments. With a perfect hedge, the value of the combined position remains unchanged with any change in the price of the underlying asset. With an imperfect hedge, the value of the derivative instrument and its hedge are not perfectly correlated. The effectiveness of hedges using instruments on indices will depend, in part, on the degree of correlation between price movements in the index and the price movements in the investments being hedged.
•Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk is the risk that a derivative instrument cannot be sold, closed out or replaced quickly at or very close to its fundamental value. Generally, exchange contracts are very liquid because the exchange clearinghouse is the counterparty of every contract. The Fund might be required by applicable regulatory requirements to make margin payments when taking positions in derivative instruments involving obligations to third parties. If the Fund is unable to close out its positions in such instruments, it might be required to continue to maintain such assets or accounts or make such payments until the position expires, matures or is closed out. These requirements might impair the Fund's ability to sell a security or make an investment at a time when it would otherwise be favorable to do so, or require that the Fund sell a portfolio security at a disadvantageous time. The Fund's ability to sell or close out a position in an instrument prior to expiration or maturity depends upon the existence of a liquid secondary market or, in the absence of such a market, the ability and willingness of the counterparty to enter into a transaction closing out the position. Due to liquidity risk, there is no assurance that any derivatives position can be sold or closed out at a time and price that is favorable to the Fund.
With regard to the Funds, the Adviser will claim relief from the definition of commodity pool operator ("CPO") under revised U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission ("CFTC") Rule 4.5. Specifically, pursuant to CFTC Rule 4.5, the Adviser may claim exclusion from the definition of CPO, and thus from having to register as a CPO, with regard to a Fund that enters into commodity futures, commodity options, or swaps solely for "bona fide hedging purposes," or that limits its investment in commodities to a "de minimis" amount, as defined in CFTC rules, so long as the Shares of a Fund are not marketed as interests in a commodity pool or other vehicle for trading in commodity futures, commodity options, or swaps. It is expected that the Funds will be able to operate pursuant to the limitations under the revised CFTC Rule 4.5 without materially adversely affecting its ability to achieve its investment objective. If, however, these limitations were to make it difficult for a Fund to achieve its investment objective in the future, the Trust may determine to operate a Fund as a regulated commodity pool pursuant to the Adviser's CPO registration or to reorganize or close the Fund or to materially change the Fund's investment objective and strategy.
Futures and Options. Futures contracts and options may from time to time be used by the Funds to facilitate trading or to reduce transaction costs. The Fund may enter into futures contracts and options that are traded on a U.S. or non-U.S. exchange. The Funds will not use futures or options for speculative purposes.
Risk of Futures and Options. There are several risks accompanying the utilization of futures contracts and options on futures contracts. A position in futures contracts and options on futures contracts may be closed only on the exchange on which the contract was made (or a linked exchange). While the Fund plans to utilize futures contracts only if an active market exists for such contracts, there is no guarantee that a liquid market will exist for the contract at a specified time. In the event of adverse price movements, the Fund would continue to be required to make daily cash payments to maintain its required margin. In such situations, if the Fund has insufficient cash, it may have to sell portfolio securities to meet daily margin requirements at a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so. In addition, the Fund may be required to deliver the instruments underlying the futures contracts it has sold.
The risk of loss in trading futures contracts or uncovered call options in some strategies (e.g., selling uncovered stock index futures contracts) is potentially unlimited. The Fund does not plan to use futures and options contracts in this way. The risk of a futures position may still be large as traditionally measured due to the low margin deposits required. In many cases, a relatively small price movement in a futures contract may result in immediate and substantial loss or gain to the investor relative to the size of a required margin deposit. The Fund, however, intends to utilize futures and options contracts in a manner designed to limit their risk exposure to levels comparable to a direct investment in the types of stocks in which they invest.
There is a risk of loss by the Fund of the initial and variation margin deposits in the event of bankruptcy of the FCM with which the Fund has an open position in a futures contract. The assets of the Fund may not be fully protected in the event of the bankruptcy of the FCM or central counterparty because the Fund might be limited to recovering only a pro rata share of all available funds and margin segregated on behalf of an FCM's customers. If the FCM does not provide accurate reporting, the Fund is also subject to the risk that the FCM could use the Fund's assets, which are held in an omnibus account with assets belonging to the FCM's other customers, to satisfy its own financial obligations or the payment obligations of another customer to the central counterparty.
Utilization of futures and options on futures by the Fund involves the risk of imperfect or even negative correlation to its underlying index if the index underlying the futures contract differs from the underlying index. There is also the risk of loss of margin deposits in the event of bankruptcy of a broker with whom the Fund has an open position in the futures contract or option. The purchase of put or call options will be based upon predictions by the Adviser as to anticipated trends, which predictions could prove to be incorrect.
Because the futures market generally imposes less burdensome margin requirements than the securities market, an increased amount of participation by speculators in the futures market could result in price fluctuations. Certain financial futures exchanges limit the amount of fluctuation permitted in futures contract prices during a single trading day. The daily limit establishes the maximum amount by which the price of a futures contract may vary either up or down from the previous day's settlement price at the end of a trading session. Once the daily limit has been reached in a particular type of contract, no trades may be made on that day at a price beyond that limit. It is possible that futures contract prices could move to the daily limit for several consecutive trading days with little or no trading, thereby preventing prompt liquidation of futures positions and subjecting the Fund to substantial losses. In the event of adverse price movements, the Fund would be required to make daily cash payments of variation margin.
Futures. Futures contracts provide for the future sale by one party and purchase by another party of a specified amount of a specific asset, currency, rate or index at a specified future time and at a specified price. Stock index futures are based on investments that reflect the market value of common stock of the firms included in an underlying index. The Fund may enter into futures contracts to purchase securities indexes when the Adviser anticipates purchasing the underlying securities and believes prices will rise before the purchase will be made. To the extent required by law, liquid assets committed to futures contracts will be maintained.
Futures contracts may be bought and sold on U.S. and non-U.S. exchanges. Futures contracts in the U.S. have been designed by exchanges that have been designated "contract markets" by the CFTC and must be executed through a futures commission merchant ("FCM"), which is a brokerage firm that is a member of the relevant contract market. Each exchange guarantees performance of the contracts as between the clearing members of the exchange, thereby reducing the risk of counterparty default. Futures contracts may also be entered into on certain exempt markets, including exempt boards of trade and electronic trading facilities, available to certain market participants. Because all transactions in the futures market are made, offset or fulfilled by an FCM through a clearinghouse associated with the exchange on which the contracts are traded, the Fund will incur brokerage fees when it buys or sells futures contracts.
Upon entering into a futures contract, the Fund will be required to deliver to an account controlled by the FCM an amount of cash or cash equivalents known as "initial margin," which is in the nature of a performance bond or good faith deposit on the contract and is returned to the Fund upon termination of the futures contract, assuming all contractual obligations have been satisfied. Subsequent payments, known as "variation margin," to and from the FCM will be made daily as the price of the instrument or index underlying the futures contract fluctuates, making the long and short positions in the futures contract more or less valuable, a process known as "marking-to-market."
At any time prior to the expiration of a futures contract, the Fund may elect to close the position by taking an opposite position, which will operate to terminate the Fund's existing position in the contract. This transaction, which is effected through a member of an exchange, cancels the obligation to make or take delivery of the underlying instrument or asset. Although some futures contracts by their terms require the actual delivery or acquisition of the underlying instrument or asset, some require cash settlement.
A call option gives a holder the right to purchase a specific security at a specified price ("exercise price") within a specified period of time. A put option gives a holder the right to sell a specific security at a specified exercise price within a specified period of time. The initial purchaser of a call option pays the "writer" a premium, which is paid at the time of purchase and is retained by the writer whether or not such option is exercised. The Fund may purchase put options to hedge its portfolio against the risk of a decline in the market value of securities held and may purchase call options to hedge against an increase in the price of securities it is committed to purchase. The Fund may write put and call options along with a long position in options to increase its ability to hedge against a change in the market value of the securities it holds or is committed to purchase.
Options. An option on a futures contract, as contrasted with the direct investment in such a contract, gives the purchaser the right, but not the obligation, in return for the premium paid, to assume a position in the underlying futures contract at a specified exercise price at any time prior to the expiration date of the option. The writer of the option becomes contractually obligated to take the opposite futures position specified in the option.
Upon exercise of an option on a futures contract, the delivery of the futures position by the writer of the option to the holder of the option will be accompanied by delivery of the accumulated balance in the writer's futures margin account that represents the amount by which the market price of the futures contract exceeds (in the case of a call) or is less than (in the case of a put) the exercise price of the option on the futures contract. The potential for loss related to the purchase of an option on a futures contract is limited to the premium paid for the option plus transaction costs. Because the value of the option is fixed at the point of sale, there are no daily cash payments by the purchaser to reflect changes in the value of the underlying contract; however, the value of the option changes daily and that change would be reflected in the NAV per Share of the Fund.
The Fund may purchase and write put and call options on futures contracts that are traded on an exchange as a hedge against changes in value of its portfolio securities, or in anticipation of the purchase of securities, and may enter into closing transactions with respect to such options to terminate existing positions. There is no guarantee that such closing transactions can be effected.
The Fund's use of options on futures contracts is subject to the risks related to derivative instruments generally. In addition, the amount of risk the Fund assumes when it purchases an option on a futures contract is the premium paid for the option plus related transaction costs. The purchase of an option also entails the risk that changes in the value of the underlying futures contract will not be fully reflected in the value of the option purchased. The writer of an option on a futures contract is subject to the risk of having to take a possibly adverse futures position if the purchaser of the option exercises its rights. If the writer were required to take such a position, it could bear substantial losses. The potential for loss related to writing call options is unlimited. The potential for loss related to writing put options is limited to the agreed upon price per share, also known as the "strike price," less the premium received from writing the put.
Swaps. The Funds may enter into swap agreements, including interest rate swaps and currency swaps. A typical interest rate swap involves the exchange of a floating interest rate payment for a fixed interest payment. A typical foreign currency swap involves the exchange of cash flows based on the notional differences among two or more currencies (e.g., the U.S. dollar and the euro). Swap agreements may be used to hedge or achieve exposure to, for example, currencies, interest rates, and money market securities without actually purchasing such currencies or securities. A Fund may use swap agreements to invest in a market without owning or taking physical custody of the underlying securities in circumstances in which direct investment is restricted for legal reasons or is otherwise impracticable. Swap agreements will tend to shift a Fund's investment exposure from one type of investment to another or from one payment stream to another. Depending on their structure, swap agreements may increase or decrease a Fund's exposure to long- or short-term interest rates (in the United States or abroad), foreign currencies, corporate borrowing rates, or other factors, and may increase or decrease the overall volatility of a Fund's investments and its share price.
OTC swap agreements are contracts between parties in which one party agrees to make payments to the other party based on the change in market value or level of a specified index or asset. In return, the other party agrees to make payments to the first party based on the return of a different specified index or asset. Although OTC swap agreements entail the risk that a party will default
on its payment obligations thereunder, the Fund seeks to reduce this risk by entering into agreements that involve payments no less frequently than quarterly. The net amount of the excess, if any, of the Fund's obligations over its entitlements with respect to each swap is accrued on a daily basis and an amount of cash or highly liquid securities having an aggregate value at least equal to the accrued excess is maintained in an account at the Trust's custodian bank.
The use of such swap agreements involves certain risks. For example, if the counterparty, under a swap agreement, defaults on its obligation to make payments due from it as a result of its bankruptcy or otherwise, the Fund may lose such payments altogether or collect only a portion thereof, which collection could involve costs or delays.
The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the "Dodd-Frank Act") and related regulatory developments require the eventual clearing and exchange-trading of many standardized OTC derivative instruments that the CFTC and Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") recently defined as "swaps" and "security-based swaps," respectively. Mandatory exchange-trading and clearing is occurring on a phased-in basis based on the type of market participant and CFTC approval of contracts for central clearing and exchange trading. In a cleared swap, the Fund's ultimate counterparty is a central clearinghouse rather than a brokerage firm, bank or other financial institution. The Fund initially will enter into cleared swaps through an executing broker. Such transactions will then be submitted for clearing and, if cleared, will be held at regulated futures commission merchants ("FCMs") that are members of the clearinghouse that serves as the central counterparty. When the Fund enters into a cleared swap, it must deliver to the central counterparty (via an FCM) an amount referred to as "initial margin." Initial margin requirements are determined by the central counterparty, but an FCM may require additional initial margin above the amount required by the central counterparty. During the term of the swap agreement, a "variation margin" amount may also be required to be paid by the Fund or may be received by the Fund in accordance with margin controls set for such accounts, depending upon changes in the price of the underlying reference asset subject to the swap agreement. At the conclusion of the term of the swap agreement, if the Fund has a loss equal to or greater than the margin amount, the margin amount is paid to the FCM along with any loss in excess of the margin amount. If the Fund has a loss of less than the margin amount, the excess margin is returned to the Fund. If the Fund has a gain, the full margin amount and the amount of the gain is paid to the Fund.
Central clearing is designed to reduce counterparty credit risk compared to uncleared swaps because central clearing interposes the central clearinghouse as the counterparty to each participant's swap, but it does not eliminate those risks completely. There is also a risk of loss by the Fund of the initial and variation margin deposits in the event of bankruptcy of the FCM with which the Fund has an open position in a swap contract. The assets of the Fund may not be fully protected in the event of the bankruptcy of the FCM or central counterparty because the Fund might be limited to recovering only a pro rata share of all available Funds and margin segregated on behalf of an FCM's customers. If the FCM does not provide accurate reporting, the Fund is also subject to the risk that the FCM could use the Fund's assets, which are held in an omnibus account with assets belonging to the FCM's other customers, to satisfy its own financial obligations or the payment obligations of another customer to the central counterparty. Exchange trading is expected to increase liquidity of swaps trading.
In addition, with respect to cleared swaps, the Fund may not be able to obtain as favorable terms as it would be able to negotiate for an uncleared swap. In addition, an FCM may unilaterally impose position limits or additional margin requirements for certain types of swaps in which the Fund may invest. Central counterparties and FCMs generally can require termination of existing cleared swap transactions at any time, and can also require increases in margin above the margin that is required at the initiation of the swap agreement. Margin requirements for cleared swaps vary on a number of factors, and the margin required under the rules of the clearinghouse and FCM may be in excess of the collateral required to be posted by the Fund to support its obligations under a similar uncleared swap. However, regulators are expected to adopt rules imposing certain margin requirements, including minimums, on uncleared swaps in the near future, which could change this comparison.
The Fund is also subject to the risk that, after entering into a cleared swap with an executing broker, no FCM or central counterparty is willing or able to clear the transaction. In such an event, the central counterparty would void the trade. Before the Fund can enter into a new trade, market conditions may become less favorable to the Fund.
The Adviser will continue to monitor developments regarding trading and execution of cleared swaps on exchanges, particularly to the extent regulatory changes affect the Fund's ability to enter into swap agreements and the costs and risks associated with such investments.
U.S. Federal Tax Treatment of Futures Contracts. The Fund may be required for federal income tax purposes to mark-to-market and recognize as income for each taxable year its net unrealized gains and losses on certain futures contracts or options contracts as of the end of the year as well as those actually realized during the year. Gain or loss from futures contracts or options contracts on broad-based indexes required to be marked-to-market will be 60% long-term and 40% short-term capital gain or loss. Application of this rule may alter the timing and character of distributions to shareholders. The Fund may be required to defer the recognition of losses on futures contracts or options contracts to the extent of any unrecognized gains on related positions held by the Fund.
In order for the Fund to continue to qualify for U.S. federal income tax treatment as a "regulated investment company" under Section 851 of the Code, at least 90% of the Fund's gross income for a taxable year must be derived from qualifying sources, including, dividends, interest, income derived from loans of securities, gains from the sale of securities or of foreign currencies or other income derived with respect to the Fund's business of investing in securities. It is anticipated that any net gain realized from the closing out of futures contracts or options contracts will be considered gain from the sale of securities and, therefore, will be qualifying income for purposes of the 90% requirement.
The Fund intends to distribute to shareholders annually any net capital gains that have been recognized for U.S. federal income tax purposes (including unrealized gains at the end of the Fund's fiscal year) on futures transactions and certain options contracts. Such distributions are combined with distributions of capital gains realized on the Fund's other investments, and shareholders are advised on the nature of the distributions.
Leverage Risk. Leverage is investment exposure that exceeds the initial amount invested. The loss on a leveraged investment may far exceed the Fund's principal amount invested. Leverage can magnify the Fund's gains and losses and, therefore, increase its volatility. There is no guarantee that the Fund leveraging strategy will be successful. The Fund cannot guarantee that the use of leverage will produce a high return on an investment. The use of leverage may result in the Fund having to liquidate holdings when it may not be advantageous to do so in order to satisfy its obligation or to meet segregation requirements.
EQUITY SECURITIES. Equity securities, such as the common stocks of an issuer, are subject to stock market fluctuations and therefore may experience volatile changes in value as market conditions, consumer sentiment or the financial condition of the issuers change. A decrease in value of the equity securities in the Fund's portfolio may also cause the value of Shares to decline.
An investment in a Fund should be made with an understanding of the risks inherent in an investment in equity securities, including the risk that the financial condition of issuers may become impaired or that the general condition of the stock market may deteriorate (either of which may cause a decrease in the value of a Fund's portfolio securities and therefore a decrease in the value of Shares). Common stocks are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and to volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence and perceptions change. These investor perceptions are based on various and unpredictable factors, including expectations regarding government, economic, monetary and fiscal policies; inflation and interest rates; economic expansion or contraction; and global or regional political, economic, public health, cyber or banking crises.
All countries are vulnerable economically to the impact of a public health crisis, which could depress consumer demand, reduce economic output, and potentially lead to market closures, travel restrictions, and quarantines, all of which would negatively impact the country's economy and could affect the economies of its trading partners.
Holders of common stocks incur more risk than holders of preferred stocks and debt obligations because common stockholders, as owners of the issuer, generally have inferior rights to receive payments from the issuer in comparison with the rights of creditors or holders of debt obligations or preferred stocks. Further, unlike debt securities, which typically have a stated principal amount payable at maturity (whose value, however, is subject to market fluctuations prior thereto), or preferred stocks, which typically have a liquidation preference and which may have stated optional or mandatory redemption provisions, common stocks have neither a fixed principal amount nor a maturity. Common stock values are subject to market fluctuations as long as the common stock remains outstanding.
When-Issued Securities - A when-issued security is one whose terms are available and for which a market exists, but which has not been issued. When a Fund engages in when-issued transactions, it relies on the other party to consummate the sale. If the other party fails to complete the sale, a Fund may miss the opportunity to obtain the security at a favorable price or yield.
When purchasing a security on a when-issued basis, a Fund assumes the rights and risks of ownership of the security, including the risk of price and yield changes. At the time of settlement, the value of the security may be more or less than the purchase price. The yield available in the market when the delivery takes place also may be higher than those obtained in the transaction itself. Because a Fund does not pay for the security until the delivery date, these risks are in addition to the risks associated with its other investments.
Decisions to enter into "when-issued" transactions will be considered on a case-by-case basis when necessary to maintain continuity in a company's index membership. A Fund will segregate cash or liquid securities equal in value to commitments for the when-issued transactions. A Fund will segregate additional liquid assets daily so that the value of such assets is equal to the amount of the commitments.
Types of Equity Securities:
Common Stocks - Common stocks represent units of ownership in a company. Common stocks usually carry voting rights and earn dividends. Unlike preferred stocks, which are described below, dividends on common stocks are not fixed but are declared at the discretion of the company's board of directors.
Preferred Stocks - Preferred stocks are also units of ownership in a company. Preferred stocks normally have preference over common stock in the payment of dividends and the liquidation of the company. However, in all other respects, preferred stocks are subordinated to the liabilities of the issuer. Unlike common stocks, preferred stocks are generally not entitled to vote on corporate matters. Types of preferred stocks include adjustable-rate preferred stock, fixed dividend preferred stock, perpetual preferred stock, and sinking fund preferred stock.
Generally, the market values of preferred stock with a fixed dividend rate and no conversion element vary inversely with interest rates and perceived credit risk.
Rights and Warrants - A right is a privilege granted to existing shareholders of a corporation to subscribe to shares of a new issue of common stock before it is issued. Rights normally have a short life of usually two to four weeks, are freely transferable and entitle the holder to buy the new common stock at a lower price than the public offering price. Warrants are securities that are usually issued together with a debt security or preferred stock and that give the holder the right to buy proportionate amount of common stock at a specified price. Warrants are freely transferable and are traded on major exchanges. Unlike rights, warrants normally have a life that is measured in years and entitles the holder to buy common stock of a company at a price that is usually higher than the market price at the time the warrant is issued. Corporations often issue warrants to make the accompanying debt security more attractive.
An investment in warrants and rights may entail greater risks than certain other types of investments. Generally, rights and warrants do not carry the right to receive dividends or exercise voting rights with respect to the underlying securities, and they do not represent any rights in the assets of the issuer. In addition, their value does not necessarily change with the value of the underlying securities, and they cease to have value if they are not exercised on or before their expiration date. Investing in rights and warrants increases the potential profit or loss to be realized from the investment as compared with investing the same amount in the underlying securities.
Smaller Companies - The securities of small- and mid-capitalization companies may be more vulnerable to adverse issuer, market, political, public health, cyber, or economic developments than securities of larger-capitalization companies. The securities of small- and mid- capitalization companies generally trade in lower volumes and are subject to greater and more unpredictable price changes than larger capitalization stocks or the stock market as a whole. Some small- or mid-capitalization companies have limited product lines, markets, and financial and managerial resources and tend to concentrate on fewer geographical markets relative to larger capitalization companies. There is typically less publicly available information concerning small- and mid-capitalization companies than for larger, more established companies. Small- and mid-capitalization companies also may be particularly sensitive to changes in interest rates, government regulation, borrowing costs, and earnings.
Tracking Stocks - The Funds may invest in tracking stocks. A tracking stock is a separate class of common stock whose value is linked to a specific business unit or operating division within a larger company and which is designed to "track" the performance of such business unit or division. The tracking stock may pay dividends to shareholders independent of the parent company. The parent company, rather than the business unit or division, generally is the issuer of tracking stock. However, holders of the tracking stock may not have the same rights as holders of the company's common stock.
ETFs. ETFs are pooled investment vehicles whose ownership interests are purchased and sold on a securities exchange. ETFs may be structured investment companies, depositary receipts or other pooled investment vehicles. As shareholders of an ETF, the Funds will bear their pro rata portion of any fees and expenses of the ETFs. Although shares of ETFs are traded on an exchange, shares of certain ETFs may not be redeemable to the ETF. In addition, ETFs may trade at a price below their net asset value (also known as a discount).
The Funds may use ETFs to help replicate their respective indexes. By way of example, ETFs may be structured as broad based ETFs that invest in a broad group of stocks from different industries and market sectors; select sectors; or market ETFs that invest in debt securities from a select sector of the economy (e.g., Treasury securities) a single industry or related industries; other types of ETFs continue to be developed and the Funds may invest in them to the extent consistent with their investment objectives, policies and restrictions. The ETFs in which the Funds invest are subject to the risks applicable to the types of securities and investments used by the ETFs.
ETFs may be actively managed or index-based. Actively managed ETFs are subject to management risk and may not achieve their objective if the ETF's manager's expectations regarding particular securities or markets are not met. An index-based ETF's objective is to track the performance of a specified index. Index based ETFs invest in a securities portfolio that includes substantially all of the securities in substantially the same amount as the securities included in the designated index. Because passively managed ETFs are designed to track an index, securities may be purchased, retained and sold at times when an actively managed ETF would not do so. As a result, shareholders of a Fund that invest in such an ETF can expect greater risk of loss (and a correspondingly greater prospect of gain) from changes in the value of securities that are heavily weighted in the index than would be the case if ETF were not fully invested in such securities. This risk is increased if a few component securities represent a highly concentrated weighting in the designated index.
Unless permitted by the 1940 Act or a rule issued by the SEC (see "Investment Companies" below for more information), the Funds' investments in unaffiliated ETFs that are structured as investment companies as defined in the 1940 Act are subject to certain percentage limitations of the 1940 Act regarding investments in other investment companies.
EXCHANGE-TRADED NOTES. The Funds may invest in exchange-traded notes ("ETNs"). ETNs generally are senior, unsecured, unsubordinated debt securities issued by a sponsor, such as an investment bank. ETNs are traded on exchanges and the returns are linked to the performance of market indexes. In addition to trading ETNs on exchanges, investors may redeem ETNs directly with the issuer on a periodic basis, typically in a minimum amount of 50,000 units, or hold the ETNs until maturity. The value of an ETN may be influenced by time to maturity, level of supply and demand for the ETN, volatility and lack of liquidity in the underlying market, changes in the applicable interest rates, and economic, legal, political or geographic events that affect the referenced market. Because ETNs are debt securities, they are subject to credit risk. If the issuer has financial difficulties or goes bankrupt, a Fund may not receive the return it was promised. If a rating agency lowers an issuer's credit rating, the value of the ETN may decline and a lower credit rating reflects a greater risk that the issuer will default on its obligation. There may be restrictions on a Fund's right to redeem its investment in an ETN. There are no periodic interest payments for ETNs, and principal is not protected. A Fund's decision to sell its ETN holdings may be limited by the availability of a secondary market.
FIXED INCOME SECURITIES. The Funds may invest in fixed income securities. Even though interest-bearing securities are investments that promise a stable stream of income, the prices of such securities are affected by changes in interest rates. In general, fixed income security prices rise when interest rates fall and fall when interest rates rise. Securities with shorter maturities, while offering lower yields, generally provide greater price stability than longer term securities and are less affected by changes in interest rates. The values of fixed income securities also may be affected by changes in the credit rating or financial condition of the issuing entities. Once the rating of a portfolio security has been changed, the Funds will consider all circumstances deemed relevant in determining whether to continue to hold the security.
Fixed income investments bear certain risks, including credit risk, or the ability of an issuer to pay interest and principal as they become due. Generally, higher yielding bonds are subject to more credit risk than lower yielding bonds. Interest rate risk refers to the fluctuations in value of fixed income securities resulting from the inverse relationship between the market value of outstanding fixed income securities and changes in interest rates. An increase in interest rates will generally reduce the market value of fixed income investments and a decline in interest rates will tend to increase their value.
Call risk is the risk that an issuer will pay principal on an obligation earlier than scheduled or expected, which would accelerate cash flows from, and shorten the average life of, the security. Bonds are typically called when interest rates have declined because the issuer can refinance at a lower rate, similar to a homeowner refinancing a mortgage. In the event of a bond being called, the Adviser may have to reinvest the proceeds in lower yielding securities to the detriment of the Funds.
Extension risk is the risk that an issuer may pay principal on an obligation slower than expected, having the effect of extending the average life and duration of the obligation. This typically happens when interest rates have increased.
Duration is a calculation that seeks to measure the price sensitivity of a debt security, or a Fund that invests in debt securities, to changes in interest rates. It measures sensitivity more accurately than maturity because it takes into account the time value of cash flows generated over the life of a debt security. Future interest payments and principal payments are discounted to reflect their present value and then are multiplied by the number of years they will be received to produce a value expressed in years - the duration. Effective duration takes into account call features and sinking Fund prepayments that may shorten the life of a debt security. A number of factors, including changes in a central bank's monetary policies or general improvements in the economy, may cause interest rates to rise. Fixed income securities with longer durations are more sensitive to interest rate changes than securities with shorter durations, making them more volatile. This means their prices are more likely to experience a considerable reduction in response to a rise in interest rates.
When investing in fixed income securities, the Funds may purchase securities regardless of their rating, including fixed income securities rated below investment grade - securities rated below investment grade are often referred to as high yield securities or "junk bonds." High yield securities or "junk bonds," are usually issued by smaller, less credit-worthy and/or highly leveraged (indebted companies) and involve special risks in addition to the risks associated with investments in higher rated fixed income securities. While offering a greater potential opportunity for capital appreciation and higher yields, high yield securities may be subject to greater levels of interest rate, credit and liquidity risk, may entail greater potential price volatility, and may be less liquid than higher rated fixed income securities. High yield securities may be regarded as predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to meet principal and interest payments. They may also be more susceptible to real or perceived adverse economic and competitive industry conditions than higher rated securities. Fixed income securities rated in the lowest investment grade categories by the rating agencies may also possess speculative characteristics. If securities are in default with respect to the payment of interest or the repayment of principal, or present an imminent risk of default with respect to such payments, the issuer of such securities may fail to resume principal or interest payments, in which case a Fund may lose its entire investment in the high yield security. In addition, to the
extent that there is no established retail secondary market, there may be thin trading of high yield securities, and this may have an impact on a Fund's ability to accurately value high yield securities and the Fund's assets and on the Fund's ability to dispose of the securities. Adverse publicity and investor perception, whether or not based on fundamental analysis, may decrease the values and liquidity of high yield securities especially in a thinly traded market.
FIXED-INCOME SECURITIES RATINGS. Nationally recognized statistical rating organizations (together, rating agency) publish ratings based upon their assessment of the relative creditworthiness of rated fixed-income securities. Generally, a lower rating indicates higher credit risk, and higher yields are ordinarily available from fixed-income securities in the lower rating categories to compensate investors for the increased credit risk. Any use of credit ratings in evaluating fixed-income securities can involve certain risks. For example, ratings assigned by the rating agencies are based upon an analysis completed at the time of the rating of the obligor's ability to pay interest and repay principal, typically relying to a large extent on historical data. Rating agencies typically rely to a large extent on historical data which may not accurately represent present or future circumstances. Ratings do not purport to reflect to risk of fluctuations in market value of the fixed-income security and are not absolute standards of quality and only express the rating agency's current opinion of an obligor's overall financial capacity to pay its financial obligations. A credit rating is not a statement of fact or a recommendation to purchase, sell or hold a fixed-income obligation. Also, credit quality can change suddenly and unexpectedly, and credit ratings may not reflect the issuer's current financial condition or events since the security was last rated. Rating agencies may have a financial interest in generating business, including the arranger or issuer of the security that normally pays for that rating, and a low rating might affect future business. While rating agencies have policies and procedures to address this potential conflict of interest, there is a risk that these policies will fail to prevent a conflict of interest from impacting the rating. Additionally, legislation has been enacted in an effort to reform rating agencies. The SEC has also adopted rules to require rating agencies to provide additional disclosure and reduce conflicts of interest, and further reform has been proposed. It is uncertain how such legislation or additional regulation might impact the ratings agencies business and the Adviser's investment process.
Prepayment risk occurs when a fixed-income investment held by a Fund may be repaid in whole or in part prior to its maturity. The amount of prepayable obligations a Fund invests in from time to time may be affected by general business conditions, market interest rates, borrowers' financial conditions and competitive conditions among lenders. In a period of declining interest rates, borrowers may repay investments more quickly than anticipated, reducing the yield to maturity and the average life of the relevant investment. Moreover, when a Fund reinvests the proceeds of a prepayment in these circumstances, it will likely receive a rate of interest that is lower than the rate on the security that was prepaid. To the extent that a Fund purchases a relevant investment at a premium, prepayments may result in a loss to the extent of the premium paid. If a Fund buys such investments at a discount, both scheduled payments and unscheduled prepayments will increase current and total returns and unscheduled prepayments will also accelerate the recognition of income. In a period of rising interest rates, prepayments of investments may occur at a slower than expected rate, creating maturity extension risk. This particular risk may effectively change an investment that was considered short- or intermediate-term at the time of purchase into a longer-term investment. Since the value of longer-term investments generally fluctuates more widely in response to changes in interest rates than short-term investments, maturity extension risk could increase the volatility of a Fund. When interest rates decline, the value of an investment with prepayment features may not increase as much as that of other fixed-income securities and, as noted above, changes in market rates of interest may accelerate or delay prepayments and thus affect maturities.
FOREIGN CURRENCY TRANSACTIONS. The Funds may invest directly and indirectly in foreign currencies. The Fund may conduct foreign currency transactions on a spot (i.e., cash) or forward basis i.e., by entering into forward contracts to purchase or sell foreign currencies). Currency transactions made on a spot basis are for cash at the spot rate prevailing in the currency exchange market for buying or selling currency. Although foreign exchange dealers generally do not charge a fee for such conversions, they do realize a profit based on the difference between the prices at which they are buying and selling various currencies. Thus, a dealer may offer to sell a foreign currency at one rate, while offering a lesser rate of exchange should the counterparty desire to resell that currency to the dealer. When used for hedging purposes, forward currency contracts tend to limit any potential gain that may be realized if the value of the Fund's foreign holdings increases because of currency fluctuations.
Investments in foreign currencies are subject to numerous risks, not the least of which is the fluctuation of foreign currency exchange rates with respect to the U.S. dollar. Exchange rates fluctuate for a number of reasons.
•Inflation. Exchange rates change to reflect changes in a currency's buying power. Different countries experience different inflation rates due to different monetary and fiscal policies, different product and labor market conditions, and a host of other factors.
•Trade Deficits. Countries with trade deficits tend to experience a depreciating currency. Inflation may be the cause of a trade deficit, making a country's goods more expensive and less competitive and so reducing demand for its currency.
•Interest Rates. High interest rates may raise currency values in the short term by making such currencies more attractive to investors. However, since high interest rates are often the result of high inflation, long-term results may be the opposite.
•Budget Deficits and Low Savings Rates. Countries that run large budget deficits and save little of their national income tend to suffer a depreciating currency because they are forced to borrow abroad to finance their deficits. Payments of interest on this debt can inundate the currency markets with the currency of the debtor nation. Budget deficits also can indirectly contribute to currency depreciation if a government chooses inflationary measures to cope with its deficits and debts.
•Political Factors. Political instability in a country can cause a currency to depreciate. Demand for a certain currency may fall if a country appears a less desirable place in which to invest and do business.
•Government Control. Through their own buying and selling of currencies, the world's central banks sometimes manipulate exchange rate movements. In addition, governments occasionally issue statements to influence people's expectations about the direction of exchange rates, or they may instigate policies with an exchange rate target as the goal. The value of the Fund's investments is calculated in U.S. dollars each day that the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") is open for business. As a result, to the extent that the Fund's assets are invested in instruments denominated in foreign currencies and the currencies appreciate relative to the U.S. dollar, the Fund's NAV as expressed in U.S. dollars (and, therefore, the value of your investment) should increase. If the U.S. dollar appreciates relative to the other currencies, the opposite should occur. The currency-related gains and losses experienced by the Fund will be based on changes in the value of portfolio securities attributable to currency fluctuations only in relation to the original purchase price of such securities as stated in U.S. dollars. Gains or losses on shares of the Fund will be based on changes attributable to fluctuations in the NAV of such shares, expressed in U.S. dollars, in relation to the original U.S. dollar purchase price of the shares. The amount of appreciation or depreciation in the Fund's assets also will be affected by the net investment income generated by the money market instruments in which the Fund invests and by changes in the value of the securities that are unrelated to changes in currency exchange rates.
The Funds may incur currency exchange costs when it sells instruments denominated in one currency and buys instruments denominated in another.
Currency-Related Derivatives and Other Financial Instruments
The Funds may use currency transactions in order to hedge the value of portfolio holdings denominated in particular currencies against fluctuations in relative value. Currency transactions include forward currency contracts, exchange-listed currency futures and options thereon, exchange-listed and over-the-counter ("OTC") options on currencies, and currency swaps. A forward currency contract involves a privately negotiated obligation to purchase or sell (with delivery generally required) a specific currency at a future date, which may be any fixed number of days from the date of the contract agreed upon by the parties, at a price set at the time of the contract. These contracts are traded in the interbank market conducted directly between currency traders (usually large, commercial banks) and their customers. A forward foreign currency contract generally has no deposit requirement, and no commissions are charged at any stage for trades. A currency swap is an agreement to exchange cash flows based on the notional difference among two or more currencies and operates similarly to an interest rate swap, which is described below. The Fund may enter into currency transactions with counterparties which have received (or the guarantors of the obligations of which have received) a short-term credit rating of A-1 or P-1 by S&P or Moody's, respectively, or that have an equivalent rating from a Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organization ("NRSRO") or (except for OTC currency options) are determined to be of equivalent credit quality by the Adviser.
A Fund's dealings in forward currency contracts and other currency transactions such as futures, options on futures, options on currencies and swaps will be limited to hedging involving either specific transactions ("Transaction Hedging") or portfolio positions ("Position Hedging"). Transaction Hedging is entering into a currency transaction with respect to specific assets or liabilities of the Fund or an underlying Fund, which will generally arise in connection with the purchase or sale of its portfolio securities or the receipt of income therefrom. The Fund may be able to protect itself against possible losses resulting from changes in the relationship between the U.S. dollar and foreign currencies during the period between the date the security is purchased or sold and the date on which payment is made or received by entering into a forward contract for the purchase or sale, for a fixed amount of dollars, of the amount of the foreign currency involved in the underlying security transactions.
Position Hedging is entering into a currency transaction with respect to portfolio security positions denominated or generally quoted in that currency. The Fund may enter into a forward foreign currency contract to sell, for a fixed amount of dollars, the amount of foreign currency approximating the value of some or all of its portfolio securities denominated in such foreign currency. The precise matching of the forward foreign currency contract amount and the value of the portfolio securities involved may not have a perfect correlation since the future value of the securities hedged will change as a consequence of the market between the date the forward contract is entered into and the date it matures. The projection of short-term currency market movement is difficult, and the successful execution of this short-term hedging strategy is uncertain.
A Fund will not enter into a transaction to hedge currency exposure to an extent greater, after netting all transactions intended wholly or partially to offset other transactions, than the aggregate market value (at the time of entering into the transaction) of the securities held in its portfolio that are denominated or generally quoted in or currently convertible into such currency.
A Fund in which it invests may also cross-hedge currencies by entering into transactions to purchase or sell one or more currencies that are expected to decline in value relative to other currencies to which the Fund has or in which the Fund expects to have portfolio exposure.
Currency hedging involves some of the same risks and considerations as other transactions with similar instruments. Currency transactions can result in losses to the Fund if the currency being hedged fluctuates in value to a degree or in a direction that is not anticipated. If the Fund enters into a currency hedging transaction, the Fund will "cover" its position so as not to create a "senior security" as defined in Section 18 of the 1940 Act.
Currency transactions are subject to risks different from those of other portfolio transactions. Because currency control is of great importance to the issuing governments and influences economic planning and policy, purchase and sales of currency and related instruments can be negatively affected by government exchange controls, blockages, and manipulations or exchange restrictions imposed by governments. These actions can result in losses to the Fund if it is unable to deliver or receive currency or funds in settlement of obligations and could also cause hedges it has entered into to be rendered useless, resulting in full currency exposure as well as incurring transaction costs. Buyers and sellers of currency futures are subject to the same risks that apply to the use of futures generally. Furthermore, settlement of a currency futures contract for the purchase of most currencies must occur at a bank based in the issuing nation. Trading options on currency futures is relatively new, and the ability to establish and close out positions on such options is subject to the maintenance of a liquid market, which may not always be available. Currency exchange rates may fluctuate based on factors extrinsic to that country's economy. Although forward foreign currency contracts and currency futures tend to minimize the risk of loss due to a decline in the value of the hedged currency, at the same time they tend to limit any potential gain which might result should the value of such currency increase.
The Funds are not required to enter into forward currency contracts for hedging purposes and it is possible that the Fund may not be able to hedge against a currency devaluation that is so generally anticipated that the Fund is unable to contract to sell the currency at a price above the devaluation level it anticipates. It also is possible that, under certain circumstances, the Fund may have to limit its currency transactions to qualify as a regulated investment company under the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code").
ILLIQUID INVESTMENTS. Each Fund may invest up to an aggregate amount of 15% of its net assets in illiquid investments, as such term is defined by Rule 22e-4 of the 1940 Act. The Funds may not invest in illiquid investments if, as a result of such investment, more than 15% of the Fund's net assets would be invested in illiquid investments. Illiquid investments include securities subject to contractual or other restrictions on resale and other instruments that lack readily available markets. The inability of a Fund to dispose of illiquid investments readily or at a reasonable price could impair the Fund's ability to raise cash for redemptions or other purposes. The liquidity of securities purchased by a Fund that are eligible for resale pursuant to Rule 144A, except for certain 144A bonds, will be monitored by the Funds on an ongoing basis. In the event that more than 15% of its net assets are invested in illiquid investments, the Funds, in accordance with Rule 22e-4(b)(1)(iv), will report the occurrence to both the Board and the SEC and seek to reduce its holdings of illiquid investments within a reasonable period of time.
INVESTMENT COMPANIES. The Funds may invest in the securities of other investment companies, including ETFs and money market funds, subject to applicable limitations under Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act and Rule 12d1-4 under the 1940 Act. Investing in another pooled vehicle exposes a Fund to all the risks of that pooled vehicle. Pursuant to Section 12(d)(1), a Fund may invest in the securities of another investment company (the "acquired company") provided that such Fund, immediately after such purchase or acquisition, does not own in the aggregate: (i) more than 3% of the total outstanding voting stock of the acquired company; (ii) securities issued by the acquired company having an aggregate value in excess of 5% of the value of the total assets of such Fund; or (iii) securities issued by the acquired company and all other investment companies (other than treasury stock of such Fund) having an aggregate value in excess of 10% of the value of the total assets of the applicable Fund. To the extent allowed by law or regulation, the Funds may invest their assets in securities of investment companies that are money market funds in excess of the limits discussed above.
The Funds may rely on Section 12(d)(1)(F) and Rule 12d1-3 under the 1940 Act, which provide an exemption from Section 12(d)(1) that allow the Funds to invest all of its assets in other registered funds, including ETFs, if, among other conditions: (a) a Fund, together with its affiliates, acquires no more than three percent of the outstanding voting stock of any acquired fund, and (b) the sales load charged on a Fund's Shares is no greater than the limits set forth in Rule 2341 of the Rules of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. ("FINRA"). In addition, the Funds may invest beyond the limits of Section 12(d)(1) subject to certain terms and conditions set forth in Rule 12d1-4 under the 1940 Act, including that the Funds enter into an agreement with the acquired company.
If the Fund invests in and, thus, is a shareholder of, another investment company, the Fund's shareholders will indirectly bear the Fund's proportionate share of the fees and expenses paid by such other investment company, including advisory fees, in addition to both the management fees payable directly by the Fund to the Fund's own investment adviser and the other expenses that the Fund bears directly in connection with the Fund's own operations.
Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act restricts investments by registered investment companies ("Investing Funds") in the securities of other registered investment companies. The acquisition of Shares by Investing Funds is subject to the restrictions of Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act, except as may be permitted by exemptive rules under the 1940 Act such as Rule 12d1-4 under the 1940 Act, subject to certain terms and conditions, including that the Investing Fund enter into an agreement with the Funds regarding the terms of the investment.
MASTER LIMITED PARTNERSHIPS ("MLPs"). MLPs are limited partnerships in which the ownership units are publicly traded. MLP units are registered with the SEC and are freely traded on a securities exchange or in the OTC market. MLPs often own several properties or businesses (or own interests) that are related to real estate development and oil and gas industries, but they also may finance motion pictures, research and development and other projects. Generally, an MLP is operated under the supervision of one or more managing general partners. Limited partners are not involved in the day-to-day management of the partnership.
The risks of investing in an MLP are generally those involved in investing in a partnership as opposed to a corporation. For example, state law governing partnerships is often less restrictive than state law governing corporations. Accordingly, there may be fewer protections afforded investors in an MLP than investors in a corporation. Additional risks involved with investing in an MLP are risks associated with the specific industry or industries in which the partnership invests, such as the risks of investing in real estate, or oil and gas industries.
MLPs are generally treated as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes. When a Fund invests in the equity securities of an MLP or any other entity that is treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes, a Fund will be treated as a partner in the entity for tax purposes. Accordingly, in calculating a Fund's taxable income, it will be required to take into account its allocable share of the income, gains, losses, deductions, and credits recognized by each such entity, regardless of whether the entity distributes cash to the Fund. Distributions from such an entity to a Fund are not generally taxable unless the cash amount (or, in certain cases, the fair market value of marketable securities) distributed to a Fund exceeds the Fund's adjusted tax basis in its interest in the entity. In general, a Fund's allocable share of such an entity's net income will increase the Fund's adjusted tax basis in its interest in the entity, and distributions to a Fund from such an entity and a Fund's allocable share of the entity's net losses will decrease the Fund's adjusted basis in its interest in the entity, but not below zero. A Fund may receive cash distributions from such an entity in excess of the net amount of taxable income a Fund is allocated from its investment in the entity. In other circumstances, the net amount of taxable income a Fund is allocated from its investment in such an entity may exceed cash distributions received from the entity. Thus, a Fund's investments in such an entity may lead a Fund to make distributions in excess of its earnings and profits, or a Fund may be required to sell investments, including when not otherwise advantageous to do so, in order to satisfy the distribution requirements applicable to regulated investment companies under the Code.
Depreciation or other cost recovery deductions passed through to a Fund from any investments in MLPs in a given year will generally reduce a Fund's taxable income, but those deductions may be recaptured in the Fund's income in one or more subsequent years. When recognized and distributed, recapture income will generally be taxable to a Fund's shareholders at the time of the distribution at ordinary income tax rates, even though those shareholders might not have held Shares in a Fund at the time the deductions were taken, and even though those shareholders may not have corresponding economic gain on their Shares at the time of the recapture. To distribute recapture income or to fund redemption requests, a Fund may need to liquidate investments, which may lead to additional taxable income.
MONEY MARKET INSTRUMENTS. The Funds may invest a portion of their assets in high-quality money market instruments or in money market mutual funds on an ongoing basis to provide liquidity or for other reasons. The instruments in which a Fund or money market mutual fund may invest include: (i) short-term obligations issued by the U.S. Government; (ii) negotiable certificates of deposit ("CDs"), fixed time deposits and bankers' acceptances of U.S. and foreign banks and similar institutions; (iii) commercial paper rated at the date of purchase "Prime-1" by Moody's or "A-1+" or "A-1" by Standard & Poor's ("S&P") or, if unrated, of comparable quality as determined by the Fund; and (iv) repurchase agreements. CDs are short-term negotiable obligations of commercial banks. Time deposits are non-negotiable deposits maintained in banking institutions for specified periods of time at stated interest rates. Banker's acceptances are time drafts drawn on commercial banks by borrowers, usually in connection with international transactions.
NON-U.S. SECURITIES. The Funds may invest in non-U.S. securities. Investments in non-U.S. securities involve certain risks that may not be present in investments in U.S. securities. For example, non-U.S. securities may be subject to currency risks or to political, social, or economic instability. There may be less information publicly available about a non-U.S. issuer than about a U.S. issuer, and a foreign issuer may or may not be subject to uniform accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and practices comparable to those in the U.S. Investments in non-U.S. securities may be subject to withholding or other taxes and may be subject to additional trading, settlement, custodial, and operational risks. Other risks of investing in such securities include political, social, or economic instability in the country involved, the difficulty of predicting international trade patterns and the possibility of imposition of exchange controls. The prices of such securities may be more volatile than those of domestic securities. With respect to certain foreign countries, there is a possibility of expropriation of assets or nationalization, imposition of withholding taxes on dividend or interest payments,
difficulty in obtaining and enforcing judgments against foreign entities or diplomatic developments which could affect investment in these countries. Losses and other expenses may be incurred in converting between various currencies in connection with purchases and sales of foreign securities. Because foreign exchanges may be open on days when the Funds do not price their Shares, the value of the securities in a Fund's portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell Shares. Conversely, Shares may trade on days when foreign exchanges are closed. Each of these factors can make investments in the Funds more volatile and potentially less liquid than other types of investments.
Non-U.S. stock markets may not be as developed or efficient as, and may be more volatile than, those in the U.S. While the volume of shares traded on non-U.S. stock markets generally has been growing, such markets usually have substantially less volume than U.S. markets. Therefore, a Fund's investment in non-U.S. equity securities may be less liquid and subject to more rapid and erratic price movements than comparable securities listed for trading on U.S. exchanges. Non-U.S. equity securities may trade at price/earnings multiples higher than comparable U.S. securities and such levels may not be sustainable. There may be less government supervision and regulation of foreign stock exchanges, brokers, banks and listed companies abroad than in the U.S. Moreover, settlement practices for transactions in foreign markets may differ from those in U.S. markets. Such differences may include delays beyond periods customary in the U.S. and practices, such as delivery of securities prior to receipt of payment, that increase the likelihood of a failed settlement, which can result in losses to the Funds. The value of non-U.S. investments and the investment income derived from them may also be affected unfavorably by changes in currency exchange control regulations. Foreign brokerage commissions, custodial expenses and other fees are also generally higher than for securities traded in the U.S. This may cause the Funds to incur higher portfolio transaction costs than domestic equity funds. Fluctuations in exchange rates may also affect the earning power and asset value of the foreign entity issuing a security, even one denominated in U.S. dollars. Dividend and interest payments may be repatriated based on the exchange rate at the time of disbursement, and restrictions on capital flows may be imposed.
Investing in emerging markets can have more risk than investing in developed foreign markets. The risks of investing in these markets may be exacerbated relative to investments in foreign markets. Governments of developing and emerging market countries may be more unstable as compared to more developed countries. Developing and emerging market countries may have less developed securities markets or exchanges, and legal and accounting systems. It may be more difficult to sell securities at acceptable prices and security prices may be more volatile than in countries with more mature markets. Currency values may fluctuate more in developing or emerging markets. Developing or emerging market countries may be more likely to impose government restrictions, including confiscatory taxation, expropriation or nationalization of a company's assets, and restrictions on foreign ownership of local companies. In addition, emerging markets may impose restrictions on the Funds' ability to repatriate investment income or capital and thus, may adversely affect the operations of the Funds. Certain emerging markets may impose constraints on currency exchange and some currencies in emerging markets may have been devalued significantly against the U.S. dollar. For these and other reasons, the prices of securities in emerging markets can fluctuate more significantly than the prices of securities of companies in developed countries. The less developed the country, the greater effect these risks may have on the Funds.
Set forth below for certain markets in which the Funds may invest are brief descriptions of some of the conditions and risks in each such market.
Investments in Canada. The U.S. is Canada's largest trading partner and foreign investor. As a result, changes to the U.S. economy may significantly affect the Canadian economy. The Canadian economy is reliant on the sale of natural resources and commodities, which can pose risks such as the fluctuation of prices and the variability of demand for exportation of such products. Canada is a major producer of commodities such as zinc, uranium, forest products, metals, agricultural products, and energy related products like oil, gas, and hydroelectricity. Changes in spending on Canadian products by the economies of other countries or changes in any of these economies may cause a significant impact on the Canadian economy.
Investments in China and Hong Kong. Investing in ADRs with underlying shares organized, listed or domiciled in China involves special considerations not typically associated with investing in countries with more democratic governments or more established economies or securities markets. Such risks may include: (i) the risk of nationalization or expropriation of assets or confiscatory taxation; (ii) greater social, economic and political uncertainty (including the risk of war); (iii) dependency on exports and the corresponding importance of international trade; (iv) increasing competition from Asia's other low-cost emerging economies; (v) higher rates of inflation; (vi) controls on foreign investment and limitations on repatriation of invested capital; (vii) greater governmental involvement in and control over the economy; (viii) the risk that the Chinese government may decide not to continue to support the economic reform programs implemented since 1978 and could return to the prior, completely centrally planned, economy; (ix) the fact that Chinese companies, particularly those located in China, may be smaller, less seasoned and newly organized; (x) the differences in, or lack of, auditing and financial reporting standards which may result in unavailability of material information about issuers, particularly in China where, for example, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board ("PCAOB") lacks access to inspect PCAOB-registered accounting firms; (xi) the fact that statistical information regarding the economy of China may be inaccurate or not comparable to statistical information regarding the U.S. or other economies; (xii) the less extensive, and still developing, regulation of the securities markets, business entities and commercial transactions; (xiii) the fact that the settlement period of securities transactions in foreign markets may be longer; (xiv) the fact that the willingness and ability of the Chinese government to support the Chinese and Hong Kong economies and markets is uncertain; (xv) the risk that it may be more difficult, or impossible, to obtain and/or enforce a judgment than in other countries; (xvi) the rapid and erratic nature of growth, particularly in China, resulting in inefficiencies and dislocations; (xvii) the risk that, because of the degree of interconnectivity between the economies and financial markets of China and Hong Kong, any sizable reduction in the demand for goods from China, or an economic downturn in China, could negatively affect the economy and financial market of Hong Kong as well; and (xviii) the risk that certain companies in the Fund's Index may have dealings with countries subject to sanctions or embargoes imposed by the U.S. Government or identified as state sponsors of terrorism.
China is also vulnerable economically to the impact of a public health crisis, which could depress consumer demand, reduce economic output, and potentially lead to market closures, travel restrictions, and quarantines, all of which would negatively impact China's economy and could affect the economies of its trading partners.
After many years of steady growth, the growth rate of China's economy had slowed prior to 2020. Although this slowdown was to some degree intentional, the slowdown also slowed the once rapidly growing Chinese real estate market and left local governments with high debts with few viable means to raise revenue, especially with the fall in demand for housing. In the first quarter of 2021, however, as China recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic, these trends reversed as China's economy grew over 18% on a year-over-year basis and demand grew within the Chinese real estate market. It remains unclear though whether these trends will continue given global economic uncertainties caused by trade relations and fears that the Chinese real estate market may be overheating. Recently, limited growth and companies' ability to pay down debt has impacted China's economy through rising default rates, specifically among real estate developers.
Investments in Hong Kong are also subject to certain political risks not associated with other investments. Following the establishment of the People's Republic of China by the Communist Party in 1949, the Chinese government renounced various debt obligations incurred by China's predecessor governments, which obligations remain in default, and expropriated assets without compensation. There can be no assurance that the Chinese government will not take similar action in the future. Investments in China and Hong Kong involve risk of a total loss due to government action or inaction. China has committed by treaty to preserve Hong Kong's autonomy and its economic, political and social freedoms for 50 years from the July 1, 1997 transfer of sovereignty from Great Britain to China. However, if China would exert its authority so as to alter the economic, political or legal structures or the existing social policy of Hong Kong, investor and business confidence in Hong Kong could be negatively affected, which in turn could negatively affect markets and business performance. In addition, the Hong Kong dollar trades at a fixed exchange rate in relation to (or, is "pegged" to) the U.S. dollar, which has contributed to the growth and stability of the Hong Kong economy. However, it is uncertain how long the currency peg will continue or what effect the establishment of an alternative exchange rate system would have on the Hong Kong economy. Because the Fund's NAV is denominated in U.S. dollars, the establishment of an alternative exchange rate system could result in a decline in the Fund's NAV. These and other factors could have a negative impact on the Fund's performance.
Investments in Europe. Most developed countries in Western Europe are members of the European Union ("EU"), and many are also members of the European Monetary Union (EMU), which requires compliance with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, and debt levels. Unemployment in certain European nations is historically high and several countries face significant debt problems. These conditions can significantly affect every country in Europe. The euro is the official currency of the EU. Funds that invest in Europe may have significant exposure to the euro and events affecting the euro. Recent market events affecting several of the EU member countries have adversely affected the sovereign debt issued by those countries, and ultimately may lead to a decline in the value of the euro. A significant decline in the value of the euro may produce unpredictable effects on trade and commerce generally and could lead to increased volatility in financial markets worldwide.
The United Kingdom (UK) withdrew from the European Union (EU) on January 31, 2020 following a June 2016 referendum referred to as "Brexit." Although the UK and EU agreed to a trade deal in December 2020, certain post-EU arrangements, such as those relating to the offering of cross-border financial services and sharing of cross-border data, have yet to be reached and the EU's willingness to grant equivalency to the UK remains uncertain. There is significant market uncertainty regarding Brexit's ramifications, and the range of possible political, regulatory, economic and market outcomes are difficult to predict. The uncertainty surrounding the UK's economy, and its legal, political, and economic relationship with the remaining member states of the EU, may cause considerable disruption in securities markets, including decreased liquidity and increased volatility, as well as currency fluctuations in the British pound's exchange rate against the U.S. dollar.
The effects of Brexit will depend, in part, on agreements the UK negotiates to retain access to EU markets, either during a transitional period or more permanently, including, but not limited to, current trade and finance agreements. Brexit could lead to legal and tax uncertainty and potentially divergent national laws and regulations, as the UK determines which EU laws to replace or replicate. The extent of the impact of the withdrawal negotiations in the UK and in global markets, as well as any associated adverse consequences, remain unclear, and the uncertainty may have a significant negative effect on the value of the Fund's investments. If one or more other countries were to exit the EU or abandon the use of the euro as a currency, the value of investments tied to those countries or the euro could decline significantly and unpredictably.
Investments in Japan. A significant portion of a Fund's assets may be invested in Japanese securities. To the extent a Fund invests in Japanese securities, it will be subject to risks related to investing in Japan. The Japanese economy may be subject to considerable degrees of economic, political and social instability, which could have a negative impact on Japanese securities. Since the year 2000, Japan's economic growth rate has remained relatively low and it may remain low in the future. In addition, Japan is subject to the risk of natural disasters, such as earthquakes, volcanoes, typhoons and tsunamis. Additionally, decreasing U.S. imports, new trade regulations, changes in the U.S. dollar exchange rates, a recession in the United States or continued increases in foreclosure rates may have an adverse impact on the economy of Japan. Japan also has few natural resources, and any fluctuation or shortage in the commodity markets could have a negative impact on Japanese securities.
Investments in Russia and other Eastern European Countries. Many formerly communist, eastern European countries have experienced significant political and economic reform over the past decade. However, the democratization process is still relatively new in a number of the smaller states and political turmoil and popular uprisings remain threats. Investments in these countries are particularly subject to political, economic, legal, market and currency risks. The risks include uncertain political and economic policies and the risk of nationalization or expropriation of assets, short-term market volatility, poor accounting standards, corruption and crime, an inadequate regulatory system, unpredictable taxation, the imposition of capital controls and/or foreign investment limitations by a country and the imposition of sanctions on an Eastern European country by other countries, such as the United States. Adverse currency exchange rates are a risk, and there may be a lack of available currency hedging instruments.
These securities markets, as compared to U.S. markets, have significant price volatility, less liquidity, a smaller market capitalization and a smaller number of exchange-traded securities. A limited volume of trading may result in difficulty in obtaining accurate prices and trading. There is little publicly available information about issuers. Settlement, clearing, and registration of securities transactions are subject to risks because of insufficient registration systems that may not be subject to effective government supervision. This may result in significant delays or problems in registering the transfer of shares. It is possible that a Fund's ownership rights could be lost through fraud or negligence. While applicable regulations may impose liability on registrars for losses resulting from their errors, it may be difficult for a Fund to enforce any rights it may have against the registrar or issuer of the securities in the event of loss of share registration.
Political risk in Russia remains high, and steps that Russia may take to assert its geopolitical influence may increase the tensions in the region and affect economic growth. Russia's economy is heavily dependent on exportation of natural resources, which may be particularly vulnerable to economic sanctions by other countries during times of political tension or crisis.
In response to recent political and military actions undertaken by Russia, the United States and certain other countries, as well as the European Union, have instituted economic sanctions against certain Russian individuals and companies. The political and economic situation in Russia, and the current and any future sanctions or other government actions against Russia, may result in the decline in the value and liquidity of Russian securities, devaluation of Russian currency, a downgrade in Russia's credit rating, the inability to freely trade sanctioned companies (either due to the sanctions imposed or related operational issues) and/or other adverse consequences to the Russian economy, any of which could negatively impact a Fund's investments in Russian securities. Sanctions could result in the immediate freeze of Russian securities, impairing the ability of a Fund to buy, sell, receive, or deliver those securities. Both the current and potential future sanctions or other government actions against Russia also could result in Russia taking counter measures or retaliatory actions, which may impair further the value or liquidity of Russian securities and negatively impact a Fund. Any or all of these potential results could lead Russia's economy into a recession.
Investments in South Korea. The South Korean government has historically imposed significant restrictions and controls on foreign investors. As a result, the Funds may be limited in their investments or precluded from investing in certain South Korean companies, which may adversely affect the performance of the Funds. Investments by the Funds in the securities of South Korean issuers may involve investment risks different from those of U.S. issuers, including possible political, economic or social instability in South Korea, and changes in South Korean law or regulations. In addition, there is the possibility of the imposition of currency-exchange controls, foreign withholding tax on the interest income payable on such instruments, foreign controls, seizure or nationalization of foreign deposits or assets, or the adoption of other foreign government restrictions that might adversely affect the South Korean securities held by the Funds. Political instability and/or military conflict involving North Korea may adversely affect the value of the Funds' assets. Foreign securities may also be subject to greater fluctuations in price than securities of domestic corporations or the U.S. government. There may be less publicly available information about a South Korean company than about a U.S. company. Brokers in South Korea may not be as well capitalized as those in the U.S., so that they may be more susceptible to financial failure in times of market, political or economic stress. Additionally, South Korean accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and requirements differ, in some cases significantly, from those applicable to U.S. issuers. In particular, the assets and profits appearing on the financial statements of a South Korean issuer may not reflect its financial position or results of operations in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. There is a possibility of expropriation, nationalization, confiscatory taxation or diplomatic developments that could adversely affect investments in South Korea.
Investments in Taiwan. Investments in Taiwanese issuers may subject a Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency and economic risks that are specific to Taiwan. Specifically, Taiwan's geographic proximity and history of political contention with China have resulted in ongoing tensions between the two countries. These tensions may materially affect the Taiwanese economy and its securities market. Taiwan's economy is export-oriented, so it depends on an open world trade regime and remains vulnerable to fluctuations in the world economy. The Taiwanese economy is dependent on the economies of Asia, mainly those of Japan and China, and the United States. Reduction in spending by any of these countries on Taiwanese products and services or negative changes in any of these economies may cause an adverse impact on the Taiwanese economy.
OTHER SHORT-TERM INSTRUMENTS. In addition to repurchase agreements, a Fund may invest in short-term instruments, including 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 ("CDs"), bankers' acceptances, fixed time deposits and other obligations of U.S. and foreign banks (including foreign branches) and similar institutions; (iv) commercial paper rated at the date of purchase "Prime-1" by Moody's or "A-1" by S&P or, if unrated, of comparable quality as determined by the Adviser; (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 satisfy the rating requirements set forth in Rule 2a-7 under the 1940 Act; and (vi) short-term U.S. dollar-denominated obligations of foreign banks (including U.S. branches) that, in the opinion of the Adviser, are of comparable quality to obligations of U.S. banks which may be purchased by the Fund. Any of these instruments may be purchased on a current or a forward-settled basis. Money market instruments also include shares of money market funds. 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.
REAL ESTATE SECTOR. Companies in the real estate sector include companies that invest in real estate, such as a REIT or a real estate holding company (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 industry 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.
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 or acquired. Foreclosure may generate negative publicity for the underlying property that affects its market value. In addition to length and expense, foreclosure proceedings may not fully uphold the validity of all of the terms of the applicable loan. 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 high 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 commercial mortgage-backed securities may also be junior in priority in the event of bankruptcy or similar proceedings. 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 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.
Liquidity 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, industry 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.
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. In addition, quarterly compliance with regulation limiting the proportion of asset types held by a REIT may force certain Real Estate Companies to liquidate or restructure otherwise attractive investments.
REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUSTS. The Funds may invest in the securities of real estate investment trusts ("REITs") to the extent allowed by law. Risks associated with investments in securities of REITs include decline in the value of real estate, risks related to general and local economic conditions, overbuilding and increased competition, increases in property taxes and operating expenses, changes in zoning laws, casualty or condemnation losses, variations in rental income, changes in neighborhood values, the appeal of properties to tenants, and increases in interest rates. REITs are dependent upon management skills, may not be diversified and are subject to the risks of financing projects. If an issuer of debt securities collateralized by real estate defaults, it is conceivable that the REITs could end up holding the underlying real estate. A REIT is a corporation or business trust (that would otherwise be taxed as a corporation) which meets the definitional requirements of the Code. The Code permits a qualifying REIT to deduct from taxable income the dividends paid, thereby effectively eliminating corporate level federal income tax. To meet the definitional requirements of the Code, a REIT must, among other things: invest substantially all of its assets in interests in real estate (including mortgages and other REITs), cash and government securities; derive most of its income from rents from real property or interest on loans secured by mortgages on real property; and, in general, distribute annually 90% or more of its taxable income (other than net capital gains) to shareholders.
REITs are sometimes informally characterized as Equity REITs and Mortgage REITs. An Equity REIT invests primarily in the fee ownership or leasehold ownership of land and buildings (e.g., commercial equity REITs and residential equity REITs); a Mortgage REIT invests primarily in mortgages on real property, which may secure construction, development or long-term loans.
REITs may be affected by changes in underlying real estate values, which may have an exaggerated effect to the extent that REITs in which the Fund invests may concentrate investments in particular geographic regions or property types. Additionally, rising interest rates may cause investors in REITs to demand a higher annual yield from future distributions, which may in turn decrease market prices for equity securities issued by REITs. Rising interest rates also generally increase the costs of obtaining financing, which could cause the value of the Fund's investments to decline. During periods of declining interest rates, certain Mortgage REITs may hold mortgages that the mortgagors elect to prepay, which prepayment may diminish the yield on securities issued by such Mortgage REITs. In addition, Mortgage REITs may be affected by the ability of borrowers to repay when due the debt extended by the REIT and Equity REITs may be affected by the ability of tenants to pay rent.
Certain REITs have relatively small market capitalization, which may tend to increase the volatility of the market price of securities issued by such REITs. Furthermore, REITs are dependent upon specialized management skills, have limited diversification and are, therefore, subject to risks inherent in operating and financing a limited number of projects. By investing in REITs indirectly through the Fund, a shareholder will bear not only his or her proportionate share of the expenses of the Fund, but also, indirectly, similar expenses of the REITs. REITs depend generally on their ability to generate cashflow to make distributions to shareholders.
In addition to these risks, Equity REITs may be affected by changes in the value of the underlying property owned by the trusts, while Mortgage REITs may be affected by the quality of any credit extended. Further, Equity and Mortgage REITs are dependent upon management skills and generally may not be diversified. Equity and Mortgage REITs are also subject to heavy cashflow dependency defaults by borrowers and self-liquidation. In addition, Equity and Mortgage REITs could possibly fail to qualify for the favorable U.S. federal income tax treatment generally available to REITs under the Code or fail to maintain their exemptions from registration under the 1940 Act. The above factors may also adversely affect a borrower's or a lessee's ability to meet its obligations to the REIT. In the event of default by a borrower or lessee, the REIT may experience delays in enforcing its rights as a mortgagee or lessor and may incur substantial costs associated with protecting its investments.
REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS. Each Fund may enter into repurchase agreements with counterparties that are deemed to present acceptable credit risks. A repurchase agreement is a transaction in which a Fund purchases securities or other obligations from a bank or securities dealer (or its affiliate) and simultaneously commits to resell them to a counterparty at an agreed-upon date or upon demand and at a price reflecting a market rate of interest unrelated to the coupon rate or maturity of the purchased obligations. A Fund maintains custody of the underlying obligations prior to their repurchase, either through its regular custodian or through a special "tri-party" custodian or sub-custodian that maintains separate accounts for both the Fund and its counterparty. Thus, the obligation of the counterparty to pay the repurchase price on the date agreed to or upon demand is, in effect, secured by such obligations.
Repurchase agreements carry certain risks not associated with direct investments in securities, including a possible decline in the market value of the underlying obligations. If their value becomes less than the repurchase price, plus any agreed-upon additional amount, the counterparty must provide additional collateral so that at all times the collateral is at least equal to the repurchase price plus any agreed- upon additional amount. The difference between the total amount to be received upon repurchase of the obligations and the price that was paid by the Fund upon acquisition is accrued as interest and included in its net investment income. Repurchase agreements involving obligations other than U.S. Government securities (such as commercial paper and corporate bonds) may be
subject to special risks and may not have the benefit of certain protections in the event of the counterparty's insolvency. If the seller or guarantor becomes insolvent, the Fund may suffer delays, costs and possible losses in connection with the disposition of collateral.
REVERSE REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS. The Funds may enter into reverse repurchase agreements, which involve the sale of securities held by a Fund subject to its agreement to repurchase the securities at an agreed-upon date or upon demand and at a price reflecting a market rate of interest. Reverse repurchase agreements are subject to a Fund's limitation on borrowings and may be entered into only with banks or securities dealers or their affiliates. While a reverse repurchase agreement is outstanding, a Fund will maintain the segregation, either on its records or with the Trust's custodian, of cash or other liquid securities, marked-to-market daily, in an amount at least equal to its obligations under the reverse repurchase agreement.
Reverse repurchase agreements involve the risk that the buyer of the securities sold by a Fund might be unable to deliver them when that Fund seeks to repurchase. If the buyer of securities under a reverse repurchase agreement files for bankruptcy or becomes insolvent, the buyer or trustee or receiver may receive an extension of time to determine whether to enforce a Fund's obligation to repurchase the securities, and the Fund's use of the proceeds of the reverse repurchase agreement may effectively be restricted pending such decision.
SECURITIES LENDING. Each Fund may lend portfolio securities to certain creditworthy borrowers, including the Fund's securities lending agent. Loans of portfolio securities provide a Fund with the opportunity to earn additional income on the Fund's portfolio securities. All securities loans will be made pursuant to agreements requiring the loans to be continuously secured by collateral in cash, or money market instruments, or money market funds at least equal at all times to the market value of the loaned securities. The borrower pays to the Fund an amount equal to any dividends or interest received on loaned securities. The Fund retains all or a portion of the interest received on investment of cash collateral or receives a fee from the borrower. Lending portfolio securities involves risks of delay in recovery of the loaned securities or in some cases loss of rights in the collateral should the borrower fail financially. Furthermore, because of the risks of delay in recovery, the Fund may lose the opportunity to sell the securities at a desirable price. The Fund will generally not have the right to vote securities while they are being loaned.
TAX RISKS. As with any investment, you should consider how your investment in Shares will be taxed. The tax information in the Prospectus and this SAI is provided as general information. You should consult your own tax professional about the tax consequences of an investment in Shares.
Certain Funds invest in partnerships that elect to be classified as corporations for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Such entities are required to pay U.S. federal income tax on its taxable income. This has the effect of reducing the amount of cash available for distribution to a Fund, which may result in a reduction of the value of your investment in the Fund, as compared to if such entity were not taxed as a corporation.
Unless your investment in Shares is made through a tax-exempt entity or tax-deferred retirement account, such as an individual retirement account, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when the Fund makes distributions or you sell Shares.
U.S. GOVERNMENT SECURITIES. A Fund may invest in U.S. government securities to the extent consistent with its investment objective and strategies. Not all U.S. government obligations carry the same credit support. Although many U.S. government securities in which the fund may invest, such as those issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac may be chartered or sponsored by Acts of Congress, their securities are neither issued nor guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury and, therefore, are not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. Some, such as those of Ginnie Mae, are supported by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Treasury. Other obligations, such as those of the Federal Home Loan Banks, are supported by the right of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury; and others are supported by the discretionary authority of the U.S. government to purchase the agency's obligations. Still others are supported only by the credit of the instrumentality or sponsored enterprise. The maximum potential liability of the issuers of some U.S. government securities held by the fund may greatly exceed their current resources, including their legal right to support from the U.S. Treasury. It is possible that these issuers will not have the funds to meet their payment obligations in the future. No assurance can be given that the U.S. government would provide financial support to its agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises if it is not obligated to do so by law.
As agency of the U.S. government has placed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac into conservatorship, a statutory process with the objective of returning the entities to normal business operations. It is unclear what effect this conservatorship will have on the securities issued or guaranteed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. As a result, these securities are subject to more credit risk than U.S. government securities that are supported by the full faith and credit of the United States (e.g., U.S. Treasury bonds).
To the extent a Fund invests in debt instruments or securities of non-U.S. government entities that are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States, there is a possibility that such guarantee may be discontinued or modified at a later date.
The total public debt of the United States as a percentage of gross domestic product has grown rapidly since the beginning of the 2008-2009 financial downturn and is expected to grow even greater as a result of efforts to support the U.S. economy during the COVID-19 pandemic beginning in 2020. Although high debt levels do not necessarily indicate or cause economic problems, they may
create certain systemic risks if sound debt management practices are not implemented. A high national debt can raise concerns that the U.S. government will not be able to make principal or interest payments when they are due. This increase has also necessitated the need for the U.S. Congress to negotiate adjustments to the statutory debt ceiling to increase the cap on the amount the U.S. government is permitted to borrow to meet its existing obligations and finance current budget deficits. In August 2011, S&P lowered its long term sovereign credit rating on the U.S. In explaining the downgrade at that time, S&P cited, among other reasons, controversy over raising the statutory debt ceiling and growth in public spending. Any controversy or ongoing uncertainty regarding the statutory debt ceiling negotiations may impact the U.S. long-term sovereign credit rating and may cause market uncertainty. As a result, market prices and yields of securities supported by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government may be adversely affected. Increased government spending in response to COVID-19 can cause the national debt to rise higher, which could heighten these associated risks.
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS. The Trust's Board of Trustees (the "Board") may, in the future, authorize a Fund to invest in securities contracts and investments other than those listed in this SAI and in the Fund's Prospectus, provided they are consistent with the Fund's investment objective and do not violate any investment restrictions or policies.
INVESTMENT LIMITATIONS
The Trust has adopted the following investment restrictions as fundamental policies with respect to the Funds. These restrictions cannot be changed with respect to a Fund without the approval of the holders of a majority of the Fund's outstanding voting securities. For the purposes of the 1940 Act, a "majority of outstanding shares" means the vote of the lesser of: (1) 67% or more of the voting securities of the Fund present at the meeting if the holders of more than 50% of the Fund's outstanding voting securities are present or represented by proxy; or (2) more than 50% of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund.
Except with the approval of a majority of the outstanding voting securities, each Fund may not:
1.Concentrate its investments (i.e., hold more than 25% of its total assets) in any industry or group of related industries, except that the Fund will concentrate to approximately the same extent that its Index concentrates in the securities of such particular industry or group of related industries. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities), registered investment companies, repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities and tax-exempt securities of state or municipal governments and their political subdivisions are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.
In addition, except with the approval of a majority of the outstanding voting securities, each Fund may not:
1.Borrow money or issue senior securities (as defined under the 1940 Act), except to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act.
2.Make loans, except to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act.
3.Purchase or sell real estate unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments, except to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act. This shall not prevent the Fund from investing in securities or other instruments backed by real estate, real estate investment trusts or securities of companies engaged in the real estate business.
4.Purchase or sell physical commodities unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments, except to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act. This shall not prevent the Fund from purchasing or selling options and futures contracts or from investing in securities or other instruments backed by physical commodities.
5.Underwrite securities issued by other persons, except to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act.
6.Each Diversified Fund will not, with respect to 75% of its total assets, purchase the securities of any one issuer if, immediately after and as a result of such purchase, (a) the value of the Fund's holdings in the securities of such issuer exceeds 5% of the value of the Fund's total assets, or (b) the Fund owns more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of the issuer (with the exception that this restriction does not apply to the Fund's investments in the securities of the U.S. government, or its agencies or instrumentalities, or other investment companies).
In addition to the investment restrictions adopted as fundamental policies as set forth above, the Funds observe the following non-fundamental restrictions, which may be changed without a shareholder vote.
1. Each Fund will not hold illiquid investments in excess of 15% of its net assets. 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 the sale or disposition significantly changing the market value of the investment.
2. Under normal circumstances, SRVR will invest at least 80% of the value of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in Data and Infrastructure Real Estate Companies and Power Generation Companies. The Fund defines Data and Infrastructure Real Estate Companies as U.S. and global companies that derive at least 85% of their
earnings or revenues from real estate operations in the data and infrastructure sectors. The Fund defines Power Generation Companies as U.S. and global companies that generate at least 50% of their revenues from activities that make use of small modular reactors (SMRs), nuclear power, power infrastructure and energy systems, or digital infrastructure and connectivity systems.
3. PEXL has adopted a policy to invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of the Fund's net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in the component securities of its Index. In addition to investments in the component securities of the applicable Index, the following investments will count towards such 80% policy:
i.investments that have economic characteristics that are substantially identical to the economic characteristics of such component securities (e.g., depositary receipts);
ii.ETFs that seek to track the performance of some or all of the component securities of the applicable Index in the same approximate weight as such component securities; and
iii.if one or more component securities are other ETFs ("Underlying ETFs"), the underlying holdings of such Underlying ETFs in the same approximate weight as such holdings are assigned in the applicable Underlying ETF, adjusted to reflect the weight of such Underlying ETF in the Fund's Index (i.e., a Fund that is a fund-of-funds may invest in either the Underlying ETFs comprising the Fund's Index or directly in such Underlying ETFs' underlying holdings).
If a percentage limitation is adhered to at the time of investment or contract, a later increase or decrease in percentage resulting from any change in value or total or net assets will not result in a violation of such restriction, except with respect to the borrowing of money. With respect to the limitation on illiquid securities, in the event that a subsequent change in net assets or other circumstances cause a Fund to exceed its limitation, the Fund will take steps to bring the aggregate amount of illiquid instruments back within the limitations as soon as reasonably practicable. With respect to the limitation on borrowing, in the event that a subsequent change in net assets or other circumstances cause a Fund to exceed its limitation, the Fund will take steps to bring the aggregate amount of borrowing back within the limitations within three days thereafter (not including Sundays and holidays).
PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS DISCLOSURE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
The Trust's Board of Trustees has adopted a policy regarding the disclosure of information about the Funds' security holdings. As exchange-traded funds, information about each Fund's portfolio holdings is made available on a daily basis in accordance with the provisions of an Order of the SEC applicable to the Funds, regulations of the Exchange and other applicable SEC regulations, orders and no-action relief. Such information typically reflects all or a portion of each Fund's anticipated portfolio holdings as of the next Business Day. A "Business Day" is any day on which the Exchange is open for business. As of the date of this SAI, the Exchange observes the following holidays: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day (observed), Juneteenth National Independence Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. This information is used in connection with the creation and redemption process and is disseminated on a daily basis through the Exchange, the National Securities Clearing Corporation ("NSCC") and/or third-party service providers.
The Funds will disclose on their website at the start of each Business Day the identities and quantities of the securities and other assets held by each Fund that will form the basis of the Fund's calculation of its NAV on that Business Day. The portfolio holdings so disclosed will be based on information as of the close of business on the prior Business Day and/or trades that have been completed prior to the opening of business on that Business Day and that are expected to settle on that Business Day.
Each Fund may disclose its complete portfolio holdings or a portion of its portfolio holdings online at www.PacerETFs.com. Each Fund will disclose its complete portfolio holdings schedule in public filings with the SEC on a quarterly basis, based on the Fund's fiscal year, within sixty (60) days of the end of the quarter, and will provide that information to shareholders, as required by federal securities laws and regulations thereunder.
The Trust's portfolio holdings policy provides that neither the Funds nor their Adviser, distributor or any agent, or any employee thereof ("Fund Representative") will disclose a Fund's portfolio holdings information to any person other than in accordance with the policy. For purposes of the policy, "portfolio holdings information" means a Fund's non-public actual portfolio holdings, as well as non-public information about its trading strategies or pending transactions including the portfolio holdings, trading strategies or pending transactions of any commingled fund portfolio which contains identical holdings as the Fund. Under the policy, neither a Fund nor any Fund Representative may solicit or accept any compensation or other consideration in connection with the disclosure of portfolio holdings information. A Fund Representative may provide portfolio holdings information to third parties if such information has been included in a Fund's public filings with the SEC or is disclosed on the Fund's publicly accessible website. Information posted on a Fund's website may be separately provided to any person commencing the day after it is first published on the Fund's website.
Under the policy, each business day each Fund's portfolio holdings information will be provided to the distributor or other agent for dissemination through the facilities of the NSCC and/or other fee based subscription services to NSCC members and/or subscribers to those other fee based subscription services, including Authorized Participants (defined below), and to entities that publish and/or analyze such information in connection with the process of purchasing or redeeming Creation Units or trading Shares of Funds in the secondary market. The distributor may also make available portfolio holdings information to other institutional market participants and entities that provide information services. This information typically reflects each Fund's anticipated holdings on the following business day. "Authorized Participants" are generally large institutional investors that have been authorized by the distributor to purchase and redeem large blocks of Shares (known as Creation Units) pursuant to legal requirements, including the exemptive order granted by the SEC, to which the Funds offer and redeem Shares.
Other than portfolio holdings information made available in connection with the creation/redemption process, as discussed above, portfolio holdings information that is not filed with the SEC or posted on the publicly available website may be provided to third parties only in limited circumstances. Third-party recipients will be required to keep all portfolio holdings information confidential and prohibited from trading on the information they receive. Disclosure to such third parties must be approved in advance by the Trust's President or one of the principal officers of the Adviser. Disclosure to providers of auditing, custody, proxy voting and other similar services for the Funds, as well as rating and ranking organizations, will generally be permitted; however, information may be disclosed to other parties (including, without limitation, individuals, institutional investors, and Authorized Participants that sell Shares of a Fund) only upon approval by the Trust's President or one of the principal officers of the Adviser, who must first determine that the Fund has a legitimate business purpose for doing so. In general, each recipient of non-public portfolio holding information must sign a confidentiality and non-trading agreement, although this requirement will not apply when the recipient is otherwise subject to a duty of confidentiality as determined by the Trust's President or one of the principal officers of the Adviser.
CONTINUOUS OFFERING
The method by which Creation Unit Aggregations of Shares are created and traded may raise certain issues under applicable securities laws. Because new Creation Unit Aggregations of Shares are issued and sold on an ongoing basis, at any point a "distribution," as such term is used in the Securities Act, may occur. Broker-dealers and other persons are cautioned that some activities on their part may, depending on the circumstances, result in their being deemed participants in a distribution in a manner which could render them statutory underwriters and subject them to the prospectus delivery requirement and liability provisions of the Securities Act.
For example, a broker-dealer firm or its client may be deemed a statutory underwriter if it takes Creation Unit Aggregations after placing an order with the Trust's Distributor, breaks them down into constituent Shares, and sells such Shares directly to customers, or if it chooses to couple the creation of a supply of new Shares with an active selling effort involving solicitation of secondary market demand for Shares. A determination of whether one is an underwriter for purposes of the Securities Act must take into account all the facts and circumstances pertaining to the activities of the broker-dealer or its client in the particular case, and the examples mentioned above should not be considered a complete description of all the activities that could lead to a categorization as an underwriter.
Broker-dealer firms should also note that dealers who are not "underwriters" but are affecting 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 Securities Act is not available in respect of such transactions as a result of Section 24(d) of the 1940 Act. Firms that incur a prospectus delivery obligation with respect to Shares of a Fund are reminded that, pursuant to Rule 153 under the Securities Act, a prospectus delivery obligation under Section 5(b)(2) of the Securities Act owed to an exchange member in connection with the sale on the Listing Exchange is satisfied by the fact that the prospectus is available at the Listing Exchange upon request. The prospectus delivery mechanism provided in Rule 153 is only available with respect to transactions on an exchange.
MANAGEMENT OF THE TRUST
Board Responsibilities. The management and affairs of the Trust and its series are overseen by a Board of Trustees. The Board elects the officers of the Trust who are responsible for administering the day-to-day operations of the Trust and the Funds. The Board has approved contracts, as described below, under which certain companies provide essential services to the Trust.
Like most ETFs, the day-to-day business of the Trust, including the management of risk, is performed by third party service providers, such as the Adviser, the Distributor and the Administrator. The Trustees are responsible for overseeing the Trust's service providers and, thus, have oversight responsibility with respect to risk management performed by those service providers. Risk management seeks to identify and address risks, i.e. , events or circumstances that could have material adverse effects on the business, operations, shareholder services, investment performance or reputation of the Funds. The Funds and their service providers employ a variety of processes, procedures and controls to identify various of those possible events or circumstances, in an attempt to lessen the probability of their occurrence and/or to mitigate the effects of such events or circumstances if they do occur. Each service provider is responsible for one or more discrete aspects of the Trust's business ( e.g., the Adviser is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Funds' portfolio investments) and, consequently, for managing the risks associated with that business. The Board has emphasized to the Funds' service providers the importance of maintaining vigorous risk management.
The Board's role in risk oversight begins before the inception of a Fund, at which time certain of the Fund's service providers present the Board with information concerning the investment objectives, strategies and risks of the Fund as well as proposed investment limitations for the Fund. Additionally, the Adviser provides the Board with an overview of, among other things, its investment philosophy, brokerage practices and compliance infrastructure. Thereafter, the Board continues its oversight function as various personnel, including the Trust's Chief Compliance Officer, as well as personnel of the Adviser, and other service providers such as the Fund's independent accountants, make periodic reports to the Audit Committee or to the Board with respect to various aspects of risk management. The Board and the Audit Committee oversee efforts by management and service providers to manage risks to which a Fund may be exposed.
The Board is responsible for overseeing the nature, extent, and quality of the services provided to the Funds by the Adviser and receives information about those services at its regular meetings. In addition, on an annual basis, (following the initial two-year period for new Funds), in connection with its consideration of whether to renew the Investment Advisory Agreements with the Adviser the Board meets with the Adviser to review such services. Among other things, the Board regularly considers the Adviser's adherence to the Funds' investment restrictions and compliance with various Fund policies and procedures and with applicable securities regulations. The Board also reviews information about each Fund's performance and the Fund's investments, including, for example, portfolio holdings schedules.
The Trust's Chief Compliance Officer reports regularly to the Board to review and discuss compliance issues and Fund and Adviser risk assessments. At least annually, the Trust's Chief Compliance Officer, as well as personnel of the Adviser, provides the Board with a report reviewing the adequacy and effectiveness of the Trust's policies and procedures and those of its service providers, including the Adviser. The report addresses the operation of the policies and procedures of the Trust and each service provider since the date of the last report; any material changes to the policies and procedures since the date of the last report; any recommendations for material changes to the policies and procedures; and any material compliance matters since the date of the last report.
The Board receives reports from the Funds' service providers regarding operational risks and risks related to the valuation and liquidity of portfolio securities. Annually, the independent registered public accounting firm reviews with the Audit Committee its audit of each Fund's financial statements, focusing on major areas of risk encountered by the Fund and noting any significant deficiencies or material weaknesses in the Fund's internal controls. Additionally, in connection with its oversight function, the Board oversees Fund management's implementation of disclosure controls and procedures, which are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Trust in its periodic reports with the SEC are recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the required time periods. The Board also oversees the Trust's internal controls over financial reporting, which comprise policies and procedures designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of the Trust's financial reporting and the preparation of the Trust's financial statements.
From their review of these reports and discussions with the Adviser, the Chief Compliance Officer, the independent registered public accounting firm and other service providers, the Board and the Audit Committee learn in detail about the material risks of each Fund, thereby facilitating a dialogue about how management and service providers identify and mitigate those risks.
The Board recognizes that not all risks that may affect a Fund can be identified and/or quantified, that it may not be practical or cost-effective to eliminate or mitigate certain risks, that it may be necessary to bear certain risks (such as investment-related risks) to achieve a Fund's goals, and that the processes, procedures and controls employed to address certain risks may be limited in their effectiveness. Moreover, reports received by the Trustees as to risk management matters are typically summaries of the relevant information. Most of the Funds' investment management and business affairs are carried out by or through the Adviser and other service providers, each of which has an independent interest in risk management but whose policies and the methods by which one or more risk management functions are carried out may differ from a Fund's and each other's in the setting of priorities, the resources available or the effectiveness of relevant controls. As a result of the foregoing and other factors, the Board's ability to monitor and manage risk, as a practical matter, is subject to limitations.
Members of the Board and Officers of the Trust. There are four members of the Board of Trustees (each, a "Trustee"), three of whom are not interested persons of the Trust, as that term is defined in the 1940 Act ("Independent Trustees"). Joe M. Thomson serves as Chairman of the Board, and Deborah G. Wolk serves as the Trust's Lead Independent Trustee. The Lead Independent Trustee may preside at meetings, participate in formulating agendas for meetings, and/or coordinate with management to serve as a liaison between the Independent Trustees and management on matters. The Board of Trustees is comprised of a super-majority (75 percent) of Independent Trustees. There is an Audit Committee of the Board that is chaired by an Independent Trustee and comprised solely of Independent Trustees. The Audit Committee chair presides at the Committee meetings, participates in formulating agendas for Committee meetings, and coordinates with management to serve as a liaison between the Independent Trustees and management on matters within the scope of responsibilities of the Committee as set forth in its Board-approved charter. The Trust has determined its leadership structure is appropriate given the specific characteristics and circumstances of the Trust. The Trust made this determination in consideration of, among other things, the number of Independent Trustees that constitute the Board, the amount of assets under
management in the Trust, and the number of Funds overseen by the Board. The Board also believes that its leadership structure facilitates the orderly and efficient flow of information to the Independent Trustees from Fund management.
The Board of Trustees has two standing committees: the Audit Committee and Nominating Committee. Each Committee is chaired by an Independent Trustee and composed of Independent Trustees.
The Audit Committee is comprised of all of the Independent Trustees. The function of the Audit Committee is to review the scope and results of the annual audit of the Funds and any matters bearing on the audit or a Fund's financial statements and to help ensure the integrity of the Funds' financial reporting. The Audit Committee also recommends to the Board of Trustees the annual selection of the independent registered public accounting firm for the Funds and it reviews and pre-approves audit and certain non-audit services to be provided by the independent registered public accounting firm. During the fiscal year ended April 30, 2025, the Audit Committee met five times.
The Nominating Committee, comprised of all the Independent Trustees, is responsible for seeking and reviewing candidates for consideration as nominees for Trustees. The Committee meets on an as needed basis. The Nominating Committee will accept and review shareholder nominations for Trustees, which may be submitted to the Trust by sending the nomination to the Trust's Secretary, c/o Pacer Advisors, Inc., 500 Chesterfield Parkway, Malvern, Pennsylvania 19355. During the fiscal year ended April 30, 2025, the Nominating Committee met one time.
Additional information about each Trustee of the Trust is set forth below. The address of each Trustee of the Trust is c/o Pacer Advisors, Inc., 500 Chesterfield Parkway, Malvern, Pennsylvania 19355.
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Name and Year of Birth
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Position(s)
Held with the
Trust
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Term of Office
and Length of
Time Served
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Principal Occupation(s)
During Past 5 Years
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Number of
Portfolios in Fund
Complex Overseen
By Trustee
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Other
Directorships held
by Trustee During
Past Five Years
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Interested Trustee
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Joe M. Thomson
Born: 1944
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Trustee, Chairman, President, and Principal
Executive Officer
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Indefinite Term; since 2014
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Founder/President at Pacer Advisors, Inc. (since 2005)
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63
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0
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Independent Trustees
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Deborah G. Wolk
Born: 1950
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Lead Independent Trustee
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Indefinite Term; since 2015
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Self-employed providing accounting services and computer modeling (since 1997)
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63
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0
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Jane K. Sagendorph
Born: 1951
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Trustee
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Indefinite Term; since 2021
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Retired. Accountant, BluFish Designs (2011-2023)
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63
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0
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Colin C. Lake
Born: 1971
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Trustee
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Indefinite Term; since 2021
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President and CEO, Delaware Life Marketing (distribution) (since 2023), Founder/President, Developing the Next Leaders, Inc. (consulting) (2016-2023)
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63
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0
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Individual Trustee Qualifications. The Trust has concluded that each of the Trustees should serve on the Board because of their ability to review and understand information about the Funds provided to them by management, to identify and request other information they may deem relevant to the performance of their duties, to question management and other service providers regarding material factors bearing on the management and administration of the Funds, and to exercise their business judgment in a manner that serves the best interests of each Fund's shareholders. The Trust has concluded that each of the Trustees should serve as a Trustee based on their own experience, qualifications, attributes and skills as described below.
The Trust has concluded that Mr. Thomson should serve as Trustee because of the experience he has gained as Founder and President of Pacer Advisors, Inc., Pacer Financial, Inc., and in his past roles with various registered broker-dealers and investment management firms. In addition, he holds the Certified Financial Planner® (CFP®), Chartered Life Underwriter® (CLU®), Chartered Financial Consultant® (ChFC®), and Chartered Mutual Fund Counselor (CMFC®) designations, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority ("FINRA") General Principal's license, and the Pennsylvania Life & Annuity Insurance license.
The Trust has concluded that Ms. Wolk should serve as Trustee because of her experience in accounting services and computer modeling expertise to small business clients, as well as her prior positions in the corporate finance field. In addition, she holds the Chartered Financial Consultant® (ChFC®) designation. The Trust believes that Ms. Wolk's extensive experience in accounting and finance provides an appropriate background in areas applicable to investment company oversight.
The Trust has concluded that Ms. Sagendorph should serve as Trustee because of her experience in the financial services industry as a comptroller of a financial marketing and wholesaling firm, as well as her experience providing accounting services to a small business client. The Trust believes that Ms. Sagendorph's extensive experience in accounting and finance provides an appropriate background in areas applicable to investment company oversight.
The Trust has concluded that Mr. Lake should serve as Trustee because of his experience in the financial services industry. The Trust believes that Mr. Lake's business acumen and understanding of financial issues provide an appropriate background in areas applicable to investment company oversight.
In its periodic assessment of the effectiveness of the Board, the Board considers the complementary individual skills and experience of the individual Trustees primarily in the broader context of the Board's overall composition so that the Board, as a body, possesses the appropriate (and appropriately diverse) skills and experience to oversee the business of the Funds.
Principal Officers of the Trust. The officers of the Trust conduct and supervise its daily business. The address of each officer of the Trust, unless otherwise indicated below, is c/o Pacer Advisors, Inc., 500 Chesterfield Parkway, Malvern, Pennsylvania 19355.
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Name and Year of Birth
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Position(s) Held with
Funds
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Term of Office
and Length of
Time Served
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Principal Occupation(s) During
Past Five Years
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Joe M. Thomson
Born: 1944
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Trustee, Chairman, President, and Principal Executive Officer
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Indefinite Term; since 2014
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Founder/President, Pacer Advisors, Inc. (since 2005); President, Pacer Financial, Inc. (since 2004)
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Sean E. O'Hara
Born: 1962
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Treasurer and Principal Financial Officer
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Indefinite Term; since 2014
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Director, Index Design Group (since 2015); Director, Pacer Financial, Inc. (since 2007); Director, Pacer Advisors, Inc. (since 2007)
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Bruce Kavanaugh
Born: 1964
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Secretary and Portfolio Manager
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Indefinite Term; since 2016
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Executive Vice President, Pacer Advisors, Inc. (since 2005); Vice President, Pacer Financial, Inc. (since 2004)
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Liam Clarke
Gateway Corporate Center
Suite 216
223 Wilmington West Chester Pike
Chadds Ford, PA 19317
Born: 1996
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Chief Compliance Officer and AML Officer
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Indefinite Term; since 2023
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Director, Vigilant, (since 2021); Financial Services Assurance Experienced Associate, PricewaterhouseCoopers, (2018-2021)
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Fund Shares Owned by Board Members. The Funds are required to show the dollar amount ranges of each Trustee's "beneficial ownership" of Shares of the Funds and each other series of the Trust as of the end of the most recently completed calendar year. Dollar amount ranges disclosed are established by the SEC. "Beneficial ownership" is determined in accordance with Rule 16a-1(a)(2) under the Exchange Act.
As of December 31, 2024, Mr. Thomson owned over $100,000 of Shares of PEXL. No other Trustee owned Shares of the Funds as of December 31, 2024.
Board Compensation. Independent Trustees are paid by the Adviser from the unified management fee paid to the Adviser and not by the Funds. The Independent Trustees each receive a per meeting trustee fee of $2,500, as well as reimbursement for travel and other out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with attendance at Board meetings, a $500 fee for any committee or special Board meeting attended, an annual retainer fee of $10,000 per year, and an additional retainer of $500 for each committee chair. The Trust has no pension or retirement plan. No officer, director or employee of the Adviser, including Mr. Thomson, receives any compensation from the Funds for acting as a Trustee or officer of the Trust. The following table shows the compensation earned by each Trustee for the Funds' fiscal year ended April 30, 2025. Trustee compensation does not include reimbursed out-of-pocket expenses in connection with attendance at meetings.
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Name
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Aggregate Compensation From Each Fund
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Total Compensation From Fund Complex Paid to Trustees
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Interested Trustees
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Joe M. Thomson
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$0
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$0
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Independent Trustees
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Deborah G. Wolk
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$0
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$22,500
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Jane K. Sagendorph
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$0
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$22,500
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Colin C. Lake
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$0
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$22,991
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Control Persons and Principal Holders of Securities. A principal shareholder is any person who owns of record or beneficially 5% or more of the outstanding Shares of a Fund. A control person is a shareholder that owns beneficially or through controlled companies more than 25% of the voting securities of a Fund or acknowledges the existence of control. Shareholders owning voting securities in excess of 25% may determine the outcome of any matter affecting and voted on by shareholders of a Fund. [As of [October 31], 2025, the Trustees and officers, as a group, owned approximately 5% of PEXL and less than 1% of the Shares of SRVR.] As of [October 31], 2025, the following shareholders were considered to be a principal shareholder of the Funds:
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Pacer US Export Leaders ETF
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Name and Address
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% Ownership
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Type of Ownership
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[Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.
211 Main Street
San Francisco, CA 94105-1905
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[ ]
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Record
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Pershing, LLC
For the Benefit of Its Customers
PO Box 2052
Jersey City, NJ 07303-2052
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[ ]
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Record
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National Financial Services LLC
200 Liberty Street
New York, NY 10281
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[ ]
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Record
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LPL Financial
75 State Street, 22nd Floor
Boston, MA 02109
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[ ]
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Record
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Vanguard
100 Vanguard Blvd
Malvern, PA 19355
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[ ]
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Record
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Goldman Sachs & Co., LLC
200 West Street
New York, NY 10282]
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[ ]
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Record
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Pacer Data & Infrastructure Real Estate ETF
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Name and Address
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% Ownership
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Type of Ownership
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[Merrill Lynch Pierce, Fenner & Smith
4800 Deer Lake Drive East
Jacksonville, FL 32246-6484
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[ ]
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Record
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Pershing, LLC
For the Benefit of Its Customers
PO Box 2052
Jersey City, NJ 07303-2052
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[ ]
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Record
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Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.
211 Main Street
San Francisco, CA 94105-1905
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[ ]
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Record
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Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, LLC
Harborside Financial Center Plaza, 23rd Floor
Jersey City, NJ 07311
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[ ]
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Record
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Citibank N.A.
388 Greenwich Street
New York, NY 10013
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[ ]
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Record
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American Enterprise Investment Services, Inc.
903 3rd Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55402
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[ ]
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Record
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National Financial Services LLC
200 Liberty Street
New York, NY 10281]
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[ ]
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Record
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INVESTMENT ADVISER
Pacer Advisors, Inc. serves as investment adviser to the Funds pursuant to an investment advisory agreement between the Trust, on behalf of the Funds, and the Adviser (the "Investment Advisory Agreement"). The Adviser is a Pennsylvania company located at 500 Chesterfield Parkway, Malvern, Pennsylvania 19355. The Adviser is majority owned by Joe M. Thomson.
Pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement, the Adviser provides investment advice to the Funds and oversees the day-to-day operations of the Funds, subject to the direction and control of the Board and the officers of the Trust. The Adviser also arranges for transfer agency, custody, fund administration and all other non-distribution-related services necessary for the Funds to operate. Each Fund pays the Adviser a fee equal to a percentage of the Fund's average daily net assets, as follows:
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Name of Fund
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Management Fee
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Pacer US Export Leaders ETF
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0.60%
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Pacer Data & Infrastructure Real Estate ETF*
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0.49%
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*Effective August 29, 2025, the management fee for the Fund has been reduced from 0.60% to 0.49%.
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Under the Investment Advisory Agreement, the Adviser has agreed to pay all expenses of the Funds, except for: the fees paid to the Adviser pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement, interest charges on any borrowings, taxes, brokerage commissions and other expenses incurred in placing orders for the purchase and sale of securities and other investment instruments, acquired fund fees and expenses, accrued deferred tax liability, extraordinary expenses, and distribution (12b-1) fees and expenses, if any.
The Adviser, from its own resources, including profits from advisory fees received from the Funds, provided such fees are legitimate and not excessive, may make payments to broker-dealers and other financial institutions for their expenses in connection with the distribution of Fund Shares, and otherwise currently pays all distribution costs for Fund Shares.
The Investment Advisory Agreement, with respect to the Funds, continues in effect for two years from its effective date, and thereafter is subject to annual approval by (i) the Board of Trustees of the Trust or (ii) the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Funds, provided that in either event such continuance also is approved by a vote of a majority of the Trustees of the Trust who are not interested persons (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Funds, by a vote cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval. If the shareholders of a Fund fail to approve the Investment Advisory Agreement, the Adviser may continue to serve in the manner and to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act and rules and regulations thereunder.
The Investment Advisory Agreement with respect to the Funds is terminable without any penalty, by vote of the Board of Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Funds, or by the Adviser, in each case on not less than thirty (30) days' nor more than sixty (60) days' prior written notice to the other party; provided that a shorter notice period shall be permitted for the Funds in the event Shares are no longer listed on a national securities exchange. The Investment Advisory Agreement will terminate automatically and immediately in the event of its "assignment" (as defined in the 1940 Act).
Management fees paid by the Funds to the Adviser or previous investment adviser, as applicable, for the three most recently completed fiscal years ended April 30 were as follows:
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Management Fees Paid for the Fiscal Year Ended April 30,
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Name of Fund
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2025
|
|
2024
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|
2023
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Pacer US Export Leaders ETF
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$358,954
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|
$251,922
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|
$58,627
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Pacer Data & Infrastructure Real Estate ETF
|
$2,398,266
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*
|
$2,941,258
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*
|
$5,712,397
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*
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*The information in the table for SRVR reflects the net advisory fee paid to the Adviser for the periods shown.
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Management Fees Paid for SRVR*
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Gross Advisory Fees Earned
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Advisory Fees Waived & Fund Expenses Reimbursed
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Net Advisory Paid to Adviser
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Pacer Data & Infrastructure Real Estate ETF
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2023
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$5,919,096
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$(206,699)
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$5,712,397
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2024
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$3,208,645
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$(267,387)
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$2,941,258
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2025
|
$2,616,290
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$(218,024)
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$2,398,266
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*Pursuant to an operating expense limitation agreement between the Adviser and SRVR, the Adviser waived its management fees and/or reimburse expenses to ensure that the total amount of the Fund's operating expenses (excluding any front-end or contingent deferred loads, Rule 12b-1 plan fees, shareholder servicing plan fees, taxes, leverage (i.e., any expenses incurred in connection with borrowings made by the Fund), interest (including interest incurred in connection with bank and custody overdrafts), brokerage commissions and other transactional expenses, expenses incurred in connection with any merger or reorganization, dividends or interest on short positions, acquired fund fees and expenses or extraordinary expenses such as litigation (collectively, "Excludable Expenses")) did not exceed 0.55% of the Fund's average daily net assets. To the extent the Fund incurs Excludable Expenses, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement may exceed 0.55%. The Adviser may request recoupment of previously waived fees and paid expenses from the Funds for up to three years from the date such fees and expenses were waived or paid, subject to the operating expense limitation agreement, if such reimbursement will not cause the Fund's total expense ratio to exceed the lesser of: (1) the expense limitation in place at the time of the waiver and/or expense payment; or (2) the expense limitation in place at the time of the recoupment. The Fund must pay its current ordinary operating expenses before the Adviser is entitled to any recoupment of management fees and/or expenses.
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Portfolio Managers. Each Fund employs a rules-based, passive investment strategy. The Adviser uses a committee approach to managing the Funds. Bruce Kavanaugh, Executive Vice President of the Adviser, and Danke Wang, CFA, FRM, Head Portfolio Analyst and Portfolio Manager for the Adviser, are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Funds and have served as Fund portfolio managers since each Fund's inception.
In addition to the Funds, Mr. Kavanaugh and Mr. Wang each co-manage the following other accounts (collectively, the "Other Accounts") as of April 30, 2025:
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Type of Accounts
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Total Number
of Accounts
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Total Assets
of Accounts
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Total Number of
Accounts with
Performance
Based Fees
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Total Assets of
Accounts with
Performance Based Fees
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Registered Investment
Companies
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52
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$39.07 billion
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0
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$0
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Other Pooled
Investment Vehicles
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11
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$1.16 million
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0
|
$0
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Other Accounts
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3
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$14.34 million
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0
|
$0
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Portfolio Managers Compensation. Mr. Kavanaugh and Mr. Wang each receive a fixed salary from the Adviser. Mr. Kavanaugh and Mr. Wang are also eligible for additional bonuses; a fixed bonus and a bonus based on growth of the Adviser's assets under management that is not based on performance of any accounts.
Portfolio Managers Fund Ownership. As of April 30, 2025, Mr. Kavanaugh owned $50,001-$100,000 shares of SRVR. As of April 30, 2025, Mr. Wang did not own shares of either Fund.
Description of Material Conflicts of Interest. A potential conflict of interest may arise as a result of the portfolio managers' management of a Fund and Other Accounts, which, in theory, may allow them to allocate investment opportunities in a way that favors Other Accounts over a Fund. This conflict of interest may be exacerbated to the extent that the Adviser or a portfolio manager receives, or expects to receive, greater compensation from their management of the Other Accounts (some of which may receive a base and incentive fee) than from a Fund. Notwithstanding this theoretical conflict of interest, it is the Adviser's policy to manage each account based on its investment objectives and related restrictions, and the Adviser has adopted policies and procedures reasonably designed to allocate investment opportunities on a fair and equitable basis over time and in a manner consistent with each account's investment objectives and related restrictions.
Codes of Ethics. The Trust, the Adviser, and the Distributor (as defined under "The Distributor") have each adopted a code of ethics, including an insider trading policy, pursuant to Rule 17j-1 of the 1940 Act and Rule 204A-1 of the Investment Advisors Act of 1940, as applicable. These codes of ethics are designed to prevent affiliated persons of the Trust, the Adviser, and the Distributor from engaging in deceptive, manipulative or fraudulent activities in connection with securities held or to be acquired by the Funds (which may also be held by persons subject to the codes of ethics).
There can be no assurance that the codes of ethics will be effective in preventing such activities. Each code of ethics may be examined at the office of the SEC in Washington, D.C. or on the Internet at the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov.
Proxy Voting Policy. The Funds have delegated proxy voting responsibilities to the Adviser, subject to the Board's oversight. In delegating proxy responsibilities, the Board has directed that proxies be voted consistent with a Fund's and its shareholders' best interests and in compliance with all applicable proxy voting rules and regulations. The Adviser has adopted proxy voting policies and guidelines for this purpose ("Proxy Voting Policies") and has engaged a third party proxy solicitation firm to assist with voting proxies in a timely manner. The Trust's chief compliance officer is responsible for monitoring the effectiveness of the Proxy Voting Policies.
Under the Proxy Voting Policies, in the absence of specific voting guidelines from the client, the Adviser will vote proxies in the best interest of each particular client. The Adviser has adopted the Glass Lewis Investment Manager Guidelines attached as Appendix B . They are designed to vote in a manner consistent with the Adviser's investment decision making. The Adviser's policy is to vote all proxies from a specific issuer the same way for each client, absent qualifying restrictions from a client. Clients are permitted to place reasonable restrictions on our voting authority in the same manner that they may place such restrictions on the actual selection of account securities. Clients may direct the vote in a particular solicitation.
The Adviser will generally vote in favor of routine corporate housekeeping proposals such as the election of directors and selection of auditors absent conflicts of interest raised by an auditor's non-audit services. The Adviser will generally vote against proposals that cause board members to become entrenched or cause unequal voting rights. In reviewing proposals, the Adviser will further consider the opinion of management, the effect on management, the effect on shareholder value and the issuer's business practices.
When available, information on how a Fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30 will be available (1) without charge, upon request, by calling 1-800-617-0004 and (2) on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov.
THE ADMINISTRATOR, TRANSFER AGENT, AND INDEX RECEIPT AGENT
U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC, doing business as U.S. Bank Global Fund Services ("Fund Services" or the "Transfer Agent"), serves as administrator, transfer agent, and index receipt agent for the Funds. Fund Services' principal address is 615 East Michigan Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202. Pursuant to a Fund Administration Servicing Agreement and a Fund Accounting Servicing Agreement between the Trust and Fund Services, Fund Services provides the Trust with administrative and management services (other than investment advisory services) and accounting services, including portfolio accounting services, tax accounting services and furnishing financial reports. In this capacity, Fund Services does not have any responsibility or authority for the management of the Funds, the determination of investment policy, or for any matter pertaining to the distribution of Fund Shares. As compensation for the administration, accounting and management services, the Adviser pays Fund Services a fee based on each Fund's average daily net assets, subject to a minimum annual fee.
Fund Services also is entitled to certain out-of-pocket expenses for the services mentioned above, including pricing expenses. The Adviser was responsible for paying the following fees to Fund Services for services rendered to the Funds for the following fiscal years ended April 30:
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Fees Paid to Fund Services for the Fiscal Year Ended April 30, 2025
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Name of Fund
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2025
|
|
2024
|
|
2023
|
|
Pacer US Export Leaders ETF
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$5,057
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$5,478
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|
$1,371
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Pacer Data & Infrastructure Real Estate ETF
|
$36,884
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|
$71,371
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|
$138,913
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THE CUSTODIAN
Pursuant to a Custody Agreement, U.S. Bank National Association, 1555 North Rivercenter Drive, Suite 302, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53212, serves as the custodian of each Fund's assets. The custodian holds and administers the assets in a Fund's portfolios. Pursuant to the Custody Agreement, the custodian receives an annual fee from the Adviser based on the Trust's total average daily net assets, subject to a minimum annual fee and certain settlement charges. The custodian also is entitled to certain out-of-pocket expenses.
SECURITIES LENDING ACTIVITIES
U.S. Bank (the "Securities Lending Agent") serves as securities lending agent to the Funds listed in the table below. The Securities Lending Agent is responsible for the implementation and administration of the applicable Funds' securities lending program pursuant to an agreement between the Trust, on behalf of the applicable Funds, and the Securities Lending Agent (the "Securities Lending Agreement"). The Securities Lending Agent acts as agent to the applicable Funds to lend available securities with any person on the Securities Lending Agent's list of approved borrowers and (i) determines whether a loan shall be made and negotiates and establishes the terms and conditions of the loan with the borrower; (ii) ensures that all substitute interest, dividends, and other distributions paid with respect to loan securities is credited to the applicable Fund's relevant account on the date such amounts are delivered by the borrower to the Securities Lending Agent; (iii) receives and holds, on the applicable Fund's behalf, collateral from borrowers to secure obligations of borrowers with respect to any loan of available securities; (iv) marks loaned securities and collateral to their market
value each business day based upon the market value of the loaned securities and collateral at the close of business employing the most recently available pricing information and receives and delivers collateral to maintain the value of the collateral at no less than 100% of the market value of the loaned securities; (v) at the termination of a loan, returns the collateral to the borrower upon the return of the loaned securities to the Securities Lending Agent; (vi) invests cash collateral in accordance with the Securities Lending Agreement; and (viii) maintains such records as are reasonably necessary to account for loans that are made and the income derived therefrom and makes available to the applicable Fund a monthly statement describing the loans outstanding, including an accounting of all securities lending transactions.
The dollar amounts of gross and net income from securities lending activities received and the related fees and/or compensation paid by each applicable Fund during the period in which securities lending activities commenced through April 30, 2025 are set forth in the following table.
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PEXL
|
SRVR
|
Gross Income from securities lending activities (including income from cash collateral reinvestment)
|
$350,006
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$1,349,401
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Fees and/or compensation for securities lending activities and related services
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|
|
Fees paid to securities lending agent from a revenue split
|
$(2,108)
|
$(60,293)
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Fees paid for any cash collateral management service (including fees deducted from a pooled cash collateral reinvestment vehicle) that are not included in the revenue split
|
$(2,076)
|
$(7,153)
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Administrative fees not included in revenue split
|
$-
|
$-
|
Indemnification fee not included in revenue split
|
$-
|
$-
|
Rebate (paid to borrower)
|
$(337,389)
|
$(1,040,782)
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Other fees not included in revenue split
|
$-
|
$-
|
Aggregate fees/compensation for securities lending activities
|
$(341,573)
|
$(1,108,228)
|
Net Income from securities lending activities
|
$8,433
|
$241,173
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THE DISTRIBUTOR
The Trust and Pacer Financial, Inc. (the "Distributor"), an affiliate of the Adviser, are parties to a distribution agreement ("Distribution Agreement"), whereby the Distributor acts as principal underwriter for the Trust and distributes the Shares of the Funds. Shares are continuously offered for sale by the Distributor only in Creation Units. The Distributor will not distribute Shares in amounts less than a Creation Unit and does not maintain an active market in Shares. The principal business address of the Distributor is 500 Chesterfield Parkway, Malvern, Pennsylvania 19355.
Under the Distribution Agreement, the Distributor, as agent for the Trust, will solicit orders for the purchase of the Shares, provided that any subscriptions and orders will not be binding on the Trust until accepted by the Trust. The Distributor will deliver Prospectuses and, upon request, SAIs to persons purchasing Creation Units and will maintain records of orders placed with it. The Distributor is a broker-dealer registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange Act") and a member of FINRA.
The Distributor may also enter into agreements with securities dealers ("Soliciting Dealers") who will solicit purchases of Creation Units of Shares. Such Soliciting Dealers may also be Authorized Participants (as discussed in "Procedures for Purchase of Creation Units" below) or DTC participants (as defined below).
The Distribution Agreement will continue for two years from its effective date and is renewable thereafter. The continuance of the Distribution Agreement must be specifically approved at least annually (i) by the vote of the Trustees or by a vote of the shareholders of each Fund and (ii) by the vote of a majority of the Trustees who are not "interested persons" of the Trust and have no direct or indirect financial interest in the operations of the Distribution Agreement or any related agreement, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval. The Distribution Agreement is terminable without penalty by the Trust on sixty (60) days' written notice when authorized either by majority vote of its outstanding voting Shares or by a vote of a majority of its Board (including a majority of the Independent Trustees), or by the Distributor on sixty (60) days' written notice, and will automatically terminate in the event of its assignment. The Distribution Agreement provides that in the absence of willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence on the part of the Distributor, or reckless disregard by it of its obligations thereunder, the Distributor shall not be liable for any action or failure to act in accordance with its duties thereunder.
Intermediary Compensation . The Adviser, or its affiliates, out of their own resources and not out of the Funds' assets ( i.e. , without additional cost to the Funds or their shareholders), may pay certain broker dealers, banks and other financial intermediaries ("Intermediaries") for certain activities related to the Funds, including participation in activities that are designed to make Intermediaries more knowledgeable about exchange traded products, including the Funds, or for other activities, such as marketing and educational training or support. These arrangements are not financed by the Funds and, thus, do not result in increased Fund expenses. They are not reflected in the fees and expenses listed in the fees and expenses sections of the Funds' Prospectus and they do not change the price paid by investors for the purchase of Fund Shares or the amount received by a shareholder as proceeds from the redemption of Fund Shares.
Such compensation may be paid to Intermediaries that provide services to the Funds, including marketing and education support (such as through conferences, webinars and printed communications). The Adviser periodically assesses the advisability of continuing to make these payments. Payments to an Intermediary may be significant to the Intermediary, and amounts that Intermediaries pay to your adviser, broker or other investment professional, if any, may also be significant to such adviser, broker or investment professional. Because an Intermediary may make decisions about what investment options it will make available or recommend, and what services to provide in connection with various products, based on payments it receives or is eligible to receive, such payments create conflicts of interest between the Intermediary and its clients. For example, these financial incentives may cause the Intermediary to recommend the Funds over other investments. The same conflict of interest exists with respect to your financial adviser, broker or investment professionals if he or she receives similar payments from his or her Intermediary firm.
Intermediary information is current only as of the date of this SAI. Please contact your adviser, broker or other investment professional for more information regarding any payments his or her Intermediary firm may receive. Any payments made by the Adviser, or its affiliates to an Intermediary may create the incentive for an Intermediary to encourage customers to buy Shares of the Funds.
Distribution and Service Plan. The Trust has adopted a Distribution and Service Plan (the "Plan") for each Fund in accordance with the provisions of Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act, which regulates circumstances under which an investment company may directly or indirectly bear expenses relating to the distribution of its Shares. No payments pursuant to the Plan are expected to be made during the twelve (12) month period from the date of this SAI. Rule 12b-1 fees to be paid by a Fund under the Plan may only be imposed after approval by the Board.
Continuance of the Plan must be approved annually by a majority of the Trustees of the Trust and by a majority of the Trustees who are not interested persons (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Trust and have no direct or indirect financial interest in the Plan or in any agreements related to the Plan ("Qualified Trustees"). The Plan requires that quarterly written reports of amounts spent under the Plan and the purposes of such expenditures be furnished to and reviewed by the Trustees. The Plan may not be amended to increase materially the amount that may be spent thereunder without approval by a majority of the outstanding Shares of the Fund. All material amendments of the Plan will require approval by a majority of the Trustees of the Trust and of the Qualified Trustees.
The Plan provides that each Fund pays the Distributor an annual fee of up to a maximum of 0.25% of the average daily net assets of the Shares. Under the Plan, the Distributor may make payments pursuant to written agreements to financial institutions and intermediaries such as banks, savings and loan associations and insurance companies including, without limit, investment counselors, broker-dealers and the Distributor's affiliates and subsidiaries (collectively, "Agents") as compensation for services and reimbursement of expenses incurred in connection with distribution assistance. The Plan is characterized as a compensation plan since the distribution fee will be paid to the Distributor without regard to the distribution expenses incurred by the Distributor or the amount of payments made to other financial institutions and intermediaries. The Trust intends to operate the Plan in accordance with its terms and with FINRA rules concerning sales charges.
Under the Plan, subject to the limitations of applicable law and regulations, each Fund is authorized to compensate the Distributor up to the maximum amount to finance any activity primarily intended to result in the sale of Creation Units of the Fund or for providing or arranging for others to provide shareholder services and for the maintenance of shareholder accounts. Such activities may include, but are not limited to: (i) delivering copies of a Fund's then current reports, prospectuses, notices, and similar materials, to prospective purchasers of Creation Units; (ii) marketing and promotional services, including advertising; (iii) paying the costs of and compensating others, including Authorized Participants with whom the Distributor has entered into written Authorized Participant Agreements, for performing shareholder servicing on behalf of a Fund; (iv) compensating certain Authorized Participants for providing assistance in distributing the Creation Units of a Fund, including the travel and communication expenses and salaries and/or commissions of sales personnel in connection with the distribution of the Creation Units of a Fund; (v) payments to financial institutions and intermediaries such as banks, savings and loan associations, insurance companies and investment counselors, broker-dealers, mutual fund supermarkets and the affiliates and subsidiaries of the Trust's service providers as compensation for services or reimbursement of expenses incurred in connection with distribution assistance; (vi) facilitating communications with beneficial owners of Shares, including the cost of providing (or paying others to provide) services to beneficial owners of Shares, including, but not limited to, assistance in answering inquiries related to Shareholder accounts; and (vii) such other services and obligations as are set forth in the Distribution Agreement.
LEGAL COUNSEL
Practus, LLP, 11300 Tomahawk Creek Parkway, Suite 310, Leawood, Kansas 66211, serves as legal counsel for the Trust. Duane Morris LLP, 30 South 17th Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103, serves as legal counsel for the Independent Trustees.
INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
Sanville & Company, LLC, 2617 Huntingdon Pike, Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania 19006, serves as the independent registered public accounting firm for the Funds.
BROKERAGE TRANSACTIONS
The policy of the Trust regarding purchases and sales of securities for the Funds is that primary consideration will be given to obtaining the most favorable prices and efficient executions of transactions. Consistent with this policy, when securities transactions are effected on a stock exchange, the Trust's policy is to pay commissions which are considered fair and reasonable without necessarily determining that the lowest possible commissions are paid in all circumstances. The Trust believes that a requirement always to seek the lowest possible commission cost could impede effective portfolio management and preclude the Funds from obtaining a high quality of brokerage and research services. In seeking to determine the reasonableness of brokerage commissions paid in any transaction, the Adviser will rely upon its experience and knowledge regarding commissions generally charged by various brokers and on its judgment in evaluating the brokerage services received from the broker effecting the transaction. Such determinations are necessarily subjective and imprecise, as in most cases, an exact dollar value for those services is not ascertainable. The Trust has adopted policies and procedures that prohibit the consideration of sales of Fund Shares as a factor in the selection of a broker or dealer to execute its portfolio transactions.
The Adviser owes a fiduciary duty to their clients to seek to provide best execution on trades effected. In selecting a broker/dealer for each specific transaction, the Adviser chooses the broker/dealer deemed most capable of providing the services necessary to obtain the most favorable execution. "Best execution" is generally understood to mean the most favorable cost or net proceeds reasonably obtainable under the circumstances. The full range of brokerage services applicable to a particular transaction may be considered when making this judgment, which may include, but is not limited to: liquidity, price, commission, timing, aggregated trades, capable floor brokers or traders, competent block trading coverage, ability to position, capital strength and stability, reliable and accurate communications and settlement processing, use of automation, knowledge of other buyers or sellers, arbitrage skills, administrative ability, underwriting and provision of information on a particular security or market in which the transaction is to occur. The Adviser will also use electronic crossing networks ("ECNs") when appropriate.
Subject to the foregoing policies, brokers or dealers selected to execute a Fund's portfolio transactions may include the Fund's Authorized Participants (as discussed in " Procedures for Purchase of Creation Units " below) or their affiliates. An Authorized Participant or its affiliates may be selected to execute a Fund's portfolio transactions in conjunction with an all-cash creation unit order or an order including "cash-in-lieu" (as described below under "Purchase and Redemption of Shares in Creation Units"), so long as such selection is in keeping with the foregoing policies. As described below under "Purchase and Redemption of Shares in Creation Units-Creation Transaction Fee" and "-Redemption Transaction Fee", a Fund may determine to not charge a variable fee on certain orders when the Adviser has determined that doing so is in the best interests of Fund shareholders, e.g. , for creation orders that facilitate the changes to a Fund's portfolio in a more tax efficient manner than could be achieved without such order, even if the decision to not charge a variable fee could be viewed as benefiting the Authorized Participant or its affiliate selected to executed the Fund's portfolio transactions in connection with such orders.
The Adviser may use a Fund's assets for, or participate in, third party soft dollar arrangements, in addition to receiving proprietary research from various full service brokers, the cost of which is bundled with the cost of the broker's execution services. The Adviser does not "pay up" for the value of any such proprietary research. Section 28(e) of the Exchange Act permits the Adviser, under certain circumstances, to cause a Fund to pay a broker or dealer a commission for effecting a transaction in excess of the amount of commission another broker or dealer would have charged for effecting the transaction in recognition of the value of brokerage and research services provided by the broker or dealer. The Adviser may receive a variety of research services and information on many topics, which it can use in connection with its management responsibilities with respect to the various accounts over which it exercises investment discretion or otherwise provides investment advice. The research services may include qualifying order management systems, portfolio attribution and monitoring services and computer software and access charges which are directly related to investment research. Accordingly, a Fund may pay a broker commission higher than the lowest available commission in recognition of the broker's provision of such services to the Adviser, but only if the Adviser determines the total commission (including the soft dollar benefit) is comparable to the best commission rate that could be expected to be received from other brokers. The amount of soft dollar benefits received depends on the amount of brokerage transactions effected with the brokers. A conflict of interest exists because there is an incentive to: 1) cause clients to pay a higher commission than the firm might otherwise be able to negotiate; 2) cause clients to engage in more securities transactions than would otherwise be optimal; and 3) only recommend brokers that provide soft dollar benefits.
The Adviser faces a potential conflict of interest when it uses client trades to obtain brokerage or research services. This conflict exists because the Adviser is able to use the brokerage or research services to manage client accounts without paying cash for such services, which reduces the Adviser's expenses to the extent that the Adviser would have purchased such products had they not been provided by brokers. Section 28(e) permits the Adviser to use brokerage or research services for the benefit of any account it manages. Certain accounts managed by the Adviser may generate soft dollars used to purchase brokerage or research services that ultimately benefit other accounts managed by the Adviser, effectively cross subsidizing the other accounts managed by the Adviser that benefit directly from the product. The Adviser may not necessarily use all of the brokerage or research services in connection with managing a Fund whose trades generated the soft dollars used to purchase such products.
The Adviser is responsible, subject to oversight by the Board, for placing orders on behalf of the Funds for the purchase or sale of portfolio securities. If purchases or sales of portfolio securities of a Fund and one or more other investment companies or clients supervised by the Adviser is considered at or about the same time, transactions in such securities are allocated among the several investment companies and clients in a manner deemed equitable and consistent with its fiduciary obligations to all by the Adviser. In some cases, this procedure could have a detrimental effect on the price or volume of the security so far as a Fund is concerned. However, in other cases, it is possible that the ability to participate in volume transactions and to negotiate lower brokerage commissions will be beneficial to the Funds. The primary consideration is prompt execution of orders at the most favorable net price.
A Fund may deal with affiliates in principal transactions to the extent permitted by exemptive order or applicable rule or regulation.
Brokerage with Fund Affiliates. The Funds may execute brokerage or other agency transactions through registered broker-dealer affiliates of the Funds, the Adviser, or the Distributor for a commission in conformity with the 1940 Act, the Exchange Act and rules promulgated by the SEC. These rules require that commissions paid to the affiliate by a Fund for exchange transactions not exceed "usual and customary" brokerage commissions. The rules define "usual and customary" commissions to include amounts which are "reasonable and fair compared to the commission, fee or other remuneration received or to be received by other brokers in connection with comparable transactions involving similar securities being purchased or sold on a securities exchange during a comparable period of time." The Trustees, including those who are not "interested persons" of the Funds, have adopted procedures for evaluating the reasonableness of commissions paid to affiliates and review these procedures periodically. During the fiscal year ended April 30, 2025, the Funds did not pay brokerage commissions to any registered broker-dealer affiliates of the Funds, the Adviser, or the Distributor.
Securities of "Regular Broker-Dealers." Each Fund is required to identify any securities of its "regular brokers and dealers" (as such term is defined in the 1940 Act) which it may hold at the close of its most recent fiscal year. "Regular brokers and dealers" of the Trust are the ten brokers or dealers that, during the most recent fiscal year: (i) received the greatest dollar amounts of brokerage commissions from the Trust's portfolio transactions; (ii) engaged as principal in the largest dollar amounts of portfolio transactions of the Trust; or (iii) sold the largest dollar amounts of the Trust's Shares. As of April 30, 2025, the Funds did not own securities of its regular brokers or dealers.
The Funds are also required to identify any brokerage transactions during their most recent fiscal year that were directed to a broker because of research services provided, along with the amount of any such transactions and any related commissions paid by the Funds. As of April 30, 2025, the Funds did not have any such transactions or related commissions paid for research services.
Brokerage Commissions. The following aggregate brokerage commissions were paid by the Funds for the following fiscal years/periods ended April 30, none of which were paid to affiliated brokers.
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Aggregate Brokerage Commissions for the Fiscal Year Ended April 30,
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Name of Fund
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2025
|
|
2024
|
2023
|
Pacer US Export Leaders ETF
|
$13,271
|
|
$6,558
|
|
$3,129
|
|
Pacer Data & Infrastructure Real Estate ETF
|
$107,755
|
**
|
$236,860
|
*
|
$486,126
|
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* Aggregate brokerage commissions paid by the Fund for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2024 materially decreased from the previous fiscal year due to the Fund's considerable decrease in assets during this period which resulted in a decrease in the number of trades.
** Aggregate brokerage commissions paid by the Fund for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2025 materially decreased from the previous fiscal year due to fewer instances of market conditions triggering a change in the underlying index exposures during the period.
Directed Brokerage. For the fiscal year ended April 30, 2025, the Funds did not pay any commissions on brokerage transactions directed to brokers pursuant to an agreement or understanding whereby the broker provides research or other brokerage services to the Adviser.
Portfolio Turnover. Portfolio turnover may vary from year to year, as well as within a year. High turnover rates are likely to result in comparatively greater brokerage expenses. The overall reasonableness of brokerage commissions is evaluated by the Adviser based
upon its knowledge of available information as to the general level of commissions paid by the other institutional investors for comparable services.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONCERNING THE TRUST
The Declaration of Trust authorizes the issuance of an unlimited number of funds and Shares of each Fund. Each Share of each Fund represents an equal proportionate interest in any given Fund with any given Share. Shares are entitled upon liquidation to a pro rata share in the net assets of the Funds. Shareholders have no preemptive rights. The Declaration of Trust provides that the Trustees may create additional series or classes of shares. All consideration received by the Trust for shares of any additional funds and all assets in which such consideration is invested would belong to that fund and would be subject to the liabilities related thereto. Share certificates representing shares will not be issued. Each Fund's Shares, when issued, are fully paid and non-assessable.
Each Share has one vote with respect to matters upon which a shareholder vote is required, consistent with the requirements of the 1940 Act and the rules promulgated thereunder. Shares of all funds of the Trust vote together as a single class, except that if the matter being voted on affects only a particular fund it will be voted on only by that fund and if a matter affects a particular fund differently from other funds, that fund will vote separately on such matter. As a Delaware statutory trust, the Trust is not required, and does not intend, to hold annual meetings of shareholders. Approval of shareholders will be sought, however, for certain changes in the operation of the Trust and for the election of Trustees under certain circumstances. Upon the written request of shareholders owning at least 10% of the Trust's shares, the Trust will call for a meeting of shareholders to consider the removal of one or more Trustees and other certain matters. In the event that such a meeting is requested, the Trust will provide appropriate assistance and information to the shareholders requesting the meeting.
Under the Declaration of Trust, the Trustees have the power to liquidate a Fund without shareholder approval. While the Trustees have no present intention of exercising this power, they may do so if a Fund fails to reach a viable size within a reasonable amount of time or for such other reasons as may be determined by the Board.
As described further in the Declaration of Trust, shareholders of the Trust or any Fund may not bring a derivative action to enforce the right of the Trust or an affected Fund, unless several conditions are met, including, among others, shareholders owning Shares representing no less than a majority of the then outstanding shares of the Trust or a Fund, as applicable, must join in bringing the derivative action, provided, however, the foregoing may not apply to the extent a claim arises under federal securities laws.
Role of the Depositary Trust Company ("DTC"). DTC acts as Securities Depository for the Shares of the Trust. Shares of the Funds are represented by securities registered in the name of DTC or its nominee and deposited with, or on behalf of, DTC.
DTC, a limited-purpose trust company, was created to hold securities of its participants ("DTC Participants") and to facilitate the clearance and settlement of securities transactions among the DTC Participants in such securities through electronic book-entry changes in accounts of the DTC Participants, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of securities' certificates. DTC Participants include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and certain other organizations, some of which (and/or their representatives) own DTC. More specifically, DTC is a subsidiary of the Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation, which is owned by its member firms, including international broker dealers, correspondent and clearing banks, mutual fund companies and investment banks. Access to the DTC system is also available to others such as banks, brokers, dealers and trust companies that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a DTC Participant, either directly or indirectly ("Indirect Participants").
Beneficial ownership of Shares is limited to DTC Participants, Indirect Participants and persons holding interests through DTC Participants and Indirect Participants. Ownership of beneficial interests in Shares (owners of such beneficial interests are referred to herein as "Beneficial Owners") is shown on, and the transfer of ownership is effected only through, records maintained by DTC (with respect to DTC Participants) and on the records of DTC Participants (with respect to Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners that are not DTC Participants). Beneficial Owners will receive from or through the DTC Participant a written confirmation relating to their purchase of Shares. No Beneficial Owner shall have the right to receive a certificate representing such Shares.
Conveyance of all notices, statements and other communications to Beneficial Owners is effected as follows. Pursuant to the Depositary Agreement between the Trust and DTC, DTC is required to make available to the Trust upon request and for a fee to be charged to the Trust a listing of the Shares of the Funds held by each DTC Participant. The Trust shall inquire of each such DTC Participant as to the number of Beneficial Owners holding Shares, directly or indirectly, through such DTC Participant. The Trust shall provide each such DTC Participant with copies of such notice, statement or other communication, in such form and number and at such place as such DTC Participant may reasonably request, in order that such notice, statement or communication may be transmitted by such DTC Participant, directly or indirectly, to such Beneficial Owners. In addition, the Trust shall pay to each such DTC Participant a fair and reasonable amount as reimbursement for the expenses attendant to such transmittal, all subject to applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.
Share distributions shall be made to DTC or its nominee, Cede & Co., as the registered holder of all Shares of the Trust. DTC or its nominee, upon receipt of any such distributions, shall immediately credit DTC Participants' accounts with payments in amounts proportionate to their respective beneficial interests in Shares of the Funds as shown on the records of DTC or its nominee. Payments by DTC Participants to Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners of Shares held through such DTC Participants will be governed by standing instructions and customary practices, as is now the case with securities held for the accounts of customers in bearer form or registered in a "street name," and will be the responsibility of such DTC Participants.
The Trust has no responsibility or liability for any aspect of the records relating to or notices to Beneficial Owners, or payments made on account of beneficial ownership interests in such Shares, or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records relating to such beneficial ownership interests, or for any other aspect of the relationship between DTC and the DTC Participants or the relationship between such DTC Participants and the Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners owning through such DTC Participants. DTC may decide to discontinue its service with respect to Shares of the Trust at any time by giving reasonable notice to the Trust and discharging its responsibilities with respect thereto under applicable law. Under such circumstances, the Trust shall take action to find a replacement for DTC to perform its functions at a comparable cost.
LIMITATION OF TRUSTEES' LIABILITY
The Declaration of Trust provides that a Trustee shall be liable only for his or her own willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of the office of Trustee, and shall not be liable for errors of judgment or mistakes of fact or law. The Declaration of Trust also provides that the Trust shall indemnify each person who is, or has been, a Trustee, officer, employee or agent of the Trust, any person who is serving or has served at the Trust's request as a Trustee, officer, trustee, employee or agent of another organization in which the Trust has any interest as a shareholder, creditor or otherwise to the fullest extent provided by law and in the manner provided in the By-laws. However, nothing in the Declaration of Trust shall protect or indemnify a Trustee against any liability for his or her willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of the office of Trustee. Nothing contained in this section attempts to disclaim a Trustee's individual liability in any manner inconsistent with the federal securities laws.
PURCHASE AND REDEMPTION OF SHARES IN CREATION UNITS
The Trust issues and sells Shares of the Funds only: (i) in Creation Units on a continuous basis through the Distributor, without a sales load (but subject to transaction fees, if applicable), at their NAV per Share next determined after receipt of an order, on any Business Day, in proper form pursuant to the terms of the Authorized Participant Agreement ("Participant Agreement"); or (ii) pursuant to the Dividend Reinvestment Service (defined below). The NAV of a Fund's Shares is calculated each Business Day as of the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange, generally 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time on each day that the New York Stock Exchange is open. The Funds will not issue fractional Creation Units. A "Business Day" is any day on which the New York Stock Exchange and Trust are open for business.
Fund Deposits. The consideration for purchase of a Creation Unit of a Fund generally consists of the in-kind deposit of a designated portfolio of securities (the "Deposit Securities") per each Creation Unit and the Cash Component (defined below), computed as described below. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Trust reserves the right to permit or require the substitution of a "cash in lieu" amount ("Deposit Cash") to be added to the Cash Component to replace any Deposit Security. When accepting purchases of Creation Units for all or a portion of Deposit Cash, a Fund may incur additional costs associated with the acquisition of Deposit Securities that would otherwise be provided by an in-kind purchaser.
Procedures for Purchase of Creation Units. To be eligible to place orders with the Distributor to purchase 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 of the NSCC (the "Clearing Process"), a clearing agency that is registered with the SEC; or (ii) a DTC Participant (see "BOOK ENTRY ONLY SYSTEM"). In addition, each Participating Party or DTC Participant (each, an "Authorized Participant") must execute a Participant Agreement that has been agreed to by the Distributor, and that has been accepted by the Transfer Agent and the Trust, with respect to purchases and redemptions of Creation Units. Each Authorized Participant will agree, pursuant to the terms of a Participant Agreement, on behalf of itself or any investor on whose behalf it will act, to certain conditions, including that it will pay to the Trust, an amount of cash sufficient to pay the Cash Component together with the creation transaction fee (described below) and any other applicable fees and taxes.
All orders to purchase Shares directly from the Funds must be placed for one or more Creation Units and in the manner and by the time set forth in the Participant Agreement and/or applicable order form. The date on which an order to purchase Creation Units (or an order to redeem Creation Units, as set forth below) of such Funds is received and accepted is referred to as the "Order Placement Date."
The order cut-off time for orders to purchase Creation Units for each Fund is expected to be 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, which may be modified by a Fund from time-to-time by amendment to the Participant Agreement and/or applicable order form.
An Authorized Participant may require an investor to make certain representations or enter into agreements with respect to the order, (e.g., to provide for payments of cash, when required). Investors should be aware that their particular broker may not have executed a Participant Agreement and that, therefore, orders to purchase Shares directly from the Funds in Creation Units have to be placed by the investor's broker through an Authorized Participant that has executed a Participant Agreement. In such cases there may be additional charges to such investor. At any given time, there may be only a limited number of broker-dealers that have executed a Participant Agreement and only a small number of such Authorized Participants may have international capabilities.
On days when the Exchange closes earlier than normal, the Funds may require orders to create Creation Units to be placed earlier in the day. In addition, if a market or markets on which the Funds' investments are primarily traded is closed, the Funds will also generally not accept orders on such day(s). Orders must be transmitted by an Authorized Participant by telephone or other transmission method acceptable to the Distributor pursuant to procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement and in accordance with the applicable order form. On behalf of the Funds, the Distributor will notify the Custodian of such order. The Custodian will then provide such information to the appropriate local sub-custodian(s). Those placing orders through an Authorized Participant should allow sufficient time to permit proper submission of the purchase order to the Distributor by the cut-off time on such Business Day, as designated in the Participant Agreement. Economic or market disruptions or changes, or telephone or other communication failure may impede the ability to reach the Distributor or an Authorized Participant.
Fund Deposits must be delivered by an Authorized Participant through the Federal Reserve System (for cash) or through DTC (for corporate securities), through a sub-custody agent (for foreign securities) and/or through such other arrangements allowed by the Trust or its agents. With respect to foreign Deposit Securities, the Custodian shall cause the sub-custodian of the Funds to maintain an account into which the Authorized Participant shall deliver, on behalf of itself or the party on whose behalf it is acting, such Deposit Securities (or Deposit Cash for all or a part of such securities, as permitted or required), with any appropriate adjustments as advised by the Trust. Foreign Deposit Securities must be delivered to an account maintained at the applicable local sub-custodian. The Fund Deposit transfer must be ordered by the Authorized Participant in a timely fashion so as to ensure the delivery of the requisite number of Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable, to the account of a Fund or its agents by no later than 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time (or such other time as specified by the Trust) on the Settlement Date. If a Fund or its agents do not receive all of the Deposit Securities, or the required Deposit Cash in lieu thereof, by such time, then the order may be deemed rejected and the Authorized Participant shall be liable to a Fund for losses, if any, resulting therefrom. The "Settlement Date" for a Fund is generally the second Business Day after the Order Placement Date. All questions as to the number of Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash to be delivered, as applicable, and the validity, form and eligibility (including time of receipt) for the deposit of any tendered securities or cash, as applicable, will be determined by the Trust, whose determination shall be final and binding. The amount of cash represented by the Cash Component must be transferred directly to the Custodian through the Federal Reserve Bank wire transfer system in a timely manner so as to be received by the Custodian no later than the Settlement Date. If the Cash Component and the Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable, are not received by the Custodian in a timely manner by the Settlement Date, the creation order may be cancelled. Upon written notice to the Distributor, such canceled order may be resubmitted the following Business Day using a Fund Deposit as newly constituted to reflect the then current NAV of a Fund.
The order shall be deemed to be received on the Order Placement Date provided that the order is placed in proper form prior to the applicable cut-off time and the Deposit Cash, as applicable, and the Cash Component in the appropriate amount are deposited with the Custodian on the Settlement Date. If the order is not placed in proper form as required, or Deposit Cash, as applicable, and the Cash Component in the appropriate amount are not received by the Custodian on the Settlement Date, then the order may be deemed to be rejected and the Authorized Participant shall be liable to the Funds for losses, if any, resulting there from. A creation request is considered to be in "proper form" if all procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement, order form and this SAI are properly followed.
Issuance of a Creation Unit. Except as provided in this SAI, Creation Units will not be issued until the transfer of good title to the Trust of the Deposit Securities or payment of Deposit Cash, as applicable, and the payment of the Cash Component have been completed. When the sub-custodian has confirmed to the Custodian that the required Deposit Securities (or the cash value thereof) have been delivered to the account of the relevant sub-custodian or sub-custodians, the Distributor and the Adviser shall be notified of such delivery, and the Trust will issue and cause the delivery of the Creation Units. The delivery of Creation Units so created generally will occur no later than the second Business Day following the day on which the purchase order is deemed received by the Distributor. The Authorized Participant shall be liable to a Fund for losses, if any, resulting from unsettled orders.
Creation Units may be issued in advance of receipt by the Trust of all or a portion of the applicable Deposit Securities as described below. In these circumstances, the initial deposit will have a value greater than the net asset value of the Shares on the date the order is placed in proper form since, in addition to available Deposit Securities, cash must be deposited in an amount equal to the sum of (i) the Cash Component, plus (ii) an additional amount of cash equal to a percentage of the market value as set forth in the Participant Agreement, of the undelivered Deposit Securities (the "Additional Cash Deposit"), which shall be maintained in a separate non-interest bearing collateral account. The Authorized Participant must deposit with the Custodian the Additional Cash Deposit, as
applicable, by 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time (or such other time as specified by the Trust) on the Settlement Date. If a Fund or its agents do not receive the Additional Cash Deposit in the appropriate amount, by such time, then the order may be deemed rejected and the Authorized Participant shall be liable to the Fund for losses, if any, resulting therefrom. An additional amount of cash shall be required to be deposited with the Trust, pending delivery of the missing Deposit Securities to the extent necessary to maintain the Additional Cash Deposit with the Trust in an amount at least equal to the applicable percentage, as set forth in the Participant Agreement, of the daily marked to market value of the missing Deposit Securities. The Participant Agreement will permit the Trust to buy the missing Deposit Securities at any time. Authorized Participants will be liable to the Trust for the costs incurred by the Trust in connection with any such purchases. These costs will be deemed to include the amount by which the actual purchase price of the Deposit Securities exceeds the market value of such Deposit Securities on the day the purchase order was deemed received by the Distributor plus the brokerage and related transaction costs associated with such purchases. The Trust will return any unused portion of the Additional Cash Deposit once all of the missing Deposit Securities have been properly received by the Custodian or purchased by the Trust and deposited into the Trust. In addition, a transaction fee, as described below under "Creation Transaction Fee" may be charged. The delivery of Creation Units so created generally will occur no later than the Settlement Date.
Acceptance of Orders of Creation Units. The Trust reserves the right to reject an order for Creation Units transmitted to it by the Distributor with respect to a Fund including, without limitation, if (a) the order is not in proper form; (b) the Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable, delivered by the Participant are not as disseminated through the facilities of the NSCC for that date by the Custodian; (c) the investor(s), upon obtaining the Shares ordered, would own 80% or more of the currently outstanding Shares of a Fund; (d) the acceptance of the Fund Deposit would, in the opinion of counsel, be unlawful; (e) the acceptance or receipt of the order for a Creation Unit would, in the opinion of counsel to the Trust, be unlawful; or (f) in the event that circumstances outside the control of the Trust, the Custodian, the Transfer Agent and/or the Adviser make it for all practical purposes not feasible to process orders for Creation Units.
Examples of such circumstances include acts of God or public service or utility problems such as fires, floods, extreme weather conditions and power outages resulting in telephone, telecopy and computer failures; market conditions or activities causing trading halts; systems failures involving computer or other information systems affecting the Trust, the Distributor, the Custodian, a sub-custodian, the Transfer Agent, DTC, NSCC, Federal Reserve System, or any other participant in the creation process, and other extraordinary events. The Distributor shall notify a prospective creator of a Creation Unit and/or the Authorized Participant acting on behalf of the creator of a Creation Unit of its rejection of the order of such person. The Trust, the Transfer Agent, the Custodian, any sub-custodian and the Distributor are under no duty, however, to give notification of any defects or irregularities in the delivery of Fund Deposits nor shall either of them incur any liability for the failure to give any such notification. The Trust, the Transfer Agent, the Custodian and the Distributor shall not be liable for the rejection of any purchase order for Creation Units.
All questions as to the number of Shares of each security in the Deposit Securities and the validity, form, eligibility and acceptance for deposit of any securities to be delivered shall be determined by the Trust, and the Trust's determination shall be final and binding.
Creation Transaction Fee. A fixed purchase (i.e., creation) transaction fee, payable to the Funds' custodian, may be imposed for the transfer and other transaction costs associated with the purchase of Creation Units ("Creation Order Costs"). The standard fixed creation transaction fee for each Fund, regardless of the number of Creation Units created in the transaction, are set forth in the table below. A Fund may adjust the standard fixed creation transaction fee from time to time. The fixed creation fee may be waived on certain orders if a Fund's custodian has determined to waive some or all of the Creation Order Costs associated with the order or another party, such as the Adviser, has agreed to pay such fee.
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Name of Fund
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Fixed Creation Transaction Fee
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Pacer US Export Leaders ETF
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$300
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Pacer Data & Infrastructure Real Estate ETF
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$300
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In addition, a variable fee, payable to a Fund, of up to a maximum of 2% of the value of the Creation Units subject to the transaction may be imposed for cash purchases, non-standard orders, or partial cash purchases of Creation Units. The variable charge is primarily designed to cover additional costs (e.g., brokerage, taxes) involved with buying the securities with cash. A Fund may determine to not charge a variable fee on certain orders when the Adviser has determined that doing so is in the best interests of Fund shareholders, e.g., for creation orders that facilitate changes to the Fund's portfolio in a more tax efficient manner than could be achieved without such order. Investors who use the services of a broker or other such intermediary may be charged a fee for such services. Investors are responsible for the fixed costs of transferring the Fund Securities from the Fund to their account or on their order creation.
Risks of Purchasing Creation Units. There are certain legal risks unique to investors purchasing Creation Units directly from a Fund. Because Shares may be issued on an ongoing basis, a "distribution" of Shares could be occurring at any time. Certain activities that a shareholder performs as a dealer could, depending on the circumstances, result in the shareholder being deemed a participant in the distribution in a manner that could render the shareholder a statutory underwriter and subject to the prospectus delivery and liability
provisions of the Securities Act. For example, a shareholder could be deemed a statutory underwriter if it purchases Creation Units from a Fund, breaks them down into the constituent Shares, and sells those Shares directly to customers, or if a shareholder chooses to couple the creation of a supply of new Shares with an active selling effort involving solicitation of secondary-market demand for Shares. Whether a person is an underwriter depends upon all of the facts and circumstances pertaining to that person's activities, and the examples mentioned here should not be considered a complete description of all the activities that could cause you to be deemed an underwriter.
Dealers who are not "underwriters" but are participating in a distribution (as opposed to engaging in ordinary secondary-market transactions), and thus dealing with Shares as part of an "unsold allotment" within the meaning of Section 4(a)(3)(C) of the Securities Act, will be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(a)(3) of the Securities Act.
Redemption. Shares may be redeemed only in Creation Units at their net asset value next determined after receipt of a redemption request in proper form by the Funds through the Transfer Agent and only on a Business Day. Redemption requests must be placed by or through an Authorized Participant. EXCEPT UPON LIQUIDATION OF A FUND, THE TRUST WILL NOT REDEEM SHARES IN AMOUNTS LESS THAN CREATION UNITS. Investors must accumulate enough Shares in the secondary market to constitute a Creation Unit to have such Shares redeemed by the Trust. There can be no assurance, however, that there will be sufficient liquidity in the public trading 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 redeemable Creation Unit.
With respect to the Funds, the Custodian, through the NSCC, makes available prior to the opening of business on the Exchange (currently 9:30 a.m., Eastern Time) on each Business Day, the list of the names and Share quantities of each Fund's portfolio securities 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"). Fund Securities received on redemption may not be identical to Deposit Securities.
Redemption proceeds for a Creation Unit are paid either in-kind or in cash, or combination thereof, as determined by the Trust. With respect to in-kind redemptions of the Funds, redemption proceeds for a Creation Unit will consist of Fund Securities -- as announced by the Custodian on the Business Day of the request for redemption received in proper form plus cash in an amount equal to the difference between the net asset value of the Shares being redeemed, as next determined after a receipt of a request in proper form, and the value of the Fund Securities (the "Cash Redemption Amount"), less a fixed redemption transaction fee as set forth below. In the event that the Fund Securities have a value greater than the net asset value of the Shares, a compensating cash payment equal to the differential is required to be made by or through an Authorized Participant by the redeeming shareholder. Notwithstanding the foregoing, at the Trust's discretion, an Authorized Participant may receive the corresponding cash value of the securities in lieu of the in-kind securities value representing one or more Fund Securities.
Redemption Transaction Fee. A fixed redemption transaction fee, payable to the Funds' custodian, may be imposed for the transfer and other transaction costs associated with the redemption of Creation Units ("Redemption Order Costs"). The standard fixed redemption transaction fee for each Fund, regardless of the number of Creation Units redeemed in the transaction are set forth in the table below. A Fund may adjust the redemption transaction fee from time to time. The fixed redemption fee may be waived on certain orders if the Fund's custodian has determined to waive some or all of the Redemption Order Costs associated with the order or another party, such as the Adviser, has agreed to pay such fee.
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Name of Fund
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Fixed Redemption Transaction Fee
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Pacer US Export Leaders ETF
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$300
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Pacer Data & Infrastructure Real Estate ETF
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$300
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In addition, a variable fee, payable to a Fund, of up to a maximum of 2% of the value of the Creation Units subject to the transaction may be imposed for cash redemptions, non-standard orders, or partial cash redemptions (when cash redemptions are available) of Creation Units. The variable charge is primarily designed to cover additional costs (e.g., brokerage, taxes) involved with selling portfolio securities to satisfy a cash redemption. A Fund may determine to not charge a variable fee on certain orders when the Adviser has determined that doing so is in the best interests of Fund shareholders, e.g., for redemption orders that facilitate changes to the Fund's portfolio in a more tax efficient manner than could be achieved without such order.
Investors who use the services of a broker or other such intermediary may be charged a fee for such services. Investors are responsible for the fixed costs of transferring the Fund Securities from the Fund to their account or on their order.
Procedures for Redemption of Creation Units.
The order cut-off time for orders to redeem Creation Units for each Fund is expected to be 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, which may be modified by a Fund from time-to-time by amendment to the Participant Agreement and/or applicable order form.
A redemption request is considered to be in "proper form" if (i) an Authorized Participant has transferred or caused to be transferred to the Trust's Transfer Agent the Creation Unit(s) being redeemed through the book-entry system of DTC so as to be effective by the time as set forth in the Participant Agreement and (ii) a request in form satisfactory to the Trust is received by the Transfer Agent from the Authorized Participant on behalf of itself or another redeeming investor within the time periods specified in the Participant Agreement. If the Transfer Agent does not receive the investor's Shares through DTC's facilities by the times and pursuant to the other terms and conditions set forth in the Participant Agreement, the redemption request shall be rejected.
The Authorized Participant must transmit the request for redemption, in the form required by the Trust, to the Transfer 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. 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 Trust's 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.
Additional Redemption Procedures. In connection with taking delivery of Shares of Fund Securities upon redemption of Creation Units, a redeeming shareholder or Authorized Participant acting on behalf of such Shareholder must maintain appropriate custody arrangements with a qualified broker-dealer, bank or other custody providers in each jurisdiction in which any of the Fund Securities are customarily traded, to which account such Fund Securities will be delivered. Deliveries of redemption proceeds generally will be made within two business days of the trade date. The Trust may, in its discretion, exercise its option to redeem such Shares in cash, and the redeeming Shareholders will be required to receive its redemption proceeds in cash.
In addition, an investor may request a redemption in cash that a Fund may, in its sole discretion, permit. In either case, the investor will receive a cash payment equal to the NAV of its Shares based on the NAV of Shares of the Funds next determined after the redemption request is received in proper form (minus a redemption transaction fee and additional charge for requested cash redemptions specified above, to offset the Trust's brokerage and other transaction costs associated with the disposition of Fund Securities). A Fund may also, in its sole discretion, upon request of a shareholder, provide such redeemer a portfolio of securities that differs from the exact composition of the Fund Securities but does not differ in net asset value.
Redemptions of Shares for Fund Securities will be subject to compliance with applicable federal and state securities laws and each Fund (whether or not it otherwise permits cash redemptions) reserves the right to redeem Creation Units for cash to the extent that the Trust could not lawfully deliver specific Fund Securities upon redemptions or could not do so without first registering the Fund Securities under such laws. An Authorized Participant or an investor for which it is acting subject to a legal restriction with respect to a particular security included in the Fund Securities applicable to the redemption of Creation Units may be paid an equivalent amount of cash. The Authorized Participant may request the redeeming investor of the Shares to complete an order form or to enter into agreements with respect to such matters as compensating cash payment. Further, an Authorized Participant that is not a "qualified institutional buyer," ("QIB") as such term is defined under Rule 144A of the Securities Act, will not be able to receive Fund Securities that are restricted securities eligible for resale under Rule 144A. An Authorized Participant may be required by the Trust to provide a written confirmation with respect to QIB status to receive Fund Securities.
Because the portfolio securities of the Funds may trade on other exchanges on days that the Exchange is closed or are otherwise not Business Days for the Funds, shareholders may not be able to redeem their Shares of the Funds, or to purchase or sell Shares of the Funds on the Exchange, on days when the NAV of the Funds could be significantly affected by events in the relevant foreign markets.
The right of redemption may be suspended or the date of payment postponed with respect to each Fund (1) for any period during which the Exchange is closed (other than customary weekend and holiday closings); (2) for any period during which trading on the Exchange is suspended or restricted; (3) for any period during which an emergency exists as a result of which disposal of the Shares of the Funds or determination of the NAV of the Shares is not reasonably practicable; or (4) in such other circumstance as is permitted by the SEC.
Required Early Acceptance of Orders. Notwithstanding the foregoing, as described in the Participant Agreement and/or applicable order form, a Fund may require orders to be placed or notification of orders to be received prior to the trade date, as described in the Participant Agreement or the applicable order form, to receive the trade date's net asset value. Orders to purchase Shares of the Funds that are submitted on the Business Day immediately preceding a holiday or a day (other than a weekend) that the equity markets in the relevant foreign market are closed will not be accepted. Authorized Participants may be notified that the cut-off time for an order may be earlier on a particular business day, as described in the Participant Agreement and the order form.
DETERMINATION OF NAV
Net asset value per Share for the Funds is computed by dividing the value of the net assets of a Fund (i.e., the value of its total assets less total liabilities) by the total number of Shares outstanding, rounded to the nearest cent. Expenses and fees, including the management fees, are accrued daily and taken into account for purposes of determining net asset value. The net asset value of a Fund is calculated by the Custodian and determined at the close of the regular trading session on the New York Stock Exchange (ordinarily 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time) on each day that such exchange is open, provided that fixed-income assets may be valued as of the announced closing time for trading in fixed-income instruments on any day that the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association ("SIFMA") announces an early closing time.
Pursuant to Rule 2a-5 under the 1940 Act, the Board has appointed the Adviser as the Funds' valuation designee (the "Valuation Designee") to perform all fair valuations of each Fund's portfolio investments, subject to the Board's oversight. As the Valuation Designee, the Adviser has established procedures for its fair valuation of each Fund's portfolio investments. These procedures address, among other things, determining when market quotations are not readily available or reliable and the methodologies to be used for determining the fair value of investments, as well as the use and oversight of third-party pricing services for fair valuation. The Adviser's fair value determinations will be carried out in compliance with Rule 2a-5 and based on fair value methodologies established and applied by the Adviser and periodically tested to ensure such methodologies are appropriate and accurate with respect to each Fund's portfolio investments. The Adviser's fair value methodologies may involve obtaining inputs and prices from third-party pricing services.
In calculating the Funds' NAV per Share, each Fund's investments are generally valued using market quotations to the extent such market quotations are readily available. If market quotations are not readily available or are deemed to be unreliable by the Adviser, the Adviser will fair value such investments and use the fair value to calculate the Funds' NAV. When fair value pricing is employed, the prices of securities used by the Adviser to calculate the Funds' NAV may differ from quoted or published prices for the same securities. Due to the subjective and variable nature of fair value pricing, it is possible that the fair value determined for a particular security may be materially different (higher or lower) from the price of the security quoted or published by others, or the value when trading resumes or is realized upon its sale. There may be multiple methods that can be used to value a portfolio investment when market quotations are not readily available. The value established for any portfolio investment 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.
DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS
The following information supplements and should be read in conjunction with the section in the Prospectus entitled "Dividends, Distributions and Taxes."
General Policies. Dividends from net investment income, if any, are declared and paid, as follows:
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Name of Fund
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Frequency
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SRVR
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Quarterly
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PEXL
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Quarterly
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Distributions of net realized securities gains, if any, generally are declared and paid once a year, but the Funds may make distributions on a more frequent basis for the Funds to improve index tracking or to comply with the distribution requirements of the Code, in all events in a manner consistent with the provisions of the 1940 Act.
Dividends and other distributions on Shares are distributed, as described below, 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 Trust.
The Trust makes additional distributions to the extent necessary (i) to distribute the entire annual taxable income of the Funds, plus any net capital gains and (ii) to avoid imposition of the excise tax imposed by Section 4982 of the Code. Management of the Funds reserves the right to declare special dividends if, in its reasonable discretion, such action is necessary or advisable to preserve the status of each Fund as a RIC or to avoid imposition of income or excise taxes on undistributed income.
Dividend Reinvestment Service. The Trust will not make the DTC book-entry dividend reinvestment service available for use by Beneficial Owners for reinvestment of their cash proceeds, but certain individual broker-dealers may make available the DTC book- entry Dividend Reinvestment Service for use by Beneficial Owners of the Funds through DTC Participants for reinvestment of their dividend distributions. Investors should contact their brokers to ascertain the availability and description of these services. Beneficial Owners should be aware that each broker may require investors to adhere to specific procedures and timetables to participate in the dividend reinvestment service and investors should ascertain from their brokers such necessary details. If this service is available and used, dividend distributions of both income and realized gains will be automatically reinvested in additional whole Shares issued by
the Trust of the Funds at NAV per Share. Distributions reinvested in additional Shares of the Funds will nevertheless be taxable to Beneficial Owners acquiring such additional Shares to the same extent as if such distributions had been received in cash.
FEDERAL INCOME TAXES
The following discussion of certain U.S. federal income tax consequences of investing in the Funds are based on the Code, U.S. Treasury regulations, and other applicable authority, all as in effect as of the date of the filing of this SAI. These authorities are subject to change by legislative or administrative action, possibly with retroactive effect. Tax reform legislation commonly known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the "TCJA") was enacted on December 22, 2017. The Tax Act made significant changes to the U.S. federal income tax rules for individuals and corporations, generally effective for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017. The application of certain provisions of the TCJA is uncertain, and the changes in the act may have indirect effects on a Fund, its investments and its shareholders that cannot be predicted. The following discussion is only a summary of some of the important U.S. federal income tax considerations generally applicable to investments in a Fund. There may be other tax considerations applicable to particular shareholders. Shareholders should consult their own tax advisors regarding their particular situation and the possible application of foreign, state, and local tax laws.
Qualification as a Regulated Investment Company (RIC). Each Fund intends to elect to be treated and qualify each year as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code. To qualify for the special tax treatment accorded RICs and their shareholders, a Fund must, among other things:
(a)derive at least 90% of its gross income each year from (i) dividends, interest, payments with respect to certain securities loans, gains from the sale or other disposition of stock or securities or foreign currencies, or other income (including but not limited to gains from options, futures or forward contracts) derived with respect to its business of investing in such stock, securities or currencies, and (ii) net income derived from interests in "qualified publicly traded partnerships" (as defined below);
(b)diversify its holdings so that, at the end of each quarter of its taxable year, (i) at least 50% of the market value of a Fund's total assets consists of cash and cash items, U.S. government securities, securities of other RICs and other securities, with investments in such other securities limited with respect to any one issuer to an amount not greater than 5% of the value of a Fund's total assets and not greater than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer, and (ii) not more than 25% of the value of a Fund's total assets is invested in (1) the securities (other than those of the U.S. government or other RICs) of any one issuer or two or more issuers that are controlled by a Fund and that are engaged in the same, similar or related trades or businesses or (2) the securities of one or more qualified publicly traded partnerships; and
(c)distribute with respect to each taxable year an amount at least equal to the sum of 90% of its investment company taxable income (as that term is defined in the Code without regard to the deduction for dividends paid - generally taxable ordinary income and the excess, if any, of net short-term capital gains over net long-term capital losses) and 90% of its net tax-exempt interest income.
In general, for purposes of the 90% of gross income requirement described in (a) above, income derived from a partnership will be treated as qualifying income only to the extent such income is attributable to items of income of the partnership that would be qualifying income if realized directly by a Fund. However, 100% of the net income derived from an interest in a "qualified publicly traded partnership" (generally, a partnership (i) interests in which are traded on an established securities market or are readily tradable on a secondary market or the substantial equivalent thereof, and (ii) that derives less than 90% of its income from the qualifying income described in (a)(i) of the prior paragraph) will be treated as qualifying income. In addition, although in general the passive loss rules of the Code do not apply to RICs, such rules do apply to a RIC with respect to items attributable to an interest in a qualified publicly traded partnership.
The U.S. Treasury Department has authority to issue regulations that would exclude foreign currency gains from the 90% test described in (a) above if such gains are not directly related to a fund's business of investing in stock or securities. Accordingly, regulations may be issued in the future that could treat some or all of a Fund's non-U.S. currency gains as non-qualifying income, thereby potentially jeopardizing the Fund's status as a RIC for all years to which the regulations are applicable.
Under the TCJA, "qualified REIT dividends" (i.e., ordinary REIT dividends other than capital gain dividends and portions of REIT dividends designated as qualified dividend income) are treated as eligible for a 20% deduction by noncorporate taxpayers. This deduction, if allowed in full, equates to a maximum effective tax rate of 29.6% (37% top rate applied to income after 20% deduction). The TCJA does not contain a provision permitting a RIC, such as the Fund, to pass the special character of this income through to its shareholders. Currently, direct investors in REITs will enjoy the deduction and, thus, the lower federal income tax rate, but investors in a RIC, such as certain of the Funds, that invest in such REITs will not. It is uncertain whether a future technical corrections bill or regulations issued by the IRS will address this issue to enable the Fund to pass through the special character of "qualified REIT dividends" to its shareholders.
With respect to the Real Estate ETFs, given the concentration of each Index in a relatively small number of securities, it may not be possible for each Fund to fully implement a replication strategy or a representative sampling strategy while satisfying the above diversification requirements. A Fund's efforts to satisfy such requirements may affect such Fund's execution of its investment strategy and may cause such Fund's return to deviate from that of the applicable Index, and such Fund's efforts to replicate or represent the applicable Index may cause it inadvertently to fail to satisfy the diversification requirements.
Taxation of the Funds. If the Funds qualify for treatment as RICs, the Funds will not be subject to federal income tax on income and gains that are distributed in a timely manner to their shareholders in the form of dividends.
If, for any taxable year, a Fund was to fail to qualify as a RIC or was to fail to meet the distribution requirement, they would be taxed in the same manner as an ordinary corporation and distributions to its shareholders would not be deductible by the Fund in computing its taxable income. In addition, a Fund's distributions, to the extent derived from the Fund's current and accumulated earnings and profits, including any distributions of net long-term capital gains, would be taxable to shareholders as ordinary dividend income for federal income tax purposes. However, such dividends would be eligible, subject to any generally applicable limitations, (i) to be treated as qualified dividend income in the case of shareholders taxed as individuals and (ii) for the dividends-received deduction in the case of corporate shareholders. Moreover, a Fund would be required to pay out its earnings and profits accumulated in that year to qualify for treatment as a RIC in a subsequent year. Under certain circumstances, a Fund may be able to cure a failure to qualify as a RIC, but to do so that Fund may incur significant Fund-level taxes and may be forced to dispose of certain assets. If a Fund failed to qualify as a RIC for a period greater than two taxable years, the Fund would generally be required to recognize any net built-in gains with respect to certain of its assets upon a disposition of such assets within ten years of qualifying as a RIC in a subsequent year.
The Funds intend to distribute, at least annually, substantially all of their investment company taxable income and net capital gains. Investment company taxable income that is retained by a Fund will be subject to tax at regular corporate rates. If a Fund retains any net capital gain, that gain will be subject to tax at corporate rates, but the Fund may designate the retained amount as undistributed capital gains in a notice to its shareholders who (i) will be required to include in income for federal income tax purposes, as long-term capital gain, their Shares of such undistributed amount, (ii) will be deemed to have paid their proportionate Shares of the tax paid by the Fund on such undistributed amount against their federal income tax liabilities, if any, and (iii) will be entitled to claim refunds on a properly filed U.S. tax return to the extent the credit exceeds such liabilities. For federal income tax purposes, the tax basis of Shares owned by a shareholder of a Fund will be increased by an amount equal to the difference between the amount of undistributed capital gains included in the shareholder's gross income and the tax deemed paid by the shareholder.
If a Fund fails to distribute in a calendar year an amount at least equal to the sum of 98% of its ordinary income for such year and 98.2% of its capital gain net income for the one-year period ending October 31 of such year, plus any retained amount from the prior year, the Fund will be subject to a non-deductible 4% excise tax on the undistributed amount. For these purposes, a Fund will be treated as having distributed any amount on which it has been subject to corporate income tax for the taxable year ending within the calendar year. The Funds intend to declare and pay dividends and distributions in the amounts and at the times necessary to avoid the application of the 4% excise tax, although there can be no assurance that they will be able to do so. The Funds may in certain circumstances be required to liquidate Fund investments to make sufficient distributions to avoid federal excise tax liability at a time when the investment adviser might not otherwise have chosen to do so, and liquidation of investments in such circumstances may affect the ability of the Funds to satisfy the requirement for qualification as a RIC.
A Fund may elect to treat part or all of any "qualified late year loss" as if it had been incurred in the succeeding taxable year in determining the Fund's taxable income, net capital gain, net short-term capital gain, and earnings and profits. A "qualified late year loss" generally includes net capital loss, net long-term capital loss, or net short-term capital loss incurred after October 31 of the current taxable year, and certain other late-year losses.
The treatment of capital loss carryovers for the Funds is similar to the rules that apply to capital loss carryovers of individuals, which provide that such losses are carried over indefinitely. If a Fund has a "net capital loss" (that is, capital losses in excess of capital gains) the excess of the Fund's net short-term capital losses over its net long-term capital gains is treated as a short-term capital loss arising on the first day of the Fund's next taxable year, and the excess (if any) of the Fund's net long-term capital losses over its net short-term capital gains is treated as a long-term capital loss arising on the first day of the Fund's next taxable year. The carryover of capital losses may be limited under the general loss limitation rules if a Fund experiences an ownership change as defined in the Code.
At April 30, 2025, the Funds had the following capital loss carryforwards which do not expire:
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Name of Fund
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Capital Loss Carryforwards Amount (Short-Term)
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Capital Loss Carryforwards Amount (Long-Term)
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Pacer US Export Leaders ETF
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$1,419,505
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$888,565
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Pacer Data & Infrastructure Real Estate ETF
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$41,616,260
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$262,804,576
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Fund Distributions. Distributions are taxable whether shareholders receive them in cash or reinvest them in additional Shares. Moreover, distributions of a Fund's Shares are generally subject to federal income tax as described herein to the extent they do not exceed the Fund's realized income and gains, even though such distributions may economically represent a return of a particular shareholder's investment. Investors may therefore wish to avoid purchasing Shares at a time when a Fund's NAV reflects gains that are either unrealized, or realized but not distributed. Realized gains must generally be distributed even when a Fund's NAV also reflects unrealized losses.
Dividends and other distributions are generally treated under the Code as received by the shareholders at the time the dividend or distribution is made. However, if any dividend or distribution is declared by a Fund in October, November or December of any calendar year and payable to its shareholders of record on a specified date in such a month but is actually paid during the following January, such dividend or distribution will be deemed to have been received by each shareholder on December 31 of the year in which the dividend was declared.
Distributions by a Fund of investment income is generally taxable as ordinary income. Taxes on distributions of capital gains are determined by how long a Fund owned the investments that generated those gains, rather than how long a shareholder has owned his or her Fund Shares. Sales of assets held by a Fund for more than one year generally result in long-term capital gains and losses, and sales of assets held by a Fund for one year or less generally result in short-term capital gains and losses. Distributions from a Fund's net capital gain (the excess of a Fund's net long-term capital gain over its net short-term capital loss) that are properly reported by a Fund as capital gain dividends ("Capital Gain Dividends") will be taxable as long-term capital gains. For individuals, long-term capital gains are currently subject to a reduced maximum tax rate of 20%. Distributions of gains from the sale of investments that a Fund owned for one year or less will be taxable as ordinary income.
Distributions of investment income reported by a Fund as derived from "qualified dividend income" will be taxed in the hands of non- corporate shareholders at the rates applicable to long-term capital gains, provided holding period and other requirements are met at both the shareholder and Fund level. If the aggregate qualified dividends received by a Fund during any taxable year are 95% or more of its gross income (excluding net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss), then 100% of the Fund's dividends (other than Capital Gain Dividends) will be eligible to be reported as qualified dividend income.
A dividend will not be treated as qualified dividend income (at either a Fund or shareholder level) (1) if the dividend is received with respect to any share of stock held for fewer than 61 days during the 121-day period beginning on the date that is 60 days before the date on which such share becomes ex-dividend with respect to such dividend (or, in the case of certain preferred stock, 91 days during the 181-day period beginning 90 days before the ex-dividend date), (2) to the extent that the recipient is under an obligation (whether pursuant to a short sale or otherwise) to make related payments with respect to positions in substantially similar or related property, (3) if the recipient elects to have the dividend income treated as investment income for purposes of the limitation on deductibility of investment interest, or (4) if the dividend is received from a foreign corporation that is (a) not eligible for the benefits of a comprehensive income tax treaty with the United States (with the exception of dividends paid on stock of such a foreign corporation that is readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States) or (b) treated as a passive foreign investment company. In addition, distributions that the Funds receive from an ETF or an underlying fund taxable as a RIC will be treated as qualified dividend income only to the extent so reported by such ETF or underlying fund.
Dividends of net investment income received by corporate shareholders of a Fund will qualify for the 70% dividends-received deduction generally available to corporations to the extent of the amount of qualifying dividends received by the Fund from domestic corporations for the taxable year. A dividend received by a Fund will not be treated as a qualifying dividend (1) if the stock on which the dividend is paid is considered to be "debt-financed" (generally, acquired with borrowed funds), (2) if it has been received with respect to any share of stock that a Fund has held for less than 46 days during the 91-day period beginning on the date that is 45 days before the date on which the share becomes ex-dividend with respect to such dividend (91 days during the 181-day period beginning 90 days before the ex-dividend date in the case of certain preferred stock) or (3) to the extent that a Fund is under an obligation (pursuant to a short sale or otherwise) to make related payments with respect to positions in substantially similar or related property. Moreover, the dividends-received deduction may be disallowed or reduced (1) if the corporate shareholder fails to satisfy the foregoing requirements with respect to its Shares of the Fund or (2) by application of the Code.
To the extent that a Fund makes a distribution of income received by the Fund in lieu of dividends (a "substitute payment") with respect to securities on loan pursuant to a securities lending transaction, such income will not constitute qualified dividend income to individual shareholders and will not be eligible for the dividends-received deduction for corporate shareholders.
Dividends and distributions from a Fund will generally be taken into account in determining a shareholder's "net investment income" for purposes of the Medicare contribution tax applicable to certain individuals, estates and trusts.
If a Fund makes distributions to a shareholder in excess of the Fund's current and accumulated earnings and profits in any taxable year, the excess distribution will be treated as a return of capital to the extent of that shareholder's tax basis in its Shares, and thereafter as capital gain, assuming the shareholder holds his or her Shares as capital assets. A return of capital is not taxable, but reduces a shareholder's tax basis in its Shares, thus reducing any loss or increasing any gain on a subsequent taxable disposition by the shareholder of its Shares.
The Funds will inform you of the amount of your ordinary income dividends, qualified dividend income, and capital gain distributions shortly after the close of each calendar year.
Sale or Exchange of Shares. A sale or exchange of Shares in the Funds may give rise to a gain or loss. For tax purposes, an exchange of Shares of a Fund for shares of a different fund is the same as a sale. In general, any gain or loss realized upon a taxable disposition of Shares will be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the Shares have been held for more than 12 months. Otherwise, the gain or loss on the taxable disposition of Shares will be treated as short-term capital gain or loss. However, any loss realized upon a taxable disposition of Shares held for six months or less will be treated as long-term, rather than short-term, to the extent of any long-term capital gain distributions received (or deemed received) by the shareholder with respect to the Shares. All or a portion of any loss realized upon a taxable disposition of Shares will be disallowed if other substantially identical Shares of the Funds are purchased within 30 days before or after the disposition. In such a case, the basis of the newly purchased Shares will be adjusted to reflect the disallowed loss.
Tax Treatment of Complex Securities. The Funds may invest in complex securities and these investments may be subject to numerous special and complex tax rules. These rules could affect a Fund's ability to qualify as a RIC, affect whether gains and losses recognized by the Funds are treated as ordinary income or capital gain, accelerate the recognition of income to the Funds and/or defer the Funds' ability to recognize losses, and, in limited cases, subject the Funds to U.S. federal income tax on income from certain of their foreign securities. In turn, these rules may affect the amount, timing or character of the income distributed to you by the Funds.
Some debt obligations that are acquired by a Fund may be treated as having original issue discount ("OID"). Generally, a Fund will be required to include OID in taxable income over the term of the debt security, even though payment of the OID is not received until a later time, usually when the debt security matures. If a Fund holds such debt instruments, it may be required to pay out as distributions each year an amount that is greater than the total amount of cash interest the Fund actually received. Such distributions may be made from the cash assets of the Fund or by liquidation of portfolio securities, if necessary.
The Funds are required for federal income tax purposes to mark to market and recognize as income for each taxable year its net unrealized gains and losses on certain futures contracts as of the end of the year as well as those actually realized during the year. Gain or loss from futures contracts on broad-based indexes required to be marked to market will be 60% long-term and 40% short-term capital gain or loss. Application of this rule may alter the timing and character of distributions to shareholders. A Fund may be required to defer the recognition of losses on futures contracts to the extent of any unrecognized gains on offsetting positions held by the Fund. These provisions may also require a Fund to mark-to-market certain types of positions in its portfolios (i.e., treat them as if they were closed out), which may cause a Fund to recognize income without receiving cash with which to make distributions in amounts necessary to satisfy the distribution requirement and for avoiding the excise tax discussed above. Accordingly, in order to avoid certain income and excise taxes, the Funds may be required to liquidate its investments at a time when the investment adviser might not otherwise have chosen to do so.
Real Estate Investment Trusts. The Funds may invest in REITs. Investments in REIT equity securities may require a Fund to accrue and distribute income not yet received. To generate sufficient cash to make the requisite distributions, a Fund may be required to sell securities in its portfolio (including when it is not advantageous to do so) that it otherwise would have continued to hold. A Fund's investments in REIT equity securities may at other times result in such Fund's receipt of cash in excess of the REIT's earnings; if the Fund distributes these amounts, these distributions could constitute a return of capital to Fund shareholders for federal income tax purposes. Dividends paid by a REIT, other than capital gain distributions, will be taxable as ordinary income up to the amount of the REIT's current and accumulated earnings and profits. Capital gain dividends paid by a REIT to a Fund will be treated as long-term capital gains by such Fund and, in turn, may be distributed by such Fund to its shareholders as a capital gain distribution. Dividends received by a Fund from a REIT generally will not constitute qualified dividend income or qualify for the dividends received deduction.
If a REIT is operated in a manner such that it fails to qualify as a REIT, an investment in the REIT would become subject to double taxation, meaning the taxable income of the REIT would be subject to federal income tax at regular corporate rates without any deduction for dividends paid to shareholders and the dividends would be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income (or possibly as qualified dividend income) to the extent of the REIT's current and accumulated earnings and profits.
The Tax Act treats "qualified REIT dividends" (i.e., ordinary REIT dividends other than capital gain dividends and portions of REIT dividends designated as qualified dividend income eligible for capital gain tax rates) as eligible for a 20% deduction by non-corporate taxpayers. This deduction, if allowed in full, equates to a maximum effective tax rate of 29.6% (37% top rate applied to income after
20% deduction). The Tax Act does not contain a provision permitting a RIC, such as a Fund, to pass the special character of this income through to its shareholders. Currently, direct investors in REITs will enjoy the lower rate, but investors in RICs that invest in such REITs will not. It is uncertain whether future technical corrections or administrative guidance will address this issue to enable a Fund to pass through the special character of "qualified REIT dividends" to shareholders.
REITs in which a Fund invests often do not provide complete and final tax information to a Fund until after the time that a Fund issues a tax reporting statement. As a result, a Fund may at times find it necessary to reclassify the amount and character of its distributions to you after it issues your tax reporting statement. When such reclassification is necessary, a Fund (or your broker) will send you a corrected, final Form 1099-DIV to reflect the reclassified information. If you receive a corrected Form 1099-DIV, use the information on this corrected form, and not the information on the previously issued tax reporting statement, in completing your tax returns.
Backup Withholding. A Fund (or a financial intermediary, such as a broker, through which a shareholder holds Fund Shares) generally is required to withhold and to remit to the U.S. Treasury a percentage of the taxable distributions and sale or redemption proceeds paid to any shareholder who fails to properly furnish a correct taxpayer identification number, who has under-reported dividend or interest income, or who fails to certify that he, she or it is not subject to such withholding.
Tax-Exempt Shareholders. Under current law, income of a RIC that would be treated as unrelated business taxable income ("UBTI") if earned directly by a tax-exempt entity generally will not be attributed as UBTI to a tax-exempt entity that is a shareholder in the RIC. Notwithstanding this "blocking" effect, a tax-exempt shareholder could realize UBTI by virtue of its investment in a Fund if Shares in the Fund constitute debt-financed property in the hands of the tax-exempt shareholder within the meaning of Code Section 514(b).
Non-U.S. Shareholders. In general, dividends other than Capital Gain Dividends paid by a Fund to a shareholder that is not a "U.S. person" within the meaning of the Code (a "foreign person") are subject to withholding of U.S. federal income tax at a rate of 30% (or lower applicable treaty rate) even if they are funded by income or gains (such as portfolio interest, short-term capital gains, or foreign-source dividend and interest income) that, if paid to a foreign person directly, would not be subject to withholding.
A beneficial holder of Shares who is a non-U.S. person is not, in general, subject to U.S. federal income tax on gains (and is not allowed a U.S. income tax deduction for losses) realized on a sale of Shares of the Funds or on Capital Gain Dividends unless (i) such gain or dividend is effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business carried on by such holder within the United States or (ii) in the case of an individual holder, the holder is present in the United States for a period or periods aggregating 183 days or more during the year of the sale or the receipt of the Capital Gain Dividend and certain other conditions are met. A Fund may, under certain circumstances, report all or a portion of a dividend as an "interest-related dividend" or a "short-term capital gain dividend," which would generally be exempt from this 30% U.S. withholding tax, provided certain other requirements are met. Short-term capital gain dividends received by a nonresident alien individual who is present in the U.S. for a period or periods aggregating 183 days or more during the taxable year are not exempt from this 30% withholding tax.
A U.S. withholding tax at a 30% rate will be imposed on dividends effective July 1, 2014 (and proceeds of sales in respect of Fund Shares (including certain capital gain dividends) received by Fund shareholders beginning after December 31, 2018) for shareholders who own their Shares through foreign accounts or foreign intermediaries if certain disclosure requirements related to U.S. accounts or ownership are not satisfied. A Fund will not pay any additional amounts in respect to any amounts withheld.
For a non-U.S. person to qualify for an exemption from backup withholding, the foreign investor must comply with special certification and filing requirements. Foreign investors in the Funds should consult their tax advisors in this regard. Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld may be credited against the shareholder's U.S. federal income tax liability, provided the appropriate information is furnished to the Internal Revenue Service ("IRS").
A beneficial holder of Shares who is a non-U.S. person may be subject to the U.S. federal estate tax in addition to the federal income tax consequences referred to above. If a shareholder is eligible for the benefits of a tax treaty, any effectively connected income or gain will generally be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a net basis only if it is also attributable to a permanent establishment maintained by the shareholder in the United States.
An Authorized Participant who exchanges securities for Creation Units generally will recognize a gain or a loss. The gain or loss will be equal to the difference between the market value of the Creation Units at the time and the sum of the exchanger's aggregate basis in the securities surrendered plus the amount of cash paid for such Creation Units. A person who redeems Creation Units will generally recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the exchanger's basis in the Creation Units and the sum of the aggregate market value of any securities received plus the amount of any cash received for such Creation Units. The IRS, however, may assert that a loss realized upon an exchange of securities for Creation Units cannot be deducted currently under the rules governing "wash sales," or on the basis that there has been no significant change in economic position.
Any capital gain or loss realized upon the creation of Creation Units will generally be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the securities exchanged for such Creation Units have been held for more than one year. Any capital gain or loss realized upon the
redemption of Creation Units will generally be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the Shares comprising the Creation Units have been held for more than one year. Otherwise, such capital gains or losses will be treated as short-term capital gains or losses. Persons purchasing or redeeming Creation Units should consult their own tax advisors with respect to the tax treatment of any creation or redemption transaction.
Section 351. The Trust on behalf of the Funds has the right to reject an order for a purchase of Shares of the Trust if the purchaser (or any 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 Section 351 of the Code, that Fund would have a basis in the securities different from the market value of such securities on the date of deposit. The Trust also has the right to require information necessary to determine beneficial share ownership for purposes of the 80% determination.
Foreign Investments. Income received by the Funds from sources within foreign countries and U.S. possessions (including, for example, dividends or interest on stock or securities of non-U.S. issuers) may be subject to withholding and other taxes imposed by such countries and U.S. possessions that would reduce the yield on a Fund's stock or securities. Tax treaties between certain countries and the U.S. may reduce or eliminate such taxes in some cases. Foreign countries generally do not impose taxes on capital gains with respect to investments by foreign investors.
If as of the end of the Funds' taxable year more than 50% of the value of a Fund's assets consist of the securities of foreign corporations, the Fund may elect to permit shareholders who are U.S. citizens, resident aliens, or U.S. corporations to claim a foreign tax credit or deduction (but not both) on their income tax returns for their pro rata portions of qualified taxes paid by the Fund during that taxable year to foreign countries in respect of foreign securities the Fund has held for at least the minimum period specified in the Code. In such a case, a Fund will treat those taxes as dividends paid to its shareholders who must include in gross income from foreign sources their pro rata shares of such taxes and must treat the amount so included as if the shareholder had paid the foreign tax directly. The shareholder may then either deduct the taxes deemed paid by him or her in computing his or her taxable income or, alternatively, use the foregoing information in calculating any foreign tax credit they may be entitled to use against the shareholders' federal income tax. If the Fund makes the election, the Fund (or its administrative agent) will report annually to its shareholders the respective amounts per Share of the Fund's income from sources within, and taxes paid to, foreign countries and U.S. possessions. A shareholder's ability to claim a foreign tax credit or deduction in respect of foreign taxes paid by a Fund may be subject to certain limitations imposed by the Code, which may result in the shareholder not getting a full credit or deduction for the amount of such taxes. Shareholders who do not itemize on their federal income tax returns may claim a credit, but not a deduction, for such foreign taxes.
If a Fund owns shares in certain foreign investment entities, referred to as "passive foreign investment companies" or "PFICs," the Fund will generally be subject to one of the following special tax regimes: (i) the Fund may be liable for U.S. federal income tax, and an additional interest charge, on a portion of any "excess distribution" from such foreign entity or any gain from the disposition of such shares, even if the entire distribution or gain is paid out by the Fund as a dividend to its shareholders; (ii) if the Fund were able and elected to treat a PFIC as a "qualified electing fund" or "QEF," the Fund would be required each year to include in income, and distribute to shareholders in accordance with the distribution requirements set forth above, the Fund's pro rata share of the ordinary earnings and net capital gains of the PFIC, whether or not such earnings or gains are distributed to the Fund; or (iii) the Fund may be entitled to mark-to-market annually shares of the PFIC, and in such event would be required to distribute to shareholders any such mark-to-market gains in accordance with the distribution requirements set forth above. In such instances, the Funds intend to make the appropriate tax elections, if possible, and take any additional steps that are necessary to mitigate the effect of these rules.
Foreign Currency Transactions. A Fund's transactions in foreign currencies and forward foreign currency contracts will generally be subject to special provisions of the Code that, among other things, may affect the character of gains and losses realized by a Fund (i.e., may affect whether gains or losses are ordinary or capital), accelerate recognition of income to a Fund and defer losses. These rules could therefore affect the character, amount and timing of distributions to shareholders. These provisions also may require a Fund to mark-to-market certain types of positions in its portfolio (i.e., treat them as if they were closed out) which may cause a Fund to recognize income without receiving cash with which to make distributions in amounts necessary to satisfy the distribution requirements and for avoiding the excise tax described above. The Funds intend to monitor their transactions, intend to make the appropriate tax elections, and intend to make the appropriate entries in their books and records when they acquire any foreign currency or forward foreign currency contract in order to mitigate the effect of these rules so as to prevent disqualification of a Fund as a RIC and minimize the imposition of income and excise taxes.
The U.S. Treasury Department has authority to issue regulations that would exclude foreign currency gains from income that qualifies for a Fund to satisfy the RIC requirements of the Code described above if such gains are not directly related to a Fund's business of investing in stock or securities (or options and futures with respect to stock or securities). Accordingly, regulations may be issued in the future that could treat some or all of a Fund's non-U.S. currency gains as non-qualifying income, thereby potentially jeopardizing a Fund's status as a RIC for all years to which the regulations are applicable.
An Authorized Participant having the U.S. dollar as its functional currency for U.S. federal tax purposes that exchanges securities for Creation Units generally will recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between (i) the sum of the market value of the Creation Units at the time of the exchange and any amount of cash received by the Authorized Participant in the exchange and (ii) the sum of the exchanger's aggregate basis in the securities surrendered and any amount of cash paid for such Creation Units. A person who redeems Creation Units will generally recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the exchanger's basis in the Creation Units and the sum of the aggregate U.S. dollar market value of the securities plus the amount of any cash received for such Creation Units. The IRS, however, may assert that a loss that is realized by an Authorized Participant upon an exchange of securities for Creation Units cannot be currently deducted under the rules governing "wash sales," or on the basis that there has been no significant change in economic position.
Master Limited Partnerships. In general, for purposes of the Qualifying Income Requirement described above, income derived from a partnership that is not a qualified publicly traded partnership (as described below) will be treated as qualifying income only to the extent such income is attributable to items of income of the partnership that would be qualifying income if realized directly by the Fund. While the rules are not entirely clear with respect to an investment in a partnership outside a master-feeder structure, for purposes of testing whether the Fund satisfies the Diversification Requirement, the Fund is generally treated as owning a pro rata share of the underlying assets of a partnership, including interests in qualified publicly traded partnerships. As described below, the Fund's investment in one or more of such qualified publicly traded partnerships is limited under the Diversification Requirement to no more than 25% of the value of the Fund's assets. However, 100% of the net income derived from an interest in a "qualified publicly traded partnership" (generally, a partnership (i) interests in which are traded on an established securities market or are readily tradable on a secondary market or the substantial equivalent thereof, (ii) that derives at least 90% of its income from the passive income sources specified in the Internal Revenue Code section 7704(d), and (iii) that derives less than 90% of its income from the same sources as described in the Qualifying Income Requirement) will be treated as qualifying income. In addition, 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.
MLPs taxed as partnerships have historically made cash distributions to limited partners that exceed the amount of taxable income allocable to limited partners or members, due to a variety of factors, including significant non-cash deductions such as depreciation and depletion. These excess cash distributions would not be treated as income to the Fund but rather would be treated as a return of capital to the extent of the Fund's basis in the MLP. As a consequence, the Fund may make distributions that exceed its earnings and profits, which would be recharacterized as a return of capital to shareholders. A return of capital distribution will generally not be taxable but will reduce each shareholder's cost basis in Shares and result in a higher capital gain or lower capital loss when the Shares are sold. After a shareholder's basis in Shares has been reduced to zero, distributions in excess of earnings and profits in respect of those Shares will be treated as gain from the sale of the Shares.
The Fund may invest in certain MLPs which may be treated as "qualified publicly traded partnerships" (as described above). Income from qualified publicly traded partnerships is qualifying income for purposes of the Qualifying Income Requirement, but the Fund's investment in one or more of such qualified publicly traded partnerships is limited under the Diversification Requirement to no more than 25% of the value of the Fund's assets. The Fund will monitor its investment in such qualified publicly traded partnerships in order to ensure compliance with the Qualifying Income and Diversification Requirements. MLPs and other partnerships that the Fund may invest in will deliver Form K-1s to the Fund to report its share of income, gains, losses, deductions and credits of the MLP or other partnership. These Form K-1s may be delayed and may not be received until after the time that the Fund issues its tax reporting statements. As a result, the Fund may at times find it necessary to reclassify the amount and character of its distributions to you after it issues you your tax reporting statement.
The Fund may invest, directly or indirectly, in entities that are taxed as corporations for United States federal income tax purposes, including certain MLPs that elect corporate treatment. Distributions that the Fund receives from such corporations will generally be taxable to the extent of the corporations current or accumulated earnings and profits. Distributions the Fund receives from such corporations in excess of current or accumulated earnings and profits will generally not be taxable as a return of capital, but will reduce the Fund's cost basis in the shares it owns and result in a higher capital gain or lower capital loss when the Fund sells such shares. Certain corporations in which the Fund invests may accrue deferred income taxes for their future tax liability associated with an underlying investment. Such deferred tax liabilities may affect the value of the Fund's investment in such entities.
Certain Reporting Regulations. Under U.S. Treasury regulations, if a shareholder recognizes a loss of $2 million or more for an individual shareholder or $10 million or more for a corporate shareholder, the shareholder must file with the IRS a disclosure statement on Form 8886. Direct shareholders of portfolio securities are in many cases excepted from this reporting requirement, but under current guidance, shareholders of a RIC are not excepted. The fact that a loss is reportable under these regulations does not affect the legal determination of whether the taxpayer's treatment of the loss is proper. Shareholders should consult their tax advisors to determine the applicability of these regulations in light of their individual circumstances.
Cost Basis. Legislation passed by Congress now requires the reporting of adjusted cost basis information for covered securities, which generally include Shares of a RIC acquired to the IRS and to taxpayers. Shareholders should contact their financial intermediaries with respect to reporting of cost basis and available elections for their accounts.
General Considerations. The federal income tax discussion set forth above is for general information only. Shares of the Fund held in a tax-qualified retirement account will generally not be subject to federal taxation on income and capital gains distributions from a Fund until a shareholder begins receiving payments from their retirement account. Because each shareholder's tax situation is different, prospective investors should consult their tax advisors regarding the specific federal income tax consequences of purchasing, holding and disposing of Shares of the Funds, as well as the effect of state, local and foreign tax law and any proposed tax law changes.
State Taxes. Depending upon state and local law, distributions by a Fund to its shareholders and the ownership of Shares may be subject to state and local taxes. Rules of state and local taxation of dividend and capital gains distributions from RICs often differ from the rules for federal income taxation described above. It is expected that a Fund will not be liable for any corporate tax in Delaware if it qualifies as a RIC for federal income tax purposes.
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The Annual Report for the Funds for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2025 is a separate document and the respective financial statements and accompanying notes appearing therein are incorporated by reference into this SAI. You may request a copy of the Funds' Annual Report at no charge by calling 1-800-617-0004 or through the Funds' website at
https://www.PacerETFs.com.
APPENDIX A
RATINGS DEFINITIONS
S&P Global Ratings Issue Credit Rating Definitions
An S&P Global Ratings issue credit rating is a forward-looking opinion about the creditworthiness of an obligor with respect to a specific financial obligation, a specific class of financial obligations, or a specific financial program (including ratings on medium-term note programs and commercial paper programs). It takes into consideration the creditworthiness of guarantors, insurers, or other forms of credit enhancement on the obligation and takes into account the currency in which the obligation is denominated. The opinion reflects S&P Global Ratings' view of the obligor's capacity and willingness to meet its financial commitments as they come due, and this opinion may assess terms, such as collateral security and subordination, which could affect ultimate payment in the event of default.
Issue credit ratings can be either long-term or short-term. Short-term ratings are generally assigned to those obligations considered short-term in the relevant market. Short-term ratings are also used to indicate the creditworthiness of an obligor with respect to put features on long-term obligations. Medium-term notes are assigned long-term ratings.
S&P Short-Term Issue Credit Ratings
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 commitments 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 commitments 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 commitments 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 weaken an obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation.
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 that 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 commitments on the obligation.
SD and D
An obligor is rated 'SD' (selective default) or 'D' if S&P Global Ratings considers there to be a default on one or more of its financial obligations, whether long- or short-term, including rated and unrated obligations but excluding hybrid instruments classified as regulatory capital or in nonpayment according to terms. A 'D' rating is assigned when S&P Global Ratings believes that the default will be a general default and that the obligor will fail to pay all or substantially all of its obligations as they come due. An 'SD' rating is assigned when S&P Global Ratings believes that the obligor has selectively defaulted on a specific issue or class of obligations but it will continue to meet its payment obligations on other issues or classes of obligations in a timely manner. A rating on an obligor is lowered to 'D' or 'SD' if it is conducting a distressed debt restructuring.
SPUR (S&P Underlying Rating)
A SPUR is an opinion about the stand-alone capacity of an obligor to pay debt service on a credit-enhanced debt issue, without giving effect to the enhancement that applies to it. These ratings are published only at the request of the debt issuer or obligor with the designation SPUR to distinguish them from the credit-enhanced rating that applies to the debt issue. S&P Global Ratings maintains surveillance of an issue with a published SPUR.
A-1
Dual Ratings
Dual ratings may be assigned to debt issues that have a put option or demand feature. The first component of the rating addresses the likelihood of repayment of principal and interest as due, and the second component of the rating addresses only the demand feature. The first component of the rating can relate to either a short-term or long-term transaction and accordingly use either short-term or long-term rating symbols. The second component of the rating relates to the put option and is assigned a short-term rating symbol (for example, 'AAA/A-1+' or 'A-1+/A-1'). With U.S. municipal short-term demand debt, the U.S. municipal short-term note rating symbols are used for the first component of the rating (for example, 'SP-1+/A-1+').
The analyses, including ratings, of S&P Global Ratings and its affiliates (together, S&P Global Ratings) are statements of opinion as of the date they are expressed and not statements of fact or recommendations to purchase, hold, or sell any securities or make any investment decisions. S&P Global Ratings assumes no obligation to update any information following publication. Users of ratings or other analyses should not rely on them in making any investment decision. S&P Global Ratings' opinions and analyses do not address the suitability of any security. S&P Global Ratings does not act as a fiduciary or an investment advisor except where registered as such. While S&P Global Ratings has obtained information from sources it believes to be reliable, it does not perform an audit and undertakes no duty of due diligence or independent verification of any information it receives. Ratings and other opinions may be changed, suspended, or withdrawn at any time.
Active Qualifiers
S&P Global Ratings uses the following qualifiers that limit the scope of a rating. The structure of the transaction can require the use of a qualifier such as a 'p' qualifier, which indicates the rating addresses the principal portion of the obligation only. A qualifier appears as a suffix and is part of the rating.
1. Federal deposit insurance limit: 'L' qualifier
Ratings qualified with 'L' apply only to amounts invested up to federal deposit insurance limits.
2. Principal: 'p' qualifier
This suffix is used for issues in which the credit factors, the terms, or both that determine the likelihood of receipt of payment of principal are different from the credit factors, terms, or both that determine the likelihood of receipt of interest on the obligation. The 'p' suffix indicates that the rating addresses the principal portion of the obligation only and that the interest is not rated.
3. Preliminary ratings: 'prelim' qualifier
Preliminary ratings, with the 'prelim' suffix, may be assigned to obligors or obligations, including financial programs, in the circumstances described below. Assignment of a final rating is conditional on the receipt by S&P Global Ratings of appropriate documentation. S&P Global Ratings reserves the right not to issue a final rating. Moreover, if a final rating is issued, it may differ from the preliminary rating.
•Preliminary ratings may be assigned to obligations, most commonly structured and project finance issues, pending receipt of final documentation and legal opinions.
•Preliminary ratings may be assigned to obligations that will likely be issued upon the obligor's emergence from bankruptcy or similar reorganization, based on late-stage reorganization plans, documentation, and discussions with the obligor. Preliminary ratings may also be assigned to the obligors. These ratings consider the anticipated general credit quality of the reorganized or post-bankruptcy issuer as well as attributes of the anticipated obligation(s).
•Preliminary ratings may be assigned to entities that are being formed or that are in the process of being independently established when, in S&P Global Ratings' opinion, documentation is close to final. Preliminary ratings may also be assigned to the obligations of these entities.
•Preliminary ratings may be assigned when a previously unrated entity is undergoing a well-formulated restructuring, recapitalization, significant financing, or other transformative event, generally at the point that investor or lender commitments are invited. The preliminary rating may be assigned to the entity and to its proposed obligation(s). These preliminary ratings consider the anticipated general credit quality of the obligor, as well as attributes of the anticipated obligation(s), assuming successful completion of the transformative event. Should the transformative event not occur, S&P Global Ratings would likely withdraw these preliminary ratings.
•A preliminary recovery rating may be assigned to an obligation that has a preliminary issue credit rating.
4. Termination structures: 't' qualifier
A-2
This symbol indicates termination structures that are designed to honor their contracts to full maturity or, should certain events occur, to terminate and cash settle all their contracts before their final maturity date.
5. Counterparty instrument rating: 'cir' qualifier
This symbol indicates a counterparty instrument rating (CIR), which is a forward-looking opinion about the creditworthiness of an issuer in a securitization structure with respect to a specific financial obligation to a counterparty (including interest rate swaps, currency swaps, and liquidity facilities). The CIR is determined on an ultimate payment basis; these opinions do not take into account timeliness of payment.
Inactive Qualifiers
Inactive qualifiers are no longer applied or outstanding.
1. Contingent upon final documentation: '*' inactive qualifier
This symbol indicated that the rating was contingent upon S&P Global Ratings' receipt of an executed copy of the escrow agreement or closing documentation confirming investments and cash flows. Discontinued use in August 1998.
2. Termination of obligation to tender: 'c' inactive qualifier
This qualifier was used to provide additional information to investors that the bank may terminate its obligation to purchase tendered bonds if the long-term credit rating of the issuer was lowered to below an investment-grade level and/or the issuer's bonds were deemed taxable. Discontinued use in January 2001.
3. U.S. direct government securities: 'G' inactive qualifier
The letter 'G' followed the rating symbol when a fund's portfolio consisted primarily of direct U.S. government securities.
4. Public information ratings: 'pi' qualifier
This qualifier was used to indicate ratings that were based on an analysis of an issuer's published financial information, as well as additional information in the public domain. Such ratings did not, however, reflect in-depth meetings with an issuer's management and therefore could have been based on less comprehensive information than ratings without a 'pi' suffix. Discontinued use as of December 2014 and as of August 2015 for Lloyd's Syndicate Assessments.
5. Interest payment: 'i' inactive qualifier
This suffix was used for issues in which the credit factors, terms, or both that determine the likelihood of receipt of payment of interest are different from the credit factors, terms, or both that determine the likelihood of receipt of principal on the obligation. The 'i' suffix indicated that the rating addressed the interest portion of the obligation only. The 'i' suffix was always used in conjunction with the 'p' suffix, which addresses likelihood of receipt of principal. For example, a rated obligation could have been assigned a rating of 'AAApNRi' indicating that the principal portion was rated 'AAA' and the interest portion of the obligation was not rated.
6. Provisional ratings: 'pr' inactive qualifier
The letters 'pr' indicate that the rating was provisional. A provisional rating assumed the successful completion of a project financed by the debt being rated and indicates that payment of debt service requirements was largely or entirely dependent upon the successful, timely completion of the project. This rating, however, while addressing credit quality subsequent to completion of the project, made no comment on the likelihood of or the risk of default upon failure of such completion.
7. Quantitative analysis of public information: 'q' inactive qualifier
A 'q' subscript indicates that the rating is based solely on quantitative analysis of publicly available information. Discontinued use in April 2001.
8. Extraordinary risks: 'r' inactive qualifier
The 'r' modifier was assigned to securities containing extraordinary risks, particularly market risks, that are not covered in the credit rating. The absence of an 'r' modifier should not be taken as an indication that an obligation would not exhibit extraordinary noncredit-related risks. S&P Global Ratings discontinued the use of the 'r' modifier for most obligations in June 2000 and for the balance of obligations (mainly structured finance transactions) in November 2002.
Active Identifiers
1. Unsolicited: 'unsolicited' and 'u' identifier
A-3
The 'u' identifier and 'unsolicited' designation are assigned to credit ratings initiated by parties other than the issuer or its agents, including those initiated by S&P Global Ratings.
2. Structured finance: 'sf' identifier
The 'sf' identifier shall be assigned to ratings on "structured finance instruments" when required to comply with applicable law or regulatory requirement or when S&P Global Ratings believes it appropriate. The addition of the 'sf' identifier to a rating does not change that rating's definition or our opinion about the issue's creditworthiness.
Local Currency and Foreign Currency Ratings
S&P Global Ratings' issuer credit ratings make a distinction between foreign currency ratings and local currency ratings. A foreign currency rating on an issuer can differ from the local currency rating on it when the obligor has a different capacity to meet its obligations denominated in its local currency versus obligations denominated in a foreign currency.
A-4
Moody's Credit Rating Definitions
Purpose
Since John Moody devised the first bond ratings more than a century ago, Moody's rating systems have evolved in response to the increasing depth and breadth of the global capital markets. Much of the innovation in Moody's rating system is a response to market needs for clarity around the components of credit risk or to demand for finer distinctions in rating classifications.
Moody's Global Rating Scales
Ratings assigned on Moody's global long-term and short-term rating scales are forward-looking opinions of the relative credit risks of financial obligations issued by non-financial corporates, financial institutions, structured finance vehicles, project finance vehicles, and public sector entities. Moody's defines credit risk as the risk that an entity may not meet its contractual financial obligations as they come due and any estimated financial loss in the event of default or impairment. The contractual financial obligations addressed by Moody's ratings are those that call for, without regard to enforceability, the payment of an ascertainable amount, which may vary based upon standard sources of variation (e.g., floating interest rates), by an ascertainable date. Moody's rating addresses the issuer's ability to obtain cash sufficient to service the obligation, and its willingness to pay. Moody's ratings do not address non-standard sources of variation in the amount of the principal obligation (e.g., equity indexed), absent an express statement to the contrary in a press release accompanying an initial rating. Long-term ratings are assigned to issuers or obligations with an original maturity of eleven months or more and reflect both on the likelihood of a default or impairment on contractual financial obligations and the expected financial loss suffered in the event of default or impairment. Short-term ratings are assigned to obligations with an original maturity of thirteen months or less and reflect both on the likelihood of a default or impairment on contractual financial obligations and the expected financial loss suffered in the event of default or impairment. Moody's issues ratings at the issuer level and instrument level on both the long-term scale and the short-term scale. Typically, ratings are made publicly available although private and unpublished ratings may also be assigned.
Moody's differentiates structured finance ratings from fundamental ratings (i.e., ratings on nonfinancial corporate, financial institution, and public sector entities) on the global long-term scale by adding (sf) to all structured finance ratings. The addition of (sf) to structured finance ratings should eliminate any presumption that such ratings and fundamental ratings at the same letter grade level will behave the same. The (sf) indicator for structured finance security ratings indicates that otherwise similarly rated structured finance and fundamental securities may have different risk characteristics. Through its current methodologies, however, Moody's aspires to achieve broad expected equivalence in structured finance and fundamental rating performance when measured over a long period of time.
Rating Symbols
Gradations of creditworthiness are indicated by rating symbols, with each symbol representing a group in which the credit characteristics are broadly the same. There are nine symbols as shown below, from that used to designate least credit risk to that denoting greatest credit risk: Aaa Aa A Baa Ba B Caa Ca C
Short-Term Obligation Ratings
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.
SHORT-TERM VS. LONG-TERM RATINGS
The following table indicates the long-term ratings consistent with different short-term ratings when such long-term ratings exist.
A-5
A-6
Fitch's National Credit Ratings
Fitch Ratings publishes credit ratings that are forward-looking opinions on the relative ability of an entity or obligation to meet financial commitments. Issuer default ratings (IDRs) are assigned to corporations, sovereign entities, financial institutions such as banks, leasing companies and insurers, and public finance entities (local and regional governments). Issue level ratings are also assigned, often include an expectation of recovery and may be notched above or below the issuer level rating. Issue ratings are assigned to secured and unsecured debt securities, loans, preferred stock and other instruments, Structured finance ratings are issue ratings to securities backed by receivables or other financial assets that consider the obligations' relative vulnerability to default.
Credit ratings are indications of the likelihood of repayment in accordance with the terms of the issuance. In limited cases, Fitch may include additional considerations (i.e., rate to a higher or lower standard than that implied in the obligation's documentation). Please see the section Specific Limitations Relating to Credit Rating Scales for details.
Fitch Ratings also publishes other ratings, scores and opinions. For example, Fitch provides specialized ratings of servicers of residential and commercial mortgages, asset managers and funds. In each case, users should refer to the definitions of each individual scale for guidance on the dimensions of risk covered in each assessment.
Fitch's credit rating scale for issuers and issues is expressed using the categories 'AAA' to 'BBB' (investment grade) and 'BB' to 'D' (speculative grade) with an additional +/- for AA through CCC levels indicating relative differences of probability of default or recovery for issues. The terms "investment grade" and "speculative grade" are market conventions and do not imply any recommendation or endorsement of a specific security for investment purposes. Investment grade categories indicate relatively low to moderate credit risk, while ratings in the speculative categories signal either a higher level of credit risk or that a default has already occurred.
Fitch may also disclose issues relating to a rated issuer that are not and have not been rated. Such issues are also denoted as 'NR' on its web page.
Credit ratings express risk in relative rank order, which is to say they are ordinal measures of credit risk and are not predictive of a specific frequency of default or loss. For information about the historical performance of ratings, please refer to Fitch's Ratings Transition and Default studies, which detail the historical default rates. The European Securities and Markets Authority also maintains a central repository of historical default rates.
Fitch's credit ratings do not directly address any risk other than credit risk. Credit ratings do not deal with the risk of market value loss due to changes in interest rates, liquidity and/or other market considerations. However, market risk may be considered to the extent that it influences the ability of an issuer to pay or refinance a financial commitment. Ratings nonetheless do not reflect market risk to the extent that they influence the size or other conditionality of the obligation to pay upon a commitment (for example, in the case of payments linked to performance of an equity index).
Fitch will use credit rating scales to provide ratings to privately issued obligations or certain note issuance programs, or for private ratings using the same public scale and criteria. Private ratings are not published, and are only provided to the issuer or its agents in the form of a rating letter.
The primary credit rating scales may also be used to provide ratings for a narrower scope, including interest strips and return of principal or in other forms of opinions such as Credit Opinions or Rating Assessment Services.
Credit Opinions are either a notch- or category-specific view using the primary rating scale and omit one or more characteristics of a full rating or meet them to a different standard. Credit Opinions will be indicated using a lower-case letter symbol combined with either an '*' (e.g., 'bbb+*') or (cat) suffix to denote the opinion status. Credit Opinions will be typically point-in-time but may be monitored if the analytical group believes information will be sufficiently available.
Rating Assessment Services are a notch-specific view using the primary rating scale of how an existing or potential rating may be changed by a given set of hypothetical circumstances. While Credit Opinions and Rating Assessment Services are point-in-time and are not monitored, they may have a directional Watch or Outlook assigned, which can signify the trajectory of the credit profile.
Ratings assigned by Fitch are opinions based on established, approved and published criteria. A variation to criteria may be applied but will be explicitly cited in our rating action commentaries (RACs), which are used to publish credit ratings when established and upon annual or periodic reviews.
Ratings are the collective work product of Fitch, and no individual, or group of individuals, is solely responsible for a rating. Ratings are not facts and, therefore, cannot be described as being "accurate" or "inaccurate." Users should refer to the definition of each individual rating for guidance on the dimensions of risk covered by the rating.
A-7
National Short-Term Credit Ratings
F1(xxx) Indicates the strongest capacity for timely payment of financial commitments relative to other issuers or obligations in the same country. Under the agency's National Rating scale, this rating is assigned to the lowest default risk relative to others in the same country. Where the liquidity profile is particularly strong, a "+" is added to the assigned rating.
F2(xxx) Indicates a good capacity for timely payment of financial commitments relative to other issuers or obligations in the same country. However, the margin of safety is not as great as in the case of the higher ratings.
F3(xxx) Indicates an adequate capacity for timely payment of financial commitments relative to other issuers or obligations in the same country or monetary union.
B(xxx) Indicates an uncertain capacity for timely payment of financial commitments relative to other issuers or obligations in the same country or monetary union.
C(xxx) Indicates a highly uncertain capacity for timely payment of financial commitments relative to other issuers or obligations in the same country or monetary union.
RD(xxx): Restricted default
Indicates an entity that has defaulted on one or more of its financial commitments, although it continues to meet other financial obligations. Applicable to entity ratings only.
D(xxx) Indicates a broad-based default event for an entity, or the default of a short-term obligation.
Notes to Long-Term and Short-Term National Ratings:
The ISO international country code is placed in parentheses immediately following the rating letters to indicate the identity of the National market within which the rating applies. For illustrative purposes, (xxx) has been used.
"+" or "-" may be appended to a National Rating to denote relative status within a major rating category. Such suffixes are not added to the 'AAA(xxx)' Long-Term National Rating category, to categories below 'CCC(xxx)', or to Short-Term National Ratings other than 'F1(xxx).'
A-8
LONG-TERM RATINGS
S&P Global Ratings Long-Term Issue Credit Ratings
Issue credit ratings are based, in varying degrees, on S&P Global Ratings analysis of the following considerations:
•Likelihood of payment-the capacity and willingness of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on an obligation in accordance with the terms of the obligation;
•Nature of and provisions of the obligation and the promise we impute; and
•Protection afforded by, and relative position of, the obligation in the event of bankruptcy, reorganization, or other arrangement under the laws of bankruptcy and other laws affecting creditors' rights.
An issue rating is an assessment of default risk, but may incorporate an assessment of relative seniority or ultimate recovery in the event of default. Junior obligations are typically rated lower than senior obligations, to reflect the lower priority in bankruptcy, as noted above. (Such differentiation may apply when an entity has both senior and subordinated obligations, secured and unsecured obligations, or operating company and holding company obligations.)
S&P Global Long-Term Issue Credit Ratings
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 on the obligation 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 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
A-9
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 with 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 the next five business days in the absence of a stated grace period or within the earlier of the stated grace period or the next 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. A rating on an obligation is lowered to 'D' if it is subject to a distressed debt restructuring.
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.
See active and inactive qualifiers following S&P Global Ratings Short-Term Issue Credit Ratings beginning on page A-2.
Moody's Long-Term Obligation Ratings
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 considered 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 to 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. Additionally, a "(hyb)" indicator is appended to all ratings of hybrid securities issued by banks, insurers, finance companies, and securities firms.*
* By their terms, hybrid securities allow for the omission of scheduled dividends, interest, or principal payments, which can potentially result in impairment if such an omission occurs. Hybrid securities may also be subject to contractually allowable write-
A-10
downs of principal that could result in impairment. Together with the hybrid indicator, the long-term obligation rating assigned to a hybrid security is an expression of the relative credit risk associated with that security.
Fitch's National Long-Term Credit Ratings
AAA(xxx) 'AAA' National Ratings denote the highest rating assigned by the agency in its National Rating scale for that country. This rating is assigned to issuers or obligations with the lowest expectation of default risk relative to all other issuers or obligations in the same country or monetary union.
AA(xxx) 'AA' National Ratings denote expectations of very low default risk relative to other issuers or obligations in the same country or monetary union. The default risk inherent differs only slightly from that of the country's highest rated issuers or obligations.
A(xxx) 'A' National Ratings denote expectations of low default risk relative to other issuers or obligations in the same country or monetary union.
BBB(xxx) 'BBB' National Ratings denote a moderate default risk relative to other issuers or obligations in the same country or monetary union.
BB(xxx) 'BB' National Ratings denote an elevated default risk relative to other issuers or obligations in the same country or monetary union.
B(xxx) 'B' National Ratings denote a significantly elevated default risk relative to other issuers or obligations in the same country or monetary union.
CCC(xxx) 'CCC' National Ratings denote very high default risk relative to other issuers or obligations in the same country or monetary union.
CC(xxx) 'CC' National Ratings denote default risk is among the highest relative to other issuers or obligations in the same country or monetary union.
C(xxx) A default or default-like process has begun, or for a closed funding vehicle, payment capacity is irrevocably impaired.
RD(xxx): Restricted default.
'RD' ratings indicate an issuer that, in Fitch's opinion, has experienced an uncured payment default on a bond, loan or other material financial obligation but that has not entered into bankruptcy filings, administration, receivership, liquidation or other formal winding-up procedure and has not otherwise ceased business.
D(xxx) 'D' National Ratings denote an issuer that has entered into bankruptcy filings, administration, receivership, liquidation or other formal winding-up procedure or that has otherwise ceased business.
Notes to Long-Term and Short-Term National Ratings:
The ISO International Country Code is placed in parentheses immediately following the rating letters to indicate the identity of the National market within which the rating applies. For illustrative purposes, (xxx) has been used.
"+" or "-" may be appended to a National Rating to denote relative status within a major rating category. Such suffixes are not added to the 'AAA(xxx)' Long-Term National Rating category, to categories below 'CCC(xxx)', or to Short-Term National Ratings other than 'F1(xxx).'
A-11
MUNICIPAL NOTE RATINGS
S&P Global Ratings Municipal Short-Term Note Ratings Definitions
An S&P Global Ratings 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. In determining which type of rating, if any, to assign, S&P Global Ratings analysis will review the following considerations:
•Amortization schedule-the larger the final maturity relative to other maturities, the more likely it will be treated as a note; and
•Source of payment-the more dependent the issue is on the market for its refinancing, the more likely it will be treated as a note.
Note rating symbols are as follows:
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.
D
'D' is assigned upon failure to pay the note when due, completion of a distressed exchange offer, or 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
See active and inactive qualifiers following S&P Global Ratings Short-Term Issue Credit Ratings beginning on page A-2.
Moody's US Municipal Short-Term Debt And Demand Obligation Ratings
Short-Term Obligation Ratings
We use the global short-term Prime rating scale for commercial paper issued by US Municipalities and nonprofits. These commercial paper programs may be backed by external letters of credit or liquidity facilities, or by an issuer's self-liquidity.
For other short-term municipal obligations we use one of two other short-term rating scales, the Municipal Investment Grade (MIG) and Variable Municipal Investment Grade (VMIG) scales discussed below.
MIG Ratings
We use the MIG scale for US municipal cash flow notes, bond anticipation notes and certain other short-term obligations, which typically mature in three years or less. Under certain circumstances, we use the MIG scale for bond anticipation notes with maturities of up to five years.
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.
A-12
VMIG Ratings
For variable rate demand obligations (VRDOs), Moody's assigns both a long-term rating and a short-term payment obligation rating. The long-term rating addresses the issuer's ability to meet scheduled principal and interest payments. The short-term payment obligation rating addresses the ability of the issuer or the liquidity provider to meet any purchase price payment obligation resulting from optional tenders ("on demand") and/or mandatory tenders of the VRDO. The short-term payment obligation rating uses the VMIG scale. Transitions of VMIG ratings with conditional liquidity support differ from transitions of Prime ratings reflecting the risk that external liquidity support will terminate if the issuer's long-term rating drops below investment grade. Please see our methodology that discusses obligations with conditional liquidity support.
For VRDOs, we typically assign a VMIG rating if the frequency of the payment obligation is less than every three years. If the frequency of the payment obligation is less than three years, but the obligation is payable only with remarketing proceeds, the VMIG short-term rating is not assigned and it is denoted as "NR".
Industrial development bonds in the US where the obligor is a corporate may carry a VMIG rating that reflects Moody's view of the relative likelihood of default and loss. In these cases, liquidity assessment is based on the liquidity of the corporate obligor.
VMIG 1
This designation denotes superior credit quality. Excellent protection is afforded by the superior short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections.
VMIG 2
This designation denotes strong credit quality. Good protection is afforded by the strong short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections.
VMIG 3
This designation denotes acceptable credit quality. Adequate protection is afforded by the satisfactory short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections.
SG
This designation denotes speculative-grade credit quality. Demand features rated in this category may be supported by a liquidity provider that does not have a sufficiently strong short-term rating or may lack the structural or legal protections.
Standard Linkages Between the Long-Term and MIG and VMIG Short-Term Rating Scale
The following table indicates the municipal long-term ratings consistent with the highest potential MIG and VMIG short-term ratings.
Reviewed July 7, 2023
A-13
APPENDIX B
The Adviser has adopted the following guidelines with respect to the Adviser's proxy voting responsibilities for all Funds.
GLASS LEWIS INVESTMENT MANAGER GUIDELINES
The Glass Lewis Investment Manager Guidelines are designed to maximize returns for investment managers by voting in a manner consistent with such managers' active investment decision-making. The guidelines are designed to increase investor's potential financial gain through the use of the shareholder vote while also allowing management and the board discretion to direct the operations, including governance and compensation, of the firm.
The guidelines will ensure that all issues brought to shareholders are analyzed in light of the fiduciary responsibilities unique to investment advisors and investment companies on behalf of individual investor clients including mutual fund shareholders. The guidelines will encourage the maximization of return for such clients through identifying and avoiding financial, audit and corporate governance risks.
MANAGEMENT PROPOSALS
ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
In analyzing directors and boards, Glass Lewis' Investment Manager Guidelines generally support the election of incumbent directors except when a majority of the company's directors are not independent or where directors fail to attend at least 75% of board and committee meetings. In a contested election, we will apply the standard Glass Lewis recommendation.
AUDITOR
The Glass Lewis Investment Manager Guidelines will generally support auditor ratification except when the non-audit fees exceed the audit fees paid to the auditor.
COMPENSATION
Glass Lewis recognizes the importance in designing appropriate executive compensation plans that truly reward pay for performance. We evaluate equity compensation plans based upon their specific features and will vote against plans than would result in total overhang greater than 20% or that allow the repricing of options without shareholder approval.
The Glass Lewis Investment Manager Guidelines will follow the general Glass Lewis recommendation when voting on management advisory votes on compensation ("say-on-pay") and on executive compensation arrangements in connection with merger transactions (i.e., golden parachutes). Further, the Investment Manager Guidelines will follow the Glass Lewis recommendation when voting on the preferred frequency of advisory compensation votes.
AUTHORIZED SHARES
Having sufficient available authorized shares allows management to avail itself of rapidly developing opportunities as well as to effectively operate the business. However, we believe that for significant transactions management should seek shareholder approval to justify the use of additional shares. Therefore, shareholders should not approve the creation of a large pool of unallocated shares without some rational of the purpose of such shares. Accordingly, where we find that the company has not provided an appropriate plan for use of the proposed shares, or where the number of shares far exceeds those needed to accomplish a detailed plan, we typically vote against the authorization of additional shares. We also vote against the creation of or increase in (i) blank check preferred shares and (ii) dual or multiple class capitalizations.
SHAREHOLDER RIGHTS
Glass Lewis Investment Manager Guidelines will generally support proposals increasing or enhancing shareholder rights such as declassifying the board, allowing shareholders to call a special meeting, eliminating supermajority voting and adopting majority voting for the election of directors. Similarly, the Investment Manager Guidelines will generally vote against proposals to eliminate or reduce shareholder rights.
MERGERS/ACQUISITIONS
Glass Lewis undertakes a thorough examination of the economic implications of a proposed merger or acquisition to determine the transaction's likelihood of maximizing shareholder return. We examine the process used to negotiate the transaction as well as the terms of the transaction in making our voting recommendation.
B-1
SHAREHOLDER PROPOSALS
We review and vote on shareholder proposals on a case-by-case basis. We recommend supporting shareholder proposals if the requested action would increase shareholder value, mitigate risk or enhance shareholder rights but generally recommend voting against those that would not ultimately impact performance.
GOVERNANCE
The Glass Lewis Investment Manager Guidelines will support reasonable initiatives that seek to enhance shareholder rights, such as the introduction of majority voting to elect directors, elimination in/reduction of supermajority provisions, the declassification of the board and requiring the submission of shareholder rights' plans to a shareholder vote. The guidelines generally support reasonable, well- targeted proposals to allow increased shareholder participation at shareholder meetings through the ability to call special meetings and ability for shareholders to nominate director candidates to a company's board of directors. However, the Investment Manager Guidelines will vote against proposals to require separating the roles of CEO and chairman.
COMPENSATION
The Glass Lewis Investment Manager Guidelines will generally oppose any shareholder proposals seeking to limit compensation in amount or design. However, the guidelines will vote for reasonable and properly-targeted shareholder initiatives such as to require shareholder approval to reprice options, to link pay with performance, to eliminate or require shareholder approval of golden coffins, to allow a shareholder vote on excessive golden parachutes (i.e., greater than 2.99 times annual compensation) and to claw back unearned bonuses. The Investment Manager Guidelines will vote against requiring companies to allow shareholders an advisory compensation vote.
ENVIRONMENT
Glass Lewis' Investment Manager Guidelines vote against proposals seeking to cease a certain practice or take certain action related to a company's activities or operations with environmental. Further, the Glass Lewis' Investment Manager Guidelines generally vote against proposals regarding enhanced environment disclosure and reporting, including those seeking sustainability reporting and disclosure about company's greenhouse gas emissions, as well as advocating compliance with international environmental conventions and adherence to environmental principles like those promulgated by CERES.
SOCIAL
Glass Lewis' Investment Manager Guidelines generally oppose proposals requesting companies adhere to labor or worker treatment codes of conduct, such as those espoused by the International Labor Organization, relating to labor standards, human rights conventions and corporate responsibility at large conventions and principles. The guidelines will also vote against proposals seeking disclosure concerning the rights of workers, impact on local stakeholders, workers' rights and human rights in general. Furthermore, the Investment Manager Guidelines oppose increased reporting and review of a company's political and charitable spending as well as its lobbying practices.
B-2
PACER FUNDS TRUST
PART C
OTHER INFORMATION
Item 28. Exhibits.
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(a)
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(1)
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Certificate of Trust dated August 12, 2014 was previously filed with the Registrant's Initial Registration Statement on January 15, 2015 (File Nos. 333-201530 and 811-23024) and is incorporated herein by reference.
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(2)
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Amended Declaration of Trust dated December 20, 2021 was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment 91 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on April 6, 2022 (File Nos. 333-201530 and 811-23024) and is incorporated herein by reference.
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(b)
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By-Laws dated August 12, 2014 were previously filed with the Registrant's Initial Registration Statement on January 15, 2015 (File Nos. 333-201530 and 811-23024) and are incorporated herein by reference.
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(c)
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Instruments Defining Rights of Security Holders-Incorporated by reference to Articles III, V, VI, VII and VIII of the Declaration of Trust and By-Laws.
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(d)
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(1)
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Investment Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and Pacer Advisors, Inc. dated May 26, 2015, was previously filed with Pre-Effective Amendment No. 2 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on May 27, 2015 (File Nos. 333-201530 and 811-23024) and is incorporated herein by reference.
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(2)
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Amended Schedule A to Investment Advisory Agreement was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment 135 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on August 28, 2025 (File Nos. 333-201530 and 811-23024) and is incorporated by reference.
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(3)
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Form of Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement between Pacer Advisors, Inc. and Vident Advisory LLC was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment 51 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on October 11, 2019 (File Nos. 333-201530 and 811-23024) and is incorporated by reference.
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(4)
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Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement between Pacer Advisors, Inc. and Swan Global Management, LLC dated August 20, 2020 was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment 71 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on December 21, 2020 (File Nos. 333-201530 and 811-23024) and is incorporated herein by reference.
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(5)
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Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement between Pacer Advisors, Inc. and Metaurus Advisors LLC was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment 77 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on July 1, 2021 (File Nos. 333-201530 and 811-23024) and is incorporated herein by reference.
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(6)
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Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement between Pacer Advisors, Inc. and Aristotle Pacific Capital, LLC was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 101 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on August 25, 2023 (File Nos. 333-201530 and 811-23024) and is incorporated herein by reference.
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(e)
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(1)
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Distribution Agreement between the Registrant and Pacer Financial, Inc. dated May 26, 2015, was previously filed with Pre-Effective Amendment No. 2 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on May 27, 2015 (File Nos. 333-201530 and 811-23024) and is incorporated herein by reference.
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(2)
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Amended Appendix A to the Distribution Agreement was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 134 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on July 23, 2025 (File Nos. 333-201530 and 811-23024) and is incorporated herein by reference.
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(f)
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Bonus, profit sharing contracts - None.
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(g)
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(1)
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Custody Agreement between the Registrant and U.S. Bank National Association dated May 26, 2015, was previously filed with Pre-Effective Amendment No. 2 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on May 27, 2015 (File Nos. 333-201530 and 811-23024) and is incorporated herein by reference.
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(2)
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Third Amendment to Custody Agreement between the Registrant and U.S. Bank National Association dated June 1, 2017, was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 12 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on August 28, 2017 (File Nos. 333-201530 and 811-23024) and is incorporated herein by reference.
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(3)
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Tenth Amendment to the Custody Agreement dated October 29, 2021, as amended was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 134 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on July 23, 2025 (File Nos. 333-201530 and 811-23024) and is incorporated herein by reference.
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(h)
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Other Material Contracts.
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(1)
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(A)
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Fund Administration Servicing Agreement between the Registrant and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC dated May 26, 2015, was previously filed with Pre-Effective Amendment No. 2 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on May 27, 2015 (File Nos. 333-201530 and 811-23024) and is incorporated herein by reference.
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1
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(B)
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Fourth Amendment to Fund Administration Servicing Agreement between the Registrant and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC dated June 1, 2017, was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 12 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on August 28, 2017 (File Nos. 333-201530 and 811-23024) and is incorporated herein by reference.
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(C)
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Fifteenth Amendment to the Fund Administration Servicing Agreement dated May 26, 2015, as amended was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 134 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on July 23, 2025 (File Nos. 333-201530 and 811-23024) and is incorporated herein by reference.
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(2)
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(A)
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Transfer Agent Servicing Agreement between the Registrant and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC dated May 26, 2015, was previously filed with Pre-Effective Amendment No. 2 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on May 27, 2015 (File Nos. 333-201530 and 811-23024) and is incorporated herein by reference.
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(B)
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Third Amendment to Transfer Agent Agreement between the Registrant and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC dated June 1, 2017, was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 12 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on August 28, 2017 (File Nos. 333-201530 and 811-23024) and is incorporated herein by reference.
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(C)
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Fourteenth Amendment to the Transfer Agent Agreement dated May 26, 2015, as amended was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 134 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on July 23, 2025 (File Nos. 333-201530 and 811-23024) and is incorporated herein by reference.
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(3)
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(A)
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Fund Accounting Servicing Agreement between the Registrant and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC dated May 26, 2015, was previously filed with Pre-Effective Amendment No. 2 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on May 27, 2015 (File Nos. 333-201530 and 811-23024) and is incorporated herein by reference.
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(B)
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Fourth Amendment to Fund Accounting Servicing Agreement between the Registrant and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC dated June 1, 2017, was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 12 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on August 28, 2017 (File Nos. 333-201530 and 811-23024) and is incorporated herein by reference.
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(C)
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Fourth Amendment to Fund Accounting Servicing Agreement between the Registrant and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC dated June 1, 2017, was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 12 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on August 28, 2017 (File Nos. 333-201530 and 811-23024) and is incorporated herein by reference.
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(4)
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Form of Authorized Participant Agreement was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 66 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on August 26, 2020 (File Nos. 333-201530 and 811-23024) and is incorporated herein by reference.
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(5)
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(A)
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Powers of Attorney were previously filed with Pre-Effective Amendment No. 2 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on May 27, 2015 (File Nos. 333-201530 and 811-23024) and are incorporated herein by reference.
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(B)
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Power of Attorney previously filed with Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Registrant's Registration Statement filed on Form N-14 on September 16, 2021 (File Nos. 333-258895 and 811-23024) and is incorporated herein by reference.
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(C)
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Power of Attorney was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 83 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on December 6, 2021 (File Nos. 333-201530 and 811-23024) and is incorporated herein by reference.
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(6)
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(A)
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Ultra Series Fund Rule 12d1-4 Fund of Funds Investment Agreement was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment 93 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on May 6, 2022 (File Nos. 333-201530 and 811-823024) and is incorporated herein by reference.
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(B)
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Lazard Funds, Inc. Rule 12d1-4 Fund of Funds Investment Agreement was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment 98 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on January 19, 2023 (File Nos. 333-201530 and 811-823024) and is incorporated herein by reference.
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(6)
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Advisory Fee Waiver Agreement (INDS & SRVR) was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment 104 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on February 26, 2024 (File Nos. 333-201530 and 811-823024) and is incorporated herein by reference.
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(i)
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(1)
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Opinion and Consent of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP for Pacer Trendpilot™ 750 ETF, Pacer Trendpilot™ 450 ETF, Pacer Trendpilot™ 100 ETF and Pacer US Export Leaders ETF is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (i) to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 2 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed with the SEC on May 27, 2015 (File Nos. 333-201530 and 811-23024).
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(2)
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Opinion and Consent of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP for Pacer Trendpilot™ European Index ETF, Pacer Autopilot Hedged European Index ETF, Pacer Global Cash Cows Dividend ETF (formerly known as the Pacer Global High Dividend ETF) and Pacer International Export Leaders ETF is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (i) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 2 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed with the SEC on September 25, 2015 (File Nos. 333-201530 and 811-23024).
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2
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(3)
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Opinion and Consent of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP for Pacer US Cash Cows 100 ETF, Pacer Developed Markets International Cash Cows 100 ETF, and Pacer US Small Cap Cash Cows 100 ETF (formerly known as the Pacer Emerging Markets Cash Cows 100 ETF), was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 9 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on December 12, 2016 and is incorporated herein by reference (File Nos. 333-201530 and 811-23024).
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(4)
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Opinion and Consent of Practus, LLP for Pacer Trendpilot US Bond ETF was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 51 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on October 11, 2019 (File Nos. 333-201530 and 811-23024) and is incorporated herein by reference.
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(5)
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Opinion and Consent of Practus, LLP for Pacer American Energy Independence ETF was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 53 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on December 11, 2019 (File Nos. 333-201530 and 811-23024) and is incorporated herein by reference.
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(6)
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Opinion and Consent of Practus, LLP for Pacer Lunt Large Cap Alternator ETF, Pacer Lunt MidCap Multi-Factor Alternator ETF, Pacer Large Cap Multi-Factor Alternator ETF, and Pacer BioThreat ETF was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment 64 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on June 22, 2020 (File Nos. 333-201530 and 811-23024) and is incorporated herein by reference.
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(7)
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Opinion and Consent of Practus, LLP for Pacer Swan SOS ETFs was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment 71 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on December 21, 2020 (File Nos. 333-201530 and 811-23024) and is incorporated herein by reference.
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(8)
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Opinion and Consent of Practus, LLP for Pacer Metaurus ETFs was previously filed with Post-Effective 77 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on July 1, 2021 (File Nos. 333-201530 and 811-23024) and is incorporated herein by reference.
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(9)
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Opinion and Consent of Practus, LLP for Pacer Pacific Asset Floating Rate High Income ETF was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment 82 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on October 19, 2021 (File Nos. 333-201530 and 811-23024) and is incorporated herein by reference.
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(10)
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Opinion and Consent of Practus, LLP for Pacer BlueStar Digital Entertainment ETF and Pacer BlueStar Engineering the Future ETF was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment 91 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on April 6, 2022 (File Nos. 333-201530 and 811-23024) and is incorporated herein by reference.
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(11)
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Opinion and Consent of Practus, LLP for Pacer Data and Digital Revolution ETF and Pacer Industrials and Logistics ETF was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment 93 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on May 6, 2022 (File Nos. 333-201530 and 811-823024) and is incorporated herein by reference.
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(12)
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Opinion and Consent of Practus, LLP for Pacer US Large Cap Cash Cows Growth Leaders ETF was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment 97 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on December 19, 2022 (File Nos. 333-201530 and 811-823024) and is incorporated herein by reference.
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(13)
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Opinion and Consent of Practus, LLP for Pacer US Small Cap Cash Cows Growth Leaders ETF was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment 100 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on April 4, 2023 (File Nos. 333-201530 and 811-23024 and is incorporated herein by reference.
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(14)
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Opinion and Consent of Practus, LLP for Pacer Developed Markets Cash Cows Growth Leaders ETF, was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 106 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on March 20, 2024 (File Nos. 333-201530 and 811-23024) and is incorporated herein by reference.
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(15)
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Opinion and Consent of Practus, LLP for Pacer Metaurus International Developed Markets Dividend Multiplier 400 ETF, was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 114 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on July 5, 2024 (File Nos. 333-201530 and 811-23024) and is incorporated herein by reference.
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(16)
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Opinion and Consent of Practus, LLP for Pacer Metaurus Nasdaq 100 Dividend Multiplier 600 ETF, Pacer Nasdaq 100 Top 50 Cash Cows Growth Leaders ETF, Pacer MSCI World Industry Advantage ETF and Pacer Nasdaq International Patent Leaders ETF, was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 117 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on August 14, 2024 (File Nos. 333-201530 and 811-23024) and is incorporated herein by reference.
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(17)
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Opinion and Consent of Practus, LLP for Pacer US Cash Cows Bond ETF, Pacer Solactive Whitney Future of Warfare ETF and Pacer PE/VC ETF was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 120 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on December 13, 2024 (File Nos. 333-201530 and 811-23024) and is incorporated herein by reference.
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(18)
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Opinion and Consent of Practus, LLP for the Pacer Cash COWZ 100-Nasdaq 100 Rotator ETF was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 130 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on April 16, 2025 (File Nos. 333-201530 and 811-23024) and is incorporated herein by reference.
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3
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(19)
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Opinion and Consent of Practus, LLP for the Pacer S&P 500 Quality FCF Aristocrats ETF was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 132 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on April 25, 2025 (File Nos. 333-201530 and 811-23024) and is incorporated herein by reference.
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(20)
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Opinion and Consent of Practus, LLP for the Pacer S&P SmallCap 600 Quality FCF Aristocrats ETF and Pacer S&P MidCap 400 Quality FCF Aristocrats ETF was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 134 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on July 23, 2025 (File Nos. 333-201530 and 811-23024) and is incorporated herein by reference.
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(j)
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(1)
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Consent of the Pacer American Energy Independence ETF Predecessor Fund's Accounting Firm was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment 53 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on December 11, 2019 (File Nos. 333-201530 and 811-23024) and is incorporated herein by reference.
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(2)
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Consent of the Pacer Pacific Asset Floating Rate High Income ETF Predecessor Fund's Accounting Firm was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment 82 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on October 19, 2021 (File Nos. 333-201530 and 811-23024) and is incorporated herein by reference.
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(3)
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Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm - filed herewith
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(k)
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Financial statements omitted from prospectus - None.
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(l)
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Subscription Agreement dated May 15, 2015, was previously filed with Pre-Effective Amendment No. 2 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on May 27, 2015 (File Nos. 333-201530 and 811-23024) and is incorporated herein by reference.
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(m)
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(1)
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Rule 12b-1 Plan was previously filed with Pre-Effective Amendment No. 2 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on May 27, 2015 (File Nos. 333-201530 and 811-23024) and is incorporated herein by reference.
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(2)
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Amended Schedule A to Rule 12b-1 Plan dated April 16, 2025 was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 130 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on April 16, 2025 (File Nos. 333-201530 and 811-23024) and is incorporated herein by reference.
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(n)
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Rule 18f-3 Plan - None.
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(o)
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Reserved.
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(p)
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(1)
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Code of Ethics of Pacer Funds Trust was previously filed with Pre-Effective Amendment No. 2 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on May 27, 2015 (File Nos. 333-201530 and 811-23024) and is incorporated herein by reference.
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(2)
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Code of Ethics of Pacer Advisors, Inc. dated August 3, 2017 was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 43 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on April 30, 2019 (File Nos. 333-201530 and 811-23024) and is incorporated herein by reference.
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(3)
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Code of Ethics of Pacer Financial, Inc. was previously filed with Pre-Effective Amendment No. 2 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on May 27, 2015 (File Nos. 333-201530 and 811-23024) and is incorporated herein by reference.
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(4)
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Code of Ethics of Vident Advisory, LLC & Vident Investment Advisory, LLC was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment 91 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on April 6, 2022 (File Nos. 333-201530 and 811-23024) and is incorporated herein by reference.
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(5)
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Code of Ethics of Swan Global Management, LLC was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment 71 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on December 21, 2020 (File Nos. 333-201530 and 811-23024) and is incorporated herein by reference.
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(6)
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Code of Ethics of Metaurus Advisors LLC was previously filed with Post-Effective 77 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on July 1, 2021 (File Nos. 333-201530 and 811-23024) and is incorporated herein by reference.
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(7)
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Code of Ethics of Aristotle Pacific Capital LLC was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment 135 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on August 28, 2025 (File Nos. 333-201530 and 811-23024) and is incorporated herein by reference.
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Item 29. Persons Controlled by or Under Common Control with Registrant
Not Applicable.
4
Item 30. Indemnification
Reference is made to Article VII, Section III of the Registrant's Declaration of Trust, which was filed with the Registrant's Registration Statement on April 6, 2022. The general effect of this provision is to indemnify the Trustees, officers, employees and other agents of the Trust who are parties pursuant to any proceeding by reason of their actions performed in their scope of service on behalf of the Trust.
Pursuant to Rule 484 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), the Registrant furnishes the following undertaking: "Insofar as indemnification for liability arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to trustees, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that, in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a trustee, officer or controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such trustee, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue."
Item 31. Business and Other Connections of Investment Adviser
This Item incorporated by reference each investment adviser's Uniform Application for Investment Adviser Registration ("Form ADV") on file with the SEC, as listed below. Each Form ADV may be obtained, free of charge, at the SEC's website at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov. Additional information as to any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature engaged in by each officer and director of the below-listed investment advisers is included in the Trust's Statement of Additional Information.
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Investment Adviser
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SEC File No.
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Investment Adviser
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SEC File No.
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Pacer Advisors, Inc.
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801-79654
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Swan Global Management, LLC
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801-80552
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Vident Investment Advisory, LLC
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801-80534
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Aristotle Pacific Capital, LLC
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801-117402
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Metaurus Advisors LLC
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801-121194
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ActiveAlpha Investment Advisors Private Ltd.
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[ ]
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Item 32. Principal Underwriter
(a) Pacer Financial, Inc., the Registrant's principal underwriter, does not act as principal underwriter for any other investment companies.
(b)To the best of Registrant's knowledge, the directors and executive officers of Pacer Financial, Inc. are as follows:
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Name and Principal
Business Address (1)
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Position and Offices with Pacer Financial, Inc.
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Positions and Offices with Registrant
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Joe M. Thomson
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President
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President, Chairman
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Jeff Johnson
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CCO
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None
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Joann Thomson
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Secretary, Treasurer
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None
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John Miller
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FINOP
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None
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(1)The principal business address for each of the above directors and executive officers is 500 Chesterfield Parkway, Malvern, Pennsylvania 19355.
(c)Not applicable.
5
Item 33. Location of Accounts and Records
The books, accounts and other documents required by Section 31(a) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and the rules promulgated thereunder will be maintained at the offices of:
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Records Relating to:
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Are located at:
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Registrant's Transfer Agent, Fund Administrator and Fund Accountant
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U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC
615 East Michigan Street
Milwaukee, WI 53202
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Registrant's Custodian
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U.S. Bank National Association
1555 North Rivercenter Drive, Suite 302
Milwaukee, WI 53212
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Registrant's Investment Adviser
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Pacer Advisors, Inc.
500 Chesterfield Parkway
Malvern, Pennsylvania 19355
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Sub-Advisor for the Pacer Trendpilot US Bond ETF
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Vident Investment Advisory, LLC
1125 Sanctuary Parkway, Suite 515
Alpharetta, GA 30009
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Sub-Advisor for the Pacer Swan SOS ETFs
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Swan Global Management, LLC
20 Ridge Top Palmas Del Mar
Humacao, PR 00791
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Sub-Advisor for the Pacer Metaurus ETFs
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Metaurus Advisors LLC
22 Hudson Place, Third Floor
Hoboken, New Jersey 07030
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Sub-Advisor for the Pacer Pacific Asset Floating Rate High Income ETF
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Aristotle Pacific Capital, LLC
840 Newport Center Drive, 7th Floor
Newport Beach, CA 92660
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Sub-Advisor for the Pacer ActiveAlpha India Quality ETF
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ActiveAlpha Investment Advisors Private Ltd.
1802 81 Aureate CTS No. 7, Bandra West, Mumbai, Maharashtra, 400 050, India
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Registrant's Distributor
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Pacer Financial, Inc.
500 Chesterfield Parkway
Malvern, Pennsylvania 19355
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Item 34. Management Services
Not applicable.
Item 35. Undertakings
Not applicable.
6
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Registrant has duly caused this Post-Effective Amendment to its Registration Statement on Form N-1A to be signed below on its behalf by the undersigned, duly authorized, in the City of Malvern and the State of Pennsylvania on September 25, 2025.
Pacer Funds Trust
By: /s/ Joe M. Thomson
Joe M. Thomson
President
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities indicated as of September 25, 2025.
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Signature
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Title
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Deborah G. Wolk*
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Lead Independent Trustee
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Deborah G. Wolk
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Colin C. Lake*
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Trustee
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Colin C. Lake
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Jane K. Sagendorph*
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Trustee
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Jane K. Sagendorph
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/s/ Joe M. Thomson
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Trustee, President, and Principal Executive Officer
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Joe M. Thomson
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/s/ Sean E. O'Hara
|
Treasurer and Principal Financial Officer
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Sean E. O'Hara
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*By:
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/s/ Sean E. O'Hara
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Sean E. O'Hara
Attorney-in-Fact pursuant to
Powers of Attorney previously filed
|
INDEX OF EXHIBITS
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|
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Exhibit No.
|
Description of Exhibit
|
(j)(3)
|
Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
|
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