Equity Securities Risk. Investments in equity securities may fluctuate in value response to many factors, including general market and economic conditions, interest rates, and specific industry changes. Such price fluctuations subject the Fund to potential losses. During temporary or extended bear markets, the value of equity securities will decline, which could also result in losses for the Fund.

Sampling Risk.  The Fund's use of a representative sampling approach, if used, could result in it holding a smaller number of securities than are in the Index.  As a result, an adverse development with an issuer of securities held by the Fund could result in a greater decline in NAV than would be the case if the Fund held all of the securities in the Index. 

Concentration Risk.  Because the Fund may concentrate its investments in a particular industry or group of industries, to the extent the Index does, the value of its shares may be especially sensitive to factors and economic risks that specifically affect that industry. As a result, the Fund's share price may fluctuate more widely than the value of shares of a fund that invests in a broader range of industries.  Some industries could be subject to greater government regulation than other industries. Therefore, changes in regulatory policies for those industries may have a material effect on the value of securities issued by companies in those industries. The industries in which the Fund may invest, directly or indirectly, will vary based on the investments of the Index.

Large Capitalization Risk. The Fund has exposure to large-capitalization companies. Large-capitalization companies may be less able than smaller capitalization companies to adapt to changing market conditions. Large-capitalization companies may be more mature and subject to more limited growth potential compared with smaller capitalization companies. During different market cycles, the performance of large capitalization companies has trailed the overall performance of the broader securities markets.

Foreign Securities Risk. The Fund could be subject to greater risks because the Fund’s performance may depend on issues other than the performance of a particular company or U.S. market sector.  Changes in foreign economies and political climates are more likely to affect the Fund than a fund that invests exclusively in U.S. companies.  The value of foreign securities is also affected by the value of the local currency relative to the U.S. dollar.  There may also be less government supervision of foreign markets, resulting in non-uniform accounting practices and less publicly available information.  The values of foreign investments may be affected by changes in exchange control regulations, application of foreign tax laws (including withholding tax), changes in governmental administration or economic or monetary policy (in this country or abroad) or changed circumstances in dealings between nations.  In addition, foreign brokerage commissions, custody fees and other costs of investing in foreign securities are generally higher than in the United States.  Investments in foreign issues could be affected by other factors not present in the United States, including expropriation, armed conflict, confiscatory taxation, and potential difficulties in enforcing contractual obligations.

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ADRs Risk. ADRs may be subject to some of the same risks as those described above for investments in foreign securities.  In a sponsored ADR arrangement, the foreign issuer assumes the obligation to pay some or all of the depositary’s transaction fees.  Under an unsponsored ADR arrangement, the foreign issuer assumes no obligations and the depositary’s transaction fees are paid directly by the ADR holders.  Because unsponsored ADR arrangements are organized independently and without the cooperation of the issuer of the underlying securities, available information concerning the foreign issuer may not be as current as for sponsored ADRs and voting rights with respect to the deposited securities are not passed through.

Derivatives Risk. The derivative instruments in which the Fund may invest, including swaps, may be more volatile than other instruments. The risks associated with investments in derivatives also include liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or improper valuation. Changes in the market value of a derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset, rate, or index, and the Fund could lose more than the principal amount invested.

Currency Risk. Because the Fund’s NAV is determined in U.S. dollars, the NAV could decline if the currency of a non-U.S. market in which the Fund invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar or if there are delays or limits on the repatriation of foreign currency.  Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably. As a result, the Fund’s NAV may change quickly and without warning. In addition, the Fund may incur costs in connection with conversions between U.S. dollars and foreign currencies.

Authorized Participant Risk. Only Authorized Participants may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. The Fund has a limited number of institutions that may act as Authorized Participants on an agency basis (i.e., on behalf of other market participants). Authorized Participant concentration risk may be heightened for exchange-traded funds (ETFs), such as the Fund, that invest in securities issued by non-U.S. issuers or other securities or instruments that have lower trading volumes.

Cybersecurity Risk. As part of its business, the Advisor processes, stores, and transmits large amounts of electronic information, including information relating to the transactions of the Fund. The Advisor and the Fund are therefore susceptible to cybersecurity risk. Cybersecurity failures or breaches of the Fund or its service providers have the ability to cause disruptions and impact business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses, the inability of Fund shareholders to transact business, violations of applicable privacy and other laws, regulatory fines, penalties and/or reputational damage. The Fund and its shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result.

Early Close/Trading Halt Risk. An exchange or market may close or issue trading halts on specific securities, or the ability to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments may be restricted, which may prevent the Fund from buying or selling certain securities or financial instruments. In these circumstances, the Fund may be unable to rebalance its portfolio, may be unable to accurately price its investments and may incur substantial trading losses.

Tracking Error Risk. The Fund's return may not match or achieve a high degree of correlation with the return of the Index. To the extent the Fund utilizes a sampling approach, it may experience tracking error to a greater extent than if the Fund sought to replicate the Index.