United States Commodity Index Funds Trust 10-K

Item 1A. Risk Factors. The following risk factors should be read in connection with the other information included in this annual report on Form 10-K, including Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and financial statements and the related notes. Each Trust Series’ investment objective is for the daily percentage changes in the NAV per share to reflect the daily percentage changes of the Applicable Index, less the Trust Series’ expenses. Each Trust Series seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing in a combination of Futures Contracts and Other Commodity Related Investments such that the daily percentage changes in its NAV, measured in percentage terms, will closely track the changes in the daily price of the Applicable Index, also measured in percentage terms. Each Trust Series’ investment strategy is designed to provide investors with a cost-effective way to invest indirectly in various commodities and to hedge against movements in the spot price of applicable commodities. An investment in a Trust Series therefore, involves investment risk and correlation risk, or the risk that investors purchasing shares to hedge against movements in the price of commodities will have an efficient hedge only if the return from their shares closely correlates with the return of the Applicable Index. In addition to investment risk and correlation risk, an investment in a Trust Series involves tax risks, OTC risks, and other risks. Investment Risk The NAV of a Trust Series shares relates directly to the value of its assets invested in accordance with the Applicable Index and other assets held by a Trust Series and fluctuations in the prices of these assets could materially adversely affect an investment in a Trust Series’ shares. The net assets of each Trust Series consist primarily of investments in Futures Contracts and, to a lesser extent, in Other Commodity-Related Investments. The NAV of a Trust Series’ shares relates directly to the value of these assets (less liabilities, including accrued but unpaid expenses), which in turn relates to the market price of the commodities which comprise the Applicable Index. Economic conditions . The demand for commodities, in general, correlates closely with general economic growth rates. The occurrence of recessions or other periods of low or negative economic growth will typically have a direct adverse impact on commodity prices, demand and, therefore, may have an adverse impact on commodity prices. Other factors that affect general economic conditions in the world or in a major region, such as changes in population growth rates, periods of civil unrest, military conflicts, war (such as the current war between Russia and Ukraine), pandemics (e.g., COVID-19), government austerity programs, or currency exchange rate fluctuations, can also impact the demand for commodities. Sovereign debt downgrades, defaults, inability to access debt markets due to credit or legal constraints, liquidity crises, the breakup or restructuring of fiscal, monetary, or political systems such as the European Union, and other events or conditions (e.g., pandemics such as COVID-19)that impair the functioning of financial markets and institutions also may adversely impact the demand for commodities. Other demand-related factors . Other factors may affect the demand for certain commodities and therefore their price. For example, with respect to energy commodities, such factors may include technological improvements in energy efficiency; seasonal weather patterns, which affect the demand for commodities associated with heating and cooling; increased competitiveness of alternative energy sources that have so far generally not been competitive with such commodity without the benefit of government subsidies or mandates; and changes in technology or consumer preferences that alter fuel choices, such as toward alternative fueled vehicles or electric transportation and broad-based changes in personal income levels. With respect to agricultural commodities, changes in consumer preference may lead to demand for a commodity such as grains. Other supply-related factors . Commodities prices also vary depending on a number of factors affecting supply, including geopolitical risk associated with wars (such as the current war between Russia and Ukraine), terrorist attacks and tensions between countries, including sanctions imposed as a result of the foregoing that can adversely affect commodity trade flows by limiting or disrupting trade between countries or regions. For example, increased supply from the development of hybrid crops (such as corn and soybeans) and technologies for efficient farming tends to reduce prices in such commodity to the extent such supply increases are not offset by commensurate growth in demand. Similarly, increases in industry manufacturing capacity may impact the supply of a particular crop. World food supply levels can also be affected by factors that reduce available supplies, such as embargoes, the occurrence of geopolitical 39 Table of Contents risk associated with wars, terrorist attacks and tensions between countries, including sanctions imposed as a result of the foregoing that can adversely affect commodity trade flows by limiting or disrupting trade between countries or regions, natural disasters, disruptions in competitors’ operations, or unexpected unavailability of distribution channels that may disrupt supplies. Technological change can also alter the relative costs for companies to produce, and process and distribute a commodity, which in turn may affect the supply of and demand of such commodity. Other market factors . The supply of and demand for agricultural and other commodities may also be impacted by changes in interest rates, inflation, and other local or regional market conditions. Price volatility may possibly cause the total loss of your investment . Futures contracts have a high degree of price variability and are subject to occasional rapid and substantial changes. Consequently, you could lose all or substantially all of your investment in a Trust Series. Significant market volatility has recently occurred in the commodities markets. Such volatility is attributable in part to the COVID-19 pandemic, related supply chain disruptions, war, including the war between Russia and Ukraine, and continuing disputes among oil-producing countries. These and other events could cause continuing or increased volatility in the future, which may affect the value, pricing and liquidity of some investments or other assets, including those held by or invested in by a Trust Series and the impact of which could limit the Trust Series’ ability to have a substantial portion of its assets invested in the Applicable Benchmark Component Futures Contracts. In such a circumstance, the Trust Series could, if it determined it appropriate to do so in light of market conditions and regulatory requirements, invest in other Futures Contracts and/or Other Related Investments. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and sanctions brought by the United States and other countries against Russia and others, have caused disruptions in many business sectors, resulting in significant market disruptions that may lead to increased volatility in the price of certain commodities, and may lead to volatility in a Trust Series’ NAV or share price. On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine. The extent and duration of the military action, and resulting sanctions, and future market or supply disruptions in the region, are impossible to predict, but could be significant and may have a severe adverse effect on the region. The United States and other countries and certain international organizations have imposed broad-ranging economic sanctions on Russia and certain Russian individuals, banking entities and corporations as a response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and additional sanctions may be imposed in the future. Such sanctions (and any future sanctions) will adversely impact the economies of Russia and Ukraine, and certain sectors of each country’s economy may be particularly affected, including but not limited to, financial services, energy, metals and mining, engineering and defense and defense-related materials sectors. Among other things, the extent and duration of the military action, the responses of countries and political bodies to Russia’s actions, including sanctions, future market or supply disruptions, and Ukraine’s military response and the potential for wider conflict may increase financial market volatility generally, have severe adverse effects on regional and global economic markets, and cause volatility in the markets for commodities including the price of commodity futures, and the NAV or share price of a Trust Series. A resolution to the war in Ukraine also could impact the markets for certain commodities, and may have collateral impacts, including increased volatility, and cause disruptions to the availability of certain commodities, commodity and futures prices and the supply chain globally. The longer-term impact on commodities and futures prices, including the spot price of the commodities that the Trust Series invest in and the prices of the Applicable Benchmark Component Futures Contracts, is difficult to predict and depends on a number of factors that may have a negative impact on the Trust Series in the future. Infectious disease outbreaks like COVID-19 could negatively affect the valuation and performance of the Trust Series’ investments. An outbreak of infectious respiratory illness caused by a novel coronavirus known as COVID-19 was first detected in China in December 2019 and spread globally. In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic. COVID-19 resulted in numerous deaths, travel restrictions, closed international borders, enhanced health screenings at ports of entry and elsewhere, disruption of and delays in healthcare service preparation and delivery, prolonged quarantines and the imposition of both local and more widespread “work from home” measures, cancellations, loss of employment, supply chain disruptions, and lower consumer and institutional demand for goods and services, as well as general concern and uncertainty. The ongoing spread of COVID-19 has had, and may continue to have, a material adverse impact on local economies in the affected jurisdictions and also on the global economy, as cross border commercial activity and market sentiment were impacted by the outbreak and government and other measures seeking to contain its spread. 40 Table of Contents Infectious disease outbreaks like COVID-19 may arise in the future and could adversely affect individual issuers and capital markets in ways that cannot necessarily be foreseen. In addition, actions taken by government and quasi-governmental authorities and regulators throughout the world in response to such an outbreak, including the potential for significant fiscal and monetary policy changes, may affect the value, volatility, pricing and liquidity of some investments or other assets, including those held by or invested in by the Trust Series. Public health crises caused by infectious disease outbreaks may exacerbate other pre-existing political, social and economic risks in certain countries or globally and their duration cannot be determined with certainty. Historical performance of a Trust Series and the Applicable Benchmark Component Futures Contracts is not indicative of future performance. Past performance of a Trust Series or the Applicable Benchmark Component Futures Contracts is not necessarily indicative of future results. Therefore, past performance of a Trust Series or the Applicable Benchmark Component Futures Contracts should not be relied upon in deciding whether to buy shares of a Trust Series. Correlation Risk An investment in a Trust Series may provide little or no diversification benefits. Thus, in a declining market, a Trust Series may have no gains to offset losses from other investments, and an investor may suffer losses on an investment in a Trust Series while incurring losses with respect to other asset classes. Investors purchasing shares to hedge against movements in the price of commodities will have an efficient hedge only if the return from their shares closely correlates with the return from the Applicable Index, which in turn, correlates with the price of commodities that comprise the Applicable Index. Investing in shares of a Trust Series for hedging purposes includes the following risks: ● The market price at which the investor buys or sells shares may be significantly more or less than NAV. ● Daily percentage changes in NAV may not closely correlate with daily percentage changes in the price of the Applicable Benchmark. ● Daily percentage changes in the prices of the Applicable Benchmark may not closely correlate with daily percentage changes in the price of the commodities that comprise the Applicable Index. Historically, Futures Contracts and Other Commodity-Related Investments have generally been non-correlated to the performance of other asset classes such as stocks and bonds. Non-correlation means that there is a low statistically valid relationship between the performance of futures and other commodity interest transactions, on the one hand, and stocks or bonds, on the other hand. However, there can be no assurance that such non-correlation will continue during future periods. If, contrary to historic patterns, a Trust Series’ performance were to move in the same general direction as the financial markets, investors will obtain little or no diversification benefits from an investment in a Trust Series’ shares. In such a case, a Trust Series may have no gains to offset losses from other investments, and investors may suffer losses on their investment in a Trust Series at the same time they incur losses with respect to other investments. Variables such as drought, floods, weather military conflicts, pandemics (such as COVID-19), embargoes, tariffs and other political events may have a larger impact on commodity prices and commodity-linked instruments, including Futures Contracts and Other Commodity-Related Investments, than on traditional securities. These additional variables may create additional investment risks that subject a Trust Series’ investments to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. Non-correlation should not be confused with negative correlation, where the performance of two asset classes would be opposite of each other. There is no historical evidence that the spot price of a commodity and prices of other financial assets, such as stocks and bonds, are negatively correlated. In the absence of negative correlation, a Trust Series cannot be expected to be automatically profitable during unfavorable periods for the stock market, or vice versa. The market price at which investors buy or sell shares may be significantly less or more than NAV. Each Trust Series’ NAV per share will change throughout the day as fluctuations occur in the market value of such Trust Series’ portfolio investments. The public trading price at which an investor buys or sells shares during the day from their broker may be different from the NAV of the shares. Generally, price differences may relate primarily to supply and demand forces at work in the secondary trading market for shares that are closely related to, but not identical to, the same forces influencing the prices of the commodities comprising 41 Table of Contents the Applicable Index and the Applicable Index at any point in time. USCF expects that exploitation of certain arbitrage opportunities by Authorized Participants and their clients will tend to cause the public trading price to track NAV per share closely over time, but there can be no assurance of that. The NAV of a Trust Series’ shares may also be influenced by non-concurrent trading hours between the NYSE Arca and the various futures exchanges on which a commodity comprising the Applicable Index is traded. While the shares trade on the NYSE Arca from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, the trading hours for the futures exchanges on commodities trade may not necessarily coincide during all of this time. For example, while the shares trade on the NYSE Arca until 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, liquidity in the global light sweet crude market will be reduced after the close of the NYMEX at 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time. As a result, during periods when the NYSE Arca is open and the futures exchanges on which sweet, light crude oil is traded are closed, trading spreads and the resulting premium or discount on the shares may widen and, therefore, increase the difference between the price of the shares and the NAV of the shares. Daily percentage changes in a Trust Series’ NAV may not correlate with daily percentage changes in the price of the Applicable Index . A Trust Series’ NAV per share will change throughout the day as fluctuations occur in the market value of that Trust Series’ portfolio investments. The public trading price at which an investor buys or sells shares during the day from their broker may be different from the NAV of the shares, which is also the price shares can be redeemed with the Trust Series by Authorized Participants in Redemption Baskets. Generally, price differences may relate primarily to supply and demand forces at work in the secondary trading market for shares that are closely related to, but not identical to, the same forces influencing the prices of the commodities comprising the Applicable Benchmark Component Futures Contracts and the Applicable Index at any point in time. USCF expects that exploitation of certain arbitrage opportunities by “Authorized Participants,” the institutional firms that directly purchase and redeem shares in blocks of 50,000 shares (“Creation Baskets” and “Redemption Baskets” respectively, together, “baskets”) and their clients and customers will tend to cause the public trading price to track NAV per share closely over time, but there can be no assurance of that. For example, a shortage of a Trust Series’ shares in the market and other factors could cause that Trust Series’ shares to trade at a premium. Investors should be aware that such premiums can be transitory. To the extent an investor purchases shares that include a premium (e.g., because of a shortage of shares in the market due to the inability of Authorized Participants to purchase additional Creation Baskets from a Trust Series that could be resold in the market) and the cause of the premium no longer exists causing the premium to disappear (e.g., because more shares are available for purchase from the Trust Series by Authorized Participants that could be resold into the market) such investor’s return on its investment would be adversely impacted due to the loss of the premium. Daily percentage changes in the price of the Applicable Benchmark Component Futures Contract may not correlate with daily percentage changes in the spot price of the corresponding commodity. The correlation between changes in prices of an Applicable Benchmark Component Futures Contract and the spot price of the corresponding commodity may at times be only approximate. The degree of imperfection of correlation depends upon circumstances such as variations in the speculative commodities market, supply of and demand for Futures Contracts (including the Applicable Benchmark Component Futures Contract) and Other Commodity-Related Investments, and technical influences in futures trading. In addition, a Trust Series is not able to replicate exactly the changes in the price of the Applicable Index because the total return generated by the Trust Series is reduced by expenses and transaction costs, including those incurred in connection with the Trust Series’ trading activities, and increased by interest income from the Trust Series’ holdings of Treasuries. Tracking the Applicable Index requires trading of the relevant Trust Series’ portfolio with a view to tracking the Applicable Index over time and is dependent upon the skills of USCF and its trading principals, among other factors. An investment in a Trust Series is not a proxy for investing in the commodities markets, and the daily percentage changes in the price of the Applicable Benchmark Component Futures Contracts, or the NAV of the Trust Series, may not correlate with daily percentage changes in the spot price of the physical commodities that underlie the Applicable Index. An investment in a Trust Series is not a proxy for investing in the commodities markets. To the extent that investors use a Trust Series as a means of indirectly investing in physical commodities, there is the risk that the daily changes in the price of the Trust Series’ shares on the NYSE Arca, on a percentage basis, will not closely track the daily changes in the spot price of the commodities on a percentage basis. This could happen if the price of shares traded on the NYSE Arca does not correlate closely with the value of the Trust Series’ NAV; the changes in the Trust Series’ NAV do not correlate closely with the changes in the price of the Benchmark Component Futures Contract; or the changes in the price of the Benchmark Component Futures Contract does not closely correlate with the changes in the 42 Table of Contents cash or spot price of the commodities. This is a risk because if these correlations do not exist, then investors may not be able to use the Trust Series as a cost-effective way to indirectly invest in commodities or as a hedge against movements in the spot price of commodities. The degree of correlation among a Trust Series’ share price, the price of the Benchmark Component Futures Contract and the spot price of commodities depends upon circumstances such as variations in the speculative commodities market, supply of and demand for Futures Contracts (including the Applicable Benchmark Component Futures Contracts) and Other Related Investments, and technical influences on trading futures contracts. Investors who are not experienced in investing in futures contracts or the factors that influence that market or speculative trading in futures markets and may not have the background or ready access to the types of information that investors familiar with these markets may have and, as a result, may be at greater risk of incurring losses from trading in a Trust Series’ shares than such other investors with such experience and resources. The price relationship between each Applicable Index at any point in time and the Futures Contracts that will become the Applicable Benchmark Component Futures Contracts on the next rebalancing date will vary and may impact both a Trust Series’ total return and the degree to which its total return tracks that of commodity price indices. The design of each Applicable Index is such that every month it is made up of different Applicable Benchmark Component Futures Contracts, and a Trust Series’ investment must be rebalanced on an ongoing basis to reflect the changing composition of the Applicable Index. In the event of a commodity futures market where near month contracts to expire trade at a higher price than next month contracts to expire, a situation described as “backwardation” in the futures market, then absent the impact of the overall movement in commodity prices, the value of the Applicable Index would tend to rise as it approaches expiration. As a result, a Trust Series may benefit because it would be selling more expensive contracts and buying less expensive ones on an ongoing basis. Conversely, in the event of a commodity futures market where near month contracts trade at a lower price than next month contracts, a situation described as “contango” in the futures market, then absent the impact of the overall movement in commodity prices, the value of the Applicable Index would tend to decline as it approaches expiration. As a result, a Trust Series’ total return may be lower than might otherwise be the case because it would be selling less expensive contracts and buying more expensive ones. The impact of backwardation and contango may cause the total return of a Trust Series to vary significantly from the total return of other price references, such as the spot price of the commodities comprising the Applicable Index. Moreover, absent the impact of rising or falling commodity prices, a prolonged period of contango could have a significant negative impact on a Trust Series’ per share NAV and total return and investors could lose part or all of their investment. Accountability levels, position limits, and daily price fluctuation limits set by the exchanges have the potential to cause tracking error, which could cause the price of shares to substantially vary from the price of the Applicable Index. Designated contract markets, such as the NYMEX and ICE Futures, have established accountability levels and position limits on the maximum net long or net short futures contracts in commodity interests that any person or group of persons under common trading control (other than as a hedge, which an investment by a Trust Series is not) may hold, own or control. These levels and position limits apply to the futures contracts that the Trust Series invest in to meet their investment objectives. In addition to accountability levels and position limits, the NYMEX and ICE Futures, also set daily price limits on futures contracts. The daily price fluctuation limit establishes the maximum amount that the price of a futures contract may vary either up or down from the previous day’s settlement price. Once the daily price fluctuation limit has been reached in a particular futures contract, no trades may be made at a price beyond that limit. The Position Limits Rule establishes federal position limits for 25 core referenced futures contracts (comprised of agricultural, energy and metals futures contracts), futures and options linked to the core referenced futures contracts, and swaps that are economically equivalent to the core referenced futures contracts, and swaps that are economically equivalent to the core referenced futures contracts that all market participants must comply with, with certain exemptions. Certain of the Applicable Benchmark Component Futures Contracts will be subject to position limits under the Position Limits Rule, and the Trust Series’ trading does not qualify for an exemption therefrom. Accordingly, the Position Limits Rule could inhibit the Trust Series’ ability to invest in the Applicable Benchmark Component Futures Contracts and thereby could negatively impact the ability of the Trust Series to meet its investment objective. These limits may potentially cause a tracking error between the price of a Trust Series’ shares and the Applicable Index. This may in turn prevent investors from being able to effectively use a Trust Series as a way to hedge against commodity-related losses or as a way to indirectly invest in a commodity. 43 Table of Contents Risk mitigation measures that could be imposed by the Trust Series’ FCMs have the potential to cause tracking error by limiting a Trust Series’ investments, including its ability to fully invest in the Applicable Benchmark Component Futures Contract and other Futures Contracts, which could cause the price of the Trust Series’ shares to substantially vary from the price of the Applicable Benchmark Component Futures Contracts. The Trust Series’ FCMs have discretion to impose limits on the positions that a Trust Series may hold in the Applicable Benchmark Component Futures Contracts as well as certain other months. To date, the Trust Series’ FCMs have not imposed any such limits. However, were the FCMs to impose limits on a Trust Series, such Trust Series’ ability to have a substantial portion of its assets invested in the Applicable Benchmark Component Futures Contract and other Futures Contracts could be severely limited, which could lead the Trust Series to invest in other Futures Contracts or, potentially, Other Related Investments. The Trust Series could also have to more frequently rebalance and adjust the types of holdings in its portfolio than is currently the case. This could inhibit the Trust Series from pursuing its investment objective in the same manner that it has historically and currently. In addition, when offering Creation Baskets for purchase, limitations imposed by exchanges and/or any of the FCMs could limit a Trust Series’ ability to invest the proceeds of the purchases of Creation Baskets in Applicable Benchmark Component Futures Contracts and other Futures Contracts. If this were the case, the Trust Series may invest in other permitted investments, including Other Related Investments, and may hold larger amounts of Treasuries, cash and cash equivalents, which could impair the Trust Series’ ability to meet its investment objective. Tax Risk An investor’s tax liability may exceed the amount of distributions, if any, on its shares. Cash or property will be distributed at the sole discretion of USCF. USCF has not and does not currently intend to make cash or other distributions with respect to shares. Investors will be required to pay U.S. federal income tax and, in some cases, state, local, or foreign income tax, on their allocable share of a Trust Series’ taxable income, without regard to whether they receive distributions or the amount or value of any distributions. Therefore, the tax liability of an investor with respect to its shares may exceed the amount of cash or value of property (if any) distributed with respect to such shares. An investor’s allocable share of taxable income or loss may differ from its economic income or loss on the shares. Due to the application of the assumptions and conventions applied by a Trust Series in making allocations for tax purposes and other factors, an investor’s allocable share of a Trust Series’ income, gain, deduction or loss may be different than its economic profit or loss from the shares for a taxable year. This difference could be temporary or permanent and, if permanent, could result in it being taxed on amounts in excess of its economic income. Items of income, gain, deduction, loss and credit with respect to shares could be reallocated, for U.S. federal income tax purposes and the Trust Series could be liable for U.S. federal income tax, if the IRS does not accept the assumptions and conventions applied by the Trust Series in allocating those items, with potential adverse consequences for an investor. The U.S. federal income tax rules pertaining to entities treated as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes are complex and their application to large, publicly traded entities such as the Trust Series is in many respects uncertain. The Trust Series applies certain assumptions and conventions in an attempt to comply with the intent of the applicable rules and to report taxable income, gains, deductions, losses and credits in a manner that properly reflects shareholders’ economic gains and losses. It is possible that the IRS could successfully challenge the application by a Trust Series of these assumptions and conventions as not fully complying with all aspects of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), and applicable U.S. Treasury Regulations, which would require the Trust Series to reallocate items of income, gain, deduction, loss or credit in a manner that adversely affects investors. If this occurs, investors may be required to file an amended U.S. federal income tax return and to pay additional taxes, plus deficiency interest, and may be subject to penalties. The Trust Series may be liable for U.S. federal income tax on any “imputed underpayment” of tax resulting from an adjustment as a result of an IRS audit. The amount of the imputed underpayment generally includes increases in allocations of items of income or gain to any investor and decreases in allocations of items of deduction, loss, or credit to any investor without any offset for any corresponding reductions in allocations of items of income or gain to any investor or increases in allocations of items of deduction, loss, or credit to any investor. If the Trust Series is required to pay any U.S. federal income taxes on any imputed underpayment, the resulting tax liability would reduce the net assets of the Trust Series and would likely have an adverse impact on the value of the shares. Under certain 44 Table of Contents circumstances, the Trust Series may be eligible to make an election to cause the investors to take into account the amount of any imputed underpayment, including any associated interest and penalties. The ability of a publicly traded partnership such as the Trust Series to elect this treatment is uncertain. If the election is made, the Trust Series would be required to provide investors who owned beneficial interests in the shares in the year to which the adjusted allocations relate with a statement setting forth their proportionate shares of the adjustment (“Adjusted K-1s”). The investors would be required to take the adjustment into account in the taxable year in which the Adjusted K-1s are issued. Each Trust Series could be treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, which may substantially reduce the value of the shares. The Trust, on behalf of each Trust Series, has received an opinion of counsel that, under current U.S. federal income tax laws, each Trust Series will be treated as a partnership that is not taxable as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, provided that (i) at least 90 percent of the Trust Series’ annual gross income will be derived from (a) income and gains from commodities (not held as inventory) or futures, forwards, options, swaps and other notional principal contracts with respect to commodities, and (b) interest income; (ii) the Trust and each Trust Series is organized and operated in accordance with its governing agreements and applicable law; and (iii) neither the Trust nor the Trust Series elects to be taxed as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Although USCF anticipates that each Trust Series has satisfied and will continue to satisfy the “qualifying income” requirement for all of its taxable years that result cannot be assured. No Trust Series has requested and will not request any ruling from the IRS with respect to its classification as a partnership taxable as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes. If the IRS were to successfully assert that a Trust Series is taxable as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes in any taxable year, rather than passing through its income, gains, losses, deductions and credits proportionately to its shareholders, the Trust Series would be subject to U.S. federal income tax imposed at applicable corporate rates on its net income for the year. In addition, although USCF does not currently intend to make distributions with respect to its shares, if a Trust Series were treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, any distributions made with respect to the Trust Series’ shares would be taxable to shareholders as dividend income to the extent of a Trust Series’ current and accumulated earnings and profits. Taxation of the Trust and each Trust Series as a corporation could materially reduce the after-tax return on an investment in shares and could substantially reduce the value of the shares. The Trust is organized as a Delaware statutory trust in accordance with the provisions of the Trust Agreement and applicable state law, but each Trust Series is treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and therefore, each Trust Series has a more complex tax treatment than traditional mutual funds. The Trust is organized as a Delaware statutory trust in accordance with the provisions of the Trust Agreement and applicable state law, but each Trust Series is taxed as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes. No U.S. federal income tax is paid by any Trust Series on its income. Instead, each Trust Series will furnish shareholders each year with tax information on IRS Schedules K-1 and/or K-3 (Form 1065) and each U.S. shareholder is required to report on its U.S. federal income tax return its allocable share of the income, gain, loss, deduction, and credit of each Trust Series. These amounts must be reported without regard to the amount (if any) of cash or property the shareholder receives as a distribution from an applicable Trust Series during the taxable year. A shareholder, therefore, may be allocated income or gain by a Trust Series but receive no cash distribution with which to pay the tax liability resulting from the allocation, or may receive a distribution that is insufficient to pay such liability. In addition to U.S. federal income taxes, shareholders may be subject to other taxes, such as state and local income taxes, unincorporated business taxes, business franchise taxes and estate, inheritance or intangible taxes that may be imposed by the various jurisdictions in which the Trust Series do business or own property or where the shareholders reside. Although an analysis of those various taxes is not presented here, each prospective shareholder should consider their potential impact on its investment in a Trust Series. It is each shareholder’s responsibility to file the appropriate U.S. federal, state, local, and foreign tax returns. If the Trust Series are required to withhold tax with respect to any non-U.S. shareholders, the cost of such withholding may be borne by all shareholders. Under certain circumstances, the Trust Series may be required to pay withholding tax with respect to allocations to non-U.S. shareholders. Although the Trust Agreement provides that any such withholding will be treated as being distributed to the non-U.S. shareholder, the Trust Series may not be able to cause the economic cost of such withholding to be borne by the non-U.S. shareholder on whose behalf such amounts were withheld since it does not generally expect to make any distributions. Under such circumstances, the economic cost of the withholding may be borne by all shareholders, not just the shareholders on whose behalf such amounts were withheld. This could have a material impact on the value of the shares. 45 Table of Contents The impact of changes in U.S. federal income tax laws on each Trust Series is uncertain. In general, legislative or other actions relating to U.S. federal income taxes could have a negative effect on the Trust Series or their investors. The rules dealing with U.S. federal income taxation are constantly under review by persons involved in the legislative process and by the IRS and the U.S. Treasury Department. On August 16, 2022, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (the “IRA”) into law. At this time, the Trust cannot predict with certainty how the tax provisions of the IRA or any other proposed or future tax legislation might affect the Trust, the Trust Series, investors in the Trust Series or the investments held by the Trust Series. Investors are urged to consult with their tax advisor with respect to the status of legislative, regulatory or administrative developments and proposals and their potential effect on an investment in our shares. OTC Contract Risk Each Trust Series will be subject to credit risk with respect to counterparties to OTC contracts entered into by the Trust on behalf of a Trust Series or held by special purpose or structured vehicles. Each Trust Series faces the risk of non-performance by the counterparties to the OTC contracts. Unlike in futures contracts, the counterparty to these contracts is generally a single bank or other financial institution, rather than a clearing organization backed by a group of financial institutions. As a result, there will be greater counterparty credit risk in these transactions. A counterparty may not be able to meet its obligations to a Trust Series, in which case the Trust Series could suffer significant losses on these contracts. The two-way margining requirements imposed by U.S. regulators are intended to mitigate this risk. If a counterparty becomes bankrupt or otherwise fails to perform its obligations due to financial difficulties, a Trust Series may experience significant delays in obtaining any recovery in a bankruptcy or other reorganization proceeding. The Trust on behalf of a Trust Series may obtain only limited recovery or may obtain no recovery in such circumstances. Each Trust Series mitigates these risks by typically entering into transactions only with major, global financial institutions. Valuing OTC derivatives may be less certain than actively traded financial instruments. In general, valuing OTC derivatives is less certain than valuing actively traded financial instruments such as exchange-traded futures contracts and securities or cleared swaps because, for OTC derivatives, the price and terms on which such OTC derivatives are entered into or can be terminated are individually negotiated, and those prices and terms may not reflect the best price or terms available from other sources. In addition, while market makers and dealers generally quote indicative prices or terms for entering into or terminating OTC contracts, they typically are not contractually obligated to do so, particularly if they are not a party to the transaction. As a result, it may be difficult to obtain an independent value for an outstanding OTC derivatives transaction. Each Trust Series’ rights under an OTC contract may be restricted by regulations. Regulations adopted by global prudential regulators that are now in effect require certain prudentially regulated entities and certain of their affiliates and subsidiaries (including swap dealers) to include in their derivatives contracts and certain other financial contracts terms that delay or restrict the rights of counterparties (such as a Trust Series) to terminate such contracts, foreclose upon collateral, exercise other default rights or restrict transfers of credit support in the event that the prudentially regulated entity and/or its affiliates are subject to certain types of resolution or insolvency proceedings. Similar regulations and laws have been adopted in non-U.S. jurisdictions that may apply to each Trust Series’ counterparties located in those jurisdictions. It is possible that these new requirements, as well as potential additional resulted government regulation, could adversely affect each Trust Series’ ability to terminate existing derivatives contracts, exercise default rights, or satisfy obligations owed to it with collateral received under such contracts. The use of swap agreements may expose a Trust Series to early termination risk, which could result in significant losses to the Trust Series. Swap agreements do not have uniform terms. A swap counterparty may have the right to close out the Trust Series’ position due to the occurrence of certain events (for example, if a counterparty is unable to hedge its obligations to the Trust Series, or if the Trust Series defaults on certain terms of the swap agreement, or if there is a material decline in the Trust Series’ NAV on a particular day) and request immediate payment of amounts owed by the Trust Series under the agreement. If the level of the Trust Series’ NAV has a dramatic intraday move, the terms of the swap agreement may permit the counterparty to close out a transaction with the Trust Series at a price calculated by the counterparty that, in good faith, represents such counterparty’s loss. which may not represent fair market value. A swap counterparty may also have the right to close out the Trust Series’ position for no reason, in some cases with same day notice. 46 Table of Contents Other Risks Neither Trust Series is leveraged, but a Trust Series could become leveraged if it had insufficient assets to completely meet its margin or collateral requirements relating to its investments. Neither Trust Series is leveraged, and neither intends to leverage, its assets through borrowings or otherwise, and each makes its investments accordingly. Consistent with the foregoing, each Trust Series’ announced investment intentions, and any changes thereto, will take into account the need for the Trust Series to make permitted investments that also allow it to maintain adequate liquidity to meet its margin and collateral requirements and to avoid, to the extent reasonably possible, the Trust Series becoming leveraged. If market conditions require it, a Trust Series may implement risk reduction procedures, which may include changes to its investments, and such changes may occur on short notice if they occur other than during a roll or rebalance period. Although neither Trust Series borrows or will borrow money or use debt to satisfy its margin or collateral obligations in respect of its investments, it could become leveraged if the Trust Series were to hold insufficient assets that would allow it to meet not only the current, but also future, margin or collateral obligations required for such investments. Such a circumstance could occur if a Trust Series were to hold assets that have a value of less than zero. USCF endeavors to have the value of each Trust Series’ Treasuries, cash and cash equivalents, whether held by the Trust Series or posted as margin or other collateral, at all times approximate the aggregate market value of its obligations under its Futures Contracts and Other Related Investments. Although permitted to do so under the Trust Agreement, neither Trust Series has, nor does it intend to, leverage its assets by making investments beyond its potential ability to meet the potential margin and collateral obligations relating to such investments. Consistent with this, each Trust Series’ investment decisions will take into account the need for the Trust Series to make permitted investments that also allow it to maintain adequate liquidity to meet its margin and collateral requirements and to avoid, to the extent reasonably possible, the Trust Series becoming leveraged, including by its holding of assets that have a high probability of having a value of less than zero. If market conditions require it, these risk reduction measures may occur on short notice. A Trust Series may temporarily limit the offering of Creation Baskets. A Trust Series may determine to limit the issuance of its shares through the offering of Creation Baskets to its Authorized Participants in order to allow it to reinvest the proceeds from sales of its Creation Baskets in currently permitted assets in a manner that meets its investment objective. A Trust Series will announce to the market through the filing of a Current Report on Form 8-K if it intends to limit the offering of Creation Baskets at any time. In such case, orders for Creation Baskets will be considered for acceptance in the order they are received by the Trust Series and the Trust Series would continue to accept requests for redemption of its shares from Authorized Participants through Redemption Baskets during the period of the limited offering of Creation Baskets. The Trust Series pay fees and expenses that are incurred regardless of whether they are profitable. Unlike mutual funds, commodity pools or other investment pools that manage their investments in an attempt to realize income and gains and distribute such income and gains to their investors, the Trust Series generally do not distribute cash shareholders. You should not invest in a Trust Series if you will need cash distributions from the Trust Series to pay taxes on your share of income and gains of the Trust Series, if any, or for any other reason. You will have no rights to participate in the management of a Trust Series and will have to rely on the duties and judgment of USCF to manage the Trust Series. The Trust Series is subject to actual and potential inherent conflicts involving USCF, various commodity futures brokers and “Authorized Participants,” USCF’s officers, directors and employees do not devote their time exclusively to the Trust Series. USCF’s personnel are directors, officers or employees of other entities that may compete with the Trust Series for their services, including other commodity pools (funds) that USCF manages. USCF could have a conflict between its responsibilities to the Trust Series and to those other entities. As a result of these and other relationships, parties involved with the Trust Series have a financial incentive to act in a manner other than in the best interest of the Trust Series and the shareholders. Certain of a Trust Series’ investments could be illiquid, which could cause large losses to investors at any time or from time to time. Futures positions cannot always be liquidated at the desired price. It is difficult to execute a trade at a specific price when there is a relatively small volume of buy and sell orders in a market. A market disruption, such as war or a foreign government taking political 47 Table of Contents actions that disrupt the market for its currency, its crude oil production or exports, or another major export, can also make it difficult to liquidate a position. Because both Futures Contracts and Other Commodity-Related Investments may be illiquid, a Trust Series’ Commodity Interests may be more difficult to liquidate at favorable prices in periods of illiquid markets and losses may be incurred during the period in which positions are being liquidated. The large size of the positions that a Trust Series may acquire increases the risk of illiquidity both by making its positions more difficult to liquidate and by potentially increasing losses while trying to do so. OTC contracts that are not subject to clearing may be even less marketable than futures contracts because they are not traded on an exchange, do not have uniform terms and conditions, and are entered into based upon the creditworthiness of the parties and the availability of credit support, such as collateral, and in general, they are not transferable without the consent of the counterparty. These conditions make such contracts less liquid than standardized futures contracts traded on a commodities exchange and could adversely impact a Trust Series’ ability to realize the full value of such contracts. In addition, even if collateral is used to reduce counterparty credit risk, sudden changes in the value of OTC transactions may leave a party open to financial risk due to a counterparty default since the collateral held may not cover a party’s exposure on the transaction in such situations. The Trust Series are not actively managed and their investment objectives are for the daily changes in percentage terms of their shares’ per share NAV for any period of 30 successive valuation days to be within plus/minus ten percent (10%) of the average daily percentage change in the price of the Applicable Benchmark Component Futures Contracts over the same period. The Trust Series are not actively managed by conventional methods. Accordingly, if a Trust Series’ investments are declining in value, in the ordinary course, the Trust Series will not close out such positions except in connection with paying the proceeds to an Authorized Participant upon the redemption of a basket closing out its positions in the applicable Benchmark Component Futures Contracts and other permitted investments (i) connection with the monthly change in the Applicable Benchmark Component Futures Contracts; (ii) when the Trust Series otherwise determines it would be appropriate to do so, e.g., due to regulatory requirements or risk mitigation measures; (iii) or to avoid the Trust Series becoming leveraged, and it reinvests the proceeds in new Benchmark Component Futures Contracts or other related investments to the extent possible. USCF will seek to cause the NAV a Trust Series shares to track the Applicable Index during periods in which the price is flat or declining as well as when the price is rising. The ability of each Trust Series to invest in the Applicable Benchmark Component Futures Contracts could be limited as a result of any or all of the following: evolving market conditions, a change in regulatory accountability levels and position limits imposed on the Trust Series with respect to its investment in Futures Contracts, additional or different risk mitigation measures taken by market participants, generally, including a Trust Series, with respect to such Trust Series acquiring additional Futures Contracts, or such Trust Series selling additional shares. A Trust Series may not meet the listing standards of NYSE Arca, which would adversely impact an investor’s ability to sell shares. NYSE Arca may suspend a Trust Series’ shares from trading on the exchange with or without prior notice to the Trust Series upon failure of such Trust Series to comply with the NYSE’s listing requirements or, when in its sole discretion, the NYSE Arca determines that such suspension of dealings is in the public interest or otherwise warranted. There can be no assurance that the requirements necessary to maintain the listing of each Trust Series’ shares will continue to be met or will remain unchanged. If a Trust Series were unable to meet the NYSE’s listing standards and were to become delisted, an investor’s ability to sell its shares would be adversely impacted. The NYSE Arca may halt trading in a Trust Series’ shares, which would adversely impact an investor’s ability to sell shares. As of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, each Trust Series’ shares are listed for trading on the NYSE Arca under the market symbols “USCI” and “CPER”. Trading in shares may be halted due to market conditions or, in light of NYSE Arca rules and procedures, for reasons that, in the view of the NYSE Arca, make trading in shares inadvisable. In addition, trading is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to “circuit breaker” rules that require trading to be halted for a specified period based on a specified market decline. The liquidity of the shares may also be affected by the withdrawal from participation of Authorized Participants, which could adversely affect the market price of the shares. In the event that one or more Authorized Participants which have substantial interests in the shares withdraw from participation, the liquidity of the shares will likely decrease, which could adversely affect the market price of the shares and result in investors incurring a loss on their investment. 48 Table of Contents Shareholders that are not Authorized Participants may only purchase or sell their shares in secondary trading markets, and the conditions associated with trading in secondary markets may adversely affect investors’ investment in the shares. Only Authorized Participants may directly purchase shares from, or redeem shares with, a Trust Series through Creation Baskets or Redemption Baskets, respectively. All other investors that desire to purchase or sell shares must do so through the NYSE Arca or in other markets, if any, in which the shares may be traded. Shares may trade at a premium or discount relative to NAV per share. The lack of an active trading market for a Trust Series’ shares may result in losses on an investor’s investment in a Trust Series at the time the investor sells the shares. Although each Trust Series’ shares are listed and traded on the NYSE Arca, there can be no guarantee that an active trading market for the shares will be maintained. If an investor needs to sell shares at a time when no active trading market for them exists, the price the investor receives upon sale of the shares, assuming they were able to be sold, likely would be lower than if an active market existed. SummerHaven is leanly staffed and relies heavily on key personnel to manage advisory activities. SummerHaven is leanly staffed and relies heavily on key personnel to manage advisory activities. In providing trading advisory services to each Trust Series with respect to its Applicable Index, SummerHaven relies heavily on Kurt Nelson and Dr. K. Geert Rouwenhorst. Mr. Nelson and Dr. Rouwenhorst intend to allocate their time to managing the assets of each Trust Series in a manner that they deem appropriate. If such key personnel of SummerHaven were to leave or be unable to carry out their present responsibilities, it may have an adverse effect on the management of SummerHaven. USCF’s LLC Agreement provides limited authority to the Non-Management Directors, and any Director of USCF may be removed by USCF’s parent company, which is wholly owned by The Marygold Companies, Inc., a controlled public company where the majority of shares are owned by Nicholas D. Gerber along with certain of his other family members and certain other shareholders. USCF’s Board of Directors currently consists of four Management Directors, who are also executive officers or employees of USCF, and three Non-Management Directors, who are considered independent for purposes of applicable NYSE Arca and SEC rules. Under USCF’s LLC Agreement, the Non-Management Directors have only such authority as the Management Directors expressly confer upon them, which means that the Non-Management Directors may have less authority to control the actions of the Management Directors than is typically the case with the independent members of a company’s Board of Directors. In addition, any Director may be removed by written consent of USCF Investments, Inc. (“USCF Investments”), formerly Wainwright Holdings, Inc., which is the sole member of USCF. The sole shareholder of USCF Investments is The Marygold Companies, Inc., formerly Concierge Technologies, Inc. (“Marygold”), a company publicly traded under the ticker symbol “MGLD.” Mr. Nicholas D. Gerber, along with certain of his family members and certain other shareholders, owns the majority of the shares in Marygold, which is the sole shareholder of USCF Investments, the sole member of USCF. Accordingly, although USCF is governed by the USCF Board of Directors, which consists of both Management Directors and Non-Management Directors, pursuant to the LLC Agreement, it is possible for Mr. Gerber to exercise his indirect control of USCF Investments to effect the removal of any Director (including the Non-Management Directors which comprise the Audit Committee) and to replace that Director with another Director. Having control in one person could have a negative impact on USCF and each Trust Series, including their regulatory obligations. There is a risk that a Trust Series will not earn trading gains sufficient to compensate for the fees and expenses that it must pay and as such a Trust Series may not earn any profit. Each Trust Series pays brokerage charges of approximately 0.10% of average total net assets based on brokerage fees of $3.00 per buy or sell, management fees of 0.65% of NAV on its average net assets in the case of CPER and 0.80% in the case of USCI (in each case, before any applicable voluntary or contractual expense waivers), and OTC spreads and extraordinary expenses (e.g., subsequent offering expenses, other expenses not in the ordinary course of business, including the indemnification of any person against liabilities and obligations to the extent permitted by law and required under the Trust Agreement and under agreements entered into by USCF on each Trust Series’ behalf and the bringing and defending of actions at law or in equity and otherwise engaging in the conduct of litigation and the incurring of legal expenses and the settlement of claims and litigation) that cannot be quantified. These fees and expenses must be paid in all cases regardless of whether each Trust Series’ activities are profitable. Accordingly, each Trust Series must earn trading gains sufficient to compensate for these fees and expenses before it can earn any profit. 49 Table of Contents Each Trust Series is subject to extensive regulatory reporting and compliance. Each Trust Series is subject to a comprehensive scheme of regulation under the federal commodities and securities laws. Each Trust Series could be subject to sanctions for a failure to comply with those requirements, which could adversely affect its financial performance (in the case of financial penalties) or ability to pursue its investment objective (in the case of a limitation on its ability to trade). Because each Trust Series’ shares are publicly traded, a Trust Series is subject to certain rules and regulations of federal, state and financial market exchange entities charged with the protection of investors and the oversight of companies whose securities are publicly traded. These entities include the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (the “PCAOB”), the SEC, the CFTC, the NFA and NYSE Arca and these authorities have continued to develop additional regulations or interpretations of existing regulations. Each Trust Series is in ongoing efforts to comply with these regulations and interpretations have resulted in, and are likely to continue resulting in, a diversion of management’s time and attention from revenue-generating activities to compliance related activities. Each Trust Series is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting. Each Trust Series’ internal control system is designed to provide reasonable assurance to its management regarding the preparation and fair presentation of published financial statements. All internal control systems, no matter how well designed, have inherent limitations. Therefore, even those systems determined to be effective may provide only reasonable assurance with respect to financial statement preparation and presentation. Fewer representative commodities may result in greater Applicable Index volatility. Each Applicable Index is concentrated in terms of the number of commodities represented. Investors should be aware that other commodities indices are more diversified in terms of both the number and variety of commodities included. Concentration in fewer commodities may result in a greater degree of volatility in an Applicable Index and the NAV of a Trust Series which tracks an Applicable Index under specific market conditions and over time. Regulatory changes or actions, including the implementation of new legislation is impossible to predict but may significantly and adversely affect a Trust Series. The futures markets are subject to comprehensive statutes, regulations, and margin requirements. In addition, the CFTC and futures exchanges are authorized to take extraordinary actions in the event of a market emergency, including, for example, the retroactive implementation of speculative position limits or higher margin requirements, the establishment of daily price limits and the suspension of trading. Regulation of commodity interest transactions in the United States is a rapidly changing area of law and is subject to ongoing modification by governmental and judicial action. Considerable regulatory attention has been focused on non-traditional investment pools that are publicly distributed in the United States. In addition, the SEC, CFTC and the exchanges are authorized to take extraordinary actions in the event of a market emergency, including, for example, the retroactive implementation of speculative position limits or higher margin requirements, the establishment of daily price limits and the suspension of trading. Further, various national governments outside of the United States have expressed concern regarding the disruptive effects of speculative trading in the commodities markets and the need to regulate the derivatives markets in general. The effect of any future regulatory change on a Trust Series is impossible to predict, but it could be substantial and adverse. For a more detailed discussion of the regulations to be imposed by the CFTC and the SEC and the potential impacts thereof on a Trust Series, please see “Item 1. Business – Commodities Regulation” in this Annual report on Form 10-K. The Trust is not a registered investment company, so shareholders do not have the protections of the 1940 Act. The Trust is not an investment company subject to the 1940 Act. Accordingly, investors do not have the protections afforded by that statute, which, for example, requires investment companies to have a majority of disinterested directors and regulates the relationship between the investment company and its investment manager. Trading in international markets could expose a Trust Series to credit and regulatory risk. Each Trust Series invests primarily in Futures Contracts, a significant portion of which are traded on United States exchanges, including the NYMEX. However, a portion of a Trust Series’ trades may take place on markets and exchanges outside the United States. Trading on such non-U.S. markets or exchanges presents risks because they are not subject to the same degree of regulation as their U.S. counterparts, including potentially different or diminished investor protections. In trading contracts denominated in currencies other 50 Table of Contents than U.S. dollars, a Trust Series is subject to the risk of adverse exchange-rate movements between the dollar and the functional currencies of such contracts. Additionally, trading on non-U.S. exchanges is subject to the risks presented by exchange controls, expropriation, increased tax burdens and exposure to local economic declines and political instability. An adverse development with respect to any of these variables could reduce the profit or increase the loss earned on trades in the affected international markets. Each Trust Series and USCF may have conflicts of interest, which may permit them to favor their own interests to the detriment of shareholders. Each Trust Series is subject to actual and potential inherent conflicts involving USCF, various commodity futures brokers and any Authorized Participants. USCF’s officers, directors and employees do not devote their time exclusively to a Trust Series and also are directors, officers or employees of other entities that may compete with each Trust Series for their services. They could have a conflict between their responsibilities to a Trust Series and to those other entities. As a result of these and other relationships, parties involved with a Trust Series have a financial incentive to act in a manner other than in the best interests of such Trust Series and the shareholders. USCF has not established any formal procedure to resolve conflicts of interest. Consequently, investors are dependent on the good faith of the respective parties subject to such conflicts of interest to resolve them equitably. Although USCF attempts to monitor these conflicts, it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, for USCF to ensure that these conflicts do not, in fact, result in adverse consequences to the shareholders. A Trust Series may also be subject to certain conflicts with respect to its FCMs, including, but not limited to, conflicts that result from the FCM receiving greater amounts of compensation from other clients, or purchasing opposite or competing positions on behalf of third-party accounts traded through the FCMs. In addition, USCF’s principals, officers, directors or employees may trade futures and related contracts for their own account. A conflict of interest may exist if their trades are in the same markets and at the same time as a Trust Series trades using the clearing broker to be used by such Trust Series. A potential conflict also may occur if USCF’s principals, officers, directors or employees trade their accounts more aggressively or take positions in their accounts which are opposite, or ahead of, the positions taken by a Trust Series. The Trust Series, USCF and SummerHaven may have conflicts of interest, which may cause them to favor their own interests to the detriment of shareholders. The Trust Series, USCF and SummerHaven may have inherent conflicts to the extent USCF and SummerHaven attempt to maintain each Trust Series’ asset size in order to preserve its fee income and this may not always be consistent with such Trust Series’ objective of having the value of its shares’ NAV track changes in the value of an Applicable Index. USCF’s and SummerHaven’s officers, directors and employees do not devote their time exclusively to each Trust Series. For example, USCF’s directors, officers and employees act in such capacity for other entities, including the Related Public Funds that may compete with each Trust Series for their services. They could have a conflict between their responsibilities to each Trust Series and to the Related Public Funds. USCF has sole current authority to manage the investments and operations of each Trust Series. It has delegated management of each Trust Series’ investments in its Applicable Interests to its commodity trading advisor, SummerHaven. This authority to manage the investments and operations of each Trust Series may allow either USCF or SummerHaven to act in a way that furthers its own interests in conflict with the best interests of investors. Shareholders have very limited voting rights, which will limit the ability to influence matters such as amending the Trust Agreement, changing a Trust Series’ basic investment objective, dissolving a Trust Series, or selling or distributing a Trust Series’ assets. Shareholders have only very limited voting rights and have the power to replace USCF only under specific circumstances. Shareholders do not participate in the management of a Trust Series and do not control USCF, so they do not have any influence over basic matters that affect each Trust Series. Shareholders have very limited voting rights with respect to each Trust Series’ affairs and have none of the statutory rights normally associated with the ownership of shares of a corporation (including, for example, the right to bring “oppression” or “derivative” actions). Shareholders may elect a replacement sponsor only if USCF resigns voluntarily or loses its corporate charter. Shareholders are not permitted to participate in the management or control of any Trust Series or the conduct of its business. Shareholders must therefore rely upon the duties and judgment of USCF to manage each Trust Series’ affairs. 51 Table of Contents A Trust Series could terminate at any time and cause the liquidation and potential loss of an investor’s investment and could upset the overall maturity and timing of an investor’s investment portfolio. A Trust Series may terminate at any time, regardless of whether that Trust Series has incurred losses, subject to the terms of the Trust Agreement. In particular, unforeseen circumstances, including but not limited to the death, adjudication of incompetence, bankruptcy, dissolution, withdrawal, or removal of USCF as the sponsor of the Trust could cause the Trust Series to terminate unless a successor is appointed in accordance with the Trust Agreement. Circumstances that could cause the sponsor to resign include, but are not limited to, if USCF determines market conditions, regulatory requirements, risk mitigation measures taken by a Trust Series, third parties or otherwise that would lead the Trust Series to determine that it could no longer foreseeably meet its investment objective or that the Trust Series’ aggregate net assets in relation to its operating expenses or its margin or collateral requirements make the continued operation of the Trust Series unreasonable or imprudent. In addition, USCF may terminate a Trust Series if it determines that the Trust Series’ aggregate net assets in relation to its operating expenses make the continued operation of the Trust Series unreasonable or imprudent. However, no level of losses will require USCF to terminate a Trust Series. A Trust Series’ termination would cause the liquidation of its assets and the distribution of the proceeds thereof, first to creditors and then to shareholders in accordance with their positive book capital account balances, after giving effect to all contributions, distributions and allocations for all periods, and the Trust Series could incur losses in liquidating its assets in connection with a termination. Termination could also negatively affect the overall maturity and timing of an investor’s investment portfolio. The Trust Series do not expect to make cash distributions. No Trust Series has previously made any cash distributions and intends to reinvest any realized gains in additional Commodity Interests rather than distributing cash to shareholders. Therefore, unlike mutual funds, commodity pools or other investment pools that actively manage their investments in an attempt to realize income and gains from their investing activities and distribute such income and gains to their investors, a Trust Series generally does not expect to distribute cash. An investor should not invest in a Trust Series if the investor will need cash distributions from the Trust Series to pay taxes on its share of income and gains of a Trust Series, if any, or for any other reason. Nonetheless, although a Trust Series does not intend to make cash distributions, the income earned from its investments held directly or posted as margin may reach levels that merit distribution, e.g., at levels where such income is not necessary to support its underlying investments in Commodity Interests and investors adversely react to being taxed on such income without receiving distributions that could be used to pay such tax. If this income becomes significant then cash distributions may be made. An unanticipated number of Redemption Basket requests during a short period of time could have an adverse effect on a Trust Series’ NAV. If a substantial number of requests for redemption of Redemption Baskets are received by a Trust Series during a relatively short period of time, such Trust Series may not be able to satisfy the requests from the Trust Series assets not committed to trading. As a consequence, it could be necessary to liquidate positions in a Trust Series’ trading positions before the time that the trading strategies would otherwise dictate liquidation. The suspension in the ability of Authorized Participants to purchase Creation Baskets could cause a Trust Series’ NAV to differ materially from its trading price. In the event that there was a suspension in the ability of Authorized Participants to purchase additional Creation Baskets, Authorized Participants and other groups that make a market in shares of a Trust Series would likely still continue to actively trade the shares. However, in such a situation, Authorized Participants and other market makers may seek to adjust the market they make in the shares. Specifically, such market participants may increase the spread between the prices that they quote for offers to buy and sell shares to allow them to adjust to the potential uncertainty as to when they might be able to purchase additional Creation Baskets of shares. In addition, Authorized Participants may be less willing to offer to quote offers to buy or sell shares in large numbers. The potential impact of either wider spreads between bid and offer prices, or reduced number of shares on which quotes may be available, could increase the trading costs to investors in the Trust Series compared to the quotes and the number of shares on which bids and offers are made if the Authorized Participants still were able to freely create new baskets of shares. In addition, there could be a significant variation between the market price at which shares are traded and the shares’ NAV, which is also the price shares can be redeemed with the Trust Series by Authorized Participants in Redemption Baskets. The foregoing could also create significant deviations from the Trust Series’ investment objective. Any potential impact to the market for shares of the Trust Series that could occur from the Authorized Participant’s inability to create new baskets would likely not extend beyond the time when additional shares would be registered and available for distribution. 52 Table of Contents A Trust Series may determine that, to allow it to reinvest the proceeds from sales of its Creation Baskets in currently permitted assets in a manner that meets its investment objective, it may limit its offers of Creation Baskets. A Trust Series may determine to limit the issuance of its shares through the offering of Creation Baskets to its Authorized Participants. As a result of certain circumstances described herein, including (1) the need to comply with regulatory requirements (including, but not limited to, exchange accountability levels and position limits); (2) market conditions (including but not limited to those allowing USCI to obtain greater liquidity or to execute transactions with more favorable pricing); and (3) risk mitigation measures taken by the Trust Series’ current and other FCMs that limit the Trust Series and other market participants from investing in particular commodity futures contracts, a Trust Series’ management can determine that it will limit the issuance of shares and the offerings of Creation Baskets because it is unable to invest the proceeds from such offerings in investments that would permit it to reasonably meet its investment objective. If such a determination is made, the same consequences associated with a suspension of the offering of Creation Baskets, as described in the foregoing risk factor, “The suspension in the ability of Authorized Participants to purchase Creation Baskets could cause a Trust Series’ NAV to differ materially from its trading price,” could also occur as a result of a Trust Series determining to limit the offering of creation baskets. In a rising rate environment, the Trust Series may not be able to fully invest at prevailing rates until any current investments in Treasury Bills mature in order to avoid selling those investments at a loss. When interest rates rise, the value of fixed income securities typically falls. In a rising interest rate environment, a Trust Series may not be able to fully invest at prevailing rates until any current investments in Treasury Bills mature in order to avoid selling those investments at a loss. Interest rate risk is generally lower for shorter term investments and higher for longer term investments. The risk to the Trust Series of rising interest rates may be greater in the future due to the end of a long period of historically low rates, the effect of potential monetary policy initiatives, including actions taken by the U.S. Federal Reserve and other foreign equivalents to curb inflation, and resulting market reactions to those initiatives. When interest rates fall, the Trust Series may be required to reinvest the proceeds from the sale, redemption or early prepayment of a Treasury Bill or money market security at a lower interest rate. A Trust Series may potentially lose money by investing in government money market funds. The Trust Series invests in government money market funds. Although such government money market funds seek to preserve the value of an investment at $1.00 per share, there is no guarantee that they will be able to do so and a Trust Series may lose money by investing in a government money market fund. An investment in a government money market fund is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (the “FDIC”), or any other government agency. The share price of a government money market fund can fall below the $1.00 share price. No Trust Series can rely on or expect a government money market fund’s adviser or its affiliates to enter into support agreements or take other actions to maintain the government money market fund’s $1.00 share price. The credit quality of a government money market fund’s holdings can change rapidly in certain markets, and the default of a single holding could have an adverse impact on the government money market fund’s share price. Due to fluctuations in interest rates, the market value of securities held by a government money market fund may vary. A government money market fund’s share price can also be negatively affected during periods of high redemption pressures and/or illiquid markets. The failure or bankruptcy of a clearing broker could result in a substantial loss of the Trust Series’ assets and could impair the Trust Series in its ability to execute trades. The CEA and CFTC regulations impose several requirements on FCMs and clearing houses that are designed to protect customers, including mandating the implementation of risk management programs, internal monitoring and controls, capital and liquidity standards, customer disclosures, and auditing and examination programs. In particular, the CEA and CFTC regulations require FCMs and clearing houses to segregate all funds received from customers from proprietary assets. There can be no assurance that the requirements imposed by the CEA and CFTC regulations will prevent losses to, or not materially adversely affect, the Trust Series or its investors. In particular, in the event of an FCM’s or clearing house’s bankruptcy, the Trust Series could be limited to recovering either a pro rata share of all available funds segregated on behalf of the FCM’s combined customer accounts or the Trust Series may not recover any assets at all. The Trust Series may also incur a loss of any unrealized profits on its open and closed positions. This is because if such a bankruptcy were to occur, the Trust Series would be afforded the protections granted to customers of an FCM, and participants to transactions cleared through a clearing house, under the United States Bankruptcy Code and applicable CFTC regulations. Such 53 Table of Contents provisions generally provide for a pro rata distribution to customers of customer property held by the bankrupt FCM or an Exchange’s clearing house if the customer property held by the FCM or the Exchange’s clearing house is insufficient to satisfy all customer claims. Bankruptcy of a clearing FCM can be caused by, among other things, the default of one of the FCM’s customers. In this event, the Exchange’s clearing house is permitted to use the entire amount of margin posted by a Trust Series (as well as margin posted by other customers of the FCM) to cover the amounts owed by the bankrupt FCM. Consequently, the Trust Series could be unable to recover amounts due to it on its futures positions, including assets posted as margin, and could sustain substantial losses. Notwithstanding that the Trust Series could sustain losses upon the failure or bankruptcy of its FCM, the majority of a Trust Series’ assets are held in Treasuries, cash and/or cash equivalents with the Custodian and would not be impacted by the bankruptcy of an FCM. The failure or bankruptcy of the Trust Series’ Custodian could result in a substantial loss of the Trust Series’ assets. The majority of a Trust Series’ assets are held in Treasuries, cash and/or cash equivalents with the Custodian. The insolvency of the Custodian could result in a complete loss of a Trust Series’ assets held by that Custodian, which, at any given time, would likely comprise a substantial portion of such Trust Series’ total assets. The liability of SHIM and SummerHaven is limited, and the value of the shares may be adversely affected if USCF and any Trust Series are required to indemnify SHIM and/or SummerHaven. Under the licensing agreement among SHIM, SummerHaven and USCF, and the advisory agreement between SummerHaven and USCF, none of SHIM, SummerHaven and its affiliates, nor any of their respective officers, directors, shareholders, members, partners, employees and any person who controls SHIM or SummerHaven is liable to USCF or any Trust Series absent willful misconduct, gross negligence, bad faith, or material breaches of applicable law or the applicable agreement on the part of SHIM or SummerHaven. In addition, SHIM, SummerHaven and its officers, directors, shareholders, members, partners, employees and any person who controls SHIM or SummerHaven or their representatives, agents, attorneys, service providers, successors and assigns have the right to be indemnified, defended and held harmless from and against any and all claims, liabilities, obligations, judgments, causes of action, costs and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) (collectively, “Losses”) in connection with or arising out of the licensing agreement or advisory agreement, unless such Losses result from any willful misconduct, gross negligence or bad faith on the part of SHIM, SummerHaven, or a material breach by USCF of applicable law or the applicable agreement. Furthermore, SHIM, SummerHaven will not be liable to USCF or any Trust Series for any indirect, incidental, special or consequential damages, even if SHIM, SummerHaven or an authorized representative of SHIM or SummerHaven has been advised of the possibility of such damages. The liability of USCF and the Trustee are limited, and the value of the shares will be adversely affected if any Trust Series is required to indemnify the Trustee or USCF. Under the Trust Agreement, the Trustee and USCF are not liable, and have the right to be indemnified, for any liability or expense incurred absent gross negligence or willful misconduct on the part of the Trustee or USCF or breach by USCF of the Trust Agreement, as the case may be. As a result, USCF may require the assets of any Trust Series to be sold in order to cover losses or liability suffered by it or by the Trustee. Any sale of that kind would reduce the NAV of such Trust Series and the value of its shares. Although the shares of each Trust Series are limited liability investments, certain circumstances such as bankruptcy or indemnification of a Trust Series by a shareholder will increase the shareholder’s liability. The shares of each Trust Series are limited liability investments; shareholders may not lose more than the amount that they invest plus any profits recognized on their investment. However, shareholders could be required, as a matter of bankruptcy law, to return to the estate of a Trust Series any distribution they received at a time when such Trust Series was in fact insolvent or in violation of its Trust Agreement. In addition, a number of states do not have “statutory trust” statutes such as the Delaware statutes under which the Trust has been formed in the State of Delaware. It is possible that a court in such state could hold that, due to the absence of any statutory provision to the contrary in such jurisdiction, the shareholders, although entitled under Delaware law to the same limitation on personal liability as stockholders in a private corporation for profit organized under the laws of the State of Delaware, are not so entitled in such state. Finally, in the event the Trust or any Trust Series is made a party to any claim, dispute, demand or litigation or otherwise incurs any liability or expense as a result of or in connection with any shareholder’s (or assignee’s) obligations or liabilities unrelated to the business of the Trust or such Trust Series, as applicable, such shareholder (or assignees cumulatively) is required under the Trust Agreement to indemnify the Trust or such Trust Series, as applicable, for all such liability and expense incurred, including attorneys’ and accountants’ fees. 54 Table of Contents Investors cannot be assured of the continuation of the agreement between SummerHaven and USCF for use of an Applicable Index, and discontinuance of an Applicable Index may be detrimental to a Trust Series. Investors cannot be assured that the license agreement between SHIM and USCF for use of an Applicable Index will continue for any length of time. Should the agreement between SHIM and USCF for use of an Applicable Index be terminated, USCF will be required to find a replacement index, which may have an adverse effect on a Trust Series. Investors cannot be assured of SummerHaven’s continued services, and discontinuance may be detrimental to a Trust Series. Investors cannot be assured that SummerHaven will be willing or able to continue to service each Trust Series for any length of time. SummerHaven was formed for the purpose of providing investment advisory services, and provides these services to each Trust Series on a contractual basis pursuant to a licensing agreement and an advisory agreement. If SummerHaven discontinues its activities on behalf of any Trust Series, such Trust Series may be adversely affected. If SummerHaven’s registration with the CFTC or membership in the NFA were revoked or suspended, SummerHaven would no longer be able to provide services to any Trust Series. All of the Trust Series are series of the Trust and, as a result, a court could potentially conclude that the assets and liabilities of one Trust Series are not segregated from those of another Trust Series, thereby potentially exposing assets in one Trust Series to the liabilities of another Trust Series . Each Trust Series is a series of a Delaware statutory trust and not itself a separate legal entity. The Delaware Statutory Trust Act provides that if certain provisions are included in the formation and governing documents of a statutory trust organized in series and if separate and distinct records are maintained for any series and the assets associated with that series are held in separate and distinct records and are accounted for in such separate and distinct records separately from the other assets of the statutory trust, or any series thereof, then the debts, liabilities, obligations and expenses incurred by a particular series are enforceable against the assets of such series only, and not against the assets of the statutory trust generally or any other series thereof. Conversely, none of the debts, liabilities, obligations and expenses incurred with respect to any other series thereof shall be enforceable against the assets of such series. USCF is not aware of any court case that has interpreted this Inter-Series Limitation on Liability or provided any guidance as to what is required for compliance. USCF intends to maintain separate and distinct records for each Trust Series and account for each Trust Series separately from any other series of the Trust, but it is possible a court could conclude that the methods used do not satisfy the Delaware Statutory Trust Act, which would potentially expose assets in one series to the liabilities of another Trust Series. The Trust Agreement limits the forum in which claims may be brought against USCF, the Trust, the Trustee or their respective directors and officers. The rights of USCF, the Trust, the Trust Series, DTC (as registered owner of the Trust Series’ global certificate for shares) and the shareholders are governed by the laws of the State of Delaware. USCF, the Trust, the Trust Series and DTC and, by accepting shares, each DTC Participant and each shareholder, consent to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of the State of Delaware and any federal courts located in Delaware other than for a person to assert a claim of Delaware jurisdiction over USCF, the Trust or the Trust Series. As a result, any claims, suits, actions or proceedings arising out of or relating in any way to the 1933 Act, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), the Trust, the Delaware Statutory Trust Act (the “Trust Act”), the Trust Agreement or asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs (or similar) doctrine including, without limitation, any claims, suits, actions or proceedings to interpret, apply or enforce (i) the provisions of the Trust Agreement, or (ii) the duties (including fiduciary duties), obligations or liabilities of the Trust to USCF, the shareholders or the Trustee, or of USCF or the Trustee to the Trust, to the shareholders or each other, or (iii) the rights or powers of, or restrictions on, the Trust, the Trustee or the shareholders, or (iv) any provision of the Trust Act or other laws of the State of Delaware pertaining to trusts made applicable to the Trust pursuant to the Trust Act, or (v) any other instrument, document, agreement or certificate contemplated by any provision of the Trust Act or the Trust Agreement relating in any way to the Trust, shall be exclusively brought in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware or, if such court does not have subject matter jurisdiction thereof, any other court in the State of Delaware with subject matter jurisdiction. We believe this provision benefits us and the shareholders: (1) by having disputes resolved by a forum with the experience and established precedent for resolving these types of disputes under Delaware law, (2) by providing increased consistency in the application of Delaware law in the types of lawsuits to which it applies, and, (3) as a result of the foregoing, limiting the time cost and uncertainty of litigation. However, this provision may limit the right of a Trust Series’ shareholders to bring a claim in a judicial forum they believe is more favorable for its disputes against USCF, the Trust, or the Trustee. In addition, it may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against USCF, the Trust, the Trustee, or their respective directors and officers. Although the Trust Agreement contains the exclusive choice of forum provision described above and such provisions are expressly permitted under the Trust Act, there are no court cases that 55 Table of Contents we are aware of that have interpreted the Trust Act in this regard and thus, it is possible that a court could rule that such a provision is inapplicable for a particular claim or action or that such provision is unenforceable. With the validity and enforceability of exclusive forum selection provisions still somewhat in question outside of the State of Delaware, there may be increased litigation over such provisions. Challenging shareholders might bring actions in courts outside of Delaware to attack a forum selection clause that specifies Delaware as the exclusive jurisdiction. A non-Delaware court could view negatively a forum selection clause in favor of Delaware, in particular, because such a provision may appear to divest the non-Delaware court of its legal jurisdiction. Section 27 of the Exchange Act vests exclusive federal jurisdiction for all claims brought to enforce any duty or liability created under the Exchange Act. Therefore, any exclusive forum selection clauses will not apply to any such claim. In addition, Section 22 of the 1933 Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for federal and state courts over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the 1933 Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. As a result, there is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce an exclusive forum selection clause in connection with claims arising under the 1933 Act and/or the Exchange Act, and the rules and regulations thereunder, and in any event, stockholders will not be deemed to have waived the Company’s compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. USCF and the Trustee are not obligated to prosecute any action, suit or other proceeding in respect of any Trust Series property. Neither USCF nor the Trustee is obligated to, although each may in its respective discretion, prosecute any action, suit or other proceeding in respect of any Trust Series property. The Trust Agreement does not confer upon shareholders the right to prosecute any such action, suit or other proceeding. Due to the increased use of technologies, intentional and unintentional cyber-attacks pose operational and information security risks. With the increased use of technologies such as the internet and the dependence on computer systems to perform necessary business functions, the Funds are susceptible to operational and information security risks. In general, cyber incidents can result from deliberate attacks or unintentional events such as a cyber-attack against Fund, a natural catastrophe, an industrial accident, failure of the Trust’s disaster recovery systems, or consequential employee error. Cyber-attacks include, but are not limited to, gaining unauthorized access to digital systems for purposes of misappropriating assets or sensitive information, corrupting data, or causing operational disruption. Cyber-attacks may also be carried out in a manner that does not require gaining unauthorized access, such as causing denial-of-service attacks on websites. Cyber security failures or breaches of a Fund’s clearing broker or third party service provider (including, but not limited to, index providers, the administrator and transfer agent, the custodian), 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, reputational damage, reimbursement or other compensation costs, and/or additional compliance costs. Adverse effects can become particularly acute if those events affect Fund’s electronic data processing, transmission, storage, and retrieval systems, or impact the availability, integrity, or confidentiality of our data. In addition, a service provider that has experienced a cyber-security incident may divert resources normally devoted to servicing a Trust Series to addressing the incident, which would be likely to have an adverse effect on a Trust Series’ operations. Cyber-attacks may also cause disruptions to the futures exchanges and clearinghouses through which a Trust Series invests in futures contracts, which could result in disruptions to a Trust Series’ ability to pursue its investment objective, resulting in financial losses to a Trust Series and its shareholders. In addition, substantial costs may be incurred in order to prevent any cyber incidents in the future. A Trust Series and its shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result. While USCF and the Related Public Funds, including a Trust Series, have established business continuity plans, there are inherent limitations in such plans, including the possibility that certain risks have not been identified or that new risks will emerge before countervailing measures can be implemented. Furthermore, a Trust Series cannot control cybersecurity plans and systems of its service providers, market makers or Authorized Participants. A Trust Series’ investment returns could be negatively affected by climate change and greenhouse gas restrictions. Driven by concern over the risks of climate change, a number of countries have adopted, or are considering the adoption of, regulatory frameworks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions or production and use of oil and gas. These include adoption of cap and trade regimes, carbon taxes, trade tariffs, minimum renewable usage requirements, restrictive permitting, increased efficiency standards, and incentives or mandates for renewable energy. Political and other actors and their agents increasingly seek to advance climate change objectives indirectly, such as by seeking to reduce the availability of or increase the cost for, financial and investment in the oil and gas sector and taking actions intended to promote changes in business strategy for oil and gas companies. Many governments are also providing tax 56 Table of Contents advantages and other subsidies to support transitioning to alternative energy sources or mandating the use of specific fuels other than oil or natural gas. Depending on how policies are formulated and applied, they could have the potential to negatively affect a Trust Series’ investment returns and make oil and natural gas products more expensive or less competitive. USCF is the subject of class action, derivative, and other litigation. In light of the inherent uncertainties involved in litigation matters, an adverse outcome in this litigation could materially adversely affect USCF’s financial condition. USCF and USCF’s directors and certain of its officers are currently subject to litigation. Estimating an amount or range of possible losses resulting from litigation proceedings to USCF is inherently difficult and requires an extensive degree of judgment, particularly where the matters involve indeterminate claims for monetary damages and are subject to appeal. In addition, because most legal proceedings are resolved over extended periods of time, potential losses are subject to change due to, among other things, new developments, changes in legal strategy, the outcome of intermediate procedural and substantive rulings and other parties’ settlement posture and their evaluation of the strength or weakness of their case against USCF. For these reasons, we are currently unable to predict the ultimate timing or outcome of, or reasonably estimate the possible losses or a range of possible losses resulting therefrom. In light of the inherent uncertainties involved in such matters, an adverse outcome in this litigation could materially adversely affect USCF’s financial condition, results of operations or cash flows in any particular reporting period. In addition, litigation could result in substantial costs and divert USCF’s management’s attention and resources from conducting USCF’s operations, including the management of the Trust Series and the Related Public Funds. For more information, see “Item 3. Legal Proceedings” in this annual report on Form 10-K. ​