Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis
Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information
This report contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as “anticipate,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “seek,” “outlook” and “estimate” and other similar words. Forward-looking statements are based upon our current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on us. Such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. Various factors may cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed in our forward-looking statements. These factors include fluctuations in the price of the euro, as the value of the Shares relates directly to the value of the euro held by the Trust and price fluctuations could materially adversely affect an investment in the Shares. Readers are urged to review the “Risk Factors” section contained in the Trust’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K for a description of other risks and uncertainties that may affect an investment in the Shares.
Neither Invesco Specialized Products, LLC (the “Sponsor”) nor any other person assumes responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of forward-looking statements contained in this report. The forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this report, and will not be revised or updated to reflect actual results or changes in the Sponsor’s expectations or predictions.
Overview/Introduction
The Invesco CurrencyShares® Euro Trust (the “Trust”) is a grantor trust that was formed on December 5, 2005. The Shares began trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “FXE” on December 12, 2005. The primary listing of the Shares was transferred to NYSE Arca, Inc. (“NYSE Arca”) on October 30, 2007. The Trust issues shares (the “Shares”) in blocks of 50,000 (a “Basket”) in exchange for deposits of euro and distributes euro in connection with the redemption of Baskets.
The investment objective of the Trust is for the Shares to reflect the price in USD of euro plus accrued interest, if any, less the expenses of the Trust’s operations. The Shares are intended to offer investors an opportunity to participate in the market for the euro through an investment in securities. The Shares are intended to provide institutional and retail investors with a simple, cost-effective means of gaining investment benefits similar to those of holding the euro. The Shares are bought and sold on NYSE Arca like any other exchange-listed security. The Shares are backed by the assets of the Trust, which does not hold or use derivative products. The Trust is a passive investment vehicle and does not have any officers, directors or employees. The Trust does not engage in any activities designed to obtain profit from, or ameliorate losses caused by, changes in the price of the euro. Investing in the Shares does not insulate the investor from certain risks, including price volatility. The value of the holdings of the Trust is reported on the Trust’s website, www.invesco.com/etfs, each business day.
Definition of Net Asset Value
The Trustee calculates, and the Sponsor publishes, the Trust’s Net Asset Value (“NAV”) each business day. To calculate the NAV, the Trustee adds to the amount of euro in the Trust at the end of the preceding day accrued but unpaid interest, if any, euro receivable under pending purchase orders and the value of other Trust assets, and subtracts the accrued but unpaid Sponsor’s fee, euro payable under pending redemption orders and other Trust expenses and liabilities, if any. The NAV is expressed in USD based on the euro/USD exchange rate as determined by The WM Company at 4:00 PM (London time / London fixing) (the “Closing Spot Rate”) on each day that NYSE Arca is open for regular trading. If, on a particular evaluation day, the Closing Spot Rate has not been determined and announced by 6:00 PM (London time), then the most recent Closing Spot Rate is used to determine the NAV of the Trust unless the Trustee, in consultation with the Sponsor, determines that such price is inappropriate to use as the basis for the valuation.
The Trustee also determines the NAV per Share, which equals the NAV of the Trust divided by the number of outstanding Shares. The NAV of the Trust and the NAV per Share are published by the Sponsor on each day that NYSE Arca is open for regular trading and are posted on the Trust’s website, www.invesco.com/etfs.
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Movements in the Price of the Euro
The investment objective of the Trust is for the Shares to reflect the price in USD of the euro plus accrued interest, if any, less the expenses of the Trust’s operations. The Shares are intended to provide institutional and retail investors with a simple, cost-effective means of gaining investment benefits similar to those of holding euro. Each outstanding Share represents a proportional interest in the euro held by the Trust. The following chart provides recent trends on the price of euro. The chart illustrates movements in the price of euro in USD and is based on the Closing Spot Rate:
NAV per Share; Valuation of the Euro
The following chart illustrates the movement in the price of the Shares based on (1) NAV per Share, (2) the “bid” and “ask” midpoint offered on NYSE Arca and (3) the Closing Spot Rate, expressed as a multiple of 100 euro:
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Liquidity and Capital Resources
The Trust does not have any material cash requirements as of the end of the latest fiscal period. The Sponsor is not aware of any known trends, demands, commitments, events or uncertainties that will result in, or are reasonably likely to result in, material changes to the Trust’s liquidity and capital resources needs. The Trust’s Depository, JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., London Branch, maintains two deposit accounts for the Trust, a primary deposit account that may earn interest and a secondary deposit account that does not earn interest. Interest on the primary deposit account, if any, accrues daily and is paid monthly. The interest rate in effect as of June 30, 2022 was an annual nominal rate of -0.65%. The following chart provides the daily rate paid by the Depository since June 30, 2017:
In exchange for a fee, the Sponsor bears most of the expenses incurred by the Trust. As a result, the only ordinary expense of the Trust during the period covered by this report was the Sponsor’s fee. Each month the Depository deposits into the secondary deposit account accrued but unpaid interest, if any, and the Trustee withdraws euro from the secondary deposit account to pay the accrued Sponsor’s fee for the previous month plus other Trust expenses (including, without limitation, expenses resulting from negative interest rates), if any. When the interest deposited, if any, exceeds the sum of the Sponsor’s fee for the prior month plus other Trust expenses, if any, the Trustee converts the excess into USD at the prevailing market rate and distributes the USD as promptly as practicable to Shareholders on a pro-rata basis (in accordance with the number of Shares that they own). The Trust did not make any distributions during the quarter ended June 30, 2022.
Critical Accounting Estimates
The financial statements and accompanying notes are prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The preparation of these financial statements relies on estimates and assumptions that impact the Trust’s financial position and results of operations. These estimates and assumptions affect the Trust’s application of accounting policies. In addition, please refer to Note 3 to the financial statements of the Trust for further discussion of the Trust’s accounting policies and Item 7 – Management’s Discussions and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations – Critical Accounting Estimates on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021.
Results of Operations
During the three and six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, the Trust’s net comprehensive income (loss) was, in part, impacted by market volatility and uncertainty caused by the novel coronavirus known as COVID-19, which is considered to be an unusual or infrequent event. Additionally, the Trust’s net comprehensive income (loss) during the three and six months ended June 30, 2022 was, in part, impacted by the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which is also considered to be an unusual or infrequent event. Although the full and direct impact of COVID-19 and the Russia-Ukraine conflict on the Trust’s net comprehensive income (loss) during the three and six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021 cannot be known, it is believed that COVID-19 and the Russia-Ukraine conflict have each independently impacted the Closing Spot Rate, the interest rate paid by the Depository, and the global economy and markets generally, including the number of Shares created and redeemed by the Trust.
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The Euro (EUR/USD) fell in the second quarter of the year, reaching close to parity with the U.S. dollar, as pressures from the rapidly strengthening greenback mounted – growing recession fears amid expectations for aggressive Federal Reserve (Fed) rate hikes boosted safe haven demand. The deepening energy crisis in Europe following its ban of Russian oil and refined products, and decreased Russia natural gas flows raised probabilities for a recession in the region, putting further pressure on European currencies.
The Euro (EUR/USD) posted a small gain in the second quarter of 2021, largely due to a weakening dollar, given the U.S.’s lagged recovery from COVID-19 lockdowns and falling treasury yields in response to a more dovish Fed. However, gains were largely wiped out to end the quarter as the dollar surged on rising COVID-19 cases in Europe, which boosted safe haven demand.
The Euro (EUR/USD) posted negative performance in the first half of the year as heightened geopolitical tensions in Q1 and rising recession fears in Q2 boosted investor demand for safe haven currencies like the U.S. dollar, while simultaneously weighed on its European counterparts. The deepening energy crisis in Europe, following its ban of Russia oil and refined products raised probabilities for a recession in the region.
The Euro (EUR/USD) depreciated against the U.S. dollar in the first half of 2021. In the first quarter, the pair was pressured by the Eurozone’s struggle in battling yet another COVID-19 wave amid ongoing challenges in its vaccine rollout and a strengthening USD. In Q2, while the currency pair rallied initially on a weakening USD, the spike in the greenback on resurging COVID-19 cases at the end of the quarter wiped out all earlier gains.
Additionally, the interest rate paid by the Depository has generally trended downward over the past several years to the current interest rate of -0.65%, as set forth in the FXE Rate Chart above. As long as the Sponsor’s fee and the interest expense on currency deposits, if any, exceed interest income, the Trust will incur a net comprehensive loss.
Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
Except as described above with respect to fluctuations in the USD/euro exchange rate and changes in the nominal annual interest rate paid by the Depository on euro held by the Trust, the Trust is not subject to market risk. The Trust does not hold securities and does not invest in derivative instruments.
Text extracted from the filing as submitted to EDGAR. Formatting, tables and exhibits are simplified for reading; the original document is authoritative for anything you rely on.